Author: Restive Nature (aka Bavite)
Disclaimer: The characters and fictional placings of either of these shows do not belong to me. They belong to Cameron/ Eglee (Dark Angel), Joss Whedon (BtVS) and Whedon/ Greenwalt (AtS). Only the story belongs to me.
Rating: 13 (for now)
Genre: Crossover of DA/ BtVS
Type: WiP
Time line/ Spoilers: Post Season 5 for Buffy. Up to LAtR for DA. Story set in DA time.
Summary: BtVS/ DA crossover. Life brings about so many changes. Especially when one has just risen from the dead.
Distribution: Is under the discretion of the author, so please ask instead of taking please.
Reviews: While I may not always respond to reviews, they are always welcome!
Darkening Of The Light
Chapter Twenty-four
May 31st, 2021
11:08 p.m.
Seattle, WA
Fogle Towers, penthouse suite
“Angel!” she rasped out, and they all turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide, brimming with sudden tears and she was shaking. Alec had barely the briefest nanosecond to prepare himself as the sudden crushing pain was in his hand that held Buffy's again. Now this ex of hers created a much more visceral reaction than the other had.
And when the tall dark, and brooding figure stepped through the doorway, eager to make his way to the recently resurrected girl, Alec had no warning at all, when her hand went slack and Buffy Summers fainted into his panicked arms.
Chaos reigned for several minutes beginning as soon as Buffy started going down. There were several exclamations of course. From Logan, from Tara and the male named Angel and another feminine voice that Alec was able to realize was not Max's. He simply ignored everything and swept an arm under her knees so that she wouldn't hit the floor. He lifted her up into his arms and carried her back further into the apartment, even as this Angel character was hurrying towards her, one arm outstretched.
Surprisingly, as he settled the unconscious girl on the sofa and threw a quick check over his shoulder, he found that Max had taken up stance between them and the rest of the people now invading Logan's apartment. The owner of said apartment was staring, well, gaping at the newcomers. Of which there were two. The male Angel and a brunette female. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up and he was trying to tamp down the urge to get primal on this interloper's ass. He couldn't understand it, having never dealt with a situation like the one they were finding themselves in. Probably stemming from Buffy's sudden vulnerability. He was always a sucker for a girl in need.
He checked over Buffy's supine form and noted that her breathing was regular and her color that she had lost in the sudden rush of blood from her head, causing the fainting of course, was starting to come back. He figured she'd probably come around in a minute or two. He chanced another glance and found that not much had changed. Aside from Tara stepping forward and holding this Angel character back with one hand on his chest and the brunette woman coming forward a little more.
“Angel!” Tara chastised in a low voice, but the man's attention was firmly fixed on his former girlfriend. “Angel,” she called again and this time her voice held something that slowly pulled his attention away. Tara looked, well, she looked slightly furious and there was an aura, almost palpable around her, that bespoke of a hidden power. Alec wondered if it was partly that, that had his nerves on edge. If it was, it was certainly bothering Max as well. He hadn't seen her in such a... defensive stance in well... ever. It couldn't even be called a stance, since it was more of a pre-launch attack crouch. Whatever it could be classified as, she seemed to be barely holding herself back.
“Angel,” Tara began again and they could all see that the taller man looked quite unsettled as his eyes kept darting back to Buffy. “You agreed, you were going to wait.”
“And when does my lunkheaded husband ever wait when it's the smart thing to do?” the brunette joked lightly, though there was an undercurrent and Alec realized that she wasn't happy either. But the woman seemed to be holding herself together much better. She turned to Logan, whom was closest to her and held out her hand. “Hi,” she greeted in an overly perky voice, “I'm Cordelia Chase- O'Connor. I went to high school with Buffy.”
“Oh Miss Chase,” Logan started visibly and then chuckled and reached to take her hand. “Sorry, Mrs. Chase- O'Connor. Buffy had me looking for you by your maiden name only, I guess. You must have married...”
The woman nodded. “It's been just over a decade now,” she offered, her eyes sliding to her husband as she let go of Logan's hand. After a moment, she tilted her head in Max's direction and then squinted her eyes. “Angel... is that?”
“Yeah that's her Cordy,” Angel finally spoke, his eyes on Max as well. Alec tensed further as something in Max's posture warned him that she was close to losing it. This was one of those moments that normally, would call for his brand of slightly risque, humor diffusion, but Alec didn't feel like it. In fact, at the moment, he wanted these people gone. From his vicinity, from Buffy and Max's, from the apartment, hell from the city. He never gave thought to the fact that it wasn't precisely the people, but namely, the large male that was currently trying to creep closer to the girl that the transgenics were unconsciously banding together to protect.
“You know Max?” Logan asked, puzzled and Alec wanted to roll his eyes as the obvious question went unanswered. Especially in the face of Alec noticing that Buffy's eyes were fluttering now.
Turning away from the group at large, trusting Max to have his back, and if her agitated movement was any indication, she certainly did, he gently inserted his hand under where Buffy's was resting on her stomach. She squeezed convulsively and he tightened his own grip in response before using the back of his thumb to rub over her knuckles.
“You with us now Buffy?” he spoke in soft monotones and watched as her eyes fluttered once again and then opened and she turned her head to gaze at him.
“Alec?” she asked softly, searchingly. He gave her a quick, unconcerned grin and looked down the length of the couch.
“You got a little shock and fainted,” he informed her. Buffy groaned and lifted her free hand to her head.
But then her eyes widened very noticeably and her hands clutched both Alec and the pillow cushion on which her head rested. “Angel?” she realized and then craned her neck to look over Alec's shoulder. He followed her line of vision and saw the older man smirking now and Alec had the sudden violent urge to wipe the look from his face. He hadn't been Manticore's bright boy and an undefeated cage fighting champion for nothing. But Buffy, somehow seemed to realize this and her hand in his and her other now on his chest soothed something in him. Her legs shifted and he realized that she wanted to sit up.
“Take it slow,” he murmured and she seemed to agree as with his help, she righted herself on the sofa. Suddenly Tara was beside them, holding a bottle of water, the cap removed for Buffy. With a grateful smile, she took it, still not relinquishing Alec's hand, which he now added his other hand to cradle hers as he crouched before her. She nodded quickly and took a few small sips before handing it back to the blond witch.
The rest of the room was silent as Buffy took the time to orient herself once more and when she seemed ready, she loosened her grip on Alec and shifted forward. He fell back a little so that one knee came down to brace himself, but to anyone that knew him, really, meaning Max, it was obvious that he could spring into anything. When Buffy rose from the couch, he mimicked her movements and realizing that she was fully prepared to face this unexpected blast from her past and if Alec was reading her right, and there was a niggling hope in the back of his head that really hoped he was; Buffy was not pleased. Tara stood as well, just behind Buffy, at her shoulder, while Alec stood beside her, ready to protect, brace, support, whatever she needed. Max's stance seemed to loosen now that Buffy was on her feet, but Alec could almost sense her testing the air and not finding things to her liking.
“Angel,” Buffy greeted the other man, her eyes roaming up and down his figure. But it was not appreciative, it was very much an assessing stare.
“Buffy,” he returned and Alec felt himself with hackles rising again. The smarminess in the older man's smug visage brought that need to the forefront, the one that wanted to recreate a Picasso in the flesh, using the man's face as his canvas. In other words, he wanted it rearranged and didn't care what kind of mangled mess he left behind.
“So let me get this straight,” Buffy spoke and Alec was momentarily disappointed as she pulled his hand from his, but then pleased as she crossed her arms before her and he felt that surge of... forwardness, power from her. She was in control and letting people know it. He could swear that Max let off the pressure just a little. He reminded himself to ask her later if she had noticed the same thing he had. “After Tara apparently asked you to stay away, while we got things... straightened out, you decided to disregard that?”
“Buffy it wasn't...” he began but fell silent as her hand shot out, one finger raised. His eyebrows shot up and it was obvious to everyone in the room that he had instantly realized that her ire was skyrocketing.
“I'm not done!” she hissed. “You decided to come over here and barge in here... uninvited,” her voice broke on the last word and Alec registered movement behind them and noted from the corner of his eye that Tara's hand was on Buffy's shoulder for a reassuring squeeze and then removed. “When it should have been obvious to anyone with a brain that I would not be up for this tonight.”
It was then that the brunette, her old friend Cordelia moved forward. It was easy to see that she wasn't pleased, but at what exactly, they could only guess. She stepped up beside her husband and brushed one hand over his shoulder.
“You'll have to excuse him,” she offered peaceably, even though her eyes were flashing. “Angel's been quite the recluse. He's only really rejoined the land of the living in the last few years.” Whatever she meant by that statement seemed to register with Buffy and she deflated quite a bit more.
“Still,” she sighed and Cordelia glanced up at her husband, still riveted by the blond girl before him. She seemed to debate for a moment
But then Cordelia cut her off, taking a step forward and everyone, Buffy included, seemed to hold their breath. “Okay, before we get into it...” she trailed off and gestured at the distance between them. Buffy's stance softened even more and Cordelia moved forward. Buffy kept to her spot, rooted there and the older woman moved into their territory. That was the only way that Alec was capable of cataloging things at the moment. They hugged, and it was much more perfunctory than what she had shared with Tara at any point in the evening.
But when the older brunette came away from the hug, she left her hands on Buffy's shoulders and smiled down on the shorter statured woman before her. “Don't be too hard on him please,” she whispered. “So much has happened. Things I doubt Tara was able to get into.”
“I understand that,” Buffy said in a normal tone, addressing first Cordelia, but then looking over her shoulder at the woman's husband. Cordelia nodded and pulled her hands away, backing up to give Buffy her personal space again, but Buffy's eyes were suddenly trained on the woman's hand, her left in particular. “You got married?” she spoke, factually instead of inquisitively. The sudden guilt on Cordelia's face was impossible to miss, even as swiftly as it was smoothed out.
“Uh, yeah, I...” she began and then threw her husband a worried look. But he said nothing and then Cordelia straightened her shoulders. “Angel and I married a little over ten years ago,” she offered with only a vague hint of something that could be construed as remorse. To Buffy, who remembered Cordelia, and to her husband and Tara, they knew that Cordelia was throwing down a challenge, even if she didn't mean it in precisely that way. She knew that she had done nothing wrong, and that Buffy would know that, but she also recognized that the situation was difficult at best and subterfuge would help nothing. At least subterfuge on matters like these.
To her credit, Buffy didn't do much more than blink, though everyone else was sure that there had to be a lot of processing going on. Alec frowned as he realized that this information was being taken in much in the manner of her other ex, Riley, and being informed of his marriage. She wasn't saying much and giving away even less.
“Congratulations,” she finally murmured and the confused look on Angels' face gave Alec a turn to smirk. Whatever reaction Angel had been looking for in Buffy, this probably wasn't it. The young blond's hands uncrossed and she dragged a tired hand over her eyes. “Look, I get that you mean well Angel. You always did. But this evening has just been...” she stared him down before continuing, “really tense. I really can't take anymore. So whatever it is that you need, it's just going to have to wait.”
“I don't need anything Buffy,” he spoke softly, cajolingly, inching closer again and Alec was tensing up, just as much as Buffy. Angel halted when he saw this. “I came to see how you were.”
“Well, you came, you saw, you should probably leave,” Buffy muttered, gesturing at the door.
“Buffy,” Angel protested and though his voice didn't rise that much, they could still hear it, the entreaty from him to her. “Look, Tara told me what was going on, back in Sunnydale, back then. And knowing what happened, what they planned... I remember what it was like.”
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, completely and suddenly Alec was wincing as Buffy shot forward, facing off with Angel and the bigger man was quickly quailing under the raw burst of something... power, it seemed like, radiating off the girl.
“No! You don't know Angel! None of you do!” she raged, seeming to forget that they had an audience. “You think that what happened back then can compare? You have no idea what I...” she trailed off, sucking in a breath and then swallowing heavily. “It's not the same,” she whispered, “and you have no right to come here, especially after everything that's happened, whether I've been told about it or not.”
“Buffy,” he interrupted, looking miserable in the face of her anger and she held up her hand again to stop him.
“Angel, I... appreciate that you and Tara and Cordelia have come all this way,” Buffy spoke perfunctorily now. “But you need to back off. I can't handle this... you,” she stressed the word, “right now. There's just... too much.” And with that, she broke away from the group and whirled around, darting around Alec and Tara, who had her back and hightailing it back to her room. To Alec's surprise, Max threw another suspicious glance at Angel and then was following after Buffy. But he heard her get as far as the bathroom and then stop. He wondered just momentarily what the hell was up between her and this couple from Los Angeles, but figured he could get it out of Max later. But since she had taken up the intermediary position between Buffy and Angel, Alec needed to stay put where he was. Some instinct was demanding it.
“Well that went better than I thought it would,” Cordelia chirped brightly and all eyes in the room swung around to stare at her, mostly dumbfounded and she scoffed. “Hey, I was totally expecting her to ram something pointy and sharp through your torso, so this is way better.”
“She always did have a tendency to react physically when she was upset, didn't she,” Logan chuckled, though it was more released nerves than humor. He seemed to regain himself then and realizing that these 'guests' certainly weren't run of the mill, they didn't need to stay in his home. Especially when his cousin had made it so adamantly clear that she had no wish to see them further. That evening at least. “Well, I'm sorry that you came all the way over, but like Buffy said, it has been a really long night,” he hinted openly and broadly.
“Yeah, we'll just get out of your hair,” Cordelia nodded, her hand on her husband's coat sleeve where she had to tug a few times to get him to move. But before he did, the big man turned to Logan.
“I'm sorry for disrupting everything,” he apologized quietly. “I really was just worried about her. Everything she's gone through...” He began searching through his pockets and then came up with what looked to be a business card that he held out to Logan. The lanky hacker took it without word. “If she wants to talk, my cell number is on there.”
Logan nodded and stayed where he was. With an apologetic look from Tara, the blond witch began bustling them out of the apartment, all three of them talking softly as they went. To Alec's ears, it was mostly the two women chastising Angel once more for his monumental blunder and his defense of himself.
Alec sighed as the door clicked shut and then let the grin fighting to get through, finally emerge, especially when Logan moved to the door and locked it. He turned around to face Alec and shook his head, looking very much the long suffering, put upon host. Finally he quirked an eyebrow. “Hungry?” he asked.
Alec thought for only a moment and then shrugged. “Eh, I could eat.”
Logan chuckled without much humor and began making his way to the kitchen. He was halted by the sudden click of a door latch and he glanced down the hallway, looking surprised. Alec quickly joined him to see that Buffy had re-emerged from her room, apparently on her own and was facing down with Max. They were eying each other, sizing one another up and then Buffy smiled sadly.
“So you've met Angel before?” she asked of Max and the brunette transgenic nodded. As once they began making their way back to the living room.
“Yeah,” Max nodded, glancing at Logan and Alec. “It was about six or seven years ago. I was still living in LA at the time.”
They had reached the males at that point and Logan held his hand up. “I was just going to get some snacks for us. But I would like to hear this story as well. Can you hang on a moment?”
Max nodded and Buffy smiled tightly. Logan dropped his hand and asked politely, “would either of you like something?”
“I could eat,” Max nodded, unconsciously echoing Alec's words. Logan nodded and turned to his cousin.
“I didn't each much at dinner,” she mused, which all the rest of them found as a serious understatement. It had worried them all, to different degrees when they thought of it, how little Buffy had seemed to eat. “I should probably have something too, if you don't mind.”
“Not at all,” Logan returned happily and then turned to make his way to the kitchen. “Alec, do you want to come grab this plate from the refrigerator to start on and I'll put some sandwiches together.”
“Sure, no problem buddy,” Alec agreed, happily following after the older man for once. And as his earlier suspicions proved, Logan indeed have a cheese plate, along with some other snack things. Logan pushed a box of crackers across the counter to him and Alec snagged that as well while Logan turned to begin retrieving sandwich items from around the kitchen.
When Alec returned with his largess and settled it, with Max's help on the coffee table, he found the two women conversing easily.
“... with a gang,” Max was saying. “It was hard being young and on the streets, especially right after the pulse. So they actually afforded me a lot of protection.”
Buffy, glancing up once at Alec and then reaching out for a piece of cheese to nibble on, smiled tightly and then turned back to Max. “I ran away once, I think Logan had told you that.” They both nodded and she rolled her eyes. “I went back to LA and I guess, well, I was lucky enough to get a job. But I had some run ins with a bunch of runaway kids. And not just them,” she sighed as she seemed to remember. “There were adults too, living on the streets, trying to eke out whatever existence they could. And a lot of them banded together, in warehouses that were abandoned.”
Max nodded benignly as she reached for some food as well. “It's quite a subculture that people just don't understand unless they've actually lived it.”
“Anyone want drinks?” Alec interrupted quickly and both woman spared nods at him before turning back to one another. He spun around on his heel, feeling so much better about the evening now that it was just the four of them again. Yes, they still had a lot to go over and through, but now the tension had let off and there was no longer a need for high alert. Refueling their bodies was just the perfect thing.
He noted that Logan was very much in his element, putting things together as he moved over to the refrigerator to see what Logan had to offer. There were several bottles of wine, but that wasn't a good idea, Alec figured, so he retrieved the fruit juice and set about pouring some for the girls and himself and after a quick question and returning nod, some for Logan. He brought those out and settled himself onto the end of the sofa, wondering if the women were going to continue to stand as they chatted.
But the moment that Alec sat, they seemed to be of an accord as they each chose seats as well. Alec was surprised when Buffy actually invaded his space instead of the other way around. Of course, it could have just been that he'd taken the seat closest to where he had set the food and she was taking the next closest. Max sat across from them, reaching for some juice. Buffy reached for another slice of cheese and then set about opening the box of crackers and spilling some out on the cheese plate for the rest.
“I loved going to see the ice skaters more than anything,” Buffy was saying now to Max. “But when I visited my dad, he took me down there once to look at the prints.”
Alec, completely lost, glanced at Max, who was nodding at what Buffy was saying. She noticed Alec's lost look and smirked at him. “Man's Chinese theater, in LA,” she explained for him. “Where stars immortalized themselves with their hand and footprints in the concrete of the sidewalk in front. I used to live in the theater after the pulse.”
“Actually, it was Grauman's,” Buffy inserted musingly and when Max lifted one eyebrow, she went on slowly. “It was named for the owner, and built after his success with his Egyptian theater.” She finished her small hsitory lesson and looked absurdly pleased with herself, which both transgenics understood after her next statement. “I actually remembered my Dad telling me that. Huh.” She turned back to Max. “I guess something must have happened to the sign. The pulse?”
“Or some of the earthquakes they had down there,” Max added.
“Ah, okay,” Alec murmured. The place wasn't one he was aware of, but the girls had given him enough information that he wasn't so lost anymore. He leaned back with his handful of snacks. Slowly popping them in his mouth while the girls continued to talk about the different landmarks around California that they were both familiar with. Buffy seemed to be handling hearing about the destruction, semi-destruction or just the rundown condition a lot of places had deteriorated to. Finally Logan joined them, adding a platter of sandwiches that he'd cut into smaller, easier to handle portions and a small pile of napkins. He took another seat and seeing that everyone was just serving themselves, joined in. Once he was comfortable, a napkin spread across his lap and the others had followed suit, he leaned back and glanced around.
“So where are we at?” he asked gently, easily. Max swallowed the portion of food she was munching and gestured at Buffy.
“I was just telling Buffy about living in Man's Chinese after the pulse,” she explained and Logan nodded. Alec figured he must have been at least partially aware of her past.
“And you were familiar with the Hyperion,” Buffy commented and then smiled sheepishly. “I remember that.”
Max smiled fondly at the girl, which not a sight Alec was used to from her, unless it was for her roommate Cindy.
“Well, like I said,” Max continued, “the gang I was with were utilizing my knowledge about art and jewelry and well, pick-pocketing.”
She seemed a little apologetic, but Alec could see that she was waiting to see how Buffy assimilated the information she was passing on. But the girl just nodded.
“And my boss was always on the lookout for a place to pick stuff up,” Max explained, and the sheepish grin wasn't just for Buffy, but Logan as well. “Well, he wanted me to check out the Hyperion. And there was a lot of old furniture and stuff,” Max sighed. “Nothing salvageable that would bring in a lot of money. A lot of dusty old books too,” she chuckled.
“Is that when you met Angel?” Buffy wondered aloud and Max shook her head.
“I never actually met him, or his friends,” Max informed them. “As in introduced, but I'd see them around town. They actually thought they were helping me out once.”
“They liked to do that,” Buffy intoned quietly and then smiled a secret smile and Alec sensed that she was making a joke at someone' expense. Most likely theirs. Or Angel's. One sat better than the other, but she was interacting so well with them now, it was almost miraculous compared to her previous behavior. So Alec held his tongue about possibly being the butt of any joke.
“Well anyway, some punks jumped me in an alley, after a heist,” Max recounted for them, paused in eating, though she had a sandwich in hand. “Angel and Cordelia? Some black guy and another skinny little brunette come racing down the alley, distracted the jerks long enough for me to take them out, knocked them out cold.” And then as if suddenly realizing that Buffy wouldn't understand how well Max could defend herself, she smiled, “got a black belt in self-defense. It's a real kick or be kicked world out there.”
Logan chuckled at that, but made no comment.
“And when it comes down to it, I'd rather be kicking than kicked,” Max chuckled as well, while Alec nodded.
“I'm with you on that,” Buffy sighed. “So,” she was picking mostly at her sandwich, but bits and pieces were finding their way into her mouth and it was an encouraging sight. “Angel and crew thought they were rescuing you?”
“Mm hhm,” Max agreed. “And those creeps that jumped me, they were weird.”
None of them missed how Buffy sucked in her breath, and quickly asked, “weird? How so?” She looked extremely alarmed.
“They freaked out when they saw Angel,” Max noted. “But they were pretty high, I'm sure, talking about midnight munchies and stuff.” There was a long slow blink from Buffy and then she laughed, shortly, but a nice sound emanating from her throat and Alec found himself smiling widely in response to it. “Anyway,” Max went on, “I hate to say it, but Angel, well, I know he was your... friend, but man, he was even freakier than the others.”
“How so?” Logan asked before Buffy could. Max shook her head and seemed a little introspective.
“Hard to say,” she spoke gently, but her eyes were flashing to the two that were in the know of her secrets. “He just, really made me uncomfortable. Like, every nerve in my body was tingling and I just wanted to get the hell away from him.”
Buffy's head tilted to the side for a moment and then she was nodding. “He had... has that effect on people sometimes,” she offered. “Always did,” she seemed more to muse to herself. But then she glanced up at Max again. “You must be pretty sensitive to other people's... auras? I guess. Tara's like that.”
“Maybe,” Max shrugged. “I usually didn't stick around if someone made me feel like that.” Buffy and the others were all nodding their agreement.
“So,” Buffy spoke consideringly after she had imbibed some of the juice that Alec had provided. “I wonder why you made such an impression on Angel and Cordy that they'd remember you after all these years.”
“Well, I was only like thirteen,” Max scoffed. “And pretty aero-dynamic,” she seemed to tease, but Alec and Logan got what she was hinting at as soon as she'd said it. “Taking out some baddies and then bolting like the devil was on my heels...?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Buffy shook her head like it was almost too funny.
“But the weird thing?” Max seemed puzzled now and had stopped eating again. Buffy glanced up, her face passive as she waited. “He hasn't changed all that much. I mean, he'd be in what, his forties or very early fifties and he looks like he's what, maybe thirty?” Alec nodded, although until now he hadn't given it a lot of thought.
“Angel always looked so much younger than his actual age,” Buffy informed them and then sighed again. “Even now. But he does look older to me. He's uh... well he's probably got those really good genes. Like Dick Clark.” She stopped for a moment and her eyes went wide before she turned to her cousin, slightly panicky.
“Is he even still alive?!”
Chapter Twenty-five
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