Chapter Five:

Buffy came awake slowly, but almost immediately the pain in her heart let its presence be known.

Turning her head slightly, she looked over at the other side of the bed hopelessly trying to deny what she knew to be a fact. No Spike. He had not been back to the apartment in three days....no word, no sight, no phone call....nada....nothing...zilch! Sighing, she raised herself to sit on the edge of their bed and rested her head in her hands. "Well, I guess I have my answer" she said to the silent apartment. "Guess it’s time to move on, he obviously doesn’t want to be around me.....face the facts, pack and get out while you still have some pride left."

Mind made up, Buffy moved over to the closet and removed her carry-all, and without pause for thought she began to move round the apartment picking up the few things that belonged to her.

Anything of Spikes’, or anything that they had bought together, she avoided. She wanted as few memories as possible.

Chore completed, Buffy sank onto the couch and reached out and grabbed a cigarette from the coffee table. Lighting it, she inhaled deeply before relaxing back into the soft leather. OK, now what, she thought to herself. All packed and nowhere to go.

Going home wasn’t an option. Her mum had coped relatively well with her return to Sunnydale, and she’d even managed to cope with her daughter moving in with a guy instead of coming home.....she’d even established a degree of watchful courtesy where Spike was concerned. But still, Buffy’s life was way more complicated than her mother could even begin to guess. Heck, how would she explain that she now slept all day and was out all night, every night....her mum wouldn’t go for that! Not to mention the fact that she smoked! Distracted by her thoughts she didn't notice Spike's entrance, until he was almost beside her.

She saw hurt in his eyes, but then they turned cold and hostile. Guilt washed over her......why in the hell was she feeling guilty....he was the one who had abandoned her! Never the less, she found she couldn’t meet his accusing eyes.

"Going somewhere Slayer?" he asked coldly.

"Not that it would matter much to you if I was, you’re not around to notice"

Buffy replied with a touch of accusation tingeing her voice.

"Buffy......" he began, but the Slayer cut him off.

"Don’t Spike, we both know you are behind this new evil thingee and it is obviously more important to you than me" said Buffy as she desperately hoped he’d speak up and deny her accusation. Instead he muffled and curse and strode angrily across the room to the bedroom, "Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out" was the last thing he said before he slammed the bedroom door closed behind him with a force that shook the house.

For a moment Buffy stood and looked at the closed door, a simple piece of wood that separated her from the person she loved most in the world. All it would take is for her to walk over and open that door.....not a great deal to ask really.....not allot, but still to much.

Instead, she moved quietly to the front door and let herself out into the night. She didn’t look back.

As she moved through the night, she didn’t notice the eyes that followed her movements from the shadows. ‘So, she has finally left him’ said Angel to himself.

****

Chapter Six:

.....then there are the black stones, which are so called not from their colour, for that is gray,
but from the effects that ensued upon perjury, if any one became guilty of it after swearing on
these stones in the usual manner, for an oath made on the black stones was decisive in all
controversies.
(A Celtic Reader)

Angel made to move after the Slayer and follow her movements, but before he had gone but a few feet, a familiar voice hailed him from a nearby alley. Uncertain, Angel glanced after the Slayer and then back towards the alley. He didn’t want to loose sight of her, but the hail from the alley didn’t sound like it was open to discussion. Turning away, Angel moved into the alley and came face to face with Whistler.

"Long time no see Angel boy" said the demon.

"And to what do I owe this honor" replied Angel sarcastically.

"Touchy, Angel boy, touchy."

"Look do you have something to say, cause if not, I have somewhere I need to be"

"You’re damn right I have something to say" replied Whistler with all traces of humor gone from his voice.

"You," he said pointing at Angel "have forgotten your promise......you agreed to help the Slayer of your own free will.....nobody told you to go and get involved in a relationship with her" he yelled.

"You have a point you want to make" said Angel quietly Whistler calmed himself and took a step towards Angel. Using his finger in a jabbing motion against Angel’s shoulder, he punctuated his next words.

"Your love life problems don’t interest me...do you understand me.....your job is to watch the Slayer’s back not to worry about when she is going to give you your next kiss"

Angel scowled at him, Whistler sighed resignedly, then handed him a slip of paper.

"Look up this woman, she's an old friend; she should be able to help ya."

Angel took the paper from the demon and glanced at the address.

"So who is she and what can she do to help" he asked.

"Look, Angel boy, I didn’t apply for your job.....it’s bad enough that I have to make the trip here to set you straight, I’m not going to do all your work for you."

"But..." began Angel, but the Whistler interrupted him, "No buts.....your on your own....I gotta go" said Whistler as he turned and moved deeper into the alley. Before he disappeared into the darkness he turned one last time to look at the Vampire.

"And Angel...."

"What"

"Don’t fuck this up!"

And with that he was gone, leaving Angel alone in the alley staring at the piece of paper.

***

Chapter Seven:

The Power of Three Times Three.....
Demaunde, wha tis the aege of a felde mous?
A yere, and hedge may stande thre mous lyves,
and the lyfe of a dogge is the terme of thre hedges standynge
and the lyfe of a hors is thre dogges lyves,
and the lyfe of a man is thre hors lyves,
and the lyfe of a gose is thre mennes lyves,
and the lyfe of a swanne thre gose lyves,
and the lyfe of a swalowe is thre swannes lyves,
and the lyfe of an egle is thre swalowes lyves,
and the lyfe of a serpent is thre egles lyves,
and the lyfe of a raven is thre serpentes lyves,
and the lyfe of a harte is thre ravens lyves,
and an oke groweth fyve hondreth yere,
besyde the rote which doubleth three tymes everyche of the thre aeges aforesayd
(Wright and Halliwell, Reliquiae Antiquae, ii. 75)

Angel ran up the thirty or so steps which lead up to the entrance to the museum, and just managed to get to the door before the guard turned the key.

"I’m sorry Sir, we are closing for the evening" said the guard.

Angel didn’t bother to argue with the guard, instead he just fixed the man with his vampyric stare, and sucked the free will out of him.

"It will be OK for me to enter, I am expected......and you can tell me where I can find Dr Rhiannon Sine" said Angel as he used his mind to force his will onto the unsuspecting guard.

In a monotone voice the guard replied, "Go straight through the Dinosaur Hall and on through the Geological Hall. At the back of the Geological Hall you will see a door marked ‘Private...Staff Only.

Go on down that hall and take the sixth door on your right and that will take you to Dr Sine’s lab."

With that the guard turned and walked down the hall, his face still blankly set.

Following the guards directions, Angel continued down the corridor; hesitantly entering the room indicated. A petite dark haired woman sat cross legged on top of a desk, while others lounged around the room in various chairs. The room was brightly but tastefully decorated and it was filled with the sounds of excited voices. From what Angel could gather from the jaunty conversation, this group were planning an after work trip to a nearby club.

Before he could speak, one of the girls spun herself around on the desk top to face him.

"Hi there, what can I do for you?" she said with a smile Angel found himself struck momentarily speechless as he looked at the smiling young woman. She had to be one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen.......she was tall and slim with raven black hair that hung down below her waist. Her face had strong elegant lines which spoke of ancestry and heritage.....but what really caught his attention were her eyes......they were the deepest blue he had ever seen and they stood out in stark contrast to her tanned skin and dark hair. Her eyes danced with merriment and a love of life which was so profound that Angel found himself smiling back at her.

While Angel had been staring at her, the girl had also been checking him out.....and slowly the light of welcome faded from her eyes......for a brief moment Angel thought he saw her eyes glint a feral yellow, but then that was gone and all that was left was the girl’s hard stare.

Suddenly remembering she was in the company of friends and colleagues the girl turned back to the room. "Hey guys, why don’t you go onto the club and I’ll join you there in a moment....I need to talk to this guy privately."

Her suggestion was met with a fair number of good natured moans and demands that she promise faithfully to ‘show up this time’. Laughing the girl swore she would be there as she watched while her friends gathered their things and filed out the door. Only once the door had closed behind them, did the girl turn her attention back to Angel.

"What in the Hell do you want here?" she ground out Angel was taken aback by the hate echoing in her voice but he had resolved himself to pursue this matter to its end.

"Are you Dr Rhiannon Sine?"

"What’s it to you if I am?"

Angel didn’t bother to answer.....he had the right person all right......instead of beating around the bush, he decided to launch right in with what he had discovered.......

"In Westminster Abbey there is a mosaic floor which sits before the High Altar...it was created by Odericus in 1268....it tells of the Oldest Animal...the primum mobile....and the boundary is three fold and tells of the years of passing of the earth. It tells us of the six oldest creatures of the earth; the eagle of Gwernabwy, the stag of Rhedynvre, the salmon of Llyn Llivon, and ousel of Cilgwri, the toad of Cors Vochno, and the owl of Cwmcawlwyd. The Westminster calculations arrive at a creature aged 59,050 years. It’s function is a historian, to live and record the early traditions of the race." he began.

"Your point Sire Vampyre" said the girl quietly.

At her recognition of his race, Angel looked up warily. This time her eyes stayed feral.....as he watched they began to glow with a mesmeric silver yellow light and her pupils expanded and elongated. With an extreme surge of will, Angel was able to wrench his eyes away from hers and continue with what he had come to say.....

"There is one recorded statement by this creature.....and I quote.... ‘It is not usual for any slaughter to happen that one thing does not survive....I am that thing.....but it was not as man that I witnessed....it was in turn as a stag, a boar, a hawk, a salmon; and then once again to be reborn as man. I remember every shape in which I have been before....as old age and wretchedness fall upon me I change....my mind becomes glad. I have out lived Methuselah by four hundred and thirty-one years’.

It is said that this creature witnessed the Battle of Moytura as the falcon of one hundred years", finished Angel For a long moment the girl just stared at him as she silently absorbed his words.

"The Battle of Moytura is not a name I have heard mentioned in many lifetimes" she finally replied.....and then after a pause, "But then, no one has recognised me for an eternity either!"

"I came here to ask you for help" said Angel "And just why would a creature of the night, such as yourself, seek my help....and more importantly, how did you find me?"

"It’s a long story, but basically someone pointed me in your direction and I managed to to alittle research before coming"

"Well, give me the shortened version....who knew of my location"

"Really, we don’t need to go into all of this...."

"Oh yes we do.......if you want my help that is!"

"OK" said Angel in resignation, "A demon....goes by the name of Whistler."

At this the girl started to laugh. "Now that’s a name I haven’t heard either in a long while.....how is his demonic self these days anyway?"

"You know him?" said Angel, astonished The girl merely smiled and nodded affirmation, but as Angel watched, her eyes metamorphosised back to those of human form.

"So.....what do you need from me then?" she said.

"You’ll help?"

"First tell me what this is all about, then I’ll let you know whether I’ll help or not" replied the girl.

Angel hesitated.....where should he start, how much should he tell this girl? The girl sensed his hesitation and smile reassuringly at him.

"It’s OK, just tell it like it is.....I’m a good listener, after all, I have been listening and recording stories for more than a few centuries now"

Angel nodded at her logic, took a deep breath and began. As the night stretched on, he told her of the gypsy curse, of Whistler, of the Slayer, of his love for the Slayer, of becoming Angelus, of Buffy having to kill him, of Drucilla restoring his Soul only for him to have to face Buffy’s rejection of him, Buffy relationship with Spike, and finally of the evil that they were all facing with the coming of the Samhain. Through it all, Rhainnon’s eyes continued to encourage his explanations but she said nothing till Angel had finally run out of words.

"And so, you want to help this Slayer defeat the coming Evil, and you think I can help you?" said Rhiannon thoughtfully "You have seen this defeated once before at the Battle of Moytura"

"Yes I have"

"Will you help her?"

"I will help.......but for now its time for the club or my friends are going to kill me.....and you’re coming along, you could use alittle fun in your life"

Angel started to shake his head, but the young woman was having none of it "Call it the price of my help" she smiled, as she took his hand a dragged him from the room...............

***

Chapter Eight:

A Fith-Fath (Pron. fee-fawh) or Shapeshifting Charm:
"......Then I shall go as an autumn hare,
With sorrow and sighing and mickle care,
And I shall go in Our Lady’s name,
Aye, til I come home again.....
(Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom)

Angel lay awake and looked at the girl beside him. Deep in sleep, she presented a beautiful sight with her long black hair covering her like a blanket. In sleep, she reminded him of a panther.....beautiful and so appealing, with a pull so strong that the observer could be misled into forgetting the power and the strength of the creature, until you got to close and it became to late to run.

Looking up her body, Angel reached her eyes and found her watching him. Quickly he dragged his eyes away and moved from the bed and began to dress. Still she watched him unashamedly.

Angel tried to ignore the feelings that were tearing him apart inside. He loved Buffy, but here he was with this girl.....or should he say creature. This was not what he need, more complications in his love life were not necessary. He had more than he could handle already.

But last night, the need to be held had been overwhelming. This beautiful creature had offered herself to him and he had accepted with a desire he had not anticipated.

It seemed Rhiannon sensed his regret of the night they had shared, because without comment she to got up and began to dress.

"We need to get going, we have along drive ahead of us" she said simply before moving out of the bedroom and into her living room. Angel followed behind, grateful that she was not going to try to make something out of their night together.

"OK, where are we heading to" he asked Rhiannon turned and looked at him.

"Just an old place I know."

Obviously she was not going to be any more specific, so Angel sat back in his seat, his mind wandering over all that had occurred, and what he had read of the coming evil.

Unbeknowst to him, Rihannon's mind also went over all that had occurred, lingering on her time spent with Angel.

*As the years fall upon me I change....my mind becomes glad. I have out lived Methuselah by four hundred and thirty-one years’. It is sais sahe human population. They spent so much time putting on a facade to the outside world that it was nice to finally be with someone who simply accepted them for what they were.....for someone with whom they could be themselves.....to be with someone who understood the complexities of living for centuries rather than the human decades.* Angel’s thoughts were dragged back to the present by the sound of the car’s indicator light.

Rhiannon was slowing the car and pulling into the side of the road. Angel glanced around him but saw only deserted road surrounded by thick Forrest.

"This it?" he asked Rhiannon merely nodded as she left the car and moved into the dense undergrowth.

Quickly, Angel moved to follow her.

It didn’t take long for Angel to become disorientated in the thick Forrest, but Rhiannon continued to move ahead purposefully, obviously fully aware of where she was heading. After about half an hour of stumbling though the trees, Rhiannon drew to a halt by a massive old oak tree. Gently she reached out her hand and pressed it to the trunk of the tree.

"My friend, it has been a long, long time" she whispered before laying her forehead to the tree.

"You talk to trees" said Angel in disbelief.....but Rhiannon only shot him a hard look before lowering herself to her knees as she began scratching around the base of the tree. In a few moments she had uncovered a small hole nestled in the twisted roots of the old tree.

"This is where I keep allot of the things I have picked up over the centuries" she said in way of explanation. Angel look at the hole uncertainly "OK.....but how do we get in there to get the stuff" he asked "*We* don’t....I do" she replied backing away from him.

Quietly she began to chant. Angel recognised the language as Gaelic and he was able to pick out a few words, but the majority of the chant was indecipherable to him. As he watched the air around the girl began to shimmer and pulse.....slowly......ever so slowly...her form began to change.

Angel was surprised, not at her shapeshifting because he knew she was capable of it....but because of the length of time it took for the change. For him, changing his shape from vamp to human was almost instantaneous.......but then, he was not really changing his shape, was he. He was always a Vampire, the human form was simply a mask that he wore to protect his identity and allow him to move freely in the world of humans. His shape changing was really just a matter of putting on and taking of a mask. What Rhiannon was doing was *really* changing her shape.....stood to reason that it might take awhile to obtain a full shape change.

As Angel watched in awe, Rhiannon’s shape began to fall in on itself and shrink down. The light surrounding her was now so strong that it became painful for Angel to continue to watch. Raising his hands he tried to shield his eyes so that he could continue to watch.....but then the light was gone, and before him on the ground sat a rabbit. He stared at the rabbit and the rabbit stared back at him, twitching it’s nose inquisitively at him. Then with a bound, the rabbit disappeared down the hole.

Angel had barely enough time to try to digest what he had just witnessed, before the rabbit reappeared dragging a metal object behind it. Once out of the hole, the rabbit became still and that strange pulsing light began once more. This time Angel didn’t try to watch, instead he turned his back and waited for it to be over.

Several minutes passed before the light faded and Rhiannon’s voice called to him.

"It’s OK, you can turn round now" she said.

Angel turned round and took in the once again human form of the girl. Silently she held out her hand which held the metal object.

"This is what you need.....it must be thrown into the cauldron of sacrifice that the Vampires will need to concoct for the ceremony......it will effectively make the brew unpalatable to the God of the Dead."

Angel reached out and took the object from her outstretched hand and looked down on it. He could tell it was Celtic in design, but that was all. It was beautifully crafted in silver and precious stones and he could swear he felt a slight vibration emanating from it as he held it in his hands.

"So how do I get it into the cauldron" he asked "That, my friend, is your problem.......right now I’m tired and need to sleep.....you can drive back"

she said tossing him the car keys and moving off into the woods.

***