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| Old Enimies, New Beginings | ||||
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Authors Note:
It was two weeks after the thing with the gypsies. And it had been a strange two weeks. The ritual that had saved the gypsy girl's life, had strengthened, the connection between Callie and Angel. Callie had first noticed in when she could hear actual thoughts and see pictures of Angel's memories in her mind. At first these things had occured in her sleep, and she though it was just a tough week. But no. Xander and Angel had gotten into an argument (big surprise) and Callie had heard Angel threatened to do something, very painful and nasty to Xander. She had yelled at him for it, but he hadn't said it out loud.
It seemed that Angel had been having the same experiences that she was having. Giles looked it up, but found little on the subject. He made Angel and Callie promise to stop in if anything changed, and give him regular reports because it was slowly getting stronger.
"Come on, Callie. Rise and shine." A hurled pillow was her reply. Angel deftly caught it and threw it back at her. "Come, on sleepy head. You don't want to be late for your first day of school!" This time a stuffed cow brought her answer and smacked him in the head. "G-way, Angel." She covered her head with a pillow and pulled the covers up over the pillow. Angel walked towards the bed and pulled the covers off her. He then tried to pry the pillow away from her. But, she held on firmly, refusing to let go. "Angel! I swear to God, I'm going to stake you!" Her angry, and cranky voice was muffled. He finally succeeded in prying the pillow from her clenched fists. "Come, on. Get up. Or else." She turned to glare at him. "Or else what, Dead Boy?" "Or else......this!" He began to tickle her vicously. She shrieked and tried to get away. When that didn't work she turned on him and tickled him back.. She pounced and landed on top him. She then proceeded to tickle him without mercy. He laughed helplessly, he needed to find a way to distract her. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her towards him. He kissed her deeply and she shuddered with pleasure. "You don't play fair." she whispered when he released her. "No, I don't. Now get ready for school." He walked towards the door. She threw her pillow at his back. He caught it and walked out of the room, taking it with him. She groaned, climbed out of bed and to the closet. She opened the door and walked inside. She chose jeans and a tank top. She left her hair down. Put on the cross that Angel had given her long ago, the ring he gave her, and her watch. Finally she pulled on her boots and went to the kitchen. The smell of hotcakes hit her and she smiled. Angel was just sitting her breakfast on the table. "You know what, Angel? I'm lucky to have you." "And don't forget it." He said with a grin. "Oh, and so modest too!" "You abuse sarcasm." "And you love it." "Yeah, I do. Now get your butt in gear and get to school." "Yes, Mommy." "Ha ha." Callista laughed to hersefl as she drove to school. She parked her car and entered the building. She walked through the halls to the office smiling as she recalled her morning conversation with Angel. *Lucky duck, he's sound asleep right now.* She went the office and recieved her schedule. Thanks to Willow's hacking skills, she had at least one of the slayerettes in each of her classes. When asked if she would need a guide, she simply replied that she had friends that would show her around. She met Buffy, and the gang in the student lounge. Callie attracted a lot of attention from the male portion of the student body. She simply gave them a charming smile and said she was glad to meet them. A few of the more, shall we say, neandrathalish of the boys, made the mistake of trying to pinch her butt. Her eyes went wide with anger, and before they knew it they were flying through the air and landing on their butts. The girls of the school cheered wildly. Callie bowed in acknowledgement. When Oz saw Snyder coming, he grabbed Callie by the hand and the slayerettes ran for it. If they got caught in the middle of such an uproar, they were toast. The rest of the students quickly dispersed. Callie made it through all of her classes, without incident. After school she went to the library to check in with Giles. "Giles!!!!" "What, Callie? Must you yell?" Came Giles' exasperated voice. "Yes I must. Anyway. Do you need anything for tonight?" "Not at this moment, but I would appreciate it if you and Angel could come back at sundown." "Sure, see ya then." she ran out of the library towards freedom. When she reached the apartment, she quietly opened the door and tip-toed inside. She set down her book bag and crept towards Angel's room. The door was open and he was inside, sound asleep. She looked inside and admired her muscular body, exposed from the waist up, since he only wore sweat pants. *Aw,* she thought a wicked smile lighting up her face. *he looks so peaceful and comfy. It would be shame if he was disturbed.* She backed up, got a running start, and pounced on the bed, on top of Angel. He let out a startled yell and fell off the bed. Callie, still on the bed laughed in satisfaction. *That'll teach him to wake me up!* Angel glared up at Callista. "You little....." "Tisk, tisk Angel. Now, I thought you liked getting up. Or at least you like getting me up. I was just returning the favor." Angel reached up and pulled her off the bed. She came down with a pillow in her hand and began to beat him without mercy. "Oh, so you wanna play that way?" Angel grabbed another and then a full blown pillow fight erupted. Fifteen minutes later, Callie sank down to the floor beside Angel exhausted. The room echoed with her laughter. This was an apartment they had just moved into recently and it had plenty of space for rough housing. He grabbed her and began to tickle her without mercy. She laughed as he pinned her to the ground helplessly. Her laughter faded as their eyes met. His mouth drifted down to cover hers. She moaned with pleasure. He kissed her deeply and passionately. He pulled her body against his and their passion grew. They fell backwards to the floor, with Angel on top. His hand moved underneath her shirt to caress the skin on her back. Her skin tingled under his touch. Callie let out a muffled shriek of outrage when the doorbell rang. She stalked towards the door and swung it open. "What, the *hell* do you want!" She didn't even bother to look to see who was there. She looked up to see Willow, standing in the doorway. "Oh, Willow! Sorry." "I interrupted smoochies?" "Yeah, but don't worry about it. So what's up?" She motioned for Willow to take a seat. "Well, it's the full moon, so I can't spend time with Oz, Xander and Cordy are off spawning somewhere, and Buffy is in a lousy mood. I got lonely." "Well, you're always welcome, Will." She called for Angel, "Hey! We have company Dead Boy! Get out here." "Don't call me that! You're worse than Harris!" Angel came into the room pulling on a t-shirt. "Hey, Willow." "Angel! Hi. What are you doing outta bed this early?" Angel glared at Callie, who smiled sweetly. Willow giggled. "Oh." They talked for several hours. Callie found out that Willow was supposed to meet Giles at the library as well. When the sun set, they headed together for the library. Callie was lighthearted and her heart sang with happiness. Angel walked between the two girls, his arms protectively around both of them. They joked and laughed, about the days events. Once a vampire jumped out at them, but Angel and Callie simply growled and the vampire turned tail. They spent the next few minutes making fun of the coward. When they arrived at the library, Callie called for Giles. "Giles! Yoohoo! We're here." In a very sing song voice. "Callist." Giles' voice came from above. "Why, do all of you yell?" "That's easy Giles. We love to annoy you." "Yeah, it like one of the ten commandments of the slayerettes. Thou shall yell and annoy Giles." Willow added with a smile. Angel took pity on the librarian. "What did you want to talk to us about, Giles?" "I wanted to talk to you about the...uh....connection that you have. How is everything?" "It's getting stronger, Giles. It's not there all the time, but we're both still having flashes. I can push it back, so can Angel, but it's still there. It's not fading. I can see things more clearly." Angel nodded in agreement. "Why am I here, Giles?" Willow interrupted. "I may need you to look somethings up." Callie sighed. "How can she look things up, Giles? We don't even know why we're connected at all to begin with." "I'm not sure about that, but, she can research on how to control it. This may very well be permanent." Angel had been silent. "If we don't know what's causing it, how do we know if we *can* even control it." "Well," Giles went into lecture mode, "I believe that it comparable to having physic powers, or more correctly telepathic capabilities." "Yeah, I guess it fits." "But do you even know how to teach us to control it, when you don't have this.....skill?" Angel was as usual, being practical. "That's what the research is for. Willow?" "I'm on it. She sat down and began tapping keys." "Now, have either of you ever tried to link on purpose?" "No." came the hesitant reply from the two of them. "Well I want you to try it now. I know that you can feel the others presence, I want you to do that, but deepen it. Look harder." Angel and Callie exchanged a skeptical look. Angel sighed and closed his eyes. He reached out for Callie's presence. "Okay, Giles. I've established that she is two feet away from me. Now what?" "Now, move on to the next step. Try to feel her emotions, I know that each of you are hyper sensitve in that area. You've done it before." Callie kept her eyes closed and felt Angel's presence near her. Angel continued, "She feels that this is stupid and a waste of time. I can tell that by her impatience. And now she's mad at me." He smiled roguishly. "I'm glad that you two are enjoying yourselves. Now, Angel, reach for her thoughts, Callie, drop all your defenses and help him link to you." Willow had long since stopped researching and was watching with interest. Callie took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She felt Angel reach out for her and she tried to guide him into her mind. At first nothing happen and the suddenly he was there. *Callie?* *Angel? Oh, wow! I can hear you. We're talking telepathically!* *Hey, how clear of a connection are you getting?* *Well, I can feel anything that going on besides us talking.* *Okay. So how do we get out of this?* *Great! Okay, so Giles can't help us. So what now, Angel?* *Try to pull back, Callie.* *Okay, hold on.* She tried to pull back inside herself, but separating was hard. Slowly her mind retreated from Angel's. Finally the connection broke and they fell to their knees exhausted. Willow ran to them in alarm. She knelt in front of Callie. "Are you guys okay?" Angel managed a reassuring smile. "We're fine, Willow. It just got really intense." He looked to Giles. "We almost couldn't break the link." "I fear that we're going to have to ask for some help on this." Callie looked at him, dreading what he was going to say next. "Like who?" she asked although she alread knew the answer. "The Romani." Callie jumped to her feet. "Oh, no. *No* way, Giles. No." "Come on, Giles. There has to be another way." Angel's was almost pleading. "I'm sorry. But I certaintantly don't know what to do. There's no other choice." "No other choice for what?" Buffy's voice came from the libary doors. "Buffy! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Giles scolded her shakily. "Sorry. What's up?" She wasn't the least bit sorry. She liked to scare Giles. He got all flustered. "Giles wants us to ask the gypsies for help." Angel's tone, conveyed his opinion of that idea. Buffy laughed. "You're joking right?" Her laughter faded when she saw the serious look on everyone's faces. "Oh. You're not making with the funny." She turned to Giles disbelief etched into her features. "Oh. God. Please Tell me you were kidding." Giles stood impassive. "Okay, Giles. If you're not joking then you're mental. The *Romani?*" Angel and Callie nodded in agreement. "Look, this link is precarious at best. They may know how to handle it. And like it or not I'm calling them." Giles walked to his office and dialed the number that Tara had given him. On the third ring someone picked up, "Hello." It was the elderly wise voice of Tara. "Hello, this is Rupert Giles. I'm sure you remember me." "Yes, Mr. Giles. How could I forget? What can I do for you?" "Angel and Callie have been experiencing some side effects from the ritual." "Such as." Her voice was uncommital, casual. "The link that they share, has strengthened, and they're having a hard time controlling it." "I see. What do you wish me to do?" "I was hoping that since you performed the ritual, that you might be able to control the side effects." There was a long moment of silence on the phone. "Bring them to the camp. We will do what we can to help." Giles hesitated. "I'm not certain that I feel completely safe with Angel and Callie at your camp. Your hatred of them, especially of Angel is well known." "You may stay. All of you. The Slayer can follow them around all day if she wants. You have my word that I will not permit any attacks on them." "That is acceptable." Giles though a moment. "Is tomorrow night a good time?" "That is acceptabe." There was an amused mocking tone in her voice. "Until then Watcher." The line went dead with a click. Giles hung up and turned to find him self staring into Callies angry eyes. Her eyes seemed to burn with power, that was amplified by her anger. "Giles, those gypsies hate us.....they want on heads on a stick. Do you need more imagery?" Willow meekly intervened. "Callie, I'm sure Giles made sure that you would be safe. Right Giles?" "Of course." Giles sounded slightly offended. "I have Tara's word that neither of you will be harmed. We're all going to make sure that that promise is kept." Callie stepped from Oz's van with her arms crosser defiantly. Angel came out behind her, his every sense on alert. The gypsies were gathered in small groups, they glared suspiciously at Callie and Angel. Callie just glared right back. She had no love for these people and she didn't care if they knew it. Giles stepped from the van, muttering something about teenage drivers. Angel smiled as the slayerettes took up protective positions around him and Callie. He knew that they would be damned if the gypsies would hurt any of them again. They gypsies parted and Tara came to stand before them. She bowed her head slightly in greeting, Willow, Xander, Oz, Buffy, and Cordy, responded with soft hello's." Giles offered his hand, which the gypsy took and Callie and Angel simply nodded in return. "Welcome to our camp. I hope your stay will be pleasant." Tara's welcome was almost sincere, only marred slighty by the deeply ingrained hatred between the two groups. Angel allowed himself to relax slightly and reached for Callie's hand. But tensed when he saw a young gypsy come forward angrily. The gypsy boy faced off with Tara. "How could you invite these monsters into our camp? This is Angelus!" Tara raised her chin defiantly. "I am in charge here, I have my reasons for doing this." "Then you are a fool old woman." The boy turned quickly, and before she could react, he sliced Callies arm with a knife. She cried out in pain and pushed Angel away. She fell to one knee and pulled a dagger out of her boot. She threw it, pinning the boy neatly to a nearby tree by the shoulder in his jacket. The boy in turn threw his knife straight at Willow. Angel stepped in the way and caught the knife in mid-air. Willow stood still as a statue behind Angel, her face pale with shock. Angel bent the knife in half breaking the blade and dropped it to the ground. Seeing that Oz was taking care of Willow, Angel went to Callie. She was still on one knee, holding her arm, her teeth gritted with the pain. Angel knelt beside her and made her sit down. He examined the cut on her arm. "Ow.....that cut almost to the bone. Does it hurt much?" Callie looked up and managed a smile. "Only like hell." Tara glared at the young man. "You have broken gypsy law. And you will be punished." She gestured to those around her. "Take him back to his home and keep him there." She turned to Angel. "Is she in any danger?" "She will be if we don't get this bleeding stopped." Giles stepped forward, hankerchief in hand. "Here, Angel. Use this. It should slow the bleeding a little." "Thanks, Giles." Angel wrapped it tightly around Callie's arm and tied it in place. Callie winced and turned pale. "Hey, Angel. I don't feel so good." "Hold, on a sec Callie. We'll get you stitched up and you'll be as good as new." Tara turned to one of the nearby gypsies. "Go fetch the healer, send him to my home." She turned back to the slayerettes. "Follow me." Buffy and Angel exchanged a puzzled look, and then Angel lifted Callie into his arms and followed Tara . Angel tweaked the link that he shared with Callie, he always could feel if she was weak, but this time the feeling was stronger. He could feel the world spin and hurriedly shut it down. Angel followed Tara into her bedroom after she had invited him in. He lay Callie down on the bed. He put his fingers to her neck and checked her pulse. It was a little rapid and fluttery, but nothing too bad. Moments later the healer walked in and began to inspect Callista's wound. "It'll need stitching." "Can you do it here?" Giles was concerned about this doctors skill and if he had the right equipment. "Yes, Mr. Giles there is no reason for concern. Now, if one of you will hand me my bag." Angel watched as the Doctor sterilized the instruments, cleaned out her cut and stitch it back together. He wrapped it in heavy gauze. Angel froze in fear when he noticed the worried look on the Doctors face. "What is it?" "She has lost a lot of blood. I'm aware that this is a dangerous condition for a vampire. It makes the.......blood lust harder to control." Angel snorted in disgust. "Callista is stronger than that. But, don't worry, I'm going to take care of that now." Angel went to the bed and sat down beside Callie. He pulled her into a sitting position, supporting her with his strong arms. "Callie?" She opened her eyes and looked into Angel's eyes. "Angel?" "Hey, are you hungry?" Callista nodded and shuddered, disgusted with herself. "But, I'm not feeding off a human, so no guinea pigs." Even through her weariness, her voice was adamant. "Don't worry. You'll be feeding off me." Callie looked up startled. "Angel......" She broke off at his stern gaze. "Fine." Angel looked towards Giles and he ushered the gypsies out of the room, the slayerettes followed. He bared his neck and waited patiently. After a moments hesitation, Callie shifted to her game face and gently sank her fangs into Angel's neck. She moaned mentally with pleasure. She had forgotten the power of Angel's blood, it had been so long since the last time she had fed from him. Angel lost himself in the pleasure. For a vampire this was almost better than sex. He sighed as Callie gently drank her fill. Slowly she pulled away and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Tired?" Angel asked, stroking her hair. "A little. But I feel better now, really. I just lost a little too much blood. I'm fine." "Yeah, and you'll be even better after a nap." Angel smiled gently when she scowled and lowered her to the bed. He stood to let her rest but she seized his wrist in an iron grip. "Angel....please just hold me." Unable to deny that simple request he climbed in behind her and fell asleep with her in his arms. Cordy stuck her head quietly into the room. She closed the door quietly and turned to Buffy. "They're alseep." "Okay, I'll take the first shift standing guard outside the door." Buffy drug a chair over to the door, sat down, and concentrated on looking intimidating. Callie stretched and turned over on her side. She opened her eyes and found herself safely held in Angel's arms. She shifted slightly and snuggled closer to him. Sensing her movement, Angel opened his eyes and smiled, while brushing Callie's hair from her eyes. "Hey, sweetheart. How do you feel?" He whispered softly. Callie smiled back. "I feel great." Angel sat up and pulled Calllie up with him. "Here, let me look at your arm." Callie sighed and surrendered. *He's not going to believe that I'm ok until he sees it with his own eyes. He's sweet, a nuisance, but sweet.* There was a knock at the door. "Come, in Giles." Callie called. "You guys aren't fooling anyone out there!" Giles opened the door and asked a bit sheepishly, "Are you feeling better, Callie?" "I'm fine Giles." "Yeah, she's great. The cut has already begun to close." Angel wrapped the bandage back around the cut. Callie stood up and smiled when Angel took her by her good arm. "Shall we go see Tara?" Callie finally looked around her. "Um.....this is her room isn't it?" "Yes, it is. And her healer that tended to your wound." "Ew.....guess I owe her a.......thank you." Callie almost choked on the words. "Well, let's find her and get it over with." Callie led the way out the door with Angel's arm around her waist. It was still dark out and as Callie walked into the night air, she breathed deeply revelling in the power of the night. Night is an enchanting time for a vampire, it calls to them, and Callie felt the siren song. Tara sat outside in an old rocking chair. She stood when she saw Callie. "I wish to apologize for the boy's actions. It was unacceptable." Callie bowed in acceptance. "Thank you for taking care of me and your hospitality." Tara hesitated and then nodded her head in acknowledgment. "Callista, do you feel up to beginning the training now?" Tara's voice was almost concerned. Callie was thrown and considered Tara's question slowly. "Yeah," she answered after a moment. "I think I could handle a little bit tonight. Nothing too major though." Tara nodded and pointed to the rocking chair. "Sit." Her tone made it clear that it was an order, not a request. Callie sat not wanting to offend and thus cause more trouble. "Now, I want to learn more about the link that you share. Connect and let me see how strong it is." Angel nodded and reached out for Callie. She accepted the link without hesistation, deriving a familiar comfort from his mental touch. She returned it warmly. Distantly she heard the gypsy women mutter a spell and felt a third presence enter into the connection. Callie forced herself to relax and just enjoy the contact with Angel. Finally the gypsy pulled out of the connection and Angel and Callie separated. When they both opened their eyes, they smiled at each other and Angel reached for Callie's hand. He held it tightly in his and stood by her chair. "You share a strong connection. Now I understand why you are so devoted to the other. Let me consider this and we will continue tomorrow. For now you need to sleep. Allow me to show you to your rooms." Callie yawned and nodded. She was fine, but a good nights sleep would be great. The tired slayerettes followed Tara into a large building. It was beautiful inside. A grande spirel staircase, a chandelier. "This building is for honored guests." Tara explained. Callista stopped in her tracks astonished and bowed deeply to Tara. *Maybe, things can get better between us and the gypsies. It'd be nice to have them as allies instead of enemies.* Tara moved on showing them each to their rooms. Buffy and Willow were together, Oz and Xander, Angel and Callie (hehe) , and Giles got his own room. As the door closed behind her Callie looked dreamily at the bed. She got a running start and dived onto it sighing with contentment. "Ah. Soft bed. Nice bed. My bed. You can sleep on the floor, Angel." "Don't think so, short shit." Angel picked her up and moved her out of the middle of the bed. He pulled off his shirt. "Hey, Callie aren't you going to change?" Callie lifted her head and stared down at herself. "Oh. Yeah right." She climbed out of bed and walked to a suitcase. Opening, it, she chose a t-shirt and boxers. She disappeared into the bathroom and came out a few mintues later. Angel now wore only sweat pants. Callie managed a flirtatious smile and gave him an appraising look. Angel smiled back. "What are you looking at?" "I'm thinking what I nice pillow you're gonna make." She walks past him, grabbing his hand on the way. "Come on fang boy." She climbed under the covers and pulled Angel in after her. His arms came around her, careful of her arm and she lay her head on his shoulder. He kissed her gently on the forehead. "Good night princess." His voice was soft, and full of love. "Night, Angel." Callie quickly slipped into a peaceful slumber, safely tucked away in Angel's arms. Callie awoke still in Angel's arms. The curtains had been drawn, and Angel lay beside her, peacefully dreaming . She smiled, caressed his cheek, admiring his beauty. She kissed his cheek and carefully climbed out of his embrace. She walked to the window, pulling the blind up slightly. It was a bright, beautiful, sunny day. She closed the blind and went to her suitcase. She chose shorts, and a tank top for the day. She pulled out her Nikes, brushed her hair and teeth, applied her makeup and out the door she went. She found the rest of the slayerettes downstairs eating breakfast. Actually, Giles was eating lunch and everybody else was eating breakfast. Callie smiled at her friends and mussed Oz's hair as she walked by. "So, Xand, anything good to eat here?" "I brought provisions." He tossed her the box of fruit loops. "Thanks." She grabbed a bowl and sat down. She ate like a man starved. After her second bowl she sat back, a contented smile on her face. She looked around. "So what do we do now?" "I say we go outside, and explore." Xander wanted to do something besides sit there. Callie nodded. "Sounds great Xand-" Her voice cut off suddenly "Angel!" She stumbled, caught herself and raced up to the room. She opened the door to find Angel, bathed in sunlight, on the floor screaming in pain. She looked up and saw that the blind had opened. She ran across the room and hurriedly closed it again. She turned and ran back to Angel's side. Willow and Buffy already kneeling beside him. Callie dropped to her knees and cradled his head in her lap. "Oh ,God. Angel? Can you hear me?" "Callie?" "It's me. How did the window get open?" "I don't know. I...I was sleeping...I was having nightmares...about....Angelus..." "Angel," Callie smiled gently and stroked his cheek, before her look sobered. "is it possible that you opened the window in your sleep?" Angel just shook his head. "I...I don't know." Callie leaned down and kissed him reassuringly. She ran her hand over his head and reached out to him with her mind. She could feel the residual effects of the nightmares, they affected him more than the physical effects from the exposure to sunlight. She probed deeply, but could find no indication that Angel had tried to kill himself in his sleep. She then drew back and listened to the room around her, she could hear the heartbeats of her and her friends, ...but wait...there. Someone else was in the room. Callie let out a soft growl, and handed Angel to Willow, who gently cradle him in her arms. Callie motioned to Buffy, then walked towards the cupboard door. Buffy took one side, Callie the other. With a ferocious growl, Callista opened the door. There, cowering in the shadows was the gypsy boy, that had tried to kill them earlier. "YOU!!!!" Callie felt her face change but she was too angry to stop it. She grabbed the boy by the throat and pinned him to the wall his feet hanging from the air. "I should kill you now." Her gripped tightened on his neck and he gasped for breath. She began to pound his head against the wall. Buffy tried to stop her but Callie just pushed her away. Tara entered, and immediately guess what had occurred. Only one thing could make the girl this mad, and it was lying on the floor, in the red headed girls arms. The boy had made a fatal error. She stood, not sure that Callie wouldn't kill him, but resigned to whatever happened. It wasn't brute force that stopped Callista's rampage, but the softest whisper. "Callie," Angel called to her, "Don't" Callie stopped and stared at him in shock, her face went back to human, and with the return of her face, came her sanity. She looked at the boy and lowered him gently to the ground to stand on his feet. She released him and back away, still glaring at him viciously. "You had better thank, Angel, you miserable son of a bitch, he just saved your worthless life." She turned, and saw Tara standing there, but ignored her and went to Angel. She again claimed him and held him protectively in her arms. She finally looked up at Tara. Tara spoke first. "I apologize. This is unforgivable. Pronounce his sentence as you see fit, Callista." The woman stood straight and tall and wait for Callista's answer. Callie was silent, her need for vengeance, warred with not wanting his blood on her hands. "Just lock him up. I trust your law to judge him." Tara nodded. But Callie raised her hand. "Buffy's going with him to make sure he stays locked up. Your men obviously didn't do a good enough job. Now, please, get him the hell outta here." With that Callie turned her back on them and focused on Angel. He smiled at her. "I'm proud of you ,Callie." His voice was a whisper. "Why?" Angel smiled again and answered. "You had his life in your hands, you didn't give into hatred, you did the right thing." "Thanks. Now, no more talking, let's get you back to bed." Now that Tara, had left with Buffy and the boy, she and Willow helped Angel to stand, and guided him to the bed. He leaned heavily on the two girls and his chin rested almost on his chest. When he was settled on the bed, Callie and Willow exchanged a look and Willow departed, chasing the slayerettes out of the room with her.. She returned in a few minutes to find Angel under the covers, and weaker than ever. She took the cooler in her hands and set it by the bed. She opened it and pulled out a packet of blood. Willow poored the contents into a bowl, and handed it to Callie, along with a spoon. Callie tried to spoon feed Angel the blood, but he stubbornly would not open his mouth. "Angel, either open up, or I'm gonna embarrass you by playing 'airplane'" Angel opened his mouth and accepted the blood. He looked up annoyed when Callie laughed quietly. "Sorry, Angel. But the irony of our lives just hit me. We come to learn how to control the link, and spend all our time hurt, and being rescued by *gypsies*!" Willow giggled and even Angel shook his head and smiled. The tension broke and Callie continued to feed Angel. There was a knock at the door, and Willow answered it. She turned to Callie. "It's the girl. The girl that you saved during the ritual. She wants to come in. Tara's with her." Callie stopped stunned, then shook her head to clear it. "Let them in, Willow." Willow stepped back and they entered. The girl walked straight up to the bed without fear. She looked deep into Callista's eyes. "Thank you for saving my life. Thanks to both of you." Tara spoke up. "My grandaughter has informed me that ever since the ritual she has been drawn to you. I think she may be able to help you control the link. She must certainly learn to control it." Ignoring the grandmother, the girl went to Angel. "My name is Alex. You saved my life, I've heard about you Angelus, you're not what I expected." Callie stood. "How old are you Alex?" "I'm 16." "I'm glad that we could help you, Alex." "She is the future leader of this clan. She is being trained in the black arts, and being given all she will need to be a good ruler." The pride in Tara's voice could not be hidden. Alex still ignored her grandmother. All of her attention was fixed on Angel. He sat silently, watching her. Too weak to move, and strangely he could not find his voice. Callie watched, for the first time, she felt no fear at seeing a gypsy so close to Angel. Alex took Angel's hand. "What happened to you?" Angel looked to Tara. Noticing his questioning look she turned to her grandmother. "Well, Grandma? What didn't you tell me?" "The boy, Johnathan, attacked them twice. The first time he wounded Callista and the this morning, he nearly killed Angelus." Angel finally spoke. "It's Angel now. Angelus is dead and gone. This time for good." Tara studied him. "I sincerely hope that that is the case." Alex noted the bowl of blood for the first time. "So, you really don't feed off of humans anymore." "No, I don't" His tone darkened and Callie knew that he was think of the period when Angelus had regain control. She sat on the bed beside him and took his hand. "Angel, when can we start the training? When will you be strong enough?" Alex asked. She knew that vampires healed fast, but had know idea about exactly how fast. Angel thought a moment. "I should be reasonable okay by tonight. So we could start once the sun has set and I've. . .fed." "Cool. See ya then." Alex turned and left the roorm, ignoring her grandmother's glare. Later, as the sun began to set, Angel climbed out of bed and began to dress. Callie watched him with interest. Angel looked at her and smiled. "What are you looking at?" he asked, knowing damn well what she was looking at. "I'm looking at someone with one hell of a body." She answered matter - of - factly. Angel moved closer to where she perched on the bed. "I'm glad you appreciate it. You're not so bad yourself." Callie's heart began to pound as he came nearer. She could hear it, and knew that he could as well. He knew the effect that his nearness was having on her. And he moved closer, now standing directly in front of her. She watched him, entranced. She gasped as he grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet. Now she stood, her body pressed to his. She shivered in delight, her skin on fire, wherever their bodies touched. He cupped her chin in his hand and leaned down to press his lips to hers. As their lips touched, it seemed that fireworks exploded around them. He pushed her back against the bed, she lost her balance falling back onto it. He followed her down, and now lay on top of her. She wrapped her arms around him, as his kisses became more passionate, more demanding. She opeened her mouth giving him the access he wanted. His hands slid up her back under her shirt and he kissed her deeply, delving into the far corners of her mouth. She reached for his shirt, unbuttoning it hastily until she could push it from his shoulders. His hand moved to remove her shirt, and her heart pulsed with excitement. Then then inevitable happened. There was a knock at that door. But instead of waiting for an answer, whoever was behind the door opened it. "Hey, where the heck are you Dead B-. . .oh my god! Scarred for life!" Xander quickly adverted his eyes. Angel jumped away from Callie, who immediately lunged for Xander. "XANDER! You are supposed to wait for an answer before entering someone's room!" Xander was unable to answer as her hands were locked around his throat. "And could your timing be *any* worse!" Angel stood a moment watching Callie throttle the life out of Xander. *Should I stop her? He deserves it. But if I don't then Buffy'll be mad and Willow will be heart broken. I couldn't do that to Willow. Oh well. "Dead Boy" to the rescue.* Angel grabbed Callie from behind and when that didn't work. He had to forcibly pry her hands from Xander's throat. She fought wildly to get at Xander. Angel fought her to the floor and calmed her the only way he knew how. He kissed her. She resisted for a moment, then gave in, returning the kiss. Angel got off her and helped her to her feet. She glared at Xander. "One word, Harris, to anyone and I'll finish what I started, got that?" Xander nodded and ran out the door. Callie turned and pace the room until her anger finally cooled. Angel watched her chuckling. The last of her anger faded when she realized he was laughing at her. "I kinda did loose it huh?" "Just a bit." Callie sighed. "Well, we had better get out of there before we get *another* visitor." Angel and Callie walked out ,into the night air, hand in hand. A big bonfire had be started and Callie stopped short, memories of the ritual flooding throught her mind. She had seen so many things in Angel's mind that night. The link had becoming so strong that they had almost become of one mind. Even now the link was stronger than before. But they had to control it for both their sakes. Angel sensed the flow of her thoughts, and tweaked the link gently. He sent his reassurance through it and squeezed her hand led her over to the fire. The slayerettes were all assembled, and Alex waited with her grandmother. When they arrived, Tara motioned for them to sit. They sat on the ground and waited for Tara to begin. "Now, let's start slowly. I want Callie to link with Angel. Then I want you, Alexandra, to try to enter into the link." Callie reached for Angel, that was the easy part. She gritted her teeth as an unfamiliar presence entered into the connection. After a moment Alex was there, and another moment and Tara had entered. *Good. You're all here. Now, Alex, I want you to try to draw out of the link. This is what seems to be the hardest, and yet is most important.* Alex, braced herself, and slowly began to pull back. After a moment she was free. Now that Alex was gone, Tara worked with the two vampires. *Callista, now I want you to withdraw*. Following Alex's example, Callie pulled away easily. Tara followed suit and Angel opened his eyes. Tara turned to her granddaughter. "You know how to enter and how to pull away. That is all you need to know for now. Go to bed." Her tone left no room for argument. Alex left, grumbling about stubborn old people. Satisfied that her granddaughter was obeying she turned her attention back to Callie and Angel. "I want to see how well you can track each other using the link only. Angel, I want you to head into the woods, we'll give you a fifteen minute head start. I want you, Callista, to track him using only the llink. In your line of work, this could be useful. I want you to see how much more you can sense now. Understand?" Both of the vampires nodded. "Good, Angel. . .you may begin." Callie watched Angel fade into the night. She could feel the gazes of the gypsies on her. Some were accusing, others filled with hatred, and some were just curious. No matter what their intent, it began to wear on Callies nerves. She began to fidget and pace nervously. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore. "Ack! God! Stop staring at me. I'm not gonna bite, or maim, or kill if that's what you're thinking! Just leave me alone!" The camp stopped and stared, while she glared angrily. Tara motioined for the crowd to disperse. Callie, shocked at her actions resumed her pacing. Finally, it was Oz that came forward. "Callie? Callie?" Seeing that she didn't hear him. He grabbed her by her shoulders and gently turned her towards him. "Callie!" His voice was firm and finally her eyes locked with his. "Oh, um. . .Oz. . .hey." "Callie, you need to chill, I know that this many gypsies so close drives you nuts, but you gotta keep your cool." "I know. But. . .it's just that the instinct to hate these people runs so deep. It tells me that they wanna hurt us, and that's already been proved." "Some of them, but check this, Tara's already stood up for you. Have a little faith." Callie considered Oz for a moment "All right. I'll give it a chance." Wordlessly Oz hugged Callie and stepped back Tara spoke. "All right, go track Angel down." Callie turned and ran into the woods after Angel. After a moment she began to enjoy herself. She ran soundlessly through the forest, homing in on Angel. She used all of her vamiric speed and ability. She had been running for ten minutes, when she suddenly stopped and leapt up onto a tree branch. There sitting next to her was Angel. "Hi, Angel." "Proud of yourself aren't you?" "You know it. I can't believe how strong the link has gotten." "I know, but I like it. It brings us closer" "I feel so drawn to you, Angel. The attraction is stronger than ever. I love you Angel, but it scares me. If I ever lost you . . .I don't think I could live without you." "I couldn't stand loosing you either. But that just means we have to lookout for each other. I love you, Callie. Life isn't worth living for me without you." He kissed her lips tenderly, and for an eternity, they stood just holding each other in the peace of the forest. Slowly the separated and Angel extended his hand to Callie. Smiling she took it. Callie and Angel walked slowly back to the camp. Two weeks later the slayerettes prepared to leave. Callie and Angel had reasonable control over the link, and were anxious to get back to their lives. Tara and Alex were there to say good-bye. For a moment the two groups stared awkwardly, the Callie stepped forward and bowed to Tara. "Thank you for helping us, and your hospitality." "You're welcome." Angel hesitated and then spoke. "I know that our two groups can never be best buddies or anything, but I hope that this means that we can begin to put the past behind us, and that you know that if you ever need our help, just ask." "Thank you, Angelus. And I want you to know that you are *all* welcome with the Romani." The slayerettes piled into the van and Callie watched as the camp faded behind them. *Maybe, they're not so bad.* She felt Angel connect to her, *At least we don't have to worry about them coming after us with stakes.* They both smiled and drove off, into a new beginning. | ||||
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Written by Angelusslayer
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