Chapter 2

Angel stirred. Nina was instantly awake, as she had been off and on throughout the day and now into the hours of darkness. Exhaustion was apparently not enough to keep the nightmares away. The blonde woman suspected he was not just reliving the fight in the alley but much more. There had been a stab of jealousy when the restless vampire had mumbled "Buffy", but she determinedly smothered it and simply held him and soothed him whenever his thrashings woke her. He would clutch at her and sooner or later relax.

Nina was right. Angel's mind was traveling back through his life and unlife starting with The memories of his childhood, of his parents, his sister. Again he met Darla, saw the night when he was turned and the terrible events that had followed. He remembered Drusilla and what he had done to her. He saw the Gypsy girl and the guilt that had flooded him with the return of his soul. He saw Faith, he saw Kate Locksley. And, most of all, he saw Buffy.

He saw Buffy from the first day until he had arrived just in time to knock down Caleb before he brought the axe down on Buffy. He saw the night that they made love and he lost his soul. He felt her kiss him and then drive her sword through his body to shut the portal to the Hell Dimension. He saw her standing in the sunshine the day that he regained his mortality, the day that never existed.

He had always been sure his fate had been linked with the Slayer, that they were destined to be together. But he had thought the same thing about Darla. He watched the futile search through Rome with Spike. He had been so sure of the connection with Buffy, but somehow it seemed as though it had evaporated.

The Immortal. Even in his sleep Angel ground his teeth. He had always felt he was more than a match for any other guy on the face of the planet, but somehow he always seemed to come up short with that one. First with Darla and the fact that Spike was left kicking his heels while Drusilla went too didn't make him any happier. He saw Buffy, her back anyway, dancing with the Immortal, ignoring him. The vampire who had loved a Slayer groaned, only to feel a warm presence holding him and drawing him away from that picture. From far away he heard a familiar soft voice going "Shhhhhhhh. It's alright."

Angel struggled to make sense of it all. He felt like all these scenes were some kind of show, that there was a reason behind this flood of memories. What was he being told? Why was he taking this journey again? He was thankful that apparently he was being spared a reliving of all of his crimes, as thankful as he was for the familiar voice that calmed him.

Around midnight Angel finally woke, confused about his surroundings but able to relax in Nina's arms. For her part, the blonde were girl was happy just to be with him, but at the same time she wondered what their next move was going to be. She wondered aloud and the answer came immediately.

"We're going to see the Oracles."

"The Oracles? Who are they?" inquired Nina.

"They're a link to the Powers That Be. Or at least they used to be," Angel admitted.

"Used to be?"

"They were killed, murdered by Vocab, an assassin sent by the Senior Partners."

"But if they're dead how are they going to help us?" Nina frowned.

"I managed to consult the ghost of one of them once before. Granted, that was very shortly after their murders. Still, I can't think of any thing else to do right now. I'd like some answers."

The duo arrived at the Post Office and found their way to the apparently blank wall that led to their destination. Angel cudgeled his memory until he recalled Doyle's instructions on how to gain entrance. Since Nina was still holding his hand, the pair appeared together in the audience chamber.

The bodies were gone, not that Angel had expected them to still be here. The pair looked around. No one and nothing. He gave a sigh.

"It was worth a shot." He looked at Nina.

The slender woman wasn't looking back. She was staring at the far side of the room. "I think there's something there. Or someone."

Neither Angel nor Nina was ever able to describe the figure that appeared before them. It seemed human, in a way. One moment it seemed male, then it was female and then impossibility both, or neither. It was old and young, stern and joyful. They couldn't even decide if it spoke aloud or if they simply heard its thoughts.

"Welcome Liam. Welcome Nina."

Nina gripped Angel's arm "Who's Liam?" she whispered.

"Me. I'll explain later."

"You have done well. Now you stand at a crossroads. More than one pathway is available to you. Eventually you will need to return here, once you make your decision."

"What decision is that?" asked Angel, confusion written on his face.

"You'll know it when you are ready to make it."

Angel wanted to sigh. That's just what he need, more cryptic messages. Oh well, that was always the way it went. He felt in awe of the figure, but decided to risk asking a question or two.

"What about the Senior Partners? Will they be looking for me.? For us," he amended, conscious that Nina had also been at the final fight.

"The Senior Partners will always remain a foe and a danger to you. They will be around until the final battle takes places, far in the future between the forces of good and evil. They will not be threatening you directly but through their minions. You will always have to be on the lookout for them. However you disrupted their plans and they will need to start rebuilding. Their energy and attention will be focused on that, not on you two. I assure you that you will find much to do if you resume quest to help the helpless."