Why Did You Have To Be So Trusting?
By Tamara Jando

Disclaimer: I own none of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters. They belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, the WB, and whoever else has anything to do with the show. I own Abby, Sara, and Shawn. Although Shawn’s not really mentioned in this story. I also own the story line that this short story foreshadows. I’m not making any money off of any of these stories, so please don’t sue.

Authors Notes: This is one of the possible outcomes of my "Forever Young" series of stories. The first installment isn’t even finished yet, but I have what’s going to happen in the first three or so stories all planned out in my head. I can’t tell you what happens, but I can tell you this much so this all makes sense. This story takes place in the year 2148, and Angel is 392 years old. He’s human, but he, Buffy, and Xander are all immortal. My "Forever Young" series is a Buffy/Highlander crossover. Although I’ve change some of the Highlander parts. Oh yeah, feedback. Please send all feed back to abbybrady@excite.com. No flames though please. And now, on with the story.

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As Angel walked along the underground tunnels to the secret base of the Slayerettes, he couldn’t help but think back to when this had all started nearly one hundred and fifty years ago. When his long believed dead sister had returned from the dead. She hadn’t ever really died at all actually. She was an immortal. She was one of the few people who had been born a Highlander, although she wasn’t a true Highlander. For one thing she was Irish. All of the other one’s he knew were Scottish, and another was that she had had children. Something a true Highlander could never have.

As he continued to walk, he passed by the small graveyard that he and the other’s had made for all of the people that had died for the cause. For the world’s freedom. They had discovered an undeveloped area close to the base and decided to use it as their memorial site. But Angel hadn’t walked among his fallen friends for at least fifty years. Ever since she had been ripped away from him. From her family. But now he couldn’t help himself. He had to see her, to talk to her. Even if she was truly a world away now, he believed that she could still hear him.

He walked past the graves of old friends and allies. Rupert Giles, Willow Rosenberg, Oz Wolfe, Joyce Summers, Shawn Andrews, Cordelia Chase, and lastly the one he was searching for. The grave of Abby Brady Harris. He dropped to his knees in front of her grave. It simply read;

Here lies Abby Brady Harris.
Born 1759. Died 2098.
A wonderful sister, wife, and mother.
May she find peace and happiness in the after life.

"Hey sis. It’s been along time since I’ve stopped to talk, but it’s been really hard for me to come to terms with you not being here anymore. I know it’s been nearly fifty years, but it still hurts as much as if it were yesterday." He stopped and took a deep breath. "We all miss you. Oh god how we miss you." He paused for a moment and collected his thoughts. The tears in his eyes were threatening to overwhelm him, but he forced himself to smile as he continued. "We’ve finally found and killed that apocalypse monster. That must have dealt a serious blow to the Master, and it brought us one step closer to winning the war." He paused again. A single tear rolled down his cheek, but he didn’t wipe it away. He was going to let his grief out, he had been holding on to it for far too long.

"Amy and Spike think that they may have finally found a copy of that spell that you cast all those years ago that accidentally brought the Master back. They’re looking through every old spell book to see if they can counter it and maybe end the war that way. But I’m not holding my breath. You and I both know that there is only one way for us to ever end this and come out on top. You knew it already way back then." He paused again and started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Why did you have to be so trusting?!" he shouted angrily. "Why did you trust him to help us? I told you that it was a trick. That he had an ulterior motive. But no, you just couldn’t listen could you?" there was a hint of bitterness in his voice. He took another deep breath before continuing. "Why couldn’t you have just listened to me for once?!"

He thought back to when Abby had returned from her shift of patrolling shortly before she’d been killed. She had returned with, who she’d thought was a new ally. She’d saved him from a group of demons that had wanted to take him back and sacrifice him to the Master. And because the Master had been trying to kill him, she had believed that he would help the Slayerettes and be a great ally against the Master. Angel clenched his fists at his side in anger as he thought back to who had actually killed his little sister. Ethan. Ethan Rayne. He would curse and hate that name until the day he died.

His ulterior motive had been immortality, and back then there was only one way to get it. Well, two if you counted being turned into a vampire, but that wasn’t what he’d wanted. Angel remembered how Ethan had told Abby that he had found a spell that would ultimately ride the world of all demons, vampires, and monsters. Then he’d told her to come with him, alone, to go and get it. That it was in the Master’s lair. Abby had agreed without a second thought about it. Angel had over heard this, and had argued with her that Ethan couldn’t be trusted. Not after everything he had tried in the past. He had also told her that Ethan was probably lying about the spell, and even if he wasn’t that it wasn’t worth the risk of her life. And also that she was way to trusting for her own good.

She hadn’t listened to him though. She never did. She’d said that if such a spell actually existed, it was worth any risk. Especially if it meant that the war would end and no one else would have to die. Then she’d stormed off and left with Ethan. Angel had gone to after her though. She may have trusted Ethan, but he never would, and he was right not to. When he reached the Master’s lair, he saw Abby fighting fiercely, while Ethan was no where to be seen. It had been a trap. Angel had been about to jump in and help when he caught sight of Ethan running towards Abby with a sword. It hadn’t occurred to Angel at that moment that as soon as Ethan came into sight, the demons had backed off and not attacked him at all. Angel had thought that Ethan was actually going to help Abby fight. But then when Ethan plunged the sword into Abby’s abdomen, Angel watched in absolute horror as Ethan Rayne’s ulterior motive became painfully clear. He was going to make himself immortal.

Abby had screamed in pain and horror as Ethan had plunged the sword into her. When she looked up at him there had been hurt, betrayal, and hatred in her eyes. Ethan had merely smiled at this and then delivered the final blow that had ended her long, and pain filled life. Angel had screamed in horror and hatred as he watched his sister’s body fall to the ground, but he had been in such total shock that he was frozen in place.

Unbeknownst to him, Buffy, Xander, Spike, Dru, and Amy had all followed him. They too saw Ethan kill Abby. Xander had collapsed to his knees when he saw the body of his wife lying on the ground. Buffy and Dru had screamed and been frozen in horror, while Spike just stood there in shock. When Ethan was finished absorbing all of her power, he had turned and started heading back towards the base, but Angel had run out of his hiding spot and blocked his way. Only then did the other’s all show themselves as well. Ethan’s eyes had gone wide when he realized that they had all seen him kill Abby. He had tried to cover it up, but Angel’s sword had cut him off. Literally. Then Angel had absorbed all of Abby’s power. The demons that had helped Ethan distract Abby all fled in terror from the enraged Slayerettes.

Xander had run over to Abby’s side and started crying. Angel had just stood there, his face betraying only anger. Amy had then started to chant a spell that made Abby’s body whole again. She was still dead, but now it looked as if she had been killed by the blow to her abdomen. Spike had then picked up her body and carried it back to their base.

"God I wish you would have listened to me Abby. You still had some much to live for. Sara was just a year old when you died. You didn’t know it, but somehow she turned out to be a Slayer, and immortal Slayer. But a Slayer none the less, and she died saving me, Xander, and Buffy from the Anointed One a few years ago." He thought back to how happy Abby had been when she’d found out that she was pregnant. And then how very much alike she and her daughter had turned out to be. Looks wise and all. Sara had not remembered her mother at all, but she always used to say that whenever she went into battle she could feel that someone was watching over her and helping her.

Angel just sat in front of Abby’s grave in silence for a few minutes and cried. He just sat there and let the memories of his sister wash over him. Their good times together, the battles they had fought in and won, and all of the other memories that he had blocked out for so long.

He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard someone coming up behind him. On pure reflex Angel drew his sword and whirled around to face the person. There were still tears running down his cheeks, but he didn’t care. He lowered his guard when he saw that it was Buffy.

"Buffy. What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise. Buffy simply smiled at him.

"I was looking for you. I actually figured that this is where you were, but I had to make sure."

"How did you know I’d be here?" he asked suspiciously.

"I know you’ve been thinking about her a lot lately." Buffy said with a nod towards Abby’s grave. "And I also know that you’ve been burying your grief about this for almost fifty years. So I figured that you would probably come here sooner or later to let it all out. And when you were late coming back to base, I knew that you’d come here." She explained to him. Then she moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and started to cry on her shoulder. Buffy let her silent tears fall as she whispered words of comfort to him. She was still grieving over Abby’s death too. Abby had been her sister in-law, and close friend. And it hurt her deeply when she thought back to how Xander had had to raise Sara all on his own. Only to find out that she was a Slayer and then lose her to the Anointed One. That had very nearly destroyed him, but he had managed to keep going.

"Come on." Buffy said after they had stood and sobbed in each other’s arms for a few minutes. "Let’s get back to base. Spike and Amy think that they may have found the counter spell. But even if they didn’t, they’ve found more than enough offensive magic spells that should take care of the Master and the Anointed One for good." Angel nodded, but before they left he turned back to Abby’s grave.

"You hear that Abby? The end of the war is in sight. But even if it doesn’t work out, there’s one perk. We’ll all get to see you again." And with that he took hold of Buffy’s hand and they headed back to base.

As soon as they were gone, a shape appeared above the grave. It was Abby. Here long, dark brown hair and dark brown eyes were shinning. She wore a long white dress and her hair hung down loosely around her shoulders.

"Yes Angel. We will be together again very soon. All of us." Then the ghost of her daughter Sara appeared beside her. Sara had lighter brown hair and hazel eyes.

"What do you mean mother?" Sara asked in confusion. Abby looked at her daughter and smiled.

"You will see Sara. We will all be a family again within the next week or so. But not before the war is finished and we are triumphant. And the fates have given you and I permission to help in the final battle. We will all finish this war together." Sara smiled at this. She really missed her father, uncle and aunt. And to know that they would soon be all together again was great news. Especially since all of them would then sit with the fates at the table of good. And with that thought, the two ghosts disappeared and began to prepare for the coming battle.

The End