I Need Him: I Need Him
by inlovewithangel
“Are you sure about this Buffy?” Willow’s voice was nervous.

Buffy looked at her friend. “Will, yes. How many times are you gonna ask me that?” Buffy touched the redhead’s arm. “It’ll work. I promise.” Buffy stopped and looked at a doorway filled up with bricks. “Angel said this was it.” She turned to Willow. “Okay, do the magic. Get me in to see the oracles.”

The week before, Buffy was up fantasizing about the day the Powers that Be would give Angel life. And then she’d had, in her opinion, a brilliant idea. Willow and Angel, however, had been skeptical.

Buffy and Willow, finished with the spell, looked at the doorway, which was now filled with a bright white light.

“Okay,” Buffy said nervously. She hugged Willow, and then stepped into the other plane.

Two figures, gold with blue veins, were looking irritated that someone had called on them.

“Champion,” the female’s booming voice sounded, “What have you brought me?”

Buffy reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a tube of lipstick. She tossed it at the sister. “Red,” Buffy pronounced, “Good with golden skin tones.”

The oracle smiled, obviously pleased.

“Why have you called us?” the male asked.

“I have come to beg for a life,” Buffy began.

“The life of the man you love,” the sister smiled, obviously reading Buffy. She turned to her brother. “The souled vampire who has been here before.

“Yes,” Buffy said, confirming it.

“That is impossible. We cannot give him humanity, he has not yet filled his redemption,” scoffed the brother.

“I need him with me to fulfill my destiny as the slayer,” Buffy declared.

“You have been doing fine in the three years since he left you.” The brother frowned.

“I have not,” Buffy said forcefully. “I have been unhappy, distracted. I have died without his protection. I need him.”

The sister looked to be considering it, but the boy was firm. “No,” he said. “There are rules. Prophecies.”

“Prophecies don’t mean anything,” Buffy insisted. “Trust me. I know.”

The oracles simply shook their heads.

Buffy sighed and reached down to her boot. She slowly pulled out a dagger with a long, slender blade. Buffy held it to her throat. “I will kill myself, if you do not make Angel human.”

“Silly child,” the male scolded, “when one slayer falls, another shall rise.”

“Wrong.” Buffy’s voice was powerful. “I have died twice already. The slayer line no longer passes through me. If I die, your noble cause will have no one protecting the Hellmouth.”

The eyes of the oracles were nervous. “You would kill yourself for him?” the brother asked, scared and amazed.

“I would do anything for him.” A tear trickled down Buffy’s face as she pushed the cool metal of the blade into her neck harder.

After a few minutes of consultation, the brother turned away. “We need him as a warrior. We cannot afford to lose a fighter.”

Buffy smiled. She had counted on this. “Then leave him his vampire strength and healing intact.”

The oracles once again turned and whispered to each other. Finally, the sister spoke. “You have cheated us slayer, but you have won. We need you both, and we suppose, as long as you keep fighting, you can be together.”

Buffy gasped, tears of joy pouring down her face. “Thank you,” she whispered, removing the dagger from her neck.

“Have the love you have always craved. But do not waste this gift, slayer. Do not waste it.”



Later that night, as Buffy and Angel were lying together in a tangle of sheets and entwined limbs, Buffy was telling Angel the exact words of the conversation.

“I love you so much,” Angel said, kissing Buffy on the top of her head, when she was finished with the story.

“I love you too. That’s why I went through all this trouble.” Buffy was teasing him.

“I’m surprised the oracles didn’t see that you were lying.” Angel took a breath, loving the way the oxygen tasted in his mouth.

“Lying?” Buffy frowned.

“About you slitting your throat for me,” Angel said, shuddering at the thought.

“Angel,” Buffy said, propping herself up on her hand so that she could look in her boyfriend’s eyes, “those weren’t lies.”

Realization dawned on Angel’s face and he pulled her close to him, thanking God that the Oracles had agreed to give him life.


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