I Will Remember You: Scythe Matters
by faith_slayer89
A/N: The majority of this story is probably (no, definitely) the flashbacks Buffy and Angel have. Note that memories are in no specific order. When I've decided to stop being lazy, I'll put them in chronological order. Till then, you can have fun and take a guess as to which episode each quote comes from.
Ch. 5: Scythe Matters
Buffy backed up from the creature, feeling incredibly vulnerable in her bathing suit. Her hand hit the cooler, and she picked it up and whacked the monster on the head. It recoiled slightly, and Buffy, wasting no time, delivered a well-placed kick to the base of its neck. Her foot hurt like hell; it felt like she'd kicked at concrete. There was only one thing left to do: run. She ran in the direction that Angel had gone, but with the thick fog rolling in, she could barely see a thing. Her foot caught on something and she went down.
She sat up abruptly and coughed up a mouthful of sand, trying to get it all out. She searched desperately for the thing she'd tripped on; perhaps she could use it as a weapon. Her hands sifted through the sand, and she found a pointed wooden shaft. Pulling it out of the sand, she saw that the other end was an axe. A surge of primal power went through her, connecting her to something far greater and older than herself.
"I'm Buffy. The Vampire Slayer. And you are...?"
"We're a team! Aren't we a team?"
"Yeah, you're the Slayer, and we're like the Slayerettes."
"What if I stop being able to love people at all? I mean, I slay. Slay equals kill. Maybe being hard is part of the package. Maybe when I finally get to where I'm the perfect Slayer, I'll be made of stone."
"So how'd the slaying go last night? I mean. ...How'd the laying go last- no, I don't mean that either."
"The point? Me, by myself, all the time, and looking at you, everything you have, and I don't know...jealous. And then there I am, everybody looking to me, trusting me to lead 'em...and I never felt more alone in my life. And that's you everyday, isn't it?"
"I love my friends, and I'm grateful for them, but yeah, that's the price. Being the Slayer."
"Another Slayer? I knew this 'I'm the one and only; I'm the one and only' thing was just an attention-getter."
"There's only supposed to be one of us. Maybe that's why you and I can never get along. We're not supposed to exist together."
"Also, you went evil and were killing people."
"Good point. Also a factor."
"I mean, I know every Slayer comes with an expiration mark on the package, but I want mine to be a long time from now. Like a Cheeto..."
"I guess everyone's alone, but...being a Slayer. There's a burden we can't share."
"And no one else can feel it. ...Thank God we're hot chicks with superpowers."
"Takes the edge off."
"As long as there have been vampires, there has been the Slayer. One girl in all the world-"
"He loves doing this part."
"All right: They hunt vampires, one Slayer dies, the next is called, Buffy is a Slayer, don't tell anyone."
"I do not need whacked-out daydreams right now," Buffy whispered angrily to no one in particular. The fog had gotten even thicker, and she could barely see an inch past her eyes, let alone look out for the demon-thing. She gripped the axe-thing tightly, and stood up, turning around slowly, careful not to let her back be exposed for too long. She could still feel a primal force radiating from the object, and as weird as it was, she felt like it was hers. Buffy heard a low growling noise and whirled around in the direction of the sound.
"Bring it on," she muttered, feeling strangely unafraid. The situation felt completely normal to her, and she knew that she could kill the Turok-Han. "Wait," shesaid aloud, perplexed. "How the hell do I know what that thing's call- Whoa!" The Turok-Han rushed out of the fog and tackled her to the ground. Still holding the scythe, she held it horizontally and gripped either side, forcing the Neaderthal-vampire off her.
It stumbled backward, and she used that moment to flip back onto her feet, and holding the scythe like a baseball bat, took a swing. She didn't manage to decapitate it, but she did manage to injure it severely. Ebony blood flowed from the wound, and Buffy couldn't help but mutter a disgusted, "Ew!" But pushing her thoughts aside, she let the fighter inside her take over. The Turok-Han came back for more, and she gave it more. She hacked at its arm, cleaving it off.
The Turok-Han snarled angrily, and backhanded her so fiercely, she fell back into the obscuring fog. As Buffy hit the soft sand, she rolled and stood up in one easy motion. "You're gonna have to do better than that," she scoffed. She held the scythe in front of her, and turned every so often, covering each side of her. Something suddenly blared in the back of her mind, a warning. She turned abruptly and stabbed the wooden side of the scythe in the Turok-Han's heart, and the fog lifted just enough for her to see it crumble into dust.
Buffy blinked, slightly taken aback. But she just shrugged it off, and went in the direction of Angel. he hadn't come back as yet, and if more of those Turok-Han were around, he'd need her help. She would have been dead again (again?) if it weren't for the scythe. She twirled it around and studied it, the shining red reminding her of blazing fires, fierce and uncontrolable. She walked tentatively through the fog, not sure if she was going in the right direction, but something inside told her she was getting close.
Something large and heavy flew out of nowhere and Buffy ducked, smirking as the vampire got a mouthful of sand. "You know, you really should watch what you -oof," she groaned, as another one slammed her into the ground. The scythe flew out of her hands, and she looked up to see a pair of gleaming fangs descending onto her neck. "Well, these one are a lot better on the eyes, that's for sure." She balled her fingers into a fist and punched the vampire, sending it sprawling into the sand. "Ooh, and they're easier to hurt. I like these ones more," she quipped, aiming a kick at the other vampire's midsection.
It staggered back, and she could see a fierce hatred in the vampire's yellow eyes, then something like realization dawned on its face, and it staggered back, looking slightly afraid. Buffy took this moment to pick up her scythe, and walked forward menacingly.
"No. No, this can't- They said that you didn't exist- You were a myth! You can't be real!"
"I feel pretty real to me."
"No! No, you haven't existed in over three hundred-" Buffy pointed the wooden side at its heart.
"Talk, or I'll make it so you can fit in an ashtray."
"You mean you don't-? Oh, this is priceless-!" The vampire's laugh turned to shock, as Buffy lurched forward and staked him, turning him to dust. She whirled around angrily and punched the vampire who'd attempted to tackle her down.
"You." Right hook. "Stupid." Kick. "Idiot!" Backhand. She threw a left hook at the vampire, then swore under her breath as it caught her arm and shoved her off, then punched her in her stomach. She took a sharp intake of breath, and staggered slightly, and the vampire, sensing her moment of weakness, lunged at her to finish the job. But Buffy held up the scythe, and it fell onto the wood, staking itself. "Idiot," she muttered. She heard a painful groan, and stumbled through the fog towards Angel, keeping an eye out for anymore flying vampires.
"I don't think you're going anywhere," the leader of the small group smirked, as they began to circle Angel. Angel smiled grimly and lashed out suddenly, staking the vampire to his right. It crumbled into dust, and Angel went for the next vampire, not wasting time to think about how a pointed wooden stake ended up in the pocket of his swimming shorts in the first place.
The remaning three went for him. Angel ducked a punch from one of the vampires, but saw stars as the leader's foot connected with the side of his head.
Angel fell into the sand, but quickly shook off the pain as Vamp #2 came towards him. He flipped the vampire over him and it disappeared into the thick fog. Angel stood up, and ducked as the leader aimed another kick at his head. Instead, he caught the vampire's foot and twisted it. He heard a snapping sound and dropped the vampire's leg, as Vamp #3 came barreling towards him. He stopped the vampire with a sharp kick to its midsection, then kept punching it as it staggered into the fog. Angel delivered a vicious right hook, which sent the vampire flailing into the obscuring fog.
"I don't know what the hell you are," the vampire growled menacingly, "'cause no human sure as hell can't move like that. But you killed my boys, so I'm gonna-"
"Yeah, yeah," Angel replied, bored, moving to drive the stake into the vampire's heart, but it collapsed into dust before he could stake it. Angel looked, perplexed, as the fog cleared and the dust settled, to reveal Buffy, the scythe outstretched in her hand.
"Not my idea of a perfect date, granted, but it was fun," she smiled. Angel moved to her and hugged her fiercely, glad that she was okay. He moved his hand to her cheek, where a faint red line was already healing.
"You're hurt."
"Ah, it was just a scratch. I'll live."
"You're sure you're okay?" Angel moved closer to her, touching her cheek lightly. She bit her bottom lip slightly.
"Mmm, uh huh," she murmured, as his lips moved toward hers.
"This isn't some fairy tale: When I kiss you, you don't wake up from a deep sleep and live happily ever after."
"No. When you kiss me, I want to die."
"Angel -you're the one freaky thing in my freaky world that makes sense to me."
"You think you can fight me. I'm not a demon, little girl. I'm something you can't conceive. The First Evil. Beyond sin, beyond death. ...I am the thing the darkness fears. You will never see me, but I am everywhere. Every being, every thought, every drop of hate-"
"I get it. You're evil. Do we have to chat about it all day?"
"And what was the highlight of our relationship? The time you broke up with me, or when I killed you?"
"Spike, my boy, you really don't get it. You tried to kill her and you couldn't. Look at you. You're a wreck. She's stronger than any Slayer you've faced. Force won't get it done. You gotta work from the inside. To kill this girl...you have to love her."
"Is that why you're always cleaning your glasses? So you don't have to see what we're doing?"
"Tell no one."
"It's so weird. ...Every time something like that happens my first instinct is to run to tell Angel. I can't believe it's the same person. He's the complete opposite of what he was."
"Well...sort of, except..."
"Except what?"
"You're still the only thing he thinks about."
"Am I going to see you this weekend? You probably have plans..."
"Birthday, right. Actually, yeah, I do have a thing."
"A thing? A date?"
"Nice attempt at casual. It is a date. Older man. Very handsome. Likes it when I call him 'Daddy'."
"Your father. ...It is your father...?"
"You took my life, B. Payback's a bitch."
"Well...at least you could tell me you're glad to see me."
"You deserve more. You deserve something outside of...demons and darkness. You should have someone who can take you into the light."
"You still my girl?"
"Always."
"Giles, you planning to step in with an explanation anytime soon?"
"Well, something...something very strange is happening."
"Can you believe the Watcher's Council let this guy go?"
"So, are you still 'Grrr'?"
"Yeah, there's not really a cure for that."
"I've seen some horrors, scary behavior...and a couple of fashion trends I constantly pray to forget."
"I'm mortal now. I have a mortal body...and I'm so hungry!"
"Watch out! He's going to eat...everything in sight!"
"You know, you really should watch your language. Someone who didn't know might think you were a woman-hating prick."
"You...are dead."
"I may be dead, but I'm still pretty. Which is more than I can say for you."
"You were destined to die! It was written!"
"What can I say? I flunked the written."
"Angel, there must be some part of you inside that still remembers who you are."
"Dream on, schoolgirl. Your boyfriend's dead."
"Buffy, earlier you agreed with me about Thanksgiving. It's a sham! It's all about death!"
"It's a sham, but a sham with yams. A yam sham."
"You're not going to jokey-rhyme your way out of this one."
"Buffy, this is all about fear. It's understandable, but you can't let it control you. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to anger...no, wait. ...Fear leads to hate, hate leads to the dark side. ...Hold on. ...Hate...no...first you get the women, then you get the money, then you get...okay, forget that."
"This is great. There's an unkillable demon in town, Angel's joined his team, and the Slayer's a basket case. I'd say we've hit bottom."
"I have a plan."
"Oh, no, here's a lower place."
"I watched you, I saw you called. It was a bright afternoon, out in front of your school, you walked down the steps and I loved you."
"Why?"
"Because I could see your heart. You held it before you for everyone to see and I worried that it would be bruised or torn. Mor than anything in my life I wanted ot keep it safe, to warm it with my own."
"That's beautiful. ...Or taken literally, incredibly gross."
"I was just thinking the same thing."
"...So, if you want me on your team, Angel, you got me."
"I want you, Lindsey. ...I'm thinkin' about rephrasing that."
"Yeah, I think I'd be more comfortable if you did."
"When it comes to you, Angel, Buffy's not a Slayer. She's just like any other young woman in love. You're all she can see of tomorrow. But I think we both know there's gonna be some hard choices ahead. If she can't make them, you're going to have to. ...I know you care about her. I just hope you care enough."
"I'm cookie dough, okay? I'm not done baking yet. I'm not finished becoming...whoever the hell it is I'm gonna turn out to be. I've been looking for someone to make me me feel whole and maybe I just need to be whole. I make it through this thing, and the next thing, and the next...maybe one day I'll turn around and realize I'm ready. I'm cookies. And then if I want someone to eat m- or to enjoy warm, delicious cookie-me, then that's fine. That's be then. When I'm done."
"Any thoughts on who might enjoy...? Do I have to go with the cookie analogy?"
"I'm not really thinking that far ahead. That's kind of the point."
"I get it."
"Angel. I do. Sometimes...think that far ahead."
"Sometimes is something."
"Dawn, the hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me."
"Can I say it? I wanna say it! There's no place like -Willow?"
"What's-?"
"It's Buffy."
"Handsome man, saved me from the monsters."
"There is a design, Angel. Hidden in the chaos as it may be, but it's there and you have your place in it."
"When I was in charge here, nobody questioned my methods. Or my singing."
"Well, we stay in the best hotels, order room service, eat the waiters - people talk."
"Tell you what, I’ll torture you for a few unbelievably long hours and then you can tell me if this is the lifestyle for you."
"You're not alive. You're just running. Afraid to feel. Afraid to be touched..."
"Save it for Hallmark. I have to pee."
“Who are you to tell me what’s right for me? You think I haven’t thought about this?”
“Have you? Rationally?”
“No, I’m just some swoony little schoolgirl, right?”
“You know that’s not it. I’m trying to think with my head instead of my heart.”
“Heart? You have a heart? It isn’t even beating.”
“Don’t.”
"Don’t what? Don’t love you? I’m sorry. I didn’t know that I got a choice in that. I’m never gonna change, I can’t change. I want my life to be with you.”
“I don’t.”
“I can’t believe you’re breaking up with me.”
“I can’t breathe, Will. I feel like I can’t breathe.”
“So, where’s the books?”
“Actually, there’s been a slight change in plans, Buff.”
“Buff? You just called. ...No.”
“Bondage looks good on you, B.”
“You had to tie me up to beat me. There’s a word for people like you, Faith: Loser.”
"...So, I slay, I behave. I do the good-little-girl routine and who does everybody thank? Buffy.”
“That’s not my fault.”
“Everyone always asks, ’Why can’t you be more like Buffy?’ But did anyone ever ask why can’t you be more like me?”
“I know I didn’t.”
“How'd you get him, Faith? Magick? You cast some sort of spell? ‘Cause in the real world Angel would never touch you and we both know it.”
“Think about that when your boyfriend’s cutting into you.”
“All your little friends are going to be kibbles and bits.”
“I never knew you had so much rage in you.”
“I’m the world’s best actor.”
“Second best.”
“You think we missed anything?”
“I think we know everything she knows.”
“You played me!”
"You want me out of your face? Fine.”
“Isn’t it even a little hard for you?”
“How can you ask me that?”
“So, what do you think?”
“She sounds good.”
“Where are you going?”
“To watch her.”
“It’s not fair. You know that’s what she’d say. You can see her but she can’t see you?”
“Believe me, I'm not getting the good half of this deal. To be on the outside looking in at what I can't. ...Well, I'd forgotten how bad it feels.”
"You know, I really felt bad for you. You've suffered. But there's one thing I didn't factor into all of this. You're a thundering loony."
"Angel, I'm glad you're looking out for her. But I feel I have to remind you, she's not helpless and it's not your job to keep her safe."
"It's not yours anymore, either. Are you going to walk away?"
"It told me to kill you. It told me to take you, to lose my soul in you and become a monster again."
"I know what it told you. Why does it matter?"
"Because I wanted to! Because I want to so badly, I want to take comfort in you and I know it'll cost me my soul and part of me doesn't care. I'm weak. I've never been anything else. It's not the demon in me that needs killing, Buffy. It's the man."
"You've really got a yen to hurt this girl, haven't you?"
"She made me feel like a human being. That's not the kind of thing you just forgive."
'"My diary? You read my diary? That is not okay! A diary is like a person's most private place! I...You don't even know what I was writing about! 'Hunk' can mean a lot of things, bad things. And, and when it says that your eyes are 'penetrating', I meant to write 'bulging'."
"Buffy... "
"And 'A' doesn't even stand for 'Angel' for that matter, it stands for... 'Achmed', a charming foreign exchange student, so that whole fantasy part has nothing to even do with you at all..."
"Your mother moved your diary when she came in to straighten up. I watched from the closet. I didn't read it, I swear."
"Oh. ...Oh..."
"I did a lot of thinking today. I really can't be around you. Because when I am... "
"Hey, no big. Water... over the bridge, under the bridge..."
"When I am all I can ever think about is how badly I want to kiss you."
"...Over the dam... Kiss me?"
"I'm older than you, and this can't ever... I better go."
"H-how much older?"
"I should..."
"...Go... You said..."
“I invited you into my home and then you attacked my family.”
“Why not? I killed mine. I killed their friends...and their friend's children. ...For a hundred years I offered an ugly death to everyone I met, and I did it with a song in my heart.”
“What changed?”
“Fed on a girl about your age...beautiful...dumb as a post...but a favourite among her clan.”
"Her clan?"
"Romany. Gypsies. The elders conjured the perfect punishment for me. They restored my soul."
“What, they were all out of boils and blinding torment?”
"When you become a vampire, the demon takes your body, but it doesn't get your soul. That's gone! No conscience, no remorse. ...It's an easy way to live. ...I wanted to kill you tonight."
"Go ahead. ...Not as easy as it looks."
"I'm sorry. I just, I don't like getting you worked up like that. We can't actually do any of those things. You'd lose your soul. Besides, I don't even own a kimono."
"I want to learn from you. But I don't want to dress like you."
"I am Kendra, de Vampire Slayer."
"That's nice. How 'bout trying that on someone who isn't the real Slayer?"
"It's a big rock. I can't wait to tell my friends. They don't have a rock this big."
"You're in love with a vampire?! What, are you outta your mind?!"
"You get the Watcher. You get the mom. You get the little Scooby gang. What do I get? Jack squat. This is supposed to be my town!"
"You and me, girl. There's high times ahead."
"They never just leave. Always gotta say something..."
"Demons after money. Whatever happened to the still-beating heart of a virgin? No one has any standards anymore."
"The world's about to end and you want my help 'cause your girlfriend's a big ho? Well let me take this opportunity to not care."
"I was a man once."
"Oh, yes. And what a man you were! A drunken, whoring layabout and a terrible disappointment to your parents."
"I was...young...I never had the chance to-"
"-To die of syphillis? You were a worthless being before you were ever a monster."
"Angel, I love you so much -and I've tried to make you go away; I killed you and it didn't help...and I hate it. I hate that it's so hard...that you can hurt me so much. ...I know everything you've done because you did it to me. I wish I wished you dead. But I don't. I can't."
"Buffy, please...just this once...let me be strong."
"Strong is fighting. It's hard and it's painful and it's every day. It's what we have to do and we can do it together, but if you're too much of a coward for that, then burn."
"Time was, I thought humans existed just to hurt each other. But then I came here. And I found out that there were other kinds of people. People who genuinely want to do right. They still make mistakes. They fall down. But they keep trying. Keep caring."
"We're not friends. Never were. I can fool Giles, I can fool my friends, but I can't fool myself. Or Spike, for some reason. What I want from you, I can never have. You don't need me to take care of you anymore, so I'm gonna go."
"I don't accept that."
"You have to."
"There must be some way we can still see each other."
"There is. Just tell me you don't love me."
"I see one more display of testosterone poisoning, and I'll personally put you both in the hospital."
"I know. What it's like, to take a life. To feel a future, a world of possibility -snuffed out by your own hand. I know the power in it. The exhilaration. It was like a drug for me."
"You don't think about the future?"
"No."
"How can you say that? You're not like me. You could have a normal life. You really don't care what happens a year from now? Five years from now...?"
"I-I can't care, Angel. When I try to look into the future, all I see...is you -All I want is you."
"I know the feeling."
"Were we in love?"
"Yeah, we were in love."
"You don't know who he is, do you? Oh, boy, you're about to get your ass kicked!"
"A hundred plus years, only one thing I've ever been sure of. You. ...You're the one, Buffy."
"I don't wanna be the one."
"Well, I don't want to be this charming or good-looking, but we've all got crosses to bear."
"Close your eyes."
"Once upon a time there was a vampire and he was the meanest vampire in all the land. Other vampies were afraid of him, he was such a bastard. Then one day he is cursed by gypsies. They restore his human soul and then all of a sudden he's mad with guilt. You know... 'What have I done!?!?' He's freaked. Yeah, well, it's a fairly dull tale. It needs a little sex is my feeling, so sure enough enters the girl. Pretty little blonde thing. Vampire Slayer by trade. And our vampire falls madly in love with her. Well, eventually the two of them, they get fleshy with one another and the moment he, well, I guess the technical term is 'perfect happiness', but when our boy gets there he goes bad again. He kills again. It gets ugly. So when he gets his soul back for a second time he figures, hey, he can't be anywhere near Young Miss Puppy Thighs without endangering them both. So what does he do? He takes off and goes to L.A. to fight evil and atone for his crimes. He's a shadow, a faceless champion of the hapless human race. You see, this vampire thinks he's helping; fighting the demons, staying away from the humans, so as not to be tempted. Doing penance in his cell, but he's cut off from everything. From the people he's trying to help. ...It's not all about fighting and gadgets and such. It's about reaching out to people. Showing them that there's love and hope still left in this world. It's about letting them into your heart. It's not just saving lives. It's saving souls. Possibly your own in the process."
"Let me tell you something about Buffy. I've been through more battles with Buffy than you can imagine. She's stopped everything that's ever come against her. She's laid down her life -literally- to protect the people around her. This girl has died, two times, and she's still standing. You doubt her motives, then you take the little bus to battle. I've seen her heart -this time not literally- and I'll tell you right now she cares more about your lives than you will ever know. You gotta trust her. She's earned it."
"Damn, B, I never knew you were that cool."
"Well, you always were a little slow."
"Most of us never found the time to get to know you. But that doesn't mean we haven't noticed you. We don't talk about it much, but it's no secret that Sunnydale High isn't really like other schools. A lot of weird stuff happens here. ...But whenever there was a problem, or something creepy happened, you seemed to show up and stop it. Most of the people here have been saved by you...or helped by you...at one time or another. We're proud to say that the class of '99 has the lowest mortality rate of any graduating class in Sunnydale history. And we know at least part of that is because of you. So the senior class offers its thanks, and gives you this. It's from all of us, and it's got written here, 'Buffy Summers, Class Protector'."
She stood in his living room, pacing back and forth. She heard him open the door, and looked up to see him descend down the steps. "I'm guessing that expression isn't because they were all out of fresh OJ at the deli. ...What happened?"
"Nothing happened. I just..."
"Where have you been?"
"I went to see the Oracles. ...I asked them to turn me back."
"What?" Buffy asked disbelievingly. "Why?"
"Because more than ever I know how much I love you."
"No," she said, turning away from him. "No, you didn't."
"If I stay mortal, one of us will wind up dead. Maybe both of us. You heard what Mohra said."
"Mohra's gone," she replied, turning back to him, her eyes brimming with tears. "We killed him."
"He said others would come."
"They always come, and they always will. But that's my problem, not yours, remember?"
"No," Angel replied defiantly. "I won't just stand by and let you fight, maybe die, alone."
"Then we fight together."
"Buffy, you saw what happened last night. If anything, I'm a liability to you. You take chances to protect me. That's not just bad for you, it's bad for the people we were meant to help."
"So, what? You just took a whole twenty-four hours to weigh the ups and downs of being a Regular Joe and decided it was more fun being a superhero?"
"You know that's not it. How can we be together if the cost is your life? Or the lives of others?" Buffy looked at him, feeling grief beyond description. He stepped closer to her, and she wrapped her arms around his middle, leaning into him. He put his arms around her and stroked her hair. "I know," he said softly. "I-I couldn't tell you. I wasn't sure I could do it if I woke up with you one more morning."
"I understand," Buffy sniffled quietly through tears, pulling back to look up at him. "So what happens now?"
"The Oracles are giving us back the day. Turning back time so I can kill Mohra before his blood makes me mortal."
"When?" Buffy asked weakly. Angel looked up at the clock.
"Another minute." Her eyes widened.
"A minute?! No! No, it's not enough time!" She began to cry.
"We don't have a choice," Angel said quietly, his voice beginning to break with emotion. "It's done."
"How am I supposed to go on with my life, knowing what we had?" Buffy asked through her tears, her voice dropping to a whisper. "What we could have had?"
"You won't," Angel replied, tears forming in his eyes. "No one wil know but me."
"Everything we did-"
"It never happened."
"It did! It did! I know it did."
"Buffy..." He looked at her with such love, his eyes shrouded in pain. She pulled him to her, and they kissed deeply, running their hands through each other's hair. When they pulled away, Buffy looked at the clock, a mere fifteen seconds left, and turned back to Angel in alarm.
"No! No! Oh God, it's not enough time."
"Shh. Shh." Angel began to cry, as well, and she hugged him tightly to her, as though he would disappear. "Please," he sniffled. "Please. Please."
"I'll never forget," Buffy whispered into his ear. "I'll never forget. I'll never forget. I'll never forget. I'll never forget..."
Buffy and Faith ran alongside each other, their gigantic army consisting of several thousand Slayers right behind them, armed and prepared to go into battle. The sky was dark, and rain poured down from the heavens above, while lightning threatened to rip the world apart.
"Nice day for an apocalypse," Faith commented. Buffy stayed silent, still slightly mad that no one had bothered to alert her to the problem until it was too late. For a year, she'd kept tabs on the situations in Los Angeles and in Cleveland, and the day she'd decided to take a break, the one day she'd decided to take Dawn up on that shopping trip, and Angel had to launch a war. Moreover, Andrew, acting on instructions from Kennedy, had been told not to say anything to Buffy, as they thought that it was Angelus who was in control at Wolfram and Hart. And now Angel might be dead. And she'd never get to tell him...
"Hey, B, check it," Faith called out, stopping. She pointed up to the darkened sky, to a massive golden dragon. It's wings were a deep yellow, and it was flying straight for them.
"Get down!" Buffy yelled, and everyone dropped to the ground. Buffy and Faith looked up, the fierce wind created by the dragon's wings whipping at their hair, and saw him atop the dragon. Dressed all in black, as always, and sporting several nasty cuts that were already beginning heal. With one swift move, he sliced off the dragon's head, then gracefully did a backflip off the dragon and landed on the ground, about two feet away from the large group. Either he didn't notice or was too preoccupied to care, but whatever the reason, Angel quickly disappeared back into the melee that had spread from the alley.
"B, you okay?" Faith asked carefully, remembering that the relationship between the Slayer and Vampire was always complicated.
"Let's go!" Buffy yelled, ignoring Faith's question, leading her army into battle. The mere sight of him had calmed her nerves, and with her scythe raised high, she dove into battle.
"Angel," Buffy said quietly, turning from Spike. The last time she'd seen him had been in Sunnydale, before the big fight. She'd sent him back to L.A., with the thought that she might never see him again. And here he was.
"Buffy," Angel murmured, smiling slightly. Even in their present predicament, the sight of her could still make him happy.
"You jerk!" She punched him angrily on the arm. Angel blinked and looked at her.
"What the hell was that for?!"
"You came," she replied in quiet rage. "You came to Rome, and you didn't even- Who do you think you are, coming to my town, stalking me behind my back? ..Whoa, deja vu." Buffy recalled the last time she'd spoken those words to her love, some four years ago.
"Oh, well, I didn't think you'd really care, seeing as how you were so busy with the Immortal," he replied, feeling slightly pissed off. They were in the middle of an apocalyptic battle, and Buffy wanted to jump down his throat? "And how did you know that we were in Rome, anyway?"
"I beat it out of Andrew. ...Or, I threatened to beat it out of him, anyway. And what I do in my life is my business, not yours. Besides," she added, softening slightly, "it's not like it was a thing. It was just...a thing." Her eyebrows narrowed as something clicked in the back of her mind. "What do you mean, 'we were in Rome'? Who's w-?" She looked over Angel's shoulder at Spike, who was fighting busily alongside Faith. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me! All this time, Spike was alive, and no one didn't bother telling me? ...Well, that's great, just perfect."
"Buffy-" Angel began.
"Buffy!" Faith called out.
"Save it," she told Angel, and ran to her sister-Slayer, Angel in tow.
"Buffy, get out of here!" Angel yelled, as the dark chasm that had appeared in the sky threatened to grow even wider than it already was. The dark hole was half the size of Los Angeles, and steadily growing bigger. Buffy and Angel stood atop a building, and watched on as more and more demons spilt forth from inside the darkness.
"No!" Buffy replied defiantly, yelling over the screams and cries of battle, and the sound of rain pounding against concrete. "No, I won't leave you here!" Gale-force winds whipped her hair, and threatened to drive her off the roof, but Angel pulled her close and held her tightly.
"Buffy, for once, don't argue and just go," he murmured into her ear.
"No! No, I don't care what you say, I'm not leaving you here by yourself. My friends, they're all dead. I won't leave you here and condemn you to the same fate."
"Buffy, you're not condemning me to anything. This is my fight."
"You mean your redemption." Angel looked at her, slightly surprised. "I know you, Angel. You think that if you sacrifice yourself, if you- You think that if you do this, you'll be redeemed. Well, guess what. You do this and you'll die!"
"Buffy, I do this, and the Senior Partners'll be sealed out of this dimension...forever. No more vampires, no more demons. No more supernatural evils and apocalypses. Buffy, I do this, and you can be a normal girl, you can have a normal life, the kind of life you've always wanted." Buffy stared at him, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She dug into her pants pocket, and pulled out a small blue packet that she gave to Angel.
"They're kinda crumbly, I know, what with all the fighting and stuff. But if you're gonna do this...I thought you should know." Angel opened the pack, and all but one cookie was crumbs.
"Buffy..." Angel's dark, brooding eyes clouded over with emotion. She didn't mean it. She couldn't mean it. She just wanted to keep him in this world. She-
"And anyway, goes to show how much you know," she continued, her voice quavering slightly. "I've given up on that whole 'normal' thing. It doesn't work for me. I'm a Slayer, and I like being one. I like helping people. I like knowing I can fight it, the darkness that's out there, that I can stop it. ...And frankly, I don't feature having a life without you in it."
"Buffy, you can't be serious."
"Oh, I am. You go, and I'll follow." Her blonde hair was streaked with dirt and blood, and was matted to her head. Her lip was cut, and she had a serious bruise forming on her her temple, not to mention all the cuts and bruises she had on the rest of her body. But in her crystalline blue eyes shone a clarity and determination, and Angel thought that she'd never looked more beautiful in her life.
"Buffy, I won't let you give your life for me."
"And I won't let you give yours for me. Angel, I know you have to do this, I know it. I know I can't stop you. But wherever you go, wherever you end up...I wanna be there with you."
"Buffy, this isn't- I don't know where we'll end up! We could go to Hell, or our souls could be destroyed altogether!"
"But we'd still be together." As Angel looked into her eyes, he saw a flicker of the teenaged girl he first fell in love with, the girl with hopeful dreams of true love and happily-ever-afters.
"Are you sure? Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked her quietly.
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," she replied resolutely, as several hundred thousand more demons dropped down from the sky above.
"God, I love you so much," he breathed, kissing her passionately. His lips probed hers, and she moaned in pleasure. She raked her hand through his dark hair, and he tenderly ran his fingers along the hemline of her shirt, her warm skin feeling so soft.
"Whoa, check out the lust bunnies," Faith quipped, struggling to pull herself onto the roof. "God, even in the midst of all the war, you two can still go at it. It's a funny thing."
"Faith!" Buffy exclaimed, pulling away from Angel in surprise.
"That's my name, don't wear it out," the brunette grinned. She looked like hell, but then again, which one of them didn't?
"You're alive! ...I saw you go down..."
"B, it takes more than a couple hundred thousand vampires and hellspawns to take me down. ...Anyway, saw you guys up here, figured I'd come and make sure you weren't gonna do anything stupid." Buffy smiled at her thoughfulness and concern.
"Time was, you wouldn't have given a damn."
"Times have changed, B."
"Yeah, they have." Buffy was still for a moment, then tossed the scythe to Faith. The brunette Slayer caught it and stared at the weapon for a moment, running a finger lovingly against the blade of the axe.
"B..." Faith began weakly. "What the-?"
"You once said that the scythe belonged to the Slayer, the Slayer in charge. Well, there you go."
"B, I'm not cut out for the leadership role. I played that card already and people died, remember?"
"Faith, I played that card, too. And in any war, people are going to die, you can't stop that. Faith, you can do this. You were called after me, you were meant to be my successor. So, go on. Success me." Faith stared at Buffy for a moment, unsure of what to say. All these years, and it seemed that Buffy had finally forgiven her for all the things she had done.
"Buffy," she said, and hugged the blonde tightly. Buffy was a bit taken aback, but she returned the hug.
"Faith, take care of yourself," Angel spoke up, giving the Slayer a hug as well.
"Well, I guess it's time we saved the world again, you think?" Buffy asked Angel, as he and Faith parted.
"I think," Angel replied, and gave her one last sweet kiss, before taking hold of her hand. And together, they plunged off the rooftop, into the chasm. And then there was pain. And then there was darkness. And then...there was light.
Angel and Buffy gasped, their knees going weak from the feelings of their past rushing back. They sank into the sand, still in each other's arms.
"Whoa," Buffy muttered, clamping a hand to her head.
"I second that. ...Buffy?"
"Angel?" She snuggled closer to him, feeling lost and vulnerable, unsure of where they were or what had happened to them. "What-? How-? What are we doing here? Last I remembered, was the big war, and then with the jumping and the heavenly glow. ...Where are we?"
"I'm not sure," he replied, holding her tightly.
"I can answer that, Angelus." The fog dissapated entirely, and out from it stepped a small, delicate, wrathe-like blonde, looking positively heavenly in her white gown. Angel gaped at his sire, completely baffled.
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