The smoke from the school still drifted heavy as the firemen finished fighting the flames from the carnage just a short time ago. Angel walked through the smoke. His body was still charged from her blood. He could feel it racing inside his veins. He had almost killed her, he had been barely able to pull away from her.
He drifted through the smoke looking for her. Buffy Summers. He wanted to get one last look at her before he left. He couldn't say good bye. She might convince him to stay, and he couldn't do that. It was too dangerous. Maybe, after she had given him her blood as he was dying, and he had almost lost control, she would see that.
Probably not. Buffy Summers was as stubborn as hell, and that was one of the reasons he loved her as much as he did, loved her enough to leave her.
He noted the carnage around him. The Mayor had ascended, but with some marvelous planning of the Slayer's part, she had blown him up. The school was still smoking. He was standing with Xander as it happened. The flames, the carnage.
He saw her talking to Xander. He could hear their conversation, and he could tell that she was looking for him. The human boy hated Angel with a passion, and Angel couldn't blame him. He couldn't summon any anger earlier when Xander had accused, "You'd bite the girl who loves you to save your own ass." Xander was right. The human boy was a lot smarter than one would think.
The gangly lad told Buffy that Angel had made it threw the fight. It could have been very easy to tell Buffy that he had died, but Xander didn't. And in that moment, Angel admired the gangly boy, he knew how hard it was for Xander to say that.
Angel watched as Xander left, leaving Buffy alone. Giles walked over to her. He watched their conversation, watched as the Watcher gave his Slayer her high school diploma. She wearily smiled as she took it. Angel could feel the exhaustion radiate off her body. Giles left. Angel sighed and walked out into the open.
Buffy's huge green eyes lit up as she saw him. Then her expression became bittersweet as they watched each other. He took in each detail in her delicate face, burning it into his memory if he never saw her again. She was beautiful. Battle worn, tired with her long blond hair blowing in the night air. He fleetingly wished that he could see her in the daylight. He had dreamed it many times, but they were just dreams.
Taking one last look at her, he disappeared into the smoke. The smoke surrounded him, encasing him in its mystery as he walked away. He knew where he was going to go, it only made sense. He was going to Los Angeles, the City of Angels. A slight, ironic smile played at his lips. The City of Angels.
He knew his and Buffy's story wasn't finished yet. Deep in his soul he knew this, and that is probably why he didn't say good bye. Good byes were final, they weren't final. He took one last look as Sunnydale, his home for the past three years. He didn't even think the words good bye.
Instead, the ancient vampire said, "Until next time." A breeze stirred his jacket, promising of the future. Not his, but hers. He stood at his full height and sniffed the night air. It was time to move on. He knew, despite all of his best efforts, he was going to be back some time, it may be ten years from now, but he knew that he would be back.
Angel said it again, "Until next time."
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