Buffy, The Slayer of Sunnydale

by regertz

A Buffyized version of a certain Shakespeare play... -Human-souled Will is back, Buffy has recovered her Cicely past and married him -However, the Brooding One is not utterly delighted for his friends

Buffy, the Slayer of Sunnydale...

Well, I did say before I'd write it up one of these days...

And I need a little unblocking bit...

Archived at the Cicelyverse page of the Buffy Rebecca verse...

PG-13...One or two violent scenes...

Disclaimer: All BTVS characters remain the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant

Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series...

Summary: The Buffyized version of a certain Shakespeare play...

Basically...Spike's back...William-souled...

And Buffy and Spike seek to marry...Over mucho opposition...

Giles returning too late to stop them...Fearing tragedy, even with Will's soul restored...

While the Brooding One...Out of his submersible casket, more or less reconciled with

Connor...Hearing of the happy news even as he returns from LA with news of a pending Apocalypse,

courtesy Wolfram-Hart, Inc...Is not utterly delighted for his old friends...

Suggested theme (Romeo and Juliet)

Act One...

Scene one...(Sunnydale at night, a street)

Enter Angel and Parker...

"God-damn, man...Is it really true?..." Parker asks...

It is...Angel eyes him...

"But you told me she was just playing hard to get...All I had to do was keep on coming by and after

a coupla of dirty looks and slammed doors, Buffy'd be all over me like a love-struck puppy..."

So desperate...You said...Parker glares at his mentor...She'd even be willing to overlook our first

little relationship...

"So...Stake me...I didn't believe it either when she told me tonight..."

"But...Damnit, man...William the Bloody's a vampire..."

You're telling me?...Angel smiles drily...

"Isn't she "The Slayer"? Isn't she supposed to kill 'em?...

Parker waves his hands...

"How can she wanta marry him?..."

"My dear old...Friend...is human-souled again...And even his demon did what he could to help her

last year..." Angel notes...With a sour grin...

Or so she says...And even the most skeptical of her friends here admit...Spike was trying...

"Hey..." Parker moves back a bit, looking Angel over...

You sure you're not in on this...Just stringin' me along for your old pal Willy?...

"I mean...I know you and Buffy used to be a couple.."

Not really...Angel replies coldly...I found sex with her a bit of a chore...

"Got my demon counterpart all riled up as well..."

And I've already proven to you that happiness...And the one-on-one love of a human is denied me...

But you could reach her...Keep her from making a terrible mistake...Angel smiles thinly at his

"friend"...

I can still care that much for her...he solemnly notes...

Besides...He smiles again...A sardonic sneer...

"You know I'm an old married man now myself..."

Parker frowns...Yeah and that's another question...he thinks...

"Well...If "happiness" is denied you...How come you could marry that Cordelia...?"

"My boy needed a mother...She was looking for anyplace after her "higher plane" existence didn't

pan out...Besides..." he sneers...

"Who said being married to Cordelia and happiness belong in the same sentence?..."

But you said you were back here to work with them...And their Council?...

"Kid..." Angel eyed Parker...

"Rest the spinning wheels of your whirling little mind..."

I'm "helping" William and Buffy and their Council to serve my turn upon them...

There are lots of pious world-saving Buffies and their dogishly devoted Wills around if you look for

them...Aided by plenty of dim-witted clods like their little gang of Xanders and Willows...

Content to get nothing out of it but the satisfaction of saving some foolish schmuck...Or their little

town...Or dear ole Humanity...

He waves his hand...

"Oh, I was one such...For a bit..."

Was gonna earn my Redemption...Then my Buffy...

But Fate and the Powers that Be cheated me at every turn...Refused me my just reward...Buffy...And

the power and acclaim that my world-saving heroics...In the big city, I might add, not some little

one-horse burg like this...Should have brought me from a grateful Council of Watchers...And

Humanity...

Then showed me that Darla...My old siress' human soul...Was my true love...And took her away as

well after waving her in my face for a few short days...Proving her love and nobility even as she died

saving my boy from her demon...

And now...I get to watch good ole Will...Spike the mass murderer...Do a few good deeds, pick a

fight with some damned demon god in some crummy hole of a village in Africa, and get a soul,

complete with happiness accessibility as a reward...And Buffy as the icing on his cake...

Hmmn...Parker thought, nodding to keep his dangerously powerful "mentor" happy...He did get a

kid and his own soul out of his own deal...And as I understand it, his demon never spent a year first

trying to protect anybody's kid sister, then comfort his human beloved back from the grave...

"Well..." Angel continued..."Screw that...And screw idiots like that..."

"Look, kid..." he smiled coldly...

Others there are who, trimmed in forms and faces of duty, keep their eye firmly set on their own

good...And throwing a little show of service on the world and their fellow "heroes", thrive...

And when they've lined their pockets...Do themselves homage...Those are the ones with a little

spirit...

And I'm one of them...Now...

Sides...I got a kid now to look out for...Who's going to the best college and graduate school

anything I can loot from my little "hero's errands" can buy...

So it behooves me to be nobody's fool...And so...I am not what I seem...

"Way to go man..." Parker, impressed...

But...I still want to do...Something... Angel smiles...

For my sweet Buffy...

Even though she betrayed me like the tramp at heart she is, he thinks...

"So...Look..." Angel points to the second floor balcony of the building looming in front of them...

"There's Xander and Anya Harris' place...Go over and call out in the street...Wake 'em up...Get ole

Xan worked up about poor ole Buffy falling prey to that phony-souled Shelley imitator...He's the

best one for this job..."

Yeah...yeah...Parker nods eagerly, starting out...

But hey, wait...he pauses...

Harris knows me from Buffy's days at UCal-Sunnydale...

"He'll know I'm up to something..."

Hell, you little moron...Angel frowns at his protege...

Damn, if only ole Warren Mears were still available...Even that idiot Jonathan would be better...he

thinks...

"Hide yourself...Disguise your voice...Claim to be an observer for the Council who's deeply

concerned about the Slayer's...Activities with ole Spike...I'll come running in and add my

support...Reluctantly of course..."

Good ole Xan will do the rest...If all goes well...he smirked...

Scene two...(The Harrises' balcony and the patio below)...

"Harris!...Xander Harris!..." Parker calls, hidden by a bush...

The Slayer!...he cries, making a poor attempt to disguise his voice...

Xander emerges on the balcony in bathrobe, followed by his beloved An...Likewise robed...

"Hell!...Who is that?..What's up?..." he calls back...

"The Slayer is in danger!..." Parker yells...

"The Slayer...?" Xander returns...Cautiously...

Who is that down there?...he peers down at the patio...

"An?...You recognize the voice?..."

She shakes her head...

"A friend of the Slayer..." Parker calls up to them...

Well...? Who the hell are you?...Xander calls back...

Anya, rather displeased at being awoken at one am, takes the direct approach...And hurls a pot at a

sudden moving shadow she spies...

Hey!...Parker cries...Coming out from his hiding place...

Tryin' to help here...

"Parker?...You little...Get the hell out of here!..." Xander shakes a fist...

I know what you're all about...Leave Buffy alone and scram before I get down there...You little

bastard...

God, another Mears in somewhat better shape...he thinks...All we need right now...

"I said get out of here...Or do you want me to come down and make you go?..."

Xan...Parker looks up at him...

This is the real deal...Buffy is with that Spike guy...Right now...

When the hell did Parker ever hear about Spike?...Anya wonders...

"How the hell do you know Spike?..." Xander calls down to him...

"Everybody with half a brain and a will to live in this town knows about William the Bloody..."

Parker replies...

And anyone out at night with eyes has seen Buffy with him...he adds...

"That's it!..." Xander howls...

Parker...Xander shakes a fist again...You've had it coming...And now...

"She's with Spike right now...They're looking for a justice of the peace..."

What the...?

Angel rushes in...Looking...Concerned...

As a dear friend and hero ought...

"Xander!..."

Angel?...

Knew he'd called to say he was coming about some new menace...But...Xander thought...

"Spike is back!..." Angel calls...

"Buffy has run off with him!...I saw her with him after I went to the house and Dawn told me she'd

gone out to Patrol...She barely spoke to me...She didn't even seem to be aware of what was going on

around her..."

She claimed Spike has...Gotten his soul back...?

"What?..." Xander cries...

Said something crazy about marrying him...

"What!..." Xander nearly hopped over the balcony rail...

She didn't speak to you about it?...Angel calls up...

Soul?...Xander stared down at the vampire...

Marry...!

She may be in some kind of thrall...Angel notes...

Or is Willow fooling around with magics again?...he asks...

Dutifully concerned...

"Damn!..." Xander yells ...Looking back for a suitable weapon...

"She's in some kinda thrall all right!..." he calls back...

And it's time to break the spell...he mutters to himself...

"Xander...?" Anya looks at him...

"I can't let Spike make a fool of her anymore, An..." he hastily kissed her, grabbed the nearest

weapon, a crossbow, and his coat...And raced out...

"Xander!...Wait!..." Anya calls to him and the others from the balcony...Parker tagging along after

him and Angel...

Act One...

Scene three...(The Summers' street, night...)

Enter Angel, William, Buffy, and Dawn...

"I'm sorry Buffy..." Angel eyes her solemnly...

I tried to explain things to Xander...But that fool Parker'd already gotten to him...

"Pity I couldn't have been Angelis for just a sec when I saw him running off from behind the house

earlier..."

If I could've just caught him first...he sighs...

Buffy shakes her head...

"It's just as well...They'd have to find out soon enough..."

But thanks...For trying Angel...she smiles at him...

He nods kindly...

For you, Buffy...Anything...

"Well..." he smiles at Will...Still clearly a bit shell-shocked by the turn of events...

"How's the happy groom?..."

Poor fellow'd only returned...Home...Two evenings before...Only cautiously met with Buffy while

on Patrol the other night...

And now...Souled...Forgiven...Loved...And...

Married...

Not to mention having job applications pending with both Doublemeat Palace and the Royal

Council of Watchers...

But Buffy had only needed one look...After nearly staking him at their reunion...To see that restored

soul...The one she now realized she'd faintly glimpsed all the long, terrible year he'd sought so

desperately to comfort her through...

A noble soul, somehow hanging on through a century of horror to fight its way back...To her...

And seeing that restored soul, back firmly in charge...She'd finally realized...

Who and what she was...

And why she'd been unable to fight her feelings for William...

William Soames Walthrop, child of brutal poverty, young scholar and poet out to make his way in

the world of 1880 England...

Husband, secretly and all too briefly, of one Cicely Addams...Who'd had a secret of her own...

Being the current Slayer...

And fearing to lose the husband she'd decided she'd wrongly, selfishly, married and exposed to

danger...Drove him away...With the convenient help of one Halfreck, vengeance and "justice"

demon...Summoned for her "benefit" by a "concerned" Watcher and Council...Who were determined

not to lose control of the Greatest Slayer to that date...Whatever and whoever had to be expended to

prevent it...

With the result...That too late she'd realized she'd been misled and deceived...And William driven

away by Halfreck, posing as Cicely...Into a skillfully prepared trap...Consisting of one Drusilla,

psychotic vampiress...

And she, Cicely...Tortured by remorse and shame...Dying in childbirth six months later, delivered of

a stillborn baby girl...

But determined...As only the Greatest Slayer of all Time could be...To recover her stolen life and

love...And save her William from his dark fate...

Which, if in rather roundabout fashion...She had at last done...

With her beloved's considerable help, she could proudly note...To Dawn...And the newly arrived

Angel...The first two friends to receive the joyous news of Will's restoration, her recovery of her past

life memory, and their intention...Well, he agreed to it on her desperate plea...to marry...Or

remarry...asap...

And begin the life they'd been cheated of a century ago...

"What are you gonna do Buffy?..." Dawn eyes her sister...Even more shaken by the turn of events

than William...

Though rather pleased to have just served so capably as her sis' maid of honor, bridesmaid, and

witness all in one...

"Will and I will explain things...We'll deal...Right, sweetheart?..." the new Ms. Summers-Walthrop

turned to her husband...

Who nodded...Grinning at her and taking her hand...Firmly...

"Buffy is right..." he smiled at Dawn...

"Sis..."

We'll deal with it...And anything else Fate wants to throw...

"I'm sure you will, William..." Angel smiled benevolently...

Scene four...(Inside the main room of The Magic Box, dark, night...)

A flash of blue light...Willow appears out of nowhere...Giles likewise nearby...

Phew!...Willow gasps as she looks around...The Magic Box...

"Giles?..." she calls...

"Willow?...Are you all right?..." the Watcher came over...

Yeah...she sighed...

But that was some rough ride...

She smiles...

"So this is what you went through for me...?"

Thanks, Rupert...she eyes him...

"It's my job...And my greatest joy...To do whatever I can for all of you..." Giles smiles back...

Wish he'd narrow that to me...Sometime...Willow thinks...

"But you're sure you're all right?..." he asks again...

Yeah, yeah...she nods...

"But shouldn't we have gone straight to Buffy's?" she eyes him...

No way to be sure she and Spike...William...Would be there...

And I needed the best fixed location I had coordinates for, for safety purposes...he notes...

"Well...It was a bulls-eye teleport...Rupert...You are one hell of a sorcerer...I hope you know that..."

she grins...

"I'd have felt a lot better about this trip if you hadn't insisted on coming along..." he shook his head

at her...

Hey...Miss my best friend's wedding?...Willow grins...

God forbid...Giles puts his hand to his head...

"Sorry...Bad joke..." Willow hastily replies...

"I only hope we can still stop them..." Giles eyes her...

Ummn...she can't help it...

"What if he's telling the truth...Rupert?...If he's won his soul back...?"

And if Buffy's not crazy and that Cicely story is true as well?...Willow pauses...

"Do we have the right to interfere?..."

"Even if...A very big if, my dear...All of this is true..." Giles hesitates...

You must agree Willow that it's sudden...Too sudden for Buffy and William to rush into a decision

like this...

"They may have had a whole century to think it over, Giles..."

Perhaps...he sighs...But not consciously, certainly...And surely they could afford to wait a little

longer...

"At least long enough to let me confirm Will's story...And Cicely's..."

Can you?...Willow eyes him...

"I mean...I realize you can check out his soul..."

But as to Cicely...

"I'm having some old friends at the Council review old records...Including the secret files and

journals..." he replies...

If there's any information there on Cicely Addams, Slayer...We'll get it...

"Rupert..." Willow looks at him...

"You and the guys didn't give up on me...We...All of us...Gave Anya her chance..."

I won't deny Will his chance Willow...Giles replies...

In fact, I think he's telling the truth...And I believe the Cicely story as well...

But...

"I'm afraid for them Willow...Buffy is so anxious to build a new life...And her Cicely memories must

be pressing her on as well...And no doubt poor Will is equally driven..."

They may be rushing headlong into a disaster...One even you, my dear, can't bring them back from...

Willow bites her lips nervously, looking down...

Guess we'd better go see the happy intendeds...she notes...

I do hope for their happiness, Willow...Giles eyes her...

I pray for it...

Act One

Scene five...(the street outside the Summers' home, night)

A car pulls up...Bearing Wesley, Cordelia, and two members of the Watchers' Council...Quentin

Travers and Amelia Walthrop-Hunt, a tall thirty-something Englishwoman...Travers looking grave

as he emerges...

Wesley looks at his former Chairman...

"I want you to know we appreciate your flying out here on such short notice, sir..."

Travers turns to Wesley...

"The situation is perilous my friend, if your reports are true...I'm glad you called us in, Wesley...The

fate of Humanity may hang in the balance..."

And it's time you and Angel regularized your position with the Council...

"Welcome back, my friend..." he put out a hand...And shook Wes'...

He eyes the waiting Ms. Walthrop-Hunt...

"Well, Amelia...Ready to meet your great-great-great-great granduncle?..." he smiles...

"I still can't believe it..." Cordelia...Mrs. Cordelia Angel now, Angel having taken Liam as his first

name...

Spike...With a soul...And...Relatives...

"Well..." Ms. Walthrop-Hunt, the image of Emma Thompson, smiles...

"I was naturally not anxious to give out my relationship to William the Bloody in his darker days..."

No desire for a friendly visit from my dear...Uncle...

"But if the story about his soul the Slayer told you people yesterday is true..." she hesitated...

Angel confirmed it when we called before we left LA...Cordelia noted...

And he would be the one to sense it...

"Well..." Travers noted dryly... "In any case, William is restrained by the chip and can be of service

here even if his soul tale is not exactly the full truth...Why don't we go and see if the Slayer is

here...We have matters of great moment to discuss..."

They head for the door...Another car pulls up...

Xander...And Parker...Both armed...With crossbows...

A light goes on at the front door of the Summers'...Buffy emerges, followed by William, Angel, and

Dawn...

"Slayer..." Travers calls to her...

Sorry to disturb you at home...But the LA situation we discussed has deteriorated...

"Hi, Xander..." Cordelia, over by the cars, smiles to him...Before seeing his grim look and the

crossbow...

"Nice to see..."

"Excuse me..." Xander moves past her...

"Spike!...You're a dead Undead man!..." he cries to William...

"No, Xander!..." Buffy moves in front of William...

"Xander?...What the hell's wrong with you?..." Wesley comes over to him...

Haven't you heard about Spike?...er William?...he regards the angry Mr. Harris...Now loading

crossbow...

"Hello...?" he notes young Parker, a stranger to him...Likewise loading up...

Travers looks at the two angry young men while Angel comes down to the street...

"Young man..." Travers eyes Xander... "What seems to be the problem here?..."

"Problem?...There's no "problem" here!..." Xander chokes...Swinging his crossbow up and stepping

back...

At least not in one minute...

"Xander!...No!..." Wesley cries, grabbing at the crossbow...Parker swings his up as well...

You don't understand...William has gotten his soul back!... Wesley tries to explain...

"Oh right, another vamp with a soul..." Xander sneers...

Married to our Slayer to boot...he glares at Spike and Buffy...Buffy still trying to cover her husband

who dodges past her...

"Will, no!..." Buffy cries...Grabbing him back...

"Married?..." Cordelia gasps...

Wesley stares back to Buffy and William...Married?...

Dawn nods to them...Married...

Travers and his fellow Council member equally stunned...

"Harris..." William calls to him...

Listen to me...

"Like hell, you thing from there!...Stand still and take it like an Unman..." Xander shouts, trying to

get clear of Wesley...Cordelia now hurrying to help restrain him...Angel moving on Parker...

"Don't try it, kid..." Angel calls to Parker loud enough for the others to hear...Grabbing at his

crossbow...

I mean it...he hisses as he gets close...

The time is not now...Leave it to Harris for now...

He grabs Parker's bow and wrenches it away...

Parker backs off...

"Get out of here..." Angel snarls at him...

Run...Go, you moron...he hisses...Watch from down the street if you want but move it...

Parker runs off...

"Mr...Harris?..." Travers eyes Xander coolly...

"Kindly explain yourself...And what you mean by this...?"

This is no time for foolishness...the Chairman frowns...

Xander catches his breath, glaring at Wesley and Cordelia holding on to his bow...

"That monster has done something to Buffy...Enthralled her, bit her, love-spelled her...I don't know

what...But she's gone and married him...Ask her..."

Wes and Cordy stare back at Buffy...

"Is this true...Slayer?..." Travers turns back to look at her...

Another car pulls in...Anya...

"Xander!..." she runs over...

Sorry folks...she eyes the group in general...

Excitable fellow and all around good brother, my feller...she notes...

He sighs...An...

"Cordelia?...Congrats on your wedding by the way..." Anya calls...

Yeah...Cordelia looks at Angel...A slight trace of bitterness...

Thanks...

Yet another car comes up...A taxi, bearing Giles and Willow...

"Rupert?..." Travers stares at him...

"I thought you weren't flying in until tomorrow..." he pauses...

"Giles!..." Buffy waves... "Hi, Willow!...Guys you're just in time..."

We're too late...Willow glumly realizes, seeing Buffy hovering by her Will...And beaming at

him...Even as she casts worried looks at the others...

"Guys..." Buffy calls to the group, taking William's hand as he stands beside her...

"Come on in and let me explain all of this...Please, Xander..." she eyes her "big brother"...

Hmmn...Willow thinks, staring at Ms. Walthrop-Hunt standing by Travers, and likewise staring at

William...

She looks familiar...Odd...If I didn't know better and I don't...I'd almost say she was a relative

of ...

Oh my God...she eyes William...

Scene six (inside the Summers' living room)...

Willow, Wesley, Cordelia, Travers, and Ms. Walthrop-Hunt seated, on sofa and various chairs...

Angel standing by the fireplace...Giles on the other side of the mantlepiece also standing...

William and Buffy face the others...Hand in hand...Dawn supportively beside them...

William sighs...

"Look...Mr. Chairman, Rupert, all of you...It is true...I have married Buffy...Or rather..." he wryly

grins at her...

She's married...Or remarried...Me...

Re...Married?...Wesley eyes them...

Xander fumes...

"But there is a story...And things have changed for me...And her..."

"Please...Guys...Listen to us..." Buffy pleaded...Squeezing William's hand...

"William's soul never completely left Spike...He's hung on for more than a century...For love of

me...And now, thank God, he's back in control...Permanently..."

And I came back...In part...For love of him...

Even if I didn't realize it at the time...she pauses, smiling at her new...Or old...Husband...

"Are we supposed to fall for this?...Guys...She's enthralled, look at her!..." Xander cries...

"Not enthralled, Xander...Well not exactly..." Buffy smiles to him...

In love...And happy at last...she notes...

Travers eyes Giles...

"Rupert...? What's your opinion?..."

I think...Giles sighs...

I think we should hear their story...he eyes a grateful Buffy...

Who nods...

"Well...It all started back in 1880...In London..." she begins...

When my cousin Henry invited William to the house one day...

Cousin...Henry...? Willow eyes her...

And when did the Summers live in...? Oh...

18..not 19...80...

Whoa...

(For the Cicely story, you may want to read "Romance Palace"

. or just check the Cicelyverse main page,

. )

The gang stares at each other as Buffy concludes her tale of 1880 with the deaths of William and

Cicely...And their joint rebirths and rediscoveries of each other...

My god...Willow thinks...

And only Riley ever suspected the truth...All this time...

Xander stares at his hands...And occasionally at Buffy...

So...That time in the crypt...When she was invisible...And with him...

Was the real thing...he shakes his head...

Lucky Buffy...Cordy thinks...Eyeing her Angel...

"And knowing him again...As my sweet Will...My beloved husband...How can I ignore my

heart?...And his sufferings...?"...Buffy eyes her Watcher...

Giles...Mr. Travers...I...

I need the Council's support on this...I know they'll be gunning for my Will...

I know...she waves a hand...This isn't 1880...And the Council would be saving me from Spike, not

handing my defenseless husband over to my worst enemy to preserve their hold on me...

Again...

But...Will is free at last...And I won't go on without him...

I've been of some service to the Council...And Humanity...And they damned well oughta know it...

And if they respect that...Then I'm begging...I am demanding...They leave my husband and me be...

And for our part we will forget what's past...In Cicely's past...

Otherwise...

"I'm ready to do whatever it takes to keep my husband...And my family safe..."

I won't fail him again...

She eyes them squarely...

"But don't think..." she pauses... "That this is simply pity..." she eyes William...

I loved William Walthrop in 1880...I never stopped loving him...Even if the years and death...My

several deaths...Took their toll on my memory...

"We were and are...Meant to be..."

And will be...No matter what anyone may think...

Or try to do...she eyes Xander...

"Much as I love you all...I will take my husband and go...If you force me to..."

Will...? she turns to him...

"All I can add to what my wife..." Xander gives a slight groan... Will eyeing him... "Has said...Is that

what she's told you is the truth...And that I love her, always...And I will undergo any test or trial, do

whatever you ask of me to do to prove it..." Buffy eyes him...Will?...

"Except...Leave her..." he smiles at her...Nodding at Dawn...Who likewise faces the group, squarely

besides her sis...And brother-in-law...

"Are you prepared to let us test you now?..." Travers eyes him...

A soul summons is not difficult and will confirm that your soul is here...he notes...

Yes...William nods...

"Before we begin...May I introduce my fellow Council member..." Amelia looks up...

"Ms. Amelia Walthrop-Hunt...Your great-great-great-great grandniece, William..." Travers

smiles...And one of our best trainees...

Niece...Grand times four?...William stares...

"Hello uncle..." Amelia smiles gently at him...

"Well...William..." Angel nods at him...Testing successfully completed...

Congratulations...You have to give me the name and address of that demon god...

Eh, Cordy?...he smiles at his wife...

Yeah...Cordy looks at him...

And away...

"Uncle...I'm proud of you..." Amelia beams at him...Pressing his and Buffy's hand in turn...

I want you to know...Those of us in the family who knew...Prayed for you...she eyes him...

"Thank you...Amelia..." William smiles...

That was my sister's name, you know...he pauses...

Yes...Ms. Walthrop-Hunt nods...And you should know she loved you till the day she died...

"She and your brother had your poems published privately...Did you know that?"

Oh, Lord...Will rolls his eyes...

"Sins of the past back to haunt me..." he smiles at Buffy...

"Oh, Will...We have to get a copy..." an eager Buffy turns to Amelia...

Are there any around?...

"I have one...I'll send it to you..." Amelia grins...

They're not bad, Uncle...Most were rather good...

"Except perhaps...The...Effulgent one..."

"I loved that one..." Buffy insists, with a slight frown...

"Slayer, Mr. Walthrop..." Chairman Travers brings the little party back to the issue at hand...

Mr. Walthrop...Will's face shows a little wonder...

Been quite a long time, he quietly notes to his beaming wife...

The situation, based on the information provided by our friends from LA is grave...Travers

notes...As the party regroups as a strategy conference...

"Slayer...You faced one hell-god last time...The Wolfram-Hart senior partners appear to be about to

release five from their imprisonments...At once..."

Bringing forth the Apocalypse...If they can succeed...

Apocalypse and then some...Willow notes...

And the head partner...Joseph...Is already making his final preparations...Travers notes...

Five Glories?...Dawn eyes Buffy...

"Bed, Dawny..." Buffy points...

Geesch...So much for bringing me into the business...Dawn grumbles as she trudges off...

Well..I was the matron of honor...she brightens as she starts up...

"Will...?" she calls back...Eyeing him...

Congrats...Bro...she waves...

"And...Welcome to the family..." Smiling as she heads up the stairs...

He nods, smiling wanly back...The wonder of it all still clinging to him...

The plans are laid...A direct assault is the best hope...

The combined LA-Sunnydale forces consisting of the Walthrops, Angel, and his AI team will move

immediately to LA with Giles, Wesley, Cordelia, and Willow, temporarily back in the magics

business...Hopefully only as a consultant, Giles stressing...in close support...

Chairman Travers will stay in Sunnydale, ready with additional Council support if necessary to take

the drastic step of tapping the Hellmouth's energy to stop the demon gods if all else fails, while

providing advice to Xander, Anya, and Dawn in monitoring Sunnydale while the main team is

away...

William's first outing as his wife's Watcher...Honorary status conferred by the Chairman until he can

receive the formal training in England...

An English honeymoon, courtesy of the Council for their Slayer's more than deserving efforts...And

by way of what little restitution can be made for the activities of the evil Watcher Chairman who

brought the Walthrops such suffering in 1880...

"Angel..." Buffy stares at him...In a moment aside as the gang prepares to head out...

I hope you weren't disappointed...About...

"It was only an idea Buffy...Mr. Travers suggested it when he called to warn me of Joseph's

plans...Hardly would've been practical, after all...Me being your new local Watcher while Giles

oversees from England..."

Of course, bitch...he darkly notes within...It would've have probably secured my ticket through those

pearly gates to have Watcher Council support for my redeemed status...

"It's only natural you'd want William as your Watcher..." he smiles at her...

He's here with you and now...You and he are one...

Again...At last...

"And you know me...I'm the lone wolf type...Gotta run my own show..." he grins...

Cordy staring for a moment...Then looking away...

And will...The whole show...Once I deal with you, Buffy...he thinks...And your little poet...

"Well...I appreciate it Angel..." she kisses him on the cheek...

And I'll never forget you...And what we had...

"William can deal..." she winks at Angel...

Considering his past hundred year companions...she grins at him...Will sheepishly smiling at

Angel...

"I hope you find as much happiness as safely possible with Cordy now...And one day a chance for

perfect happiness ..." Buffy nods over at Cordy, standing by Wes...

Wes, hearing, eyes Angel a bit...Coolly...

Which Willow catches...Hmmn...

Marriage to an Angel not quite what it's cracked up to be?...

"Thanks...Cicely...And Buffy..." Angel smiles wanly at her...

"Or should I say...Mrs. Summers-Walthrop..." he grins a bit...Buffy smiling back...

I'll never forget you either...bitch...he frowns, unseen...By all but his wife...At the Slayer as she turns

away...

And believe me...You really will never forget me...When I've done with you...

Act Two

Scene one...(LA, night with heavy thunderstorms in progress outside, inside the Well of Souls hell

portal in the sub-basement of a certain law firm's office tower...)

Lilah Morgan, distinguished attorney at law and leading light of Wolfram-Hart, Inc. stands by the

dank pit of the Well of Souls...Listening to the howls and moans issuing up from below...

"Joseph!...Are you ready?..." she calls a tad nervously...

Faint sounds of a heavy thunderstorm outside echo through the caverns around the Well...

Joseph, senior partner of Wolfram-Hart, Inc...Currently the partner assigned to run the firm from

Earth...Emerges from a small structure where the key implements for use of the Well are

kept...Normally a bald, death's-headed, short figure his features are hidden by the large mask and

headdress he wears for the ceremony to free the imprisoned hell-gods...Mask and headdress rather

African in style...Frightening enough...If one were a young teen or younger, seeing it for the first

time...

However, for Lilah...

She chuckles...

"God...What the hell is that?..."

Joseph is annoyed...Bad enough the other partners are so inclined to drag their feet on this one...One

which he feels certain...Almost...This time...Is sure to bring about a successful Apocalypse...

Worse, they'd insisted on evacuating all important or valuable materials and key personnel...Leaving

him only the support of dear Lilah...

And of course...their special operative...

Providing Drusilla could remember to come...

He frowns at his single human "support staff"...Removing the mask to reveal his death's head

features...

Now that was a little frightening...

"This...My dear..." Joseph grouses... "Is the Face of the God...(Well, ok...god)...Xeniphon..."

Lord of the interdimension...

"You mean the guy who runs the transits between the multiverses...?" Lilah asks...

You make him sound like a transit authority director...Joseph frowns...

"He controls the gateways to our imprisoned friends...And it is he who will allow us to release

them...To this world...In just a few hours..." he gloats...

"And then they start the Apocalypse...?" Lilah looks at her boss...

Finally...she does not say...

Yes...Joseph nods eagerly, recovering a bit of his high spirits at the thought...

"The five imprisoned hell gods will burst forth on Earth...And leave nothing but destruction in their

wake..." he grins...

And we want this threat to property values...Why?...Lilah thinks...

But, as a loyal employee, she listens attentively as Joseph launches into his game plan outline...

He will offer sacrifice to Xeniphon who will in return for a promise of countless victims to be

delivered to him...Plus a hefty chunk of each hell-god's energy reserve...Release these five hell-gods

so long imprisoned between dimensions...

"How did these guys get imprisoned...Anyway?..." Lilah asks, genuinely curious...And cautious...

If this latest plan follows true to course...It's likely they'll have Angel to deal with again...And she'd

like to know if these clowns really have what it takes...Being at the center of any potential action

and all...

"They once acted as gods on Earth..." Joseph explains... "You know the old Greek, Roman, etc gods

with their passions and wanton cruelty..."

"Well...They fought among themselves...And Humanity turned against them...And with the help of

the Slayer and gifted magics practioners...Over time the ones who survived the wars amongst them

were imprisoned between the dimensions..."

So these guys were beaten...By the Slayers and a few human magicians?...Lilah notes dryly...

Great...That really fills me with confidence...she thinks...

No wonder the other partners didn't want in on this one...

"Well..." Joseph frowns... "It was one at a time...Over thousands of years..."

See these fellows never really learned the knack of working together...

"However...The years of imprisonment in their various dimensions have mellowed them...They've

agreed to work as a team..."

A triumph of diplomacy...he can't resist noting...Being the diplomat...

And each one alone is nearly as powerful as Glorificus was...he continues...

"Nearly as powerful?..." Lilah frowns...

How near is...Nearly?...

Well...Joseph thinks...About three-fifth's if my history and our energy data's correct...

"Ah...So...To face Angel and the help he's gone to get...We have three Glory's worth of gods...Not

five..." Lilah notes... "If they work together...Which they've never actually done in the past, right?..."

Oh...I be liking this less and less...she thinks...

"Three Glories should be more than sufficient, dear...Remember the Slayer was killed by a single

such..."

Way I heard it...She whipped the goddess' rear end then died more or less trying to clean up the

loose odds and ends...Lilah did not say...

The key point however...She did mention...

"Joseph, the Slayer came back...Glory...Didn't..."

And what if Angel gets her help?...We know the Council of Watchers is sending assistance, maybe

their Chairman himself...

"Hapless victims, Lilah...Practice dummies for our gods to flex their muscles with..."

Uh-huh...

Well...Take your station...Joseph urges her...We must hurry now...The storm overhead will give us

just the energy we need to reach Xeniphon and make our first energy payment...he notes, busily

setting out his makeup and tools for the ceremony...

"Release the kites, Lilah!..." Joseph cries...

She pulls a switch on a podium near the Well...From the rooftop of the office tower huge metal kites

soar up into the sky on cables towards the thunderheads...

Hmmn...

Are we opening a hell portal?...Or juicing up the Bride of Frankenstein?...she wonders to herself...

"Help me smear my body with this sacred paint from the yucca-yucca tree..." he hands a pot of

stinking pitch to her...

Appropriate...she twists her nose in disgust...

The things I do to earn $500, 000 per annum after taxes...she grouses to herself...

And I just know he's enjoying making me do this...she frowns...

All over...Joseph insists...A sly, slight grin unmistakably creeping over his death's head face...

Right...Lilah glowers...

Act Two...

Scene two...(LA, the offices of Angel Investigations, night, heavy thunderstorm raging outside)

William enters with Angel, Willow, Giles, Gunn, Fred, Connor, and Cordelia...

"Red...How soon before Buffy and Wesley get back from their scout?..." he frets to Willow...

Give them a few minutes, Will...Willow smiles at him...William the Nervous Bridegroom...

"It would have taken them at least this long just to reach Wolfram-Hart on foot..." she notes, Cordy

agreeing...

"I should have gone out after them..." he shakes his head...

Why didn't Buffy wait for me?...

"Spike...er Will..." Willow pauses...

They were right...One of you guys was enough to risk at this stage...It's only the preliminary scout

after all...And they were already here...

"Willow's right William...There'd be no point in too many heading out at this stage..." Giles nods...

Better get used to it, kiddo...Willow smiles at him...

You married a Slayer, you know...Mr. Watcher...

Will nods...Sighing...Yeah...

"It wouldn't be any fairer to her...For her to be waiting and worrying here for you..." she added...

And that will be happening...Often enough in your lives...Willow pats his hand, William smiling

wanly back at her...

"Don't worry Will..." Cordelia smiles at him... "Wes knows Wolfram-Hart like the back of his

hand...And Buffy can deal with anything they're likely to have right now..."

"Cordy's right, Will..." Angel nods from his desk, Unmanning the phones... "Wesley knows the

whole city...And most everyone in it...Like the back of his hand..."

Cordy glancing briefly at her husband...Who gives back an innocent stare...She looks away...

Willow slips over to her...

Angel turns to his staff...Noting Gunn eyeing William...

"Yeah, Gunn...This is the William...Formerly the Bloody...Now human-souled Walthrop..."

"Sorry..." Angel turns to the others... "I haven't had a chance to make introductions yet...William,

Giles, Willow, my old friends from Sunnydale...My Connor, you know...And these are Gunn and

Fred, two of my best operatives..." he smiles at the two...

"Glad to have you and the Slayer with us on this one..." Gunn nods at the Sunnydalers...

"Dad said he was getting the best..." Connor chimes in, smiling...

"Yeah..." Angel nods... "And Buffy...And company are the very best..." he grins...

Right, Cordy?...he smiles at his wife...Just a bit coolly...

She nods quietly, staring back...

A surprisingly shy William is now surrounded by a fascinated Gunn, Fred, and Connor, asking a

steady stream of questions...Giles wryly standing beside him as defensive moral support, much to his

own bemusement...

"So..." Willow has reached Cordy, smiling at her...

"How are things these days?...I understand we've both had something of a wild ride recently..."

Good...Cordy notes tersely...

I didn't quite make the cut on the "higher plane" existence...It was just too lonely on that

mountaintop...

"You must have felt something of that, Willow..." she eyes her...

Yeah..I did...Willow nods...When I wasn't too busy trying to do what your friends at W-H seem to

be up to...she grins sheepishly...

"Lucky to have the guys...Xander and Giles especially...To bring me back safe..." she looks at

Cordy...

Yeah...Cordy nods...

"Of course..." she pauses... "Angel can't be too demonstrative, naturally...But he's a very good

husband...And provider..."

Connor's a great kid...In spite of everything that's happened...she nods over at Connor, eagerly

engaged in getting the details of William's life story...

So...Things are good...Cordelia concludes...

"Yeah..." Willow notes kindly...Eyeing her friend...

William casts a somewhat desperate glance her way...Help?...His slightly stricken look says...As a

few other AI staffers join the group around him...

"'Cuse me..." she grins at Cordy, nodding towards William...

Elvis back from the dead needs rescuing from his fans...she smiles...

She heads over, parting the group, and takes Will's hand...He whispers a question in her ear...

Angel watches them from his desk, deep in thought...

That's it...he thinks...Take his hand...Let him give you a lil' whisper in the ear...Who else would he

turn to but good ole Willow, the girl he nearly transformed...

A lot can be built out of a few rags and bits like these...he notes to himself with

satisfaction...Especially if you fan the flames just a little...

As I did when I suggested Will consult Willow about Darla's resurrection on the way over...

He's got a soul now, sure...But why not go for the brass ring?...Full Humanity...

He wouldn't want to stay Immortally young while his Buffy ages and crumbles back into

dust...Certainly not...

Not to mention...For all our Immortality we vamps are rather fragile creatures...Buffy would be so

broken-hearted if he took a splinter in the wrong place and went "poof" one day...

And he can't be sure about kiddies...Mustn't take any chances of possibly bringing something evil

into the world...Via his sweet Cicely-Buffy...

And sweet, dear, lonely Willow is just the person to turn to...

To help him give his Buffy a wedding Gift to remember...

Give that hand a leetle squeeze, Willow...That's it...Great...he thinks, smiling benevolently at the

group in general...

Done as if by order...Thanks, guys...he thinks...Continuing his affectionate smile...

But a hard, cold look in his eyes...

Act two...

Scene three...(A tunnel leading to the Wolfram-Hart tower sub-basement, dank, but with some low-

level lighting...)

Buffy, followed closely by Wes, enters...

"Just ahead is the entrance to the sub-basement, Buffy...I think once we'd best hold up there for a bit

and check out the alarm systems...They continually upgrade to keep us and others out..."

The storm can very faintly be heard raging outside...

"No guards in the tunnels...That's odd..." Wesley notes...

They usually don't slip up on the little things like that...Must have withdrawn all non-essential

personnel...he eyes Buffy...

"Joseph must be nearly ready..."

She nods...They reach the door...

Wesley begins checking it out with his equipment...

Alarmed...But nothing special, technically...Oops...

"Spell barrier..." he notes...

She eyes the door...Frame hewn out of the rock...About half a dozen feet of flat rock wall to either

side of the door...

"Where does the barrier end?..." she asks...

It's just on the door itself...Wes notes...I'll give Giles a call...

Wait...Ok...Stand back...she orders...And runs hard at the rock around the frame...Kicking it...

On her third try, she breaks through to the sub-basement, a small, head-sized hole...She tears hard at

the now loosened rock until the space is barely wide enough to squeeze though...

"No need to waste time or risk being detected calling Giles..." she grins...

After you, she bows to her partner...Wesley shaking his head in smiling wonder...

Act two...

Scene four...(At The Well of Souls...)

Joseph, properly smeared with yucca-yucca paint and mask in place, is rehearsing his ceremonial

dance...Lilah a reluctant audience...

He finishes...With a little bit of ballet-like flourish...

Lovely, Lilah dryly notes...

"So...We ready now?..."

Joseph nods...But looks around...Just one thing...

"Drusilla should be here by now...To keep an eye out..." he frowns...

"I can't understand why you hired her...She's an utter psycho..." Lilah grouses...

Just trying to help the poor kid out...She's been asking for a chance to earn a few bucks doing a little

work for us...the senior partner looks away...

God...Has he been sleeping with her?...Lilah wonders...Talk about abuse of the mentally

incompetent...

"Anyway she's all the extra support I could get the others to agree to commit..."Joseph notes...

Hmmn...Right...Lilah thinks...

I'm sure that crazy maniac and her doll will tip the scales decisively in our favor...

Act Two...

Scene five...(The sub-basement of the Wolfram-Hart office tower)...

Enter Buffy cautiously looking round, Wesley following...

"Which way, Wes?..." she asks...

He frowns...The Slayer on her usual heedless charge against evil is all very well, but their mission

was to scout the defenses...

A point which he makes even as he indicates the way...

"I just wanna scope things out a little more...Then we can call the others in..."

William would not care to lose his wife on his wedding night, Wes notes...

"My wedding night..." Buffy pauses, beaming at her friend...

I'd almost forgot...she smiles...

Well...I will take it slow, Wesley...she promises...

Lets just see how things are over towards the Well and then we'll back off...

"All right..." he sighs...

They creep along, emergency lights allowing them to find their way...

"This is it..." Wes points out a door...

"Looks like a door to a broom closet, not a Hell portal..." Buffy grins...

It's the direct route to the Well...Wes tells her solemnly...

O...K...she nods...Well...So far, so good...

"Check it out...Then we'll give the guys a ring..."

Act Two...

Scene six...(Angel Investigations offices, night, storm continuing

outside...)

William and Willow have sought a moment alone from the others, engaged in a strategy

discussion...

At Will's request, to discuss a matter close to his heart...Buffy's happiness...

"Red...I suppose you and the gang...Still have doubts..." he begins...

Doubts, Will?...After you wedded our Slayer following a courtship of exactly one day before the

return of your soul was even properly confirmed?...How could we possibly have had any

doubts?...Willow grins at him...

"Excepting Xander of course...But he's the big brother..."

I didn't want or expect things to move so quickly...Will hesitantly notes...

"I just wanted to see her again...And tell her what had happened..."

And all it took her was one look...Willow thinks...A single moment back with him...

"Of course you lot should know...She was ready to let me have it when I showed my head...At

first..."

And then her Cicely came rushing back in on her to save you...God, William Walthrop you must

have been quite a guy...And be quite a soul...Willow thinks...

"But then she realized...And remembered..." he pauses...Blinking at the memory...

And couldn't wait...Even a full day...

"Well...Will..." Willow eyes him... "Giles and Travers have confirmed your soul...And that Buffy's

not enthralled or drugged...And her Cicely story has checked out according to Council

records...So...I guess that's that..."

And we are happy for you...Both of you...

"I want more, Willow..." He eyes her...

"Buffy deserves more...Look, Angel told me that Darla was resurrected as a completely normal

human being."

Ah...So that's it...Willow looks at him...Touched...

"Will...You realize...You would have to die and be resurrected..."

Been there, done that...he smiles...Not as tough as some would have you believe...

"There could be serious complications with regards to your demon and all...We don't have the full

ceremony yet but we weren't even sure about it for Angel..."

I understand...He stares at her... "But if there's any chance...That I could be human again...A real

man, not a soul trapped in a monster's body..."

For his Buffy...his Cicely...He's willing to risk everything, Willow thinks...

So it was William...All this time...Fighting his way back, reaching out to her from within Spike...

My god...

Hmmn...Rather nice to know there are still two great Brits available in our little family...And I'm

already boarding with the better of them...No offense intended Wes, strictly experiencewise...

"If I could get the ceremony...While we're here and while we are gonna be on the inside of W-H

anyway..." he hesitates...

"If we can get the ceremony, Will..." Willow smiles at him... "I'll look it over...With Giles...And

we'll do what we can..."

"Don't let Buf know...Not just yet..." he eyes her... "I don't want to get her hopes raised too soon..."

A wedding present...Willow thinks, tears forming a bit...As she nods...

Yeah...

She'd love it...I'm sure...

Act Two...

Scene seven...(At the sub-basement door of the Wolfram-Hart office tower, leading to the Well...)

Buffy watches Wes as he checks the door...

"Alarmed...But nothing else..." he smiles at her...

However...It's a half-mile down through this tunnel to the well...And you can bet there's no shortage

of booby-traps...Although...he eyes his thermal detectors...

"I'm not picking up much in the way of humans or demons or any warm-blooded life forms..." Wes

shakes his head...

Maybe two...Three at most...They must've pulled all their people out...

Time to call for back-up...she grins...Pulling her cell phone...

"And then lets get this door off...And do a leetle more scouting..."

Wes grins back at her...

Well...she smiles, waiting for the call to go through...

It's our chance to show off before the gang gets here...And it's my wedding night, Wes...I wanna get

some of it free...

"Besides...Admit it...Underneath all that Watcher caution...You love being first man in..."

Buffy...Wes smiling, puts up a hand...But nods as she begins speaking into the phone...Ok...

"Right, Angel..." Buffy continues...

We're gonna check things out a bit more...But you guys should have no problem reaching us down

here...See ya soon...

"Tell Will the Missus expects him to behave himself...And get his little blonde bottom over to her

pronto..." she finishes...

Well?...she eyes her friend...Shall we?...

"This is strictly as a present for you and your Will, Buffy..." Wes grins...

So you two can get down to the important business of this night...

He begins work on disarming the alarm...

Act two...

Scene eight...(At the Well of Souls...A few minutes later...)

Joseph triumphantly concludes his ceremony...Xeniphon having indicated his willingness to accept a

deal...

"We've done it Lilah!...The Apocalypse is at hand..."

Five blue lights appear hovering over the Well's opening...

Vague faces forming...

"Greetings..." Joseph smiles at them...

"I am Joseph...Your host..."

Welcome to Earth...

Lilah...he hisses...You might want to turn away...One of the females was the model for Medusa...

Lilah hastily turns round...Didn't really care to see these guys anyway...she thinks...

"We have come, demon..." Miranda the original Medusan model stares at Joseph...

I speak for the five...We return from our rest at great cost...Show us our reward...

Rest?...Thinks Lilah...They don't seem all that grateful to be "released"...

"Earth is at your feet, my friends..." Joseph beams...

You have only to take full physical form...Emerge from the Well...Defeat the minor opposition

brought out against you...

"What...Opposition...?" Miranda cuts to the heart of Joseph's patter...

Well...At most...The famed Angel...Joseph begins...And his staff...

"Angel?...Oh, yes...Saw him in action from my den..." one of the other five notes...

I suppose that's not too...the god, one Loka, eyes Joseph...Twisting one of his four eye stalks...

"And..." Joseph continues... "Possibly the Slayer...And some minor magics performing humans..."

Oh...Miranda eyes him...

"The Slayer...Who defeated Glorificus recently?..." she asks...

Yes...Joseph replies brightly...

Your chance for revenge...he notes...

"I never cared much for Glory...That hysterical tramp..." Miranda shakes her heads...

And...Joseph resumes...

"There's more?..." Miranda looks at the little demon lawyer...

She does not sound full of enthusiasm and rage for this little scheme, Lilah notes to herself...As she

remains turned around...

"Just the ridiculous Council of Watchers, my goddess..." Joseph beams his most winning smile...

Possibly led by their Chairman...

"The Council of Watchers...?...THE Council of Watchers...And their Chairman...?"

Well...Yeah...Joseph nods...We believe they're here in LA now...With the others I mentioned...

So...Close at hand, easy targets...he notes...Trying to stir up a leetle enthusiasm...

"How...Close?" Miranda eyes him with one of her heads...

I sense the Slayer nearby...Loka notes...A little anxiously...

"You haven't even completed our materialization and the Slayer and her friends are almost here?"

Miranda stares at Joseph...

Ummn...Well...

He thinks fast...As becoming senior partner in a major LA firm...

"The Slayer will be distracted oh divine ones...She has just married..."

Buffy's married?...Lilah wonders...

How could she do that to Angel?...The poor sob...she thinks involuntary...

Yeah, one of the others among the five notes...She just remarried her true soulmate...The late, great

William the Bloody, now soul-restored...

Saw it on Xeniphon's daily news digest...he explains to his companions...

"Wait a minute..." Miranda looks at Joseph...

"You want us to face off with Angel, the Slayer, and a human-souled William the Bloody...With

magic support and heavy back-up from the Council of Watchers?"

Nobody said anything about this when you people contacted us...another of the five chimed in...

Joseph nervously grins at the five hell-demon gods...

"Well...I admit it might be tough odds all things considered...But hey, the Apocalypse is worth a

little..."

Apocalypse?...a couple of the demon gods look at each other...

What Apocalypse...?

"I just wanted to get out and see Earth..." Theodosius, a large and burly demon-god eyes Joseph...

"I haven't seen the place in the flesh in six thousand years...Haven't even had a chance to see New

York or Paris yet..." he grouses...

And you want to start the Apocalypse...?

"No one said anything about any crazy Apocalypse plan..." Miranda notes firmly...

Yeah...the others look at a now very nervous Joseph...

"Or the opposition we'd face..." she continues...

We'd be expending a hell's worth of energy just getting out...All so we can be used as target practice

by your enemies?...she frowns at the WH senior partner...

And even if we win...It's all for some damned fool Apocalypse plan?...Gerd...a dark and grim?

looking fellow, rather like the Grim Reaper portrayals, notes...In an annoyed tone...

The hell with this...I like the world...Screw you and your "plan"...the demon-gods variously sneer...

"We'll be going..." Miranda coldly eyes Joseph...

Call us if you ever come up with something sensible...Like maybe a little pillage and a night on the

town...

Paris, preferably...Theodosius notes...

Without informing the Slayer and your Angel friend that we're coming, please...Miranda

concludes...

"But...People...You can't abandon the field to the forces of Light like this..." Joseph cries...

It's...Embarrassing...How can you look yourselves in the mirror tomorrow and say "we backed

down"...he puts on his best "win one for the Gipper..." look...

How could they look themselves in the mirror under any circumstances?...Lilah thinks...

"Lets just say..." Miranda coldly eyes Joseph...

"Evil finally has a few brains this time..."

The five began dissolving out...

"You know what they say about these Wolfram-Hart clowns..." Miranda quietly notes to her friends

as they disappear...

"Mao, Joseph, and Adolf...the Three Stooges of the Apocalypse..."

The others' chuckling can be heard on the wings of the wind that blows now through the cavern ...

Hmmn...Lilah thinks...

Joseph was right...The five really have learned to get along...

Well...? Lilah eyes Joseph...

What now, boss...

Ah...Joseph kicks the wall sourly...

"Guess we'd best get the hell out of here before the Slayer and Angel and co show..." he sighs...

Of course...he eyes his Special Projects Division head...

"The evening doesn't have to be a total loss...Lilah...My dear..." Joseph leers...

Oh...Well...she smiles back...

If you really want to lose the firm to me in a sexual harassment lawsuit...she notes...For one night of

bliss...

He blinks...

"Damnit girl, I'm an Immortal from Hell...You think you can frighten me with that?..."

Of course...he thinks...I wouldn't want to lose my nice corner office...With that great view...

And if I did lose the firm, I'd never be able to party with Mel Gibson, Meryl Streep, and the other

guys again...

And Wynona was coming on to me last time...I'm sure of it...

Oh, well...

"I suppose we should just go..." he grumbles...Glaring at her...

"You know I could've just let you go on and try something...Then slapped you with the suit..."

Lilah points out...

But I still want to learn from you, sir...she notes...

"I know you're the best..."

Well...Joseph is somewhat mollified...

"Wouldn't be adverse to a little dinner..." she quietly notes, smiling...

Nothing else...she eyes him firmly...

O...K...he sighs...

At least we'll be seen together...Never hurts a bald, death-head's little guy like me's rep to be seen

with a beauty like Lilah...he notes to himself...

And a very engaging dinner companion...

He offers an arm and they begin to head out...

Oh...Lilah pauses...

What about?...

"Drusilla?...Screw her...At least she'll give Angel and the others a little trouble when she shows..."

Joseph notes...

Act Two...

Scene nine...(The sub-basement of the Wolfram-Hart office tower, night, sounds of a raging

thunderstorm faintly heard in the distance...)

William, Willow, Angel, Giles, Connor, Gunn, and several staffers enter...

"They should be just ahead...Down the corridor..." Gunn points...

"Are you sensing anything, Giles?..." Angel looks at the Watcher...Who has paused with Willow to

focus his mind on the area ahead of them...

Nothing beyond what I'd expect at a place like the Well of Souls, Angel...he replies...

But no signs of unusual or extraordinary power unleashed...

"We may have come before they were ready..." Gunn notes...

They reach the door to the final tunnel to the Well...Forced open...

Damn!...William sighs, eyeing Giles and Angel...But can't help a grin...

That's my girl...

My God...That's...My wife...He thinks in shock...And joy...

"She's gone on ahead without waiting for us..." he notes...

I'd have thought Wesley knew better...Giles sighs in turn...

"Well..." Angel smiles thinly... "Wes has become a man who enjoys taking risks..."

Of all sorts...he notes...Eyeing his son...

Dad?...I thought we were past that...Connor thinks...

They enter the tunnel through the door, single file...And begin a cautious march forward...

Gradually getting a bit separated...

"Try to keep together folks..." Angel calls back from the head of the line...

"Willow..." Willow hears faintly as she brings up the rear with Giles, he about ten feet ahead...

"Giles...? Did you hear that?..." she calls to him...

"Is that Buffy calling us?..." she looks up the tunnel past him...

"I didn't hear it, Willow..." Giles calls back, pausing...

Perhaps it was...he notes...But we should try to catch up with the others...

She nods and they pick up their pace a bit...Reaching Connor who's halted with the other AI

staffers...

"Dad and Gunn called back to hold up here...Someone's coming from the Well area..." he explains...

"I should head up to them..." Giles notes...

Ummn...Willow looks at him...

Does not sound like my idea of a plan, Rupert...she thinks...

"They may need my help Willow..." he smiles at her...

It is why we came out here, you know...

"Oh...Gee, I thought we came to surprise our newlyweds with a trip to see the LA sights..." Willow

grins at him...

"Well...Lets go..." she says brightly...

I should go alone, my dear...Giles eyes her...You are, after all, our last hope...Here in Los Angeles

anyway...

"Connor, take good care of her..."

"No...Wait here Giles...They'll call us if they need you..." Willow hastily turns to him...

Please...oh, please Rupert...she thinks...I can't lose you too...

"I'll be back shortly, Willow..."

Giles...she looks at him...The words trembling on her lips...Words that might change everything for

them, if he didn't dismiss them as the loving affection of a devoted pupil, a second daughter after

Buffy...

If she could just say them...As she wants to...In a way that will make him believe her...And if she

could just...

Forget...

"Take care..." she calls as he heads out...

My love...she does not say...

Wesley comes into view from the far end of the tunnel as Angel and Gunn take up defensive

positions...

"Hey, fellows...It looks like everything's set...The hell-gods either weren't willing to stay or

Joseph's ceremony fizzled..."

What?...Gunn and Angel look at each other...

"Buffy's making a final sweep around the Well...But all seems well and the energy emissions are

back to normal..." Wes beams...

"Giles, hello...Good news..." he happily calls to the Watcher just entering the area...

So...Angel thinks...Looks like I no longer need wait on my little scheme...The fighting skills of the

Slayer and her poet are no longer necessary...

Act Two...

Scene ten...(Back up the tunnel leading to the Well of Souls in the Wolfram-Hart tower sub-

basement...)

Willow, Connor, and several AI staffers await news...Willow preparing herself for the possibility of

carrying out one last major magics assault as LA's "last hope"...

Connor's cell phone rings...

"Dad?...Dad...I can't make you out...Let me try to get closer..."

Connor turns to Willow...The rock, electrical stuff, and probably the mumbo-jumbo up ahead are

blocking my phone...Hafta try getting closer...Couldn't make out much...

But he didn't seem too worried...

Go...Willow nods...And take the guys with you...I'll be fine back here...

"Back in just a mo..." Connors nods...He and all but one staffer leave...

"Wil...low..." the faint call begins again...

"Do you hear that?..." Willow eyes the staffer

"Willow...?"

The staffer, human, shakes her head...But is not unused to her superiors hearing voices...

Who sometimes take brutally vicious form...The staffer stiffens and looks around cautiously...

Whoa...The staffer stares...And pulls up her ready crossbow...

Willow turns behind her in the direction the staffer is looking...Oh my God...

"Willow, let me exp..."

The staffer fires her crossbow, the arrow passing right through...

Drusilla...

"Save those for my counterpart..." the ghostly Drusilla notes...

She's almost here...

Act Two...

Scene eleven...(By the Well of Souls, just off the Wolfram-Hart tower sub-basement...)

Buffy strolls cautiously around the outer rim of the Well...Looks like people...A very few

people...Just up and left a short time ago...

God...She spots Joseph's mask...What the hell were they trying to do with that thing?...Go Trick or

Treating in Hell?...

Looking an awful lot like...Scratch yet another Apocalypse plan...

And hello LA honeymoon, she notes, happily...

Oops...Something's closing in...Rapidly...she senses...

Vampiral...And not my honey or my ex...

"Mr. Joseph?..." Drusilla calls...From a continuing segment of the tunnel past the Well...

Sorry to be late...Miss Edith insisted on seeing some nice new clothes in a toy shop around the corner

and...She hastens up...Not pausing to feel out the ground...

"Oh...Hello, Buffy..." Dru eyes her...

Have you killed Joseph and his hell-gods?...

"Guess they cut out on you, Dru..." Buffy notes...Taking a defensive stand...

Oh...Dear...And I was so looking forward to tonight's Apocalypse...Dru sighs...

"Well...Another..." she pauses...

Buffy...? Is something wrong...?

The Slayer seems very tense, Miss Edith...Dru notes to her doll...

"Oh...!" Dru puts a hand to her head...

My soul...!...

"Headache...?" Buffy eyes her...

You have more than a headache to worry about now, you William-murdering psychotic little

bitch...she thinks...

Payback for 1880 is about to be forthcoming...Buffy tightens her grip on the stake concealed by her

carried jacket...

"No..." Dru stares at her...Bizarrely seeking comfort from the least likely source...

My soul is here...Hovering around...The Bad One...My nasty little sister...

"She ran away from me...Long ago... And left me all alone..."

"Except for my Spike..."

Who left me too...she sighs at Buffy...

"For..." she freezes...The sight of Buffy's now rather terrifyingly cold expression...Cicely's best

Slayer face...Shocking even Dru into near lucidity...

"Buffy...?...You...?" Dru pauses...Eyeing her in slowing growing fear...

"You married my...No...The other...That little poet..."

"The little William, I helped...Oh..."

He's gone and pushed my Spike away...Buffy, why did you let him...?

"HELPED?...You crazy maniac?..." Buffy screams at her...

"You murdered my husband William that night!...You put that thing in his body!...Tormented

him for a century!"

Dru falls back in the greatest fear...And lucidity...She's known in quite a...Well...That she'd ever

known...

"Husband?...Buffy...William died in 188...Something..." Dru notes, trying sweet reason...

Clearly the Slayer is upset...Needs to calm down and focus her mind...

"Of course if you've gone and restored his soul...And my poor Spike is still content just to be with

you...I suppose I must give you my bless..." an increasingly frightened Dru tries to make peace...

"I am Cicely Addams Walthrop!...William's wife...The Slayer who should have killed you in

1880...And her reincarnation, Buffy Summers-Walthrop...Also William's wife!..." a furious Buffy

blocks Dru's path...

Miss Summers is very upset, Miss Edith...Dru turns to the doll...I think we should be leaving...

"Please ask our soul to come back to limbo...If you see..." Dru begins...

"And we are the Slayer who is going to kill you right now, you bitch from Hell!...Just a century

late, that's all!..."

"Say hello to your daughter-in-law...!"...A raging Buffy leaps at Dru...

Act Two...

Scene twelve...(Back up the tunnel leading to the Well of Souls in the Wolfram-Hart tower sub-

basement...)

A shocked Willow confronts the spirit of Drusilla...Human Drusilla...Who seems to know her

surprisingly well...

Given the rather limited acquaintance of Willow and vampiral Dru...

The Angel Investigations staff person left by Connor to guard her attempts to persuade the Wiccan

to fall back...

Willow shakes her head...This isn't the Drusilla we knew...

And seeing as your arrow just went clean through her without hitting anything...I doubt there's

much you can do to protect me in any case...she notes...

"It's ok guys...I am not that Drusilla..." Drusilla smiles wanly at them...

Odd...Willow thinks...She's still got the English accent and all but if I didn't know better...

"Willow, try to understand...My time is very short...I'm being pulled back into limbo...It's only

because the Well was opened by the Wolfram-Hart people that I have a little more strength to try

and reach you..."

Why me?...Willow wonders...Gee, am I still putting out evil vibes or something...?

Well, she does seem human-soulish...And quite sane...

Maybe it's the magics thing...Drawing her to me?

Well, if it is poor Dru's soul...Can't hurt to offer a little comforting good news...

"William is free at last, Dru...He and Buffy have..."

"I know Willow...I'm very glad ...He helped me stay clear of that Other...Helped me free

myself...For a while...That and the fact that my counterpart murdered him is why I've got to

warn him...And Buffy..."

He gave me a second chance for life...The life I lost to Angelis so long ago...And the chance to meet

you, my love...

She eyes Willow carefully...

You were Drusilla's lover...? the staffer thinks, looking at Willow...

Ick...Now the boss has friends who abuse mentally ill vamps?...

"Tara?..." Willow gasps...

"Believe me, Wil...I didn't remember any of my past life when I came to you...I only knew

Tara...Though I suppose I was drawn to Sunnydale...Maybe to make amends to William and

Cicely...Somehow..." Drusilla sighs...

But there's no time...I'm slipping back...

"Baby...No...Let me hold you...I'll find something to hold you here..."

You can't Wil...But listen...There is great evil facing the Walthrops..."

Walthrops?...

"Buffy and William, Wil..."

Oh, right...Willow nods...Just haven't gotten used to that last name as yet...

"Someone is plotting to destroy them...Someone is about to take vengeance on them...And you

are...The instrument of that...Revenge..."

Moi?...No way...Giles just lifted my magics block for tonight...Soon as we deal with the Apocalypse,

I'm magics-free, techno-geek Willow again...

"There are other ways than your power, Wil...Believe me...You are the instrument of someone's

revenge on William and Buffy..."

Ah...Amy...I knew it...Geesh...She's never gotten over her anger...Just because I teased her in the

cage a coupla times...

And ignored her urgent need for intensive therapy after horrendous maternal child abuse and three

years of rat-life...

"It's Amy...Right?...Gonna lead me back to the dark side?..."

I don't know who Willow...I'm sorry...

"It'll be ok...Rupert...er Giles...Is looking out for me, helping me close out my magics to a sane

level...Amy won't be able to get me to hurt anyone...I won't be able to..."

Overconfidence, Wil?...You always were too overconfident of your power...the spirit notes...

"But I'm trusting in Giles, this time, baby...Not me..."

Be careful, Wil...Please...

"I will I promise...But oh, sweetie...What about you?..."

Find Drusilla, release me...It's all you can do for me now...

"But Tara...Listen...There's Angel's curse...And William and I are working on getting the Wolfram-

Hart resurrection material...There is a chance for us...Just as there was for Will..."

If all else fails we can book a flight to Africa tomorrow...

"No time...Wil...Listen...I can't see this Evil One's face in my mind...But whoever it is or they

are...They're close by...Warn Buffy and William...Warn them...And be on guard..."

And tell William...I beg his forgiveness...And am so happy for him...He was so kind, so good...

She starts to fade out...But throws a faint smile...

"And Rosenberg?...It is ok about Giles...I want your happiness...Go for it, girl..."

I love you, Willow...

"Always...Always...Alw..." she disappears...

"Tara!...Drusilla!..." Willow cries...

Hmmn...I'd never met Drusilla before, the staffer notes to herself...

The human counterpart actually seems very nice...

But then, William the Bloody is very charming and sweet now that he's got his soul back...

Gee...Maybe the Boss' standard "Kill'em without mercy" policy needs a little rethinking...

I mean...

Maybe we should do a screening or something on them before we stake...

Act Two...

Scene thirteen...(At the Well of Souls...)

Buffy throws herself at Dru...

A Drusilla terrified into something approaching lucidity is attempting to flee but blocked off from

the exit tunnel by her opponent...

And "daughter-in-law"...Of a kind...Who wields a sharp and lethal-looking stake...

Sort of every harassed daughter-in-law's secret fantasy...In a nutshell...

"Buffy!..." William cries...As he enters the Well area, followed by Gunn, Angel, Giles, and several

staffers...

Buffy pulls up to look back...Dru drops back just in time from the Slayer's reach...

Drusilla eyes Will...Phew, saved by dear old Spike...No, wait...The Bad One...

And Angel...And others...All come for poor ole Dru...

Oh...she shakes with fear...

Still...Mr. Walthrop always was a kind sort...Worth a try, at least...

And she senses Spike still hanging about in there...

"Help me, sir!...Please!...Spike!...Don't let the Slayer kill me!..." Dru screams in fear...

We just want to help you, you murderous bitch!...Buffy yells at her...

The same "help" you gave my poor Will a century ago...

"Will, darling?..." Buffy calls back to him...

"Grab a stake and help me give your vampiral "Mum" an appropriate welcome!..."

"No!..." Dru screams...Turning and running...

"Wait Buffy!..." Will calls to his new bride...

Wait?...Buffy looks back at him...

"I want to try to help her...But not torment her..." William pleads to her...

Great...She grumbles...

I'll say a prayer as I drive this through her heart...she shakes her stake at him...

"Buffy...All I'm saying is that..."

"We'd better get after her..." Angel notes as he runs up to them...

Hmmn...He looks at Buffy's angry face as she stares at Will...

Trouble in Paradise, eh...

Cicely a bit insecure about that century Will spent with Dru, perhaps?...

And who knows how much William participated in Spike and Dru's little trysts...Or Dru's human

soul for that matter...

Still...I should do something about poor ole Dru...

I suppose...Although, really...Angel notes to himself...I think the girl wanted a chance to experience

life outside the confines of her little mining village...

And she did let Angelis into her church sanctuary...Preety foolish mistake I must say, even if he did

give a magnificent performance, freeing her mother and then begging her prayers for his

redemption...If one looks at it from my pov...Considering all the agonizing I've done over the little

goose all these years...And that attempt I made to destroy her...

At some personal risk, I should point out...

I really am not the bad guy here...

Willow had arrived a few moments after...Close on the heels of Connor and his companions...

And told of her vision of human Dru...human Tara-Dru...Which her companion confirmed...

William questioning her closely...And eyeing his wife...Who reluctantly admitted that

perhaps...Some mercy was called for...

"I've just been...So torn up by all that I've been remembering, Will..." she looks at him sadly...

How little help I gave you...Back then and now...

"I guess I just wanted to do something to make amends..."

Make amends?...Girl?...William gasps...Grinning at her...

"Buffy...Cicely...You spared me and gave me a chance to fight my way back...Came

back...Twice...Hell, three times counting Xander's CPR...From the dead for me..."

I think I can put in a serious claim for being the best-loved husband in history...he finishes with a

smile...Hugging her as she cries softly...

"But..." he lifts her chin... "I do want to try to give Dru some peace...Even a crack at life again if we

could...Just...Lets do it with a little kindness...And sympathy, even if we do have to stake her..."

Buffy nods...Yeah...

And I was worried about losing my compassion...Before I took my leap that year...she thinks...

And maybe...Not all my anger at Dru is related to Will's suffering...Well, anyway...

"We'll do it the right way, Will..." she smiles at him...

The curse?...Angel asks politely...Suppressing his discontent at the lovers' happy reconciliation...

"I hate the thought of imprisoning her in that body..." Will notes...But...

Willow comes over...Ready to suggest that there may be another way...

William gives her a slight look...Please, Red...

OK...I'll sit on it...For now...her look back says...

"Well, in any case...We gotta catch her first before we can do anything..." Buffy notes...

What was that about Drusilla's human soul?...Giles asks as he and Wesley come up...Having been

tied up scanning the Well for any remaining threat...

"Dru was really moving...Probably no chance of finding her in the sewers now...But I want to give it

a try..." Buffy notes...As the gang gathers by the Well...

Yes...Angel nods, a solemn brood on his face...I'd like the chance to see Dru at peace at last...

Taken you long enough...Considering you've been in striking range of her for years...Both Wes and

William can't help thinking...

Still, he's trying...Gotta give him that much...

"I think it's a good idea...But..." Will pauses...

If you don't mind, Willow wants me to help her back here a bit...he eyes his bride...Who looks at

him and Willow...

Oh...?

"We're gonna scout around back in the vaults...See if there's anything we should be aware of

here..." Willow smiles at the Slayer...

Long as we're here, might as well do some pre-emptive action...she grins at Will...

And we might find something...Useful for Dru...

Yeah...Buffy nods...Sounds good...But...Will...

"Dru would be easier to track if you were with us...You can sense her better and you have the

chip..."

Hmmn...Angel watches Buffy...

Our new bride seems a little...Antsy about leaving the Mister alone with our favorite red-head...

Gee, Buf...Anxious newlywed?...Or is Cicely the jealous type?...Even of poor ole "gay, now"

Willow?...

Excellent...

"I can handle that end, Buffy..." Angel smiles at Will and Willow...

And too many people hunting will just frighten Dru off...

"Why don't we do one last Patrol together, Buf?...Just us...For old times' sake..."

That is, Will...he grins at William...If you trust me alone with your Missus...

And see if we can't help my poor Dru at last...

Act Three...

Scene one...(LA, night, thunderstorm raging...Aboveground, the lobby of a hotel not far from the

offices of Angel Investigations...)

Parker paces the lobby anxiously...

Damn that Angel...I must be crazy to go along with this thing...Buffy is never gonna give me the

time of day...

Still...He's never gotten her out of his mind...And the more he's gradually learned about her over the

past few years...

But c'mon...She's married now...To a very powerful if human-souled vampire...And how do I

compete with...

"Mr. Parker...?" A non-descript figure approaches him...A man of ordinary height, In a rather plain,

everyday dark suit...Could be anyone you'd meet in the street...

Angel sent me...I'm one of his men...I was told to bring you to the rendevous point...

Thought this was the "rendevous point"...Parker sighs...Looking out at the storm...

Great...

The things I do for love...

Act three...

Scene two...(In the bowels...no pun intended...Of the LA sewer system, near the Wolfram-Hart sub-

basement...)

Angel is peering down the main tunnel in front of him...Buffy close behind...

He shakes his head...

"I think we've lost her for tonight...She knows the system too well..."

Damn...Buffy groans...

"Well..." Angel smiles... "You'll get another chance to impress your new mother-in-law soon

enough I'm sure..."

"Very funny..." she frowns at him...Peering down the tunnel...

"I don't like knowing she's around, Angel...To make trouble for us someday..."

Much as I want to help her...For Will's sake...

"I really need to see her dead...The vampiral half I mean..." she eyes him...

"I understand, Buffy...er...Mrs. Walthrop..." Angel grins...

Mrs. Walthrop...Buffy beams...But...

"Angel, I guess this has been a little hard on you..." she looks at him...

Though you were wonderful back in Sunnydale...Helping us with that crazy wedding and all...

"I...I'm glad you were there..." she nods...

The others couldn't have understood...Not so quickly anyway...

"I was glad to be there for you, Buffy...And to see you happy at last...Cicely..."

And get you off my hands for good, you worthless little...he thinks...

To think I mistook you...You Victorian slut...for my Darla's noble soul...When I first came to

Sunnydale...

Just as your Cicely within took me for that fool of a poet...Your lost Will's desperately clinging

soul...

But, glad as I am to see you back with William...And unloaded from me...

Nobody walks on Angel...

Nobody...

Even if I zipped off to LA and did nothing for you or Dawn all the time since your mother's

funeral...And told you there was no chance for us when you came to me after your

resurrection...That I'd learned Darla's human soul was my true love...

Hell, Angel is worth waiting for...

And thanks to you...I had to settle for...

Cordelia...

Lucky me...he thinks grimly...

Wesley's leftovers...And with the gall to demand that I show her some proof of my love...

At least something to "hope" for...Even in the afterlife...

As if she could rate the heart of an "Angel"...

Well...I finally did show her proof of my love...

For Darla...

I told her my heart belonged to Darla...That the only thing she meant to me was that Connor had a

mother to care for him...

And if she wasn't happy...Leave...Get somebody else to keep you in the style to which Cordy Chase

is accustomed...Marry Wes ...If he'll have you...Now that you're polluted by the demons you took

for lovers while you were diddling around your "higher plane"...

Hell, take him now if you want...On the side...I don't care...Just keep it quiet and my son happy and

I'll see you're provided for...

All of which she decided to take rather badly...Moron...But...Fearing to lose her meal ticket...Oh,

excuse me..."Wanting to watch over Connor...And uncertain as to whether I meant it or was just

upset about her acceptance of demonhood...Perhaps still bitter over what happened with Connor..."

Not to mention hoping to get a shot at dear Wes...In time...She stays on...

But more important than that, dearest Buffy...You rejected me for the Watchers' job...Me...

The spot that would have guaranteed my ticket through the pearly gates...To Darla...

Maybe I should've properly begged for it...Gotten down on my knees and pleaded...

Now...I'm back to slogging through the mudheaps of this city...Chasing after any low-life I

can...Hoping to rack up enough brownie points to win my ticket...

Lovely...

Thanks, Powers that Be...

And did I remember to send a thank-you card about my undeserved condemnation...?

Then there's Connor...My dear sweet kid...Who, thanks to You and the Fates, wound up hating me

so much he helped seal me in that damned beer can of a coffin and deep-sixing me...

And is now upset with me for the way I treat his dear stepmom...How can I be so cold and

unfeeling?...

Knowing the mother who saved him...Dying to give him life...Only as a monster my staff talks about

in whispers...And the journals and papers describe in vivid, horrifying detail...

My poor Darla...Was she any more deserving of this than William?...

Oh, yes...Double thanks, PTBs...You bastards...But I'll be revenged on you...Darla and I both...

Angelis was evil but deranged...And a slow-moving fool...I won't make his mistakes...

Yes...Miss Addams...Miss Summers...Mrs. Walthrop...he smiles gently at Buffy, thinking...If I have

to clamber around in the muck here till Judgment Day...I have no intention of letting you and Willy

scoot off to blissful happy land...

Speaking of which...

"It's nice to see Will settling in so well with all of us..." Angel notes...

Especially with Willow...

"Well...He's always been fond of Willow...Even when he went to transform her...He was sweet to

her...It's odd..." Buffy smiles a bit wanly... "She's never forgotten how nice he was, even as he was

trying to get himself to kill her..."

Always bringing it up...Whenever we discussed what to do about him...

I suppose it was William, trying to reach out to her...Angel smiles...

He must have sensed a kindred spirit...he notes...Another gentle and poetic heart...

As he did with poor Dru...

Ummn...Buffy eyes him...

Yeah, I suppose so...But...

"But...He was just being...Kind..." Angel nods...

That's his nature...And there's nothing to forgive in any of it...

"No..." Buffy stares at him... "Of course not..."

Just as you have nothing to feel guilty about regarding me...Or Riley...Cicely...he continues...

"I'm sure William understands..." Angel notes...

Just as you do...

But...If you don't mind a little advice from your old friend...he pauses...

Watch yourself, Buffy...Don't ever let doubt enter your heart...And destroy the precious thing you

and Will have now...Angel notes solemnly...

Let the past be buried with the past...

Don't let it contaminate your present with William...

"After all...It's easy to let these things build up your mind...Things which probably mean nothing..."

"Whatdaya mean... "Watch yourself...?"..."

"Oh, beware...My sweet girl..." Angel eyes her...

"Of jealousy..."

A green-eyed monster that laughs at the one it feeds on...The cuckold lives in bliss, who knowing his

fate, accepts it and loves not his wronger...But...oh...what damned minutes does he count, who dotes,

yet doubts...Suspects, yet foolishly...Loves!...

She stares at him...

"Sorry..." he grins... "A little slightly adapted Shakespeare...Liam's favorite passage..."

But it has a point, girl...he looks at her...

Don't let jealously enter your heart...Torment your soul...

Ever...

"One's much better off living in a fool's paradise...I think..." he notes...

"What the hell do you mean by that?..." Buffy eyes him...

He raises a hand...It's just...

Will...Well, Spike...Has had quite a past...But now...

You have the present...

So...Don't let it be spoiled...Letting yourself dwell on that past...

"Thanks..."Buffy replies dryly...

But Spike's "experience" was rather limited...Thanks to Will...

To Dru, Harmony...Anya...and me...

Anya...? Angel thinks...I don't remember our pride ever running into...

Oh...

Why...Spike you sly blonde dog...Angel notes to himself...

Excellent...

A faint cry off in the distance...Angel grabs his cell phone...

A staffer has picked up a vamp's thermal emissions...

"Lets go...But...Buffy, you understand...I'm only concerned for you..."

Yeah...That's fine...Lets go...she eyes him coolly...

Say...she looks at him...

"Did you think to call Cordelia yet?...She must be going out of her skull back at the office with

Fred..."

You know...he shakes his head...You're absolutely right...I completely forgot...

"Wes has probably thought of it..." he notes...

But, I should give her a call...Thanks, Buffy...he nods as Buffy stares at him...And dials...

Luckily they're in the clear now...

"Cordelia..." he calls into the phone...

Good news...Sweetheart...

Act three...

Scene three...(The Wolfram-Hart tower sub-basement...Occult Research Storage vault...)

Willow is pouring over various documents...William eyeing the stacks upon stacks of books, spells,

and boxes of implements...

"Quite a treasure trove..." he notes...

Eh...Willow shakes her head...Mostly junk...

"Looks like these high-powered lawyers just grabbed at anything they thought sounded mystical and

dangerous..."

I would bet...Judging from what I've seen so far...Seventy percent of it's useless...And nearly all the

rest is minor hocus-pocus...Giles probably has more in his store alone..." she grins...

Right, Rupert?...she calls...To a Giles on the upper balcony, likewise pouring over

materials...Having joined them after making a final sweep of the Well with Wesley...

Wesley, Connor, Gunn, and most of the AI staffers now in the sewer tunnels in the hunt for

Dru...

"It does seem rather a hodgepodge, Willow..." he agrees...

Might be worth a look at Joseph's office...While we have the chance...Willow suggests...

Why don't Will and I take a scoot up...she begins...Giles frowning...

"Well, if someone comes by...Or we set an alarm off, I'll have the world's only other human-souled

vamp to protect me..." she grins...

Actually...Giles...And Will...smile at her...

No...? Others?...Willow stares at them...

There are a couple in Europe, Giles notes...The original Dracula for one...

But they keep to themselves...Avoid all contact except when absolutely necessary...

Which is why Wolfram-Hart doesn't bother about them...They're generally not threatening their

plans...

"The original Drac?..." Willow eyes William...Then Giles...

"Well, Red...You didn't think that oily Eurotrash punk descendant was the original Impaler?..."

William smiles at her...

The King of Vamps?...Please...

A great-great grand-nephew...One of the original's last human victims...Before his cursed soul

achieved redemption...

"He achieved redemption?...Will, why didn't you tell us...?"

Spike wasn't too interested in redemption, Red...Until Buffy came into his...Our...Lives...And

nobody quite knows how ole Drac pulled it off...

Probably a special case, Willow...Giles notes...

"The original Dracula was not a vampiral victim...He demanded the vampire curse...And his soul

fully accepted the price..."

And this guy won redemption?...While you, Will...Angel, poor Dru...Willow shakes her head...

Their souls didn't require redemption, Willow...Just...Salvation...Giles smiles at William...

"Rupert?...Are you saying...That we've been Slaying...Innocent people...Who could have been

saved?..." Willow looks up at the Watcher in horror...

No, Red...William hastily cut in...

You and Buffy and Xander...All of you...Have been saving trapped souls...Freeing them in any

cases, like poor Dru's...Or mine...When they've been trapped in limbo...Or in the much more

common case, when the soul is already free...Simply destroying the monster in their shell...

Phew...Willow grins wanly...Say...

"You said two human-souled vamps...?"

The other...Well...Giles eyes William...

"She's a former Slayer...Who had rather a bad day in the sixth century...But..."

"She kinda backed into her soul restoration..." Will explains...

Actually she was intending to use a witch's spell to make all humans vampires...Then it came to

her...No humans, no human blood...So she tried to back out of the spell, as apparently she hates

being around animals...And it backfired on her...

Utterly accidental...See...She's sort of a Harmony type...Sixth century Roman Harmony type...

Still hasn't learned English yet...And tends to be more of a liability than a help...Giles notes...

But the Council watches over her and keeps her out of danger...Though no one can figure out what

she did...he concludes...

"Well...Shall we head up?...Mr. Walthrop?..." Willow beams at Will...

Absolutely...he grins...

Be careful, Rupert...she calls to him...And they moved to the sub-basement elevator...Direct access

to Joseph's office...

The doors close as they head up...

"That was what?...Three times you called him...Rupert...?" William grins at her as they rise...

Shut up...Willow glares...

Act three...

Scene four...(The sub-basement of the Wolfram-Hart office tower, night...A

storm still raging outside...)

A weary-looking Buffy confers with Connor, Wesley, and several staffers...

Drusilla seems to have evaded them all yet again...Though Angel, Gunn, and a

few others are still making their way back slowly...The searchers having fanned

out a bit earlier when they'd picked up Dru's traces at Angel's suggestion...

No sign of her since that last one faint trace...

Still, Wes cheerily points out...The evening has been a triumph...A rather easy

one...

And they've gained access to Wolfram-Hart secrets that the AI staff and the

Council have been trying to get their hands on for years...

Best of all...He grins at Buffy...Eyeing his watch...There's still an hour and

a half before sunrise...And the Council has rooms at a rather nice hotel

waiting...Including a large suite which if not an official bridal suite...

Will pass as a good imitation...

"Time for you to get on with the important things, Buffy..." he notes...

She grins back...Nodding...

Where's the Research Storage area?...she looks at him...

"Take her over, Connor..." Wes turns to him...

We'll keep a eye out for the other fellows here...Just in case...

"Buffy..." he turns back to her...

"May I be the first to officially congratulate the bride?..."

Oh...Yeah...she beams...Hugging him...

And releasing him, heads off with Connor...

"Nice girl..." a staffer smiles at Wesley...

Oh...Yes...Wes nods...

Ummn...the staffer hesitates...

"Tough break for the boss, I guess...?"

He'll get over it...Wes answers...A little coldly...

"In fact he did long ago...Remarkable facility the boss has for cutting the

ones he loves out of his heart..."

But then I suppose he had to learn it over the years he spent after recovering

his soul...And finding out the consequences of the little "happiness" detail of

the curse...

The staffer shuts up...A little...Non-plused...

No...Wes thinks, shaking his head...I've no right to judge him...To blame

him...Not me...Hell, I've only added to his sorrows even when I thought to

help...

But I can't bear to see poor Cordelia suffer...Even if it's only a lack of what

she knew Angel could not give her...That, to his credit I suppose, he warned

her about when he offered her a home with him and Connor...Love...And

happiness...

He settles back to watch the tunnel entrance...Making plans to send out a party

to sweep the local branches every few minutes until the others are safely

back...

Hope I can get a crack at those Wolfram-Hart records before we have to pull

out...he notes to himself...

Giles and Willow must be having the time of their lives in there...

The happy thought hits him...He has his own private reason to be content

tonight...

Reinstated with the Council...By the Chairman himself...

Not that he'd give up AI and LA...Still, a nice reward after all these years...

And a major potential help to the work in future...

Yes...A real night of triumph...And joy...

Act three...

Scene five...(A dark alleyway not far from the Wolfram-Hart office tower,

night...Thunderstorm raging...)

Parker waits, nervously pacing the alley...As he has been since being brought

here twenty minutes ago by Angel's contact man...Who'd left him with the

caution to be prepared to wait a while...Angel was engaged in an action...But

would come asap...

A manhole cover beside him is lifted with a rattle...He jumps...Jesus!...

Pulling a cross, and fumbling in his pocket for a bottle of holy water...

Parker's learned quite a bit about Sunnydale's nocturnal life in the past few

years in the course of gradually becoming obsessed with a girl he knew and

dumped in what he thought would never mean more than any other one-night

stand...

"Parker...?" Angel hisses...And seeing him, emerges...

I haven't got much time...he regards the cross and bottle of water...Put that

nonsense down and listen...

"The Slayer's new hubby is getting involved with another woman...In the good

ole human way, not a reversion to his demon..." Angel hastily notes...

"What?...Are you jerking my chain?..." Parker eyes him...

Willow...It seems William has had a torch for her all these years...

Willow?...

"You expect me to believe he's dumping Buffy for Willow?..."

Angel grins...Oooh...Such a premium on physical appearance...

"I always rather preferred Willow's sweet nature to Buffy's moods myself...But

I thought our little blonde Slayer was the love I'd been unconsciously

seeking...At the time...So I tried to overlook the whining and so

forth...Then..."

Though, of course...he notes...Buffy has grown up a bit since those days...

Besides...Who said anything about Will dumping Buffy...?

William's anxious to enter the twenty-first century...And has several sexual

revolutions to catch up with...

I imagine he hopes to retain a number of delightful young ladies on his dance

card...

But...Buffy is partially Cicely...A Victorian...And they don't take that sort

of thing too well...

"Yeah?...Say I still don't get that Cicely business...If she is Cicely, how

come she didn't know him right away?...And why'd she take so long?..."

Kid...When you croak, go up to the guys and gals-in-charge and ask to be

reincarnated to seek your lost love...Demand it...Tell 'em..."I'm Parker and

I deserve this one-in-a-billion reward for my wonderful service to Humanity..."

When they stop laughing and rolling on the floor...Look me up, if I'm there by

then...

Only a selfless servant of Humanity or a really maligned, innocent victim of

countless unjustified cursings gets such an opportunity...You think I'd be here

if it were that easy?...

And the alignment has to be right...She had to come back as a Slayer if she was

to have any chance of finding, catching, and freeing William...At a time when

there'd be even a faint chance of hooking up with him...

And he had to prove his fitness for her, I suppose...Angel smiles...Hanging on

for a century, in spite of everything...Just in the vague hope in his lost soul

that he'd find her again...And prove that it wasn't really her lack of love for

him that motivated her to drive him off in 1880...

As for not knowing him...You don't come back with the ole memory banks up and

running...It takes time, growth and development, and usually a fair amount of

life-shocks to get the memories flowing...

"And he'd throw that all away...For Willow...?" Parker eyes his "friend"...

"Kid, it's 2002 not 1880...Plenty of husbands and wives...And couples...Play

around...And for a former promiscuous vamp like our boy...It would only be

natural that he'd want to sow a few more oats..."

Anyway...What do you care if it's true or no...You want the Slayer, right?...

"And will pay any price to get her?...That is what you said when I ran into you

at the college party...When you recognized me from when you saw her and me that

night at her mom's tombstone..." Angel smirks...

When I was hanging round the cemetery...Hoping to catch her and say something,

anything about her mom and how sorry I was...That might make her think a little

better of me...Parker thinks...

"Well...Do you want to be the one to comfort her after her heart gets broken or

no?...I'm sure I can find another human to care for her if you don't...And

aren't prepared to go the distance to help her..."

Parker closes his eyes...And sees the object of his obsession...Beaming at him

with the smile she had given him that night...When for just a moment...The Slayer

had been all his...

Yeah...he nods...I want her...No matter what I have to do...

"Then be by...Ready to help me...I'll get word to you..."

Help...? How?...Parker eyes him...

"The human in William is out, Parky...Footloose and fancy-free...And soon,

he'll be casting his eye around...And when that happens...You and I will be around to

see that our dear Buffy sees just what she's married..."

And she may be a little more understanding of a guy who made a tragic mistake a

few years back, eh...he smiles at Parker...

"After all, turnabouts' fair play, right?...Good for the goose as well as the

gander...?"

Huh?...Parker looks at him...

The product of the twenty-first century American educational system, Angel

sighs, looking at Parker...Oh well...

If he can run around, why not her?...he explains...

Oh...Right...Hey, great, man...Parker beams...

And only fair, really...

Exactly...Call it...Our wedding present to Buffy...Cicely...Loosening up her

Victorian side at the very least...Angel grins...

Act three...

Scene six...(The Occult Research Storage vault in the Wolfram-Hart office tower

sub-basement, night...)

An exhausted-looking Giles on the upper balcony catches sight of Buffy as she

enters with Connor...

"Buffy!..." he waves...

"How's it goin' Giles...?" she looks around a bit...

"Where's Will...?" she calls...

He and Willow headed up to Joseph's office on the elevator...Giles replies,

pointing to the small elevator near the door to the vault...

"Willow wanted to check for anything useful there..."

Ah...Great...

"Wes says we should be thinking about pulling out...The cleaning and security

staff is sure to be returning by sunrise when the higher-up realize Joseph

didn't end the world tonight..." Buffy smiles up at the Watcher...

And you look awful, Giles...Time we went and took advantage of the Council's

generosity at our hotel...

"Bride of Spikenstein wants wedding night!" ...she mock growls up at him...

Ummn...Just kidding, Giles...she eyes his embarrassed look...

"Did I mention how much we both appreciated the way you guys dealt tonight?"

she quickly adds...

"The shock just hasn't worn off yet, dear girl..." Giles grins back...

We'll all be concealing doubtful and concerned looks after a night's rest, I'm

afraid...he calls down, a wry smile on his face...

"I understand..." she nods...

But I am happy, Giles...

"I know, my dear...And I am happy for you...Truly..." he smiles wanly at her...

Well...he eyes his pile of notes and the stacks a little reluctantly...

"Yes...Indeed my dear, I think it's time we were heading out..." he nods...

"I'll zip up and fetch my absent groom..." she smiles...

Hold it up a minute, Buffy...Connor asks...

I'd like to see the office of Mr. Evil myself...Just let me give Dad a ring and

see how he's doing...

Buffy nods and throws the elevator hold switch...

Act three...

Scene seven...(The rather palatial office of senior partner Joseph on the top

floor of the Wolfram-Hart tower, night...)

Willow is seen, intently hunched over a computer keyboard, eyeing a screen...

While William hovers round, peering into everything he can find...Rather

cluelessly...

"Anything yet?..." he asks hopefully...

Not yet...Willow shakes her head...

"There's only a couple of hours at best until dawn..." he notes...

Just a little longer, Will...

"I want this as much as you, you know...And I have two compelling reasons

now..." she quickly cast a smile at him...He nods...

"Hard to believe...All this time...Tara was poor Dru's sweet soul..." he shakes

his head...

She was anxious for your forgiveness...Willow glances at him again...

"Nothing to forgive, poor tormented sweet..." he smiles at her...

I never blamed her, Willow...

"Thank you...William..." Willow nods...A tear running...

She hesitates as she continues her work...William returning to his rummaging

through Joseph's closets...

"Will..." she eyes him... "I'm sorry...We should've tried to help you long

ago..."

You let me live, Willow...Gave me my chance to find my Cicely...Buffy...

Maybe...she nods...But I think of Amy...Maybe plotting against us out

there...In a rage at us for not helping her...And I think...Why didn't we try

harder?...Hell, we never even made a serious effort to go beyond the curse for

Angel...

"You lot were a bit preoccupied with saving Sunnydale and the world most of

that time, remember?..." he smiles at her, pausing as he pulls at a box...

As for Amy...Well, when we get home...We'll have a go at her...Try to get her

to get some help...

You know...Confidentially, Red...he grins...I think the Slayer is getting to

like this "redemption" business even better than Slaying...He frowns at the

stuck box and pulls...

It pops out and crashes to the floor...

A moving light in the corridor...Oh-oh...

"Will...I think some of the security people are back in the building..." Willow

hisses, watching the light come closer...

Elevator?...he eyes her...

"Try it..."

He runs to the elevator and presses a button...Nothing...

Lovely...

The sound of voices...At least two...A key rattling in the door...

Human...Will hisses...I can't fight them...

"Get down under the desk..." Willow hisses back...

Magics...? Red...? Will eyes her a little reprovingly...

Better than magics...she grins...

Get down...And let your feet stick out from the desk...

What?...

"Just follow my lead...Wes told me this Joseph has quite a rep as a ladies

man..."

What?...But he goes down...Hiding all but his feet under the desk...

Willow musses her hair and undoes her blouse a little...

The guards enter...Looking grim...Guns at the ready...

"Who the hell are you?..."

Oh...Hi...Willow smiles her best seductive smile at them...

Boss and I are working late...she grins...

"Joseph...We got company..." she coos...

"Damn...Grrr...Get out, morons!..." Will moves his feet and growls in a deep

base...

The guards look at each other...

Ummn...Just checking sir...The overnight staff is just returning...

"Fine, fine...get out!..."

Bye guys...Willow waves...

"God...I thought he'd take a break for tonight at least...What with the

temporary evac and all..." the older of the guards sighed at his partner...

Too bad the front desk was unmanned...He usually leaves word there not to be

disturbed...the guard noted...

Nice-looking girl...the younger guard notes...Little less hard-faced than his

usual...

He does like his red-heads, though...

The elevator soared up with a rush...High-speed express...For those moments

when you really have to run...From Angel or angry demons...Feds...Or irate fellow

partners...

The door opens with a whoosh...While Willow is buttoning up...

"Buffy?...Hi...We had a leetle trouble...Security..."

Hello, darling...Will calls from under the desk...

Buffy and Connor blink at each other...

"We've got to go, Buf...Security's back in the building..." Willow notes...As

she finishes...

Just a little play-acting for the guards...she grins at Connor...

"Come on Will, time to scram..." Willow calls to William...Who pulls himself

out...

She gives him a slight grin...Eyeing a computer disk...

Red...You are beautiful...his joyful look says...

Buffy still eyeing them...And blinking...

As Connor pulls his phone and calls for an immediate retreat...

"Red was amazing...As always..." Will grins at his bride...Who stares...

Lets...Amscray...Willow pounds the elevator button...

"Your blouse buttons are out of alignment..." Buffy notes to Willow...A little

sternly as they begin their descent...

Oops...Carried away by the passion of the moment...Willow grins...

Connor...she points...

And you, she prods Will...Turning them both around and rebuttoning...

All well down below?...William asks Buffy as he pecks her on the cheek...

Yeah...Fine...Just...Fine...Buffy nods...

No luck with your old girl though...she looks at William...

Phew...Thinks Willow, clutching the precious disk...

And grinning again at Will...A grin which Buffy catches...

"Time for us to get to the hotel and finally cut that wedding cake..." Willow

smiles at Buffy...

Who nods...A little wanly...

Yeah...

She takes Will's hand...He strokes her hair with the other...

Oh, yeah...she smiles...Brushing off...Whatever had crossed her heart for a

moment...

Just a busy night...The Cicely memories rushing in...Angel with his well-meant

"advice"...

Ridiculous to even think about it...She snuggles into Will's embrace...

"Alls over for tonight..." Willow grins to Connor...

Newlywed mode...

Act three...

Scene eight...(A downtown LA hotel...Early morning, first streaks of dawn...)

Buffy and Will are seen standing together in their suite, an exhausted but triumphant group of AI

personnel, Wesley, Giles, Willow, Connor, Angel, Gunn, Fred, and Cordelia smiling at them...The

bridal pair, nuptials finally getting a little proper celebration at last...At 5:55 am...

"Guys..." Buffy smiles wearily... "This is great...I love you all..."

Now get out...Willow finishes for her...With a wide grin...

Buffy grins back...And, sheepishly, nods...

"That's about the size of it...But I hope you know..."

When to get lost...Connor grins at her...

Will patting her shoulder...But looking a tad nervous...

"We'd better go..." Willow eyes him... "Your new hubby looks like he's about to try to find a zillion

reasons for us to stay..."

My new hubby...Buffy grins at Willow who grins back...God, what a year...

Yeah...Buffy nods, smiling at him...He does have the "nervous groom" look to him...

William rolls his eyes...

But the Slayer does not allow for any backing off...she notes...

"Especially a part Victorian Slayer...The ball and chain is firmly locked on your ankle, Walthrop..."

she smiles at him...

"Got it?" she eyes him firmly...

"Oh yeah..." he grins, sighing...To the general amusement...

"Ok..." Buffy smiles archly, nodding...

"Well..." Giles comes over... "Just two more things...And we'll leave you..."

First...William...He eyes him sternly...

"From what Buffy has told us of Cicely and you in 1880, you are a courageous and decent

man...Therefore, given your soul's return...I am entrusting the only..." he pauses a bit, smiling

gently at Buffy, some tears in her eyes...And his... "The only daughter I ever had..." he fights off his

emotion... "To you...So..."

Don't let me down, Randall...he grins at him...

And to make your first day together a little more memorable...If that's possible...

He hands Will a paper...

"Read it...Slowly..."

Will stumbles over the words a bit, but gives a surprisingly good pronunciation of the Latin...

A couple of years at Cambridge before my death he explains...

Giles...? Buffy eyes him...

"A little something from the Wolfram-Hart archives..." he smiles at her...

Oh...

Hopefully not something to make him dissolve, revert, or turn gay...she thinks a hair nervously...

"So..." Will looks up from the paper...

Now...?

Willow beams at Giles...She didn't quite get all of it but...Enough...

"Now...Take your bride out on the balcony for a look at the sunrise..." Giles smiles at him...

"Giles..." Buffy gasps...

"It's not permanent, Buffy...A little effort by the Wolfram-Hart types to allow some of their

vampiral operatives to act in daylight...But it should be effective for the best part of two hours...And

it can be repeated once or twice in a day..."

"Rupert..." Will blinks at him, floored... "I don't know what to say...I..."

"Just be careful using it...You should get some warning as it starts to fade but don't ever be caught

too far away from shelter...The Council would not want to lose its newest and most unique Watcher,

Mr. Walthrop..."

Buffy burst into tears...Oh...

"My dear...I didn't mean to..." Giles looks a little stricken...

"No...No...Giles...You don't understand...You see...Oh..." she has to pause...Memories

overwhelming her...

"We never saw a sunrise together back in 1880..." Will explains...

Our little affair had to be kept secret from her family...She always had to leave well before sunrise...

Buffy nods, burying her face in Will's shoulder as the gang stare...

So...It's really true...Willow thinks...She is Cicely Addams...And this has been a love story that's

lasted more than a century...

So...Angel thinks...It was all a lie...Everything she offered me...Belonged to William...

Just a leetle case of mistaken identity, eh Cicely...?

"Thank you..." Will says, simply... "All of you..."

He looks at them all...Holding his new...Or, newly regained...wife...

"I promise you...I will do everything I can to try to live up to what Buffy...And

Cicely...Deserve...Though I probably will never come close..."

"So...Is this what you went upstairs to Joseph's office for...?" Buffy whispers to Willow, coming

over for a last hug...

No, no...Utterly and solely Giles' gift, Buf...Willow shakes her head...

Angel...Giles turns to him, handing a second sheet...

"For you...And Cordelia...With my compliments...And the same warning..."

"Thank you, Giles..." Angel smiles at him... "This is...Unbelievable..."

Nice of you to finally do something for me, Watcher...After you all abandoned me once I was safely

cursed again...he thinks...

Thanks, Giles...Cordelia puts an arm around Angel...Who turns to smile at her...

"Well, boy..." he looks at a rather floored Connor...

"Shall we go see the sunrise...?"

Act three...

Scene nine...(Outside the LA hotel chosen for the gang's overnight stay, early morning after dawn...)

Angel stands alone on the street...Wonderingly looking about him...

Having asked wife and son to allow him a brief solo stroll...After witnessing the LA dawn for the

first time...On their room balcony with them by his side...

But his heart is not full of joy...Even if he had dared allow it...

A couple of hours in the sun...Every day I grant you, he thinks...But...

That's my reward...My redemption prize...

From dear ole Giles...Who probably choked within, giving it to me...The least he could do for me,

all right...Never trusting me before or after Angelis, always pressuring Buffy to see my flaws and the

hopelessness of any future with me...

But treating Will like a long-lost son...On the strength of a probably-crazed Buffy's past-life

memories, a few skillfully executed and likely well-planned "noble deeds" by Spike (nothing

Angelis couldn't have topped in his day) , and some magical evidence of a soul...

There is Connor of course...Darla's dying gift to me...The living proof of our love...

But that gift marred thanks to good old Wes...Another "friend" who had no faith in me...

My boy's childhood stolen from him...And me...

And of course there's my dear Cordelia...Shattered by her brief demon existence...Lonely and

desperate enough even to accept me on my terms...

And should I then smile on the Powers That Be for their little jokes on me?...Take it without

complaint like some twenty-first century human-souled vampiral Job?...

Or should I have my own laugh at them?...And their favored ones...

The seeds are planted...I saw Buffy's face last night when I mentioned William's...er Spike's, of

course...Past with Dru...And who knows how many others...

Our Buffy...Cicely is a jealous Slayer wife, no question...

If I can just push things along in the right direction...I'll yet be revenged on them...With her thanking

me from the bottom of her cheap little heart for it...

Ain't love grand?...

But the problem now is...How to fan those little embers of fear and doubt into a flame?...

A red-headed one...

Well...Dear Willow is desperate to free our Dru's human soul...Tara-Dru's, if the vision and story

wasn't some crazy new game of demonic Dru's...As well as help William win full Humanity...

And the Sunnydalers are still skittish around her with regards to her little magics binge...

While she's clearly still fighting to establish control over her abilities...Pretty successfully thanks in

part to Rupert, but not by any means absolute...

Hmmn...If I could get her to indulge her old ways a little...Strictly along the lines of helping restore

her dear Tara and good ole Will...And arrange for the others to find out...

Buffy...And the others would waste no time in believing her capable of anything...Oh, they'd make

their noises about wanting to help her... Still "being there for her"...

But they'd start her watching constantly again...Looking for the signs and portents of evil...

As all of them...Even Wes and Cordy, who've known me for years...Watch me...Constantly...Until

now...Now when I finally choose to give them something worth watching out for...

Buffy only too happy to let suspicion of Willow briefly substitute for her buried suspicions of her

dear William...

And what would be surprising in Willow turning for comfort to the other "outsider" in their little

band?...

In such a scenario there'd be plenty of opportunities for Buffy to see...Something...Going on between

our lonely Wiccan and her own dear Willy boy...

She'd just need someone...A dear and loving old friend, say...To help her see things clearly...

And suggest an appropriate course of action...

It's what a dear and loving old friend does, after all...

Act three...

Scene ten...(The lobby of the LA hotel where the combined AI-Sunnydale gang is resting after their

all night efforts, mid-afternoon...)

Giles is seen, seated, obviously awaiting someone...Wes beside him...

Chairman Travers and Amelia Walthrop-Hunt enter the lobby from the front street

entrance...Having come up from Sunnydale to debrief the team...

"Rupert..." Travers extends a hearty handshake...

"An excellent job...You, too, Wesley...My warmest congratulations..."

"Hardly deserving of praise, sir..." Wesley pauses... "Our enemies more or less abandoned the field

without a fight..."

Please, my young friend...To win easily is a blessing we should simply be grateful for...Travers eyes

him...

"And if they "abandoned the field"...It was only because they sensed the strength of their opponents,

I'm sure..." he nods...

"Alls well at Sunnydale?..." Giles asks...

"Apart from young Miss Summers being rather annoyed at the Harrises for not allowing her to miss

school and come with us...Yes..." Travers smiles...

"Are Buffy and...Mr. Walthrop...Well...?" Ms. Walthrop-Hunt asks...

"Far as the battle went, just fine...However as to the rest..." Wesley grins...

Rupert has been doing his dutiful best to avoid checking on them...

Act three...

Scene eleven...(Willow's hotel room, mid-afternoon...)

Willow is seated at a hotel-provided laptop, intently engaged in the study of the disk she'd brought

back from Wolfram-Hart that morning...

A knock at the door...She goes over to find a beaming Angel...

"Hey..." she grins...

Let me close my curtains...Unless...? she eyes him...

"Well, the second reading is still holding..." he smiles back...

But no need to chance it...

Having secured the curtains, Willow waves her guest to a chair...

"What's up?..." he nods at the computer...

You find something interesting last night?...

"Hmmn...Maybe..." she grins...

Ah...he smiles...A surprise...

For Buffy and Will?...

Could be...she eyes him...

"Maybe for you too, Angel..."

Oh...God...Guess that preety much gives it away...she makes a frown, but then grins...

"Didn't hear a thing..." he grins back...

"So..." she takes her seat at the computer...

"How was the sunrise?..."

"I'd forgotten how beautiful it could be...Even in LA smog..." he replies solemnly...

Movie sunrises don't do it justice...Not even IMAX ones...he smiles...

"Congrats, Angel..." she beams... "I'm so glad for you...Just be careful with the ceremony..." she

notes...

I will...And I have Cordy and Connor to watch over me when the other guys aren't...he nods...

Cordy...Willow thinks...

"Angel...About Cordelia..."

"She's not very happy, Willow...I know..." he shakes his head...

It was probably very selfish of me to ask her to marry me...But at the time we needed each other...

I...And Connor...Still do...And I hope she does...

"But I know it's been hard for her...I can't give her the full love she deserves..." he notes sadly...

Much as I do care for her...And wish I could take the risk of the happiness it would bring me...

"Well...If what I've got here really works..." she pauses...

That would be incredible, Willow...Angel eyes her...

"You really think...?"

Gotta look it over throughly...Plus I can't really test it...Though I'll have Giles look at it...

"Do you think Giles will go along with it?...In time to save Tara?..."

In time...? Willow stares at him...

"You said she was being pulled back into limbo..."Angel points out...

Dru is struggling to get her hold back on her...Out of some weird mix of loneliness and malice, no

doubt...

I hate the thought of her soul suffering more...Angel notes...Looking at the curtains...

"But if Giles is inclined to caution on this one...She's likely to be trapped with that pathetic maniac

for a while..."

Rup does kinda lean that way...Willow thinks...

Considering...This...he nods at the computer...I'm glad we didn't catch Dru last night...

"It does seem like it's easier if the vamp body is still around...Sort of an anchor for the soul, once the

demon is expelled..." Willow nods...

"But...If Tara...Dru?..." he pauses... "Must suffer more...I'd rather we stake Dru and take our

chances at reviving Tara...Or Tara-Drusilla...From spirit as Darla was..."

"Isn't there any way you could try to test the spell out?...In part, at least..." Angel eyes her...

Willow looks down...

"Magics and me haven't agreed very well lately, Angel...Giles does the magic works now except in

real emergencies...I'm just the research end of the business now..."

He trusted in your control last night...Angel points out...

"Only as the last resort..." Willow shakes her head...

Well...he nods...I understand...

"And I suppose...You're a little torn...Given Giles and all..." he pauses...

She blinks at him...

Geesch...I'm that obvious...? she thinks...

Ummn...

"Rupert's a lucky man...If he knows..."Angel smiles...

"We...I haven't..." she hesitates... "There's nothing between us...Just teacher and pupil..."

And psychiatrist...she grins wanly...

Though...It is true that I've been...Thinking about it...she sheepishly continues...

"You should act on it...Go for the here and now...If you're ready to let go of Tara..." Angel looks at

her...

"You can't do better than Giles...If he has the sense to take you up on it..."

As for Tara...We'll help her as soon as we can...

"Forgive me for pushing it...I just naturally..." he pauses...

"There's a lot I have to regret regarding her...I hope you understand..."

Yeah...she nods...

Well...he sighs, rising...I was going to ask you if we could check on things that might help...But you

seem to have the solution here at hand...

"If only we could make use of it...And give her the shot at life she deserves..."

He heads for the door, pausing at it...

See if you can get Giles to see how important it is to Tara to get moving on this, Willow...Please?...

"I'll speak to him myself, but coming from you it might have more weight..." he eyes her...

Well, gotta get back...he smiles, pausing...

"Will and I...Family men...Hard to believe, eh...?"

Not all that tough, really...she smiles back...

I'll speak to Rupert asap...Bye Angel...she nods...

And stares at the screen...

Tara's shot at life...

Act three...

Scene twelve...(Lobby of the downtown LA hotel where the gang is staying...Early evening...)

Buffy steps off the elevator, in quite a nice dress...Followed by the new hubs in a rather dashing

suit...Courtesy charge account of the Council of Watchers...and his newly rediscovered niece, grand

times four, Ms. Walthrop-Hunt who has spent the last hour "catching up" with her relative and his

new bride...

Giles, Wesley, Angel, and Connor await them in the lobby...All rather well decked out...

For a celebratory dinner at a nearby four-star restaurant, likewise courtesy the Council...And its

immensely pleased Chairman, currently en route to rejoin them after consulting with LA-based

Council staff...

"Isn't Cordy coming...?" Buffy eyes Angel as she, Amelia, and Will come up to the waiting group...

"Mom's still getting ready..." Connor smiles...

Hasn't had an excuse to really deck out in quite a while...he notes...

"She'll be down presently..." Angel nods...But...

Willow?...

"I dunno...She hasn't come down yet?..." Buffy looks around...

"She was hard at it when I stopped by her place earlier...Probably still up to her ears in research..."

Angel grins...Turning to Giles...

"You might give your top researcher a break once in a while, Giles..."

Willow was very anxious about this particular project...Giles nods...

"Nothing dangerous, however..." he hastily adds, noting Buffy's worried look...One matched by her

husband's...

My God...They are growing into each other...he thinks...Looking at the pair...

"Maybe I'd best run up and get her moving..." Buffy notes...

She'll stay there all evening if somebody doesn't roust her out...

"I'll head up with you..." Will turns toward the elevator...

Nah...Buffy shakes her head...Let me go...

"Wil probably got half-dressed and then got lost in her files again...She'd just be embarrassed if we

both come aknockin'..."

Consult with your new boss...she grins at Giles...

"Mr. Watcher..." she kisses Will and heads to the elevator...

"Wait, Buffy..." Angel calls...

I'd best get my own Missus moving...Let me ride up with you...

She holds the door and he rushes in...

"So..." Connor asks the question on all of their minds as the elevator door closes...

Married life workin' for you, Will?...

"Oh yeah..." Walthrop grins...

No doubt about it...

"Yes, a great institution...Marriage..." he notes expansively...

"Really..." Giles eyes him coolly...

The little blonde soul-restored freak who'd stolen his little girl...

Well, perhaps justifiably...If the Cicely tale really was true...Which it seemed to be...

Still, no reason for the boy to get too comfortable too quickly...

Buffy Summers...His closest thing to an adopted daughter...Is not to be taken for granted...

Even by the century-long tormented husband of her previous existence...

Act three...

Scene thirteen...(Floor of the gang's hotel rooms in their downtown LA hotel...Evening)

The elevator door opens and Buffy emerges, followed by Angel...

"Yes..." Buffy continues...With the exact expression Will had been wearing...

"Marriage is a great institution..."

Indeed...Angel nods...

She strides over to Willow's door...Angel turning slowly toward his own room...Reaching it just as

Buffy completes a second series of bangs and gives a reasonably loud..."Willow!"...

Willow opens her door...A bit disoriented...

Wil...? Buffy eyes her...Frowning...

She could swear...She saw...Black...In those eyes...

For just a moment...

"Oh...Hi, Buffy...Ummn...Wanta come in?..."

"Dinner...? Willow?...Remember...?" Buffy glares a bit...

Oh...Yeah...Ummn...

Just a mo...she shuts the door...

"Anything wrong...?" Angel calls up to Buffy...Having rapped at his door to receive Cordy's own

anxious... "One minute..."

"No..." Buffy replies, a bit curt...

Just fine...

Willow emerges, a dress of sorts hastily thrown on...

"Hey...All set..."

Buffy sighs...And notches the glare intensity up a bracket...

"Shoes, Wil?..."

Oh...Willow looks at her bare feet...

Yeah...

"Why don't you come on in for a minute...?" Willow eyes her...

Yeah...Buffy frowns at her...

"Why don't I?..."

Cordelia emerges to catch Buffy's angered look as she enters Willow's room...

"Anything wrong?..." she hisses to Angel...

He waves his hands...A little out of the Buffy-Willow loop these days, honey...

"This is a dress I'm wearing..." she looks at him...

"And wearing...Like a true member of the Angel family..." he replies gallantly...

For just a minute...The grateful smile she flashes at him touches his heart...Just barely...

"You do look wonderful, Cordelia..." he smiles at her...

Thank you...she smiles back...Kissing him...

Well...Guess we'd best watch it...she notes...

Too many good things happening today...Don't want to push it...she grins at him...

No...he shakes his head...

We don't...

I could be happy with her...he thinks...If only...

If only the Powers That Be had given me half the chance they gave Spike...

Well...This vengeance on them will be for you too, darling...he notes to himself, eyeing her...

Buffy emerges from Willow's room, slamming the door...

And stalks over to the elevator...

They look at her...

"Willow isn't feeling well...She can't come...Lets go..." she says in a tight, clipped voice...

Cordy eyes Angel...Who gives the faintest shrug...

"Why don't I talk with her...?" Angel smiles at Buffy...

I hate to leave her alone like this...

"Whatever you like..." Buffy frowns as the elevator opens...

"Why don't you go down with Buf...?" he turns to Cordy...

I'll see if I can make Willow feel a little better...Be down in a sec...

Act three...

Scene fourteen...(Willow's hotel room...)

A still disoriented Willow eyes Angel sheepishly...

"I guess I blew it...Big time..." she sighs...

How could've I have been so stupid...?

"You wanted to help Tara, Willow..." Angel eyes her...

Magics...she eyes the computer screen bitterly...

I nearly killed everyone I loved...And what do I do at the first temptation...?

I blow it...

"All you did..." Angel begins...

"...was just a little testing...I know..." she frowns...

But look at me...I'm practically juiced up...

And Buffy...God...She'll never forgive me...With good reason...

"Damn it...What's wrong with me?...Do I want to prove what a loser I can be?...Kill everyone who

loves me?..."

You want the one you love back...At any price...Angel notes...

I can understand that...

"You're a good guy, Liam..." she grins... "If I may be so forward as to use the old first name..."

"Long overdue...If I may be so forward..." he smiles back...

Oh...she sobs suddenly...What am I gonna do?...

What's Giles gonna say to me?...I've let him down so badly...

"He won't be too hard on you, Willow...You know he's an old softy deep down..." Angel pats her

shoulder...

"But...I wanted so bad to prove...Prove myself to him..."

It's not just that he'll be disappointed...He'll know why I did it...

That I haven't gotten over Tara...

I know it's not fair...To him or Tara...But...I love him too, Angel...

I don't want to hurt him...And I couldn't bear losing him...

"I can understand that too, Willow..." he eyes her...

She nods...

I guess you can at that...

"Listen, Willow...All you have to do is make Buffy realize why you were doing...What you were

doing..." Angel points out...

She'll put things right with Giles...

Hah...she shakes her head...Buffy stormed out of here the minute she saw what I had on the

computer...Wouldn't even let me try to explain...

Well...he frowns...Buffy has had a rough time recently...But she'll listen to William...If you go

through him...

"You think so...?" Willow eyes him...

Sure...Speak to Spike...er Will...And ask him to intercede for you with Buffy...

He can make quite a case regarding what lengths a person may go to regarding his or his true love...

Willow winced at that...

"I guess you must see me as pretty fickle..." she sighs...

No...Moi?...Please...

I loved...Or thought I loved...Buffy...Only to realize it was Darla I was hunting for in her...

But that doesn't stop me from loving Cordelia as well...he notes...

"There's nothing wrong in it...And in Eternity I'm sure the Angel who loves Darla...And the one

who loves Cordelia will each find happiness with them...As will the Willow who loves Tara...And

the part of her who loves one Rupert Giles..."

But...For now...Speak to Will...Let him speak for you to Buffy...

"I'll head down and see if I can get her not to speak to Giles...At least for tonight..."

Thank you...Willow nods at him...

As for you, madam...Bed...

You'd better be at your best tomorrow for your audience with his Watcherness...he grins...

And her Slayerness...

She chuckles a bit at that...Our royal couple...And preety clearly aware of it, too...she can't help

grinning to him...

"We'll give 'em a coronation before you all head home..." he smiles back, heading over to the

door...

Or...Maybe...A royal funeral...he thinks...Coldly...

"Don't worry..." he grins at her...As he pauses at the door...

Act three...

Scene fifteen...(Lobby of the downtown LA hotel, evening)...

Cordy and Buffy stand with William, Amelia Walthrop-Hunt, Giles, Wesley, and Connor in the

lobby...

The others had caught Buffy's grim and angry mood as Cordy explained Willow's sudden attack of

illness...And dissuaded Giles from going up to her...

Not the magics again...Wesley sighs to himself...

Angel emerges from the elevator...

"Willow ok?..." Will eyes him...

A little better...But still feeling too ill for dinner...

"She wants us to go and have a good time though...And will call for us to bring her back something

if she feels better later..." he smiles...

Chairman Travers enters the lobby...

Angel slipping over to Buffy...Who eyes him...

"Well, people...I think it's high time someone showed you all a little appreciation..." Travers

beams...

Shall we go...?

"Hold off things for now, Buffy..." Angel whispers to her...

Please...It was just a slip-up...Don't speak to Giles just yet...

She frowns, but nods...

Angel hasn't had this good a time in...God I don't know...Cordy happily noted later to William as

the group returned to the lobby after quite a grand meal...

He was about as close to true happiness as I'd ever want him to get...Under the circumstances...she

beamed over to where her husband stood, out of earshot...

And looking...If not happy...Certainly profoundly content...

Buffy, the Slayer of Sunnydale...

Archived at .com/buffyrebecca...

PG-13...One or two violent scenes...

Disclaimer: All BTVS characters remain the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant

Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series...

Summary: The Buffyized version of a certain Shakespeare play...

Basically...Spike's back...William-souled...

And Buffy and Spike seek to marry...Over mucho opposition...

Giles returning too late to stop them...Fearing tragedy, even with Will's soul restored...

While the Brooding One...Out of his submersible casket, more or less reconciled with

Connor...Hearing of the happy news even as he returns from LA with news of a pending Apocalypse,

courtesy Wolfram-Hart, Inc...Is not utterly delighted for his old friends...

Suggested theme (Romeo and Juliet)

Act four...

Scene one...( Roof of the downtown LA hotel where the gang is staying...Early morning...)

A tired but jubilant William stands on the roof, near the pool area...Watching his second sunrise in

122 years...Willow standing next him, unable to resist smiling at his boyish happy face...

And hesitant to interrupt his joyful reverie...But she did have something behind her request to join

him in his early morning stroll up here...

After he'd left his exhausted...(Wait, Will honey...I'll be right...Zzzz...) wife sleeping in their room...

Tired as he was as well...He just couldn't miss a second chance to see sunrise...

Just too fearful all of it might be nothing more than a happy dream, he'd explained to Willow when

he'd found her nervously pacing the hallway and invited her along...

"Look at it Willow..." he smiles...

Isn't it the most beautiful thing in the world next to my Buffy...? he shielded his eyes just a bit,

watching the clouds catching pink, red, and gold fire from the white-hot orb of the sun...

"This must be a dream..." he sighs, eyeing her...

It has to be...And pray God I never wake up...

"It's no dream, Walthrop..." Willow grins at him... "As you'll find out when the Council starts

making you work off whatever this little sojourn is costing them..."

And you start trying to make sense of Buffy and Dawn's finances back home...

For some reason that bit of normalcy hit him the hardest...He bursts into tears...

Willow in horrified shock...

Ummn...Will...Ummn...

Look, it's not that bad...Buf's just a leetle behind on some bills...

He waves a hand...Trying to regain control...

"Sorry...Just..." he pauses...

Too much too fast he notes...

I'm afraid my human self always was the emotional type...he smiles...

"After all these years..." he sighs...

"I never thought anything so beautiful could still come to me...That I really could find Cicely

again..."

That she'd still love me...In spite of everything I...

"Spike..." Willow replies sharply...

What Spike did, Will...

And what he did...Anyone's demon would do...Even my poor Tara's...As we now know...

"Let go of the past, William...You can't change it...At least not for now..." she grins...

Though I understand Angel's Fred has done some theoretical work...And there was an interesting

article recently in Discover...

If we could get our hands on a black hole...Or maybe that bastard Mears' old time warping device...

He smiles at her...Red...

He pulls out a scarf-handkerchief from his pocket and wipes his face a bit...

Hmmn...he frowns at it...

"Buffy will kill me if she learns I used this like this..." he notes to Willow...

"Beautiful scarf..." Willow nods, eyeing it...

"Do you know what it is...?" he looks at her...

Travers got it for her...From England...And she gave it to me last night...After somehow managing to

stitch her name on it in the restaurant bathroom...

"It's very old...Isn't it?..." Willow gasps as she looks at one corner...

Where two names, one neatly embroidered, the other hastily and messily stitched in, can be read...

Cicely Addams Walthrop...Buffy Summers-Walthrop...

"It was Cicely's..." she looks at him...

William nods...

Some bastard on the Council of her time...Assigned to follow her, by the same Watcher who

arranged my little Drusilla accident, no doubt...Took what loose items he could bribe the hospital

workers at the London hospital where she died to give him...He turned what he got over to the

Council...

"Guess they were afraid she'd left an incriminating diary or something..." he stares out over the

rooftop, grimly...

Couldn't let the good name of the CoW be besmirched...

"But I suppose I should be grateful to the little skunk for robbing my poor wife's corpse...And the

Council for locking all of the stuff they had on her away..." he looks back at her, with a wan smile...

"It's beautiful, Will..." now it was Willow's turn to tear up a bit...

Even Buffy's lousy needlework...she chuckles at him through her tears...

And now I've gone and ruined it...I was supposed to be careful with it...he sighs...

"It's just a little...Water...And some oil and dirt from your hands...Old things like that mess up

easy..." Willow looks at the scarf...

Here, let me take it...I know where I can get it cleaned for you...

"Thanks..."he nods...Handing it over...

But do not lose it...The Missus would kill us both...

"Guard it with my life..." she nods...

Now...Will...I...Ummn...

"Didn't get up at dawn to come here solely for the pleasure of my company..." he grins at her...

I get it, Red...he nods...

"You want me to speak to Buffy...About last night..."

Well...

"Hell, Willow...I've already started...You were doing it for me as much as Tara..."

But...he sighs...Buffy...Cicely...Is a strong-minded woman on this one...

"She's genuinely afraid for you, dear heart..."

Plus...he eyes her sheepishly...I couldn't quite bring myself to tell her everything...About our little

surprise gift...

"Don't..." Willow hastily noted...

We mustn't get her hopes up too quick...

And I had promised not to try it myself...It was stupid of me...

"But I was just so..." she looks away...

"God, Will...I'm so fucked up..."

She bursts into tears...He puts an arm around her...

Red...My poor girl...

"I love them both, Will...I don't want to hurt him...But when I saw the chance to get Tara back..."

Not that Giles and I have...she hastily interjected...I mean...There's been nothing...Said between us...

"Oh..." Will grins sardonically at her... "I wouldn't say that, Willow...After all...With us Brits all it

takes is a little squeeze of the hand...An affectionate glance...A little expressed concern or

confidence...And you are committed for life..."

Cicely and I took one boat ride one Sunday...Engaged by the time we came back...

And here we are a century later...

"So...I'm a faithless female cad...?" Willow smiles up at him through her tears...

Totally fickle...Will nods...

But I think Rupert will make allowances...

"Though, Red..." he eyes her... "You will have to make up your mind someday...We Brits are

tolerant and patient fellows but someday...Years from now...Rupert will want to know if you'd

consider...Not that he'd demand...But for the kiddies' sake...Formalizing things..."

Having Tara around could make it difficult...

Yeah...Willow sighs...I guess...

"Kiddies?..." she looks at him, blinking...

Act four...

Scene two...(Buffy and Will's hotel bedroom...About an hour after dawn...)

Buffy sleeping in the bed, arms akimbo, awakes with a start...Feeling for her hubby...

"William...?" she looks, blinking back the sleep in her eyes...

No William...Slayer senses kick in immediately...

"William...?" she scans the bed, the room...

Open curtains...Holy...!...she rips the bedcovers...

No empty pjs...No ashes...Phew!...

"Marry a vampire...Even human-souled...Expect stress and the need for heart medication..." she

notes wryly to herself...

Gone out, obviously...Probably to see the dawn...Pray God with the good sense to have reread Giles'

protective spell...

Hopefully with the intent of bringing back some coffee and muffins as well...

Nice of him to let me sleep...Though he might have given me the option of seeing dawn no. 2 with

him...

Unless he did and I passed right back out on him...

Well...Maybe I can still catch him...Roof probably...

Hmmn...she rises and eyes herself in the large mirror in their open closet...Not bad...For hastily

ordered nightgown...

Hmmn...Roof...And it's still only 7am...The roof might be...Vacant...

Rooftop romance...What a neat surprise...And with just that bit of danger zest the Slayer and her

resouled hubby like...

Robe...Slippers...Whoa, brush those teeth, Summers...

Flower in the hair?...Oh, yeah...she grins and grabs one from the bouquet set up courtesy Giles

before their return from the restaurant the previous evening...

Wait...A leetle Cicely decorum...That proper touch of Victorian dignity...she eyes herself once last

time...

Yep...All the decorum I...Cicely...used...That Sunday in 1880...When I took him to cousin Henry's

cottage and gave him the screwing of his life...

Always intending to ask him to marry me, of course...

God, memory's a wonderful thing...

And marriage a wonderful, wonderful institution...

Act four...

Scene three...(Hallway of the gang's hotel floor...Early morning...)

Buffy in nightgown, a single pink carnation in her hair, moves towards the stairway to the roof...

Angel emerges from the hotel elevator...Bearing coffee and muffins...

Couldn't resist the chance for an early morning stroll, he smiles at a beaming Buffy...

And the chance to see Willow and your new hubby headed for the roof together...he thinks...Having

suggested Willow try to catch the sure to be dawn-bound William the previous evening...

"Heading for the roof?..." he smiles at her...

She nods...Will's up there already, I think...

Ummn...she looks down at her nightgown...

"Newlyweds' privilege..." Angel grins...And not a word will be gotten out of me...he puts a finger to

his lips...

"But let me walk you up...If you don't mind my taking one quick look myself..."

Buffy stares...

"At the morning view, Summers..." he wags a finger...

We're a couple of respectable married types here, you know...

Very ordinary and dull types...Despite our obsession with the dead and the mystical...

Act four...

Scene four...(The hotel rooftop...Early morning...)

Buffy and Angel emerge from the stairway to the roof...To find Willow standing by William...

"Buffy..." Will calls...

She blinks at them...Will?...Willow?...

Angel smiles quietly...Nodding to Willow...

Such a nice couple they make...

"You didn't wake me..." Buffy eyes Will as she comes over to him...

"Thought you'd want to sleep in a bit after last night, dear heart..." he smiles at her...Putting an arm

around her shoulders...

Willow...she nods at her...A bit coolly...

"Thanks for giving William some company..."

"Buffy...I hope you know I'm sorry...About last night..." Willow begins...

Buffy waves a hand...Later, Wil...

Right...Willow looks down...

"Buffy..." William eyes her...

"It's ok...I'll be going...See ya later, guys...Angel..." Willow smiles at them a bit sadly and heads for

the stairway...

Buffy watching her...

"Buffy..." Will sighs...As Willow descends, closing the door behind her...

Yeah...?...she looks at him...

"Was that really necessary?..."

"Willow nearly killed us all...And I mean all...Everyone...And lost her soul to that sort of thing..."

Buffy pauses, anger in her voice...

"I'm not about to go easy on her over something like that...She's my best friend, Will..."

"Willow's told me her version of last night...I think you may have misunderstood what she was

trying to accomplish..." he tries...

Really...? Buffy glares at him slightly...

"And what besides trying some nice new powerful W-H spell was she "trying to accomplish"...?"

She didn't realize it was such a powerful spell...And halted it as soon as she did...

She just thought it might be important...

"Fine..." Buffy stares away at the buildings around the hotel...

"But I don't want to talk about it just now...Ok?..."

She stalks off a bit...As angry at herself as at them...Great way to begin my romantic morning tryst...

And so foolish...To think...Even for a moment...That there was something...Odd...About them being

together up here...

Wil just wants William to speak for her...Anyone could see that...

Nothing...Else...

Ok...Perhaps there is a little Cicely screaming inside...After a century of waiting, no sharing to be

allowed...

No more sharing...A little image of Dru flickering through...

Dru...And how many others...?

Damn...Spike's girls, all dead...Buried...And to be forgotten...

Irritated guilt causing her anger and annoyance to mount a bit...

Will looks at Angel...

"I should've waited a mo...But poor Red was so upset...Angel...Can you cool her off a little?..."

Talk to her, old pal?...Angel thinks, nodding...

With the greatest of pleasure...

"Lemme see what I can do..." he heads over...

"I'm acting like a silly fool, right?" Buffy eyes Angel as he walks with her...Will waiting by the

roof edge, looking out over the new dawn...

Just gimme a min to cool down...I was just mad when I saw Wil up here, trying to get him to speak

for her to me...

"You know me..." she smiles at him...

Oh, yeah...I know you...Bitch...Angel thinks, smiling back...

You don't begin to know how well I know you...

Even you, Cicely...

"Well...It's only normal for you to be concerned Buffy...I can't say I was too crazy about finding her

up here with him..."

But I guess it's as you say...She just wanted to speak to him to get to you...

Buffy eyes him...Will finally coming up after them...

The flower has fallen from her hair...

"You dropped this, sweet..." Will reaches them and hands her the flower she'd had in her hair...

Yeah...she eyes it and takes it...

"It's ruined now..." she looks at it and tosses it away...

"Sorry I lost my temper, Will..."

"It's Willow who needs that now, dear heart..." he takes her hand...

She bridles a little...Angel drops back from them...

"Lets leave the subject of Willow for now..."

I came up here to be with you...she eyes him a little coolly...

Not to hear Wil's petition for forgiveness...

She might've waited a little bit...

"Well...Say you'll speak to her...And the subject is closed..." Will smiles at her...

Yeah...Later...she waves a hand...

"Later?...Like when?..."

"Like anytime I damned well please..." she snaps, eyeing him...but pulls back, a little...

"Sorry, honey..." she pauses, taking a hand... "Look...I'll talk it out with her later..."

Ok?...

"I'd better be getting back to Cordy and Connor..." Angel calls...Having moved towards the roof

stairway...

Best to leave our lovebirds alone for a mo...he smiles to himself, opening the door as he waves

back...

The first drops are stirred in...Time to let them take effect...

Poor Buffy...poor Cicely...he looks over at her one last time...

You'll never sleep again as well as you did last night...

Act four...

Scene five... (Willow's hotel room...Morning...)

Willow is seated near her computer desk...Eyeing a stricken Will...Pacing the room...

"So she just left...? Without telling you where she was going?" she asks him...

"Mumbled something about having to get dressed and left..." he sighs...

I thought she was getting over her little bit...Things seemed ok...Very ok...Will grinned a

moment...Then I asked her again to take it easy on you when she saw you later and...

Kaboom...thinks Willow...

"She was gone from our room by the time I got the roof door open...After she'd slammed it so tight I

thought I'd have to climb down the building..."

Willow shakes her head sadly...

"God, Will...I'm so sorry...It's my fault...I had no right coming to you like that..."

She's doesn't have to take it out on you, though...she notes...

No, Red...he waves his hands...Just my bad sense of timing coming back to haunt to me...

"Maybe we should just tell her what we're up to...? About the resurrection ceremony...?" she pauses,

looking at him...

"In her present state, I think she'd just be more furious..." he looks out the window...

Oops...Slight tingling on the skin...

"I think I'd best get back to my room and close the blinds..." he notes...

Spell's starting to conk and I don't have the manuscript with me...

"I'll try to speak to Buffy when I can find her..." Willow tells him...

He nods...And smiles wanly...

"Cicely always had a hot temper...You should've have seen her in her moments...Once I got her so

furious...The first time we were alone together...She nearly sent me across her back garden..."

I was human then and lucky not to get my neck broke...he grinned at the memory...

"Guess I was lucky not to get it broke this time as well..."

Geesh...Willow shakes her head...A side of the Slayer I hadn't seen before...Raging Cicely...

Of course there was that jerk...Parker...And that time Buffy caught Riley with the vamp...

And she always had it in for Darla...And Giles did tell me she was in a rage over demonic Dru the

other night...

Hell...I'm one to talk, after my little escapade, I guess...And she's mainly mad at me...

Still...God...She couldn't be...

Of me?...And Will?...

Ridiculous...

She eyes Will as he waves and heads out the door...He is looking pretty good with that natural hair

and all...

"Bye..." she waves back...

'Course...If Will was available...Hypothetically...And Giles utterly rejects the idea of us...er if he

rejected...Hypothetically...

And Tara-Dru couldn't be helped...

God, I am a fickle little...

And I guess it is "Bi, now..."

Still, Buffy...Or Cicely...Is being ridiculous if she really thinks...

Nah...She's just mad at me and my magics slip...Good ole Buf concerned for good ole recovered

maniac Willow...

Anything else...Even given Cicely...Is just...

Ridiculous...

Act four...

Scene six...(Amelia Walthrop-Hunt's hotel room...Morning...)

Well...Amelia sighs...

A nervous Buffy having "causally" stopped by the Watcher's and new in-law's room for a little

chat...

After leaving Will stuck on the roof, racing down to their room to dress, and zipping over to Ms.

Walthrop-Hunt's room, minus shoes...

My "uncle" has got quite a reputation...

"But...Facts are rather difficult to come by..." Amelia notes...

Buffy having equally "causally" requested any info Amelia might have on Spike's career from

1880-1999...

Just curious...And anxious to make the transition easier for her dear hubby...Have a line on potential

enemies...Embittered relatives of Spike's victims, old undead friends who might drop by, old bimbos

he might have shacked up with during some absence from Dru...By the way...?

Had the Council any info on what poor ole Harmony was up to these days?...The Slayer really felt

for her old classmate...

Would really like to bring her...Peace...

Just as with poor dear Drusilla...

Poor girl...Amelia eyes the famed Slayer...In two lifetimes the Greatest Slayer even known...

So many burdens...And so anxious to help poor "uncle" Will...

"I'm sure you and he will find a way to deal with the past, Buffy..." she nods at her...

Yeah...Sure...Buffy nods in turn...

But...If you had anything...Specific?...About Will's...er Spike's she corrects...

Past doin's...

Maybe some more sealed Council records?...After all, they'd had good reason to keep an eye on his

career...Fearing he might one day meet up with a restored Cicely...And the two of them might take

offense at past Council ruthlessness in their joint case...

"Well...I could speak to the Chairman...You and William do deserve the chance to be forewarned of

any dangers..." she hesitates...

Great...Buffy nods solemnly...Gotta have that forewarning...

And of course gotta know if any old ex-mates might drop by, seeking to re-establish a relationship...

For defensive purposes...she explains...

Yes...Amelia eyes her...Questioningly...

"Buffy?...There's nothing...Wrong...Between you and my "uncle"?..."

Wrong?...

Why would there be anything...Wrong?...

"I just would've thought..."Uncle" Will would have come with you to ask about this sort of

thing...His past and all..." Amelia replies...

"I wouldn't want to upset him with this...Let him think he might have put me and Dawnie in danger

and all..." Buffy looks innocently at her in-law...

I see...Amelia frowns...

"Of course..." Buffy pauses... "We did marry kinda hastily..."

But...The past is the past...I only want to be ready in case we have to defend ourselves...she quickly

resumes...

I see...Amelia stares at her...

Just what standards is she holding my poor "uncle" to anyway?...Hell, she abandoned him for a

century and now she wants a strict accounting of all his liaisons?...His vampire demon's liaisons I

should note...

Well... "Aunt" Cicely is probably behind this...she sighs to herself...Victorian prude...God, I only

hope Will found a little happiness in all that horrible time...

Still...She looks at the Slayer's nervous, slightly pleading face...She has been through a hideous time

herself...And her wanting to protect him probably is part of the reason for this...

And any info I can get...Excluding the little Spike relationship with psychotic Dru...Is sure to

confirm "uncle"'s steadfastness...

"I'll see if I can get you some information..." she smiles at Buffy...

Act four...

Scene seven...(Lower floor main corridor of the hotel...Later that morning...)

Buffy is walking the corridor with Angel...He having come down with her at her request after she

knocked at his room door...Begging Cordy to spare him for a mo for a little private strategy

conference...

Angel in a rather good mood...Cordelia having just provided him with a vital bit of news...

A rather anxious Willow had stopped by to ask if she knew the best place in town to get an old

scarf...Looking remarkably like the one Buffy had presented to Will the previous

evening...Cleaned...

Poor Willow hoping to make some amends by helping Will out, Angel had thought...But in

fact...Giving him just the thing he needed to crystallize Buffy's...Or Cicely's...rising doubts...

Buffy's brief attempts to discuss operations against Drusilla are easily brought to a close by him..

"Buffy?...Are you upset about something?..." he asks, staring at her as they both stop for a

moment...

What?...she looks at him...

"Is there...? Some problem between you and...?" he eyes her...

Forget it...he shakes his head...It's best to leave things as they are...

She stares at him...

"Anyway...I think if we had a watch on Drum St, after ten pm..." he begins, returning to Dru's fate...

"Why do you think there's a problem between William and me...?"

"I was just...Surprised you didn't bring him along..." Angel notes...Looking down the corridor...

But after this morning on the roof...Well...I guess you and he have some things to settle between

you...

Buffy rubs and clasps her hands nervously...

"I don't know what you're talking about..." she finally replies...

Of course...he eyes her...I shouldn't have brought it up...

"It's just...When I saw Willow at our door with that scarf..." he pauses... "And Cordy told me that

Willow had admitted it was your scarf...On top of everything else..."

She blinks at him...My scarf...?

"You mean the one I gave Will last night...?"

The one thing I had left...From 1880?...

"From what I saw...And the way Cordy described it, yes..." he looks solemnly at her...

"He'd never..." she whispers...Ignoring her companion...

Not to her...Not to someone else...

"Never..." she eyes Angel...Seeing him watching her...

"Angelis?..." Buffy eyes him coolly...Stake at the ready...

Angel regards her...

"Is that what you think, Buffy?...You'd rather believe that I'm Angelis again than that Spike...er

William could betray you?...Well, I can understand that..."

You can have Giles check me out...Or, do it yourself...The spell's quite easy...You just saw it

used on William the other night...

She stares at him...

"If it gives you peace of mind, forget the spell...Believe I'm Angelis, trying to deceive you..." he

solemnly eyes her...

Stake me now, here...If it eases your mind...

She looks down at the stake...

And shakes her head...

"No...I know you're not Angelis...I'd know, somehow if you were..."

But listen Angel...her grip on the stake tightening visibly...

"If this is a trick...If you're just trying to separate me and Will...If you're not absolutely sure of

what you saw..."

So...Kill the messenger, eh?...he eyes her coolly...

"I've already told you to go ahead and kill me...If it will ease your mind..."

Could it be true?...she asks aloud...How could it be true?...

He loves me...I know he does...

"Well...Buffy...This is the twenty-first century..." Angel smiles thinly...

And morals have changed since your day, Cicely...

"He probably just figures...You wouldn't mind..."

Unless...Maybe it's just to get back at you for me...And Riley...And that fool Parker...he notes...

"I didn't know him then!...Who he was!..." Buffy screams at him...

I was searching for him...In all of you...she sobs...

"Well..." Angel smiles...

Maybe he's just looking for you in Willow...

She swings the stake up again...

"Get me proof, Angel...Or I will believe it's Angelis in there..." she eyes him coldly...

Proof...she insists, glaring...

"Why do you want to hurt yourself like this, Buffy?..." Angel sighs...

Accept the situation and make the best of it...We all have to...

"It couldn't be Will...Only Spike could hurt me like that..." she glares at him...

Only Spike...she repeats...Fiercely...

"Well...That's for you to decide, Buffy..." Angel notes solemnly...

But...As to...Proof...

Just ask him for the scarf back...Say you want to put it away for safe?keeping...

But do it quickly...Before she can get wind of what's up and get it back to him...

"You're wrong, Angel...And Cordy's wrong...A mistake..." she looks at the wall...

It can't be my scarf...Not the one I gave him...

"I hope you're right, Buffy..." Angel nods... "I'd like nothing so much as to be proven wrong

here..."

Act four...

Scene eight...( In the main corridor by the elevator of the gang's floor at their hotel...Mid-day...)

Buffy and Angel emerge from the elevator to find Giles and Wesley in front of them, conferring

together while waiting for it...

The success of the other night plus Willow's vision of poor Tara-Dru having inspired an all-out

effort by the combined Sunnydale-LA forces to capture Drusilla the gang is to meet along with

Chairman Travers and Ms. Walthrop-Hunt in the hotel conference room...

"Are you two coming down now?..." Giles stares at Buffy...Who seems somewhat unlike a new

bride this morning...

Hafta get Will...Buffy mutters tersely...And heads over to their room...Knocking briefly, she enters...

Willow emerges from her room...Looking nervously at Giles and Wesley...

"Are you feeling better this morning, my dear?..." Giles asks her kindly...A trace of anxiety in his

voice...

Mucho better...she nods...

Hey...she smiles at Angel...

"Where's our newlyweds...?" she looks about...

Buffy's fetching Will now...Wesley replies...Looking at her carefully...

Geesh...Willow sighs to herself...Is it gonna be like this from now on?...

Everyone staring and waiting for me to crack up...Again...

Preparing to wash their hands of me...

Giles takes her hand...Looking her firmly in the eyes...

"Yes...I'd say you're much better, dear..." And kisses her gently on the cheek...

I love you...she whispers in his ear as he does...Reddening immediately...

Holy!...Three months in England alone with him and I didn't say a word...Two days back home

and...

"Excuse us...Just a moment..." Giles smiles at Wes and Angel...Taking her by the arm down the

hallway...

Both eyeing poor Willow, headed for the woodshed, with sympathy...

"Giles..." she murmurs as they move off down the hallway...Out of easy earshot...

"Ummn...I hope you understand...I..." she breaks off lamely...As they turn the corner...Out of sight

as well now...

"So...You don't love me?..." he eyes her...

"Yes!...No!...I..."

"I love you too, Willow..." he smiles...Squeezing her right hand in his left gently...

And I can give you all the time you need to think things through...

"You do understand, I hope...?" he grins...

"I'm not being too reserved for you?"

Oh...God...And I thought I was a loser...Willow stares at him...Jaw slightly dropped...

Loved by Tara Maclauy/human Drusilla and Rupert Giles...Not to mention, dear God bless him, my

poor Danny Oz...

"But lets take this very slowly, Dear..." he pats her hand gently...

Dear...Not my dear, Willow thinks happily...

Not my dear foolish sweet little Willow...

"Oh, Rupert..." she sighs... "But..."

"Very...Slowly...Willow..." Brushing her hair back, he kisses her...On the lips...

Very slowly...

Buffy and Will enter the hallway...Will looking a bit happier...

At least she's come back at last...And is talking to me...his expression says...

They reach Angel and Wes by the elevator...Connor and Cordy now emerging from their room down

the hall...

"Where's Willow...?" Buffy eyes the group...A little nervous...

Giles is giving her a lecture down the hall, I think...Wesley notes...

Oh...

"Say, Will...Give me that scarf, would you?...I'd like to tie up my hair with it..." she glances at

William...

Oops...

Scarf?...he asks pleasantly...

One mo...He dashes back to the room...

"Such an attentive fellow..." Angel smiles at Cordy as she comes up to them with Connor...

Will re-emerges...Something in hand...

Buffy eyes Angel triumphantly...

Then sees...

"This isn't the one..." she says curtly...Tossing the scarf, one of several from her closet back to him...

"I want the one I gave you last night, William..."

Ah...?

"You lost it...?" she snaps at him...

The one thing I had from my past life...That I trusted you with...You lost?...she flares up...

"Well...Buffy..."

"Is that the one Willow had?..." Cordy asks...

She wanted to get it cleaned...

"Yes..." Will sighs...

It was a bit dirty...My fault, dearest...he hastily notes...

I asked Willow to help me get it cleaned...

Right...Buffy eyes him coldly...And with a strong trace of a British accent that causes Wes to stare...

"I'm sure it'll be fine..." he begins...

Throw it in the garbage for all I care...she turns away from him furiously...Trembling with rage, the

others realize as Will does...

Must be quite a scarf...Connor hisses to his stepmom...

Wes stares at Angel who shrugs slightly...

Newlyweds...his pleasantly bland expression says...

Whatcha gonna do?...

"Buffy...I'm sorry...But..." Will eyes her desperately...

Sure...she gets control of herself...I understand...

It's...Fine...

Just...

Fine...she mutters...Staring down the corridor...

"Look...Sweetheart...I'm sorry..." Will begins again...

"I'll ask Willow to get it right now..."

"Don't bother!..." she whirls to face him...Rage on her face again...

Buffy...?

"I said...Forget about it!...Damn you!..."she slaps him, hard...

He stumbles...

She struggles for control...Calming a bit as the others watch...Shocked...

Sighing deeply...Sorry, fellas...

She looks at him...Coolly...

Sorry, William...

"I'm a little tired...On edge...Sorry..."

She stalks off down the hall...

The others staring at her...The expression of concern on Angel's face matching those of his friends...

Will looks after her...

"Cicely!..." he calls...Hurrying up to her...

Listen to me...he hisses to her, grabbing at her arm...You've no right to treat either Willow or me like

this...

She stares at him...

"...Willow or me..." The only words she really hears...

"Let me be, William..." she pulls away...

Fine...he throws up his hands...

"Lets go..." he tells the others angrily as he returns to them...Staring after her...

"Cicely needs to throw her fit...Best to let her have her space..."

Absolutely...Angel grins within...A solemn expression of concern on his face...

She's just a wee bit upset...No need to assume she's near to a killing rage...

A few moments alone to brood on the matter...And she'll be just fine...

From my pov...he notes to himself...

"Should I stay?..." Cordy eyes him...

Nah...Will knows Buffy and her moods best...Angel smiles at her...

A sheepish Willow and a surprisingly equally so Giles appear from the other end corner of the

corridor...

"Where's...?" Willow looks at a rather angry-looking William...

Having her little Slayer rant...he points towards the opposite end of the corridor...

"She'll join us when she's cooled down..." he notes...

"Why don't you talk to her, honey?..." Cordy turns to her Angel...Who naturally hesitates to

interfere...

But, for his friends' sake...?

Anything...

Angel catches up with her...After the others have gone down...

She glances at him and continues silently pacing...

A scarf...

The scarf I gave him...Cicely's...Mine...Now...

Willow's scarf...

"I couldn't believe it myself, Buffy..." Angel notes solemnly...

But there it is...he looks at her...You see it's the truth...

"I suppose...It may not have meant...Anything..." Angel eyes her...

He gave it to Willow...Buffy trembles...

It's true then...It must be true...He'd never give...Our scarf...The one thing he has from Cicely...Away

unless...

Unless it...And we...don't mean a thing to him...

Or Willow means more...

A couple of tears shake loose...But a terrible hardness comes over her...

Willow...Drusilla's human soul's lover...

He went to her back then...Before he recognized me...To make her his...

She always opposed destroying him...Always going on about that night in her dorm when he was so

oddly kind and menacing by turns...So human...

They slipped off together at W-H...They were together on the roof at dawn...He's been defending her

since I found her at the magics again...

It's true...

But William stayed for me...The whole horrible, lonely century...Searching, bound within Spike...

He wouldn't...He couldn't...Betray me...

I mean betray in terms of my restored Cicely, nineteenth century Victorian bride, of course...

My Buffy side after all has been running around a bit these past few years...Though she wasn't

aware of the truth until just a few nights ago...Only glimpsing it dimly in our encounters with

William the Bloody...

It can't be my William...But...

"It's got to be Spike..." she murmurs...Looking fiercely at Angel...

Spike is trying to break out...The fiend has somehow been released...

And Willow has sold herself again to the dark...

Yes, she nods...Letting herself be used to free Spike...As Drusilla did...Worse than Drusilla...

Willow had the ability to make a choice...And knew me...

Hmmn...Well if that's the rationalization she wants to make...Angel thinks...

"I failed him in 1880... I won't permit that fiend to come back again...Steal my husband's body

again..." she eyes Angel coldly...Throwing her head back and looking down her nose at him...

And speaking with a definite trace of an English accent...

"I'll never let Drusilla...er Willow...Have him.."

"And I won't let Willow give herself up to the dark powers..."

Ever...Again...

So...That's Cicely...Angel notes to himself, staring at her...

"No matter what that requires..." she kneels...Crossing herself...

Even to jeopardizing my own soul...

"It's time I helped to free William's soul...And took my vengeance on Spike...And his unholy

whore..." she says harshly...Looking up at Angel...

"Oh, God...Give your loving servant Cicely the strength to do whatever is required to destroy the

monster in my husband's body..." she prays frantically... "And save my friend's soul..."

Ah...Angel thinks contentedly...A nice dollop of Victorian moral/religious fanaticism...Exactly what

we need here...Thanks for coming to the rescue my dear Miss Addams...

And God bless Queen Victoria...

"Wait, Buffy..."

She stares at him...Buffy?...Who...?

er...Cicely...he corrects...

"Don't rise yet..." Angel eyes her...

And kneels beside her...

"God...Fates...or Powers That Be...Know that I, Angel, pledge my soul to my beloved wronged

friend's...the Slayer's...Cause...Damnation or no be the end..." he bows his head...

And will do whatever she asks of me in that Cause...he eyes her...

"Now...You are my Watcher..." Buffy looks at him...

"I am yours...Forever..." Angel smiles gently back...

Act five...

Scene one...(Lobby of the downtown LA hotel the AI-Sunnydale gang is staying at, late afternoon...)

A grimly calm Buffy is waiting in the lobby...To greet three new guests from Sunnydale...

It being Friday, Dawn has finally been allowed to come down with Xander and Anya to join in the

LA festivities...

A rather cool apology made by her to William before the meeting on Drusilla earlier that afternoon,

he is waiting in their suite...Daylight spell time for this day exhausted...

Angel, still retaining some daylight minutes, waits with her...

Offering sensible reassurance...Cicely having taken the bait and run with it... She is quite well fired

up now, no need for him to risk blowing things by pushing her any further he knows...

In fact, best to take the neutral, objective friend's stance now...Urging restraint and caution...

As a true friend ought...

"We mustn't make a mountain out of a molehill, Cicely..." Angel notes...

Everything that's happened...May have a perfectly reasonable expl...

"Are you going to help me...Or no?..." she hisses to him fiercely...

Make up your mind now...she glares at him...

"You know I'll do whatever you ask...Buffy..." he eyes her...

But...You mustn't act rashly...

"You wanted proof...And one scarf in Willow's possession...May not..."

She rears on him...

"You saw him try to lie his way out of it!...He tried to palm that other one off on me!...And that

phony "cleaning" story!...&*%&#!...Bullcrap!..." she rages in his face...

Spike is loose again!...And Cicely is going to deal with him...At last...

"Once...And for all..." she grimly notes, calming slightly...

Now...Either you are going to deal with Willow for me...Or you're not...

My God is she hooked...he thinks rather contentedly...Maintaining his anguished slightly brooding

look...The look of a devoted friend, torn...

"If I could just see something...More...To be sure..." he shakes his head...

All right...she looks away...calming a bit...

We'd need more time anyway...

We'll give them a chance to get together...And see what they do...

And then I'll decide what to do...

"But...If I decide to take action...God help you, Angel if you try to stop me..." she stares at him...

Stop you?...he almost chortles in her red and angry face...Cicely, you silly little...

"Buffy...If we see that which confirms what we've already seen...And you decide to take action...I

will keep my pledge, I swear to you..." he notes solemnly...

Whatever the consequences...

"Hey!..." Dawn's chirpy voice is heard from the hotel door...

She stares at Angel and Buffy...Clearly in intense discussion about some crucial matter...

"Is anything...?"

Xander and Anya follow...Xander looking a bit sheepish after his rage against Will of a few nights

ago...

"Everything's great, Dawn...The hellgods are back in Hell...Everything's fine..." Buffy smiles

brittlely at her sis...Rising with Angel for a hug...

Hey, Xander...Anya...she nods...

"Angel?..." Dawn gasps...Looking at the light streaming through the lobby doors and windows...

He puts up a hand...Nothing to worry about...

A spell from Wolfram-Hart...Little wedding gift from Giles...he notes, smiling at her...

Will's has been a bit used up for today...Or he'd of come...he explains...

"That's so great!..." Anya grins, hugging him...

Buffy...You and Will must be so pleased...

Yeah...she nods...Stiffly...

So pleased...

Just wonderful...

Anya glances at Xander...Hmmn...

"Lets get you guys up to your rooms...Giles and the others are still in conference about Drusilla and

things..." Buffy hastily moves on... "We'll all get together for dinner in a little bit..."

"Is Will...?" Dawn looks at her...

Upstairs...In our room...Buffy replies...

Something in her voice making Dawn stare...

"Come on..." she grabs at Dawn's bags...

Your bro-in-law wants to see you, I'm sure...she manages a faint smile...

Act five...

Scene two...(Conference room of the hotel...Late afternoon...)

Willow, Amelia, Cordy are speaking together as the tail-end of the discussion of the events of the

past few days concludes...Chairman Travers having consented to Ms. Walthrop-Hunt's staying in

LA to coordinate any help the Council can offer in the hunt for Drusilla...The operation against

Joseph's hellgods and the data retrieved from Wolfram-Hart, Inc, briefly reviewed...And a schedule

for William's Watcher training in England set...

While Wesley, Giles, and Chairman Travers finalize plans for the shipment of purloined W-H

materials to England for intensive study by the Council...The AI staffers having removed a

considerable stash from the Occult Research vaults in the last hour of the operation...

With permission from William, quietly given before he headed back up to his and Buffy's room, Willow is letting Amelia and Cordy in on her little secret...Only Giles as yet otherwise in the know...

"You really think this spell will work?..." Amelia eyes her...

Cordy rather speechless...Her Angel restored to Humanity...If all goes well...

"It worked for Darla...Even without an intact vampire body as an anchor..." Willow notes...

We won't have the assist of the senior partners in Hell of course...And we have to expect

Spike...And Angelis, she nods at Cordy...And Dru...To do all they can to seize the restored human

body themselves...

But...If we can hold the demon essence off...The spell to restore the body is actually not very

different from what I used with Buffy...

And with the souls already in place...At least for Will and Angel...The odds are slightly in their

favor...Though it is a gamble...

Giles comes over...Having sent Wes with the Chairman to AI to supervise the immediate packaging

and shipment of the more important materials...

"Giles...?" Cordelia stares at him...

You really think this will work?...

"I hope so, Cordelia..." he pats her shoulder...

But I do agree with Willow that we mustn't raise our hopes too high before we learn more...

"Although..." he regards Willow sternly...

"I also hope Willow will avoid any more attempts to test parts of the spell on her own...Generous as

her intentions were..."

She sighs, nodding...

"Is Buffy still upset...?" Cordy eyes her...

She seemed a little...Out of sorts at the meeting...

Barely even spoke to Will...Let alone you...

"She saw me at my worst with the magics back in Sunnydale..." Willow looks down...

Hard thing to forget, I know...

"I wish she wouldn't take it out on Will, though..." she looks at Giles...

Well...he smiles at her...

"If things work out as well as I believe they will with the spell...And with all of us working together

we should be able to test it out throughly soon...Buffy will make allowances, I'm sure..."

"When can we start?..." Cordy asks, anxiously...

No time like the present...If you three are game for it...Giles notes...

Amelia?...he asks...Turning to her...

"I realize you may feel we should consult with Chairman Travers first...But given the situation as

far as poor Tara's soul is concerned..." he eyes Willow kindly "...And Will's wish to keep things

secret until we're sure..."

"Absolutely..." she nods...

Why don't we go to Willow's room then...? And see what can be done with our little present from

Wolfram-Hart...he smiles at them...

As they head for the small elevator...Willow pulls him aside...Waving the others on...We'll be right

up...The door closes...

"Giles...?"

"As much time as you need to work things out, Willow...I meant that..." he kisses her gently...She

embraces him...

Thank you, Rupert...Whatever happens...she pauses...

"There is a part of me for you...And always will be..."

He nods as they separate and look at each other...Both smiling...

"That's all I ask, dear..."

"Rupert?...What about Buffy and Will?...She seems so..."

I know...he sighs...There's obviously something wrong going on between them...

I was afraid for them you know, Willow...This whole thing seemed so hasty, so rushed...

But...All we can do is hope for the best now...

"God...Never thought I'd be hoping that it's all my fault..." Willow grins wanly...

But maybe when...If...We get the spell to work...

"I hope so, dear...And we must remember...In the final analysis...They're just human beings like the

rest of us...And are bound to encounter the same silly and foolish troubles and trials the rest of us

do..."

And life can't be a fairy-tale romance all the time...

"You make me ashamed Rupert..." she looks away...Tearing a bit...And looks back at him...

"Where did you ever learn to be so compassionate?...So generous...?"

"Oh...Willow..." he sighs... "If you knew...If I could ever bring myself to tell you...Of the things I've

done in my life..."

"Tell me...Tonight..." she stares at him...

"Before we know...What we can do for Tara...Let me give you that much at least, Rupert...Please..."

The elevator returns and he takes her hand...

Act five...

Scene three...(Buffy and Will's hotel suite...Early evening...)

William is at the door...Dawn enters, followed by Buffy, Anya, and Xander...

"Will!..." Dawn rushes to give him a bone-crushing hug...

"Nibs..." he grins, gasping... "Lord, it's a good thing I don't need to breathe.."

Buffy watching them with the others...

Sorry...Dawn grins back, releasing him...

So...Brother-in-law?...

"You treating my sis right?..."

"Gotta ask her, Miss Nibs..." he eyes Buffy...Who smiles...A little coldly...

"He's doin' just fine..." she nods...

Just fine...

In fact...I'd say he was doing pretty well...she laughs...A little harshly...

Dawn stares at her a moment...

"Will...?" Xander looks at him, trying to work up to the moment...

"Ummn...Just want to say...Ummn...About the other night..."

I understand, Xander...Will smiles at him...

"Glad to know someone was being cautious...Looking out for Buffy and Dawn..."

Yeah...Buffy noted drily...

"Lucky to have one person looking out for me..."

She looks away...

Anya eyes Will...? Who shrugs...Bad mood, God knows...

"Well..." Buffy looks back, a bit more in control... "You guys missed the big battle, I guess...What

there was of it..."

Glad to hear it was over so fast...Xander notes...

"Yeah...They backed off for some reason...And now here we are...Idle hands...Doing the devil's

work, eh honey?..." she eyes Will...

That's the expression, right...? From our old days in 1880...

When morality meant something...she smiles coldly again...

"Buffy?...Are you ok?..." Anya eyes her...

Just having a Cicely mo...Sorry...she smiles...

Comes in waves and I find myself wishing the world still had a few standards...And I had something

I could trust in...

"But then...I have my William here, don't I...Honey?..." she eyes him, coming over to him...

"Be a terrible thing if I couldn't trust in you?...Wouldn't it...Spike?..." she gives him a peck...

Sorry...William...she looks at the others...Who are now looking at each other...

"Buffy...?" Dawn begins...

"I mean..." Buffy continues...Holding Will by the arm...Looking into his eyes...

"If you were Spike...Trying to fool me...Deceiving me...Pretending to be William...I couldn't trust in

you...It would be foolish...Right?..."

But...she relaxes...Waving at a now nervous Xander, quite ready to consider the possibility she's

suggested...

You're my Will...Certified by Giles and co...Right, honey?...

Only some magics...Some dark spell could bring Spike back now, right?...

"Maybe we should take a walk, sweetheart?..." Will puts his right arm on hers, still holding his left

firmly...

Later...she kisses him...Later...

"I love you, Will...Don't worry...I'd never abandon you..." she hugs him...

And I'll never be Spike's whore again...she whispers in his ear...He jerks back, staring at her...

"Cicely...?" he looks at her...Frightened for her as much as angry now...

"What is wrong with you...?"

Hit the nail right on the head...she giggles...Waging a finger at him...

Cicely is wrong with me...

"Maybe we should go..." Anya suggests nervously...

And take Dawn to see Angel and Cordy...she adds hastily...

And get Giles over here right away...she hisses to Xander...

"Wait...Wait...Guys..." Buffy waves a hand...

Sorry...Rough couple of days...Adjusting to a lot of past memories...Old guilts...

"Did you know I died giving birth to our still-born child?..." she smiles at Anya...

Buffy...Anya shakes her head...

"I think you should lie down...Maybe...These memories are giving you a little trouble..."

Yeah...Buffy nods...Guess a past life's worth of memories crowding in will do that...

"Will...I am sorry...You know I'd never hurt you...Never...Will..." she pats him...

"Why don't I lie down a while?...Get the Cicely memories to settle a bit...You go with the guys,

honey..."

"Maybe I should stay...?" he looks at her...

Nah...Cicely and I have to get ourselves sorted out...she smiles...A bit more naturally...

Go on with the guys...I'll be fine...You just get me when it's time to get dressed...

"Do you want Giles...? Willow, maybe...?" he takes her hand...She pulls back sharply at Willow's

name...

No!..I do not want Willow!...A terrible glare blazes in her face for a moment...

Or Giles...Honey... she turns cold again...

"Just let me be a while...I'll talk to Giles later...I promise..."

Heck...I'll even see Willow later if you'll just go and leave me a bit...Please, Will...

"I'll stay..." Dawn hastily says...

Fine...Buffy nods...

"See..." she turns back to Will... "I won't be alone...I'll have your favorite sis-in-law..."

Ok...?

He nods reluctantly and moves to kiss her...She looks at him as he does...And stops him...Staring,

searching his face...For something...

"I love you...William..." she says...And kisses him...

Get Giles over here...Dawn hisses to Anya as she moves over to Buffy and the others reluctantly

head over to the door to leave...

Act five...

Scene four...(Angel and Cordy's room, evening...)

A nervous Anya and Xander describe Buffy's...Cicely's agitated state to Cordy...

Angel having been called away on AI business, she explains to them...

And Giles...Off to AI with Wesley and Chairman Travers, she lies...

Pledged to keep the secret of the spell test in progress...Sent back to the room by Giles in case Buffy

should come looking for them...

But nervous now in her own right...God...This really sounds serious...

Maybe it is some kind of psychosis from the past life...Dual personalities clashing or something like

that...

And yet...She promised not to say anything...

Fortunately...Will has gone over to Willow's as Anya noted to her...

So he'll tell Giles what's up...And Giles will deal...

She hopes...

Act five...

Scene five...(A street corner newsstand near the hotel, evening...dark...)

Parker waits by the newsstand...His prearranged rendevous point...

Though his misgivings about the whole business are stronger than ever...

William cheating on Buffy with Willow Rosenberg?...Possible, in the eternal scheme of things,

sure...But only two days after marrying Buffy?...C'mon...

Still...If Angel is pulling something...And if Buffy believes it...As Angel himself said to him... What

should he care?...So long as he gets his shot at being the guy at hand to comfort the poor betrayed

girl on the rebound...

And yet...Angel doesn't seem the altruistic type...At least not where Buffy is concerned...

However noble his record in fighting the Undead and Evil...

"Parker...?" Angel interrupts his reverie...Appearing from around a corner...

Well...? Parker eyes him...

"Things are going along very well, kid...Buffy is just about ready to leave our blonde boy..."

"And that does me what good?..." Parker frowns...

If you play your cards right, you fool...It puts you in the batter's box...Angel glares at him...

"Sure...Right..." Parker sighs...

Look...I've had enough...If Buffy is really gonna leave this guy, she'll go home to Sunnydale and I

may as well have stayed at home...If not...You've jerked me around for the last time...

"Better stay, kid...Things are not gonna break that way..." Angel eyes him...

William is due to go to England...For Watcher training...Soon...

"If we don't prevent it...Buffy the dutiful wife will go with him...If only to try and save their wreck

of a marriage..."

I couldn't bear to see her throw her life away like that...he notes solemnly...

And you'd lose your last chance with her...She'd probably stay in England, just to keep Will away

from Willow...

"Well...How the hell would I stop her from going?..." Parker eyes him...

You're young Parker...Bright young college grad on a perfectly reasonable business trip to LA,

checking in at what by coincidence happens to be Buffy's hotel...Angel smiles...

You just happen by happy chance to come in on the ghastly scene of Buffy catching Willow with

dear ole Will...And are there to watch me defend poor Buffy from her fiendish Wiccan rival...And

comfort her when her worthless husband and betraying best friend have been...Dealt with...

"Dealt with?...As in...?"

As in she and I croke them...Angel smiles benevolently...

Maybe you even get a crack at Spike yourself...All it takes is a little wood through the heart, after

all...he grins...

"Hey, Parky..." he frowns at the uncertain Parker who stares at him...

This is the Slayer you're trying to win...And that is the price you pay...

At that I'm letting you off cheap...You don't even have to help if you're too squeamish...Just be

ready to hold our poor Buf's hand...

"Are you in...Or out...?" Angel eyes him coldly...

Parker blinks again...Seeing Buffy's smile for one last time again...From that night he'll never

forget...

In...he sighs...

"When should I be there?..."

I've arranged your reservation...Check-in in half an hour...Then...

"Just be near room 1413...Willow's room...It'll be just down the hall from yours...As often as you

can until things start happening...Tonight..."

Act five...

Scene six...(Willow's hotel room, evening...)

Will stands watching Giles, Amelia, and Willow as Giles reads the final stages

of a piece of the Wolfram-Hart resurrection spell...

A blue light flares in the middle of the room...And vanishes...

"That good?..." Will looks at the seated group...All looking a bit as if

they've been hit by a truck...

Yes...Giles gasps a little...

About as good as one could hope for...he smiles wearily at William...

"Then...You lot are ready for me?..." Will asks eagerly...

Will...Giles sighs...This is still a very dangerous procedure for you...

"Buffy needs me...Human...More than ever now, Rupert...You heard what I told

you all about what just happened...Cicely is tearing her apart somehow..."

Willow shakes her head...Buffy was dealing fine with Cicely memories

before...Though it has only been a few days since she regained them...

"Tara...Tara-Dru...Warned me that someone was trying to destroy you and Buffy,

Will...Amy is my best guess...If she's trying to use Buffy's past memories to

drive her crazy, get her to think I'm the cause..." Willow pauses... "She may

be around...Even able to interfere here..."

This Amy is that angry enough at you people?...Amelia eyes her...

"Well..." Willow looks at the wall... "She's mainly mad at me..."

See I didn't exactly work my magic fingers to the bone to help her...

"You didn't transform her, Willow..." Giles notes quickly...

But I did play with her in her cage...Willow sighs...As if she really were just

a rat, not a person...

A rat?...Amelia thinks...

"And there is the thing about Buffy entrapping her mom in a cheerleading

figurine...Though really Amy was grateful at the time..." Willow nervously

adds...Though recent events might have warped even her view of that...

Long story...she notes to the puzzled Amelia...Will looking a little vague on

the cheerleader story as well...

But anyway...

If Amy is working against us...William notes...All the more reason to drive

Spike away for good...I told you what Buffy...Cicely said...She's obsessed with

the idea that Spike is still around, maybe trying to take control back...And

God knows...She could even be right...he eyes them...

"Will?..." Willow stares at him...

He shakes his head...No...Nothing that I can tell at least...

"But if she's that upset by the idea..." he pauses...

Well...

Surely between the three of you, one can watch out for any attempts by Amy to

screw things up...

Please...he concludes...The sooner Spike is gone...Forever...The sooner I can

help my wife deal with the past...And lay it to rest forever...

"I know you can do this, Giles...Willow..."

But...If things don't work out...Buffy will be free of Spike, even if you have

to stake me...

And she and I will find each other again in Eternity...No blame due toward any

of you...

It wouldn't be a staking...Giles notes quietly...Your body will be human...Even

if demon-possessed...

Willow stares at Giles...Demon-possessed human...?

Meaning we'd have to kill...?

"Amelia..." William turns to his grandniece, great times four...Pleading...

Help me here, please...

She looks at him, nodding...

"Mr. Giles...Miss Rosenberg...My "uncle" is right...It's time Will and Cicely

were freed from the last of the curse we Watchers foisted on them a century

ago...Spike must be returned from whence he came at last..."

Even if the spell doesn't drive him off...she stares at William...Who nods...

Willow...? Giles eyes her, sighing...

"Can you maintain a protective field around the room?...In case Amy or someone

else is trying to interfere?..."

Yeah...she sighs, and rising, goes over to Will...Hugging him...

"You're a good man, Will Walthrop...God bless you..." she kisses him...

"Will..." Giles turns to him... "You understand we will kill your current body

in the course of this spell?...And that once we start that phase...There's no

turning back..."

He nods...Bit tired of the aftertaste of blood in his mouth anyway, he grins to

them...

"Rather nice to have a choice...With all the details spelled out this time..."

he smiles...

All right then...Giles nods...

Act five...

Scene seven...(Angel and Cordelia's hotel room...Later that evening)

Buffy stands near a sitting Anya and Xander, Dawn by her side...Cordy getting a

few things together in the attached kitchenette with Connor's help...The newly

returned Angel stands near Buffy, a little aloof from the others, taking the

situation in...

"So..." Buffy smiles... "Will is at Willow's?..."

So calmly that Anya is encouraged to cautiously answer in the affirmative...She and Xander having been enlisted by Cordy in the job of keeping Buffy away from Willows room until Giles or Willow gives an all-clear...

"Ah...Must be about Drusilla again..." Buffy beams at Angel...

Always seems to be about Dru...

"Nobody with them...I suppose...?" she asks innocently...

Giles...Xander hastily notes...

Oh...she looks away...Kneading her hands a bit...

"But didn't Giles go to AI with Wesley and Mr. Travers...?"

I think he's back...Xander explains...

Hmmn...Well, I should go over then...

"Time I let poor Willow out of the doghouse, huh...?" she smiles a bit

brittlely...

Anya fires off her brilliant diversionary shot...

"Buffy...I've been wondering...What are you and Will planning to do about

Haly?..."

Haly?...Buffy stares at her...

Halfreck...The vengeance demon who tricked your former self into letting Will

be sent away...Anya explains...

"Oh...Right...Halfreck..." Buffy ponders a mo...

Oh...Shit...Angel closes his eyes...

The one base I didn't cover...he thinks...

If she starts thinking this "Halfreck" is involved here...Realigns her

target...

All my work gone for nothing...

"Halfreck...Yeah...We gotta deal there..." Buffy nods...

Can't let that bitch screw me over again like...she pauses...A thought striking

her...

Buffy...? Dawn stares...

"Say...Anya?...You ever notice a kinda resemblance between Halfreck and

Willow?..." Buffy suddenly asks...

I mean...Your old boss wanted Willow to join up, right?...

What...? Anya blinks...

"Never mind, forget it..." Buffy waves a hand...

Just a thought...

And...A brilliant one...Angel smiles to himself...

Cicely is such a dear help to me in this...The insanely jealous little

Victorian screwball...

But then it must have taken a lot of insane devotion to William to win her

chance at reincarnation...

As I told good ole Parky it doesn't come easy...

"Well...I'll deal with Halfreck in time, Anya..." Buffy notes...

After I deal with a few other things...she does not say...But eyes Angel

carefully...

Train on track...Angel happily notes to himself...

"So...Buf..." Xander tries his little diversion...

Tell us about the big fight at WH...

Five hellgods, I understand...

"Yeah...They never showed...We cleaned out the basement magics vaults...That

was it..." she noted dryly...

"So maybe I oughta go see what Will and Willow are up to over there..." she

grins at Xander...

Make it a threesome, eh...? she smiles at Anya...

Spike would love that...she chuckles coldly...

"Sorry...Dawn..." she turns to Dawn as Xander briefly glances at the teen to

remind her sis of her presence...

"That wasn't funny...Cicely..." Dawn stares at her...

And Will is not Spike...

"You're right, sis..." Buffy nods...Patting her shoulder...

Terribly inappropriate of me...

Actually though...Cicely must've gone to bed...To let that one slip by...she

notes...

"Besides...As Xander said...Giles is with them..." she looks at Xander...Who

looks at Anya...

"So...I'll just go over and see if they've found the Fountain of Youth...Or a

way to seal the Hellmouth...Or a Humanity-restoration spell..."

Or just the cure for male pattern baldness...

She heads for the door...A returned Cordy thinking fast...

"Buffy...I think...Will said he was going back to your room right after

checking that Giles was there to help Willow..."

You probably should just look for him there...she smiles...

Really...? Buffy smiles back...A little coldly...

"I'll just call the room..." she goes over to the phone...

Anya unobtrusively hitches her high heel around the phone line...Pulling it out

of its wall socket...

"Phone seems to be dead..." Buffy eyes Cordy...

Ah...Been that way all day...Cordy smiles nervously...

What?...Connor looks at his stepmom...

Yeah...Must be some trouble with the line...she notes...

"Well...I guess I'll just head back..." Buffy looks at her...

Dawn?...You can stay here, ok?...

Anya shakes her head very slightly at Dawn...

"Nah..." Dawn shakes her head, letting a yawn through...

"I'm all in any way...Lets go..."

Fine...Buffy nods...Eyeing Angel...

Who gallantly offers to escort them back...

"Should we call Willow and Giles?" Xander looks at the others after Buffy,

Dawn, and Angel leave...

Guess so...Cordy notes...If Anya didn't break the phone...she grins at her...

"Hopefully Dawn and Angel can keep her busy...I think Angel caught on..." she

sighs...

"Is something going on?..." Connor asks, looking at them confused...As Xander

dials the restored phone...

These Sunnydalers...Strange methods of doing things I tell ya...he thinks...

Later, honey...Cordy pats his shoulder...

Act five...

Scene eight...(Main corridor of the gang's hotel floor...Evening...)

Buffy, Angel, and Dawn find Will standing by his and Buffy's room door...

Looking...A bit peaked...But rather...Pleased with himself...

"Hello...Ladies..." he grins at his Summers girls...

Dawn grins back...Buffy smiles faintly...

"Just seeing they made it in one piece, Will..." Angel smiles...

Damn you...he thinks...It was that quick?...Impossible...

And yet...Holy Mary, Mother of God...He's actually...

"Well...Things go well with Willow...?" Buffy eyes William...And pecks him

slightly on the cheek...

Giles has her well in hand...Will smiles back...

"Are you feeling better...Cicely?" he stares at her...

Buffy...she replies...Cicely has settled down for a bit...

Sorry if my former self gave you a little fright...Honey...

"Nothing compared to what Spike did these past years, Buffy..." he takes her

hand...

Well...Angel grins...I know when two human-souled vampires is one too many...

"Wait a minute, Angel..." Buffy turns to him...

Will, take Dawn in...Get her settled in the other room...Please?...I just want

to speak to Angel a mo...

"Then you get settled, ok...?" she smiles at him a bit stiffly...

Ok..he nods...

"Bedtime, Nibs..." he turns to Dawn...

You get the room next to ours...Just watch it on the room service...he grins at

her...

The Council is my employer now...Can't have us running up too huge an expense

bill on them...

"Well...?" Buffy eyes Angel...

They all covered for him...You saw...she notes...

Yes...he nods...But...

"It's just that they wouldn't want to see you hurt Buffy..." he solemnly

continues...

I know...she agrees...

"He was different just then...Did you notice?..." she asks...

Willow's released him...Finished the spell in her room...I'm sure of it...she

clenches her hands...

It's Spike back again...You saw that look in his eye?...I know that look...she

mutters...

"Well...Perhaps..."

"I know Spike!..." she hisses...

But...he pauses...

Giles wouldn't help Willow do something like...

Giles wasn't there!...she glares at him...

The others think Spike and Willow are just carrying on...I could see them

looking at each other, she notes...

They thought saying Giles was there would cover it up...

But they've been fooled by Willow...Can't see what her game is...she babbles a

bit...

Drusilla has...she pauses...

"I mean...Willow...Acting for her unholy vamp whore...has released Spike..."

And I have to stop him...Before he drags William off to another century of

torment...she insists, whispering harshly...

"And you...If you mean to keep your promise to me...Have to deal with

Willow..." she stares at him...

It's mercy, really...For both of them...she continues...Looking down the

corridor...

Willow is in Drusilla's grip...That much is obvious...

Right?...she looks at him...

"It...Does seem likely..." he nods...

It's saving them...From their evil natures...she looks down...

And saving the world from whatever Drusilla plans to unleash with their help...

"Maybe this was the real Apocalypse plan...The other a trick..." she feverishly

notes...

"Could very well be..." Angel agrees...

I have to save him...Not fail him...Like I did in 1880...she mutters...

I have to...Buffy looks up at Angel...

"I understand, Buffy..." Angel nods...

And I am here for you...

Ready to do whatever you want of me...

Act five...

Scene nine...(Buffy and William's hotel bedroom)

Buffy stares at their bed...

Our wedding bed...

His grave...But only Spike's grave...

William and I will find each other again...Somehow...

"It is the cause...It is the cause...Don't name it, Powers That Be..."

Dawny might hear...

She hears him whistling in their bathroom...William...Oh...My Will...

No...Spike grinning in the bathroom...Waiting for his moment of triumph...

Over them both...

"I've a surprise for you, darling..." he calls...

And I've got one for you, Spike...Bastard little demon pig...she thought...

Act five...

Scene ten...(Just outside Willow's room in the corridor...)

Parker bangs at the door...His mind finally made up...

Willow...In a rather...Nightgown...Stares at him...

Parker...?

She turns to hurry back inside...

He grabs her...Covering her mouth...

"Quiet!..." he hisses...

"Willow...Rosenberg?..." Parker whispers to her...Still covering her mouth...

She gives him one where it counts...He releases her, moaning...

"Listen to me..." he moans...

Buffy and William...Are...In...

Angel runs to them, knocking them down...Tossing Parker back against the

corridor wall...

"Angel!" She and Parker both cry out...

"You...Son of a..." Parker eyes him...

"Stay back, Willow!" Angel barks at her...

Hell...Like I've ever needed a big strong hero type to come along for

me...Willow frowns...

Giles emerges from the room...In rather...Pyjamas and dressing gown...

Besides...she smiles faintly...I've got one...

"All right you..." Angel grabs Parker, lifting and shaking him...

Angel!...Giles commands...Put that boy down...!...

He stops and lowers Parker to the floor...Dead...

"Why did you kill him?..." Willow shrieks at Angel...

I'm sorry Willow...I shouldn't've...I didn't know he was human...I thought he'd

come to kill you...

"Maybe he did..." Angel notes solemnly...

I guess I just don't know my own strength...Angel noted...

He was trying to tell me something...Willow eyes him furiously...

And you stopped him...

Giles...Angel looks at him...

"You can't believe I'd kill a human for no reason..."

Giles eyes him carefully...

"No, Angel...I don't believe you'd kill a human...For no reason..."

Wesley appears as the elevator door opens...

Hello...? he stares at Parker's body...

And looks at them...

Act five...

Scene eleven...(Buffy and William's hotel suite...)

"Buffy..." a gasping, panting Cordelia enters...As Buffy lets her into the

room...

"Willow..."

What's up...Buffy eyes her coolly...

"Willow's been ..."

Killed?...Buffy stares at her...

Cordy looks at her...

"Then Angel is a true friend to me...You're lucky Cordy..." Buffy says

quietly...

Holy!...You knew about it?...But it was...Parker...He attacked Willow...

Parker?...Buffy blinks...That worthless little twerp...?

"Angel killed him...When he tried to get into Willow's room..." Cordelia stares

at her...

Parker...Here?...Buffy looked at her hands...Blood on her right...What a

surprise...But some aftereffect of the demon god's little soul restoration, no

doubt...

"He said...Angel told us...He thought he might be working with

Amy...But...Before Parker died...He...Said..."

What...? Buffy looks at her...A strange, heavy dullness creeping over her...

There's blood on your hands...Cordy stares at her friend...

"William...? Buffy, where is he?..."

Oh...Cordy trembles...Twisting her hands...

"Buffy...What have you done?..."

What do you mean...? Buffy looks away...

There's a groan...Cordy stares at her...

And races into the bedroom...Letting out a scream...

Buffy following her in...Slowly...

To her sudden shock and growing nervousness...Not for fear of detection,

however...Will is still barely alive...Not dusted ...

And there's blood...Covering the sheets...

"Will...Who did this?..." Cordy cries to him...

I did...he mumbles...Spike had to go...I...did...

He's still and quiet...Buffy staring at his still non-dusting corpse...What

the...?

"You heard him..." she turns to the horrified Cordelia...

It wasn't me...He thought Spike was returning...It wasn't...

Cordelia stares...You...

"Yes...All right...He was lying...See William wouldn't lie about that...And

that's why..." Buffy babbles...

The terror growing on her...Not a vamp...Not Spike...

William...I have killed...Human William...

"He betrayed me...I had to..." she began...

Ask Angel...Ask your husband...

Buffy!...Cordelia backs off in horror...You...You fool...What have you

done?...

"Help!...Help!..." she cries...

"Buffy's killed William!..."

Where...Are...The...

Ashes?...Buffy murmurs...In growing horror... at William's prone body...

His prone human...Dead body...

Giles, Connor, Willow, Wesley enter the living room of the suite...Xander and

Anya following...With Angel in tow...Xander holding a crossbow on him...

Willow tries to comfort Connor who continues to insist...They're mistaken...

Whoever this Parker was...Dad had a good reason to fight him...And his death

must have been an accident...

A shaken Cordy telling them of the hideous events regarding William...Buffy

staring...

But slowly...Realizing...

Giles goes into the bedroom...

The others look at each other...

Anya staring at Buffy a long moment...Buffy returns the stare a sec, then looks

at the floor...

"Buffy...?" Willow cries out to her...Cordy having told them of what Buffy had

said...

How could you believe that Will and I...?

I...Buffy pauses...Trembling...

I don't...Angel said...Told me about you and Will and my scarf...she feebly

begins...

"Buffy told me of her suspicions..." Angel broke in...

Asked me for my help...I thought it best to humor her...But I was coming to

warn Willow...

"I hadn't realized how crazed Buffy...Or Cicely...Had become..." he explains...

Until things had gone too far...

Angel...Buffy stares at him...

"Then...I saw that fellow at Willow's door...And thought he might be trying

something..." Angel continues...

"No..." Cordelia interrupts...

He's lying...

Angel knew Parker...Cordy tells them...I remember now...

He mentioned his name over the phone a couple of times...Here, before we went

to Sunnydale to get you guys...she notes...

He knew him...she eyes her husband...

"Quiet, Cordelia!..." Angel glares at his wife...

"Angel asked me about the scarf..." Cordelia continues...When Willow brought

it...

I didn't know what he was planning...

Damn you!...Angel screams at her, tearing loose...And snapping her neck with a

quick turn...

"Cordy!..." Willow cries...

Dad...Connor gasps in horror...

Giles hits Angel with a blast of energy and the vampire crumples to the

floor...

But Cordelia is already dead...

Giles...? Willow gasps...

You are full of surprises...she notes to herself...

Angel writhing on the floor...

"Willow...What happened...Did Angelis...?" Anya looks at Angel...

No...she eyes the Master Watcher...Her sweet Giles...

"I don't think we're dealing with Angelis..." she stares coldly at Angel on the

floor...

Willow finishes the spell and stares at Angel...Who regards her coolly...

She frowns darkly at Angel...No Angelis had done this...No demon there at

all...

"You're not Angelis..." Willow looks at Angel accusingly...

His miserable human soul is still here...she told the group...Who look at him

in shock...

"Boss...Why?..." Wesley gasps...

Buffy looks at him in horror and wonder...Angel...

The others likewise...But clearly, Giles is not all that surprised...

Angel frowns and looks away...

"What you know, you know...I'll say no more..."

You bet you won't...Willow tells him coldly...

And you're Goddamned lucky you've got a kid...she notes...Eyeing Connor...

Or I might forget my pledge never to use magics for harm...

"The Council will deal with him..." Giles tells them...

Take him, Wesley, Mr. Gunn...

Wesley looks at his now former employer who refuses to look at him...And he

and Gunn drag the bound vampire off...

What about Buffy?...Willow hisses to Giles...

She's killed human William...What do we do?...Call the cops?...

"William died over a century ago..." Giles notes firmly...Eyeing her...

He'd want it that way...

Willow nods...Looking at Buffy...Who now stares blankly at the wall...

"I guess...We'd all better head home..." she notes...Shaking her head sadly...

Dawn...Woken by the clatter and reluctantly apprized of the situation by Anya

and Xander still can't face her sister...

Suggested theme (Romeo and Juliet)

Buffy looks at the remaining gang...Trembling...

"Wait...Guys, Giles...Before you go...

Giles, I've done some service for the Council and they know it...But..." she

waves a hand...

"No more on that...Just...When you tell them what I've done...Tell them the

whole story...Don't exaggerate the good or the bad...Just tell the story...

Of a Slayer who loved not wisely but too well...And say more, that in Sunnydale

once...

When the Master killed me, ascended, and threatened all Humanity...

I rose up after Xander's CPR, took the bastard...And staked him..."

Giles turns in horror...He's read Shakespeare...

"Like this..."

Buffy stakes herself in the heart...To the general horror...

"Will...?"

"Buffy?...Welcome to Purgatory, sweetheart..." William smiles at her...

But...I murdered you...

He waved a hand...Extenuating circumstances, pet...Angel and all...

"You...Why did they send you here?...You're not to blame for Spike's crimes..."

Well...See...

"You're here because of me, aren't you?..." she looks at him...

You never abandoned me, Buffy...Even at Spike's worst you kept trying to give

me a chance...How could I abandon you?...

Sides, it'll only be a few years...Then Heaven, here come the Walthrops...er

the Summers-Walthrops...he corrected...

My love...My wife...He embraced her...

Ouch...he clutches his chest...

Oh!...Buffy looks...Ashamed...

Nothing, pet...Psychosomatic...he notes...