- Always -

Season 1


Without further adieu, i bring to you Always my first fanfiction, it will be written with flashbacks, as well as First and Third POV, but consider it a rewrite of a lot of major plot points after Season 3 of Buffy, it will start in S4/S1. Be gentle, it's my first one.

Summary: Angel gave up his humanity for Buffy, this is a world where it actually meant something, his sacrifice, was Buffy's life, and the lives of her kin. This is an alternate version of events of Buffy/Angel after IWRY where Angel Investigations will take a more crucial role in events in Sunnydale. Buffy/Angel, Willow/Oz, Xander/Dawn(future), Doyle/Cordelia, Spike/Faith, Giles/Jenny, Wesley/Fred, Gunn/Anne, etc


I decided to have a go at writing my own fan fiction because I just wasn't happy with what happened to my favourite TV show, it should of ended at Season 5 like it was supposed to, the writing in S6 and S7 became worse and I won't even go into the travesty of the comics. Please don't shoot me it's just my personal opinion! Also no, this isn't about shipping wars, i may be more a Bangel fan but I love Spike's character, for example, but I don't like how they made him into pretty much an Angel lite.

This will be long story consisting of Seasons.

Season 1 is AU S4/S1. Because the story will be a long series, other pairings will be mentioned, like Buffy/Riley, Buffy/Spike or Willow/Tara for example, however the pairings you see listed above will be the final ones, Xander/Anya will happen for example, but won't be it by the entire stories end as you can see above. Other pairings will be dealt with respectfully and hopefully realistically, no complete Riley. Buffy/Spike won't have a love relationship, but things will happen.


Notes:

- Dawn exists from the beginning of S4 instead of S5, she is still the key, i'm just bringing her in a season earlier to flesh out more of her relationship with those around her. For example, her and Angel have a close Sibling relationship because of his relationship with Buffy.

- Angels background will be explored more, and him being changed into a Vampire will be different somewhat in order to fit in with what I have planned for the story, however he still will be changed by Darla in an alleyway, you will just have to read to find out more!


Disclaimer: These characters and the world belong to Joss and whoever owns the rights, not me, i'm afraid, if they did it would end up very differently.


- Prologue -

A bright light flashed in front of him, burning his retina's, he felt like a Vampire again, edging closer to the sun. 'I'm in' he thought, he idly wondered if this is how Icarus felt, flying too close to the sun, although, he thought bitterly, no wings to burn, i'm no Angel.

"You again." Unamused, that's how it sounded.

"What have you brought me?"

"Familia Rose Vase, Qing dynasty, circa 1811." A priceless antique, one he couldn't wait to be rid of for sure, how he acquired it was….. best forgotten, but now it could serve a better purpose.

"Lovely…"

"Why are you here lower being?"

Where to begin.

"The Mohra Demon said the End of Days was coming, that would more would be coming, soldiers of darkness?"

The woman dared to look up from her shiny new trinket at him, but the male did not move a muscle, his eyes piercing through him, the faintest smirk on his lips.

"I need to know… was he telling the truth?"

"As far as such things can be told" Great. Vagueness, I guess I shouldn't of expected anything less, aren't they the good guys? Shouldn't they be more forthcoming with information?

This wasn't good, suffice to say the Mohra was strong, an assassin for the dark side, born and bred to strike down warrior's of light, if more of them, or indeed, anything like them, swept through a city, they wouldn't leave much in their wake.

"What… what happens to the slayer and her kin when these soldiers come?"

The female took her moment to come forward, "What happens to all mortal beings? Albeit… sooner, in their case"

Buffy, Joyce.. Giles, Willow? Xander? No... "...They'll die"

My undead heart sank, suffice to say in my mortal state, i wasn't protecting anyone, i wasn't helping anyone, I can't let this be the end for them… for her. Not after today.

"Then i'm here to beg for their.. her, life." There, it was out in the open.

"It is not our place to grant life and death" They turned to leave, panic swept in, this couldn't be it, it couldn't.

"Then i ask you to take mine back!"

It felt like an eternity, a statement left to linger in the air and permeate the room. They eventually turned to face me, i couldn't read their emotions.

"You're asking to be what you were… a demon with a soul..." Wonder, and disbelief. "...because of the slayer?" Now she said it, it sounded crazy, a vampire with a soul sacrificing what may be his only human redemption, for a vampire slayer.

"Oh this is a matter of love, it does not concern us." He was right, it was, but they didn't need to know that.

"Yes it is! The demon came to take a warrior from your cause.. and it succeeded, i'm no good to you like this…... I know you have it your power to make this right, please." I don't care how desperate I sounded, right now, there was only one thing on my mind, I couldn't let Buffy suffer, maybe die alone, surrounded by what could be dead friends, dead family, not if I could help it.

Resigned, the male forced out a whisper "What is done cannot be undone"

"What is not yet done, can be avoided"

"Temporal folds are not to indulge the.. the whims of lower beings"

"You are wrong, this one.. Is willing to sacrifice every drop of human happiness and love he's ever known for others… for another, he is not a lower being"

If my heart would soon stop beating again, that would be sure to keep it warm. She made it sound like the ultimate sacrifice, something to be praised, something to consider carefully. For me, it was the easiest decision i've ever had to make, nothing was ever simple when it came to me and Buffy, but my life, for hers? I would give a thousand times over.

"...There is one way, but it is not to be undertaken lightly." Baited breath.

"We swallow this day, as though it never happened, 24 hours from the moment the demon first attacked you, we take it back…" I swallowed hard.

"Then none of this happened… Buffy and I? But.. what'll stop us from doing the exact same thing?"

"You. You alone will carry the memory of this day… can you carry that burden?"

I wasn't sure I could, to carry around the memory of the one thing I had, and voluntarily gave up, knowing that she would likely move on, live a happy life without me….

But, she would be alive, and for Angel, that was more than enough.

"Yes, I can." No hesitation, for brief a moment Angel recognised what could look like.. admiration, in the Oracles faces, before it was quickly swept aside for emotionless apathy once again.

The male one just had to remark. "You're a curious one warrior, this is not the first time we have been privy to such requests, but yours is the first not born of selfishness. We do not usually entertain such mortal foolishness." Great, what a champion I am, god i'm going to miss this day.

"But then, you aren't quite mortal, are you, you haven't earned it yet, and until that day, you won't consider yourself worthy of mortality." She was… exactly right, as much as I would love to fool myself that I deserved Buffy and this mortal life, the white picket fence and the children playing outside… I didn't, and I certainly didn't deserve it if I allowed Buffy to fight alone whilst I sat back eating strawberries and cream.

"For what it's worth warrior, you have our respect, and trust us, it's worth a lot" That was something, I guess…

"Is that it?"

"Well.. that depends on you" Great, more vagueness.

"What do you mean?"

"As we said, we do not normally entertain these requests, what is meant to be is meant to be, everyone's fate may be set in stone, but destiny is not, you know this better than anyone… Who knew that a demon would find himself with a soul and fighting for the Powers That Be."

I must of looked confused, just what were they getting at. I was starting to understand just how annoying it must be to everyone, being that 'cryptic' guy, I let myself give a small smile, I know she would get annoyed.

"Your destiny was altered by the Kalderash, your destiny was altered by the curse, by love. This is something that could not have been forseen, and because of this, the destiny of others was changed, the fate of others was sealed…. You know of whom I speak, do you not"

There was only one person I could think of.

The female smiled "I see that you do… Your demon sealed her fate when it was not her time, changed the destiny of the Watcher, of the Slayer"

By this point Angel was speechless, ashamed by what had happened, confused about what was happening right now.

The male noticed this, "The life of a warrior is worth more than a… lower being, a mortal, you gave your life for the slayers, but we will allow you to give it for another too….. So… who do you choose?"

They turned to walk away, perfectly in step.

And like a whisper on the breeze Angel said...

"Jenny Calendar."

Then the bright light engulfed him once more.


"A minute!? No! No it's not enough time"

"We don't have a choice, it's done"

"How am i supposed to go on with my life, knowing what we had, what we could of had.."

"You won't.. know one will know but me…"

"It never happened."

"It did! It did! I know it did!"

"...I felt your heart beat"

"Buffy"


"Oh god, it's not enough time"

"Shh sshh, please, Buffy, please, sshh"

"I'll never forget"

"I'll never forget"

"I'll never forget"

"I'll never forget"

"I'll never…"


"So let's just stick to the plan… keep our distance until our time has past"

"Given enough time we should be able to.."

"Forget"

"Yeah"

"..so, i'm gonna go, start forgetting"


"That was unreal…. How did you know how to kill it? ?"

"It's a Mohra demon... I uh, had alot of time to catch up on my reading"

"Yeah, okay"

"So I guess we've covered it right"

"I guess we did"

"And that's all there really is to say…"

"Yeah… that's it"


TBC