A/n: This is just a one shot, hope you like. I havent wrote anything in so long so I decided to write a short fic to see if I still can write and well I'm a little rusty but hopefully I wont keep you long in updating. I've decided to finish Highschool Life before updating anything else because It's nearly a year since I started and well I just want to finish it but I dont want to rush it so please bare with me.
At Last
And then there was light.
The darkness had subsided and there was only light. People all over the city stopped what they were doing and went outside, into the thing that they hadn't seen in months. It felt odd for them to see an everyday thing like the sun but so right, this truly was the City of Angel's, if only they knew.
The other side of the city an old heroine lay battered and bruised on the warm floor. His brown hair glowed in the sun and his pale face welcomed the warmth that he hadn't felt in over two hundred years. It was over, he did it, it really was over. Everything that happened in the last few months happened because of him, the choices he made, the choices he didn't make, it was all down to him. He brought hell to L.A to find redemption but he also brought it back from there and finally got his wish.
A small girl stood gazing up into the clear blue sky next to the battered man, she didn't notice him at first, she was too busy staring up but when she did she knelt down beside him
"Are you ok Mr?" She asked but there was no reply "Mr can you hear me?"
The man on the floor twitched his eye open before he moved anything else. He opened his eyes wide then scrunched them back closed and brought his hands up to his face as if to protect him from the sun light but there was no need. Once he realised that nothing was going to happen he picked him self up and looked from the girl to the sun
"I did it" He whispered
"Hey, Mr, you look hurt"
The man who looked as if he was in his late twenty's glared at the young girl as if he recognized her and he did
"They've really gone haven't they? Doyle, Gunn, Wesley, Cordy, Nina, Gwen, Conner, Illyria, even Spike"
The girl turned her back on the man before speaking again
"I'm sorry, they were brave warriors but not everyone could have made it through the battle"
"Then why did I?" He asked. The girl turned around.
"Angel" She began "The others fulfilled their purpose, they haven't sacrificed as much as you, you still have more to give"
"They fulfilled their purpose!" Angel all but yelled "So their purpose was to die?! Even my son"
"Their purpose was to fight in this battle and they did. As for your son he wasn't meant to exist"
"But he did" The ex vampire whispered "What am I meant to do now? I've got no one left"
"That's not true" The mysterious girl said.
Angel looked up at the sun ones again trying to remember the last time he saw it. The gem of Amara, Buffy gave it to him, well not to him exactly, she got Oz to give it to him. Spike tried to steal it from him and there was a big fuss but in the end he got it back and being the hero and that he had to destroy it.
"I cant, she's probably moved on, I can't just turn up like nothing's happened, like I haven't spoken to her in months"
"A soul mate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we're pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we're safe in our own paradise. Our soul mate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we're two balloons, and together our direction is up. Our soul mate is the one who makes life come to life. You've found that person warrior so go, go be happy"
"I want to, I do, more then anything but every time I end up hurting her, I can't do it anymore, I can't stand to see her cry"
"You have your humanity now so there is no problem"
Angel wanted to argue his case but the girl disappeared. He stood wondering if there was a girl there or if it was his imagination or his dreams. Many times he had dreamed the same dream, that the sun would come back and he could walk in it, that he would walk down a path of light and at the end his blonde beauty would be there waiting for him with open arms but when he woke up the light would have disappeared and there would be nothing but darkness and shadows. There was something different about this dream, it felt real, it was real.
XoX
The other side of the world Buffy lay on her side lounging on her sofa, finally getting the peace she wanted. The last few months had been hard for her, ever since she learnt of Los Angele's downfall, even though she didn't know what exactly was going on she knew that Angel was in trouble. Willow had tried to use magic to get there, contact people there or too just find out what was going on but it was useless, it was like L.A wasn't even there.
Buffy sat up wondering if she could have done anything to prevent the events that already happened. Maybe if she had answered his cry for help then he wouldn't be where he was now, wherever that was. But she did want to go, she really wanted to go. When Giles told her about the phone call her heart skipped a beat but then he told her that she couldn't go
Flash Back
"Giles? What's wrong? Dawn told me that Angel rung from L.A? Is everything alright? Has something happened?"
"I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell you anything but it seems he's not. He rung for help Buffy"
"So we're going to L.A then?"
"Buffy. He rung for help that we cannot give him"
"Why not?"
"He's working for Wolfram & Heart, an evil Law Firm"
"I've heard of them, but Angel working there? There must be a mistake, a reasonable explanation"
"That is neither here nor there, we cannot help him, it stands for everything we're against"
"But its Angel"
"I'm sorry Buffy"
"No your not"
End Flash back
If she had put up more of a fight or If she had gone that night alone then maybe everything would have been okay, maybe that was the help he wanted.
"Buffy! Buffy!" Came a call from outside the room, bringing the young slayer out of her thoughts. The door swung open and a red haired witch ran to the slayer's side "It's L.A, It's back!"
"What do you mean its back?" Buffy asked trying to contain her excitement; she didn't want to get her hopes up
"Its like it never went away" Willow replied with a huge smile
Buffy jumped up from the sofa not knowing what to say. It was back, he was back.
"Do you think you could teleport us there?" She asked
"I thought you'd never ask" Willow replied still smiling. She grabbed Buffy hand and said some ancient words and then they were gone, not even leaving behind a puff of smoke.
XoX
Angel stumbled to the alley wall still trying to get his head around things. His shoulder was surely dislocated, there were cuts on every inch of his body and his leg was aching, the power's could have at least healed him before making him human. Taking one deep breath Angel stretched his hand, rested it on his shoulder then pulled it back in place.
Xox
Los Angeles, they were finally here.
The streets looked as if someone had dropped a bomb on the city. People were crawling out of tiny places or running franticly around. Willow took a glance at the small girl that was crying in the middle of what seemed to be a road then turned back to Buffy, she should have done something, should have done a spell, should have done more, anything if it just helped a little. Buffy put her hand on Willow's shoulder, knowing what she was thinking because she was thinking the same, that poor little girl.
"Where's Angel?" Buffy asked breaking the silence
"Well the spell I cast was supposed to bring us to him so I guess he should be near" Willow replied trying to work out why they weren't in front of Angel right now
"I hate to state the obvious but I can't see him"
Willow gasped at the thought that maybe they couldn't see him because maybe he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Los Angeles looked like a war zone, it probably was and knowing Angel he was definitely on the front line.
"I don't think you did the spell right" Buffy said clinging onto the tiny bit of hope that was left but it had crossed her mind as well that maybe he hadn't made it
Willow swallowed hard, she wanted to tell Buffy that she did do the spell wrong, that it wasn't precise enough, that if they just looked around the ruined city he would be there but she couldn't lie to her friend.
"Buffy" Willow paused before continuing, staring the green eyed beauty hard but sympathetically, the same way the doctor had stared at her when they told her that her mother, Joyce had died, the same way she told her sister, Dawn that their mother had died, the same way Angel did when he told her he was leaving, it was a look that she was more than used to.
"Don't, don't say it, he's around here somewhere, he has to be"
Willow said nothing, only looked down at her feet. After one quite sigh she lifted her head and gave a small smile to her best friend
"We better get looking then"
Buffy faked a thankful smile, the chances he was still alive where small even thought she didn't want to admit it she had to. Even if he did save L.A the sun was out and that was bad, very bad for him.
The two women went off into separate directions to start searching for their old friend. Willow lifted the rubble by words whilst Buffy had a more hands on approach, throwing everything in her way aside, everything and anything.
Day quickly turned to night and with it what was left of the tiny bit of hope in Buffy's heart. The people of L.A still wandered lost in the streets not knowing where to go. Buffy stood in the middle of the street looking around wondering whether it was a lost cause, if she should just give up and help the people.
"Buffy..." Willow said in a low whisper "I've looked everywhere"
"I know" Buffy replied letting a single clear tear run down her red cheek "I know" She repeated.
The moon rose to the sky as darkness took over but not like it had before, this time it was natural. Sparkling stars glimmered in the universe making all but two people in Los Angele's feel joy.
Willow turned, unable to look at her strongest friend in her weakest moment, it was lucky she did turn otherwise she wouldn't have spotted him. He was stumbling out of an alley way clutching the wall for stability. Willow squinted, focusing on the detail of the man's face, it was dark but there was no mistaking it was him.
"Buffy" Willow almost shouted. Buffy wiped the one tear from rolling down her face before spinning around.
She said nothing, she didn't move, she couldn't.
No stars glimmered, the moon stopped rising and the city of Angele's fell silent.
Out of the thousands of people wandering the ruined streets his eyes met the one he had always loved, the one he would see even if he was blind. This wasn't one of his many dreams, this was real, L.A was free and she was here, in walking distance of him, waiting for him.
Buffy felt her leg's moving automatically over to the man that needed help, she was walking faster and faster with every step she took begging this not to be a trick, pleading for him really to be there, alive and well
"Angel?" She whispered when she was in front of him. Her hand stroked his bruised skin and he fought back the urge to wince as her smooth skin came in contact with the many cuts he had received.
"Yeah" He smiled weakly.
They both looked at each other in a moment of happiness, true happiness. They both knew it was all over, that they could be together even if he hadn't told her about his soul yet.
"You did it" Buffy stated
"Yeah"
"And your sanshu?"
"I'm human now" Angel whispered
"I'm baked" Buffy smiled remembering their conversation they had when he came to her with the amulet that defeated the first
Flashback
"I'm cookie dough. I'm not done baking. I'm not finished becoming who ever the hell it is I'm going to turn out to be. I make it through this, and the next thing, and the next thing, and maybe one day, I turn around and realize I'm ready. I'm cookies. And then, you know, if I want someone to eat m- or enjoy warm, delicious, cookie me, then that's fine. That'll be then. When I'm done."
"Any thoughts on who might enjoy - Do I have to go with the cookie analogy?"
"I'm not really thinking that far ahead. That's kind of the point."
"I'll go start working on the second front. Make sure I don't have to use it"
"Angel. I do. Sometimes, think that far ahead"
"Sometimes is something"
"Be a long time coming. Years, if ever."
"I ain't gettin' any older"
End flashback
She had lied when she said years. Buffy knew she had baked as soon as they closed the hellmouth, as soon as she said I love you to Spike
"Buffy" Angel sighed
Buffy looked up into his dark hypnotizing eyes, she knew that sigh, it was a bad sigh, the one where he would say something to hurt her
"I want to, I do, you don't know how much I wan to just go with you somewhere and forget this life but to much has happened, to many people have died and for what? For me to be happy? I don't deserve happiness. Every time we're together I end up hurting you and I..."
Buffy silenced him by pressing her lips to his, she already knew this was coming, his noble speech of why they couldn't be together but this time she wasn't backing town, she was THE slayer.
"You're wrong Angel. If anyone deserves happiness it's you as for every time we're together you end up hurting me I would rather you stab me then not to know what love is. You showed me love and yeah you hurt me but that's what love is isn't it? You cant have good without having bad and to be honest with you I don't mind you hurting me as long as you make up for it afterwards" Buffy said with a sly smile
Angel reached out to grab Buffy's hand. She could feel his warmth and that's when she knew for sure that he was human, that nothing could separate them
"I love you Buffy Summers" Angel smiled then leaned closer to her lips to show her just how much he loved her.
Looking on Willow let the tears fall from her eyes, this was what she was waiting for, this was a sign on hope that one day everyone will get what they always wished for.