Title: The Reason
Author: Doc
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters and the song belongs to Hoobastank
Dedication: to Kasiya on her Birthday. This is way better than any birthday
fic I could think up babe, ENJOY! And to the wonderful Actors/Actresses of
ANGEL---thanks for a GREAT 5 years (8 for some of you previous BtVSers)---
it just CAN'T be OVER!! tear
Summary: Forever, that's the whole point, even if there are skanky wolf
hoes and peroxide vamps in between
Spoilers: A5 of Angel
Rating: FLUFF! If you watch, you can read
Coupling: B/A, Wes/Fred
Author's Note: Well, if you haven't heard the song 'The Reason' by
Hoobastank by now, well, you've been in a box and you're being deprived of
GREAT music. I just bought the CD today and after listening to the song a
few hundred times, an idea started to form in my head and the idea turned
into a plot and the plot turned into a big fluffy masterpiece that
hopefully you will all enjoy. If you haven't heard the song, go buy the CD
or dload it or SOMETHING! Hopefully this will turn out the way I had
planned....
Feedback: I wrote something, I should be praised considering its been a
while, lilmisslovlyswbell.net
I'm not a perfect person, there are many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning, I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go, that I just want you to know
They stood, five men with their hands raised. This was it, the end that
they had been waiting for ever since they had taken over Wolfram and Hart
was here. Angel put his hand down, "The glamour will be wearing off in a
minute. We need to get back in our places." Wesley, Gunn and Spike took up
their weapons once more, and Angel reprimanded Lorne as he had minutes
before.
"Not so tight on the throat, Angelcakes."
The same flash that had run through the room before took place again and
the men were once more yelling at Angel to let Lorne go, to reconsider his
actions. Hamilton opened the door to Angel's office and waltz in, an
arrogant smile on his face.
"Boys, boys, I'm sure this can be settled without weapons. We are all
adults here, are we not?"
"How about you mind your own business, mate," Spike ground out through
gritted teeth.
Angel released Lorne and threw him on the ground, turning to stand beside
Hamilton.
"I want you all out of my office and don't come back unless you want to
finish this."
"Angel, you can't really have done what you say. You loved Fred, she was
innocent in all of this," Wesley pleaded with him for a logical answer for
his admitted actions.
"On the path to power, sacrifices must be made," he said with all the
malice of Angelus.
The four men walked out of the office and made their way downstairs and out
of the building. The entirety of Wolfram and Hart was bugged and
surveillance was heavy, even in the bathrooms. They had planned to meet
Angel later in the night to discuss their battle plan. An attack of this
magnitude would take strategic planning and accuracy on all their parts.
"I can't believe the poof has the balls to go through with this. That bomb
must have rattled his brain or something."
"It's true, taking out the Black Thorn is risky, but I do think it's the
only way to make the Senior Partners stand up and take notice," Wesley
said, rubbing his sleep deprived eyes.
"Yeah, and you know, the bonus is that we all get to die so, who wouldn't
be on board." Spike and Wesley looked at Gunn and he shrugged, "What?
Anybody who ain't thinking we're going to come out of this dead needs a
reality check. We're talking about a group made up of evil's elite. They
got super magicks and crap like that."
"I do admit that it would be nice to have some back up. Four against, well,
a lot isn't excellent odds, but two vampires, a super lawyer and an ex-
watcher should be able to...oh who am I kidding. We're going to die."
"I need a sea breeze," Lorne moaned as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Spike huffed, "You all need to stop using the D-word. I'd take on the lot
of them. What else am I going to do with my newfound nobility?"
The four men sat staring out at the waterfront, each guessing about their
fates.
Angel calmly walked out of his office and down into the garage. He grabbed
the keys to the Viper and climbed inside. He revved the engine and headed
for the bluffs to meet Wesley, Gunn, Lorne and Spike. He almost laughed at
the outcome of things. Spike was fighting along side him to help save the
world.
"Never in a million years..."
They stood as he pulled up and climbed out of the car.
"So, let the planning begin," Spike said with a grin.
Wesley pulled up and hopped out of the car. Angel, Gunn and Spike came out
to help him unload the supplies. They had decided to use an old warehouse
for headquarters since Wolfram and Hart had become overly suspicious about
Angel's comings and goings. It had been a week since they had decided to go
after the Black Thorn. They were ready for battle. All that was left was
waiting for the right moment to attack.
"You have any trouble?"
"Not much. Funny thing, when you have money, they're not too worried about
why you're buying poison and weapons. Where's Lorne?"
"He went to make a visit on some of his connection, see if he can get any
information on the Senior Partners that could be useful. He'll be back
before soon."
Gunn picked up a sword and twirled it in his hand, "Feels like old times,
no SWAT team to back us up. Remember the days when we had to do our own
fighting?"
"Hey, I still do my own fighting, mate. Peaches here is the one who got all
power happy with the evil law firm."
"Hey, I did not get power happy. Act, remember?"
"Yeah, tell it to the Powers."
Wesley cleared his throat, "I think since we have our supplies and our plan
that we should take the next few hours to rest and reflect, or whatever
you're suppose to do before you have an epic battle."
"Epic battle? I don't really think of poisoning a few corrupted aristocrats
as epic," Spike scoffed.
"He ain't talking about the Black Thorn. He's talking about what the Senior
Partners are going to send after us once we take out their main link."
"Right, well, let's get to meditating or whatever."
Spike and Gunn began to leave and Wesley stopped Angel, "Angel, I need to
go and run an errand."
"Wes, this isn't exactly the time to be---"
"Illyria never came back and I want to go check on her. She could be useful
to us in the coming battle."
Angel was quiet for a moment, "Alright. Be back soon. And be careful, I
don't want anyone following you back here."
He handed him the keys and he drove away. Angel sat down in the sand and
thought about what was to come. He had written Connor a letter and
delivered it to his house two nights ago. He missed his son terribly, but
he was better off with his new parents. They could give him the stability
that he deserved, the normalcy that he deserved, everything that a vampire
with a soul couldn't. His mind turned to better days, when things were
simpler and he only had to worry about slaying a couple of vamps or
dispersing an overly annoying demon. He pulled out his cell phone and let
his fingers dance over the numbers. It rang four times and then the machine
picked up, "Hey, its me. Listen, there's some things I need to tell you."
I've found a reason for me, to change who I use to be
A reason to start over new, and the reason is you
I've found a reason to show, a side of me you didn't know
A reason for all that I do, and the reason is you
Wesley found her sitting on the couch, staring at the wall. Her face was
bloodied and she seemed confused.
"Illyria?"
She looked at him, and for the slightest moment, he saw comfort in her eyes
at the sight of him, he saw her fear. But only for an instant and then her
icy gaze returned.
"They took the one called Drogon. I believe they wish to kill him. I know
that he meant to kill me."
"Who did this to you?"
"The tall, dark haired man."
"Angel?"
"No, Hamilton. His power is great and he reeks of death and destruction. He
means to destroy you all."
Wesley stood and wetted a towel and came back to the couch and touched it
to her bloodied face. She jerked and stared at him in loathing, but then
turned back to staring at the wall and allowed him to clean away the
evidence of mortality on her face.
"Illyria, we are planning a battle."
"You are fools. The strength of their armies will crush you before you can
kill even one of them. You will die, just like the Burkle girl."
Wesley cringed at the mention of his love. If only to see her once more,
she could give him the strength he needed. He turned to Illyria then, "Be
her."
"What?"
"Be Fred."
"You told me never to revert to that form again. Do you not remember your
request?"
"I remember. I need you to be her."
"I do not understand."
"Just be her, dammit."
Illyria stared at him, but then closed her eyes as she shifted into the
girl's form. Tears began to pour from Wesley's eyes at the sight of her
face and even though he knew that it wasn't her, for that moment, he
imagined that it was. He caressed her face with his hand and ran his
fingers through her hair.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't save you. This fight, everything I do in my
life, is for you. You made my life worth living. You were my reason for
breathing, my everything," his tears flowed more freely now and his sobs,
he was sure, were heard by Fred in whatever heaven she was taken to.
"I would have saved you, I would have given my life for yours, if I had the
chance," he held her to him as his tears fell into her hair. Illyria was
confused. She didn't understand this outpour of emotions to a person who
was not in existence anymore. Her simple form brought this flow of emotion
from this man, and for a moment, she thought she began to understand. She
placed a hand on his cheek.
"Wesley," she smiled at him as he looked into her eyes.
"I love you," he said as he kissed her. He put all of his love for Fred
into that kiss. He didn't care if this wasn't her. He had to imagine it or
he wasn't going to survive this battle. He needed her strength to get him
through. He pulled away, but when he opened his eyes, he stared into the
dead eyes of Illyria. He pulled himself together and stood, wiping his
eyes.
"We need to go. It's almost time."
"Why should I fight for a world that I despise?"
He sighed and gritted his teeth, "If you don't want to come, that's fine.
But Marcus still knows where you are if he wants to come and finish the
job."
She got up and walked towards the door, "I will fight for my own existence,
but know that I do not fight to save this putrid world."
"Doesn't matter what you're fighting for, as long as you're fighting."
Angel closed his phone and looked at his watch. Wesley should be back in a
few minutes. It was almost time. He hoped that she didn't come and try to
save him. He had made it very clear that he didn't need her to rescue him.
It was just too risky. It was better if she was far away from Los Angeles.
He didn't want her getting caught in the crossfire and he knew that he
couldn't protect her and win this battle. Of course he wanted her here,
fighting by his side, but he couldn't risk her. It was better this way, her
being gone. He looked up as he heard Wesley pull up and got up to meet him.
He saw Illyria and knew that having her on their side was, if not a slight
advantage, at least another body to help in the fight. She gave him a look
of contempt and stood silently beside the car. Spike and Gunn joined them,
"We ready to do this?"
"It's now or never."
"Is there still an option for never?" Lorne got disapproving looks from his
friends and shrugged, "Guess not."
"Let's go," Angel said as they filed into the warehouse to make their final
preparations.
The last member of the Black Thorn fell and Angel stood over their bodies.
Their plan had been a success. All members of the Black Thorn were in
attendance, which was rare, but the Senior Partners had called tonight's
meeting so everyone had made sure to attend. Angel smiled and sent a mental
message to the Partners:
Give me your best shot.
The Partners had sent out a furious army. Their best shot had been a hard
blow and six against 100-odd trained demon soldiers wasn't exactly fair
odds. They had been doing well so far, and having Illyria on their side was
giving them a slight advantage. But they were coming too fast. Angel knew
that he was going to loose one of his friends tonight. Hell, even loosing
Spike would be a blow, no matter how much he disliked the bastard. They
fought furiously, but when they killed one demon, it seemed that two
replaced it. Angel yelled for Wesley to man the flamethrower and try to
take out a number of them. Gunn, Lorne and Spike covered him as he put on
the gear. He heard Spike growl furiously as a knife caught him across the
face. Angel was fighting three of the beasts, taking out one, then another
and then the last. He was instantly attacked again. He heard Spike
screaming profanities and looked over to see Lorne fall.
"Get him out, now!" Angel shouted over the commotion as he ran another of
the demons through.
"We're not going to make it," he admitted to himself.
Rome, 6 hours before
I'm sorry that I hurt you, its something that I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through, I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears, that's why I need you to
hear...
Buffy walked into her apartment and threw down her bag, plopping down on
the couch. Training today had been extra hectic. She ached all over and all
she wanted to do was take a bath. She saw her answering machine light
flashing and moaned as she got up to press the button. She listened as the
automated voice told her she had one new message, "Hey, its me. Listen,
there are some things I need to tell you. We've decided to do something
pretty stupid and I don't know if I'm going to come out of it alive. In a
few hours, we're taking on the Senior Partners and I'm pretty sure that its
going to end in their favor, but we don't have a choice here. I know you're
jumping up to grab your bag right now to rush out the door and come save
me, or maybe I'm being presumptuous," Buffy put down her keys and sat back
down on the couch to listen, "but Buffy, I need you to stay away. I want
you by my side, you know that, but I can't risk loosing you. If I die in
this battle, I need to know that you're safe. I was just sitting here
thinking about when we first met and all the good times that we had. You
need to know that I have never stopped loving you, and even in death, you
will be in my heart, always. You are my soul mate and I wish I could wait
for you to be cookies before I do this, but it has to be now. You're my
reason, forever. I told Harmony to call you if something happens to me. I
love you Buffy," the machine beeped and Buffy wiped the tears from her
eyes. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed Giles as she locked her front
door.
"Hello?"
"Giles, we've got a code red."
She ran down the hallway and out to her car and headed for the Watcher's
Council headquarters.
Lorne was down and Wesley and Gunn had taken some hard blows. They were
loosing. Angel sent out a prayer to the Powers, begging them for some sort
of intervention. There were just too many of them.
"Don't have any pretty necklaces to get us out of this one, eh Angel?"
"Shut up and fight Spike."
The two vampires were back to back, fending off attacker after attacker.
Illyria was snapping necks and doing some damage of her own, but they
continued to come. Angel saw a demon fall out of the corner of his eye,
then another, all around them they were being slain. He was too occupied to
get a good look at the cavalry, but then she was in front of him, "I know
you don't need rescuing, but it looks like you're getting your ass kicked."
"Buffy."
"Hope you don't mind, but I brought some reinforcements."
Slayers were in action all around him. They were gaining the upper hand. He
smiled at his ray of hope.
"You really should have called first, you know."
"And let you tell me to stay at home and miss all the fun, no way."
They continued fighting and after an hour or so, the last demon was run
through with Buffy's sword. She sighed loudly and wiped the sweat from her
forehead.
"Okay, you so owe me. I'm covered in demon goo and you know this outfit is
ruined."
"Hey, I told you not to come, remember?"
"And let you die? I couldn't stay away after your message of doom."
"This reunion is really great, but can we notice the other vampire who was
fighting for his life?"
Buffy looked to Spike and he gave her a smile, "Long time no see, pet."
She smiled back at him and handed him her sword as she walked towards Angel
and kissed him, putting all her love for him into that one kiss.
"Oh yeah, and on the way over here, my cookies almost burned."
He smiled at her and kissed her soundly.
"What the hell is it with you an Peaches and the cookie bit?" Spike was
furious, but nobody seemed to care.
He pulled away quickly, "Hey, wait, I'm mad at you. How could you be dating
the Immortal?"
She giggled, "Covert op. He was in on some big scandal that the Watcher's
Council was investigating, demon smuggling or something, and so they
assigned him to me. Totally innocent," she said as she batted her eyes at
him.
"So you didn't, I mean, you two weren't, there wasn't..."
"Get your mind out of my sex life," she said as she kissed him.
Spike starred on in disbelief, "A guy fights to save the world and doesn't
get the girl, its just not right," he grumbled.
Wesley and Gunn limped over, holding Lorne up, "Not to ruin the reunion,
but Lorne needs medical attention right away."
Buffy and Angel parted and Angel went to attend to Lorne and the rest of
his friends. Buffy rounded up her girls and they headed back to the van
they had arrived in. Angel caught Buffy's arm and she turned to look at
him.
"You're leaving?"
She kissed him again and smiled, "I have a few things I need to take care
of and I have to get the girls back to England, but don't worry, I'll be
back," she said as she walked back towards the van.
He smiled as he watched her go.
"Oh," she yelled over her shoulder, "and my eyes are green."
His smile faded and he kicked himself.
Damn Nina!
And the Reason is You
The End
Author: Doc
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters and the song belongs to Hoobastank
Dedication: to Kasiya on her Birthday. This is way better than any birthday
fic I could think up babe, ENJOY! And to the wonderful Actors/Actresses of
ANGEL---thanks for a GREAT 5 years (8 for some of you previous BtVSers)---
it just CAN'T be OVER!! tear
Summary: Forever, that's the whole point, even if there are skanky wolf
hoes and peroxide vamps in between
Spoilers: A5 of Angel
Rating: FLUFF! If you watch, you can read
Coupling: B/A, Wes/Fred
Author's Note: Well, if you haven't heard the song 'The Reason' by
Hoobastank by now, well, you've been in a box and you're being deprived of
GREAT music. I just bought the CD today and after listening to the song a
few hundred times, an idea started to form in my head and the idea turned
into a plot and the plot turned into a big fluffy masterpiece that
hopefully you will all enjoy. If you haven't heard the song, go buy the CD
or dload it or SOMETHING! Hopefully this will turn out the way I had
planned....
Feedback: I wrote something, I should be praised considering its been a
while, lilmisslovlyswbell.net
I'm not a perfect person, there are many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning, I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go, that I just want you to know
They stood, five men with their hands raised. This was it, the end that
they had been waiting for ever since they had taken over Wolfram and Hart
was here. Angel put his hand down, "The glamour will be wearing off in a
minute. We need to get back in our places." Wesley, Gunn and Spike took up
their weapons once more, and Angel reprimanded Lorne as he had minutes
before.
"Not so tight on the throat, Angelcakes."
The same flash that had run through the room before took place again and
the men were once more yelling at Angel to let Lorne go, to reconsider his
actions. Hamilton opened the door to Angel's office and waltz in, an
arrogant smile on his face.
"Boys, boys, I'm sure this can be settled without weapons. We are all
adults here, are we not?"
"How about you mind your own business, mate," Spike ground out through
gritted teeth.
Angel released Lorne and threw him on the ground, turning to stand beside
Hamilton.
"I want you all out of my office and don't come back unless you want to
finish this."
"Angel, you can't really have done what you say. You loved Fred, she was
innocent in all of this," Wesley pleaded with him for a logical answer for
his admitted actions.
"On the path to power, sacrifices must be made," he said with all the
malice of Angelus.
The four men walked out of the office and made their way downstairs and out
of the building. The entirety of Wolfram and Hart was bugged and
surveillance was heavy, even in the bathrooms. They had planned to meet
Angel later in the night to discuss their battle plan. An attack of this
magnitude would take strategic planning and accuracy on all their parts.
"I can't believe the poof has the balls to go through with this. That bomb
must have rattled his brain or something."
"It's true, taking out the Black Thorn is risky, but I do think it's the
only way to make the Senior Partners stand up and take notice," Wesley
said, rubbing his sleep deprived eyes.
"Yeah, and you know, the bonus is that we all get to die so, who wouldn't
be on board." Spike and Wesley looked at Gunn and he shrugged, "What?
Anybody who ain't thinking we're going to come out of this dead needs a
reality check. We're talking about a group made up of evil's elite. They
got super magicks and crap like that."
"I do admit that it would be nice to have some back up. Four against, well,
a lot isn't excellent odds, but two vampires, a super lawyer and an ex-
watcher should be able to...oh who am I kidding. We're going to die."
"I need a sea breeze," Lorne moaned as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Spike huffed, "You all need to stop using the D-word. I'd take on the lot
of them. What else am I going to do with my newfound nobility?"
The four men sat staring out at the waterfront, each guessing about their
fates.
Angel calmly walked out of his office and down into the garage. He grabbed
the keys to the Viper and climbed inside. He revved the engine and headed
for the bluffs to meet Wesley, Gunn, Lorne and Spike. He almost laughed at
the outcome of things. Spike was fighting along side him to help save the
world.
"Never in a million years..."
They stood as he pulled up and climbed out of the car.
"So, let the planning begin," Spike said with a grin.
Wesley pulled up and hopped out of the car. Angel, Gunn and Spike came out
to help him unload the supplies. They had decided to use an old warehouse
for headquarters since Wolfram and Hart had become overly suspicious about
Angel's comings and goings. It had been a week since they had decided to go
after the Black Thorn. They were ready for battle. All that was left was
waiting for the right moment to attack.
"You have any trouble?"
"Not much. Funny thing, when you have money, they're not too worried about
why you're buying poison and weapons. Where's Lorne?"
"He went to make a visit on some of his connection, see if he can get any
information on the Senior Partners that could be useful. He'll be back
before soon."
Gunn picked up a sword and twirled it in his hand, "Feels like old times,
no SWAT team to back us up. Remember the days when we had to do our own
fighting?"
"Hey, I still do my own fighting, mate. Peaches here is the one who got all
power happy with the evil law firm."
"Hey, I did not get power happy. Act, remember?"
"Yeah, tell it to the Powers."
Wesley cleared his throat, "I think since we have our supplies and our plan
that we should take the next few hours to rest and reflect, or whatever
you're suppose to do before you have an epic battle."
"Epic battle? I don't really think of poisoning a few corrupted aristocrats
as epic," Spike scoffed.
"He ain't talking about the Black Thorn. He's talking about what the Senior
Partners are going to send after us once we take out their main link."
"Right, well, let's get to meditating or whatever."
Spike and Gunn began to leave and Wesley stopped Angel, "Angel, I need to
go and run an errand."
"Wes, this isn't exactly the time to be---"
"Illyria never came back and I want to go check on her. She could be useful
to us in the coming battle."
Angel was quiet for a moment, "Alright. Be back soon. And be careful, I
don't want anyone following you back here."
He handed him the keys and he drove away. Angel sat down in the sand and
thought about what was to come. He had written Connor a letter and
delivered it to his house two nights ago. He missed his son terribly, but
he was better off with his new parents. They could give him the stability
that he deserved, the normalcy that he deserved, everything that a vampire
with a soul couldn't. His mind turned to better days, when things were
simpler and he only had to worry about slaying a couple of vamps or
dispersing an overly annoying demon. He pulled out his cell phone and let
his fingers dance over the numbers. It rang four times and then the machine
picked up, "Hey, its me. Listen, there's some things I need to tell you."
I've found a reason for me, to change who I use to be
A reason to start over new, and the reason is you
I've found a reason to show, a side of me you didn't know
A reason for all that I do, and the reason is you
Wesley found her sitting on the couch, staring at the wall. Her face was
bloodied and she seemed confused.
"Illyria?"
She looked at him, and for the slightest moment, he saw comfort in her eyes
at the sight of him, he saw her fear. But only for an instant and then her
icy gaze returned.
"They took the one called Drogon. I believe they wish to kill him. I know
that he meant to kill me."
"Who did this to you?"
"The tall, dark haired man."
"Angel?"
"No, Hamilton. His power is great and he reeks of death and destruction. He
means to destroy you all."
Wesley stood and wetted a towel and came back to the couch and touched it
to her bloodied face. She jerked and stared at him in loathing, but then
turned back to staring at the wall and allowed him to clean away the
evidence of mortality on her face.
"Illyria, we are planning a battle."
"You are fools. The strength of their armies will crush you before you can
kill even one of them. You will die, just like the Burkle girl."
Wesley cringed at the mention of his love. If only to see her once more,
she could give him the strength he needed. He turned to Illyria then, "Be
her."
"What?"
"Be Fred."
"You told me never to revert to that form again. Do you not remember your
request?"
"I remember. I need you to be her."
"I do not understand."
"Just be her, dammit."
Illyria stared at him, but then closed her eyes as she shifted into the
girl's form. Tears began to pour from Wesley's eyes at the sight of her
face and even though he knew that it wasn't her, for that moment, he
imagined that it was. He caressed her face with his hand and ran his
fingers through her hair.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't save you. This fight, everything I do in my
life, is for you. You made my life worth living. You were my reason for
breathing, my everything," his tears flowed more freely now and his sobs,
he was sure, were heard by Fred in whatever heaven she was taken to.
"I would have saved you, I would have given my life for yours, if I had the
chance," he held her to him as his tears fell into her hair. Illyria was
confused. She didn't understand this outpour of emotions to a person who
was not in existence anymore. Her simple form brought this flow of emotion
from this man, and for a moment, she thought she began to understand. She
placed a hand on his cheek.
"Wesley," she smiled at him as he looked into her eyes.
"I love you," he said as he kissed her. He put all of his love for Fred
into that kiss. He didn't care if this wasn't her. He had to imagine it or
he wasn't going to survive this battle. He needed her strength to get him
through. He pulled away, but when he opened his eyes, he stared into the
dead eyes of Illyria. He pulled himself together and stood, wiping his
eyes.
"We need to go. It's almost time."
"Why should I fight for a world that I despise?"
He sighed and gritted his teeth, "If you don't want to come, that's fine.
But Marcus still knows where you are if he wants to come and finish the
job."
She got up and walked towards the door, "I will fight for my own existence,
but know that I do not fight to save this putrid world."
"Doesn't matter what you're fighting for, as long as you're fighting."
Angel closed his phone and looked at his watch. Wesley should be back in a
few minutes. It was almost time. He hoped that she didn't come and try to
save him. He had made it very clear that he didn't need her to rescue him.
It was just too risky. It was better if she was far away from Los Angeles.
He didn't want her getting caught in the crossfire and he knew that he
couldn't protect her and win this battle. Of course he wanted her here,
fighting by his side, but he couldn't risk her. It was better this way, her
being gone. He looked up as he heard Wesley pull up and got up to meet him.
He saw Illyria and knew that having her on their side was, if not a slight
advantage, at least another body to help in the fight. She gave him a look
of contempt and stood silently beside the car. Spike and Gunn joined them,
"We ready to do this?"
"It's now or never."
"Is there still an option for never?" Lorne got disapproving looks from his
friends and shrugged, "Guess not."
"Let's go," Angel said as they filed into the warehouse to make their final
preparations.
The last member of the Black Thorn fell and Angel stood over their bodies.
Their plan had been a success. All members of the Black Thorn were in
attendance, which was rare, but the Senior Partners had called tonight's
meeting so everyone had made sure to attend. Angel smiled and sent a mental
message to the Partners:
Give me your best shot.
The Partners had sent out a furious army. Their best shot had been a hard
blow and six against 100-odd trained demon soldiers wasn't exactly fair
odds. They had been doing well so far, and having Illyria on their side was
giving them a slight advantage. But they were coming too fast. Angel knew
that he was going to loose one of his friends tonight. Hell, even loosing
Spike would be a blow, no matter how much he disliked the bastard. They
fought furiously, but when they killed one demon, it seemed that two
replaced it. Angel yelled for Wesley to man the flamethrower and try to
take out a number of them. Gunn, Lorne and Spike covered him as he put on
the gear. He heard Spike growl furiously as a knife caught him across the
face. Angel was fighting three of the beasts, taking out one, then another
and then the last. He was instantly attacked again. He heard Spike
screaming profanities and looked over to see Lorne fall.
"Get him out, now!" Angel shouted over the commotion as he ran another of
the demons through.
"We're not going to make it," he admitted to himself.
Rome, 6 hours before
I'm sorry that I hurt you, its something that I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through, I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears, that's why I need you to
hear...
Buffy walked into her apartment and threw down her bag, plopping down on
the couch. Training today had been extra hectic. She ached all over and all
she wanted to do was take a bath. She saw her answering machine light
flashing and moaned as she got up to press the button. She listened as the
automated voice told her she had one new message, "Hey, its me. Listen,
there are some things I need to tell you. We've decided to do something
pretty stupid and I don't know if I'm going to come out of it alive. In a
few hours, we're taking on the Senior Partners and I'm pretty sure that its
going to end in their favor, but we don't have a choice here. I know you're
jumping up to grab your bag right now to rush out the door and come save
me, or maybe I'm being presumptuous," Buffy put down her keys and sat back
down on the couch to listen, "but Buffy, I need you to stay away. I want
you by my side, you know that, but I can't risk loosing you. If I die in
this battle, I need to know that you're safe. I was just sitting here
thinking about when we first met and all the good times that we had. You
need to know that I have never stopped loving you, and even in death, you
will be in my heart, always. You are my soul mate and I wish I could wait
for you to be cookies before I do this, but it has to be now. You're my
reason, forever. I told Harmony to call you if something happens to me. I
love you Buffy," the machine beeped and Buffy wiped the tears from her
eyes. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed Giles as she locked her front
door.
"Hello?"
"Giles, we've got a code red."
She ran down the hallway and out to her car and headed for the Watcher's
Council headquarters.
Lorne was down and Wesley and Gunn had taken some hard blows. They were
loosing. Angel sent out a prayer to the Powers, begging them for some sort
of intervention. There were just too many of them.
"Don't have any pretty necklaces to get us out of this one, eh Angel?"
"Shut up and fight Spike."
The two vampires were back to back, fending off attacker after attacker.
Illyria was snapping necks and doing some damage of her own, but they
continued to come. Angel saw a demon fall out of the corner of his eye,
then another, all around them they were being slain. He was too occupied to
get a good look at the cavalry, but then she was in front of him, "I know
you don't need rescuing, but it looks like you're getting your ass kicked."
"Buffy."
"Hope you don't mind, but I brought some reinforcements."
Slayers were in action all around him. They were gaining the upper hand. He
smiled at his ray of hope.
"You really should have called first, you know."
"And let you tell me to stay at home and miss all the fun, no way."
They continued fighting and after an hour or so, the last demon was run
through with Buffy's sword. She sighed loudly and wiped the sweat from her
forehead.
"Okay, you so owe me. I'm covered in demon goo and you know this outfit is
ruined."
"Hey, I told you not to come, remember?"
"And let you die? I couldn't stay away after your message of doom."
"This reunion is really great, but can we notice the other vampire who was
fighting for his life?"
Buffy looked to Spike and he gave her a smile, "Long time no see, pet."
She smiled back at him and handed him her sword as she walked towards Angel
and kissed him, putting all her love for him into that one kiss.
"Oh yeah, and on the way over here, my cookies almost burned."
He smiled at her and kissed her soundly.
"What the hell is it with you an Peaches and the cookie bit?" Spike was
furious, but nobody seemed to care.
He pulled away quickly, "Hey, wait, I'm mad at you. How could you be dating
the Immortal?"
She giggled, "Covert op. He was in on some big scandal that the Watcher's
Council was investigating, demon smuggling or something, and so they
assigned him to me. Totally innocent," she said as she batted her eyes at
him.
"So you didn't, I mean, you two weren't, there wasn't..."
"Get your mind out of my sex life," she said as she kissed him.
Spike starred on in disbelief, "A guy fights to save the world and doesn't
get the girl, its just not right," he grumbled.
Wesley and Gunn limped over, holding Lorne up, "Not to ruin the reunion,
but Lorne needs medical attention right away."
Buffy and Angel parted and Angel went to attend to Lorne and the rest of
his friends. Buffy rounded up her girls and they headed back to the van
they had arrived in. Angel caught Buffy's arm and she turned to look at
him.
"You're leaving?"
She kissed him again and smiled, "I have a few things I need to take care
of and I have to get the girls back to England, but don't worry, I'll be
back," she said as she walked back towards the van.
He smiled as he watched her go.
"Oh," she yelled over her shoulder, "and my eyes are green."
His smile faded and he kicked himself.
Damn Nina!
And the Reason is You
The End