"Dawn, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will *always* love you. But this
is the work that I have to do. Tell Giles ... tell Giles I figured it out.
And, and I'm okay. And give my love to my friends. You have to take care of
them now. You have to take care of each other. You have to be strong. Dawn,
the hardest thing in this world ... is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For
me." With those final words, Buffy took the plunge into the great unknown.
………………………………….
"That was Willow, Buffy's dead." Angel gently replaces the receiver and crouched to the ground. He weeps, his grief a tangible thing.
………………………………….
A week later Dawn shows up in LA at Angel's place. The hotel frightens her, like everything frightened her. The Scooby gang and Spike couldn't help her with her grief. They all were slaves to it, Buffy was the truest of friends, but like human nature she had made mistakes in her past. Buffy, Dawn sniffles, and her thoughts leave her dazed in the middle of the lobby.
………………………………….
At that moment Angel walked into the lobby heading towards his office when he slows, then stops.
"Dawn?" Angel says softly, "Why are you here?"
She looks up and barely smiles, "I have a message for you Angel. From Buffy, you see I've been going through her diaries. They are my last link to her besides my memories, but I needed something I could touch and relate too. It seems she told you what she told me that night she died. Her last entry is a paragraph long and it explains how her gift is not death, but…" she trails off as tears cloud her vision.
Nonplused, Angel leads Dawn to a couch and sits her down, "Tell me Dawn what did she say to you?"
"The hardest thing in this world is to live in it. You-you have to be strong… and …her speech would have gone longer if she had time she would have told me, I know it, what she told you that twilight time you were planning to kill yourself and then it snowed."
Angel was abashed, confused, and more than a little scared. His lifeless heart twisted inside his chest and for a minute he couldn't think, believe, or explain those words to Dawn.
"Strength is fighting, it hurts, its painful and its everyday. Its what we do."
Dawn looks up with a question mark in her eyes…Angel explains.
"Tragedy is what makes us live, without it love would not be recognized or cherished. Emotions are life; life is pain, and heart ache. It's despair, and fear, and complete hopelessness; life is forgiveness, it's joy, and love. Life is strength and fighting, it is friendship, pride, jealousy, ego, greed, hope, ecstasy, wonderment and awe…." Angel pauses a moment, "grief…without this things what do we live for? Without difficulties or trials, humans would be nothing but animals, people wish they never had such trials, but Dawn don't you see? It is because of these things, we have reason to live."
Shaking his head he glanced up, and saw Dawn crying silently.
"She loved you, you know. Her last entry reads, as I know it by heart. With death I give life, and with the life that I give there will be emotions such as love. Emotions worth living for, for keeping and recognizing their beauty in such simplicity. Life is change, from what has been, to what must be, and so death I say is not my gift, but my utter love for life. My love for my soul mate, my family, my friends, and with this love I give life to them, all I hope is that they live it well." Throughout her recital Dawn cried as she gazed at Angel, tears were falling down his cheeks, pulling Dawn to him he hugged her.
"Thank you Dawn, I needed reminding," Angel whispered as he held her tight. I love you Buffy, I always will.
………………………………….
"That was Willow, Buffy's dead." Angel gently replaces the receiver and crouched to the ground. He weeps, his grief a tangible thing.
………………………………….
A week later Dawn shows up in LA at Angel's place. The hotel frightens her, like everything frightened her. The Scooby gang and Spike couldn't help her with her grief. They all were slaves to it, Buffy was the truest of friends, but like human nature she had made mistakes in her past. Buffy, Dawn sniffles, and her thoughts leave her dazed in the middle of the lobby.
………………………………….
At that moment Angel walked into the lobby heading towards his office when he slows, then stops.
"Dawn?" Angel says softly, "Why are you here?"
She looks up and barely smiles, "I have a message for you Angel. From Buffy, you see I've been going through her diaries. They are my last link to her besides my memories, but I needed something I could touch and relate too. It seems she told you what she told me that night she died. Her last entry is a paragraph long and it explains how her gift is not death, but…" she trails off as tears cloud her vision.
Nonplused, Angel leads Dawn to a couch and sits her down, "Tell me Dawn what did she say to you?"
"The hardest thing in this world is to live in it. You-you have to be strong… and …her speech would have gone longer if she had time she would have told me, I know it, what she told you that twilight time you were planning to kill yourself and then it snowed."
Angel was abashed, confused, and more than a little scared. His lifeless heart twisted inside his chest and for a minute he couldn't think, believe, or explain those words to Dawn.
"Strength is fighting, it hurts, its painful and its everyday. Its what we do."
Dawn looks up with a question mark in her eyes…Angel explains.
"Tragedy is what makes us live, without it love would not be recognized or cherished. Emotions are life; life is pain, and heart ache. It's despair, and fear, and complete hopelessness; life is forgiveness, it's joy, and love. Life is strength and fighting, it is friendship, pride, jealousy, ego, greed, hope, ecstasy, wonderment and awe…." Angel pauses a moment, "grief…without this things what do we live for? Without difficulties or trials, humans would be nothing but animals, people wish they never had such trials, but Dawn don't you see? It is because of these things, we have reason to live."
Shaking his head he glanced up, and saw Dawn crying silently.
"She loved you, you know. Her last entry reads, as I know it by heart. With death I give life, and with the life that I give there will be emotions such as love. Emotions worth living for, for keeping and recognizing their beauty in such simplicity. Life is change, from what has been, to what must be, and so death I say is not my gift, but my utter love for life. My love for my soul mate, my family, my friends, and with this love I give life to them, all I hope is that they live it well." Throughout her recital Dawn cried as she gazed at Angel, tears were falling down his cheeks, pulling Dawn to him he hugged her.
"Thank you Dawn, I needed reminding," Angel whispered as he held her tight. I love you Buffy, I always will.