In the misty heat of the cleansing shower, Buffy pondered.

"He's the vampire, you're the Slayer. It's obvious what you need to do here." Xander's simple advice came back to her as Angel washed off of her in droves. She had done her part. Now that Angel was dust, there was no coming back for him. And now that Spike had died as a mortal, the same could be said for him. There would be no more vampires in her life.

Buffy didn't care what was going on in the outside world anymore - as soon as she had recovered enough to walk she left Los Angeles and found her way back to Sunnydale.

It took what felt like hours for Angel's ashes to be cleansed from her skin by the warm water. When he had all but left her, underneath was Spike's mortal blood. She touched it, recalling how she didn't even recognize him at first, breathing and all. His gift of receiving the Sanshu must have cost Angel his soul. Angel must have chosen poorly. She sighed and watched her vampire lovers Angel and Spike swirl together down the drain and out of her life forever.

She stepped out of the shower and found a necklace chain. She threaded her and Angel's Claddagh rings onto it and fastened it about her neck. Cold dead circles - the lifeless metallic symbols of what she and Angel had shared.

Part of Angel felt like it would be inside of her for eternity. She could never fully get clean. She would never be free of him.

"Forever."

She looked up into the mirror with eyes so dead they appeared soulless.

"I will never love again."

FIN