Chapter 10

Angel shoved her forcefully again, pushing her through a throng of slayers-turned-vampires. Buffy held the Scythe out in front of her, like a shield against the magick of the portal. It swirled, exuding energy, and in its center stood a familiar figure, slightly blurred.

"Buffy! I can't hold it much longer! If you're there, you've gotta find your way out now!" Willow screamed out over the abyss, her voice choked with tears, with frustration and fear. Her arms were stretched out in front of her, and behind her, Xander's hands covered her shoulders. "Buffy, please! Please hear me! Don't get lost in there, please!"

"I'm not leaving you," Buffy whispered, turning back toward the chaos of the fight, throwing her arm into the fray. Her hand wrapped tightly around a firm wrist, and she yanked, pulling so hard that the weight of him drew them both through the portal and onto the dry earth. "Not again."

Behind them, the portal popped shut, as though nothing more than a soap bubble that had fallen perilously to the earth. The sun spread like warm water over the cracked and broken earth, unhindered by clouds, smog, and skyscrapers that usually blocked out its rays. A scream leaped from Buffy's lips as she turned back toward Angel, throwing her arms protectively around his shoulders, scrambling helplessly against the blistering sun. Clutched in her grip, Angel blinked up at the sun, then down at the beautiful young woman wrapped around him. In his ears, the sharp echo of a heartbeat blurred his vision and a collection of tear drops slid down his face.

"Angel?" Buffy whispered, more stunned than moved. Her face twisted with fear as she lifted her hands from their grip on his arms and pressed them against his sternum. The fingers quivered, feeling the shivering beat of his ancient heart. The ground seemed to rush up toward her as Buffy's head began to spin, throwing the warm daylight into fractions, bouncing from the cracked and dry earth beneath their feet.

"Buffy!" Angel shouted, sliding his hands beneath her arms, holding her up as her knees sagged uselessly. Her head lolled against her shoulder, and her eyelids fell down around her bright green eyes, cutting her off from the world. Supporting her with one arm, Angel brushed her hair back from her face, brushing her cheek with the tips of his fingers. A soft whimper exuded from her parched lips, and though her legs continued to wobble helplessly, she found the will to speak.

"I'm okay," she murmured, grasping his arm, digging her fingernails into the warm flesh. A small smile spread across her face, though her eyes, at last opening again, revealed a sense of confusion, of loss. "I just feel so…light. Everything looks so…I can't explain it. It's like the world…changed…like I'm seeing it for the first time."

Willow smiled softly, releasing a light sigh. Her shoulders seemed to sag, though she stood tall and proud among them. The shine in her eyes had dimmed, though a smile still spread across her sweet face. Even the bounce seemed to have disappeared from her gorgeous red hair, leaving her a little more pale, a little more sad. She stepped forward a bit, though Xander moved with her, a hand on her elbow, supporting her.

"Magick is gone from the world," she began smoothly, her voice a bit timid. "Because of that, your own magical essence is gone with it. The vampire with a soul is no longer a demon, just a man. The Slayer will never again be called, and has no use for the burden of supernatural heroism she once carried on her shoulders. And the witch is no longer a child of the magicks, but a quiet observer of nature."

"What was it you said before, Buffy?" Angel smiled as he pressed a hand against Buffy's cheek, lifting her eyes to look into his own. The soft pad of his thumb moved beneath her eyelashes, swiping away streams of tears that slid down her face. Her green eyes reddened, swollen and puffy, as more tears followed the first trickle, leaving pink streaks in their wake.

His lips were like daydreams, locked away so many years ago that, at first, they were difficult to remember. Study hall, sitting in the back of the class writing "Mrs. Angel" over and over again across her folders. Drifting off to sleep while he rested on the floor alongside her bed, watchful, protective. Curled up behind the headstones, kissing in an old graveyard when they were supposed to patrol. How many years had passed since then? In his kiss, she found nothing but happy memories and promises of a future. His mouth moved against hers, tasting her tongue, swelling her lips. His hands moved around her waist, tracing the muscles in her back, in her hips. She murmured quietly, succumbing to the pleasure of his touch after so much time without it.

And when it was over, they shared a panting breath, tucked against one another in the crumbling city. Her voice was quiet, mumbling against his chest, as though she spoke directly into his beating, burning heart.

"We're free," she whispered through her tears, staring up into his eyes. "We're finally free.

--

"What we know is this-there was a battle. A slayer, possibly with some mystical allies, faced an apocalyptic army of demons. And when it was done… They were gone. All demons, all magicks, banished from this earthly dimension. I don't know if she lived, but the demons being gone, she was the last to be called." (Fray)