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Chapter 10- I Will Remember You
As the group had the next recording on their watch list, Summers arrived. "So, reached the 8th one?"
"Yeah, we were waiting for you", Buffy told her future self.
"Good", Summers said as she pulled up a chair and sat on it.
"So, would this be that Thanksgiving Day from Angel's point of view?" Willow asked.
"No, it's about what happened after that", Summers said.
"I don't think it would be that eventful", Buffy shrugged.
"Just watch", Summers said cryptically as Buffy started the recording.
Angel winded and set a clock on his desk, the time being 8:53 as he then checked the table's surface, putting a pencil down and watching it roll across the desk. Cordelia and Doyle watched from outside, commenting on his state of mind, and Cordelia said he'd been in Sunnydale for 3 days where he had seen Buffy, tracking her and the thing Doyle had seen in his vision, so this had cut him deeper than usual, and hurricane Buffy was coming.
"Not wrong about that", Xander said.
"Because you blurted it out", Willow reminded and he groaned.
"I don't think you were wrong to tell me though", Buffy told him and he nodded with a smile.
Doyle said he thought Angel was over her but Cordelia said he had a lot to learn, and then Angel tested a stake on his finger, making the two run inside to stop him, Cordelia saying he shouldn't let Buffy get to him and that he would meet someone else, he just needed time. Doyle started taking the stake but Angel said he was using it to level the desk as the floor was uneven. He stuck the tip under the table's leg and assured he wasn't going to kill himself, making Cordelia pin it on Doyle.
They all chuckled as Xander said. "Classic Cordy for you."
"Yeah, I know", Summers sighed sadly.
Angel then said he hadn't visited her, just protected her and stayed out of sight. She didn't even know he was there. He assured that Buffy would always be part of him but she was human and he wasn't, and the goodbyes were done, so no need to stir this up again. Cordelia started. "You don't want to 'stir', but if my ex came to town and was all stalking me in the shadows and then left and then didn't even say 'hello' I'd be.." "A little upset", Buffy finished from the open door. Angel looked at her, his mouth dropping open. "Wouldn't you?"
"There I am", Buffy said.
"We are", Summers reminded her.
"So now you're seeing you", Dawn said. "Seems weird."
"Let's just watch what's going to happen", Giles said.
"Nothing too much", Buffy told him, not noticing her future self's look.
Cordelia awkwardly greeted Buffy who said she'd come to see her father and decided to drop by, with Cordelia giving a fake laugh as Buffy asked her how she was, and Cordelia said she was good before asking the same question to Buffy, who looked at Angel and said she'd been better.
"Looks more than a little upset", Xander said.
"Well, he did lurk around without even letting me know", Buffy pointed out.
"And you know we are not rational when we're not in a good mood", Summers said and Buffy had to concede.
Cordelia introduced Doyle and his power to Buffy before pulling him away to leave the two alone. Angel asked if he could get Buffy anything, and she said she wanted an explanation since he had come to town and followed her behind her back, with Angel apologizing, but Buffy was having none of it.
"There it goes", Willow sighed.
"So, really, that guy?" Xander asked randomly. "Not asking because I'm jealous."
"Back then, I thought me and Angel were the best thing ever", Summers said. "Looking back, I can see the problems. He always made important decisions without me, and both of us just became stupid, lovesick puppies around each other. Sure, we loved each other, but that isn't the only thing required in a relationship."
"Yeah, I have recently began to see that too", Buffy said. "Which is why I didn't take him up on the offer he made."
"Which one?" Giles asked.
"Before the final fight, Angel showed to help me out against Caleb, and I said we could try it out again one day down the line, and he agreed, but honestly, now I think I just said it in the heat of the moment", Buffy revealed. "I loved Spike at that point. Sure Angel will always have a place in my heart, but Spike was the one."
"Maybe you are right about it being a momentary thing", Tara shrugged.
"And why did Angel agree at that point?" Dawn asked.
"He was hurting", Summers revealed. "Over something that had happened recently."
"Oh!" Buffy said, all realizing what Summers meant. [1]
Buffy and Angel argued a little again, with Buffy saying he didn't find her important enough to tell her this, but Angel said she was too important, which is why he didn't.
"That doesn't make any sense", Willow said.
"See? Lovesick puppies", Summers told them.
Buffy said she was a big girl and not in High School anymore, and a lot had happened since he'd left, with Angel saying he respected that, and Buffy said she didn't need him skulking around anymore to protect her. Angel looked away as Buffy looked down, and she added unless there was a gigantic fight to the death, and then she realized Angel was helping as he said he was skulking around.
"You can cut the melodrama with a knife", Xander commented.
"Tell me about it", Willow agreed.
"To be honest, was that really a gigantic fight to the death?" Giles asked. "I mean, it was hard, but we've done worse."
"Guess we still had some high school to get out of our systems", Buffy shrugged.
Doyle and Cordelia were in the outer office, Doyle noting Buffy was the Slayer and Cordelia saying she was their Buffy, and Doyle said she seemed a little hurt.
"I don't look Bulgarian!" Buffy snapped.
"It's Cordelia", Summers reminded and Buffy sighed.
Cordelia said there was a lot of that when they were together and picking up her purse, decided to go, as the two would be there for a while, and they could get a cappuccino and the Director's cut of 'Titanic' in the meantime.
"Yeah, there sure was a lot of hurt", Buffy said.
"He just always had you really worked up, and you always had him worked up too", Dawn told Buffy. "I mean, I get relationships should be serious, but crying all the time?"
"None of us could really see it back then", Willow said before turning to Xander. "Other than you."
"Yeah, I never approved, but a good part of it was motivated by jealousy as well", Xander told everyone.
"Whatever has happened, can't change it now though", Tara sighed.
"Yeah, that can't be changed", Summers said in agreement.
Angel apologized for handling it wrong, and Buffy said whenever he was around but she didn't see him, she could feel him inside and it threw her, and Angel said it threw him too.
No one commented, the double meanings of the words getting to them, as well as the intensity of the scene.
Buffy said. "So let's just stick to the plan. We keep our distance until a lot of time has passed. Given enough time we should be able to.." "Forget?" Angel asked. Buffy said. "Yeah. - So, I'm gonna go - start forgetting." She turned to go when a green skinned Samurai demon with a curved sword and a red jewel in his forehead crashed through the window behind Angel and attacked him. Angel barely avoided the first strike of his sword but was kicked across the desk as Buffy called out to him.
"Oh crap!" Xander said.
"Wait!" Buffy said as all looked to her. "It didn't happen this way!"
"What are you talking about?" Willow asked.
"Angel just smashed the gem before the Demon could do anything", Buffy said, remembering clearly.
"So, is there a problem with this specific recording or something?" Giles asked Summers. "That's why you are here?"
"No", Summers shook her head cryptically. "Just watch, it will all make sense soon."
Buffy kicked the Demon against the wall as Angel threw an ax at it. Doyle and Cordelia were about to leave when they heard the fight, and Cordelia said first Buffy and Angel talked out their differences, then punched them out, and so they had no business here, since if they stuck their noses, they would be flattened, and they left, Doyle a bit hesitantly.
"They actually thought that?" Buffy asked in surprise.
"Can you blame them?" Xander asked.
"Not really", Buffy said as she shook her head.
"And it was the same with Spike, at least before he got his soul back", Summers said and Buffy couldn't disagree. Soulless Spike was an even worse partner than Angel, though ensouled Spike was a better partner than Angel as well, and probably the best partner she could have had.
Of course she and Faith had tried it out recently, and it had gone well, but they had decided it wouldn't work out right now due to Buffy's lingering feelings for Spike, though Faith was mature about their break-up, and the two were still good friends.
Faith was the first time she had been in a relationship (both sexual and intimate) with a woman too, and it was a new and nice experience for them both.
And Buffy considered Faith her best relationship so far, since she and ensouled Spike hadn't actually gotten together before the unfortunate Battle of the Hellmouth. If they had, Buffy had a feeling he would be her best relationship.
Buffy and Angel fought the Samurai, Buffy disarming it. Angel slid across the floor, picking up the demon's sword and stabbed it in the gut while it was still wrestling with Buffy. Some of its fluorescent green blood ran down the sword onto Angel's hand. The demon jumped back causing Buffy to land on top of Angel, pulled the sword out and jumped out of the window. Buffy and Angel stared at each other as they slowly untangled themselves from each other.
"Okay, none of this happened, Angel beat the Demon and I left!" Buffy said in shock.
"Maybe the intensity of the moment made you misremember", Tara suggested to Buffy.
"I think I'd remember that much at least!" Buffy said.
"This happened", Summers said to Buffy. "But your memory isn't wrong either."
"And what does that mean?" Dawn asked.
"You will know in the end", Summers told them cryptically.
Buffy said they needed to kill it and Angel agreed before asking if she could change somewhere. Later, the two tracked it through the sewer tunnels and Angel said it was heading to the ocean as he could smell it and Buffy complimented the skill, with Angel watching as she went on. Buffy said his crack staff could have helped if they hadn't run off at the first sign of trouble.
"Okay, that was uncalled for, Buff", Xander said.
"Okay, first of all, I don't remember saying this, or even being in the sewers, second, how am I supposed to know that mine and Angel's fights are that feared by everyone?" Buffy asked.
"Okay, just calm down and watch", Summers said.
Something rustled as Buffy spun around with a stake but Angel said it was just a rat and she lowered it, Angel wondering why she had brought this since the Demon wasn't a Vamp, and Buffy said she knew how to use it and that it was handier than his battle ax.
"Really? A stake over an ax? Get out!" Willow said.
"Yeah, that sounds stupid", Buffy agreed. "But I don't remember."
"I know, but she looks and behaves like you still", Dawn told her.
Angel argued about its efficiency as Buffy said she'd like to get this over with because he had helped her and she needed to pay him back, and Angel commented on them keeping score.
"Couple or no couple, friends don't keep score", Summers told Buffy.
Buffy looked around as Angel touched a green spot and sniffed it on his finger, and later Angel emerged out of the mouth of a tunnel, blinking his eyes with a frown. He told Buffy he felt weird and then she said she'd come to tell him face-to-face that they won't be face-to-face anymore but then had been attacked by a Demon ninja and ended up on top of each other, and now this was weird.
"You sure you don't remember any of this?" Giles asked.
"I am sure, it didn't happen", Buffy said.
"Then what is this?" Dawn asked.
"Like I said, wait and watch", Summers told them all. "I was as shocked as you are when I first saw this."
Angel corrected he felt weird from the Demon's blood and so she turned away, saying they should rewind and pretend her outburst didn't happen. Angel said when they're apart it hurt him but he could live with it, and now that she's here he could reach out but it was unbearable. Buffy told him they still had to bear, but Angel said he couldn't give her anything a real girl wanted, and Buffy inched closer, agreeing even though they missed each other, and Angel and Buffy both agreed to not let anything happen, but then Buffy turned away, quipping about heartbreaking sewer talks.
"Oh, that one!" Buffy said, remembering their break-up before prom now.
"He was right to break up, but doing it before prom? Big no-no", Summers said.
"Yeah, that was a jerk move", Willow agreed, remembering when Buffy had cried on her lap later that day.
"He still did show up", Buffy reminded, grateful for that at least.
Angel apologized as Buffy got angry at him, and Angel said he was out of the picture, so Buffy changed the topic to the Demon, wondering if it went up where Angel couldn't follow, so they decided to split up, Angel telling Buffy where she could go, and so Buffy climbed up after he told her to be careful.
"Now who will meet the Demon first?" Willow wondered.
"Even if I did, I don't remember", Buffy said.
Angel walked in the sewers as 2 green eyes watched him. Suddenly the Demon jumped out and attacked him from behind slicing across the palm of Angel's right hand as he spun around. Angel looked at the blood on his hand then vamped out and attacked. They fought. The demon sliced off the head of Angel's battle-ax, and Angel managed to knock the sword out of the demon's hand. The demon pulled his short sword and they continued fighting. In the end Angel managed to grab the demon's sword hand and turned its hand to stab it in the heart with its own sword. The demon fell back as Angel stared at the glowing green blood that covered his cut right hand. The blood swirled around and sank into his cut, which closed up in front of his eyes. A light raced from his right hand through his whole body as Angel collapsed with a strangled cry. Angel came back up gasping for air while the sound of a heart beating was heard. Angel stared at his hand in disbelief. "I'm alive."
"What?" All the past people went together.
"He….he has a heartbeat", Xander said.
"He is living now", Giles said too.
"He is…..human?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah", Summers nodded.
"But…..he isn't!" Buffy then snapped.
"Is this like an illusion or something Angel is having?" Willow wondered.
"Yeah, maybe someone enchanted him right after you left and that's how this is happening", Tara agreed.
"Could be true", Dawn shrugged.
They looked to Summers who again said. "Wait till the end."
"Now you know how it feels", Dawn said to Buffy who groaned.
Doyle and Cordelia entered the office and were in disbelief on seeing the destruction as Cordelia picked a handful of dust and said Buffy killed him before remembering this was dust under the rug she forgot to sweep.
All chuckled at that.
Doyle and Cordelia argued a little before Angel arrived with a dazed expression as Cordelia asked if he had done it with Buffy, Doyle stepping closer to Angel as Cordelia asked him to no get too close. But then Cordelia realized Angel had walked in the front door from the street, wondering if he had an umbrella, but Angel walked to where the sunlight was streaming in through the windows and was unaffected. Doyle realized Angel was alive now.
"So, he is a human again, but this isn't real", Dawn said.
"Looks like it", Buffy sighed, feeling bad for him whenever he would snap out of it, assuming this was an illusion that is.
Angel told them about the Demon and that it was dead, with its blood now affecting him as Doyle lay 2 fingers on his wrist and felt the pulse. Angel said he wanted to find out more about the Demon but his body was aching now so he was mortal and hungry. He looked at Cordelia as he said that, and so she jumped out of the way but Angel instead grabbed a donut on top of the refrigerator and stuffed it in his mouth, embarrassing her.
"She is gold!" Tara said and all chuckled as it was true.
Angel ate up anything he could get, saying he'd forgotten how good all this tasted when he was dead, with Cordelia commenting how they didn't have cookie dough fudge mint chip when he was alive, with Angel also biting chocolate and loving it, before drinking yogurt and hating it.
"Who loves yogurt?" Xander wondered. "I think I like him now!"
"Yeah, chocolate is the best, and yogurt the worst", Dawn agreed.
"Everyone knows that", Tara shrugged.
The rest just snickered.
Doyle brought Angel's attention to what was important so he told Cordelia to find Buffy, telling her where she was, but told her to not tell Buffy what had happened to him since he wanted to know what it meant. Later, Angel and Doyle researched Demons, finding an image of the one that had attacked Angel and Buffy, and Doyle read it was called a Mohra Demon, they were powerful assassins and soldiers of darkness. Their job was to take out warriors on the good side, like Buffy or Angel himself, and also needed salt to live, which panned out since that one was heading to salt water.
"So, assassins tasked with taking out Champions", Buffy said. "Not met any after that."
"They will come when they feel you're all too threatening", Summers warned.
Doyle then read its blood had regenerative properties, which explained what had happened to Angel, so Doyle said this was happy time, but Angel figured he wasn't telling everything so Doyle said the only way he thought Angel would become mortal was if The Powers That Be stepped in, and Angel wanted to know everything now, though Doyle warned they needed to be approached through dangerous channels, but Angel was persistent so Doyle agreed to contact the Oracles, while also warning Angel to not blame him if they turned him into a toad.
"Turn into a toad?" Willow asked.
"Not the most pleasant people", Summers said.
Later, the two were in an underground cave with a white stone arc as Angel read the inscription which said 'The Gateway for Lost Souls was under the post office', surprising him while Doyle said the Oracles were unpredictable so he needed to watch himself, and Doyle wasn't allowed to go since he was a messenger, and Angel was the pure-hearted warrior who was allowed. Doyle put a lighter to an urn and filled it with high flames, the arc glowing and filling with light as Doyle said Angel was in.
"Now we meet the Oracles", Summers told them.
Angel arrived in a white marble chamber, seeing two glittery figures, one man and one woman. They welcomed him and asked for an offering, surprising Angel, but then he held out his wristwatch with the woman took since she liked time and commented there was too much and too little of it.
"Truer words have never been spoken", Dawn said.
Angel inquired about what had happened to him, and they noted he was no longer a warrior, the woman saying he had faced a Mohra Demon and now life went on, and the man said now he shall live and die as a human, so now he was released from fealty. They started walking off as Angel asked if he was free but the man sent him flying back with a motion of his hand and he flew out of the arc on top of Doyle, and he helped him up as Angel said it had worked and he was free now, surprising Doyle as now he had a life before him. Doyle asked. "The question is, what do you want?"
"At that point", Buffy said. "I can tell."
"You can?" Dawn asked.
"Because I wanted the same", Buffy sighed.
"Yeah, you guessed right", Summers told her.
Buffy was walking in a park overlooking the beach. She then felt something and turned around as Angel stepped through a shadowed arch in in a hedge. She watched as he walked out into the sun towards and they kissed passionately.
No one commented at this, though both Buffy and Summers could imagine how happy the Buffy in the recording felt, since at that time, being with Angel was all she ever wanted.
Buffy even remembered back in her final two years of high school that she used to have dreams where Angel walked into the sun just like that and they kissed, and it was all she had wanted. Now though, it wasn't, as she had grown up from that girl.
It was five o' clock on the clock on Angel's desk as Cordelia fussed over a sickly plant, saying it had been thriving in the morning but wherever Buffy went, dark forces followed, and Doyle wondered if Buffy had given it mites.
"Hey, I'm not that bad!" Buffy said.
"Again, Cordelia talk", Willow reminded her.
Doyle said Cordelia was jealous, though she immediately denied it.
"Is she?" Buffy wondered.
"She could be", Tara said.
Cordelia pointed out now both Buffy and Angel were spending time in his apartment, though Doyle pointed out Angel wasn't cursed anymore either. Cordelia sarcastically said they had the forbidden love of all time and had been apart for months, and now he was human, so sure they would just be having tea and crackers. At his apartment, Angel was pouring Buffy some tea.
"You were saying?" Dawn asked.
"Well, I am not even at his apartment, considering this is probably an illusion", Buffy shrugged.
"Yeah, but then if Angel is experiencing an illusion, why are we seeing their point of view without him around?" Willow pointed out and now all the past people were silent.
"We must watch till the end to find out", Giles said finally.
Angel apologized for kissing her like that as they might be rushing into things like that, and Buffy agreed, the tow agreeing there could be another loophole so they should wait a while to see if this mortal thing stuck, though it would still be complicated.
"You're just saying that to convince yourselves", Willow said.
"I know", Summers told her.
Angel said she was still the Slayer and he had no idea about himself, and he couldn't just force himself back into her life in Sunnydale, especially since she was starting college, and then moved to the chair next to her, saying he wanted her but also wanted to make sure this was right, so she doesn't get hurt. Buffy sarcastically said she hadn't fantasized about him turning human about 10 zillion times or this would have been a real let down.
Buffy and Summers both thought about how right the Buffy in the recording was. They had dreams similar to Buffy's and Angel's earlier kiss so many times back in the day.
Buffy and Angel decided to stay in touch and she turned to him, saying they'd talk soon, and she put her hand on top of his on the counter. They stared down at their hands. Angel turned his hand to grab hers then reached out and pulled her into a kiss. They stumbled up against the fridge and Buffy jumped up to wrap her legs around his waist, still kissing, Angel carried her over to the kitchen table, swept the stuff on it on the floor and laid her down on it.
Giles took off his glasses to clean as the rest just looked away while Buffy asked Summers. "Okay, was it really necessary to include all that?"
"I asked my Willow and Tara to remove this kind of stuff!" Summers said incredulously. "Oh I'm gonna kill those two!"
She then turned to their past selves, who looked at each other and then back at her.
"We didn't do anything", Tara reminded.
"Yes, it was future us", Willow said.
"They're not here, you are", Summers said as they gulped.
"Though for some reason, I saw you two kissing coming from a mile away", Dawn said to Buffy and Summers about the recording.
"That's what happens when you see everything", Buffy groaned.
At night, a naked Angel was getting stuff from the fridge and eating some as Buffy asked for crunchy peanut butter, so Angel took it and walked back, dumping the stuff on the bed and sitting there, wrapping his blanket as Buffy, dressed in a black robe, smiled, and he fed her a spoon of ice cream as she said he was human for a minute and there was cookie dough fudge mint chip in the fridge.
"So, Cordelia mentioned it and now he has it!" Dawn said, but no one else commented, just watching the scene.
While this relationship may not have been the healthiest, one thing no one could say was that Buffy and Angel didn't love each other, it was just their handling of it that wasn't the best.
Angel said he loved food and Buffy fed him some ice cream on a chocolate waffle, agreeing food was good. Angel asked why she hadn't ever told him about chocolate or peanut butter, and she said his Vamp buds couldn't take it, and also said now there was no need to be mature as the time he had spent in the fridge was enough time apart, and Angel agreed, though when they kissed some ice cream dipped from his spoon onto his chest, him joking mortal coordination left something to be desired but she said it was just right. Angel laughed as Buffy licked up the ice cream and he pulled her into a kiss.
"Now he knows how we mortals live", Willow said, everyone deciding it was best not to comment on the ice cream moment.
"Well, he would have lived like that once, long ago", Tara pointed out.
"Yeah, but he'd have been Vamp a lot longer", Xander said and no one disagreed.
"So, you two got your happy ending here? Except it never happened", Dawn said to the two Buffys.
"Yeah, it didn't last", Summers said cryptically.
"So, it did happen?" Giles asked.
"It did, and then it didn't", Summers simply said.
"We're about to reach the end soon though", Buffy said.
Cordelia and Doyle drank at a bar, the former groaning about how she was jobless, and she was good for exactly 2 things- International Superstardom or helping out a Vampire with a soul.
"Is she really good for the first one?" Dawn asked.
"She is, and she could have been an International Superstar", Summers told Dawn. "Don't underestimate her."
Doyle was just glad he was free of the visions now when his head hit the bar and he saw blurred images of the Mohra demon attacking Angel, and he told Cordelia of trouble.
"It's back?" Xander wondered. "Or is it another one?"
"The only way to destroy one is to smash the gem on the forehead", Giles said, now remembering. "So it was bound to come back."
Everyone groaned.
Buffy and Angel lay peacefully in bed as she liked the sound of his heartbeat and felt pleasantly numb, wanting to stay awake so the day could keep happening. Angel told her to sleep so they could make another like it the next day, and Buffy told Angel this was the first time she had felt like a normal girl in the arms of her normal boyfriend. It was perfect. He kissed the top of her head as she fell asleep.
Once again, no one commented. Buffy did want to be a normal girl with a normal boyfriend for a long time, but now she knew her duty as Slayer came before all, so a relationship with a normal guy just wasn't going to work out for her.
Summers just wondered how she and the others would react to what was about to come.
Angel watched her sleep before getting up on hearing the door, and putting on a robe, let Doyle in, who told him about the Mohra demon regenerating, and that it was angry, so Angel decided to kill it again, but Doyle pointed out he was human now, and it could regenerate. Angel asked him to grab the book and read while he drove. Doyle looked at the sleeping Buffy and said they might need her but Angel put on his sweater and said he wouldn't wake her for the world.
The line was touching, all had to admit.
"It's sweet, I know", Summers said. "But again, he is trying to baby us."
Buffy and the others looked at her as she said. "Now we did love each other, that is true, but he always tried to baby us and made important decisions by himself."
"So, not the healthiest, I get it", Buffy said with a nod, though she still remembered the good stuff too, like how much they loved each other.
Their relationship may not have been the best thing ever, but it wasn't worst either. It was a mixed bag really.
Later, at the saline plant, Angel and Doyle walked together as Doyle read the book unaware of the Mohra Demon watching them. Doyle said it was bigger and stronger now so they needed Buffy, but Angel said he needed to do this on his own to make it work and he couldn't risk her life every time someone came at them. He asked how to kill it as Doyle read that 'to kill the beast one must bring darkness to 1000 eyes', Angel joking he only saw two as Doyle said the glibness made him think they could win.
"Is that why you joke in a fight?" Tara asked Xander.
"Yeah, that's why", Xander nodded, not believing he could relate with Angel currently in this aspect at least.
"You may not want me to risk my life every time, but doesn't mean you should either", Buffy said about Angel, and no one disagreed.
Angel saw 2 corpses and gagged from the smell, Doyle saying it was part of being human now, and then the Demon jumped down at them from above.
"So it begins", Willow said.
Doyle was easily knocked away as Angel tried to fight but was beaten back too. Doyle attacked again but was kicked away while Angel fought but was overpowered, though he did manage to land one punch but the Demon didn't budge. It threw Angel the other way and put its foot on the sword to prevent him from picking it, so he finally ran.
"He is skilled, but being used to his Vampire enhancements for so long, he can't fight the way he used to", Giles said. "And the Mohra Demons are above your average Demons."
"Yeah", Buffy said, not surprised at how easily human Angel had been beaten, though it was sad to see.
Cordelia was putting sticky notes in the office as Buffy arrived, and Cordelia asked about an ax if it was ornate, and Buffy said it was Byzantine, so she nodded and put it down. Cordelia started talking about her future plans but Buffy kept asking about Angel, though Cordelia said Angel had told her not to tell, but Buffy was adamant, reminding they weren't in second grade now, so Cordelia pointed out Buffy should grow up and realize she couldn't have Angel and save the world as he had gone off to fight that thing without her, now revealing about it to her.
"The beans are spilled", Dawn said.
"Keeping secrets again", Xander noted.
"He is great normally, but with us, he always has to behave like an idiot", Summers told Buffy.
"I can see that", Buffy agreed.
Angel was beaten down by the Mohra Demon again and again before climbing on the lid of a salt silo but the Demon jumped and hit him as both crashed through. Angel rolled over and tried to crawl away when the Mohra Demon put his foot on Angel's neck and raised his sword. "The end of days has begun and can't be stopped. For anyone of us that falls, ten shall rise."
"Isn't that what Hydra says?" Xander said. "So, these are the Hydra organization of Demons, got it!"
"End of days", Buffy said in a whisper.
Buffy then jumped down, kicking the Demon away as she picked up his sword. "You hurt my boyfriend." "A great darkness is coming", the Mohra Demon said. Buffy agreed as they clashed and he disarmed her but she kicked him into a wall in a spin motion, mocking him. He charged with his morgenstern but she avoided and spin kicked him back a few times before trapping it under her foot and punched him a few times, before he picked her up and tossed her into a wall.
"They sure are something if one can fight you that well", Willow noted.
"Yeah", Buffy agreed. "This one packs a punch."
The Demon picked Buffy up by the throat. "Together you were powerful. Alone, you are dead. What do you think of the great warrior now?" Angel picked a handful of salt. "Little bland. Needs salt." He threw it into his eyes, making him drop Buffy. Angel tried to help her up but the Demon tossed him away before picking up Buffy, though she hit him and freed herself. Angel now realized its jewel needed to be smashed and told Buffy, who picked the morgenstern as the Demon picked his sword and charged but she twirled it and hit his gem, making him scream as he vanished in a bright light.
"There it goes", Giles said, relieved, and seeing his Slayer in action always made him proud. Though no one looked forward to the conversation that was coming for sure.
Buffy ran to Angel and took his head in her lap, inquiring about his well-being as she said it was over and they could be together while kissing his forehead.
'We can't', Buffy said in her head.
Later, Angel came to the Oracles again, tossing a Famille Rose Vase of the Ching Dynasty, Circa 1811 to the woman as offering, which she liked, and asked if the Mohra Demon was telling the truth. The man said he was, and Angel asked what would happen to the Slayer when that happened. "What happens to all mortal beings. Albeit sooner in her case", the woman said, horrifying Angel as he realized she'd die, now begging for her life.
"I will die in the apocalypse?" Buffy asked in shock.
"We could have", Summers said.
The Oracles started walking away, saying they weren't the ones to grant life or death, so Angel asked them to take back his instead, as he couldn't protect her or anyone else as a man, and they turned to look at him. The woman realized he wanted to be a Demon with a soul for the Slayer, and the man said matters of love didn't concern them, but Angel said. "Yes, it does. The Mohra demon came to take a warrior from your cause - and it succeeded. I'm no good to you like this. I know you have it in your power to make this right. Please."
"Unless they're pranksters", Dawn joked to lighten the mood. It didn't work.
The man was adamant but the woman said what wasn't done could be avoided, the man warning her temporal folds weren't to be indulged in at the whims of lower beings, but the woman said he was wrong as he was willing to sacrifice all human happiness and love for another, so he wasn't a lower being.
"No he's not", Summers whispered. He had sacrificed happiness for her, and then Connor too. Was it unethical what he did? Yes. Was it done out of malice? No. It was done out of pure love and care.
The man told Angel there was one way but wasn't to be taken lightly, and the woman said they'd swallow the day as if it never happened, 24 hours from the moment the Demon first attacked, they'd take it back. Angel licked his lips, realizing none of this would happen, and inquired what would stop them from doing the same thing again. The woman said. "You. You alone will carry the memory of this day. - Can you carry that burden?"
The eyes of all the past people widened as Buffy's jaw dropped, her heart almost stopping, all of them finally putting the pieces together.
Buffy looked at Summers for confirmation. She nodded.
Buffy's breaths were uneven as she turned back to look at the TV, knowing what was coming.
"He changed the..." Xander trailed off.
"He did it for me!" Summers said firmly. "So I could live. I can't hold it against him."
"You okay to watch?" Tara asked in concern and Buffy nodded, more to convince herself than the rest.
At the clock on Angel's desk, it was 8:56, and Buffy was pacing wearing a long flowery dress as Angel arrived, asking what had happened and where he had been, and he said he'd gone to see the Oracles to turn time back, to her shock. "Because more then ever I know how much I love you." Buffy backed away from him. "No. No, you didn't." Angel follows her. "And if I stayed mortal one of us would wind up dead, maybe both of us. You heard what Mohra said." Buffy said. "Mohra is dead. We killed him." "He said others would come." Angel reminded. "They always come. And they always will. But that's my problem now, not yours, remember?" Buffy asked. "No, I won't just stand by and let you fight, maybe die, alone." Angel said. "Then we fight together." Buffy said. "You saw what happened last night. If anything I'm a liability to you. You take chances to protect me, and that's not just bad for you, it's bad for the people we were meant to help." Angel said.
No one could bring themselves to comment, the scene just too emotional for anyone to say a word.
Buffy wanted to go into the recording and argue with this Angel for some reason, perhaps because while she knew the relationship wouldn't work, part of would always love him. But, he was right, he was a liability to her now, like Riley was, which had made him feel insecure and become a jerk. As human, he couldn't do too much for her now.
"So what? You just took a whole 24 hours to weigh the ups and downs of being a regular Joe and decided it was more fun being a superhero?" Buffy asked Angel. "You know that's not it. How can we be together if the cost is your life, or the lives of others?" Buffy just stared at him and after a moment he took her into his arms. "I know. I couldn't tell you. I wasn't sure - if I could do it if I woke up with you one more morning." Buffy sniffled. "I understand. - So, what happens now?"
Yes, she did understand, Buffy thought to herself, even if she didn't like this. Summers' face was an emotionless mask, having seen this once before, but it still hurt.
"The Oracles are giving us back the day, turning back time, so I can kill Mohra before his blood makes me mortal." Angel told her. "When?" Buffy asked. Angel looked over at the clock. It was 9:00."Another minute." Buffy was crying now. "A minute? No. No, it's not enough time!" "We don't have a choice. It's done." Angel said gently. "How am I supposed to go on with my life knowing what we had? What we could have had?" Buffy snapped. "You won't. No one will know but me." Angel revealed to her.
Buffy was almost in tears now, feeling a lump in her throat as Dawn grasped her hand, though even she was rendered speechless with emotion by this scene. The others were the same, even Giles.
"Everything we did." Buffy trailed off. "It never happened." Angel said. Buffy shook her head. "It did. It did. I know it did!" She put her hand on his heart. "I felt your heart beat." "Buffy.." Angel trailed off as they kissed.
"It did", Buffy said in a hoarse voice, trying to keep her cool as Giles now wrapped an arm around her too.
Buffy looked over at the clock. The minute was almost up. "No! Oh God. It's not enough time." Buffy cried. Angel was crying too now. "Shh, please. Please." They held each other tightly both crying. "Please, please." Angel begged. Buffy cried in denial into his ear. "No. I'll never forget. I'll never forget. I'll never forget. I'll never forget." There was a white flash and next moment, Angel was in his office the previous day.
Buffy had tears dripping from her eyes now, even Willow, Tara and Dawn did, being sensitive individuals, while Summers' breathing was uneven, and Xander and Giles were both watching with dropped jaws, the former even running his hand over his hair while breathing heavily, though Giles managed to not show any emotion.
Angel leaned back to his desk, blinking, before seeing Buffy at the door as she said. "So, then let's just stick to the plan. Keep our distance until a lot of time has passed, and given enough time - we should be able to.." Angel stared at her and swallowed hard. "Forget." Buffy said. "Yeah, so I'm gonna go, start forgetting." The Mohra Demon then crashed through the window behind Angel with a scream. Angel just turned, grabbed the clock from his desk and coolly smashed the Mohra's jewel with it. The Mohra went up in a flash of light.
"There it goes", Xander muttered, still running his hand over his hair.
This is exactly what Buffy remembered happening, having been completely unaware of Angel's time travelling, until now.
Buffy was stunned, wondering how he had managed to kill it and Angel said he had time to read and catch up. Buffy nodded slowly. "Yeah. Okay. - So I guess we've covered it, right?" "I guess we did." Angel replied. "And that's all there really is to say." Buffy said. Angel took a deep breath and looked down on the smashed clock. It stopped at 9:02. When he turned back Buffy was already leaving the outer office. "Yeah. - That's it."
That was it for Buffy. She got off the couch and walked off, her face in her hands as they heard her sobbing.
Willow, Xander, Dawn, Tara and Giles were all about to go after her when Summers got up instead. "Stay here, I'm going."
And with that, she walked out to talk to her past self.
"Well this was….." Willow trailed off, not sure what to say, having a lump in her throat herself due to the emotional scene she had just witnessed.
"He sacrificed a life with her for her", Tara just said, not sure what else to say herself. "And he has been living with that memory all this time."
Dawn just had no comments, she just couldn't say a word. While she always remembered Buffy crying over Angel, she did remember they loved each other in a way she couldn't describe, and this just proved it.
"My poor sister", she just muttered to herself.
"Not gonna lie, even I have no comments for once", Xander of all people said, and that was the most positive emotional response one could get from him in response to Buffy's and Angel's relationship.
"So, time travel, huh, it happened before this", Giles said, not sure what to say on Buffy and Angel, since there was not a word in his mind which could describe how he felt about what had just happened.
There was silence for a full minute.
"Hungry?" Xander finally asked.
"Yeah", Willow said.
"After this, we could use a bite", Tara agreed.
"Let's go then", Dawn said.
"Yeah, would be a good move", Giles agreed, all wanting to get their minds off of the emotions they had been subject to. And so they got up and walked off, out of the room.
And there we go. Hope the reactions didn't disappoint.
Now like I said, I don't like Buffy/Angel much, but this episode still got me emotional. Overall, for me, Buffy/Angel is a mixed bag, in that there are times I do genuinely like it, but there are issues I have with how it played out which is why I don't support it.
But one thing I can't say is Buffy and Angel didn't love each other. They loved each other, and I think part of them always will, even if the love of their lives are Spike and Cordelia respectively, but due to being a passionate (if unhealthy) romance, they are going to have a bond till the end.
But still, Bangel is unhealthy at the end of the day and outside of Sarah's and David's chemistry and 'Close Your Eyes', it doesn't have much going for it.
And while yes, Buffy has moved on from the relationship with Angel, seeing this would still be upsetting tbh.
[1] Now while I have a mixed opinion on Bangel, that bit in the final 2 episodes of Buffy Season 7 seemed out of place to me personally. By that point, Buffy is clearly in love with Spike (you can't change my mind) and Angel with Cordelia, so this proves my point of the two regressing whenever they meet again after Buffy Season 3, and my explanation is Angel at the time was hurting due to the recent stuff with Connor and Cordelia so he ended up looking to her for momentary comfort. Why she accepted, I can't explain tbh, but like I said, that's my opinion. Buffy 4x20 was the official end of the Buffy/Angel romance for me. I like them a lot as friends, but as a romance, not a big fan.
Anyway, next chapter will be a break again, after this episode, they need it, and then 'Hero'…oof! Another emotional one.
Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter. Stay safe from the coronavirus ya all!