~Epilogue~
"You have to do it. It's the
final test," Andrea insisted to the four people gathered in her office. "Once
you've called Unity and seen that she's who she always was, you can start
putting the last of your nightmares to rest."
"I'm scared," Xander said
honestly.
"Understandable," the doctor
agreed. "But I know for a fact that your friends need to get back to their
lives in LA, and until they've seen this, too, they're not gonna want to
leave." A shadow passed over Andrea's face, and Willow wondered if Buffy and
Xander had noticed how close the doctor and Wesley had been growing. She knew
Rupe was pushing for the pair, but they hadn't really considered that Wes would
soon be leaving. *But LA isn't that far away,* Rupe said in her mind, and the
witch visibly brightened. "I say we go for it," she said out loud.
Her lover squeezed her hand,
and said, "I'm with Willow."
"Of course you are," Xander
said, rolling his eyes.
"Honey," Buffy said quietly,
"I think she's right. We have to do this."
Xander nodded reluctantly.
Then, just like the first time they'd ever come together, he put his hand out
in front of him. "Unity," he said softly.
One by one, they joined
their hands with his. "Unity."
"Unity."
Buffy went last, gracing her
lover with a comforting and reassuring smile before placing her hand atop the
other three. "Unity," she said with confidence. The air shimmered, and they all
vanished, replaced by the petite redheaded figure Andrea had begun to wonder if
she'd ever see again.
"Unity!" she called out with
relief.
"Hey. What an interesting
trip through hell that was. I don't want to ever go back."
"I don't think you'll ever
have to. We sure missed you." Andrea thought about it for a moment, then
reached out and hugged the entity to her. Backing away from the brief embrace,
she grinned. "There's some other people you need to see again, but first, I
want you to help me with a little thank-you gift for them I've worked out."
~**~
Angel and Cordelia were
thrilled to see Unity again, both greeting her like an old friend. Wesley was reserved
at first, but her open friendly manner and the quick acceptance by his
co-workers of her good guy status finally relaxed his caution, and soon they
were friends as well.
When Andrea and Unity asked
to see Angel alone, the other two shrugged and acquiesced, going off to pack
for the imminent trip home. Puzzled, the vampire followed the two women to the
basement, where candles and incense were arranged for an apparent magical
spell.
"Okay," he asked, "What's
the deal here?"
"I found a spell when we
were researching during the crisis that I filed mentally for a time like this.
It was tricky, so I wasn't sure I could do it, but Unity is a far more
accomplished Wicca than I, so I've asked her for her help." She turned from the
table where she'd been fussing, and held up a necklace with a silver anchor
charm on it. "With this talisman, we can anchor your soul to your body.
Permanently."
"As in, forever? No more
'moment of happiness' clause?" Angel's unbeating heart soared for a moment,
then crashed back to earth. "Or, forever, as long as I have the talisman?"
"Well," Andrea drawled, "The
talisman is central to the spell. It's the symbol that holds your soul in
place."
"So Wolfram & Hart finds
out, steals the necklace, and 'bye-bye soul,'" he said dejectedly. "I think
I'll pass."
The two women stared at him,
and then at each other. They thought this was the perfect gift; that the whole
LA contingent would be overjoyed for Angel to finally be free of at least that
fear. They'd heard about the prophecy that he'd one day regain his humanity,
but this would be another piece of it he could have until that day came. They
hadn't considered this little difficulty.
The air hung heavy with
disappointment. "Wait," Unity cried suddenly, "I have an idea!"
~**~
Cordy, Wes and Angel all
waved furiously as the car pulled down the driveway. Gunn had promised to have
Dennis air out Cordelia's apartment, and he and Kate would be waiting at the
office to both give and get full reports on the time they'd all been apart. They
were finally headed home.
Unity had Divided after
saying her farewells, and there had been hugs and tears all around between her
four Parts, Andrea and the LA gang. Wesley was practically glowing with the
promise of a visit from the good doctor in two weeks. Xander and Angel had
shared a manly handshake, and there was respect in both sets of eyes for the
first time ever.
Angel pulled onto the
highway, the cool evening breeze whipping Cordelia's hair into her face. Wes
was already asleep in the back of the car, the vampire noted with some
amusement. "Should I put the top up?" he hollered over the sound of the wind.
Cordy nodded, and he pulled to the shoulder for a moment, hit the button and
fastened the clamps when the top was finally in place. He pulled back into the
flow of traffic, and the woman beside him smiled.
"Thanks. I can hear myself
think again."
"Whatcha thinking about?" he
asked casually, and his eyes widened when she slid over on the bench seat to
sit right beside him.
"You." She looked up and saw
his expression, which made her giggle. But she quickly grew serious again. "I
care about you – I doubt that's a news flash. But seeing Xander, or that
Xander-shaped thing, being so evil and all, I realized what a risk I'm taking
in feeling anything beyond friendship for you. I mean, I know we don't have to
sleep together or anything, I'm not even suggesting that," she was a bit
flustered, and he had to smile, "but that kind of relationship could lead to
that, and I don't want to screw up your life over a moment of passion, and…"
Angel put his arm around her
shoulder, silencing her as he pulled her closer to him. "Cor," he said to the
now blushing woman, "I like you too. That way. Why don't we start with dinner –
a real date? A not-as-just-friends kind of dinner. We can work the rest out
from there."
She relaxed, sniggling into
his shoulder. "But what about the whole soul thing?" she insisted.
He grinned. "You never know
how things can be worked out. We'll deal with that issue when we have to."
They sat in silence as the
highway flew by. After a few moments, Cordy reached out, running one carefully
manicured fingernail over the back of his left hand as it gripped the steering
wheel. "That's new," she commented. "I don't remember you having an anchor
tattooed there before."
And his grin threatened to
split his face.
~**~
