Part 9 – Galway Ireland
"You love him don't you?"
Buffy looked at the girl beside her, the girl who resembled her best-friend so much that she felt an urge to tell her everything, how much it was hurting her to do this, how much she loved Angel…They were outside the tavern, waiting for Liam to come out. They were the distraction; Rupert was going to stake Darla.
"Who?"
"Angelus."
"Well…I…. Umm…"
"You can tell me, I'm not going to say anything. If you truly share the same soul as Anne, you must have. She loved Liam and Liam is Angelus, so you must love him."
"Angel. I love Angel, not Angelus. Angelus is the monster who takes over his body, no-one could love him."
Buffy could feel the tears in her eyes, threatening to spill over, as she once again looked at her silver ring, the ring Angel had given her on her birthday, the day they thought he would have to leave…
My people -- before I was changed -- they exchanged this as a sign of devotion. It's a Claddaugh ring. The hands represent friendship; the crown represents loyalty... and the heart... Well, you know... Wear it with the heart pointing towards you. It means you belong to somebody. Like this.
"If you love him so much, why did you come back? If he isn't sired tonight, you will never meet him; you realise that don't you?"
"Of course I do!" Buffy looked at Willow angrily. "Don't you think I've thought about that? I love him with all my heart, all my being and soon he is going taken from me! How do you think that makes me feel? But I have to do this! There is no choice about it."
"But why? You couldn't have him during Anne's lifetime, why sacrifice the time you have had together? If you love him so much you should have just forgotten the idea and let the past be the past."
"And have the deaths of so many innocent people on my conscience for the rest of my life, all the time knowing that I could have stopped them? I don't think so! And if losing Angel is the consequence, I'm going to have to live with that. Besides, if we are truly soulmates…if we are MEANT to be together, then somehow, someway, we will."
Willow looked at Buffy, all doubts about her flying from her head. This truly was Anne. She had the same strengths and the same weaknesses as the girl that Willow knew. She would do anything for anyone, no matter how hurt she got in the process. Even if it meant losing the one man she loved.
Willow looked over Buffy's shoulder at the door of the tavern. There seemed to be a brawl going on inside. She looked back at Buffy, seeing the tears in her eyed. Her voice was quiet and gentle when she spoke again.
"You have the choice to back out of this Buffy, but only a few minutes to make it."
"I don't have a choice. I have to do this. At least I have the chance to say goodbye, no matter how hard it is." Even as she spoke, two young men got thrown out of the tavern, clearly drunk and clearly involved in the brawl. Buffy heard the noise behind her and turned around.
"Well, here goes nothing!" She muttered under her breath. She took on last look at her Claddaugh ring and looked back up at the men. One had already passed out on the ground and the other was starting to walk down the ally…
"No!"
The young man turned around, startled. Buffy saw his face in the lamplight, the face of an angel…the face of her Angel. Without thinking she ran over and kissed him, feeling the electricity their kiss created, memories washing over her as tears ran down her face….
"Who are you?"
"Let's just say I'm a friend."
"Yeah? Well maybe I don't want a friend!"
"I didn't say I was yours!"
"This isn't some fairytale. When I kiss you, you don't wake up from a deep sleep and live happily ever after."
"No. When you kiss me, I want to die."
"I wish we could be regular kids."
"I'll never be a kid."
"Okay then, a regular kid and her cradle-robbing creature-of-the-night boyfriend."
"This is nice. I like seeing you first thing in the morning."
"It's bedtime for me."
"Well, then I like seeing you at bedtime. Um... Um, heh... Y-you know what I mean."
"I think so. What do you mean?"
"I like seeing you. The part at the end of the night where we say good- bye... It's getting harder."
"Yeah. It is."
"Angel... I feel like I lost you... You're right, though. We can't be sure of anything."
"Shhh. I..."
"You what?"
"I love you. I try not to, but I can't stop."
"Me, me, too. I can't either."
"Buffy, maybe we shouldn't..."
"Don't. Just kiss me."
"Hello lover."
"I don't have time for you."
"You don't have a lot of time left"
"What's happening Buffy?"
"Shhh... It doesn't matter. I love you."
"I love you..."
"Close your eyes."
And then the Slayer sends Angel, her one true love and a redeemed soul, straight to Hell.
"You still my girl?"
"Always."
"I'm trying to do what's right here, okay? I'm trying to think with my head instead of my heart."
"Heart? You have a heart? It isn't even beating!"
"Don't."
"Don't what? Don't love you? I'm sorry. You know what? I didn't know that I got a choice in that. I'm never gonna change. I can't change. I want my life to be with you."
"I don't."
"I saw you before you became the Slayer."
"What?"
"I watched you, and I saw you called. It was a bright afternoon out in front of your school. You walked down the steps... and... and I loved you."
"Why?"
"'Cause I could see your heart. You held it before you for everyone to see. And I worried that it would be bruised or torn. And more than anything in my life I wanted to keep it safe... to warm it with my own."
"That's beautiful. Or taken literally, incredibly gross."
"I was just thinking that, too."
"Stay with me?"
"Forever, that's the whole point. I'll never leave, not even if you kill me."
As Buffy pulled away, she glanced over Liam's shoulder just in time to see Rupert stake Darla. Knowing that she didn't have much time left before she would be drawn back to her own time she kissed Liam once more.
"I love you" she whispered, tears running down her face, knowing that Liam had no idea what was going on. If she had only looked into his eyes, deep into his soul, she would have seen a glimpse of recognition, of his soul recognising hers and rejoicing…
But she didn't. She turned back to face Willow and Giles wanting to thank them before she left. But before the words could leave her mouth, she noticed Alexander standing with them, stake in hand. She had no idea what he was doing there but felt glad that he was. She went to speak when she suddenly felt a tug, strong but gentle and knew her time was up. She looked at the group standing in front of her, the group that had helped her now, the group that would help her many times in the future.
"We know." Willow looked at Buffy, a sad smile on her lips. "Goodbye"
Buffy felt the tug, stronger this time, and before everything went black, she looked towards her Angel, her soulmate and the last thing she saw was his Claddaugh ring, matching the one he had given her, glinting in the moonlight…
"I love you"…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You love him don't you?"
Buffy looked at the girl beside her, the girl who resembled her best-friend so much that she felt an urge to tell her everything, how much it was hurting her to do this, how much she loved Angel…They were outside the tavern, waiting for Liam to come out. They were the distraction; Rupert was going to stake Darla.
"Who?"
"Angelus."
"Well…I…. Umm…"
"You can tell me, I'm not going to say anything. If you truly share the same soul as Anne, you must have. She loved Liam and Liam is Angelus, so you must love him."
"Angel. I love Angel, not Angelus. Angelus is the monster who takes over his body, no-one could love him."
Buffy could feel the tears in her eyes, threatening to spill over, as she once again looked at her silver ring, the ring Angel had given her on her birthday, the day they thought he would have to leave…
My people -- before I was changed -- they exchanged this as a sign of devotion. It's a Claddaugh ring. The hands represent friendship; the crown represents loyalty... and the heart... Well, you know... Wear it with the heart pointing towards you. It means you belong to somebody. Like this.
"If you love him so much, why did you come back? If he isn't sired tonight, you will never meet him; you realise that don't you?"
"Of course I do!" Buffy looked at Willow angrily. "Don't you think I've thought about that? I love him with all my heart, all my being and soon he is going taken from me! How do you think that makes me feel? But I have to do this! There is no choice about it."
"But why? You couldn't have him during Anne's lifetime, why sacrifice the time you have had together? If you love him so much you should have just forgotten the idea and let the past be the past."
"And have the deaths of so many innocent people on my conscience for the rest of my life, all the time knowing that I could have stopped them? I don't think so! And if losing Angel is the consequence, I'm going to have to live with that. Besides, if we are truly soulmates…if we are MEANT to be together, then somehow, someway, we will."
Willow looked at Buffy, all doubts about her flying from her head. This truly was Anne. She had the same strengths and the same weaknesses as the girl that Willow knew. She would do anything for anyone, no matter how hurt she got in the process. Even if it meant losing the one man she loved.
Willow looked over Buffy's shoulder at the door of the tavern. There seemed to be a brawl going on inside. She looked back at Buffy, seeing the tears in her eyed. Her voice was quiet and gentle when she spoke again.
"You have the choice to back out of this Buffy, but only a few minutes to make it."
"I don't have a choice. I have to do this. At least I have the chance to say goodbye, no matter how hard it is." Even as she spoke, two young men got thrown out of the tavern, clearly drunk and clearly involved in the brawl. Buffy heard the noise behind her and turned around.
"Well, here goes nothing!" She muttered under her breath. She took on last look at her Claddaugh ring and looked back up at the men. One had already passed out on the ground and the other was starting to walk down the ally…
"No!"
The young man turned around, startled. Buffy saw his face in the lamplight, the face of an angel…the face of her Angel. Without thinking she ran over and kissed him, feeling the electricity their kiss created, memories washing over her as tears ran down her face….
"Who are you?"
"Let's just say I'm a friend."
"Yeah? Well maybe I don't want a friend!"
"I didn't say I was yours!"
"This isn't some fairytale. When I kiss you, you don't wake up from a deep sleep and live happily ever after."
"No. When you kiss me, I want to die."
"I wish we could be regular kids."
"I'll never be a kid."
"Okay then, a regular kid and her cradle-robbing creature-of-the-night boyfriend."
"This is nice. I like seeing you first thing in the morning."
"It's bedtime for me."
"Well, then I like seeing you at bedtime. Um... Um, heh... Y-you know what I mean."
"I think so. What do you mean?"
"I like seeing you. The part at the end of the night where we say good- bye... It's getting harder."
"Yeah. It is."
"Angel... I feel like I lost you... You're right, though. We can't be sure of anything."
"Shhh. I..."
"You what?"
"I love you. I try not to, but I can't stop."
"Me, me, too. I can't either."
"Buffy, maybe we shouldn't..."
"Don't. Just kiss me."
"Hello lover."
"I don't have time for you."
"You don't have a lot of time left"
"What's happening Buffy?"
"Shhh... It doesn't matter. I love you."
"I love you..."
"Close your eyes."
And then the Slayer sends Angel, her one true love and a redeemed soul, straight to Hell.
"You still my girl?"
"Always."
"I'm trying to do what's right here, okay? I'm trying to think with my head instead of my heart."
"Heart? You have a heart? It isn't even beating!"
"Don't."
"Don't what? Don't love you? I'm sorry. You know what? I didn't know that I got a choice in that. I'm never gonna change. I can't change. I want my life to be with you."
"I don't."
"I saw you before you became the Slayer."
"What?"
"I watched you, and I saw you called. It was a bright afternoon out in front of your school. You walked down the steps... and... and I loved you."
"Why?"
"'Cause I could see your heart. You held it before you for everyone to see. And I worried that it would be bruised or torn. And more than anything in my life I wanted to keep it safe... to warm it with my own."
"That's beautiful. Or taken literally, incredibly gross."
"I was just thinking that, too."
"Stay with me?"
"Forever, that's the whole point. I'll never leave, not even if you kill me."
As Buffy pulled away, she glanced over Liam's shoulder just in time to see Rupert stake Darla. Knowing that she didn't have much time left before she would be drawn back to her own time she kissed Liam once more.
"I love you" she whispered, tears running down her face, knowing that Liam had no idea what was going on. If she had only looked into his eyes, deep into his soul, she would have seen a glimpse of recognition, of his soul recognising hers and rejoicing…
But she didn't. She turned back to face Willow and Giles wanting to thank them before she left. But before the words could leave her mouth, she noticed Alexander standing with them, stake in hand. She had no idea what he was doing there but felt glad that he was. She went to speak when she suddenly felt a tug, strong but gentle and knew her time was up. She looked at the group standing in front of her, the group that had helped her now, the group that would help her many times in the future.
"We know." Willow looked at Buffy, a sad smile on her lips. "Goodbye"
Buffy felt the tug, stronger this time, and before everything went black, she looked towards her Angel, her soulmate and the last thing she saw was his Claddaugh ring, matching the one he had given her, glinting in the moonlight…
"I love you"…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~