Buffy POV
I still wasn't so sure this was a good idea. Angel was still a bit weak and I didn't want him to get hurt. But nothing could convince him to stay and rest. All he had needed was a nap, he'd said, and smiling, had proceeded to leave. Smiling a bit at how much and yet how little he had changed, we walked down the steps together.
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here." Angel's voice rang out loudly in the large lobby. When he reached the floor, he crossed his arm and stared crossly down at Ariana, who was wearing her best innocent-little- girl face.
"If it isn't my little sister," Angel muttered darkly as they began to circle each other. Ariana's face had turned hard and she looked ready for a fight. "Hmm, skipping school again were we dear?"
She snarled darkly at him and sprang onto him. We all braced ourselves for the blows to come, but were astonished as Angel swung Ariana around in circles as they both roared with laughter.
"I haven't seen you in ages!" Angel cried. "Where've you been all these years?"
"Well, first I was in Japan, I've got a funny little story about that to tell you later, then I had this little thing in Egypt, then I went to Sunnydale for a few years, then off to the Congo again, then back, and now here." Ariana finished her little speech with some rapid clicking noises and hand gestures, which Angel returned. Everyone else looked at each other, puzzled.
Then continued speaking, switching to a soft silky language, then a guttural, then, finally, a slow chanting language. Angel laughed and returned each language as naturally as if it was his first and only. Then, oddly enough, Angel started speaking English, but with an Irish brogue.
"Well, me darlin, we've come a ways haven't we now? But come, I'm bein a bad host and must greet me guests." Angel winked at Ariana, then moved over and said hey to Dawn and Willow, and shook a green demon's hand warmly.
"Well as me kitchen ain't exactly," Angel paused and shook his head, "As my kitchen isn't exactly stocked for so many to eat, why don't we go out?" Angel's brogue was completely gone, and I was surprised to find that I kind of missed it. That had been the only time I'd ever heard him talk like that, but it made him sound so playful, so happy, it made my heart ache.
Everyone nodded agreement to Angel and started haggling about where the best place to eat was. I alone stood apart, immersed in my thoughts, until the green demon came over to me.
"Hello, I'm Lorne. And from the way the big fellow," he gestured to Angel, "is looking at you, I'm guessing that you're Buffy."
"Um, yea," I replied, and hesitantly held out my hand, which Lorne grasped warmly.
"I can see now why he's so hung up on you," Lorne said casually.
"Hung up on me?" I was completely confused. I had gotten the impression that Angel had moved on. But then, he had been acting awfully odd tonight.
"Well of course," Lorne said, "whenever I read his aura, it's covered in you. I mean, just looking at you and can see you two are a perfect match. Your auras darling, have merged. That's why I'm guessing you two have shared some dreams, can feel each other's presence, and are drawn to each other when either one is in need." I stared at him in awe. I had never heard anything about anyone being able to do all of those things with someone before, and here was this stranger, telling me straight out that it meant we were supposed to be together.
I sat down, thinking about what this might possibly mean, and caught Angel looking at me. When our eyes met, he smiled at me.
"Now," declared Ariana, "we have one more little matter to clear up before heading out to eat." She came to stand over by Angel and me. "Our star- crossed lovers. Now. How long is it going to take you two to finally figure it all out? I mean, think, Whistler, a messenger from the Powers sent Angel to you, Buffy. And trained you, Angel, to be able to help her. They popped out a couple of apocalypses to shove you two together, and boom, it worked. So yeah, Angel lost his soul, and got sent to hell. Woops. So what did the powers do then? They brought him back. And you would think that, hey, maybe that's a sign we should be together, but these two crazy kids? No. They say, we'll just be friends. So our poor Powers say, hey, why don't we give them shared dreams? Those have worked in the past. And that's an awfully clear message, that, hey, maybe it's meant to be. But them? No. Angel has to go and walk out. I mean, really, what's keeping you two hardheads apart besides shear stubbornness?"
Angel looked up. "My soul," he whispered softly.
"Pfft," Ariana responded immediately, "I can fix that up in a jiffy. I AM a powerful witch you know."
Angel shook his head. "No, I have to wait until I deserve it. It would be taking the easy way out. It's not right."
"Come on, Angel! It's not like I'm tryin to give you your humanity again. You all ready gave that up because of your lack of power. And now I try to give you a way to be happy without the world goin cablewy, and you refuse. It's so like you." Shaking her head, Ariana sat down.
As Angel was staring at me in shocked horror, I worked up a surprised face.
Ariana looked at me. "It's ok Buffy, you can let him know that you remembered."
"How did you.." I muttered questioningly.
"It was written," she replied, " 'When the Warrior's Chosen One leaves this Earth for the second time, all that was forgotten shall be remembered.' It was prophesied hundreds of years ago and only know makes sense."
Angel came and sat down next to me as she spoke and took my hands, smiling at the 'Warrior's Chosen' part.
"I saw it all," I whispered to him, "they let me live through it all, showing me what would have happened. I got pregnant that day you know. With Mick." I smiled sadly at the memory. "Then came Anna, Joan, Bobby, and Sara. You got a job as a police officer. You said it helped you feel like you were still helping people. We had a little house in Michigan, by a lake. And we would sit every Friday night and watch the sun go down. Mick looked just like you and grew up to be a PI. Anna a surgeon, Joan a teacher, Bobby a fighting instructor, and Sara a nurse." I laughed a little at the memories. "We still saved the world sometimes though, helped out the new Slayers. I got to be the fist retired Slayer in the history, you know. My birthday present when I turned 30. The whole Scooby gang stuck together. We met at least once a month and talked online constantly. We were all so happy. There were rough moments, as there always are. But we were together, so we made it through. And then," I started to cry, "when we were both in our 90s, we sat up together and watched the sun rise, like we almost always did. And then, as if we were one, we turned to each other, and both died, staring into the others eyes."
The sobs overtook me, and when Angel pulled me close, I could tell that he was crying too. We sobbed together for a moment, but I wasn't done. I sat up and wiped my eyes. "But then the Powers showed me something else." I looked into Angel's eyes. "They showed me all the people whose lives would be saved because you took back that day. The people stood shoulder to shoulder starting a foot in front of me, and spread as far as the eye could see. There were women, children, men, boys, people of all ages and races. And the powers told me that these were just the immediate lives you would save. They said that if you counted all of the families that would spread from these people you would save, there would be more people than all those who live on the Earth at this time. And seeing those people. I knew. I knew why you did it, and I loved you for it."
As soon as I said that, my sobbing Angel pulled me close and kissed me softly, right on the lips. And he whispered, "I love you my darling. I always have and always will." And nodding, he stood up straight, and looked to Ariana. "I'll do it. Fix my curse. Bind my soul."
I still wasn't so sure this was a good idea. Angel was still a bit weak and I didn't want him to get hurt. But nothing could convince him to stay and rest. All he had needed was a nap, he'd said, and smiling, had proceeded to leave. Smiling a bit at how much and yet how little he had changed, we walked down the steps together.
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here." Angel's voice rang out loudly in the large lobby. When he reached the floor, he crossed his arm and stared crossly down at Ariana, who was wearing her best innocent-little- girl face.
"If it isn't my little sister," Angel muttered darkly as they began to circle each other. Ariana's face had turned hard and she looked ready for a fight. "Hmm, skipping school again were we dear?"
She snarled darkly at him and sprang onto him. We all braced ourselves for the blows to come, but were astonished as Angel swung Ariana around in circles as they both roared with laughter.
"I haven't seen you in ages!" Angel cried. "Where've you been all these years?"
"Well, first I was in Japan, I've got a funny little story about that to tell you later, then I had this little thing in Egypt, then I went to Sunnydale for a few years, then off to the Congo again, then back, and now here." Ariana finished her little speech with some rapid clicking noises and hand gestures, which Angel returned. Everyone else looked at each other, puzzled.
Then continued speaking, switching to a soft silky language, then a guttural, then, finally, a slow chanting language. Angel laughed and returned each language as naturally as if it was his first and only. Then, oddly enough, Angel started speaking English, but with an Irish brogue.
"Well, me darlin, we've come a ways haven't we now? But come, I'm bein a bad host and must greet me guests." Angel winked at Ariana, then moved over and said hey to Dawn and Willow, and shook a green demon's hand warmly.
"Well as me kitchen ain't exactly," Angel paused and shook his head, "As my kitchen isn't exactly stocked for so many to eat, why don't we go out?" Angel's brogue was completely gone, and I was surprised to find that I kind of missed it. That had been the only time I'd ever heard him talk like that, but it made him sound so playful, so happy, it made my heart ache.
Everyone nodded agreement to Angel and started haggling about where the best place to eat was. I alone stood apart, immersed in my thoughts, until the green demon came over to me.
"Hello, I'm Lorne. And from the way the big fellow," he gestured to Angel, "is looking at you, I'm guessing that you're Buffy."
"Um, yea," I replied, and hesitantly held out my hand, which Lorne grasped warmly.
"I can see now why he's so hung up on you," Lorne said casually.
"Hung up on me?" I was completely confused. I had gotten the impression that Angel had moved on. But then, he had been acting awfully odd tonight.
"Well of course," Lorne said, "whenever I read his aura, it's covered in you. I mean, just looking at you and can see you two are a perfect match. Your auras darling, have merged. That's why I'm guessing you two have shared some dreams, can feel each other's presence, and are drawn to each other when either one is in need." I stared at him in awe. I had never heard anything about anyone being able to do all of those things with someone before, and here was this stranger, telling me straight out that it meant we were supposed to be together.
I sat down, thinking about what this might possibly mean, and caught Angel looking at me. When our eyes met, he smiled at me.
"Now," declared Ariana, "we have one more little matter to clear up before heading out to eat." She came to stand over by Angel and me. "Our star- crossed lovers. Now. How long is it going to take you two to finally figure it all out? I mean, think, Whistler, a messenger from the Powers sent Angel to you, Buffy. And trained you, Angel, to be able to help her. They popped out a couple of apocalypses to shove you two together, and boom, it worked. So yeah, Angel lost his soul, and got sent to hell. Woops. So what did the powers do then? They brought him back. And you would think that, hey, maybe that's a sign we should be together, but these two crazy kids? No. They say, we'll just be friends. So our poor Powers say, hey, why don't we give them shared dreams? Those have worked in the past. And that's an awfully clear message, that, hey, maybe it's meant to be. But them? No. Angel has to go and walk out. I mean, really, what's keeping you two hardheads apart besides shear stubbornness?"
Angel looked up. "My soul," he whispered softly.
"Pfft," Ariana responded immediately, "I can fix that up in a jiffy. I AM a powerful witch you know."
Angel shook his head. "No, I have to wait until I deserve it. It would be taking the easy way out. It's not right."
"Come on, Angel! It's not like I'm tryin to give you your humanity again. You all ready gave that up because of your lack of power. And now I try to give you a way to be happy without the world goin cablewy, and you refuse. It's so like you." Shaking her head, Ariana sat down.
As Angel was staring at me in shocked horror, I worked up a surprised face.
Ariana looked at me. "It's ok Buffy, you can let him know that you remembered."
"How did you.." I muttered questioningly.
"It was written," she replied, " 'When the Warrior's Chosen One leaves this Earth for the second time, all that was forgotten shall be remembered.' It was prophesied hundreds of years ago and only know makes sense."
Angel came and sat down next to me as she spoke and took my hands, smiling at the 'Warrior's Chosen' part.
"I saw it all," I whispered to him, "they let me live through it all, showing me what would have happened. I got pregnant that day you know. With Mick." I smiled sadly at the memory. "Then came Anna, Joan, Bobby, and Sara. You got a job as a police officer. You said it helped you feel like you were still helping people. We had a little house in Michigan, by a lake. And we would sit every Friday night and watch the sun go down. Mick looked just like you and grew up to be a PI. Anna a surgeon, Joan a teacher, Bobby a fighting instructor, and Sara a nurse." I laughed a little at the memories. "We still saved the world sometimes though, helped out the new Slayers. I got to be the fist retired Slayer in the history, you know. My birthday present when I turned 30. The whole Scooby gang stuck together. We met at least once a month and talked online constantly. We were all so happy. There were rough moments, as there always are. But we were together, so we made it through. And then," I started to cry, "when we were both in our 90s, we sat up together and watched the sun rise, like we almost always did. And then, as if we were one, we turned to each other, and both died, staring into the others eyes."
The sobs overtook me, and when Angel pulled me close, I could tell that he was crying too. We sobbed together for a moment, but I wasn't done. I sat up and wiped my eyes. "But then the Powers showed me something else." I looked into Angel's eyes. "They showed me all the people whose lives would be saved because you took back that day. The people stood shoulder to shoulder starting a foot in front of me, and spread as far as the eye could see. There were women, children, men, boys, people of all ages and races. And the powers told me that these were just the immediate lives you would save. They said that if you counted all of the families that would spread from these people you would save, there would be more people than all those who live on the Earth at this time. And seeing those people. I knew. I knew why you did it, and I loved you for it."
As soon as I said that, my sobbing Angel pulled me close and kissed me softly, right on the lips. And he whispered, "I love you my darling. I always have and always will." And nodding, he stood up straight, and looked to Ariana. "I'll do it. Fix my curse. Bind my soul."