Chapter 72

Buffy ran through the streets. She was using her connection to Angel to find him. She found him walking down a street, obviously searching for someone. "Angel!" He stopped. "Angel!" Angel turned. "Oh my God! Buffy! You're alive."

Buffy ran into his arms. He caught her and lifted her off the ground in a tremendous hug complete with kisses. "Oh God. I was so scared! I thought that I wouldn't get to ever see you again. And we were locked in the basement and when I heard the screaming, I thought we were going to die, but I didn't want to die! I don't want to die Angel. I want to be alive and be with you." She kissed him frantically. "Don't ever leave me again! Please, don't leave me ever again."

"I won't. I promise I won't leave you." Angel said, holding Buffy tightly.

"God." She kissed him passionately. "We have to talk.."

Angel looked down the street. "Jasmine."

"What?"

"We have to find her."

"Then we'll talk?"

"Then we'll talk." He took her hand and led her down to an overpass. Jasmine stood there in the middle of the road as cars passed. "Jasmine, it's over. You've lost."

"I've lost? Do you have any idea what you've done?" Jasmine asked.

"What I had to do."

"No. No, Angel. There are no absolutes. No right and wrong. Haven't you learned anything working for the Powers? There are only choices. I offered paradise. You chose this!"

"Because I could. Because that's what you took away from us. Choice."

"And look what free will has gotten you."

"Hey, I didn't say we were smart. I said it's our right. It's what makes us human."

"But you're not human."

"He's working on it." Buffy said. Jasmine turned to walk away. "Where you going?"

"Leave me alone."

"Sorry, but.. We can't do that." Angel said.

"What? You've taken everything. You're gonna try to kill me now, as if you could."

"Maybe not. But I'll die before I let you hurt anyone else."

"You're already dead!"

"You know what I mean. It ends right here."

"Why do you hate me so much?"

"Let's run down the list, huh? Rain of fire, blotting out the sun, enslaving mankind, and, yeah, oh, yeah, hey, you eat people!"

"Like you never have?"

"Thousands of people are dead because of what you've done." Buffy said.

"And how many will die because of you two? I could've stopped it. All of it. War, disease, poverty. How many precious, beautiful lives would've been saved in a handful of years? Yes, I murdered thousands to save billions." Jasmine walked to the edge of the bridge. "This world is doomed to drown in its own blood now."

"The price was too high, Jasmine. Our fate has to be our own, or we're nothing." Angel said.

"Like me?"

"Look, we've all done horrible things. All we can do is try and make up for it. So, ok, you know, it's not the world that you wanted, but maybe you can still help us make it better, even if you have lost your powers."

"Not all of them." Jasmine grabbed Buffy and threw her over the over pass.

"BUFFY!" Angel jumped after her. He caught her before she hit and turned so he shielded her body with his. They landed on a car and Buffy rolled off Angel painfully, laying beside him on the hood. The driver of the car was out of his vehicle and staring at them.

"Run." Buffy said.

"Think the price was too high?" Jasmine yelled. "You haven't begun to pay!" She threw a station wagon over the bridge. Angel threw Buffy away from him and then jumped away from the car. The station wagon snapped a power line before crashing into the street and exploding. Jasmine jumped off the bridge, landed on her feet, and walked menacingly toward Angel. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I can still make this world a better place." Jasmine punched Angel across the street. "One body at a time. I loved this world. I sacrificed everything I was to be with you."

"So you could rule us?" Angel asked, glancing at Buffy. She was struggling to get up.

"Because I cared. The other Powers don't. Never really did. You know that's true in your heart. Shame now I gotta rip it out." Jasmine reached for Angel, but he grabbed the end of the power line and electrocuted Jasmine with the live end. The electricity sent her back a few feet, but didn't hurt her. She walked back toward Angel. "I was forged in the inferno of creation, vampire. Do you really think a little electricity would destroy me?"

"Worth a shot." Angel punched Jasmine, but she was unfazed. She picked him up and threw him into a lamp post, snapping it in two. Jasmine walked over to Angel who was crawling on the ground coughing.

Buffy staggered to her feet and watched Jasmine corner Angel.

"Remember the prophecy, Angel? The one that says in the time of the apocalypse, you'd play a major part? How you never knew whether you'd be on the side of good or evil? Well, now you know." Jasmine grabbed Angel's face. "Thanks to you, this frail, little Power That Was has just enough strength in her to wipe out your whole species. And it's all on your hands."

Angel punched her. "This isn't my fault!" She grabbed his throat. "Go to hell."

"You first, baby." Jasmine forced him into a kiss.

Buffy screamed savagely and attacked Jasmine, going into a full on cat fight. She clawed at Jasmine's face and neck. "THAT'S MY HUSBAND! I'm tired of everyone trying to take him from me!" Buffy punched Jasmine several times, before Jasmine threw her away. It didn't really stop Buffy. She landed in a crouching position and went for Jasmine again. When the Slayer was pissed off, it was really hard to put her down. Jasmine was starting to get that as Buffy kicked her in the face and sent her flying back. "I was HAPPY!" Buffy screamed, letting out her frustrations. "Thing's were perfect until you messed them up!" She punched Jasmine mercilessly. "You took advantage of me! You violated MY body as well as Cordelia's." Punch. "You used me! No body has ever used me like you have!" Punch, kick, punch. "You're right. I do hate you!" Buffy delivered a vicious kick, but Jasmine grabbed her ankle before the kick could reach her.

"That's too bad." Jasmine turned her arms and twirled Buffy's leg. The pressure was too much and Buffy's whole body twirled, landing on her back and getting the air completely knocked out of her. Jasmine leaned over her and whispered. "You're nothing but a little bug in this world. You have no idea what's out there little girl."

Buffy kicked up into Jasmine's stomach and the goddess went flying back. Buffy flipped to her feet. "I recall another god telling me the exact same thing. Can you guess how she ended up?"

"Dead." Connor said behind them.

Buffy, Angel, and Jasmine all turned. "Connor."

Jasmine stepped away from Buffy. "Connor, I still have you. Angel's ruined everything. But they can't can't defeat both of us. You still believe in me, don't you? You still love me?"

"Yes." Connor punched Jasmine in the head so hard that his fist went right through her skull. Jasmine's body dropped to the ground with a wet thud.

Angel limped over a little, but Buffy had to hold him up. "Connor.. It's ok. It's over." Connor looked up at Angel. "Look, I know this is difficult for you. I'm just.. I'm just happy to have you. We both are." Connor walked away. Angel tried in vain to follow him. "Connor. Connor? Connor. Connor!" Connor was gone. Buffy hadn't even tried to go after him. Angel turned to her. "What's going on?"

"I told you we need to talk." Buffy said.

Weakly, Angel stumbled in through the front door with Buffy holding him up. The rest of the gang was in the office. When they heard them come in, they all went out to the lobby. "Angel! Buffy!" Fred said. She noticed the looks on the two warriors faces. Buffy had filled Angel in on Connor and what she had suspected all along.

"Jasmine's dead. I brought back her name and her powers were destroyed." Angel said. "Connor killed her."

"Connor?"

"Um, there's something.." Wesley started.

"We've never seen him like this. He wasn't hurt or angry, he just.. killed her. And his face, it.. it was just blank, like he had nothing left." Angel said.

"Angel, you really.."

"I've got a bad feeling. Buffy even told me she's had a bad feeling too. He's just.. given up. I think he's gonna do something. You know, he might.."

"End world peace?" Buffy and Angel looked over to see Lilah standing in the office doorway. "Well, you already took care of that. Congratulations."

"Lilah...." Angel said.

"Angel. What's the matter, ace? Didn't think you were the only one who ever got to come back from hell around here, did you? Speaking of which, could I possibly get some ice water?"

"What are you doing here, Lilah?" Buffy asked.

"She's not here. It's not her. It can't be." Wesley said.

"There's a signed dollar in your wallet that says different." Lilah said.

"It's a lie."

"-lah. It's a 'Lilah.'" Lilah looked at Angel. "You're the one with the preternatural senses. You tell him."

"It's true Wes. It's her." Angel said.

"But.... how? She was dead." Fred said.

"She's still dead."

"Vampire?" Gunn asked.

"Eww. Please. Angelus drank from me, true. But, like with most men, it was a one way street I was dead already. Besides, my Wesley made sure I'd be spared.... just in case." Lilah tugged at her collar, revealing the scar from her recent decapitation. Wesley recoiled from the sight. Lilah smiled at him with true tenderness. "It's okay, lover. I never felt a thing."

"I'm sure that's true." Wesley said.

"I don't get this. If she ain't alive and she ain't a vampire.... what in the hell is she?" Gunn asked.

"I'm just a messenger. That's all. They'll be sending me straight back to hell once I'm finished here." Lilah said.

"Who's they?" Buffy asked.

"Wolfram & Hart." Angel said. "The contract she signed with them extends beyond her death."

"Standard perpetuity clause, I'm afraid. Always read the fine print." Lilah said.

"What's your game, Lilah?"

"No game. In fact, game over. Guess what? You win. Which is why I'm here. I have been authorized to make you kids an offer."

"You can't possibly think there's anything we'd want from you." Buffy said.

"I don't think you'll want it.... but you'll take it. Because this is the offer of a lifetime. Just not, you know, mine." Everyone paused. "You get Wolfram and Hart. No strings." Lilah sat on the sofa, waiting, a look of expectation on her face. Everyone else stared at her, more or less frozen in place. No one spoke for a very long beat. Finally, Gunn broke the silence.

"You want to run that by us one more time?"

"What was unclear?"

"I think the part where you offered us Wolfram & Hart." Buffy said.

"Just the L.A. branch."

"'Just the L.A. branch.'" Lorne mimicked. "Hi, from another dimension. What the hell does that mean?"

"It means we give. You win. We're moving out. The Senior Partners are ceding this territory to you and to prove it, they want to give you controlling interests in our L.A. office. You get the building, assets, personnel, letterhead, paperclips, all of it. It's yours to do with as you see fit."

"But there is no Los Angeles office of Wolfram & Hart. The Beast destroyed it." Buffy said. "Oh, it's back. Re-staffed and zombie-free. We're bigger, better and shinier than ever. And we want to give it to you."

"You want to give us your evil law firm.? We ain't lawyers!" Gunn said.

"Or evil." Fred added. She looked at Buffy and Angel. "Currently."

"What we're offering you is a turn-key, state-of-the-art, multitasking operation. What you do with it.... well, that's up to you." Lilah said.

"Why?" Angel asked.

"I thought that was obvious. You've earned it. Think of it as a reward."

"Reward for what?" Buffy asked.

"Ending world peace. We were really on the precipice there. I mean, a bona fide goddess incarnates, is inches from eliminating all violence, hate and litigation from the planet, and you six, with an assist from sonny boy, manage to undo it all. Way to go."

"That's not what happened."

"No?"

"Jasmine was creating a slave state." Wesley said.

"Right. Where the slaves are full of giggly joy and love. Ugh. What a nightmare."

"She was eating people." Angel said.

"They knew what they were getting into."

"Her stomach?" Lorne asked.

"World peace comes at a price. Jasmine understood that. She consumed, what? A couple dozen souls a day? Now weigh that against ending the suffering of millions. But you fixed that."

"No we didn't! I mean we did, we fixed it, but not in the way you're trying to make it sound." Fred said.

"Jeez, it's not like it was a criticism." Lilah headed for the door. "Anyway, I'm dead and running late. Think about our proposal. If anyone's interested and wants the grand tour, there'll be a limo waiting outside just before dawn. And hey.... good job." She smiled and then walked out.

"We ended a nefarious global domination scheme, not world peace. Right?"