Author's Note: Based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer tie-in book "The Book of Fours," that takes place pretty late in season three.

In that book, each Slayer is tied to one of the four elements (earth, fire, air, or water) and there are these four axes tied to the elements as well, that these mummies or skeletons have (I forget which they are). And the axe tied to the element the Slayer is tied to is lethal to her (like the axe of air being lethal to Buffy, because she is the Slayer of air). And it's also believed that if a Slayer is killed with the axe associated with them, it'll sever the Slayer line.

And Angel ends up finding the axe associated with Buffy and holding onto it so it can't be used against her.

Quintessence

Buffy didn't know what it was… but after they'd defeated Cecile and the Gatherer, she'd felt the urge to come back to Sunnydale High with Angel and sit outside, and stare at all of the rainwater that had turned the streets into a river. (1) The way things looked now slightly reminded Buffy of Venice. Or probably the closest she'd ever get to Venice. And perhaps she wanted to share it with Angel after another hard-won apocalypse.

"Angel, thanks for coming through and getting this for me," Buffy found herself speaking now, maybe in just looking for something to say (because she didn't want Angel to worry she'd just brought him here for another attempt at sexy time, even if she would have loved that), as she spun the axe he had procured for her in hand. (2)

"Of course, Buffy," Angel answered, a smirk in his tone if she was hearing him right—though she dared not look at him yet, because she was still afraid that he doubted her motivations here. But when he pulled her to lean against him—so that her head was in its favorite spot, in the crook of his neck—and he began running a soothing hand through her hair, as they dipped their feet ever so slightly into the water as they sat, she knew she shouldn't have worried.

And deciding that maybe it wasn't so wrong to keep up this train of conversation that she had started, because hey: it had gotten a three-word response from Angel and that was always of the good, and Buffy truthfully was interested in this weapon here, the Slayer found herself saying, "It is pretty cool having a weapon that's associated with me. Do you think I should keep it?"

At that, Buffy felt Angel stiffen against her. And he turned her towards him so she could look into his eyes and see the seriousness of the matter, as he looked at her imploringly. "I… wouldn't, Buffy. It might not be safe to. And I would try and convince Faith to get rid of hers, too."

That was going to be an uphill battle, Buffy thought with a sigh. Faith never seemed to do anything that Buffy wanted her to. And she'd been ecstatic to get her axe of fire. Buffy thought that she was more likely to get a tutu on a bear than she was to win that argument, since Faith seemed more and more guarded with her lately. But she wouldn't tell Angel that and ruin their nice evening here.

Time for a subject change, then. And to bring up something that had been on her mind for a while here, since she'd learned that the Slayers were apparently affiliated with the elements.

"Right… Angel, do you think being the Slayer of Air fits me? I mean, I'm not a pacifist, as much as I'd like to be. And I'd like to believe I'm not really flighty anymore..."

"You're a free spirit, though, Buffy," Angel said, smiling. Earnestly. And once again, he took up petting Buffy's hair from where he had stopped when they'd begun to talk about Faith. "You do what you think is right and nothing can stop you when you have your mind set on something. I think that's what you being the Slayer of Air means."

"Oh… I think I can live with that, then," Buffy relented, blushing at the compliment. Especially since these days, she and Angel tried not to get into matters of the heart, as they knew that, deep down, they couldn't really be together the way that couples were meant to. So it was nice to hear him talk to her the way he had used to. More than nice, Buffy thought, as she burrowed herself closer to him.

"Angel…" Buffy started again, barely even knowing what she was going to say now, but just looking for something to continue their sweet conversation, and hoping that her heart would lead her mouth in the right direction, "if I do have to give this weapon up, do you think you could try and find me another one that's tied to the elements in the future, to try and make up for that loss? One having to do with quintessence, maybe?"

Buffy heard Angel take a deep breath then. And she knew that he was shocked that she knew about what was believed to be the fifth element. And Buffy absolutely took that win. She wasn't as blonde as she looked, and it was always a joy when people took stock of that.

Thankfully, Angel quickly recovered and dropped a kiss to the top of Buffy's head. "Of course, Buffy. Sounds like a plan."

Though Buffy didn't get that "weapon" for many years. But when she was thirty… and she heard Illyria tell Angel to "know happiness" she knew what said weapon was going to be.

Angel himself.

The curse was gone. Never again could the curse it be triggered and Angel become his dark side Angelus again.

Instead, he would always be a weapon of light now that she would have at her side. (3)

And squeezing his hand in glee, when Angel told her his own theory about the curse being gone (something she'd already figured out), Buffy knew that she could never have a better weapon. Because she was light, too.

Author's Note: (1) There's a hurricane in the book, so that's why things are flooded.

(2) The Scooby Gang (including Angel) is at the library doing some research when Snyder and the Red Cross shows up and decides to turn the school into, like, a sanctuary of sorts during the hurricane, and he makes the Scoobies help out and stay the night there (also partly for safety reasons, because it surely isn't safe to try and head back home at that point). And Buffy and Angel have a pretty hot and heavy makeout session while most everyone else is sleeping: the kind of thing they haven't had in a while, for sure. Almost like pre-knowing-about-the-curse-days.

(3) Quintessence is partly known as the traveling of LIGHT and gravity. So, yeah.

Also, I'm not trying to say that Buffy and Angel are pure light and don't still have their darkness in them or anything like that. But they're heroes of light (or, rather, Champions for the Powers That Be), so yeah.

I'm actually not really sure about the whole ending with the Quintessence thing, but I wasn't sure how else to end this thing. Hopefully it's okay. Shutting up now.