The Last Slayer: Regrets.

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, just the situations.

Sunny Dale never changes. It has been this way for years. But even years before that, demons had ruled the small town and claimed it as their own. Funny, Angel thought. For like the town, a demon had once ruled me. A demon that survived over the centuries. He walked downtown toward the place once called The Espresso Pump. It was now a pitiful building condemned and infested with vampires. Don't think about it. Angel thought. Don't think about how Buffy died and how Cordelia was just taken captive by the vampires. But it hurts. a little voice at the back of his mind said. It hurts to know that right now Buffy is hunting those she used to protect and that you have been sent here to kill her. Angel shook his head. He reminded himself that Buffy was gone. All that was left was a demon with the memories and face of what it used to be. As he walked, the town cried out to him. Asked him to end their pain. The lost souls of the one's the slayer had killed asked him why. Why he couldn't protect them. He saw Anya, Cordelia, Kendra, and lastly Miss. Calendar. He shouted at them to leave him be but they couldn't hear him. That or they didn't want to. He ran as far as he could. He ran without stopping, without thinking and found himself at his Mansion. Running inside he screamed at the pain until sleep came and he drifted away to dreamland. But the pain came back. He woke when sunlight poured in through the windows…searing his left hand. He wanted the pain, it brought him a sense of peace. A feeling that if he died his mission would be fulfilled. That he would finally get what he wanted. Happiness. "No" he said softly but scornfully. "I can never be happy. I can never let passion rule me. Because of my own fault I am denied that which I love the most. But that's gone. And now all I have left is the pain. The pain and the guilt." Angel sat down on his couch thinking about Buffy, about things that would never happen. "She's gone!" He shouted. "She's gone! Move on…"  For one time in his life he wished his soul could be ripped away,  so that all the regret of causing this would go away. That all of the grief would disappear, that he would stop blaming himself for killing his true love…. Buffy.

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Buffy Summers woke up. Or the demon that inhabited her did. After stretching, she searched for a fresh meal, and was instantly disgusted with herself. Waking Willow and Xander, they all trouped through the grand mansion searching for something just perfect. For a fleeting moment Buffy thought of Angel or rather Angelus, the thing that had killed her, turned her into this monster. Every instinct she had told her to kill herself, or to kill the things her friends had become. Monsters, She thought and flung her blanket to the ground. Monster you may be, a voice told her, but you are finally free of being the slayer. Free of your cursed destiny. "Oh yeah" she whispered. "I might be rid of my destiny but now I'm really cursed.  Cursed with immortality." Willow looked at her as if she heard but vamped and continued her search. Suddenly, "Buff you better come here." Buffy looked up at Xander startled at the sudden noise. Turning the corner she reached the door. The beautiful night poured in blessing her with each moonbeam. But something was wrong. They had not left the door open after their hunt. Oh no, there was an intruder. She smiled deliciously thinking what a great chase it would be. Rushing into the next room Buffy gasped in horror. Because lying on the couch was not a weak human, but the vampire who had turned her, Angel.

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Angel heard a noise and he woke. He suddenly found himself looking at the one thing in the world he treasured more than life itself. Buffy. She was gaping at him as though having seen a ghost. Behind her Angel could see the disgusted look on the grotesque visage of a vampire Willow and the shocked and angry expression seemingly implanted on Xander's. He slowly got up avoiding the three vampires that he used to know. "What are you doing here." Buffy growled "You don't belong here. You're unnatural." she stopped. "You a have a soul." she finished bitterly.  He stared not knowing what to say. All this time he had been hoping that the council had been lying, that they had just been playing another trick to try and trap him. But it was no dream. It was real. The girl he loved was dead and he was the one who had killed her. He was the one who had left her lying on the side of the road like a discarded plaything. Angel sat, choking back tears meant for another life, another girl. He saw a figure in the doorway. "Spike" he growled. Spike was the only one who had taken Buffy in once she had changed. He had made her his girl and had helped her destroy Willow's innocence and Xander's dreams… "That's right" he said his British accent somehow lasting over all these years. "In the flesh." "Spike…" Buffy breathed. She sauntered to him, jumping up…wrapping her legas around his waist and her arms around her neck. Their lips soon locked in a passionate kiss. Angel had to look away. This isn't the girl I love, he thought. She's gone, dead, spread like ashes in the wind. Wincing, he turned and fled out into the night, into the safety of death and let her black arms draw him closer. "He's dead" He growled. "I'll kill him for this" With that he was gone, lost in a field of despair with only one thought keeping him alive. Kill spike…kill him…destroy…

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Cordelia hated being dead. Her ethereal face was streaked with dirt; short hair fading from its dark brown hue. Her clothes were impractical for anything, the short evening dress and stiletto heels were not exactly fit for being a ghost. Not as if she walked anyway. And, if she stayed out too long…her legs would begin to fade away, until all she would have left would be wispy smoke trailing from her midsection. Standing by the crypt of a slayer her mind wandered.  So this is how Lucy Hanover feels, She thought. God does this suck. I'd rather be a vampire. 'No you really wouldn't'. The thought echoed in her mind and she drew away from the cold stone as if it had burned at her touch. "Who is it!" She called afraid even though there was nothing to be afraid of. She saw a shadow against the wall and turned, stake in hand, ready for anything. Well anything short of a mindless demon. But what walked out wasn't a mindless demon. Actually it wasn't a demon at all. "Hello Cordelia." Anya sighed and sat down on one of the benches. "Being dead is so…so…" Anya searched for words "So mortal!" Cordelia laughed at the ex-demon who still would not accept the fact that she was dead. But Anya either didn't see or didn't care. "I mean here I was just minding my own business when little miss Dead Vampire Slayer had to come and KILL ME!" She finished with a stamp of her foot, which didn't really work, because she wouldn't make any impact whatsoever. Cordy sighed wondering if this torment would ever end. "Anya," she said tentatively "WHAT!" Anya snapped "Do you think that if we reversed Buffy's curse we would be free…that maybe we would become human again…" "I don't know..." Anya whispered confused. "It's very complicated. We would have to perform countless rituals and spells. And not to mention we would need the help of a witch…such as Willow." "Maybe you should ask before you say things." The familiar voice came from the doorway and Cordy knew who it was before she even looked. "Willow…" she managed to get out. "Willow I'm so sorry this happened. It's all my fault for not telling her about Angel becoming evil" The vampiric-once-witch smirked showing long pointy fangs. "It's all right…I mean death only lasts so long…" And she shifted back into the sweet and innocent girl she had been before. Willow continued "I mean out of the 5 torture groups I think sharp is my favorite…what about…" "Cut it." Cordelia interrupted "I'm already dead so stop with the torture routine. I think the only torture here is listening to you talk." She glared at Willow but was astonished by the contented look on the vampire's face. "That's right" She began to smile. "You are only a ghost, a shade of Cordelia. Your pathetic soul is all you have left." Willow walked closer to the ghosts and passed her hand right through Cordelia. She looked delighted. "I'm sure Angelus would be pleased with her. I mean he created this didn't he?" Cordelia gave Willow a strained smile and tried to keep herself from crying but it wouldn't work. The tears just streamed down her face. "Wha…what are you talking about..." she started. "You didn't know?" Willow's smile grew so much it seemed to reach the corners of her face "Silly Cordelia, never really knew anything did you? You were just a pretty little accessory for some billionaire." "That's enough" A voice growled. Xander stepped out from behind Willow and stared at Cordy with feral yellow eyes. Xander saw Anya and his eyes grew wide, and he seemed to let his guard down for one second. "Anya?" he whispered. "What's happened to you?" Xander finished with disgust. Cordelia almost burst out laughing. But Xander saw and a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. Cordy immediately sobered and shook her head shifting her ereathral hair. Anya glared at Xander, and he took a step back as if the ghost could hurt him. "I may not be able to hurt you Alexander Harris, but I will haunt you for the rest of your miserable immortal life!" and with that she disappeared.