A/N: Thank you thank you to all of the following who've reviewed:
Doremi4, Tariq, little-lost-one, Freakazoid, shahid, Eloise, WhiteRabbit, bunsdarien, Ilovemypenguin, MidnightzStorm, and Harm Marie!
Tariq, to answer your question Buffy isn't in the story just because she really couldn't help that much (you can't unslayer Buffy!), reunion with Spike would be really messy to write (even though many writers enjoy do that) and the biggest one, the timeline of the story. I hope you like the ending! It may be the last chapter but that doesn't mean you get out of the reviewing thing! Okay now to the long awaited conclusion to The Nothing Man!
Disclaimer: I don't own Angel
With all the Dark Mist you could barely see, as if night had come to that part of the planet a little earlier. However it couldn't leave the circle of potion. It wasn't a prefect circle since it was liquid. This allowed it to attack some the group, including Angel and Spike, just trying to find a way to enter them and leaving the circle. The two vampires and some of the others were bombarded by particles of it.
However, it wouldn't come anywhere near Fred or Wynn. I then came to the realization of something- once it entered it could never return into that person. That's why it went for Wynn instead of Fred after Marci's suicide, even though Fred had been closer to Marci. I wasn't the only one who noticed it.
"It won't come near us," Wynn whispered to Fred.
"Because we know its weakness," she replied.
"We do?" Wynn asked, confused.
"Emotions,"
"I thought it thrived on pain and grief…that isn't what you meant."
Fred shook her head, "It's weakened by good memories-"
"By love," Wynn said
Fred nodded her head.
I didn't really know how to react to that. I knew Fred had loved me but had it been as a friend, or something more. I quickly dismissed these thoughts from my head, I would never know.
Willow immediately began the Dispel Spell, using the weapon she had used months earlier to transform the potentials into slayers. At the same time the leader of the Dover Order with the two's hands joined together raised the crystal high. Even though the Mist couldn't posses the leader of the Dover Order, since there was no gash it could enter so it could push her soul out through her mouth, it seeped into her mouth. This causes her to cough violently and drop to her knees. It was either let go of Willow's hand or drop the crystal, so she passed the crystal to the other witch.
She quickly gave the crystal to Willow, who held the two objects in one hand. The particles blasted the red-haired witch's skin, just trying to get into her by tearing apart pores. The pain got to be too much, as her knees began to sink.
She knew she was going to drop one of them soon so she reached out her hand (as well as Lydia's) as far as she could, handing the crystal to Wynn, who was unaffected by the Mist. Willow continued to recite the incantation while the slayer held it and it began to glow a little.
The First then appeared but I think only to Lydia, and I could only see it since I was dead, a ghost at that. It took the form of the newly deceased Belle, which defiantly stirred Lydia's emotions.
"You know what you need to do," the First said using Belle's metallic-like voice.
"I can't…it is wrong," Lydia whispered.
"You killed me, in the end you were the bad one, not me! Earn your redemption, do this…for me, little sister."
"Okay," Lydia said a little louder, causing Wynn to look at her oddly.
Since Willow was concentrating on the spell she didn't really notice Lydia pulling back their hands and into her right pocket. I had barely caught the glimpse of the scalpel she had used to extract Belle's heart when she plunged it into Wynn's gut. It could have been reflective or out of pain but Wynn's fingers began slipping but Fred caught it in hers and Wynn's left hands. It was up to her now and there was no one else I rather trust the fate of the world in. She held it steadily even though Wynn was on her knees as Angel was. Fred did the same very slowly, so she could been able to hold hands easier.
The First was now done with Lydia, who had officially snapped, and yet she still held on to Wynn and Willow, as if to try and keep some control over her life. It now was going to try to do the same to Fred. What form did it pick, that would cause the most emotions? It was mine.
"Fred, you're so pure and good. Maybe that's why you always managed to bring out the monster in me…like shooting my father," it said, imitating me exactly.
"You can't fool me," she replied, completely focused on the task in front of her. Or maybe she was looking at my body, which had once been in the center, but had been kicked accidentally pushed towards Fred by a frighten slayer's leg.
"You can reason all you want that I'm just the First, some evil thing, but I'm also Wesley Wyndam-Pyrce. I can tell to things that only he would have known because I'm a part of him."
"But your not all of him, Wesley was so much more."
"How can you be sure? How-"
"Because I can feel him watching me," she laughed softly, "Isn't that funny, he's watching me, and he was trained to be a Watcher. I know he's dead, I can see his body in front of me, but I know he's here with me."
She glanced over at the First with her brown eyes, "Even now."
"Fine," the First changed its form into Marci and disappeared, at least from Fred's sight.
"Fred, move away--" Angel choked out, his eyes flashing black, his face changing into vampire form. Angel whether intentionally under the Mist's influence or by accident while trying to fight it off, kicked Fred. Her hands lurched forward and she was about to drop the crystal but then time stopped.
I looked around me, had Willow done this?
"Behind ya," a familiar Irish voice. I turned to see Doyle, his hands stuffed into his pockets. Before I had a chance to say something he continued.
"Don't say anything, there's only so long the Powers That Be can stop time. Though, I would like to thank you, because of you I can deliver my final message and go to…well, wherever I deserve to be. The reason you were pulled out of Purgatory is that it's not your time. Evidently you play a role in the Final Apocalypse, which I figured means the world actually ends or everyone lives in peace and harmony and all that stuff. Try and make sure it's the second of the two."
He winked and then I suddenly was gasping for air. Reflexively I outstretched my arm from the ground and help Fred keep the crystal up. She stared at me with disbelief.
I was alive.
A brilliant light shone from the crystal, I could see the slayers gasping the air. Willow's spell had worked.
The light caused the particles of the Dark Mist to spread away to the corners of the circle, and they flew into little, different colored light…portals into other dimensions and corners of the universe, maybe even alternate universes.
There was stillness in the circle. It was gone, the threat was over. The sunset painted beautiful colors on the clouds, but not as beautiful as her.
So I glanced over and smiled weakly at her.
It was the first thing I ever did.