Title: Power Play
Author: Edel
Summary: see other chapters…
Distribution: my update group Beautiful Desire, my B/A group:Blinded by Passion. If you want it on your site, just ask!
Rating: PG13-R
Spoilers: Girl In Question, Power Play.
Disclaimer: Lyrics are Everything I Do I Do It for You by Bryan Adams.
Author's Note: This IS the final chapter. It's the actual ending, sob. This takes place a month after chapter 5. Chapter 6 didn't happen (it was an alternate ending, remember?). Spike still became human, and Gunn and Wes died. Willow is working at W&H to find a way to bring Fred back. I'm not sure if Kate ever rejoined the police force, but in this fic she did. Also, MAJOR tissue warning!
Chapter 7 – The Joss Whedon Way
"I don't like surprises," she pouted. He smiled.
"Trust me, you'll like this one," he promised, as he continued to drive.
"Where are we?" she asked again. He sighed.
"If I wanted you to see where we were going, I wouldn't have blindfolded you, would I?" She continued to pout, and unable to resist, he leaned over and planted a kiss on her soft lips.
"Angel!" she whined.
"We're almost there," he assured her, and rolled his eyes. Buffy was so impatient.
"Where's there?" she asked innocently.
"Here," he answered, as he stopped the car outside their destination.
"Finally!" she exclaimed, as he helped out of the car, and guided her to the door of the two storey building before them. He unlocked the door and ushered her inside. He then took off the blindfold.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now," he told her, and she did. She gasped.
"Oh, Angel," she murmured.
"You like?" he whispered in her ear.
"I love it!" she squealed, turning to hug him tightly.
"It's a two-storey house just outside of LA," he told her as they walked through the spacious foyer, and into a stylish living room, which led into a large, bright lit kitchen.
The other side of the house included a bathroom, a tastefully decorated study, and a room that could be used as a TV room or playroom. Upstairs, there were three guest rooms, one large bathroom, and a large master bedroom with its own bathroom.
"Angel, this is amazing," Buffy murmured.
"You still have to see one more room," he told her, as he led her out of the room, and to a closed door opposite the master bedroom.
"There's more?" she teased. He smiled.
"Close your eyes," he told her.
She obliged.
She heard the door open softly, and then Angel whispered in her ear. "Open your eyes."
She slowly opened her eyes, and gasped. The fourth guest room had been converted into a brightly lit nursery, with pale yellow walls, a beautiful white crib, a set of drawers, a changing table, and beautiful rocking chair. A large teddy bear with a red bow around its neck sat in the crib. Other small teddy bears and soft toys were strewn around the room. Buffy turned to face Angel, tears in her eyes. He smiled nervously.
"I converted into a nursery," he began, "so we'll be prepared when our first child is born."
She hugged him tightly. She pulled back, tears running down her cheeks.
"I don't know what I'd do without you," she whispered. He smiled.
"I'm making the final payment in a few days, but we can move in now, if you want," he told her. She smiled.
"I want," she said.
The smile quickly faded from her face, as she quickly asked, "The toilet is working here, right?"
Not giving Angel a chance to answer, she fled down the hall to the bathroom, her hand covering her mouth. Angel rushed after her, and found her emptying her breakfast in the toilet. He held her hair back from her face, and soothingly rubbed her back until the urge to throw up ceased. She smiled weakly as she rinsed out her mouth. Angel frowned.
"That's it, you're going to the doctor," he told her in a firm voice.
"No, I'm fine," she argued.
"You're not," he said. "You've been throwing up for about a week now, and you promised if it continued, you'd go to the doctor." She rolled her eyes.
"Fine, fine," she relented, throwing her hands in the air. He smiled, planting a kiss on her blond head.
…
A few hours later, Angel pulled up outside Doctor Bradley's office, and Buffy climbed in the car. She gave him a brief kiss on the lips, before he set off again.
"Well?" he asked.
"She took some blood to run some tests, and said she should have the results in a couple of days," she answered.
"Any idea what it could be?" he asked. She shrugged.
"Probably a bug," she replied absentmindedly, as they pulled up outside Wolfram & Hart to prepare their belongings to be moved to their new house.
A few days later…
Buffy awoke to an empty bed. She quickly showered, and went for a late morning jog. Arriving back at the house that would finally be theirs that day, she went about making herself breakfast. The shrill tone of her cell phone interrupted the peaceful silence in the sunny kitchen.
"Hello," she answered it, already knowing who was calling, even without the help of caller id.
"Morning beautiful," Angel said in a cheerful tone, as he sped down the freeway to his destination. Her smile brightened
"You do know it's almost midday?" she teased, as she glanced at the kitchen clock.
"Yeah, well, knowing you, you're only up," he teased back. She laughed.
"I'm making breakfast," she told him. "Where are you?"
"You're making progress," he said with a smile. "And I am on my way to the bank to a final payment for our house." She couldn't help the squeal that erupted from her lips. He laughed. She sighed.
"Thank you, Angel," she said.
"For what?" he asked.
"For making all my dreams come true." He smiled.
"Everything I do I do it for you," he said in a teasing voice.
She smiled.
They had chosen that song by Bryan Adams as the song they would first dance to as husband and wife at their wedding. He began to sing some of it to her softly in a surprisingly good voice. She smiled happily.
"Listen, you'd better go, or else you might have a crash, and I want you healthy for our wedding!" she said.
He laughed slightly.
"Okay, I love you," he told her.
"I love you too."
Look into my eyes - you will see
what you mean to me.
Search your heart - search your soul
And when you find me there
You'll search no more
Don't tell me it's not worth trying for
You can't tell me it's not worth dying for you
You know it's true
Everything I do
I do it for you
Look into my heart you will find
There's nothing there to hide
Take me as I am take my life
I would give it all I would sacrifice
Don't tell me it's not worth fighting for
I can't help it there's nothing I want more
You know it's true
Everything I do -
I do it for you
There's no love like your love
And no other could give more love
There's nowhere - unless you're there
All the time - all the way...
Don't tell me it's not worth trying for
I can't help it there's nothing I want more
I would fight for you
I'd lie for you
Walk the fire for you
Yeah I'd die for you
Angel pulled up outside the bank. As he waited in line to be served, the doors of the bank flew open, and two armed and masked men dressed all in black burst into the bank.
"Nobody move!" the shorter of the two shouted.
Angel's eyes darted between the men, the main doors, and a fire extinguisher hung on a nearby wall.
"Don't even think about it," the man hissed, pointing his gun at him, and disappeared behind the counter. Less than a minute later, he reappeared.
"You coming?" he asked his accomplice.
"In a minute," he said softly, speaking for the first time.
"I'm outta here," his partner in crime said urgently, and ran out the doors.
But Angel's attention was focused on the man approaching him. Suddenly, he withdrew his gun, and aimed it at Angel. Everyone else gasped, and stepped back.
"Any last words?" Angel narrowed his eyes, and widened them as he recognized the masked man's voice.
"You!" he exclaimed, growling.
"Yeah, me," the man replied, and pulled the trigger.
"Buffy," Angel murmured, as his world went black.
You know it's true, everything I do, I do it for you
…
Buffy had been softly humming Everything I Do I Do It For You, when she suddenly doubled over in pain.
"Strange," she murmured, and resumed her household chores. A while later, the doorbell rang.
"Willow!" she greeted her best friend.
Willow had arrived back in LA after traveling the world for nearly a year, bringing someone with her. She had met Oz ironically where she said they might meet again, in Istanbul, but as she jokingly told Buffy, she wasn't old or blue-haired. Buffy smiled at the memory, but her smiled quickly faded as she noticed the expression on Willow's face.
"Will, what's wrong?" she asked.
Willow opened her mouth a few times, but was unable to form a sentence. Suddenly, a man and a woman that was strangely familiar appeared behind Willow.
"Miss Summers, may we come in?" the woman asked.
…
They were seated in the living room before Willow spoke.
"Buffy, I was heading to Wolfram & Hart, and they were there looking for you," she said, gesturing towards the two detectives.
"This is Detective Lee, and I'm Detective Kate Lockley," the woman said, gesturing to her partner.
"Kate used to know Angel," Willow told Buffy.
"Yes, he even saved my life," Kate said. Buffy smiled slightly.
"He has a tendency to do that," she murmured. "Why are you here?" There was a brief pause before Kate continued.
"Buffy, an armed robbery took place earlier this morning in a bank in downtown Los Angeles." Fear clenched Buffy in the gut. Kate paused before continuing. "Buffy, Angel… he was caught in the crossfire."
"What are you saying?" Buffy whispered.
"He's dead, Buffy," Willow said, tears falling silently from her eyes. "Angel's dead."
Buffy's breath caught in her throat.
He's dead, dead, dead. Angel's DEAD. Over and over this was repeated in Buffy's head. No! She screamed in her head.
He's not! I would know! A voice silently whispered to her in the back of her mind, But you did know. You knew something wasn't right…
She shook her head.
"No," she whispered. "No!" she screamed.
"Buffy," I'm so sorry," Kate said to her.
The phone rang just then, and Willow rose from the sofa to answer it. A minute later, she returned.
"Buffy, it's for you," she said, her hand covering the mouthpiece of the phone.
"We'll wait in the hall," Kate said, and Willow shot her a grateful look.
She closed the door behind them, and walked over to Buffy. She held out the phone. Buffy looked at her numbly, then at the phone, and then snatched it.
"Angel?" she whispered.
"Buffy, this is Doctor Bradley," she heard a female voice say.
"Yes?" she asked.
"I have your test results," she said. "Congratulations! You're pregnant."
The phone slipped from Buffy's grasp, and she backed away from it, shaking her head madly.
"Buffy?" Willow asked warily.
Buffy's head snapped up to meet Willow's concerned gaze, and she ran out of the room. She found Kate in the hallway.
"I need to see him, now," she said. Kate started to protest, but Buffy continued, "My heart won't let me believe what you say is the truth until I see him." Kate sighed.
"Fine. Do you want to tell Willow you're going?"
Buffy shook her head.
"Fine, let's go," Kate said, opening the front door. Willow had picked up the phone while they had been talking.
"Buffy?" Doctor Bradley asked.
"No, this is Willow," Willow told her.
"Is she okay?" the doctor asked her.
"No. She… she just found out her fiancé has been killed," Willow said.
"Oh god," she gasped. "I guess me telling her that's she's pregnant didn't help." Willow's eyes bulged.
"What?" she exclaimed.
Then, she heard a car pull out of the driveway.
"I gotta go, bye," she said, hanging up.
She walked out into the hallway.
"Buffy?" she called.
Silence greeted her.
"Shit," she cursed, and grabbed her car keys.
…
Buffy looked out the window as the car pulled up outside the bank. Several police cars were outside it, and there was a yellow police tape surrounding the building. The place was swarming with cops and detectives. Kate's voice broke through her thoughts.
"Buffy?" she called to her softly.
Buffy looked up at her.
"I'll have to check to see if you're allowed into the building, so stay here okay?" Buffy nodded slowly.
Kate gave her a quick smile, and she and her partner got out of the car. Buffy looked around her. Suddenly, a glint of silver on the dashboard of a police car nearby caught her eye. She got out of the car, and slowly approached the police car.
…
A few minutes later, Willow reached the bank. Spotting Kate, she rushed over to her.
"Where's Buffy?" she asked the blonde detective urgently.
"She's in my… car," Kate finished slowly as she caught sight of the empty car.
…
Buffy entered the bank slowly. A police officer guarding the bank saw her, and rushed over. Before he could speak, she punched him hard in the face, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious. She slowly approached the still body of her fallen Angel, and sank to her knees. Tears finally appeared in her eyes, as she laid his head in her lap.
"Angel, oh god," she choked out, cradling his pale face in her hands.
It was real. She could never recall him ever being this pale, even as a vampire. She wasn't going to wake up from this nightmare. Angel was dead. She sobbed loudly, her cries echoing noisily in the deserted building. She bent to kiss his lips. They were cold.
"Why did you leave me?" she asked him. She sniffed.
"We should be celebrating now, because you were gonna be a father." She smiled for a fleeting moment. "You would have been a brilliant dad."
She gently laid his head on the cold stone floor, and stood on shaky feet. She looked down at him.
"Don't worry baby, I'm coming to join you," she told him, raising the silver object she stole from the police car to her temple.
Closing her eyes, she pulled the trigger. The loud shot rang out in the building long after her body had slumped to the floor beside her Angel.
…
Willow's head shot up as a loud shot rang out in the air.
"No," she murmured.
"No!" she shouted, running towards the building, Kate and the rest of the police force on her heels.
…
A few hours later…
Willow returned to her apartment and ran into Oz's open arms. She sat looking out the window of their bedroom, watching the world fly by, as Oz entered. She looked up at him when he placed a steaming cup of hot chocolate in her hands. He said nothing, just waited for her to speak.
"I can't believe today has happened," she whispered.
"Me either," he said. "Do they know who did it?"
She shook her head.
He kissed her forehead, and left the room. Suddenly, a determined look crossed her face. She walked to her closet, and removed the necessary items for a locator spell.
…
An hour later…
A knock sounded on the motel door, and he opened it slightly, leaving the chain on. Seeing who it was, he removed the chain and opened the door all the way. Willow gasped.
"Who were you expecting to see Willow?" he asked quietly.
"Not… you," she answered.
After a brief pause, she spoke again.
"Can I come in?" He hesitated.
"Can I trust you?" She hesitated less than a heartbeat before nodding, and entered the cheap motel room.
…
She noticed clothes thrown messily on the bed and an open bag on the floor.
"Going somewhere?" she asked casually.
"Willow, why are you here?" he asked, disappearing into the bathroom. She followed him, leaning against the shut bathroom door.
"I know what you did," she told him in a soft voice. He froze, and slowly turned to face her.
"What do you mean-"
"Don't play dumb with me," she snapped, advancing towards him. "I performed a locator spell to find the murderer."
He was breathing in short pants as she continued.
"You're responsible for the deaths of three people that I love today, so obviously I'm out for a little vengeance," she told him in a soft, yet deadly voice, as she cornered him against a wall. Confusion crossed his face.
"Three?" he asked.
"Yeah, three," she answered. "You haven't heard?"
Not giving him a chance to respond, she continued, walking in a tight circle.
"Buffy killed herself, therefore also killing their unborn child in her womb. So, that adds up to three." He gasped.
"A… a baby?" he murmured.
"Yeah. Buffy found out just after she found out about Angel," she said. "She didn't even get to tell Angel he was gonna be a father, and he even had converted one of their spare rooms in their new house into a beautiful nursery."
She paused, and laughed bitterly. "Ironic, huh?"
Seeing his chance, he ran towards the door, but was found he couldn't open the door.
"Now now, none of that," she said, wagging her finger.
"Now, I think it's time to even the scores a little, don't you?" she sneered, a deadly glint in her eyes. He sank to his knees.
"You said I could trust you!" he accused.
She paused.
"Hmm… I guess I did," she said to herself, and he visibly relaxed.
She shrugged.
"Oh well."
His eyes widened. She pulled the trigger, and the bullet silently found its way to his heart. He was dead in an instant.
As she stepped over his dead corpse, she spoke, "I lied."