Author's Notes: Big delay on my updating schedule, but I was busy writing down 'The Daughter' and 'Children Of Darkness'.

Summary: The poison at the arrow Faith shot at Angel was made to kill vampires. So, what if it did kill the vamp? Short, sweet and slightly depressing.

Rewritten episode: 'Graduation Day, II'.

Rewriting the Love-Story

Rewrite 10 – Blessed Be the Poison.

Buffy Summers, slayer in charge, was lying quietly next to her vampiric boyfriend, her blond head resting over his chest, her hands at his sculpted, sweaty abs. A thin layer of dust was covering Angel's feverish body. For the first day since they have met, Buffy knew how it would have felt to hold a human Angel in her arms.

The fact that it was slightly unpleasant didn't pass unnoticed by her.

"I love you", she whispered to him.

"I love you too", he spoke. Then, he spoke again, but now his voice was softly cocky. "I love ya too, Buff".

Buffy knew it was Angelus talking through him, and didn't fight the tears that started to spill down her cheeks. She had noticed that Angelus was closer to the surface, draining Angel's energy while trying to stay alive.

Willow had found a cure and had discussed it with Angel. The only thing capable of saving him from death was slayer's blood, and Buffy was too worried with her love to go looking for Faith.

And, although Buffy begged with him to drink her blood, Angel refused to do so. He knew what Angelus would do, and couldn't risk Buffy's life to save his own. Not when Angelus was so close to the surface.

"Angel, please…"

"No, Buffy", he said, his voice weak but determined. "I'm not drinking from you. Case closed", his expression softened a bit. "Just… hold me?"

She nodded, the tears never stopping to flow. He was going to die. Again. Again she'd be alone, at night, looking at the moon and remembering happier days when he was with her and all was right on the world.

Sure he had broken up with her and was leaving town, but it didn't make her love him any less.

She lay on her back, and Angel's larger body rested over hers in a position comfortable for the both of them. His head was resting over her breasts and her fingers were running softly amongst his soft, thick black hair, which was glistening under the light with sweat. He was warm and sweaty, and by God maybe it was wrong, but she never felt more aroused than right now.

"I'm not saying goodbye", he said weakly. "It's never goodbye with us, baby. But this time… I'm not coming back".

"Don't say that", she whispered brokenly. "Please don't".

"Listen to me", he said, his words at the sewers haunting him. "Listen to me. What I said to you at the sewers… Nothing was true. I still love you with all my might, and being with you is what I want oh so badly. I nearly died that day as well. Seeing your eyes breaking with pain… Your tears… I've caused you so much pain, and you're so young… I was wrong in wanting to leave you. I need you… I need you so much. I'll still need you even after I'm gone".

She was speechless. Renewed tears ran down her cheeks, and she leaned and kissed him with all her love. She loved him so much, wanted him so much, needed him so much… And now he was going away. Slipping through her fingers like sand.

"I love you too, my Angel", she whispered. "Do not worry with me, I'll be fine. I'll meet you right after this fight. We're gonna be together forever, even if I have to walk through the pits of hell to get that".

Their lips met on such a sweet kiss. Buffy felt her eyelids dropping; Angel's silence telling her he was soundly asleep.

She was so exhausted but didn't want to go to sleep. She wanted to be awake, to be conscious when he exploded to dust between her arms.

But the exhaustion took over her, and soon she was asleep as well.

On their timeless room, two blue beings were arguing on an older-than-time language. The female was pointing madly at the young couple whose image was showing on a blinding white liquid. The male, snorting and looking heartless, was furiously arguing back.

And, in Sunnydale, Angel was slowly being killed.


When Buffy felt her sleep going away, she desperately grasped at the last straws of exhaustion, not wanting to wake up to a world where there was no Angel. Tears burnt behind her eyelids, as she tried to picture how her life would be without his love there for her – and failed.

But, wait… She no longer was resting on her back, but sprawled over a hard, warm body. There was a hand tracing lazy circling patterns on her lower back, and she could a soft, minty puff of air over her lips.

Where was she? Last thing she remembered, she was in the mansion holding a dying, feverish, warm Angel.

Cracking one eye open, she was astounded when Angel's smiling face came into focus.

"Angel?" She questioned confusedly.

"Hey, baby. Good morning", he greeted softly.

"Morning", she replied. "So, was the whole Faith-shooting-you-with-a-poisoned-arrow a dream?"

He grimaced.

"No".

"Not that I'm ecstatic with it, but then why are you alive?" She leaned her forehead against his. "And not feverish, and warm, from what I feel".

"Have no idea, baby", he replied honestly. "But, here, feel this", he said smiling boyishly as he put her hand over a certain spot of his chest, where his heart was supposed to be.

"Angel, what…?" She began to speak, but only stared at him dumbfounded as she felt the steady, firm – very alive – heartbeat under her palm. "Oh, God", she whispered.

Angel nodded, smiling brightly – and Buffy was hypnotized by the beauty of that smile, which even she, usually awarded with Angel's half-smiles and occasional laughter, had rarely seen.

"You're human!" She half-asked, half-squealed. "Oh, my God! How?"

"Does it matter, beloved?" He asked in a seductive purr. She chose to answer his question with a fierce kiss that sent them both lying to bed.

And no words were spoken for a long time.


Willow and Oz walked in, hours later, the mansion, both hoping to find a shell-shocked Buffy, lying at Angel's bed surrounded by his ashes. Willow's eyes were brimming with tears – forgetting the eventful months when he had been Angelus, Angel was a good friend – and Oz was holding her hand tightly, more quiet than ever. Angel, having an inner beast as well, was the one who understood Oz's fears better, amongst the gang.

So, when they walked in the huge halls of Angel's final home, they were surprised to hear the noises of a fight. Exchanging a worried glance – what if Faith had come to end with Buffy when the blonde was on her weakest state? – the two lovers ran to the main room… and stopped dead at their tracks, at the sight that greeted them.

Buffy and Angel, laughing and talking animatedly, were sparring. The blonde looked refreshed and full of energy, while the vampire seemed normal. He was shirtless, and there was a slowly fading hickey on Buffy's neck, what made Willow cock an eyebrow.

However, what surprised Willow and Oz more happened when a strong breeze hit the close curtain that covered the window right behind Angel, and draped it open. The two teenagers expected Angel to run for cover, and were startled when he continued exchanging blows with Buffy, apparently indifferent to the sun pouring over him.

"Uh… Hello?" Willow spoke softly. Angel turned around and smiled at their friends.

"Hi, Willow, Oz", he greeted and stumbled a little when Buffy jumped unexpectedly at his back, wrapping her legs around his waist. "How are you? Any news?"

"No", the guitarist said.

"We were kinda expecting to find only Buffy", Willow confessed. Buffy smiled.

"Nah… Angel and I are unbreakable now", the slayer said beamingly.

"Care to elaborate?" Willow pressed. Buffy nodded.

"See, we don't exactly know how, but the poison Faith tried to kill Angel with ended up killing Angelus".

"Excuse me?" Oz said.

"Angel's alive", Buffy said simply, smiling as Willow's and Oz's mouths dropped open.


Later, as Xander and Cordelia (apparently reconciled, or on the way to it), Willow and Oz and Buffy and Angel watched the flames burning down what was formerly known as Sunnydale High School, the slayer felt a few tears bubbling up to her eyes.

Sniffling softly, she smiled as Angel's arms held her a little tighter.

"Anything wrong, heart of mine?" He whispered worriedly. She shook her head, smiling up at him.

"No. Nothing. It just occurred to me… that you'd be leaving by now, if you weren't human".

Angel kissed her head's top, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo.

"That'll never happen", he whispered.

"Never", she whispered back. "Never".

THE END

Next In 'Rewriting The Love Story': 11 – Passionate. A never-shown-onscreen Buffy/Angelus moment leads to a new direction. Rewrite to Passion, hence the title.