Alternate Ending

This begins right after the end of chapter 12 (Lost). Angel is sitting by Buffy's hospital bed. Willow has just left the room.

Angel began to get annoyed as he was interrupted once again.

"Um, Anya, right?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," she replied. "We met twice. With the vampire Willow, and then at the Prom."

"Right," he said, "the Prom. You went with Xander?"

Angel noticed an abrupt change in her demeanor at the mention of Xander, but he did not pay much attention. He could not help remembering his and Buffy's last dance.

"Yeah, I went with Xander. Sometimes I wish I hadn't. Things might've been so different." She was silent for a moment, gazing down at Buffy's prone form. Then she turned her head to regard Angel, who was still staring at the sleeping Slayer. "Do you ever wish things were different?"

"Always," he replied without taking his eyes off Buffy. "I always wish things were different." Anya frowned slightly, but Angel missed it as he continued to speak. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I'd never come into her life, but I don't have the heart to wish that, and I like to think that she wouldn't either. I always wonder what would've happened if I'd stayed. Would she..." Angel trailed off, unwilling to complete the thought.

"What about Warren?" Anya said. "He doesn't deserve to live, let alone get away with this."

"He won't," Angel said. "I won't let him. But vengeance doesn't change the past. She'd still be...God, if only I'd known, if only I could've been..." Angel sighed and took a deep breath before uttering these fateful words. "I just wish I was there to stop this."

"Done," Anya announced proudly, realization striking an instant too late.

Angel blinked at the sudden change in Anya's voice. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a sight that he had not been expecting. Two beautiful green eyes were staring into his own brown ones with shock.

"Angel?"

God, how he loved the way she said his name...

"Angel, oh my god, what the hell are you..."

She looked so beautiful, so radiantly alive in the sunlight. Angel gulped. Sunlight.

"Oh, sh–"

The last thing he saw was her horrified expression as flames consumed his body, and a boy he did not recognize emerged from the bushes. Then Angelus, the Scourge of Europe, and Angel, the vampire with a soul, were gone.

The End

A/N: How's that for an ending? Before I had decided on an ending for this story, I thought about what would've happened if Anya had gone through with her plan to get a wish out of Angel. And this is the result. Maybe she'll reverse the wish, or maybe not. We'll never know...or will we? I have actually considered a sequel to this fic (probably just the other ending, but maybe this one too), but I'm not sure how it would work yet, and I've come to the conclusion that some of my ideas for it are just plain crazy. But we'll see. Many thanks to everyone who has reviewed this fic; I've said it before and I'm about to say it again: you guys rock. I'd mention you by name, but I'm told I'm not allowed to do that anymore. But I'm still asking people to REVIEW and tell me if you thought this ending was funny, insane, or whatever. Anyway, I have now completed my first fanfic ever, and if all goes according to plan, it will not be my last.

TTFN