Renewal and Restoration

Author: buffy1

Email: buffsummers via hotmail

Spoilers: All of Buffy and Angel including season 5, to be safe.

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Just borrowing them. When I'm done they'll be better than new!

Distribution: You're welcome to it; just tell me where it's going first.

Summary: Set two years after 'Chosen' and the year after 'Not Fade Away'. Angel is back to running Wolfram and Hart with the rest of AI when they receive devastating news.

Pairings: A/Nina to start with, B/A, B/S friendship, W/F

Author's note: This is my take on what happens next. In this version Fred was saved and she doesn't stay as Illyria. Also Wesley and Gunn didn't die! I don't know Nina that well so just bear with me. The song is 'Just Walk Away' by Celine Dion.

Chapter Three

It was almost over. Soon the pain would stop and she would leave this world. Her questions of her friends had been answered. Every one of them had been mercilessly tortured and executed while she had been forced to watch. She was haunted by their screams and their begs for mercy. She saw their faces everytime she closed her eyes. But some of them had not been so lucky.

She hung there, limply, feeling the life draining away from her. She knew she had lost a lot of blood. She knew she didn't have a lot of time left. Death was fast approaching, and she welcomed it. Her captors had finished having their fun with her and had painfully pinned her against the wall across the room from her long dead friends lay. She closed her eyes and let the darkness overcome her.

"I just don't understand!" Fred exclaimed, obviously troubled, "who would steal a dead body? Okay, maybe a lot of things...but the whole thing doesn't make sense! A team entered the building and found Buffy pinned to the wall, with actual swords, they leave to call the team leader, and when they get back she's gone!"

"Let me see the report, Fred," Wesley asked, walking over to her with outstretched hands. Fred handed him the report and he proceeded to flip through it.

"Hmm...she couldn't have been dragged from the building or there would have been marks. From what the report says, it appears that she was left there to die."

"But why?" Gunn asked, not liking the conversation.

"Probably for show," Wesley answered, "To show that they had been able to kill the Slayer, which wouldn't have been clear if they disposed of the body.

"So we're guessing another demon took her?" Angel asked.

"It is possible," Wesley began, "but that doesn't explain why blood was on the sword handles. Also, according to the report, Buffy had been pinned by six swords. When they returned five were on the ground and one was missing." Angel supported his hands in his hands. He had only just found out that the love of his life and unlife had been killed, and now here he was discussing how it was that her body had just suddenly disappeared.

"Let me see that report," Angel demanded. Wesley handed it over and Angel quickly skimmed the pages.

"This is impossible! A demon couldn't have taken her body. It says here they were away from the room for less than a minute and the room had been thoroughly searched. Nobody living was there."

"Then how-?" Gunn broke off. The whole case confused them to no end. Angel had had enough,

"That's it. Let's just leave it at that. I don't want to talk about this right now. Please just go," Angel said wearily. Too much had happened in the last few days, and he didn't want to have to deal with it. Everyone left the room, but as they were leaving Spike walked in. He closed the door behind him. He had left the room upon hearing Buffy's body had gone missing. He didn't want to hear the discussion that he knew would soon follow. Spike took a seat opposite Angel at his desk.

"How did it happen?" Angel didn't look up at him,

"She was tortured, pinned to a wall with swords, and left to die."

I know I never loved this way before
And no one else has loved me more
With you I've laughed and cried
I have lived and died
What I wouldn't do just to be with you

"I know you don't believe I really loved her, but you need to know that I do. I wouldn't lie about anything to do with her." Angel looked at Spike with a doubtful look on his face.

I know I must forget you and go on
I can't hold back my tears too long
Though life won't be the same
I've got to take the blame
And find the strength I need to let you go

"She loved you, until the end. I know you probably won't believe me, but she did. I was there the whole time after you left her. She tried to move on like you wanted but she never got over you. All the times we slept together, she never felt for me. I knew she would never love me, not like she loved you. The only reason we had something was because I loved her so much that I would take anything I could get. No matter how little."

So walk away
And close the door
And let my life be as it was before
And I'll never never know
Just how I let you go
But there's nothing left to say
Just walk away

"I knew she would never love me like she loved you. Riley knew it too. That's why he left. He knew she would never love him, and give herself to him as completely as she did to you." Angel looked deep in thought,

There'll never be a moment I'll regret
I've loved you since the day we met
For all the love you gave
And all the love we made
I know I've got to find the strength to say

"You really did love her didn't you?" Spike nodded and stood up,

"Let's go drown our sorrow in a few bottles of Jack Daniels. Dull the pain for a bit." Angel stood up after him and walked to the door,

"I'm driving."

Three hours later Angel and Spike had probably downed enough alcohol to inebriate at least half a dozen alcoholics.

"See now. Didn't that dull the pain?" Spike asked. Angel just glared at him. "Yeah, didn't help me either."

"I just can't believe she's gone," Angel sighed.

"Well, mate. She was the Slayer. All Slayers gotta go some day."

"But I wanted that day to be a long time from now. But no, she's dead now and it's all because-"

"Excuse me," a demon next to them interrupted, "did you just say the Slayer is dead? The original Slayer?" Angel and Spike both nodded sadly.

"You must be mistaken. I know some people in South America and they know for a fact that the Slayer is not dead. Name's Buffy right? She's alive, and she is not happy." Angel and Spike immediately looked at each other.

'She's alive. She never died. Buffy's alive!'

To be Continued...
Thanks to these people for their reviews:

jessygrl

Out-of-Reality

Queen Boadicea – that story sounds quite disturbing.

nascar girl

Caity