Xander stormed after Angel in fury. His eyes flashed a terrible ivory color as he tried to swipe and punch Angel into submission. The vampire's reflexes had improved since he had woken up, and even in his weakened state Angel was still superior to the incensed human. Xander grabbed a rusty lead pipe, rust tinging over his hand, and forced Angel into a corner. Xander clubbed him over the back twice before Angel head butted him.
"Stop this now, Xander. You're angry and I don't want you to regret what you're doing."
Xander scoffed at Angel. "Regret? I'll tell you about regret. I regret ever loving a selfish, conniving demon like you. I was right when I first met you. You're just a vampire. There are no angels."
Xander swung out with the help of a thin cable and came down right behind Angel. Angel twisted and elbowed Xander while kicking out one leg and throwing his back.
Angel shook his head. "I'll defend myself, even if I don't like it Xander. You can stop this at any time."
"What do you care if I survive?"
"When do you think I ever stopped caring for you?"
"Just drop it. You're not fooling anyone, Angel."
Xander wobbled back up to his feet and came at Angel, clawing him. The passionate glow was fading, but he was fighting himself more than Angel at this point. He was fighting years of belief and years of torment. He was fighting for fate or something else he couldn't put his finger on. Angel gazed on the desperate fingernails scratching his shirt. He couldn't have loved or pitied Xander more than at this moment.
Xander's knees gave out in frustration and pain. His black hair fell around his face and Xander's head rested against Angel's knee. He couldn't cry, but desperately wanted to. Xander tried striking Angel over and over on his thigh and tried to inflict the pain he felt on the inside. He pounded against his Angel after so long away. He hated longing for him, but was helpless against them. When he stopped pounding, Angel reached down and tried to smooth down his hair. Xander broke away in disgust and then tried to limp to the side of the railing. Xander looked down into the void of metal and floor.
Xander witnessed Oz up and circling the floor around Willow. They parried for position. Willow began firing red bolts at Oz.
Oz was somewhere between offensive and defensive position, as though he hadn't quite decided what would be best to deal with her. "Willow, you have to calm down."
But Willow was having none of it. "I refuse to calm down. Do you know how long and hard I worked building the team and getting all the research together and you and Riley went and ruined it all?"
"It's not as big a deal as you think. You get exactly what you want and I get my own happy ending. Lets just move on without having to do this, okay Will?"
Her answer was more magick aimed directly at everyone in the building. Oz leapt at Willow to try and keep the bolts away from Xander and Riley. Willow picked him up with her mind and threw him against a large crate like a rag doll. The crate splintered and Oz gathered a few splinters in his pouch discreetly. He bounded the corner while avoiding more bolts and tried to jump on her back. He missed but knocked her down enough that a bolt leapt up into her hand and her nose began to bleed as the backfire of the bolt began to take effect. She hissed as Oz moved back steadily to try and plan his next move to disable her.
Spike and Buffy pushed and pulled each other against the walls in a flurry of kicks and punches. He began to stagger under the weight of his chains and Buffy went in for a forehead kick. The vampire slid down the wall at the last second and wrapped his chain around her left leg and swung her into the wall. Spike grabbed her head and began to stick his fang incisors into her bloodstream. He cradled as he drank and she kicked against him hard. She was bleeding profusely and then began to fall against her throne. Spike's eyes flashed as an explosion danced across the screen.
"Shit."
Keller was still raining thunder and lightning all around himself, for protection and flair. His comeuppance came from above, where Riley was hiding. With a worthy battle cry, Riley crashed down upon Keller and watched as the immortal was swept over the railing. His hands gripped the slippery rails and then his own thunder began to pierce two of his fingers.
There was a moment when Riley contemplated trying to save him. But that want was disrupted by the sound of a loud explosion that sent him forward onto the railing. Before falling, Chris grabbed Riley's collar and tried pummeling his head in. Keller's grip was lost before too long and Riley watched as Keller fell into a dark abyss and then onto some jagged rocks.
Riley was able to rise very slowly and then watched as a beam escaped from the void at the bottom of the dam. The beam was the same color as the clear orb that had disintegrated Spike and Cordy. Riley scrambled backwards and fell to the ground.
Willow's final bolt before she went unconscious for the second time on the same day had hit the gears directly under the catwalk. Xander began to waver over the edge as a result and Angel yelled his name. Spike watched helplessly as Xander began to fall and Angel grabbed loosely on the back of his shirt.
"No, Xander, I can't let you go."
Xander's tears had finally begun to flow and all he could do was shake his head. "I can't let you rescue me again, Angel."
Xander wriggled deftly and Angel watched with a helpless deflation in his soul. Xander fell in slow motion. He could feel every tear and every heartbeat. Oz turned and ran, hoping to get there in time, but knew he wouldn't. He turned and saw the maddened Willow beginning to rise, all restraints loosed. Sick of everything having to do with Willow and her perceived drama, Oz took his handful of splinters and threw them with deadly accuracy into her neck. Her vocal chords popped out of her throat and she began to gag and choke.
Oz shook his head, standing between the two scenes of carnage at the abandoned dam. "I want you to leave this world knowing you almost hurt the last person to love you. I'll always hope you have a chance to repent though. Maybe then you'll have some of the beauty I saw in that girl that wore the Eskimo suit."
Oz turned from Willow as Riley crawled back through the hole that Chris had pushed him through while Xander landed on the dull side of a sharp pointy blade and slid down to ground level. He looked up at Angel and shook his head.
It had to be over; there will never be another time or place for them. Why couldn't Angel just give up? Then a little voice inside of Xander told him that he couldn't give up, not again.. He didn't want to let the vampire go again. This time, it was going to end different.
Oz crouched down and helped Riley stagger back into the room. Riley shivered as he breathed, in pain from a couple of broken ribs. "We've got trouble. The gem must still be active. There's a beam of it coming from the ground outside. Gather up Angel and Xander. We have to try and get out of here."
"Its not worth it. Let's stop running, Ri." Oz put his head on Riley's chest as the worn out Riley collapsed at the window.
Xander and Angel met at the base of the catwalk. Angel was a head taller than Xander; just like it had been when they first met.
"Angel, I…."
"Xander, don't apologize. You have every right to be angry with me. I'm almost glad for everything thats happened if it means you've come back to me."
Angel fell to his knees and Xander lurched to catch him. "Angel, I thought you were okay."
Angel groaned. "I feel like I haven't been able to eat in weeks. I just, ah..." Angel doubled over in pain and Xander grabbed a knife from his belt. He cut his shirt and exposed his collarbone.
"Angel, you need blood. Please, you need your strength; I need you to have strength."
Angel shook his head slowly. Xander was too close, that smell was too close. "I missed you in LA. It's such a barren place without you; everything is barren without you. No, Xander, I can't take your blood. That's asking too much."
"You think I'm gonna let a little thing like you being polite keep me from helping you? I love you, you idiot. My life is empty without you."
Angel's hand brushed Xander's cheek and Xander turned away in modesty. "You've gone from a boy to a man while my back was turned."
"Your hands are still cold."
"Your cheek is still warm," Angel chuckled.
The light from the gem flashed through the place. It was hot, but didn't burn a soul. Cordy had crossed over and used her powers to make sure of it.
