Here it is! The last chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 27

A pouting Eve walked into the elevator with the whole gang standing behind her to make sure she left. When she turned around to look at everyone, Buffy punched her hard.

- Hey, what was that for?

- If you put any of your pawns over *my* boyfriend I will beat you to death. Understand?

Angel grinned.

- It's a new game, Eve. If I were you, I'd start thinking strategy.

- And here I am thinking revenge.

- And what do you imagine the senior partners are thinking?

The elevator doors close on Eve, while the Angel Investigations team decided to go back to the main office. Angel had an announcement to make.

Chapter 28

Angel noticed after everyone was inside that Cordelia was not around.

- Gunn, where is Cordelia?

- I don't know. We took her with us, but she just disappeared.

The phone rang at that moment. Angel caught it.

- Hello. When did she die? Did she, um... she never did wake up? I see.

Angel sat near Buffy and looked pained at his family. Buffy held his hand.

- It… it was from the hospital… she… she… Cordelia… she… died.

- Oh, Angel. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

Buffy put her arms around him while he leaned into her shoulder for a while.

- They said she never woke up. Whoever was here it wasn't her.

Angel swallowed hard and his eyes watered. The AI team could finally mourn a dearest friend. After a quiet moment, Gunn cleared his throat to get Angel's attention.

- Angel, man. You said you wanted to talk to us. What is it?

Angel looked at his friends and held tightly to Buffy's hand. It was time to right what was wrong in their lives. He didn't want to lose anyone anymore. He knew the place and position he was occupying would eventually lead to it.

- I thought about everything that went on these last months and hearing that Cordelia is not here anymore just supports a decision I took and I want to tell you all. I've decided to leave this place.

Everyone looked at everyone, but Angel held his hand asking for silence. He went on to explain everything he did. Connor, Cordelia and the bargain.

- You have all the right to hate me. I… I'll understand it, but I don't think this place is doing well for us. I prefer you to hate me than to lose any of you. Of course, it is your choice to leave or stay, but I'm leaving.

Chapter 29

Fred was the one to break the heavy silence after the news. Everyone else seemed to be processing what they heard.

- Angel. I… I… don't blame you. What you did was… extreme to say the last, but I understand. I think that almost everyone here did something to protect someone loved. As for the leaving, I am all for it.

- Thanks Fred.

- Hey, man. I am all for out too. I mean… I don't mind to have brains, but… I really miss to be outside kicking some asses. I miss to work out my muscles.

Gunn gave a small laugh.

- I'm with the bald here. I say… go kick something. It is way better. Besides, I can always stake my big poof of a sire if he goes badly in the long run.

Angel looked at Spike. It seemed they found a point of understanding. For some reason, he felt that Spike would be there for his friends just in case.

- Angel, do you know that leaving this place will affect Connor.

- I know, Wesley, but the Senior Partners won't do anything against my son. I realized that I have the power here not them. I am the one suppose to fight for their side in the big apocalypse. They won't do anything to upset me. I mean… I can go kiss the sun…

- Angel!

Angel let go of Buffy's hand, stood up and passed around the room. When he finally looked at her, Buffy saw nothing, but determination.

- No, Buffy. You did it for Dawn. I will do it for my son if they do anything against him. I don't need them. They need me. Maybe I can defeat them in some way we don't know yet. I will try, they know it. They know this fight will be forever… and I have a lot of time…

Angel smirked and looked to all of his friends.

- I am their weapon or so they think. They need me here no matter what. They were trying to corrupt me, you… and Buffy came here to show me, us, that. I want out, I am out. I know my son will be safe and that is want is important right now.

Chapter 30

Everyone left the office but Angel and Buffy that stayed behind. Angel walked in his office and sat in the chair behind the main desk. A place he didn't belong anymore.

- Could you come here?

Buffy gave Angel a big smile and sat in his lap. It was good to be there again.

- Feeling good?

- I do. I just...I kind feel bad about it.

- Gosh! Angel! Quite with the whining!

- I'm not whining… I… I just don't feel like I am any special... I mean, all I did was beat up a tiny Texan. It's not like I helped anyone.

- But you did… you helped yourself. You found you again… well... again if we count the whole Darla fiasco. Why do you think you don't deserve every good thing that happens to you? I think you need help… professional… that's got be a good case for a therapist.

- How do you know all of this?

- I lurked a lot.

- Learned well.

- With a Master.

Angel gave her the loop sided smile she loved.

- Are you the one to help me?

- Already did, didn't I?

- Yes. You did. Thank you. Lindsey wasted a lot of energy trying to make me doubt myself. I know it's not even close to be over, but I do feel like I can do this. Wolfram & Hart, whatever's coming, I feel like we can beat it. Besides, Spike now has a soul. Maybe Lindsey was right in one thing. Maybe it is Spike the one to shanshu.

- Angel. You are the Chosen One! Of course the shanshu is for you. How could you doubt that? Because of Spike?! Oh, Angel. He already saved the world… and you see... he is still a vampire. How can you be so dumb to believe otherwise… love…

Angel shot his head up to look at her. She whispered the word low, but he was a vampire. He heard it. She did have a point. He looked at her and understood that no other woman held a candle to her. She was there a little furious with him and the only thing he could think of was how much she was beautiful with her blonde hair shinning in the dim light of the office. He had a strong urge to kiss her, but he knew he could not. It was not fair for them.

- Besides… you… you… you gave up your mortality for me once… it would be incredible unfair of whatever is out there that chose you for this whole mission to deny your final award… well… not that anything has been really fair… but we can always hope for the best.

Angel head snapped at her and he was looking Buffy with open mouth. He tried to talk but no sound could be heard for a while.

- How…?

- I died and came back you know… in Heaven I could see I lot of things including basking in our day together. I never loved you more than that day. Angel... I know that you left me so I'd had that normal life, you were selfless… and despite all the pain it caused both of us, you did it for me. I could not be that selfless, I wanted you… I want you. I'm proud of you because you can be this selfless… selfless enough to see me being happy with other man… which won't happen, mister… I can't. I can't also picture you with anyone else but me. When I learned of Cordelia I cried myself to sleep for so many nights. How could you give her what you stole from me? How could you think you didn't need to give her all the reasons you gave to not be with me? It cut me up inside and I bleed. You seemed happy and I didn't want to intrude. Now I can say I'm proud of you for the life, the family you made here. When I came back… after we saw each other… I just could not let you go. I wanted to be in your life even if you didn't know it. So, I kept tabs on you once in a while. By the way… tell Mr. Nabitt thank you for the help.

- You knew about it.

- Well. Not difficult. A millionaire wanting to help Slayers… I just investigated a little and found a certain association with you.

Angel smiled at Buffy. She was one of a kind.

- Buffy, Cordelia was here for so long… and at the same time… she was gone for so long, Buffy… she was a good friend. I wished things didn't go the way they did. I'll miss her a lot. Somewhere along the way I lost a friend to feelings I never really knew she had for me. Maybe I could have solved this confusion of friendship and love. I never… ever… loved anyone else, but you. I tried… I tried to stop, but never could. I tried to move on, I really did, but it felt like I was betraying us. I discovered that I'm a man of one woman.

- Happily married?

Buffy had to stop because the first tears rolled down her face. Angel was looking at her and waiting for an explanation, although he had a fair idea of what she was saying. Did she know the meaning of the rings? His eyes watered. She still loved him and could not handle him being with someone else. He shouldn't, but he was happy she saw him that way. She was proud of him.

- I can't stay.

- I know, but I wished you could.

- I love you.

- Love you too.

Buffy got a necklace and showed him a Claddagh ring.

- I learned in one of Giles's history classes in Scotland the real meaning of the rings. I didn't have mine anymore, so I bought one for me. I normally use it as you told to, but I took it when I came here because I didn't want you thinking that I was trying to… I don't know… hurt you… or maybe because I was afraid that you wouldn't care that I was wearing it…

Angel opened the last drawer of his desk and got a box. Buffy's heartbeat sped up. Could it be what she was thinking?

- I found it in the floor of the mansion after I came back. Back… back in hell they did everything they could to torture me, except that your ring never appeared there. It was the sign I was in Hell. When I found it in the floor I knew, I didn't have much resemblance of a person, but I found it and I knew I was safe. I knew the torture was over. I knew I'd see you, found you again.

Angel got the ring and put it back where it righteously belonged. It was impossible for both lovers to talk after it. For a while, the only sound heard was their cries of pain and happiness. After a while, Buffy left his lap.

- Angel. I have… I have to go.

- I know.

Buffy walked up to the door, while Angel felt his unbeating heart contracted in his chest. His soul was already missing her. Suddenly, she stopped and turned around.

- You know what?! Whatever!

Buffy walked to him from the other side of the room and kissed him full in the mouth. The kiss started gentle, but passion rose between them. It lasted long enough for old memories to come back.

- I have to go, but Angel… you are the champion and when you shanshu I'll be waiting to know… waiting for you. I think that now you are the one to bake here.

She turned around and left. He stayed there longing for her to be in his arms. After a while he whispered to no one.

- Buffy. You're welcome.

The End

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FINAL NOTES

- First of all, I will miss this history. It is the turn point in all the wrongness that went from this point on in the TV show. What was Joss thinking? Or he wasn't?

- I know. I should have left BA together, but I felt this is the right end for this history. Do I have to say the words? The Curse.

- Since Angel is no longer at W&H, I introduced Connor so we would have the father-son moment that I particularly loved later in the season.

- Yes, I love Illyria, but I love Fred and her nerdish ways a lot more. She kind of remind me of nerd-Willow, who I miss a lot. So, no Illyria.

- Well, I decided to interfere in the whole Slayer robbing banks (season 8 comics) because I think it is ridiculous. So, I decided that Buffy was telling the truth to Willow when she said there was a rich millionaire funding her organization. David Nabitt under Angel's request.

THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU THAT STAYED UP TO NOW!