Immortal Beloved

by regertz

-Different versions of what happened during and post the rendevous in Rome of the Angel "Girl in Question" episode. Brainstorming fragments, shorties, a few full tales but unless indicated not sequential tales.

3. Chapter 3

"Immortal Beloved..." LXIX...

A shortie...

PG-13

Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down! It's all yours and ME's...

Spoilers for Angel to the bitter end...Flee at once!...

Summary: Various outcomes following "Girl In Question" and /or "Not Fade Away" on Angel...(A series of potential outcomes rather than a single multi-part story...)

Ok, I lied about stopping at 50...But me poor ole mum would just say, "so long as I like it, it's ok..."

Archived at the 'normal' Buffyverse page of the Buffy Rebecca verse, ., scroll down to the IB series...

The new offices of Angel, Burkle-Wyndham-Price, Gunn, and Walthrop at the old Wolfram-Hart Tower...Two weeks after the defeat of the Senior Partners...

Friday...

"So..." William, looking a bit uncomfortable in his new suit...(Thank God it's only for meeting clients...he noted)...Smiled at Harmony at her desk in the outer reception area as she gave up trying to look busy, noting it wasn't Angel or Gunn coming up on her...

"How's the soul treating ya, Ms. Kendall...?"

"Great..." she beamed... "Just great...And thanks again for arranging it with the Prophecy guy..."

Uh-huh...he smiled sardonically... "Thanks as in... 'Drop dead, you sodden bastards for stickin' me with this nightmare?'..."

Ummn...No...I...

"Harm...I've been there...It's a freakin' horror the first week...Then it gets worse..."

She stared at him...Worse?...

"Then..." she was quiet... "You and Angel did it to punish me?..."

And poor Dru?...

"No..." he shook his head... "We did it to save you...Both...But it's ridiculous for you to pretend that it's just a nice little bonus of working with us and that everything is hunky-dory...Recovering the soul after one's vamp frolic's the worst thing in the world and not something I for one am quite sure I can say I'm glad I did..."

"I...It...Hasn't been that bad for me...I mean, yeah..." she shuddered a bit... "Finding out I'd killed my own grandmother and brother...Along with a lot of other folks...That was a little hard to deal with...And the daylight thing and not being able to stop drinkin' blood and all..."

"And my family hating me...Wishin' I was in Hell, burnin'...That wasn't much fun...But hey..."

Least I got my job back...she smiled feebly...

"I am sorry...For the downside...I wish we coulda got you and Dru the Humanity brass ring, but to do both of you and free Angel from the curse's darker side...We had to give on the physical end..."

"Yeah...I understand..." Harm sighed...Then to her own surprise, started crying...Rather violently...

Ummn...He stared...Looking round for...Ah...He grabbed at the tissue box on her desk...There...

"There we go..." he patted her cheek with one and handed several more to her... "I'm soo...rry..." Harm gasped... "It's just...My own mother and father wish I was back in my grave...My friends who know about me hate me, or are gone or dead..."

I know I should be grateful for losing the demon but...I don't understand...she looked at him...

"Why?..."

"Why?...God knows, sweetheart...I stopped askin' after spending six weeks in a basement, insane and moaning to myself with only the First herself for company...But, in my humble...It's God who owes you, girl...Not vice versa...Never forget that, no matter how many times a day our beloved poof leader broods off about his guilt and need to redeem himself... You are not guilty..."

She sighed and nodded... "Thanks..." Then perked up a bit... "Tonight's the big night, huh?...You must be on the edge of your seat..."

"No, not really..." he was quiet...

In fact...

"I've been thinking I might go away for the weekend..."

What?...she stared at him...

"William?...What are you talkin' about?...They're all coming, at last..."

She's comin'...she eyed him...

"Not to see me...And I think it'd be best if I didn't see her..."

"Of course she's coming to see you..." she paused... "She specifically asked..."

"Just tell her I had an emergency..."

"An emergency?...What, like a death in the family?...You expect her to believe that?..."

No...he shook his head...But she'll get the message and I think she'll understand...

"But William...What's she gonna think...?"

"She damned well knows how I feel...And if she chooses to make a heartrending scene over it...That's her business...I can't stay...That's how it is..."

"Will, you can't do that to her...C'mon...Why don't you just stay and..."

"I do not want to see her again..." he said carefully and firmly...

"William...If my being here?..." she began...

No...he waved a hand, shaking his head... "It's nothing to do with you, Harmony..."

"I don't understand...Hell, even my demon didn't understand...You loved her, but you didn't...Won't...Even try..."

He sighed...Then rose and began walking about the room...

"You may as well know the whole story..." he said, not pausing...And not looking at her...

"The day I corporealized...After I left and you lot thought I was headed for Rome...After I'd decided it wasn't quite the best thing to do...I rang her place up..."

I figured she'd hear eventually...And I wanted it to be me telling her, even if I wasn't going to try and start things up again...

"Dawn took my call...And told me Buffy knew I was back...Courtesy Council intelligence...And did not want to talk to me..."

Being an utter fool when the road I didn't wish to take in the first place gets blocked, I insisted...And she told me that Buf had been through hell after I died...And more...

"Three weeks after Sunnydale caved in...She found out she was pregnant..."

Harmony blinked...Preg...?

"We'd been together just before...That day...It had been...I thought...It had meant something...To both of us..."

Anyway...

"It seems that those wives' tales about vamp/human intercourse are just that...Though it is difficult..."

"She did consider having it, Dawn told me...But in the end, the thought of it being mine, an undead thing, perhaps, inside her, was too horrible and she had an abortion...Which, of course, was her choice..."

It was human, naturally...Dawn claimed they'd had no idea of the sex...I imagine it was a girl...he sighed...

"After three more calls, Dawn having done her best to put me off...Buffy took the phone and told me how sorry she was...But...She could not bear the idea of facing me..."

So...I told her I was sorry, too...And that...He gave a wan smile... "Was that..."

William...

"I told Andrew not to tell her I was back when he dropped in on us...But that was just to cover for her with Angel and the rest of you..."

"But..." Harmony stared at him... "You went to Rome with Angel...To..."

"I love her...I wanted to be sure she was alright...But I made sure I didn't get in her way...And she never knew..."

"She knew..." Harmony shook her head... "She told me and Angel when she called that she knew you'd been in Rome...Andrew told her..."

Ah... "Well...The intention was well-meant..."

"She wants to see you...She told me that..."

"Maybe...Maybe things have changed now that the Immortal's around and she's started feeling the guilts or whatever...But I don't want to see her...And it all can't be about her, Harm...I am, more or less, where it counts...Almost human again...And I don't deserve to suffer...So...Tell her...I'm sorry...And sorry I wasn't allowed to be there for her..."

She'll understand...he paused...But if she doesn't...All the more reason for me not to see her...

"So tell the grand exulted Poof-boy I'm sorry to miss the company picnic but my personal time is just that...See ya Monday...Probably..." he patted her arm and headed for the door...Pausing...

And tell her...If she does come...

"I do, too..."

Immortal Beloved..." LXX...

...

A shortie...

PG-13

Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down! It's all yours and ME's...

Spoilers for Angel to the bitter end...Flee at once!...

Summary: Various outcomes following "Girl In Question" and /or "Not Fade Away" on Angel...

Ok, I lied about stopping at 50...But me poor ole mum would just say, "so long

as I like it, it's ok..."

Something new, I've modified the earlier IB 66 in this one...

November 2004, night...On board the Venice Simplon-Orient Express, heading for Budapest...One of the luxury dining cars...

Beautifully attired in black evening gown, though worn with a careless air as if to say it hardly mattered to her if you were attracted or not, the young blonde woman was smiling softly at first one, than the other of the two seated on either side of her...One, a tall, dark-haired, immaculately-groomed, elegant-looking man, with an aristocratic air...Youthful one might say unless one looked closely into his old, even ancient, eyes...The other, a bit more conventional, a handsome, reasonably dashing young officer of one of Europe's various armed forces...

From his secluded seat, carefully chosen, the slight blonde man watched the group impassively as the train sped on through the night...The woman playfully touching the sleeve of the officer, then turning to the other...Who seemed unruffled by her obvious flirtativeness while the officer seemed a bit more anxious, even a little insistent in his efforts...She whispered in his ear, something that clearly did not please him, most likely a gentle tease or perhaps a polite, half-joking insistence that he tone his ardor a trifle...

He flushed and pulled back...The other man giving him a faint smile of something like sympathy mixed with a kind of world-weariness, as if the game of the evening was beginning to bore slightly...She turned back to him, flashing a bright smile...Playfully fingering a large earring...Pearl, almost no doubt...Looking round the train car briefly...

Blinking as she looked in the direction of the hidden blonde man...Who realized she'd caught the briefest glimpse as he'd leaned forward to observe her better...But he'd pulled back before she'd been certain, he was sure...

She stared his way for a long moment then seemed to shrug the vision off and returned to her teasing game between her two companions...But the young officer had apparently had enough...He rose, a bit tense, but managing to maintain a polite air, excused himself...The other rising slightly, offering a gracious hand...She looking a bit furgitively yet again in the direction of the blonde man's booth for a bare second, then smiled up at the soldier...Or pilot or sailor...Yes, pilot most likely, the blonde man thought, pulling back into the recesses of his booth...

A few moments later, after a bit of apparently idle chatter, the dark-haired man rose, clearly making a polite good-night to the woman...Who extended her hand for a brief kiss and smiled gently at him as he turned to go...

After he'd gone, she waved to the waiter passing by and reordered the drink she'd been slipping from...Again glancing down the way...Then idly fingering the newly delivered drink for a bit after smiling kindly at the young waiter, clearly as smitten as the young officer...

Suddenly she rose and moved down the car towards the booth...Halting by it without looking at the man seated, he leaning back against the wall of the booth...

"The fourth car, compartment 3...He's not there..." she murmured to the dark booth softly, still not looking into it...And continued on...

About fifteen minutes later, he rose out of the booth, left some money on the table, and went down the car in the direction she'd taken...

Compartment #3...

"He came..." she whispered at the face in the large dressing mirror... "You were wrong, he came...He's come to me..."

So?...He came to check on things when they called him...A malicious smile back from the mirror... I'd be surprised if he didn't...

And what does it matter to our arrangement?...Except to confirm that I kept my part of the bargain...Unless you're thinkin' he's come to get you out of our deal...Which I promise you, he is not...He has no idea what you...We...Did for him...Courtesy me pushin' dear ole Lindsay...

But hey, as I say...I'm not objectin' to seeing him again...So long as you keep your end of our deal...Which seems a pretty fair one on your side to my way of thinkin'...

"You're trying to change me...I know it, I feel it..." she murmured... "Turning me into..."

Change you?...She gave and saw a startled look in the mirror...Change Buffy the Law, the Greatest Slayer of 'em all?...With your humongous will power?...Impossible...C'mon...

I'm just havin' myself a lil' fun in the few moments your incredible strength of character allows me to take and maybe helpin' you learn how to loosen up and enjoy the good things in this pitifully short, mortal existence...Hey...It's not like I'm tryin' to back out of this...You wanted him saved, no matter what, and I sure as hell kept my end of our little bargain, Summers...You just saw the Unliving proof...Your lil' blonde honey is walkin' and talkin'...Here, not in Hell...Not lost among the stars...

You cut a deal with the First that day back at the mouth of the crater, babe... she smiled coldly at herself in the mirror...And there's no wiggle room in that kind of contract...

"I'll never be you...Never let you have control..." Never expected that, babe...Heck you creamed me twice, countin' that time with Angel, right?...How could I ever hope to grab the reins?...Nah, like I say, I just want a connection to your world and a lil' chance to occasionally experience a bit of what the corporeal side has to offer...

Which I'd say shows a pretty damned good spirit on my side, considering I was one step away from world conquest only a few months ago...Giving you William, intact, for only a little corner in you where I can watch the world wear away in my bitter exile...

And by our agreement I can't even step forward to speak with you unless you're aware of my presence...So what's the big fuss?...Even if this way is my usual slow and patient modus operandi rather than the grandiose thing with the Ubers and poor Caleb I tried...You're the one who was sure she couldn't ever become a tool in my hands...And I concede, Buf...You can't be my instrument...Not in the way I'd like...The way I did hope, back when I thought you might surrender to despair in the end...

No, best I can hope for now...The only victory I can win...Is basically to give you what you really want, deep down...A chance to give up this world-saving nonsense and live your own, somewhat frivilious and empty life as that dull dolt, the Immortal's...God, was ever Immortality wasted on a guy, Buf?...He wants to be a 'player' in the human world?...Geesh...Coquette...

Maybe a bit of a disappointment to friends, admirers...Ex-lovers...And even some of your ole foes...But hardly a great triumph for me...

Unless you want to back out of our deal?...Oops, nope...Too late...I got your John Hancock on the contract and more important...Since we didn't really sign anything...I got my hooks in...

Ya want me to go?...Make me... a cold chuckle within as the dark smile in the mirror deepened... But take care...Cause you wouldn't wanta try, fail, piss me off, and in some off moment have me go and strangle our lil' Dawny in her sleep?...Or catch you when really blanked out and whiz over to London to let ole Giles have a night he won't forget...Cause he wouldn't wake up...

Or maybe even our blondie boy here...Hey, he's available, right?...And he was what this deal was all about...So why shouldn't he be the price of cutting me loose...If you even could, which I'm afraid, sister...You'll find you can't...

Yeah...Maybe a quick stake shove?...Sure be easier on him than what he's been going through, thinkin' you dumped him quicker than you can say 'the Immortal'...

And you won't even remember doin' it...she grinned at herself... Not even sure if maybe you did do it...Cause you been gettin' so testy recently...And havin' all those scary dark dreams?...That made you take His B's offer and give up killin'...William's kind...

"He's here...And you don't control me...I can stop you...You won't pull me down..."

Hard to do...When you don't even remember I'm here...Hey, Buffy, you don't remember I'm here, ok?...Til the next time I wanna play with your head, sis...

Have some fun with Willie boy...He's such a cute, simple-brained moron...Maybe you can get him to screw you before you send him back to LA for good...Not that he matters anymore, the fight bein' over...But he is hot...And probably loaded, via Wolfram-Hart...Bye, sister...

She blinked at herself...Wan and a bit confused was the face staring back...Then a slow smile...Hey, pretty face...

What a shame Reinhart got so hot and bothered...But Henri was happy with the way things worked out...Just...Might've been fun...And profitable...To get to know that one better...

Maybe another time...Anyway, looks like I'll be occupied tonight...She scanned her face, then hair and dress carefully...Perfect...

So cute, that William, if a little moronic in the romance department...Gotta see if he might go for a little fun before he heads back...

Another blink...William...No...I...

Wonder how he and Angel made out with Wolfram-Hart?...Bet he could manage a little something nice for his Slayer girl...Till I cut him loose again...

Can't let him drag me back to the ole days...That ole life...No, I'm free of it now...

"Free..." she repeated, whispering to the mirror...Her face smiling back...

"Immortal Beloved..." LXXI...

A longer one and...The most surreal yet, enjoy...I sure did...

PG-13

Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!

It's all yours and ME's...

Spoilers for Angel to the bitter end...Flee at once!...

Summary: Various outcomes following "Girl In Question" and /or "Not Fade Away" on Angel...

Ok, I lied about stopping at 50...But me poor ole mum would just say, "so long as I like it, it's ok..." The night of the battle with the Senior Partners...

Obviously, this one is meant to be, well...I intend to play with it a few times more as new ideas occur...

(See I was reading "Ulysses" to help with some scenes in "Devil and Dr. Walthrop" and got to the night scene, after Bloom and Stephen leave Horne's hospital and...)

I Get Along Without You Very Well (Hoagy Carmichael, Jane Brown Thompson)-

"I get along without you very well

Of course, I do

Except when soft rains fall

And drip from leaves then I recall

The thrill of being sheltered

In your arms

Of course, I do

But I get along without you very well

I've forgotten you

Just like I said I would

Of course, I have

Or maybe except when I hear your name

Someone's laugh that's just the same

I've forgotten you just like

I should

What a guy

What a fool am i

To think my aching hearth

Could keep the moon

What's in store

Should I phone once more

No, it's best that I stick to my tune

I get along without you very well

Of course, I do

Except perhaps in spring

But I should never

Ever think of spring

For that would

Surely break my heart in two..."

William is seen, lying alone in a pool of blood, largely his own...Stillness in the air...He twitches a bit...Opening eyes...

"I get along without you, very well..." a voice sings...Badly... "Of course, I do..."

"Except perhaps in spring..."

He stares in shock at two figures running to him...Identical Buffies...

"Buff...fy...?" They reach him... "William...!"

I'm here...Hey!...their voices echo...

"He's mine...I loved him and tormented him in a purely spiritual way!...Having no physical body!..." the First shouts... "I used him, abused him, and denied him!...I love him, he's mine!..." Buffy cries...

The First and Buffy fight over Will's body...One pulls off an arm, raising it in triumph... Excelsior, triumphant!...she cries...The other rips away a leg...

"Ladies...If you wouldn't mind..." William calls faintly...

Cicely appears overhead, thinner than the late Halfreck, in angel costume... "My love is effulgent, shrouded in raven's-colored midnight clothes!..." she sings...Descending to Earth, she grabs the First and dispatches her with a stakepoint slice across the throat...

You!...Buffy whirls to face her nemesis... "You come late, but at last you come...William will be free, but not through you!..." she charges...

"Dah...Dah-dah-dah..." Cicely hums the opening bars of the Buffy theme...Catching the charging Slayer neatly while stepping to one side... "We're beneath him, sister...But you much more than I..."

"No..." Buffy nervously looks round...Phew, no one she knows...An apologetic smile to William on the ground, detached arm and leg off by his right side... "I never had anything to do with unsouled vampires...I'm a good, golden girl, I am...Noble, forthright, and true...I only lie in the dark..."

Lie for me, William, my love...she hisses to him as he writhes in agony... "Tell the world I loved you only in the abstract...As a symbol of redemption..."

I'll make it up to you...Tonight...A wink...

"Oh, foul..." Cicely shakes her head as Buffy tries to twist out of her grip... "We are still no better after a century..." She releases and steps into Buffy and Buffy is now dressed in nineteenth century costume...With parasol and brunette hair piled high...

"I can't see you, William..." Buffy states coolly in an English accent... "I got my eyes closed..." she chuckles, reverting to her Buffy voice, remaining in Cicely costume...

"Cicely...?" Will gasps from the ground...

"Got your message...Loud and clear, babe..." she grins... "This is 'for Cicely'..." She comes to him, bending down...Kissing him gently on the forehead...Then blinks in horror, eyeing the missing arm and leg... "William, you're hurt?...Did I do that?..."

I forget a lot of things...she sighed...

"Just get me..." he begins... "Anything...Within reason..." she nods...

Cicely steps out in her nineteenth century dress, Buffy reverting to modern costume... "Doctor!...Is there a doctor round?...Damned century!..." Cicely calls...

Buffy crying out... "EMT!...Ambulance!...Witch!..."

Willow appears out of thin air, with black bag... "Dr. Rosenberg, WD, WMD, PhD, WDDS at your service..."

My card...She materializes an engraved, glowing-in-the-dark card, handing it to Buffy... "Dr. Rosenberg...I kill...or..."

Cash up front, no refunds...Willow notes curtly... "I dumped my compassion four years ago, it was getting me nowhere...It's a business for me now..."

Though I really get off on the power of life and death...she grins...

"Doctor, save my beloved!..." Cicely cries...Hey!...Buffy glares...And steps into her...Cicely now wearing modern clothes, blonde hair...

"I love you..." she whispers to William...As Dr. Rosenberg begins her examination...

"I love you better...And I said it..." a grin...Buffy steps out, Cicely reverting to before...

"Acts speak louder than feeble 'i love you' squeaks..." she notes in a stern voice... "And I acted..."

"And screwed the pooch..." Buffy chuckles...

"Ladies..." Dr. Rosenberg rises, sighing... "I fear I have bad news..."

He's dead, Buffy...

Both Buffy and Cicely exchange horrified looks...

"I am...?" William asks...Oh, right...

"But the soul goes on forever...With me..." Cicely notes hopefully, but casting a smug look at Buffy...

"My soul..." Buffy glares... "He won it in a card game for me...Staking my last kitten..."

"Please...You never wanted it..." Cicely sneers... "I know the part you wanted...Lil' blondie Buffy, scared to death of Death...Wants to suck the Immortal out of the Immortals...Dies and comes back...And she's more scared than ever...Scaredy cat..."

No fair!...Buffy cries... "You were, too!...That's why!..."

"Ladies..." Dr. Rosenberg interrupts... "I think I can help him recover the use of his limbs...If I can teleport him to my clinic...One moment..."

She wants him...Buffy hisses to Cicely... "She's always liked him since he tried to kill her..."

Like with me, but I was first...And he only wanted to kill her to get to me...she beams at William, glaring afterwards at Willow...Who tries to assume a dignified, stern air of medical propriety...

"I am gay, now...I don't lust after this glorious, beautious Champion (any more, she whispers)...And I am a doctor...I'm entitled to peek..." the Doctor Rosenberg notes...Grinning at Will...

"He never had to try and kill me...He was mine and I was his right from the start..." Cicely beams at Will...

"I saved him from the First..." Buffy frowns... "It wasn't all just me, me, me...What a therapist...Though not much shakes as a rapist, he was..."

Holds up a sign... "Dr. William S. Walthrop, Ph.D, licensed therapist...Depressive conditions a speciality..."

"I tried to save him from Death..." Cicely glares... "Ha!...Tried!..." Buffy laughs harshly... "See, Will!... 'Tried!'..."

I never start what I can't finish...she grins...Cicely in smouldering rage...

"I have to get him out of here, now...Give me a hand with him..." Willow looks at the two...Cicely eyes Buffy...Buffy, Cicely... "Order of century, must maintain the balance..." they jointly note...Cicely steps into Buffy again...Though Buffy retains modern dress... "Come on, William...I'm gonna help you..." she reaches down for his still attached arm...

Ok...Willow puts an arm round Will's back...One, two...Threeeeeeee...They lift him...Aieeeeee!...As Buffy stakes Willow in the heart...

"Never trusted her after what she did to Oz...And Tara..." she notes, holding Will up on his remaining leg... "Lets..."

Angel, immaculately groomed, in dapper business suit, surrounded by crowd of adorers, appears...

Angel?...Buffy stares...

"Of course, I want to be with you, Buffy...But the thought makes me so happy my Evil Warning Light just went on, rats...Guess we'll have to wait a few more decades..." he grins to the crowd...

"Pose for us, our glorious one!..." the crowd moans... Angel dutifully takes a heroic pose, various women and men in the crowd fainting... "Our new Christ!..." he adopts a Christ-like stance...Arms outstretched...

"My mum is so proud..." he smiles... "Every Irish mum's dream is for her son to be the one and only new imitation Christ..."

Accept no substitutes...He glares at William...

Angel...? Buffy stares... "Gotta run, babe...Get my dragon's head mounted..." he fades...

"Bastard always gets in my way...Damned soul of his..." Cicely sticks her head out of Buffy's neck... "Quiet, you..." Buffy shoves her down...

Dawn runs up to the couple as Buffy leads the one-legged, one-armed William down the street...Streetlights smiling down on them...Literally...

"Guys, wait up...!" Oh, Lord...Sister/daughter/pure heart of myself is here to be a pain in our butts...And a damper on my action...she hisses to William...Tell her you used her to get to me...And don't let her see your cool Jacket, WS...

He looks down, to see that over his leather coat, he's now sporting RJ's football jacket...Which burst into rather harmless flames as he does...The ashes falling from him to the ground...

"So, is the fight over?...Are the Senior Partners dead...?" Dawn looks round...Not all that much gore splashed about...

Si...a Senor, the Partner Joseph, appears in business suit, nodding...We are all dead...

Gracias, Senor Partner...Dawn nods as the bald little 'man' fades out...

Tell her I killed 'em for ya...Buffy whispers softly in his ear...But only for platonic reasons...

"I GET ALONG WITHOUT HIM VERY WELL!...COURSE I DO!..." she sings nervously at the top of her voice, pulling Will along...

"She's lyin'..." Dawn tries to take Will's other arm...Hmmn...Oh, there...she races over to grab it...Holding it fondly as she returns... "She was a wreck after Sunnydale...Gave up Slayin'..."

Couldn't kill 'em anymore...Kept seein' you in their every sneering threat to rip her guts apart...Or the look in their eyes just as they dusted, I know...Dawn grins...Cause I'm not her sister...I'm her hot, hungry little heart...Buffy glares...

"Every girl's got a hungry heart...Every girl's got a..." Dawn begins... "Ummn...Ladies, could we...?" Will tries...

"Oh, God yes..." the Summers ladies chorus...Beaming at him... Uh, no...Not quite up for that...he politely replies...

Oh...They give downcast looks... "We must get William to a hospital for the terminally romantic..." Buffy assumes her Cicely voice, brunette hair, and costume... "He must have a good death...The last one was so bad...So unfittingly unVictorian..."

Indeed...A grim, but young and rather pretty Queen Victoria appears in front of them in the street, frowning at the trio...Actually bearing considerable resemblance to Willow..."I take it you, miss... And you, sir...And you, young lady...Are not lawfully married?...In the eyes of God?..."

"Yes, ma'am..." Buffy in Cicely mode waves a certificate... "We were married on the sly...Then I killed him for his unfaithfulness in undying..."

"That is most appropriate...Though we are not amused...Very well..." the Queen eyes them...They curtsy...She graciously refraining from a disapproving comment on William's performance, having noticed his lamentable injuries...She vanishes...

"May I see that, Buffy...?" Will eyes the certificate...Which eyes him back and leaping out of Buffy's hand, runs off... "Hello, my baby...Hello, my honey...Hello, my ragtime gal..." its voice fades off...

"See what?..." Buffy in modern Buffy mode eyes him brightly...

Told you...Dawn whispers... "Run off with me when she's not lookin'...I'm the best part of her for you...Why do think Cicely would jump in the vortex if her best part wasn't still gonna be here for you?..."

"I am the Monarch of TV...The ruler of my Ci-ty...Whose praise LA proudly chants..." Angel marches by singing...Band in full regalia behind him playing on instruments...

"And we are his helpers, his girlfriends, and his aunts..." a trail of followers sings...Wesley, Cordelia, Gunn, Doyle, Darla, Kate, and many others lost among the group...

"He always cuts in just when I think we got rid of him..." Dawn frowns...Yeah, Buffy, still in modern outfit nods...Dawn smiling at William as they both support him on his one leg...She still holding his detached arm fondly... "I, her heart, never really like him all that much...Remember the phony memories?...Heck, I remember he was human once...and still didn't take her..." Whoa...Buffy stared...

"When the heck?..." she looks after Angel and his marchers, stopping to run through a drill sequence...Phew...

"Yeah, a narrow getaway..." Dawn nods... "That time hee...hee...he.. told ya it was too dangerous to have him by, human..."

Mmmphf...Buffy chuckles...God, wish I'd remembered that...

"Brother!..." a halted Angel heartily embraces his newly appeared twin, Angelus... "God, lad...And it's to you I owe me freedom from you know what with you know who..."

"Anytime, me dear boy...Brother of me heart..." Angelus pats him on the back... "Just call on me anytime to save you lad from that fate worse than mortal life..." He vanishes and the march is resumed...

"William, executive board meeting at 11:00 am of the clock on Monday the 11th..." he calls back...

"He's bleeding...Buffy..." Dawn gives a nervous look at Will's arm and leg sockets...From which blood has been pouring for a bit...Oh!...

"Quick, Will!...Bite me, my darlin'...Leave me dry..." Buffy pauses and leaving him awkwardly supported by Dawn, stretches her neck in front of him...

"No?...Sure?..." she straightens up as he shakes his head... "...'Member when we did that one in the crypt?...The Helpless, Besotted Slayer Surrenders Herself to the Enthralling Evil Vampire?...Right after you got me to dress up in a dress like this?..." she resumes Cicely dress...

"Wait!..." a voice calls from behind...Blue Illyria in Fred dress running to them, bearing multiple grevious wounds... "William, light of my unhappy existence...Tell me who I am..."

"Illyria..." he gasps... "What's..."

"Here, I can fix it..." she materializes a cauterizing tool out of the air and burns his open wounds in shoulder and thigh socket closed...He surprised to be feeling nothing... "The anesthetic effect is my own improvement on a primitive traditional technique..." she proudly beams...

"Dr. Burkle, I presume..." Buffy in Cicely outfit, curtsying slightly, as does Dawn... "Mrs. Walthrop..." Illyria bows slightly...

William-stealing bitch...Buffy politely notes...Buffy...Dawn hisses... "What would Mom say?..."

"Kill the bitch, honey..." Joyce notes politely, disappearing as fast as she had appeared...

"I'll help you, William..." Illyria comes to him... "I can do it, I'm a PhDD., majoring in Demonic Quantum Metahysics...And though I love another, my compassion is unselfishly boundless..."

I can help you...She moves to take the detached arm from Dawn who pulls her other arm from Will's back to cover the loose arm in her other hand... "No way, you...!"

Illyria morphs into Drusilla... "I can help you, William...I see the fires in your mind..."

But no sex, for I am to be a nun...She solemnly states...Donning nun's habit...

Cicely hops out of Buffy and in nineteenth century dress, she, Buffy, and Dawn all humming the Buffy theme, charges her, bringing Dru down...They roll on the ground, Dru screaming for help...

"I am a lost innocent, God and his angels protect me!..." Wesley in angel wings, backed by a heavenly host, appears...All silently gazing as they hover above the group...

"The innocent only wish to help!..." Drusilla screams, morphing back into Illyria...Who throws Cicely off...

"The innocent screw it up..." Wes sighs from on high... "But c'mon, girl...You remind me of an old flame...Heaven's the only place safe for your poor heart..." Oh, Wesley...she beams as he flies over to her and extends a hand...

"Let me know how things turn out, William..." she waves at Will, morphing back into Drusilla as she, Wesley, and the host of angels fly up... "I only wanted to help the nice gentleman..." she turns to Wes as they rise...

"Angelus bit me and I don't remember a thing..." Cicely sneers, coming over to William, Dawn and Buffy on his sides, supporting him...Then steps back into Buffy, Buffy retaining modern dress... "Yeah..." she frowns, looking up where Wes and Dru are fast vanishing into the upper sky...

"If it weren't for the innocent, we'd be free and long dead in our graves...Keepin' each other warm..." she sighs... "But, c'mon William...I gotta get back to Rome before my new lover misses me..."

"Ciao, ciao, bambino..." Dawn mockingly sings...

Buffy pats her pocket... "Where's Mr. Pointy...?"

Mr. Pointy, lying on the ground, gets up, singing... "I am Buffy's tool...Turning her foes to gruel...Just let me fly, the Undead undie...Oh, I am Buffy's tool..."

Hmmn...Dawn grins at a nervous Buffy... "Sounds Freudian to me, sis..."

A young, top-hatted, bespectacled Dr. Sigmund Freud appears...Looking like a cross between Xander and Holden the therapist...

Ja...he pronounces...Very meian...

"I only made him dress up like a girl once in the crypt...Tell them, Will..." Buffy nudges William...

He wakes to find himself in a hospital room...Dawn in a chair watching him... "Buffy!..." she calls... Buffy, looking like she's been sleeping...If she has slept...In her clothes, rushes to him... "William..."

"What's..." "We're in the hospital Wolfram-Hart owned...Angel and the others are ok..." she pats him...

Guess I showed up with the gang just in time...she grins...

Yeah...he whispers...Staring at her worn, wan face...

"Next time...Don't keep your girl waitin'..." she wags a finger at him... "If Andrew hadn't broken down the other day when Giles told us things were hoppin' here..."

"Dr. Summers..." A nurse breaks in...Drusilla...He notes in shock... "The patient is deteriorating...He needs immediate treatment..."

Right...Buffy suddenly is wearing a medical coat... "I think only extreme measures can save him..."

Dawnie, get the tools!...she turns to Dawn... "Tools...?"

"The tools I been using for the last ten years..." Dr. Summers frowns...Oh, those tools...Dawn nods and vanishes...

"What...?" he gasps... "Don't worry, your employer's health plan will cover this procedure..." Dr. Summers notes with a smile...

"But it is gonna hurt you a lot more than me..." a grin...

"The First..." he whispers... "You're..."

She stares...No longer in coat... "William?...Dawn, get the nurse!..." Dawn hurries from her seat...

She resumes medical outfit...Dawn back now, with implements of torture...Setting them on a tray...

"The First?...Please...I hurt you plenty without the First buttin' in..." she takes a set of pincers from the tray... "Heat these..." she turns to Dawn, now in nurse's outfit...Nurse Dru also standing by, though looking uncertain...

"Want 'em nice and hot...Like you, babe..." Dr. Summers grins... Dawn returning the heated pincers...Nurse Dru protesting slightly... "This is not standard procedure, doctor..." she begins as Buffy lifts the rear end of Will's sheet and reaches in with the pincers...

"Start singing..." she commands him... "When you turn soprano, I'm done..."

...Or you are, rather...she grins as he screams in agony...

"William!...William, don't!..." Buffy holds him down as he struggles in bed...Dawn rushing in with a nurse...

"You're safe with me!...Honey, darling!...Safe...It's alright..." He quiets...

"What are you, his mother?..." Mrs. Walthrop in respectable nineteenth century garb appears by the opposite side of his bed...Buffy and Dawn staring... "Get away from my son, you murderess!...You selfish, grasping fiend!..." she snarls...But in strictly human mode...

William blinks to find himself in his old suit, hair back to curly, brown...Seated on a settee in his home, holding a teacup...His mother eyeing him anxiously from the favorite chair she's seated in, holding a plate which she'd been offering to another person, seated beside him... "William?...Are you alright?..." she asks anxiously...

Uh...Mother?...he stares...

"William...?" Cicely seated next to him, stares as well... "You've been staring off for the past two minutes...Is anything wrong?..."

Cicely?...he blinks at her...Beaming at him from six inches away...

"No, I..." he rubs his temple... "Had the strangest dream..."

"Have some tea..." his mother pats his knee...Cicely taking the plate of cake and cookies from her...

Perhaps we'd best do this later...William should rest...Mrs. Walthrop eyes Cicely...Oh...A downcast look... Yes, of course...But...

"Couldn't we go over the terms ourselves?...William and I are quite settled between us, right Will?..." Cicely eyes him anxiously...

Ummn...

"My qualifications as his mate are excellent, I assure you, Mrs. Walthrop..." she hastily notes...Offering several sealed envelopes... "My financial statement, a letter from the Council of Watchers testifying to my prowess as a Slayer...A letter signed by all my dead mothers stating my heart is truly a yearning and honest one..."

"I have my doubts, dear..." Mrs. Walthrop shakes her head...

"Your future self didn't exactly handle the retrieval well..." she notes...

"Buffy's an idiot..." Cicely waves an anxious hand... "American upbringing...But it was the best I could manage...Please..." she morphs into Buffy...Who rises in Cicely's nineteenth century clothes as Will stares...Buffy?...

She sings...Opening parasol...

"I make out pretty well...With fiends from Hell...They get me hotter than human guys...

So I keep going through the motions...Pretending to despise...

But only the Undead...Raise me to the skies..." She smiles and sits...

"As I say...I have my doubts..." Mrs. Walthrop shakes her head...

Now that Drusilla had her faults...But she was a devoted mother...she notes...

An angry-looking, pudgy, sandy-haired fellow in a jacket with "Producer" written across the back, the letters blinking in three neon colors, runs up to where William is staring round the LA? street where he had just rematerialized in his Spike outfit...Fortunately plus the formerly missing limbs...Buffy and Dawn standing nearby eyeing him...Buffy making waving motions to be quiet as the man reaches them...

"Dammit!...This is not the way the thing is supposed to work out!...Look here!...It my Book of Fate!..." he waves a loose-bound book marked "Script-Angel 6/Buffy8" in large letters... "

"Idiots!...You tools, you slaves of my glorious imagination!...I am The Immortal Producer (ooooh, the Immortal...Heard so much about him...Buffy eyes him eagerly... "And the sex part is true..." she winks at William...), decider of all Fates and I say...This is not!..." A screaming Drusilla runs into him, attacking him savagely in the neck, biting so hard that with a single hard pull she's able to rip his head off and toss it into the nearest gutter...Gutter on the roof of a house that is...

Whoa...Dawn stares... "Nasty..." Drusilla sighs... "To leave the poor little Dru to her hideous fate, uncared for and unloved...William..." she beams at him... "You are avenged at last, sir...Toodaloo and cheerio, pets..." she strolls off happily... "Thanks, Dru..." Buffy waves...

I woulda done it for ya, Will...In just a mo...If she hadn't gone and done it...she hisses to him...

No!...NO!...the head cries from the gutter above... "Buffy!...You said you were over him..." a feeble plea...

"I lie to be kind sometimes!...Ask Will here..." she calls back... "You oughta know that, you made me what I am tonight..."

"Lets slip outta here while you still got four limbs attached..." Dawn hisses to William... "I'm better for ya..." Hey!...Buffy turns back to them... "You wanted him, ya shoulda killed Willow when she was about to resurrect me..."

"Where are you two taking me...?" William asks as the girls drag him along down the street...

"Where else, now you're limbed again...To a mall to celebrate our triumph!..." Buffy notes...

Dah...Dah-Dah-Dah...The girls begin humming the Buffy theme again...

Oh...Geesh...Anya's head appears in ghostly image before them, Buffy and Dawn dragging William through the misty image...

"That's right, ignore me...And go off to a mall while my corpse lies festerin'..." Anya's head sighs...

"I wish you'd suffer worse than I did...!" she yells...

"Already been there, endured that!.." Buffy calls back...Oh, well...An old friend in pain...she sighs..and runs back...

Xander's drinking himself to death in remorse...she notes, kindly... Aw...Anya's head beams...

"Thank you, Buffy...Tell him to drink faster...But only low-carb...I won't want him in Heaven if he's fat... "

"That was nice, sis..." Dawn smiles at her as Buffy retakes Will's arm... "Eh, I can't kill her...May as well make her happy..."

The Mall...

"Looks familiar..." William notes as he, Dawn, and Buffy walk down the crowded main corridor...

"Eh, they're all the same...Seen one in Sunnydale, ya seen them all..." Dawn waves a hand...

"But this one has a 'Welcome to the Sunnydale Mall' sign up there..." William points...Or tries to, suddenly realizing he is again missing one arm and one leg...Buffy holding him steady...Hang in there, babe...she pats him...Looking down... "After all, nothing essential's missin'..." she grins...

Maybe that hospital wasn't a bad idea...he notes the empty shoulder and thigh sockets...

"Nah...I"ll help ya..." Buffy pats the remaining arm... "You ain't heavy, you're my lover..."

I did come for you that time...she halts, eyeing him... "I didn't abandon you that time..."

"No, you didn't love..." he nods... "And it was the happiest moment of my miserable existence since 1880..."

Not?...Dawn stares at him... "The... 'I love you'...?" he shakes his head... "That wasn't..."

"Joke's on you..." Buffy glares...And vanishes... "Alone at last..." Dawn beams, quickly catching Will before he falls...Helping him to a chair in the food court with the help of several patrons...

"Lemme get us some drinks and a coupla Doublemeat Specials, ok..." she starts off... "Dawn...?"

"I'll ask for extra bloody on your burger..." "No...Dawn..." he pauses... "Here and available..." she grins...

"This...Is this Hell?..." Will asks her... "Only on Saturdays when the place is packed..." she smiles...

"Don't let it all get to you, guys...Hey, Spike!..." she waves and heads off...

"Bad day?..." Spike in old Slayer's duster, seated in the chair Dawn just vacated, eyes William, the boys otherwise identical... "So, so..." Will sighs...

"Gotta be worse for me, mate...Why didn't you screw Summers when you got the limbs back?...That was my gift by the way, bro...She was ready and waiting..."

I know, I know...the demon shrugs... "Wasn't the right moment...God, kid...It never is and never will be for you...I take us to Africa, give up my happy, carefree existence for you and that blonde wood-tosser to find happiness and you wind up refusin' her however half-hearted declaration of love and the finest chance a souled vamp ever had to honorably enter a girl's pants?..."

"She didn't..." "Who cares if she didn't mean it, moron?...You had her lock, stock, and barrel...She was emotionally cornered and you know Summers folds in the emotional corner department..."

So Willow wasn't your resurrector...he waves a hand...And Buffy wasn't waitin' breathlessly in mourning black for her one hope for happiness to reappear...

"She went off with..." "Screw him...Anyway she's here now...Or was till you pissed her off..."

"Spike?...What's really up here?...Is this..."

"Would you trust me to tell the God's honest truth?..." Spike eyes him with a grin... "So why bother askin'..."

Though it does look bad, me being here...he notes... "But you're an innocent lad...A hapless victim...Why would you be Hell-bound?..."

"Yes, why?..." one of the Doublemeat Special burgers on the returning Dawn's tray asks...She passes it to William... "Better get me one too, Nibs...Or I'll have to kill you..." Spike smiles kindly at her...Tossing a couple of dollars at her...She fumes a bit but heads back...

"Rare, you know..." he calls... Yeah, yeah...

"So...I asked a question?..." the burger is a bit vexed... "Why do you think you'd be Hell-bound, William?...Why did you believe you would be dragged to Hell back at Angel's..."

"Things have a way of goin' badly for me...And I figured Hell didn't really care regarding my 'innocent victim' status..." Will bites into the burger...

"Morte...Dust to dust, reprocessed imitation beef vegetable patty to reprocessed imitation beef vegetable patty..." the burger whispers...

Good?...Spike asks... "Bit overdone..."

Sorry...Geesh, everyone's a critic...the burger notes...

"Spike!...Get away from him!..." Cicely appears in nineteenth century dress, stake in hand... "Careful, William...He's here to lure you from me..."

"Lady..." Spike sighs...Rising... "I'm the boy who got him back for you...I just wanted to wish him well and tell him your most intimate sexual fantasies..."

"He already knows them...He is you, remember...?" Cicely frowns...Morphing into Buffy..."Begone, avant!...Get lost!..." she waves at him...

"Girl never knows what she wants..." he sighs to William... "At least let me get my Doublemeat Special, girl..." he frowns at Buffy...

Now her demon...he smiles at Will... "She was almost worth giving up Earth for..."

Dawn returns, tossing him a Special... "Ok..." Buffy eyes him... "Take it and vamoose...Now!..."

"Transform her and see if her demon goes to Africa for a soul for love of you..." Spike frowns to Will... "Anyway, if you ever do make it back in, don't forget to always press the upper part of her thigh just before you..." he fades out hastily as Buffy whips out Mr. Pointy...

"I love you too, Spike..." she calls...Taking a seat beside William and looking at Dawn's tray...

"Where's mine?..." she eyes Dawn...Geesh...Dawn rolls her eyes but gets up...

"So the least you could do..." Will paused as Buffy munched away at her Doublemeat Special as they sat at what appeared to be the surprisingly intact food court of the destroyed Sunnydale Mall... "Ya wan' Dawnie ta get 'nuther?..." she managed to get out between bites...Ya what I am here for but to fetch burgers...Dawn in her seat frowning as she sucked on the straw of her diet Coke...

"If you wouldn't mind...?" he eyed her as she continued to wolf down the sandwich... "Could you possibly slow down a mo and answer my question?...Is this Hell?..."

Unless of course you're the First...he sighed... "In which case I suppose you'll just keep things rollin'..." She stopped and looked at him carefully, wiping her mouth...Sorry... "It's been a busy night of a busy year and I was starved..." she reached for her diet Coke and sipped quickly...Coughing and gagging a bit...

"Hell?...Hell no, babe..." she grinned... "And I am not the First...Though naturally I'd lie if I were...But you could just play on her vanity...Remind me there's no victory if you don't know who she is and how she got ya...Honest, Will..." she sighed at his hard stare...

All I know is...I'm Buffy... "And Cicely..." she morphed again to Cicely... "I came to save you from the Partners and Death and everything Evil...And you're here with me...Where you belong..."

And these burgers are damned good...she grinned at the sandwich left in her hand...Which gave a brief wave... "Thankya, thankya all very, very much..."

Except for the fact they move and talk sometimes...she, now back to Buffy form, grimaced and put the last piece on her plate...

"If this isn't Hell?..." he eyed her... "God knows, love...Maybe you just have one terrific imagination..." she patted the empty socket of his wounded shoulder... "Just remember...I love you..." she smiled at his clouded face warmly... "I do, William..."

Try and let that be enough for now...Please...she looked at him, taking his remaining hand in hers...

Geesh...Dawn glared from her seat... "I sure as hell wouldn't be satisfied with that...Given how lame your Ily was back at the crater..."

Iloveyou...Bye...Gotta get to a mall...she sneered at her frowning sis...

"Where was the big 'I won't leave you...I won't go unless you come...' rescue and/or mutual death scene...?" Dawn eyed her sis coldly...William watching both...

World to save...Buffy somewhat sheepishly noted... "Friends and fam not to be embarrassed in front of, ya mean..." Dawn frowned... "Well how's about the lover's resurrection?...He was killed mystically...Or the seance to reach the lover's lost soul?...Hell, even a 'hope the hands are doing better' card after Andy got back...?"

Ummn... "Well...Willow didn't think Osiris was up for another revival of their acquaintance...I didn't have a chance to get the knack of the seance thing...I bought one, but I left it somewhere and couldn't remember if I mailed it or not..." Ummn...Hey..."You sure didn't help him when he got the soul back..." Buffy tried...

"Pursuing a relationship woulda been too hard with you pulling your little 'it's all just about the sex but it's ok for us to meet on the sly' crap..." Dawn frowned... "And you had your eye on me over Spike, admit it, sis..."

Just like with RJ...You done stole my man...er Unman...Dawn rose from her chair...Patrons around their table leaping out of their seats to clear the area...Buffy rose, a grim look on her face as she gazed at Dawn...

"Girls...I just want some simple, clear words as to what is really going..."

Keep outta the way, William... Buffy shook her head... "Hard to get in the way in my present, love..." he sighed...Shaking the empty shoulder and thigh socket...

"Alright, bitch!...This is where we settle things once and for all!..." Dawn coldly noted to her sis, now about ten feet off... "You got that right..." Buffy nodded...And whipped ole Mr. Pointy out...

Only to struck in the chest by Dawn's faster-thrown stake...Ha!... "I made a bullseye..." she beamed...Looking at the bull's eye now pinned by the stake to Buffy's chest... "Excuse me..." a Wendys' burger called from where its consumer had abandoned it on a table... "Could I have my eye...And any other various former body parts you might spot around...Back, please?..."

"Sure..." Buffy pulled out the stake and removing the eye from it, tossed it over...Noting a rather heavy gush of blood from her chest, she collapsed...

"Well...That settles that..." Dawn resumed her seat..."Anyway, I'm the best part of her for you...The loving, untrammeled heart..." she beamed...

And assumed Buffy form, the body on the ground vanishing... "So much for the Slayer..." she sighed happily...

"Buffy?...Please...Just..."

Shhh...she put a finger to her lips... "They'll hear you and we'll be dragged back..." She moved closer to him and kissed him... "Stay here...I can make this a wonderful place for us...We'll find a nice home...With or without picket fence...Consult the world's leading fertility experts...And I'm sure we can find some good prosthetic limbs for you..."

"Love, where is here?..." "Who cares, long as we're together...But not too loud or..." He vanished... "William!..."

"Well...Mr. Walthrop!...Welcome!...To Information Retrieval!..." the officious, aggressively hearty man suddenly beside the dazed William, again in suit...Though more of a twentieth-century, fiftiesish style...Boomed, clapping him hard on the back while throwing open with a grim-looking door bearing remarkable resemblance to the chamber doors of a submarine... "Yes... Level Six/Z, Room B-51a...Your very own office!...With your very own desk!...And over here..." he banged on another identical door from behind which muffled sounds were heard...

"Your colleague...Ms. Summers... MS. SUMMERS!..." he banged again...The door was unsealed and opened, somewhat reluctantly... "I don't have any more chairs!...Just the one I'm sitting..." Buffy's voice...Will stumbling to try and peer inside, past his hearty guide's large frame... "Oh...Sir..." her voice was subdued... "I'm nearly finished, sure to be done by closing..."

"Fine, fine Summers!...Come out and meet your new neighbor and colleague, Mr..." he snapped fingers...An aide whispered in his ear... "Walthrop...Yes...Mr. William S. Walthrop, our latest recruit in our war against the Evil threatening our beloved land!..."

"Yes, Mr. Giles..." she came out, staring...Large spectacles on her rather emaciated face...Buffy...But a worn-down, over-thin Buffy, with mousey brown hair and...My God...Will blinked...

She's in tweed...

"Buffy?..." he gasped... "What the hell...?"

"William...?" she stared...

"Ah..." Giles nodded...For indeed Will realized it was Giles...If Rupert Giles had taken on fifty pounds of muscle and bone, dispensed with the glasses, and developed the manners of a British George Bush... "I see you know each other...Excellent...Well, I shall leave you to the care of Ms. Summers, Walthrop!..." a vigorous hand-shaking... "I'm sure you'll make us all proud...Call on me anytime for anything..." he wheeled on his heel and was gone before Will had managed to put his hand back down after release...

Phew...Both missing limbs again restored, he now noted with relief...

"William?...What are you doing here?..." Buffy stared at him through her thick glasses...

"I've not the slightest..." he sighed... "And I sure wish you could manage to give me some clue..."

"Your mother, right?...She got you in..." a frown...Unless...A hopeful look... "You didn't come to help me, did you?...You changed your mind and decided..." she paused, eyeing him...

"Decided...?" he stared back, waiting... "The revolution..." she hissed, pulling him inside... "We're nearly ready to overturn Minister Giles and his oppressive government...Starting with the Ministry of Inf..." she stopped... "You didn't come to help me?..." a narrow look... "You're here to expose me?...Oh, I shoulda known..."

Now I'll have to kill you...Geesh...she sighed...And we had such a nice time at my mother's party...

He put up his hands... "Buffy...I've no idea what's going on here...I've just arrived...But if it's any comfort, I will gladly help you...If you'd just explain what's going on..."

"What?...I told you when we slipped outta the party together...Well, without details, of course...You said you'd do anything for me, even buck our oppressive Big Brother system...Course I figured you were just tryin' to get back into my...Ummn...Get close to me again..."

I shoulda known...she frowned... "I keep fallin' for you agents...That Angel, now you..."

At least that Riley was up front about being a loyal soldier and all...Even if he had the morals and intelligence of a fence post...

She grabbed him suddenly before he could get another word out...

"So...You want it quick?...A neck snap?...I can do that..."

"Buffy..." he gasped out... "I'm...telling ya...I'll do...whatever...you...want...But just..."

"Really?..." she eyed his blueing face, relaxing her choke hold slightly...

"Yes...Just...Let...Me..." Oh, sure...Sorry...she relaxed the hold a bit more...Letting him take the one chair...

"I just need to know what's going on..."

"Oppression, William!..." she pronounced...Ummn...She looked round the tiny office... "It's supposed to be scan-proof in here and I disabled the bug they put in every office but still..." she whispered...

"Anyway..." she continued in the whisper... "It's about oppression, injustice!...The subjugation of the individual to the State!...The awful clothes..." she looked down at her tweed suit and skirt...

"And we're here in the very bowels of the Evil State...At last..." she waved to indicate the office and the building beyond... "The infamous Department of Information Retrieval...Headed by one Rupert Giles...Bureaucratic fiend seeking to crush all hope of liberty and freedom!..." her voice rose...Ummn...

"Gotta watch it...But what are you doin' here?...Are you with us?...Or..." she tensed...

"Alright...Look, pet..." he sighed... "I've played along with this nonsense so far...But I want some sensible answers and no more of this illusion/fantasy/holodeck 2 business...If this is Hell, say so and bring on my punishment...If not, tell whoever runs the place I wanna speak to her or him, now..."

"Are you feelin' alright?..." she stared at him... "No, though as I'm probably dead or being eaten by something horrible right now, I shouldn't think it's too hard to understand why..."

But at least I've got the ole limbs back...he noted...Uh-huh...Buffy looked at him...Yeah...

"You think I'm crazy?...Me?..." he frowned...

Oh, no...Not at all...she backed away a bit...Eyes flicking to her desk and the plain, black telephone on her desk...

Ok...He sighed again, giving up for now... "I'm sorry...I'm a little bit off my nut today...Tell me about how we met and this revolt...You're revolting against ole Giles?..."

"We met when you caught me tryin' to plant a bomb under Mr. Giles' car when he came to visit your mom...Though our moms know each other from way back when..." she looked at the phone again, obviously considering...

"I'm not crazy, Buffy...Just confused...Go on, please..."

"My bomb kinda fizzled out...You were gonna call the cops, turn me in but..." she grinned... "Just one look...and..."

"As usual..." he sighed... Huh?... "Nothing...Go on..."

"Well...I liked you too..." a beam as she pushed her glasses up to see him better... "Even if your mom is in tight with Minister Giles and the government..."

My mum?... "She's alive?...I mean alive, alive...Not Undead alive...?"

Unwhat?...she blinked... "Forget it...So I take it you are not the Slayer here?..."

"Course I'm the Slayer..." she glared... "Champion of the revolutionary movement, destroyer of the oppressors...They also call me 'the Law', did I ever tell ya?..." she beamed... "Sorta a nickname besides my 'Slayer' title...Cause I dispense Justice...Swiftly..."

And am about to do so here...a grim tone...

"I see...And what did you want me to do?...Suicide bomb the place?..."

Actually...I didn't know you were really gonna come...she shook her head...Then smiled fondly...

"But I hoped you would keep your word and come...Sos as we could die together..."

Die, eh?...he eyed her skinny frame and exhausted-looking face...The drab outfit, made worse by her dull, limp brown hair...The light in her eyes however compensating somewhat...

Great...And that light is not for me but for some idiotic revolution...he shook his head...Well...

Hmmn...She did say...Together...

"Together?...You want us to die together?..."

One must be ready to grasp at any potential improvement in one's situation...he reflected...

And dying together...Gotta be some improvement...

"Sure...If you really wanna..." she nodded, biting a lip... "Ya don't have to, ya know..." ...

"Oh, it's fine...I'm sure it's why I came..." "Great..." she beamed... "I knew when I saw you with Giles it was only a ruse to get in here and help me...Oh, William..." she hugged him...

Wish we had time for sex again...she noted wistfully as she moved to her desk and began pulling out various small items from a drawer...Which looked rather unoffensive...A marker, a battered stapler...A cell phone...Ah... "Here it is...The detonation control...Just gotta press the talk key now and the place goes up...I was just waitin' to see if Giles would be here today..."

And hopin' you'd show, William...she beamed happily...Ah, great...he nodded absently...Wait?...

"We've had sex...You said that..."

"Coupla of times...When we met over the past few weeks..." her face fell a bit...

"You don't remember?..."

"Of course, yes...Certainly...It was lovely...Earth-shattering..." he hastily noted...

Aw...she smiled... "Well, business first..." she picked up the cell phone... "Then, in the afterlife...Whatever and wherever it may be..."

"I'm fairly sure we'll find there is one...Just hope the next world or whatever is a little less confusin'..."

"For the Revolution!..." she raised the phone... A sound from above them...And a large section of the floor fell beside them... No!...Buffy raced for the door as several large goons in body armor dropped down...The door opening to reveal more goons and several suited types outside in the hall...

"So...The mighty Slayer!...Bright star of the terrorist movement...Taken at last!..." a voice rang out...

Angel?...William stared... "Will?..." Angel, in doctor's smock stared into the room... "Don't tell me you've hooked up with this psycho murderess?..."

"Or rather, please...For ole times' sake, don't say anything!..." he hissed anxiously, taking a stern pose immediately after... "Traitors!...Spies!...Terrorists!...Seize them..."

And to think I slept with him once...Buffy sighed to Will... "Stay behind me, William..." she waved him back... "I'm the Slayer and I'll deal!...I..." Two goons grabbed her and she was pinned, struggling feebly as her glasses fell off...A third striking her as she screamed...

"Not too rough...Yet..." Angel called...

So...No Slayer strength in this corner of Hell or whatever...Will sighed...Trying to brace for a rush on the closest police trooper holding her...Smashed to the ground by a truncheon before he could move a step...

"William!..." she cried...Tossing back the guards and rushing to him... "C'mon, babe..." she lifted him... "Sorry...Had to hold back a..." she hissed, pausing as several guards at the door unlimbered machine guns...

"Ahhhhhh...Gannngwaaayyy!..." she yelled, charging and breaking through the group at the door before they could open fire, William safely tucked under one arm...

Angel wisely pulling back to one side and letting her pass... "Get them!...Shoot!..." he then called to the guards beside him...A couple of whom, less dazed than the others, beginning to fire...With a leap, Buffy grabbing the metal mesh of the next floor's catwalk and clambering over the metal railing up on to it, Will holding on to her for dear life as bullets whizzed...

"Shoot!..." Angel pointed...But now, sounds from all over the upper storeys of the building...Shouts of triumph, machine gun fire...

"Sounds like my fellow Slayers made it!..." Buffy grinned to Will, now beside her on the catwalk, dodging bullets...

A horde of young women now burst onto the catwalk from several doors...Cheering and returning the fire of Angel's guards in overwhelming force...

Angel quickly finding himself isolated, surrounded by dead guards... Holding raised hands... "I...Sur..."

"I don't accept..." Buffy called back...The other 'Slayers' firing into him...Reducing him to a bloody mess...

Hmmn...So he was human here?...Will noted, eyeing the remains...

Huh?...Buffy stared... "Not a vampire I mean...Human-souled or otherwise..."

She eyed him as her comrades raced down to take on troops moving up from lower levels... "Vampire?..."

I mean...Everybody knows Liam Angelus, 'Angel'...Was a monster...But...Vampire?...she stared...

"Never mind..." he waved a hand... "C'mon...We can go now, the battle's just about won..." she grinned...

"Come on, William..." her voice called him...He started a moment... "William!...Darling!..." her voice was all around him...Then just Buffy nudging him... C'mon...She led him to the nearest window on the floor in a small open office, just a hair larger than hers... "Supervisor's office for this floor...They rate a window..." she frowned...Then brightened... "Good luck for us though...Hang on, babe..." she grabbed at him, putting his hands round her waist...And charged for the window...

Buffy?...he stared...Then winced quickly as they ran into and smashed through and out of the window...Into open air...

Several hundred feet in the air...

"So I assume we're still on for the 'dying together' bit?..." he called to her...Opening his eyes again in time to see no visible support beneath them...

Several hundred feet above the ground...

"Buffy?..." "Yeah..."

"Why aren't we...Falling...?" A giggle...He looked up as he noted a dark shadow passing repeatedly over him...Giant wings flapping, he saw...Attached to a metallic suit which she now wore... "Where did you get...?" he stared... "Just hold tight, babe..." she grinned down at him, holding him firmly in her arms as they soared over the streets...Heading for the sunset...

God, tell me this is Heaven and it's not gonna go...Poof...he thought...Smiling up at her beaming face...Her face and hair now the Buffy he remembered...

"Sir..." A tall figure in doctor's smock wearing a hideous kewpie doll's mask turned to the same hearty-looking Giles who'd introduced William to Information Retrieval...Now himself engaged in rather bemusedly looking over the bloodied faces of Buffy and William, taken at the Ministry itself...Much to his sorrow and embarrassment...But fortunately just before the fiendish terrorist would have immolated herself and her deluded, obviously love-besotted follower...Alas for his poor, dear mother...Destroying a precious government resource...

"I fear I might have been a tad rough...But I swear to sir I followed procedure to the letter..." Angel anxiously awaited Minister Giles' completion of the inspection of the two prisoners...One a personal concern, the other a government prize... "No, Liam..." Giles shook his head... "I reviewed the tapes of your session with them...You were totally within the new parameters for interrogation..." Angel pulled the kewpie doll mask from his face... "Didn't think they'd both go so easily...I was only at level one..."

"They've got away from us, Liam..." Giles noted...Staring at Buffy's blank eyes...Then William's "I'm afraid so, Mr. Giles..." Angel sighed... "Well...Life is filled with disappointments...We'll get something out of the next bunch..." Giles patted his companion kindly...

"See they're cleaned up and I'll arrange places in the first available institution...I think the government would best forego a trial...His dear mother will prefer that, I'm sure..."

"Certainly, Mr. Giles..." Angel nodded as they strolled out of the chamber, leaving the two staring off, totally withdrawn...But for the hands clenched in each other's vise grip...

Ah, crap...William looked round...Back at the Sunnydale Mall...Buffy and Dawn in their respective seats...Buffy eyeing him, a bit anxious... "You drifted off there, Will...You ok?..."

"I'm in some corner of Hell after trying to again save the world and I'm missing..." Well, no...He noted his severed limbs again had been restored...Thank the PTBs for small mercies... "No, I am not ok, Summers...If you are Summers..."

"Well...We're together...And you sure as Hell don't deserve Hell...So..." she patted him... "I know..." he sighed... "I should let our being together suffice and ask no questions...But Buffy...You know you've...You and Cicely...Treated me rather badly all these years...Have you considered that this might be your Hell?..."

Ummn...Buffy and Dawn looked at each other...My...?

Never know, sis...Dawn nodded carefully...

"I tried to save you as Cicely...I only did what I had to do as Buffy...Spike might have been tryin' to deceive me, mess with my head and get me to care for him, trust him...Then..." Buffy nervously noted...Flicking to Cicely briefly at the start, then back to Buffy...

"Cicely could've warned me...Been up front back then with me or avoided romancing a weak human entirely...And you used me, Summers...As you yourself admitted..."

Spike liked the sex...she tried sheepishly...

Buffy...Dawn rolled her eyes...

"I wasn't an independent soul, I couldn't make choices of my own free will...I was possessed by a demon...And you knew that..."

"I needed help...I needed you..."

"You needed help?...If the roles were reversed...If Will the Vampire Slayer had played Buffy the Vamp...Or maybe poor Dru...That way...?"

She morphed into a vicious-looking version of herself...Buffy the Bloody, century old vampire, victim of Drusilla...William now in modern suit, brown hair...Stake on the table next to him...Dawn faded out...

"Can't you see I truly love you, Slayer..." she noted... "There's gotta be more than just sex here, more than just the effect of the damned chip in my brain...William...I love you..."

Besides...she noted with a slight sneer... "Where was our dear cursed soul, fallen nun, your ex-vamp lover Drusilla when you needed her?...Off in LA, in 'her' city, seeking her redemption without a thought for your plight here when Willow resurrected you after Glory and all..."

"I can't love a demon, Buffy...You want me dead and transformed, that's all..."

"Can't love, eh...But you sure can fuck one, right?..." she glared...Then sighed..."Please, William...Slayer, I just wanta help you...You know I'd do anything to prove myself...Anything for you..."

Please...she pleaded...Taking a hand which he pulled away... "It's over, Elizabeth...I'm sorry..." he eyed her carefully... "Good luck fending for yourself as a chipped vampire...I really can't waste time trying to help you, you know..."

And a ton of thanks for the sex and fighting support...It really helped this past year...

She stared at him as he rose...

"Well?...See what I mean..." Will eyed Buffy, both back to their former selves... "Not so pleasant when you're the tormented one on the receiving end, eh?..."

Point there, sis...Dawn noted from her chair... "Shut up..." Buffy glared...

"Elizabeth?..." she asked him... "You were an 1880's transformation, Elizabeth would have been more likely your real name then..." he noted...

'Buffy' not really being in vogue...

Ok...she sighed... "You gotta point...But...

"Did Angelus ever offer his existence so you and Angel could be together?...You gave me a chance to prove myself...Fine and I'm grateful...But the bottom line is Ms. Summers...I never needed to prove myself or redeem myself...I am a good man, who met with a terrible fate...And in the end, I proved that...And with rather pitiful help, freed myself...That is my story..."

And so...He eyed her... Maybe I'm not the candidate for Hell here...

Ummn...

"William...!" Buffy's disembodied voice flooded the food court...She, Dawn, and William staring round now...

"You heard it too, eh?..." he looked at the sisters...

Hell, even I heard it...Spike's head appeared in the center of their table... "Spike!..." Buffy glared... "Goin', goin'...The goddamn thanks I get..." the head muttered, fading out...

Hah!...Buffy looked back at Will... "If that's me calling you, then this is your whatever, not mine..."

Unless...she paused...And blinking...Found herself in a dank alleyway...Dead or dying demons surrounding her, groaning wounded ones a little further off...Along with a scattered handful of likewise dead or badly wounded Slayers...A few relatively intact-looking demons now fleeing past her in clear panicky rout...She turned to them as the last raced past her, then stumbled, groaning in agony from she saw immediately were severe wounds... "William!..." she cried out...

"Buffy!..." she recognized Dawn's voice... "Where is he?..." she called to her... "No sign yet!...But the rest of the Partners are falling back to their portal!..." she saw Dawn hurrying towards her, Willow in close support...Maintaining some kind of force shield about them...

"Buffy!...We've gotta fall back ourselves!...We've lost too many of us and I can't keep this field up much longer!..." Willow cried...

"Not without William!..." she shook her head, turning to try and peer into the dark of the alley...Where she knew now she'd been headed, seeking... "Buffy..." Dawn came up to her... "We can't stay...We've done all we can...The Partners are regrouping and getting more help up from Hell...Angel and the blue lady are too badly injured to help...He's a survivor, sis...He'll find a way...Like you and he always do..."

"I won't leave him here...Not again!..." she pulled away, Willow now up to them, clearly running on empty, mystic powerwise...Her shield begin to flicker... "Look!..." Dawn pointed up the main street that the alley entered...To where the battered demon force was beginning to rally and collect itself...The few uninjured Slayers of the small scratch force assembled now attempting to disengage and fall back down the street... "Buffy, we're out of time...He wouldn't want you to die here...If he's still in one piece, he'll find you..."

"Buffy...We've gotta get these girls outta here before it's too late..." Willow chimed in...

"Get them back to the cars, Wil...You too, Dawn..." she told them... "I'll keep looking...And try to keep 'em off your backs..."

That's my order...she eyed their anxious faces... "I'm still Slayer Counselor General and I'm ordering you to get the other Slayers back and wait for me by the cars...Do it!..."

"Buffy, you're hurt and if you don't come with us...I'll take full advantage of that..." Dawn replied...Turning to Willow...Who sighed, shaking her head...Sorry, didn't keep anything in reserve for mind-control or teleportation...Buffy smiling a bit wanly...Dawn...

"You'd've made one bang-up Slayer, sis..." she patted her... "But injured or no, without Wil here to make me go, you ain't takin' this Slayer anywheres...Now get the others outta here and wait for me...I'll be along...With whatever's left of William..."

Now...she eyed them coldly...Willow's shield flickering rapidly now...Oh-oh...the wiccan sighed...

"You can't abandon the others, Buffy..." Dawn tried desperately... "You're still their leader as you said..."

"By the power or whatever invested in me I appoint Willow's babe Kennedy, Slayer Counselor General...And as she's still abed back home in Long Island, NY...I doubt she'll be by to make objections as to my stayin on here in a private capacity..."

"Willow?..." Dawn tried again...But before she could turn back, the Slayer had vanished off into the dark of the larger street...Towards where the demon force was regathering...

"No, Dawn!...I can't protect you now!..." Willow grabbed at her...Pulling her back... "We can't go on, we've gotta get the injured girls out..."

Buffy...She sighed... "Buffy will find a way...C'mon..." she pulled Dawn back along the street in the opposite direction...

"William!..." they heard her cry... "William, I'm here!..."

"Well, well...Buffy..." a suave voice from the shadows of a building floated out to her...

You...The Slayer halted, turning... "Nice of you not to forget me...After all, what was it?..Three hours ago that you dumped me?..." the voice continued...

"So...Giles was right...You were in league with these bastards..." she glared at the handsome figure now moving down the building steps to her...

"Hmmpf..." he shrugged... "I side with no one...Merely take the path most likely to end in my own survival...And success in the world and its affairs...Maintaining contacts with the Senior Partners was simply a precaution..."

As was our little romance...he grinned... "Though I want you to know I throughly enjoyed every minute...Until the final act..." his voice cooled, face clouded...

"Nobody ever do that to 'His Benevolence' before?..." Buffy eyed him... "Well, there's a first time for everything...And developing a sense of humility is good for the soul, I hear..."

Oh, right...You never bothered to get one back...she eyed him...Then waved a hand... "Enough already...Tell your bosses I'll let em retreat to Hell, alive...If they show me where William..." she gulped as he eyed her coldly... "Where William is..."

"Unless you've suddenly developed a flicker of character and want to die fighting with your buds back there..." she pointed down the street...

"Hardly my... 'Friends', dear..." he smiled... "And as for bosses...You should know the Immortal is his own Master..."

She waved him off, and moved on down the street, he following after a moment... "They're reforming down there, Slayer..." he noted... "More coming by the moment...You're unsupported and even you can't fight them all..."

"Not here to fight 'em all...I tole ya..." she muttered and continued on, peering carefully around into the doorways of the buildings they passed... "Will?..." she called... "I'm here, honey...Oh, come on, Will...Please..."

"He's..." "If you say he's dead...You're no longer 'the Immortal'..." she glared at him...He put up a languid hand, smiling pleasantly...Only the eyes cold...

"Don't be upset with me, Slayer...I've only been trying to help you...You were appreciative enough of my efforts after our first days together..."

She gave him a grim but brief stare, then went back to searching without a word...Looking down an alley where two figures lay...Dead demons...She moved into it...

"There's no time, Buffy...You must leave..." the Immortal hissed... "I'm offering you..." She whirled on him... "You're offering a chance to get out, eh?..." she moved on him...Grabbing him...

"So...You have that much pull with the guys down there?...And I thought you were just their pretty boy, sent to romance me and keep me away from LA..."

Hardly...he smiled in her grip... "Though I did regard you as the most dangerous of my three chief enemies...And felt it was best to deal with you personally...In my own way..." he threw her back...

"Pity you couldn't've been content with me...I'd serious hopes for you...As did my associate...The First..." he leered...

Though my...subordinates, the Partners...Did feel it was best to destroy you at the first opportunity...he eyed her...

" 'Fraid so, Buffy...I am their leader..." he grinned at her staring face... "Though I prefer to maintain an image of impartially towards both sides of the fight..."

"Great..." she tensed... "Then as their boss...And someone who likes his...Pretty dumb in a world with thousands of immortal demons and such hangin' round... 'Immortal' monicker...Tell your people to stand down...And bring Will to me intact..."

"Slayer...Just because I took the romantic route with you doesn't mean I can't fight you if I must...But I prefer not to end it this way...I hate having to terminate relationships harshly..."

After all...he smiled... "It's not like I used spells or drugs or even thrall on you...You accepted me voluntarily..."

"Oh, sure..." she nodded... "I was heartbroken, guilt-ridden, lonely...You come along, with the phony desire for atonement and all...You were a rather poor substitute for William, but hey, I thought he was gone at first...And then, that he'd grown to hate me..."

A slightly dark look... "I see...Nonetheless...I accomplished my purpose...You stayed away from him and Angel...Until it was too late..."

"If he were dead...You'd simply gloat and be done with it...You're tryin' to keep me from reachin' him..." she shrugged... "But if you don't wanta cooperate, or can't, fine...I'll kill you later, that's a promise..." she moved off...

"Hey...Buffy..." the First appeared in front of her, in her form... "Missed you all these months, sister..." a harsh leer...

"Yeah?...That anxious for us to whip your ass again?..." Buffy walked straight on, passing through her...

"He's dead..." the First cooed after her... "And died hating you..."

"His soul's alive no matter what...Though I think it's safe to say you're lyin'..." Buffy called back without looking back...

"Which half of us would that liar be?...Sis?..." the First sneered, now in front of her again...Buffy passing through her again without a word...Hey...

Leastways pay attention when the First is tryin' to psych you out here...her insubstantial twin fumed...

('Fraid the incorporeal don't get no respect, lass...a ghostly William watching the scene smiled at her... "Bug off, loser..." she glared at him... "And no, I ain't gonna tell you where you are..." "Sounds hopeful...And it could still be her fantasy, not mine..." he grinned...Nnnnn...she growled...)

"I tole you you should have killed or transformed her..." the First hissed to the Immortal as he slowly followed the searching Buffy...Two wounded Slayers stumbling past them... "Back to the cars, girls!..." Buffy called to them, pointing back...

"I do things my own way...And I'd say I've been a bit more successful than you, my dear..." he eyed her...The First glaring... "You promised me we'd have her ready to accept me...That whole foolish scheme was your dumb idea...Play on her guilt and get her to accept you...Then corrupt her...Please...A flat failure..."

"Not at all...She's on the brink of despair...She's let him down again...We just have to..."

A cry from Buffy...He grinned at the First... "Shall we pay our condolences...?"

"For all this 'Immortal' crap and your refusal to risk your existence fighting with the Light side, you've quite a death wish, don't ya?..." the false Buffy eyed him...

They found her knelt beside him, holding him gently... Will, I'm here...she whispered...He opened blood-filled eyes...

"Winifred...?" he gasped...She staring as the Immortal beamed at the First...

Whoa...Buffy eyed William, both back again in their seats at the Mall...That was...

"As I said...This could be your Hell, not mine..." he nodded...

"William?..." Buffy in white half spacesuit-half Jedi Knight-like outfit shared...Light saber in her hand...

"I get along without you very well...Of course, I do...'cept when soft rains fall...

And drip from leaves then I recall...The thrill of bein' sheltered...In your arms...

Of course, I do...But I get along without you very well...

I've forgotten you...Just like I should..." Spike in duster, light saber in hand, sang, then glared at her...

"Strike him down, Buffy...And let me take my place within you..." a tall, cloaked figure hissed...

"I'll never...Never join with you..." she stared at the figure...

"Father..." she eyed him...As the figure pulled back his hood to reveal a frowning Hank Summers...Who now morphed into her own form...

"Sired by the First...Now I know why you were the best of the Slayer lot..." Spike grinned at her...

"William..." she turned to him... "There is good in you, I've always sensed it..."

Your heart betrays you...

"Really..." he swung his light saber up suddenly, powered on...And slashed at her, just missing as she lept back...

"And there is evil in you, Summers...Your Father's side betrays you, girl..." he smiled coldly...Light saber extended at her...As she kept hers at him...The First back to Hank form smirking evilly as he watched...

"And if you're too strong to cave to it..." Spike told her coldly... "There's always your lil' mystic clone..."

"No!..." she rushed at him...Saber lasers meeting in mid-air between them...

No!...she pulled back...And threw her saber aside...

Hmmn...Hank stared...Shrugging...

"Ok, kill her my son...In-law...Sorta..." he eyed Spike...Who hesitated, staring at Buffy...

Hank sighed...Oh, all right... He resumed Buffy form...

"Kill her and ...Yadda...yadda...yadda...You got me as your very own Buffy for all eternity..."

Hmmn...Spike pondered...Buffy watching him from where she stood, a pleading look on her face...William...

"Mate..." he frowned at the First... "First of all...I ain't into hermaphrodites, transsexuals, or whatever in God's name you are..."

And second...I can't screw an incorporeal essence...

Well...Buffy sighed...Not exactly the noble sort of declaration of love and redemption I was kinda hopin' for...

But hey...she beamed as he plunged his laser into the First's screaming form...As she did with hers...

Fire and burning ooze all around him...Even to his eyes, into them...No pain, oddly enough, he notes...

"William...William, come on darling..." Buffy reaches a ghostly hand...

"What the hell's been going..." he eyes her, surprised to find he still can see...She shimmering in pale light...He looks at his burning, dissolving hand...Now beginning to glow like hers...

Wait...He looks round... "This is the Hellmouth entrance...Where I dissolved..." he looks at his dissolving flesh... "...before...Last year..."

Don't tell I'm in Hell and hafta go through this again...he sighs...Nah...The shimmering Buffy shakes her head...

"We're still at the crater in Sunnydale, Will...It's only been a moment..." she smiles... "All the rest was a dream before waking...To Eternity...Come on, my love...It's time to go home..."

But you... he stares... "Well, you don't look like the First...But..."

"Willow just asked me what I wanted to do back outside there, now that I'm no longer the chosen One...And what I wanted was to be with you..." she beams... "So I jumped off the edge of the crater and here I am..."

Thank you for forgiving me...At the poetry slam?...she eyes him... And I was so proud of the way you endured that phony year...And this last bit...I knew the First would lose that one too...

Trying to use your despair...And that part of you that was Spike...To drag your soul down in the microseconds before you died again...Her last chance at vengeance on us...she explains...Had my own session with her, all to do with Cicely, your death, and my own demon, tell ya 'bout it in Heaven...

"You...William and Spike...Really came through...For all of us..." she smiles...

"Cicely?..." he breathes...Or rather, gives a good approximation thereof...As the remains of his physical body burn away, leaving him likewise shimmering...

"That's me, babe..." she nods... "Sorry reincarnation isn't the most efficient way to hook-up with your beloved..." she sighs... "But I am here...I did come for you, in spite of all the things that got in the way...And there'll be no more nonsense about Cicely protecting you from Death or Buffy dodging her feelings for what might have been Spike's manipulative fiend's game now, I promise..."

Anyway we did have quite an interesting time the last century, eh love?...she grins...

"Immortal Beloved..." LXXIV...

A shortie...

PG-13

Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down! It's all yours and ME's...

Spoilers for Angel to the bitter end...Flee at once!...

Summary: Various outcomes following "Girl In Question" and /or "Not Fade Away" on Angel...

Ok, I lied about stopping at 50...But me poor ole mum would just say, "so long as I like it, it's ok..."

Two days after the defeat of the Senior Partners at LA...

The sub-sub-sub-basement occult storage vaults of Wolfram-Hart, Inc...Home to the firm's occult secrets...

"This system of cataloging seems quite disorganized for a firm that prided itself on its evil organization..." Illyria, in Fred form, sniffed, pawing through a file cabinet of material deemed too unstable or valuable to be put on computer... "Hmmn...One spell for enhancing the beauty of old wood...I thought this stuff was supposed to be dangerous or valuable... 'Side effects may include nausea or vomiting, may cause burning or itching'?..." she peered at the old parchment...Ah, 'old world...demons'...This is a spell for making demons from a certain dimension appear human..."

"Ok... "Angel sighed... "Just keep going...We're losing the building to the Feds tomorrow when they move in to seize all assets and begin their investigations into the Partners' less supernatural shenanigans...We've gotta get everything of potential use and destroy everything too dangerous to let fall into anybody's hands..."

"I know Charlie's gonna be in the hospital for another week at least, but I don't see why William couldn't've come...We could use another pair of hands and eyes here..." she frowned...

"He wanted to keep an eye on the baby...Somebody has to...And he's more or less taken charge there..."

"He could've brought it...And he did agree to become our partner in the new firm..."

"When we start the new firm...If we can manage to start the new firm, given this Federal investigation..."

"I love babies...He should let me take it..." Angel stared at her...What?...She frowned at him...

"Winifred...I think he likes taking care..." Angel paused...Illyria smiling rather warmly...Thanks...she beamed...

"For forgetting again...I like that...Though...It's not hurting you a lot, is it?...Cause I'll do blue if it hurts too much?..."

"It's fine..." he waved a hand... "I'm glad to have even a little of her back...And it's a kind thing to do for her parents, to try and be Fred for them..."

"Wesley would want it..." she said simply... He smiled at her a second... "And appreciates it, I'm sure..." he nodded...

Nina wandered into the vault room with another stack of files taken from an identical, though less packed vault, and set them down on the table where Illyria and Angel were hard at it... "That's the last from the other vault..."

"Thanks, honey..." Angel beamed at her...

"No problem, sweetie..." she patted his shoulder...Eyeing the folder Illyria was opening... "Say, isn't that about that Immortal guy?..." she noted the folder tag...

"Yeah...Ummn...Hmmphf..." Illyria gasped, then to her companions' surprise began laughing...In very Fredian mode...

What?...Angel blinked at her...She handed the file over...He scanned the pages within...

"Well?..." Nina came and looked over his shoulder...He was chuckling now...

"Oh my God..." she started laughing...

"I never would've believed Andrew Wells had that good a sense of humor..." Angel was now laughing heartily... "When William gets a load of this...Apart from being on the first plane back to Rome..."

His cell phone rang...

"Buffy?..." he blinked at the phone as the other two eyed each other... "What's...?"

"Yeah, we're fine...Thanks for sending those Slayers...At the last minute they really...Yeah, William's fine...Though I think he was a little disappointed not to see you there...Oh?...Just the other day?...Andrew kept it that well?..."

What...?

You're where?...

The others eyed him...

"The..." Angel chortled a bit... "Immortal, eh?...He's going where?...Why?...You told him what?..."

Buffy...he frowned at the phone... "As Will's friend...Yes, I said friend...And grandfather of sorts...I gotta say..."

Oh...Yeah...he grinned suddenly..."I know about the Immortal..." he chuckled... "We were just reading up on it..."

Buffy...I think William can handle this...Yeah, sure...I'll give you his address...he grinned at the ladies...

"What, you couldn't keep up, following your little playmate?..." he chuckled into the phone...

The ladies looked at him as what was clearly a frosty pause ending his hee-hawing... "Sorry...But Buffy, you gotta realize...We thought His Benevolence..."

Unless of course your tastes have gone that way...he resumed chuckling...

"I wouldn't slam that phone down till you got Will's address, kiddo..." he hastily noted... "Oh, he's at home...No, not alone...No, not Dru...No, not Harmony...In fact he's enjoying a little quality time tonight with his adopted kid..."

I think I just paid her back properly for that charming 'no one trusts you anymore' remark of Andy's...he happily thought as the phone remained quiet for a full minute...

William's apartment...Same time...

"Ok now, lamb..." Will, in thoughtfully chosen baby-friendly muted-color tan t-shirt and beige slacks...His newly-acquired baby books collection having recommended such, eyed the baby lying on open Pampers diaper on his kitchen table... "We're gone get this in just a bit and then it's dinner-time...Yep...Bobba-bobba..." he pantomined a baby's bottle to his lips as the baby cooed and giggled... "That's right, kid...You, me, our respective nutrient solutions...And 'Gilmore Girls' on the telly...I'd call that one fine..."

His door was burst open... "William the Bloody?..." a stern, yet somewhat thin voice called into the room... "Prepare...To dust!..." Sounds of a sword swooshing a bit...

"Who the hell?..." he turned...The baby likewise turning on the diaper to view the intruder with an anxious stare...

"My card, monsieur..." a card was tossed at him out of the dark...He picked it up off the floor, the baby eyeing him with a somewhat worried look... "Don't sweat it, kid..." he smiled gently as he looked at the card...

"... 'The Immortal'...Lovely..." William sighed...Hmmn, he tried to peer into the dark...Rather a small fellow unless my eyes are playing...

"Now that I have introduced myself, as I have said...Prepare to dust, monsieur!...En garde!..."

"It's not enough Summers is hanging out with you, now you've come to ruin my quiet evening with the little one here..." The baby whimpered, then began to bawl a bit... "Whom you've just made cry..."

The Immortal leaped forward and paused, blinking at the baby...Who gave up sobbing to stare and then coo...

At the approximately two-and-one-half foot tall cat in boots and sporting a plumed hat, sword drawn from a small belt about its waist and in hand...

Will now staring in shock, then grinning... "You...You're the Immortal?.."

And Angelis always said Dru and Darla had no sense of humor...

"I am Henri Faucomb d'Vestigy..." the cat proudly noted... "Famed cat to the great King Henry the Fourth of France and his royal descendants...Granted both unique powers, including a human intellect, and Immortality for courage in defending my king's life against evildoers determined to bring down his tolerant reign...And now here to defend the honor of a great lady, wronged by you, sir..."

"Great lady?..." Will struggled to go through the list of potentially suitable Spike victims...

"One Ms. Buffy Summers...She whom you so callously spurned and..." the cat's eyes narrowed as he stared again at the baby... "...clearly have betrayed..."

"Now just a mo, prick-in-boots..." William frowned... "Did Summers send you here to?..."

"Ms. Summers would never lower herself to such things...But any creature of honor, committed to her service..." the cat began...

"Henri!..." a voice cried...Hmmn...Henri turned...Fur bristling a bit... "Bad cat!..." Buffy slapped a thigh... "Come away from William, now!..."

"But, ma cheri?...My Immortal defense of your Honor requires..."

"Dawn and Xander are morons...Whatever they said to you..." she glared... "Now let William be and go wait outside while I talk to him..." William noticed a large pack on her back as she turned glare to him...Henri frowning, but moving off...Pausing for a quick rub and purr at her side as she patted him and he went out...

"Call me should the dastardly fellow try anything, my dearest one...Your Puss-In-Boots is forever at your..." he called as the door closed...

"And as for you, you cowardly little blonde asshole..." She frowned at William, then eyed the baby on the table...

"Nice kid you got there...Give thanks to God it's not Dru's or..." she shuddered a bit... "Harmony's..."

"Summers...I..."

He blanched a bit as she swung the 'pack' around...A baby carrier...With a three month old baby within...Who, he immediately realized bore an unquestionable resemblance to...

"If you ask who's...You're dust, you know that..." she eyed him...Then smiled as she brought the blonde boy over...

"This'll be so neat that they're so close in age..." she beamed...Then looked around as he stared, dumbfounded...

"We are gonna need a bigger house...Picket fence and everything..."

"Immortal Beloved..." LXXV...

A shortie...

PG-13

Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!

It's all yours and ME's...

Spoilers for Angel to the bitter end...Flee at once!...

Summary: Various outcomes following "Girl In Question" and /or "Not Fade Away" on Angel...

Ok, I lied about stopping at 50...But me poor ole mum would just say, "so long as I like it, it's ok..."

Los Angeles...New offices of Angel, Burkle-Wyndham-Price, Gunn, and Walthrop at the old Wolfram-Hart Tower...One week after the defeat of the Senior Partners...

"You Walthrop?...the Spike guy?..." the dark-sunglassed man in overcoat eyed William as he stood next to Angel's desk...Angel looking their visitor over from his chair, in proper CEO mode...Illyria watching in Fred dress from a seat on the opposite side of the desk...

"Walthrop's the name...William Soames...Spike's for old enemies and the dearest of friends..." Will grinned...

The man nodded...Looking a tad less confident as he looked at the three... "I guess you and I should talk...Having a mutual problem...That is if you're still concerned about Ms. Summers' fate..."

"I might be..." William replied coolly...The two now sizing each other up...

"I'd wonder...Considering what Mr. Giles told me in London about you leaving her alone with that...Thing..." the man gave a hard stare...

"At least I didn't let my own wife..." William began angrily..The man flushing, for the first time looking almost like a boy in what was clearly a mixture of shame and embarrassment...

"I didn't know who or what...I thought...She was just..." he began, stumbling in his words...Will shook his head, raising a hand... "I didn't understand the situation either..."

"This concerns our entire firm, sir..." Angel cut in... "Not to mention our friends at the Watchers' Council who referred you to us...If what we've been told is true, there's quite a bit a stake here besides your and William's interests, not to mention...Theirs..." he paused...Will glancing at him briefly... "I think you'd best have a seat and we'll go over this situation in detail..."

"Right..." the man nodded curtly... Illyria carefully looking him over as he sat...Trying to valiantly to repress the overwhelming Fredian thought...

God...He's as cute in real life as he was in...

"In any case, we've got to act quickly...From the information I got from the firm I hired, and what your Mr. Giles told me...Our 'friend' has been working on this for months...She sent me a letter last week saying she wasn't coming back..." the visitor put a tense hand on his chair arm...

"They may both already be..."

"Not my Buffy..." William shook his head firmly...Angel frowning a bit at the 'my Buffy'...

Rome...One week before...

Dawn looked at Buffy as they entered the apartment...The Immortal, immaculately groomed and flawlessly, darkly handsome on the Slayer's opposite side... "Buffy, what are you going to do?..."

Buffy raised a hand... "I'll deal with things, Dawn...Don't worry..."

"Are you gonna go?...There's not much time, if Giles was right..." "I'm sure Angel and his comrades will succeed...If they truly are fighting the Partners..." His Benevolence broke in from the seat on their sofa he'd taken...A cool glare from Buffy...

"Leave it to me, Dawn...I'll handle it..."

"I want to go with you, if you go..."

"I'll let you know what I decide...But no, it's too dangerous for you in any case...But if I go, for once I'll go with plenty of support..."

A frown, then a brightening...That's for sure...Dawn nodded with a faint smile... "Half the Slayer Corps was ready to get on the first plane..."

But if you're going... "Well, as Henri says...Angel...And William...Can probably deal...But I will let you know what I decide...Now, I wanna talk to Henri a moment, ok?..."

Fine...Dawn frowned again... "But you're not going without me..."

"I haven't said what I'll be doing...And you are not going, if I have to have Willow keep you in stasis till it's over..."

"We should've gone to LA months ago..." a glare... "He didn't come to Rome...I left things as I thought...He..." Buffy paused...A slightly confused look... "Maybe...We should've..." she eyed Dawn..."I don't know..." a vague shrug...Henri watching her quietly... "Anyway..." she waved a hand... "This is my decision and I'll make it myself...I'll be back in a little while...Henri?..." she looked at him and with a smile to Dawn he rose and followed her out...

In the hallway outside their apartment, Dawn having sulkingly departed for her bedroom...

"It's over, Henri...This little game of ours has ended..."

"Buffy, my dear...I sense you are disturbed...Clearly the meeting with Giles has left you a bit rattled...Calm yourself, Slayer and you'll again see where your and William's best interests lie..."

"You said if I went along with this game of yours...If I let people, my friends, think we were a couple and vouched for you with the Council...Made no move to contact him or Angel...William would be restored and you'd see your friends in LA left him alone...Safe..." she stared at him...The Immortal returning a suave smile, a languid wave of the hand... "And has he not been restored, has he not been safe all these months...?"

"The Partners are going after him and Angel...You heard Giles' report..." her eyes narrowed... "And I'm going to LA...Our deal is off as of now..."

"My friends among the Dark Powers may not like to hear that..." Henri smiled faintly... "But I don't think they'll have to worry about that...You made an arrangement with me, Slayer...And you will keep it..."

"The hell I will...You broke it when William was put in danger...Why I let this go on for so long, I don't know...If he'd come, like he should've..." she paused... "Or if I'd gone..."

Why I let this go on so long?...she whispered, a bit confused, then sternly... "Anyway...You broke the deal and I'm through with it..."

"But clearly he didn't come because he didn't trust you enough...Or has found someone else..." a cool smile... "Besides, my dear...I don't think you understand that you gave up any choice in the matter when you made our agreement...And accepted the little token of admiration and friendship I bestowed on you..." he smiled a bit more warmly at her...And the necklace on her neck, a large pearl-encrusted pendant hanging on a silver chain...Which now glowed a bit...

"So...Dearest..." he looked at her somewhat blank face... Huh?...she stared...

"Have you made a decision about going to William yet?..." "Will...iam?...Who's dat...?" she asked, her voice a bit slurred...

"William, the poor boy who died for you...So tragically last year...?" Ohhh...Him...she nodded...

"I 'member him a lil'..." she noted... "He ok, honey?..." she smiled wanly at Henri, only mildly curious...

"Your Mr. Giles says he and your old friend Angel might be in danger...You were thinking about whether to go and help them...But you decided it was best not to...Why stir up old problems, eh dear?..." he patted her... Yeah...she nodded... "Ole problems...Dat's bad..." she sighed... "Well, I think you'd like to go somewhere interesting and enjoy yourself tonight, eh my dear?...Keep the sad thoughts at bay...I'm sure your pet vampires will be fine...They're both very strong?..."

"Yeah...Dey'll be ok...Can we go somewheres nice?..." somewhat more eagerly... "I'm hungry...And I wanna have some fun..."

"Of course, Buffy...What am I here for but to make your life happy and fun?...As I have these past months, haven't I?...But lets go now and not let your sister or anyone hinder our...Fun...With sad and troubling things that are of no importance to your new life with me..."

Yeah...she nodded, contentedly...As he offered an arm...

"You decided it was best not to go...Remember that, alright dear...?" Yeah...I 'cided dat...she nodded...

"Of course, tomorrow...You may regret that decision as you did an earlier one...Terribly...But well...ma cheri...Very soon...After a few more exposures...It won't matter to you...And after all..."

Tomorrow is another day...Correct?...he grinned...Giving her a quick kiss...

Uh-huh...she nodded...Tamorrow's 'nother day...Yeah...And kissed him back...

On the sidewalk a tall and lovely if somewhat blank-faced woman sunglasses, hat, and nondescript coat somewhat hiding her features, awaited them...A necklace identical to Buffy's briefly visible through the open part of her coat as she turned to them...

"Ah...My dear...Thank you for waiting so patiently..." the Immortal smiled at the woman...Who gave a vague smile...

"Buffy Summers, world-saving Vampire Slayer..." the Immortal smiled...Yeah, dat's me...she nodded and smiled wanly... "Meet my friend and, like you, dear, yet another of my...Soon to be permanent...Acquisitions..."

Who, also like you, made an arrangement with me for the sake of her beloved...A fond smile at the confused young woman...Arrrrange...? "In his case for the continued advancement of his career after he defied some particularly nasty but extremely powerful types back in Hollywood..."

"Don' wanna go back dere..." the woman slowly shook her head... "Bad place..." "That's right, dear..." Henri nodded... "Hollywood, LA, America...Bad, unhappy places...You want to stay in Europe with me now...Forever..." Yeah...she nodded...Furever...

Buffy stared, vaguely recognizing...

"Jennifer, say hello to our friend Buffy..." Friend...s?...Jennifer smiled wanly... "No, dear...Not that kind of Friends..." Henri sighed...

"Immortal Beloved..." LXXVI...

A shortie...

PG-13

Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!

It's all yours and ME's...

Spoilers for Angel to the bitter end...Flee at once!...

Summary: Various outcomes following "Girl In Question" and /or "Not Fade Away"

on Angel...

Ok, I lied about stopping at 50...But me poor ole mum would just say, "so long

as I like it, it's ok..."

He glanced at the letter in his hand for the fourth time...Shaking his head slightly...Then turned to the second letter on his desk...Rubbing his forehead as he did so...

The photo on his desk, carefully polished and angled to easy view, stared quietly at him, the image smiling gently, in no way accusing...In no way demanding...

No...He told the photo firmly...

I will not...I must not...It's wrong and you know it is...

He sighed and looked again at the calendar...February 13th...2005.

One more glance at the photo...

Damn it...Damn it...I had to look her in the eyes one last time...Bloody damn foolish...

But...If she were here...And knew everything that had happened...

He picked up the phone, holding the first letter...

"This is your fault, my girl...Whatever happens..." he told the photo...

"Yes...Hello, Buffy...Yes, it's Giles in London...Yes, I'm fine...Are you and Dawn well?...Good...How's His Whatever?...Well, that's a pity he had to leave Rome just now...Yes, I would imagine his public demands attention from time to time..."

I suppose...he hesitated... "I suppose you're rather disappointed...He having to leave..."

"I see..." he nodded...Frowning at the photo...Yes, he glared at the smiling picture...You were right... "Well...So long as you're not upset..."

"Buffy...About your letter...No, no...My dear...I'm not 'getting after' you again about not 'moving on'...Buffy...I of all people understand...Yes, I'm sure His Benevolence will understand...Whenever He manages to hear what you've been trying to say to him all these months over the shouts of his adoring fans..."

My dear...another pause... "Are you really determined to come?...Try and find his grave here in England?...It's hardly an occupation for Valentine's Day..."

"Yes...Yes, I suppose you're right..." One final pause...One final look at the woman's smile pleading the case...

Jenny...He sighed...

Very well...

"Buffy...I have news from LA...A letter..." he began...

"No, not from Angel..."

"Immortal Beloved..." LXXVII...

A shortie...

PG-13

Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!

It's all yours and ME's...

Spoilers for Angel to the bitter end...Flee at once!...

Summary: Various outcomes following "Girl In Question" and /or "Not Fade Away" on Angel...( a series of alternatives rather than a continuous tale)

Ok, I lied about stopping at 50...But me poor ole mum would just say, "so long as I like it, it's ok..."

Rome...February 13th, 2005...

Quite a suit...The only thought that came to her blocked brain over a full minute...

"So...?" a wry smile, a quizzical look...

"How have you two been doin'?...I mean without a fully-souled pet vamp to keep the vermin down?..."

Uh...she blanked, then recovered a bit... "Fine, Spike...We've been just fine..."

That's good...he nodded, leaning against the wall of the apartment building hallway...Eyeing her...

Nibs...he smiled at her...

"Is she here or no?..." he glanced down towards their apartment door...

"When did you..." Dawn stumbled for the right word...Still trying to catch the breath knocked out of her when she'd found him in the hallway as she returned from a run, "lurking for ole times' sake" as he'd self-mockingly put it...Clearly for his part having spent some time trying to work up enough nerve to ring or knock...

Quite a suit...The thought repeated...Which indeed, thanks largely to Angel's skill in retaining some of the shattered remains of Wolfram-Hart International, it was...

And much to her surprise...He wore it with quite a relaxed air...

But naturally...Human William had been quite used to wearing suits, she guessed...And so, souled Will...Like riding a bike...

He stared at her...Suddenly realizing...

"Andrew never told you?..."

Andy?...That Warren-loving son of a...

Uh... "No..." she replied...Ummn...

He was suddenly apologetic...And every inch the Victorian gentleman she'd occasionally chosen to cast him as in her fantasies...

"Nibs, I am sorry, bargin' in like this...I was sure you all knew..."

When?...she repeated... "That same year, the following October..." he replied...

How?...Wait... "Did Willow...?" Did she?...Did she go behind our backs and actually get Willow to?...she thought...And all this time...

Did she actually...That much?...No, if she'd arranged it...If she cared that much...She'd've gone to him...Not stayed here...Not played around with...

He cut into her musings...

"No...An old 'friend' of Angel's, helped by that damned amulet so far as we know...The details, God knows, girl...I was a ghostie for a bit, then solid again..."

And still draggin' the damned old soul about...he added hastily...

"Why...Why didn't you come?...Call?..." I know why...And yes, damn that soul...Even she knew you'd changed that year...That things weren't quite the same...

Spike would've come, to hell with any considerate reservations or sincere desires to be understanding...

He looked away... "I thought it was for the best...All around, you know..."

God damn that soul...Even she said so...

Funny, hearing the way she said it...The evening of that glorious, terrible day...That was the first time...I thought maybe...She really...

'God damn that soul'...Even as she cursed herself that evening...And all those days afterward, for not making you come...Dragging you out with her...

"Then..." He looked her in the eye... "I heard about the Immortal and I knew I'd done the right thing..."

Oh, absolutely...she thought...And to further avoid giving my poor sis any pangs of sorrow or embarrassment...Lets just us two old pals go off somewhere and talk over old times...

Ummn...she actually said...

"The cowardly thing, eh?..." he grinned... "But still, the right thing..."

Assuming?...They are...That is to say...he now stumbled...

"She's happy, right?..."

Uh...Ummn... "Yeah, sure...Well...Metsa-metsa...You know Buffy...And she was sorry about you..."

"Right..." Despite his best efforts, his face briefly falling several stories...Then another grin...

"So, it bein' the right thing...Why is he here, now?..." he smiled at her...

"Pragmatically...I had to be in Rome...Well, one of us did...Company shake-up of the remaining diehards of the Partners' regime...Angel thought they might be contemplating making one last stand over here...Which, most of them being human and all simply company drones, ready and eager to take orders from anyone signin' the old paycheck, they did not..."

More's the pity...We'd hoped to seriously lighten the deadwood load...And we all...The four of us new Partners...Hate firing staff...

"Mucho easier to just kill em, if they'd fight it out...But..." he shrugged...

"Emotionally...Well..." he waved a hand... "I had to come...And finally see..."

Think of something...Anything...she thought...

Anything to keep him talking another ten minutes...Ten minutes is all I need...

"It's the damned soul...It gets sentimental at this time of year...For personal as well as seasonal reasons, it's an odd time for me..."

Five minutes maybe...They're super-people, they'll be out and on their way fast...

"But...She is happy, right?...His Still-Oughta-Wait-For-The-Curtain-'Fore- Proclaiming-It-Mate Immortalness treats her well?...No fiendish schemes behind his attentions so far...?"

"He's ok...Far as we can tell...I guess she likes him..."

"Whoa..." he whistled... "From the Nibs, high praise indeed...For the vampirally-afflicted, that is..."

Angel and I would have killed for such recommendation in our respective days...he grinned...

Ok...Maybe five minutes more...It's not wrong...She didn't get him back...She didn't try, not even a seance to see if he was ok, in Heaven...

Hmmn...A conversational topic of merit...

"Spike?...Sorry...Er, William?...Were you in Heaven?...Like her?"

"Don't think so, Niblett...If I was, don't remember...But I did have a lot to answer for..."

"No...Not you..." she replied... He smiled, crossing arms... "Thanks...I can remember a time not long ago when that's the last thing I would have heard from you..."

Anyway...he began... "If she is around..."

What was the whole thing about RJ but a rehearsal for this?...It wasn't that idiot we were fighting over then, not really...And just as something in her, beyond that damned spell, went right after him...She'd be right after William now, simply because my wanting him made him valuable again...I am a part of her, right?...

Or would it be because...?

"I'm sorry..." she hastily resumed... "I mean about that year...I should have tried to help you...Me, of all people..."

"I assaulted your sis when she'd come to trust me a little...Then the First was running my newly resouled head..." he shook his head... "You were right to be on guard..."

Well...He looked up the hall towards the apartment door...Thank God it's daylight and he had to come inside...Not wait out by the street exit...she sighed to herself...

And yet...If I don't go to her...Tell her before they leave...If they haven't left already...

"Nibs?..."

But hey, she's been ok with the Self-Anointed, Smug One...And for a non-souled vamp, he's reasonably, within limits...Ok...

And she didn't...If it had been me...With Willow at her strongest, beside me...Osiris mad at her or no...

'Course, except for my failed seance attempt...Hey, with good reason, I now see...I didn't exactly...

And she was so...

"Niblett?..." Huh?...Oh... "Sorry..."

"Is she home, Dawn?...Can we go and...?" he nodded towards the door...

"I think she's gone out...But we can go see..." she led him to the door and knocked... Buffy?...

Hesitating a little as he watched, clearly rather anxious...She inserted a key and opened the door...Dark...

Phew...On time for once...Thank you, si...She pulled herself up short, seeing him as she turned round...

God, what have I done...she stared at his crestfallen face as he stood inside, looking round a bit but keeping to the center of the living room she'd waved him into...

"Very nice place..." he noted...For the second time in five minutes, as she brought him a cup of tea... "You've made a few changes since I was here..." She frowned at his reference to the brief visit he'd described earlier after she'd persuaded him to stay and chat...He obviously hoping against hope her light suggestion that Buffy might return quickly or call to give her and her companion's whereabouts for the evening might prove true...

"Thanks...You might've stayed and seen us that night, you know..."

"Well...Your sis was ok...Ole Andy mentioned the 'moved on' thing...And after that neither of us was really up for a chat and visit..."

Good ole Andy...I may stay his execution after all...God, what am I doin'?...

Ummn...he cleared his throat... "You are sure you don't..." he began...

"They didn't say where they were headed, William..."

And that, at least, is no lie...Thanks sis...

Right...he nodded...Looking away, then at her... "And how has European life broadened your horizons, Ms. Summers Jr?..."

"It's been...Different..." she nodded carefully... "I like it...Especially there being no Hellmouth...And no Undead armies waiting to march..."

"No cynically worldly princes of darkness makin' their move?..."

"His B's worldly enough..." she grinned now... "But a few too many brains to go with Evil, Inc's master plans..."

Giles says he's simply learned and developed enough to realize which team is bound to win and put himself on that side...she noted...

"Though he has done good things not likely to benefit him...He is seeking...Something better..."

William nodded...

"I think that's what attracted sis in the end...I mean besides the incredible wealth, prestige, and fantastic good looks..."

"Well...Tell her to take care in any case...She's a bit of a sucker at times for those redemption-seeking types...Though to be fair, we've never heard words against him..."

Except from dear ole Andy...he smiled... "Who did mention... 'flaws'..."

"There are a few..." she smiled... "He's a little too fond of those adoring fans for one thing..."

Ah... "Well there you are..." he grinned... "And I know exactly what you mean...You should see the work we have back in LA holding down His Broodiness, especially after the Partners were beat..."

We appreciated the help by the way...he noted...It was kind of you all to send those Slayers...

"Giles made the decision...After he got Angel's message...Though she did approve...She felt kinda bad about the way she'd acted, going along so quickly with Giles about Angel selling out to the Evil team..."

But it was only 'cause she'd been so...she paused...He stared at her...

"She was upset about you...That stupid amulet...And Angel was the one who'd brought it...And then when he took over Wolfram-Hart, LA...Well..."

But it worked out in the end...she finished...

Though she still couldn't go herself...Face Angel...And be reminded...she thought...

"Well...We all appreciated it...Our miserable butts were hanging by a thread..."

"Just wish one of them had told us about you...Or that idiot Andrew..."

"I kinda got flattened and shoved into an alleyway early in the melee...Didn't see much of them later...They probably never saw me...As for Andy, I asked him not to tell you...Never thought he'd manage to keep that one so well..."

"Yeah?...'Course he has shown us a lil more backbone than we ever expected this last year...Even to disagreeing with Giles..."

"Would've liked to've seen that..." Well...he paused...Looking round again... "Perhaps I'd best be on my merry...Your sis might not care to hear you'd been let me visit alone and unchaperoned..."

Ummn...She watched him rise... "I'm free for dinner..." she hastily blurted...

Lovely...Very cool, Summers...she groused to herself...But he eyed her and smiled... "So am I..."

He hesitated... "In fact, I did have some hopes of celebrating the day a little..."

"Valentine's Day?...Is that some English...?" "My birthday..."

Birth...day? "Human, I mean...So it would be nice to have a little company..."

If you really think your sis wouldn't mind?...

"Hey, I date now..." she frowned...Then smiled back to his grin... "And besides, you're my old babysitter..." Indeed...he nodded...

"In that case, Ms. Dawn Summers...Would you care to be your ole broken-down babysitter's birthday guest for dinner?..."

"Absoblooming tootly..." she nodded, beaming and rising... Uh... "I mean...We got a lot of catchin' up to do..." she noted...

"Absobloodyblooming tootly, girl..." he nodded in turn... "But I actually do have some...Of all things...Business to attend...Just let me call my driver and have him cart me over to the office for ten quick and I'll be back to pick up the prettiest young lady in Rome..."

Bar none...he smiled...She smiling back...

"That oughta give me time to change...Fancy or?..." she eyed him...

"On the Brooding One's nickel?...Please...The best in Rome..."

No...I will not think of it...She could've had Willow try...It's my turn...

"I'll be back in a vampiral flash...Though not as a dust cloud, I hope..."

"William?..." Hmmn?...he looked at her... "How...In human..."

"Twenty-three..." he smiled... "Unless I missed a year or two in my math..."

He left five minutes later via the hallway to the covered alleyway exit where his car and driver were to meet him and she moved to her bedroom door...

Only to hear the key turn in the front door lock...

"Hey..." Buffy waved, pushing the door open...

Ummn...

"Hey...What..."

A wan smile and shrug... "Guess I asked Henri one too many questions about the old days..."

Well, certain select sets of old days...she sighed, sitting down, rubbing a foot...And looked up at the staring Dawn...

"He...Ummn...Noticed I was only interested in the years after 1880...And kept bringing up the Angelus pride...One of its junior members in particular..."

Dawn blinked as Buffy regarded her...

"You headed out somewhere?..."

Hmmn?...

"You looked like you were going in to change...I was gonna ask if you wanted to go somewhere for dinner but if you're headed out, it's fine...Long as I know who, where, and how long..."

"You...All this time...You've been pumping him for info?...About Spike?..."

William...Buffy gently but firmly corrected... "Not exactly...I...Well..."

Maybe a little...

"I guess maybe a little too much...As he made clear just now..."

Oh?...

"With words to the effect... 'I think...My dear...Your Council would have more information on your William the Bloody than the Immortal...He was never quite a major concern on my part...'..."

Dork...she hissed...Then sighed... "I suppose I'm being a leetle unfair...He was hurt..."

To think a woman in His presence could be thinking of another...she grinned...No...she shook her head... "I am being a little...But he didn't have to get all huffy..."

Sorry...Dawn mumbled...Eyes flicking to the mantlepiece clock...He was gonna be back within twenty...thirty tops...Twelve of the twenty left...

"Sorry if I'm keepin' ya...Is it something...Big?..."

You might say... "No...No, I was just gonna meet one of the girls from my painting class..."

Uh-huh... "Any chance big sis could tag along?..."

Uh...Well...

Uh-huh... "Sounds like your fellow painter's quite a hunk...I get the message, it's ok...But who is he and where are you going?..."

"Just a nice guy...Not far...Probably some place near the Forum...And not late..."

Uh-huh...Buffy waited...

"Name?..."

Ummn... "Guilliame, I think..." Close enough, I hope...

"I don't really know his last name...I think he may have told me but I forgot..." Ok, a lie...Unless maybe once he did...Maybe in the middle of some life-and-death struggle and I wasn't listening closely?...

"Dawn..."

"Honest...And he's a very nice guy..."

"Then he'll have no objection to meeting big sis..." a firm look...

"I was gonna meet him..." Well, I was gonna go down to the alley to the car...

An eye-roll...Dawn...she repeated with a frown...Then a sudden sigh... "Fine...I wouldn't be very good company tonight anyway..." she looked down...

"But no later than ten...And next time, he comes here..."

"Absoblooming tootly...Uh...Yeah...Next time, here...Fer sure..." she turned...Ok, just throw on the new top and run like hell...

"He Italian?..." a note in Buffy's voice...A pleading to stay, just a bit longer...Held her... "Well, 'Guilliame' or whatever...That's...Well...What?"

"Not exactly...He's...Sorta...English..."

Oh?...Genuine curiosity...

"How old?..."

"Twenty-something...Twenty-three today, I think..."

Buffy stared...But not entirely an 'are you kidding?' stare...

"Twenty-three?...Today?..."

Twenty-three...she breathed...

"Too old...Dawn..." instinct kicking in...Then she gave a slight gasping sound...

"Buffy?..." Dawn stared in shock as the Slayer of Slayers dissolved into tears...

"He...He'd've been twenty-three today..." the words slipped out as Buffy got hold of herself...

Minus the vamp years, of course...

"You looked him up..." Dawn said...A statement of fact rather than a question...

In London...Buffy nodded... "When we were with Giles back in October...I...I had to find out about him...One of the archivists helped me...Giles doesn't know..."

And is not to know...The Slayer was firm...

"...Soames Walthrop..."

Hmmn?...

"The rest of his name..." Buffy explained... "William Soames Walthrop...Cambridge student and poet...Disappeared on March 13, 1880 under mysterious circumstances...Later found dead with strange neck wounds..."

Hmmph...she began again...The tears welling... "My William..." she suddenly gasped...And sobbed...

Dawn closed her eyes and opened them silently...Oh, God...

Ok...Damn it...I give...

But lets be honest about this...We're not doing this for sis...And maybe not even for our Will, though it will be our birthday present to him...

We're doing this because he might...Just might...Hate us forever if he found out...And should things not work out for them...

Well, Laurie settled for Amy when things went south with Jo...And you never know...

Uh... "Buffy..." she began...

"Immortal Beloved..." LXXVIII...

A shortie...

PG-13

Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!

It's all yours and ME's...

Spoilers for Angel to the bitter end...Flee at once!...

Summary: Various outcomes following "Girl In Question" and /or "Not Fade Away" on Angel...( a series of alternatives rather than a continuous tale)

Ok, I lied about stopping at 50...But me poor ole mum would just say, "so long as I like it, it's ok..."

Valentine's Day morning, 2005...LA...

What he told them...

Angel paused from watching his videotape of the latest episode of "The Apprentice III...Turning the Tables..." As a terrified Donald Trump, now forced to be the apprentice in various professions, awaited the advance of the gigantic heavyweight boxer now facing him... "Without a stunt impersonator, all real, all reality..." the announcer intoned...

A ghastly sound of fist on soft, overfed flesh and a hideous wail of pain from the set as he looked up at Illyria, dragging William into his office...Harmony and a still-recovering Charlie Gunn following close behind, both clearly eager to witness Spike's latest humiliation...

"Our Partner has returned..." Winifred "Illyria (nickname the guys gave me, Mom)" Burkle-Wyndham-Price, noted firmly, as she sat him in a chair and took a seat...Harmony and Gunn grabbing chairs...William glaring, but looking glum as he sat...

"Well...Our prodigal back...How did it go?..." Angel eyed him...

Trump's screams continuing in the background on low volume as his fellow firefighters, disgusted by his attempts to cash in via cell phone on human tragedy, left him locked in a burning apartment complex... "You want this place that bad, you got it, pal..." one mockingly yelling to him as the group leaves...

Hmmn?...William gave a blank and innocent look...Go?...

"Angel wants to know how your desperate and pathetic attempt to resume mating efforts with your Slayer, Ms. Summers, went..." Illyria noted...Then reaching for something of properly Fredian kindness in her fragmented memories... "I bet you did...Valentine's Day and all...A great time to find a human female willing to let you impregnate her..."

The others stared at her...What?...she looked at them...Well, Harmony shrugged...

She has got the essential concept down...

"Oh..." Fredian apologetic mode... "Sorry...Today's the big day...So I guess you failed, huh?..."

Well...Harmony's always available for causal sex...she kindly noted...

"Hey..." Human-souled Ms. Kendall frowned... "Human-souled and no longer doormat here..." she glared...

Even if all my vamp self wanted was the chance to get her job back...

"Sorry..." Illyria nervously glanced round... "Just tryin' to make Spike feel better...After his ghastly rejection and humiliation...No doubt a kind of spiritual castration..."

"Hey..." William frowned now...

Of course if Will really is all broken-up over this latest thing...I could find it in my resouled heart to be comforting and loving...Harm thought...

"It wasn't like that..." he continued...

Well...Maybe a little like that...he conceded as they stared at him...

"How'd you lot guess I went to Rome?..."

They all stared at him...Then the calendar...

Right...he sighed...

"Well...I went...Yes...I mean time a year and all that...And we hadn't heard she and the Immortal had moved on to any more permanent stage...So I just thought...Well...For ole time's sake..."

"And so you got to Rome..." Illyria continued for him... "Where abject humiliation in short, blonde form awaited you..."

Have I been there...Angel thought...

Arggh...William sighed...Ah...

"Yeah, I got there...I went to her place...Andy told me she and Dawn had gone to Milan with His Benevolence for His latest book's coming-out party..."

"Yeah..." Charlie nodded eagerly...Pulling out a book with beautifully decorated jacket... "It's His best yet...I couldn't put it..." He stopped as the group looked at him quietly...Ummn...

"As I was sayin'..." William glared...

They'd gone...And so, being on my well-deserved vacation...

"I approved a vacation for you?...When did that happen?..." Angel frowned...

"World-saving heroes take their well-earned time-off when they damned well feel like it..." William replied... "Especially European-born world-saving heroes who have a life outside the bloody office..."

Anyway, I followed on to Milan... And there...

Milan...February 11th...

Madonna's "Material Girl" begins playing in the background...

We see a huge crowd, held back from a long, red-carpeted path to the former grand ducal palace by ropes and guards, all struggling and straining to be in view of their beloved hero, just now coming into view...

His Benevolence, newly emerged from limo, graciously waves to the crowd...At his side, looking properly calm and collected...In dazzling gown, encrusted with jewelry...His current significant other...The real thing, according to the February "People"...

Buffy Summers...Who gives a dignified wave to the adoring multitude...

Some kind of super evil vermin exterminator or something, one of the crowd hastily mumbles to his questioning female companion...Pretty enough, anyway...

And lost in the crowd, trying to make his reasonably non-lethal way to the roped-off walkway...William, in a fine copy of Spike's trademark old duster...

Thought she might appreciate it...For ole times' sake...he noted to the gang...

Held up by reporters asking mostly inane questions, the Immortal and his mate stood their ground with appropriate dignity...She occasionally giving slight, carefully measured queenly waves to the crowd as her Immortal One expounded on his latest work and its vital importance to Humanity's salvation...In spirit, at least...The Immortal being far too sensible of his own vital importance to the world to risk himself physically in the usual silly and trivial battles with Evil...

Giving William his chance to stagger through to the rope on his side... "Buffy?"...A wave...

She, inclining her head to take in His Benevolence's pearls of philosophical wisdom being dispensed...For once...For free to the swelled horde of reporters...

"Summers!..." a cry lost in the thousands of murmurs of praise and thanksgiving for His Benevolence's life-affirming words...

He sighed and waited...Maybe further on down...When his eyes suddenly met hers as she turned to give the crowd another brief wave...

"Buffy?..."

A slight, measured stare...She fingering her all-diamond...Large diamonds...necklace as she eyed him a moment...

A slight nod...And she returned to her waving...The Immortal finishing, they resumed their procession...

Buffy?...he stared after her as she continued on, her arm firmly locked in His Benevolence's...

Well...Maybe she didn't really...Thought it couldn't be...Me...He made for the ropes...And fell back as two large guards pushed him aside... "Keep away from the walk!..." one called in Italian...

He tried again, further down...Nearly slipping under before they grabbed him...

("Naturally the ole neck snap was out of the question..." he sighed...

I loved the neck snap...Angel sighed nostalgically...Uh...)

"I'm Ms. Summers...Uh...Champion...William...Soames Walthrop!"...he got out to one guard before they tossed him back...

"Tell her it really is...!"

Me...he finished lamely as they headed off without another look at him...

He turned sadly back and was lost in the crowd in a moment...

"And that was it?..." Harm stared at him... "Didn't you try to reach her later?..."

And kill her?...Illyria thought...

"Couldn't get near the palace where the book-signing was...However..." he paused...

I should have Will...er I should write a book...Angel noted to himself...Nina would like that...

"Some flunky did find me about twenty minutes later outside the ducal palace, hopin' to catch sight of her...And brought..."

"A token of her undying love..." Charlie sighed...

Ummn...Just kiddin'...he nervously laughed at the ladies eyed him...Coolly...

"An autographed copy of His Benevolence's book...With note... 'Great to see you made it back to Earth...Best wishes, Buffy Summers...'..."

What...Nothing for me?...Angel stared...

"Yes..." Illyria nodded... "Clean, quick...She disposed of you with admirable efficiency..."

Right...Will glared... "Well, anyway...That was that...I got on the first plane home..."

Hmmn...Harm frowned...

There is no Truth in Beauty...Charlie sadly mumbled, shaking his head... Ummn...

"Tough, man...But you'll show that ice bitch..." he hastily tried to recover...

Hmmn...Harmony frowned...I may never have liked Buffy Summers...But this is not Buffy Summers behavior...Or if it is now, he oughta be calling in a massive strike to rescue her from the fiend possessing her body...

There musta been a note for me...He's just not saying...Angel thought, frowning...

Harmony followed him down the hall as he returned to his office...And went right in after him without pause...

"Harmony...Out..."

"Ms. Kendall to you...What happened in Italy, William?..."

"I just tole you...And as one of your employers, girl...I'm giving you five..."

"As the human-souled vamp version of the woman you took shameful advantage of...I'm demanding the whole story..."

In exchange for a good character reference at Judgement Day...she noted...

"I tole you lot..." "Bullcrap...Buffy would never do that to you unless the First has taken her...And since I see no preps for a big overseas operation..."

He frowned, then sighed...

"Ok, all right..." he waved her to a seat... "But this is strictly between us..."

What actually happened...

Milan...February 11th...The same feverish crowd, the same roped-off walkway...

(Material Girl theme in background)

A jewel-loaded, begowned Buffy Summers...Perhaps a bit more weary-looking and impatient as she fidgeted beside His Benevolence...Engaged in a long interview...

He peered from the heaving, straining crowd, managing to barely catch sight of her...

Well...She seems quite settled...And this was one of my more ridiculous ideas...He looked behind him for a possible exit route through the crowd involving the least necessary violence...

Just as, turning to eye the frighteningly adoring mob on his side, with the Immortal contentedly beaming and waving to her right, she caught the briefest glimpse...

And with a shocked expression, and dragging her arm-linked companion...Leading to an equally shocked...We never actually come into direct contact with these...People...Expression on the Immortal's divinely handsome face...She hurried to the side rope where screaming adorers reached out to His Benevolence...Who attempted to maintain that benevolent look despite the sheer terror of thousands of maniacs grabbing for his divinely handsome features...

"William!...William!..." she cried... "It's William!..." she gasped to her now increasingly annoyed partner...

Oh really...How delight...he blinked as she pulled away and moved into the crowd, ducking under the rope and tossing back several over-eager types...Several bodyguards cautiously running to him to urge a continuation of the procession...

Before the demented mob decided to try and bring home individual pieces of the object of their veneration...

"William!..." he heard her cry through the solid mass behind him...And turning, saw that mass part like the Red Sea for Moses...She standing in now rather bedraggled gown...A mix of joy and incredulity on her face...Pausing just a second to be sure...Then racing to him...

Lifting and spinning him round... "William, William...!" her voice catching as sobs began...

The puzzled crowd about them briefly staring, then realizing His Benevolence was not involved, returned to struggle against the ropes, leaving them reasonably well isolated...

"How...Where...the hell?..." she stumbled over the words while setting him on ground...Eyeing him, then touching him tentatively...Not quite ready to believe...

"William...William..." she whispered...Grabbing him close... "Where the hell have you been?..." she set him down again...

"Did God...?" she eyed him... "I sure did pray enough..."

No, no... he waved a hand..."No divine intervention, Summers...That I know of..."

"When...How...And tell me Dru and/or Harmony are nowhere near..."

"October, that year...Not sure, but probably some ole foe tryin' to put a nasty one over on Angel...I'm alone..."

She blinked at him...Color returning to her face rather rapidly...Eyes narrowing...

Ok... "In reverse order...That's good for their sakes...If the guy's alive, I'll plead his case with Angel..."

And...October, that year?... You are so dust, you worthless, partial-son-of-a-Dru...she glared...

"How could you do that to me?..." she whacked him... "Oh, William..." she snatched him up and hugged him tight... "Nice coat..." she smiled appreciatively at the new duster... "Must've been tough finding another like that..."

"Wolfram-Hart resources were still somewhat intact..." he noted... "Sorry...I thought it was for the..."

"If you say... 'for the best'..." she glared..."...or that you thought it was the 'right thing'..."

"Didn't Andy tell you...?" he brilliantly dodged...Alas, poor Andrew...I knew him, Horatio...

Andy?...Wells...?

Knew?...A killing glare forming...

"Wait...You still have the soul?..." she eyed him...Then frowned... "Yeah, only that damned soul would act like this...Goddamn you!..." she was near tears now...

You never trusted in me...I know...she waved a hand...

"You hate me...You've hated me since you came to me with that whacked-out soul...And I told you..." she paused...And began sobbing...

"Buffy..." he patted at her...

"I'm so ashamed, Will...I've hated myself for what I did...I don't blame you for hating me, not believing me..."

Buffy?...he stared...She looked at him...

"When I told you I needed Spike back...The mad killer was more use to me than..." she fell in a heap, sobbing again...Then looked up at him... "I deserve for you to hate me now..." she shook her head... "I never did a thing to help you before you went to Africa...To get your soul back, all on your lonesome..."

Even Giles was impressed in the end...she noted, calming suddenly... "I mean, after the battle was won and he'd had time to think the whole thing over..."

But...Where?...she looked at him... LA, he replied...

"With Angel?...All this time?...Oh, and when I think I felt bad after going along with Giles about not trusting him after the W-H Partners' deal...And sent those Slayers to help him in his fight..."

Oh...Her eyes widened... "You were in that fight?...Oh, God...Damnit, why didn't you tell me?..."

"Alls well that ends well, love...And those fifty Slayers turned the tide nicely...Nary a scratch on me pristine blonde hide..."

I'll bet...she eyed him sourly...

"Well, come on...Lets go somewhere and get dinner..." she turned... "We can catch the first plane or train back to Rome after..."

"But...The Immortal..."

"Won't notice for several days...He never hears a word I say these days, especially when on tour..."

Ummn...she eyed him... "He is nice when not overinflated...And he is seeking a kind of redemption..."

I thought...she sighed... When we met in Rome...And he seemed so sincere about things...

"I thought it was a chance to make amends...Help one of your kind in a way besides the mercifully quick way... "

"And his vast wealth, power, fame, divine good looks didn't hurt..."

Not much...she gave him a straight-on look... "But I'm here, not there..."

'Sides...Like a certain blonde vamp I know...He's got his flaws...

"So Mr. Wells told me when Angel and I came to Rome..."

Oops...He thought desperately for a recovery as she stared at him... "You were..."

You Dru's bitch...You little blonde asshole...You...You...

"William Soames the Bloody Awful Poet Walthrop!..." she raged...

"You know my name...?" he blinked...

"Of course I know your name, shithead!...I spent a month in London digging it out of the remains of the Watcher archives after hours...Just so I'd have it...And could get it put on your friggin' tombstone..."

"You got me a..."

"I shoulda got you a toilet bowl!...And written... 'William...Out to sea...Good riddance'...You..." Tears again...

You were in Rome...she sobbed...

"You got me a tombstone..." he beamed...

Well...she suddenly looked a little guilty... "We found out we didn't need to get one...There was one..."

By the way?...she frowned again... "Who the hell was Cicely?...Was she the girl?...The one you mentioned that night in the bar?..."

Cicely?...

"The one who dumped you?...So totally?...The way I should right now?..."

"Cicely got me a tombstone?...Well..." he shook his head... "I guess she felt guilty after seeing my mangled corpse..."

"Sounds like you left something out about that relationship..." she glared... "What didn't you tell me?...She liked you, didn't she?...And you two just had a fight and you panicked like the wuss you still are and..."

Did you and she...?

"Buffy..."

"You love her now, right?...That's what the problem is...She's the one you want...You're just waitin' to die so you can be with her...That's why...Ever since you got the soul..." she paused...

"Summers...Don't be..."

"I knew right away something'd changed about you...Besides the lust for murder, I mean...God, what a fool I was that year..."

Buffy?...

"The hell with the First and the world's pending doom...I shoulda screwed the life out of you the day your head cleared and made 'Cicely' a forgotten word..." she shook her head...

And now...It's too late...You want her...You've been tryin' to think of a way to let me down easy all this time...

"Summers...You're being rid..."

"You can go back to LA...I don't need your pity, William...Tell Cicely to say her prayers if they say them in Heaven, cause when I get there, there'll be no holds barred between us...And then I'll drag you off and..."

"Sounds like that time in the crypt..." he grinned...

Hmmn?..."Oh...You mean when we did the thing where I hunted you and imaginary Dru down, staked her, and then admitted I was supposed to bring her back to the Council for study but couldn't let her Unlive, knowing your heart, mind, and luscious bod belonged to her..."

That was neat...she grinned...Then frowned... "I'll bet 'Cicely' never did that ..."

"Buffy...Whatever remorse Cicely felt later...At the time..."

Yeah...?

"She really got me a tombstone...?"

"You...!...Hey!..." she suddenly paused...

"Where's my poem...?"

Hmmn?...

"You wrote one to the love of your life...Where's mine?...Did you even bother?...Or was it... 'Thanks for some hot ones, Buf...And for keeping things quick'...?"

Ummn...

"Right...You didn't even bother...Bastard...Coward...You were so sure I was worthless...Heartless Buffy, why waste good ink and paper on her..."

No poem for her...she looked down, lip trembling...

"Girl, I started odes to you a zillion times..."

"Started...How many did you finish?..." He looked a bit flustered...Ummn...How many?...

Yeah...she fumed... "Not one...Heartless Buffy the User doesn't rate one..."

Several flunkies now emerged from the crowd's mass...A wall of writhing backs facing them...

"Madame..." one called... "His Benevolence is becoming somewhat concerned over your prolonged absence from His presence...Are you...?"

Fine, fine...she murmurred...

"There have been calls from London...Mr. Giles has been..." another announced...

Oh, God...she frowned... "I'm not on the treadmill any more, Giles knows that..." she glared...

Well...she sighed, pulling clipped cell phone from a fold of her gown... "Don't you go the hell anywhere..." she eyed William...

Yeah, it's me...she rather bitterly told the phone...Keeping eyes firmly on William...The somewhat bemused attendants eyeing her, then him...Looking at each other...She's not returning immediately to ease His Benevolence's concern?...

"Look, Giles I have things to do...No, not His Benevolence's tour...You know I'd never put that above...But you have three hundred Slayers right at the London center and thereabouts in training...Why do I...?" Mmmmphf...she fumed... "Ok...Right...Yeah...I'll be there...Just let me check in with Dawn...Bye...Yeah, sure I understand..." she hung up...

Schmuck...she hissed, stamping her feet...Well, no... "I don't mean that..." she told William hastily...

What?...She eyed the Immortal's attendants... "Are you two still here?...Go on back...Tell Henri I had to leave on Council business and..." she grinned at William... "And I found as he likes to call him 'What's his name...' ...Ummn...His name with capital...And I think it's time we started seeing other people..."

He'll understand...Or at least have forgotten our whole time together in a day or so...

"Come on..." she turned to William... "We only have ten minutes before I gotta call Dawn and grab a cab..."

"Is this thing in London serious?..." he looked at her as the shocked flunkies backed away, stumbling into the crowd...Tell His Benevolence...?...

"I wouldn't leave now if it weren't..." she grimly replied...

"Well, then I'll tag..." "The hell you will...I didn't just get you back to lose you tomorrow...And I don't want you for your fighting prowess..."

Which is unquestionable...she hastily added... "But I'm not gonna let it begin again this way...Not using you to save the world's and my ass...Not this time..."

"I made the decision...I wanted to..." "And I've made the decision this time...NO!..."

"Buffy...If something happens...I want to be there..."

"Nothing's gonna happen...It's not that bad...Giles just doesn't trust his new girls to deal...I'm just in to keep them in line..."

"Buffy..." "After I get back...And every day...But not tomorrow...I won't do it that way...No..."

'Sides...This'll give you time to write that poem...And it better be as good as Cicely's...she eyed him...

"I think my beauty's at least as effulgent..." she noted slyly... "Now, kiss me goodbye...Please...And go with me to the airport...And kiss me goodbye again...And then you go to Rome and stay at my place till I get back...By Valentine's Day, I promise..."

"And then, at the airport...She left..." he sighed...Harmony staring...

"That's what happened?...And you didn't tell us?...Why?...That was..."

Hey?...she blinked at him... "Why are you here and not in Rome?...Oh, my God...Did something...?"

Nah...he frowned... "Buffy Summers?...Please...Heck, Rupert told me over the phone it was all but over before she got there...Some demon lord fooling around got lucky turning a couple of inexperience Slayers over at the Cleveland Mouth...The Slayers on hand took care of them..."

So?...she looked at him...

"I just thought things over at the airport in Milan and I figured...Well, it was nice that she wants to end things easy..."

End things?...Harmony stared...

Oh...I get it...

"Aww..." she sneered... "Is de widdle soully fraid of gettin' hurt again...?"

The physical bod...Souled or no...Sure wasn't afraid of hurtin' me when it solidified that October...she noted...

"Enough, girl...I might point out the consequences of 'getting hurt' for me last time were preety severe...And more so in 1880..."

So...You are afraid...she grinned... "And that's why...In spite of all the talk about 'pure sacrifice' that year..."

"I just want what's best for both of us...And..." he rose, backing for his door...

"...That's for both of us to decide...Together..." Buffy finished as she stood, still in the same bedraggled gown, blocking his exit...

Thanks, Harm...she beamed at Harmony who grinned at him... "She begged me from her cab by cell to keep you just another ten..."

The beam got a little less so...Oh...Harmony nodded... "And now she'd like me and my recovered soul to get lost..." Another grin...

"Thanks, Harm..." she made room for the vampiress to pass, then turned back to him, still blocking the doorway... "I really need to do something nice for her...After she was so nice to help and me leaving her vamped and prowling all these years..."

Say, maybe we could hook her up with the Immortal?...she eyed him... "He's free now..."

"So...?" he stared at her...

"So...First...I think it should be obvious...Even to you, you little cowardly blonde jackass...That I meant it, that day...And at Milan..."

Second...she looked down... "If I'd thought there was any hope...That you weren't safe in Heaven and better off there...Till I could go and maybe find you there...Someday...Will, I woulda done anything...Including try the vamp route...To be with you...You hafta believe that..."

Hell, if you tell me there was no one else all this time, I'll believe you...Fundamentally...she noted...

"There wasn't..." he stared at her... "Buffy..."

Third...You are on vacation as of now...As am I...And tonight we are gonna go somewhere neither of us have ever been and do things neither of us have ever tried...I got Willow workin' on a daylight spell for you so we might try some skiing?...Go skating in Rockefeller Center in NYC?...But first, you're taking me shopping...Which Angel assured me you can now afford..."

Thanks, Boss...he frowned...

"Fourth, dinner...The best place in town, just the two of us..."

And then...We'll see...It is Valentine's Day, after all...she grinned...

Then a glare...

"Poem...?...I suppose you didn't even..."

Triumphantly, he whipped out a notepad... "Oh, Will..." she beamed...

Het-hum...He peered at the door...She slammed it shut...OW!...a howl from at least two of the gang, lurking where Harmony had waved them over...

"To Buffy..."

"I love you more than words could ever explain...But..."

He smiled gently...

"Those last three years were the poem, girl..." he read...

"Immortal Beloved LXXIX..."

A shortie

PG-13

Spoilers for Angel to "The Girl in Question..." However everything here except the reference to the episode's enemy is my own playin' round...

Disclaimer: Everything but the 'Soames Walthrop' and I don't use it here is Joss' and ME's

Summary: Yet another retelling of events during or after the Angel episodes "Girl in Question...", "Not Fade Away..." (Different versions, not a continuous story...For the most part)

Valentine's eve, 2005...

LA...William's new apartment...Befitting a new Associate Partner of LA's hot new legal/investigative firm...Angel, Burkle-Wyndham-Price, Gunn, and Walthrop...

William entertains his more or less permanent live-in...As said roomie watches from his high chair, a dinner of franks, macaroni, and vegetables mostly on face and floor...

"Lets see...Valentine's Day eve...The true time of the poetic romantic ..." he eyed the toddler, wiping the smeared face... "Whatdaya say kid?...Any ideas for this bloody awful poet/foster dad of yours?..."

Hmmn...Well...How's about this...

"Once upon a V-D eve dreary...Whilst I ponder, alone again, naturally...And weary..."

A frowning look...

"Ok, not so good...Like I said, bloody awful...You want Shakespeare?..."

A faint chuckle in the air... "How's about this?... 'My soul is wrapped in harsh repose,

Midnight descends in raven's-colored-clothes...'..." He whirled around... "Buffy...?" he whispered...Staring...

Nothing...

"Or maybe you should try another theme...It is your birthday tomorrow, right?..." the voice giggled a bit from another corner...

"Damnit, Slayer...Why the hell are you here and what the hell are you doing?...Have you been messin' round with that invisibility ray again?..." he called to the room at large, glaring...The toddler eyeing him with a somewhat perturbed air...

No, I ain't gone bonkers, kid...he sighed... "An old acquaintance has decided to mess with my head...Again..."

No doubt the world needs another dim-witted sacrificial lamb...he frowned...

"Hey!..." the voice called, a bit sharp... "I went to alotta of trouble for this...And I damned well better...As I happen to know, I do, lucky for you...Mean a lot more to you than 'an acquaintance'..."

"Summers...Knock it off, shut the blasted thing down, and tell me why you're here..."

"Tell me why you didn't come to Rome right away?..." the voice grumpily replied...

"How's the Immortal..." he replied, coolly...

"I wouldn't know...Ask a Ms. Sarah Gellar, slayer and actress...My current stand-in..." Buffy replied, materializing in front of him... "She's the one makin' time with His Benevolence..." her glowing form grinned at him...Then frowned... Jerk...she hissed...

Buffy...?...he stared at the spirit glowing...And now glowering...In front of him...

"...the Spectral Slayer...You son of a Dru...Never even tried to check things out...Even when you came to Rome..."

"You're?..." "A ghostie, yeah...Oh..." she eyed the now rather alarmed toddler... "Don't be scared, sweetie...Ghost Buffy isn't gonna hurt ya..."

"How?..." he blinked as the specter tried to pat the child... "If I really concentrate..." She looked at him...Ah...She beamed as the child cooed happily... "I managed to kiss Dawn last week when I first manifested with Willow's help...Not easy...But you've been there, I gather..."

"How...When...?" he looked at her as she turned back to face him...Dressed he noted as she had been that day at the Hellmouth...

"First...For God's sakes, Will...After all you went through that year, check me out..." she frowned... "I could be the First, ya know...Call Giles or at least see if Angel has anything to confirm my story...I'm not going anywheres..."

"No chance...The First would never be so annoying..." he replied... Hey...she glared...

"Or carry off those clothes with quite such style..." he gallantly finished... "Now, that's more like it, my Victorian sir..." she nodded...

The phone rang... "Mmmn...There's Dawn...I asked her to call in case you freaked or pulled out some Wolfram-Hart anti-First weapon that might block me out as well..."

He went to the phone... "Dawn?..." he cautiously asked...

Yeah...he replied as the ghostly Buffy beamed...Good ole sis... "She's here...Why the hell?..."

Like you people would've rejoiced at my appearance in Rome...? he frowned at the phone...

"Hey...Dawnie was broken up about you, too..." Buffy frowned...

After she thought things over and realized what you'd overcome for love of me...A wry smile...

"Well, when did she?...Fine..." he looked at the ghost... "She wants to tell me herself...Right...What?...Oh..." he paused...A faint smile breaking...

"It's nice to be back...And thank you...It's my twenty-third, humanwise..." "See, Dawn...I told ya...No big age difference...Humanwise...!" the ghost called...

Ummn... "You lot are sure she's not the First?...Right..."

Hmmn...? he stared at the receiver... "Such a cutie...What's his name, Will?...Hee..." Ghost Buffy returned to the toddler... "Though thank God he's not Harm's...Or..." she gulped a bit... "Dru's..."

"I wish I knew...Something to do with the amulet..."

"Hey?...Name?" "Philip William...!" "Philip?..." "My brother..." "Oh, right...He was in the archives..."

"Yeah, Nibs..." he told the phone... "I said, brother...I was human, you know...I had a family..."

"And a sister!..." ghost Buffy called...Smiling as he stared at her form..."Wonderful kid, Amelia...She sends her love..."

He blinked...Then slowly smiled back...Thanks, his look said...

"Anyway, then Angel's ole pal Lindsay appears to have gotten involved...Pulled up some kind of corporealization spell...It went with him to the grave, I'm afraid...Though I'll gladly drag him back from the beyond in agony if we must..." he told the phone... "But what about Willow?...Couldn't she?...I see..."

Osiris was still that mad, eh?...

Oh, yeah...Buffy rolled her eyes...

"Well, why didn't you lot contact Angel at Wolfram-Hart right away?...He had access to all sorts of..."

"Right, Wolfram-Hart's resurrected zombie-slave Buffy...That's what I would've wanted..." Buffy glared... "And Angel gave us that damned amulet..."

'Course being a resurrected zombie-slave living with you might not've been so bad...she noted...

You cutie...Oooh...she reached to the kid again...Hmmn... "Will, someone needs a little help...And I'm afraid I can't manage this one..."

"Well, let me see what we still may have on hand with the least strings attached...I'll head over and get back to you lot tomorrow..."

"The hell you will..." Buffy fumed... "I didn't spend all these afterlife points, a year trying to reach Dawnie, two weeks with Willow learning to manifest, and a week hounding Giles to look you up in the archives to get your birthday, to spend my first night back with you...Your birthday's and Valentine's eve...Pokin' round the old Wolfram-Hart vaults..."

"I'll see what we can do..." he told the phone, eyeing the glaring ghost briefly... "Say what's this about a Ms. Gellar?...She's been what?...Well, who's bright idea was that?...Right, naturally Machiavelli Giles couldn't let the underworld know his champion Slayer bit the dust..."

Giles was only tryin' to do the right thing by the new Slayers...the ghost frowned... "Will, the Slayers might've been easy targets before they were gathered and trained if the bad guys knew I'd died of my injuries at the Hellmouth that night..."

"Well, Nibs...Someone shoulda let us...Meanin' me...Know..."

"Well, you shoulda come to Rome and demanded to see me!...Some devoted-beyond-the-world's -end lover you are!..." Buffy called...

"Immortal Beloved..." LXXX...

A shortie...

PG-13

Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!

It's all yours and ME's...

Spoilers for Angel to the bitter end...Flee at once!...

Summary: Various outcomes following "Girl In Question" and /or "Not Fade Away"

on Angel...

Ok, I lied about stopping at 50...But me poor ole mum would just say, "so long

as I like it, it's ok..."

London...The New Antiquarians' Hall of the Royal Council of Antiquarians and Library Scientists...

Feb 12, 2005...

"Buffy...My dear..." a suave voice in tones of protest... "Shut up, keep moving..." Uhnnn...A groan...

A number of Watchers, Observer trainees, and New Slayers looked at each other in confusion as a coldly furious Slayer Councilor General Buffy Summers, newly in from Rome, dragged a tall, devastatingly handsome youthful-looking man...My God is that?...One Observer nudged a colleague...Who nodded...Down the hall...

A couple of more experienced, old Council Watchers eyed each other, one pulling cell phone...

"Where is Chairman Giles?...He's not in his office..." Buffy curtly turned to one Watcher, Dobson, she knew well from her past training sessions with the new Slayers...

"He's in conference in the main chamber...Not to be..." he looked after her as she stalked off down the hall...Her companion firmly dragged along in her grip...

"That was the Immortal, right?..." one new Slayer hissed to her Watcher... "I believe so..."

"Aren't they...Like, together?..."

"Apparently the bloom is off the rose..." the Watcher, a tall, blonde, thirties-ish Englishwoman stared after the Slayer Councilor General...Now paused before a large, secured door, preparing to kick at it...

The Watcher allowed herself a rare moment of nonprofessional gossip...

"Myself, I never understood her predilection for vampiral lovers...Even souled or with records of service like His Benevolence..."

She and her charge pulled back as a summoned security team hurried in...The door at which Buffy gave another resounding kick now giving away...

Just as two of the security team members fired bolts of energy strong enough to bring down an elephant which struck her in the chest as she faced them...She losing her grip on the Immortal who, stunned a bit himself, staggered to the side...

"Bastards!..." she cried, struggling to keep her footing...

"Miss Summers?..." at the far end of the hall near the front door security station where equal chaos reigned following the Slayer Councilor General's sudden violent entrance a moment ago, a Watcher turned to a hurrying Dawn... "Is my sister?..." "Down the hall..."

I've called Security...he noted...They should be able to deal...he called to her as she rushed on...Pulling her cell phone and punching buttons...

"Giles!..." she spoke into it... "Hey, don't hurt her!..." she called to the force down the hall, now six heavily armed, large men and two hulking demons, facing a Buffy now on one knee, trying to regain her footing after two more direct shocks...

Watchers and Observers now busily trying to get their Slayer charges out of the hall and into training rooms...A number of the Slayers refusing to move, asking questions, several calling on the guards to stop or trying to speak to Buffy...

At the conference room door, Chairman Giles appeared, ordering the hall to be cleared in a calm, strong voice that penetrated all the way down the hall...

"Bastards..." Buffy gasped...

"Miss Summers is upset but she will be fine...Please clear the hall, go with your trainers!...Now!..." The hall cleared slowly...

He turned to the somewhat battered Immortal who shrugged... "It seems again we have a slight problem, my friend..."

"Giles..." Dawn came up... "I'm sorry I couldn't get word to you sooner...She wouldn't let me out of her sight..." she looked down at Buffy who stared up at her... "You..." she murmured...

"Doctor..." Giles waved to a woman now hurrying up the hall... Who pulled at a small black bag...And on halting in front of the Slayer, removed a hypodermic from said bag, tapping as she held it to light...

"Hurry and get her under as quickly as possible...There's no time..." the Chairman hissed... "Dawn, stay by her and..."

"No...No..." Buffy staggered to her feet...Another bolt striking her...

"Stop that!..." Dawn cried... "You'll hurt her..."

"You...Liar...You let them..." Buffy eyed her sister coldly as she went down again, the doctor moving to her...Two men waved in, grabbing an arm as the Immortal and Giles watched...

A sudden counter bolt threw doctor and guards back...Dawn, Immortal, and Giles turning...

"What is going on, Giles?..." Willow eyed him coolly from where she'd just materialized by Buffy...Having teleported at some risk from back inside the conference chamber on hearing Buffy's cries...

"Willow...Things have gone a bit wrong...But..."

"I see that..." she said dryly...Looking at Buffy who tried to rise... "Wil...They..." "Just a mo, Buf...Give it a sec...No one's gone hurt you..."

This time...she looked fixedly at Giles...

Xander now emerged from the conference room...Staring at the group and Buffy, half-kneeling on the floor...

"So this is... 'Taking care of poor Buffy's problems', Giles?..." he turned to the Watcher...

"Xander...Willow...You must understand...This was a minor relapse..."

"The major ones must've been something..." Willow replied... "Well, isn't it lucky this time we're here to help out?..."

"Willow...You and Xander haven't been around, you don't know the situation...You gotta let us handle it..." Dawn said firmly...

"We have...And we see how you guys have 'handled it'..."

"Willow...Xander...Don't let them..." Buffy gasped, rising to her feet...

"No, honey..." Willow shook her head...She moved to Buffy, putting an arm round her...

"They...All..." Buffy began, whispering, waving to where Giles and the Immortal stood...She paused and stared at Willow... "I can't remember...But he was real, not a dream...?"

No, honey...He was real...Willow nodded...

"Wil...Tell me...You and Xander didn't...You knew?...You let them...?"

Willow looked over her shoulder at Xander who sighed... "Buffy...We didn't know...Not until it was too late..." Buffy shook her head wearily...No...You, too?... "Buffy, believe me...If we'd been there...It was only because we thought it was done and would be too difficult to reverse..." he continued...

"What?...What did they...?" she grabbed at his arm...Staggering a bit... "What's happened to me?...Xander?..."

"Willow...For Buffy's own sake..." Giles began...

Let us do what we have to do...

"You said...Once was all, Giles..." Xander glared at him... "And that it would end things..."

I don't call this...Ending things...

Willow nodded...Eyeing the swelling ranks of security and recognizing a couple of reasonably magics-versed Watchers among them...

"Giles, tell your people to back off, stand down, or whatever the Brit equivalent is...I'm more powerful than any of them if I need to be but I'd have to hurt them..."

Giles reluctantly waved the group back...

"Xander..." Buffy gasped, still clutching his arm... "Tell me..."

"Buf...Lets go back inside before any of the goons decide to get heroic..." Willow touched her arm...

"No..." she pulled back... "I won't let you...You let them..." she started to back away...

"Please, Buffy...We didn't help them now...We didn't agree to it before...I won't...Xander won't...Let them do anything to you again...I swear..."

"Why?..." Buffy closed her eyes... "Why did you let them...Him...?" she eyed the Immortal, standing by Giles...

"Buffy...Like Xander says...It was done before we knew...We didn't approve but in the end we did hope it would help you...I'm sorry...But we won't let it happen again..."

"You...Even you guys...Would have left things..."

"Buffy..." Willow sighed... "You don't remember what things were like...After Sunnydale..."

"Buffy..." Dawn firmly called to her... "We did what was best for you...And you wanted some kind of help..."

"Help?..." Buffy stared, standing firmly now, rage restoring some measure of strength... "Did I ask for this kind of 'help'?...To have you...bastards...Play with my head?..."

Did I?...she turned to Xander... "Did I want this?...Whatever they did?..."

"You wanted help..." he paused...Looking to Willow...

"I wanted this...?" she touched her head... "I don't believe you...I..."

"Yes..." Giles took the opening... "Buffy, you needed our help and we..."

No...Xander cut him off sharply...

"No, Buf...Whatever 'help' you wanted in dealing with Spike and the past...I don't believe you wanted what was done to you..."

You were never too keen on mind control or memory washing...he eyed Giles...

"Spike?..." She stared at him, then Willow...Who nodded...

So that's his name?...

"Spike..." she repeated...

"I guess William is more appropriate since he got his soul back..." Willow smiled faintly...

Inside the conference chamber...

"You guys have ruined everything...We coulda helped her...Now it'll all fall down again...She'll be right back to where..." Dawn fumed at Willow...

"If it failed once, it will fail again..." Willow replied quietly... "And she did not consent to it, even you and Giles admitted that..."

"She wanted help...You did, Buffy..." Dawn turned to look at her sister, now seated by Willow and watching quietly... "If we didn't tell you what was to be done, it was because..."

"I would've said...No...No matter how bad I was...Whatever a 'state' I was in..." Buffy said quietly...

And you of all people should have known that...

"All of you knew that..." she looked round the room... "But it was easier to go along...Was I that much of a bother?...Was I cramping your lifestyles with my little problems?..."

"You were ready to..." Dawn paused..."We had to do something...Henri and his people offered us a chance to...We were trying to save you..."

"How was it done?..." Buffy ignoring her, turned to look at Giles, then the Immortal... "I thought you, your...Benevolence..." she spat out the word... "Didn't like magics..."

Or is the exception when you can't get a girl you want any other way?...

"It was not a spell..." Giles replied...Rubbing his forehead... "Buffy, you must believe...We saw no other way...We thought...We were sure...We'd lose you...And not just to Death again...You were near to embracing Darkness itself to be with William again..."

"Buffy...I love you...I only wished to..." Henri began...She did not look at him...Then spoke steadily and firmly...

"So... I 'was near to embracing Darkness'...To be with...This 'William' again?...I'd guess he was a vamp?...Did I love a soulless vamp and want to be with him that much?...I...No, he must've been...Hell..." she eyed the Immortal... "You're soulless and Giles swears on your sterling character...Though he has a blind spot for those who help him remove troublesome little problems..."

"He wasn't soulless..." Willow told her... "Not that last year, anyway...Not when..."

"He died..." Buffy nodded... "That much I guessed...And now, according to the report Henri got in Rome and what Andrew told me when I ferrited it out of him..."

He's back...After savin' all our asses and the world...Nearly dying with Angel fighting the Partners...And you'd had no plans to tell me...If I hadn't seen the report when your gigolo pal here got careless...And caught Andrew alone...

"It was over...He didn't come to you..." Dawn began... "And Giles sent the help that saved him and Angel..."

"He thought I was happy and settled...You heard Andy...He even came to Rome to check on me...And he...Didn't..." she turned to Willow...

"That part...I don't understand...I must've...But Andy said..."

Willow?...

"You told us...That you did tell him, just before...How you felt...But he...The soul..." she sighed...

I guess some guys just can't believe their good luck...she gave a faint smile...

"I see...Died not believin' me?...Yeah, that would've sent me for a loop..." Buffy nodded...

And got a soul for me?...Sounds like he had it bad...she smiled...

"Way bad..." Willow grinned...

Are there any...Pictures, letters?...she paused...Searching for a word...

"Poems?..." she blinked...Willow staring at her...As did Dawn...

"Did he?...Yes, he wrote poems..." she said firmly... "I remember...No...I don't..." she sighed...

Not a line...

"He read you his poems?..." Dawn looked at her...A slight something in her voice...

"I don't remember...Thanks to you...But the word clicks something in here..." Buffy tapped her forehead... "Was he any good?..." she turned to Willow...

Don't know...the Wiccan shrugged... "He never gave us a reading..."

"I want anything you have...And you have something...I see it in your face, Dawn...Giles...Get whatever you have of his...Ours...Here, now..."

You too, Henri...Whatever's at your place...It shouldn't take long to fly it in...

Or else...I will make you...she finished with a hard stare... "Do it, Giles..." Willow eyed him... "Or I will back her up..."

He pulled out a cell phone reluctantly and dialed...His Benevolence following suit after another hard glare from her...

"You too..." Buffy turned to Dawn... "You have things of his...Something...I want to see them..."

"I gave it all to Henri...Your stuff and anything I had...His people needed it for their processing and it had to be removed from your daily life..."

Buffy was silent, staring... "I said I want everything...You still have something and I want that too..."

He gave it to me...Dawn looked away... "It's mine..."

Xander eyed Willow...It was Dawn who convinced us not to interfere afterwards...Who else had her sis' best interests at heart?...

God, how could we've been so blind?...Even if I only got one eye...

"If it really is yours, you can keep it...But I want to see it..."

Dawn pulled up her purse and tossed a tiny plastic baby doll at Buffy who caught it...

"He won it for me...At a fair one night that summer...When you were gone and he looked after me...Before you came back..."

It's nothing to do with you...It's mine...He gave it to me...she repeated as Buffy looked at the doll carefully...And finally pushed it back to her...

Willow shook her head...Dawn...Oh, God...

I always wondered why you were so hard on him that year...Even after it was clear Buffy'd forgiven him and he'd done the impossible for her...And all the time...

Well?...Buffy returned to Giles, who'd finished giving orders...

"The things we have here about him...Are on their way..." he nodded...

"How was it done?...How did you cut him out of my mind?..."

"The Immortal's neurologic research institute at Geneva has done work on memory restoration and, as a consequence, memory removal since the 1930's...The process is highly advanced now and has been used as a therapeutic tool for the mentally and emotionally disturbed...He offered it to us as a way to save you from the past crushing you..."

"Oh...So our trip to your estate in Geneva wasn't quite the blissful vacation I'd thought it was..." she gave a cold smile to the Immortal...

"Believe me, Buffy..." Giles sighed... "We'd tried every other way short of magics...Therapy and counseling were useless...And we'd no idea he'd survived somehow until very recently..."

She put up a hand... "Can you restore what you took from me?..."

"No..." the Immortal shook his head... "This was not a spell...Your brain was physically altered to erase the memories...What was lost, is lost...It cannot be reversed..."

"And what you had put in?...Added...?"

He eyed her carefully...Giles hurriedly interrupting... "Nothing was done except to remove what had to be..." she waved him off...

"So, you didn't get permission from 'Father Knew Best' here for what you decided to have...Added, eh?..."

Added?...Giles looked at the Immortal...

"Nothing too serious, Giles...Don't go developing a moral sense over it..." she frowned at the Watcher... "But he was looking to smooth the path between us, weren't you...Lover?..." she glared at the Immortal...

"Mr. Giles and your sister came to me about this, my dear...It was their decision...As for new thought patterns...We only did what was necessary to allow your mind to fill in blanks and adjust to..."

"Did they also tell you to use what you gleaned from my mind to woo me?...God, I thought those sharp cracks you suddenly started making that night sounded too familiar, somehow...And out of character...Those were all his, right?...And his moves, too...The slow feeling me out...The hesitancy under the bravado...You aren't the hesitant type, Henri..."

And you don't know me that well on instinct...I could feel it when you ran out of material...she smiled...

Giles eyed the Immortal...

"He didn't have to 'glean' much, Buffy..." Dawn spoke up... "I gave him most of it...Described Spike and how you and he were to him...I thought it might help..."

"So..." Buffy eyed her coldly... "You loved him that much, huh?...No one remembers someone they don't care about that well..."

But your good friend...The Council's faithful ally for centuries...Had his own agenda, Giles...And was taking no chances in romance...

"And what cinches it for me is the fact that somewhere in here..." she touched her head slightly... "This little voice is telling me not to be too upset, forget and forgive, give my dear Henri another chance 'cause he's been so kind to me..."

And while I could see myself forgiving...Someday, if only because I'll have to forgive Dawn someday...And that means forgiving all of you...

I'd never want to forget...Never let myself forget...she frowned...

"I did what I could to make myself someone would could fill the gap..." Henri nodded... "I did, perhaps, encourage my team...In the interests of giving you a new focus and avoid thoughts that might cause problems...To follow a path that would leave you eager to embark on a new relationship...I did nothing to force myself to be the only possible choice..."

"So...Can what you added at least be identified, removed?...Or do I have to remove you...?"

"I...Can speak to my people...My specialists may be able to remove those harmless thought traces I requested..."

That's good...she nodded... "Get crackin' and have your people here with his stuff and their equipment within the hour...But your people will just tell me what was added as I've no intention of letting them in my head again...Willow, if you can operate their system, I may have you do whatever can be done later...I mean to be in LA by no later than 7pm tomorrow, if I have to teleport..."

And while we wait for his stuff, you'll all tell me everything you know...

"Buffy..." Giles tried...She waved him off...

A man entered bearing a large box...She indicated a spot in front of her...

Dawn looking at the box...

"Xander..." Buffy eyed him, pausing as she reached to open the box... "Tell me..."

Were we happy together?...Him and me?...

He stared at her a long time... "It was a hard relationship, Buf...Spike...Or William...Was what he was for a long time...Threatened us all many times before the Initiative got hold of him and he suddenly claimed he loved you...None of us liked the idea of you...And I can't say I came to think of him as a friend, even after the soul, though I respect what he must've overcome...But, he helped you that year you came back, when no one else could...There was something powerful between you...And, near the end that last year...And maybe even before that, a few times..."

Yeah, he sighed, then smiled...I saw you happy with him...Happier because of him...

She nodded... Thanks...She opened the box...

"A file of Giles' reports...I'll read that on the plane...Or before I go to him if you teleport me, Wil..."

Mom?...she stared at the photo of Joyce...

"He was very fond of her...Said she was always kind to him..." Dawn noted quietly...

She pulled out a pair of panties...These look like...?

"Yep..." Willow nodded... "He was a keeper...Though his last crypt got kinda blasted up and he lost a lot of his older stuff..."

A shame, I guess...Losing all that...But maybe better for the soul not to have it around, reminding him...

"No..." Buffy shook her head... "Losing memories is never good...However much they hurt...Losing them is losing a part of you..."

However appealing as a quick and easy solution it may be...she frowned...

And turned to Giles and Dawn...

"You and your pal here stole those memories from me...And now, no matter what happens between him and me...I'll never really know how I felt...All I can do is make the logical assumption that...If he won his soul back for my sake, died to save the world, and helped Angel defeat the Partners...He must have been, be a good man...If I cared for him so much and suffered for him so much that you chose to do this to me...I must have cared for him very much..."

And if you loved him so much, Dawn...To let this be done...she eyed her... "I can only think he musta been...Must be...Something special..."

"I'll borrow this with your files, Giles, if you don't mind..." she took a photograph of William from the pile...Dawn not looking at her...

Cute...she nodded... "When was this?..." "After he got the soul, had gotten over a little insanity and First brainwashing, and was helping you train the Slayer army...Andrew was taking pictures and videos of us for posterity..." Willow smiled wanly...

"He seems to favor black and red..." she looked at Willow... "Should I...?"

"He liked you in anything...But he seemed to favor you in light colors...And that hat..." Willow touched a photo of Buffy in ski cap... "Not that hat..." Buffy shook her head...Grinning slightly now... "Is it...?" she fumbled through the pile...Ah...And pulled the cap down over her head...

"He likes this, eh?..." With you under it, yeah...Willow grinned...

She looked at his photo again, carefully... "William?..." she asked tentatively...Willow nodding...

"William...Soames Walthrop..." Dawn mumbled...Buffy and the others turning to her...

"It's his human name...I looked it up..." she looked away... "He doesn't know...We never tried to find it out before...I imagine...He'd be happy to know you found it out..."

"William Soames Walthrop...Thank you..." Buffy nodded... "That gives me something I know'll be a surprise for him too for Valentine's Day..."

Now...She eyed them all... "At least I have five different perspectives on him...I probably should talk to Angel too before I go..."

If he isn't furious at me for following your lead, Giles...Hey?...she blinked..."Now I know why I was so willing to go along with the 'we can no longer place our faith in Angel, my dear'...bit..."...she grinned... "He gave us that amulet...The one Henri's report said William used..."

Geesh and all this time I thought I'd blasted the First off the map...she shook her head...

Ok...

"Each one of you tell me everything you know...From the beginning...With details..."

"Immortal Beloved..." LXXXI...

A shortie...

PG-13

Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!

It's all yours and ME's...

Spoilers for Angel to the bitter end...Flee at once!...

Summary: Various outcomes following "Girl In Question" and /or "Not Fade Away" on Angel...

Ok, I lied about stopping at 50...But me poor ole mum would just say, "so long as I like it, it's ok..."

LA...Early morning of the final battle with the Senior Partners...

A scene of considerable devastation...Burned out cars, damaged and in some cases, burning buildings...To be reported shortly as the result of gang violence and ruptured gas lines...Fire trucks and ambulances only able to make their way to the outer fringes of the area...

Numerous bodies littering the area, though many in various stages of unusually rapid decomposition...And all but a tiny handful...Most of those unlucky innocents caught in the crossfire...Not exactly what one would call, human, in appearance...

And, all over the field of battle...Extending now for several city blocks from the Wolfram-Hart tower...Rounding up prisoners, attending to the demonic die-hards unwilling to surrender, collecting remains and materials for shipment and study, a horde of women, mostly, though not all young...Armed in the main with small, sharp pieces of wood...

On the street by the Wolfram-Hart tower, Angel staggered along, eyeing the battle scene, supported by Illyria, who'd just seen Charlie Gunn safely taken off to the nearest hospital by a group of the new Slayers whose sudden, near-miraculous arrival had turned the tide of what had seemed a hopeless fight into the final defeat of the Wolf, Ram, and Hart...

She made what sympathetic remarks she could glean from her Fredian memories, assuring her companion that his son was indeed safe...And on his way to join them...Gunn secure as well...

As for their other partner in the fight...No word as yet...

"William was badly injured when we were separated just before the Slayers arrived...But Ms. Summers is looking for him..." she noted...

"Then he'll be all right...If he is alive..." Angel nodded... "And happy, regardless...But lets try to find him..." he stumbled... "You've got to get some attention, Angel..." He shook his head...

" 'Sides..." she struggled briefly with the word... "Boss..." she gave her most Fred smile... "I'm pretty banged up myself, you gotta get me to a hospital...It's your duty as our CEO...Which you are for real, now..."

Buffy will find him...And would probably prefer to do it alone...she grinned at him... "We'll just be horning in..."

He smiled at her, nodding his thanks for her kind effort, but again shook his head... "I've got to try..." A grin... "He'd never let me hear the end of it if I left the battle before he was carried off..."

"But, you're right...We should let her try on her lonesome...So, lets head back down there..." he pointed...Eyeing her... "Are you ok?..."

Please...she frowned... "Very well, we'll search a little longer...But if you collapse again I will deposit you in the nearest transport..."

Say?...he glanced round...

What did they do with my dragon?...They did keep it for me?...he looked back anxiously...You did tell them?...he frowned...

Yeah, yeah...It's down that way...she pointed...

An alleyway three blocks to the south...Demon corpses everywhere...Many torn apart, in a rather distinctive style...

"William?..." A young red-haired Slayer stood by the body on the ground...A badly injured, but still moving blond-haired one... "William?...It is you, right?..."

He looked up vaguely... "I'm Claire, one of the Slayers...We're here to..." she looked up the alley as someone called to her...

"Buffy!...He's here!..." she waved...

Buffy?...he tried to turn... "Lie still, William...She's coming..."

"William?..." Buffy looked down at him... "It's him..." Claire nodded...

"We'd better get him to an ambulance..."

"Yeah...Go back down that way and see if you can get one through or get one as close as you can and then come back, with help...I'll try to call in and see if a helicopter can make it..."

"Buffy, there's still a lot of..." "I'll be fine...Go..." she smiled at the young Slayer, barely eighteen... "My guy here and me got some catchin' up to do anyway..."

Claire nodded and headed off...

Only puzzled a few moments later as she hurried along, looking for help...

She...Or both of us coulda carried him...Easy...

But I guess she didn't want to move him...

"William...Are you badly hurt?..." Buffy knelt by him...

"Only when I laugh, Slayer...Or cry...Or move...Or just lie still..." he smiled...Blinking at her...

You're here...You came...he whispered...

"Giles found out about Angel's scheme...His Benevolence confirmed the Partners' were moving to destroy him after he rebelled...We thought we'd best show up..." she looked him over...

And Andrew finally broke down when Giles called us all in to discuss the situation...she noted quietly...

She stared at him a moment...

"It was a shame you didn't come to Rome, Will...Things would have been so different..."

"I...Thought it was for the best, girl..."

"That was wrong...You should have believed me...Believed in me..." she sighed, eyeing him...And pulling out a cell phone...

"Hello?...Yes, it's me...Yes, the Partners are defeated...Yes, I found him...It's fine..."

William looked up at her...Trying to keep conscious...I mustn't pass out...It must not be a dream...I won't let it be a dream...

"He's badly hurt...Yes, Your Benevolence...I will..." she told the phone...William looking up at the title...

Well, doesn't sound too affectionate...he couldn't help smiling at the thought...

She put the open phone down and stared at him quietly...

"It is a shame you didn't come to Rome, William...Or stay when you did come...Everything might have been different if you had...But now, it's too late..."

"I see..." he nodded... "Well, nothing I didn't expect..." a slight groan...He twisted in agony...

"Are you in great pain?..." she looked at him... "Only my poor heart..." he smiled...

"His Benevolence would like you to know...He is sorry for you..." she said, in a flat, calm voice...That seemed drained of what faint emotion it had carried...

Really?...Bloody nice of the sob...William thought, glaring a bit but in too much pain to fully react to her now strangely emotionless manner...Her face quite calm and composed...Almost blank, in fact...

"As He was for me..." she continued... "Please believe that only the fact that such an opportunity...Through the Slayer Corps we brought into being, William...To bring universal peace...Will never arise again, would have led Him to take the actions He has..."

"Buffy?...What's..."

"And...He wants you to know...Nothing is intended personally..." she stared at him...Her face now completely expressionless...

"Buffy?..."

"But you are a potential threat, now that the Partners are gone and He can extend His benevolence over all the world..." she went on, speaking as if by rote...A lesson learned...

"Girl...What the hell is...?" he tried to rise a bit...No good...She gently restrained him with a firm hand...

"Please know your sacrifice is not in vain...Nor was mine...And His regret for us is sincere...But , though our sacrifices, He will unite the mortal and immortal worlds...Humanity will be cherished...Protected, under His benevolent guidance...Our goals, in the end, achieved..."

And for your own content...she paused...Pulling Mr. Pointy up as William looked up at her blank, emotionless face...

"I did fight Him, though this one time I was alone at the crucial moment...And there remains some part of me that will mourn you...He wants you to know that..." she staked him with a sudden move before he could try to dodge...And turned to the phone, still open beside her...Lifting it to her ear...

"It's done..." she told the phone, calmly... "You have the final proof of my utter devotion, Your Benevolence..."

As I destroyed him and gave my sister to your care, so I will deliver the Slayer Corps to you...And deal with Angel as soon as opportunity allows...

"Yes..." she replied to a question... "I should have no problems...There are still plenty of demons about...I'll go and find one, let him injure me, and bring his body here...No one will doubt my story..."

Yes, Your Benevolence...she nodded, listening carefully...Eyeing the ashes, now blowing away in the gentle breeze...

"There is a part of me that is very sad..."

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"Immortal Beloved..." LXXXII...

A shortie..

.PG-13

Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!

It's all yours and ME's...

Spoilers for Angel to the bitter end...Flee at once!...

Summary: Various outcomes following "Girl In Question" and /or "Not Fade Away" on Angel...

Ok, I lied about stopping at 50...But me poor ole mum would just say, "so long as I like it, it's ok..."

Switzerland...One of the more incredibly luxurious castle-chateau homes of the famed Immortal...A little after 8am...

By the fabulous pool...Initially a natural spring-fed pond, beautifully enhanced by one of the world's great landscape designers...A lithe, blonde young woman, in the most haute of bathing suits and light robes, sheltered under a vast, stylish hat...Regarded with keen attention the remarkably handsome, tall, blonde, and muscular young man, engaged in setting up the area for the day, who'd just brought her a rather elaborate juice drink...

She lifted the hat slightly and gave him a smile from behind the most expensive of fashion sunglasses...Which he returned...With just the right level of impertinent appreciation...

"So...It's Joachim, right?..." she grinned...He nodded, setting the glass carefully on coaster on the table by her...

"You're definitely new here...And you look even better by daylight than last night at dinner..." she removed the glasses, tongue touching the outside of her upper lip...Looking him up and down...

"I hope to give the most satisfactory of service, ma'am..." he smiled...

Oh yeah...I'm sure you will...A wide smile...

"Will there be anything else, Ms. Summers...?"

"I dunno...Joachim..." a shrewd look, followed by another, more careful overview of his rather magnificent physique...

"Anything else you'd care suggest that I haven't...Tried...?"

He gave another smile..Again, just enough impertinence...

LA, downtown...Scene of the final battle with the Senior Partners of Wolfram-Hart, Inc...A little after 2 am...

A battered-but-rather-pleasantly-surprised-to-be-still-Undead Angel, carefully supporting an equally battered Illyria, eyed the rather gore-begrimed young Slayer who'd just come to him, several dozen other Slayers heavily engaged with the Partners' forces all about them...Many more Slayers...Some barely in their teens, a few well over fifty...Pouring in from various transports, both ground and air, by the minute...

"Mr Angel?...We've got Mr. Gunn to an ambulance, he's on his way to LA General, I think he'll be ok..." He nodded to her...

Maybe we'd better get you and...The Slayer eyed Illyria who gave a firm look back... "Dr. Burkle-Wyndham-Price..." Angel smiling faintly...

"...You and Dr. Burkle-Wyndham-Price out now..."

He frowned...Leave the field while he could still stand?...Bad enough to have to be rescued by the people who 'didn't trust him anymore'...

Nobly repressing the rather-of-his-old-human-days thought...And a bunch of girls to boot...

"We're quite all right, thank you..." Illyria answered for him...He nodding with another smile...Straightening a bit even as he felt Illyria do the same...

"Yeah...In fact I think it's time we pulled a few of your people back here and organized a final charge for the Hell portal..." he eyed the wavering ranks of the enemy... "These guys look ready to break to me..."

The Slayer grinned, shoving back strands of her long hair...Sounds like the Angel I vaguely remember, thanks to what our Counselor General passed on to us all on activation...

"I'll call Ms. Summers over...She's coordinating communication..."

"Buffy's here?...I hadn't seen..."

Ummn, no...Not that Ms. Summers...The red-haired, slight young Irishwoman shook her head... "The Counselor General wasn't able to come...This operation was ordered by Chairman Giles..."

Giles saved our asses?...Oh, now I am definitely going nowhere...

"Dawn?...This is Valerie..." the Slayer spoke into a cell phone... "Can you come over with the main transmitter...I'm with Mr. Angel by the corner tower..."

Angel smiling at the lilt in the young woman's voice... "Nice to see some of our own made the cut, miss..." he noted as she put the phone back on her holster belt...

"Nice to know the great Angel is one of our own..." she grinned back...Then looked down at her demon blood-smeared blouse, a tad embarrassed now...Ummn... "Sorry I didn't have a chance to change, sir..."

He waved a hand, indicating his own rather shredded garments... "We're strictly informal round here tonight, Slayer...The formal reception comes later, on the ashes of Wolfram-Hart..."

"Is there any word on William?..." Illyria asked... "He was surrounded the last time I saw him..."

"William?..." Valerie looked up at the word...Surprising the two by the sudden trembling in her face and the quaver in her voice... "No...And believe me, we're looking everywhere..."

"William!..." A call in the distance, echoed by several Slayers...Testifying to Valerie's statement...Angel frowning slightly...

Well...I suppose I should be pleased, in a vague way...Him being my grandson of sorts...

Always good to know a male descendant is a hit with the ladies...Long as he's souled and less likely to torture and massacre them...

"Lets close this party down...Then we'll find him...Alive..." Angel moved his stiff arms a bit and looked round for a weapon... "Spike has more lives than any cat..."

"Yes, lets go...I'm anxious to see our enemies trapped, unable to retreat, writhing in their last tormented agonies..." Illyria nodded...

"My boy?..." Angel turned back to Valerie as Dawn reached them with a couple of Slayers in tow, all lugging equipment... Hey, guys!...Dawn came to them, grinning...

"Connor's fine and on his way...But we will keep him back till alls clear...If we can.." Valerie smiled... "I hear he takes after his father, so I have me doubts..."

Hmmn...Angel eyed her... Slayer task force commander at her age and Irish to boot...And a perfect age...

Yes, we'll definitely do the formal reception/celebration thing after this, if it cleans out whatever resources the remnants of W-H has left...

I mean this modern, New World stuff about finding love on your own is all very well if you've Eternity to play around in...But there's something to be said for the Old World way...Yes, high time dear old Dad gave his son a helping hand in the romance department...

"Busy night..." Dawn noted, looking round at the Slayers, most now driving back their foes, who were starting to show clear signs of panic ...Dodging a piece of flying...What she preferred to think of in general terms as debris, rather than assorted body parts...

"Where's Spike?..." she looked round, a bit anxious...

"No word yet..." Valerie replied, she and the other Slayers looking rather downcast... "But Angel says we're sure to find him, soon as we shove the Partners' guys back to Hell...Which, if you'd contact the squad leaders for a concentration here...I think we're ready to do..."

Gotcha...Dawn nodded...Angel staring at her...

"She's the Buffy Summers' sister?..." Illyria hissed to him, eyeing Dawn as she spoke rapidly to a microphone in hand...

"Rather human...And young...To be out here...Why did the Slayer let her come alone?..."

"If I know Buffy...And I do...She didn't...I'd say Dawn sneaked into the nearest transport..." Angel smiled at Valerie...Though looking a bit down...

"Am surprised Buf didn't come, if even Giles was willing to help us out..."

"William will be disappointed..." Illyria sighed...Valerie biting a lip and looking away as she heard...

"The Counselor General has lots to do these days..." she hastily noted... "Actually the Chairman appointed Dawn our communications officer...After the fact of her being found on board one of our transports from London when we were setting down and it was too late to send her back..." a wry grin at the stowaway, now busy with her transmitter...

Angel watching Dawn as she spoke to the squad leaders, passing on the orders for a move to their own central location on the field...She giving a slight frown as she heard the group of them speaking...Especially at the mention of the 'Counselor General'...

"All set...They're moving to regroup here..." she pulled the transmitter headset back...Valerie nodding...

"Lets go, then..." Angel lifted a broken spear pole he'd spied on the ground... "Time to complete my extremely hostile takeover of this firm..."

Say, about?...he turned to Valerie...Who knew immediately...This being the fourth time he'd mentioned it...

"Your dragon corpse is fine...We've got it back there, safe..." she pointed...

Great...he beamed...As Illyria rolled her eyes...As if we didn't hunt them practically to extinction back in my day...Poor dumb beasts...Like flame-breathing dodos, really...

"Dragon?..." Dawn blinked...

Switzerland...same time...

Where the Immortal, having some early morning business matters to attend to, had applied his daylight protections...The only magics he allowed himself as an absolute necessity to participate in the human world he'd long ago pledged his loyalty and service to...A bit earlier than usual for him...

And emerged upon a scene which challenged even his imperturbably calm nature...

"Buffy..." he frowned at the two now occupying her reclining chair...

Oops...Hey, Henri...she grinned at his divinely handsome features from beneath Joachim...Who made a move to rise...Hastily...

"Joachim...Please return to your...Other duties..." the Immortal coldly told him...

"Just a minute, Joachim...Henri...I asked him to hang a bit...Keep me amused..." she noted, eyeing him coolly...Holding Joachim in place...

"Would you allow the boy to rise, please?...Dear?...I don't believe in embarrassing servants..."

Hmmn?... "Oh, sure...Sorry..." she nodded...Releasing a somewhat relieved Joachim...Who'd found himself gasping a bit in her firm grip...

Yes...Thank you... The Immortal eyed her...

"I think, perhaps, my dear...We should have a little privacy...We have some urgent matters to discuss..."

Oh?...

"Yes...Including your...Current condition..."

Henri...she sighed...

"Which appears to be deteriorating to the point where you forget yourself..."

She gave him an indulgent smile... "Now, Henri...You never minded it when my 'current condition' left me open to accepting some of your kinkier suggestions..."

He frowned darkly...

"And it's not like Joachim here is likely to hold my interest for more than a day or two..." she grinned...

"In fact, I'll probably need you to finish things...These hulky human types usually start off strong but can't go the distance..." Joachim blinking a bit...

"Joachim...You have other tasks to perform...Go to them...Now..." the Immortal waved him off...

"Hey...He had things to do here..." Buffy frowned...As Joachim hurried off into the house...

"Buffy!..." Henri snapped... "I do not appreciate talk like that in front of servants...You are, after all, no less responsible for your actions now than I am..."

And I expect you to behave with proper decorum...Even soulless I retain a sense of the proprieties as well as my famed degree of moral sense...

"I expect you...If only out of respect for who you are and for me...To do the same..."

She frowned now...

"No one's here but us today...And you've always told me to enjoy myself while I can however I can...That's what I'm doin'..."

"You are Buffy Summers, the Greatest of the Slayers...And Slayer Counselor General..."

"Semi-retired..." she insisted... "And I've never given a damn about my status on the Slayer hierarchy...Even in the old days..."

"Regardless...You have a position to maintain...And, as my guest, you might consider my feelings in this..."

"Fine...Sorry..." she waved a hand bearing a couple of rather remarkable and incredibly expensive rings... "Had no idea your Soullessness was suddenly takin' things so to heart..."

She eyed his impassive face...Sensing...Something surprisingly genuine in his upset...Her manner softened a bit...

"Sorry...Really...I wasn't thinkin'...I honestly didn't think it would bother you..."

"I hate seeing you acting beneath yourself..." he shook his head, taking a chair beside her... "And you're becoming less and less aware of it..."

I hate seeing how you've...Changed...

"Is that my fault?..." she replied coldly...

"If that is intended as an accusation..." he eyed her... "If you still suspect me..."

She sighed... "No..." she waved a hand... "I know you didn't have anything to do with it...Or you'd be dust now, believe me..."

But you were content with things when we started out...she noted...

"It didn't matter to you then..."

"I hadn't watched you change then...Or learned to care for you as I do..." he added..."And I have tried to help...Done what I could..."

Even if it might cost me...You...

"I know...And I'm grateful...For everything..." she smiled at him... "Especially for your help in keepin' my secret from the guys..."

I doubt Dawn and the rest would be able to bear it, if they knew...Even if I have managed pretty well...Done my duty when forced to...And found a reasonable degree of content...

Somehow I think they'd find my goin' vamp easier to take...she shook her head...

"Course...If they ever found out...And your people turned out to be right and even Willow couldn't help...You would probably be the first they'd blame...And come after..." she paused, blinking a little...

"That is not why..." Henri fumed again...

"I didn't mean that...Sorry...You know I can't help the way I am now...The way I act sometimes when I don't think...But I don't mean to hurt you or anyone..."

And, as best as I can now...I do care...Henri...she smiled at him...

"But not as much as for..."

"Memories of the old days, kiddo...When I was what I was...They stay with me, reminding me of how I once felt...I can't help that...But I haven't gone after him, even for ole times' sake...Give me that much at least..."

"Only because he'd know...In a second..." Henri frowned...

"Maybe...He did know me damned well, then...But even Dawn and the guys haven't guessed, however they may occasionally grouse at the reduction in time and attention I have for 'em these days...The main thing is, I haven't gone to him...And I might've, seeking what he might be able to restore to me, at least in part...At least in memories of how things were..."

Not to mention he's probably not doing too badly with Angel...Or wouldn't be once I started managing his career...

"If you do want..."

"We've been through this before...No...I don't want to stir up old sorrows...At least for him...I can't give him what he'd want and deserve...Not now...And not even then..."

It's best to leave things as they are in that relationship...As he seems to realize...she noted...

"Speaking of him...Or avoiding speaking of him..." Henri gave a sour look... "Leads to me to the urgent matter I spoke of..."

"Well?..."

"Giles called me just now...Your phone was off..."

Oh, right...she grinned... "I didn't wanna be disturbed for a few minutes..." Pulling the phone...Then sighed... "So, things not going so well in LA this?...What time is it in LA?...Morning?..."

"Fairly well, the battle seems likely to be won...By our forces..."

Yay...she grinned...Then her face clouded slightly...

"Hope he isn't too disappointed...But I couldn't go and let him find out about me...Even if he wouldn't tell the guys...And the Slayers might even have sensed it if I hung round them too long..."

Still...If they really need me...a slightly bored tone...

"Dawn's joined them..." Henri eyed her...

Oh, crap...she frowned...

"Well...Nothing I shouldn't have expected when she insisted on staying in London instead of heading back to Rome...But Giles might've kept a better eye on her..."

Is she?...An exasperated tone...

"Fine, so far...They're keeping her away from the fighting..."

"Great...Then no prob...And William will be glad to see her there...They had some issues that last year after Spike'd tried to rape me the summer before...It'll be nice for him..."

"You aren't going?...To be sure?..."

"Dawn's a big girl..." she waved a hand... "And you said they're keepin' her out of it...I don't want to risk it unless I really have to..."

"Your own sister, Buffy...Even putting emotion to one side...Your friends and family are sure to wonder..."

"Captain of my..." she paused... "Fate...Henri...Let 'em wonder...They were happy enough to accept things when I suddenly stopped moping around about William and 'moved on'..."

"Have you considered?...Your wiccan friend might still be of help..."

"Your people said it was hopeless without knowledge of the method...Or where it went to..."

Telling them would only hurt them...And I've no desire to hurt anyone...Or have them fretting over me, spoiling what's become a rather pleasant existence for me...

He shook his head...

"As I say...If the situation goes bad, Dawn has my number...I've got your stuff...I can teleport to LA in a few seconds...Don't worry about it..."

Though it does you credit, soulless guy...she grinned...

"Now...Go and get your Slayer a nice present to make up for that little snit just now...Something diamondy, I think...Yeah...Try to surprise me..."

"And I think it's time we did a little shopping spree in Paris...I'm getting bored with the sticks..." she noted...

Frowning but resigned, the Immortal headed back into the great house...

A buzz drew a frown as she lay back...Damn...

"Yes?...Yeah, Giles...What...Ok, so you've sent all the Slayers you could to LA...Great...Hmmn?...No, I do not intend to go unless I absolutely hafta...Hey, he showed some common sense and chose the sensible course of not bothering me, why should I stir up old troubles?...Really?...Yeah, Henri told me..."

Sure I knew she wanted to go...She wanted me to go...But as I said...

"Giles...She's old enough to decide things for herself...If she wants to go and see Spike that's her..."

Yeah, yeah...she sighed... "Look, you sent a horde of Slayers, right?...She'll be fine...She has my number if she gets into trouble..."

And I'm not her mother...

"Got my own life to lead, Giles...But if things go south there, you know you can give me a call...Henri's got what I'd need to teleport...So, no problem...See ya, bye..."

God...

Hmmn...She looked over where a door on the patio had opened...

A slightly nervous-looking Joachim apologetically bearing a few more setup items...

Hey...she waved...He nodding slightly as he hurried about his duties...

"You got sibs, Jo?..." she called over...Who nodded briefly... "Mine's not even real and nothing but trouble...Well, anyway..."

Another buzz...

Crap...she frowned... "Oh, Buffy, our rears and the world's are in danger and you gotta come save us...For free..." she sneered to herself...

Ummn...No...I mustn't think like that...I would go...If they...If he...Needs me...

Though nothing says I gotta go running just cause Dawnie wants to play with her old babysitter...

Hmmn...I wonder...Sounds like my artificial sis is indulging a little romantic fantasy...They were alone together a lot that summer when I was gone...

Before I came back...Feeling...Almost as I do now...Nearly as lost...Nearly as...Dead inside...

But back then I had him to bring me back to life for real...And I wasn't really...What I feared...

What I am, now...Hmmn...

Maybe the thing is...Then I feared it...Now...

I accept it...Don't mind it...Maybe even...

Prefer it...

At least the pain's gone now...Except for the memories...And the dreams...

Another buzz...She rolled her eyes...

Gotta be Xander...Well, if he's so concerned about poor lil' Dawnie, let him go...she sighed and opened the phone...

"Hey, Xander...What's up...?"

Worst of it is, even soulless I can't say no...Professional that I am...

LA...

Far down off the main street the Slayers were massing on, in a small alleyway littered with non-human corpses, in the midst of the enemy forces...

A feeble groan as a slight blonde young woman in jeans and white blouse tore through a pile of rubble and corpses to reach...Buried in the heap...

"Uhhhnnn..."

"William.." a whisper barely a breath...

"Oh, William..."

He looked up...Hey, she smiled down at him...

"Buffy..." he whispered, then fainted...

He woke to find himself being gently carried in...He looked up at her face...Yep, my Buffy's arms...Definitely not the First, very likely a fantasy as I lie in a pool of my own blood, waiting to die...She halted...Lowering him...

A repressed moan came from him...Through clenched teeth...

"Will, you're in pain?..." she asked anxiously...

"Not since I saw you..." he smiled faintly...Then groaned again...

"All right, I'm lyin'...But I am better..."

She looked round...Still deep in enemy country, though the ones flying by their alley didn't seem any too bent on hunting them...Or on anything but saving their asses...

"I'll try to get you to where the Slayers are...The other Slayers...Just set a mo while the crowd back there flees by..."

I'm sorry I don't have anything...she began...

"Gifts aren't required, girl..." he grinned... "Though in my human day, on formal reunions of old lovers, a personal token..."

"I meant something for the pain, dope..." "I know..." he nodded...

"...'Sides..." she beamed... "I woulda thought I was gift enough..."

"Oh, yeah..." he smiled back...

Hmmn...He eyed her a second...

Wait a mo...

Ummn...She looked at him, realizing...Shoot...

"Hey, look at all these dead demons...And all the ones running by..." she tried... "I'll bet you sense 'em all over..."

He frowned...

"Nice outfit..." she smiled...Tapping his new jacket...His traditional black, but clearly not taken off either a dead Slayer or a department store rack... "Angel's been doing right by ya, I see..."

"Who are you?..." he cut her off, glaring at her... "You're not human..." He started trying to wriggle out of her arms...Groaning as he did...

Ummn... "Don't get upset, Will, you thrash around, you'll get hurt...I am Buffy..." she set him down gently... "Please, honey...Don't move around like that..."

"Buffy...was human last I checked in Rome..." he gasped out, pausing in his efforts to rise...Sensing...With a puzzled look...

"See, you sense the soul, don't you?..." she nodded eagerly... "I'm not a demon, Will...Well, not a full-fledged vamp demon...The soul's right here..." she touched her chest...

"You're transformed?...Buffy...?" he stared in shock...Then frowned...

"Girl, for Christsake, how could you be so stupid?...You, the Greatest Slayer of all Time?...The Slayer I suffered hideous agonies for..."

And that before my impromptu roasting at the Mouth...

Ummn... "I do have a soul...You are sensing it, right?" she tried... "And there's a little more to it...If you'd let me..."

"I leave you alone for a year and...Are you trying to tell me you let him transform you?...Is this the new European way of politely telling me you're looking for an immortal threesome with the Immortal and me, demon girl?... 'Cause if it is..."

William...she frowned...

"When did he do it?...How?..." he cut her off... "And why did your idiotic friends and that worthless dolt of a Watcher of yours take their eyes off you for a second while that Immortal pile of shit got his hooks into..."

"The Immortal guy?...Oh, no...This happened a while ago...About three years to be more precise..."

On my world...she eyed him...

Your?...World?...he blinked...

"Your freakin' what, girl?...Are you tellin' me you're not my Buffy Summers?...You're some demon bitch from another dimension, with some miserable lout of a soul, wearin' her..."

Great...he fumed..."So I rate Buffy the Doppelganger, eh?...Sounds about what...I'd..." he tried to raise himself again...Uhnnn...

"Stop it, Will...You'll hurt yourself...There's nothing to get so upset about...I am Buffy... Just let me explain..."

Well...ok...she gave a sheepish look at his hard stare...

"Not exactly your Buffy..." she eyed him... "Not 100% per se...Though my soul is..."

What?...he blinked...

"See...The thing is William...Like I said...I am a Buffy...And I sure as hell love you..." she beamed...

But...

"So, then..." he stared at her... "You're a Buffy...But you aren't my Buffy?...I mean, the Buffy I know?..."

"Oh, yes...I am..." she earnestly noted...Ummn... "Well, in part..."she hesitated... "It's a little difficult to explain..."

"Seein' as we're likely going nowhere till that crowd up there thins..." he nodded towards the street, where another horde of rather panicked-looking demons was now passing in near-stampede...

"Well..." she sighed...

See, after I had to flee my world...Everybody in the old gang on that Earth being kinda pissed at me after I killed my Willow's girlfriend, Tara...And came through this interdimensional portal I created from Giles' books...

"I got pretty damned good at magics on my Earth by the way..." she noted... "Back when I was still human I was tryin' to raise you from the dead on my world when I got caught by this nobody piss-ant human villain, a guy named Mears and his vamp ally with my guard down..."

But that's another story...she noted his frowning look...

Anyway, evil demon me got through the portal in one piece and found out there was a Buffy here, alive...

"So, naturally, my first thought was...After 'oh, please let there be a William around', that is...Ambush and kill...Try and take her place using magics or somethin'..."

I know...Stupid plan...she sighed, waving a hand...

"Demons, ya know?..." a feeble shrug... "Not all that imaginative as to battle plans..."

"But then I heard about you...You're the talk of the underworld here, Will..." she beamed proudly... "Even the most evil fiends teared up talkin' about how you overcame your dark nature to love and help me...And won your soul back...And died for me...Well, for a Buffy..."

Wow...she shook her head... "My Earth's Will was great too, but he died of TB six months after Willow and I helped him drive Spike out and regain Humanity..."

The Humanity quest ain't all it's cracked up to be, believe me...she noted...Though we were very happy those six months...

"I know, digressin'...Sorry..." she waved a hand... "Just wanted you to know where I'm comin' from..."

So...I heard all this...And heard that you'd just come back once again from the dead, still with the soul...Though you weren't with Buffy...And one of my sources...

"Well, ok...It was Harmony...I called Wolfram-Hart and pretended to be this Earth's Buffy...She told me you were babblin' crap about pure sacrifice but you were just sure I...She...Didn't really want you and you were mainly just too scared to risk it..."

She also gloated that she'd never tell you I called and that sort of thing, her being Evil and all...That was last November...Did she ever?...

Didn't think she would...

"Bein' a practical girl...Of necessity...I saw my chance and went for it...One of my sources had told me...My demon me...About your demon soul-restoring god in Africa...I figured...Knowing how much a soul would mean to you...Hey, what better intro gift for one's souled guy?...Not to mention a sure-fire conversational topic to break the ice..."

And if this world's Spike could do it for love, believe you me, Annie...My demon self...Wasn't about to be caught nappin'...

"With a leetle...Persuasion..." she grinned...Ummn...she noted hastily... "I didn't kill him, even demonic Anne knew you'd want a soul-restoring god around in case of problems or for Dru or such...Anyway, I got a soul back and as Buffy again, headed out to find you..."

Though, havin' a soul...Life becomes complicated again...Ya know?...she eyed him...

Oh...Yeah...he nodded...

"I kept runnin' into people in danger and all...And havin' a soul again, I couldn't just leer at 'em and join in the killin'...I had to help...And I had to be careful not to attract attention and have this Earth's human Buffy and the guys gettin' wind of me..."

And I realized I was feelin' a little strange...The soul seemed to carry its own baggage, apart from the usual hideous remorse and all, I mean...It seemed almost to have had its own life...And memories...Memories I knew were different from what I'd known on my world...

"So I did stopped to do some consultin' with experts, such as they were...Figurin' I'd best get my act together if I was gonna win you to this deal once you knew just who I was...Though, naturally with the soul back I was ready to step aside if you and your Buffy were...You know.." she shrugged... "But, as Buffy and you still didn't seem to be makin' moves on each other...In fact, from what I was hearin'...She was actin' kinda strange...Not her old self...Kinda cold to the old family, keepin' from them...Even Dawnie feelin' neglected, according to what I heard via some guys I got to magically tap phone lines..."

And then, after going through all the available help at hand...I found out...

Hmmn?...he stared...

"They...The folks I consulted...Including some vicious but very learned demon monks in China... Weren't sure if we all have just one Soul across the universe's dimensions...Or if souls get blocked in interdimensional summonings or what...But the bottom line was..."

When I got my Buffy soul in Africa...I kinda...Sorta...

"Completely unintentionally, I swear..." she put up a hand...

Though I can't say about your demon god...I did get the impression he was laughin' at me behind my back when I left...

"You took Buffy's soul?..." his voice went from shock to vivid rage in less than five seconds...

"Hey, it's my soul, too...Ummn...Or now...I mean, I am the soul, mainly...It's the demon body I took..."

Or got stuck in, whatever way you chose to look at it...she sighed...

"So you see, Will...I really am mostly your Buffy...Just the physical body and mind weren't mine...This Earth's mine...Though very, very close..."

"But...My...The Buffy of this Earth?...Is she...? What?...Demonically human now?...A zombie?...Some kind of murderous human fiend...?"

Which might well explain the lack of attention yours truly has been gettin'...Me not for one second believin' Andrew kept my secret for more than thirty seconds on his return...

"Oh, no...She's still human and all...Just soulless now...And actually doin' pretty well...Probably about as happy as a soulless type can be..."

"So, she's evil now?..."

"Nooo..." she frowned suddenly...Geesch, Will...This is me we're talkin' about...

"Not evil...And she still fights the good fight...Occasionally, at least...It's just...Without the soul, she's not quite as into the incredible compassion and selflessness thing...She kinda takes it a little easier now...Especially when it's not a world-saving crisis..."

And maybe she's a little colder to Dawn and our friends...Not all that concerned about you and your fate...Not willing to stick up for poor Angel when Giles insisted he'd sold out to Evil, Inc...

"But hey, instinct and memory alone...And her natural good sense and desire to stay on the winning side...Keeps her on the Light side...Don't worry..."

He eyed her narrowly...

"If you really were...If you have my girl's soul in there..."

"I'd never allow it to be kept from human Buffy, right..." she sighed... "And for a while I was gonna stick myself and send me back to the human host...If I could be sure she'd get the soul back, of course..."

No point in dustin' only to find myself back off to Heaven and soulless Buffy without me to watch her...

"But then I checked on her, unseen, and she hadn't become some kind of human Angelus...And you, despite that little rendezvous with Harmony..."

Of which she happily gave me full details...A hard frown at him as he tried to look somewhere else...Ummn...

"Weren't with anybody...God, sorry as I was for you being alone, I sure was happy to hear that..." she smiled... "And I thought, hey...If I do go back to human Buffy...The merged me-human host is sure to start in again with all the usual reservations as to you and me...Much as she...I...We...do love you, Will..."

And the biggest of prob of all...the long vamp lifespan...You'd only have me for a few years before I'd be the one to go dust...In slo mo, but still...Then you'd be alone...For God knows how long...Or you'd have to find a way to go human...Or even...She pantomined a staking...

"It's not fair to you...And now I had the perfect solution, thanks to my dimension-bridgin' demon..." she smiled...

But...he struggled to rise... "You can't mean it...You'd leave human Buffy without a soul?...Her soul..."

"Hey, 70% of my demon and human experts say it's my soul as much as human Buffy's...And of the rest, 80% say I at least have a valid claim to make on it..."

He frowned at her...Wincing a little at the pain of sudden motion...

Aw...Will...she sighed... "You know I'll do whatever's right in the end...But after I heard about you and Angel takin' on the Partners, I had to make sure you were safe and I wanted to talk this over with you first..."

After all, if I stay with the vamp bod...she raised a forefinger to his glare...Now, hear me out...

"We can stay together, no complications...And this world gets an Immortal Slayer...With a very compassionate soul..."

And human Buffy knows, I think...she noted... "At least about lacking the soul and all...I think that's why she's been running off with the Immortal...Keepin' away from Dawn and the guys..."

She likes her life now...Much as a soulless human can like anything...

"If you are a soul...If you're not lyin', fooling my senses somehow..." he began... "Then you know I can't agree to this...Even if it's true that Buffy...You...Won't exactly be raring to renew our relationship..."

Yeah...she sighed...I knew you'd say that...Then beamed... "You are a good man, William..."

So...she sighed...

Looks like you oughta be safe here...she handed him a cell phone... "Giles' Council number is the first one...He can relay the call to someone here...They'll pick you up..."

"You wanna do the honors...?" she eyed him...Offering a stake...

I can't guarantee 100% I'll wind up in human Buffy...But my experts did kinda think it would work out...she noted...

Ummn...he stared at the stake in her hand...

"Right..." she nodded... "It was a little mean of me...Sorry...I'll go back there and do it myself..." she waved at the back of the alley...

Bye, sweetie...she bent down over him to kiss him... "I am Buffy, Will...Everything important...And I do love you...I want you to know that..." she rose...

Wait...he whispered...Trying to rise a little...

"Don't William..." she hastily knelt back down... "You'll hurt yourself...I'm ok with this...I knew in my heart I'd hafta..."

I just wanted to see you again...See you safe...she smiled...And tell you how much I do love ya...Without the human complications gettin' in my way...

"We'll catch up together in Heaven...Look for me at those pearly gates when you come...I'll be wearin..."

"Wait, Buf..." he put out a shaky hand... "There's no need to do it that way..."

And no need to do it alone...he eyed her...

"Lets see the dawn together..." he smiled at her... "I've no pressing plans this morning..."

"William...You have so much to do...A life to regain that you deserve to live...And if you're startin' to get all noble you're obviously feelin' a little better and not likely to die from these wounds..."

A little...he nodded, grinning as he managed to sit up...She tried to get him to lie back but he waved her efforts off...Taking her hand...

Listen, Buffy...

"Girl...Endless centuries alone condemned to being Angel's undead, wisecracking sidekick is hardly what I'd choose to call...Life...Even Unlife..." he grinned... "Suppose we leave it to God...The miserable soddin' bastard..."

If he makes me or better yet both of us human before dawn...We'll graciously stay on and try our best to defend and better his pathetic little world...

If not...Wherever we go, we go together...

"Will..." she frowned... "I didn't come here to get you to commit suicide with me..."

And one of us should keep an eye on human Buffy...In case I don't wind up back there...

"If you go, girl..." he shook his head... "I go...Buffy, there's no life for me here, alone...Only with you, wherever that is..."

"'Death, only death, can break the lasting chain;

And here, ev'n then, shall my cold dust remain,

Here all its frailties, all its flames resign,

And wait till 'tis no sin to mix with thine'..." he quoted...

"That's..." he began...

"'Eloisa to Abelard'...Alexander Pope...I know..." she beamed... "I put it on your tombstone on my world after you died...Say, you are feeling better..."

He stared at her...

"It was a favorite of yours...And I've done my damnest...As demon or human...Souled or soulless...To live up to it..."

Girl...he smiled up to her, taking her hand...

"You do believe me, then...?" she eyed him... "That I am..."

I believe you...he nodded... "I'd know that soul in any body..."

"Whoa..." a familiar voice chuckled at them...He tried to look over...She staring...

"Now that is romantic, guys..." Buffy smiled coolly at them from just up the alley...

Hey, Will...she nodded to him...Putting down a large orb, now black and drained...

"Nice to see you still kickin'..."

And you...she turned to her twin... "So I imagine I have you to thank for my new outlook on life...?"

"Buffy..." vamp Buffy/Anne eyed her... "Will's not up for this sort of thing...If we're gonna fight or anything..."

Human Buffy rolled her eyes... "Fight?...Sweetie, your demon is showin'...I don't wanna fight...It ruins clothes and might potentially lead to Death some bad day...Not to mention beauty-marring scars that might not always heal so well..."

But you're right...she nodded, looking William over... "He does look bad...We best wind things up quick...If he'll be sensible..."

Though I thought you two were planning a big flame-out in a couple of hours?...That can be painful too, ya know...A grin...

"Now William..." she came closer to him... "From what I heard before I butted my lovely blonde head in on this tender scene...You were taking the noble road again...Heroically insistin' that..." she eyed Buffy/Anne...

"Buffy..." Buffy/Anne firmly noted...

"Right, Buffy-vamp twin...Must give up the soul to me...And you, whoever you are...Buffy-twin from another world..."

Seemed to be insanely bent on provin' your devotion and essential souled niceness by makin' the ultimate sacrifice...For me as well as our guy?...

"Thanks...Sis?..." the human nodded with another cool smile...

But suppose...Will, just suppose... That I'm content with things as they are...

"Suppose...For what I chose to call...Whatever...Love, affection...Or the memories of the same...I'm good to go on lettin' you keep Buffy the Soul in there...To be with you..." she nodded at Buffy/Anne... "And leavin' me to move on with my life...Soulless or no..."

Call it my way of payin' you back for all you've done for me...And for the sake of what I...What I still at least remember I...Felt for you...

He shook his head weakly...

"If you were yourself, Buffy...You'd never agree to this...What about your family, the friends, the Nibs?..."

"They haven't seemed to get too upset about me the months since Buffy the Soul Sucker vacuumed me soulless...I'd say they've excepted the new me as a natural thing...Growin' up, developing my own interests...Getting freakin' bored to tears with the same old, same old...In any case, it was better than the way I'd been since Sunnydale..."

Even you woulda believed in me if you'd seen then...she smiled... "My new, detached and poised style was a definite improvement from their pov..."

"I can't go along, Buf...This is wrong and I'm more...Not less...Sure of it since soulless you came in..."

Mmmphf...she frowned...Then eyed Buffy/Anne... "Some guys..."

"He wants to do the right thing by us, Buffy...And I suppose he's right..." the vampiress sighed... "We know he's right...Though at least now he knows we did try to be with him..."

"William..." human Buffy looked at him... "I'm warning you...Even if this succeeds and she pops right back in me...The practical, sensible, for-want-of-a-better-word, soulless side of me will win out on this...Much as my soul loves you...And even I, who can't exactly get all that het up over anybody now, cares, sympathizes, and would like to have you around...Especially if you stay with Angel and his new Wolfram-Hart at a salary that might keep me..." she grinned...

"But in the end, all the things that kept me from trying to help you before you got the soul...From dying with you at the Mouth, from trying to bring you back from the dead...They'll be still be there..."

I tried to bring him back from the dead...On my Earth...Buffy/Anne noted... "Good for you..." human Buffy nodded...

"I get the picture...Still no picket fence in our future..." he sighed... "But...What about the Immortal?...What's he got...?"

"He's soulless...With a kinda moral sense and a healthy appreciation of the practical benefits of fighting for the winning side...He understands me and he knew right away when I suddenly lost the soul...Even offered to try and help, though not knowing the method there wasn't anything he could do except help me conceal it from Dawn and co...He doesn't expect or demand too much from me, as you would William... We get along..."

And he's got all the wealth and power necessary to keep this soulless Slayer girl in style...she smiled faintly...

"Maybe it'll be different now..." Buffy/Anne noted... "I've made him believe I love him...Maybe I'll convince us that we can try to love him once this body's dust and we reunite..."

"Maybe..." human Buffy shrugged... "But given past history, I wouldn't put money on it...And there's the pain we'd cause him...That's been blocking us as well...He'd have us for a few years, then...Alone again..."

And duty would press him to stay on...We'd want him to look after everybody...He'd get all noble the way he does now, and stay...

"I kinda figured the same..." Buffy/Anne nodded...

"So...Will, you can either agree to this..." human Buffy turned to him... "And let us work out some way to tell the guys..."

No?...she eyed his shaking head...

"Well...Then there's the other solution..." she sighed...

Buffy/Anne tensing a little...Human Buffy eyeing her...

Hey...she frowned... "I don't mean...That...In my soulless way I love him too, ya know...I got the memories, if not quite the heart...And I know what I owe him..."

She looked fixedly at Buffy/Anne...Oh...hh...That solution...the vampiress nodded...

"What?..." William looked at the Buffies...

"Are you sure?..." Buffy/Anne asked... "Yeah..." human Buffy nodded... "It's the best way...But be quick...Dawn and the others are gonna be here any minute..."

"But can we be sure...?" "If you wind up in Heaven, William will take care of her...And she'll go to Africa, I've no doubt...She already did once, right?..."

Yeah...Buffy/Anne nodded, smiling...

"Buffy..." Will tried to rise, suddenly realizing... "Don't..."

Human Buffy knelt and cocked her head to one side, waiting...Smiling as gently as she could at Will for a moment...

"There's only room for one Buffy here, my...Our...Love...But it will be my body...And our soul...Minus the complications...Hurry..." she glanced at Buffy/Anne...Who headed over towards her...

No...he tried...Geesh, Will...she frowned at him..

"Just for once, accept a gift instead of insisting on being the giver...I don't know about sis here but I know I'm making a big effort on this one..."

Lets get crackin' sis...she smiled at Buffy/Anne who reached her now...

"Will, if we don't reunite right away, make sure you call Giles and have him warn Dawn and the Slayers...We'll get away and make it to Africa, don't fret...Though I hope things go the quick way...If they do, we can go vacation somewhere together a week and then just say some vamp got me while I was tending you and you somehow got me to Africa... "

And my strange behavior these past months was just my poor sufferin' heart workin' things out...she smiled...

"Which is more or less true..."

Buffy/Anne paused by her, waiting...

"Tell Henri...The Immortal..." human Buffy smiled... "It was fun, a real blast...But I had to follow my..."

Soul...I think He'll understand...

"I do love you, too, in my way, Will...It is what I want...I remember how I felt...And I want to be free to feel that way again...Pain or no...With you...Forever..." she noted quietly...Motioning to Buffy/Anne who bent over her...Took demon face and sank fangs...

Stake at her side in hand, ready...

"Immortal Beloved..." LXXXIII...

A shortie..

.PG-13

Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!

It's all yours and ME's...(and of course, Cole's)

Spoilers for Angel to the bitter end...Flee at once!...

Summary: Various outcomes following "Girl In Question" and /or "Not Fade Away" on Angel...

Ok, I lied about stopping at 50...But me poor ole mum would just say, "so long as I like it, it's ok..."

An alleyway in LA...Late evening...

(Night and Day, Cole Porter...)

Play

"Like the beat beat beat of the tom-tom

When the jungle shadows fall...

Like the tick tick tock of the stately clock

As it stands against the wall...

Like the drip drip drip of the raindrops

When the summer shower is through...

So a voice within me keeps repeating you, you, you...

Night and day, you are the one

Only you beneath the moon or under the sun

Whether near to me, or far

It's no matter darling where you are...

I think of you...

Day and night, night and day, why is it so

That this longing for you follows wherever I go

In the roaring traffic's boom

In the silence of my lonely room

I think of you

Day and night, night and day ...

Under the hide of me

There's an oh such a hungry yearning, burning inside of me

And this torment won't be through

Until you let me spend my life making love to you

Day and night, night and day ...

Night and day, you are the one

Only you beneath the moon or under the sun

Whether near to me, or far

It's no matter darling where you are

I think of you...

Day and night, night and day, why is it so

That this longing for you follows wherever I go...

In the roaring traffic's boom

In the silence of my lonely room

I think of you

Day and night, night and day ..."

Illyria stared at William as his cd player stopped...Angel and a staggering Gunn staring briefly as well...As the tiny group braced for contact with the horde bearing down on them...

"That is your battle song?..." she eyed the blonde vampire...

Yeah...

Hmmn...she reflected...Raising spear as the ground shook and the first blasts of fire from the dragon approaching set trash cans ablaze around them...

"It's a good song..." she nodded...May I?...

"Be my guest..." he grinned...She pressed play...

"Night and day...Wesley...You are the one..." she began...

London...Same time...

"...Only you beneath the moon or under the sun

Whether near to me, or far

It's no matter darling where you are...

I think of you...

Night and day..."

The music paused...

"Hope that kinda says it all, Giles..." Buffy's voice came from the tape player... "By now I'm in LA..."

"Sorry to have stolen that orb from the archival vaults but I couldn't get hold of Willow and there wasn't time to fly after Andy told us at the meeting this morning about him being with Angel..."

And sorry to have lied about agreeing it was best not to go ...I knew you'd try and stop me...

"Forgive me for doing things this way...If anything goes wrong...My own call..."

Tell His Benevolence...I'm sorry...But I think he'll understand I had to go...

"Love ya...All..."

Ummn...If you do manage to reach Willow...

Nairobi...Same time...

"...Whether near to me, or far

It's no matter darling where you are...

I think of you...

Day and night, night and day, why is it so

That this longing for you follows wherever I go

In the roaring traffic's boom

In the silence of my lonely room

I think of you

Day and night, night and day ...

Under the hide of me

There's an oh such a hungry yearning, burning inside of me

And this torment won't be through

Until you let me spend my life making love to you

Day and night, night and day ..."

Kennedy shut off the repeating CD player...Turning to a Willow sitting on the floor of the supervisor's lodgings of the Council of Watchers' new but rather solidly built, African headquarters...Several African Slayers in attendance in the room...Some frightened, some kneeling by Willow...All visibly upset and sobbing...

"Willow...I am so sorry..." the Slayer moved to her, putting hands on her shoulders...

"I should have known right away by the tone in his voice...I should have guessed...It's been almost a year to the day...I should have been here..." Willow murmured...Stroking the dark hair of the head in her lap...

Xander...she whispered...For the third time unfolding and trying to read a brief note...