Okay, here is the final chapter. It's short, I know, I'm prone to short final chapters. But anyhow, first off, I'd like to thanks for all the reviews, especially thanks to David Fishwick, as well as others. Secondly, I hope you like this last chapter
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"Damn traffic," Cordelia growled, "I'm late. At least I think I'm late"
She took the turn off from the freeway and began the drive towards Point Dume, making sure she kept to the speed limit, but also wanting to catch up on time lost. She checked her watch and saw it had been at least forty-five minutes since Angel called
"I hope he's still there. I hope that if he is, he's not cranky and forgives me for this"
Ten minutes later and she was arriving at Point Dume, smiling when she saw the Plymouth
"There he is. And here I am, Angel," she said, pulling up near the car
She got out and looked around, but Angel wasn't anywhere in sight
"Angel? Angel, where are you? Angel, come out, this isn't funny"
She looked around the Plymouth, finding the car keys on the ground
"Angel? Come on, I'm here now, you can come out of hiding"
There was no reply, as she continued her search with no sigh of the vampire anywhere
"Angel?"
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Piper rammed the stake through the vampire's heart, reducing him to dust as his would-be victim stepped away from the wall
"Thank you," she said, "He was going to kill me, wasn't he?"
"Yeah, he was. Lucky I was there. Now head off home"
The girl nodded and hurried out of the alley, as Piper shoved her hands in her pockets and left the alley, continuing her walk. She had been going for a small walk when she saw the vampire dragging the girl into the alley and gave pursuit. Lucky for her, she had been receiving some training in combat from Angel and Gunn, mainly on how to defend against and defeat vampires. Not that she minded, as it also gave her a chance to see the gang. Piper hadn't seen the gang for a while now, knowing that Cordelia would remain at the hotel with her two young children. As she continued walking, lost in her thoughts, she became aware of a sudden bright light before her
"What the?"
A large, silver-armoured demon appeared before her, as the light faded away
"Okay, so who are you?" Piper asked, getting into a defensive stance
"The name's Skip, young Piper Combs. Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you"
"Comforting. Okay, next question. How do you know my name?"
"Because the Powers are interested in you, Pipe"
"The Powers That Be? What do they want with a mere human like me?"
"Oh, you could be so much more than that, Piper. You know about the forces of darkness and yet you can't do much about it. You're not a sorcerer or a warrior. And I know that you want to have the abilities to fight evil, to become more than you are, so that in a way, you're equal to Angel and Cordelia"
"Okay, say I want to be more like Angel and Cordelia and the gang and be able to kick some evil ass," Piper said, "What are you gonna do about it?"
"I'm going to ascend you," Skip replied, "Ascend you so you can fight evil. All you gotta do is say yes. Think about it. It's a one in a lifetime offer"
"Okay then, let's ascend me then. Cordy's gonna love this," Piper said after a few minutes
Skip smiled and pressed his hand to her forehead. Piper closed her eyes and felt herself lifting into the air, surrounded by a bright light
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Angel opened his eyes, finding himself strapped down inside a box. Connor and Justine were finishing the touches to the steel cables holding him down. Feeling the box sway, Angel had a feeling that they were out on the ocean
"Connor, don't do this," Angel said, "I didn't kill Holtz. She knows the truth"
"He's lying," Justine said, "The demons always lie to get what they want"
"Death is too good for you," Connor said to Angel, "You get to live forever"
"You'll come to regret this," Angel said, "You'll hate yourself for this. Don't. Just know that I am your father and that I love you"
"Liar!" Connor said
He placed the lid over the box, as Justine slid the bars into place, locking Angel inside, then welded the bars shut, while Angel continued to call from inside the box. Connor ignored him as he shoved the box out into the ocean, watching the box disappeared beneath the surface. Angel watched sadly as he sank into the ocean depths, coming to a rest on the ocean floor, hidden away from sunlight
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Cordelia slowly made her way down the small cliff. She had tried calling Angel and heard a small tone nearby. Reaching the beach, she looked around until she saw a small flash of light and picked up Angel's mobile phone. He was nowhere to be seen and Cordelia knew that something bad must have happened
"AAANNNGGGEEELLL!!!"
There was no reply, as Cordelia stood on the beach, not knowing that her son had just sunk his father to the bottom of the ocean, while one of her friends had been ascended into the heavens, eventually winking out of existence all together. Cordelia felt the sadness well up inside her, before resolving to find Angel, no matter what
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