This is the last chapter. Thanks for reading everyone!

Chapter 7:

The sky was a pale gray-blue. Dawn was only moments away. On the horizon towards the east you could already see the first orange and yellow licks of the sun that hasn't risen quite yet.

They were gathered on the flat roof of the San Francisco Police Department that they were allowed to use for this occasion.

Spike was wearing gloves and a large jacket with a hood that he'd pulled deeply into his face. He had turned his back towards the looming sunrise and instead watched Buffy and Angel. She was standing in front of his cage. A large metal construction that Xander has built for them.

Angel wasn't wearing anything extra to protect his pale skin from the sun.

Willow was there, too. Bent over a spellbook and surrounded by a handful of candles. In front of her in a little wooden box laid the amulet. The one that Spike wore in the last battle of Sunnydale and that was kept save until now by Wesley Wyndam-Pryce.

Angel stepped towards the very edge of his prison, raising his fingers to the iron bars. Buffy closed her hands around his from the other side, concentrating hard on keeping her emotions at bay. She tried a smile that quickly turned wobbly.

Angel encouragingly smiled back. "It's almost time. You should stay back."

Buffy squeezed his fingers. "Is this really a good idea?" she suddenly uttered. "What if it isn't going to work."

Angel scoffed. "What? Separating my soul from my demon to keep it save in the amulet until you can figure out a way to bring me back in human form? What could possibly go wrong?"

"Don't say that." she warned seriously, but with a smirk she couldn't repress. "Those words are guaranteed bad luck. I've seen it in movies."

Angel grinned but remained silent so she would look up at him again. "I do have faith in this." he promised her genuinely. "Willow did it once before… only kind of the other way around, forcing the soul back into my body. She has gotten so much more powerful since then. I have no doubt she can do it."

Buffy relaxed her shoulders a bit, turning her head to watch how Willow prepared her spell by murmuring chants under her breath, seemingly praying to her goddess of magic to give her strength. Buffy turned back to Angel in his cage. "Do you also have faith in us? I've talked to Fred. Even if she can recreate her device to recoporealize a ghost form of you, without the whole of you… the monster part of you… she has no idea what you'll be." Buffy reminded him worriedly. "You could be human, you could crumble to dust like your other half will soon do, you could also simply remain as a ghost without the right body. We don't know what'll happen!"

Angel reached through the bars and touched her face with his hand, calming her. "Shh. That's just part two of this plan. Honestly, I'm more than happy for only the first half to work."

Now the tears brimmed in the corners of Buffy's eyes after all. "But you'll be dead. You won't be aware of anything. I don't know if you'll be able to feel where the demon part of you goes. Spike said, separated from his body, he still knew that his monster went to Hell. It could be the same for you."

"And even so, it doesn't matter. This was always the plan." Angel spoke up to quell her worries. "I'll be gone from this world to let Spike live his life. Knowing that you'll keep the amulet and my soul safe is all I need."

"Fred hasn't got any of her previous financial resources." said Buffy. A tear leaked from her eye. "It could take years. Decades. We might not succeed at all."

"It doesn't matter, Buffy." Angel reassured her softly. "I'll be at peace. My soul will be at least and that's all that counts. Let me give you this. Please? I want to do this for the both of you. For Will. I want you to have a normal life… at least as normal as it can be." he smiled.

"Buffy." Willow spoke up softly. "It's time. I'll have to start or the process won't be done before the sun rises."

Buffy nodded at her, but when she turned to Angel again he could see the fear rise in her eyes.

"It's okay, Buffy, I'll be fine." he told her once more before panic could grab hold of her and cause her to have second thoughts. "Listen, I need you to promise me something: Don't blame Spike for any of this. Be happy. Live! Alright? You have to promise me that you live with him as long as he makes you happy and you love him. Because you do. I know you do and he loves you as well. Don't let this stand between you two."

She nodded again fiercely, holding on to his hands. "I promise."

"Good." he smiled. "That's all I want." He freed his hands from hers and stepped back to the middle of the cage. "Goodbye, Buffy. Keep me safe."

Unsteady on her feet, Buffy stepped backwards. "I will. But I won't say goodbye. We'll see you again. One day."

Angel smiled. Then he nodded at Willow. "I'm ready."

Buffy turned and ran into Spike's arms, who held her tight and shushed her quietly to keep her from shivering. "It's alright, luv." he whispered. "We'll do right by him."

Willow raised her voice in an old tongue that could have been Latin or old Greek maybe. Buffy could never tell. Winds rose and tumbled the witches red hair around. She looked ethereal in the illuminating sky that gradually blossomed behind her in pink, orange and yellow.

Buffy held on tightly to Spike's jacket, staring into Angel's ensouled eyes for the last time. Unwavering, he looked back at them.

"Until we meet again, old friend." she heard Spike whisper.

Then the gaze was broken as Angel was caught up by Willow's power. He shivered and moaned, stifling the pain of the monster clawing within him, slowly being freed of the repressing weight of his soul. He clutched his chest and, finally, Angel was forced to his knees. Light gathered around him and he screamed.

Buffy turned away, hiding her face at Spike's chest. She could hear how the scream turned more and more primal. She could tell by the shadows playing against each surface how the light traveled from the cage towards Willow and the little wooden box.

The witch spoke louder, fighting for control over the freed soul and then, opening her eyes but not turning to look over her shoulder, Buffy saw how the brilliant light entered the amulet. It glowed golden and strong and then slowly dimmed down as the soul settled in its new home.

And then she heard the menacing growl.

"Hello, old friend." Spike growled back and tightened his grip on Buffy.

"Spike." Angelus snarled. "So, I see you have changed sides again. I'm not surprised. I always knew you were weak. Poor Willy. Loved by no one."

"Make him stop." whispered Buffy against Spike, refusing to look the evil vampire in the eyes. He shushed her but stayed calm and still, unbothered by his old mentor's teasing.

"Oh, it's you, Sweetheart. Of course." said Angelus. Buffy could hear him run his fingers along the metal bars. "You can't tame him like you also couldn't tame me. We're animals, love, and you can't kill us because you believe you can save us. But you can't."

"Shut. Your. Mouth." hissed Buffy and slowly turned towards him after all. "Willow?" she asked.

"Almost." Willow answered, looking at the horizon. "Just a few more seconds at most."

Redirecting his focus, Angelus finally seemed to realize where he was and what was about to happen. Something similar to fear entered his dead eyes. "What the hell are you doing?" he growled, but no one was answering him.

They watched him as he watched the sky brighten more and more until the first rays of sunshine touched the horizon. He flinched away from the bars of his prison as the light burned him. His wild gaze flew from Willow to Buffy and finally rested on Spike. "Let me out!" he demanded, but Spike didn't move.

Holding on to Buffy's shoulders, they watched as his skin began to smoke under his clothes. The sun crept higher and the beast screamed and hissed in pain. He jumped against the bars, making them tremble. The chains, with which the prison was held in place, strained from the force of it.

"Let me out! Spike! Come on, we used to be friends! You don't belong with them! LET ME OUT!"

The beast cried out in pain, howling as his skin blistered. The sun rose higher. And his screams got more and more desperate. Angrily, he raged and rampaged in his cage. Jumping against the bars, clawing out to reach them, trying to pull the bars apart. The metal moaned under the strain.

"LET ME OUT!"

Willow and Spike exchanged a quick look, praying silently that the prison would hold out or they would have to fight.

Buffy seemed mesmerized and in shock, watching how Angelus burned from the inside out. Skin turning red, the monster screeching in agony. She watched him stop fighting and fall to his knees, throwing his arms over his head, shielding his face from the burning sun, but it was no use. One last roaring growl then Buffy quickly turned back into Spike's arms, fingers clenched around his jacket, eyes firmly shut.

There was the swooshing sound she heard so many times before when she was on patrol and the wild scream faded into nothing.

Silence for a beat.

"It's over, Buffy." Spike said, putting his gloved hands to each side of her face, lifting it to meet his eyes that were barely visible beneath his hood. "He's gone." He caressed her cheeks, looking at her with calm compassion.

Then, suddenly, he shuddered and the yellow in his eyes briefly flared up. Like a candle just before it went out. He grunted and squeezed his eyes shut. Trembling, he held on to Buffy's arms and she to his.

"Spike!" she called out, blinking her tears away to be strong for him. "It's okay. I'm here."

He groaned again, barely holding back a scream and his muscles tensed. He, too, went to his knees, but Buffy went with him, holding his shoulders as he bent over, breathing rapidly and trying to find back to a normal rhythm.

It wasn't long before his breathing stabilized again. Deep but calm, head still tilted down.

"Spike?" Buffy asked, carefully touching his cheek, lifting his gaze upwards. He looked at her out of blue eyes again and he raised his hands to remove his hood, the back of his brown curls caught in sunlight.

"I'm back." he answered quietly.

The tears of relief couldn't be held back anymore and Buffy sobbed as she hugged Spike tightly. Feeling his warmth again, the sound of his once again beating heart drumming against her ear. He wrapped his arms around her, pressing her close. And the truth came out from deep within him, too, as he buried his nose in her hair and he cried in relief. Mourning the loss of Angel and, at the same time, feeling so grateful for the invaluable gift he made them.

For a while they stayed there on the ground. The sun had risen fully by now and shone its warm light innocently down on them. Buffy and Spike pulled each other up to stand and Willow stepped towards them with the wooden box closed.

"Here. It's yours to keep now." she said. "Keep it away from direct sunlight or his decorporealized soul will come back sooner than you're ready for it and I'm not sure if I can direct a ghost back into the amulet."

"Thanks, Willow." Buffy said earnestly, taking the box and hugging her friend with her free arm.

Buffy and Spike looked down at the box. It was still warm to the touch, proof of the precious cargo inside. They looked at each other. Spike smiled.

"Right, we have work to do." he said. "Let's see if we can repay him for this and bring back a good, soulful Liam of Galway."

"Yeah," agreed Buffy with determination, interlacing her hand with Spike's. "It's not like we haven't done something like this before. Let's rewrite another stupid, ancient prophecy."