Disclaimer: (see Part One)
Part Five
Giles and the Slayerettes were doing the curse as all this happened. Buffy took out her stake and swiftly raised it above her head.
"Hurry!" hissed Giles. Willow sped up the chant and the Orb grew to an overwhelming white light that radiated through the whole tunnel.
Buffy sat over him, stake aimed to plunge through his heart. She took a deep breath and concentrated. 'He's just another vampire,' she thought to herself, and the stake began it's decent toward Angelus' heart.
Willow said the last line of the curse just as Buffy swung her stake downward. As the last word was uttered, the Orb of Thessulah let out a crack and Angelus' eyes snapped open and glowed red. His body jerked. Buffy, confused by the noise and the light, halted her stake an inch from Angelšs chest. She looked around, and not seeing anything unusual, raised her stake to try again.
"Buffy, don't," yelled Willow, running to the gate. Angel's eyes fluttered open.
"Buffy," he whispered. Then, seeing the stake raised above her head, he knew what he had to do.
"What are you guys doing here?" Buffy asked the group peeking through the gate.
"It was a trap," Giles said.
"Yeah, I figured that out," said Buffy.
"We cured Angel," Willow told her excitedly. Buffy looked down at him.
"You're boyfriend is dead," Angel said cruelly. "And you still can't kill me."
"It must not have worked. He's still a jerk," Buffy said, and raised her stake to finish him off.
"No Buffy, it worked, it worked!" Willow shouted.
Angel was still being brave about his coming death. "Kill me," he whispered.
"Angel? Is it you?" Buffy asked. She could see the pain in his eyes that replaced the hate. It was Angel!
"Please, Buffy. Kill me while you can," Angel said through clenched teeth. Buffy ignored him, and knelt over him, lightly touching his bruised jaw.
"Are you okay?" she asked. Angel's eyes were watering and his face was back to it's human form.
"You should kill me. After everything I've done..." Angel choked on the words. He jumped up and ran past her out the way the other vampires left. Buffy jumped up too and started running after him. She turned around at the entrance.
"Willow. Thank you." Willow smiled and nodded modestly. Buffy ran out chasing Angel. She chased him for what seemed like hours. Through the caves, through the park, the graveyard, over endless hills. Sometimes Buffy couldn't see him or hear him, but she followed him with her slayer sense. Finally she came to the top of the hill overlooking the town. She crept forward and saw Angel sitting over the edge of the cliff, his body shaking from forced back tears. Buffy stood behind him.
"I killed Jenny," Angel wept. Buffy put a hand on his shoulder and sat down next to him. "I tried to kill your friends, your mother. I took the lives of innocent people. I tried to drive you insane." Angel finished, looking Buffy straight in the eye.
"It wasn't you," Buffy told him comfortingly. "You still brought me roses."
"Don't you understand? I am the demon, and he's me. There is no distinction. I deserve to be dead."
"That's not true. I know you. You're kind and... You would never try to hurt anyone."
"You know, I've had years of torture with a soul. But now all the pain is renewed. When I think of the terror on Jenny's face just before I snapped her neck..." Angel broke down in renewed tears. "How can you forgive me?"
"I do forgive you, Angel. Because I understand that it wasn't your fault." Buffy sighed. She couldn't believe what she was going to say next. "But I think we should just stay away from each other for a while. We don't want the same thing to happen again, and I think we both need time to heal." She looked up for his reaction.
Angel looked away from her. "I understand."
Buffy got up. "I should go check on the others. I'll see you around," She started to walk away.
"I was watching you," Angel told her quietly.
"I know," Buffy whispered, and walked slowly away.
Angel silently cried. Buffy was the only one who had kept him alive before. Now that she wouldn't comfort him in his greatest time of need... Angel picked up the sharp wooden stake next to him. He stood up and turned around, watching Buffy walk away from him. He sobbed loudly, and pointed the stake at his heart. "I love you," Angel whispered and stabbed himself in the heart.
Buffy took one last look behind her at her only love, which she was abandoning. She saw Angel's silhouette illuminated by the bright round moon. She saw the beautiful yellow moon brighten each piece of dust as it sprinkled to the ground. "Angel," she choked, and ran to where the dust was swirling into a little pile. Her joints weakened and she fell to her hands and knees. Buffy let her limp form shudder with uncontrollable weeping. She almost heard a whispered goodbye from where Angel had stood. "Goodbye. I love you." Buffy sobbed. She fell to the ground. As Buffy lay weeping, a breeze came which blew Angel's ashes over the cliff and away into nothingness.
~The End~
Feedback?
Go
here for more of BuffyT's stories.
