RATING: You watch it? You can read it.
DISCLAIMER: Not mine; don't sue.
DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall receive.
FEEDBACK: I crave it! It's like cigarettes, ya know? ; Just when I think I've quit… AngelicVampyre2@aol.com
SPOILERS: IWRY
NOTES: Takes place after the Oracles have turned back the day.
SUMMERY: The Oracles test Buffy & Angel's love.

The Oracles:

"The Soul is timeless…"

"…We cannot erase the memory therein…"

"…But most Mortals know not what dwells within themselves, their perceptions and feelings are shallow things…"

"…Be sure you do not underestimate them, the bond between them is strong…"

"…We shall see."

Angel Investigations:

Buffy kept her spine straight and her head high as she walked out into the sunlight but the moment she was certain that Angel could no longer see her she slumped against her wall, her body shaking as she gave in to her tears.

"Buffy! Are you okay? What happened in there?" exclaimed Cordelia in reluctant concern as she and Doyle turned the corner and saw her there.

"We agreed to stay apart…agreed to-to forget." Buffy explained brokenly, her voice little more than a whisper as she tried in vain to stop the flow of tears, "Forget! How can I when he's the only thing that makes me whole? Even if I never see him again then I'll love him 'til the day I die, I can never forget!"

Never forget…never forget…never forget… The words echoed inside her mind, over and over, growing louder each time until she wanted to scream from the pain but even that was beyond her and she could do nothing but moan as she collapsed in the street, clutching her head.

Dimly she heard Doyle ask curiously, "Does she get visions too, then? " but Cordelia's reply was drowned out by the racket within her own mind. Then, just as she felt that she could bear no more, the noise ceased as abruptly as it had begun and like a dam bursting the memories of the past day washed over her in a seemingly endless flood.

With a gasp, she leapt to her feet, startling Doyle and Cordelia who were about to pick her up and carry her back into Angel Investigations. Not taking the time to explain she ran back the way she had come, barrelling into Angel's office and slamming the door behind her.

Angel looked up from his mournful contemplation of her picture and then jumped to his feet in surprise when he saw who was standing there.

"Buffy! What…?"

Before he could finish the question, Buffy looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said softly, "I'll never forget."

The picture fell to the ground as Angel went rigid with shock but neither of them noticed the frame shatter as it struck the ground, they knew nothing but each other.

Unable to think of anything to say, Angel simply stared at her as she moved purposefully towards him. "I'll never forget," she said again, "I don't want to forget. I don't want to move on. No one else, no matter how 'nice' or how 'normal' they are, can ever give me even a fraction of what I get from you!"

Angel started to offer a half-hearted protest but she wouldn't let him speak. "Not a fraction." She said firmly, "and one day… one day we will find a way to be together. I have to believe that because you deserve to find happiness, I have to believe it because that hope is all that keeps me fighting from day to day."

Angel opened his mouth to argue but the words wouldn't come. He had used every bit of will power he possessed when he had visited the Oracles and there was nothing left for him to fight her with when she was offering him what he wanted more than anything else – a chance for them to have a future. With a defeated sigh he acknowledged his own weakness, bowed to the inevitable and said, "I love you."

Buffy's face lit up as she recognised his capitulation and she hurled herself into his arms. Two things happened at the same moment, the first was that Doyle and Cordelia walked in; the second was a sudden dazzling flash of white light lit up the room and when it faded, Buffy and Angel had vanished.

The Oracles:

The two oracles looked at one another;

"They have passed the test," the male acknowledged.

"The bond between their souls is true, as I had predicted."

"Summon them, then. What must be must be. I shall dispute this no more."

The female nodded and made a gesture with her hand. As she did so, Buffy and Angel appeared before them, still holding each other. Both opened their mouths to speak, but the Oracles beat them to it.

"Though two separate forms, you two are one…"

"…The test has proved this…"

"…Together you are powerful, alone you are dead…"

"…This must not be, you are needed for the coming battles."

"Warrior, the bond which holds your soul can, henceforth, be severed only by your ultimate demise."

"Chosen, the path that you must walk will ever be a rocky one, we wish you well."

"Draw strength from one another, for you are our greatest weapon against the darkness."

"We understand," said Angel softly, speaking for both of them after a single glance at Buffy's face told him that she was torn between joy and gratitude for what they were doing, and fury that they had felt the need to test them in the first place, "and…thank you."

Both the oracles bowed their heads once in acknowledgment; then the male made a gesture and Buffy and Angel vanished.

The two oracles watched for a long time as the Chosen and her unlikely love explained what had happened to their worried friends before reuniting in a frenzy of suppressed passion and love, tenderness and joy.

When they finally forced themselves to turn away to monitor other things important to the Powers, both the usually impassive beings were smiling.

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