Authors Notes: I'm pretty sure lots of other people have done a story like this: Here's my take on it since I was watching this ep this morning. (rerun blues)
~~~~~~~~~ ß signifies a flashback

********* Also…not sure how good this is…it's not really fluffy…just a better ending than the real show.
Distribution: My site, Angel Forevermore, the groups I send them to and if everyone else can just tell me where it's going first. I'll probably say yes!
Feedback? <G> Does Angel look hot wearing leather pants? (All together now, Nod your head "YES!")

Buffy walked through the side door of the mansion apprehensively, as if she was almost afraid of what to see. It was dark inside, but somehow, she still found enough light to find the exact spot where she had killed Angel. Buffy slowed her pace, walking into the middle of the room. Memories she had been trying so hard to suppress came rushing back to her.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Her and Angelus clashing swords together as the mouth of Acathla opened wider and wider.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Angel on his knees, his eyes glowing yellow before calling out her name so softly…so lovingly.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Even now, after almost 4 months, Buffy fought back the tears. The emotions she felt as she walked into the silent mansion were overpowering her.

But this was it…Buffy had grieved…hell, she had run away to LA to spend the entire summer grieving. But now, it was time to move on. She couldn't linger in the past and pray each day that Angel would miraculously return to her. She knew that could never happen...he was in hell. SHE sent him to hell.

Buffy slowly approached the middle of the dark room and stood there for a second, taking everything in.

~~~~~~~~~~

Angel kissing her lovingly, caressing her back with his hands as she still loosely held onto the sword

~~~~~~~~~~

The two lovers whispering their vows and words of love as Buffy tried to ignore the swirling vortex behind Angel.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy pushing the sword through Angel's gut, stepping back wide eyed as Angel gets sucked into Hell forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~

However, she knew she had to move on. <I have Scott Hope. Scott wants to date me.> Buffy thought to herself. <Angel's not coming back for me…It's time.>

She bent down on her knees, holding a small silver piece of jewelry in her now-clammy hand. Buffy opened her hand to reveal the claddagh ring Angel had given her on the night of her seventeenth birthday. <The night before everything in my life went wrong.> Buffy thought. She placed the ring on the floor, hearing it drop on the cold tile.

"Good bye." She whispered, her voice choked up with so much emotion. Buffy rose to her feet, looking above and all around her. More memories, memories she wanted to forget SO badly came back to her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Staring at Angel as he held out his hand, his eyes full or questioning, betrayal, and hurt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The portal closing, sucking Angel away along with it, as Angel's call out to Buffy was engraved into her memory.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy lowered her head, holding back the tears she had sworn so long ago that she would never cry again. Turning back around, Buffy began walking out the front door, unable to stand the sight of this place any longer.  However, Buffy froze when she felt the ground beneath her start to shake. <Earthquake!> Was her first thought. After all, this was California. However, from behind her, she heard an inhuman growl and grumble.

She swirled back around, staring up at the ceiling, which sounded like it was splitting open right in front of her. In the middle of the mansion, a dim light grew increasingly brighter and larger. <What the hell?> Buffy thought, holding up her arm to block the light from her eyes. There was a crack of thunder and suddenly, a shadow appeared in the light. Something…no…<someONE> Buffy thought, was here.

The form quickly fell to the cold, floor. Buffy could barely see because of the bright light in her face. However, within another second, the light had vanished. The mansion was now dark as the night outside. She looked towards the middle of the mansion to see what happened. "Oh God…" she breathed into the night.

There, lying in the middle of the floor, was Angel. Totally naked and his hair and body soaked and glistening from sweat, lay Buffy's lost love, shivering violently.

Buffy ran to him, crouching on her knees to look at him. "Angel…" she started softly. She reached out to touch him and he flinched back aggressively. She stared at his body, which was covered with cuts, scars, and bruises from his torture in hell.  Looking up, she spotted a white sheet overtop a chair and she ran over to get it. Buffy covered him up; however, his shaking continued. Minutes passed, however, and Angel's shaking lessened. An hour passed and Angel simply lay there with his eyes closed as Buffy sat there, staring at him.

<He's back.> she thought over and over again. <I took time…so much time to get over him and now he's back…> She looked over at the floor where she could see where he'd fallen. <My love brought him back.> she thought next. For when she looked out on the floor, in the middle of the burned imprint where Angel had landed, she could see her claddagh ring.

That's not what had surprised her the most, though. As Buffy had been wrapping the sheet around Angel, she felt something new. When she ran her fingertips over his chest she felt…a heartbeat. She hadn't even believed it at first. When she had first felt the faint `thump, thump' against her hand, Buffy's eyes went wide and she suddenly felt as though she might faint. <Angel…with a heartbeat.> She had thought. <He's human…it…he…they brought him back to me as human.>

Now, almost two hours later since Buffy had arrived at the mansion simply to put her past behind her, she still sat there, staring at her love.  Buffy moved closer to Angel, staring at him. He occasionally shivered, but other than that had become completely still. His eyes were closed so Buffy assumed he was asleep. She ran her fingers through his hair, feeling him. Suddenly, Angel's eyes opened and he lashed out at her, grabbing her hands and holding onto them tightly. Buffy shrieked, not expecting his outburst. Buffy stared at him, wondering what he was doing: what was going on in his mind. Slowly, the look of evil and cold in Angel's eyes faded out and he looked…REALLY looked at Buffy for the first time.

"Angel…" Buffy began. "Do…do you recognize me?"  She stared into his eyes…eyes that she thought she'd never be staring into again.

Buffy saw Angel swallow and take a deep breath. "…Buffy?" he questioned. "Oh God…" he whispered. He let go of her hands and pulled her closer to him, hugging her tightly as tears began to fall down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry…God, I'm sorry…sorry...Buffy."

Buffy began to feel tears welling in her eyes. She welcomed his embrace, allowing him to cry and hold her as he whispered words of apology in her ear. Never in her dreams had she thought that Angel would come back to her from Hell. Come back to her as a human. She could feel his rapid heartbeat throbbing against her chest and let out a sigh.

Buffy sighed a sigh of relief, feeling a huge burden being released off her shoulders. Angel had come back to her. As Buffy sat there with Angel's head in her lap, she couldn't help but smile. The two definitely had things they had to work out. She had to get Angel back to a healthy condition and Buffy had emotional scars all over that she needed healed. Nonetheless, Buffy knew that she could do that and anything else just as long as she had her Angel with her. Buffy leaned down and kissed Angel's head, silently thanking the Powers that they had allowed her Angel to come back to her.

Go to the next story Home

Send feedback to Rachel

Back to the Fanfiction Archive