Forever and a Day
by AngelZ

Angel sat on the couch with his arms around Buffy. There wasn’t much talking going on...just a whole lot of kissing. They broke away from each other after a time and just closed their eyes, savouring every moment that they had together. They had to treasure every moment because like Buffy had once said, "seize the moment ‘cause tomorrow you might be dead"...

"I could spend forever like this," Buffy whispered.

"Like what?"

"With you..forever"

"Forever....that’s the whole point....."

He had the happiness that he was never intended and it was all because of her. The soft lighting in the apartment set an almost humanly glow to Angel’s usually pale complexion...but this is one of the things that Buffy had noticed.....that though his skin was cold, his embrace warmed her........Everything about his being made him so special....made her feel so special. Angel felt Buffy’s body sag in his strong arms and he smiled as he looked at her peaceful face as she slept...He didn’t have the heart to wake her up, if she only got these moments as an interlude to slayerdom then she would be lucky.

Back at Sunnydale High things were not so peaceful. Giles...through his cross-referencing travels had come across an old leather bound book (aren’t all the books like that) which mainly had dust holding it together (no...still not making it distinguishing enough..). However it was the contents of the book which were important - As Giles could recall he had never actually seen this book before and why this was puzzled him.

Angel had long ago fallen asleep and he was jerked from his dreams by the urgent banging at the door. Buffy was also alerted to this fact and together they made a move for the door. A looked of surprise and anxiety washed over their faces when they saw that it was Giles. He looked paler than Angel and his breathing was ragged.....Buffy was the first to break the scene.

"Giles!...Come in...what’s the matter??!"

Angel ushered Giles top the couch as he struggled to form words.....when he did go to speak his voice was solemn and even.

"I..found something..." Buffy and Angel looked at him blankly as he struggled for what to say, "a..another prophecy but....but more serious than we’ll ever face... than we’ll ever face together..."

Angel placed a protective arm around Buffy and urged Giles to finish what he was saying.

"I found another book...another Codex if you will but this one is um...based only on the truth...in fact it gives details of only a few events in any millennia but it has one for us now...I thought it had been destroyed because of it’s power....but seems I was wrong."

"So what’s the story..am I going to die again? Because if so, can you ask them not to drown me....it’s a horrible resuscitation process and...."

Her voice was stilled as she saw Giles’ face...it held no amusement..no jokey retorts to her lack of interest..it just held fear..

"Oh my God..When?...When am I going to die?" her voice was a quivering whisper....

"I don’t think it would be wise for you to know...."

Angel’s eyes were darting from one of them to the other and he spoke in a rush.."But there’s got to be some way around this...check it again....I won’t lose you again."

The calmness that overtook Buffy amazed her as well as Angel. " It’s just fate.... Angel..fighting is strong and it’s everyday...but we can do it together...and we can make it a fight to the end.....because no-one is going to have an easy task of taking me down...they’ll have to be darn quick....or go by the name of Cordelia?" she finished weakly.

" What shall I tell the others?"

" Tell them it’s just another demon....but a strong one.....confound them with your knowledge....let them help, we gonna make this a good fight......but if I don’t make it....tell them that they did all they could .....and in the end....it’s just the crappy hand that fate dealt me.......no aces for Buffy this time."

"How long do we have to prepare Giles?"..Angel was hopeful thinking he might say..’ oh a few years yet..’ but in his heart...his still heart... he knew that there was never enough time....

"It happens in tomorrow when the sun sets...but the sun will not rise..not on that day because the world will have truly lost one of it’s greatest warriors....and lightening will herald the dawn of a day without so much hope...of a day without Buffy Summers"

A single tear rolled down Buffy’s face.." But ..it’s my birthday. She buri"ed her face into Angel as he held her close. The irony of it being her birthday was just too much...the big evil people in the Hell resources department had planned it too well...a day when she had nearly lost Angel.....when she had come close to losing her mother as well as her own life because of the watcher’s council.

Giles moved silently out of the room to look for anything they could use..but it would be no good..no good at all...

She pushed the doors open and they swung in her quake as she made her first few steps into the hallway...the library seemed more eerie now than she had ever thought...it was silent with the sound of research and her footsteps echoed into the stacks. Buffy felt alienated..’Well not everyone’s gonna die tomorrow’ she muttered under her breath.

It was Xander who first acknowledged her arrival. "The Buffster....nice of you to make an appearance to help slay the demon we’re researching on for you...."

"Well you know what they say...all work and no play makes Buffy a cranky slayer.....And a cranky slayer is a careless slayer..." She looked at him hopefully...that the was going to pursue conversation but when he did not she continued as it was a regular research party.

"So you guys found anything yet?"

"Not really.....apart from that leprechauns do exist and that Troy Maclure is some sort of demon." He gave a lop-sided grin and then shrugged. "Ya know they have prophecy books for everything..."

"Well it’s great that I have a wonderful friend to look through them all."

Xander was slightly taken aback by her words....I mean it was just a regular Tuesday right.....she wasn’t under some mushy spell....."And remember that whatever happens..." She glanced around," all of you in fact....that you’ve been the best friends I could ever have....You’ve stuck through me with spells and souls and witches and demons....

"And vampires" Willow shouted

"And werewolves." Oz laughed....

Actually Buffy had been a little stuck over what to say so she had given Giles a letter which had all of the little things that she would never remember...and on your last day of earth.....you can’t afford to forget anything.

Buffy awoke then next morning and smiled inwardly as she saw Angel sleeping...He was so loyal and so trusting.....She knew that they were about to have one of the hardest conversation that they would ever share...but for these few moments she was content just to succumb to time....she knew what was going to happen but she knew that she would wait for him in heaven and that one day they would be reunited. With that thought she was able to go back to sleep for just a little longer.

It was nearly sun set and only 15 minutes remained before the fight began....Buffy laid her head on Angel’s shoulder as they swayed to music that only they could hear.....

"Angel?"

"Yeah...."

"I don’t want to go...I don’t want to leave you......" She swallowed the forthcoming tears and uttered the words that few slayers would ever say...."I’m scared."

"Let me fight it....I can’t bear to see you go through this."

"Angel you know what the book says...whatever I do...whatever you do...we can’t change it..."

"There isn’t enough time...oh god...We need more time! "

"This might be the last time I’ll see you on this earth so let’s have a few perfect moments...."

Angel kissed Buffy gently as the battle drew ever nearer.

She stood proudly on the hill that overlooked town.....And inhaled deeply as the stillness overtook her....Angel’s hand rested on her shoulder and even though the town was just metres away..she couldn’t hear anything...she couldn’t see anyone apart from Angel.....And she didn’t need to because while he was here she still possessed some of the charms that an slayer should have..y’know being able to see from both eyes....speaking..that kind of thing..which should would have trouble doing without him. Her mother had never stopped their lives from staying together and Buffy guessed that she was right...Love is blind....and her world of everyday terror disappeared with him there by her side.....

She looked up at him...the air was heavy as though a storm was approaching...

"It’s time.."

"I know"

"I’ll never leave you Angel....I love you...."

"You’ll never know how much you mean to me...never....and I never want to have to live this moment like I am now...because it will be their every night in my dreams...and I’ll never be able to forgive myself for what happened to you.."

"Promise me one thing.."

"Anything.."

"Don’t blame yourself .....I don’t regret a thing." "I love you."

They stood there as time stood still for them...for once...and shared their final heart breaking moments together.

"NNNOoooooooooooooooo!"

The rain had drenched Angel and as it’s water ran down his face....he found that his own tears mingled with it...Tears of blood for the only person he ever would love....And he lay there writhing in emotional agony screaming for who knows how long....but there was also physical pain - his heart was broken....she had fought to the end like she said she would but the writing was already on the wall and with a final blow her life had ended....

Angel sat on the hill by the mansion and he looked out at the city lights....He had placed a single red rose by her grave, her Claddagh ring to be worn as a sign of their love for evermore. And for the first time in over 200 years the Fallen Angel saw the harsh light of day.. Her name was the last to cross his lips.

And so, a fittingly tragic end to a tragic story about love’s two finest heroes. Eternal love in death as they had achieved in their lifetimes...

Go here for more of AngelZ's stories.

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page