FIC; The Dying of the Light

[Jim_D_Means@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Hey, Scooby Gang!

This is it. The title bout. The Brawl To Settle It All. Belial vs Slayer for the fate of mankind. 
My final chapter in my first effort at fanfiction. Hope you enjoy, and if you're new to this list, 
allow me to plug Kimber's site, where my story is archived;
http://www.Kimbers-Corner.net 
Thanks, Kimber. And thank you for all the e-mail I've received. Keep it coming. I have a 
few more stories to tell about Buffy and Willow, so I should see you again in the near future.

Keep on Slayin'
Kirayoshi


Disclaimers; 

It's Joss Whedon's world, I'm just playing with it. If we all play nice together and put the toys 
back where we found them, everything will be lovely. 

This story's rated between a PG and PG-13. No explicit sex, some sensuality, some 
language, normal levels of slayer-ish violence. Nasties attack, Slayers slay, wackiness ensues. 
And if the thought of two women(Buffy and Willow in this case) being in love with each other 
wigs you out, then what are you doing on this website anyway? 

Tonight's episode contains music by Natalie Merchant, Jewel and Weird Al Yankovic

Archives; Let me know, and I'm liable to say yes. 

Feedback; give me a happy, and e-mail me at 

Synopsis; One year into the future, the Hellmouth is wide open and the vampires have taken 
over the Earth. A maimed Buffy travels back through time to stop the unholy bargain which 
was responsible for her world's destruction, and help her younger self face the truth about her 
feelings for Willow.

The Dying of The Light
Written by Kirayoshi

Chapter 7
Class Protector

"Elizabeth Anne Summers," Belial, the demon who wore the shape of former high school 
principal Roland Snyder hissed through gleaming teeth as he tossed Buffy body around like a 
rag doll, "you don't know how much pleasure I'm deriving from this moment!" Buffy 
managed to roll as she landed to minimize any injury, but the force of the impact with the 
ground still knocked some of the wind out of her. "I thought that merely expelling you was 
the height of bliss for me, but actually killing you, oh, that's the ultimate rush!"

Xander threw himself at the demon Belial, desperately trying to stop his assault on Buffy, only 
to be shrugged off like a spit wad. "Pathetic as always, Xander," Belial responded to the 
attack. "Don't be impatient, I'll get around to killing you soon enough!" 

As Xander fell back, Spike took his turn. Sword in hand, he approached the demon almost 
casually, saying in a conversational voice, "'Ere now, gov, that's no way to act. If you're 
gonna take over this mudball, you're going to have to get along with the local-UNGHH!"

"You shame your kind, whelp," Belial hissed, as he cracked Spike's skull with one blow, 
knocking the vampire unconscious. "Hanging around with the cattle! That's all they are, do 
you hear? Cattle!" He returned his attention to Buffy, who had managed to stand up and 
dodge his next blow. She was getting stronger, in part the result of the anti-toxin Willow had 
given her and in part the result of her confession of love for her. But Belial was a tough one, 
maybe even stronger than what Mayor Wilkins became after his Ascension. She didn't know 
if she could hold out long against him.

"I remember concerning with your mother, when I tried to enforce your expulsion," the 
demon continued, "and her pitiful efforts to have you reinstated. She asked me how I could 
be so caviler about your future." Buffy tried to duck his outstretched arm, but he proved too 
fast for her. He grabbed her by the hair, pulling her face up toward his. "Your future! Don't 
you see? My sole purpose in being on your miserable dirt ball of a planet is to insure that you 
and your entire species didn't have a future! That fool Wilkins thought that he could eliminate 
me, but I showed him! This world is mine! MINE!" He laughed gleefully, assured that no 
one could stop his conquest. 

As she struggled to release herself from Belial's grip, Buffy was peripherally aware of Giles 
firing several bolts from his crossbow with point-blank accuracy, only to watch them bounce 
off the monster's hide. She noticed Willow about to fire another crossbow at Belial, only to 
watch as the fiend raised his left fist and landed it on Willow with the force of a club. 

Buffy screamed as she watched her newly discovered love fall, and managed to twist her 
body upwards to connect a high scissor kick to Belial's jaw. The demon was sent reeling, 
briefly loosening his grip on Buffy's hair, but with enough time for Buffy to gain her freedom. 
She immediately ran to Willow's side, calling out to her; "C'mon, Willow, don't die on me, not 
now!" Instinctively she checked for a pulse and breathing and was relieved to find both. 
"Will? Are you okay? How you feeling?"

Willow choked and wheezed as she tried to regain her composure. She looked at Buffy and 
said, gasping, "I--feel as though--a very large demon--used me for a punching bag. Other 
than that, not too many complaints. I think that the last of my herbal spell cushioned the 
blow, but my shields are down. I don't think I can take another blow like that."

"Don't try, love," Buffy murmured as she took her Willow into her arms. "I'm not going to 
lose you now that I found you." She kissed her on the forehead, and turned toward the 
battlefield. Belial had been suddenly occupied by the forces of the Initiative, who had 
concentrated their firepower on the demon. Electro-rifles and other energy discharging 
weapons fired heavily at Belial, but if they had any effect on him, he didn't show it.

"Pour it on, men!" Riley shouted. "Everything you got! Fry that bastard!" Bolts of electricity, 
gouts of flame, beams of concentrated photons, all converged on their target. With each 
passing second, the demon Belial slowly shed his human guise, resembling his true form, or as 
close to his true nature as mere mortals can fathom. Willow thought he resembled the demon 
from the "Night On Bald Mountain" sequence from Disney's "Fantasia". Buffy recalled the 
Tim Curry character from "Legend", while Xander saw it as an anime monster.

As the fiend transformed, however, he laughed. His unearthly laughter rolled across the 
battlefield like the thunder of doom. "You can't stop me," he shouted, mocking the soldiers. 
"I'm eternal! I am the author of all misery! I will foul this planet with my seed! I will sear the 
mountains, I will boil the oceans, I will..."

"YOU WILL SHUT YOUR STINKING PIE-HOLE!" A swift flying kick to the jaw caught 
Belial off guard, as Alt-Buffy pressed her attack against the demon. The monster who 
destroyed her world wasn't going to get his chance, not if she had anything to say about it. 
She kicked, gouged, bit, clawed, attacked with feral savagery. "I've spent the last years of 
my life fighting scum like you!" Foot to the ribs. "You think you're so damn hot?" Fist to the 
jaw. "You're just another demon with delusions of grandeur!" Heel to the groin. "And I'm 
just the girl to send you back to Hell!" She delivered another scissor kick, directly to his 
hideous head.

Belial grabbed her ankle in mid-flight, and her inertia tossed her flat on her back. "Fool," he 
grinned at Buffy. "A hundred Slayers cannot stop me now. Get the message yet, Summers? 
Invincible. Look it up." He stamped his cloven hoof down hard on Alt-Buffy's torso, 
severing her spine. "I'd like to stay and chat, Summers, but I have a world to destroy. 
Sorry, I'm swamped." He turned away from the fallen slayer, and rose his muscular arms, the 
contract clutched tightly in his right hand. With his gesture, a maw opened in mid-air. The 
flaw in space widened further, casting a baleful light over the field. The two Buffies, Giles, 
Xander, Anya and Willow all knew what the maw was; the Hellmouth was opening, at 
Belial's command. And soon, all that was foul would rush forth onto the world.

Riley rushed to the fallen Buffy, joined by her younger counterpart. "My god," he murmured 
as he looked at the wounded slayer's face, and then back at younger Buffy. "How...how..."

"I'll tell you later," Buffy answered as she tended to Alt-Buffy's slashed face. "Assuming one, 
that there is a later, and two, that we're still on speaking terms, considering that I've just 
dumped you for Willow."

"I'm still your friend, if you'll have me," Riley answered, as he examined Alt-Buffy. "Oh, God, 
Belial did a number on you," he said to the older Buffy, as he took in her injuries. "I'm afraid 
you're looking at permanent paralysis, friend. I'm sorry."

"Hey," Alt-Buffy half-smiled at Riley. "Right now, that's the least of my problems. How do 
we stop Belial?"

"It's the contract," Giles, who had emerged from his cover behind the bleachers and gathered 
around the two Slayers. "That's the key; 'As long as the contract is in my hand', that's what 
Belial said! The contract is the conduit by which he's opening the Hellmouth!"

"So we destroy the contract, and then--" Buffy started, looking at Alt-Buffy.

Alt-Buffy took the young slayer's hand in her own, and coughing, said, "Do it."

Buffy nodded at her other self, then said, cold determination in her voice; "Giles, take care of 
her, keep her as comfortable as you can. Riley? Do you have a spare flame-thrower?"

-------------------------------------------------------

"Be patient, my brethren," Belial cried out to whatever unholy beings lurked on the other side 
of the opening Hellmouth, "our time of waiting is nigh at an end! Soon the world that once 
was ours will be ours again!" So absorbed with what he was doing was he that he didn't 
notice four lone figures planning against him. Suddenly, a blast from a flame-thrower seared 
the demon's back. He shrieked in brief pain and turned to the direction of the blast. 
"Summers?"

"Hey, Your Ugliness!" Buffy taunted the monster, waving her flame-thrower around like a 
sword, and shouting trash. "I'm the one you want, right? You want a piece of me? Here I 
am, Snydely Whiplash! C'mon, Creepo! Isn't this what you wanted? You and me, the big 
throwdown?"

"You're that impatient to die?" Belial howled. "I shall rend your flesh, I will use your skin for 
a drumhead, your bones as my mallets as I shout my victory march!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm so shaking, your Skankyness!" She beckoned with her hands. "C'mon! 
You talk the talk, can you walk the walk? Hit me with your best shot!"

"You will suffer as none before you," Belial promised. He advanced toward Buffy, not 
noticing Riley sneaking around behind him. Suddenly, Riley made his move; he grabbed 
Belial's right wrist, and with adrenalin-fueled strength, managed to loosen his grip on the 
contract and snatch it from his hand.

Suddenly aware that he had lost the contract, Belial turned his concentration from Buffy 
toward Riley, who was running from him fast and furious. "Give me the contract, you fool!" 
he bellowed in rage, lunging at Riley, grabbing his legs.

As he fell, he held out the contract, calling out, "Xander! Catch!" Xander immediately 
grabbed the contract from Riley, and ran off in a zig-zag pattern.

"Harris receives from Finn and is charging down the field," he shouted as he crumpled the 
contract into a ball, "looking for a long bomb!"

"Xander!" Willow shouted, waving her arms frantically. "I'm open!"

"Harris throws a bullet to Rosenburg!" he shouted as he tossed the crumpled contract to 
Willow. 

Willow ran toward Buffy, crying out, "Rosenburg takes it to the offensive glass and slams it in 
for two points!" 

As she took the contract from Willow, Buffy said, "That's basketball! Xander was going for 
football metaphors!"

"So I don't know sports!" Willow shouted. "What do you want me to do?"

"Oh, I'll think of something later tonight!" Buffy promised, her smile turning into a leer. She 
strode toward Belial, who was still wrestling with Riley. "Yo, Snyder!" she called out, 
displaying the contract, which she had un-crumpled for display purposes. "Looking for this?"

Belial turned toward Buffy, letting go of Riley. Riley fell to the ground in an inglorious heap. 
"Give me that contract, girl!" Belial screamed as he stalked toward Buffy.

Buffy simply stood her ground, directly opposite of the wound in the sky behind Belial. She 
held the contract in one hand, the flame-thrower in the other. 

"Snyder!" she called out, grinning from ear to ear, then waited a beat. "You're expelled!"

She tossed the contract into the air, and as it started to drift lazily to the ground, she pointed 
the flame-thrower at the parchment and fired. The document was ash before it hit the 
ground.

Belial screamed in agony, as the aperture to Hell started to contract. A violent gust of some 
unholy wind blasted the battlefield, and Buffy and the others braced themselves for the blast. 
Belial however was pulled toward the vortex by the unearthly gusts. Frantically he clawed 
the ground with his hands, desperate to fight the pull, but the vortex would not be denied its 
catch. Within seconds, Belial lost his grip on the sod and was thrown, spiraling, tumbling, 
into the portal, which suddenly snapped shut behind him, like the iris aperture on a camera. 

The wind and the light show ceased. A profound silence remained, as all those assembled 
processed what they saw. The calm after the storm was then shattered by the riotous 
cheering of the Initiative troops. Buffy and Willow led the rest of the Scooby Gang to where 
Alt-Buffy was lying. Giles, who had been looking after the brave young woman, turned 
toward Buffy and said to her, "It doesn't look good, I'm afraid. Too many internal injuries."

"Hey, Buff?" the injured Slayer coughed, trying to smile. "You--did it--"

"We did it," Buffy smiled back, holding her hand firmly. "You gave us the time to come up 
with the plan. You saved us all."

"Yeah," she groaned, smiling through her agony. "But there's still(ugh)--still one thing--I have 
to do. Behind the bleachers--" Buffy nodded, and ran to where she indicated. She fetched 
the tattered old duffel bag, and returned quickly to the fallen Slayer.

Willow had cradled Alt-Buffy's head as she had done with her Buffy not long before, as Giles 
was trying to steady her, saying, "Please, Buffy, try to hold still, or it will only hurt more..."

"No, Giles," she stopped him. "You don't understand. I need the staff--to finish--the spell--
I'm not supposed to exist anymore--"

"No, Buffy!" Willow wailed. "You can't die, not now!"

"But it's not--not death, Wills," Alt-Buffy answered her dearest friend, lifting her hand with 
great effort to stroke her cheek. "The Buffy you love--is right here. She's not going 
anywhere." Alt-Buffy took Willow's hand, and placed it in Buffy's, who reached around 
Willow with her other arm, holding her closely. "Please. Promise me--that you'll love each 
other."

"We will," they said in unison, and looked at each other as the words were spoken. For all 
intents and purposes, they realized, they had made a lifetime commitment of love and trust, as 
binding as a wedding vow. A commitment they both knew they would honor for the rest of 
their lives together.

No more words were said, as Buffy handed her time-lost other self the Staff of Hermes. The 
brass rod glistened in the dim streetlights around them, and then seemed to come alive in Alt-
Buffy's hand, with an incandescence of its own.

Alt-Buffy held the staff aloft, closed her eyes one last time, and said in as clear a voice as she 
could muster, "Mutatis Mutandis." Her arm gave out its last iota of strength, as she slumped 
in Willow's arms. Her body then seemed to shimmer, to ripple, to fade, until only the 
memory of those whom she had met remained to testify that she existed.

Willow wept openly now, her face buried in Buffy's shoulder, as Buffy stroked her lover's red 
hair and whispered assurances to her. Her unconditional love for Willow kept the girl from 
crashing, from falling into the abyss. Watching the time traveler simply accept her fate and 
fade from reality was closer to seeing Buffy Summers die than she ever wanted to get.

Xander coughed an 'ahem' to get their attention. "I hate to break this little lover's moment up, 
girls," he said quietly, "which, incidentally, I'm entirely cool with, in case you were 
wondering," Anya nodded in silent agreement with her boyfriend. "But what happened to 
Spike?"

They turned around, and Buffy nodded, "He's headed out, toward Wetherly Park. Let him 
go, Xander. He's still got that chip. He won't be putting the bite on anyone tonight." Her 
lame pun got a smile out of Willow, a smile which melted Buffy's heart like ice-cream on a 
hot day.

"Giles," she turned to her mentor and asked, "Just what did Alt-me say just before--" she 
couldn't finish.

" 'Mutatis Mutandis'," Giles explained somberly. "Old Greek. Meaning, 'The necessary 
changes have been made'." The others nodded

Riley Finn watched these events unfold, realizing two things; First, that there were truly some 
events that modern science could not begin to explain; and Second, that Buffy Summers and 
Willow Rosenburg were as much in love as any two people that he had ever known. And 
whatever he had hoped for in his relationship with Buffy, he had neither the right nor the 
desire to interfere. Buffy looked at Riley as he started to walk away, taking his men away 
from the field, and felt sympathy for him. She offered a silent prayer to any god in the 
vicinity, that Riley would find someone who could make him as happy as Willow Rosenburg 
made her.

Another thought took hold of Buffy at that point. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm 
hungry enough to eat a sled dog team!"

"Omigod," Willow exclaimed, "the antitoxin. Giles said that it would cause you to become 
hungry!" She turned to the Watcher with a sinister grin, adding, "He also said something 
about springing for a post-world-saveage pizza party."

"I did, didn't I?" Giles laughed at the young wiccan. "I'd be delighted." Giles' announcement 
was greeted with cheers from all concerned. "So long as nobody orders anchovies!" he 
amended.

-------------------------------------------------------

The pizza party was the social event of the season, Scooby-Gang-wise. A karaoke system 
was available at the pizzeria, and the gang were pleased to monopolize its use. Anya started 
things rolling, with a rousing chorus of the DiVinyl's "I Touch Myself", amid catcalls from 
several other tables. 

Xander requested Don McLean's "American Pie" but true to form, sang the "Weird Al" 
Yankovic lyrics. Buffy, Willow and Anya gleefully sang along with the second chorus;

"My, my, this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later, now he's just a small fry,
And he left his home, kissed his mommy goodbye,
Saying, Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi,
Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi!"

Even the normally reserved Giles got into the act, belting out a surprisingly decent version of 
David Bowie's "Heroes", followed by "Take Me To The Pilot" by Elton John. On the second 
track, Buffy and Willow got on stage with Giles, dancing close together and singing backup 
vocals. Willow then took the stage, saying, "Okay guys, this is a John Hiatt song. Jewel sang 
it in the soundtrack for 'Phenomenon', that John Travolta thing. Here we go. This one's for 
you, Buffy." Buffy smiled beatifically at the mention. The music started, Willow waited for 
her cue, and sang;

"When the road gets dark,
You can no longer see,
Let my love throw out a spark, baby,
Have A Little Faith In Me.

When the tears you cry,
You can no longer believe,
Give these loving arms a try,
Have A Little Faith In Me.

Have A Little Faith In Me,
Have A Little Faith In Me.
Have A Little Faith In Me,
Have A Little Faith In Me.

When your secret heart
Cannot speak so easily,
Come here darling, whisper a start,
Have A Little Faith In Me.

When your back's against the wall,
Turn around, you will see,
I will catch your when you fall,
Have A Little Faith In Me.

Have A Little Faith In Me,
Have A Little Faith In Me.
Have A Little Faith In Me,
Have A Little Faith In Me.

I've been loving you for such a long time, darling,
I expect nothing in the world but for you to have a little faith in me.
You see time is our friend, for you and me there is no end,
All you gotta do is Have A Little Faith In Me!"

She sang with full throat and diaphragm, and from the heart. Any doubt that Buffy had 
concerning the emotions they shared was eliminated by her heartfelt display. At the close of 
the song, Willow bowed deeply, smiling broadly. Buffy met her at the stage, and hugged her 
close, kissing her cheek. "I love you, Wills," she whispered into her ear.

"I love you back, Buffy," Willow answered.

"Y'know," Xander quipped, his mouth full of Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza, "It seems 
to me that we've heard from everyone at this party, except a certain Vampire Slayer we all 
know and love," he leered at Willow, "some more than others." Willow threw a straw at 
Xander, as Anya chuckled.

"Yeah, Buffy, let's see you humiliate yourself in this cultural display of vanity," Anya purred.

"Oh no," Buffy protested. "You don't want to hear me sing, really." But her protests were 
drowned out by Xander and Anya chanting, "Buffy, Buffy, Buffy!" She turned to Giles for 
support, but he merely shrugged, "I'm sorry Buffy, but you're on your own."

"Please, Buffy?" Willow entreated, giving a deadly combination of her Resolve face and Big 
Puppy Dog Eyes face. Buffy looked at her amazed.

"You play dirty, you know that, don't you?"

"Wait until I get you alone, Slayer," Willow grinned, winking. Anya whooped with glee at 
Willow's efforts at seduction. 

Buffy threw her hands up, saying, "Okay, okay, before this conversation gets aired on late 
night Cinemax, I'll do it!" The Scoobs applauded as Buffy looked at the play list. Selecting a 
song she thought appropriate, she took the stage, announcing, "This one's for you, Willow. A 
little Natalie Merchant. You have been warned." The song started, and Buffy sang out a 
surprisingly clear string of 'la-la-las' leading up to the song;

"You've been so Kind and Generous,
I don't know how you keep on giving,
For your kindness,
I'm in debt to you.
For your selflessness, my admiration,
For everything you've done, you know I'm bound,
I'm bound to thank you for it,

La-la-la, la la la la, la-la-la, la-la-la, la la la la---

You've been so Kind and Generous,
I don't know how you keep on giving,
For your kindness,
I'm in debt to you.
And I never could have gone this far without you,
For everything you've done, you know I'm bound,
I'm bound to thank you for it!

La-la-la, la la la la, la-la-la, la-la-la, la la la la---

I want to thank you for the many gifts you gave,
For the love and tenderness, I want to thank you.
I want to thank you for your generosity, 
For the love and the honesty that you gave me.
I want to thank you, show my gratitude,
My love and my respect for you, I want to thank you,
I want to thank you, thank you,
Thank you, thank you,
Thank you, thank you,
Thank you, thank you..."

The song ended, friends cheered, and the party went on for several hours after. When the 
party wound down, the two girls went back to their dorm to finish packing for winter break, 
a task they started just that afternoon, a lifetime ago.

Buffy took Willow in her arms again, and kissed her soundly. Willow reciprocated, and their 
mouths and tongues sought to taste, to feel each other. Breaking away reluctantly from the 
kiss, Buffy smiled to the love of her life, saying, "You know, I never quite felt like this before."

"I'll bet you say that to all the girls," Willow said, trying to sound sultry. Buffy had to admit 
she was getting close.

"No, Wills, really," she tried to explain her thoughts, despite the distraction of Willow's 
blowing on her ear. "It's like I finally know what my life is all about. Sure, I'm the Slayer, the 
one girl who can stand against the vampires, the demons, yadda yadda, but now there 
something more. Being here with you, holding, touching, kissing..." she couldn't resist taking 
another sip from Willow's lips before continuing, "it's like I'm renewed. Like this is what it's 
all about. The reason I keep fighting the nasties. Why I keep saving the world. Because 
you're a part of that world. You're my world, Willow. I don't know how to explain it any 
better than that."

"I understand, Buffy," Willow answered, moved by Buffy's confession. "It's like Oz, Xander, 
anyone I thought I was in love with before, that was all just a rehearsal for loving you. I do 
love you so much, Buffy." She kissed her again, and this time, the kiss grew in tempo and in 
heat. Willow's hands felt around Buffy's back, reaching under her tee-shirt, slowly tugging at 
it. Buffy backed away just enough for Willow to slip the shirt off, revealing a black sports 
bra. Buffy started to unbutton Willow's shirt, and within two minutes, their passion began in 
earnest.

For the rest of the night, two lovers explored each other's bodies, memorizing every curve, 
every nuance, every sensation they could elicit from each other. After their initial frantic 
lovemaking, and the first fiery orgasms, they still cuddled, still touched, still groped, until the 
erotic cycle started again, and again for hours. 

They were fully aware that the real world would crash in on them later on, and there would 
be challenges to face in the cold light of day. There was still the Initiative to deal with. 
Despite their assistance in the final battle with Belial, Buffy still didn't know what to make of 
them. There was the problem of how others on campus would take their newly defined 
relationship, once it became public knowledge("And it will" teased Buffy, "because you're 
such a screamer!"). And there was the constant parade of demons, vampires and assorted 
monsters to deal with on a nightly basis.

But for this one night, none of that mattered. There were only two young women, who had 
been burnt by first loves before, only to find in each other the love that they had been 
searching for all along.

And for one beautiful night, there wasn't a thing wrong in Sunnydale, California.




Epilogue; An Angel's Blessing.

Los Angeles, New Year's Eve, 1999;

"Hey, Boss," Cordelia Chase greeted the youthful looking man who walked into the office 
that night. "How's life--uh, so to speak."

"Fine, Cordy," Angel answered. "Any plans for tonight?"

"Oh, not really," Cordelia answered. "Just me and a bottle of cheap champagne, waiting for 
the computer to crash. Oh, speaking of which, I got an e-mail from Willow."

"Hey, that's good," Angel perked up. "How's our favorite hacker?"

"Still hacking," Cordy started. "Uh, you may want to sit down for this," she added nervously.

"What's the what, Cordy?"

"Well," she started, "Willow's found someone new."

"That's all?" Angel asked, puzzled. "I knew about her and Oz splitting, but if she's found 
someone else, isn't that good news?"

"Uh, it's who that someone else is that's problematic," Cordy started.

Angel looked directly into her eyes, and asked, "Is it Buffy?"

Cordelia sat slack-jawed at the vampire's observation. "How-how did--"

"Hey, I've been around for more than a few years," Angel smiled. "A couple hundred years 
of people-watching, you pick up a few things. Buffy and Willow have always had this 
connection, I've been aware of it from day one. That's why Angelus kept threatening Willow 
when he was out to get back at Buffy. He knew that Buffy would die before letting anything 
happen to Willow."

"And this doesn't bother you?" Cordelia asked.

"Not at all," Angel replied. "I knew that Buffy and I had no future, that's why I left, to give 
her the chance to find someone who could give her what I couldn't. If she has, I'm happy for 
her." Grabbing his duster jacket, he announced, "Come on, Cordy, I am taking you dancing. 
We'll celebrate Buffy and Willow's happiness, and ring in the new year right."

"What the hell," Cordy answered. "Can we swing by my apartment first, so I can find a 
dress?"

"Sure," Angel quipped, "Then we'll have just enough time to ring in the year 2001."

"Hey!" Cordy complained as they left his office, "That's why I left Xander..."


FINIS

@--\--\-------

THE DEFITIVE BUFFY/WILLOW SCENE;

Willow: Must be tough. I mean, here I am, I can do anything I want. I can go to any college 
in the country, four or five in Europe if I want. 
Buffy: Please tell me you're going somewhere with this? 
Willow: No. I'm not going anywhere. 
Buffy: UC Sunnydale? 
Willow: I will be matriculating with Class of 2003. 
Buffy: Are you serious? 
Willow: Say, isn't that where you're going? 
Buffy: I can't believe it! Are you serious? Ah, wait, what am I saying? You can't.
Willow: What do you mean, I can't? 
Buffy: I won't let you. 
Willow: Of the two people here, which is the boss of me? 
Buffy: There are better schools. 
Willow: Sunnydale's not bad. A-And I can design my own curriculum.
Buffy: Okay, well, there are safer schools. There are safer prisons. I can't let you stay 
because of me. 
Willow: Actually, this isn't about you. Although I'm fond, don't get me wrong, of you. The 
other night, you know, being captured and all, facing off with Faith. Things just, kind of, got 
clear. I mean, you've been fighting evil here for three years, and I've helped some, and now 
we're supposed to decide what we want to do with our lives. And I just realized that that's 
what I want to do. Fight evil, help people. I mean, I-I think it's worth doing. And I don't think 
you do it because you have to. It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in. 
Buffy: I kind of love you. 
Willow: And, besides, I have a shot at being a bad ass Wiccan, and what better place to 
learn? 
Buffy: I feel the need for more sugar than the human body can handle. 
Willow: Mochas? 
Buffy: Yes, please. It's weird. You look at something and you think you know exactly what 
you're seeing, and then you find out it's something else entirely. 
Willow: Neat, huh? 
Buffy: Sometimes it is. 


--"Choices"



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