Not Fade Away
by Bob Head
[reviews]
Disclaimer: None of the characters below belong to me. All the BtVS/Angel people belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox. (Damn it!) I'm just trying to have fun.
Pairing: Buffy/Willow, of course.
Spoilers: The last five minutes or so of the Angel Series Finale.
Distribution: IKOLY and Wishful Thinking. Anybody else, just ask.
Rating: PG-13.
Feedback: Yes please! frank_8281@yahoo.com
A/N: I could NOT just leave it the way Joss did.
A/N 2: Apologies in advance to Dave the dragon lover, however, please keep in mind Dave that no dragons were actually harmed during the writing of this fic.
A/N 3: Yeah, I know, I'm writing too many notes. I feel like I need to explain though that as I write this I have been unable to locate a transcript of 'Not Fade Away'. So I'm writing the dialogue for that part from memory. So I'm sorry if it's not entirely accurate.
A/N 4: Last one, I promise! I never bought into the idea that Giles would use Cleveland as a base of operations for the new Council. It's just asking for another 'Council goes boom scenario'. So I'm fudging that part a little bit. (Hey! It's my story and I'll write what I want to.) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy my little rewrite of the ending of the series finale of Angel. BTW, did anyone else think that little blurb the WB slipped in before the end credits was just the tiniest bit hypocritical? I mean they CANCELLED it for God's sake!
'Not Fade Away'
Or: How Joss SHOULD Have Ended 'Angel'
A non-descript package arrived at a small office park in California. The addressee, one Rupert Giles, headmaster of this rather strange school slash training center scanned the contents. Several times he paused to clean his glasses vigorously, despite their already spotless condition.
"Damn him," he muttered as he reached for the phone and dialed for his assistant, "Don't we have enough apocalypses around here without him bringing one about?" Impatiently he listened to the phone ring. "Pick UP, dammit... Finally! Andrew, have Rona and Vi come to my office immediately and get Buffy on the line for me... What? Yes I KNOW their flight doesn't get in to LAX till 9:30! Just get her on the phone as quick as you can and I don't care HOW you do it! Just get it done."
Minutes later, Vi and Rona entered the office. "How many Slayers are on site at the moment?" asked Giles.
"About a hundred, everyone else is on assignment." Said Rona.
"It'll have to do," Giles muttered, "Start getting them ready, we need to be in Los Angeles before midnight."
"Midnight?" Vi exclaimed, "What's going on Giles?"
"The end of the world." He said wearily as the phone rang. "Yes," he answered as he waved the two Slayers out of his office, "Well put her through! And Andrew, start putting together enough transportation to get a hundred Slayers plus ourselves to L.A. by midnight... Yes, you're going too! If this is going to be as bad as I think, we'll need every hand we can get. Now put Buffy on the line." A few moments, then "Buffy?...Yes it's good to hear your voice too. Buffy, I'm afraid we have something of a situation in Los Angeles, it's Angel."
It was somewhat of a rarity in L.A. for it to rain at all, so when the skies opened up and poured forth a deluge it caught most of the city by surprise. It also caused a lot of people to stay off the streets 'Lucky for them. Less chance to get caught in the cross-fire.' A bruised and battered Angel thought as he ran down the alley toward where he hoped to meet up with his people. 'Or what's left of them.' The gloomy thought came unbidden as he reached the chain link gate that marked the rendezvous point.
"Boo!" said Spike stepping out of the shadows. "Did you feel the heat?"
" Yeah, after what we did, the Senior Partners are going to rain hell on us."
Spike snorted, "Finally a brawl worth fightin'."
"Have you seen or heard from anyone else?" asked Angel.
"Not since I've been here."
"Damn!" cried Gunn as he staggered towards the two Vampires, "How'd I know the fang boys would pull through?"
Seeing their friend almost go down, Spike and Angel rushed to help. "It's a good thing we're on the same side cause my game was...tight...tonight." He finished breathlessly as the Vampires helped him to a nearby crate and examined his wound.
"Supposed to wear that red stuff on the inside Charlie-boy." Spike said.
Pressing a hand over the hole in his gut Gunn asked, "Anybody heard from Wes?"
Illyria dropped to the ground next to the three, answering Gunn's question as she did. "Wesley is dead... I think...I'm grieving for him...I can't seem to control it. I wish to do more violence."
"Lucky for you, wishes happen to be horses tonight." Spike quipped.
"Among other things." Said Angel, indicating the two twenty foot tall Giants in the center of a throng of ogre-like hell spawn moving rapidly towards them. A roar from above drew the attention of the remaining members of Angel Investigations just in time to see a dragon sweep into view.
"Okay," said Gunn, pushing himself to his feet, "You take the thirty thousand on the left..."
Illyria snapped, "Your life is fading! You will not last ten minutes!"
Bracing himself, Gunn replied, "Then let's make 'em memorable."
"What's the plan?" Spike asked Angel.
"We fight." He said simply.
"I was thinkin' of somethin' a bit more specific!"
Angel smiled grimly as he said, "I don't know about you but personally, I wanna slay the dragon. Let's go to work."
As he moved forward to meet the oncoming horde a familiar voice cried out, "Angel! Wait for us!"
He and the rest of his team turned to stare in amazement as Buffy and Willow came down the opposite end of the alley at a dead run. The Slayer barely even slowed for the chain link gate as her small foot kicked it inwards.
"Will, I think we need that barrier spell now." She said as the Senior Partners' strike team closed in.
"I just need a second." She replied.
"Better hurry Red," Spike urged, "'Cause I don't think we got many seconds left."
Willow positioned herself near the center of the group. Uttering words in a dead language, a ball of energy began to form in her hand. As the final word was spoken, she threw the ball high in the air over the group where it blossomed outward, forming a shield around them.
She smiled as she said, "That ought to give us some breathing room."
"Too bad it doesn't keep the rain out." Buffy said wryly.
"Sorry, spell's kinda specific, and the rain isn't deliberately trying to hurt us."
"How long will it hold?" asked Angel.
"It doesn't have to hold very long." Buffy replied, "Giles and Andrew should be here in a few minutes with close to a hundred Slayers."
Gunn chuckled raspily, "That might even the odds a little"
Willow looked closely at Gunn for the first time; "You're hurt!" she quickly moved to his side and spoke a few words in a language Gunn didn't know.
To his surprise, the pain instantly receded, "Hey, thanks Red."
"Don't move around too much," the Wiccan explained, "You're still hurt just as bad, the spell only made the pain go away."
"Oh. Makin' the dyin' man more comfortable huh?"
"You are not going to die!" Angel said, "We are going to wait until Giles gets here with reinforcements, we're gonna send you to a hospital and then we're gonna kick this demon army's ass back into Hell! Do you hear me Gunn? You hang on! Because I'll be DAMNED if I'm going to lose any more of my people to these bastards!"
"Here, here!"
"Shut up Spike!"
Suddenly a streak of fire shot across the night sky, impacting with the dragon and sending it screaming down to a nearby roof. "Damn," said Buffy, "I didn't know Xander had taught Giles how to use the rocket launcher!"
Through the shield they saw Giles round the corner followed closely by Rona, Vi, and the other Slayers.
"Will?"
"I'm on it Buffy." A few words, a hand gesture and the shield reshaped itself from a dome into a high wall.
"I see you got my package." Said Angel.
"Yes," Giles replied, "but the next time you decide to hold an apocalypse, try to give us a bit more notice, would you?"
"Sorry." He said.
"Where's Andrew?" asked Buffy,
"I sent him back to the vans with the rocket launcher." Giles explained, "It's only good for one shot anyway and I didn't want it lying about."
Spike sighed and threw away the cigarette he'd been trying to light, "Guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way then."
"I expect so." Giles said unlimbering a sword
Buffy looked at the older man with concern, "Giles, we need you to get Gunn to the hospital."
"What? Now see here..."
"No Giles! You did your job and got the reinforcements to us. Hell, you even got to slay the dragon."
"I had dibs on the dragon by the way." Angel interjected.
"Please!" Giles said sarcastically, "Allow me to apologize for rescuing you."
"I, for one, appreciated it Rupert." Said Spike.
"Shut up Spike!" all three of them shouted.
"Giles, please." Buffy said.
Shaking his head in resignation the Watcher took Gunn by the arm and started helping him out of the alley.
"And take Andrew with you!" Buffy called
The Slayer looked at Willow only to be met with a stubborn glare she knew well.
"Don't even think it." The redhead said simply.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Buffy said. Looking to Angel, she asked, "You ready?"
"For about two months now"
"I was born ready." Spike quipped.
Scowling at him Buffy said, "I am SO not speaking to you."
"What?"
"Slayers!" she cried, to be answered by a chorus of "Ready!" from a hundred throats. "Will? Over to you."
Fireballs began to grow in the Witch's hands as she said, "It's coming down... Now!"
As the barrier dropped the fireballs shot into the midst of the demons and exploded. The group of one hundred Slayers and two Vampires surged forward to meet their foes head on and one ancient demon housed in the mortal frame of a young woman from Texas, screaming in rage, launched herself to attack the two Giants over twenty yards away.
In a dimension far from this earthly plane, the Senior Partners of Wolfram and Hart watched the battle. At first with only minor concern. As the battle raged on however, that concern became genuine fear. The intervention of the Slayers had not been foreseen, and even outnumbered as they were; they were rapidly thinning the ranks of the ogre-like creatures. The dragon was dead and Illyria, even this shade of her former glory had made quick work of one giant and was pounding its brethren into paste with its own club.
Conversing in a language that only Illyria might recognize, the Wolf, the Ram, and the Heart came to a decision. This venture to control the vampire with a soul, this Angel, had already proven to be a costly failure. The Circle of the Black Thorn was destroyed. The L.A. office of Wolfram and Hart, reduced to rubble. Even the Senior Partners would be a long time recovering from this debacle. It was time to cut their losses. The strike force, already down to twenty percent of its former numbers, was recalled.
Angel staggered and nearly fell as his sword went through the space occupied by an ogre moments before. 'I'll be damned." He thought. Looking around he saw that all the demons were gone.
"Son of a..." Buffy cursed as the momentum of her last blow landed her on her butt. Looking at the alley, she realized that the Slayers and Angel's people were all that were left. "Does this mean we won?"
Spike, managing to get a cigarette lit despite the downpour, walked over to Buffy and offered a hand. "I'd say so pet."
The blonde slayer glared up at him, "STILL not speaking to you!" she snapped as she rose without his help.
As she stalked off, Spike stared after her with his mouth hanging open. Willow tapped him on the shoulder. "Fashion tip Spike? Mouth looks better closed."
As she started to walk after Buffy, she looked back over her shoulder and with a sweet smile said, "By the way, if you ever call her 'pet' again, I'll incinerate you so there's not even ashes left."
She found Buffy sitting on chunk of debris watching as the other Slayers helped the more seriously wounded. She sank down next to the blonde and asked, "Did we lose any?"
"No, thank God. We got lucky. None of them seem too badly hurt either, a couple of days and they'll be good as new."
"How about you?" Willow asked. When Buffy just shrugged she reached over and shook her gently. "I mean it missy! Are you hurt?"
"Nah, no more than usual. A couple of scrapes and bruises, that's all." She pulled the redhead closer and said quietly, " I need to tell him you know."
Willow smiled mischievously and said, "I don't care if Spike ever finds out about us."
"I didn't mean..."
"I know who you meant Buffy." She giggled, "And since he's standing right over there watching us, now might be a good time." She pointed where Angel stood in the shadows, a small smile on his face.
"He's what? Oh crap! SO not how I wanted to do this."
Willow stroked Buffy's wet hair back from her face, "All he's ever wanted is for you to be happy. I think he'll be okay with the idea of us." She said, "I think I'm gonna go make sure the girls leave us a vehicle." As she stood up she gave the Slayer a quick kiss, then followed the girls.
Buffy watched her girlfriend as she walked down the alley, 'Girlfriend, Willow Rosenberg is my girlfriend, still kinda amazed at that' as she did Angel recognized the look in her eyes.
'She used to look at me like that, but that was a long time ago.' As he crossed the alleyway her eyes met his and he saw friendship, concern, maybe a little worry. But not love, not like he saw when she looked at Willow. "Hey." He said.
"Hey."
He sat next to her and asked with a straight face, "So, is Willow enjoying her cookies?"
Her head shot around and her face turned as red as Willow's hair as she sputtered and gasped. When she got her voice back under control she said, "Guess we were kinda obvious huh?"
"Yeah, the hugging and the kissing was a dead giveaway."
"Oh my God!" Buffy said, "Spike's not still here is he?"
"No," replied Angel, "He left just before Willow sat down. Right after she threatened his life, actually."
"After she what?"
"Something about him calling you 'pet'." He grinned. "He took Illyria with him. For protection I think."
"Probably." Buffy said remembering the mayhem the blue skinned girl had committed on the two Giants earlier. "She was kicking some MAJOR ass."
"She was upset." The Vampire said simply, "Wesley didn't make it. They were... I don't know if close is the right word, but they were... something."
For a few moments the two ex lovers sat in silence. "Does she make you happy?" Angel asked.
"Very. I... I don't know if I can explain so you'll understand..."
"I don't need to." He said, "As long as you're happy I'm fine with it. 'Course if you ever want to send me some visual aids..."
"Mind out of the gutter buddy." Buffy said dryly.
Angel stood up chuckling.
"Where're you gonna go from here?" She asked.
"Well," Angel said, "I thought I'd go find my girl and see if she'll forgive me for pushing her away."
Buffy's eyebrow started to climb her forehead as she asked, "You're dating someone?"
"Yeah, not quite sure how it happened really. One minute I'm locking her up in a cage and the next..."
"Huh?"
"She's a Werewolf." He explained.
"Geez, following in Willow's footsteps are you?"
"Why not?" Angel said, "When I was dating you, Willow was dating Oz. Now she's dating you and I'm dating Nina. Has a kind of synchronicity doesn't it?"
Buffy laughed shaking her head, "Better not let THEM hear you say that."
She stood and they faced each other for a moment. Then without a word they turned and started walking in opposite directions. "Angel?" Buffy called over her sjoulder. He stopped and looked back. "I hope she doesn't make you TOO happy."
She watched a moment more as he walked, chuckling, into the darkness. Then she turned and went to find her Willow.
The End.