~*Love Eternal*~

A spark is ignited, and suddenly, everything begins. In a flash, an instant, everything that is something becomes existent. Time has just begun. Existence, just been born. And souls are created. A particularly strong spark, burning passionately, becomes a single soul, then divides, creating two souls. These two souls, created at the dawn of time, could change everything that would later come. They were sparked from a singel soul, which, in turn, was sparked from an immensely, unusually, and wildly passionate flame. They were forever binded together, forever meant to be. Always. Eternal.

Everything in his life changed, the first time he met her. He felt something burning, wildly, from deep within his soul. She was so... different, from the rest of them. And he knew what he felt was something he couldn't ignore, something he couldn't change, or control. Upon meeting her, just once, he felt a love beyond passionate begin its course through every fiber of his being, deep within his heart and soul. When he met her, his soul felt complete.

This was not their first union. They had been before, loved before. This WAS an important union, set up to be so by destiny, by fate. Circumstances were against them, however. They were completely and totally different, and yet, were everything alike. During this union every obstacle imaginable, and far beyond, would be thrown at them, threatening to tear them apart. Many things depended upon whether or not they succeeded. More things than anyone could imagine.

Oh Angel. She loved him beyond love, more than anything imaginable, more than life itself. When she was with him, she felt their fire, it was something she couldn't explain. But he was trying to protect her, from himself. She saw what seemed like a thousand obstacles in their way. Maybe that's why her attraction to Xander began. He was simply THERE, there was nothing to keep him away. He was also one of the only parts of her life that resembled normality. He made her laugh, could be with her, got to see her in the day... Oh, but Angel... When they were together, she felt an uncontrollable love, an immense completeness. And yet he pushed her away. If he would just give into the love they both felt, both DESIRED, then things would work. If he would just accept that they COMPLETED each other... He feared love, especially love this strong, this passionate, and she knew it. Couldn't he see that she didn't WANT to be protected from him? She could take care of herself. She just wanted him to be there for her, and to not let this love, stronger than any wild beast, be held back. It was like a fenced in animal, and WOULD break free.

Couln't he see that the longer he denied this love, denied the other half of his soul, it would just cause more pain? Damn that curse put upon them!

Every second together, their love, their fire, grew. When they kissed so passionately they were filling each other's souls, completing them. No longer did they hold back. The caged animal had broken free, and love and passion had followed. Without each other, they were denied the other half of their souls. But that wasn't a concern. They were together, forever. Did they ever have a clue that forever would eventually be ripped from them in a moment of true happiness, of complete love and passion? Of course not, it was not for them to know. All they knew was each other, blinded to all else. They knew each other's hearts, they knew each other's souls. When they looked into each other's eyes, they could see it like no one else. And when they kissed, everyone could feel it. They were there for each other in every way. Their love was like fire, had the ability to touch and change everything around it. Forever. NEVER had there ever been such a love, and NEVER would there ever be another. In every lifetime, together, their love would reign supreme. Of course, that could be affected by the choices and decisions each made throughout the course of this lifetime.

They had almost lost each other, almost lost the one thing that made their souls thrive like nothing else. They were the spark that ignited each other, without it, there was no fire in them. Their souls had almost been ripped apart, which would have been as tragic as the North Star torn in two, never to shine the same. They held each other for fear that if they let go, the other would be ripped away, pulling half of their hearts with them..until they ripped in two and bled with pain. There was always the chance that they'd be taken away from each other, left to live on alone, empty. "Buffy, I.." he started. He'd never told her this, but had always felt it, more deeply than the star-lit universe. They turned to look into each other's souls. "I love you." he confessed. "I try not to, but I can't stop." They felt the love between their two souls. It emitted like the light from the ever bright sun. They were each other's everything, always. "Me too. I can't either." she told him, knowing he'd known all along. They'd loved each other from the very start, try as they might to ignore it. No, it couldn't be ignored..it was eternal. They kissed, breathing in each other's life, letting the fire begin to engulf them. "Buffy, maybe we shouldn't-" he said, although he wanted to as much as she. "Don't." she interrupted "Just kiss me." They again began to let the fire engulf them, about to swallow them whole. They were the fire. They felt it running through their hearts, life, and souls. Soon, the fire engulfed. It was like two shooting stars colliding, setting off a universe of fireworks of the most vibrant colors imaginable, and beyond. It was like the sun moving up over the horizon, casting light everywhere and signalling a new, fresh day...and causing the morning dew to shine like an infinate number of earth-bound stars. It was like...eternity.

Time had been for many ages now. The forces of both good and evil had developed. Something was noticed. Two souls burned with the power of the most immense love. Love was the very source of everything good. A love this strong could change everything. A love this strong could help to destroy all evil and hate, transforming it into good, into love. The forces of evil couldn't tolerate such a threat to their existance. A curse was created, which threatened to tear them apart. The curse would cause every obstacle imaginable, and beyond, to be thrown in their way. If they rose above all of the obstacles, defeating them with love, the curse would be broken. If not, the obstacles would become more and more with each lifetime, until they were torn away from each other...doomed to live as half souls. Could the power of love withstand, and win?

Making love to each other had been an experience beyond incredible for each. The way their souls had entwined and become a single soul, like the missing half of each, was nothing short of miraculous. It was like a matching lock and key, to a vault which held all the secrets of the universe. It was as if time had stopped, just for them, and had shared with them all of its secrets, all of its knowledge. A star had been born that night, sparked out of love. In a world where nothing seemed clear and right, one thing to be sure of was their love. Nothing could change it, no one could deny it. Their love was eternal. But then something happened, forever changing the course of their lives... Would love survive?

The look of pain, confusion, and betrayal was evident on his face. But also, there was love. A never dying, never fading, eternal love. After so long denied this love, to be torn away again...How could it be so? Their souls belonged together, but were ever torn apart. Why? The sorrow within each, as they were torn away, consumed them..like a black hole in their universe of love. Would their two souls again meet? But were they two, or rather, two halves to one much greater soul? As they gazed into each other during the last moments, they felt their connection, their love, burning wildly from deep within. Then, they were ripped apart, each still(and always) holding half of the other's heart. Their hearts were torn in two, and bled from an unseeable wound. Rain poured down sorrowfully upon their fire, as it always would without each other. That is, unless their love could bring the sun back out, to dry the tears and end the pain. Would love rise above the clouds of sorrow?

After what seemed like ages, her soul had been drawn back to the fateful place. Doubts, pain, memories, and sorrow assailed her mind. Angel. Her heart still cried out to him, longing for his touch to fill the empty void she felt without him. The memories of their love, their passion, echoed in her mind like a song that she just couldn't seem to stop. She stood outside the door to that which had once been her home. Could it be again? Could it ever really be her home? If home was where the heart is, then her heart would ever remain somewhere amongst the depths of Hell. With him. Sometimes she thought she could her his voice if she listened to the nightime silence. But it was just an echo of what had been, and what may never be again. That thought crushed her with the weight of an all too cruel reality, and inflicted upon her an endless amount of sorrow. From somewhere deep inside, she found the courage to block it all out as she knocked on the door.

Finally, she had returned. Maybe now, or in the near future, their love could overcome the rest of the obstacles...And the curse could be broken. So much was on the line. This truest, most infinate love, on which much else depended, was on the line. Love was the creator and substance of all good, this love being unusually strong. If this love, of all things, couldn't conquer all..then what could?

From the universe's deepest, most inescapable depths, a lost angel falls onto the earth from which he was forced. A symbol of the infinate love, which his soul shared with another, was what had resurrected him from those depths. Lifetimes of pain, now so deeply etched within his character, had caused the memory of that everlasting love, so utterly pure, to receed to the furthest regions of his mind. Another obstacle had been layed.

She couldn't believe it, couldn't believe that the creature unconscious at her feet could be the one she loved to the very depth of her soul. What tortures had he been subjeted to that had caused him to become what he now was? Who had decided this as his fate? Her heart answered the question in its echoing cry. It had been her. She'd betrayed and destroyed the only one her heart would ever, and forever, belong to...for the sake of a world in which she didn't really belong. In this world, death was her destiny. She would fight for its existance every day of her life, with little to no help or recognition. Anything and everything that she held dear would inevitably, at some point, be ripped away from her. There was no room for mistakes or mess-ups, for the fate of the world lay upon her, and only her. Developing any emotional attatchments meant her heart bleeding and weeping every time one of them was torn away..be it peacefully, or by a cruel twist of fate's awful hand. And now, with the fall of her Angel, fate had dealt her another cruel blow. And her heart wept.

As the boy's body fell upon the ground, lifelessly, a deep fear of the man she loved made its way through her heart, bordering on terror. She saw now that the Angel she loved may be buried beneath the many years of torture suffered in Hell. He had done this, killed another..while souled. What would he do to her? She despised the fear she felt towards the man she loved more than life itself, despised that she must be driven to feel this way. But what else could she do? She had lost him once, but there had been some kind of hope...if she lost him to his own torturedness then there was nothing she could do. As these thoughts raced through her mind, his face transformed, ridding all traces of the demon that was ever present within him. He then uttered her name as if he had just glimpsed at a hope he had long since abandoned, a hope he had thought would never be his again. He dropped to the ground on his knees, and held her close to him, her name escaping his lips over and over again. Her name was his lifeline, *she* was his lifeline..the one which might help him find his way back into this world. Tears rose up in her eyes, and in her heart was a hope she hadn't dared hope in quite some time.

The healing process of a million scars, created from too much suffered pain, was far from an easy one. It took much time, and even more willpower. There were times when things became so difficult that whether or not it was really all worth it was questioned. It hurt to pretend, to lie to the one she loved, and act as though she no longer did. It took a great deal of strength to act as if he wasn't still the best and main thing which her life held. Scott, he was nothing. She'd never love him, not like she did Angel. She knew it hurt them both when she pushed Angel away, but she held a deep fear that if they allowed their love to get through, they might go too far...and do something they would both regret forever. And yet she wouldn't regret it. She never could. Even though their making love had cost him his soul once, she would never be able to bring herself to regret that it had happened. Never. In her heart, and in her soul, she still wished she could be that close to him again..so close that their souls touched. It hurt to know that she couldn't, ever again. They were both trying to heal, but was learning to live without that love really healing? No, it was growing strong, not healing. She knew she could never bring herself to fall *out* of love with Angel, but could she ever bring herself to move on? It was hard, painful, and lonely knowing that even if she did someday 'move on', she would come running straight back to Angel if they had the chance to really be together again(without the negative consequences). In that sense, it hurt to know that she'd never really move on.

Her soul protested as she walked out of the mansion, and away from Angel. She had had to see the heartbreak in his eyes, again, and know she had caused it, again. He didn't deserve so much pain, for he'd seen far too much already. Why they were forced to be fate's slaves, she'd never know. But she knew that despite the fact that their relationship had been the hardest, most painful thing in their lives, it had also been the best. Maybe that would offer her some comfort in the months, the years to come, but that was something she doubted. Her decision that they couldn't see each other had been difficult, but in the end she knew it was what had to be done. Ironic how he had said the same thing, that this could never be anything, not so long ago. Ironic how she had persisted then, but was now walking away. They had lied to themselves(he had once said that sometimes lies were better), and had fooled themselves into believing that, maybe, they'd make it. So did this make them fools? Had they really disillusioned themselves into the belief that they could go against everything, and win? They had. They had lived their fairytale(despite the evident cracks in the 'solid foundation'), and had lived the lie that their love would survive everything and anything, that it would 'conquer all'. Though they may have been fools for their belief, if given the chance she'd go back and do it all again, every bit of it. Maybe she was still a fool, but it was something she stuck with.

He tried to sort everything out amongst the confusion in his mind. He thought back to when their love had been just about them, their two souls, and not everything that surrounded them. Did fate purposely mock them? The one thing that had mattered in his existance, the one place that he felt he belonged, he wasn't allowed to be a part of. For so long after he'd regained his soul, he'd felt as if there was no place or time where he would ever really fit in with the rest of the world. When she came along, he'd suddenly felt as if *this* was where he belonged, like he'd finally found a place in the world. In all of his immortal life, he knew that the memory of this time, of *their* time, would be what he would always remember most. As he thought of his immortality, his world felt all the more empty. He'd never belong anywhere else, anytime else. Maybe he'd tricked himself into believing that he *did* belong here, that they'd have some sort of a life together, and that he'd die as she would. In a sense he would, for he'd lose his place without her..and again become a stranger in the world. Maybe he'd been a fool for letting himself think he was actually a part of this world. He'd helped bring her out of the sunshine and into the dark of the night. As much as he hated that fact, he knew it was true. Her duty would have done it to her eventually, but he had gotten to her emotionally. He could never be a part of her world, that of sunlight and free-spiritedness, so she'd had to enter his. In that sense, he'd helped bring her into the darkness which was now a part of her life. She'd been forced to grow, and mature...and she had. She was older than her years, more experienced(too experienced) to have the innocence that comes with youth. It was bound to happen, but he had put her through so much that it had happened alot sooner than it might have otherwise. He could only hope that, maybe apart, she'd regain some of what it was she had lost. And yet had he the chance, he'd still be in her life if he could. His heart and soul wouldn't allow him the strength to know otherwise.

As was inevitable, they were once again together. Their souls needed each other, even if they could never really be *together*. It had been inevitable, for love can't be denied. To try is torture...and once two hearts connect, that connection is never really lost. They never kissed, for to ignite that flame would be to start a fire they may not be able to stop. It was an injustice..being forced to hold back a love so strong. It was also how it had to be. Yet, when they looked into each other's eyes, they could still see that love..shining ever brightly from within them. It radiated from their two hearts and off of their two souls like the light from an ever-burning star. They could never be together, yet they couldn't stay apart.

Xander held up his hand to the creature of whom he had once despised, the very one that had just saved their lives. It represented, in all truth and honesty, the willingness to forgive his crimes and to put the past behind them. The ensouled vampire raised his hand to accept the truce, and looked him in the eye as their hands shook. He had been forgiven by the one who had never before accepted him, and this meant alot to them both. He then heard his name spoken by the girl behind him. He turned to face Willow as she uttered the words "I forgive you too.", and he didn't know what to think. He had cared about these people, and for the most part had earned their trust...before reverting and betraying each one. And now here they were, speaking words of forgiveness..words he didn't deserve to hear. He thanked her quitely. The only one who had remained silent was the one he had hurt the most. Angel knew the Watcher could never forgive him, for he'd taken his only love away. Such an act deserved no forgiveness. And yet, in the Watcher's mind, forgiveness was near. Had it not been for the very one that had taken her away, they would have missed out on so much time together..and so much would have been left unshared. Had it not been for that time, he would have never heard her confess that she loved him. He remained silent, but in the back of his mind - and in the corner of his heart - he couldn't help forgiving the vampire.

The Forces saw it coming, knew it couldn't be denied. The willpower the two held was immense, but the will of their love and passion was stronger than they were. It *would* break free, it was only a matter of time. They would deny it, but that love grew stronger with each moment they were together. When it broke free, love would win them over... It was only a matter of time.

The night was nearly over, and for the Chosen One this meant rest after a night of battling the forces of darkness. Her eyelids closed and she let sleep overcome her, taking her to a more peaceful existance until the new day called her back. And she was taken to the world of dreams..where she most remembered that fateful, inevitable night when she and her love's two souls had become no longer seperate. They had become one. There she let all the fears and pains slip away, and they could be together with every touch of their bodies, every breath of their souls..every small interaction that meant so much. She sometimes wished she could stay there forever..eternally with her love. Her only wish was for them to be together, to be able to love each other..Always.

Their two souls were now on a another plane of existance, one which beheld eternity. Their bodies left behind, they wandered this plane without restriction..without boundaries. Their bodies were helpless, left unprotected as the souls now freely roamed. No harm would come though, only guidance..assistance. With the planets, the stars, and the universe's energies all correctly aligned..it was now time. Time to undo all the wrong and injustice that had been done to the two, time to let love win. The universe's energies would assist love in correcting everything, in setting their souls back on course. And love would triumph. It could be felt in the air..this was the night that prophecy, destiny, and everything telling of love's inevitable triumph, would be fulfilled. A heavenly light shone, illuminating both the bodies and souls of the two destined lovers..soulmates. Love's light guided them beyond the darkness, and onto their path...their path of destiny. They were their destiny.