"Immortal Beloved X..."

PG-13

Spoilers for Angel to "The Girl in Question..."

Disclaimer: Not mine, but thine O Joss!...And ME's...

Summary: Ok, so I had to do one last one after the fact...

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LA...Wolfram-Hart tower...CEO Angel's office...

The day after...

William and Angel still sitting in their chairs, contemplating "moving on"...

"I still..." William begins...

Yeah...Angel sighs, resigned...

"I mean...She didn't even call or send a card to welcome me back to the land of the more or less living...A 'Thanks for the great memories...' would've be nice..." Will looks down at the floor...Say...A happy thought dawns...

"Maybe she didn't know...Maybe Andrew never told her..."

"He said 'she loves us both, but'...Sounds like she knew to me..." Angel notes...

Yeah...Will sighs... "But I can't believe she wouldn't at least...I mean, I never expected anything..."

Hell, why'd she have to say 'I love you'?...he put his head in his hands... "I mean...I knew she didn't...Not really, but..."

She said 'I love you'?....To you?...Angel stared at him...Frowning...

"Just 'fore I fried...Sympathy I know...Still..."

I been living on it for months...he buried his head in his hands again...

Ummn...Will?...Angel looked at his sobbing...Whatever he was to him...

Ummn... "You know, maybe Andy didn't tell her...Heck, you're right...Buf would never not try to reach you if she knew..."

William raised his head...You think so?...A slight beam...

Absolutely...In fact...

"The Immortal's just a rebound...She's looking for you in him, no doubt about it..."

Bollocks...Will frowned... "God, this is the worst...You feelin' sorry for me..."

You really think?...he hesitated... "Oh, come on...Andrew couldn't keep a secret like that for five minutes...She knows..."

And could care less...

"Just wish she'd written...Called...Just to say hi...See if maybe I was sufferin' from post-res depression...Heck, I was there for her...Soullessly...Took care of lil' Nibs...Soullessly..."

Hmmn...Angel sat up..."You think the Immortal copied us and pulled up a soul?..."

"Probably had one all along...Kept it hidden just to show us up when the time was right..." Will paused... "I should've written her...Called myself, when I got my form back...Maybe she was hurt..."

Did think it was stupid of you not to...Angel noted...

"Hey!...Was tryin' to keep my sacrifice pure and all..."

"Well, it sure sounded idiotic to me..."

"Well, what about you, you poof?...How come you left her sis all alone, with homicidal maniac Spike as her caregiver?...And what did you say to her when she went to see you that time, after...You know she came back pretty shaken up, ole Red told me..."

Mmmn...Angel shrugged... "I'd moved on..." William blinked...

"You said that to her?...She'd just resurrected and you said to her?...You..."

Not in so many words...Angel looked away...

"I said... 'We've taken different paths...'..."

"And you didn't even offer her some cash to get back on her feet?...What a piece of work you were..."

Hey...Angel frowned... "She shoved me into Hell and never bothered to even try and get me out...Never did a thing to get Willow to help lift my curse with the soul intact..."

"You were angry at her?...All this time?..."

No, certainly not...Well...Maybe just a bit...Resentful...

"She did jump into bed with that Riley pretty quick, after all..."

And frankly, I can't stand that whining brat sister of hers...

"You jackass!...This is all your fault!..." Will glared... "She's moved on 'cause you did, you bloody stupid pointy-haired poor imitation of Christ!!..."

Eh...Angel shrugged again...Maybe you're right...

"All right, then..." Will moved to the desk and pressed a button...Yes?...Harmony's voice floated over the intercom...

"Harmony, take a letter...No, wait...Better yet...Put me through to Buffy's place in Rome...Now..."

Angel came over...Taking a seat on the edge of his desk...

Ummn...Will put a hand over the phone...

"Angel?...What do I say?..."

"You're asking me?...Just tell her you're alive and see what she says...Ummn..." he paused...

Yeah?...What?...

Ummn... "Maybe you should wait..."

Wait?...I've already bloody damned waited too long...

"I mean...Telling Buf you're alive is kinda our...er your...Last bolt in the crossbow, if you know what I mean..."

So...

"So...Assuming she doesn't know...Maybe we...er you...Should wait and see if the Immortal screws it up...Andy did say he had his flaws..."

Hmmn...

"Then you appear out of the ashes...And..."

Has its appeal...Will thought...

"Maybe...Say, maybe ole Immortal guy doesn't have a soul...Maybe he is pure evil...You know, he used to be very interested in acquiring sources of power and energy...Maybe he's stringing Buffy along to get his hands on Dawn and her key power...Ole Red always said she was loaded with juice..."

Maybe...Angel nodded...Or he might be out to transform Buf...

Using my patented Angelic phony redemption-seeking style...he fumed inwardly...

"And if we wait a bit...Let him show himself up..."

Maybe...

"Maybe Buf'll even call us...Or you, at least...Lookin' for help to get poor Nibs back from her vile ex-...Yeah...Ok...We wait..."

Harmony...William turned to the phone... "Cancel that..."

"Hello?..." Buffy's voice came over the speaker...

"William?...Is that you?..."

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