."Immortal Beloved XVI..."
A shortie...
PG-13
Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!
It's all yours and ME's
Spoilers for Angel to this week...Flee at once!...
Summary: Ok, another one...Can't resist it...Aftermath of "Girl In Question..."
***
Dear Buffy,
I'd guess it's safe to say that by now Andrew has told you of our little jaunt over to Rome the other day...I'm also assuming he must long ago have told you of my reappearance on the mortal stage...
Fraid my exit last year has been followed on the stage by a rather lame return...However, as I'm able to write this, I at least no longer a ghost...Which I was by the by for several weeks...Not a pleasant experience if you've never tried it...Fortunately, some one decided to use me for his purposes and deliberately corporealized me...I'd hoped rather it was Willow, but of course you'd had no idea...
By the way, that was Angel's fault, not letting you know...At least til I went solid again...Though in fairness, him not knowing what a sterling character I'd become...Or some who knew me way back when might say, resumed...Post soul, natch...
(Not post soul...A reading Dawn thought...Long pre-soul...)
...His suspicions could be rated, justified...
And since the grand solidification, he has been tolerably helpful...Poof as he is, he is the only humanish, at least as to soul, family I got left, besides you...That's not to say I hold you to what you said in the cavern...Just that to me, you always will be family...
Speaking of what you said in the cavern, though...I guess you're wondering why I haven't dropped a dime or a line previous...And believe me, given what brought me to Rome tonight, I sure as hell now wish I had...Girl, another vampire?...And you know the Immortal has no soul...But, ok...You gotta lead your life, as Andrew said...Anyway, as to why I didn't come...I said I wouldn't hold you to what you said that day...I said then...And I say now...I understand you didn't mean for it to mean you want that picket fence and to have Willow find a way to let us make a few tots...But you can't blame me for wanting it to have been true, at the time...For the moment...And for me to want to hold that moment forever...I can't face you, have a pleasant conversation, and hear you assure me you'll always care, but...Maybe someday when I've got on with my life, but not now...
This isn't to say I'm not available if things ever open up...I'd come in a second if you ever want me, you know that...Buffy...Oh...
Anyway...You were the one who gave me the kick, along with the help of the US boys in black, to go and recover that damned soul...Which I think is a keeper...Because of you, I may one day win the right to see my sainted mother's face again and hear her words of forgiveness for her weak son...
For that alone, I owe you a debt I can never repay...My friend, my love...The Slayer who saved me at last...
One last thing and I close...Tell Giles to go a little easier on the Brooding One...He's not gone the evil way, he's trying his best to make a difficult sit work...In case you don't know and if you don't it's because Willow's slipped up and missed a Wolfram-Hart spell, it was all for his son...Yes, he had a son by Darla, a human boy...Before you forgot, if you haven't recovered the memory, you were bloody pissed at him, I could tell, though you'd moved on...It was all for him, Connor...But Angel is not working for them, he's making them work for him...And if the deal goes south, I'll be there to help him deal with the senior partners...
I mean the poof's the only family I have left, as I said... Except for you...
Greeting to the little bit...And why the hell didn't she show me a little consideration last year...(And tell you what?...That I was glad you'd driven sis off...Because I...) Geesh, Nibs, if you see this...You do remember who it was who protected you the year previous?...Well...I know I let you down that time with Buffy...Hopefully, frying to a crisp to save you and yours put me back up a few notches in your book...
Hafta to go...The Brooding One needs comfort over the Immortal thing...Girl, you'd think he'd never left you alone in Sunnydale...
Love beyond the world,
William...
...Soames Walthrop, by the way...If you'd care to know...
(The sound of a key in the apartment door, which opened...Buffy turning to give His Benevolence a last peck on the cheek...
Dawn stared at them, note in her hand...A slightly cold look on her features...
"Dawn?...What's that?...Mail from Xander?..."
She paused a moment, considering...Eyeing her sis' face...
You told me you did love him...But when he came back, you never even called him...And you went on with His Blowhardyness, as Xander calls him...And if I put this in my pocket...In a couple of years when I can get to LA...
But he loves you...Still, I am you, in part...
Oh, Mom...Tell me what to do?...
"Dawn?...")
