"Immortal Beloved..." XLVII...

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 the bitter end...Flee at once!...

Summary: Various outcomes following "Girl In Question" and /or "Not Fade Away" on Angel...What the hell, I'll try for 50...I mean the numbers are easier to write after 40 anyway...

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"Buffy..." Willow shook her head sadly, staring at the Slayer where, rather oblivious to the chaos about her, she now cradled the still, battered body of William Soames Walthrop, aka William the Blood aka Spike...

"If you'd just called me in sooner..." she looked round the blasted alley, where remains of various demons lay scattered, blasted and flash-fried by the rather substantial energy pulse the wiccan had just fired down the way...

I mean...she paused... "You were here all day...You were following him...Didn't you get any inkling of what was up until just before..."

Didn't you even try to speak to him?...she, seeing the tears on her friend's cheek did not say...

"I'm so sorry, Buf..."

Buffy stroked William gently, tenderly...Shaking her head...

"We didn't know what was going on until they came here...I didn't think we should speak to them directly til we knew what was up...Not that I ever doubted him...But you know Giles said not to risk contact until we were certain of Angel's intentions..."

Dawn, beside her, gave a slight, brief, narrow look...Which she wiped quickly as possible...Willow sighing again... "Poor Charlie Gunn...And Wesley, too...Well, at least Angel is still kickin'...And that blue lady..." she looked to where Illyria was being tended by two Slayers who'd teleported in with her moments ago...

Yeah...Buffy nodded, a wan smile... "I'm glad for him...And what's his latest's name..." She stared down briefly to where Nina was helping Angel rise to his feet...

"Poor guy..." Willow sighed again at William... "I wish he'd had the guts to come to you..." Yeah...Buffy nodded... "But he's in Heaven now and, maybe...Maybe now he believes I wasn't lying..."

Dawn staring at her...

"Well, I'll go check the Hell portal and make sure it's secure...Then maybe one of us..." she eyed Buffy gently rocking the corpse in her arms... "Then I'll call Giles and let him know it's over..." Fine, Buffy murmured... "Thanks, Wil..." Willow rose and headed down the alley...Dawn remaining by her sister, eyeing her and William...

Willow gone out of earshot, Buffy stared up coolly at her sis...Well?...

"We could have got here sooner...We could have called Willow in sooner...You deliberately waited until it was too late..." Dawn stated flatly... "And I know why...I was there in the club, Buffy...And I heard him...And saw you after..."

Her sister just stared, coldly... "He's in Heaven now..." she repeated...

With her...she did not say...Nor did she have to...

"Tell me, Buffy..." Dawn paused... "Tell me you did it, for him...To let him have peace at last...And...And not because..."

"I loved him..." Buffy replied quietly...Staring fixedly at her sis...

"I want to believe it was unselfish...Pure...I'll try to make myself believe that, Buffy..." Dawn sighed...Looking over to where Willow was helping Illyria to the waiting ambulance... "There's no point in telling Willow or anyone else anyway...It's too late now and he's gone..."

She paused a moment...

"He loved you, Buffy...I'm sure of it...Whatever he said today...Who or whatever she..."

Yeah...Buffy nodded...Holding him tight against her body...Rubbing his cheek with hers...

Dawn walked slowly away, over to Angel, now being placed on a stretcher for transport under Nina's watchful eye...

"I don't really know why, Will..." Buffy whispered... "I hope Dawn is right to believe in me and that I did it for you...To let you have...What you really wanted..."

All I know is...All these weeks since Andrew told me...I was sure you'd come...Though I even stooped to playing around with the Immortal, just to get you to come...I was sure you loved me and you'd come when you were ready...But then, today...After Giles told me what was up here and I couldn't wait any longer and came to you...I heard you in that club...And then I knew...

All you gave me these last years...Everything...Was for her...It was hers... Buffy murmured...Rocking the body of her dead lover in her arms... "I heard you..."

"It was all...For Cicely..."

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