"Immortal Beloved..." XCIII...

A shortie..

.PG-13

Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!

It's all yours and ME's...(and of course, Cole'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...

Ok, I lied about stopping at 50...But me poor ole mum would just say, "so long as I like it, it's ok..."

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LA...Night...

Ah!...A sudden scream...

A light pops on, revealing a rather battered-looking slight man swathed in bandages...His blonde, if somewhat singed hair visible above the facial wrappings, sitting up and leaning on the edge of what is clearly a hospital bed...His arm extended to the lamp on a small night table which he's snapped on...

"Hey...You alright, mate?..." he looks over to the bed across from his...

"I had the dream again..."

Yeah?...

"Had Buffy's head shoved in a bucket of horse piss...It dissolved into cookie dough goo, floating on the surface..."

"So it was the same one again..." William nodded...Yeah, the heavily bandaged Angel sighed from where he lay...

"Of course...That's just something floating in from Angelus...I've moved on..." Angel noted...

"Absolutely..." William nodded...

"She might have send a card, though...Even Andrew sent a card..." Angel's voice sounded a bit miffed...

"Dawn sent me one...Said she was sorry not to call or write when Andy told them after Dana...She wants to visit during summer break..."

"So you told me...Five times today..."

"Didn't say a word about Buffy though...Except that she was visiting the Immortal's place in the Austrian Alps..."

"So you said...Many times..."

Hey...A hurt tone... "You're the one who woke me up...With a rather Freudian dream, if you ask me..."

"I didn't...Besides...Don't tell me you of all people weren't hurt when she didn't show..."

"She's moved on...I've accepted it...I always said I knew I didn't have a chance, right?..."

"Are you saying it didn't bother you?...Knowing she knew what was up and she couldn't be bothered to come?...Hell, even Giles sent help and he hates me...For good reasons, I suppose..."

"Well, she wasn't really monitoring things with the Council, that Slayer, Gretchen said...Has been trying to keep her distance this last year..."

"Well...Angelus' rage aside...I'm annoyed with her, I don't mind sayin'...God, how many times did I risk death for her?..."

"After you and she called it quits?..." a mocking tone... "I'd say exactly zero, but for the Big One...Including the time you didn't even try to help her after she came back, remember?... Something about 'separate paths' wasn't it...?"

He frowned over at his hospital roommate... "And I can tell you...She needed help then like never before...And she was hurt..."

"She was?...Hmmn...I guess I was preoccupied...I figured long as she was alive again...And I did come when her Mom died...And for the Big One, I was there..."

"True enough...She did appreciate that I know..."

"So?...Where was she?...I mean, just for old times' sake...Friendship...Saving the head of an organization on her side that could be invaluable in helping her Slayers...And..." Angel paused...

You...

Hmmn?...

"Well, for God's sake William...You won your soul back for love of her...You saved her and the world and you've done nothing but good since...And you..." a sigh... "Even as Spike you were there when she needed you that year...When I didn't show..."

How she can not at least?...

"Probably just doesn't want me gettin' ideas...Tryin' to be kind in her blonde, Californianly thoughtless way..."

"You still in love with her?...You are, aren't you?..."

"Sure...You?..."

"I have a girlfriend...And I guess it was over a while ago...Look, Will...Why don't you take Illyria out when we get outta here?...She's still moping over poor Wes but she knows he's with Fred now..."

"I like Lyri...But..." a sigh..

"Don't you hate her a little?...She didn't even call after Andy told her how you got your hands cut off saving that maniac Dana?..."

"No...Well, I mean...It hurts some, sure..."

Ok, a lot...

"But...I can't make her care, can I?..."

Hmmn... "Well, you know...Will...She's not all that smart when it comes to magics protection..."

"Come on...My demon threw her invisible ass out when she wouldn't fess up to her guys about us...I'm not gonna stoop to love spelling now..."

Though, God...She was a sucker for love spells...

"Say, how do we know the Immortal doesn't use magics?...Ever?...All we got is the word of a Wolfram-Hart staffer...Who coulda been workin' for him?...Hey, maybe the Immortal was one of the Partners...Maybe he took Buffy and was arranging our deaths...Or to have us wipe out the others and leave him head honcho..."

"While we're wishing things like this...I'd like a pony..."

"Didn't Dawn's card say anything about Buffy?..."

"Just what I tole ya..."

"I say that's suspicious...We outta call Giles and demand the lowdown on His Benv..."

"If it makes you happy, go ahead...Best wait till morning in England, though..."

"Why don't we go to England?...We still got the jet...I'm CEO of the new firm thanks to all the threats of revealing the tight connections of our national and state leaders to the foul evil of the Partners...We could just go...On a visit to check out our roots, say...And while we're looking up your past in London, we pay a call on Rupert and the Council..."

And all those Slayers who left you their numbers...he noted...

Hmmn...Will pondered...

"The fourteen who stayed on in LA to visit me could use a ride back to England...They're still in training there..."

"Perfect...And if Giles confesses to us that he has doubts about His Benevolence..." (And being Rupert Giles he is sure to at least have 'doubts'...Will noted...) "We go to Austria and make sure alls well..."

Hmmn...Nah...Will shook his head...

"We looked like idiots in Rome...Lets not go that way again...If Rupert gives us something concrete, we can think it over then...After all, if he were really worried..."

I guess so...A disappointed tone...

"But a trip to England and maybe to see your old sod across the way would be nice...I'd like to see if any family made it to the present..."

"Yeah...I suppose I should too...Now that I can help them out, my mother would appreciate my looking out for the family...Though in modern-day Ireland, they're probably not making out badly..."

"Less of course all surviving family you didn't kill were hunted down and massacred as relatives of Angelus..." Will noted...

"My people are survivors...Some probably made it...Say?...Were there really fourteen of them who stayed behind here to visit you?..."

"You were there when they came yesterday...They'll probably be in today...Count em..."

"Whoa...And all because of the memories they got from her?..."

Guess so...

"Nice ladies, too...And that Gretchen's quite the beauty..."

"I guess..."

"Will, if she can move on...Without even tryin' at closure..."

"I am what I am, mate...Victorians mate rarely, usually for life..."

"Jesus...At least admit you're angry at her...Even some of the Slayers were mad at her..."

"I don't want it to end in anger...I've done enough of that...But the England trip's a good idea when we're up for it...Go back to bed, Angel..."

And try to remember the good times...I try to...

He snapped off the light...

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