"Immortal Beloved..." XCIV...

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..."

***

Rome...The day after the final battle with the Senior Partners in LA...

He looked at the tape player Dawn had passed over to him …Pressed for a rewind…

"Andrew?..." he turned to the boy… "I never said a word…I promised him...and you…"I never mentioned his being there…I swear…" Andrew in tears now…Dawn hugging him…

"I see…" Giles looked at Andrew… "And she got this just this morning…After the news from LA last night?…"

"Giles?..." Dawn sighed... "Why didn't you tell us what was up in LA, Giles?...Even if she hadn't known he was there, alive…She would have gone to help Angel, whatever you said about him…"

She would have been there even if she couldn't have saved him…

"I thought it for the best…Honestly…He'd had the sense not to come…She seemed…The Immortal and she…" Giles paused…Fighting to hold on…

Did she say anything, after listening to this?...He indicated the now-rewound tape…

"She just stared at it a while..." Dawn said quietly… "Then she locked herself in her room…Playing it over and over...And when I couldn't get her to answer or come to the door…I called you…" she sat down suddenly, her face shadowed and drained…

Giles pressed the play button…

The high, somewhat squeaky voice of Cole Porter, accompanied by thumping piano…

(from "You're the Top"…Cole Porter)

"At words poetic, I'm so pathetic…That I always have found it best…

Instead of getting them off my chest…To let them rest…

Unexpressed…

I hate parading…My serenading…And I'll probably miss the bar…

But if this ditty…Is not so pretty…

At least it'll tell you how great you are…

You're the top…"

He, Andrew, and Dawn quietly listened to the end…Where William's voice suddenly cut in over Porter's…A warm, embracing tone...

"…but if my Buffy I'm the bottom…

You are... most definitely...the top…"

***