PAIRING : Buffy/Angel

RATING : PG13

DISCLAIMER : I do not own these characters. Nor do I own “I Will Love You” (Fisher).

Joyce Summers is dead. Riley Finn is gone. Buffy is crying. I’ve been watching her for an hour now, weeping. Is this why I left her? So she could have something normal and good? And for what? So she could be in a cemetery alone? Crying?

I walk a little closer and she senses me, she always did. She turns and her eyes catch mine. I can tell she was happy, until she realizes that she’s not mine, and I’m not hers anymore.

“Hi.” She says as she tries to wipe the tears away from her face. “What… what are you here for?”

“You.” I say, simple and to the point. “I heard about your… I’m sorry.” She just nods her head and I extend my arms to her. She takes my hand and crashes into my chest. “I’m so sorry, Buffy. I was wrong.”

“What?” She looks up at me.

“Lets go somewhere we can talk.”

Ten minutes later, we’re in the mansion. I start a fire and we sit in front of it. “Why are you here, Angel? After all this time…” she doesn’t want to look at me. She’s afraid I’ll hurt her.

“Buffy, I was wrong. I love you. I’ve always loved you, even before I met you, I was waiting for you.” She looks up at me; I’ve got her attention. “‘Til my body is dust, ‘til my soul is no more, I will love you. I’ll love you, Buffy. Until the sun starts to cry, and the moon turns to rust. I will love you.”

“Angel,” she starts to protest. “Why are you telling me this now? Do you want to hurt me?”

“No. I never wanted to hurt you the way I did. I thought I was doing something good, but… you deserve to be happy. And we were happy.”

“But we can’t… us, you and me… *I* can’t.”

“We can. I fought for my soul and I have it, permanent lock.”

“What?” She asks.

“We can. I can kiss you and taste you and bury myself inside you. Safe as houses.” She smiles. “I want you back. I know I don’t have any right to, but I do. I’ll understand if you don’t want me after how much I hurt you. But I *had* to give us another chance. Give us another chance, Buffy.”

“I want to. But I need to know, will you stay for all time? Forever and a day?” I nod. “Then I’ll give my heart 'til the end of all time, forever and a day.”

“I won’t leave. Not again. Not unless you want me to.”

“I can’t have someone else leave me, Angel. It hurts too much, and I can’t feel that again.”

“Give us another chance. Give *me* another chance.”

“And I need to know will you stay for all time?”

“Yes, Buffy. For as long as you’ll have me.” She pulls me to her and her lips gently caress mine. The kiss quickly deepens and she pulls away breathless. “Buffy, I asked me one time if you were still my girl?”

“Always.”

“Forever and a day.” I say.

“Then I’ll give my heart, 'til the end of all time, forever and a day.”

“I love you, Buffy.” I whisper as she pushes me back on the floor.

After hours of lovemaking and tasting, kissing and caressing, we lay, her in my arm, on the floor with my jacket covering our spent and sated bodies. I’m just about to fall asleep when I hear her whisper, “‘Til the storms fill my eyes and we touch the last time, I will love you, love you, love you.”

~El Fin~