Welcome to Denial of Destiny!

[ Up ]

Eternal Love part 2

by Mark Jones

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB network. Angel and Buffy forever. Amen.

"Wh… what have you done to me?" Buffy said with shock and surprise in her voice. "You… you made me a vampire?" She ran her hands over her face, feeling the ridges, then gingerly feeling the elongated cainites. She looked over her shoulder. "Why can I see myself and not you?"

"It’s called the Becoming." Angel said quietly. "You body is experiencing the change of becoming one of us. The external features manifest first, then your body slowly changes." Sure enough, as Buffy watched herself in the mirror, she could just see herself fade slightly.

"I… I can’t believe this… why?" When she looked at Angel, tears were streaming down his face.

"Buffy, you were going to die. I couldn’t let that happen.. w… without you… I couldn’t…" He turned and walked away, leaning over the fireplace as he sobbed softly. Buffy followed him, beginning to understand.

"So what will happen now?" she asked in a quiet voice. He turned to her, wiping his cheeks with the sleeves of his black shirt. "Will I start drinking blood and turn evil?" Angel shook his head.

"No. Willow cast the spell on you. The same one that had been cast on me. You have your soul still, and will always keep it."

"Mostly." Buffy interrupted. "Unless I have a moment of true happiness." Angel looked away again, his jaw clenched. "My moment of happiness occurred when we made love… just like you." Her gaze bore into him, and he felt regret build up inside him as the memories flooded back to him of that dark time.

"So I can never have that… never be with you? Never be with ANYONE?" Buffy yelled. The very second the words left her mouth, she regretted them immediately. The insinuation was that she wouldn’t always be with Angel, but with someone else. Angel looked away, his face flushed in anger, embarrassment or some emotion.

"I’m sorry." Buffy said, genuinely feeling bad now. "I…" Her eyes closed as she fought her own emotions back. "I know you did this because you love me. And I’m sorry I said what I did." He looked back at her now, the hurt apparent on his face. "I only want to be with you." Angel shook his head again.

"No, you’re right. You maybe were not destined to be with me. You maybe were to go on and date some normal college guy or something… who can say? But I couldn’t lose you. Even if you and I weren’t together, I’d still feel you. I feel when you’re close. And I don’t want to lose that feeling."

"I feel it too." She echoed.

The stood for a moment of silence, looking at each other. Angel watched as the ridges on Buffy’s forehead slowly sank back into her skin, her eyes returned to their normal color, and she took on her normal, elfin, beautiful look. He managed a slight smile as she looked in the mirror, surprised and for the first time smiled herself.

"So what happens now?" she asked quietly, her innocent face on that attracted him so much. He sat down on the couch and she followed suit.

"That’s hard to say." He looked away, distantly. "You’ll have to learn your abilities and powers, understand these changes that happen to your body as you, you know, no longer eat food…" Angel’s voice trailed off as they both pondered that point. Buffy looked up at him.

"… and I have life…"

"…eternal." He finished breathlessly. The looked at each other for a moment longer, seemingly lost in each other’s eyes. Then she closed the distance as his arms opened and buried herself in his chest. Angel’s eyes closed as he held her tight, his head down on hers.

"I’ve loved you since I first saw you." Angel whispered. "I couldn’t stand to be without you for the past few weeks. Eternity would be unbearable without you." He felt her grip around his body tighten.

"I love you." He whispered. She looked up in his eyes.

"I love you."

The entire gang sat around in the library, silence settled upon them. Most stared off into the distance. This included Buffy, who had her legs pulled up and arms wrapped around them, her chin resting on her knees. Giles straightened up slightly where he was sitting on the steps, and adjusted his glasses.

"Well, Buffy, this was certainly not something that we anticipated happening. But it’s certainly better than you being dead." He paused, looking down, and mumbled "I think…"

"Yeah." Willow piped in. "I’m glad we were able to locate that disk. I mean, when Angel mentioned… changing you, I was shocked. But then I realized that he was saving you from what he was before… you’d never have done the things he did as Angelus, and wouldn’t walk around with that, you know, ton of granite on your shoulder like he carries."

"You’d be surprised how hard that is to carry." Angel said, walking into the library. He walked over and leaned against a table close to Buffy. "I… I’d like to think I did her a favor, but I can’t say."

"Well, Angel… " Xander said, standing up. "I"ve never been much of a fan of yours. But…" He looked around, seeming nervous or embarassed. "You saved Buffy. Thanks." Angel looked at Xander for a moment, lost for words. Then he smiled slightly.

"I bet that was hard." He said.

"More than you know." Xander said, walking away.

The gang had broken up and everyone was heading off to think and ponder the new situation when Angel was pulled aside by Giles.

"Angel, you know I would never… never anymore interfere with your relationship with Buffy, but I want to make you aware of a story that could restore her to her human form, if you both wanted." Angel’s brow shot up, surprised. Most of the legends of vampire – to – human he had researched himself, this must be good.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Because Buffy is still going though the Becoming, her body hasn’t fully changed. I was reading where a newly formed vampire was able to ‘take back’ their lifeforce from the vampire that changed them, and because human again." Giles put his hands on his waist and stared off at the floor. "But this was only a second hand story, and according to the story, resulted in the death of the vampire that made him…"

"Since the new vampire drank all of his sire’s blood, and lifeforce, right?" Angel looked at Giles, his eyes darker than normal. He turned and walked over to sit in the same chair Buffy was in earlier. "She would never go for it. The only reason she drank my blood in the beginning was that she was unconscious, almost dead."

"I understand in times of stress, the beast within you takes over and you do things you might not always do." Giles said. Angel nodded.

"But if the legend is just that, a legend, it would hurt her more than anything else I could ever do. And, what happens afterwards? I know she can take care of herself, but…" Giles crossed to Angel, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"She’ll be safe. I promise." Angel stood, looking eye to eye with Giles, and solemnly shook his hand. He turned to talk out.

"Angel?" Giles said. Angel looked back over his shoulder.

"You’re the bravest man I’ve ever known. Thank you." Angel just nodded softly, and walked.

He walked for several hours, finally arriving back at his mansion before dawn. He found Buffy inside, who came over to him concerned.

"Where have you been?" she asked, seeming worried. He hugged her quickly, the lead her into the large room he had cleared for a workout area.

"I was talking to Giles. Come on, time to start your training." He nodded as Angel took his jacket off and squared up against her. "First. You must understand that we are tough, but can still get tougher. Feel the blood coursing through your veins. Use your mind to push it towards your hands, your arms. You’ll get stronger and stronger." Buffy nodded, closing her eyes and tring to get more in tune with her body. She suddenly felt her arms and hands tingle as she could feel her strength grow to mammoth proportions.

"Yes…" Angel said. "Now… defend yourself!" Angel launched himself at her, and her hands instinctively flew up to block his attack. Buffy’s honed fighting ability still held true, and she was tough. But Buffy was surprised by how much faster Angel was moving than normal. She managed a break in the combat and he paused as well, looking at her.

"How do you…" she asked. He smiled.

"You’re beautiful when you’re puzzled. Another use of the blood… feel it throughout your body, it will allow you to move faster than normal!" Again he attacked, and she blocked, countered, and blocked again. But she felt her stomach rumble. Maybe she’d need a hamburger after this workout.

Angel suddenly hit her harder, and connected with her jaw, sending her flying. She could almost swear he broke something. She laid against the wall momentarity, and then felt the blood well around her jaw. It was healed… and her stomach grumbled a little louder.

"Wanna play rough, huh?" she asked. When she turned around, Angel noticed she had ‘vamped’, and she moved blood to her arms again to re-strengthen her. She heard a roar come from her throat, and it felt good to her. She embraced her new powers, and leapt on Angel with a fury.

"It’s working…" Angel thought. He managed to hit her again after they exchanged punches and kicks, and could see through her furrowed brow that her eyes had gotten just a little wilder. She seemed to shudder again, and Angel knew she had pumped her blood to her arms again for strength.

Sure enough, Buffy felt herself hit Angel with enough force to knock out parts of a brick wall, and he slammed against the wall, dazed. Buffy roared again in triumph, and suddenly had a new desire… blood. She needed it, she craved it… she had to have it. Now.

Buffy leapt on the back of the shaken Angel, pulled his head to the side and sank her fangs into his neck. Angel winced as she bit him, and then relaxed more as he felt her begin to drink of him. Her grip relaxed on his as she fed, and he managed to turn around and she continued to feed as he held her.

Angel’s head got light as she still drank. She was indeed strong, and would always be strong. He felt his 244 years of experience begin to flow into her, and smiled as he felt it working. He would be just as he always wanted… part of her.

Buffy suddenly snapped out of the feeding frenzy she was in. She pulled her head back in horror as she looked at him, her face normal.

"Angel!" He looked at her momentarily, then collapsed on the floor as her grip released him is shock. 

She kneeled beside him, tears streaming from her eyes. "Oh, Angel, no!!! No!!!! I… I… I’m a monster! I’m so sorry!!!"

"No, Buffy." Angel managed. "You’re a beautiful woman. And I will always be a part of you. It’s the only way to make you human again." He pulled her close, and kissed her softly. He then turned his head to expose his neck where she had been drinking. "I drank from you once before. Now I pay you back. Finish it. Please."

"Angel, no…" Angel concentrated for a minute, the spirit of himself that was already within her urging her forward. With a saddened look on her face, she softly placed her lips on his neck and continued to suck the blood from the wound. As it got more difficult, the blood started to taste sweeter and sweeter, like she was drinking raw power.

Angel inhaled once, sighed and whispered "I love you."

Then he died.

No more of the blood flowed from his wound. Buffy pulled back from him, cradling his head in her arms.

"I love you too." Buffy suddenly found her arms empty as time reclaimed it’s due, and Angel’s body turned to dust. She heard his ring hit the ground, which she scrabbled to pick up, the dust that was once Angel scattering everywhere.

She placed it on her opposite hand. She had taken hers off for a while when they broke up, and knew she was wrong for that. She went to stand up when her stomach turned itself inside out, and she collapsed in fetal position, crying as the pain shot across her body.

A moment later, she rose again, breathing.

"Angel?"

"You’re what?" Giles said. Buffy nodded.

"I guess it’s his final gift to me. I’m having Angel’s child. Something in his life force becoming a part of me has made a child for us."

"Incredible." Giles acknowledged. "What an amazing man."

"Yes he was." Buffy said quietly. She smiled as she touched her stomach, a warm feeling inside herself.

He was there.

She knew this from when last night as she sat there, he spoke to her. She had just put his ring on her finger, and took her first breath as a living being again.

"Buffy."

"Angel?" she said, sitting up. "How…???"
"Our blood is one. So it our spirit. We’ll always be together, eternally. I promised you, remember?" Buffy smiled, then her face contorted as she feel another quell in her stomach.

"Oh, no, is this?" She felt almost like he was there, his hands touching her.

"No. It’s… our child. It seems that two souls inhabiting one body is too much, so… we’re going to be parents." Buffy sat for a moment as she comprehended what he said, then her eyes shut as she began to cry. She hugged herself, and collapsed back on the floor sobbing.

"Oh, Angel, I miss you… please don’t leave me…"

"I won’t. Not ever. I’m right here with you." She suddenly felt him with her, his spirit and hers intertwined. Buffy suddenly found herself on the beach at sunset. Angel stood behind her, arms around her waist, hugging her tightly.

"This is my world." He said. "It’s within you, just as I always knew it was. And When the time comes, you’ll be here with me. Forever. Until then, you’ll always find me here." Buffy turned and looked at him, he was smiling broadly, the sunlight casting a ruddy hue on his face. She touched his cheek softly.

"I love you." She said.

"And I love you." He said back. They kissed, and the sunlight shown around them, until all they saw was the light.

This page has been visited times.