Epilogue

Buffy looked through the small window into the hospital room and at the frail form lying unconscious connected to a myriad of machines. She knew that some part of her couldn't walk away from the window just in case the continual beeping from the heart monitor became that terrible flat line sound. She felt someone touch her shoulder and turned to see Willow looking at her reassuringly.

"He's going to be fine Buffy."

"He looks so fragile."

"Well... the doctor said the procedure was a complete success. So he should be up and about in no time."

"I can't believe he had it done so soon."

"Yeah well, almost dying lit a fire under that boy's ass." Faith's laughing voice announced her presence. "He was dammed lucky Gunn was there."

Gunn had been in the room with Angel when the tiny dart had hit. Angel had shrugged it off as an insect, only to collapse 5 minutes later. Gunn had called an ambulance and had even thrown himself out of his chair onto the floor beside his friend to perform CPR. In short Angel owed Gunn his life. After that Angel had become driven and, financed by the money left over form his days as Angelus and his salary from Wolfram and Hart he had gone in for the operation that would lengthen his life by possibly 50 years.

Although he spent time in Buffy's presence, he was cold and distrusting. But he had promised they would talk, after he had the operation. Sticking to her promise not to push him, Buffy held back, but inside she was desperate to find a way to at least clear the air between them. But they had time. He knew it was Giles that tried to kill him and Buffy had watched from afar as Willow and Faith had shared his distress over the news. He knew that she had no part in the refusal to aid in Fred's cure. But the issue that was just between them, The Immortal, he refused to talk about.

It was over a month since the confrontation between the three women and the watcher. After they had raced from the hotel upon realising Giles' intent, they hadn't seen the watcher again. They assumed he'd returned to England. Between them they had decided to stay in Los Angeles and Robin had gone to England to retrieve their belongings and returned with Xander in tow. They were now all living in the house that Buffy had grown up in, the house her father hadn't sold after the divorce and Buffy managed to finagle the keys to from Her father's assistant. So far her father had made no attempt to contact her about moving, so she assumed he was still in Europe with his secretary.

Resting her head on the redhead's shoulder, Buffy continued to stare through the window.

"He'll wake up soon." Faith said quietly. "I should be in there."

"Go, Faith, he needs you."

"Give him time B," the brunette said as she passed the blonde on her way into the room.

Buffy watched as Faith settled herself into a chair beside the love of her life. She continued to watch until Angel's eyes groggily opened and he offered her sister slayer a small, hazy, morphine laden smile. Turning from the window she headed down the hallway towards the cafeteria where she knew the others would be.

If time was what he needed, then that's what she would give him. At least now he had it. And besides, be they friends, lovers or enemies one thing always stayed the same. She loved him.

THE END