When angels deserve to die

This actually turned out to be the last chapter. I really felt that I could have written so much more, but I didn't want the story to drag on forever. And with the nature of Angelus's and Buffy's discussion in this chapter I felt it was time to end this story.

Thanks to all of you who have stayed with me this long, and especially a thanks for all the reviews and positive reactions. This was my first complete fanfic so don't judge too harshly;).

Angelus opened his eyes, and to his utter amazement found that he was chained up and laying on a bed. As he turned his head he saw that he was actually in his old apartment in Sunnydale, and to his horror the Slayer was sitting at the other end of the bed reading. Was the part about him fighting lots of demons, and Spike, in a giant marble hall just another damn hallucination?

"What the hell happened?", he grunted as he tried to shift into a more comfortable position, something he found was impossible with all the damn chains.

"We found you hugging a dead demon and calling it Buffy.", Buffy answered as she leafed through her magazine. "So Wesley senior tranquilized you so we could take you back to the hotel. And as we found out, the stuff was strong enough to keep you knocked out for enough time for me and Will to see the sights and fly you back home in the luggage compartment.".

She flashed him an evil grin as he stared at her with an open mouth. How dared they transport the scourge of Europe as simple luggage? They were going to pay for this, big time.

"Where's Spike?", he muttered, trying to look somewhere else but at her, something his rigid condition and his propped up manner made it hard to do.

"You smashed him up pretty bad, but he's OK. I think he and Giles are still working with that Shanshu scroll.". She hadn't looked up at him a single time, and as she finished her magazine about European fashion, she picked up another one about shoes.

"And why am I chained up?", Angelus growled in between gritted teeth, this helplessness really getting on his nerves.

"Cause you're the body of my lovely ex and I intend for Willow to curse you again. Perhaps she might even do a more permanent job this time.". This time she flashed him her evil little smile again, making Angelus face paler than usual.

"You wouldn't! You can't!", he yelled hoarsely, trying his best to struggle against the chains. "That's freaking rape, you're violating me with a god damned soul!".

"Oh, I'm a naughty girl Angelus,", Buffy whispered sensually, she leaned close to his face and licked her upper lip. "You know how I like to play it rough.".

She leaned back with a big smile, and propped herself back against the wall and continued reading her magazine.

"Do I at least get a final meal?", Angelus muttered darkly, already saying goodbye to his sweet life of independence, as he was about to get chained up with a soul again. Why would anyone in their right mind want to care about what they've done?

"Spike's coming by with some blood from the butcher in an hour, until then you should be quiet so I can read this article in peace.".

"I hate you.", he growled childishly, though somewhat happy that he was finally getting some blood again. At least he was happy until he realized it was probably only going to be pig's blood.

"And I love you too honey.", she answered, with her mind already back to the shoes at hand.

"Hello mate.", Spike said cheerfully as he stepped up to the bed, two brown packages under his arms. "How are we feeling today?".

"Piss off Spike.", Angelus growled bitterly, staring straight ahead with murder in his eyes.

"Oh, you shouldn't use that tone to me. Especially since I've got the blood you need right here.". He held up one of the packages and picked out the plastic bucket with its dark content from within. "If you're not nice I might have to pour it all away.".

Angelus glared at him angrily, but a smile touched his lips as he saw the outlines of a bandage under Spike's shirt. Getting a sword into your heart might not kill a vampire but it sure hurt like hell, and it took quite a while to heal.

"How's the wound Willy boy?", he sneered at his grandchilde. "All better now the slayer is here to protect you?".

Spike seemed on the verge of hitting him, but Buffy gave him a cold stare that made him think otherwise. Instead of getting into a further argument with Angelus, Spike sauntered over to the kitchen to warm up his and Angelus's blood.

"Why can't you two just have a civil conversation?", Buffy asked Angelus reproachfully, her big green eyes pouring into his, and making him feel like a school kid.

"In case you haven't noticed it's never civil when two men who liked the same woman are in the same room with the woman in question.". Angelus finally stopped his staring contest with Buffy and instead closed his eyes to get some sleep. "Willy boy still loves you, you've rejected him. And now I'm here as well to complicate matters for him. Funny how things work out isn't it?".

Angelus knew that the silence in the room meant he had struck true with his words. If he was to be chained up to await his doom he might just as well make life hell for them in any way he still could.

"You must have known from the start that you were only convenient Willy.", he continued, his voice dripping with malice. "You and soldier boy were never what she wanted, you were simply at hand when the needs arose. How does it feel to be the slayers little lapdog?".

He didn't bother to open his eyes as he heard the crashing of a chair being thrown away, and the trample of fast approaching feet. He didn't even glance as he felt the weight of the slayer leave the bed, and heard how she threw Spike on his back to calm him down. When he finally opened his eyes he saw how Buffy had her knee on Spike's chest to hold him down, while she gave him a cold stare and shook her head.

"So, Buffy on top. Bet that's how it always is between you two.", he said with a smirk on his lips, and it grew into an evil grin as he saw how Spike tried even more frantically to get close to him. "Ah, I remember Buffy and mine little escapades in the bedroom. Of course the whole time deal took away her memories, but you wouldn't believe me when I told you what we did together.".

"What bloody time deal?" Spike roared, his face red with the effort to get Buffy off of him.

"I was actually human for a day. Didn't I tell you?", he caught Buffy's amazed gaze and smiled happily. Buffy's sudden movement away from his chest made it possible for Spike to finally push Buffy away, but as he stood up Buffy quickly moved between him and the bed.

"For some reason soul boy didn't want to be happy, so he took away the day. That left him with the same pissed Buffy standing there, accusing him of saving her life.". Angelus made a disapproving noise with his tongue as he shook his head. "You really can't make anything right with this girl. Either you're supposed to be here more, or not at all. Well, since she's trying to put my soul back in permanently, don't you think that means she wants me here permanently as well?".

He looked up at the guilty expression in Buffy's face, and then at the completely broken look on Spike's.

"You should answer that Buffy, for both mine and Spike's sake. You want soul boy here with you permanently, and then you're going to toss little Willy away.", he winked at Spike as he gave his final deadly words. "Your services are no longer required Willy.".

And as Spike looked from the smiling Angelus, to the deeply guilty looking Buffy, his world slowly dissolved. Spike shook his head and disappeared out the door, Angelus's laugh ringing in his ears.

Buffy turned back to Angelus, and slapped him hard across the face. His laugh dying away as he looked at her furious face.

"What the hell was that good for?", she asked him as she gave him another powerful slap, making his head feel as if someone had hit it with a sledge. "Why can't you just accept your fate and keep quiet till we get you fixed? Do you have to hurt everyone you meet?".

She sat down at the end of the bed and eyed him with an acid look, her hands unconsciously twirling the stake in her pocket.

"You know that you've forgotten one very important thing, right?", Angelus asked as he tried to move his jaw around to get some feeling back into his face.

"And what's that genius?", she spat bitterly as she once again assumed her place at the foot of the bed.

"The weight of the soul.", Angelus answered calmly, his face back into a stony expression.

"What do you mean?", Buffy asked with a slight laugh. "You think you're going to gain weight when we put it back?".

"Not talking about physical weight, I'm talking about emotional. When I drank from the cup I only thought I had a soul, and it almost killed me. Imagine then what soul boy is going to do.". He gave her an evil smile as he saw his message sink in.

"What do you mean?", she asked, trying not to get riled up by his words. But he seemed to spot all the flaws in a plan and in a human instantly.

"The last time I got my soul back and was confronted with my deeds you had to stop me from burning in the morning light. This time I have done so many more evil things; killing my son, killing Faith, killing my best friends, killing the girl I loved.".

"When did you kill me?", Buffy asked astonished.

"Not you, Cordelia. Or didn't you know that soul boy had replaced you with her?". His smile widened as he saw her blush and look down at her hands. "Thought you were the only girl in his life? Hahahaha, how wrong one can be huh? Think of all these things I have done, and imagine it hitting soul boy all at once. Do you really think he's going to be able to live with himself?".

Buffy didn't answer, she just sat there and fiddled with the sheet. She remembered how Angel had tried to find a meaning with his existence from the moment he had been confronted with his past, and how it had driven him away from her. During their first two years together, apart from when he was evil, she had been his reason to fight the good fight. Then the legendary monster had become an equally legendary hero of good, but far away from her.

And she still woke up some nights and thought Angel was standing on top of that hill, ready to let the sun take his life.

She looked up at Angelus, who was still smiling at her. She knew that he was right, Angel would not be able to live with himself if he got all that guilt hammered into his mind all at once. Well, she reasoned, that only meant that he was going to stay put in those chains until he came to turns with the fact that he wasn't responsible for Angelus's actions.

"I'm just going to keep him chained until he realizes it wasn't his fault.", she said aloud, making Angelus laugh with glee.

"You think we are separate? That we are two persons who share the same body? That you can simply drag one person out and leave the other behind?", he shook his head as he looked into her eyes. "I am Angel, and I am Angelus. The difference is that the soul makes me care, I am still the same person with or without it. What I hate, I also hate with a soul. What I love, I also love with a soul. And what I crave, I also crave with a soul. We are simply two sides of the same coin, and I am always there, even if the soul keeps me back, I whisper and I drive the hunger from within. And when the blood lust sets in, we are one again. Why do you think he's such an astonishing fighter? Because I am the lust for battle within him, and the lust for you as well.".

Buffy stared at him, and suddenly she realized why she couldn't make herself kill him. He was Angel, his manners and his words might be darker, but he was still the same person underneath all of that. But the reason she loved him so much wasn't because of his good looks, or his charm (even though they were definitely a perk). But because his soul was the most amazing thing about him, his love and his compassion was greater than anyone she knew. He helped those who no one wanted to help, he forgave everything and anything, he was unselfish in every aspect of his life. And that had all been enhanced even more by his time away from her, because she was his everything when he was around her, and so he couldn't make the hard choices when she was at risk.

"If you are the same person as Angel," she said with a trembling voice, but her gaze was steady as she stared at him. "Then tell me if you love me.".

"I don't.", Angelus grunted, but he couldn't shift away from her. And so she grabbed his head and leaned closer to him and searched his eyes for the truth.

"Give me the truth Angelus.", She whispered to him. "Do you still love me, as Angel loved me?".

Her calm voice, and her words of affection made him remember all the pain and joy of love. He remembered how he had kissed her at her bedroom window, how he'd walked with her through the dark graveyards with a feeling of unending joy, their first kiss, how he had given up his humanity to save her, and how the news of her death had torn up a hole in his heart. He remembered all that, and he didn't care. The memories of love were not his, the feelings were alien to him and he was sick of it.

"I hate you with every fiber of my being. If I ever escape these chains I will rip you and your wee little friends into bloody messes.". His old Irish accent began to surface as he finally felt his old self surface. The stallion who had slaughtered his way through Europe with his blond bride, the reaper in the night, the scourge, the legendary Angelus.

And he pressed against his chains with all his might, he felt them creak under the pressure. Buffy's eyes widened in fear as she saw how he suddenly seemed possessed by a strength she had never seen in a vampire before. And before her eyes he burst through the chains, just as she heard Giles entering.

"Willow is almost finished with the spell. Probably won't take more than a few minutes.", Giles called to Buffy, but was taken back as he saw Buffy flying through the room to hit the opposite wall.

"So little red is doing her thing, is she?", Angelus asked as he stepped out of the bed.

He wore his black leather pants, and a torn black shirt. But with his face in its demon visage his ripped clothing only made him look more like a beast.

"Why don't you tell me where she is?". He ran across the room and threw Giles at the desk, while he kicked the door shut. "Come on Giles, don't make me torture you again.".

He advanced on Giles, and picked up a metal ink pen from the desk. And when he leaned down to the barely conscious Giles, he struck the pen into the older man's knee, making Giles scream in agony. He continued to stab him in dozens of places, making Giles screams last longer and longer as he twisted the pen in the wounds.

"Come on Giles, where is she?".

"How... How could you brake through the chains?", Giles hissed in pain, trying to buy Willow some time to finish the spell.

"It's October 4th today Giles, and you haven't given me any blood in more than three days. You know what that means.". Angelus lifted the pen again, and grinned down at Giles with all the malice of a demon looking at a helpless victim.

"Saint Vigeous day.", Giles muttered, before Angelus finally lost his patience and snapped the mans neck.

"Well slayer, it seems that it's only you and me now.", Angelus sauntered over to Buffy and lifted her on her feet. "Time to die lover.".

Spike was worried that Giles hadn't returned from Angel's apartment, and so he decided that he should probably go check on things. Angelus was an evil bastard and you never knew what schemes he had up his sleeve.

And when he opened the door he knew he had been right.

The room was total chaos, with broken furniture and glass all over the floor. Giles was laying in the rubble that remained of the desk, with his head in an unnatural angle, and a swollen purple tongue. But what sent shivers of fear along his spine was the sight of Angelus, holding an unconscious Buffy in his arms, ready to strike at her neck.

With a roar of rage Spike launched himself at Angelus, knocking him away from Buffy and sending him rolling into a corner. But Angelus seemed stronger and faster than ever before, his eyes no longer yellow, but a clear shining read. And to his horror Spike realized that Angelus was in a berserker rage, and that he wasn't going to stop until he either was killed or drained the blood of every single being he met.

"It's saint Vigeous then?", Spike asked as he circled the heavily breathing Angelus. "How did you know?".

"She was reading today's newspaper, caught a glance of the date.", Angelus answered through gritted teeth.

"And of course we haven't fed you any blood for the last couple of days. How stupid of us.".

"No time for chit chat Willy, time to join the librarian.", Angelus hissed, and then he threw himself at Spike.

Spike wasn't used to this kind of battle, usually it was him who threw himself into the fight in a mindless rage. But Angelus was completely lost in the blood lust, and he was much stronger than Spike, which for Spike meant that this was going to be a short fight. The only thing he could hope for was that Willow's spell was going to kick in as soon as possible.

Alas, that didn't happen. Angelus twisted Spike's right arm, then broke his knee, and finally ripped out the younger vampires throat. Leaving him gurgling in a pool of his own blood, much the way he had done with Cordelia. Angelus then walked over to the remains of the desk, and there he found a big splinter. He then walked back to Spike, leaned close to the younger vampire's ear as he placed the splinter atop of his heart and whispered to him;

"Your services are no longer required.". And with a diabolical laugh he pushed the splinter into Spike's heart, his body dissolving into ashes within seconds.

After this display of force he walked over to Buffy, but she regained consciousness as he loomed over her. She kicked him in the stomach, and sent him flying into the wall, jumping up on her feet in a quick motion. As she took in the devastation of the place, and the dead body of her watcher. Tears of fury began to run down her face.

"I told you I would rip your friends into bloody messes.", Angelus said triumphantly as he rose from the ground, ripping off his shirt in the process.

Buffy saw the dust pile, and the splinter in its midst, and she knew who the second fatality was. She attacked Angelus with a blur of punches and kicks, that sent him flying from one end o the room to the other. But the red fire in his eyes didn't abate, and he didn't seem to notice the punishment he was receiving. Instead he attacked again and again, receiving punches that would have killed any lesser being every time.

Finally she took his head and rammed it into the concrete wall, and his body went slack as he slid onto the floor. Buffy then turned around and took the splinter from the ground, and placed the point on his chest. He breathed heavily, blood streaming from several deep cuts and injuries, but he was still smiling.

"Do it.", he muttered, as he spat out a mouthful of blood. "End this once and for all. You know I'm just a mindless monster.".

And as he said that he changed back into his human face, and looked up at her with his brown eyes.

"Kill me Buffy.".

Her hands trembled with rage, tears streamed down her face as she forced the splinter into his skin, and a thin stream of blood trailed down his chest.

"I want to kill you. But you are not Angel, and when Angel comes back I'm going to make sure you never return. You are never going to hurt anyone ever again.", she rose to her feet, and raised her fist to knock him out.

But then a light streamed into his eyes, and she stayed her trembling hand. Angelus felt what was happening, and in a last desperate move, he threw himself at her with his fangs extended.

Angel looked around at the room. It was total chaos! Every piece of furniture broken, and even the desk was split into small pieces. He didn't remember any of this happening, everything from the last months seemed to be blurred and unfamiliar.

Then suddenly everything came smashing back into his scull. Killing his friends, his son, Faith, the murder of Xander and his girl, the battle of Sunnydale, the murdering throughout Europe and all his previous deeds as well. Tears streamed down his face as he fell to his knees, he clutched his head with his hands as if he could tear out all the pain from his soul. He felt as if he was burning up from the inside out, the faces and the screams filled his head as he screamed for the pain to stop.

He sat there for what seemed like hours, screaming in pain and agony, until he finally found enough resolve to open his eyes again. And what he saw pierced his heart like a sword. Only a few feet away from him Buffy laid with her eyes wide open, a last look of surprise etched into her face, and her throat was ripped open. The pool of blood in which she lay had turned her golden hair into a brown-red mess.

And so Angel was hit by the final, and most devastating, memory of his past actions. The blood had drained from his face altogether as he crept over to her side. He lifted her head and stared into her green eyes, those bright green eyes he had loved so much. He had only wanted to find out about the beast, he had told them to keep him locked up, but they had let him out of his cage. And finally Angelus had got what he wanted, he had beaten the slayer.

There were no more tears left in Angel as he gently cradled her in his arms, whispering nonsensical words of love to her. If he could he would burn down the world to have her back alive again, but he knew she was in heaven again, the place her friends had torn her out of. He couldn't help but remember his first words to her; "I don't bite.". Well he was proven wrong now. Xander and Giles had been right to hate him, he had given her nothing but pain and anguish, and now he had even taken her life.

He rose to his feet, carrying Buffy in his arms, and turned to the door. He opened it, and slowly and carefully walked outside into the alley. As he ascended the steps to the streets above, he began to smile. She was in heaven at last, and all he could do for her now was to bring her where she had always been the most beautiful.

"I wanted for someone else to take care of you. And they did, all I did was destroy and hurt those you loved.", he whispered to her as he reached the final doorway. "At least let me be the one to take you into the light.".

As he said that he gently opened the door, and stepped out into the bright light outside.

It was a beautiful day, not a single cloud in the sky.

He held his head high as the sun hit his face. He didn't even feel the pain, and he barely noticed as his body slowly caught fire. He smiled happily as he looked down on her face, in the sunlight she seemed alive again. He gave her a final kiss as he slowly put her down on the ground, and he finally dissolved into ashes.

A summer breeze carried his ashes into the sky just as Willow rounded a corner together with Tara, happily chatting about weather Buffy and Angel were going to get back together again or not.

So here it is. We finally arrived at the end.

Please review and let me know what you thought about my first complete fanfic:)

I have a new fanfic that's a rewrite of season 4 of Buffy and season 1 of Angel out, but I think its going to take a while before I start writing it in earnest.

First up will be a story inspired by Bram Stokers; Dracula, where Buffy is going to be the main protagonist together with the infamous Vlad Tepec' (Spike and Angel are also going to star in it). I'm currently only at the beginning of the story so it's probably going to take a week or two before its out there. Loads of battles, sexual themes, Gothic romance and evil deeds to be expected.