SPOILERS: Becoming II
CONTENT: fighting, kissing, ect.
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: The last ten minutes of Becoming II
DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this story is of my own creation, with the possible exception of my own embellishments...

The battle had been going on for too long.

Her arm was tired, she was out of breath. He fought with a vicious hunger, and she tried so hard to match him....Buffy didn't need a curtain call to tell her it would be over soon. With one stroke, Angel knocked her down. The sword flew out of her hand and she crashed into a small fountain. The heavy stone bruised her hip, but the Slayer had bigger probelms. Angelus loomed above her, idilyswinging his sword from side to side. Buffy cringed against the hard wall, prepared for the end.

"So that's everything, huh? No weapons, no friends, no hope. Take all that away, and what's left?" Angelus' cocky grin vanished as he prepared to end her life. Buffy closed her eyes. He jabbed at her face with the sword, but something inside Buffy sparked. Her hands flew up instinctivly and stopped the deadly progress of that blade. She caught it deftly between her hands, and looked up at him.

"Me." she replied, in answer to his question. Buffy slamed back with the sword, knocking Angelus' face and causing him to stumble. She got up and grabed the sword, swinging it with the grace and skill of a master. Angel recovered quickly and began to fight again. She parried every blow of his sword with a stronger one of her own, and soon, he was on one knee, struggiling against her. She kicked him when he rose, and he fell back against a curtain, into another room. Buffy saw her chance, and sliced his hand. Angel dropped his sword. She kicked him then, and he was on his knees again. They were before Acathla, and Buffy raised her arm, prepared to deal the deadly blow which would end it all. Angelus would be gone, defeated. Her Angel would be avenged, as would Miss Calendar. Suddenly, Angel gasped, and his body jerked uncontrollably. He threw his head back, and Buffy looked into his eyes. They glowed with a strange orange light.

Angel's head dipped for a moment, and Buffy halted her sword's progress. The warrior within her knew it should end, now, but that light in his eyes made her pause. He sobbed once, twice, and she knew.

Angel raised his head, and looked her in the eyes. "Buffy." As soon as he spoke her name, she knew. She knew Angel had returned to her. Slowly she lowered her sword.

"What's going on?" Angel asked, his eyes cloudy and confused. His head hurt, and he looked around in bilwilderment. Something was very wrong here...He stood, and raised his eyes to hers once again. "Where are we? I...I don't remember." He paused, and they looked at each other.

"Angel?" she said quietly. Oh God, what had he done? he wondered, then looked at her arm.

"You're hurt." he said, touching her. It felt so good, that small touch, and he pulled her into his arms. "Oh Buffy, God, I feel like I haven't seen you in months." Angel said, holding her close. "Everything's so muddled..." he told her, already understanding what was happening. He'd just reclaimed his soul from the demon. For now, it was good enough to hold her, to fight the memories...he kissed her shoulder. She was so warm, so comforting. His heart hurt, he loved her so much.

A tear slid down Buffy's cheek. His head nestled against hers, his scent filled her nostirls. He was so tender...Buffy opened her eyes and watched as Acathla's mouth began to open. A swirling cloud was building, ready to suck Sunnydale and the rest of the world into Hell. She knew what she had to do. Buffy pulled back slowly, and looked deep into Angel's eyes.

"What's happening?" he whispered, his eyes filled with confusion and love.

"Shhh." she said. "Don't worry about it." Her fingers stroked his lips. She knew every line of his face, every feature. Angel met her lips, eager to taste her and know that she, at least, was solid and real. He vaugly remembered the first time his soul had been restored. He'd been alone then, with only a gyspy who hated him to give him comfort. Now, Buffy was here. He wasn't afraid. Whatever happened next, he was ready. They kissed slowly, hungriliy, as if it were the last time. Buffy sobbed a little, and looked at him.

"I love you." she said. It was the third time she'd made that confession, and his heart filled with an echoing emotion.

"I love you too." he said, wondering at the thing in her eyes.

"Close your eyes." she told him. He looked at her in question, but she nodded, reassuring him. He was ready, he told himself. She was with him, here, now, and he was ready. Angel closed his eyes. He felt her lips touch his, and he knew it would be for the last time.

Buffy pulled back from him, and bit her lip. She jammed her sword straight though his chest, missing his heart. He opened his eyes then, and looked at her with shock.

The flow of energy began to suck him into Hell, and he extended his hand toward her. Her mind spat out a few moments they had shared as she watched him go. That first meeting in the alley behind the Bronze, where she had challenged him. He'd tossed her a box with a cross inside. That cross had saved her life more than once. It was around her neck now, reflecting the lights of the portal that sucked him into Hell. Their one night together, where she had known a love and a happiness more profound than any she would have thought possible.

"Buffy." he whispered, as he had so many times before. Currents of electricity encircled him, and they pulled him back. She wanted to jump into the light with him, and fight for him, but it was too late. The light swirled and flickered, and then he was gone. The glow disappeared from Acathla's eyes, and the statue's mouth slid closed. She stood there, dumbly, and then lost control. Buffy sobbed, tears streaming down her face as she cried before the impossible stone facade of Acathla.

THE END