PART 12

Emma slowly stood up never taking her eyes from it, she started to move towards it determined to exact revenge. The first evil was the one to step back this time, but before it could do anything else Emma froze it. Then she stalked it, making it nervous.

Gone was the somewhat timid little witch-slayer it had wanted to turn evil and in its place was one very cheesed off witch, who wanted revenge and it was nervous, no creature had ever made it nervous before but now this witch had. It became more nervous when she didn't speak; she just kept circling it like a hunter circles its prey. Suddenly she stopped in front of it and stared into its eyes, "You say you can't die, right? Well, can you feel pain?"

The first evil tried to break free but this witches magic was more powerful than it had imagined, she wasn't as skilled with it as she should be but it didn't matter. In less than a second the first evil found itself slammed against a wall, shaking the foundation of the house above but when it tried to move it found that it was still frozen.

Emma came towards it, but stopped a few feet away and closed her eyes, when she opened them again she just stood there. "I can't do it… I wanna cause you untold agony, but then I'd be no better than you and I am just so much better than you are" Emma told it.

She released the freeze and walked away and the first evil thought it had a chance to destroy her; it raised itself up and shot a bolt at her more powerful than the one that had killed the vampire. Emma shocked it by stopping the bolt mid-air and sending it right back at it striking it directly in the chest, "Okay… now it's self-defence." She closed her eyes and concentrated, suddenly the first evil blew apart into a million pieces and Emma walked away towards home.

Leo was shocked when the remaining army ran away; he stared after their retreating figures and wondered what in the hell had happened. The others weren't so picky, Xander was whirling Anya around the lawn, Tara and Willow were kissing, and Spike and Cole high fiving each other, Prue, Piper and Phoebe were hugging and Dawn and Joyce had come outside from the manor.

To Leo the battle seemed to be over and that meant that they had to await the result of Emma and Angel's battle. It was if they all suddenly remembered the high price that the battle was going to cost and they all calmed down and the mood turned mournful.

They all just stood there not knowing what to do, when Piper suddenly turned around and moved away from the group, they in turn stared off into the distance to see a lone figure walking slowly towards them… from that distance they couldn't see whether it was Emma or Angel. But somehow Piper knew, "Emma" she whispered.

"I'm sure she's okay" Leo choked out, putting his arm around his wife.

"Of course she's okay, that's her," Piper told him.

"It is?" Prue asked squinting trying to see.

"Yeah…I know what my own daughter looks like" Piper said rudely.

Then she took off towards the figure and Leo followed. A few minutes later they returned with Emma, Leo was carrying her.

"Where's Angel?" Willow asked carefully.

"I don't know and I can't ask her she passed out," Leo said carrying his daughter into the manor and up to her room.

Three days later ...

"How is she?" Willow asked when she arrived. Willow had stayed while the others went on home, back to their lives and their responsibilities.

"The same" Prue answered. She was worried, after Emma had regained consciousness she'd simply told them Angel was gone, shooed them from her room and played this one song over and over while she stared out of the window. She wasn't even eating, it was like she was thinking 'now he's gone it's my turn next'. Prue showed Willow into the living room where they were having a family meeting to discuss the Emma situation.

Once they were seated the discussion began again. "I say we get rid of the disc that that damn song is on" Cole said, "It's in my head. I've been singing it."

"This isn't about you, it's about her and if that stupid song helps let her listen" Prue replied.

"Maybe one of you should talk to her?" Willow suggested.

"We've tried" Leo said.

Piper looked at Willow and said, "Not all of us have. Willow would you please try?"

Willow looked shocked. "Are you sure? I mean you're her family and I…"

"And you are an *old* friend" Phoebe told her. "Plus you knew Angel and we didn't really, maybe she needs that."

"Okay, I'll try" Willow offered carefully. She didn't want to do anything to upset Emma anymore than she was already, but her family had a point.

As Willow climbed the stairs she could hear the music they were talking about, but only faintly until you reached her door. When she went inside she was almost knocked over by the volume of the music and she teared up when she saw the heartbroken young girl sitting in the same position she had the day before and the day before that. She went to turn off the music and Emma spoke for the first time in days, "Don't."

"Why not?" Willow asked her finger hovering over the stop button.

"Wils…"

"Wils is not an answer," Willow told her. She turned off the music and walked over to the bed and sat next to her. "Do you think Angel would want this?"

"Do you think Angel would want to be a pile of ashes?" Emma countered, "We don't always get what we want."

"No we don't. You know I had my life planned out in high school, before I met Buffy. I'd go to college, come home and marry Xander and have four kids. Then I met Buffy… you... and my life totally changed…"

"Yeah, you decided to change Xander for Oz" Emma said.

"Okay it didn't change drastically" Willow admitted, "But I still wanted my best friend in my life. Then when we got to college, Oz left and you died, leaving me alone and I had to rebuild. That's what you have to do… not immediately, but someday. It doesn't mean you have to go out and fall in love or anything… it just means that you live the life Angel would've wanted you to have."

"What if I don't want *my* life *without* him in it?" Emma asked tearing up again.

"Well, you die and possibly get reincarnated again and then it will start all over. Do you really want that?" Willow said.

"No."

"Good. Come downstairs, everyone's worried" Willow told her.

"I can't."

Willow stared at her, "Why? Because you lost? Everyone has something that they had to leave behind."

"It's not fair. I got screwed over in my relationship with Angel in *two* separate lifetimes. When am I ever going to have someone who I don't have to leave behind" Emma cried.

"You still have your family… and us Scoobies. You don't have to leave us behind."

"It's not the same. You're not him."

"No, we're not" Willow answered. "But at least you're not all alone. Now go clean up and then we'll go greet your family… they are so worried. We all were."

"Give me a few minutes alone… I need a few more minutes."

"Okay" Willow said leaving. "See you in a little while."

"Yeah."

Everyone was anxiously awaiting Willow's return and she was mobbed the second she descended the stairs. "Is she okay?" Piper asked worriedly.

"She'll be down in a few minutes. She wanted to clean up" Willow told them.

"Thank whatever powers are out there" Prue mumbled sitting down.

Then they heard the music start up again. "Oh no" Phoebe cried.

Cole just smiled.

"What?" Prue asked him.

"It's a different song" Cole answered, "I think I like this one better."

Everyone was breathing a sigh of relief when Leo looked funny. "Got to go… they want me" Leo told everyone as he orbed away.

"I'm never going to get used to that," Willow said.

"Try being married to a guy that can do that and having a daughter that inherited it" Piper said leading Willow over to the sofa.

"So what was Emma like as Buffy?" Willow sighed and hoped that she could fudge over some of the rough spots in the history of Buffy.

As soon as Willow was gone, Emma walked over and put on a new disc, pressing play she wandered into her bathroom to shower and change. As she stepped under the warm spray the lyrics floated over to her.

//If I'd've known the way that this would end

If I'd've read the last page first

If I'd've had the strength to walk away

If I'd've known how this would hurt//

//I would've loved you anyway

I'd do it all the same

Not a second I would change

Not a touch that I would trade

Had I known my heart would break

I would've loved you anyway//

Emma stepped out of the shower and dried herself off, thinking about how much this song reminded her of her relationship with Angel… both times and wondering why she had one of her mother's music discs in her room. She walked out of her bathroom and drew in a sharp breath. She could hardly believe her eyes, "Angel?"

Leo returned to the living room to find them all listening to Willow talk about Buffy, with commentary from the family when they discovered some similarity. He walked over and sat next to Piper, deciding his news and visitor could wait for a while. A few minutes later they finally noticed his return.

"Hi" Piper said, "What did *they* want now?"

"Just some news and a gift for Emma" Leo told them, "I already dropped the gift off."

"What kind of gift?" Prue asked suspiciously.

"The kind that died a few days ago" Leo said.

Willow jumped up, "Angel?"

Leo nodded and a gasp ran through the room.

"I gotta call... well... everyone," Willow said excusing herself.

"Well, she can't say you never got her anything she wanted" Cole told Leo.

Leo laughed and everyone began to talk excitedly as they awaited the arrival of the happy couple.

"Hi" he said to her.

"You can't be real" Emma whispered. He couldn't be, three days ago she'd watched him turn to ashes before her very eyes, and it was just impossible for him to be standing there in front of her.

"Well it's a shock for me too. I was expecting to go to the next world and I get taken into this big room where I'm forced to watch you fight the first evil. Then when you win, these weird voices tell me that I have to go back… that I earned another chance," Angel told her.

Before he'd even gotten the last word out, Emma was in his arms hugging him like if she let go he'd disappear. She kissed him quickly and said, "I missed you *so* much."

"I missed you too," Angel said relishing the feeling of holding her close to him once again. He kissed her and said, "Your dad was the one who came and got me."

"My dad? Leo Wyatt? No way, he hates you" Emma said.

"Yeah, but he hates you being sad and lonely more" Angel told her. They held each other for a few minutes and then Angel spoke, "There's still so much between us… my business, your schooling…"

Emma shut him up with a kiss, "You came back from the dead to nag me. We'll work it out." She laid her head on his chest and heard a familiar thump, "You're alive!"

"Didn't I mention that?"

"No you didn't," she said punching him in the arm.

"But what about…"

"Angel, I am the queen of orbing, wherever you are then I am too. Besides school isn't an issue," she told him.

"WHAT? You're going to school," he told her.

"Yeah, I just happen to be going to UCLA. I applied there long before I remembered you" she said, "So now you're never going to get rid of me."

"I don't want to."

He kissed her and started to pull her over towards the bed, when she stopped him. "Honey, my dad is downstairs and if you want to experience humanity and not die sometime today…"

"Got it." Emma grabbed his hand, "Let's go downstairs."

Angel followed her out of the room and towards their future.

THE END