D E S T I N E D Well we've seen them endure a hell of a lot. They've loved, they've shagged, they've fought and they've forgotten. And in all honesty, the bad times have far outweighed the good ones. Perhaps as die-hard shippers, we've let our rose-coloured glasses colour the vision of reality. So let us ask the question: after all they've been through, are Buffy and Angel really meant to be together? Romanticism - They are destined: Angel: He’s been in love with Buffy from the moment he saw her smile. Buffy gave purpose to his existence, and because of her he began living again. He carries her blood within him; a connection that will bind them eternally. Of all the lovers he has had in his three lifetimes, Buffy is his only love. He is her protector, mentor, friend and lover. He understands the darkness within her like no human will ever be able. He sacrificed the only happiness he has ever known - life with her - in order that she might lead a normal life. And then he gave up all the happiness of humanity so that she might live. A burden of bliss and tragedy memories which he alone must carry. He gets insane with jealousy and yet would not dream of invading her freedom. He is devoted to Buffy, worships all she is, and yet is neither blind to her faults nor afraid to put her in her place. He killed his sire to save Buffy. He would kill himself rather than hurt her. It is only with Buffy that he can find perfect happiness. “I love you. I try not to but I can’t stop.” (Surprise) “I won’t let anything happen to you.” (Earshot) “Buffy you know how much I love you. It kills me to say this.” (The Prom) “In my whole life, I’ve loved exactly one person.” (Earshot) “I could see your heart... More than anything in my life I wanted to keep it safe. To warm it with my own.” (Helpless) “Because I want you! I want you so badly! I want to take comfort in you, and I know it’ll cost me my soul, and a part of me doesn’t care.” (Amends) “You deserve more. You deserve something outside of demons and darkness.” (The Prom) “You thought I stopped loving you, but I never did. I loved you with my last breath.... Shhh. No more tears.” (IOHEFY) Buffy: Angel was her first. She made him feel human. Despite her other lovers, Angel will have a part of her heart that no-one else can ever touch. She turned her back on the Watchers Council in his defence. She always rises to his defence. He killed people close to her, he stalked her, her friends and family, he kidnapped and tortured her Watcher, he insulted, deceived, betrayed, fought, and tormented her.... and yet she will always love him. Even when he was evil, she was the only thing he thought about. He touches something deep inside her - the darkness, the pain, the sorrow - and she becomes more attuned to the serious, reflective side of herself. He makes her think, feel, be more than she is. She could always rely on his help. She gave him the strength and courage to make amends. She felt his heart beat. She is always his girl. “It’s not over. It’s never over!” (Graduation Pt 2) “When I kiss you, I wanna die.” (Some Assembly Required) “When I look into the future all I see is you. All I want is you.” (Bad Eggs) “I want my life to be with you.” (The Prom) “You’re the only one... The only person I can talk to...” (IOHEFY) “We’re not friends. We never were.” (Lovers Walk) “You may be ready to go but *I* am not ready to lose you!” (The Zeppo) “What about me? I love you so much... And I tried to make you go. I killed you and it didn’t help... And I hate it! I hate that it’s so hard... and that you can hurt me *so* much. I know everything that you did, because you did it to me. Oh God! I wish that I wished you dead. But I don’t.. I can’t” (Amends) Reality - They are not destined: Their worlds are separate now. They no longer need each other. She has moved on; a normal life, a normal boyfriend. She has forgotten. He has a new purpose in life now, and is strong enough on his own. He is free to sleep with other women without evil consequences. She never understood his vampire side; never tried to accept it. She simply ignored that part of him, preferring always to make him into her idealisation of a “normal boyfriend”. She never appreciated him for himself. He grossly idealised her into a goddess he could worship and draw strength from. They are so different: he is old, wise, solemn; she is young, immature, carefree. They have nothing in common outside of demons and darkness. She will die young. He will live forever. Buffy no longer has the claddagh ring Angel gave her. She does not belong to him. After all the struggles they have survived, they are still not together. If their reason can override fate, perhaps it was not meant to be. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t have you in my life when I’m trying to move on.” (Graduation Ppt 1) “What I want from you I can never have.” (Lovers Walk) “You can never understand what I’ve done!” (Amends) “There’s no us. I’m sorry if I was supposed to spend the summer mooning over you but I didn’t. I’ve moved on... to the living.” (WSWB) “I love you. I don’t know if I can trust you.” (Lie to Me) “He’s a nice solid guy. He makes me happy. And that’s what I need, someone I can count on.” (Homecoming) “I have someone in my life now. That I love. It's not what we had, it's very new. You know what makes it new? I trust him. I know him.” (Sanctuary) "You don't know me anymore so don't come down here with your great new life and expect me to do things your way... Go home." (Sanctuary) "We don't live in each other's worlds anymore." (The Yoko Factor) Who am I kidding?!! Of *course* they're damn well destined!!! It's Buffy and Angel!!! Romanticism Eternal: They have saved each others lives. They have almost killed each other. They can ‘sense’ each others presence. They would never dream of being with another else while they are together. They share dreams. They still get insanely jealous if the other is with anyone else. They have both inflicted hell on each other, and emerged crying in the others arms. They would do anything and everything to protect each other from harm and yet it seems everything one does hurts the other. There is so much unspoken between them; so many wounds unhealed. Their story is not over. “A vampire in love with a slayer. Rather poetic really.”(Giles, Invisible Girl) “You’re not friends. You’ll never be friends. You’ll be in love till it kills you both. You’ll fight and you’ll shag and you’ll hate each other till it makes you quiver but you’ll never be friends. Love isn’t brains, children, it’s blood. Blood screaming inside of you to work its will.” (Spike, Lovers Walk) “This one is willing to sacrifice every drop of human happiness and love he has ever known for another ... He is not a lower being.”(Oracle, IWRY)