"Immortal Beloved..." CXXIX...
PG-13
Disclaimer: If ya are fan-fic writers, where's your disclaimers?
Disclaimers? We ain't got no disclaimers...I don' need to show you
no stinkin'...No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!
It's all yours and ME's...
Spoilers for Angel to the bitter end...Flee at once!...
Summary: Though the standard IB format, one of (129) versions of
events following the end of Angel S5 episodes from "Girl in Question"
through to "Not Fade Away" and beyond... (Not a continuous story,
though some
are multipart...)
***
=93Yes...This is the former cor****ate global headquarters of Wolfram-
Hart, Inc...But we=92re now Angel, Burkle-Wyndham-Price, Gunn, and
Walthrop...Inc... =94
=93No...He=92s retired...Permanently...Yes, the same for Mr. Joseph and
the rest of the Senior Partners...Would you like me to...?=94
=93No...We don=92t carry out assassinations...No, I=92m afraid not even if
the target is =91kind of evil himself=92...Though we do protect the...Why,
yes, this is Ms. Kendall, Mr. Angel=92s...=94
Pause... =93Sure I do...You still owe me for the movie tickets...No, I
wouldn=92t...No...Look, I have a soul again...And I=92m working...Now do
you want me to put you through to Mr. Angel or...? I just told you we
don=92t do that...No, the Partners lost and good...er,
Good...Prevailed...Didn=92t you get the memo from Hell?...=94
=93I tole you I=92m at work now...And I wouldn=92t...At least not with
you...And I should tell you we=92re tracing all calls from former
clients...Hello?...Heeelllo?...=94
Hmmn...William was right...Harmony reflected, hanging up...It does
work...
=93Hello...?=94 she caught the next in series... =93Oh, hello...Yes,
I=92ll
try and put you through again...Yeah...=94 curt tone... =93It is me...And
can I say, thanks for all the help you gave me back in
Sunnydale...Just a minute...=94 she pressed a button...
Dum...dum...dee...da...dum...She eyed the blinking light on her
console...
Dum...dum...She observed her nails carefully...Dee...da...
Still...I am a professional...With soul...
She sighed and pressed another button...
=93Angel?...She=92s back on line 3...You want me to tell her to get lost
again?...=94
I=92m so sorry...Mr. Angel is so very busy what with the reorganization
and all...she mentally rehearsed...
=93Oh?...You sure?...Oookkk...Will do...=94 she frowned at the phone but
pressed the button on line 3...Then held the other lines...
=93Mr. Angel...=94 she told the mouthpiece...
Hmmn...She eyed the phone in her hand...
Just because I have a soul doesn=92t mean I can=92t have a little
fun...She plugged in her headset and putting phone down in cradle,
pressed a button...
=93Well, Buffy...=94 Angel=92s voice... =93I=92m really sorry but it=92s
tr=
ue... I
am very busy with the reorganization...=94
Thanks, Boss...Harmony grinned...
Always great to have back-up from one=92s superior...
=93And I=92ve already told Giles...I can=92t...=94
=93Angel...=94 Buffy=92s voice, plaintative...
=93Buffy, you have 20,000 plus Slayers available...What do you need me
for?...And you=92ve got His Benevolence on your dance
card...Hmmn?...Really?...Well, ok...On your side...Just a
minute...Harmony, get the hell off this line...=94
Shoot...She pressed the line button and the light went out, unplugged
the headset, and glancing around out at the hall before her
office...Only workmen moving about on reconstruction tasks...Carefully
slid her chair closer to the door to Angel=92s office...Putting her
blood glass to the door, ear pressed against the bottom of the
glass...
=93Well, tell him I=92ll look forward to reading his latest...=94 Angel=
=92s
faint voice... =93Buffy, I understand that but I have responsibilities,
too...Even if my books aren=92t vital to restoring the world=92s spirit, I
have a major business to rebuild and redirect toward the Light
side...People depending on me for their livelihoods...=94
=93That=92s not fair, Buffy...Most of these folks didn=92t even know what
the firm was up to on the darker side of the balance sheet...And some
of them were victims whom we=92ve restored or are rescuing...=94
Damn tootin=92...Harmony glared...
=93Hell, Wolfram-Hart ran hospitals and charitable institutions too, you
know...And on top of that I have a son and a fiancee...=94
Nina will appreciate the upgrade...Harmony thought...
=93Yes, fiancee...No, it doesn=92t bother her...As a matter of fact
she=92s
very understanding, mainly =91cause she has her own troubles...Yes,
Willow told you right, a werewolf...Pardon me?...=94 cold tone...
Whoops...Harmony listened intently...Always suspected Summers had an
intolerant streak...
=93That=92s not very nice, Buffy...Why is it you Slayers and your Watchers
have this habit of always blaming the victim?...=94 Colder tone...
Long pause...
=93Ok..Fine, forgotten...Yes, she is a wonderful person...In fact right
now she=92s pouring through the old records we secured, looking to see
if there=92s a way to keep Angelus away forever...And find herself and
maybe Oz a cure...You and Willow do remember Oz?...=94
=93Well, he=92d love to hear from you two... Anyway, Buffy...I don=92t
see...No, I didn=92t mean anything...I know you were busy saving the
world...Of course I did find time to see you after your mom died...Not
to mention coming to Rome when I thought the Immortal was bad news...=94
=93All right, fair enough...I wasn=92t much help after you
resurrected...Look, I wasn=92t meaning to reproach you either...Buffy,
the bottom line is that my precious ass is at least as precious to me
and some folks here as His Benevolence=92s and your Slayers=92...Plus they
need my signature on the paychecks...But I would be happy to see if
any of my people would be willing...What?...=94
=93Oh?...Yes, it would be really nice if some Champion were at hand to
help you out in this crisis...=94 he said, drily... =93Yeah, it=92s a pity
William=92s gone for good...=94
Oh, please...Harmony frowned...
=93Rumors?....What =91rumors=92...?=94
=93Well, Buffy...As head of a major cor****ation I have to tell you as
one CEO to another...You can=92t gamble on =91rumors=92...What?...=94
=93Oh...Andrew said that, did he?...Well, you know Andrew...He always
struck me as kind of...Say, just when did Andrew say that?...=94
=93Really?...And you=92ve waited all this time to try and confirm this
wild story...?=94
=93Now, Buffy...Say, would you like to hear another wild rumor?...I=92ve
heard the craziest story that those cyborgs sent to kidnap me a while
back...The ones who used poor Wes=92 dad=92s face and personality for
their leader...Were working for your Council?...Crazy, isn=92t it?...=94
=93Oh did he?...And you just kinda went along with it, eh?...Thanks for
that show of sup****t, Ms. Summers...=94
=93Fine...=94 curt tone... =93I understand you nearly let the world be
destroyed for your little girl=92s sake...?=94
Huh?...Harmony blinked...
=93Well, to me, Dawn doesn=92t exist as your sister...I had all spell
traces removed from me years ago for my protection...I don=92t remember
her outside meeting her after I left Sunnydale...For me, she=92s your
daughter...Well, if I ever meet her socially I=92ll try to do that...=94
Dawn?...Oh, right the artificial sister/energy key...
=93It=92s nice you=92re taking an interest in him, Buffy...He=92d=92ve
been
pleased...=94
Long pause...
Oooh...Angel...Harmony sighed a bit...
=93Buffy?...I=92m sorry...That was a little mean...No, no...Buffy,
c=92mon...You know he=92s a survivor...He=92s fine...Yeah...I wouldn=92t
li=
e
to you about that...He=92s just fine...=94
=93Well sure...He=92s not a monk, Summers...But no one serious that I know
of...=94 he paused...
=93Did you get that, Harmony?!...=94 he called...
She moved away from the wall...For a moment...
Then cautiously eyeing the still-closed door moved back...
=93Of course she=92s still listening...Harmony, don=92t forget the notes
fo=
r
my meeting at 3...=94 he called...
She managed to repress the urge to =93Yeah, boss...=94
=93He=92s not going to consider it...=92Cause I=92m not telling him...=94
=93No, I won=92t...Buffy, he doesn=92t deserve this...He=92s got a
soul...H=
e=92s
not vamp fodder for the grist mill...Plus he has his own
responsibilities these days...=94
=93No, not Dru...Though he did help me rescue her...By the way, please
don=92t let your people kill her when she comes to Rome, I already told
Giles she has a soul again and she=92s just trying to get permission
from the Vatican to rejoin her order...Thanks...No, actually...He has
a son...=94
Long pause...Harmony frowning after a bit...
Boss...That was a little...
=93Buffy?...No...Adopted...Yes, adopted...He saved a baby from some
demons after his parents offered to sacrifice him...Actually, he does
look a lot like him...And he=92s just a toddler...Will can=92t just run
off and throw his life...=94
=93Of course he would...He already did...Who do you think came with me
to Rome, as if you didn=92t already know?...=94
=93Oh?...So now you=92ll get Willow to do a spell?...He might have
appreciated that back when he materialized here...=94
=93No, I didn=92t...But I didn=92t know William then...And I did know
Spike...=94
=93Fair enough...Yes, I was a little jealous...=94
=93Fine...A lot jealous...But why didn=92t you come when Andrew found him
here?...Buffy, he lay in our hospital for a week with his hands
stitched on, because he=92d tried to save that crazy woman Dana for your
sake as much as his redemption...Why didn=92t you come then?...Or at
least after he came to Rome with me for you...=94
=93Well, I can tell you why...He was afraid you=92d say you were =91glad
t=
o
see him...But=92...And then after Andrew told us you=92d moved on...=94
=93Well, so do we...He, most of all...Anyway, I=92ll inform my people and
if any of them...=94
=93Some are...Though your Council would have to pay them...They=92re not
in it for the joy of protecting Humanity...Of course some might do it
free just to suck up to me or your Council...=94
=93I told you, no...You want to see him, come over and track him
down...It wouldn=92t be that hard, he=92s a partner in a multinational
cor****ation that=92s on the front page of quite a few magazines and
newspapers...=94
=93Yeah...He still writes poetry...=94
Long pause...
Sigh...
=93Yeah...Of course he does...He always will...But it=92s not fair of you
to...=94
=93No, I told you...No one else...Seriously, anyway...So, about this
crisis...=94
=93What do ya mean, it=92s nothing?...Yes, he still writes poetry...Much
to my horror...=94
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