Buffy just stood there, frozen. Tears welled in her eyes and she looked at Giles “Are you sure,” she asked.

“It may not even be you, I’ll look into it some more,” Giles said hopefully, not wanting the prophecy to be true. 

“Giles, I don’t really think Faith is in any danger in prison,” she snapped. She soften when she saw his face, he too was about to cry. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“No, you have every right to-” Giles mumbled.

“No, does it, does it say, when,” she stammered. She wasn’t even hopeful that the prophecy was wrong. She didn’t believe Faith was going to die. That same book had prophesied her death before and she had died. She knew she couldn’t cheat death again. 
Giles looked back to the book with a trembling hand, “Four days.”

“Good,” she said.

“What,” Giles said, a bit louder than he intended to.

“I have time to say goodbye, I didn’t last time,” she said, her voice trembling.

“Buffy, I’m sure if you weren’t near the hell mouth, you may be able to thwart-”

“Giles, I can’t do that. I’m the slayer, I can’t quit and I know that. I just have to deal with it.”

“And what about the rest of us?” Giles asked. Buffy looked at him surprised. He continued 

“I told you without the others because I know they would only, be upset and angry. I would have expected you to be more considerate.”

“It just shows, I’m finally being a slayer, after how many years?” she joked. She fell into Giles’ arms and cried.

When she got home, the first thing she did was talk to Dawn. She told her what the prophecy said and that she wasn’t going to tell their mother because she didn’t think she would take it well. Dawn just burst in tears and held her sister tight.

The next two days she spent telling her friends, none of them took it well. Though she never expected them too, she had faced death so many times and wasn’t even phased by it. It didn’t mean they wouldn’t be phased. Even the newer members of the Scooby gang Tara and Anya were upset. She held them while they cried and reminisced and screamed that it wasn’t fair. Through the whole ordeal she hardly cried, only enjoying the moments they talked about.

On the third day after much thinking she grabbed a bag and headed for LA. When she arrived she went to the new address of Angel Investigations. She took a deep breath and walked in. She turned to Cordelia and asked, “Where’s Angel.”

“Asleep, remember he’s a vampire he only gets up when we have clients,” Cordelia rudely replied and turned back to her computer. Buffy was furious, she was going to die and this former cheerleader was treating her, like she usually did she realised. She took a deep breath and picked up a heavy leather volume and banged it down hard in front of Cordelia’s face. Cordelia squealed and jumped back, Wesley heard and came in from the other room. 

“Cordelia, Giles just found a prophecy that says that tomorrow night I am going to die. All I want to do is say goodbye to the man I love. Is that so hard?” Buffy asked coldly. 

“Oh Buffy, I’m sorry,” Wesley said.

“I’m sorry, I had no idea,” Cordelia stumbled.

“No you didn’t but I’ll forgive, otherwise you’d have a huge burden of guilt and I don’t exactly want that to be my parting gift. Now, just point me in the right direction please,” Buffy said.  

When she walked into his room, he was lying on his bed awake. “Everything alright out there?” he asked.

“Sorry. That was me, Cordelia was just being a bit of a cow,” Buffy explained.

“Okay then,” he said standing up “what are you doing here.”

“I’m,” her breath started to quicken and her eyes felt full “I’m saying goodbye.”

Angel picked up on her body language immediately, he gently put his arms on her arms and looked at her “you’re going on a holiday,” he joked. 

“Yeah,” she said “ a really long one. Actually it’s kind of retirement, from slaying and life.” She burst into tears at the end. Angel pulled her into his crushing embrace, “What?” he asked his voice quivering with fear. 

“Giles found this prophecy, it says that tomorrow night I’ll die,’ she cried, her voice and sobs muffled by his jumper. 

“It might be-” Angel started hopefully.

“Faith? Yeah, maybe she’ll hit herself on a steel bar,” she said sarcastically.

“Oh god, Buffy,” Angel started crying too, holding her tight and stroking her hair. They stood like that for a long while holding and crying, until finally Buffy broke away. “I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t of come. But I couldn’t, die without saying goodbye and telling you, how much I love you,” Buffy said.

“Don’t Buffy, there has to be a way to avoid this, there has to be,” he said desperately.

“Everyone says that. But there isn’t, I’m just excepting that. But don’t forget that I love you, even with Riley, I still loved you. And what I said about never trusting you or knowing you wasn’t true, I was just angry,” she said, looking at the clock “I have to go, I still want to go to the Bronze tonight, reminiscing and all.” 

“No,” Angel said hoarsely “I won’t just let you go to your death like that.” Buffy leaned up and kissed him passionately, Angel kissed her back and for the moment they were just to lovers kissing, without any problems. 

But Buffy broke away and said sadly “you don’t have a choice.”

Buffy had set instructions for the Bronze that night, it was to be like it usually was. Nothing about the prophecy and nothing morbid, no one else thing she really understood how hard that was. Eventually everyone got into the swing of that and it was almost like it would have been in other circumstances. Buffy had to admit she had fun and the others were glad and although Willow started to cry at one time the gang had done pretty well in following her instructions.

The next morning, she woke up feeling refreshed. She went downstairs and was clutched at by Dawn, then she remembered. She was going to die today.  She told Dawn that it was okay and that she still didn’t want their mother to know. Dawn reluctantly agreed and Buffy went to the freezer and got out the ice cream. Joyce looked at her strangely, 

“What, I want ice cream for breakfast,” she explained.

Joyce said “Whatever you want honey,” and turned back to her paper.

The rest of the day she spent looking at the family photo albums. She looked at the photo’s reliving each memory, trying not to concentrate on the fact that she wouldn’t be making any more. Dawn clutched to her all day, but Buffy didn’t complain. Joyce was worried but Buffy just shrugged it of.

About two hours before sundown, she told her mother she was going to Giles. She held her mother for a long time and told her how much she loved her. “I love you too,” Joyce told her “is there something the matter.”

“Nothing you have to worry about,” she assured her mum and left. When she got to Giles’ place she found him frustratingly looking through books of all kinds.

“Hey,” she greeted him.

“Buffy,” he said and gave her a hug.

“I’m just picking up some weapons,” she told him as she headed towards the weapon’s chest “I’m hoping to still do some damage.”

“Buffy, your taking this all rather lightly,” Giles commented.

“Well I have to don’t I, there is no point making a huge fuss, I don’t want it to be hard on anyone,” she replied. After she had gathered all the weapons she wanted she said to Giles “I just want you to know that you’ve been the best watcher and friend any slayer could have ever wanted.”

“Oh Buffy. I’ve actually been a rather appalling watcher.”

“Well, hence the friend. But now I have a problem.”

“What’s that,” he asked nervously.

“I’m bored.”

Not long after sundown she left. Giles asked, “Where are you going to go?”
“The Hellmouth,” Buffy replied. So she walked to the charred remains of Sunnydale High. The sight she saw was pretty much what she expected, ten demons were there. Some with horns, some with fangs, some without particular limbs. She came up behind one and fired her cross bow, the demon moaned and dropped to the ground. “Slayer,” another hissed. 

“Yep, that’s me. I didn’t realise you were having a party, I didn’t mean to crash.”

“I will kill you,” he said and charged at her. She picked up her sword and swung it high and as he approached cut off his head. 

“You should of quit while you were ahead,” she quipped feeling a little better. That feeling was soon crushed as eight angry demons all came at her.

Faith threw the tennis ball at the wall of her cell. A policeman came up and said, “Your counsellor is here to see you.”

“At this time, agghh, whatever let her in,” Faith replied.

Her counsellor came in and asked “How are you today Faith?”

“It’s night,” Faith informed her. The counsellor smiled and looked up the hall to make sure the policeman had gone “Now where should I start?” she said.

Buffy only just ducked the blow of the demon. She had killed five of the remaining demons and had two recovering from injuries. She was tired and could hardly stand up. “I think your time is up Slayer,” the demon mocked.

Angel sped along the road, only two hours ago he had decided he couldn’t just wait for the horrible news. He had to at least try to stop it from happening. So he had jumped in the car and sped to Sunnydale, hoping he wouldn’t be too late. He went to Giles’ place fist.

“Angel, she’s already gone,” he informed her. 

“Where,” Angel asked hurriedly.

“The Hellmouth” Giles answered. Angel thanked him and ran towards the old school library.

“Isn’t it a little late for visits,” Faith asked. 

The counsellor smiled and said, “It’s a little late for everything.”  She picked up Faith and threw her across the room, her disguise coming of as she did so, revealing her demonic form. Faith couldn’t move, she tried to scream but by then it was too late.

Buffy screamed as she collided with the wall and the pain went through her body, the demon smiled “You didn’t like your fall?” 

Buffy whispered “Angel,” as the darkness over came her.

Angel ran through the open doorway and saw the three demons hovering over Buffy’s lifeless body. He ran over and picked up the sword attacking the demons with all of his strength. He killed them all and dropped to his knees. He felt a sharp pain, but ignored it. He crawled over to Buffy and cradled her in his arms 

“No, Buffy, please you can’t be dead,” he whispered as he checked for a pulse. He nearly screamed in delight when he found that her pulse was there. She slowly opened her eyes 

“Angel,” she said softly. “Buffy, oh god your alright,” he held her close, delighting in the feel of her heartbeat. Then both Buffy and him realised that it wasn’t her heartbeat he could feel, it was his. 

“How,” was all Buffy could stammer, tears of joy welling in her eyes. 

“Shhh, it’s a long story,” he said tears falling from his eyes too. They sat there together softly crying, happy that they were both alive as they watched the sunrise.