Three months later Buffy was a rich woman, her compensation claim against the hospital left her with almost $5,000,000. She was glad. It means she had security. The other victims of Sunny Hill had all received similar amounts.

Angel had suggested suing the department of corrections for letting Lockwood escape but Buffy wasn’t greedy. She didn’t want to live off compensations claims for the rest of her life. They were holding an enquiry into the matter and she was satisfied with that.

Angel found her reading on the patio of their new home, she was wearing her swimming costume, trying to catch some rays. He leaned over from behind and kissed her.

“Umm. Hi.” She said.

“Hi back. What you reading?”

“It’s for school. It’s deathly dull.”

“Maybe I can find something better for us to do.” he said playfully.

Buffy put her book down. “Better than Dickens?”

“Much better.” He sat beside her on the sun lounger and captured her mouth in a kiss.

“Well it was good.” Buffy said. “Maybe you should publish it.”

“Maybe I should. But then you’d have to share me.”

Buffy grabbed his shirt and pulled him into another kiss. “Never.” She whispered.

They stayed there kissing for what seemed like hours and ended up with Buffy sitting on Angels lap.

Buffy pulled away briefly and looked into his eyes. Without breaking their gaze she found his hand and placed it on her breast.

Angel looked questioningly at her. She began to unbutton his shirt and kiss his chest.

Angel was gentle and took his time. The though of hurting Buffy was more than he could bear. Buffy seemed eager though and so they made love, tenderly, on the patio.

When they were finished Buffy lay beside him on the sun lounger.

They sat silently for a while as Buffy traced circles on his chest.

“Thank you.” Buffy said quietly. “For everything. If it hadn’t been for you I’d still be trapped in my own world.”

Angel kissed her lightly.


Fourteen months after Buffy’s recovery she graduated high school and was enrolled in UCLA.

She decided to train as a psychotherapist. The irony wasn’t lost on her but she wanted above all to help people.

Her sessions with Lorne were now weekly and he and Kathy had become firm friends.

Buffy and Angel married during the Easter break in a small wedding with just family and close friends.

They vacationed in Hawaii, two weeks of sun, surf and sand. It was heaven.

Buffy other life was a distant memory now. She had come a long way.

Three years after that Buffy was working as a psychotherapist. She had converted her study room into her office and saw patients there.

Angel had left the firm and set up his own small practice.

Neither had to work, Angel had saved and invested wisely and Buffy had her compensation. They worked because they wanted to. Both doing their bit to make the world better.

He had to scale back his working commitments though. Buffy was six months pregnant with their first child and Angel was determined to be there for him.

He missed the pace of a large law firm sometimes but he just had to look at Buffy’s smiling face to know he had made the right decision.

The End

Aww