crack_van | 'All That's Best of Dark and Bright' by redbrickrose (PG-13)

Fandom: ANGEL
Pairing: Angel/Buffy, Spike/Buffy, Angel/Spike
Author on LJ:

redbrickrose
Author Website: None
Why this must be read:

This is technically a BtVS/AtS piece, but it's so good I think we can make an exception. I love, love love love this piece because for me, it's the defining piece for the three of them/the three pairings in a non-threesome situation. Angel and Buffy are tragic and beautiful and utterly utterly in love, Spike and Buffy are raw and honest and true, and Angel and Spike are painful and deep and meaningful. Angel is alone and has lost everything, except not quite because he still has the both of them.

In general, I dislike Spike/Buffy a whole lot, but my favorite parts in this fic was the interaction between Spike and Buffy. They're friends, friends first before anything else, and devoted to each other in a way that's indescribably lovely.

“I’ve heard it all.” And she had. The Immortal’s legend was larger than hers. For the first time in her life, there were no demands. She didn’t have to protect him, not from demons, or apocalypse, or his own darkness, or herself. It was a temporary reprieve, so she said that to no one. She had her affair, and when she heard about LA and ended it, he shrugged, said “I’ll miss you” and left. She’d had no power to pain or break him. It had been a relief.
“He didn’t need me. He asked nothing of me, Spike, don’t you see?”
And Spike does, but he doesn’t want to.

All That's Best of Dark and Bright