Chapter One ~ Chapter Two ~ Chapter Three ~ Chapter Four ~ Chapter Five ~ Chapter Six ~ Chapter Seven ~ Chapter Eight ~ Chapter Nine ~ Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven ~ Chapter Twelve ~ Chapter Thirteen ~ Chapter Fourteen ~ Chapter Fifteen ~ Chapter Sixteen ~ Chapter Seventeen

In Full Body and Mind

Written by Helmi1

Chapter One

Buffy couldn’t understand how all this had happened or more likely why this had happened. Faith had woken up from the coma and somehow switched their bodies. It still freaked her out to look anything that gave away her reflection because it wasn’t her own face looking back at her. The cops had taken her away from her mother’s house but she managed to escape, she also knew the Council was after her and she knew they weren’t going to just throw her into the slammer.

She had sneaked into the Bronze and seen Faith dancing with a bunch of guys. Faith had talked with her friends and none of them even suspected that it wasn’t her. Since when had she been dancing with half the guys in Bronze while she was dating Riley. Sure she had danced that one time with Faith but that was long ago, before she had gone to the dark side. With pain in her heart, she left the Bronze and started drifting around the town. She stayed out of sight because she knew the police and council were looking for her without knowing that she really wasn’t Faith, but she wasn’t sure if the Council really cared anyway.

xxx

Buffy tried to get to her friends but it was no use. When she talked to them, they didn’t recognize her and she didn’t have any time to try to explain when Giles decided to call the council thugs. She had to leave with a hurry and the last place she could go was Riley, her mother wasn’t an option because she didn’t know her either when she was taken by the police earlier.

When she arrived her dorm room, Riley was just leaving and he had the ‘just had sex’ face on. Buffy's heart crumbled once again, Riley hadn’t noticed a thing. She could see the love bites on his neck and she herself always stayed away from the neck, too much memories of Angel were brought by love bites.

She felt herself give up. Why would she not let Faith have her life? Her life had not been living after Angel left, her friends just expected her to suddenly get over the love she felt for Angel, she knew Riley was just a pour substitute, she didn’t love him, she cared about him but didn’t love him. Giles lived his own life and wanted her to do the slaying on her own, get some responsibility. She was the Slayer, she kept saving the world again and again, how’s that for responsibility. Her mother kept reminding her how nice it was that she had found a normal living man to date. If only she knew that Riley wasn’t so normal, but it may not change much since Riley could breathe. She made her decision, Faith wanted her life, let her see what it was like. With that thought she stepped inside her dorm room.

Faith was lounging on the bed and she had a bored expression on her face until she saw Buffy. “Well, hello, B. I’m surprised that you came here.” She got up and took few steps closer to Buffy with malicious smile on her face (or more likely on Buffy's face). “I know, you know that me and soldier boy got a little rump in the hay, so what, you’re gonna beat me to another coma?”

Buffy smiled ruefully, which threw Faith for a moment. “That thought did cross my mind. But if he doesn’t notice the difference between you and me, it’s not really your fault”, Buffy answered and went to her closet without letting her guard down.

Faith watched as Buffy started packing clothes and things into a large holdall. “What you doing there, B?” Faith asked with confidence in her voice which she lacked inside since she had no idea what Buffy was really going to do.

Buffy closed the zipper on the bag and threw it over her shoulder. “You wanted my life, now you can have it. You can have the friends that expect you to save the world with a smiley face on, the watcher who wants you to carry the weight on your own because you need to learn responsibility, the mother who is oh so clad that you have a normal boyfriends that breathes and that slaying is just a phase, and the boyfriend that doesn’t understand that being a slayer isn’t just a fun hobby. You wanted to be me, now’s your chance.”

“So what, you’re just going to leave? I don’t understand what you’re playing.”

Buffy went to the door and turned around to look at Faith in her body. “Yeah, I’m going. You can have my life”, she said and opened the door. Just before she stepped out, she turned around and said: “Just stay away from Angel. My friends, my mother or my boyfriend may not notice who you are, but he will before you can blink. And if you try anything with him, I will know and what I did to you when you poisoned him will be like having a picnic on a sunny afternoon compared to what I’ll do to you if you try to hurt him.”

With that Buffy left closing the door behind her and leaving a very stunned and confused Faith in her dorm room. “What the fuck just happened?” Faith whispered to herself.

xxx

Week went by, Buffy really had disappeared and now Faith was left to live her life. She had dropped out of college which shocked her friends and even more, her mother. And that is why she had been summoned to Buffy's mother's house with Riley. And speaking of Riley, she really was getting bored with him and a week with the same guy was her personal record.

She sighed deeply and got up from the bed. She went to the closet and pulled out an outfit that would make her look sweet as possible, she didn’t want to hear one of Joyce's lectures.

There was a knock on the door and soon after Willow peaked in. “I hope you’re decent”, she said and stepped in.

“Yeah, Will. Nothing traumatizing this time”, Faith chuckled thinking the time when Willow had walked in on her and Riley while she was on top riding him.

“Are you going somewhere?” Willow asked seeing what Buffy was changing to.

“Yeah, mom asked me to drop by”, Faith answered while throwing her shirt to the floor and pulling on a light pink knit top. Willow looked away, flushing from the lack of modesty Faith showed.

“What do you think you’ll be doing after that?” Willow asked.

“I’ll hit the Bronze, do some dancing, some slaying, the usual.”

Willow looked at her uncertainly. “You have been doing that a lot lately. Bronze. Slaying. Riley’s been missing you”, she said testing the ice. She had been stopped by Riley after class and he had told her how little time Buffy spent with him these days, she was always at the Bronze or slaying. Willow still couldn’t face Riley without blushing remembering what she had interrupted the other day. But still she was worried about Buffy, she had changed after Faith woke up, but she was sure it was just a passing phase.

Faith turned to look at Willow, but she didn’t see doubt in her, just concern. “Girl just needs a little fun. And Riley is so boring”, Faith said and continued dressing.

Willows face scrunched up into a frown, Buffy had never before complained that Riley was boring, he wasn't boring, he was normal, steady and dependable, not boring.

Faith turned to look at Willow and sighed. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m taking Riley to my mom's house”, she said still feeling weird about calling Joyce her mom. But at that Willows face lit up, maybe she was getting over her phase and everything would be back to normal.

“That’s great!”, she said with bright enthusiasm.

Faith rolled her eyes but Willow didn’t see it since Faith was already on her way to the door. “See ya later”, Faith said and left the dorm room.

xxx

The dinner at Buffy's mom's house was uncomfortable. The food was good as always but that was a small comfort when Joyce kept bringing up dropping out of college, she really knew how to make a girl feel guilty. It wasn’t Faiths fault that she never had been interested in school, she never graduated from high school and she never even wanted to go to college, now that she wasn’t a fugitive anymore, she could live her life the way she wanted. But not if her new friends, mother or boyfriend had any say in the matter.

“Maybe if you changed the college, you would feel more comfortable. The slaying must be a big distraction. Or maybe you could decrease slaying”, Joyce said hopefully.

Faith sighed, she liked Joyce, she had always liked Joyce but she really could get on her nerves sometimes. “I can’t just stop slaying, I’m the slayer, I’m the only one who can do it”, Faith said and she deliberately ignored Riley since she thought he wasn’t that much of a help in slaying. He just wanted to use them as lab rats when she just decapitated them, patrolling was so much faster without him.

“I know that, honey. When Faith came to town, I really hoped she would take that off your shoulders. But maybe there are more slayers, you are not the only one”, Joyce said clearly getting her hopes up.

“There is just me and Faith”, Faith said, clearly Joyce didn’t understand the whole process of how slayers were called.

“How can you be sure?” she kept on insisting.

“Mom, I am sure. There is just me and Faith.” Faith wanted out of this conversation. Long ago Buffy had told her about facing the Master, whole getting bitten, drowned and revived, the whole shebang, obviously she hadn’t told Joyce and Faith was sure Buffy wouldn’t appreciate if she told about it. That thought made her stop, since when did she care what Buffy would think. Maybe it was after she had read the diary Buffy had forgotten to take with her, since she had read about her thoughts from coming back to Sunnydale after running away to the beginning of her cooperation with the Initiative. That thought made her sigh deeply, this whole regretting your past thing was not fun.

Joyce turned to Riley. “Riley, maybe you could talk to her. Get her go back to studying and cut back the slaying”, Joyce said to Riley with her motherly voice.

“Yes, Mrs Summers, I have tried to get her to extenuate slaying, there are other people, professionals who are capable to do it”, Riley said back like a perfect son in law. Just the thought of the Initiative made Faith want to giggle, capable professionals, what a joke. It was tough not to snort at that thought. Sure they liked to play Rambo but they weren’t real demon hunters, they didn’t even know what they were hunting if it wasn’t a vampire.

xxx

The dinner was over, conversation stayed in the topics of college, slaying and how nice and normal Riley was. Faith could just see the underlining that Joyce was just happy that it wasn’t Angel, that Buffy had a nice, normal, breathing boyfriend who could give her grandchildren in the far away future.

At the door Joyce kissed them both on the cheek, told Buffy to visit very soon and that she hoped to see Riley with her. “Riley, please try to talk to her”, Joyce whispered to Riley thinking that Faith/Buffy couldn’t hear her even though she could clearly. Riley promised he’d try his best and after that Joyce went back inside.

Riley came to stand next to Faith and took her hand in his. “I’ll walk you to your dorm”, he said, again he was playing the big man who had to walk his girlfriend to her doorstep.

“No need, I’m going to the Bronze and after that do some patrolling”, she said and started walking thus releasing her hand from his.

Riley hurried after her, his expression telling that he wasn’t happy. “Again? This is the fifth night you’ve gone to Bronze.”

“So? You keeping score?” she asked without slowing her pace. She really wanted to get rid of him and have a good night, maybe a hot guy to rub against before going hunting.

“But Buffy... We haven’t spent so much time together lately. You’re always at the Bronze or slaying and you say you don’t want company while doing it”, Riley tried.

“Because I can do it so much faster and easier on my own”, she answered, she was bored.

“Since when?” Riley asked clearly not getting the message.

Faith stopped and looked at Riley in the face, his greasy looking hair hanging over his eyes.“Truthfully when I’m slaying, you are just on the way. There is a reason why Slayer slays alone, because others are just a distraction and *on the way*. I have been doing this for some time, it isn’t a choice, I was called, I’m the only one. To you it’s just a hobby, a way to be a hero. Well, I was made to do this and I am the best. And I am so getting bored with you”, she said, turned around and kept walking.

“What do you mean?!” Riley yelled and ran after her, apparently this time getting her meaning.

“I’m bored, you just don’t do it anymore. Let’s face it, you were just the rebound guy. You don’t understand the first thing about me and you belittle my calling. It’s not gonna work. So let’s just get it over with. I will give you the old cliché”, with that she turned around and said with a fake sincere voice: “It’s not you, it’s me. But I’d like us to be friends.”

He looked stunned, his mouth hanging open and he really did look like a fish on dry land. She gave him a smile, petted him on the shoulder and said: “You’ll get over it.” With that she started walking, leaving stunned Riley standing on the sidewalk.

xxx

Faith had had a good time at the Bronze, she had found a cute guy to rub against which his girlfriend didn’t appreciate. After that she hit the cemeteries and dusted four vamps. So it had been a good night.

“I heard you broke up with fish boy”, came a familiar voice from behind her.

“Yeah. News here sure travel fast. How’d you know?” Faith asked taking a cocky position placing her hands on her hips.

Spike looked at her appreciatively and answered: “Heard soldier boy crying about it to his army buddies. It’s about time you dumped that nancy boy.”

“Well, he was starting to bore me. And I don’t like to be bored.” She looked him up and down and he was starting to feel like piece of meat under her eyes. “Would you like to be my rebound guy? All that slaying got me horny”, she said taking a step closer to Spike which made him take a step back from her.

“Are you okay, slayer?” he asked slightly nervous, she sure was acting strange.

“I’m just fine”, Faith answered licking her lips, her eyes traveling over his body.

Spike was starting to feel like the prey which he technically was but never in this sense, not with Buffy. “Slayer”, he tried to protest and took a step back.

Faith was about to take a step closer to Spike when a hand grabbed her ankle. She looked down and saw a vampire try to rise from it’s grave. “Now is not the time”, she said, pulled the vampire from it’s grave and staked it, all in one motion. She was dusting off the vampire from her clothes while she said in a seductive voice: “So, where were we?”

She lifted her gaze and noticed that Spike was gone. She looked around her but it appeared that she was alone. “Well that’s a first”, she said to herself and started to walk away from the cemetery unfulfilled. And on top of all that, she was certain she would get a lecture from Willow once she heard her dumping Riley.

Chapter Two

As soon as Buffy got outside of city limits of Sunnydale, she felt regret. Maybe she shouldn’t have done this, maybe she shouldn’t have left her friends and mother with Faith in her body. So what if they didn’t recognize her, it was just luck that she recognized Giles when Ethan turned him into a demon. Okay, it wasn’t luck, she saw his gentle eyes and knew without a doubt that it was her only father she had ever had, no matter what DNA.

And maybe Faith did deserve redemption, a new start, friends and family. She had helped her defeat the mayor, right, she was certain it had been Faith in that dream she had. Okay, she was reaching for excuses but she had been deeply hurt that nobody noticed anything. She was also deeply hurt by Faith, she had been a sister to her and she had betrayd her, that Buffy could forgive, even taking her body, maybe switching their bodies had just been a cry for help to get out of her life. But Buffy could not forgive or forget what she had done to Angel.

xxx

Without even noticing it, Buffy had ended up in LA which wasn’t the place she was headed. For a moment she thought about going to Angel. But soon she ditched that thought, he had a life and she would die if he wouldn’t recognize her. With her friends she could deal with it but with Angel, she would never recover.

Buffy was sitting in a diner, she had a cup of coffee and a piece of blueberry pie in front of her but she was too deep in thought to even think about eating. She needed a plan. Everything from the last 24 hours had come crashing down on to her and only now she was starting to think what she was doing. She needed a new ID, way to get to some place she could just disappear to and she needed a way to make sure that Faith wouldn’t hurt her friends or family. She was pretty sure she wouldn’t but it was better to be safe than sorry.

She still had connections in LA from the time she had ran away, she could get a new ID and a place to stay one or two nights before she moved on. Buffy smiled to herself, she had a plan. And with that happy thought, she finished her coffee and pie before leaving to meet an old acquaintance.

xxx

Buffy stepped into an old abandoned factory and decended the stairs to the ground floor. “Anybody here?” she asked into the seemingly empty room. But she knew better. Soon she was surrounded by young people with stakes, but she had heard and felt them coming but had done nothing.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” asked a bald headed black man.

“Gunn, tell them to lower those stakes and I tell you”, she answered confidently, she knew she could take them all out but she just didn’t want to, they were on the same side.

“I don’t know you, why should I”, Gunn defied and that almost made Buffy chuckle, he hadn’t changed, he was still playing tough as nails dirty Harry.

“Because Anne sent me”, she answered feeling weird saying her own name like another persons, but then again she was another person for that one summer.

Gunn seemed to think about it and his stance relaxed a little, only for a small degree. “Okay, let’s talk”, he said and the others lowered their weapons, just a little more hesitantly.

“So, let’s get down to business, I need a fake ID”, Buffy said.

“And what makes you think I could get you a fake ID?” Gunn asked looking at Buffy, measuring her.

“I don’t need you to get me a fake ID, I just need you to arrange a meeting with someone who can”, Buffy answered.

“And why should I?” Gunn asked confidently.

“Because you owe one to Anne, she trusts you about this one”, Buffy said and seeing Gunn considering about it, she turned to leave. “I’ll be back in four hours, it will be plenty of time before sundown”, she said and left before he could say anything.

xxx

Buffy was sitting in an uncomfortable chair in a dirty looking waiting room. She was bored and she wasn’t sure if this would work, but she had to try. After an hour of waiting and boredom, the door opened and a woman with blue hair stepped out. “He will see you now”, she said and Buffy got up walking into the room.

After she had stepped inside, the door locked and she saw it had no lock inside. “Just a precaution”, said a deep male voice.

“Yeah, sure”, Buffy answered, not so convinced. “You do know that I could just brake the door down if I wanted to”, she asked the man that was still standing in the shadows of the luxurious room.

“I do know. But you won’t because you want what you came here for”, the man said and stepped out of the shadows. His hair was also blue but it looked like he had been born with it and he had strange black figures written on his face and every part of his skin that she could see.“Tell me what do you want, Slayer, and we will discuss the price”, he said and smiled like a wolf.

“I want a spell, or what ever you do. I want that Faith can not intentionally hurt any of my friends or my mother”, Buffy answered.

The smile on the man's face grew. “That kind of request comes with a price, and not a small one”, he said.

“Name it”, Buffy said confidently and took her most intimidating pose, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I want the Slayer in debt to me.”

“Could you please not talk about me in third person”, she sighed.

“Very well, slayer. But I can collect my payment anytime I see fit.”

“I will not do anything that is evil, nothing that will help the forces of darkness”, she said in her resolve voice but she couldn’t help but feel little corny talking about the forces of darkness.

“That is correct. But there will be a time when your debt will be collected.”

Buffy sighed deeply, she was getting bored from running around. “Fine, the debt will be collected, you said that already. Now get on with it. Do what ever mojo you do”, she said impatiently.

Again the man smiled and she knew she had just made the deal with a devil, or pretty close. “Take my hand and it will be done”, he said and offered his hand. With a small hesitance she took his hand and a shooting pain ran through her. She looked at her hand and the black figures in his hands were moving on her skin as well. She screamed from the pain, bending her back and gripping the man's hand so hard she could hear the bones crack. But he didn’t even flinch. Suddenly everything in her eyes changed red and after that, there was nothing.

xxx

Buffy woke up and as soon as she remembered what had happened, she bolted upright. She looked at her hands and they were back to normal, or as normal as they could get to her while she was in Faith's body. She also knew that what she had wished, had happened, somehow she just knew.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Then she looked at the clock, it was almost time to meet Gunn. She got up on slightly unsteady legs and left the room.

xxx

Buffy met Gunn and after that the guy who made her new ID. Again she was Anne and her new last name was O’Roarke, which she knew used to be Angel's surname but she decided not to look too deeply into it. She hadn’t told nobody what name she used the summer she was in LA so it was safe to say that nobody knew what to look for if they found out it was Faith in Sunnydale. Maybe she would return to Sunnydale one day, after she had healed and learned who she really was.

After staying in LA for two days, she got on the bus and started her journey towards new location and new life. She just hoped she could have seen Angel, but she knew it would have been too painful and again her fear of him not knowing her played a large part on her fleeing.

Chapter Three

It had been two months since Buffy had left Faith to live her life. Faith was back on track, she had had the time to look into her life and she was trying to get her life back the way it was before the accident on that alley. Maybe not being the same way but she was working on getting back on track for good.

She had been right when she expected a lecture from Willow when she dumped Riley, but it was nothing compared to what Joyce had to say about the matter. It was clear that Joyce thought Angel had something to do with it but she wouldn’t say his name. Like nobody else would. And it was getting on Faith's nerves, it was like everyone were walking on eggshells, if someone would mention his name, she would crumble and suddenly remember him. After reading Buffy's diary, she knew Buffy hadn’t forgotten him, that she had just let her friends pretend she was over him, to make them feel better.

Giles didn’t take interest in her love life so leaving Riley didn’t have much affect on him. Xander was just happy that Buffy was back on the market and Anya couldn’t care less. Spike was acting weird when Faith was present but she didn’t much care. He was just glad that she hadn’t told anybody about him disappearing, only later he had thought about it and it was the first time he had ever run from a beautiful girl offering herself to him. But it seemed the offer had passed and he didn’t know should he be relieved or disappointed.

For a while Riley had been following Faith around, trying to get back together, acting like a jealous boyfriend but he got over it when he caught Faith riding another man in a parked car behind the Bronze. Faith was just glad he had stopped and getting caught really didn't bother her all that much, wouldn't be the first time.

xxx

Faith was sprawled across the bed listening to some rock band with her headphones. She didn’t see or hear Willow come in. Willow looked at her friend and frowned. She went closer to the bed and touched her shoulder. Faith jumped and almost hit Willow before seeing who it was. She shook off the headphones.

“Jeez, Will. You really shouldn’t do that”, she said sitting up.

“Sorry”, Willow whispered and sat on her own bed.

“What’s up?” Faith finally asked, she had learned to read Willow and she obviously had something in her mind. There was a long pause and Willow was clearly struggling with it.

“I saw Riley in class”, Willow started watching closely at Faith's reaction.

“I kinda figured it would be inevitable since he’s the TA at your psych class”, Faith answered already knowing where this conversation was going.

“He’s pretty upset. He still doesn’t know why you suddenly left him. You really should talk to him, maybe you two can work things out”, Willow tried desperately.

Faith sighed deeply. “Will, it’s been nearly two months, get over it, I have”, she said and got up from the bed.

“But Buffy”, Willow started little confused why she was acting like this, it wasn’t like Buffy.

“I’m going out”, Faith said and left before Willow could protest. Willow looked at the closed door and frowned. Buffy was certainly acting weird, she needed to do something. She reached for the phone and dialed Xander’s number.

xxx

Faith walked into Giles’ apartment which seemed empty. “Yo Giles”, she called but there was no answer. She shrugged and waltzed inside. Sure Giles would come home some time, and she needed something to kill. She lazily fell to the couch and stretched her legs over the armrest. But in no time she was getting bored.

Giles stepped out of the shower and after drying, wrapped the towel around his waist. He heard a noise coming from the living room so he headed there, picking up a statue on his way there. “Buffy”, he gasped in surprise when he saw Buffy lounging on the couch. “I didn’t know you were coming”, he said feeling uncomfortable under her gaze and thinking it was odd she hadn’t made a cheeky comment or ran away screaming ‘my eyes, my eyes!’.

“Yeah, well, I got bored”, she answered looking him up and down. That made Giles feel even more uncomfortable.

“Um... yes... Well it is a good thing you came, I was meaning to call you. Have you seen the morning paper?” he said and headed to his bedroom to get some clothes on.

“No, I haven’t. Why?!” came the answered from the living room.

Nervously he picked up a random shirt and pants, quickly putting them on. He returned downstairs. “There has been a demon attack last night”, Giles said and handed the news paper to Faith. “I believe it might be a Nagel demon. Nagel coming from the German word for...”, Giles said but stopped seeing Faith’s expression telling him to get to the point. “Anyway, the Nagel demons usually travel in groups”, he continued.

“So, how do I kill them?” Faith interrupted him jumping up from the couch, she was finally getting some action.

“Buffy, it is not that simple. We must do some research before jumping head first into”, he started but again was interrupted by Faith.

“Fine, you look into the dusty books, I go grill Willy”, she said and was out the door before Giles could protest.

xxx

Faith walked confidently into the dark bar leaving the door open to the customers dismay. “Hey, it’s the Slayer”, Willy bellowed in his usual manner.

“Hey there Willy”, she said seeing the vampires and various demons fleeing the place.

“You really shouldn’t drop by this often, it hurts the business”, Willy complained.

Faith just smiled at him sweetly and said: “Tell me what I want to know and I won’t cut your clientèle in half.”

“Come on, Slayer. Give me a brake here”, Willy whined.

“There’s some German demon in town, I want to know where it is and does it have any friends”, she said leaving no room for negotiation.

“You mean, Nagel demon. He’s alone. Was here the other night, really not the best drinking buddy a guy could ask. Said he was looking for the Slayer. Don’t know where he is”, Willy whispered.

“Are you sure you don’t know where that demon is?” Faith asked and leaned over the bar to get closer to Willy.

He lifted his hands up in surrender and said quickly: “I’m sure.”

“You better. Or you’ll soon be out of business”, Faith said and left.

After she had disappeared into the sunlight, he let out a sigh of relief. The Slayer was getting scarier, she had never before threatened to put him out of business and also her eyes looked a little different. Something strange was going on.

xxx

Faith walked into Giles’ apartment. The gang was all there in full research mode. “Hey, it’s the Buffster!” Xander shouted from his seat and continued to eat his donut. Faith rolled her eyes, she didn’t like him calling her Buffster all that much.

“So any luck?” Giles asked looking up from his book.

“The usual. He’s here to kill me. What else is new?” she said and sat in front of the table.

“Sure, every demon wants the feather in their cap, killing a slayer gives you respect for a long time”, came Spike's voice from the kitchen.

“You should know. Not that we respect you”, sniped Xander and Spike just showed him the finger.

“Why are we here? I would rather be home having sex with Xander”, Anya said and with that comment made Xander blush furiously.

“Anya, what have I told you about talking about that while we have company?” he whispered to her.

Anya just looked at him confused. “Why should I lie? I want sex and I find it very satisfying”, she answered and Xander’s face grew even more red. Faith couldn’t help but smirk at his discomfort when everyone else were trying to think something else than Xander’s sex life, even talking about it was more than they needed to know.

Giles cleared his voice. “Well thank you, that was more than we needed to know. But could we focus on the matter at hand”, he said and went back to his reading.

“Yes, we should”, Willow said with a small unsure voice.

“No need for all this dusty reading. The demon is alone, wants to kill me, I want to kill it and I just need a way to kill it and to track it”, Faith said bored.

“Decapitation would do the trick”, Giles offered. “Also fire but we don’t want you to use that one since your history with that method isn’t such a...” he continued but didn’t finish.

“Okay, so off with the head. Now all I need to do is to find the thing”, Faith said itching to get some action.

“Maybe Riley could help”, Willow offered and Faith almost groaned out loud, she had to be kidding. But the innocence in Willow’s eyes told her she wasn’t.

“Or I could do it for 50 quid”, Spike said and took a sip from his cup of blood.

“Or you could do it and settle with the fact that I don’t kill you”, Faith gave her counteroffer and smiled sweetly.

xxx

Faith and Spike were on one of the cemeteries. Spike was tracking the demon by it scent which wasn’t all that hard since it had a very foul smell. Faith was swinging her axe clearly feeling anxious for some action. “I thought you were supposed to be able to track that thing”, Faith said and Spike looked at her insulted.

“It is here, don’t get your knickers in a twist.”

Faith smiled at him carnally. “I’m not wearing any”, she said with a low husky voice which made Spike look at her in shock.

He was about to say something when the demon appeared from behind a mausoleum. “So this is the great slayer I have been hearing about”, the demon said with a deep voice.

“And you're some idiot who thinks he can take me”, answered Faith and took a cocky pose with her axe. Faith was measuring the demon with her gaze, the thing sure was ugly and that smell was just nasty. It was one big ugly bastard with big claws for hands.

“This is the great slayer, in bed with a dirty vampire”, it said with disgust in its voice.

“I’m not the one who smells like he hasn’t bathed in this century”, Spike said and attacked the demon but it swung its arm, knocking Spike unconscious.

“I will dance on your bones, Slayer”, the demon sneered and approached her.

“It’s a good thing you’ll be dead in few minutes because nobody wants to see you try to dance”, Faith said and attacked.

The demon was strong but compared to her small frame, he was slow and sloppy. Faith got a few good punches at him but then it managed to grab her by the throat. She had dropped the axe to the ground and the demon was lifting her to the air. She was gasping for the air she wasn’t getting. In vain she tried to pry its claws out of her throat which was starting to bleed when the nails were digging into her skin.

“Is this all you got”, the demon laughed right before Faith kicked it between the legs. The demons grasp loosened and she got free.

“I guess you have something in common with human males”, she said right before she lifted the axe from the ground and swung it. The demon didn’t have time to react before its head was rolling on the grass.

Spike opened his eyes only to find himself looking into the shocked eyes of the demon.

“Giles should have warned me about those claws”, Faith said rubbing her neck. The wounds were closed but it still hurt like hell.

She turned to look at Spike, who was looking hotter and hotter by the minute. All that fighting for your life had made her feel the heat all over. Spike saw the look in her eyes, they were full of raw lust and that made him feel uncomfortable, yet again.

Before he knew it, Faith was straddling him and had pushed him into the ground. “You know, all that slaying got me really horny”, she said and nipping at his ear while grounding her hips to his. At the same time Spike felt panic and desire build inside him.

”Slayer”, he tried to protest but she grabbed his obvious arousal through his jeans. He groaned out loud and grabbed her by the neck to pull her into a kiss. But then he got a look into her eyes, for the first time he really looked at her and they were different. The truth hit him like a ton of bricks, it wasn’t Buffy. He grabbed Faith by the arms and rolled them around.

“I knew you’d want to be on top”, she said but soon threw him under her again.

“But I like to be the one in control”, she said with a smirk.

“You’re not Buffy”, Spike spat and threw her off of him.

Faith chuckled. “You know, you’re the first one to notice that. And it took what, two months”, she said and leaned into a gravestone.

Spike looked at Faith dumbly, it had been two months and nobody had noticed anything. Sure she had been dressing more provocatively, acting more provocatively and doing things that Buffy would never have done, like come on to him like he was the last male on earth. “What are you?” he asked ready to fight what ever thing was inside of Buffy.

“It’s a who”, Faith said defensively. ”I’m Faith”, she added after a moment.

”The slayer that went bonkers?” Spike asked amazed but Faith didn’t appreciate being reminded of the dark period of her life.

”Yeah, that’s me”, she said with a voice that said that she didn’t want to continue that line of conversation.

”What have you done to her?” Spike asked offensively, he had heard the scoobies talk about Faith, not that they had bothered to tell him about the rogue slayer but there was no harm in eavesdropping.

”Don’t worry, your precious Buffy is alive as long as I know”, she said not really interested in this topic.

“Where is she?” Spike asked looking at Faith, trying to find anything from outside that would show that it wasn’t Buffy but he came up with nothing.

“I don’t know, she took off”, Faith answered. For a moment Spike just stood there thinking, then suddenly he turned around and started walking away. “Hey! Where you going!?” she yelled after him.

“To find Buffy”, came the answer, he didn't even bother to turn to look at her.

“Well, if you find her, tell her I want my body back!”

Again Spike had fled the place and she was left unfulfilled. This couldn’t be happening. And on top of all that, she had to bury a dead demon and report to Giles. Her life sucked.

Chapter Four

A month went by and there had been no word from Spike. Faith was starting to question if he would ever find Buffy. It appeared that she had wanted to disappear and she also had, it wasn’t the first time she had done it. Nothing had changed in Sunnydale, but slowly everyone were getting on Faith’s nerves. Especially Willow and Joyce who were both still rooting for Riley. Why couldn’t they just get over him?

The gang had gathered at Giles’ place, he had called all of them and informed he had something very fundamentally important to tell them, his words, not hers. Willow was sitting hand in hand with Tara but they kept their hands shyly under the table. Xander and Anya were snuggled on the couch, Anya throwing her remarks on sex and Xander chastising her of talking about sex in front of his friends. But Faith was getting bored, all she wanted was to go to the Bronze, get some action and slayege but instead she was stuck at Giles’ house.

“You do remember the Nagel demon from last month?” Giles started and Faith nodded looking at him like saying ‘what do you think I am, some memory challenged’. “Well as I told you before, those demons customarily travel in groups. Well, the demon you killed had a group of friends and they were waiting just outside of town. They have cause havoc there and are headed towards here, they have been swearing revenge”, Giles said. Faith looked at him like he had grown a second head.

“Was that all you wanted to tell us? So what his friends are coming to town, not the first time I’m on somethings hit list. When they come, I’ll handle it.”

Giles nodded but he wasn’t happy and it showed in his face. He looked around him and stated: “I haven’t seen Spike in a long while.”

“He skipped town”, Faith answered like she was talking about the weather.

“Why?” Giles asked getting curious.

“Who cares. Good riddens”, Xander chimed in.

“But we need his sarcastic feedback”, Anya protested.

“I’m the only entertainment we need”, Xander said and puffed his chest.

Faith rolled her eyes and then turned to look at Willow and Tara. “So how ‘bout hitting the Bronze?”

Willow looked at her nervously and then at Tara. “I’m sorry, but I promised to spend the night with Tara, we planed this a week ago”, she said clearly feeling sorry that she had to turn her down.

“Why don’t you take your love monkey along for the ride”, Faith suggested and winked at them.

Willow looked at her with wide eyes. ‘Love monkey’, that was a weird word for Buffy to use, not to mention the wink. “I’m sorry, but I’m not up to night on the town”, she said.

Faith got up pulling her jacket on. “No prob, If anyone needs me, I’ll be at the Bronze”, she said.

“Maybe you shouldn’t, maybe it would be better to look out for the demons”, Giles suggested but Faith just brushed it off.

“I’ll do that later, after I’m done clubbing”, she said and left.

Willow turned to the others concerned look on her face. “She’s been acting weird lately. We need to do something”, she said and received several nods from the group.

xxx

Willow had set up a meeting in the Bronze to discuss about Buffy with the gang. “I’m telling you, we need to help her. She has been acting strange, like leaving Riley without a reason”, Willow said to her friends.

“Maybe she just got bored with him, you have to admit, he wasn’t all that interesting, what if he wasn’t sexually satisfying”, said Anya not caring about the topic. Everybody else in the table blushed.

“No, Buffy loves him, they were meant to be together. It’s obvious he’s right for her, he hasn’t made her cry, not even once. We need to help her”, Willow insisted.

“Need to help who?” Faith asked from behind the gang. She knew and had heard what they were talking about but she just wanted to see them squirm.

“Oh! Buffy! Aaa... A friend from psych class”, Willow covered clumsily.

Faith suppressed a chuckle. “Sure”, she said and sat down. “Don’t stop on my account”, she said and she got what she wanted, more squirming. Soon getting bored with the long silence, she got up. “Okay, I’ll go get a drink.” The gang looked after her as she headed towards the bar but got distracted by an attractive guy on the dance floor.

“See!” Willow cried out when they saw take a drink from a guy.

“She doesn’t look like she’s still in love with Riley”, Anya chimed in.

Willow frowned. “She’s just venting the hurt. Something must have happened.”

And it was Anya’s time to frown, Willow really should get over Riley. The gang turned to look and saw Faith on the dance floor with three guys dancing with her.

xxx

Angel was sitting in his office, pretending to read but truthfully he was just staring at the picture of Buffy. He had been having very vivid dreams of their day together, the one day that he was human. He had been standing in a ice cold shower for nearly an hour that morning, it had done some good but his memory was too good and soon he had the same problem.

Cordelia looked through the window and frowned, he was brooding again and wearing his Buffy face. With a frustrated sigh she stomped into the office without knocking. Angel snapped to look at the door and said: “Cordy, can’t you just knock?” She just ignored him.

“What ever you’re brooding about again, you need to get over it!” Cordelia said with a stern voice.

“I wasn’t brooding”, Angel tried but it was in vain.

“Oh, you were reading?” she gave a sarcastic laugh and continued: “I’m not that stupid. You haven’t turned the page all morning, just stared at the picture of Buffy. Snap out of it!” And that was when she was hit by the unbelievable headache and images rushed in front of her eyes. She collapsed but Angel was there to catch her.

“What did you see?” he asked concerned, guiding Cordelia to sit on the chair.

Cordelia lifted her gaze and whispered: “Buffy.”

xxx

Faith searched through the room but she couldn’t find Buffy’s diary. She was practically under the bed when Willow stepped into the room. “What you doing?” she asked puzzled and sat on the bed.

“Looking for my diary. Have you seen it?” she answered and rose from the floor, standing up straight.

“No, I haven’t.”

“I can’t find it anywhere”, Faith sighed frustrated. But then the thought hit her, maybe Buffy had been in town. She jumped up ready to run after her but then she realized it was fruitless, she didn’t know where to go. With another frustrated sigh she sat down.

The phone rang and Willow answered in lightning speed. After a short conversation, she turned to Faith. “That was Giles. We need to go to his place. He has something important to tell us”, Willow said and grabbed her coat.

Little while later Faith and Willow walked into Giles’ apartment, everyone else were already there. “What’s up?” Faith asked and then she saw Angel in the dark corner of the living room. Her expression was like a deer caught in headlights, now she was screwed.

Willow closed the door and noticed the change in Faith right before seeing Angel. “Angel”, she said surprised.

“Willow”, he said courtly and turned to look at Buffy who immediately looked away. “Buffy”, he breathed but got just a bland ‘Angel’ in return. He looked at her more accurately and moved few steps closer to her. There was something wrong about Buffy, he could feel it. And now he was worried that she was mad at him or something because she wouldn’t meet his eyes.”Buffy?” asked and moved closer to her.

”Angel”, she whispered but still she looked away, anything but him.

He was getting tired of this, he took hold of her chin and said: ”Buffy, look at me.” He lifted her chin and saw her eyes. But it wasn’t Buffy, her body, her smell, even her eye color was Buffy's but it wasn’t Buffy in those eyes. Suddenly Angel felt rage and grabbed Buffy’s body from the throat. ”Who are you and what have you done to her?” he asked keeping all the rage just under control but he was slipping when the range of possibilities ran across his mind.

”Angel!”, ”What are you doing!”, ”Did you loose it completely, deadboy!?”, ”Let her go”, ”What do you think you’re doing”, were the various shouts coming from behind him but he didn’t care.

”Where is she?” he asked menacingly tightening his hold on her neck. He could see the fear in her eyes and he had to keep reminding himself that it wasn’t his Buffy that he was hurting.

”Let her go!” yelled Giles with a commanding voice and tried to pry his hand off of Buffy but Angel wouldn’t budge.

”Angel”, Faith choked and tried to wring his fingers off her wind pipe, she was getting light headed from the lack of air. ”Let go, and I tell”, she managed to choke out. Angel didn’t let go but he did loosen his hold so that air filled her lungs again. She kept pulling air inside her in long gasps. ”I’m Faith”, she said finally after getting her head together. Angel let her go but still kept his gaze fixed on her, ready to jump if she tried anything.

”What!?” came the stunned chorus from the Scooby gang.

”I guess she was right, you were the only one who recognized her”, she said after breathing a moment.

”Where is she?” Angel asked with a tone that left no room for playing.

”I don’t know”, she answered and after seeing he wasn’t happy about the answer, she quickly continued: ”She’s in my body. But she took off. I don’t know where she is.”

”She did what!? She ran away, again!” yelled Xander in self-righteous anger.

”Why would she do that?” asked Willow with a small hurt voice.

”Why? Maybe because she got tired of all your bullshit. I have been in her body for nearly four months and nobody noticed. Except her creature of the night ex boyfriend after only few minutes in the same room. Not her best friend, not even her mother dearest or the most boring boyfriend, soldier boy. He may be easy on the eyes if he would get rid of that greasy hair, but he isn’t smart enough to notice it’s not his own girlfriend he’s banging”, Faith gave a short pause when she heard low growling from Angel's direction. ”Even Spike noticed it wasn’t Buffy in this body”, she added.

”Spike”, Angel growled.

”Good to be rid of him”, said Xander.

”I wonder where he went, we all know he can not hunt”, wondered Giles out loud. Faith rolled her eyes at the way they were getting side tracked from the matter at hand.

”He went to look out for Buffy. Promised to tell me if he found her but no such luck.”

”Why would Spike go look for Buffy?!” Xander said loudly.

”I guess the de-fanged vamp has a thing for her”, Faith said and looked at Angel from the corner of her eye. He certainly didn’t look happy, he looked like he was ready to murder someone, probably Spike. ”Come on, Angie. You wanted her to have a normal life, no matter how gut wrenching it is.”

”Normal life doesn’t include Spike”, Angel said behind gritted teeth, all he wanted to do was go after his childe and teach him a lesson.

”And I thought you were smart. She’s the Slayer, she’s never going to have a normal life. She doesn’t want picnics with ants on the food, she doesn’t want to have some farm boys kids because they will never be safe because of what she is and they probably will become orphan in no time if they even get to be born because when she’s pregnant she won’t be fast enough, and most of all she knows that she has already beaten the odds by staying alive because most slayers don’t even last a year. You know, slayers don’t have long enough lives to get gray hair, you really don’t have to worry about her growing old when you look young”, lectured Faith looking Angel right in the eye.

”And how do you know what she thinks?” Angel asked defensively.

”I read her diary”, she answered unapologetically and continued when he saw the look Angel was giving her: ”She forgot one, she took them all with her except she forgot one under the mattress. Really not the best hiding place.”

“So that’s why you left Riley! It wasn't Buffy!” Willow cried out when the explanation came to her. Faith just rolled her eyes.

“How could she have been so selfish?! Leave us again, with a psycho killer”, Xander yelled.

“I haven’t killed you yet in these four months, have I? And let me tell you, I had many opportunities and you thought this psycho killer was your friend. What does that make you?” she said angrily placing her hands on her hips.

Anya smacked Xander and whispered: “Shut up Xander, do you want the crazy slayer kill us?!” Xander went quiet but kept glaring at Faith and Angel in turns.

“We need to find Buffy”, Angel just said, trying to ignore the happy feeling he was having from the thought of Buffy leaving Riley. Then again, it was really Faith, but still he felt satisfied.

“I’m with you on that one. I miss my bigger boobs”, she said and adjusted her chest. Angel’s eyes drifted to her rather generous neckline. Faith saw it and changed her pose pushing them up. Angel shifted his gaze away, he was feeling grateful that he couldn’t blush.

Giles was just starting to wake up from his shock. “This explains so many things”, he said more to himself than to others.

“I thought you wanted her life”, accused Xander and Faith gave him a hard look.

“Yeah, well that was before I knew what her life was really like, things sure have changed during the time I was in a coma.” Faith challenged him with her eyes and for once he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

xxx

Angel and Faith were patrolling together. They both felt weird about being in each others company but still Angel could see the difference in Buffy/Faith even if it wasn’t external, it was her behavior, the way she dressed, acted and the way her eyes looked. He couldn’t believe that her friends hadn’t recognized her or realized she wasn’t Buffy.

“This is so weird”, Faith finally said and stopped walking.

Angel also stopped and turned to look at Faith. “Not all that much. Sure it is, a little but...”

Faith gave him a weak smile and shifted nervously on the balls of her feet. “You know... Angel... I’m sorry about what happened... back then, before the Ascension. It wasn’t personal, not really.”

Angel looked at her with scrutinizing gaze, trying to find out if she was sincere. And he saw no deceit in her eyes, only regret. “I understand, I have been in that place, it takes more to admit what you have done and try to work things out than to keep walking on the dark path.” Faith nodded but she couldn’t look at him. “Back at Giles’, I got the feeling you aren’t holding a grudge against Buffy anymore”, he started trying to get her open up, he had failed her once and he didn't want to do it again.

“Well, yeah, I read her diary, got a little inside scoop. And hey, you really can’t hate your sister can you. She always seemed to have it all so easy, having the great watcher, supporting friends, loving mom, the boyfriend and everybody kept telling me she was the greatest slayer. But after spending four months as her, I see things more clearly. The supporting friends aren’t like that anymore, come to think of it they weren’t all that back when you were still in town, Xander really gave such a sweet stories about Buffy and you, that’s why I was so ready to stake you the first time we met. Her friends just expect her to save the world and keep on living like nothing happened, they don’t understand what it’s like to be a slayer, not like you and me. Willow is so busy pushing her to Riley that she doesn’t see what she truly feels and when Oz left town, she blamed Buffy not understanding how it feels. Well Giles is taking distance and the mommy dearest is pushing her to quit slaying. She just don’t get it that it isn’t just a phase, that she isn’t going to wake up one morning and realize she is a normal girl. And then there is the guilt tripping, she really knows what to say to make things go like she’d like. Now I want my life back, I want to be in my own body and start my own life with a clean table. I just wish it is possible.”

“It is if you try hard enough. It won’t be easy but it will be worth it.”

Faith looked at Angel and hoped he was right, that it was possible to have a life anymore. But she didn’t have time to wallow in self pity when Angel sniffed the air. “Something's coming”, he said and frowned: “And they haven’t bathed in a very long time.”

“Must be the demons”, Faith said and they heard a deep voice sneer: “You would be right, slayer.”

“Big scary demon, had to bring friends to a meeting with little old me”, Faith said and took a defensive position.

“And a slayer working with a demon”, came the answer in disgust.

“Enough with this banter, some of us have a life”, Faith said and swung her axe. The demons attacked but Faith and Angel held their own. Angel drew extra strength from thinking that it was Buffy they were attacking, it wasn’t so hard since Faith was in her body.

But then she was thrown into the wall of a mausoleum and that distracted Angel for a moment giving one of the demons an opportunity to slash his ribs. Angel growled, grabbed the demon by the neck and twisted his head till he heard a snap. He was barely keeping his own demon in check. He saw the largest demon loom over Faith, ready to trike the deathly blow. That was when Angel snapped, he jumped at the demon and brutally started to beat it till there was no life in it.

The other demons saw what was happening and they fled the place not wanting to face the same fate. Angel stopped beating the already dead demon when he heard Faith moan in pain. Slowly his demon visage disappeared and quickly he went to her. “Faith, you okay?” he asked helping her up.

“Five by five”, she answered leaning into Angel’s strong frame.

“Let’s get you patched up. After that we’ll find Buffy”, he said and started to walk away from the cemetery with wounded Faith by his side. At least this time the man wasn’t fleeing away from her, finally things were looking up.

Chapter Five

It had been a month since the true identity of “Buffy” was revealed. Angel had been searching for her without any luck, he had even asked Kate for help, maybe not the wisest thing to do since she was living in a fugitives body. He spent lot of time in Sunnydale since the Scooby gang didn’t trust Faith and Angel had to be there to keep an eye on things. Willow didn’t feel comfortable living in the same room with her and the college had found a new student to live in her dorm room, so Angel gave Faith his permission to live in the Crawford mansion.

It was the weekend, Angel was packing his suitcase to leave to Sunnydale. There was a knock on the door and Cordelia stepped inside. Angel turned to look at her, at least she was learning to knock.

“Kate called”, she stated and crossed her arms in front of her. It was obvious that she didn’t like the woman.

“Is she still on the phone?” Angel asked ready to go to the phone.

“No”, was the only answer Cordelia gave him, she was pissed after the conversation with the cop.

Angel sighed. “What did she say?”

Cordelia just flicked her hair and gave a frustrated sigh. “Nothing new. She hasn’t found anything”, she answered not telling him everything she had been rambling about or the fact that she was coming to see Angel.

“Okay”, Angel said distracted and went back to his packing. “Are you sure you don’t want to come to Sunnydale?” he asked after a moment and she just looked at him like he had lost his mind.

“To Sunnyhell? Why would I want to do that?”

“Visit the gang, your friends and family. And what if you have a vision?”

“If I have a vision, I’ll call you. And I don’t have the patience to see Xander, my high school friends weren’t real friends, they were with me just to be popular and my family is at the Cayman islands.”

Angel closed the suitcase and lifted it off the bed. He turned to look at Cordelia. “Are you sure?”

“Yes”, she sighed loudly and started to push Angel out the door. “Go! You’re starting to get on my nerves”, she said and pushed Angel all the way outside.

“Fine. I’ll call you when I get to Sunnydale”, he said and stepped into his convertible.

“Yeah, yeah. Go.”

Angel gave her a small smile and left. Not long after that, Kate pulled over in front of the building. Cordelia smirked.

xxx

The minute Angel pulled over in the courtyard, Faith was out of the building. “Did you find her?” she asked before Angel even got out of the car.

“No, I haven’t but I’m checking out some leads and Kate...” he didn’t have time to finish when Faith interrupted:

“Your cop friends?” Angel nodded and tried to continue but in vain. “Really not your best choice of help. She’s not going to find Buffy and if she does, she’ll just call the cops in there and they’ll throw her into the can.”

Angel sighed and rubbed his forehead. He had thought about it and sometimes he wished she wouldn’t find Buffy. “Let’s go inside. It will be light in few hours. We have some time to patrol before sunrise”, he said changing the subject.

xxx

Buffy grinned evilly up to Angel and planted a wet kiss to his chest. ”Tell me what you’re thinking”, he asked with a gruff voice but she just shook her head.

”Why don’t I show you”, she said seductively and started kissing his chest, down to his stomach twirling her tongue on his skin.

”Buffy.”

She just grinned and kept on going lower, pulling the sheet as she closed her target. Her grin only widened when she saw that he was truly up and ready. ”You know, this is going to sound such a cliché, but I’ve never done this before”, she said with a low passion filled voice and licked the tip of his cock. He groaned loudly and grabbed the sheet, balling it into his fist.

”Buffy”, he gasped as she ran her tongue from the tip to his testicles. She hovered her mouth above the tip and blew a breath. She was mesmerized as she watched it twitch. Slowly she ran her fingernail along the underside of his cock and the wrapped her fingers around the root. Her tongue was playing with the tip the whole time.

Angel grabbed her by the back of her neck and pulled her up. ”If you keep that up, I’m gonna cum like a inexperienced teenager”, he managed to say.

”And we wouldn’t want that, would we”, she grinned and pressed a soft kiss to his wrist. She pulled away from him and slipped downwards. She gently took a hold of his cock and with a slow but still firm hold started to stroke him. He grunted and took a hold of her head threading her hair between his fingers. She took the tip to her mouth and soon slowly took him whole. His grip tightened and he let out a long pleasure filled groan. She started to suck him furiously, taking him in as much as she could and swallowing every once in a while. She gently raked her fingernails to the base and started to hum.

He could feel the tightening in his balls and he knew he was about to cum soon. ”Buffy”, he tried to warn her but didn’t manage to say it…

Angel was turning in his bed, moaning at the same time. Faith had sneaked into his room after hearing him to her room and now she was looking at him with wide eyes. He was starting to look a little too happy for her liking.

“Yo Angel!” she yelled and shook him violently.

Angel jumped ready to strike but stopped his fist from landing a punch just in time. “Faith?” he asked confused.

“Yeah, big guy. You were moaning in your sleep and I don’t think it was a nightmare. You were starting to look a bit too happy so I figured it was better wake you up before your evil twin decided to visit”, Faith explained and glanced down to the tent in his sheets.

“Umh... Thanks”, Angel mumbled and tried to cover his obvious arousal.

“Okay, I’m going to leave you two alone”, Faith said with a smirk and flew out the room. Angel groaned, this was not good.

xxx

Buffy woke up with a start, she covered in sweat. First she was confused but then it all started to come back to her. She groaned. She loved and hated those dreams, they were all alike, hot and sweaty dreams starring Angel in a strange apartment. Slowly she got up from her bed and headed to the bathroom. She put the shower on not bothering to turn the heat up, she was too used to cold showers the first thing in the morning. For months she had been having very erotic dreams of Angel and it was wonderful and disturbing at the same time.

She had started a new life but her past was still haunting her. This time was easier than the last time the ran away, again she was wanted by the police but now she knew Angel was alive, living his own life in LA. She hadn’t stopped slaying, she wasn’t running away from what she was. But she felt guilty about having a new life, leaving her friends and duty back in Sunnydale. She missed them all and was starting to regret leaving. So when she noticed her diary was gone, she had a perfect excuse to go back to Sunnydale. When she got there, they were all just fine, living their lives like before and nobody, not even her own mother, had noticed anything. She so wanted to talk to them but she knew it was impossible. It was safer to let things be, council and the cops were still after her. So she returned back to her new home with a heavy heart.

Once she had finished her morning chores, she looked at the clock groaning out loud when it was more than it should have been. “Not again”, she sighed, grabbed her keys and left the small apartment.

Buffy arrived to the daycare center just in time. The minute she opened the door, a small fair headed boy yelled ‘Anne’ in a high voice and ran to her. Slowly Buffy peeled the boy off her legs and smiled at him.

“Morning, Liam.”

Liam smiled brightly and then fake frowned in which he didn’t quite succeed. “You were running late, again”, he said with a very serious voice. Buffy couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Yeah, I was. But I hope you can forgive me.”

Liam looked very considering, tapping his finger to his chin and then smiled. “I think I can”, he said and grabbed Buffy’s hand. “Come on, I made you a drawing”, he said giddily and pulled Buffy with him. Buffy let him to lead her to the small table. She still couldn’t believe she was working in a daycare center, nobody would ever believe her, even she herself still had hard time believing it.

Buffy kneeled down in front of the little table and took the drawing from Liam. She chuckled when she saw what was in the drawing, her with a stake, Liam holding his arms to the sides like a body builder and a vampire looking in horror with it’s eyes popping out. “It’s great picture. But I don’t think Mrs Granger would appreciate it as much as I do”, she said.

Liam frowned and then brightened. “She doesn’t have to see it, I was going to give it to you anyway”, he said with returning enthusiasm.

“Thank you. I will put it on the fridge door”, Buffy promised.

“Anne?”

“Yeah.”

“Will you marry me?” Liam asked with a innocent sincerity.

Buffy giggled. “Liam, you’re too young to get married. Ask me in ten years, let’s see if you still want to marry me once you’ve grown up”, she said to him, he was just so cute. Liam smiled proudly puffing his chest out.

Buffy was walking in the park with Mr Pointy in hand. Here the vampires were so easy, they all thought the slayer was in Sunnydale and so they always bought the lonely girl in the dark park act.

She heard a loud yell, like coming from a child. She sprang into run and soon caught up with a burly vampire carrying a struggling little boy. “Let me go, you ugly bump face”, the boy yelled and tried to kick the much bigger vampire.

“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size”, Buffy said hiding the stake behind her back.

“Ooh. This night is getting all better. My girlfriend would love a young blond to play with”, the vampire said stepping closer to her not letting go of the boy.

“But I want to play with you. Let the boy go and nothing bad is going to happen”, Buffy said innocently.

The vampire smirked pleased with himself and let the boy down to the ground but not letting go of him. “Oh, but bad things are going to happen little girl”, he said and came closer to her dragging the boy behind him.

“Suite your self”, she said and punched the vampire. He fell to the ground, his hold slipping from the boy who scrambled away from him.

“Now you made me angry”, the vampire said and got up. He attacked Buffy but it was in vain, Buffy was too quick and strong. She pounded her fist into the vampire with brutal strength and kicked her knee into his stomach. She pulled out the stake.

The vampire tried to flee when he saw the stake but it was no use. She grabbed him by the jacket, flung him into a tree and plunged Mr Pointy into the heart. Then there was dust. She swirled the stake like a revolver in a classic westerns and put it back into the back of her pants under her jacket.

She turned around and saw the boy sitting in front of a bush, his arms wrapped around his legs. He was looking at her with watchful eyes. Her face softened and she carefully went to the boy, kneeling in front of him. “Are you okay?” she asked with a soft voice. The boy nodded and kept looking at her with amaze.

“Are you an angel?” the boy asked from his savior.

Buffy couldn’t help but smile. “No, I’m not an angel”, she said.

“Oh”, the boy sighed not sure should he be disappointed. “Was that a vampire?” soon the boy asked with big bright eyes.

For a moment Buffy considered lying to him but the look on his face told her he didn’t need to be lied to. He wasn’t an adult, he didn’t need to rationalize what he had just seen and Buffy doubted that he would believe her explanation of the trick of light. “Yes it was”, she answered gently.

“Okay”, he said like it wasn’t a big deal. Buffy offered him her hand, he took it and they got up. The boy looked at her and finally asked: “Are you sure you’re not an angel?”

Buffy laughed and smiled at the boy. “I’m sure. Let me take you home, it’s not safe after dark.”

“Okay, I live near here. I was just going to get some candy when that vampire took me. What’s your name?”

Buffy looked at the little boy walking beside her, he looked so innocent, big blue eyes and dirty blond hair, he shouldn’t have to know about the things in the dark. “My name is Anne”, she answered after a long pause.

“I’m Liam”, the boy said smiling and took hold of her hand.

Liam had been telling the truth when he said he lived near, his house was just outside the park. He rang the door bell, still holding on to Buffy’s hand. Soon a frantic looking woman opened the door. “Liam! Thank God!” she said and then noticed Buffy. She looked at her suspiciously.

“Mom, this is Anne. She saved me from a vampire”, he explained with innocent face, hoping her mother would forget he had sneaked out on his own. His mother looked at them both oddly.

“I saved him from a bad man. He was trying to grab him”, covered Buffy and she seemed satisfied with that explanation.

“Why don’t you come in, Anne. I’m Kirsten Carter”, Liam’s mother said and Liam dragged Buffy inside before she could say anything.

”It’s nice to meet you. Anne O’Rourke”, Buffy said and shook her hand with the one that Liam wasn’t holding on to.

“I’ll make some coffee”, Mrs Carter said and went to the kitchen.

Liam pulled Buffy’s hand and she leaned closer. “Why did you say it wasn’t a vampire? It was.”

Buffy smiled warmly. “Yes, it was. But grown up don’t want to believe in vampires”, she explained.

“Okay. But you’re a grown up.”

“Yes, I am but I’ve known about them for a long time.” Liam seemed to accept her explanation.

Buffy still wasn’t sure how she ended up working in the daycare center where Liam went. It just happened, he had convinced his mother that she should take him there after school and without even noticing it, she stayed there too when Liam insisted. Soon she was offered a job filling in for a worker who was sick and not long after she had a steady job.

xxx

Buffy went to her other job that was a bar called Dusty’s. She had became friends with the bartender Joe, which wasn’t his real name but it sounded so much like something bartender would be called, the bouncer Mac and waitress Nikki. They didn’t hang around after work but she trusted them just not enough to tell her true identity. Nikki also lived across the hall from her, so they couldn’t help but become friends.

The evening was still slow, she was leaning to the bar and her thoughts were drifting to her dreams. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and it took a lot not to spun around and hit who ever touched her. Slowly she turned to look at Nikki who was looking at her head to the side. “What?” Buffy asked feeling uncomfortable under her gaze.

“You’ve been having those dreams again”, she stated.

“What? No”, she tried but Nikki wouldn’t put up with it.

“Yes you have. I can see it in your face. I just wish I had dreams like that, the one time I crashed on your couch, you seemed to be enjoying it”, she said with a wicked smile.

Buffy rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No you wouldn’t, trust me”, she said and picked up a tray when she saw one of the new customers sign to her.

“We’ll talk about it later”, Nikki said after her.

“So, what would you like?” Buffy asked the guys who had settled on a table.

“How ‘bout your phone number, sweetness?” one of the guys said and others laughed.

“Sorry, not on the menu”, Buffy answered, she knew the type all too well.

“Are you sure? We could have some fun together”, he suggested.

Buffy let out a frustrated sigh and said: “When you’re ready to order, let me know”, she said and turned around.

“Oh come on!” he yelled and was about to slap her butt when she grabbed his hand mid-swing.

“Don’t think about it”, she said with a low authority voice and walked away. The group looked after her stunned.

xxx

Angel and Buffy were sitting in the kitchen, table keeping them apart and a tea pot in the middle. “We need to be rational”, Angel said.

Buffy nodded absently. “Yes, we do”, she said and got up from the table. Angel was up in a flash and standing beside her.

“But I can’t fight it”, he said and hovered his hand above her arm not touching but feeling the warmth radiating from her.

“Neither can I”, she answered and glided her hand above side of his face not touching him. She closed her eyes and took a long unsteady breathe. “Angel”, she whispered and opened her eyes, looking at him with sadness in her gaze. He returned the gaze with the same amount of pain.

“Together we are strong”, he said but he didn’t seem to be in control of his words.

“And apart we are dead”, she continued. That was when his hands wrapped around her arms and he pulled her into a hungry kiss.

Suddenly the view changed, they were in a park and he could see a mail box flash before his eyes.
That’s when he woke up, jumping up from the bed. “Anne O’Rourke”, he whispered and sprinted to the phone. Quickly he dialed a number and waited someone to pick up. “Cordy! I need you to find a Anne O’Rourke from New York City, preferably from Manhattan. Yes, I know what time it is. But this is important! Okay, call me as soon as you find something”, he said and hung up. He hadn’t even noticed that he was breathing hard, air which he didn’t need.

He grabbed a pair of pants and rushed into Faith’s room. She was still sleeping and he shook her shoulder which send a right hook to his way. He managed to duck it and took a step back. “What!?” yelled an angry Faith and slowly got up to sit.

“Buffy is in New York”, Angel said and threw a pair of pants and a shirt to Faith.

“And how do you know that?” she asked while dressing. Angel had his back turned to her, he was a gentleman after all.

“I had a dream. I was with Buffy, we were in New York central park and I saw a flash of A. O’Rourke on a mail box”, he explained the tidied up version.

“And how you know it’s Buffy?” she asked, still not convinced.

“Her middle name is Anne.”

Faith sighed and lifted her hands in surrender. “Well, I always wanted to visit the big apple.”

Angel and Faith managed to catch a night flight to New York and it happened to land before sunrise. But that didn’t make Angel feel any better. Especially since it was his first time in one of those things.

During the flight he got a phone call from Cordy, telling the address of a Anne O’Rourke from Manhattan. After that Angel called Giles, they had the right to know that he might have found Buffy.

Giles hung up the phone and turned to look at the expectant Scooby gang. “Angel found Buffy. He and Faith went to New York”, Giles told them.

Chapter Six

Angel and Faith arrived to New York in one piece. He had never been so happy to be on solid land than when he stepped out of the plain. The sunrise was few hours away so they decided to confront Buffy after sundown, even though Angel didn’t want to wait, he knew it was better to hold till later. He was sure she wouldn’t appreciate being waken before dawn since he knew she wouldn’t have gone to bed more than few hours ago. He certainly didn’t want to face a cranky slayer. Still he didn’t know what to do with himself during the daylight hours.

Finally there had been a dreamless night. Buffy didn’t know should she be relieved or disappointed. Her day was just like any other day. She went to work, looked after Liam after school and went shopping with Nikki. Still, the whole day she had an unnerving feeling something was going to happen. She couldn’t tell if it was going to be good or bad. But it was making her anxious all the same.

Buffy and Nikki had finished their shopping trip and on their way home. Buffy was so in thought that she didn’t hear half what Nikki was saying. Nikki stopped walking and looked at Buffy. “Anne, where are you?” she asked with her hands on her hips which didn’t quite give the same tough look with the shopping bags clinging to her wrists.

“What you mean?” she asked trying to sound innocent.

“You haven’t heard a single word I said. I tried to tell you about the cute guy I met this morning but you’ve been so in your own thoughts, it’s like talking to a wall”, Nikki said but she didn’t sound accusing.

“I’m sorry, Nikki. I’m just distracted.”

“You’ve been thinking about hunky again?” Buffy smiled and rolled her eyes.

“Could you please stop calling him hunky”, she laughed.

“Well, I could do an impression of what you call him in your dream but I would probably get arrested”, Nikki smirked back and Buffy had a hard time to not blush.

“Be good girl now”, she chastised Nikki and unlocked her apartment door.

“But being naughty is so much more fun. Especially when I can make you blush”, Nikki laughed and strolled inside. She threw the bags by the couch and dropped on it herself. “So, how ‘bout we spend a girls night before work? Eat some junk food, maybe watch a movie, talk about hot guys... What you say?” Nikki asked and wiggled her eyebrow at Buffy.

“How can I resist that”, she laughed and sat beside Nikki.

“You can’t.”

xxx

It had been probably the longest day of his life. He didn’t know what to do to past the time, reading wasn’t an option, he couldn’t concentrate, he couldn’t sleep and first of all he couldn’t go out, the hotel didn’t have tunnel exit.

But finally the day was over, he could feel the sun going down and the minute it did, he left the hotel, Faith running after him. He needed to see Buffy. Angel and Faith arrived to the address and now stood in front of the door that said A. O’Rourke. Angel couldn’t help but feel some sort of male pride for the fact that it was his last name that was on her door. But at the same time he couldn’t have been more nervous. If he was human, he probably would have had a heart attack by now.

Faith looked at the usually so broody Angel who’s face was now constantly changing expression. “Come on, Angie. You look like a school boy on his first date. Just do it”, she said and rolled her eyes. Angel took a deep breathe that he didn’t need and knocked on the door. It took a while for someone to answer and the seconds went slowly by.

Finally Nikki opened the door and with an expectant ‘yes’ looked at the two strangers. Angels heart sank and Faith couldn’t hide her disappointment. “I’m sorry...” Angel started but didn’t finish when he noticed the familiar feeling that Buffy was near.

“We’re looking for... Anne”, Faith said noticing that Angel was preoccupied with something. She was going to say Buffy, but she remembered the last minute that Angel had said she used name Anne O’Rourke now.

The redheaded woman smiled and turned. “Hey Anne! You’ve got visitors!” she yelled and stepped away from the door. “Come on in”, she said and went further into the room. Faith and Angel stepped inside.

“Yeah, Nikki. Is it Liam?” came Faith’s voice from what seemed to be the kitchen. Faith just felt weird but Angel’s heart sank, who was Liam and had she found someone, a man.

Buffy came out of the kitchen expecting Liam and Kirsten but when she saw who it was, she froze. She looked at Angel with wide eyes and her breathe caught in her throat.

“Buffy”, he whispered.

“Angel”, was the automatic breathy answer.

Nikki just looked at them in wonder, she had no clue what was happening. And did he just call her Buffy. “I presume you two know each other”, she said and Buffy just nodded, not taking her eyes off Angel.

Finally Buffy found her voice. ”How did you find me?”

Angel glanced at Nikki telling Buffy that he couldn’t tell that in front of a stranger and Buffy just nodded understanding.

“I need... I need coffee”, she suddenly said and practically ran to the kitchen. Angel was about to go after her when the redheaded woman stepped in front of him and extended her hand.

“I’m Nikki, Anne’s friend”, she said. Angel felt anxious to go after Buffy but took her hand anyway.

“Angel”, he simply said.

Nikki smirked, she looked him up and down appreciating the view. “So you’re Angel”, she said smirking. Angel shifted on his feet, feeling very uncomfortable under her gaze and he nodded.

“Yeah.”

Nikki just gave him a mhmm sound and went after Buffy to the kitchen. Angel had no idea what that was all about. “He’s the dream guy!” Nikki said accusingly to Buffy who was taken by surprise. She shook her head and tried to deny it but she was stopped by Nikki. “Don’t bother denying it. His name is Angel, and how many hunky guys named Angel is there? You forget that I’ve heard one of your dreams and you were anything but vocal”, she said with a pointed look and Buffy couldn’t help but blush. “You were having a better time in your dream than I ever had with my last boyfriend. And I can see why”, she said with a smirk and looked at Angel with hungry eyes.

Angel could feel the eyes on his back and they were making him feel very uncomfortable, he knew it wasn’t Buffy. Faith smirked and said to him: “How does it feel like being treated like a piece of meat?”

Angel just gave her a half hearted glare and went to the kitchen. “Buf... Anne, we need to talk”, he said when Buffy turned to look at him. Buffy nodded solemnly and turned to Nikki.

“I guess we have to reschedule our girls night”, she said and Nikki hesitated, she didn’t want to leave Anne alone. Buffy saw it and she smiled slightly. ”It’s okay. I’ll see you at work”, she said and Nikki nodded leaving reluctantly.

After the door closed, Buffy turned to Angel and Faith, who she hadn’t acknowledge till know. “Faith”, she said with a neutral voice.

“Hey B.”

“What are you doing here and how did you find me?” Buffy asked from them both.

After seeing that Angel wasn’t going to answer since he was just ogling her with suffering look on his face, she rolled her eyes and answered for him: “Angie here had a prophetic dream...” more she didn’t have time to say when there was a knock on the door.

Buffy sighed frustrated and went to open the door. She couldn’t have been more surprised when she saw them standing there. The whole gang was there, Giles, Willow, Xander, Tara, Anya and even Riley. She just stared at them with wide eyes.

“Good to see you are alive”, Xander sniped with venom in his voice and that brought her to reality.

“Good to see you too, Xander”, she sniped back at him instantly feeling guilty. She stepped aside and the gang walked in.

“I see dead boy and the ho are already here”, Xander said and earned a small slap from Anya.

“Do you want them to kill us?” she said to him angrily and not so discreetly.

“What are all you doing here?” Buffy asked after closing the door.

“We are here to bring you back home”, Willow said like it was the only possible answer.

“And I’m here to get my body back. I miss those babies”, Faith said and pointed at her breast that Buffy was wearing now.

Riley took a step closer to Buffy and touched her arm. She flinched but didn’t pull away. “Buffy”, he whispered and that made Angel growl with jealousy. “I don’t know what the reason was for you to do this. But I forgive you”, Riley said to her in a loving tone.

Buffy snapped, she pulled away from him and said with a surprised yet angry voice: “You forgive  me!? You forgive me for doing this to you!?” she pointed at Faith’s body. “I can’t believe you!” she continued shaking her head and then she turned sharply to Riley. “You may forgive me but I don’t forgive you. You didn’t recognize me, you were fucking my body but you didn’t even notice that I wasn’t in it.”

Riley looked confused and tried to explain: “No. I was making love to you.”

That earned a sarcastic laugh from Faith. “Is that what you were trying to do?” she laughed at him making Riley clench his fists in fury.

“Shut your mouth, whore”, he said to her and Faith was ready jump on him but was stopped by Buffy saying:

“No, you shut up! You come her to me to say you forgive me for not being in the body that you are fucking, that you didn’t notice. This is my home, you don’t insult her in front of me because you should have known!”

“But Buffy, I love you. She tricked us. We are meant to be together, don’t let HER tear us apart”, Riley said with a sweet but begging voice.

Buffy looked at him sadly and shook her head. “No, it wasn’t her. It was you who did it. It’s over Riley”, she said. Riley looked at her with his mouth open, looking like a fish on dry land, she thought.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me again!” he screamed, his voice rising into a high pitch squeal.

“I dumped him”, explained Faith with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Why are you even here then?” Buffy asked Riley.

“Willow told me it wasn’t you, that you had ran away before”, Riley answered trying to get back on track.

Buffy turned to Willow. “It wasn’t you who left Riley, it was Faith. I know you love Riley...” Willow started but was cut off by Buffy:

“Who said I ever was in love with Riley? I can see that he doesn’t really love me, if he did, he would have noticed it wasn’t me. I think you are more into him than I am.”

Faith chuckled but Willow looked upset. “Buffy”, she tried but again was interrupted, this time by Xander:

“Hey! That’s not fair! You can’t treat your friends like this! You were the one that ran away again!”

“You didn’t even know it wasn’t me in my body”, accused Buffy.

“And how do you know we haven’t known this hole time, been looking for you?” asked Xander with venom in his voice.

“Because I was back in Sunnydale little over a month ago and everything was just peachy with all of you.”

“And you didn’t visit us?” Willow questioned with a hurt voice.

Buffy turned to look at her friend, how could someone so smart be so stupid. “I am in Faith’s body. You didn’t recognize me and you wouldn’t have believed me. All it would have done, was to land me in jail or worse, in the hands of council.”

“Sure the council would have taken a look into your... situation”, defended Giles, finally making his presence known.

“You of all people should know they don’t negotiate. They were going to kill Faith, or in this case me. No matter what she has done, she doesn’t deserve being killed in cold blood.” She glanced at her watch and grabbed her coat. “As fun as this reunion has been, I have to go to work. Lock the door on your way out”, she said and left the stunned Scooby gang in her apartment.

“I can’t believe this! How could she do that!?” Xander screamed.

Chapter Seven

Buffy stormed into the locker room and once seeing Nikki, tried to calm herself. Nikki turned to look at her. “Are you okay? I saw the group coming to your place and I can tell it wasn’t a happy meeting”, she asked and looked at Buffy with compassion.

Buffy took a deep breathe, trying to pull herself together, she was feeling angry, hurt and regretting some things she said. “I’m okay. You remember I left to start a new life. Well, they were in the old one. They hurt me, emotionally and they feel like they are the victim. They just want me to return back there and continue like nothing happened”, Buffy sighed and leaned into her locker with her forehead.

Nikki put her hand on her shoulder and asked with a soft understanding voice: “But what do you want?”

“What I want, I can’t have”, Buffy said with a sad barely there voice. What she wanted was Angel and he was the only thing she could never have.

“Let me guess, Mr Hunky”, she said grinning widely. Buffy smiled and slapped her playfully in the arm.

“Would you please stop calling him that?”

“Not gonna happen. Come on, let’s get some drunks drunk”, Nikki answered and pulled Buffy with her to the bar.

xxx

“I can’t believe she did that to us”, Xander repeated again while walking down the street.

“Could you please stop repeating that. We know already”, Anya said getting annoyed. Faith rolled her eyes and sped up her speed, she wanted to be as far from them as she could.

“Could the ho of the year stop running”, Xander snapped and Faith stopped. Slowly she turned to look at Xander giving him a murderous glare.

“You didn’t seem to mind it a year and a half back”, she said to him and seeing Anya’s very unhappy face, she continued walking.

“What did she mean by that?!” Anya screamed at Xander who looked like he was having a heart attack.

“Nothing, sweetheart. She’s just trying to mess things up”, he covered. Anya didn’t seem to believe him but she let it slide, for now.

The gang continued walking till they saw where Angel and Faith had stopped, in front of a door that said Dusty’s. “What place is this?” Willow asked innocently grabbing Tara’s hand for support.

“I would presume this is a pub”, Giles said and after seeing the Scooby gang look at him oddly, he corrected: “A bar.” He couldn’t help but roll his eyes and think ‘Americans’. They stepped in side and found a table.

Buffy had known they were coming before they stepped through the door, it was because she could feel Angel’s presence and knew that the others would follow him.

One of the other waiters walked to the table and asked what they would like to order. “We want Anne”, Xander said, he was too annoyed to be polite. The waitress looked insulted.

“Please, don’t take this the wrong way, but we would like to talk to Anne”, Angel said with a soft voice that seemed to comfort the woman's hurt feelings.

“I’ll ask her”, the waitress smiled at Angel but glared at Xander before leaving.

“Some group wants to talk to you”, the waitress told Buffy and went to other table. Buffy glanced at her friends and with a sigh went to them.

“What?” she asked but immediately felt guilty for her bluntness.

“Buffy, we just want to talk to you”, Willow said and looked pleadingly at her. Buffy nodded and waited for someone to say something. It was obvious that they didn’t feel in place, only Angel and Faith looked like they didn’t have to check behind them every minute.

Giles looked around himself, he certainly was not pleased. “I can’t believe you would work at a establishment like this”, he said frowning.

“Yeah, Buff! You’re working in a filthy bar. It’s something that Faith would do, not you”, Xander piped up.

“You worked in Bronze”, Buffy reminded him, Dusty’s wasn’t filthy and it was a okay place to work.

“That’s different”, Xander defended immediately.

Faith snorted and said sarcastically: “Sure it is.”

Giles didn’t want another fight so he shook his head and said: “It’s not that this is a pub. It’s just not up to your potential.”

Buffy crossed her arms on her chest and looked at her friends sharply. “And what is up to my potential? Doublemeat Palace?”

It took a little too long for Giles to answer an ‘of course not’ to sound sincere. Buffy was about to say something but stopped herself when there was a familiar voice. “OY! What does man have to do to get a drink around here!?” Spike yelled and everyone turned to look the vampire that had been standing in the shadows without them knowing.

“You’re not a man Spike. And what are you doing here?” Buffy shot in return.

“Oh great, it’s the Dead boy Jr”, Xander quipped and Spike just glared at him.

“Looking for you blondie. I didn’t know it was a reunion in full motion here. This is more entertaining than Passions. Well, almost”, he said and then glanced at Angel. “And I see an old friend here too.”

Angel looked at him clearly not happy of him being there and said with a low voice: “We are not friends, Spike.”

Spike just smirked, he loved when Angel got mad because of him, especially now that he wasn’t Angelus he could get away with it.

“When did you get here?” asked Faith, she had been wondering where Spike was, he was the one that was supposed to find Buffy and get her body back.

“Some time ago. Something just pulled me here. Well, what can I say, I love New York. It has a lot of happy memories for me”, he said and Buffy knew all too well what he meant by the happy memories. Spike just smiled at her.

“You are one tough chick to find”, he said to Buffy and tried to put his hand around her shoulder but was stopped by Buffy slapping his hand and Angel growling from the table. ‘Possessive bastard’ Spike thought to himself.

Buffy sighed and looked at her friends. “I know we have to talk, but I have to work. So we’ll talk tomorrow”, she said but got a lot of disgruntled sounds from the table. “I am serious. We’ll talk tomorrow, I can’t right now”, she said, gave them a look that said she was serious and left.

“Again with the walking away!” Xander yelled and Buffy heard him but didn’t stop.

xxx

Angel was still sitting in the table, he had for the last three hours. Buffy had tried to get him leave but he had just said that he was going to wait her to finish working and they would talk. Finally she just stopped trying to get him leave and let him stay.

Angel had been in her thoughts all night. He looked at Buffy working and he didn’t even see the fact that she was in Faith’s body. Every time some drunk tried to make a pass at her or cup a feel, he was ready to jump up and rip that hand off his body but he suppressed that urge. He also couldn’t get his mind off what Buffy had said when they arrived. Liam. Who was Liam? Did she have a boyfriend? He could suppress the urge to beat up a guy that was making moves on Buffy but he couldn’t get over the growing jealousy because of some Liam guy.

Angel had had enough, he couldn’t take it anymore. He got up from the table and went to Buffy. He grabbed her by both arms and turned her around to face him. The closeness of her was making him feel breathless, and he didn’t know that Buffy felt the same way. Only unlike him, she needed to breathe. “Buffy”, he whispered but was stopped by a big hulk of man towering over him.

“Is this man bothering you, Anne?” he asked with a deep voice that caused fear in most men's heart, but not in Angel’s, even though the man made Angel look like a feather compared to him.

Buffy smiled at Mac and said reassuringly: “It’s okay.”

“Are you sure, Anne?” Mac asked and Buffy nodded. Reluctantly Mac left glaring at Angel. Angel was glaring right back at him and he turned to look at Buffy feeling the jealousy in a whole new level.

“Is he Liam?” he asked her and she looked at him in confusion for a split second till it all clicked.

He was jealous, she couldn’t believe it. “No, he’s not”, she answered and seeing the small relief on his face, she decided to torture him a little. ”Liam's this sweet guy I know. He even proposed to me”, she said playing innocent and smiling inside when she saw his face darken. “But I had to say no, his mother would never approve”, she said letting out a hint of playfulness in her voice but Angel didn’t notice it, he was too jealous.

Seeing his face she decided to give him a brake. “Angel. You can stop being a cave man. Liam is eight years old”, she said and Angel just looked at her dumbly. Buffy giggled, he was just so cute. She took his hand in hers and looked at him right into the eyes. “Angel, Liam is a eight year old boy. I work in a daycare center during the day”, she said to him like she was talking to a five year old. Relief flooded through him.

“I didn’t know you like kids”, he said with a small voice.

Buffy smiled. “I didn’t know either.”

xxx

Angel walked Buffy home after her shift was over. They were standing in her door, not knowing what to do and not wanting to let the other go. “It will be light in few hours”, Buffy said feeling a little nervous.

“Maybe I should go”, Angel suggested but didn’t make a move to leave.

“Or maybe you could stay here?” Angel looked at her oddly and she covered: “I mean, spend the night. No, not the way it was supposed to come out. I mean, stay with me, we could talk and you could crash on the couch.”

She looked at him hopefully and after a long fight with himself, he nodded. “Okay”, was all he said and Buffy gave him a nervous little smile.

They went inside without noticing Nikki standing in the hallway with a wide grin on her face.

Chapter Eight

Nikki knocked on Buffy’s door but there was no answer. Finally she got tired of trying and opened the door with her spare key.

She didn’t have time to step in side when she heard something that truly sounded like loud moaning and not from pain. She started grinning like a fool, sounded like Anne was making her dreams reality. Some of those sounds were making her blush and she was from Brooklyn, she didn’t blush that easily.

She stepped back and closed the door behind her. So much for that morning coffee, she thought stepping into her own apartment.

xxx

Buffy giggled happily and looked at Angel who had a very pleased expression on his face. “You seem quite pleased with yourself, don't you”, she said smirking.

“Oh I'm pleased with you”, he said and suddenly grabbed her by the arms rolling them around so she was beneath him. “Very pleased with you” he said with a husky voice, looking very hungry and not for food. He leaned in and kissed her passionately. Her arms circled around his neck and she pulled him closer. Her legs wrapped around his thighs and she slowly massaged the back of his legs with the sole of her foot.

His erection was growing by the second and he rubbed himself to her core. He didn't want to rush, they had all the time in the world, he was going to take his time and make her ready to beg for a release unless it was him doing the begging first. Either way, it was all good.

A satisfied smirk rose to his lips and he trailed soft kisses down her neck, giving extra attention to his mark.

“Angel”, she breathed and pulled his head closer to her neck. She always got hot and bothered when he kissed that spot, no one else ever had the permission to touch it, it only belonged to him. Slowly her hand trailed down his stomach and she wrapped her fingers around his cock. He let out a pleasure filled moan. She started to move her hand, firmly and faster by the minute.

“Buffy, I don't want to cum like this, I want to be inside you”, he managed to say and stilled her hand by placing his over hers. She smiled wickedly and started to move her hand with his hand on top of hers. He groaned again, laying his head against her shoulder.

“Buffy”, he bit out and came to her hand. He was breathing hard against her neck trying to keep himself from falling on top of her. He rolled over and tried to steady his breathing.

After a while, he turned to look at her. She was smiling wickedly and licking the cum from her fingers. The sight made him groan and he felt his cock start to come to life once again. He couldn't take it any more, he grabbed her and kissed her passionately. “I want you”, he whispered to her ear, nibbing her earlobe and started to trail kisses down her neck.

“Angel”, she whimpered and raked her fingernails across his back.

Suddenly she grabbed his shoulders and spun them around. She straddled him and placed her hand on his chest to steady her balance. Angel's eyes got wide, this was a whole new position to see her in, especially naked. Without even thinking, his hands traveled up her sides to her breasts. Slowly he kneaded them with his fingers and leaned up enough to take a nipple between his lips. She moaned and threated her finger to his hair pulling him closer. She rubbed herself to him, his cock sliding between her lips, teasing them both, making her even more wet. She grabbed his cock and placed it to her opening. He tried to push up but she kept him in place.

“What do you want?” she asked huskily and started to slowly stroking him.

“I want you”, he groaned and again tried to push inside her.

“To do what?” she breathed out.

“I want to be inside you.”

She smiled at him and slowly impaled herself on his member. They both moaned loudly at the sensation that rushed through both of them. He pulled her into a kiss that was pure fire, love and lust.

“I love you”, he said and licked her ear, pulling the earlobe to his mouth, giving it a gentle bite.

“I love you too”, she whispered and rose up, only to be slammed down. The moan was muffled by his mouth against hers.

They started to move together and slowly the speed started to rise. Soon the movements became more hesitated and rushed by the second. She raked her fingernails across his back and bit down to his shoulder. It was close he didn't cum right then, biting was still a very arousing thing for him. His lips trailed down her shoulders to her breasts. His tongue was making circles around her nipple, one at a time, his fingers massaging the other one.

Suddenly she threw him against the bed and started to ride him. He grabbed her hips and guided her movements. It didn't take long before they were both screaming from release.

She fell against his chest, her head laying against his heart. She smiled happily, it was a good sound, hearing his heart beat.

Buffy was dreaming again and like always, that dream was starring Angel. Again they were in that strange apartment but what startled her to wake, was hearing Angel’s heartbeat.

“Now I know it’s just a dream”, she whispered to herself, wiping to sweat from her face. And that was when she remembered that Angel was in her apartment. She jumped up from the bed and ran to the living room fearing that Nikki would come and open the blinds.

She stopped at the door when she saw Angel sitting on the couch. He was breathing hard and nervously running his hands through his unruly dark hair. What she didn’t know was that Angel had been seeing the same dream and had been wakened the same moment that she was. Suddenly he turned and they stared right into each others eyes.

“Buffy”, he whispered and was replied with a breathy ‘Angel’. The dream and memories were making him forget everything but her.

In a flash he was off the couch and in front of her. Soon her breathing became quick and shallow just from the nearness of him. He lifted his hand and gently touched her cheek. Her eyes closed automatically and she leaned into his touch.

“Angel. We shouldn’t...”, she said quietly but she couldn’t pull away.

“Yes, we shouldn’t”, Angel repeated and leaned closer to her. For a moment they looked at each other with heavy lidded eyes but then they surrendered into a passionate kiss.

Hands were everywhere, roaming each others bodies, trying to feel every inch of flesh that had been forbidden for so long. Angel grabbed her and lifted her in the air. Without a hesitation she wrapped her legs around his waist and soon she felt her back hit the wall. Angel let go of her lips, letting her breathe and concentrated his attention to her neck. She was feeling hot all over, she could think nothing but his lips on his bite mark. “Angel”, she moaned and tightened her grip on his hair. She could feel his erection poking her and she was dripping wet herself

But the heated moment was interrupted by the loud banging on the door. Buffy turned to look at the door but Angel turned her face back to him and said: “Ignore it.” The door was out of her mind as soon as his lips captured hers. But the noise didn’t stop.

“Buffy!” came the loud voice of Xander from the door. Buffy gasped seeing the scooby gang standing in the doorway gaping at them. “I knew it!” Xander yelled and pulled out a wooden cross but Giles took hold of his arm, keeping him back.

Buffy unwound her legs from around Angel and he let her down gently but didn’t let go of her hand giving her his silent support. She was clearly embarrassed.

“I can’t believe you did that again. What were you thinking!? Giving him a big happy!” yelled Xander.

“Xander”, Willow chastised him but turned to Buffy with a frown on her face. “Buffy, I don’t know what you were thinking, sleeping with Angel, you should know better from the last time.”

“We haven’t done anything!” Buffy defended but all she got were looks of disbelief. “We haven’t done anything! We didn’t sleep together!” she repeated feeling like they had just slapped her.

Suddenly there was a sarcastic chuckle on the door and everyone turned to look, seeing Spike leaning to the door frame smoking a cigarette. Faith was standing behind him.

“You are bunch of bleeding idiots. If Angel here had had the ride of his life, you wouldn’t be talking like that. You would be already dead if you were lucky. Well, you wouldn’t be so lucky, he would just love to torture the shit out of you people. Ripper can tell you all about that”, he said grinning evilly, he had so few pleasures these days. Everyone looked at him shooting daggers. “What? Isn’t anybody going to invite me in? I’m not going to miss this, this is too much fun”, Spike said and looked at them expectantly.

“I am so not going to invite you in”, Buffy shot back at him.

“Come on, slayer. Have a heart.”

Faith rolled her eyes and stepped past him into the apartment. “Hey B, I see you’ve got some company already”, she said and settled leaning against the wall.

“You’re not going to leave the door until I do, are you?” Buffy asked Spike and he just nodded smirking happy with himself. She sighed deeply. “Fine. Come in, Spike. And close the door.”

Spike stepped inside and leaned against the now closed door. “Please continue”, he gave his permission with a wave of his hand.

But the drama was over, the scoobies had started to see the light, if Angel truly had been turned into Angelus, he wouldn’t have stood silently so long.

“I... I’m sorry Buffy. But you must know what it looked like”, Willow said with an uncertain voice. Buffy just nodded, she still felt the sting from their words but she felt like she had earned them, she had let her passion rule her.

Everybody started to relax when there was a quick knock on the door and Nikki opened the door looking straight into Buffy without noticing anybody else. “Hey Anne. I see you are up. I was by earlier but you two sounded so busy, I didn’t want to interrupt. Boy, you two were making me blush with those sounds”, she said all in one breath.

“I knew it! You lied to us!” Xander practically screamed.

Nikki spun around confused. “Nikki, please come later”, Buffy pleaded and after a small battle with herself, she left.

“You did fuck him!” yelled Xander accusingly.

“No! I didn’t sleep with Angel!” Buffy yelled back feeling no guilt anymore.

“Don’t bother Buffy, she heard you”, shot Xander and pulled out the cross once again.

“I was having a dream! We weren’t doing anything! I can’t believe you! You think I would do that again, knowing what would happen!” Buffy yelled back, she was running out of patience.

“You left us with a psycho killer in Sunnydale while you were getting a new life!”

“And how many times did Faith try to kill you?” Buffy asked vehemently and looked at him pointedly. She was getting tired of this.

“That’s not the point.”

“No, it is. She didn’t try to hurt you. And she never even did, she only wanted to hurt me. And I took precautions”, she added the last with a quiet voice, she wasn’t going to tell about her deal with the demon or what ever he was.

“I must agree with Xander, what you did was very irresponsible”, Giles piped up, his voice was strained but still like the voice of reason he usually was.

Buffy gave a exhausted sigh. “She wasn’t going to hurt you, I made sure of that. And she was never after you in the first place.”

“Yeah, B is right. I never was after you guys. And I haven’t done anything naughty lately, I’ve been a good little slayer, haven’t I”, Faith came to the conversation. Xander was shooting daggers at her and Willow was trying to blend into the background gripping Tara’s hand in hers.

“This is getting us no where”, Giles said, took off his glasses and started to clean them in his usual manner.

“Maybe you all should stop screaming at her. It’s not her fault. And you didn’t even know it wasn’t her in her own body. And if it wasn’t for the creature of the night ex-boyfriend, you still wouldn’t know”, Faith said and looked at the scooby gang accusingly. They were quiet for once.

Faith stepped closer to Buffy and gently touched her arm. “Come on, B. You know we have to change our bodies back. I want to start my life over, change my destiny, all that shit. And you can’t keep on running because your face belongs to a wanted murderer”, Faith said with pleading eyes and after the feelings were running little too heavily for her liking, she smirked and added: “Besides, I miss those babies.” She nodded towards her breast that Buffy was now wearing.

Buffy smiled and teased back: “Maybe I like them too.”

“Don’t tease me, this is serious”, Faith responded but still kept the grin on her face.

“Okay, so I miss my own body. But how am I going to explain to everyone that I’m suddenly a blond and shorter?” Buffy answered.

“Plastic surgery?”

Buffy lifted her brow and Faith just shrugged. “Fine, let’s do it”, Buffy said little resistant and Faith smiled widely.

Chapter Nine

Buffy was feeling strange and a little weak from the change. But she was happy, more like delirious, she was back in her own body. Now she didn’t have to feel weird every time she looked into the mirror. But being back in her own body brought new problems, this was what she wanted but how was she going explain her appearance to the people she knew here, nobody would believe her and she couldn’t tell them anyway, it was too dangerous for everyone.

Buffy was checking herself in the mirror, for the first time in several months she could look in the mirror and see herself looking back at her. “I don’t see any tattoos”, she joked and looked at Faith with humor in her eyes.

“Yeah, well, I was going to do that next week”, she said back winking back at Buffy. She was just as glad to be in her own body as Buffy was.

”Well, now that you are back in your own body, we can all return back to Sunnydale and everything will be back to normal”, Giles said and adjusted his glasses.

“Yeah, and we’ll talk to the principal, explain that it wasn’t you who dropped out of college, well, we’ll not tell everything but I’m sure he’ll understand. And we’ll be roommates again. I miss my roomie”, Willow said already feeling excited. Xander just stood on the background scowling at both slayers.

“I can’t believe you just expect everything to go back the way it was”, Buffy said in wonder and feeling hurt.

“Of course it will be”, Willow said not understanding what she could mean.

“Willow, everything isn’t just going to fine like nothing happened”, Buffy explained.

“I know we all have issues but once you return...” Giles started but didn’t have time to finish when Buffy interrupted him by saying: “Maybe I don’t want to come back.”

The whole scooby gang turned gasping to look at her yelling a chorus of ‘Buffy!’ to her. But Angel just looked down and started to brood. Spike just chuckled at the expressions the gang was making.

“Oh come on, did you really think everything would be just bloody peachy after you yelled at her, accused her of shagging Angelus and now you act like nothing happened. I can’t believe you people. And I’m evil.” The gang just glared at Spike who looked at them unaffected. “And Peaches is bloody brooding again”, he added.

Angel looked at Spike glaring and said with a low warning voice: “Don’t call me that, William.”

“Don’t call me William, you bloody poof”, Spike shot back annoyed.

“Both of you stop it. Spike shut up and Angel stop brooding”, Buffy said and crossed her arms giving them a look that she wasn’t on the mood.

“Needing a woman to your rescue”, Spike started again but when Buffy send a glare at his way, he went quiet, for the time being.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I can’t come back to Sunnydale at this moment and I can’t stay here because I’m in my own body again. I need to find my own way”, she said continuing the previous conversation.

“Buffy, that is very irresponsible of you. You are the slayer, you are needed at the Hellmouth”, Giles chastised her.

Faith stepped forward looking pissed. “Save the guilt trip. She isn’t the only slayer. And she may be a slayer, but she’s still human, she needs to breathe and you people are crushing her and it has been happening ever since Angelus took a little appearance in Sunnydale.” The gang looked like they wanted to protest and Angel just brooded even more.

xxx

The scoobies left some arguing later and Buffy was left with Angel, Spike and Faith, the only people that seemed to be on her side. Which was weird since Spike and Faith used to be her enemies and now they seemed to be the only ones that understood her. Of course Angel and Spike didn’t leave because it was still daylight, Buffy wasn’t sure why Faith stayed.

There was a knock on the door and Buffy went to answer. But when she reached the door, she remembered she was in her own body that nobody would recognize. She quickly looked through the spyhole, seeing Kirsten and Liam.

“Faith, you answer the door, it’s Kirsten and Liam”, she whispered and after a moment of protesting Faith opened the door.

“Hi”, she said while leaning to the door frame.

“I’m so sorry, Anne, but I had no other place to take him, I have to go to work, please, I need you to look after Liam for few hours”, Kirsten said all in one breathe. Faith looked confused and tried to gather her thoughts when Buffy stepped forward.

“Of course Liam can stay here for few hours”, she said and Kirsten looked as confused as Faith.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had company.”

“It’s okay, that’s my friend Buffy, from out of town. Of course Liam can stay here for a while”, Faith covered and after a small battle with herself Kirsten nodded and after saying goodbye to Liam, left for work.

Liam looked at Faith suspiciously and finally said with an accusing tone: “You’re not Anne.”

Faith looked surprised and after a while asked: “And why you think that?”

“You have different eyes”, he answered bravely.

Buffy smiled and walked closer to Liam, kneeling beside him. “Liam”, she said with a soft voice and Liam looked at her a while till he jumped hugging her tightly.

Angel stepped into the room and looked at the boy hugging Buffy, he couldn’t help but feel a little jealous and he knew it wasn’t logical, he was just a small boy.

“Anne. Why do you look different?”

Buffy smiled kindly and smoothed his unruly hair. “You remember how I told you there is many things that people don’t know, supernatural things. Well I was in an accident that changed my body with Faith. My name really isn’t Anne, it’s my middle name, my real name is Buffy. But you can’t tell about that to anybody.”

Liam nodded and then his gaze was fixed on Angel. “Who is he?” Liam asked, sounding like a jealous husband when he said it.

“That is Angel, a very good friend of mine”, Buffy explained. Liam looked at Angel up and down, measuring him.

“Angel is a girl's name”, he finally said feeling that this Angel would be a competition to him. Faith laughed out loud and Buffy grinned keeping a chuckle from surfacing.

“Be nice, Liam. Would you like some juice?”

Liam nodded and Buffy got up, heading towards the kitchen. Angel stepped forward and took hold of Buffy’s hand. She immediately felt warmth rush through her even though his hand was room temperature. For a fleeting moment they looked into each others eyes, loosing the time and space.

“Buffy, we need to talk”, he whispered.

“Later”, Buffy whispered back and disappeared into the kitchen, away from the temptation.

Liam looked at Angel and frowned. He crossed his arms on his chest and walked to the competition trying to look as tall as he could with his small frame. “Are you trying to make moves on my girl?” he asked serious. Angel looked at the boy and felt his own jealousy surface.

“Is she your girl?” Angel returned to the question, feeling a little competitive.

“Yes she is. Once I’m old enough, I will marry her”, Liam answered confidently.

Angel tried to get a hold of his jealousy knowing it was ridiculous. “What does she have to say about it?”

“She told me to wait till I’m older. But I don’t care.”

“She once told me she would be...” Angel started feeling irrationally jealous when Buffy’s voice interrupted, “Liam, come to the kitchen for your juice.”

Liam glared at Angel and did as he was asked.

Buffy walked into the living room looking at Angel amused. She slapped him playfully on the arm. “Angel!”

“What?” Angel asked innocently.

“I can’t believe you. You’re over two hundred years old and you all but stick your tongue at him.”

“So, I get jealous when it comes to you and other guys, I can’t help it”, Angel defended and he could hear Spike and Faith laughing.

“Angel, he is eight year old boy”, Buffy whispered trying to hold down a grin, Angel was still feeling jealous of her, that must mean something.

“I didn’t say it was rational”, Angel defended and took a quick glance at the boy that was sipping his juice, looking so innocent, but truthfully he was the worst enemy trying to take his Buffy away from him. Seeing his look, Buffy slapped him again.

xxx

Kirsten had called that she was about to come get Liam. Buffy had shooed Angel and Spike away from sight and was now sitting in the living room with Liam and Faith. Liam looked at Buffy frowning.

“You’re still in love with that thug”, he stated crossing his arms over his chest. Buffy looked at him in surprise, he could see so much for such a young boy.

“Yes”, she finally whispered and Liam sighed deeply, feeling defeated.

“But he’s got such a big forehead”, he tried and Buffy laughed.

“Yeah, but I still love him despite that. Don’t worry, you’ll find a girl and you’ll know”, she promised patting his arm.

“I don’t like him”, he said and that’s when Kirsten arrived. Buffy said goodbye to Liam and they left.

“I don’t seem to have any luck with men”, Buffy sighed and Faith grinned back at her.

“Yeah, one is over two hundred year old vamp, other an eight year old boy. You know, I’m not feeling jealous of you anymore, it’s changing into feeling sorry for you”, Faith said and Buffy slapped her in the arm.

xxx

Later Faith and Buffy went out to get some food and blood for the two vampires. They had a good talk and Faith convinced Buffy to go to visit LA, see her father for a while, it was close enough to Sunnydale and at the same time, it was far enough. Buffy was still feeling strange going to Angel’s town but Faith said it would build character. Buffy reasoned that she wanted to see her father even if he was no good.

The two women stepped inside the apartment, Spike was smoking in the living room but Angel was nowhere on sight. Seeing the look on Buffy’s face, he said: “He’s brooding in your bedroom.”

With a frown on her faze she took the cigarette from his fingers and crushed it to his knee. “Hey!” he protested but she gave him a hard look. “No smoking in my apartment”, she reminded him. “Bitch”, he muttered under his breath but she didn't hear him. Taking it as her cue to leave, Faith went to the kitchen but Buffy stayed with Spike, looking at him like she was trying to pull something out of him with just her gaze. “What is it Slayer!?” he asked unnerved.

“How did you find me? I know it wasn’t from your detective work”, she finally asked.

“And what makes you think that?” he asked and Buffy just gave him a pointed look. “Fine. I followed the big poof. I knew he would find ya. Even though it did take longer than I thought. You are one tough chick to track”, he said blowing the smoke out of his nose.

“But that doesn’t explain why you would want to find me”, Buffy said and crossed her arms.

Spike jumped up and threw his hands up. “What is this? The Spanish inquisition?”

Buffy giggled remembering the sketch from Monty Python. Angel stepped into the room, interrupting the moment. He had a deep frown on his face because Buffy was laughing at something that Spike had said. And why was he jealous because of Spike, he really needed to get a grip.

Faith sauntered into the room and patted Angel on the arm. “It’s your lucky day, Buffy is coming to LA”, she said and Angel and Buffy both looked like they were couple of deers caught in car headlights. Faith looked at them both and said: “Oops, I didn’t know it was supposed to be a secret.”

Chapter Ten

It wasn’t a surprise that the Scooby gang and Giles were against of Buffy going to LA. But she reasoned that she wanted to see her father and it was only a two hour drive. Still they were against it and she surprised everyone by saying that she didn’t care.

She wrote Nikki a letter, saying goodbye and that she couldn’t say final goodbye so she just left a letter and would write to her. She also left a long letter for Liam also and informed her jobs that she had to leave to LA in a hurry and that was why she had to quit. Neither of her boss’ were happy but they understood.

The scooby gang, slayers and vampires, all took a night flight to Los Angeles and Angel was just happy that Buffy was with him. He grabbed her hand half the flight without caring who saw them or that they hadn't been together for a year, he just needed her support to stay calm. Unfortunately Spike didn’t have that luxury. If his sire could go to one of those death traps, so could he, but most of the time he spend in the bathroom where the sun couldn't reach, just in case.

xxx

The scoobies left back to Sunnydale, Buffy convinced Spike to go with them to help out while she was gone. He was set against it but then she offered money, so he couldn’t refuse.

Angel and Buffy were standing in the sidewalk, both feeling nervous like teenagers on the first date. “So, where are you thinking about staying?” Angel asked and finally turned to look at Buffy.

“At my dad’s.”

Angel frowned. “You can’t go there this time at night. How ‘bout you stay the night at my place? We did it back in New York, it’s perfectly safe, nothing happened”, he suggested but didn’t mention anything about the fact that the scoobies stopped anything from happening, but he was certain that he would have gotten his lust and passion in check before they went too far. Right?

Buffy looked around her, anything but him. “I don’t know Angel”, she whispered but she didn’t put much of a fight.

“Nothing’s gonna happen”, Angel repeated and finally Buffy nodded.

“Okay. But just for tonight.”

xxx

Cordelia pranced into the office with her morning cappuccino in hand. Angel was nowhere in sight but she knew he had come back last night. And it was time for that sleepy head to wake up since she had to. She walked into the elevator and down to his apartment. But she stopped dead on her tracks when she heard a breathy moan coming from the apartment. “This is so not good”, she said to herself and searched for a stake which she finally found.

Angel pulled Buffy even closer to his body, kissing her neck and down from there. He was feeling like a inexperienced teenage boy, he had no self control when it came to her. His hand wander down her thigh and his fingers found what they had been looking for, disappearing into her wet heat. She arched from the bed letting out a small sigh. She opened her eyes, looking at him under heavy lidded eyes, she smiled wickedly. Her hand trailing down his back and squeezing his firm ass.

”Buffy”, he moaned chastising her. She just smiled again and moved her hand around him, squeezing his large member. ”Buffy”, he groaned from the sensation.

“I know it’s not Kate, that’s for sure”, she said to herself and was returned with Angel moaning Buffy’s name. Cordelia rolled her eyes, threw her arms up and sighed: “Of course! I should have known.”

She nearly jumped out of her skin, letting out a loud yelp when she heard a loud moan from behind her. She turned but there was nobody. When she heard whimpering, she took a step closer to the couch and saw Buffy. Only Buffy. She was sweating and arching he back, she was nearly off the couch in the air.

His fingers slipped out of her but soon they were replaced by his cock that was now touching her entrance. ”Angel”, she whimpered begging him to be inside her again. He touched her cheek gently, looking into her eyes when he pushed inside her. They both let out a loud groan of pleasure. It took lot out of him not to cum right then, seeing her raptured face, her back arched off the bed, mouth slack from the pleasure. He wrapped his arms around her, kissed her neck and lowered her gently back to the bed.

“Angel”, she whispered and it was almost like she was gently laid back into the couch. Cordelia looked at her with wide eyes and she was starting to feel like a peeping Tom. She couldn’t take it anymore, she waltzed into the kitchen, grabbed two pans and started banging them together. It worked.

Buffy jumped up from the bed ready to kick someones ass and soon Angel come to the room with a battle axe in his hand. “Cordelia?” chorused Buffy and Angel confused.

“Okay. Please somebody explain to me why you two were sounding like she was giving you a big happy even though you were in separate rooms asleep. You two were making sounds that would make even a porn star blush and you were doing it in sync. Please someone, explain before I go wacko”, she ranted waving the pans in the air.

Both Buffy and Angel looked embarrassed till they realized at the same time what Cordelia had said and their eyes widened. They had been having the same dream.

xxx

Wesley sat at the table, large pile of books in front of him. “You are telling me, you and Buffy were having the same dream”, he clarified and the ex lovers nodded. “That is extraordinary”, Wesley said in wonder and Buffy frowned.

“I want to know why it is happening. I’ve been having those dreams frequently since I moved to New York. Maybe it’s the First”, Buffy said hoping the answer was found but Angel shook is head.

“I don’t thinks it’s the First, this is different than that time”, he said but couldn’t help but think that those had been memories too, just like now.

“And now come to think of it, why am I having dreams that are located in your apartment which I haven’t seen before today?” Buffy asked crossing her arms in front of her and expecting an answer.

Angel gulped, he was afraid of this moment, maybe he could dodge the question, make a lie or something. Cordelia huffed. “You better tell her, Angel. You aren’t going to talk yourself out of this one”, she said and with Angel’s questioning look added: “Doyle told me.”

“Could someone please tell me”, Buffy said feeling frustrated and a little scared seeing the small panic on Angel’s face.

“Buffy, we need to talk. Privately”, Angel almost whispered. Buffy nodded and Angel lead her back to his apartment. He was fidgeting, he kept pacing around the room and running his hand through his hair.

Buffy followed him with her eyes, feeling the panic transfer to her as well. “Angel, please. You’re starting to scare me”, she whispered and Angel stopped. He looked at her, she was so beautiful and her eyes showed love and trust. Soon them both would be gone and that was what scared him the most, that Buffy would hate him.

“You’re going to hate me”, he whispered miserably and stepped closer to her. Buffy looked at him like he had lost his mind. She grabbed his hand in hers and pulled him closer. She looked at him straight in the eyes and whispered with a low but soft voice: “I could never hate you, Angel.” She brought his hand to her lips and pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles.

“Buffy”, he started with a voice that was full of longing. “The dreams, they are memories”, he managed to finish.

Buffy looked at him like he had grown a second head and said: “But I haven’t even been to your apartment before last night. If I had done those things with you, I certainly would remember.”

Angel closed his eyes and let out a small sigh. “Buffy. Thanksgiving when you came to visit me, things didn’t go like that at the first time. The Mohra demon escaped, we tracked it, we separated, I killed it but it’s blood mixed with mine and I became human.” He still hadn’t opened his eyes, he could hear her gasp for breath. He started to rub her palm with his thump to soothe her. “I found you at the pier, we kissed and came back here. We decided to be sensible but that didn’t work out and we ended up breaking the table”, he continued and a small smile rose to his lips, he couldn’t help but feel enormous male pride from what had happened.

“We had the perfect day, I got to hold you in my arms without fearing my demon. But the Mohra demon wasn’t really dead and I went after it. I was human, I couldn’t fight it and you had to rescue me. But it said that together we are strong, separated we would be weak, and I was weak, I was human, I couldn’t fight beside you. So I went to the oracles and they told me, you would die”, Angel voice broke at the last sentence and he opened his eyes. Buffy had tears in her eyes but she didn’t say anything, she just looked at him, the look of love wasn’t gone but there was also a enormous amount of pain.

“I wasn’t any help to you, you would have been distracted protecting me, so I asked them to take my humanity back. I couldn’t live without you, without you in this world. They said they couldn’t do it but then they gave me a choice, turn the day back and only I would be able to remember. So I took it. And I would do it over and over again if it would save you. I can’t exist without you, Buffy”, he said and cupped her cheek. She closed her eyes, tears running freely down her cheeks and she leaned into his touch.

Slowly her hand rose to his chest and she whispered with a hoarse voice: “I felt your heartbeat.” Angel closed his eyes and leaned closer to her, capturing her lips into a slow, sweet longing kiss. Buffy buried her face into the crook of his neck and sobbed clinging to him like he was her only salvation.

xxx

Buffy and Angel were curled up on the couch, he was holding her in his arms like she was a fragile china doll. He stoked her soft hair and pressed loving kisses on her forehead every now and then. Her tears had dried and now she was content laying in Angel's loving arms. But still her mind was racing, Angel had been human for a day and all those dreams that plagued her for moths were memories of that day. She pressed her face farther into his chest, feeling more calm by his strong presence. But she couldn’t go back to her life like the day had never happened. She lifted her face from his chest and looked at him right into his soulful eyes.

“Angel. Do you love me?” she asked with a soft barely there voice. Angel was a little taken back by that question, not because what it was but that she had to ask it.

“Of course I love you. I will love you as long as I exist and longer”, he said and smoothed her hair, he couldn’t stop touching her.

“And I love you. I can’t stop, no matter how much I try. And I can’t live without you in my life, it is slowly killing me”, she said and gently grabbed him by the arm to seize him from turning his gaze away from her. “Especially now that I know what we had. Even if it was just for a one day, I can’t let you go, not again”, she continued keeping his gaze fixed on hers.

“But Buffy... The same things are still there, I can’t give you normal life, we can’t be together in that sense because of Angelus and I can’t go back to Sunnydale because I have responsibilities in here”, he protested but Buffy pressed her finger to his lips, silencing him.

“I’m not asking you to leave LA, what you are doing here is great, you are helping people. But Sunnydale is only two hours away and there is this invention called telephone. We can visit and we can call and you can learn to be a modern man and let Cordelia to teach you how to use e-mail”, she said grinning cheekily. “And the normal life thing, not going to happen. I’m the slayer, I’m not going to have a normal life, maybe some kind of normalness might be there like school but that still doesn’t change the fact that slayers die young.”

Buffy saw Angel flinch and she took hold of his chin. “You know it, and I know it, that already have beaten the odds, slayers don’t have long lives, I already have lived longer than most. I don’t have time to worry about my gray hair or that you look younger than me. I can’t have children, they would never be safe if they even could be born and I want your children, not anyone else's. Sunshine, I don’t look so good in direct sunlight anyway, during the day I’m on classes or something and most of my life I spend in the darkness, I’m the slayer, I live in the darkness. And sex isn’t all that important, we can be like we are now, have long smoochies but stay on the safe side. Cold showers for us two. Why can’t I have some happiness in my short life? You are my happiness, I don’t care that you don’t have a heartbeat, I never have”, she said with tear strained voice and ran her fingers along his jaw. “Besides, normal life is so overrated”, she added and smiled cheekily.

Angel took hold of her hand that was still mindless caressing his jawline, he lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles. “We’ll make it work, Angel”, she whispered feeling very emotional.

“I still don’t know if it’s wise”, he tried to protest shaking his head, but it wasn’t done full hearted. But Buffy grabbed his chin and looked at him with all love she could show in her eyes.

“Just kiss me, it’s been too long”, she started but was cut off by Angel’s lips pressing against hers.

xxx

“I am so gonna be without a job”, Cordelia sighed and threw her hands in the air.

“You shouldn’t be so worried Cordelia, they are just talking”, Wesley tried to calm her but she just turned sharply looking at him.

“Why are you so calm!? You should be worried too! It’s your job too. Not to mention life if they get groin-y”, she said feeling pissed off because he was so collected in that British way.

“Cordelia”, Wesley started but stopped when he saw Buffy and Angel walk into the room holding hands.

“I knew it!” Cordelia yelled but the newly found lovers just stared at her confused.

“What is it, Cordelia?” Angel asked.

“I’m going to be out of job. How many jobs is there for a actress slash vision girl?”

Angel chuckled but soon went quiet with Cordelia’s steel hard look. “Cordelia, you are not going to loose your job. Yes, Buffy and I are back together, but I’m staying in LA”, he said and immediately both Cordelia and calm looking Wesley felt at ease.

“Okay. So, is the slayer girl going to move in now? Do we have to start fearing for our lives?” Cordelia asked in her usual blunt manner.

“As nicely as you put it, no I’m not moving in. I’m going back to Sunnydale. No matter how pissed I’m at my friends, I can’t ignore my duty. I’m needed at the Hellmouth”, Buffy answered. Cordelia let out a small sigh of relief.

“Well, I am very happy for you two”, Wesley said and immediately Cordelia added after him: “But don’t get too happy!”

Chapter Eleven

Buffy returned back to Sunnydale. She got a job at a bar and had plans to start again in college the next fall. The feeling between her and her friends was awkward and it didn’t help matters that they pretended like nothing had happened. And Riley was a whole another thing, he just didn’t understand the fact that she had left him. She was just happy that Angel didn’t know he was following her around.

Buffy stepped into her apartment and fell to the couch. It had been a long night, the drunks were a pain in the ass, everyone was trying to cup a feel and the night's patrol hadn’t been any better, not a single vamp around, she had been bored out of her mind.

She sighed. “You can come out of hiding now”, she said without opening her eyes.

“I wasn’t sure it would be you”, Faith said stepping into the room.

“Yeah, well, there isn’t much choice since it’s my apartment. What are you doing here Faith?”

Faith shrugged her shoulders and sat next to Buffy. “Do I need a reason to see my sister?” she asked and when Buffy looked at her pointedly, she continued: “Okay, I hear something is coming. I figured you could use some help and I need a place to crash.”

“As far as I know, nothing is coming. There was some kind of accident in a Initiative lab and the thing they were making was destroyed before it could be finished. Walsh was killed in the crash. And you can crash on the couch”, she said and got up.

“That bitch had it coming”, Faith crumbled and caught the pillow that was thrown at her.

“She was trying to built some Frankenstein, make a perfect soldier from demon parts. Why are smart people so stupid?”

“Yeah”, Faith said lazily and stretched into the couch, putting the pillow under her head. “I heard you and Angie have a little thing going on. I still have to admire your self control. If I were you, I would have jumped his bones already, none of that touchy feely stuff”, Faith continued and Buffy’s face darkened, she didn’t like Faith talking about Angel’s bones.

“But you’re not me”, she said little defensively. Faith turned to look at her sister slayer and understood.

“Hey B, don’t worry, I’m over that phase of my life, I’m doing good, being good little slayer, getting back on track. I know what I did to you, hurt you, a lot, and I’m not going to stray this time. What I did, hurt you more than I can imagine, and I have never said that I’m sorry because I know it doesn’t make it better. But I am sorry”, she said and looked at Buffy with sincerity. Buffy’s look softened and she looked at Faith trying to find if she was telling her the truth.

“I have forgiven what you did to me. But poisoning Angel I can’t forget. But I can try”, Buffy said and Faith gave her a small grateful smile.

“I can live with that. By the way, when are you seeing your hunk of a vampire?”

Buffy rolled her eyes shaking her head but answered: “Next weekend. I have a free weekend from work.”

xxx

Buffy got off the bus and looked around her. She felt the familiar tingle in her gut and turned around to see a broad silk clad chest. She lifted her gaze up to see the smirking face of Angel “You came”, he said with a gruff voice.

“I told you I would, didn’t I.”

Angel just grabbed her free hand and pulled her with him to a side alley. Before she could say anything, he pressed her against the wall and attacked her lips. Feeling Angel’s hungry lips against hers, she moaned from the sensation and lifted her hand up his back to his soft spiky hair.

After a long passionate kiss, Angel pulled away from her but didn’t let go of her arms. She was leaning to the wall, feeling boneless as well as breathless. “I’m sorry”, he started but she grabbed him by the neck and pulled him into another searing kiss.

When she had to pull out to breathe again, she whispered to his ear: “God, I missed that.”

“Me too”, Angel whispered and started placing small kisses to her neck. She let out a breathy moan and grabbed a handful of his hair. She could feel his erection and it only made her even more wet.

“Let her go!” came a commanding male voice from behind him. Buffy opened her passion clouded eyes and Angel stood up to his full height. They both turned to look towards the voice and were surprised by who they saw.

“Gunn!” Buffy yelled in surprise and Gunn’s face showed the same feeling.

“Anne?!”

Buffy stepped away from Angel and took a look at Gunn, a bright smile on her face. “Actually, it’s Buffy”, she corrected.

“I didn’t know you two knew each other”, Angel said with a small voice that was clad with a small amount of jealousy.

“Well, Ann... Buffy, saved me from a big ass vampire some while back”, Gunn answered and then realized what Angel had been doing, he lifted his stake. Buffy saw what Gunn was about to do and stopped him.

“It wasn’t that kind of sucking Angel was doing, don’t worry”, she said smirking and Angel looked embarrassed.

“Buffy”, he whispered pleadingly but it came too whiny for his taste. Even Gunn was feeling a little awkward. He cleared his voice and looked from Angel to Buffy.

“You do know he is a vampire?” he asked her and she just smiled.

“Yeah, I know. I’ve known that for years. But he’s got a soul, so he’s the only one that doesn’t deserve a stake.”

“But he’s still a vampire”, Gunn said, he didn’t trust him even though they had been working together on few cases. He was feeling more awkward by the second, and so was Angel.

“Okay, you two better move inside cause what you were doing, will get you two arrested. It was good to see you... Buffy”, he said and turned to leave.

“You too”, Buffy said after him and turned to Angel with a wicked gleam in her eye.

“So, maybe we should get back to your place”, she said.

xxx

Buffy and Angel arrived back to his office and soon got rid of Cordelia and Wesley to get to his apartment. They tried to be reasonable and just talk but soon they were on the couch making out like couple of teenagers.

But when Angel’s hand crept inside her shirt and her hands started pulling his shirt off, they woke up from the passion filled haze. They realized that Buffy couldn’t stay the night at his apartment, it was too risky. But Cordelia surprised everyone by offering Buffy her couch which she while feeling a little suspicious, accepted.

xxx

Cordelia threw the bedlinen to the couch and Buffy started to make the bed. Cordelia was sitting on the edge of the coffee table watching Buffy with sharp eye. “You know, I’m not gonna jump on the Buffy/Angel bandwagon, but now that you are back in the picture, he doesn’t brood so much. It was really getting on my nerves and I’m a very patient person. I know now that you make him happy and less broody. So I’m gonna stand that you are going to be around”, Cordelia said and Buffy looked at her a little taken back.

“Thanks, I guess”, she said uncertainly.

“Okay. But don’t get him too happy. Because becoming a star is hard enough without murderous psycho following you around”, she said and hopped down from the table.

“Don’t worry, we’re not going to... do... it. We both know the consequences, it may be hard but it’s harder to be apart”, Buffy assured her and she seemed happy of her answer.

“I know. It was hard for you all those months and your friends really weren’t making it any easier”, she said with compassion that made Buffy stare at her in wonder. “What? I can be understanding and compassionate. But don’t expect it to become a habit. Good night, Buffy”, Cordelia said and went to her bedroom.

“Good night, Cordelia. And thanks for letting me stay here tonight”, Buffy said before she closed the door. She looked around herself and sat down to the couch. She just hoped she wouldn’t be having one of those dreams tonight, they had been fewer after Angel told her the truth but she still had them, and she really didn’t want Cordelia to hear another one.

xxx

Buffy and Cordelia walked into the office talking about clothes at the same time. As usual, Cordelia wasn’t too happy on Buffy’s clothes and was pressuring her to go shopping with her. “I don’t know, Cordelia”, she said with a sigh, Cordelia truly could be persistent like a small terrier.

“Come on, Buffy. You need new clothes, I need new clothes and I know a great place where you can get them. You can’t sit around here all day, watch Angel brood the day away”, Cordelia said. Buffy smiled, but she wasn’t going to tell Cordelia that she really could watch Angel brood all day, he was a very watchable guy.

“Okay, I’ll think about it. But first I need to talk to Angel, we didn’t get too much of that yesterday”, she said and headed towards his apartment.

“Yeah, your mouths were too busy doing something else”, Cordelia said after her and Buffy was just glad that her back was turned so she couldn’t see the blush rising.

Quickly she went to his apartment but she couldn’t see him anywhere so she presumed that he was still sleeping. Quietly she stepped into his bedroom but the bed was empty. She didn’t have time for bigger search when Angel stepped out of the bathroom, still wet from the shower, only a towel hanging loosely around his waist. Her eyes widened and she just stared at him, she couldn’t turn away. Angel noticed her and their eyes met.

“Buffy”, he whispered surprised.

“Angel”, she said breathily, coming back to her senses and quickly she spun around, facing away from him. “Sorry. I... I thought you were still sleeping.”

“I took a shower”, he just said and Buffy couldn’t help but see all those images in her head flashing before her eyes. Him all wet under the spray, water cascading down his muscular back.

“I can see that”, she said without thinking and then blushed when she realized she had said it out loud.

Angel grinned while pulling his pants on, she was just so cute. “You can turn around now, I’m decent”, he said with a hint of humor in his voice. Buffy turned around, still blushing. She didn’t know if she should be glad or disappointed that he was now clothed. “Did you have something to say to me since you came here?”

Again Buffy blushed, she had completely forgot why she had come, maybe it was because a half naked Angel had stirred her thoughts which were dangerously going back to the wet Angel clad only in a towel. The one she wanted to rip off his body and lick him dry. She shook her head and cleared her voice. “Yeah. I was just going to ask you how you been here while I was back in Sunnydale. Since yesterday we were too busy to talk. Has Wolfram and Hart been giving you a hard time?” she managed to say. Angel smiled.

“Yeah, I interrupted one of their very private parties a while back. There was some magic involved and they really weren’t all that happy when it went sour. But that’s all there is to it. I would much rather like to continue the discussion we had yesterday”, he said and stepped closer to her. She could see the mischief in his eyes and she smirked at him.

“You would, would you?”

“Yeah”, he whispered and ran his fingers along her cheek and jawline.

“It was a very interesting conversation”, he added and leaned into a kiss. He pulled her against his body, he just couldn’t get enough of her. He backed her into the nearest wall and grabbed her ass. She moaned and tightened her hold on his neck. She wrapped her other leg around his leg and kept running it up and down. Just when the kisses were turning more passionate there was a voice.

“Oh no you don’t, she’s coming shopping with me. You can continue that tongue dueling after I’ve had my new clothes”, Cordelia said hands on her waist and foot tapping at the floor.

xxx

Buffy and Cordelia had been going from store to store, looking for new clothes which they found many bags worth. Buffy was surprised that shopping with Cordy wasn’t that bad, or was it just that she had changed so much after she left Sunnydale and started having visions. But even though shopping was good, she would rather have been with Angel, tongue dueling like Cordy had said. Well, shopping spree was over and they were heading back to the office with bags full of new clothes.

When they stepped through the door, they saw Angel talking to Kate whom Buffy didn’t know yet. “Who is that?” she asked trying to keep the jealousy out of her voice but it was no good.

“That’s Kate. Our very own cop friend. Don’t worry, she isn’t a threat, just annoying as hell”, Cordelia explained and lead Buffy further into the room.

Angel turned around and saw them approaching, his gaze immediately fixed on Buffy. A smile rose to his lips without him even noticing and Kate thought it was meant for her. “So, would you like to go to that place with me?” she continued her question getting new confidence from the small smile on his lips.

But Angel didn’t even hear her, he just stepped away from her and pulled Buffy into his arms. He pressed a small kiss to her lips and asked: “How was shopping?”

“It was just fine. I didn’t know you had company, I would have come by later”, she answered and gave a cold look to Kate who was fuming with jealousy herself. Angel smiled inwardly, he knew that even if she’d known, she would have come earlier, but she was just so sexy when she was jealous.

Angel pulled away and lead her by the hand to where Kate was standing. "Buffy, this is Kate, Kate, this is Buffy. Kate’s been helping out on some cases”, Angel introduced them and both women gave a tight lipped hello to each other.

“Hello Kate, it’s nice to know you’ve been helping out my boyfriend”, Buffy said while shaking hands with her and everyone noticed how she said boyfriend very clearly.

“I didn’t know Angel had a girlfriend”, Kate said and looked at Buffy very closely. “You look very young. How old are you?”

“20 in January. How old are you?” Buffy shot back but Kate didn’t answer her. She thought the girl was too insolent and too young to be in a steady relationship with a man like Angel, she would get her chance soon.

“Okay, Angel. I’ll talk to you later about what we discussed”, she said and left after Angel gave her a absent okay, he was too busy with Buffy to notice.

“So, that was Kate”, Buffy stated clearly not happy.

“Yes, it was”, he answered and kept mindlessly caressing her bare arm.

“She’s pretty”, she tried but Angel wasn’t paying attention to what she was saying. “Are you listening?” she finally asked before she was lost in the sensation he was creating.

“It’s dark soon. We should go to a patrol”, he whispered and sucked her earlobe into his mouth.

“Here we go again! Could you two please keep it under PG!?” yelled Cordelia.

xxx

Lilah barged into Lindsay’s office waving a folder in her hand. “Those damn idiots are telling me that she can’t be resurrected again. That the opportunity was screwed by Angel!” she yelled and threw the folder to his desk. But he was still calm and collected and that was pissing her off even more. “Why are you having that shit eating grin on your face, Lindsay?!” she snapped at him.

“Because we don’t need Darla anymore. We have the only girl that brought Angelus back”, Lindsay answered, handing her the surveillance photos and a smile rose to Lilah’s lips.

Chapter Twelve

Buffy was thrown into a tombstone which cracked into pieces when she hit it. She jumped up from the ground with grace that was almost impossible after a hit like she had just had. She cracked her neck from side to side and grinned at the demon. “That wasn’t nice, was it.”

The demon just growled and started stomping towards her. She quickly glanced around her, seeing her axe laying on the grass behind the demon. She ran towards it, dodging the blow the demon was swinging her way and she dived into the ground picking up the axe in full speed. She rolled over and jumped to her feet. The demon had turned around and was coming after her looking very threatening.

Buffy raised the ax and was ready to fight when the demon groaned from pain and turned around looking very pissed off. That’s when she saw Riley holding the tazer gun and she groaned out loud. The demon grabbed on to the wires and yanked, the gun flying off Riley’s hands. He took his combat baton out and attacked the demon.

“Riley! What do you think you are doing!?” Buffy yelled pissed off and attacked the demon herself.

“My job”, answered Riley and was hit by the demon. He flew right to a wall of a mausoleum, sliding down like dead weight.

”Puny human”, the demon growled and turned to Buffy.

“He’s just naive”, Buffy answered and swung her ax, cutting off the demons head. “IU!!” she said when the bright lime green goo splashed around the cemetery. She looked down on herself and her clothes were covered in the slime. “Do you still love me, even if I’m covered in slime?” she asked without turning around.

Angel appeared from the darkness and smiled his charming smile. “Yes, I do”, was the answer and he came to stand in front of her. He was about to lean in for a kiss but she pulled back.

“I’m gross. But you can prove you love by helping me bury that corpse.”

Angel smiled. “I think I can do that, it will be just like old times.” He leaned closer to her ear and whispered huskily: “And I will get that kiss later.”

Buffy smiled brightly at him and said back: “I think I can do that.”

But their moment was interrupted by Riley’s painful groaning. They both turned to look at him, he was trying to get up holding his head in his hands. Buffy looked skywards and sighed. She went and helped him to his feet, holding on to him so he wouldn’t fall. Angel was standing in the background, glaring at Riley who was too close to Buffy for his liking. An involuntary growl escaped his lips. Buffy turned to look at him like a mother to a child that had been naughty but she couldn’t help but feel slightly amused by his jealousy.

She turned back to Riley, looking at him with a scowl on her face. “What were you thinking, Riley?!” she scolded him and he just looked at her innocently.

“I was helping you. You shouldn’t do this alone”, he explained. “Riley, those electric thingy guns only piss off those demons and your stick is useless against them.”

Angel chuckled and both Buffy and Riley turned to glare at him, even though Buffy didn’t really give much heart to it. “What is he doing here?” Riley asked not even trying to keep the hostility out of his voice.

“He’s here with me”, Buffy said and Angel couldn’t keep the smug grin out of his face.

“What you mean by with you!?” Riley turned to Buffy with his eyes wide.

“As in spend some time with me and help with the slaying”, was her answer. Riley looked at him suspiciously and then turned back to Buffy.

“Did you cheat on me with him? You just suddenly went in bed with the guy that just showed up in New York. Or did he know you were there all along”, he accused and Angel had to use all his self control not to jump on him and beat the living daylights out of him, nobody insulted his Buffy.

“I can’t believe you!” Buffy yelled with a high pitch voice, she was truly insulted.

“Xander said...”, Riley started but was stopped by Buffy who raised her hand as a sign for him to shut up.

“Xander said! And since when have you been all buddy buddy with Xander. I never knew how little you knew me, I never cheated on you”, Buffy said and turned around, she couldn’t even look at him.

“But Buffy”, Riley tried after he realized he was letting his jealousy run his mouth.

“Don’t. Just go home, Riley”, Buffy said and left the cemetery with Angel.

xxx

Buffy sat on the couch, snuggled into Angel’s arm. “I can’t believe he would think so little of me. And believe Xander...”, she said miserably and buried her face into his broad chest.

“If he really believes into those things, then he’s truly an idiot”, Angel said and stroked her hair soothingly.

“I just want to forget it”, she said and raised her head, looking into his soulful eyes. A small smile rose to her lips and she said with a low seductive voice: “How ‘bout that kiss I promised you?”

A wide grin firmed into his lips and he leaned closer to her face, his lips almost touching her. “Yeah, how about that.” He hovered over her lips, teasing her, almost touching but not quite.

“Stop teasing me”, she commanded, grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

After the long kiss ended, he pressed his face into her hair taking a long breathe of her scent. She was breathing hard and trying to steady her mind that seemed to be numb. Her fingers played mindlessly with the buttons of his shirt and the other hand was lazily twisting the short hair on the back of his neck.

“How long are you going to stay?” she asked him not lifting her gaze.

“Till tomorrow night. I wasn’t supposed to come tonight but I had to see you.”

“How’s business? Lawyers giving you any trouble?”

He gave a brief chuckle and smoothed her hair that he had messed during the heavy kissing. “It’s been strangely calm. They’re up to something.”

“Aren’t they always”, she whispered and closed her eyes, placing her head against his shoulder. Angel smiled and looked down on his soon to be sleeping lover. She looked so innocent and young.

xxx

When she woke up, he was gone but that didn’t come as a surprise to her. She just guessed he had left to the mansion before sunrise. Languidly she stretched her muscles and got up from the bed which she didn’t remember going to. She felt like she had slept a week, which was a very strange feeling for her lately, she always had slept better when Angel was around. She turned in the bed and saw a large print on the sheets, it appeared he had slept next to her or just stayed awake and stared at her sleeping.

She had a quick shower and pulled on some sensible clothes that Cordelia wouldn’t have approved of. She chuckled to herself, it was just so out of this world that she had actually become friends with Cordelia. She could still be a pain in the ass and have no tact but still, she could be a real friend when she wanted to. Shaking her head at that thought she went to Giles’ apartment to give him the report on her slaying.

Buffy stepped inside the apartment where the scoobies and Giles were already waiting.

“Why didn’t you tell me about a nooner?!” demanded Anya from Xander who was bright red. Everyone else were just trying to ignore them which was quite hard since Anya voice was very loud now.

“Anya, could we please not talk about this now”, he pleaded and was returned with a huff from her.

“I’m sorry to interrupt but could we talk about something else, like demons for change”, Buffy said from the door and closed it behind her.

“Thank you, we already had too much information on Xander’s... umm... private life”, Giles said and returned to the living room from the kitchen that he had been hiding in.

“Met a big demon last night, Riley interrupted, I killed it”, Buffy gave her report with a shrug in the end.

“So, you faced the Barag demon? Am I correct?”

Buffy nodded absently. “Yeah. Somebody really should have told me how messy they are before I chose that axe.”

“Well, the Barag demons are messy with their green blood. And it’s not just the blood that is green”, Anya added to the conversation and everyone turned to look at her like she had grown another head. “What!? I used to be a demon. Considering how old I really am, I didn’t get around that much”, Anya defended.

“How ‘bout we go to the Bronze tonight, we haven’t been partying together in a long time?” Willow changed the subject looking at Buffy.

“Sorry, Willow, I can’t. I’m meeting Angel tonight”, Buffy said feeling bad that she had to let her down.

“Angel! Is that really wise?” piped up Xander and jumped up from the couch.

“And why is that? We both have self control, we are not going to let Angelus out”, Buffy said feeling defensive.

“Like we haven’t heard that before”, Xander muttered and Buffy looked at him vehemently.

She turned around and said: “I’m not staying to listen to this.” And with that, she walked out the door.

“Buffy!”, yelled Willow after her but it was too late, she had already left. She turned to look at Xander, not feeling pleased with him, she was trying to get back to the way things were and he certainly wasn’t helping.

“You better keep that curse at ready, Wills”, Xander said and sat down on the couch with a huff.

xxx

After leaving Giles’ Buffy was feeling angsty, she wanted to beat something. Angel could have gotten the anger out of her by his soothing voice and gentle kisses, but she didn’t want that. She wanted to vent it out.

So she found a nest and soon the dust was flying in the air. But that didn’t satisfy her either. She couldn’t believe that Xander still was so jealous of Angel. He was with Anya so he had gotten over her but still he couldn’t help but strike at Angel. He was a hypocrite, he himself was dating an ex vengeance demon that had probably killed millions of men but it was wrong of her to date Angel that had no control over what Angelus had done and who was making amends on those things. Sometimes Xander just made her so angry.

xxx

Finally the darkness came and Angel rushed out of the mansion. He was taking a short cut through a cemetery to get to her faster but it seemed like some vampires had some other ideas. In a flash he was surrounded by a gang of vampires, they didn’t seem all that smart and they certainly didn’t know who he was.

The fight wasn’t going to last that long but one of the vamps managed to wound him and that made his game face surface. He finished the vampires without knowing that Riley was standing in the bushes looking at him with wide eyes. Riley turned around and, what he thought was soundlessly, crept away. He was going to tell Buffy that her boyfriend was dead, he was going to give her a shoulder to cry on and soon she would be over him. With a smile on his face, he headed towards the Big Joe’s bar that Buffy worked in.

Riley stepped into the bar and looked around him with a frown on his face. His girlfriend shouldn’t working in a place like this. Once he saw Buffy, he went to her and gently grabbed her by the arm. She spun around smiling, thinking it might be Angel but was disappointed to find Riley, she still managed to keep a frown off her face.

“Riley. I never figured you'd hang out in a place like this”, she stated but soon frowned seeing the look on his face. “What is it?”

“Maybe we should sit down”, he stated and tried to steer her towards a table but she wouldn’t move.

“I don’t need to sit, you tell me now cause you’re starting to scare me, Riley.”

He gulped and ran his hand through his greasy hair. “Okay. Buffy, I’m sorry but that guy you are seeing.” He stopped and looked into Buffy’s expecting eyes. “He’s dead.”

“What?” Buffy whispered, her voice cracking.

“I saw him. He’s a vampire”, Riley explained and was taken back when Buffy started giggling.
“Buffy?”

Buffy lifted her gaze to him trying to stop laughing. “I’m sorry, Riley. But I know he’s a vampire, he’s been one for over 240 years”, she explained and he looked at her with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open.

“But you’re the slayer! Why haven’t you killed him?” he said loudly and she glared at him.

“Why don’t you ask that little more loudly?!” she hissed at him, all laughter gone.

“But Buffy...”, he tried but stopped when he saw Angel walk through the door. Buffy turned around and smiled brightly at her boyfriend.

“Hey stranger. Riley was just telling me you’re dead”

Angel smirked. “A little late.”

Buffy rolled her eyes while Riley glared at the vampire. “And what took you so long?” she asked him placing her hands on her waist. Angel shrugged innocently.

“Met some friends on the way here.”

That was when Buffy saw the blood and in a flash she grabbed the hem of his shirt, trying to lift it. “You’re wounded.”

“It’s just a scratch”, Angel assured and took hold of her hands, feeling a little embarrassed of her actions.

Riley felt his anger rise and he tried to grab a stake but was stopped by Buffy. “Don’t even think about it, Riley. He’s not evil, he has a soul”, Buffy commanded and grabbed the stake away from Riley.

“Buffy, what are you doing?! He’s a vampire!”

“He doesn’t kill, he has a soul. How hard can that be to understand?!”

“He’s an animal”, he tried again and Angel shot a murderous glare at him.

“He’s a man”, Buffy answered and grabbed hold of Angel’s hand. “He may have a demon inside him but he’s a man because he has a gentle and loving soul”, she continued.

“I can’t believe this. He has you under some kind of thrall”, Riley tried desperately.

Buffy shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you. He doesn’t have me under any kind of thrall. I love him. I have loved him before I knew he was a vampire and I have loved him after I knew. This isn’t some fling or high school crush, this is the real thing”, she said without leaving room for argument.

“I’m not gonna sit and watch you get hurt”, Riley said and dashed out the door.

Buffy sighed deeply and leaned closer to Angel. “Are you okay?” he asked smoothing her hair back and pressing a gentle kiss next to her ear.

“Yeah. Just peachy”, she said and snuggled closer to him, taking comfort from his presence. She may not have loved Riley but she had had some feelings for him and his actions still managed to hurt her even if it was just a sting compared to others.

xxx

Lindsay sat on the chair in front of Lilah’s desk. “Everything is running smoothly. Angel is in Sunnydale and everything should be ready before he comes back”, he said and smiled smugly.

“Not should be, or I will have your head”, said Lilah and send a cold glare his way.

“There isn’t going to be any complications, Lilah. Just relax.”

“I’m not going to relax before it is done”, she said and send a fake sweet smile at his way.

“Nothing is going to go wrong this time”, he assured and flashed his charming smile.

Chapter Thirteen

It had been nearly a week since Buffy had seen Angel. She had talked to him on the phone every night but it only made her more anxious to see him. Everything with Wolfram and Hart had been quiet and that made them both worried.

The bus didn’t move fast enough for her and she was counting the minutes till she would be in LA. Finally the bus stopped and Buffy was out the door immediately when it opened. She quickly looked around and smiled a blinding smile when she saw Angel leaning against a wall, seemingly calm and collected. She walked to him and stopped right in front of him. Slyly she looked at him through her eyelashes and greeted: “Hey stranger.”

“Hey yourself”, was the gruff response.

He leaned closer and kissed her slowly and sweetly. When he pulled back, she smiled at him her eyes twinkling in joy and whispered: “That was worth the wait.”

He pulled her closer and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. “Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk business.”

“Ooh... I love it when you talk business”, she laughed and earned a small smile from him.

“Be serious, sweetheart”, he chastised and she just rolled her eyes.

“Do I have to?”

“Yes, I found a nest and I believe they are the ones behind the disappearances of those high school students.”

“Okay, business before pleasure. But I demand some serious smooching for this”, she threatened, trying to keep a straight face.

“It will be my pleasure”, he whispered and lead the way.

xxx

Buffy and Angel went to the cemetery and soon found the nest. It didn’t take them long to dust the group of vampires even though they were outnumbered. Buffy wiped off the dust from her clothes but suddenly she stopped when she heard some kind of chanting. “Angel, what is that?” she asked and turned to him. He looked just as puzzled as she and shrugged.

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”

They looked around themselves but there was no one. The chanting got louder and Buffy started to feel light headed. She swayed on her feet on pressed her palms to her forehead, trying to get her head back together.

“Buffy?”

“I don’t feel so good”, she whispered right before her legs gave out and she started to fall to the ground. Angel was there in a flash and caught her before she hit the ground. But the touch of his cool skin seemed to burn her and the heat traveled through her body. She pulled in a sharp breath and took a step back. She steadied herself against a tombstone and looked at him feeling a stir of panic. The chanting suddenly stopped.

A heat ran through her body as she looked at Angel with hooded eyes. “Angel, what is happening?” she asked and took a step closer to him. He did the same and lifted his hand to trace his finger along her cheek, not touching.

“Something has happened, I can feel you in every fiber of my body, more than usual. I feel powerless, to stop...”, he said and leaned into a kiss. Buffy kissed him back and soon the simple kiss was full of passion and want. He pulled her closer and forced her to take steps back till her back hit a tombstone. He abandoned her lips and traced his lips down her neck, sucking his mark. She groaned and grabbed a handful of his hair, flexing her fingers and fisting them again.

“Angel, we have to stop”, she said feeling out of breathe, feeling only him and his body.

“I know. But I can’t stop”, he said and pressed his lips to hers.

But they somehow managed to take control, they pulled away from each other and tried to stay out of reach. They looked at each other, both feeling the passion rise within and the power it held. “We need to talk to Wesley”, he said.

“Yes”, Buffy agreed breathing hard, the long kiss had left her breathless.

“Let’s go back to the car.”

They started walking but soon she grabbed him, pushing him against a mausoleum and attacking his lips. They were grinding against each other and the kisses kept getting more passionate. Her hands trailed down his stomach to the front of his pants and she grabbed his cock through the fabric, rubbing her palm against the hard member. He moaned and grabbed her ass, grinding himself more firmly into her. Again the kiss was long and passionate but they managed to pull away.

“You take the car, I walk. We can’t be in a car like this”, Buffy reasoned but Angel shook his head, he didn’t like it.

“No, I can’t just leave you here”, he tried to protest but she lifted her hand in the air, stopping him from continuing.

“I can take care of myself. We’ll meet back at the office”, she said and took off running. For a while Angel struggled to go after her but finally decided it was more wise to let her go alone.

xxx

Lindsay smiled like a wolf, very pleased with himself. He gave the dark blue skinned man a briefcase and shook his hand. “It is done”, he said and his smile only widened.

xxx

Buffy arrived some time after Angel, the cemetery hadn’t really been that far and she had run the whole trip. Angel already had given Wesley the short version of what had happened. They all were in the so called research mode, trying to find anything to work with since they didn’t have much information to go with.

Buffy lifted her gaze from the book she had been trying to read and licked her lips while watching Angel read. Her hand slowly disappeared under the table and crept to his thigh. Angel's eyes closed involuntarily and he tried to suppress a groan from escaping. Her fingers were making lazy circles on his thigh and they were dangerously closing his crotch. Angel was about to make his move when Cordelia stepped forward looking as intimidating as she could.

“That’s it, hands off. Buffy, you sit on the other side of the table”, she commanded and Buffy did as she was told but she didn’t like it. Her lip pushed into a pout and she was gloomy like a child that was grounded.

She tried to concentrate on the reading but it was no good. Again she raised her eyes and saw Angel looking at her with heated gaze. She gave him a seductive smile and reached her hand to him. When they were about to touch, Cordelia stepped between again. “Get a grip you two. Sit on your hands or something!” They both glared at her but she didn’t seem bothered.

Again they tried reading but it didn’t come as a surprise that the attempt was no good. Buffy let a shoe fall off her foot and slowly she started to run the sole of her foot up along his leg. He took a sharp breath. He kept looking at her with heavy lidded eyes that promised things that they shouldn’t be doing. Slowly she let her foot glide up and then little down his leg but slowly making it’s way towards the goal.

“I’ve had it! Buffy is coming home with me and you keep an eye on him!” Cordelia commanded Wesley and pulled Buffy out of the chair.

“But I don’t want to”, Buffy tried like a little child to her mother but it was in vain.

xxx

Cordelia locked Buffy into her bedroom. She knew that the door wouldn’t hold her and she really couldn’t stop her but she trusted that she wouldn’t hurt a friend. Or at least she really hoped so. Her only regret was that she herself had to sleep on the couch. “Are you all calmed down?” she asked through the door.

“Yes. I think I should try to sleep. Maybe this will be over tomorrow”, came Buffy’s defeated voice.

“Okay, let’s just hope so”, Cordelia answered and settled on the couch. She put on a her latest chick flick, fighting demons and trying to get a career going really didn’t leave much time for watching movies. She had to stay awake in case Buffy tried to make a run for it.

But what she didn’t know was that Buffy had opened the window and was climbing out of the it. She looked down, she really didn’t want to fall since with bad luck she would sprain her ankle or something of the sort. She took a calming breath and started descending down. When her feet touched the solid ground, she sprinted into run, she had to find Angel, she needed him and that was the only thought in her mind.

xxx

Buffy crept into Angel’s apartment. She had passed sleeping Wesley on her way and from the now even more powerful tingling in her body, she could feel that Angel was near.

She stepped into his bedroom and seeing him laying on the bed made her mouth water. “Angel”, she whispered and he looked up, he didn’t look surprised because he had felt her presence even more powerfully than ever before.

“Buffy.” He leaped to his feet and in seconds he was standing right in front of her.

“I know I shouldn’t have come”, she said and looked up, into his eyes. “But I couldn’t stay away. I was pulled here, I can’t resist anymore”, she whispered and a tear rolled down her cheek. He caught the tear with his thumb and gently cupped her cheek.

“I know the feeling. Everything I ever felt before, I can feel it so many times greater, I can’t resist it. Every second I’m not touching you, I feel like I’m going to die.”

“We can’t do this. I should leave”, she said shaking her head but she couldn’t move.

“Yes, you should”, he agreed and slowly leaned closer to her, pressing his lips to hers. The kiss started slowly, gently and lovingly but soon it was full of passion and longing. He grabbed her tighter, bringing her closer to his body and crushed his lips to her. She tightened her grip on the back of his neck and wrapped her other leg around his. The kiss was more fiery every moment and they were moving on their lust and love for each other.

Angel let go of her lips, letting her breathe. He attacked her neck, licking, kissing and nipping at it, making her tremble with want. “Angel”, she breathed out but was silenced by his lips. Their hands were roaming everywhere and he pulled her into the air, instinctively she wrapped her legs around his waist. She didn’t even take notice they were moving till she was gently laid on the bed.

He crawled on top of her, shedding his clothes while kissing her neck. His shirt wasn't coming off quick enough and she ripped it off his body. Once the smooth skin was in sight, she leaned up kissing his chest while she was trying to open his trousers. The buttons wouldn't open fast enough so she ripped the material open and pushed them down his legs. Angel pulled her face up and started kissing her lips while his hands wandered down her body. He pulled her pants down along with her panties and teased her outer lips with his fingers before dipping into her wet channel. They both groaned at the feeling.

“I want you inside me”, she said with a husky voice full of lust. Angel pulled his finger out of her body despite her protest and pushed inside her with one deep thrust. They both moaned in unison and her back arched off the bed. He ripped her shirt open and started kissing her bare breasts while slowly thrusting inside her. She lifted her hips for a deeper contact and grabbed him by his ass to pull him closer.

She framed his face with her hands and they stared into each others eyes. “I love you”, she whispered tracing his lips with her finger.

“I love you too, Buffy”, he answered before pressing a soft kiss to her fingertip. But the gentle moment was over and the passion filled their minds once again. His thrusts kept getting harder and faster but she was with him all the way not missing a beat. They could feel the climax nearing. Buffy grabbed his head and turned him to look at her.

“Drink”, she commanded breathily and pulled his face closer to her neck.

“Buffy...”, he tried to protest with the last shred of control he still had.

She silenced his protest with a passionate kiss and she stared into his eyes while repeating: “I want you to drink.”

His eyes flashed yellow and the last piece of resistant was gone. She pulled him against her neck and his face shifted to his demon visage. Slowly his fangs sank into her skin and the powerful blood rushed into his mouth. She raked her fingernails across his back and arched off the bed when the heat rushed through her body. She screamed his name and climaxed like not once before.

He pulled away from her neck and groaned her name before releasing his seed inside her channel, coating her walls with his cum. He kept his face against her shoulder breathing hard the air he didn't need. She let out a satisfied moan and pulled him closer against her body encouraging him to let his full weight on her which he was trying to keep off of her small frame. Regretfully he slipped from inside her despite her groan of protest.

He pressed his head against her chest settling against her body and pulling her closer to his. She stroked his hair and for once she felt at peace. She turned to look at him after a long moment had passed and she smiled at him. He returned her smile and crawled up her body pulling her into a slow and gentle but still passionate kiss. His other hand played with her long locks while the other trailed down her side to her thighs.

The second time they made love was not rushed but full of love and gentle caresses. The first time had satisfied the urgent need so on the second they had the patience and time to take it slow without hesitation.

xxx

Buffy groaned as she opened her eyes. As she discovered it had been a false move, she closed them again. Her head was pounding and it wasn’t just her head, her every muscle was sore. Slowly she opened her eyes again only to be staring into the dark eyes of Angel. But these eyes were different, they weren’t loving, caring and soulful, these were almost black, cold and always alert eyes, it was...

“Good morning, lover”, he said with a wide smirk on his lips.

Buffy stared at him with wide eyes, fear consuming her. “Angelus.”

Chapter Fourteen

Buffy was paralyzed, she just stared into his cold eyes that showed cruel humor for the situation. “What? No kiss for good morning? It’s been such a long time since our last meeting. Did you miss me as much as I missed you?” he asked and smiled a wolfish smile. He lifted his hand to her face and slowly traced her cheek with his long fingers. She shivered but she couldn’t move away. It only made him smile more widely, victoriously. “Let me tell you, miss Summers, you look ravishing”, he said and let his hand wander down her side while leaning into a hungry kiss but he was stopped by a fist colliding to his eye. He fell back and Buffy jumped up from the bed. She took off running towards the door but was tackled to the floor by Angelus. She fell hard with a loud thump and turned around to kick him off. She tried kicking and hitting him off of her but he only ducked the hits coming his way, smiling in amusement. He let out a gleeful giggle and pinned her to the floor.

“I like it when you fight, you never were one to take it lying down. But that's okay, I like my woman to have some spirit in her”, he chuckled.

“Don’t touch me! Let me go, Angelus!” she screamed and tried to free herself from his strong grip.

“Not gonna happen, Buff”, he laughed. “Why are you trying to escape from me, it’s not gonna do any good, I will find you anyway, you can’t run from me. Besides, you’re not going very far in that outfit”, he continued looking hungrily down her naked body, his eyes taking her in inch by inch and in any other situation it would have made her blush, even with her clothes on.

“You won’t go far either, it’s daylight. I will not let you run freely”, she spat at him and tried to kick him between the crotch but he caught her leg.

“That wasn’t nice, lover.” He wrapped her leg around his hip and pressed his hardness against her core. He leaned closer to her face, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her lips before he licked her ear, her eyes closing involuntarily, and he whispered: “I’m not gonna kill you, lover. You’re too much fun alive. I see the bigger horizon these days.”

“Please”, she whispered still trying to get free but her attempt wasn’t as forced as before.

“I love it when you beg.”

“Angelus”, Buffy whispered and looked at him like she was about to continue. He looked at her expectantly, the grin never fading. Suddenly she managed to free her other hand and hit him with every strength she had and he fell to against her unconscious. “Good night lover”, she said and slowly shifted from under him and got up from the floor.

She found her shirt and pants on the floor but both of them were too torn to wear again. She went to Angel's closet and took out his shirt and boxers putting them on him. Quickly she searched the apartment and found a pair of manacles from bottom of a closet. She returned to him with them and some clothes, she didn’t like the idea of Cordelia seeing him naked if she happened to show up. It wasn’t a time for jealousy, she knew that but she couldn’t help it.

After getting his clothes on, a task that wasn't easy since he was dead weight on the floor, she dragged him to the bedroom and chained him to the bedpost. She knew it would hold him only for so long but it gave her enough time to find an alternative solution. With a quick glance at his unconscious form, she left hurrying to find some answers.

xxx

When Buffy hadn’t answered to her after Cordelia had been yelling at her for ten minutes, she knew the slayer in question had sneaked out and she had a pretty good idea where she had headed. As quickly as she could, she got to the office but there was nothing wrong with the picture, only Wesley sleeping on the pile of books. She looked at him feeling irritated, she hadn’t slept the whole night. Maybe she had nod off couple of times but that was it. So it was totally unfair for him to get some sleep while she hadn't.

She huffed and went straight into Angel’s apartment. With careful steps she walked further in and looked around her finally entering the bedroom. Her eyes widened when she saw him chained to the bed post. “Has she completely lost her mind?!” she huffed and moved closer, starting to get the chains off. But then the thought hit her and she stopped her movements.

He looked at her expectantly and she just returned the look with irritation, placing her hands on her hips. “Maybe I should let you stay right there, that would keep your hands off of each other”, she said tapping her foot to the floor.

“Yes, maybe you’re right. But I can’t help it, something happened to us”, he said and looked at Cordelia innocently.

“Well, since it was Buffy who chained you, it wouldn’t be all that safe either. She could have her way with you this way”, she said and he seemed embarrassed.

“Cordelia”, he childed.

“I’m going to lock her into room that has no windows”, she said under her breathe while opening the locks from the manacles.

“I had the very same idea”, Angelus said and punched Cordelia so hard that she was unconscious the moment his fist connected with her face. She fell to the floor in a heap and he chuckled in his usual almost giggling way. Shaking his head and whistling a happy tune, he left the apartment.

xxx

Buffy walked into the office with some new chains, the shop owner had looked at her long and hard when she told him what she wanted. She was about to step to the elevator when someone grabbed her from behind and slammed her face first against the wall. The hit left her dizzy for a second but soon she recovered. “Angelus”, she spat but he just chuckled, leaning closer to her ear.

“I never knew you had such a kinky side. If I’d known, we could have tried the chains back in the good ole Sunnydale”, he whispered seductively and pressed his already hard cock against her ass. Her body reacted to it immediately and she hated it for being so easily manipulated.

“Well, you were too busy trying to kill me and my friends.”

“You have nothing to worry about, like I said before, I’m not gonna kill you. I have a whole new plan on life and for you too, lover”, he said to her ear and licked her earlobe. His other hand traveling down her body, taking its time at every curve and finally disappearing between her legs. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get herself together and threw him off of her. She went into a fighting stance ready to take what ever punches he was going to pull.

“Don’t touch me”, she said vehemently, she hadn’t forgotten a single moment of those months when he had been loose.

“Come on, Buff, don’t be like that.”

She attacked, throwing fierce punches at him but he blocked them and managed to get a hold of her arms. He threw her back against the wall and planted a rough but passionate kiss to her lips. Without even noticing, she responded to it. His hands traveled down her sides and disappeared under her shirt massaging her round breasts under the fabric. She whimpered as she felt his hardness pressing against her weeping opening. 

Angelus pulled away, smiling a victorious smile and disappeared into the sewers that the office had a access to. Buffy closed her eyes and tried to collect her thoughts, this couldn’t be happening. What was she going to do?

xxx

Angelus sat in a demon bar, he had wanted a drink and not one of blood. When Lilah sat on his table, he wasn’t pleased, like the soul boy, he didn’t like the lawyer either. “I know you have a big hard on for the apocalypse but do you have a death wish too?” he asked without even looking at her. He just raised the glass to his lips and took a good gulp of the Irish whiskey.

“We want you to work with us”, Lilah said in a very business like manner.

“And why would I do that?” he asked already bored, he knew where it was going.

“Because you want the world to end, and you can make it happen with our help. Also it was because of us that you are free again.”

“No, it was because Buffy is the only one that can make the big happy for the soul boy.”

“Why do you think the slayer suddenly put out? It wasn’t his usual broody charm, it was magic.”

Angelus looked at her even more bored and faked a yawn. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Come on, Angelus. We want the same thing”, she taunted him.

“I never was one for team sports, my answer is no. I have my own goals and I don’t like to share”, he said and gave her a glare that told her to leave when she still could. Wisely she did leave the table, leaving Angelus sipping his whiskey and smiling wolfishly at the thoughts that were running in his head.

xxx

Buffy sat on a bar nursing a drink. She had found Cordelia knocked unconscious on the floor and Wesley the same way. When they had woken up, both had been extremely pissed, but they knew it had been from the spell but still they had a big problem, Angelus. Her ears were still ringing from the lecture Cordelia had given her.

Buffy looked for him but there was no trace of him. That’s how she ended up in the bar that seemed to be full of demons doing karaoke, she thought there was nothing that could surprise her anymore but then she saw what the host was wearing. She was feeling gloomy and sipping at her drink, that happened to be whiskey because it reminded her of Angel, not because she liked it, she never was much of a drinker, it always ended badly for her.

“What’s a pretty girl like you drinking whiskey all by her lonesome”, came a sweet voice from behind her. She turned to look at the man, who she noted was a very good looking guy, and she sent a glare at his way.

“I’m not on the mood for sweet talk”, she said and turned back to her drink. Lindsey smiled and sat next to her. He looked at her up and down, appreciating the view, her clothing was sexy since she had to borrow clothes from Cordelia. “Keep your tongue in your mouth, I happen to have a very jealous boyfriend and he doesn’t like to share with the other kids”, Buffy said without even looking at him, sure he was good looking but he was starting to annoy her, and not in the good way like Angel had back in the day.

“Lady should never drink alone.”

“Well, I’m not here for the company. Leave me alone before I stake your ass”, she threatened.

“I’m not a vampire”, he said smiling.

“I know”, she stated and gave him a look that told him to leave.

Lindsey sighed in defeat, it wasn’t many times that he had been turned down. He left but didn’t get far when he was grabbed on the street and tossed against the wall. He was faced with a vamped out and growling face of Angel. But this wasn’t Angel, it was Angelus and he had a crazy jealous gleam in his eyes.

“You are playing with fire, Linds”, he growled and tightened his hold on his neck. He was gasping for air and slowly starting to panic, this wasn’t what he had been planning. “She is mine. You stay away from her. If I find out that you have even looked at her, even fantasized about her, I will find you and you will wish I had killed you right now”, he ground out spitting every word out and it left no question in his mind that he would do it. Angelus let him go and stalked into the darkness, leaving Lindsay gasping for air on the ground and wondering why he was still alive.

Chapter Fifteen

Buffy knew the Scooby gang was going to lynch her but she had no other choice, no matter how much she dreaded it, she had to call Willow. So she called her and it didn’t come as a surprise when she was shocked and upset that Angelus was free again. But because she didn’t want Angelus free either, she promised to come to LA.

Buffy returned to Angel’s apartment, she had been patrolling but there was no sign of Angelus. She sighed deep and fell to the bed. She could still smell Angel's scent on the sheets and it brought tears to her eyes. This was torture but at least now she knew his soul could be returned to him. She wiped her eyes to the back of her hand and pressed her face into the pillow. She needed her friend, someone to talk to, she missed what she used to have with Willow even if she could never understand what it was like for her.

“I always loved to see you crying”, she heard Angelus’ voice from behind. Her eyes snapped open and she jumped off the bed but was grabbed by him and pinned back to the bed. She struggled but it was no good.

“Let go of me!” she screamed but was silenced by his lips to hers. It threw her so much that she seized her struggling shocked by his action. The kiss was passionate but not brutal like what she had used to from him.

But soon she knew the reason, she heard a click and her eyes snapped open. She was tied to the wall with manacles. When she returned to the room, she hadn’t looked around her enough to see the new addition to the room, an iron ring for the chain. She kicked him off of her and tried to yank the chain off but the ring wouldn’t move.

“I like you like this”, he said and glided his finger along her side from her leg to her neck. He tried to touch her face but she pulled away glaring at him. “Come on, lover. You know you want it. No matter how you resist it, you can’t control it. You want the bad boy, miss Summers, you want the darkness”, he whispered to her ear and pressed a small kiss to her neck, grabbing hold of her chin so she wouldn’t pull away. She shivered as his tongue traced the scar.

“I would never want you, Angelus.”

“Keep telling that to yourself, lover. I have been waiting for this chance for years now. I know I handled the last time all wrong”, he said and Buffy turned to look at him like he had lost his mind, or what was left of it. “Don’t look at me like that, lover. It took me nearly three years being trapped in soul boy to admit that I want you and that I love you.”  he said the last part like it tasted foul on his lips.

“Now I know you’re crazy. You’re a demon, Angelus, you can’t love. You don’t have a soul!” she spat at him and again tried to yank the chains off with no luck.

“You don’t need soul to love, and I'm not talking about the hearts and kisses soul boy feels for you. Spike loves and that makes him weak. I am not going to be weak. That is why I wanted to destroy you and the world, after spending so many decades with soul boy, I didn’t want to be tainted by that ugly feeling. But as I said before, I have a whole new plan. I’m going to make you my dark queen”, he said and traced her face with his finger.

“You’re crazy. I hate you!” she screamed and tried to kick him but missed. Angelus’ face darkened and he hit her hard, splitting her lip. She spit off blood and glared at him.

“I’m not gonna kill you, I already promised that. But I never said anything about hurting you. You can say anything but I know you, you may hate me but you also love me. I’m part of your precious soul boy and you need the darkness that I give you”, he said very calmly taking her chin between his fingers, keeping her face in place.

“You are delusional”, she spat at him feeling very defensive. She knew she had feelings towards him, how could she not since he was part of Angel but still he was a soulless beast that had done nothing but hurt her.

“Let her go!” yelled Cordelia from the door holding a stake and cross in her hand. Wesley was standing behind her holding a shot gun. Angel laughed his voice full of humor.

“I don’t think so. You don’t have anything better to offer. Do you really think you can stop me?” he chuckled shaking his head. After he was done with Buffy, he was going to handle them, he was looking forward torturing them till they begged for death.

“I can”, came another voice and Faith stepped into view.

“I’m terrified already”, he giggled.

“Let her go”, she commanded.

“Not gonna happen.”

“Fine by me”, Faith answered and attacked him. She threw punches at him but he blocked them easily.

Wesley ran further in to the room and was about to swung an axe to cut the chains but Angelus grabbed the axe, knocking him down. “Wesley!” Cordelia screamed and rushed to him. Angelus laughed and swung the axe, almost cutting Faith who managed to dodge on the last moment.

“Come on, you’re a slayer Faith, you can do better than this. Yet another thing where you’re coming second to Buff”, he taunted and he could see her face darken, no matter how she tried to change her life, competing with Buffy was still there. Faith grabbed the axe and quickly cut the chain with it.

In a flash Buffy was off the bed and she wrapped the loose chains around him, pulling him to the floor. She sat on top of him and punched him hard, tears running down her face. But his smile didn’t disappear and that only pissed her off more. “I knew you would like to be on top”, he laughed and she punched him again, not stopping.

“Take it easy, B”, Faith said and pulled Buffy off of him, he was already bloody. She tied him into the chains that Buffy had bought earlier and tied them into the ring. Faith took Buffy’s hand into hers and lead her to upstairs where she collapsed in her arms.

It took a long while for the tears to stop and her to get herself together. “How did you know?” she asked with a weak voice, she was still feeling very emotional.

“Willow called me. I happened to be on the neighborhood. She’s on her way here. How did this happen? What happened to the look but don’t touch thing you two had going on” she answered and Buffy closed her eyes sighing.

“It was some sort of spell, we lost control”, she said and buried her face into her hands. Faith looked at her sister slayer for a while, she hadn’t been there when Angelus was around last time and she couldn’t even imagine what it had been like for her.

“It’s gonna be okay, Willow will do the curse again”, she comforted and pulled her into her arms.

“I know. He’s going to have his soul back and brood from the things that Angelus did. But things have changed, I know now that they can’t go back to the way they were, someone wanted Angelus free and I couldn’t control myself, I made it happen, again”, she whispered miserably and buried her face into her shoulder but not letting herself cry.

“It’s gonna be okay”, Faith said and Buffy looked up at her.

“Is it?”

“Of course it is”, came Willow’s voice from the door.

xxx

Willow started the spell while Buffy sneaked into Angel’s apartment. She stood on the door, looking at Angelus who was just sitting there with bored expression on his face. “You can still pack a punch, Buff”, he said without looking at her. He licked his healing lips and slowly turned his gaze to her. He still looked very much like a predator even if he was tied and could barely move.

“Angel is coming back”, Buffy said like she was talking about the weather.

“Then why are you here? You’re getting soul boy back, so why are you here?” he asked, a smirk rising to his face, he already knew the answer.

“You won’t get out again. If I’m the key to your release, there will be no other chance”, she said with a low voice looking at him from under her brows.

“You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you, Buff?” he asked feeling a little worried but keeping the sarcastic tone in his voice. Buffy smiled at him ruefully and that made him even more worried.

“There will be no strike three”, she said and walked to the bed. He looked hard at her trying to find answers but there was nothing showing on her face.

“What? No kiss goodbye?” he asked smirking.

“The last one you’ll get”, she said and leaned closer. She pressed a slow kiss to his lips and was ready when he tried to grab her. She jumped back before he reached her. “Goodbye Angelus.”

That was when he screamed from pain and a flash of light passed his eyes. Tears sprang to her eyes as she watched him. He looked so confused, just like when it had happened the last time. Quickly she wiped her tears away and went to him.

“Angel”, she whispered and he turned to look at her.

“Buffy”, he whispered with a gruff voice. A small smile of relief rose to her lips and she cupped his cheek, planting a soft kiss to his lips.

Chapter Sixteen

Angel sat on the dark room. All the memories of what Angelus had done had come back in one big flash. He couldn’t even look at Buffy properly without feeling the misery of knowing that he had hurt her. One of his greatest fears had come to pass and Angelus had been free. And now he didn’t want to destroy the world, he wanted to make Buffy his, forever. That thought scared Angel even more than anything, that Angelus would turn Buffy, make her a soulless demon. She would be invincible, stronger than any vampire before and probably more cruel. Slayer had never been turned before but Angelus always wanted to do things that no one else had the guts to do, like waking Acathla or siring a slayer that was becoming the strongest slayer that ever lived. The thought of her as a vampire made him cold and terrified, he knew he couldn’t kill her and now he knew how she felt when he was first turned into Angelus years back.

He closed his eyes trying to get away from his thoughts but it was no good. He felt the warmness spread through him and he knew she was near. He lifted his gaze to look into her eyes, they showed the same sadness he was feeling.

“Hey”, she whispered with a soft voice.

“Hey”, was his only response and he lowered his head in shame, memory of hitting her flashed through his mind. Buffy looked at him, feeling like she was pulled to all sides but finally she walked to the bed and sat next to him. Gently she took his hand into hers but he wouldn’t look at her.

“Angel, it wasn’t your fault. And it wasn’t you that did those things”, she said and stroked his hand with her fingers.

“Because of me, Angelus was freed”, he said and turned to look at Buffy with misery written all over his eyes.

“I was there too, remember. Who would have thought that after all these years it would still happen.”

“Buffy, you are always going to be my perfect happiness”, he said and cupped her cheek with his large hand. “And that is why we can never be together”, he said with a low voice that was filled with pain. Buffy closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek.

“I know”, she whispered, the same pain showed in her voice. She opened her eyes and looked at him, memorizing every line on his face. “What he said to me... He was right”, she started and took short breathes, trying to keep herself from crying. “I do feel something for him, not just the hate. I hate him and I love him”, she continued and he looked away. She grabbed his chin and turned him to face her. “He isn’t you, he’s a soulless demon. But he still is a part of you, he can hurt me as badly as he can, but still I can’t kill him because he is in you. He can try to kill me but it doesn’t change it.”

“Buffy. He wasn’t going to kill you this time. He was going to turn you, make you his forever”, Angel whispered and Buffy’s eyes widened in horror, being turned into a vampire was still one of her greatest fears. “Even back in Sunnydale, he loved you and that’s why he wanted to kill you. But now, he wanted to make you his, make you as bad as he is. The first time he wasn’t going to turn you because you would have been so much stronger than any other vampire, even him. But now he embraced it, he always had a thing for strong minded women”, he said and continued in his mind: ‘and breaking them’.

“I love you, Angel. But I know now that we can’t be together because there is too many forces against us. I can’t handle bringing him back for the third time. And we don’t know what would happen, if he turned me, it would be worse than anything I can imagine”, she whispered and looked at him with teary eyes.

“I know. I love you more than life itself and it kills me inside that we can’t be together”, he said and pulled her closer. She closed her eyes, pressing her face to the crook of his neck.

“I’ll be in Sunnydale and you will stay here. But we’ll keep in touch, phones have been invented you know”, she said without lifting her head. Her tears were soaking his shirt.

“I know, I was around then. This is not a goodbye.” He kissed the top of her head and let a tear fall from his eye.

xxx

Buffy and Angel went to the others, the feeling was very uncomfortable. “Hey Angel”, Willow said with a bright smile and Angel just nodded, saying a court 'Willow' back to her.

“Can I hitch a ride with you, Willow?” Buffy asked feeling more depressed than ever before, even worse than when Angel left Sunnydale, then she didn’t know about the day that wasn’t because it hadn’t happened yet. Now it was even more hard to let him go.

“Of course you can, Buffy”, Willow said feeling very excited, she could talk to her in private on the way back to Sunnydale.

“Save some room in the backseat cause I’m going to tag along, Sabrina”, Faith said and Willow frowned. She didn’t like it but she nodded anyway.

Cordelia crossed her arms and looked at Buffy with narrow eyes. “So you’re leaving?” she asked tapping her foot to the floor.

“Yes. It’s for the best”, Buffy answered and shifted her gaze away.

“Well, it’s not gonna do any good. You tried that, it didn’t work. I don’t want Angelus visiting again but he can be brought back other ways than just the big happy”, Cordelia said and sighed deep when neither of the lovers changed their minds. “Fine, be pigheaded. But if you won’t send me e-mail on regular basis, I will come after you! And it won’t be pretty”, she threatened and shook her finger in the air.

“Of course I will”, Buffy promised and flashed a brief smile. She then turned to Wesley and shook his hand. “It was nice to see you again. You’ve grown up since Sunnydale.”

“It was my pleasure”, he answered and a awkward silence fell to the room.

Buffy and Angel looked at each other with longing and Cordelia took it as her cue. She grabbed Wesley and started to pull him out of the room. “Come on, I have something to ask you about filing”, she said dragging him out.

Faith also grabbed Willows arm and said: “We’ll wait in the car.” After Willow and Faith had left the room, they looked at each other, with great longing.

“This isn’t a goodbye”, Buffy whispered and walked to him. He nodded and took hold of her hand, threading his fingers with hers. A tear rolled down her cheek and he wiped it off with his finger. “I love you, Angel”, she whispered with a barely audible voice.

“I love you too”, he said back and bent down into a gentle kiss. It was full of love, longing and bittersweet farewell.

Chapter Seventeen

For two days Buffy didn’t leave her apartment, she was too depressed to even move. Faith was looking after her making sure that she wouldn’t kill herself in cookie dough fudge mint ice cream. But the day came when she had to confront the gang but she didn’t have enough energy in her to care.  For the second time she had just lost the only person she would ever truly love. Scoobies really didn’t look scary compared to that.

xxx

Buffy went to Giles’ apartment where she had been summoned. The uncomfortable silence didn’t last long. “I cannot believe that you would be stupid enough to give in to your... carnal desires on the danger of setting Angelus free. So please, do tell us how did it happen?”Giles said barely keeping his British cool.

“It was a spell made by an evil law firm that has a big yen for the apocalypse. The spell made us lose control”, she explained feeling a little ashamed but she hid it with a remark: “Who would have guessed lawyers to be evil.”

Willow was the only one to give her a small smile, Giles and Xander just glared at her. “I’m not gonna say I told you so. But... I told you so”, Xander said feeling very pleased with himself, he had been right.

“Xander, shut up”, Willow said with no hostility in her voice, it was more like a request. She was pissed at Buffy for letting Angelus loose but she also understood that she must be hurting more than ever now that she had come face to face with the fact that she could never be with Angel.

“No, Willow. For once I’m gonna say what I want about Angel. Buffy wanted to be with him without caring about anyone else. We all knew what was going to happen but she didn’t care about anyone but herself. And soon she gave him the big happy!”

“You are such a hypocrite, Xander”, Buffy said with a low voice, she had kept quiet but now she had had it. Everyone turned to look at her in surprise.

“What?!” Xander yelled in shock.

“You are a hypocrite, Xander. You preach how Angel is a demon and doesn’t deserve anything good because he has killed people. But you are dating Anya, who is an ex demon that has killed countless of men during the hundreds of years she has existed. And she would still kill if she would get her powers back”, she said and crossed her arms in front of her, she wasn’t going to back down this time.

“No she wouldn’t!” Xander defended at the same time as Anya confirmed: “Yes, I would.” Xander spun around to look at her. “If I got my powers back, it would be bound to happen”, she continued like it was no big deal and to her it wasn’t.

“She isn’t serious”, Xander explained to the others but Anya just looked at him like he had said something in a different language.

“Yes I am. Why would I lie?”

“Well, it’s different with Anya!” Xander said feeling defensive.

“Of course it is when it’s about you”, Buffy answered and looked at him challenging him with her eyes. “I’m sure you all are happy, I now know there is no chance for me and Angel. I will live the rest of my short life alone with a scrap of a heart because other half of it is in LA. And that’s what slayers life is, short”, she said and everyone in the room flinched. “Wake up from the dream, people. I have already lived pass my life expectancy. And without Angel my life will be a lot shorter. But hey, I don’t care about anyone except myself, isn’t that right Xander”, she said and picked up her jacket. “I’m not going to explain myself to you anymore. I have to be responsible, go to work and make the world safe to people”, she said and left the apartment.

Willow looked after her, feeling torn. “We need to do something”, she said to the others.

“Yeah. Is the therapy for slayers or something, Giles? Maybe not. But she’ll be fine, she’ll be over dead boy in no time”, Xander piped up. Giles just sighed and started cleaning his classes.

“Wake up, Xander. She’s never going to be over him, she wasn’t over him in the first place, she just let us think she was”, she said and took hold of Tara’s hand for support.

xxx

It had been a week since she returned to Sunnydale, she and Angel had had a pained conversation on the phone and she had received an e-mail from Cordelia. She was complaining about him brooding and that made her even more depressed, Cordelia could see him and she could not.

Buffy sighed deeply and pressed her face back into the pillow. She just waited for the moment that she would have to go to work and patrol. They were the two things that could keep her mind off of Angel, even if it was only for a moment. Slowly she got up from the bed, wiped away the tears and changed her clothes. Everything was bleak, she couldn’t feel anything anymore but she had to function.

There was a soft knock on the door. “It’s open”, she shouted, she never used the words come in while answering the door. Willow stepped into the apartment and looked at Buffy closely, she could tell she had been crying. Every time she saw her, her eyes were red from crying or she looked tired like she hadn't slept in days.

“How are you?” she asked uncertainly but she already knew the answer.

“Trying to stay alive”, Buffy answered and finally turned to look at Willow in the eyes. Willow could still remember the conversation she had with Buffy before the prom, for some reason the look in the blonde's eyes brought that memory to her mind.

“It will get better”, she tried but Buffy just shook her head.

“Maybe a little. But there is still a part of me missing. And no one can fill it”, she said and sat on the couch. She wouldn’t let the tears come. Willow placed her hand on Buffy's shoulder and she lifted her eyes to hers. Seeing all the misery on her friends eyes, she made the decision.

xxx

“It’s a very powerful spell, Willow”, Tara said uncertainly and looked at the script.

“I know, but I have to do it. I owe her and him too. And together we can perform this, they deserve it. And it’s my way of making things right, my redemption”, she said desperately and Tara nodded in understanding.

“Yes, I know, Willow. And they do deserve it, the way her aura shone when she was with him, it was wonderful.”

“So let’s do it”, Willow smiled and took hold of her girlfriend's hand.

xxx

Angel sat in his office, brooding and staring at a picture of Buffy that he had been drawing without even noticing it. He traced the features with his finger and closed his eyes. But suddenly he felt a warm feeling go past him, it burned him like fire. Groaning from the growing pain, he fell to the floor but tried to stay focused. He had no idea what was happening, the pain was so intense, almost like when he had lost his soul. But still not the same, this was like fire burning inside him and he couldn’t feel the soul being ripped out.

Cordelia and Wesley rushed to the room. “What happened?!” Wesley asked and knelled next to him.

“I don’t know”, Angel managed to say once the pain reduced. “I feel weird”, he added trying to get up but his legs didn’t hold and he almost fell to the floor. Wesley managed to catch him, even if it was hard to keep him from falling anyway. He and Cordelia helped him into the chair.

“Could it be something that the Wolfram and Hart did?” Wesley asked but Angel shook his head.

“I don’t think so.”

“We should do some research, this seems like magic”, he said and Cordelia sighed irritated.

“Well, I can’t. Some of us have a life, I have a date, with a man. Hopefully no headache will interrupt this time”, Cordelia said.

“But Cordelia”, Wesley started but he was interrupted by Angel.

“You should go, you deserve a break.”

“If you’re sure. Then I’m off to my hot date”, she said and walked away without waiting for confirmation that she could.

“Why don’t I ever get a night off?” Wesley asked but Angel didn’t answer.

xxx

Buffy walked home after a long night. The slaying had been good, five vamps and a demon, none of them had a chance because she was venting all the anger and sorrow into her slaying. She pushed the key into the lock and turned to look at Willow who had appeared next to her.

“Hey, I have great news”, she said without managing to keep a wide smile out of her face.

“What did you do?” Buffy asked suspiciously keeping a small grin away from her face.

“Angels soul is bound!” Willow cried out, she couldn’t wait any longer without bursting, she thought on a Hellmouth it might be even literal.

Buffy’s eyes widened in surprise and she choked out: “What?!”

“Tara and I did a spell. You and Angel can be together without being afraid of him going grrr. You two deserve it. I have been a bad friend and this is my way of redemption.”

A wide bright smile lit on Buffy’s face and she pulled Willow into a tight hug. “I love you, Willow”, she said with a teary voice and then it hit her. “I need to get to LA”, she said anxiously. She looked around her, feeling her pockets for keys and wallet.

“Go!” Willow encouraged her and Buffy started to leave. “Oh Buffy, wait! How are you going to get there, it’s middle of the night?” Willow yelled after her.

Buffy turned smirking and answered: “I know someone who can drive me.” And with that she ran out leaving Willow smiling brightly on the hallway.

xxx

“Oh bloody slayer, I don’t know how you talked me into doing this”, Spike growled out and pulled over the dead beat car.

“Because I threatened you with bodily harm and offered you hundred bucks”, Buffy answered and stuck two fifty dollar bills to his hand.

“Well, don’t expect me to pick you up”, he said and tucked the bill to his pocket.

“Who said I was coming back anytime soon”, she said smirking and left the car, running inside the building.

“Bloody crazy chit”, Spike said and started driving away.

Buffy stepped inside the building and her eyes landed on Angel and Wesley doing research in his office. He lifted his gaze and their eyes met. “You were supposed to call”, she said and walked into the room.

Wesley spun around looking like a deer caught in headlights. “Buffy”, he stammered.

“Hey there Wesley. I need to talk to Angel”, Buffy answered and closed the door.

Wesley didn’t seem to think it was a good idea but he got up anyway. “Yes, of course”, he said and left the room.

Buffy locked the door behind him and pulled down the blinds. “Buffy”, Angel started but Buffy silenced him by running to him, jumping into his arms and pulling him into a passionate kiss.

When the kiss broke, Angel looked at her confused. “Buffy?”

“Your soul is bound. Willow and Tara did a spell”, she answered and pulled him into another kiss. Angel sat her down to the edge of the table and broke the kiss.

“Say that again?”

“You won’t lose your soul again, and you’re never going to get rid of me again.”

A wide smile rose the his lips after he was over the first shock and he grabbed her shoulders, pulling her into a passionate kiss. “I never want to get rid of you”, he said and kissed her again pulling her as close to his body as it was physically possible.

The kiss turned more passionate by the second and he lifted her back to the desk, quickly sweeping the items to the floor. With quick frantic moves they tore their clothes off and she grabbed his already rock hard cock. She stroked him firmly while his finger plunged into her wet heat. But neither of them had any patience left and he pulled her fingers out of her before slamming her against the hard surface of the desk and thrusting deep into her wet heat. They both moaned loudly and she grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him into a ravaging kiss while he started to move inside her. She arched her back off the table and wrapped her leg around his trying to pull him closer. Her nails raked the skin on his back and gently bit down to his neck while squeezing her inner muscles around his cock. It was almost his undoing. He growled down his throat and sped his thrusts hitting her clit with every stroke.

They both could feel their climax nearing, her hands wandered all around his back till finally settling to his hair. She gripped him by the hair, hard and pulled him into a brutal kiss gently biting his lower lip. She pulled back and whispered huskily to his ear: “Bite me.”

He growled deep down in his chest and tried to resist the urge to do as she said but his protest was forgotten when she licked his neck before sinking her blunt teeth into his skin. He snarled, his face changing into his demon form and he pulled her head to the side and sank his teeth into her soft skin not slowing down his pace pumping inside her. The powerful blood filled his mouth and he felt her quickly reaching her first peak. She screamed his name and climaxed, her inner muscles rippling around his member and milking his release from him. He shot his seed inside her and pulled his fangs from her skin, kissing the fresh wound. He pressed his face against her shoulder, breathing in her scent and giving a soft kiss to the crook of her neck.

Buffy sighed and turned to smile at him, lifting her hand and slowly tracing the features of his face. Angel pulled a step back before picking her into his arms and sitting in his chair with her in his lap. He pulled her into a soft, languid kiss and wrapped his arms around her protectively, just cherishing the moment.

“I love you”, she murmured against his lips and pulled away from his lips, trailing kisses across his cheek before moving down to his neck.

“I love you too”, he answered, feeling himself growing hard again. She shifted in his lap, straddling him while kissing and gently nibbling at his neck, her hands moved slowly down to his lap and with her other hand she slowly stroked his cock. She abandoned his neck and claimed his lips again.

Buffy lifted herself up before impaling herself with his hard flesh and she started rocking on him, in a slow up and down motion while gyrating her hips once in a while, setting a slow rhythm. He cupped her breasts into his hands, kneading them in the same pace as her movements while his lips concentrated on her neck where the old scar was. She whispered his name as she felt his cock touch her g-spot, sending waves of pleasure through her body.

Angel bent forward, capturing her left nipple into his mouth while he played with the other with his thumb as his other hand wandered around her naked back finally settling to the back of her neck, threading his fingers in her hair. He thrust more forcefully into her causing her to whimper in pleasure, her nails digging into his shoulders before she pulled his face up into a fiery kiss. His other hand left its place on her hair and made its way between her legs and he started to rub her clit slowly building her towards the second climax.

Soon she sped her pace, wrapping her arms around his neck and moaning his name till she reached her peak, her inner walls rippling around him, squeezing till he coated her walls with his seed. She buried her face into the crook of his neck, pressing a soft kiss to his shoulder she let out a content sigh.

xxx

Angel sat in his office chair holding Buffy in his arms and slowly stroking her hair. He watched her sleep and he knew this was right. Angelus was tide down to him, he couldn’t come back. He wasn’t human but he would have his soul without fear of losing it. This time they would make it work, nothing could come between them again. Right? (smirk)

The End

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