Everyone looked at Buffy. She stood, slowly. Pulling herself up to her full height. "Well look, if it isn't big sis."
"You're weak." Nightshade said bluntly. "You know it. And when you fall, so will every one else here."
"I'm going to kill you." There was death in Buffy's eyes, and no one doubted her.
"Suit yourself." Nightshade shrugged, she raised her hand and flicked her wrist as if she was brushing a fly away. "Kill 'em."
Dozens of growls echoed through the night as the vampires surged forward. Buffy immediately went into action, kicking a vamp back, knocking another down, staking. Xander's and Willow's wooden crosses held the vampires at bay, and Giles kept the crossbow firing. Buffy backhanded a vamp with her fist, spun, staked another, kicked the feet out from under another and staked it. She didn't pause even for a second, knowing if she did, exhaustion would take over. A female vamp jumped her from behind, knocking her down. The remaining six vamps leapt on her. Angel let out a roar of rage, leapt into the pile, throwing vampires off Buffy. Two caught him from behind, and threw him into the wall, and pinned him there. Two more picked up a struggling Buffy. "Little slayer's going to die…" One of the vampires that held Buffy hummed eerily.
"Anyone moves, the slayer dies." The vamp that held Buffy around her neck crowed in triumph.
Four pairs of friendly, but scared eyes turned to Buffy. She half smiled weakly, but wickedly, letting them know she had something up her sleeve. Literally. The stake slipped down her arm and into the vamp's chest before he knew anything happened.
"Enough!" Nightshade called. "You." She pointed to a vampire who was standing, doing nothing. "If any of her little friends interfere, it's your fate." She turned towards Buffy, gesturing gracefully. "Shall we?"
"Why not- I'm not busy." Buffy lunged at her, swung, her fist connected. Nightshade brought both fists hard up Buffy's face. She jumped back, kicking the vamps' legs out from underneath her. Nightshade caught hold of Buffy, bringing her down with her. Between kicks and punches, both scrambled to their feet. Buffy stepped back and touched her face, seeing blood on her hand. Her strength was failing, she would lose…Nightshade hit her hard, and knocked Buffy down. She hit her head, blacking out for a second. When she opened her eyes, Nightshade had her by the throat.
"You lose sweat heart." She hissed. Buffy didn't even have the strength left to fight. She swallowed a scream of pain, letting out the smallest of whimpers as Nightshade's teeth sunk into her neck.
"NO!" Angel's voice echoed through the alley. He broke the hold of one vampire, breaking its arm. He threw the other one against the wall, and it fell with a sickening thud. Angel threw himself at Nightshade, tearing her away from Buffy. Buffy felt pain sear through her as Nightshade's fangs were ripped from her throat. She fell, but managed to pull herself up and turn just in time to see Nightshade thrust a stake into Angel…missing his heart by inches.
Buffy was blinded temporarily as rage tore through her body. All previous weakness dissolved in her anger. She felt as if every nerve was on fire with her anger. She attacked Nightshade with a vengeance. Not giving her a chance to strike back. She back-punched her, kicked her, and punched her again. Then kicked, spun, and her fist connected with the vamp's face. Nightshade started to retreat, then paused. Her eyes glowing wickedly she hissed, "This isn't over. It won't be over until you are one of us!"
Buffy watched her retreat, aware of that her friends' eyes followed her every move. Angel stood, and moved forward to embrace her. When she backed away he asked, "Are you okay?"
She looked at him, cold shock in her eyes. "How can you be like this?" She shuddered, feeling as if she would lose control, and knowing it wouldn't take much to break the emotional barriers she'd built.
"What do you mean?" Angel took a step towards her.
Buffy forgot about her friends standing around them. She backed away a step, shaking her head. She felt all her emotions start to boil. The ones she had kept in check for so long, the tears she had forbidden to fall threatening her again. "How can you forgive me! It's all my fault." Her eyes filled with tears and she backed up against the wall. "It was ME! I made you lose your soul, then I sent you to hell…" She slid down the wall, crying hysterically. "Stop it!" She screamed at herself. "Stop crying…"
Then Angel was at her side, his arms around her, rocking her. "Shhh. It's going to be okay. It's okay to cry." He felt his own eyes welling up with tears. "I missed you, and I love you."
"How?" She cried, weakly, half heartedly trying to push him away. "I killed you…"
"No, no." He whispered. "You were brave and strong, it's alright. Everything will be okay." He continued to rock her gently whispering in her ear. She cried, for only the second time since she had sent Angel to hell, leaving all her emotions unchecked, until she felt drained. Even then, the tears kept coming and she held on to him. She cried for Angel's 'death', for the injuries her friends suffered, for the months she had been away, the fight she had with her mother, losing Kendra…
Cordelia's hand found Xander's, and he lifted the corners of his mouth in a tired smile. "Should we leave her alone?" Willow asked softly.
Still watching the slayer, Giles nodded. "Buffy dealt with more these past few months than most slayers EVER had to."
"Yeah," Willow said softly. "I think I understand why she left."
Giles sighed. "I'm not sure I am" He sighed, and took off his glasses. "Let's leave her with Angel, they can help each other heal." The four turned and walked silently away.
* * *
Joyce Summers sat up in bed, and sighed. What woke her up? She sighed again and shook her hair out. Probably a nightmare…no, there it was again. The doorbell. She looked at the clock. Who could it be at 2:00 in the morning? Sleepily she got out of bed, pulled on a robe, and stumbled down the stairs. She opened the door a crack, "Who is it?"
"Mom?"
"Oh God! Buffy!" Joyce flung the door open and threw her arms around her daughter. "Buffy you're home! You came home! Oh God sweetheart, I worried about you sooo much! Come inside, you're room has been waiting…" She pulled her daughter in, and shut the door behind her.
She was home.
* * *
Well- that's the end of Angel From Hell- I will be writing a sequel…someday in the near future! But until then/for now- tell me what you thought!! Starlinsey@aol.com I need all the help I can get! And thank you for reading!
Buffy was exhausted as her mom helped her up the stairs, but much better. Her mom opened the door to her room, which had been tidied since she left. "Love you Buffy. Sweet dreams."
"Love you too, Mom." She closed the door. Hearing a movement behind her she turned, unstartled, as if she knew he was going to be there. "Angel." She said softly.
"Buffy, you're sure you're okay?"
She nodded, letting him hug her tight. "I think I'm going to be."
He held her tight, wishing he never had to let her go. "Why'd you come back?"
She sighed. "I thought I could run away from the pain. I thought that if I stayed here, the memories and pain would haunt me, so if I left, they would be gone forever. But when I left, it still hurt. The entire time, the pain was inside of me, and you can't run away from that."
He nodded, taking her hand, and sitting beside her on the bed. "Buffy…I need you to know…I don't regret it." He said softly, and she knew exactly what he was talking about. "Maybe the consequences, what happened because, but I don't regret loving you. I love you more than anything in the whole world. I wish I had told you more."
She sighed. "I love you too. But life will never be easy for us."
"No," Angel agreed. "It won't, but I'm pretty sure we can make it."
"Nightshade will be back." She sat back and touched his chest where the stake pierced his skin. "By the way. How's your chest?"
"Almost completely healed. And yes, Nightshade will be back, but we'll deal with her." He touched her neck gently, where she had been bitten. "How about you?
"I'll survive." She looked up at him. "You weren't out of hell for a full hour yet, and you had to save me."
He half smiled. "How on earth did you ever survive with out me?"
Buffy laid her head against his chest, and whispered, "I almost didn't." He bent down and kissed her slowly, lingeringly, then held her until she fell asleep in his arms.
The End