"The Bargain"

Author: Gia
Email: gia@everysixseconds.com
Notes: B/A. Some references to B/R.
Additional Notes: This story has the return of Angelus; remember him? He's evil, therefore not particularly nice. So a polite warning - this chapter is a bit darker than the rest of the story is (or will be).
I never watched season I of Angel, so Kate's personality is purely my imagination for the purposes of this story. My apologies in advance to anyone expecting otherwise.
Dedication: For Pam, whose thoughtful words are an encouragement to write and because she has a incredible sense of humor and tons of patience…

Angelus took the offensive when Jenoff stepped forward. He was in no hurry, wanting Jenoff to suffer. This would not be quick or painless for the soul-sucking demon.

But Jenoff hadn't survived all these years without honing his own skills of survival. Granted, he usually hired henchmen to do his dirty work but that didn't mean he wasn't without a trick or two. And he was almost as ruthless as Angelus himself. An advantage that the Akadian demon, given his lack of any personal grudge against Angelus, had not had.

"I'll take her home with me when you're dust, vampire." Jenoff snarled. "She can share my bed." His eyes were filled with hate, but Angelus only looked back with contempt.

"You'd never survive the experience."

Incensed, Jenoff lunged at Angelus slashing with his knife. Angelus moved out of the way, but not before Jenoff sliced a crimson trail across his upper arm. The crowd murmured their approval as Buffy smothered a cry of alarm.

Lunging back at Jenoff, Angelus managed to plunge his knife deep into the muscle of his upper arm. Jenoff bellowed like a wounded animal, but still managed to twist forward and nearly drive his weapon between Angelus's ribs.

They grappled back and forth for several long minutes before, Angelus clearly toying with the demon, slicing and stabbing his flesh at every turn. Jenoff grew more and more crazed, managing with sheer determination to land a few well-placed stabs as well. It was a long while later, each bearing several slashing wounds, when Angelus heard Buffy's scream of warning. Just seconds later, Jenoff kicked him hard between the legs. Had he not shifted his position to the side slightly, he would have never gotten up. As it was, a stabbing pain tightened his stomach, his groin. The agonizing pain sent him crashing to his knees. Jenoff then kicked him squarely in the ribs, sending him keeling over to the side. When his arm hit the ground, Jenoff stepped over him triumphantly and kicked the knife, sending it flying off into the dust.

"Take a last look at your little whore. I think I'll let the Akadians have a go at her before I take her home."

Angelus fought through the pain, Jenoff coming back in to focus.

"I wonder what it's like to fuck a slayer." Jenoff chuckled, looking at the Akadian demons surrounding them then at Buffy's wide-eyed face.

Angelus felt the rage rise once more in him, pushing aside the pain. He rose from the ground so fast that Jenoff didn't even have a chance to move away. Angelus punched him hard in the stomach, sending him doubled over in pain. His next two blows were to Jenoff's face, then finally he landed one on his neck, breaking his spine. The demon howled as blood and foam spurted out of his mouth before he crashed to the ground. He lay there in an open mouthed sprawl; his head loose like a broken toy. Angelus only regretted that he had not caused Jenoff more pain. Slowly he moved toward the dead demon, stopping to retrieve his knife. Yanking the demon up by the back of the head, Angelus slit his throat and decapitated him, then tossed the head to Jenofff's former right hand man, known only as "Repo-man". Rumor had it that Jenoff could not be killed, but Angelus was not worried about that just now. As it was, it didn't appear that Jenoff would be getting up any time soon.

The second that Jenoff hit the ground, Riley was urgently whispering, "Dial. Dial!"

Doyle dialed Giles's number, glancing between Riley and Xander with worry when no one answered immediately. Finally Giles picked up the phone.

"Go! Start the curse. It's over." Doyle watched as Riley and Xander gathered their gear.

"Gentlemen, we have a problem." Giles paused, glancing at Oz and Willow who were now frantically searching through sites on the Internet. "If Angelus sees you, he's likely to kill you. I suggest that you get out of there now. And quickly. I'll explain when you get here."

Angelus was exhausted and bleeding from half a dozen wounds. He shook his head to clear the sudden dizziness. He needed to get to Buffy, then get out of here as he didn't trust the Akadians to let them leave. His wounded arm hung limply from his side, and he moved with obvious effort. Finally his eyes landed on Buffy. She hadn't moved. No one had moved. They all watched and waited silently to see if Angelus would fall.

Moving slowly and painfully, Angelus crossed the distance to Buffy. Stopping in front of her, he mouthed her name. Looping an arm over her shoulder, he began to lead them away from the camp. He was careful not to lean on her so that it would be noticeable as they made their way through the crowd.

Buffy felt the drops of blood sliding down her skin from his wounds, but she kept her head up and her eyes forward. When they reached the edge of the camp, Angelus spotted his car. Riley's jeep was gone, and neither he nor Xander and Doyle were anywhere to be seen. Just as well, he'd deal with them later when he had the strength.

When they were in the car and slowly pulling away, Buffy finally found her voice. "Are you all right? She wasn't sure of the extent of his injuries, uncertain of his strength.

"Yes." Angelus turned away from Sunnydale, intent on recovering his strength in a secluded location. Searching his pockets for his cell phone, he dialed Doyle.

Doyle, Xander and Riley had just reached Giles's when Doyle's phone began to ring. Giles and the others were clearly packed and ready to move - which further startled the returning guys.

Doyle glanced at the caller-id before he looked at Giles as he answered. Giles shook his head and gestured to the others to keep quiet.

"'lo, Angel?" Doyle's voice was friendly, indicating nothing out of the ordinary. "How are you man? You fought like a madman out there."

"I don't want to think what I might do, if I think you're attempting the curse. I'd forget it, if I were you. Tell that to the little wanna be wicca too."

"What's that Angel? I've got a bad connection." Doyle closed the door quietly as the others piled into Oz's van.

"You heard me clearly, demon." Angel hung up the phone, then glanced at Buffy who was watching him warily.

When everyone was in the van, Giles gave the update as to what happened to the Orb, along with the bad news that there didn't seem to be another in Sunnydale. The Magic Shop's supplier could have one shipped from Phoenix, but that would take two days. Giles didn't believe that they had two days, but had ordered it regardless. In the meantime, Oz and Willow had been checking shops in nearby towns. One woman in LA thought she had one, but she had just moved her store and had yet to unpack everything. She was supposed to call back if and when it turned up. That, so far, was their best hope. But their plan was to keep looking.

In the meantime, Giles thought it prudent that they change locations to one that Angelus did not know about. Giles had suspected that Angelus would not want the curse performed, something that Doyle confirmed, and that all their lives could be at risk. Thoughts of Jenny flashed through Giles's mind and he was filled with regret and guilt that he had willingly helped bring the monster back that had killed her.

Buffy attempted to stay awake, needing to know where Angelus took her, but the past few days of anxiety, little sleep and the blood loss finally caught up with her and she dozed off. Sleepily she rubbed her face when Angelus lifted her from the car and carried her into the house. No one knew about the small place just outside of Sunnydale that Angel owned and sometimes went when he wanted to be near to Buffy, yet not so close that she'd know he was there. It was well stocked and perfect for a few days of rest and relaxation while he recovered from his wounds. Not to mention, the perfect hideaway for some carnal amusement.

He laid Buffy on the bed and handcuffed one wrist to the antique iron headboard. He only had a short while to hunt before dawn, needing fresh blood for the most expeditious recovery and he didn't want to risk her wandering out on her own while he was gone. He considered taking more of her blood, but decided against it - at least until she had a little time to recover, not to mention some food and water.

After cleaning up and changing his shirt, he was ready to go. With a small smile, he closed the door behind him and limped out into the night.
*

Giles and company settled in to Xander's apartment, the only place that they could easily think of that Angelus wasn't likely to know about.

Riley paced near the door, feeling frustrated and helpless. He'd argued with the others that they should have stayed. Between the three of them they surely could have overpowered Angelus in his weakened state and locked him up. Riley knew he'd feel a heck of a lot better if he had at least tried. He felt that they simply traded one bad situation for another - only now they didn't even know where Buffy was.

Willow and Oz continued their Internet search for magic suppliers that carried Thessulahian Orbs, and Giles stayed on the phone, working his way through his connections at the Watcher's council. Xander simply stared out the window, wondering where Angelus had gone with Buffy and if she was okay.

Doyle and Cordelia had put Kate in Xander's bedroom, where she was still snoring drunkenly, and then went to pick up pizzas for everyone.

"I knew something like this would happen. It always does when Buffy and Angel are within touching distance of each other. Buffy's trouble. She's always been trouble and she'll always be trouble, especially for Angel. " Cordelia crossed her arms and shivered, shifting on the sidewalk to walk closer to Doyle.

Doyle wrapped his arm around her hesitantly. They weren't dating, although he would like to. He suspected that Cordelia had a crush on Angel, adding to the reasons she'd be upset now. "It's not really Buffy's fault, now is it? Kate's the one that broke the Orb. Everything would be back to business as usual now, if it weren't for that."

Encouragingly, Cordelia leaned into Doyle for comfort and warmth. "Yeah? But we wouldn't even be here if Angel didn't think he stupidly had to rush in and save her."

Doyle dropped his arm as he opened the door of the pizza place, holding it for her to enter. "What? You'd have had him stay in Los Angeles and not help her? Even after what they did to her?"

Cordelia didn't answer. She knew Doyle would think less of her if she were to be honest with him and say yes. Buffy was the slayer after all, surely she and the rest of the Scooby gang would have figured something else out. She only looked at him and shrugged, rolling her eyes.

They walked back to Xander's quietly, both lost in thought about the coming hours.

When Angelus returned to the cabin, he was already feeling much better. He'd conveniently found two transients living in the nearby woods that served as his dinner. The fresh blood did wonders to heal his wounds and energize him. That and the thoughts of a soon to be naked blond slayer spread across his bed. He fairly licked his lips at the thought, crossing through the door.

His first order of business come nightfall would be to find Buffy's little friend Willow and make sure that she never cursed anyone, ever, again. He'd briefly considered searching for her now, but it was nearing dawn. Besides, he had a slayer to entertain… He did send his new minions out to take care of the little witch for him, but he doubted that they would be capable.

Buffy had been awake for only a few minutes when she heard Angelus return to the cabin. Lying still, she pretended to still be sleeping, hoping that perhaps Angelus would leave her be. He was in the kitchen now, opening cabinets and rattling dishes. Buffy cautiously opened her eyes and looked around the room. She didn't recognize the darkened bedroom at all. However, she did realize that it was very tasteful and clearly suited for a vampire, with dark navy blue velvet window coverings that complimented the taupe walls. The room was obviously masculine, sparsely furnished and uncluttered. The framed photograph of her on the bedside table surprised her, and she smiled slightly at the accompanying warm feelings. She guessed then, that this was Angel's room - somewhere.

"You're awake. Good." Angelus entered the room carrying a tray of food. "Eat." He sat the tray down next her and Buffy took in the steaming bowl of oatmeal, along with toast and juice. There was even a small bowl of wild blueberries. She glanced at his face, for a split-second moment hopeful that he was Angel and not Angelus. When the handcuff rattled against the headboard as she shifted, she grimaced - the thought instantly quelled.

"Do you mind?" Buffy held up her wrist, indicating the cuff.

"I'm tired and not in the mood to chase you down, so yes, I mind." Angelus settled comfortably in the leather recliner in the corner of the room, kicking his shoes off as he leaned back.

"I can't eat like this." Shooting him a dirty look, Buffy crossed her free arm across her chest.

Without even looking up, Angelus replied. "Eat or I'll come over there and feed you. Which, I'm pretty sure you won't like."

"I need to use the bathroom." Buffy attempted a different tactic, her immediate goal to free herself.

"After you eat." Angelus still had not moved from his comfortable sprawl in the chair. "Buff, I'm going to count to ten and if you aren't eating, I'll feed you. One… Two…" When he heard the sound of the spoon in the bowl he stopped counting. Glancing at her from under his lashes, he was satisfied to see that she was, in fact, eating.

Buffy realized that she'd need her strength if she expected to take him on, or even if she just planned to escape. And she was hungry, her stomach growling as she began to eat. She'd just barely finished, setting the spoon back in the bowl when Angelus was beside her, swooping up the tray of dishes. Minutes later he returned, then unlocked the handcuff from the headboard pulling her to her feet and down the short hallway. He stopped in front of the bathroom door. "There you go. Leave the door open."

"So you can watch?!" Buffy turned to him indignantly, her cheeks pinking with embarrassment.

Angelus let out a short bark of laughter then looked down at her with a wolfish smile. "Is that some new fetish," all trace of amusement fled from his face with his next words "that you and Riley are into to? I could indulge you, if you'd like."

"No." Buffy's look at him would have frozen a weaker man in his tracks.

"Then I suggest that you not do anything stupid, like attempt to climb out the window."

Angelus turned away then, moving a few short feet down the hallway to wait. If she didn't come out by the time he counted to 200, then he'd go in and get her. He'd just reached 190 and was pushing away from the wall when she stepped out into the hallway. He gestured back to the bedroom and then followed her inside.

"Now then, I think it's time we got reacquainted." Angelus closed the bedroom door, not wanting any avenue for her escape. He locked the door with a key, the put the key on the top of the windowsill, well out of her reach.

"Been there, done that." Buffy flounced away from him and sat in the leather chair he'd occupied earlier. She thought it would be in her best interest to stay clear of the bed. "And I have to say, it's not worth a repeat. Got anything to read?"

Narrowing his eyes at her, Angelus slowly began to unbutton his shirt. Still watching her, he tossed it aside then unbuckled his belt. Buffy tried not to look at him as he walked toward her, his stride as graceful and fluid as a predator stalking it's prey.

"You don't actually think I'm going to stay here with you. Or have sex with you." Buffy met his gaze directly, her eyes challenging.

"I actually know you are." Angelus continued prowling toward her, his dark eyes piercing.

An unwanted thrill spiked through her senses at the thought. Her conscience, however, was not going to let her give in easily.

"You're making a mistake, lover." Buffy spat the words contemptuously. "I'm not going to just give in to you willingly."

Angelus looked down at her with a salacious grin, "Good."

The instant that he clasped a hand around her wrist and jerked her to her feet, Buffy kicked him hard. He staggered back, but recovered quickly and slapped her hard across the face. Had Buffy been up to her full strength, she likely would have taken him. As it was, with Angelus newly fed and very determined, he was able to ultimately able to subdue her, pulling her hard against him.

His lips descended on her with startling force. He kissed her hard, ravishing her lips and probing deep into her mouth with his tongue. When she bit him, he jerked his head back and growled but did not release her. Instead, he lifted her violently in his arms and carried her to the bed, tossing her roughly on it, knocking the breath out of her body. Buffy rolled rapidly and swung her legs over the side of the bed but Angelus grabbed her hair, yanking her back toward the bed. When he moved over her, Buffy raised her knee with as much force as she could muster. Arching back just in time, Angelus avoided her paralyzing blow. Forcing a knee between her legs, he climbed over her and lowered his weight on her, pinning her to the bed.

Buffy thrashed and twisted beneath him, but she was unable to shove his heavy weight completely off her. Forcing the wrist still wearing the handcuff up toward the headboard, Angelus snapped it to the frame, effectively minimizing her ability to fight back. Buffy swung her other hand hard at Angelus's face, her nails curled. He jerked his head back, but her nails still raked across one cheek leaving red furrows that began to bleed. A new wave of anger surged through him.

His hand closed around her free wrist with a painful grip. "Don't scratch my face." Angelus's vanity would not abide by scars, especially scars caused by a woman.

He pulled another pair of handcuffs out of his back pocket as he rested atop her, then managed to seize her other arm and cuff it to the headboard as well. They glared at each other, both panting and incensed, blood still dripping from the scratch on Angelus's face.

"Now then, Buff. Where were we? Ah yes, you need some instruction on the proper role of mistress."

"Not your mistress, you whoremonger." Buffy's spat in reply, pulling hard against the handcuffs that held her.

"Whoremonger? Where did you learn to be so vulgar? Of course, it's a fitting term if you want to call yourself my whore." Angelus leaned up on her elbows, surveying her with a cold, predatory gaze.

"Don't you dare touch me, vampire."

"Dare? You're baiting the wrong man, lover. You know I dare anything." His tone was soft, dangerous.

Angelus shoved her shirt up out of his way, his hands seeking the warm softness of her skin. She gasped when he ripped her shirt off and roughly covered her lace-clad breasts with his large hands. He pawed them for a few moments before ripping her bra away, then stripping her pants and thong panties down her legs.

He crawled back over her then his lips found hers again with a fierce, seeking hunger. He kissed her again and again, nibbling at her bottom lip with his teeth before tracing the edges of her teeth with his tongue, destroying all her thoughts of opposition. The feel of his body so intimately pressed to hers filled Buffy with an aching, sweet warmth. A tingle spiraled through her entire body, seeming to feed off his hunger for her. Though she knew better, she wanted him. She lusted after him with a fierce growing need that seemed to consume her. But she knew who he was, what he was, so she refused to give him the satisfaction of responding. She lay still beneath him, passive and lifeless.

Angelus stared down at her, frustrated with her response, swearing that he would hear her beg and plead for him. His skilled hands explored her body, as his lips followed and caressed each and every pleasure point on her body. Cupping her breasts in his hands he lowered his mouth to tease and suck each nipple until they stood erect and hard. He then kissed a path down her firm, satin-skinned abdomen, stopping to dip his tongue into the inviting dip of her navel. Continuing lower, he kissed her downy curls then below to lick and suck the soft flesh between her legs. His fingers and tongue probed her damp folds, titillating and tormenting until she moaned softly and began to arch her back and move her hips in search of the elusive source of pleasure. When he finally had his fill of her and she was teetering on the brink of orgasm, he moved back and stripped off his pants.

Buffy kept her eyes closed tightly, unwilling to face him as he lowered himself over her once more. She felt the hard erection probe at the entry between her legs, then he glided into her wet heat. He moved slowly at first, pushing deeper with each stroke. Buffy bent her legs, gripping his hips as she began to rise up to meet his thrust. Her hazel eyes opened briefly to look at him before her head dropped back, the intense pleasure beginning to consume her.

Angelus deliberately restrained himself, thoroughly enjoying the feel of her writhing against him with her hands restrained over her head. She pulled on the cuffs as he watched, wanting now to wrap her arms around him - despite what he was. Suddenly Angelus withdrew.

Buffy opened her eyes in dismay, feeling bereft now that he was no longer over her, inside her.

With his arms straight, leaning on his hands over her, Angelus met her eyes. "Say it."

Buffy took a deep breath, attempting to calm her nerves. "No."

"Say it, Buff." Angelus reached out and grabbed one nipple, pinching it hard between his fingers then tugging.

"Please." Buffy finally relented, her voice quiet.

"Please what?" His voice was merciless. His hand returned to the damp cleft between her legs, teasing the taut nub of her clit with his fingertips before squeezing it firmly.

"I want you." Her breath caught in the throat as she breathed out the words, his hand expertly manipulating her.

"Now, tell me those three little words you whispered to soul-boy when he was fucking you." They were burned into Angelus's brain, as was the feel of her body willingly wrapped around him.

Buffy felt the pain keenly, the ache of loss for something that she once again would not be allowed to have, to keep. She didn't answer, closing her eyes at the memory only hours ago.

"Tell me." He stroked her harder, nearly hurting her with his touch.

After a long pause, Buffy finally whispered, "I love you." She closed her eyes, ashamed to look at him even as she spread her legs wider for him.

Angelus released an unneeded breath of satisfaction, his desire for vengeance satisfied. Lowering himself over her again, he drove his cock inside her. He took her then, not in fury but in hunger. She clutched him with her legs, pulling him harder and deeper against her, attempting to hold him against each withdrawal. She was quivering with unfulfilled desire, arching against him wildly as he moved inside her. After he brought her to a shuddering climax, he lay still inside her waiting for the waves of pleasure to recede. He then began again, bringing her once again to the peak of ecstasy before finally releasing his seed into her body. This time he buried his fangs into the plump flesh of her breast, drinking greedily of her rich blood until he finally collapsed against her. He was finally sated, for the moment.

He rolled from her and retrieved a key from his pants pocket. He then released her wrists from the headboard then cuffed one wrist to his. They both drifted off to sleep, Buffy cradled in Angelus's arms.

Giles had been dozing in the chair for only a short while when the phone rang, startling him awake. Groggily he stared at it for a moment before rising to answer it, even though it was Xander's phone.

Squinting his eyes against the bright sunlight now streaming in the room, he glanced around as he said hello to the person on the other end. Xander hadn't moved from his position on the floor where he was sleeping, Anya curled up next to him. Doyle was in the kitchen, searching for coffee. It was just after 7 am, and they had all been up until almost 3 worrying and searching for sources for a new orb.

Riley had left around 1 am to go back to his house, hoping to find out if anyone from the Initiative had news of Buffy and Angelus.

Giles brightened considerably when the caller told him that she indeed had an Orb of Thessulah. In fact, she had three. Giles immediately said that he would take them, all of them. He gave her his credit card number, and then took down her address and directions. Her shop was just outside of Los Angeles - traffic permitting they could be there and back within four hours. It was longer than they would have liked, but that was still better than waiting two days.

By the time Giles hung up the phone, everyone else had woke. Oz was pulling on his shoes, getting ready to drive to LA. It was agreed that Xander would go with Oz while everyone else waited in Sunnydale.

Minutes after they left, Kate finally joined the group. She had an incredible hangover, not to mention a sense that something terrible had happened. A feeling that was furthered by the stares of everyone as she walked into the room. "Where are we?"

"Hiding out, thanks to you." Cordelia bluntly stated, placing blame where she thought it was deserved.

"Now 'Delia…" At this point Doyle didn't want any more tension. They had enough to deal with without fighting amongst themselves.

"What do you mean? What happened? Where's Angel?" Kate replied angrily, not liking the brunette's accusation.

"Probably sleeping off his Buffy snack right about now." Xander snapped, giving voice to his fears.

"What are you talking about? What about that rit-" Kate's voice trailed off as the vague memory of the glass orb shattering on the floor invaded her mind. "Oh god. Tell me I didn't-" She looked around anxiously at Giles and Willow, finally turning to Doyle and Cordelia.

"You did." Cordelia tossed her head as she stared back at Kate. "You fucked everything up, Miss police-detective. Now evil Angelus is out there somewhere most likely plotting our demise."

"Why you little bitch," Kate stepped toward Cordelia, pointing her finger in blame at Giles. "I thought the whole idea was a bad one from the beginning, so if it's anyone's fault, it's his for even suggesting such an outrageous thing."

Giles did feel a certain amount of guilt for his role in the events of the last hours, so finding words was a trifle difficult. He lifted his eyebrows and opened his mouth when Doyle interrupted.

"Look, blaming anyone isn't going to change things. It's day now - Angelus won't be roaming about." Doyle swallowed hard, thinking about Buffy and what Angelus might be doing instead, "We've got to sit tight for the next four or so hours, so I suggest that we all go to the coffee shop down the street and get some breakfast."

After a few tense moments, everyone agreed and silently made their way out of the apartment.

When they reached LA, Oz and Xander promptly managed to get lost. Giles's directions had unfortunately been scribbled hastily on a napkin that Xander had used to mop up spilled coffee only minutes after they left Sunnydale, something neither of them realized until they were frantically searching for the directions in order to determine which exit to take off the freeway.

Oz pulled over for the third time and they dialed Xander's number, again. They had been calling for the last half hour with no luck, unaware that the gang had gone out for breakfast. Finally Anya answered. "Hello, Xander's apartment."

"Anya! We thought something had happened to you guys." Oz looked at Xander with relief. While they hadn't given a voice to the thought, they both had worried that Angelus might have found Xander's apartment after they had left.

"Well, it *was* pretty awful. The toast was burnt, the eggs were runny and-"

"Anya. We need directions to the place where we're supposed to pick up the orbs." Oz interrupted, anxious to get moving and annoyed with Anya's preoccupation with herself.

"You took the directions. I know you did. Giles wrote them down for you. I saw him." Anya glanced over at Willow who was typing away at her laptop.

"Yeah, but Xa- something spilled on them. Look, just get us the directions." Oz was getting frustrated, knowing time was of the essence.

"Ok. Hold on." After a few minutes of muffled conversation, Giles finally came on the line. He had them give him the closest street numbers where they were, then asked Willow to get them directions off the Internet from their location. A few minutes later they were on their way again.

The unusual warmth next to him woke Angelus only a couple of hours after he had dozed off. He blinked, clearing his eyes and glanced down at the source of that warmth. Buffy was curled against him, her bottom pressed against his hip, her handcuffed hand resting almost behind her and against his, which was also dangerously close to the now growing erection between his legs.

Buffy was dreaming. She smiled in her sleep and moved against the large hand erotically caressing her breasts. Angel. She sighed and arched, pressing back against the hard shaft now nestled between the cheeks of her bottom. She'd had this dream before, of them together. It almost made her blush to think of it, the things he would do to her with his hands, his wicked tongue…

Angelus smiled as Buffy moaned and moved against him. She obviously had not yet woken fully and recalled where she was, or who she was with. Quietly, with slow measured movements he released the handcuff from his wrist. With a sliding caress along her arm, he managed to raise her head above her and attach the cuff once more to the headboard even as he rolled her on her stomach.

Buffy whimpered slightly, rousing. Angelus's lips drifted across the nape of her neck, tickling her. Yet, her body arched into his hands as he reached under her to once more tug at her hardening nipples. Buffy sighed again, not wanting the elusive sensations to end. His hands swept along her sides as his lips continued down the column of her spine. With another caress he managed to raise her other arm and lock her wrist above her head. This time, the resounding click of the lock brought her eyes open and her head up.

"Damn it." Buffy muttered, frustrated with herself for having fallen asleep next to the monster last night and also for allowing him to so easily retie her to the bed. And, if she would have admitted it, she was also disappointed to find that she had been dreaming. Although, the reality wasn't half bad… No, Buffy. Stop those thoughts right now. She chided herself even as she pressed against him.

With his groin hard against her buttocks, pressing her into the bed Angelus lifted her hair away from her neck and leaned down, his lips close to her ear. "I think I'll keep you like this. Naked… Wet… So you'll always be ready to please me…" His hips undulated against her, leaving no doubt in her mind as to what he meant.

Buffy's eyes closed at the husky whisper, her body so receptive to his slightest touch. His suggestions triggered a flood of wetness between her legs, no matter how much she wished to deny him. His hands moved leisurely down her back as he too moved down. His palms flat, he traced the firm contour of her ass, eyeing her as a connoisseur might examine an expensive object d'art. "You have a great ass, Buff." He punctuated his words with a bite, his blunted teeth sinking firmly into the rounded fullness of one cheek.

Buffy gasped in surprise, lifting her head and attempting to roll over and face him. Angelus only smiled up at her at he held her down, leering as his hands continued their exploration. His fingertips slid between her bottom cheeks and dipped lower, tracing her outer lips before dipping inside. Removing his finger, he sucked it into his mouth. "Ummm. Slayer pussy."

Buffy squirmed in surprise as his fingertips once more poked between her legs, this time to press at the tight rosebud of her rear. Buffy glanced over her shoulder at him fearfully this time, even as she tried to squirm away.

"What's the matter, Buff? Oh, that's right. I haven't fucked you in your little virgin ass yet." Angelus dipped his hand once again to the wetness between her legs as he slid two fingers forcibly inside her.

Buffy tensed when his now dampened fingers returned to her rear and began to penetrate her behind. Angelus waited only a moment for her to relax, the pressed forward, sliding one finger completely inside her.

"Don't… it hurts…" Buffy groaned when he added a second finger, stretching her slowly. She once more attempted to pull away but he held her hip tightly.

"Oh yeah, it's going to be a nice, tight fit…" Angelus gritted his teeth. He was already so hard, he ached. At this rate, he'd come the second he stuck his traitorous cock inside her.

Angelus reached under her and began to massage her clit, moistening it with the wetness that was flowing between her legs and pressing firmly. Even as he did it, he wondered disgustedly why he should he care about the little bitch's pleasure. He finally decided that it was because he enjoyed the humiliation she felt when she was unable to resist him, that seeing the lust in her eyes for a creature she was supposed to despise was pleasure in and of itself.

Buffy closed her eyes as she felt the heat streak through her body. She was stretched tautly, the thickness of his fingers filling her and stimulating her nerves. She knew it was madness to want him so desperately, yet she couldn't stop. She was powerless against her lust for him. She glanced at him over her shoulder as he slapped her behind. "On your knees."

Leaning on her elbows, Buffy came to her knees. Briefly she considered kicking him, something that she could easily do from her position, but changed her mind when his fingers tugged at her clitoris once more sending sharp waves of pleasure through her. Angelus spread her thighs wider, then leaned down and ran his tongue up the inner side of one thigh and down the other. She tasted of lust and faintly of vanilla. At the first touch of his mouth on her swollen nether lips, Buffy whimpered. With leisure and experience, he licked her wet folds, exploring the outer lips before dipping inside to taste her. As he ate her, Buffy gave up any thought of resistance and ground her hips against him, craving release. She came hard, biting her lip to keep from crying out his name when his lips seized her clit sucking hard, his fingers still pressed firmly in her ass.

Refusing to release her, Angelus nibbled further at her sensitive flesh, once more driving her toward orgasm. His lips explored her, sucking and licking her highly sensitized flesh. Buffy was over-stimulated; the pulsing unfulfilled ache between her legs taking precedence in her thoughts. She didn't care what he did to her just then as long as he didn't stop…

When she was teetering on the brink again, Angelus knelt behind her and plunged inside, his jaw clenched at the feel of her hot, wet channel around his cock. Leaning over her, his muscled chest pressed hard against her back, Angelus grabbed her breasts, pinching and tugging at one nipple and then the other.

Angelus felt his features changing once again as the demon inside him took over. He moved inside her with a powerful rhythm, moving with long hard strokes as he penetrated and tested the limits of Buffy's yielding flesh. He lowered his mouth to her neck, running his tongue across her nape and moving up toward her ear. His tongue traced the delicate shell as he told her what he was going to do to her in a husky whisper, his words explicit, stimulating. She whimpered as he nipped at her neck, scraping the flesh with his now sharp fangs.

When he felt the first convulsions of her orgasm, he drove her harder. Rendered almost insensible by the explosive assault on her senses, Buffy buried her face into the pillows, gasping for air. Without waiting for the pulsing to subside, Angelus jerked out of her and guided his erection to her bottom hole, pushing forward with persistent, deliberate pressure.

Buffy gasped at the pain, the steady fullness as he slid steadily up her tight rear channel. She whimpered and tried to squirm away, the pain increasing as Angelus continued his slow progression. With one hand, he reached under her and began to massage her wet pussy, his thumb tracing circles around her clit. When she relaxed, he pushed hard, driving his cock the rest of the way inside her.

Angelus licked his tongue across his fangs, glancing down at himself buried inside her. He wanted to ram himself so deep inside her she'd taste it. He felt an ungovernable need to possess her, to own her. He wanted to bury himself in her in all her glory and ravage her innocence, her delectable beauty. And he wanted her to need him desperately, to crave him as he did her.

When he moved, she moaned softly. As he continued to rub her clit she slowly began to push back against him. With gradually increasing strokes he moved as slowly Buffy began to rock in rhythm with him. Finally, spreading her legs wider, she encouraged him on as she adjusted to the feel of him inside her and the pleasure took hold.

"Yesss...Don't stop…" When her husky plea came to him, he almost lost control. She writhed against him, the combined pleasure and pain creating an overwhelming sensation.

When he heard her high keening cry out and felt the first shuddering spasm around him, he responded with a feverish desperation. Intent on joining meeting her in climax, he drove deep in a hard, driving rhythm. Leaning down, he sank his fangs into the nape of her nape. He sucked hard and ravenously, like a man starved, drinking in the delicious, rich blood as he filled her with his sperm. Holding her hips between his large hands, he pressed down with such savage intensity that Buffy cried out again, her orgasm so breathtaking, so prolonged, so excruciatingly acute that she collapsed, quivering on the bed.

Angelus withdrew from her and rolled away, collapsing on the bed next to her and studying her prone form under his lashes. She was a woman of inestimable beauty, remarkable, lush, sumptuous; his own glorious prize. And he looked forward to furthering her education in other ways that would please him…

Oz and Xander drove as fast as Oz's van would safely allow them, the orbs tucked safely in an old ice chest with several layers of bubble wrap and two blankets surrounding them. They were taking no chances with these - they would get back to Sunnydale whole.

Giles and Willow had set everything up for the ritual, prepared to begin immediately when the guys arrived. While they all waited, the tension in the apartment built. Cordelia and Doyle sat in the kitchen, Giles and Willow stayed in the living room and Kate spent most of the time either in the bedroom or the bathroom. Anya was the only one who didn't seem bothered by the whole ordeal, and she casually flipped through several magazines. Finally bored, Anya turned on the TV, breaking the silence.

"Can you turn that thing off? We need to concentrate here." Giles snapped, annoyed after only a few minutes of arguing voices on "Jerry Springer".

"It's my boyfriends apartment. I can watch whatever I want to." Anya snapped back without looking away from the TV.

"Oh, hell." Giles sighed in exasperation as Cordelia and Doyle peeked in from the kitchen.

"Can you people please keep it down out here?" Kate snapped from the door of the bedroom, her head still pounding from her hangover making their raised voices sound twice as loud.

"Oh, like we should keep quiet for you?!" Cordelia yelled back, her anger at Kate undiminished. "Do you keep forgetting that this is all your fault?! If you hadn't insisted on coming along, if you weren't so obviously panting after Angel then this would never have happened. Don't you get it yet? He's not interested."

Kate crossed her arms across her chest as a realization dawned with Cordelia's words. She smiled slightly as she spoke. "Oh. I see now. You're jealous. You have a thing for Angel, but he doesn't even know you exist, does he Cordelia? No, wait, let me re-phrase that. He knows you exist, but he doesn't care. Is that about right?"

"As if. I could have Angel if I wanted him." Cordelia sniffed, the blonde's words striking a nerve. "And don't try to change the subject. It's your fault that we're in this mess and if and when we get out of it, I'll make sure that Angel knows that." Turning, Cordelia went back into the kitchen, Doyle following.

After an angry glare at Giles and a half-smile at Willow, the only one that she perceived as friendly, Kate went back into the bedroom. She was uncomfortable here with these people that she didn't know. She wished she knew someone that could take her back to LA.

When the knock sounded twenty minutes later, everyone returned to the living room and stared at the door anxiously. When no one dared to move, all of them seemingly frozen to their spot, Anya finally sighed and got up to open the door.

"Riley. Won't you come in to Xander's apartment?" She smiled and stepped back. She knew Buffy wasn't really in love with the sandy hair boy, but she actually found him quite attractive. More than attractive. The only drawback was the Initiative and his involvement. If she thought for a moment that he'd be interested in her, a former demon, for more than just a lab experiment, she'd drop Xander in a minute…

"Any news?" Riley smiled absently at Anya, bemused that she was staring at him as if she might devour him, and looked anxiously at Giles as he entered.

Giles updated Riley on their progress, explaining that Oz and Xander were due back within the hour. Nervously, they all sat down to wait. All of them that is, except for Anya, who chose to continue watching "Jerry Springer" while sneaking peeks at Riley during the commercials.

Doyle hadn't really meant to start the conversation when he did, but they had a long time to wait and the silence was really starting to get to him, so it finally just sort of came out.

"So, then, do you really have a thing for Angel? I mean, I'd understand if you did. Most women seem to." Doyle cleared his throat, a little uncertain. "Seem to like him, that is."

"No. Me? No. Oh no." Cordelia answered a little too quickly, giving lie to her words. "I just don't think he should be with Buffy. The curse and all. And she's always trouble. I don't know what guys see in her anyway. Her hair, well, it's just so last year. And her fashion sense? Non-existent. Not to mention the fact that she's so short and freakishly strong. Don't you think?"

"Uh, no. Not really." Doyle was disappointed, hoping that he and Cordelia might actually have something together. But, he wasn't about to give up just yet. He and Angel had talked on several occasions since they'd known each other regarding Buffy and he had no doubt that the vampire was still very much in love with his blonde slayer. But that was something that Angel needed to tell her himself. Cordelia would eventually have to give up her dreams and move on. And he was just the guy to help her with that.

When he realized that Cordelia was looking at him with an irritated expression, he shrugged. "Well, she's cute and all, but not really my type. I've always had a thing for brunettes, myself." With a wink and a smile he stood, leaving Cordelia to ponder his words.

It was only minutes later it seemed when they heard running footsteps on the stairs. Everyone came to their feet once more when Oz and Xander burst into the room, Oz carrying the cooler of orbs tightly in front of him. Xander was panting heavily, having tried to keep up with Oz during their run from the car.

Giles breathed a sigh of relief. Finally.

Angelus came awake with a sudden gasp, waking Buffy who had been slumbering beside him. She glanced at his face in time to see the light swirling through the room, then into his eyes.

He gripped his midsection as if in pain, then rolled off the bed onto the floor. Panting heavily, he broke out into a sweat as his soul made it's way back into his body. His last thought as Angelus was that he should not have let his lust for Buffy's body sway him from seeking out those that wished to return his soul. He should have gone after them when he had the chance instead of trusting those minions that he knew would be not be able to do the job…

Buffy watched anxiously as Angel knelt on the floor. She had a pretty good idea what was happening, having seen this once before. When she attempted to go to him, wanting to somehow ease the pain he appeared to be in, the handcuff chaining her to the bed rattled.

Angel looked up at the sound, the earlier convulsions now calming. "Buffy. What have I done? My god. I'm so sorry." As Angel searched frantically for the key to the handcuff, the memories of the last few hours began to wash over him, furthering his remorse and guilt.

Buffy, too, was feeling her own shame. She was sure that Angel would be disgusted or angry with her at the way she so brazenly responded to Angelus. Those feelings were reinforced as he refused to look at her as he unlocked her.

Buffy stared down at her wrist dumbly for a moment, before slowly rolling off the bed to retrieve her clothing.

Angel dressed, his mind recoiling in horror at what he had done. He was sure that he would never be able to repair the damage; he only prayed that he had not hurt her terribly. Sneaking a glance at her, he noticed that she was still nude, her arms wrapped around her as she picked up her tattered clothing. Everything had been torn beyond wearing. Another wave of guilt washed over him as he realized he was once again responsible. He flinched at the sight of the new bite marks on her, adding another offense to the list of wrongs he had done to her.

Without a word, Angel swept his coat over her shoulders. She glanced up at his face briefly, attempting to read his expression but it was shuttered. He retrieved the key to the room from the windowsill where he had taken to stashing it, and unlocked the door. He gestured for her to lead as he followed her out the door.

Buffy clutched his coat tightly around her, glancing around at the house as they walked toward the front door. It was the first time she'd seen any more than the bedroom or the bathroom, and she was admittedly curious. It appeared to be Angel's, but she wasn't sure where it was. Or how long he had lived there, if he lived there at all. It had a vacation home feel to it, sparsely furnished. Yet it was neat and clean, indicating that someone had been there recently.

Angel swiped his car keys off the table near the door, then they both stopped short.

Buffy cleared her throat. "It's, uh, day."

"Here, you can take my car." Angel held out his hand with the keys. He never let anyone drive his car, never. And Buffy was a terrible driver - but he knew that she probably wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible. It seemed the least he could do.

"We should go back together." Buffy's voice was soft, hesitant, as she spoke knowing that Angel probably wanted her out of his sight as soon as possible, but she felt strongly that they needed to return together. She didn't want her friends to think badly of him. After all, he'd done what was necessary to get her out of there. And it wasn't like he had really forced her… Once he got past her initial objections, she was, in fact, a willing participant. More than willing. A thought that made her once again lower her eyes in shame.

Angel realized that she was probably right. He didn't want to leave Buffy to face this alone. He would take responsibility for what he had done to her, he wanted no blame or embarrassment attached to her for what had happened.

"We can't leave for another," Angel glanced out the window then at the clock on the nearby shelf. "six hours or so."

"Ok. I should call Giles." Buffy looked even smaller dwarfed in his long black coat. It pooled on the floor around her feet and the sleeves covered her hands.

"Let me get you some other… clothes." The thought of Buffy nude, wearing only his coat gave Angel a momentary unwarranted thrill. Quickly he pushed away the thought. He'd already done more than enough to her. How could he think of that at a time like this? Besides, they couldn't… "The phone is through there."

"Um, ok." Buffy shuffled across the room in the direction he pointed.

Angel rounded up a pair of sweats and a t-shirt for her while Buffy dialed Giles's number. "Hm. No one's there." Hanging up the phone, she glanced up at Angel as he entered the room with the clothes. "I don't know how many times I've told him to get an answering machine."

Angel said nothing, only handed Buffy the clothes.

"Thanks." She took them and made her way to the bathroom. "Uh, do you mind if I shower?" Buffy looked over her shoulder at Angel but he had already turned away and was staring intently at something on the wall. "No, not at all. There are clean towels in the cabinet."

Buffy started the shower, then looked around while the water was warming, curiously opening the cabinets and peering inside. There were all the basics, but nothing particularly personal. Nothing that really gave her any clue about Angel, how often he stayed here. Who he stayed here with… That thought disturbed her as she recalled Kate. Earlier he had said there was no one else, but did he mean it?

When the water was hot, Buffy stepped into the shower. She stood under the hot water for only a few minutes before the tears began. Her tears mixed with the spray of the water, hot silent tears running down her face. She should have known from the moment Angel appeared in that army bunker that bad things were going to come out of this. Now he couldn't even look at her, and he'd probably never look at her the same again. Even the few times Angelus had come to her when she was 17 she hadn't responded with the same wanton behavior she had shown him now. The difference between the girl she had been and woman she had become was clear. And she was sure that he was disgusted with her. Just as she was also sure, without a doubt, that she still loved him. If anything, her feelings for him had only grown… Yet another difference between the girl and the woman. With her face in the spray, Buffy sobbed out her heartbreak until she had no tears left.

While Buffy was in the shower, Angel remembered his cell phone and retrieved it from the kitchen counter. He dialed Doyle and waited.

Doyle jumped in surprise when his phone rang, fumbling it in his hands as he tried to get a hold on it to answer. Everyone stared at him as he finally got it under control and glanced down at the caller-id. Flipping it open, he answered. "Lo, Angel? That you?"

"It's me." Angel's tone was morose.

"You're sure it's you?" Doyle looked at Giles then at Willow.

"Yes. I'm sure. The curse- it worked." Angel paced through the living room, stopping when he neared the bedroom. He couldn't bring himself to go there again. The memories were too vivid. In his mind Buffy's cries of passion had become cries of pain, her moans of pleasure were moans of anguish.

"And Buffy? How's she?" Doyle tensed, asking the question that Giles has been mouthing. Given Angel's distinct sound of misery, Doyle would not be surprised if the news were bad. He braced himself for the answer. When Angel was silent, Doyle prompted him again. "Angel, talk to me man."

"She's… okay." Angel sighed, unsure about his choice of words. Would she ever be okay after what he had done to her?

"Okay?" Doyle repeated Angel's reluctant word. "How okay?"

"Okay." Angel's voice was irritated.

Doyle's words and worried expression alarmed Buffy's friends. "Where are you?"

"A place I have just outside of Sunnydale. I'd rather not… Look, we'll meet you at Giles's as soon as the sun sets." Despite the circumstances, Angel didn't want to reveal the location of his house. In the last few years, it had been a sanctuary of sorts for him, and a place where he could retreat from the demands of life in LA. And it was a place where he felt close to Buffy. He wasn't sure that after what had happened here that it would be the same, yet something inside him still felt the need to protect his safe haven.

"Giles wants to talk to Buffy." Everyone was still watching Doyle intently, looking for any sign, any clue that would tell them what had happened. Even Kate peered over Willow's shoulder, having heard the commotion.

"She's in the shower. She tried to call him, but there was no answer." Angel could still hear the sound of the shower running. For the hundredth time he wished that things were different, that Buffy showering in his bathroom was a normal, everyday occurrence - not the result of yet another horrific event that they would now add to the array of bad memories in their collective past.

"We're at Xander's. I think her friends would feel better if they heard from her, so have her call as soon as she can."

"I will." Angel grimaced knowing that her friends were right to worry.

"So, we'll see in you in a few hours then?" Doyle breathed a small sigh of relief. He didn't know yet what had happened, but he trusted Angel that everyone was relatively okay. Maybe he and Buffy needed some time alone, to sort out what had happened… As for the rest of the gang, well, they'd get any details - at least those that Buffy and Angel might choose to share - later.

"Yes. And Doyle? I'm going to want to know what took so long with the curse." Angel hung up the phone, his thoughts once again preoccupied with the events of the last day. He wondered how he'd be able to live with himself. She must hate and despise him for the things he'd done to her. He wanted to scream in rage and pain. Why did he always have to hurt the one person he cared about most?

Buffy called Giles a short while later and assured him, as well as Xander, Willow and finally Riley - all of them insisting on hearing her voice, however briefly - that she was fine. No, nothing bad had really happened. She glanced at Angel when she said those words and saw him visibly wince.

When she hung up the phone, silence hung in the air. Finally Buffy looked at Angel across the counter in the kitchen where he stood by the stove.

"Hungry? Marty - she cleans the place for me - she insists on keeping the place stocked with a few things…" Angel trailed off, uncomfortable. "I can make eggs…"

"Um, ok. I mean, yes I'd like that." Buffy sat at the counter stealing glances at him under her lashes as he turned on the stove and took out the pan and necessary ingredients. She watched him quietly as he proficiently scrambled eggs, adding chives and other herbs for a gourmet touch.

"I didn't know you could cook." She ventured softly as he put a plate in front of her. For some reason Buffy found the idea of him cooking for her incredibly sexy. Maybe it was the cozy setting, just the two of them, or maybe it was from the events of the past day - the fact that they had experienced the ultimate intimacy and now were having breakfast together like a normal couple. Regardless, she felt a warmth stirring in the pit of her stomach as she watched him, as she thought about his hands, his mouth on her…

"I don't very often…" Angel replied, realizing that he hadn't cooked for her. Only recently had he started cooking for the AI team, finding it something he enjoyed and was proficient at.

Angel cleaned up while Buffy ate, then he excused himself and went to shower.

Buffy sat in the living room and stared out the window, finding only a couple of French novels to read. Since she didn't speak or read French, they weren't of much interest to her. She thought a lot about her life, about Angel, about Riley. She felt a wave of guilt that she hadn't thought of Riley since Angel had walked through the door and back into her life. As usual, he easily dominated her thoughts, her world, - and heart a little voice in her mind added - with his presence. After sorting through her muddled feelings, Buffy decided that she needed to break things off with Riley, the sooner the better. It was unfair of her to give him hope that she'd love him when she couldn't. She couldn't return his feelings. Not now, maybe not ever.

Angel startled her out of her reverie when he sat on the couch across from where she was curled in the chair. His hair was still a little damp from the shower, and Buffy thought she could smell the faint clean scent of his cologne. For a minute she almost went to him, wanting to crawl into his lap and cuddle next to him, to lick the patch of skin appearing just above the v-neck of the sweater he now wore.

He studied her under his lashes for a few minutes, taking in her small feet sticking out of the much too large sweats, her legs curled under her. When his eyes drifted upward, he quickly averted them from her chest, the outline of her nipples faintly visible under the white t-shirt, and chastised himself once again for his thoughts. Unbidden flashes of those same warm breasts pressed against his chest filled his mind. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Buffy-"

"Angel-"

They both spoke at once, breaking the long silence.

"You first." Buffy replied, nervously twirling a strand of her hair.

"No, go ahead." Angel couldn't help recalling all the times that he had wished to have her here with him, how he imagined a life for them together. Seeing her like this now - wearing his clothes no less - brought those feelings out in a rush.

"You're hurt…Those knife wounds. That, uh, scrape on your face…" Buffy trailed off self-consciously, cognizant of the cause. "You should put something on it."

"I'm okay." Angel felt that he deserved every wound, every pain that he received and then some for what he had done. "They're healing. How about you? Are you hurt?"

"No. I'm good." Buffy felt only a faint lingering soreness in a few intimate areas, the bite marks there but healing.

After a minute of silence, Buffy started again. "Thank you for coming to get me."

"You know I would do anything to help you Buffy. You just have to ask." Angel ran his hand carelessly through his hair, "Maybe if you would have told me from the beginning what it was about, the whole thing could have been prevented." His anger with himself made his words come out differently than he intended, harsh and angry.

"What are you saying? That it's my fault?" Buffy responded to the emotion in his voice, her own feelings spurring her reaction. "I try to keep demons and the Initiative from capturing you, and you just decide to walk into their trap and somehow that's my fault!?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying. If you would have worked with me rather than just going there on your own, thinking you could handle it, things might have turned out differently."

"You left me, remember? That means I handle things on my own now." Her eyes flashed with anger, hiding her hurt.

"I know that Buffy." Angel looked away, shifting once again on the couch. This was not going as he intended. They were both touchy and on edge. "I-"

"Well then, don't think you can tell me how to run my life or what to do." Buffy lashed out, wanting to hurt him before he hurt her. "Last time I saw you in fact, you were clear that you wanted to… forget." Buffy's voice nearly broke as she recalled those few minutes in his office.

"Fine." Angel wasn't sure how to respond. As before, he felt it would be better for her if he were out of her life. He couldn't think of anything to say that would undo what he had done, anything that would make it better. How could he apologize for the things he had said? Can you actually apologize for rape? Maybe it was best to leave well enough alone.

"Fine." Buffy wasn't sure what else she could say. How could she explain her reaction to Angelus? Would he believe that her body, her mind recognized him despite any evil façade? She couldn't think of anything to say that would undo what she had done, anything that would redeem herself in his eyes. Besides, he'd only leave her as soon as he was able. She'd only humiliate herself if she tried to explain. Maybe it was best to leave well enough alone.

They sat in silence for the next three hours, both believing that their thoughts were accurate, both sure that the other was disappointed or worse with them, and both sure that irreparable damage had been done. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

Xander paced by the door watching for Buffy and Angel as soon as the sun neared the horizon. Giles made tea, as was his usual behavior when he needed a distraction, while Cordelia and Kate had both spent time primping, naively assuming that Angel would notice. Willow seemed preoccupied with her notes, shuffling papers and searching online, whereas Oz and Doyle talked quietly.

When Buffy and Angel finally arrived, forty minutes later, they were quiet and somber. They carefully avoided contact when they stepped through the door at Giles's place, unwilling to break the imaginary boundary that they had resurrected between them.

Cordelia and Kate rushed forward and nearly collided in their attempt to throw their arms around Angel and welcome him back. Cordelia, in fact, did run into Buffy knocking her back a step and away from Angel.

Buffy stiffened, contemplating shoving Cordelia in response, but Willow and Giles circumvented any such action as they seized her in a hug. She closed her eyes for a moment, glad to be with her friends again. After a few seconds, Xander joined the group hug. Riley hung back and watched, uncertain.

For his part, Angel held his arms out to the side, not resisting but not returning the hug from either woman. In fact, they seemed to be trying to jostle each other out of position more than they were hugging him. He nodded at Doyle over Cordelia's head, and finally broke free.

When the group released Buffy, she stepped forward and hugged Riley. With his arms around her, Buffy realized how good it felt to be held in a pair of strong arms by someone that cared. Maybe she had been too hasty with her earlier decision to break things off with him. Maybe she should reconsider, particularly in light of Angel's feelings.

Angel steeled himself against the sight of Buffy in Riley's arms, Riley leaning down to whisper in her ear and asking her if she was all right. Buffy nodded against his chest, and Angel resisted the urge to tear her away from him.

When she released Riley and turned back to face the group, suddenly everyone was talking at once. "Are you okay?" "It's all her fault!" "What happened?" "Where have you guys been?"

"Guys. Guys!" Buffy raised her voice over the commotion, her patience short with Cordelia and the blonde, whom she assumed was Kate, hovering near Angel making what could only be described as cow eyes at him. With effort, she attempted to shift her thoughts away from the phrase bitches in heat and focus on the questions her friends were asking.

"Let's start with why it took so long for the curse." Angel broke in, looking at Willow.

"Well, the orb- it broke." Willow started to explain, feeling responsible.

"And we had to find another one. Closest one was in LA." Oz put his arm around Willow, prepared to speak up if it appeared that Willow was going to be blamed.

"Broke? Broke?! Try drunken Kate knocked it off the desk and shattered it." Cordelia screeched, eager to see Angel angry with Kate.

"You? You broke the orb?!" Buffy couldn't believe her ears. This was priceless. With her blunder, Angel's new girlfriend unknowingly helped to drive them further apart.

"It was an accident." Kate muttered, shooting a dirty look at Cordelia. "I fell."

"Yeah, after you drank Giles's entire bottle of whiskey." Cordelia replied snottily.

"Buff, where are your clothes?" Xander blurted the question, noticing for the first time that Buffy was wearing clothes that were much too big for her. Clothes that he guessed belonged to Angel.

Buffy looked down self-consciously as all eyes were now on her once again. She felt especially uncomfortable since Kate and Cordelia were dressed and made-up perfectly. As she flushed and stammered, Doyle saw a glimpse of the girl that Buffy had been, and that Angel had obviously fallen in love with.

"They were, uh, torn." Buffy refused to look at Angel, uncertain what she would see in his eyes.

Doyle noted that Angel seemed particularly uncomfortable, looking down at the floor as she replied. His mind quickly came to the conclusion as to how her clothes had been torn. As did everyone else's.

"Well, I can guess how that happened, seeing how you have the matching accessory bite marks on your neck." Xander replied cuttingly, his eyes on Angel. Xander remembered clearly how Buffy protected Angel when they were younger, how she made excuses for him when he turned evil, how she couldn't kill him and how she protected him when he returned. He jumped quickly to the conclusion that she simply spread her legs for him again, a thought that made him angry with her. He never liked Angel, and resented the hold that he seemed to have on Buffy. He wondered more than once if there was some truth to the whole vampire thrall thing.

"Bite marks? You bit her?" Kate glanced at Buffy, then back at Angel.

"Yes." Angel replied, willing to take blame, responsibility, whatever necessary to protect Buffy. He had refused to look away from Xander, daring him to continue his tirade. In his present mood, Angel would willingly wipe the floor with the boy. He only needed a little more of a push.

"I thought vampires killed people when they bit them. Don't they drain them?" Kate stared at Buffy rudely, as if any deviation from the norm were her fault. Once more, Kate wondered what Angel saw in the petite girl.

"Not during sex." Anya, who had been watching quietly, joined the conversation. When everyone turned to look at her, Anya shrugged. "What? It's true. Vampires have an oral fixation. They usually bite during sex, but not to kill. It's to enhance pleasure and prolong orgasm. I remember Dracula-" Anya's face took on a dreamy expression.

"How could you do that, Angel?" Kate was incredulous, noting that there were two bite marks. It never crossed her mind that there might actually be others that she couldn't see.

"He was Angelus, not Angel. Angel - Soul. Angelus - no Soul. Don't you get it yet?" Cordelia, unhappy with the turn of the conversation, once more attempted to attack Kate. "Angelus would bite her, Angel wouldn't."

It crossed Angel's mind that Cordelia did not have a clue what she was talking about. Soul or no soul - that didn't change a vampire's desire for blood, particularly during sex.

Buffy felt a hysterical giggle bubbling. The conversation, the comments, Kate - the one who broke the orb, Kate and Cordelia bristling over Angel, Xander behaving, well, like Xander - it all just seemed unreal.

"Look, what happened, happened. The mishap with the orb was unfortunate, but after a few calls and a quick drive to LA - thanks to Oz - order has been restored. The important thing is that Angel was able to get Buffy out safe and sound and everyone seems to be fine now." Giles interrupted, tired of the constant bickering.

"Minus a few pints of blood and who knows what else." Xander muttered, shooting a dirty look at Angel. When Angel leaned forward as if to step, Xander squeaked and jumped back, falling over the end table and tumbling clumsily to the ground. Doyle put his hand up to stop Angel's progress, but it wasn't necessary. Seeing Xander fall and nearly wet his pants was amusement enough.

"Giles is right. Angel, thank you." Riley, finally speaking up, extended his hand. He had put his arm around Buffy again, much to Angel's displeasure, and was holding her against him. Buffy however, not in the mood to be coddled, shrugged out of his embrace.

"We should go." Angel shook Riley's hand even though it grated him to do so. He didn't like being thanked by anyone for Buffy's life. Suddenly he wanted out of the crowded room and out of Sunnydale. "We need to get back to LA."

Doyle nodded in reply and gathered up the few things that they had brought. He impulsively hugged Buffy goodbye and said that he hoped that next time they met it would be under better circumstances. Buffy nodded and smiled slightly in reply, but thought it highly unlikely that they would meet again.

Angel stared a Buffy for a few minutes, wanting to say so many things. He wanted to beg her forgiveness, he wanted to hold her in his arms… hell, he just wanted her.

Buffy stared back, wanting to tell him not to go, not to leave her again. She wanted to hear him say that he still loved her.

But neither of them said a word. As he had done to her once before, Angel simply turned and walked away.

Kate and Cordelia were still bickering as they made they way out the door, Angel speaking with Giles privately for a moment before following them to the car.

"I'll be right back, okay? I want to make sure that they didn't forget anything." Riley squeezed Buffy's hand and went outside. Angel had just climbed in the car and was waiting for Doyle when Riley stopped next to his door.

"Look, I appreciate what you did for Buffy but make no mistake, vampire. If you come back to Sunnydale I will turn you in to the Initiative. That is, if I'm feeling generous. If I'm not, I'll kill you. Either way, you won't get a chance to hurt her again."

Angel said nothing. He simply stared at Riley until Riley turned and walked away.

With some difficulty, Buffy finally managed to convince the others to let her go home, alone. Self-pity was threatening to overwhelm her, and even Giles and Willow thought it best to let her be.

Retiring to her room, Buffy locked the door, lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to put her feelings in some semblance of order. She still loved Angel, even as Angelus - an appalling, wretched fact. Like Cordelia, like Darla, like Kate, like a dozen - or even hundreds - of other women, no doubt. And, while he may have loved her once, but there wasn't a hope in the world that he would reciprocate her feelings now. He seemed incapable of ever loving her again.

So, the question was - how to get over him? How to dismiss unrequited love and move on with one's life? She understood, practically, the liabilities in loving him. The mayor had outlined many of them in painful detail once. Over the course of the evening, Buffy considered her options. Unfortunately, none of them helped to soothe her misery.

By morning, Buffy had managed to reconcile fact and fantasy, and had put what had happened between her and Angel, and between her and Angelus in perspective. She stopped berating herself for her inability to distinguish them sexually, or for her ardent response to him - either of them. Sex was sex, and Angel, uh, Angelus happened to be particularly skilled - so it was natural that she would enjoy it. That didn't change the fact that they couldn't be together - physically - because of the curse. Nor did it change the fact that he didn't want to be with her, regardless. So, there was no point in wishful thinking.

She finally settled on diversion, knowing that the more activities she filled her life with, the less time she'd have to dwell on what she did not and could not have. It had worked for her before, and it would work again.

When they arrived back in LA, Angel coldly dismissed Kate, suggesting politely that she go and not come back. She protested and pleaded with him, trying to convince him that she wasn't at fault and that he should give her another chance. When he remained unmoved, she screamed at him. Only when she changed her tactic and began to malign Buffy, did she see any sign of emotion in his eyes - and it scared her. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her to him, his eyes flickering with gold. "Don't. You can't even begin to understand what your clumsiness caused - and unless you want to find out I suggest you get out of my sight." He fairly threw her away from him and stalked away. From the shadows Cordelia laughed as Kate scrambled to her feet and left the office. She hadn't been back.

Angel also decided on diversion as a course of action, and spent his every waking moment for the next two weeks working on cases. He patrolled, he researched, and he fought with relentless energy, determined to make amends for his latest offenses.

He was sitting in his office going over yet another case file when Doyle knocked on the door and entered.

Angel glanced up and scowled, not wanting the company. "I'm not in the mood to talk. Or actually, for company at all."

Doyle smiled, undaunted, and sat in the chair across the desk. He was used to Angel's churlishness these last few weeks. "And just what has put you in such a charming mood?"

"I hate springtime." Angel replied sarcastically, recalling their conversation of a few days ago when Doyle, in a good mood after taking Cordelia to the movie, recanted the joys of spring.

"Ah.. so you'll be an asshole for the next few months then." Doyle leaned back in the chair, crossing his legs and crossing his arms behind his head.

"Don't get too comfortable. I don't think you'll want to stay." Angel returned his attention to the file on his desk.

"Then I'll pass along my advice and be on my way."

Angel looked up moodily, used to Doyle's continued attempts to draw him in to conversation. "And?"

"It's said that a simple apology can go a long way," Doyle glanced at Angel with a small smile on his lips. "For yourself and others."

"Really?" Angel crossed his arms in front of him, "Then I'm sorry you're here."

He'd expected Angel to be difficult about this, but he also believed that it was like lancing a sore. It had to be done. "Did you even tell the lass you were sorry?"

Angel sat upright, his back stiffening. Doyle's words broke through the anger that had been simmering under the surface for the past weeks. "What do you want, Doyle? Do you want to hear that I raped Buffy? That I sodomized her? That I fed off her, not once but several times? Do you think if I just say, 'Gee, Buffy I'm sorry, I wasn't myself' - that it will be better? That saying those words will take any of the pain and the hurt I caused her away? Well, I have news for you my friend, it won't." Angel put his hands over his face, trying to shut out the images that his words created in his mind, his distorted memories of what he had done.

Doyle contemplated Angel's words for a minute, not surprised by any of what he heard since he'd expected as much. Angel's outburst was the first time he'd spoken of what had happened since they had returned from Sunnydale. "Maybe not. But it can be a start at healing what ails you. Besides, Angel, do you think you can live with yourself if you don't?"

Angel swore softly and slumped into a sprawl. He wasn't sure of anything.

Willow double-checked the address for the third time, searching for street numbers on the buildings that they passed.

"There it is." She pointed and Oz circled the block, looking for a parking spot.

Willow knew Cordelia worked there, but somehow she hadn't really expected to see her when they walked in to the offices of Angel Investigations. It was almost surreal.

"Can I help- Willow. Oz." Cordelia's smile froze in place as she looked past them, expecting to see Buffy. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, we came to see Angel." Willow ignored Cordy's less than friendly welcome, not really expecting otherwise from the former Sunnydale cheerleader.

"Oh god. Buffy isn't here with you, is she?" Cordelia leaned over and looked past them.

"No. Is Angel here?" Willow nervously looked at Oz. Buffy didn't even know that they had come or why.

"He's busy. Besides, he's never in a good mood anymore. It takes months for Buffy broodiness to wear off, and I don't want to restart the clock with you two - so why don't you just tell me why you're here and I'll pass along the message." She smiled, but it was forced and insincere.

"Well, it's kinda personal." Willow clutched her bag, then looked up as Doyle came down the hallway.

"Well, hello there. Oz, Willow. What brings you to the City of Angels?" Doyle sat on the edge of Cordelia's desk, smiling at them in welcome.

"They want to see Angel. Which, I don't think is a good idea." Cordelia gave Doyle a wide-eyed look, clearly attempting to send him a not-so-subtle signal to make sure he agreed.

"Really? Well, it is the City of Angels." Doyle chuckled at his own pun, ignoring Cordelia's hint and pointing behind him. "He's in the back. Right through those doors."

Willow said thanks and Oz nodded before following her through the doors.

"Doyle! You idiot - we don't even know why they're here. It could be bad stuff - Buffy stuff and now Angel will be all growly and broody again."

"Princess, Angel hasn't stopped being 'growly and broody' as you put it, since we got back from Sunnydale. Maybe they'll make it better." Doyle hoped it would, since his own conversation with Angel days ago had done very little.

Angel was in the training room, practicing several jujitsu moves when Willow slowly opened the door. She waited, watching his graceful movements for a while until he noticed her. Oz stayed outside, giving them some privacy.

"Willow."

"Hi." Willow was nervous now, the words she had practiced so often on the ride here having completely flown out of her head.

"Is everything okay?" Angel walked toward her slowly, an anxious feeling building in the pit of his stomach. He stopped and pulled on his t-shirt.

"Yes. I wanted to be sure before I said anything, but it took me a while to research it. I wanted to be thorough and all. And then, I had it verified - several times-"

"Willow." Angel looked at her curiously, her words making no sense.

"Oh- duh!" Willow slapped herself on the forehead. "You're probably wondering what I'm talking about. The curse. I changed the curse - but I didn't have a lot of time to decide what to change it to, and then I wasn't sure because it was an old Romany phrase-"

"Slow down. What are you saying?" Angel felt that anxious feeling again. His nerves were on edge.

Willow took a deep breath, realizing that she was babbling still. Again. "When I had to do the curse again, I did some research and found the phrase that limited the curse to 'perfect happiness'. I replaced that phrase with another Romany phrase that I found; I had another wicca that I met, Tara - she's great - anyway, I had her confirm the change and I also sent it to a coven in Romania to verify the translation. I would have come earlier, except it took them a while to find someone who understood that particular dialect. But, everyone believes it to be air tight."

Angel slumped heavily against the wall, finding it difficult to comprehend what Willow was telling him. "So, uh, then…" He wasn't even sure what to ask.

"So you should be able to er, you know, without losing your soul. There's no perfect happiness clause." Taking a guess at what he might be asking, Willow answered.

Angel's mind raced. How ironic that this would come up now - when it mattered so little without Buffy. He'd be considered Doyle's words carefully for the last two days and had come to the conclusion that he should apologize to her. If nothing else, she'd know that he had never wanted to hurt her, however he didn't really expect it to change anything. But if he went to her now, would she think it was because of the change in the curse?

"Does Buffy know?" Angel said the words almost without thinking.

"Not yet. I wasn't sure…" Willow trailed off. She knew that Buffy had put on a good front these last weeks but Willow could tell that she was guarded emotionally, shut down to protect fragile feelings that had been bruised and battered again. And Willow didn't want her hurt even more if she found out that Angel could be with her, but still chose not to.

"I'll tell her, if you don't mind. When the time is right." Feeling as a prisoner that had just been pardoned, Angel sighed. After a few minutes of thought, he asked softly, "How is she?"

"She's Buffy. Patrolling, fighting…" Willow looked at his eyes. She could easily see the emotion, the pain in them. Debating briefly, she came to a decision. "She shut down again after you left. She's afraid to let anyone get too close, afraid that she'll get hurt. I mean, she tries to pretend that every thing's okay, but-"

Angel closed his eyes briefly, guilt for the pain he had caused her overwhelming him.

"She told me - a little - about what happened between you, and- and she doesn't blame you. If anything, I think she believes that you don't care anymore. That you're disappointed with her - or worse."

Angel slumped to the floor, Willow's words running through his mind. Could Buffy really believe that he'd think any less of her because of what he had done?

"I don't know if it would be fair to her. I still can't offer her much…"

"She may want to make that decision herself, rather than having you decide what's best for her, again." Willow knew that Buffy loved him and that she had been heartbroken when he left.

"I don't know if she'll ever forgive me." Angel murmured, his mind preoccupied now.

"Well, you won't know if you don't ask."

Angel smiled slightly. "True."

"But Angel? If you go to her, make sure that you mean it. Because if you fuck it up again, I'll stake you." Willow turned to leave, the stopped as she reached the door.

"Oh! Pickles!"

"What?" Angel looked up, a perplexed expression on his face.

"Pickles! You can't have pickles. The word I changed in the curse was happiness to pickles. I couldn't think of anything else under pressure, and it was the first Romany word I found in that dialect. Apparently they were a common food then. Anyway, I'm sorry if you liked them…"

Willow grinned as she opened the door where Oz waited. Mission accomplished.

Nearly two weeks later Angel knocked on Giles's door.

"Rumor had it you were never coming back to Sunnydale." His expression reserved, Giles opened the door. He recalled their brief conversation before Angel left weeks ago.

"I didn't expect to."

"Willow told you about the curse, did she?" Giles had mixed feelings when Willow had told him what she had done. He'd been angry that she'd done it without telling anyone - she could easily have made matters worse, but, at base, he understood her reason. And he had to agree that it would appear to make the appearance of Angelus much less likely and much more predictable. Still, he didn't invite Angel in.

As Giles retreated back into the room, Angel stayed near the door, taking note of the cool welcome. "You're angry. About what happened with Buffy?"

"No. But I am concerned about your intentions now." Giles narrowed his eyes as he looked at Angel directly.

"I've come to apologize. To make amends with her."

Giles lifted his brows and tilted his head. He'd suspected as much.

"But I can't find her. She wasn't at her dorm room or at home." Angel shifted his stance.

"Well then, maybe that's a sign that this - you're coming back here - is not a good idea.

"I know what I did wrong." Quietly, Angel replied. "After what I've been through, after what I've put her through - it changes your perspective. When you're given a second chance, it would be a mistake to waste it. To not even try."

"Why should I think it would be any different this time? You may decide tomorrow or next week or six months from now that she needs sunlight or a normal life with a normal guy. Just because you can make love to her, don't think everything has changed." Giles, his love for Buffy unconditional as a parent, didn't forget the things she had told him, the reasons why Angel had left her. How she devastated she had been, both times. He wasn't sure he could survive seeing that same pain in her eyes again. "What about children?"

"Because I'm not the same. I believe I can have a future now. And I want that future with Buffy. If she wants children, then we'll adopt them or something. There are ways to make it work. I want Buffy to share my life, if she'll have me."

"She may not." Giles wasn't so certain, but at the same time he wasn't about to make it easy for Angel. His protective instincts were fully functioning.

"Let me see her. At least talk to her."

Giles softened a little. Angel seemed so sincere, not reserved as he often was or even superficially charming, as he could be.

"I'm serious. Utterly and completely. I've even brought a diamond ring to offer her, along with my heart and soul." Angel smiled slightly. "Actually, I should probably keep that." When Giles said nothing, Angel continued. "I'll show you, if you like."

"Yes, well, I'm not sure Buffy will be so easily swayed. She's worked hard at forgetting you these last weeks."

"Then I'll have to remind her."

"You may have to do more than that. I might even suggest that you will have to beg for forgiveness. Not about anything you *did* mind you, but because you left her again."

"Then I'll do that." Angel murmured softly, understanding what Giles was telling him.

"Her friends rather resent your treatment of her. You may need to convince them as well."

Angel considered that for a minute before he took a deep unneeded breath. "Then I'll do that too."

Giles looked down at the ground and almost smiled. Almost, but not quite. The thought of Angel making friends with Xander was laughable. "She's probably out with Riley, so don't just expect to walk in and take her away."

"That's not my intent." Angel bristled at the thought that she was still seeing Riley.

"You'll have to convince Buffy, not me. But I'd stay away from the Initiative boys, if I were you. Nasty lot, that." Giles's lip curled in distaste as he thought of the things he'd heard about the Initiative in the last weeks.

"They're still in operation then?"

"Yes, although Buffy's managed to get inside and has begun to investigate. Rumors about 314 seem to be scaring the demons in the area. And I do have to say, I don't like Professor Walsh, not at all." Giles stopped abruptly.

Angel didn't like the idea that Buffy was involved with them, but he wouldn't make the mistake of attempting to tell her what to do or not do. He could only try to help her, if she'd let him. He waited for Giles to elaborate, but he didn't say anything else.

Finally, Angel spoke again. "I love her, you know."

Giles glanced at Angel and this time he did smile. Those simple words convinced him that things might just be different with Angel and Buffy this time. "Yes, I believe that you do. Now I suggest you go find her."

Just inside the door on his way out, Angel turned back. "Thank you."

Buffy and Riley were just crossing the street near Buffy's dorm, having been out on an early patrol. As they walked, they talked casually about their classes, about the demon they had been looking for that evening and a little bit about the Initiative. It was no different from the countless nights prior that they had been out together. That is, until Riley reached out and put his hands on Buffy's shoulders, pulling her close. Bending low, he gently kissed her.

Buffy realized then that it had been weeks since she'd been kissed, since she'd felt a pair of strong arms around her. But she couldn't give Riley what he wanted, no more than she could just flip on a switch and be happy again, so a moment later she pushed him gently away.

Riley had given Buffy plenty of distance after her ordeal with Angel, respecting her space and understanding that she needed time. It was only natural after what he had done to her. Not that she had ever said anything to him, but he came to his own conclusions. It wasn't until recently that he had begun to think that she had put it behind her, that she was ready to resume their relationship again.

"I'm sorry." Buffy whispered as she pulled away from him.

Once again, Riley damned Angel for what he had done to her, believing that it was the events of those hours that so traumatized Buffy that she now froze at the slightest intimate contact.

Running his hand through his hair, Riley stepped back. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."

Buffy wished she could care for Riley as much as he did her. He was so sweet, so gentle. Tears filled her eyes as she wondered when and if she'd ever be able to care for someone again. "No, Riley, no. It's me. If I could love anyone again, I think it would be you. But-"

"You still love Angel." Riley forced the disgust from his voice. He wanted to understand why, but he didn't. He couldn't.

"No, I don't." Buffy sighed, wishing her words were true. "But it doesn't matter. He's gone and not planning to come back. Besides, he doesn't-" Stopping abruptly, Buffy closed her eyes and fought for control of her emotions. "It doesn't matter. Does it have to change anything?"

Riley stared at Buffy's face for a minute. He knew then that he should say yes, that it mattered. It mattered a whole hell of a lot as a matter of fact. He was tired of being the backup guy, the rebound guy. If they couldn't be more than friends, then it would be nothing at all. But he couldn't do that either. As long as there was a possibility that Buffy might change her mind, he wasn't going to give up.

"No, it doesn't." He smiled, attempting to restore their earlier accord.

"God, everything is so complicated." Buffy turned slowly and started up the short walk to her dorm.

"Well, no one said life would be easy." Riley replied, falling into step next to her.

"True. Maybe it's time for some serious shoe shopping. I'm weeks over due. Besides, new shoes always make me happy."

Riley chuckled as he opened the door for Buffy then wished her a good night. He didn't try to kiss her goodnight, even on the cheek as he had done so many nights before. Instead he waved as he walked away.

When Buffy opened the door to her room she was surprised to find Willow there, laying on her bed reading.

"Hey. Thought you'd be at Oz's again." Buffy smiled as she sat her bag down.

"Band practice. No girls allowed." Willow shrugged.

"Oh." Buffy absently toyed with the cross necklace hanging off her mirror, her thoughts distracted. She had tried hard not to think of Angel these past few weeks, but the conversation with Riley had brought him clearly to mind.

Willow took note of the thing Buffy was staring at, and finally gave in to curiosity. It had been almost two weeks since she and Oz had gone to LA. Given that Angel had not appeared or called, Willow was beginning to believe that she was right in not telling Buffy about the change in the curse. "So, no word from Angel?"

"Huh? Oh. No." Buffy dropped the necklace and hastily began to remove her other jewelry. She left the rest of her thoughts unspoken: But it doesn't matter. He doesn't want me in his life.

"Well this came for you today." Willow handed Buffy the envelope that had been sitting on the nightstand near the bed.

"Yeah? What is it?" Buffy rummaged through her drawers, looking for something to wear to bed.

"A letter." Willow had noted the return address of Angel Investigations, but she was reluctant to say anything.

Buffy looked curiously at the object in Willows hand, feeling suddenly unsteady on her feet as she recognized the stationary and the Angel Investigations logo.

Forcing a calm she didn't feel, she walked over to Willow and took the letter. She sank down on the bed, and stared at it in her hand as if afraid to open it. For a brief moment, she was terrified of the contents - if Angel had written to her and the words were kind and caring, then she'd only open her heart again and get her hopes up; if the words were harsh and angry, they'd leave yet more scars on her already battered heart. Neither could be anything less than painful. Yet, it if were from Cordelia or Doyle - that could be far worse. Either way, she had to read it.

Taking a deep breath, Buffy tore open the envelope. She scanned the words on the neatly printed page as if the bad news would stand out, then began to read.

Buffy,

I know it's not place to do this but I've been told more than once that I'm an interfering Irishman, so what can you expect?

As you know better than most, Angel keeps things pretty much to himself. That and he tends to overlook the good and focus on the bad. Maybe it comes from all those years of experience.

I know he believes that you hate him for what he's done. Since I don't know what happened between the two of you, I can't say whether you do or should, or whether he deserves it or not. That's personal and between the two of you, but I'm hoping that you don't.

It's hard to imagine that a guy who will face a nest of Tavora demons alone is afraid of a tiny girl - no insult intended - but I have to tell you that I think that's what we're looking at here. Which is why I'd like to ask you for a favor. Will you come to LA? I may only be guessing, but I think it might do you both good to talk.

Besides, I'd like to see you work things out. I'd like to get to know the woman that Angel loves. It's not easy to steal the heart of the Irish.

Yours,
Doyle

Buffy traced her fingertips on the word loves. Did that mean that he still cared for her? That he - dare she say it - loved her? Every tear shed these past weeks somehow seemed irrelevant, all of her misgivings and uncertainties even her anger and resentment were somehow wiped away with a single word. She had hope for the future again, as if somehow she had found the road to paradise. Carefully she folded the letter and looked at Willow with a tremulous smile and watery eyes. "I'm going to LA."

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