destructo-girl.com

"Irresistible"

Author: Michelle
Email: michellabella52478@yahoo.com

Slumping down on her bed, Buffy placed a hand over her eyes, trying her best to hold the tears in. She was tired, exhausted even, from the events of the past twelve hours. Between channeling the spirit of a redemption-seeking ghost, battling evil spirits, almost putting a bullet through her head and reconnecting with the man she loved more than anything, it was a wonder she could even keep her eyes open.

She had gained so much that night. Not only one final kiss from her Angel, but the wisdom and knowledge that what happened to him – to them – hadn't been her fault. And that he could forgive her for her selfishness the night of her seventeenth birthday. In her mind, she replayed the night's events.

"Well, he's obviously reliving the night of the Sadie Hawkin's Dance when he killed Ms. Newman. It-it's-it's common enough for a spirit to do this, to…recreate a…a tragedy," Giles stated.

"He wants forgiveness," Buffy added, staring at the door frame directly across from her.

Giles leaned back in his chair. "Yes." He stood up and began to move closer to her. "I imagine he does. But when James possesses people, they act out exactly what happened that night. So he's experiencing a form of purgatory instead. I mean, he's, he's doomed to kill his Ms. Newman over and over and over again, and…forgiveness is impossible."

"Good. He doesn't deserve it," Buffy said simply. Her voice was devoid of any emotion.

Her statement surprised her Watcher. Buffy was usually so compassionate and concerned. "To forgive is an act of compassion, Buffy. It's…it's not done because people deserve it. It's done because they need it."

'He doesn't get it,' she thought. "No. James destroyed the one person he loved the most in a moment of blind passion. And that's not something you forgive. No matter why he did what he did. And no matter if he knows now that it was wrong and selfish and stupid, it is just something he's gonna have to live with."

Angelus took a few steps closer to her. He could smell the fear in her blood, pumping heavily throughout her body. 'It'll taste sweeter. It is time to put an end to this. Tonight, I kill her,' he said to himself. 'Time to get the party started.'

"Fun fact about wasps," Angelus started, announcing his presence. "They have no taste for the undead. Not that a sting would do me any damage, it's just…tonight's special. I wanted to look my best for you."

Buffy didn't bother turning around. James' spirit had already entered her body. He didn't know about vampires, and had no reason to fear Angelus. "You're the only one," she said quietly. "The only person I can talk to."

"Gosh, Buff. That's really…pathetic," he replied in a condescending tone. 'Maybe she is starting to unravel.'

Buffy faced him, tears evident in her emerald green eyes. "You can't make me disappear just because you say it's over."

"Actually," he said, narrowing the gap between them, "I can. In fact…" He stopped, feeling something go through him. It wasn't him anymore, it was the spirit of Grace Newman. "I just want you to be able to have some kind of normal life. We can never have that, don't you see?"

"I don't give a *damn* about a normal life! I'm going crazy not seeing you. I think about you every minute."

Angelus raised his hand to touch her cheek while Buffy looked down at the floor sadly. "I know. But it's over. It has to be!"

He turned around, intending to leave, but Buffy chased after him. "Come back here!" she ordered angrily. "We're not finished!" Grabbing him by the arm, she forced him to look her in the eye. "You don't care anymore, is that it?"

He sobbed. "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter what I feel."

"Then tell me you don't love me!" When he didn't answer right away, Buffy grew agitated. "Say it!"

Pinned against the wall, Angelus tried his best not to look in her eyes, knowing what he had to say would be a lie. But it was for the best. "Is that what you need to hear? Will that help? I don't. I don't. Now let me go." He tried to get away.

"No. A person doesn't just wake up and stop loving somebody!" From somewhere behind her, Buffy pulled out a gun, pointing it at his head. The frightened look on Angelus' face didn't go unnoticed by her. "Love is forever. I'm not afraid to use it, I swear! If I can't be with you…"

In the music room, Buffy cued the record player to James and Grace's song. "My love must be a kind of blind love. I can't see anyone but you," the song started.

When she looked in the mirror, it wasn't her reflection she saw staring back at her; it was James'. With tears in her eyes, she looked down at the gun in her hand. Raising it slowly, she began to bring it to her temple, but was stopped when another hand pushed it down. Gazing upward, she saw Angelus.

"Grace!" she shouted, shocked to see him there.

"Don't do this," he pleaded with her.

"But-but I killed you," Buffy stammered.

"It was an accident. It wasn't your fault."

A tear nearly escaped from its confines. "Oh, it *is* my fault. How could I…"

"Shh. I'm the one who should be sorry, James. You thought I stopped loving you. But I never did. I loved you with my last breath." \\

Giles walked into his office, finding the Slayer slumped down on the couch. She looked as if she'd been through a war. "Are you feeling any better?"

"James picked me. I guess…I guess I was the one he could relate to." She glanced up at her Watcher. "He was so sad."

He sat down next to her. "Well, they can both rest now."

"I still…" She took a second to exhale. "A part of me just doesn't understand why she could forgive him."

"Does it matter?" he wanted to know.

"No. I guess not."

Buffy buried her face in the soft feather pillow on her bed. "Why me?" she sobbed, the tears choking in her throat. "Why is this happening to me?"

Nobody answered her question, not that she expected to hear a reply from anybody. Her life was a mess, and she could blame nobody but herself. "Why can't things be different? Huh? Why?!"

Her tears soothed her, bringing her to the edge of sleep. Before it could take her, Buffy whispered, "I wish things were different. I wish Angel had just been a regular guy. Then none of this would have happened."

She fell immediately to sleep, never seeing the demon Anyanka standing in the corner of her bedroom. Nor did she hear her say "Done."

Mrs. Summers threw open her daughter's bedroom door. 'I can't believe she's not up yet, she's usually pretty good about waking up on time.' Sighing, she moved to Buffy's bed, tapping the sleeping girl on the shoulder.

"Honey, wake up," Mrs. Summers said. "You're going to be late for school."

Buffy groaned. She hadn't slept well, hers and Angel's kiss the night before continued to play over and over in her mind. Even though she knew it was Angelus, possessed by the spirit of Grace Newman, she still couldn't get it out of her memory. It felt so much like Angel.

"Get up, lazybones." When Mrs. Summers pulled the blankets off Buffy's body, she found her daughter fully dressed. "Why are you still wearing your clothes from last night?"

"When I got back, I must have just crashed. Forgot to take them off," Buffy mumbled, still half-asleep.

She raised her eyebrows. "By that outfit, I'm assuming you didn't go to the Sadie Hawkin's Dance last night like I thought you were."

"Without a date, why bother? The gang and I went to the Bronze instead. Just hung out and stuff," she lied. What was she going to say? "Gee, Mom, we were exorcising the ghost of a pissed-off school kid from the fifties and his dead love. Didn't leave much time for dancing at a high school dance."

"As much as I hate to say this, maybe you spend too much time with these friends of yours. You should start going out more…with other people."

"So, you're saying that I need to make new friends?" Buffy asked her mother. "I thought you liked Willow and Xander and everyone else."

"I do, Buffy, I do," her mother reiterated. "And I don't mean I don't like your friends. They're a vast improvement over the group you were associating with back in Los Angeles. No, what I think you need is a boyfriend. You hardly ever go out on dates. The last real boyfriend you had was Tyler Munson. And you've only gone out with that one boy since we moved here. What was his name again?"

Buffy closed her eyes. "Angel, Mom. His name was Angel."

She shook her head. "No, that wasn't it. Began with an O. Osgood…Oliver…Owen! That's it!"

'I would have figured she'd remember Angel, given the fiasco two months ago when he told her we made love. Mom must be getting pretty good at repressing. Good to know,' Buffy mused. "Owen Thurman, Mom. I went out with him over a year ago and we were too different. Just didn't work out."

"That is no reason for you not to be dating someone. You're still so young, Buffy, and there are plenty of guys out there. You just have to find the right one. And you will; you are a beautiful young girl and any guy would be lucky to have you."

'Except the one I love. No, he did love me. Until I destroyed him.'

Half an hour later at school, Buffy found Willow standing in front of her locker, pulling her books out for her first class. "Morning, Wills," she greeted, leaning against the locker next to her best friend.

Looking up, Willow gave her a big smile. "Hey, Buffy." She narrowed her eyes, looking more closely at the Slayer. "Are you okay? Your eyes look kinda red. Were you crying?"

"No. Well, last night I did, but it was no big."

"Are you sure? You didn't have a fight with your mother, did you?"

"Nope. Everything really got to me last night; you know, all the feelings and the stuff I've been through hit me at once. And right before I went to sleep, I just let it all out. Literally cried myself to sleep. Wouldn't be the first time," Buffy informed her.

Willow nodded in understanding. "Things have been hard for you lately, we all know that. I'm always here for you if you need me."

"Thanks." Buffy flashed her a genuinely grateful smile.

"Is that why you didn't go to the dance last night? We were worried about you."

"Dance?"

"The Sadie Hawkin's Dance. Remember? You, me, Xander, Cordy and Oz were supposed to meet in the gym at eight, but you never showed," Willow said. "Did you get stuck patrolling or were you upset?"

'What's wrong with Willow?' Buffy wondered. "No…we didn't go to the dance, Will. We did that Menghis Tripod thing and tried to exorcise the ghosts from the school."

She looked at her best friend strangely. "Ghosts? What ghosts?"

Buffy sighed with exasperation. "How could you have forgotten? James and Grace, shootings at the school, one dead teacher, me shooting Angelus."

"Who is Angelus?"

She just stared at the redhead. "Who's Angelus?" she asked. "Oh, I get it. You're just doing this so I'll feel better. But don't worry about it, I'm fine. And you were right about what you said the other day about it. Things went badly with him and it's time to move on."

"Buffy–"

"No, it's okay. I'll never get him back. So, I'm taking your advice and going back in the dating game."

"That's um…good. Glad to hear it." 'What is Buffy talking about? Who is this Angelus person? And she hasn't gone out on a date with anyone in months! Who is she trying to move on from?' Willow was extremely confused.

"Willow!" a voice called from down the hall.

The two girls turned around, seeing Cordelia walking briskly toward them. "Cordy, what's up?"

She waited a few moments to catch her breath. "Tell me you did the Chemistry homework that's due today. I totally forgot about it, what with the dance and everything," Cordelia said.

"Yeah. You can copy it during homeroom."

"Thanks." She turned to Buffy. "Where the hell were you last night?"

'Does everybody have amnesia today?' "Never mind. Hey, the snake bite healed. That didn't take long at all. You were so worried about being scarred for life."

Cordelia gazed at her. "What snake bite?"

"The one you got yesterday during lunch."

"I never got bit during lunch. I think I'd remember if something like that happened to me. Are you alright? Did you fall and hit your head on the toilet this morning or something? Because you are totally not making any sense."

Buffy just shook her head. "Forget it, I give up. Are you guys coming to the library with me? I have to check in with Giles."

"Yeah" "Sure" were the replies she got from her two friends.

The walked down the hall to the library, finding Giles standing behind the book counter. He glanced up upon seeing the three girls enter. "Morning, ladies."

"Hi, Giles," Willow said, a smile brightening her face.

"You didn't find any leftover straggling wasps in your travels, did you?" Buffy wanted to know. "The last thing I need is to get stung."

"Excuse me? Wasps?" the Watcher repeated.

She widened her eyes. "I want to make sure they're all gone; that we got rid of them last night."

"I don't recall there being any wasps here."

"You were here! They were all over the school, thousands of them. Along with the snakes," Buffy insisted.

'Perhaps all the nonstop slaying is catching up with her,' thought Giles. "Yes, Buffy, I was here and I was chaperoning the dance."

"No!" She exhaled sharply. "Something really strange is going on. Can we talk in your office? I want to get to the bottom of this. 'Cause I'm way confused."

"Very well. I am a bit confused myself."

"Lead the way, Obi-Wan."

Giles hesitated. "There's a young man up in the shelves hunting down some books for his classes. He's new, just transferred here today. Would one of you mind helping him out?" he asked Willow and Cordelia.

"I'll do it. I know where everything is," Willow offered.

"Terrific. Thank you so much."

"Giles, this is way too weird," Buffy stated after he'd closed the office door behind them for privacy. "Why is it that you guys can't remember what happened yesterday? I remember it so clearly."

"What you seem to think happened yesterday did not occur. There were no wasps here in the building."

She shook her head. "It's not just the wasps. It's like you guys totally forgot all these major events. Cordelia doesn't remember the snake biting her, Willow is pretending not to know who Angelus is and you're repressing the swarm of wasps surrounding the school. Add it up and it all equals weird."

"Who is this Angelus person, Buffy?" Giles wanted to know.

"Don't *even* play dumb! You know who he is. God, you tried to kill him two months ago after he killed Miss Calendar."

Giles blinked. "Miss Calendar isn't dead."

"Yes, she is. Angelus snapped her neck and left her body in your bed," she informed him.

"If you walk down the hall, you'll find her in her classroom, preparing for first period, I assure you. You know what, maybe I'm working you too hard. Why don't you take a few days off; I'll handle the slaying until you feel more like yourself."

Buffy slammed her books on his desk, the noise echoing throughout the office. "I feel perfectly fine! Nothing is wrong with me. Why don't you get that?"

"Okay," he said, holding his hands out in an effort to stop her from having another outburst. "Is it possible all these things you are talking about are simply out of a dream you had last night? Sometimes dreams can seem very real."

"It wasn't a dream and I'm not losing my mind. All of it happened."

Giles nodded and took a seat on the couch, motioning for her to join him. "Tell me exactly what happened last night."

"There had been some paranormal activity, as you called it. Ghosts. James Something and Grace Newman. He killed her the night of the Sadie Hawkin's dance in 1955, and then killed himself. If you don't believe me, you can look it up; it's in the yearbook and on the internet. Anyway, their spirits were possessing some of the students and faculty; one teacher even died! This James person was looking for forgiveness, but he couldn't get it. During lunch yesterday, the spaghetti turned into snakes and one of them bit Cordy on the left cheek. Willow came up with the idea that we should exorcise the ghosts.

"It didn't work. A swarm of wasps had us running out of the building and back to my house. James' spirit called to me I guess and next thing I know, I'm here again, acting out what happened between him and Grace. I was James and Angelus was Grace, and I ended up shooting him. I didn't kill him 'cause he's a vamp, and we ended up in the music room. All James wanted was Grace's forgiveness. God's honest truth, Giles. That's what happened."

"All right. Let's say I do believe you and these events really did happen. Then why are you the only one who remembers them?"

Buffy shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you guys lost your memory of it because you weren't directly involved. There is only one other person who would know what happened, but I'm not about to hunt Angelus down to prove my point."

"And I pose the question yet again. Who's Angelus?"

She looked at him as if he were insane. "Is this 'Who's Angelus' routine something you guys cooked up to help me forget about him? Because, frankly, it's not working too well."

"Buffy, I swear, this isn't a game. I have no clue as to who he is," Giles answered honestly.

"Then something *really* strange is going on. It's like the past year has disappeared from your minds."

Willow stuck her head in the office. "Giles, where would I find Perspectives on the Great Depression?" she questioned.

"Back row, last bookcase on the right, third shelf," he told her. "Is he finding everything okay? Does he need any help?"

She shook her head. "I've got the books covered and Cordelia is keeping him occupied. Making polite conversation, undressing him with her eyes, touching him…your typical Cordy flirting techniques."

"The poor boy doesn't stand a chance," the Watcher commented.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Willow laughed. "You should come out here and meet him, Buffy. He's really cute. Didn't you say you are ready to move on? Better get to him before Cordelia gets her hooks in too deep."

"Maybe later you can introduce me," Buffy declined.

"Sure. I'll invite him to join us for lunch. See you in homeroom."

Buffy sighed once Willow left. "Look, Giles, I don't know what's going on, but I do know it's really strange. And I want to get to the bottom of it."

"We can look into it later on. Go to class and I shall begin the preliminary researching."

"See you after school."

"I asked him out tonight and he said yes," Cordelia was saying when Buffy put her tray on the table shortly after lunch began. "Of course, there was never any doubt in my mind. No man can resist my charms."

"Who said yes?" Buffy wanted to know.

Xander scowled. "The new guy. Wasn't even in the building twenty minutes and already Cordy's rolling out the Welcome Wagon. Hope he knows what he's getting himself into."

Buffy laughed. "You sound jealous."

"Of Pretty Boy? No way. I give it a week before he's the next member of the Cordelia Chase Castoff Collection. It'll take that long for him to bore her or her to bore him. Whichever comes first."

"Give me a break, Xander. You're just pissed off because I never wanted to do anything more than make out in the janitor's closet with you," Cordelia retorted.

"When did you two break up?" the blonde Slayer asked.

Cordelia raised her eyebrows. "Break up? We were never even going out. At least not officially."

"I smartened up after one smooching session in the closet with her. Let's just say there's no basis for her reputation."

"Like I even wanted to kiss you!"

"You enjoyed it at the time."

"So did you, if I recall. But I've moved on to bigger and better things and you're still the same loser you always were."

He scoffed. "Bigger and better things? I saw your Pretty Boy in History class. You know what they say about guys with big muscles…" he teased.

Cordelia shook her head in annoyance. "Whatever. Buffy's right, you are jealous."

Willow came up to the table where Cordelia, Xander and Buffy were sitting. "Hey, guys. Look who's joining us for lunch."

A tall young man stood next to Willow. His short brown hair was styled in spikes and he wore a black button-down shirt and dress pants, a white undershirt visible through the three unhooked buttons below his neck. "Hi," he said shyly. 'Why am I so nervous? These are Willow's friends and that's Cordelia. Willow said I'd fit right in. And it's not like I have a hard time making friends.'

When Buffy lifted her eyes to see what Cordelia's latest conquest looked like, she nearly fainted. Her sandwich dropped out of her hands and onto the tray as she muttered, "Angel."

"Did you say something, Buffy?" Willow asked her. She thought she heard her best friend mumble something underneath her breath.

Buffy blinked, putting an end to the staring she was doing. She didn't realize she'd said Angel's name out loud until Willow called her on it. "What? No, I didn't say anything. Sorry."

Willow just shook her head. 'I'll have to talk to her later. Something is off about her today and I'm going to find out what.' "Everyone, this is Angel Connelly. Angel, this is Xander Harris, Buffy Summers, and you already met Cordelia Chase."

He smiled at them, particularly at Buffy. Never in his seventeen years had he seen someone so pretty. "Nice to meet all of you."

"Angel, why don't you sit next to me?" Cordelia suggested, pulling out the chair to her left. She hadn't failed to notice the way he was looking at Buffy, or the way she was returning the look. It was then she decided to keep the two as far away from one another as possible. She wasn't about to lose another potential boyfriend to the Slayer.

"Sure," he said, putting his tray down.

"So," Xander began, "your name is Angel. Isn't it kinda wimpy? It sounds like a girl's name." He simply couldn't resist taking a few jabs at the new boy.

"It was my father's name. And I don't think it's wimpy at all. But then again, maybe I'm just used to it."

"Well, I think it's very manly," Cordelia flirted. "Not that you could be wimpy, even if you tried."

"Thanks." Angel didn't quite know what to make of the girl's incessant flirting. Sure, he was used to girls acting flirty around him, but Cordelia was going way too far. He preferred it when girls acted like themselves, not putting on airs to impress him.

Willow sensed his uncomfortableness and decided to change the subject. "Where did you transfer from?"

"A small town in western New York. None of you have probably heard of it."

"What would ever make you want to transfer to boring old Sunnydale High?" Cordelia wanted to know.

"It wasn't a choice, believe me. My parents were killed in a fire and I had to move in with my sister Cathy who lives here in town."

Willow frowned, feeling sorry for him. "God, I'm sorry. It must have been hard, having to move so far away from everything you know. Especially after something so tragic."

"Yeah, it was hard. But it's never easy being the new kid."

"None of us would know; we all grew up here in Sunnydale. Well, except for Buffy, that is. She transferred here a year ago from Hemery. That's in L.A.," Willow told the new boy.

Angel lifted his eyebrows. "Wow. L.A., huh?" he asked Buffy.

Buffy nodded. "My parents got divorced and Mom and I moved here to start fresh."

'Looks like we have something in common,' Angel said to himself. 'Something to build on. I don't know what it is, but I really like her. Maybe it's because she hasn't said more than two words to me. She's different from Cordelia…I like it. Hell, I like her.'

It was then that she realized he was sitting in a patch of sunlight. Buffy had never seen him in direct light, save for her dream after their one night together. 'Angel's human. What the hell is going on?'

"I wish things were different. I wish Angel had been just a regular boy. Then none of this would have happened."

'Oh my god,' Buffy thought. She jumped out of her chair and grabbed her books. "I gotta go," she blurted out.

"Buffy, what's wrong?" questioned Willow.

"Nothing. I…uh, I forgot that I promised Giles I'd help him out in the library during lunch. He's going to be upset I forgot all about it," Buffy lied.

"Okay. See you in Chemistry."

"Yep. Bye, guys."

Angel stared after her, watching Buffy run out of the cafeteria. "Did I say something to upset her or cause her to run off like that?"

Cordelia put her hand on his shoulder. "It's not you, trust me. Buffy gets like that. She's weird, don't worry about it."

Giles knew something was amiss when Buffy burst into the library. She never went in there unless she absolutely had to, and there would have to be something wrong for her to come in during her lunch hour.

"I haven't been able to find anything about your ghosts, or this sudden case of amnesia," he informed her. "There's nothing about them in my books."

"It doesn't have anything to do with them," Buffy said quickly. "I just figured it out."

Giles sat down at the table in the center of the room, and she took the seat across from him. "What exactly did you figure out?"

"I don't know the precise specifics of it, I thought you'd do the researching. It all started last night; I was so upset about the ghosts and kissing Angelus. What do you know about wishes, Giles?"

"Not a great deal, I'm afraid."

"You'd better bone up on your info, then. 'Cause I made one and now the world as I know it is all wacky."

Giles gazed at her curiously. "What kind of a wish did you make?"

She looked down, ashamed. "I wished that Angel were human. And now he is. It's weird and I want to know why it happened."

"Who is Angel?"

"Remember how I told you Angelus is a vampire?" Giles nodded. "Angelus is evil, but he had a soul at one time. And when he did, he was Angel. I loved him so much and I made him turn into Angelus again. To make a long story short, last night before I fell asleep, I wished that he was a normal guy, like Xander. And now he is."

"How do you know that?"

Buffy sighed. "Because I saw him today. You know that new transfer student? That's my Angel, only now he's human. Heart beating, oxygen breathing, not-bursting-into-flames-in-direct-sunlight human."

"Buffy…"

"Don't 'Buffy' me! I know what I'm talking about. Somehow, my wish came true. And I need you to look up the how and the why of it. Would you do that for me?"

Giles nodded. It seemed so important to her, he couldn't possibly say no. "If it'll give you piece of mind, yes. In fact, I know a few books off-hand that'll be of some assistance. Come back after school and I should have some answers."

As soon as Buffy was seated at her lab table before Chemistry class began, Willow walked over and sat down in the empty chair next to her. "Was Giles mad at you for being late?" she asked.

"Mad? What are you talking about?" Buffy remembered the lie she told during lunch. "Oh yeah. I mean no, he wasn't mad."

"Buffy, what is wrong with you? You've been acting weird all day long. Are you mad at me about something?"

She shook her head. "No way. It's just that…well, something happened and I don't know what. Or even how to explain it. Which makes no sense at all, I know. I don't quite understand it."

"Is that why you've been acting so strange?"

"Uh-huh. I can't explain what happened because I don't even know. Giles is looking into it right now and I'm hoping he'll have some answers for me after school. And as soon as I find out, you'll be the first person I tell," Buffy promised.

Willow nodded. "All right."

Mr. Hendricks entered the room, followed by Angel. "Class," the teacher started, "we have a new student here with us who transferred from New York. His name is Angel Connelly."

Angel cast his eyes over the curious faces in the room. A few of them he recognized from some of his previous classes that morning. He caught sight of Cordelia smiling at him, sitting next to a blonde-haired girl he didn't know; saw Willow and Xander sitting in the last row of tables, and then his gaze fell upon Buffy, sitting alone by the window, staring out into the sunlit courtyard.

"Angel, why don't you take the empty seat next to Buffy in the last row," Mr. Hendricks suggested.

Nodding his head, Angel headed over to where the petite blonde was sitting. After placing his books on the table in front of him, he turned to his new lab partner. "Hi."

She hadn't heard the teacher tell Angel to sit next to her, nor had she seen him sit down. She was lost in her thoughts, wondering why her wish had been granted. 'I wished for Angel to be human and now he is. Why? I've made wishes like that before, why did it happen now? And doesn't it just figure that I wish the man I love human and he's going on a date with Cordelia tonight. But then again, she always wanted Angel for herself.'

She felt a tap on her shoulder and whipped her head around to find the source of it. When she saw Angel sitting next to her with a friendly smile on his handsome face, words escaped her. "Wh–"

"Sorry for interrupting your daydreaming," he apologized. "I thought I'd say hello again."

Buffy relaxed a bit, but still felt somewhat uneasy. "Oh, that's okay. I was just thinking. Hi." 'God, I must sound like such a loser.'

"Thinking about anything important?"

"Nothing you'd be interested in. Why are you sitting here?"

"Mr. Hendricks told me to sit next to you. I hope you don't mind."

She smiled. 'He still smells the same. Like the aftershave lotion he always used as a vampire. It used to drive me crazy,' Buffy thought. 'Still does.' "I don't mind at all. Though I do hope you're good at chemistry. Because I haven't got a clue."

"Pulled straight As at my last school. I'd love to help you if you need it." 'I can't believe I'm flirting with her, we just met!' He sighed. 'Who the hell am I kidding? I like Buffy. If I didn't have that date with Cordelia tonight, I'd ask Buffy out right now.'

Buffy ran into the library, desperate for any information her Watcher might have found. She had completely blown off Willow and Xander after Chemistry ended in favor of heading to the library. All she wanted was to find out why everything was so different from the way it had been the day before.

"Did you find anything, Giles?" Buffy demanded when she entered the room.

He was still sitting at the table, surrounded by old-looking leather books. "I think I might have. But I want to cross-reference it with something else I found. Give me another minute or two."

She shrugged her shoulders. "All right. Just don't take too long, I'm going nuts here."

"I can only imagine how nerve-wracking this must be for you. I promise, it won't take very long at all."

"Fine. I'll sit down on the counter and start my homework while I'm waiting."

Buffy propped herself up on top of the counter, placed her History book in her lap and began to read. Patience had never been her strong suit, and the waiting was driving her insane. A feeling churned in the pit of her stomach, a familiar feeling only associated with her true love. 'Angel. I can still feel him. What is this? Why? What the hell is wrong with me?'

Her back was facing the entrance, so she never saw the new transfer student standing in the doorway. Angel stood watching her, but didn't say anything. She looked as if she was concentrating on the book sitting in her lap. No girl had ever affected him the way she did. And it frightened him beyond words. Without saying a word to her, he walked away.

"I found it," Giles stated, getting out of his chair. He walked over to Buffy and put the book in front of her. "You said you made a wish before falling asleep last night."

"Yeah," she replied, nodding. "I made a wish that Angel was human. And now he is. Get on with the details and tell me something I don't already know."

"It seems as though your wish has been granted by Anyanka, the patron saint of scorned women. She is an eleven hundred year old demon who wields the power of the wish. Somehow, Anyanka hears the calls of scorned or betrayed women and grants their wishes. Apparently, she heard yours."

"I don't get it. Sure, I was upset about the whole ghost thing, but that doesn't make me a scorned woman. Does it?"

Giles knit his eyebrows together. "I'm not quite sure. You said you kissed this Angelus?"

"I was under the thrall of the ghosts. When we were back to our normal selves, he pushed me away." Buffy closed her eyes, the pieces falling into place. "I get it now. Angelus rejected me. The demon who wears the face of the man I love rejected my kiss, my love. And I was upset because it hurt me so much. It was like being rejected by Angel himself."

"And then you made the wish," Giles concluded.

Buffy nodded her head. "Yeah. I loved him and wanted him back."

"And your wish has been granted by Anyanka. The man you love is now human. Free to be with you."

"Yep. And going out with Cordelia tonight. Typical," she added somberly.

"You seem to have wished yourself into an alternate universe where your wish is reality. But I am still perplexed by one thing in regards to this Angel/Angelus character."

"What?"

"How is it that he turned evil?" Giles wanted to know.

Buffy sniffled at the memory. "I did it. I was selfish and stupid and I lost him because of that."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Better sit down. You're in for a long story."

"It all started a year ago when I moved here. On my first night in town, I ran into Angel. Literally; he was following me through an alley near the Bronze and I knocked him to the ground because I thought he was trying to mug me or something. He knew I was the Slayer, and warned me about the Harvest. The next day, I found out his name was Angel.

"At first, I thought he was a normal guy; a little cryptic, but otherwise normal. He'd show up from time to time, giving me info and stuff like that. And he was so handsome, so damned good-looking that it didn't take me long to fall for him. In less than two months, I was head over heels in love with him. And I didn't know anything about him; all I knew was his name.

"I found out who and what he was after our first kiss. Angel had said he was older than me, but I had no idea how old. He was two hundred forty years old. But anyway, we were kissing and he suddenly pushed me away, I didn't know why or what was wrong. He turned into a vampire right there before my eyes. Naturally, I was horrified. I'd unknowingly invited a vampire into my home, and worse than that, I had fallen hopelessly in love with him.

"When I told you what happened, you did the research thing and found out about his past. Angel was really Angelus, the Scourge of Europe; the one with the angelic face. He was the meanest, most vicious vampire known to man; was in direct lineage with the Master and had been sired by Darla.

"There was a catch, though. See, I thought he had bitten my mother, so I tracked him down and was all set to kill him, until he told me about the curse. Ninety or so years ago, he fed on a gypsy girl and was cursed with soul by her clan. Angel was plagued with guilt for all the things he did as Angelus; he never fed off another human being after that day. That night, he proved his trust and loyalty and love for me by killing his own sire when she was trying to kill me.

"You weren't exactly thrilled with me for dating him, considering that you thought of him as the enemy. He saved all of us a few times and you guys eventually accepted him. But the night of my seventeenth birthday, Angel lost his soul and turned back into Angelus. With two of his childer – Spike and Drusilla – he tried a few times to kill us. He helped the Judge to take out the entire Sunnydale movie theater and he sired a few of my friends as warnings. Miss Calendar ended up getting her neck snapped and he put her body in your bed. I think that covers the major highlights."

Giles leaned back on the chair he was seated in. "I must say, that's quite a story."

"You don't believe me," she accused.

"No, no, on the contrary. I very much believe you. I can understand why you would make such a wish, given the events you lived through."

"I simply wanted my Angel back, the one I loved. Simple as that. I never thought it would land me in an alternate universe. But if Miss Calendar is alive and Angel's a regular guy, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all."

"Maybe not." The Watcher took a deep breath. "You said he lost his soul on your birthday. Do you mind if I ask how?"

Buffy stared at her hands for a few moments. She knew she'd be forced to tell him everything eventually. "There was a loophole in the curse we didn't know about, or at least I didn't know about it. Maybe Angel knew, I am not sure. The gypsies wanted him to suffer eternal torment for what he did to their daughter. If Angel ever achieved true happiness, even for a moment, he would lose his soul and revert to Angelus."

"But how?" Giles questioned. "Something must have caused it; some event must have given him that moment of happiness."

"I did it. I made him happy," Buffy admitted sadly.

He shook his head in confusion. "I still don't quite understand. How could you have made him lose his soul?"

"He lost his soul because we made love! I gave him that perfect happiness when we slept together. I was selfish and I wanted him and I lost him all in the same night."

"I see," he replied, removing his glasses. It was something he did when he felt uncomfortable. "Buffy, I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. It was mine. But now do you see why I made that wish? I wanted back the man I love."

He nodded. "And now he's back. In the flesh. What will you do?"

"Whatever I have to do to keep him in my life."

Cordelia took a sip of her soda, smiling flirtatiously at her date, who sat across the table from her. "I want to know everything about you."

"There's not much to tell. I was born in Ireland, but my family moved to New York when I was a few months old. My mom was a teacher and my dad was a lawyer. My older sister Cathy, who's six years older than I am, works at an art gallery in town as an appraiser. My parents died in a fire a month ago and I moved here to live with Cathy," Angel informed her.

"What do you like to do?"

"I love to read. Especially the classics; Shakespeare, Marlowe, Milton, etc.. Plus I do a little drawing."

"You're an artist? That's great. I'm a bit of an artist myself," Cordelia said.

"Really? What kinds of things do you draw?"

"Squares and circles and such. Nothing special, just in my notebooks when I'm bored during class."

Angel only nodded his head. 'What am I doing here?' he wondered to himself. "Well, we all have to start somewhere, I suppose."

Much to his dismay, he was having an awful time. He and Cordelia had met up at the Bronze an hour before and Angel couldn't wait to leave. At the time, her invitation sounded like fun, but now he was beginning to regret it. Cordelia spent forty-five minutes talking about herself and her friends, not even bothering to ask him a single question. There was nothing he disliked more than a self-centered girl.

"Do you want to dance?" she asked. "I'm a great dancer."

'I'll bet. Just like you're a great artist.' "Actually, I should really get going. I still have a lot of boxes I haven't gotten around to unpacking."

"You just got here. We haven't even danced yet."

"I'm sorry. I promised Cathy I'd be home early to help situate everything. Maybe we can get together again some other time," Angel suggested.

Cordelia nodded. "You'd better promise."

Angel wasn't about to commit himself to anything. The last thing he wanted to do was promise a second date to Cordelia, someone he had nothing in common with. "I'll see you in school tomorrow, Cordelia."

"Bye."

Flashing her a quick, non-committing smile, he walked out of the Bronze. 'I never should have said yes in the first place. I should have waited and asked out the girl I really like. That's the first thing I'm going to do tomorrow. I'm going to ask Buffy out on a date,' Angel decided.

Holding the wooden stake in her hand, Buffy stood poised for battle with her enemy. He was standing less than five feet away, fangs bared and prepared to fight. Buffy knew she could take him, but waited for him to make the first move.

"Tonight's your lucky night, Slayer," he drawled in a heavy Southern accent. "You get to die. I reckon I'll kill ya slow; make it last."

She raised her eyebrows. The vampire wasn't frightening her; if anything, he made her laugh. If there was one thing she hated, it was a cocky vampire. "You know, the Southern accent isn't exactly the most intelligent-sounding accent out there. If you really want to be taken seriously, I suggest you lose it. There's some great speech therapists around Sunnydale."

"I'm a hell of a lot smarter than you, girlie."

"Really? 'Cause I met the Gorch brothers and they didn't astound me with their stellar intellect. And things aren't looking so hot for you right now either. So, is it going to be the easy way or the hard way?" Buffy asked.

Without saying another word, she plunged the stake through his unbeating heart. He exploded into dust, blanketing the ground at her feet. "Looks like it's the easy way. I love it when you guys are cooperative."

Shaking the dust from her t-shirt, she exited Restfield Cemetery. It was nine-thirty and she had already dusted three vampires in the two hours she'd been out there. Buffy was ready to call it a night, and the Slayer considered heading over to the Bronze to hang out with Willow and Xander. But then she remembered hearing Cordelia tell Harmony during Chemistry that's where she and Angel were going to go on their date.

'Scratch that idea,' Buffy thought. 'I can't sit idly by and watch Cordelia drool in his cappuccino. That is too gross, even by my standards. I'll get the gossip from Willow in the morning. As long as it's not too yucky. I really don't want to know if they kissed. I don't think I could stand it if I found out Angel had kissed Cordelia.'

As she walked down Parker Boulevard toward her house on Revello Drive, Buffy heard footsteps coming from behind her. She picked up her pace, as did the person walking behind. Stopping, she sighed and turned around. "It's late, I'm tired and I don't want to play games. Show yourself." 'Whoa, deja vu. Didn't I say that before sometime?'

A tall, dark-haired man stepped out of the shadows into the light of the street lamp. It was Angel. "Buffy? Is that you?"

Her heart nearly stopped. It was her Angel, calling out to her; like in a dream. "A-Angel?" she stammered.

Angel grinned. "So it *is* you. I wasn't exactly sure, that's why I didn't call out to you. I was afraid of making a fool out of myself. That, and I was afraid you wouldn't recognize me."

"I know who you are." 'Boy, do I! More than you can possibly know. I know things about you that would make you blush. Hell, thinking about them makes me blush.' "I couldn't have forgotten what you look like, believe me."

"Did I scare you? You look like a deer caught in the headlights of an on-coming car," he commented. "I didn't, did I? Because I'm sorry if I did."

"Just a little, I suppose, but that's okay. What are you doing out here? I thought you had a date with Cordelia tonight."

He frowned. "I did. I'm on my way home right now."

"Wow. It's still really early. Have an early curfew or something?"

"Not exactly. Things didn't work out the way I expected them to. Cordelia wasn't the person I thought she was, unfortunately. Actually, in this case, I am fortunate."

"Why's that?"

He shrugged his broad shoulders. "There wasn't anything there…behind the pretty face and the makeup. She and I don't have much in common."

"You were bored, weren't you?" Buffy asked with a laugh.

"I was ready to leave after five minutes of sitting there with her. A guy can only listen to a girl talk about hair and makeup for so long before his head explodes. And I was about another ten minutes away from that happening."

"You sound like Xander." 'Who would have thought that Angel had a sense of humor? He never showed it to me before. But I guess there's a lot of things about him that I didn't know.'

Angel gave her a half-smile. "Where are you headed?" he wanted to know.

"Home. I live right around the corner. I was out for a walk."

"Would you mind if I walked you home?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I insist. Besides, it's the least I can do after making you listen to me complain about my date with Cordelia."

Buffy nodded. "If you want to, that's fine. I just don't want you to go out of your way."

"It's really not on my way home, but I don't mind the extra walking. Exercise will do me some good. Not to mention, it'll give me a chance to talk to you."

"To me?"

"Who else? I'm sorry, but I have to know. Was it because of me that you ran out of the cafeteria like a bat out of hell this afternoon? I'm sensing this vibe that you don't really like me," Angel said as they walked down the street. "I figure it'll save me a lot of trouble if I find out right now."

"No!" Buffy replied vehemently. "I like you a lot, honestly. It's just that I promised Giles – the librarian – I'd help him sort out some books."

"I see. You're a brown-noser," he teased.

"Hardly."

He thought for a second. "I get it now. You two are having some kind of sordid affair during lunch and after school."

"Ew! That's Giles we're talking about. I *so* don't think so."

"Meeting your boyfriend in the library for a secret rendezvous, then?"

"I don't have a boyfriend. Haven't had one for a long time now," Buffy said.

"I find that hard to believe."

She snorted. "Believe it." Buffy stopped walking once they reached her house. "This is it. The end of the line. La Casa de Summers."

"Nice house," he complimented.

"Thanks. I'll tell my mom you like it. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow in school."

"I guess." 'Do it, Angel,' a voice in his head ordered. 'Ask her out, you know you want to.' "Buffy, would you like to go out with me tomorrow night?"

She didn't know what to say at first. "You want to go out with me? Why?" His question took her aback.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to you. I'd like the opportunity to get to know you better. But if you don't want to, or have other plans–"

"I would love to go," she interrupted. "What time?"

"How about we work everything out tomorrow during lunch? Or even during Chemistry."

Buffy grinned from ear to ear. "Great. I can't wait." 'I've got to call Willow and tell her about this! A date with Angel…even in this reality, he still wants to be with me. Amazing. My luck can't get any better.'

Buffy remained on her front porch until Angel disappeared around the corner; she didn't want to let him out of her sight, not for a moment. With a sigh and a smile, she entered her house, walking in as her mother was headed up the stairs.

"You're home early," Mrs. Summers commented. "I figured you'd be out until at least eleven or eleven-thirty."

"I decided to call it an early night," Buffy informed her. The smile she had been wearing when she walked in was still plastered to her face.

Mrs. Summers raised her eyebrows. "And by the expression on your face, it looks like you had a good time tonight."

"Not at the Bronze itself, but after I left. I ran into this new boy at school on my way home and he asked me out tomorrow night."

"That's great, Buffy. It's about time you started going out more. What's his name?"

"Angel Connelly. He just moved here from New York a few days ago. Tall, dark and handsome and I like him a lot. He's my new lab partner in Chemistry class."

"Where are you planning on going?"

Buffy shrugged. "I'm not sure. I probably won't find out until tomorrow. But I'm really excited about it." She took a deep breath. "Well, I'm going to call Willow and give her the news. Boy is she going to be shocked."

"Don't stay on the phone all night. I want you off by eleven at the absolute latest."

She nodded her head. "Okay."

With an excited squeal, Buffy ran up the stairs past her mother and into her bedroom. Throwing herself down on the bed, she reached for the phone, dialing the seven digits of her best friend's phone number. The day was turning out to be the best one of her life, and she desperately wanted to share it with Willow.

"Hello?" Willow answered.

"Hey, Will, it's me," Buffy said. "You would not believe what happened to me tonight."

"Buffy?"

She sighed with exasperation. "Of course it's Buffy."

"I thought you were gonna meet us at the Bronze tonight before patrol. Xander and I were worried about you when you didn't show."

"Sorry," Buffy apologized. "I guess I didn't feel like going after all. Did I miss anything interesting?"

Willow chuckled. "Oh yeah. Cordelia and Angel were there on their date. And she was livid when he left after an hour. An hour! She moped and whined and brooded about Angel having to leave in order to clean his house or something. You know how Cordy is when she's mad."

"The whole world must stop and fall at Queen C's feet because she's pissed off," Buffy stated sarcastically. "If only she hadn't bored Angel half to death, maybe he would've stayed."

"What are you talking about?"

Buffy grinned devilishly. "I ran into Angel on the way home from patrol tonight after his date ended; or should I say, after he dumped her. He told me all about his date with Cordelia and how all she talked about was herself. Needless to say, there won't be a second date."

"Wow. Sounds like you guys really had a nice talk. He gave you all the gossip I was dying to know about."

"A little. He walked me home and then asked me out on a date with him tomorrow night."

Willow's eyes bulged. "He did? What did you say?"

"What do you think I said? Of course, yes. No way on God's green earth was I gonna say no to Angel when he asked me."

"You have a little bit of a crush on the new guy, huh?"

"It's more than just a crush. I'm in love with him."

Before the redhead had a chance to reply, she heard a beep, informing her that there was a call on the other line. "Can you hold on a minute, Buffy? I have a beep."

"Yeah, sure."

Willow pressed the button on her cordless phone. "Hello?" she asked.

"Is this Willow Rosenburg?" the voice on the other end of the line wanted to know. She vaguely recognized it; it was a guy's voice, but not Oz or Xander.

"Yes, it is."

She heard a sigh of relief. "Good, I got the right number. Willow, this is Angel Connelly, the new kid you met at school today."'

"Of course. How are you?"

"Really good. Great, actually. I hope you don't mind me calling so late. I found your phone number in the book," he said.

"It's okay. What can I do for you?"

"I have a favor to ask you," Angel began. "My date with Cordelia tonight was a complete disaster. I don't really like her, not as anything more than a friend anyway. The thing is, I like your friend Buffy, a lot. And on the way home tonight, I saw her and asked her out."

"She told me. Buffy's on my other line right now."

He paled. "Please don't tell her I'm calling. See, she said yes and now I don't know what to do. I want to take her someplace nice, someplace she'll really like. I'm hoping you'll be able to help me. What does Buffy like? Is there something she loves to do but hasn't done in a long time? I want our first date to be special. And I want to surprise her."

'I guess he does like Buffy a lot. Who would've known?' Willow thought. "I know that she used to love ice skating when she lived in L.A.. Maybe you could take her to do that."

"I love it! Thank you so much, Willow. I owe you for this. See you tomorrow."

"Okay. 'Bye."

Once Angel hung up the phone, Willow returned to her conversation with Buffy. "Okay, I'm back."

"Who was that?" the Slayer asked.

"Uh…that was…Oz. It was Oz. Just checking to see what I'm doing. What were we talking about?" She thought back to a few minutes ago and her conversation with her best friend. "Oh yeah, you're in love with Angel? You barely know him, Buffy."

Buffy shook her head, twirling a strand of her shoulder-length blonde hair around her fingers. "I've known him a long time, Willow. Longer and better than you can possibly imagine."

"All right, you lost me."

"You know how I've been acting strange all day today?"

"Uh-huh," replied Willow. "You were going to talk to Giles about it to find out what's wrong. Did you find out? What is it?"

"You're going to think I'm totally crazy."

"I promise I won't. Now tell me."

Buffy paused for a moment before beginning. "I'm not really from here; well, I'm from here, but from an alternate universe of Sunnydale where things are a hundred percent different. You're still you, and so are me, Oz, Xander and Cordelia and Giles. The only thing that's different about here is Angel and who he is."

"What about him? What's so different about him?"

"He's human, Will. Where I came from, Angel's not human. He is a vampire."

"You lost me again. An alternate universe?"

"I made a wish last night in that other universe. I wished that Angel was human, and now he is. Giles and I determined that a demon made my wish come true. Hence, human Angel," Buffy reported.

Willow moved the receiver from one ear to the other. "Okay…but why? Why would you wish a vampire human? I don't get it."

"Because I was in love with him and we couldn't be together."

"You loved a vampire?" Willow couldn't believe it. Buffy openly hated vampires, how could she be in love with one? "Vampires are evil and mean and nasty and bite-y. Why would you ever love one?"

"Angel was a good vampire, at least until recently. Angel had a soul; a conscience and was overwrought with guilt for all the people he killed. We fell in love. And…and on my birthday, when we made love for the first time, he…he…he lost his soul and turned evil. I was so hurt that I wished him human. Now here I am, in a world where the man I love is an actual man instead of a demon walking around in a dead body."

"That's…it…wow," Willow stammered. "That's so hard to believe."

Buffy closed her eyes as if in pain. "You think I'm making this up, don't you? I'm not, I swear to God."

"No. I know you, and you wouldn't make up something like that."

"Do you understand?"

"Yeah. It must have been a real shock to see him today at school. I mean, considering how different things are where you come from."

"It was. And I nearly flipped out when I learned that he was going out with Cordelia. I had just found out that the man I love was real and human and curse-less. Will, I saw him in the sunlight, he was breathing and I could make love to him without having to worry that he'll go evil because I made him too happy. It was a dream come true. Until I found out he chose to be with Cordelia over me."

"He saw you, Buffy, and changed his mind. Angel didn't want to be with Cordy, he wants to be with you. Look, you've got a date with him tomorrow. The man you love."

"What if he's not the same Angel I fell in love with? What if he's totally different from the guy I knew?"

"You've got too many 'what ifs' going on in your mind. I say you should go out with him before you start jumping to any conclusions. So what if he's not the same guy? Get to know this one. Carpe diem."

Buffy grimaced. "Carpe diem; seize the day. I did that already and it got me right here. If things work out this time, I'll do it differently. I won't screw things up like I did before."

After getting off the telephone with Willow, Angel practically ran out of the kitchen into the living room, where his older sister was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. "Cathy, I need your help with something."

Cathy Connelly glanced up from the article she was reading. "What's up? What do you need?"

"Is there an ice skating rink somewhere in town?" he wanted to know.

"Yeah, off Route 17. Since when are you into ice skating?"

He gave Cathy a half-smile. "I'm not. But Buffy Summers is. We're going on a date tomorrow night and that's where I plan on taking her."

She raised her eyebrows with curiosity. "Buffy Summers? Is she Joyce Summers' daughter? The name sounds vaguely familiar."

"I don't know."

"And what exactly happened to what's-her-name who you went out with tonight? Charlotte or something like that?"

"Cordelia. She and I didn't hit it off as well as I thought we would. So when I ran into Buffy tonight, I asked her out. I'm going to take her ice skating; her best friend says she likes it. I want it to be a memorable first date."

Cathy laughed. "I see you wasted no time in getting back into the dating game. You've been here less than a week and you are already on your second girlfriend."

"That's not funny. One date does not classify Cordelia Chase as an ex-girlfriend. We had nothing in common. Pardon me for looking for someone to spend some time with; someone with mutual interests. Someone I'm attracted to. Well, I found all that in Buffy. Is that such a crime? Is it against some law to go out with her?"

"Given your track record at keeping girlfriends…"

Angel shook his head and smiled. "Like you're one to talk. How many boyfriends have you had, Cathy?"

"Forget it. All I can say is that moving to Sunnydale is gonna do wonders for your social life. As if it wasn't active enough back home."

Harmony Kendall sat down in her usual seat in Chemistry, grinning mischievously at Cordelia. "Come on, spill the details. I want to know all about your date last night with Sunnydale's newest hottie with a body."

"It was great. Exactly what you'd expect by looking at him. Although, what Angel lacks in conversational skills he more than makes up for in good looks," Cordelia stated with a grin.

"Are you going out with him again?"

"Of course. He hasn't asked yet, but I'm positive he will very soon. Angel Connelly is the shy type. He just needs some time to work up the nerve."

"Are you sure about that, Cordy?" Harmony asked. "Because rumor has it he asked out the freak for tonight."

"The freak? Who?"

Harmony discretely pointed to the lab table diagonal from where they were sitting. "Buffy Summers. The one and only freak."

"They have a date tonight?" demanded Cordelia.

"Yep." For as close as she and Cordelia were, Harmony loved nothing better than to knock her friend down a few pegs. Especially when it came to dating. "Apparently, they ran into each other on the way home after your date and he asked her out. If you two had such a good time, why would Angel ask out Buffy?"

Cordelia fumed. "Shut up, Harmony." 'So, he wants to date Buffy, does he? Angel will be crawling back to me tomorrow morning. She, the freak, can't even compare to me. He'll see soon enough.'

"So, what are our plans for tonight?" Buffy asked Angel halfway through class. "Where are you taking me?"

Turning to look at her, Angel smiled. "You'll see. It's a surprise. But I guarantee you'll like it."

She sighed. 'Cryptic. Why doesn't it surprise me that even as a human, Angel's cryptic?' "You won't even give me a teeny tiny hint?"

"Just one. Dress casual."

"Dress casual? That's it? You're not going to tell me anything else?"

"If I tell you anything else, it'll ruin the surprise. Don't get all dressed up. Make sure you're comfortable…wear clothes you can easily move around in," he divulged. "Something you'd wear around the house."

Buffy gazed at Angel suspiciously. "We're going dancing? Am I right?"

"You'll have to wait and see. I will pick you up around seven."

Buffy looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror on her closet door. "Does this look too casual, Mom?" she asked.

Mrs. Summers shook her head. "No. Not at all."

She'd chosen a long red t-shirt and black stretch pants, having tied the shirt in a knot at her waist. Her matching red socks were rolled over her pants, sneakers adorned her feet and her hair had been tied up into a ponytail.

"I'm still not sure…it seems almost *too* casual."

"He did tell you to wear something you'd feel comfortable in. Are you comfortable in that outfit?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"That should answer your question." From downstairs, the doorbell chimed. "Sounds like your date is here."

"Guess there's no turning back now."

Buffy walked down the stairs, followed several steps behind by her mother. When she opened the door, she greeted Angel with a big, happy smile. "Hi."

"Hi yourself." He looked her up and down. "You look great."

"I'm not dressed too casually?" she wanted to know. "It kinda feels underdressed for a first date."

Angel shook his head. "It's perfect."

He wore a pair of blue jeans and a loose-fitting black sweater. Even though it was not the least bit tight, Buffy could easily make out the muscles underneath.

'Bad Buffy,' she chastised herself. 'Try not to think about the fact that you've seen him naked. Keep focused and don't act like a freak.' "Angel, this is my mother Joyce Summers. Mom, this is Angel Connelly," Buffy introduced.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," he said, holding out his hand for Mrs. Summers to shake.

"The pleasure is mine," she replied, taking his outstretched hand. "Angel Connelly…you aren't by chance Catherine Connelly's younger brother, are you?"

"Yes, I am."

"She mentioned that her brother moved here recently, but I didn't put two and two together until I saw you. I must say, the two of you look very much alike," she stated.

"You know Cathy?"

"She works for me. I own the Sunnydale Art Gallery."

Buffy was anxious to begin her date, and wasn't in the mood to listen to her mother talk about work. "Angel, we should probably get going."

He nodded in agreement. "You're right, we should. Take care, Mrs. Summers. I'll have to tell my sister I met you."

"You do that. And you take care as well. Buffy, I want you home by eleven-thirty. It's a school night after all."

"Fine. Bye."

"Have a good time!" Mrs. Summers called as Angel led Buffy down the driveway.

'Oh, I definitely plan on it,' Buffy thought.

Turning the corner onto Route 17, Buffy's eyes lit up with excitement upon seeing where they were going. "Angel, we're going ice skating?"

"Yep. I talked to Willow last night while you were on the other line and she told me how much you enjoy it. She said you hadn't done it in a long time, so I figured you might want to tonight," Angel said. "Hope that's okay with you."

"Of course it is! That's so sweet of you. God, I haven't been ice skating since…well, probably since Mom and I moved here."

Angel smiled at her. "You've been busy, I take it?"

Buffy couldn't help but grimace. "If that's what you want to call it, sure. It's just…I used to skate to relax and forget everything around me. It would make all the pain go away, if only for a little while."

"What kind of pain?" Angel hated the idea of Buffy having ever been in pain.

"My parents fought a lot before we moved here. Skating was an escape…an escape from reality and all the problems around me. It helped me forget that I was the reason for their divorce."

"I'm sure you didn't cause their divorce." 'Why would a girl as beautiful and seemingly secure as Buffy think something so dumb?'

"I know that now, but back then I didn't. Mom and Dad always fought about me. Dad thought Mom was too easy on me and Mom thought Dad was too hard. I wasn't exactly the poster child for normalcy back then; I did a lot of stupid things and got in a lot of trouble. Including setting fire to the school gym back in L.A.," she explained. "I ended up getting expelled from Hemery High." 'Great. Now Angel's going to think I'm a criminal. Way to go, Buffy.'

"That's…quite interesting," Angel said slowly. "But I think you need to escape again. Come on, forget all that bad stuff like arson and expulsion and have some fun with me. After all, that is why we're here."

Buffy grinned. He was right. 'Typical Angel, trying to make me feel better. Maybe he is the same guy I fell in love with.' "You're right. Let's go."

Angel took a hold of her hand, the two of them going inside the ice skating rink. Much to his surprise, it was crowded in the building, people in sweaters and pants milling around, and at least thirty people on the rink itself. He had expected it to be quiet, so he could be somewhat alone with her.

"We have to rent skates," Buffy informed him. "If I would have known where we were going, I would've brought my own."

"It's okay. I don't mind paying for the rentals. I asked you out, remember? That means I get the privilege of paying."

Five minutes later, they were heading for the rink. Buffy slid onto the ice with ease, one skate sliding along the surface, followed in suit by the other. She felt as if not a single day had gone by since the last time she'd skated. When in actuality, it had been probably six months.

'The last time I did this was with Angel. He wanted me to relive happier times, before I was the Slayer. Then we were attacked by the Order of Taraka,' she reminisced. 'We kissed right here in this very spot while he was in game face. I always felt so safe with him near me. Like nothing would ever go wrong.'

She turned around, seeing Angel still standing off to the side, clutching the wall. "What are you doing? I thought we were gonna skate."

Angel took a deep breath. "Yeah." Pushing himself off the wall, he slid towards her, losing his balance in the process. With a thud, he fell to the ice in a heap.

Buffy quickly made her way over to him. "Oh my god, Angel. Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"

"No, I'm fine." He rubbed the back of his head where it had hit the ice. "Fine, but completely embarrassed. I'm not usually so clutzy."

She laughed at him. "And here I thought you were always so stealthy."

"Why do you mean by that?" Angel wanted to know.

'Oh crap!' "You…um, I meant that you look like you're in pretty good shape. You don't seem like the clutzy type. You're, you know…stealthy."

"Most of the time, I am."

"Not an ice skater, huh? I was under the impression that everybody in New York knew how to skate. And ski and snowboard and all those other winter sports."

Angel sat up. "Not me. I tended to hibernate during the winter; I hated the cold. Still do. Sad to say, I don't know how to ice skate or even ski. I'm a baseball player, not an ice skater."

"If you don't know how to ice skate, then why are we here?" Buffy asked.

He shrugged with embarrassment. "I wanted to impress you. Although it didn't seem to work out very well."

"You did it for me?"

"Yeah. Pretty stupid, huh?"

Buffy bent down at the knees to help him get back on his feet. "I think it's sweet. Nobody's ever done that for me before. And as much as I hate to say this, you are going to have a huge bump on your head from that fall you just took."

"That's okay. Believe me, I've had worse."

"Two of us," she said awkwardly. "One bed. That doesn't work. Um, why don't you take the bed? You know, because you're wounded."

Angel shook his head. It was her house, he could never make her give up her own bed for him. "I'll take the floor. Oh, believe me, I've had worse."

'Why do I keep doing this? Why is it that everything he says reminds me of something my Angel said? Am I gonna do this for the rest of my life?' she wondered.

"Buffy?"

"Yeah? What?"

"You looked a little out of it. Are you alright?" he questioned. He had been talking and all of a sudden she got a faraway look in her eyes.

She nodded. "Yep. My mind sort of wandered. Do you want to go? We can do something else, since you don't know how to ice skate."

"I actually want to stay. That is, if you'll teach me to skate without killing me in the process."

"I'd love to."

At five minutes to eleven, Buffy and Angel reached her front porch. "I hope you had fun tonight," he said to her. "I wanted you to remember our first date."

"I had a great time. Thank you so much for asking me. Does your head still hurt?"

"Not a lot. But I think the rest of my body will be pretty sore tomorrow. I can't believe I fell down that many times. It looks so easy on T.V.."

"You *are* only a beginner, after all. I definitely think you got the hang of it by the end, though. We'll have to do it again sometime."

He nodded. "Yes, we definitely will."

Ever so slowly, Angel lowered his head to hers, capturing her lips in a soft, gentle kiss. He caressed her cheek with his hand, loving the feeling of her soft skin, as well as the sweet scent of her perfume. When he pulled away, he felt his heart racing. He could see the look of surprise on Buffy's face.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I don't usually act like that. Kissing on the first date is something I rarely ever do. For some reason, I couldn't help myself."

"Don't apologize," Buffy said with a shake of her head. "I'm really glad you did it." And she was. For that brief moment, Buffy had traveled through time to the first kiss she'd shared with Angel in her bedroom. The only difference was the warmth of his lips rather than the coolness from the year before. She didn't know which she liked better, the warmth or the cold. 'Guess I'll have to kiss him a few more times in order to come to an educated decision.'

He looked down at his watch. "It's almost eleven, I should get going. I'll see you tomorrow in school?"

"Definitely."

"Sleep tight, Buffy."

Mrs. Summers had given Buffy an eleven-thirty curfew, which meant that she had another half hour before she had to be inside. She decided to discreetly follow Angel home, making sure he made it without incident. Grabbing a broken tree branch off a neighbor's front lawn, she followed him.

The apartment building he and his sister lived in was only a ten minute walk, and Angel made it there safely. Buffy sighed with relief when she watched him close the door behind him, where no vampires could follow.

"Angel's safe," she said. "Nobody can hurt him now."

Behind her, she heard a hissing sound. "Angel. What a pretty name for such an imposing young man."

Whipping her body around, she found a vampire standing ten feet behind her. "You must want to be dust. A vampire with a death wish, what a big shock."

"Pretty name *and* a pretty face. He will make a lovely childe," the vampire drawled.

"Leave him alone."

"Once word gets out the Slayer has a boyfriend, every vampire on the Hellmouth will be hunting him. I wonder if he tastes as good as he looks."

Without even needing to think, Buffy shoved the makeshift stake through the vampire's heart. "It'll never happen. I will keep Angel safe. I'll find a way."

After he'd walked through the door of his sister's apartment – his apartment; he wasn't used to calling it 'home' yet – he closed it gently behind him. When he looked up, Angel saw Cathy standing in the entrance to the hallway, watching him with curious eyes.

"Well?" she began. "How was your date?"

Angel nodded, recalling several of the night's events with a smile. "It was fun. Actually, a lot of fun."

"Did Buffy like where you took her?"

"Yeah, she did. She loves ice skating and she's really good at it, too. Better than me, anyway. I spent more time on my butt than I did on my feet."

Cathy laughed. "Now *that's* an image I'd love to see. Mr. Baseball Player slipping and falling on the ice, especially considering you grew up in New York. I would have paid money to see that."

"Not funny. My butt hurts so bad, I don't think I'll be able to sit comfortably for a week. But it was worth it to see the expression of happiness on Buffy's face."

"So, tell me, little brother, did you kiss her?"

"I'm not one to kiss and tell."

"Bull!" she scoffed. "You're dying to tell me, and you know I'll get it out of you eventually. You might as well spill the details now."

Angel relented because she was right. "All right. I kissed her. Are you happy, Cathy?"

"Ecstatic. Are you gonna go out with her again?"

"I hope so. I mean…I haven't asked her yet, but I will tomorrow during class."

"See? Three weeks ago, you were bitching and moaning about having to move here and leave all your friends behind. Guess things are working out for the best."

He nodded once again. "That they are, Cathy. I've been at Sunnydale High for two days and I feel like I fit in already. There is something about this place; being here feel so right. Like it was meant to be, you know? And there's something about Buffy that I'm attracted to, and I don't know why."

"Sounds like you've finally met a soulmate; a kindred spirit."

He slumped down on the couch, wincing from the soreness making its way through his aching body. "Buffy Summers has my insides in knots. My stomach churns whenever I see her; I can't tell the difference between up and down or left from right. The strangest part about it is that I like it. I like the feeling I get when I'm around her. It makes me feel completely alive for the first time ever. No one has ever made me feel that way."

Cathy stared at her younger brother as he poured his heart and soul out to her. "Well well, would you look at that. My little Angel seems to have met his match. Sounds like you're in love."

"Love?" repeated Angel with wide brown eyes. "I just met her less than forty-eight hours ago. How can I be in love with a girl I hardly even know? Cathy, it's absurd."

"It's not so absurd. Did it ever occur to you that this is fate? Choosing to live here with me in Sunnydale instead of with Aunt Aileen and Uncle Ryan in Galway brought you to Buffy. It all adds up to fate."

"You're too much of a romantic for me. It's not fate; it's coincidence. And I'm not in love with her. Even if it does feel different from what I felt for all my other girlfriends."

"Don't you mean 'flings'?" Cathy asked pointedly.

Narrowing his eyes, Angel glared at his older sister. "They were not flings. I liked Caroline and Pamela a lot."

"But did you love them?"

"Did you love every guy you slept with?" He didn't bother to wait for an answer. "I don't think so. Who cares if I've slept with two girls?"

"Buffy might."

"I'll cross the bridge if and when I come to it. Besides, you're making it sound like I plan on having sex with Buffy on the second date. I haven't even asked her out again yet! And if she does say yes, I would never, *ever* expect her to sleep with me that soon. I wrestled with the idea of even kissing her tonight; I thought it might seem too forward."

Cathy laughed. "Oh yeah, you're in love. No doubt about it."

"Forget it. I give up trying to talk to you." 'I can't admit she's right. I really, truly am in love with Buffy. God help me.'

All through the night, Buffy did nothing but toss and turn. She had kicked the blankets to the end of the bed, her sheets rumpled underneath her and one pillow was left dangling off the side, nearly about to fall over the edge. In her mind, there were memories and nightmares, and Buffy couldn't tell the different between them.

"You almost went away today," Buffy said quietly.

Angel fingertips brushed her arm ever-so-gently. "We both did."

Buffy nearly choked on the tears she felt brewing and the lump forming in her throat. "Angel, I feel like…if I lost you…" She took a deep breath. "You're right, though. We can't be sure of anything."

As she pressed her lips to the side of his face, he struggled to comfort her. "Ssh. I…"

Buffy moved to face him. "You what?"

"I love you," Angel choked out. "I try not to, but I can't stop." He didn't want to love her, but ever since he first saw her that sunny afternoon, Angel couldn't help himself. Buffy was his enemy; he wasn't supposed to be in love with her. But he was.

"Me, too," she replied, her voice cracking. "I can't either."

With that, their lips met in a loving, passionate kiss. This one wasn't like the playful, fun kisses they'd shared on patrols through the cemetery. This kiss was a promise, and a first step in the latest journey in their newfound relationship.

Angel pulled away, panting, though he didn't need to breath. 'She makes me feel alive again.' "Buffy, maybe we shouldn't."

"Don't." Buffy didn't want him to be noble. She was ready to seize the moment…with him and him alone. "Just kiss me."

"But you didn't say anything. You just left," Buffy stated. It was so out of character for Angel to brush off her concerns as if they meant nothing.

Angel smirked as he pulled on his gray silk shirt. "Yeah, like I really wanted to stick around after *that*."

Buffy was floored by what he said. "Wh-what?" 'Why is he acting like this?'

"You've got a lot to learn about men, kiddo. Although I guess you proved that last night."

"You know what the worst part was?" he asked rhetorically, drenched by the water coming from the sprinklers on the ceiling. "Pretending that I loved you. If I'd known how easily you'd give it up, I wouldn't have even bothered."

She held her ground. 'Be strong. Don't let him see your pain,' Buffy told herself. "That doesn't work anymore. You're not Angel."

"You'd like to think so, wouldn't you? Doesn't matter," Angel said with a shrug and a menacing grin. "The important thing is, you made me the man I am today!"

"Pretty name *and* a pretty face. He will make a lovely childe.

"He will make a lovely childe."

"…a lovely childe."

"No!" Buffy shouted as she sat up in bed. A thin sheen of sweat covered her forehead and chest. "I won't let anyone hurt him. Even if it means staying away from Angel to keep him safe, I'll do it. I'll keep him far away from me. That seems like the only way to keep him in my life. By not being a part of it."

Due in large part to the restless night of sleep Buffy had gotten the night before, she overslept and missed her first class of the day. She had wanted to get to school early to talk to Giles about some information she'd asked him to look up, and ended up not getting to the library until lunch time. Not only would she be able to get her information before the end of the school day, but she was able to avoid Angel in the cafeteria as well.

"Buffy," Giles started when she walked through the door. "I thought you were going to stop by before school started."

"I kinda overslept and didn't get here until nine. Had some bad dreams," she said cryptically.

"How bad? Were they prophetic, do you think?"

Buffy shook her head. "No. They were more along the lines of memories than bad dreams. Felt the other way around when I lived through them, though."

"You had dreams about your life before here?"

"Before I made the wish. Stuff about Angel and Angelus…nothing you would ever possibly understand."

"I was a teenager once. I should understand."

She lifted her eyebrows. "No, Giles. You may have been a teenager, but you don't know what I'm going through right now. Not only am I a teenager, but I'm a Slayer who fell in love with a vampire who lost his soul because I couldn't keep my hands off of him. And you have no idea how it feels to find out that said vampire is suddenly human and in danger. So, no, you couldn't understand. Not that any of it is your fault. This is all my doing."

Giles paused for a moment before replying. "Danger, did you say? What kind of danger could Angel possibly be in?"

"We…we went out last night. He asked me out and of course I said yes; I love him, how could I say no? I followed him home to make sure he got there without incident. And as soon as he walked in the door, a vampire came up to me and basically threatened to kill him or turn him back into a vampire."

"I am sure that won't happen."

"Neither of us know that for a fact. Giles, I couldn't live with myself if he left me again. It would be as if my wish had been in vain. And being near me is putting the man I love in harm's way. I can't let that happen. The only way to keep him safe and alive is to keep him away from me. So, that's what I'm going to do."

"He will be protected, Buffy, as long as you're there. You can make certain he remains safe from harm," Giles pointed out. "There's no need to leave him out in the cold. Especially if you love him as deeply as you say you do."

She shook her head in disagreement. "If vampires and demons see me with him, they will target him. They'll kill him. As long as he's not with me, he's safe."

"Then by the same logic, why do you allow yourself to be seen with Willow and Xander and Cordelia?" he questioned.

"The three of them know how to defend themselves. Angel doesn't. He doesn't know vampires and real and, in this case, ignorance is bliss. The less he knows, the better."

"Perhaps if you told him--"

"I'm not telling him anything!" Buffy exclaimed. "Forget it, let's drop the subject. Did you get the info I asked you about yesterday?"

Her Watcher nodded his head. "Yes, I did. I stayed up half the night going through my Watcher's Diaries. There is no mention of either a Spike or a Drusilla."

"Did you try William the Bloody?" she wanted to know.

"Nothing. It seems as though they don't exist in this reality."

"That makes sense. Angelus was Drusilla's sire. If he doesn't exist, neither of them do either. Terrific. Anything on Darla?"

"A bit of information. The Master's favorite childe; left him in the late seventeen hundreds and reeked havoc in Europe. Was last seen in New York City over six months ago."

Buffy sighed. "Good. Let her stay as far away from Sunnydale as possible."

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