PART TWO

Buffy covered a sleeping Angel with the blanket she had taken from the cupboard and ensured that all the drapes in the living room were pulled shut. She hoped that the sofa wouldn't be too painful for Angel, but she couldn't exactly offer him her room with Riley being in there.

Ooh, that was a point- how could she get Riley out of the house without him seeing Angel? Then again, it wasn't like she had anything to hide, was it?

"Buffy?" a sleepy voice asked from the stairs

Uh-oh. Her boyfriend was tiredly standing there, thankfully with PJ's on, wiping his eyes.

"Riley, honey, hey!" she smiled, swinging round as she said it "Want some brekkie?"

"Who's on the sofa?"

From his view, he could only see a blanket and a head popping out of one side.

"Don't be mad…"

"Which means I will…"

She stepped back and he walked over to her, doing a double take when he saw Angel sleeping.

"Oh my god" he whispered "What is brooding-boy doing here?"

The way he said it grated on Buffy's nerves. Riley had to stop hanging with Xander.

"He came here about half an hour ago, confused. I think he has amnesia"

"You believe that act?"

A beat of silence while Buffy struggled with a calm reply

"And you've known him for how long now, Riley?" was the best non-reaction she could come up with.

"Fine."

Riley absent-mindedly walked to the window and turned to open it.

"Riley!" Buffy ran over and stopped him "What are you doing?"

"Sorry, I forgot about the vampire thing" he snided, turning and walking back up the stairs.

Buffy sighed and turned back to Angel. She walked into the kitchen and poured some water into a cup, returning to him with a cloth. She timidly dipped it in the water and wiped it over Angels' bloodied face. It was dried by now, but clearing it let the wound pour again. Her fingers gently touched his face, his skin was so cold yet so warm, she couldn't explain it. Getting blood on her fingers, she stared at it for while, the memory of Angel drinking her returning full flow. And he didn't remember. How she tasted, all she gave, he'd forgotten. Why?

From deep inside, she suddenly had a desire to know. To know what his blood tasted like. Sleeping oblivious, he'd never know. She brought her fingers to her mouth and hesitantly licked, thinking now of Dracula, a need to wipe that vampires taste from her tongue with purer blood- Angels blood. It tasted rich, cool, perverted. What was she doing? The thought of blood-letting suddenly revolted her, she quickly jumped back from him in terror of what she'd done. What was she *thinking*? Her movements knocked over a vase on the table, and it crashed to the ground with a splintering noise.

Oops.

She looked at Angel, horrified. He stirred and woke up. Damn, she'd disturbed him.

"Buffy…" he whispered huskily, like he did when they had quarreled and kissed in the cemetery. Memories… such innocent memories.

"I'm here" she said, trying to keep her mind from what she just did. She moved back to him, ignoring the vase.

Angel reached for her, and she let him, overcome by emotions she'd long hidden. They didn't kiss, they simply held hands. He held on tightly at first, then became more comfortable and lessened the grip. Suddenly, recognition washed over his face, and he pulled back, with great difficulty seeing as Buffy's grip was strong as well.

"You look different" he said, unsure and feeling vulnerable. It had made sense what she'd said, amnesia. But how the hell did he get it? He tried to remember, but it was all a blank. Sitting in his chair thinking about his day to being woken up in Los Angeles.

Three years? Time went quickly as a vampire, but since meeting Buffy it had thankfully gone slow, he had enjoyed his life so much more since meeting her that he'd almost slowed down time to be on the same track as Buffy's human life…why had he forgotten three years? Three years of Buffy? His headache worsened as he tried to think.

"I am," she replied, "A lot has happened"

"So you're…nineteen now?"

She nodded

"You look that age- your hair is all different from how it was..a few hours ago…longer"

"I like change." Not really, she'd always been made to change rather than been given a chance to decide herself.

"So we're not together anymore?"

It felt like he'd woken up in a psychics hut and was being told his future. But he wasn't, he was been told his past. And it hurt.

"No. I've been seeing Riley for about half a year"

"That guy… that'd make sense…"

What he was thinking was how she'd been making love to someone else. She'd grown and decided she didn't want him. He remembered her vulnerability when they'd first met, both of them. He'd acted all grown up as he felt it was so wrong to date a sixteen year old, but he couldn't help it, he'd fallen in love. And as Buffy was a Slayer, she'd always been more world-knowing and mature than others, like that Cordelia girl who was always coming on to him. Mature in some ways, vulnerable in others, it had always been confusing to him, but seeing her older and wiser made it more so.

"So how long ago did we break up?" he asked

"A year"

"A year? So we were together for two years?"

"Yes"

He sat back and tried to let it sink in. In doing so, he felt pain shoot through his chest and he gasped.

"Oh, sorry" Buffy squeaked, reaching for the cloth "I was cleaning you up when I woke you."

"It's my chest"

"…well I guess you'd better take your shirt off then"

Concentrate, Buffy.

He tried but his fingers were too numb to deal with the buttons. Buffy reached over and helped him, now thinking about the time she first did this, before she even knew he was a vampire.

It being now, years later, didn't lessen the charge that crackled between them as she dipped the cloth and traced it over his naked chest.

Angel felt uncomfortable, he was the one without the knowledge in a new world he'd never even met before. He had so many questions…

"Ask me some" Buffy said, reading his mind and turning him on his back so she could tend the scratched marks there.

"Did you love me?"

"Yes" her eyes didn't move from the cloth.

"Do I now live in LA?"

"Yes"

"Why?"

"It's…very complicated. Major complication.."

"I need to know…I don't remember."

"Maybe we should try making you remember yesterday, then" she said, thankful that they could change the subject She'd suddenly realised that she wasn't ready mentally to go through their entire three year history yet, and she didn't think he was either.

"Nothing."

Angel jolted slightly from a cut Buffy had wiped. Obviously it went deeper into the skin.

"And the last thing you do remember is us kissing? Not fighting?"

She had to be sure. Every day with Angel had been implanted into her mind but it was hard sometimes to remember what context it was in- for instance which demon she had been fighting when something happened. She didn't want to dredge up the memories of that particular year, as that was the one where Angel had turned, the recollection of that event hurt more now than ever, and she'd rather forget. She doubted she ever would, though.

"Fighting? I don't understand…. You had killed the Bezoar and was grounded, that's it. A few weeks ago, you killed that robot and then there was the whole Drusilla and Spike thing that got me and you nearly killed. Kendra came…"

Buffy got off the sofa to indicate she'd finished cleaning. Flashes of those events came back to her, then one stood out.

Her and Angel making love.

She passed him one of Riley's shirts and watched as he put it on. Had he forgotten that? This was Angel before Angelus, unaware of the curse, of being impaled by her, sent to hell, all this he had forgotten. He didn't have a clue how many tears had passed over her cheeks because of him, and he was unaware of his own suffering and torment.

"I…I have to make a phone call" she said, rushing upstairs to her room.

Riley sat on the bed, window wide open letting the sun rush in. He was reading a book, or at least pretending to, with a big frown on his face.

"I need to call Giles" she said in explanation as she picked up the phone.

"I'm not stopping you" he muttered.

She turned her back to him and dialed her watchers number.

"Hello?" said a groggy voice.

Oh yeah, it was barely morning, wasn't it?

"Giles, it's Buffy. Get over here- now. I need your help."

"What? Why, what's happened?"

"It's-"

Buffy felt Riley's breath quicken from behind her in anticipation of her next sentence.

"-Something I'd rather explain in person. Please?"

"Sure, I'll have to change first, but I'll be at your house within the hour"

"Thanks"Buffy said goodbye, put the phone down and turned to Riley

"I think maybe you don't need to be part of this, Riley. You don't know him that well except for maybe fighting tactics, and you being here might confuse him"

"Wouldn't want that."

"Why are you being like this? I know you hate him after what happened when he was last here, but that was both your faults and this is serious. Panic buttons- what'll Cordy do without Angel to follow through on her visions? Ooh, Cordy"

"Way to focus, you're supposed to be reassuring me. At least, I was expecting you to when you came up."

"Sorry to disappoint she said angrily "Go home, Riley, I'll call you later"

Riley grabbed his bag and stuffed his clothes into it. He was already dressed, so simply left the room calling back to her "phone me when you remember who your boyfriend is"

Buffy furiously grabbed a pencil and threw it against the wall in anger, watching it indent into the plaster halfway through.

"Hey!" shouted her younger sister from the next room

Great, now she'd woken the entire house. She dialed Cordy's number after searching for it in her phone book. As it was ringing she realised that her mom would be down soon for breakfast, and might react badly to seeing a blood covered ex boyfriend on her sofa. And Angel would still think that her mom didn't know about Buffy being a slayer, oh great, that'll be a scene worth having. Her mom pulling back the curtains to let the sun in, and Angel trying to explain how him and Buffy had been doing some history revision which would explain his presence.

Cordelia's answering machine picked up

"Cordy, Angel's here, he has amnesia and can't remember the past three years, call me when you get this-"

Before she could sign off, she heard her mom say goodbye to Riley.

The she heard her scream.

"Guess you've found Angel then" Buffy sighed, dropping the phone and running out the room to the stairs.

This'll be fun.

Go to Part 3