DISCLAIMER: I don't own them. If I did, do you honestly expect I'd allow Riley Finn to even exist? Exactly. Blame Joss, not me!
TIMELINE: October 2001, around the beginning of Season Six.
SPOILERS: Nope, none of them.
DISTRIBUTION: Anyone can have it. You only have to ask nicely.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: OK, so the title is borrowed from the one decent Doris Day song I've heard and there's a certain amount of homage to the Back To Future trilogy. Also, I wrote a large amount of this last night under the influence of Miles Davis, John Lennon, David Bowie and Dean Martin. So who knows what could happen?!?!
FEEDBACK: I thrive on it, so send it! Please, I beg you!
OK, so this is in response to Paige's challenge.
Challenge Requirements:
1. The Season 6/Season 3 cast of Buffy and Angel travel back in time to the second season before Angel lost his soul
2. Buffy has already been brought back in your own way
3. Spike from Season 6 must go back in time as well
4. Both past and present Angel must find out about Spike's love for Buffy
5. Present Buffy and Angel must be together in the end!
Whether there is a past Dawn or not is up to you and I was also wondering if anyone who responded to my challenge could send their story to my e-mail as well as the list. Pretty Please? Happy Writing!
Paige

Part One

Sunnydale, California. 6th October 2001.

"You've GOTTA be kidding me!" Buffy exclaimed loudly. She was sitting on the counter in the Magic Box, surrounded by her closest friends. And Spike.

"That's how you got me back? Really? That was all?"

"Uh, well.. Yes. We simply wound back time slightly, and Spike was able to stop Doc before he began the ritual. Glory was killed, as was Doc. But we had to come back here to right time back again. Otherwise there would have been two of each of us."

"It's all to do with physics. And a little magic." Willow cut in.

"So when you returned to here, it was all the same, just without a dead Buffy?" Buffy asked, intrigued.

"Yep. Just live Buff." Xander said. "The way we like our Buffy to be."

"So, we could go back in time right now?"

"Yes." Giles told her.

"You've seen Back To The Future, right?" Anya cut in. "Just like that but without the scary man with white hair."

"Scary man? Christopher Lloyd scares you?" Buffy asked her.

"Not him exactly. Just... the hair."

"OK."

"She's scared of bunnies, remember." Willow whispered to Buffy. Buffy stifled a laugh.

"We could change things?" Buffy asked. Giles fixed her with a stern look.

"What are you thinking Buffy? This is not something to be done lightly."

"Well......" She looked at Willow, who knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Maybe we could go back and warn 16 year old Buffy about...."

"The curse. Really Buffy, I thought you'd know better than that. Time travel is dangerous. It should not be used merely so you can stay with your boyfriend." Giles said. Buffy looked as if she'd been slapped.

"That wasn't why I was going to do it!" She exclaimed. "I was thinking more along the lines of 'Hey, let's warn young Buffy so her boyfriend doesn't turn evil, kill lots of people and try to send the world to Hell.' What do you think?" Giles looked down.

"I'm sorry Buffy. I didn't mean it like that."

"I know. Don't you think it would be worth it? We can even help her with the Judge."

"It does have potential, Giles." Willow pointed out. But she couldn't bring herself to mention one person.

"Jenny." Giles said hollowly. He looked up at Buffy. "All right. But we must think through this very carefully before we doing anything." He said. Buffy nodded.

"Fine. Let's start thinking." She told them. They sat down.

"It's trickier this way. We were really just acting to stop the future. This way, we'll actually change the past and future." Willow said, opening a book.

"I'll go get us some snacks." Buffy said. "I want to stop off at home to see how Dawn is first. I'll be back in a while."

She returned later with a large box of doughnuts.

"What do we have to do?" She asked.

"There are two kinds of time travel. The first is what we used before, a spell. But that only works to change very recent events, its only a small change." Willow said.

"I didn't think dying was a small change." Buffy commented.

"Well, it isn't." Giles said. "But in the fabric of time, it only needed a small change to alter the course of events. But going back almost four years, well..."

"Much bigger change." Anya cut in.

"So, how do we do it?"

"It's a lot like Back To The Future." Willow said. "We need to get up enough speed to propel us into the past. A combination of mechanics, magic and physics. Fortunately, we can do all three."

"We have to get to 88 miles per hour?" Buffy asked, remembering the movie.

"Not quite that fast. My calculations suggest that seventy five should be enough." Willow looked at her page full of numbers.

"OK. We can do that, right?"

"Well, not quite. We still need plutonium."

"Get out! Really?" Buffy looked amused.

"Yeah. To power everything." Xander told her.

"Where do we get some from."

"There's a place... in LA."

"LA?"

"Yeah. We can go up tonight. A... friend has a contact where he can get us some plutonium." Giles told her.

"Who?"

"Well...."

"It's Angel, isn't it?" Buffy realised. Giles just nodded. "Does he know why we want it?"

"Not yet. But I think we should tell him."

"Why?"

"Because it concerns him too Buffy." Willow said gently. "He should know what you're doing with his life."

"It's a good thing."

"I know. But still..."

"Fine, whatever." Buffy slumped down into her chair.

It wasn't that she didn't want to see Angel. Of course she wanted to. But it always brought back all the pain she'd ever felt in her life. Despite what Xander had said, Riley had never been The One. She'd always known that Angel was The One. Her cradle-robbing, creature of the night One.

**

For the rest of the day, Willow worked on converting their selected vehicle so it was suitable for time travel. It was a van, in fact. They needed something that they could all get into. Somewhere along the line, they had decided that they should all go along, including Dawn. Spike had been reluctant at first, but was then reminded that no Angelus would mean no interruptions with Drusilla. He decided that if he couldn't have Buffy, he would at least keep Dru. Besides, it would be a lark.

Then, they got into the van and onto the freeway to LA. They would arrive in Los Angeles by sundown.

**

Angel sat in his office, restless. Why had Giles asked him to get plutonium? It wasn't ordinary slaying equipment. Giles had been so vague on the phone it worried him.

"Giles called. They'll be here in about fifteen minutes." Cordelia came in.

"They? Who's they? I thought it was just Giles." Angel looked up.

"He said 'they'. He didn't give me a cast list." She said with an apologetic look on her face.

"Sorry Cordy. I just...."

"Wonder why the Hell Giles needs nuclear stuff?" She said. He nodded.

"I don't know. Wesley and Gunn are back, by the way."

"Did they manage it?"

"Yeah. They're covered in demon slime, but they did." She grinned.

"I'll come and speak to them."

"Did you not hear the demon slime part? Gunn's showering in his room, Wesley in his. I love the way we have our own rooms here when we need them." Cordelia mused.

"I'm glad for you Cordy." He smiled, despite his nagging worry over Giles' request. He continued to brood for another five or ten minutes, until he heard Wesley and Gunn in the lobby talking. He got up and went in.

"Hi guys."

"Hello Angel."

"Great job tonight. I would have come..."

"We understand, Angel. Something of this importance and delicacy must be looked after." Wesley said.

"Thanks." Angel nodded. They continued talking about the recently deceased demon until Giles came in.

"Angel, hello." He said a little guardedly. Angel stood, and was about to speak when the rest of the Scooby Gang trooped in, amazed at Angel's new home.

"It's like.... So cool." Dawn said.

"I bet it cost a fortune. Angel must be stinking rich." Anya said.

"Uh, hi, uh, everyone." Angel stammered, suddenly nervous. Then, he saw Buffy. Standing there, alive and beautiful, he was so glad to see her, especially after recent fatal events.

"Hi Buffy." He said softly.

"Hi."

"We need to talk." Giles said.

"Sure. Why doesn't everyone sit down." Cordelia suggested. They did so and began discussing the plan.

"You want to go back in time and stop me from becoming Angelus again?"

"Yeah."

"Why did you think I'd object?"

"I didn't. I just thought..." Buffy trailed off.

"We wanted you to know." Giles finished for her.

"How do you propose to stop it?" Angel kicked himself mentally. That was a dumb question.

"We'll go and tell the other Buffy and Angel. Then once all is resolved, Willow and Tara will cast a memory loss spell so that the past forgets its futuristic visitors." Giles told him.

"That's what you need the plutonium for?" Wesley asked.

"Like that Back to the Future stuff?" Gunn asked. Willow nodded

"That's more or less it." She told him.

"You... need us to help?" Angel asked.

"Do you want to come?" Giles asked.

"Well.... Sure." Angel said. Anything to see Buffy. Seventeen year old Buffy or twenty year old Buffy, he didn't mind which.

"We'll need help." Tara said.

"Sure. Well, there's that big blue Smurf demon, right?" Cordelia remembered.

"Indeed." Giles nodded, wiping his glasses.

"We all coming along for the ride?" Gunn asked. Buffy nodded.

"If you want." She figured the more people around, the less chance there would be for her to end up alone with Angel. It was the thing she wanted most in t! he world, but she knew she shouldn't, couldn't, have it. However, between them, the Angel Investigations crew decided Gunn and Wesley should stay and keep an eye on the demon population.

"We don't belong in Sunnydale four years ago. It would over-complicate matters." Wesley pointed out.

"Besides, we wanna stay and kill demons." Gunn said, grinning.

"OK." Angel nodded, understanding.

**

An hour later, after final preparations, they all piled into the van- a tight squeeze by this point- and drove around, looking for a place to get to seventy five miles an hour. They found a closed supermarket, just Marty and Emmet had in the film. Then, with everyone holding on for dear life, Angel put the van into drive and shot off across the parking lot.

Forty.

Fifty.

Sixty.

Seventy.

Seventy five.

Part 2

It looked exactly the same. Nothing really gave anything away as to the year. But out of the corner of his eye, Angel saw a poster for something called France 98. Training his eyes onto it, he realised it was an advert for the upcoming World Cup. Whatever that was. But it meant they were in 1998. Barely. The display in the car read January 17th 1998.

"It worked." Giles breathed a sigh of relief. "Time to go back to Sunnydale."

Angel nodded and left the parking lot to join the traffic Sunnydale bound.

**

Two hours later, they arrived in Sunnydale and went straight to the mansion, which at that point was entirely abandoned. And in a bit of a state. They set about making it habitable. Buffy, however, had different ideas.

"I'll go on a patrol." She said.

"I don't think that's a good idea. What if you run into your younger self. Without warning, it would be disastrous."

"Giles." She fixed him with a look. "We've just traveled back nearly four years in time. In what way can we make it not a surprise?"

"Travel back in time some more and warn them that we're coming." Xander put in.

"Good idea." Spike cut in. "No, Buffy's right. She should patrol. But not alone. I'll come along."

"Spike." Buffy glared at him. "What? I'm not going to jump you in the graveyard." He said.

"Why should you when you've got your own personal Buffybot?" Anya asked. Suddenly, everyone was very aware that Angel had no idea about any of this.

"Oh dear God." Buffy muttered. This was not shaping up to be a good day.

"I'm going on patrol. Alone." She said. In situations like this, the best thing really was to just run away. Far, far away. She grabbed a stake and ran out of the mansion.

"What the Hell?" Angel asked the assembled company. At the smirk from Spike, he launched himself at the younger vampire.

"Tell me. Now." He growled.

"Ask Buffy." Spike giggled. Angel growled in frustration, knowing that he'd never get anything out of Spike in this mood. Instead, he got up and followed Buffy.

**

Meanwhile, in a cemetery on the other side of town.....

The Gorch brothers were confused. They were sitting on the cemetery wall, watching the slayer work. Except, well, she wasn't working. Or if she was it was the most unusual fighting technique they'd seen. Perhaps she was trying to kill Angelus by suffocating him with her tongue?

"You know, this isn't hunting in the classical sense." Buffy murmured.

"You're right." Angel agreed. Neither one broke away. Then, finally, Buffy stopped.

"We're hunting." She said, walking to the right. She looked left, then right, then turned to Angel.

"OK. OK. See anything?" She asked.

"No."

"OK. Enough hunting." And so continued the smoochies

**

Buffy walked along. It was unusually quiet. She was trying to recall exactly what she was doing at this point, but she couldn't remember. In her memory the nights seemed to blend into one big mess of demons and carnage. She walked along, twirling her stake like a baton. Then, she heard voices. Cautiously, she moved to see who or what it was. Her mouth dropped open. Just a few feet away sixteen year old Buffy and two hundred and forty three year old Angel were kissing like they were at the movies instead of in a cemetery. Her heart broke as she watched herself. She looked so happy, content, even though she was meant to be hunting vampires. This was her happy time, before Angel went bad and everything changed. A twig snapped behind her and she swirled around.

"Angel?" She whispered. He smiled sheepishly.

"Hi." She went over to him and put her hand over his mouth. She then led him away from the earshot of the younger versions of themselves .

"What's up?" He asked. She motioned towards the couple metres away.

"Me and you. But not me and you. Younger... You know what I mean."

"Oh." Angel remembered. He remembered everything.

"Don't ask me about Spike." She said as he opened his mouth to speak.

"How did you know?"

"I know you, Angel." She sighed. "Spike decided he's in love with me. It's so weird. He even got this kid to make him a robot Buffy. She's kind of... destroyed by Glory."

"He didn't....?" Angel trailed off, not wanting to ask what Spike could possibly want with a Buffybot.

"Oh yeah. Willow and Xander saw them. Enough to put me through therapy for the rest of my life." Buffy sighed. She looked in the direction of the other Buffy and Angel.

"I'd say we could call it a night because young Buffy is out. But..."

"They won't get any patrolling done." He finished for her. "I remember."

"You do?"

"I remember everything. I remember how simple it was then. It was just me and you and no heart wrenching agony. Well, less heart wrenching agony." His eyes were filled with sadness. He went to walk away.

"Good night, Buffy." He smiled tightly, sadly, before walking into the darkness.

**

It was a good while later that Buffy arrived back at the mansion. She had walked and walked, thinking about her past, the good times with Angel before he reverted to Angelus, thinking about the gut wrenching torment during those dark days as he rampaged through Sunnydale. But, when she returned, one person was missing. Angel. Where had he gone?

**

Angel was sitting in a tree, watching young Buffy sleep through the window. She was exactly as he remembered her and it broke his heart. It broke his heart to realise that if she was no longer the sweet innocent girl he saw sleeping, it was because of him. He couldn't change the past, he thought sadly. Then he stopped. Wasn't that exactly what they were intending to do? Suddenly, the world seemed a lot brighter.

**

Giles and the Scooby Gang decided that the best course of action would be to go to Sunnydale High minus Spike and Dawn that afternoon at the end of the school day. There was no way they could ever really warn the younger versions of themselves about their visit and so they intended to get straight down to business once they arrived.

"No good, Giles." Buffy told him. "I remembered last night. Today Buffy and Xander are going to have their hands full trying to stop prehistoric eggs from hatching. Then she'll be confined to her room."

"Oh. Quite. Well.... Perhaps it would be best if she isn't there at first. I recall the rest of us going back to the library afterwards." He said.

"OK."

"What did you do? Confined to your room. Kinda harsh, don't you think?"

"I kept myself occupied." Buffy recalled, shooting a furtive glance towards Angel. Angel, as usual kept his expression unreadable.

**

At the time they had decided on, the Scooby Gang walked into the Sunnydale High library. The younger Scooby Gang's jaws all fell.

"Giles!" Young Willow called. Giles came out of his office with Ms. Calendar and nearly fainted.

"Can I help you?" He asked, trying not to be fazed by the appearance of his elder self, not wearing tweed, no less.

"Well, as a matter of fact, its actually how we can help you." Giles told him. "Would you like to sit down?"

"They're robots. Or shape-shifting demons." Young Xander told his friends.

"Oh please, Xander. Do you think a shape-shifter would dress as well as this?" Cordelia asked him. Young Cordelia's jaw dropped.

"They're real, all right." Young Xander realised.

**

The younger versions of themselves sat riveted as Giles told them about time travel, and why they were back.

"You want to help us with something?"

"The Judge. And there's something else. But I think that's up to Buffy and Angel." He said, looking up. Young Willow had noticed that the two were standing practically at opposite ends of the library, but didn't say anything.

"Well, maybe we... I should talk to Buffy alone first." Older Buffy suggested.

"I think that's good. Angel?"

"Uh... Sure."

"Aren't you... Isn't she grounded?" Young Willow asked.

"Yeah. Just call her and say it's important. She'll come." Buffy said. Giles nodded and went to the phone.

"Now what?"

"We wait."

"Angel should be with her." Buffy said.

"How do you know.... Never mind." Giles said, realising.

**

It only took Young Buffy ten minutes to arrive, on the arm of Angel, as Buffy had known she would.

"Hey Giles, what's the up...." She trailed off. "Huh?" She managed.

"Well, do you want to tell her, or should I?" Young Giles asked Older Giles.

"You're her watcher." Giles conceded. Young Giles sat down with Young Buffy and Angel and explained the situation to them.

"That's what I look like in four years time?" Young Buffy looked at her older counterpart.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Buffy demanded.

"Hey! Be cool." Xander said.

"I was about to say that." Young Xander told him.

"Yeah? Cool." Xander said.

"Buffy, I believe you wanted to speak to... Buffy about something." Young Giles said.

"Yeah. How about we use your office?"

"My pleasure." Young Giles said. But Young Buffy had other ideas.

"No. Anything she has to say she can say now." The older versions all exchanged glances.

"I really think...."

"No. Tell me now. Here." Young Buffy demanded.

"OK." Buffy said, annoyed with her stubborn younger self. "You asked for it. On your birthday, you're going to sleep with Angel." Young Buffy's eyebrows shot up.

"Really?"

"Yeah. But not only that. You'll sleep with Angel, he'll have a moment of true happiness, go evil and then you'll have to send him to Hell. But, not before Willow gets the soul back inside Angel. You'll then be completely devastated, run off to LA for the entire summer, drive your mother and friends mad with worry, Angel will come back from Hell somehow, you'll hide him from your friends, get into trouble with them for it, then he'll leave you because he can't stand to be around you anymore. How about that?" Buffy said angrily. She was surprised. She didn't realise she still had so much anger inside herself about it all.

"And you'll blow up the school." Xander added. Young Buffy grinned, but she had gone pale.

"Oh, and let's not forget that while evil, Angel will try to drive you crazy, kill Ms. Calendar and almost send the entire world to hell." Buffy told her. Ms. Calendar blanched and sat down.

"That's why you came? To warn us about that?" Young Giles said. Buffy nodded.

"Please, like Angel and I are just helpless slaves to passion." Young Buffy said. Everyone else in the room, young and old gave her a look. Her Angel squeezed her tightly around the waist.

"At least we know, right?" He said, clearly devastated by the news that if he wasn't careful, he was going to go evil. Young Buffy suddenly shot out of the room. Several people went to go after her, but to everyone's surprise, Older Angel got up and went out after her.

"Buffy?" He called softly. She was sitting in the student lounge, sniffling.

"Hey." He said gently, sitting beside her. She looked up.

"You're not my Angel." She said.

"No."

"Is it bad?"

"When I revert to Angelus?" He asked. She nodded. "About as bad as it gets."

"Why?"

"The curse... It says if I get a moment of pure happiness, when I forget about all the bad I ever did before, then I lose my soul."

"Couldn't we curse you again?" She asked, grasping at straws.

"You do. But.... it will take Jenny a while. She's a gypsy, you know. When you find out that she was sent to watch me and didn't say anything, you kind of freeze her out. But she looks for the curse. Just as she gets it, before she can say anything...." Angel trailed off.

"Angelus killed her, didn't he?" She said. He nodded. "How do we find it?"

"I don't know. But Willow re-cursed me. Not in time to stop me awakening Acathla. Buffy, you'll send me to Hell." He told her.

"I would never do that!"

"Yes, yes you will. And that's OK. Me or the world. Not a tough choice really." He said deadpan.

"Why do you come back?"

"I don't know."

"Why do you leave? Don't you love me anymore?" Angel's heart broke, yet again, at the sixteen year old's question.

"Yes Buffy, I do. But I left to give you all the stuff you want. A normal life."

"A normal life? I'll never have a normal life." She exclaimed.

"That's what Buffy said, too."

"So why won't you stay?"

"I was scared. Being around you makes me... Love makes you do the wacky, remember?" She nodded. "I can't afford to be wacky." He told her.

"Oh." She looked so sad that Angel put his arm around her and rocked her gently.

**

Buffy, however, was truly unnerved by Young Angel's presence in the library. He wasn't really 'young' Angel, she realised, merely 'younger'. But he was just as beautiful as she remembered him, and a lot of the guilt in Angel's eyes was not present in this man's eyes. He was lighter, somehow. It was then that she realised truly, how bad Angel must feel after his spell as Angelus. It wasn't just random violence and killing, but people that he really cared about. He had hurt his Buffy. It was here that Buffy began to truly forgive Angel for leaving her, as she began to realise how hard it must have been for him to have been around her all the time, knowing what he had done to her and her friends.

"Maybe I should go after her?" Younger Angel pondered.

"No. She'll be OK with Angel." Buffy said. "That's a sentence I never thought I'd say to you. I bet you're all jealous?"

"Of myself, please." He scoffed. Buffy fixed him with a look. He just nodded.

"Dumb, isn't it?" He said.

"You always were the jealous type. Kinda one of the things I like best about you." She said.

"Really?"

"Well, that and your hair." She joked. She was surprised that she got a real smile. Her Angel barely ever smiled nowadays. Yet, as she thought on, she realised that her Angel was certainly acting a lot lighter than he had been. What had happened in LA, what had happened with Darla? She got up and sought out Cordelia.

Cordelia was sitting with her younger self discussing fashion.

"You never change." Buffy joked. Cordelia looked up.

"Hey Buffy."

"You really don't get much taste over the next few years." Young Cordelia said. Buffy merely smiled.

"Cordy, can I talk to you for a sec?" She asked the Older Cordelia.

"Sure." Sitting side by side with the girl still known as Queen C, it was clear how much Cordelia had changed.

"What's been happening with Angel in LA recently?"

"Well, Darla was brought back, he was almost able to save her, but couldn't. Wolfram and Hart got Drusilla in to change her back to vamp. You can imagine what that did to Angel." Buffy nodded, oh, she could imagine.

"And he kinda went all crazy. He rent right to the edge. He fired us."

"Really?"

"Yeah. For our own good, but it didn't feel like it. Then, he had an epiphany, he didn't tell us how or why, and since then has been, well, a lot more smiley. And of course, there was that lovely interlude in Pylea. I was a princess." She grinned.

"Pylea?"

"Another dimension. Angel got a reflection and worried about his hair..."

"He really doesn't change, huh?"

"No. And he could go out in the Sun. Oh Buffy, it was so wonderful. He was like a little kid, all excited just because he could go in the sun. But there was a bad side too. His demon? Hundred times worse and instead of just being a little bumpy in the forehead, spiky and green."

"Oh."

"And it was all, well, bad, really. We got back in one piece though. More or less. When we got back to the hotel, though. Willow was waiting to tell us you had died.

"What then?"

"Angel did exactly what we expected him to. He locked himself in his room, wouldn't speak to anyone until I barged in and made him talk. Buffy, he was so sad. He even cried."

"Angel?"

"Yeah. He told me that he loved you and couldn't imagine life without you. He told me that he felt like just staking himself."

"Really?"

"You really don't get it. Just because he doesn't see you anymore doesn't mean he doesn't think about you. He does, all the time. Even when he was trying to deal with Darla, a part of it was about you."

"Oh." Buffy sighed sadly. "You really care about him, don't you?"

"I do. He's family." Cordelia said

"Spike!" Young Willow's voice shrieked.

"Oh damn." Buffy raced from the stacks down into the main part of the library.

"Buff, tell your great poof to put his stake down." Spike said.

"Put the stake down, Angel. This isn't Spike... Well, it is Spike, but he's good now."

"Good?"

"Yes. Admit it William, you're a good puppy now." Spike grimaced but didn't object.

"He has a government chip in his brain which makes him unable to kill anything but demons. Think of it as an electronic soul." She said.

"He's on our side now?" Young Willow asked. Buffy smiled at Spike.

"Yeah, he is." Spike felt better. A smile from Buffy, well, that meant a lot to him. Then, Young Buffy and Angel came in.

"Two Buffys for the price of one." Spike couldn't resist. "Like I died and went to Heaven. Better than that robot trash." He grinned lasciviously as both Buffys. But where Angel just growled, his younger version jumped at Spike and pinned him to the ground.

"What are you talking about Spike." He growled. Spike laughed. Buffy put her hand on Angel's shoulder.

"Calm down, Angel. Spike... It's way gross, but Spike is apparently in love with me."

"No apparently about it, slayer." Spike objected. She fixed him with a silencing look.

"But he knows nothing will come of it. Don't you Spike?"

"If Peaches here weren't in the picture...."

"Don't you Spike?" She repeated. He nodded.

"What can I say? She's got a thing for tall dark guys. And soldier boys." Buffy elbowed him in the ribs roughly.

"What do you mean?" Young Buffy asked, concerned that she should love anyone else.

"He doesn't mean anything." Buffy cut in. If this worked right, Riley would never be a factor in her life. That made her feel better than she'd care to admit. Then a thought came to her.

"Spike! What did you do with Dawn?"

"He brought me along and made me stay out in the hall." Dawn complained, coming in. Young Buffy looked confused. "Who are you?" Dawn laughed nervously.

"Boy, I really didn't exist, did I?" Buffy put her arm around her sister.

"This is Dawn. Your sister." Young Buffy looked at Dawn.

"Really? How did that happen?"

"It really doesn't matter." Buffy said. "Just believe me, OK?"

Young Buffy nodded, but not before looking to Angel for affirmation. It was something that didn't go unnoticed by either Older Buffy or Younger Angel.

"I think me and Dawn are going to go for a walk." Buffy said, leading her sister out.

"Are you OK?" She asked Dawn, as they sat at the foot of the steps outside.

"Sure. It was just weird. I didn't exist then... Now. I just... forget."

"Me too,"

"Really?"

"Of course. The fact is: You are Dawn Summers, my annoying little sister. I don't really remember what it was like without you, and in a few years, neither will she. It won't matter."

"OK."

"You're not a key anymore, you're Dawn. OK?"

"Yeah. Shall we go back inside?"

"Let's just sit here for a minute." Buffy said.

"It's weird, huh? Two Angels."

"Yeah. Two Angels but none for Buffy."

"I remember, you know. All of this. I know I was just a little kid, but I remember lying in bed at night and hearing you crying. I always wanted to tell you it would be all right, but I didn't know what you were crying about." Dawn admitted. Buffy put her arm around her sister.

"I scared you, huh?"

"Yeah. When we didn't know you were the Slayer, it was weird. I would sometimes hear you sneaking out, or hear you talking to Angel. I never told on you."

"I guessed that. What with mom being.... Oh God!" She realised.

"Mom's alive here." Dawn said softly.

"She is. She doesn't know I'm the slayer yet." She remembered. She stood up. "Want to go for a walk Dawnie?"

"Sure." Dawn grinned, knowing exactly where they were going. They walked from the school and fairly soon arrived on Revello Drive. They got to the Summers house, and silently crept into the garden. They made their way around the back of the house and, from the shadows, watched Joyce in the kitchen drinking coffee.

"She looks younger." Dawn whispered.

"She is." Buffy replied. Tears streamed down two faces as they watched their mother.

"Buffy?" A voice whispered. She jumped.

"Angel?" She whispered. It was the Younger Angel. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to look for you. When you didn't come back to the library, I was worried."

"Oh." Buffy took his arm and led him away from the house. Dawn followed.

"We uh...."

"You're crying." Angel looked so full of concern and love that she just cried more.

"I think we should go back." Dawn said. Angel nodded and they walked back towards the school.

"I just wanted to see my mother again." Buffy cried softly. "I miss her." Dawn took her hand. As they passed the children's playground, Angel stopped, and led them into it. He sat Buffy down on a swing and sat on the next one, while Dawn leaned against the frame.

"I... I just.... It was so much nicer then.. now, I mean. I had a mom and you and in my memory, Dawn. I was happy. So damn happy. And now I don't have a mom and I don't have you."

"You have me." Dawn cut in. Buffy smiled in spite of herself. "You died for me, remember?"

"I know. I know I'm just being weak and selfish Buffy, wanting stuff I can't have, but it hurts so much." Angel enveloped her in a hug.

"Shh... Shh... I don't know everything that's going to happen, but I know you. It's not selfish to want love, to want your mom. And you couldn't be weak even if you tried." He told her. "And I don't know exactly why I'm going to leave you. But I know that I will always love you. And I know it will tear me apart to leave. So I'm hoping I won't have to." He smiled at Buffy, a sweet, tender smile that was fit to break her heart all over again.

"Giles, your Giles, is talking to Jenny about the curse, and what they can do with it. Maybe I'm meant to go evil and end up in LA. Or maybe not. But whatever happens, you will always have my love." Angel promised her. Then he kissed her chastely on the cheek.

"I love you Angel." She whispered.

"I know." He said, standing up. "Let's get back before they send Spike out looking."

"Did you just make a joke?" Buffy asked.

"Kind of. I have to ask. Spike's really in love with you?" He asked, not really believing it.

"Trust me, I'm as weirded out as you are. Possibly more."

"Not as weirded out as Willow and Xander when they saw Spike and the robot in the cemetery...."

"I swear I will kill you if you finish that sentence Dawn Summers." Buffy said. Dawn just smiled sweetly and followed them back to the school.

**

"Where were you? We were worried." Giles said as the three came into the library.

"We uh, went for a walk." Buffy said. Both Willows looked concerned, but Older Willow seemed to understand.

"How is she?" She asked Buffy. Buffy smiled.

"She seemed OK."

"Who?" Young Buffy asked.

"Uh, we just walked along past our house to see if Mom was OK."

"Why? Why would you do that?" Young Buffy demanded. Willow was about to tell Young Buffy, but Buffy shook her head.

"It doesn't matter." She said. Willow understood. Some things were better left untold.

"Buffy, we've been talking." Giles said. "It seems the best course of action is to find Spike and Drusilla now, before they can assemble the Judge. If we find any pieces of him, its possible we can destroy him with a living flame."

"Oh! Like the magic mitt thingy?" Buffy asked. Giles nodded.

"Don't stake me." Spike said suddenly. "If you kill me I won't exist in our time.

"We don't intend to do anything of the sort. That would alter time much more than we care to do." Giles said.

"What about the, uh, curse?" Younger Angel asked.

"Well, what we do have is our copy of the curse. Jenny is going to research further, find out exactly what is in it, and if it can be at all altered."

"To take out the happiness clause?" Buffy asked, a little quicker than she meant to.

"Well, quite." Younger Giles said. Buffy tried to hide her smile. If it was removed, Angel might not leave her.

"We will also cast a spell so that none of us remember the time travel. Otherwise, reality could become much more complicated than it should be."

"The spell will come into effect when we return, so all will be as it should." Willow added.

"When are we going to do all this?" Buffy asked.

"Tomorrow. We'll go to the factory as soon as the sun sets. Once we've destroyed the Judge, we'll go home." Giles told her. She nodded.

"All right."

"Is that everything?" Young Buffy asked. "The longer I'm here, the more chance there is my mom will notice I'm gone."

"I believe it is. We can talk more tomorrow." Younger Giles said. She grabbed her bag and went to leave.

"Good night... Everyone." She threw her elder self a dirty look. Once she'd left, Willow came over.

"She's jealous of you. Her Angel went after you."

"Well, my Angel went after her. Except... He's not my Angel." Buffy's heart sank.

"After tomorrow, who knows?" Willow smiled. Buffy nodded.

"True. Maybe I won't feel as bad as I do right now."

**

They returned to the mansion shortly after this, and everyone headed straight to bed. Except, that is three of them. Buffy sat outside on the hill, remembering that it was on this very spot that it began to snow, saving Angel.

"Hey." An English voice said softly. She turned to see Spike.

"Hello Spike." She said dully.

"Don't worry Buffy. I bet that all will be well once we get back."

"Why are you saying all this?"

"Because I hate to see you unhappy. I know I don't stand even a remote chance with you, but that doesn't matter. Truth be told, I like being friends with you." He said with a little smile.

"Really?"

"Sure. Beats having you hit me all the time. " He joked. She laughed.

"Just don't tell anyone. Got a rep to protect."

"Oh, sure." Buffy said, nodding. She smiled at him. "Thank you Spike."

"I know I might not even exist when we get back. You might stake me at some point in the next few years."

"Oh, I doubt it." Buffy laughed. "I don't think some things will ever change too much."

"If I don't... I just want to tell you something. If I'm one of the good guys now, it's not because of a chip in my brain, it's because of you." He smiled, then went back inside. Buffy sat for a little longer, looking up into the stars.

"Hey." Another voice called. She didn't need to look to see who it was.

"Hello Angel." Her voice was filled with sadness.

"Do you think it will work?" He asked her. "Do you think we might get to live happily ever after, after all?" She looked up, surprised at his question.

"I don't know. Do you want to?"

"Live happily ever after with you? Buffy, there isn't anything in the world I want more." He sat down beside her.

"Yeah? So, tell me oh great and wise Angel, why exactly did you leave?"

"I left to give you a normal..."

"If you use a normal life as an excuse, I will rip out your un-beating heart and use it as a garnish on Thanksgiving."

"It's partly the truth. But... The real reason... I was scared."

"Of what?" She challenged.

"I was scared of myself. It wasn't about sex, Buffy. I didn't know what would give me a moment of true happiness. It could be anything. Just sitting with you, listening to you talk, watching you smile. I realised that just being near you could turn me again. It made me realise then that if I was away from you it would hurt me like Hell." He paused. "More than Hell, actually. But at least I wouldn't become... him... again." He looked away. Buffy began to realise why he had left.

"It wasn't because of me?" She ventured.

"No! Oh, Buffy, if I was just me, instead of guy with a demon inside me, I would never leave your side. It was for you I left. I know that sounds ridiculous, and I can only try and understand how it made you feel. But I did it for you."

"Angel...." She began.

"Yes?"

"I love you. I try not to, but I can't stop." She began to cry. He put his arms around her.

"Me too."

"I tried to love Riley, but he wasn't you. He was never you." She murmured.

"It doesn't matter now. Whatever happens, I'll be there."

"What?" She pulled away from him.

"No matter what happens, I'll be there for you. If, when we get back, everything is exactly the same, I'm going to commute from LA to see you."

"Commute?" She asked.

"I can't leave LA behind. I help people. If I help enough of them, I get to be human."

"What?!?!" Buffy shrieked.

"I get my humanity back."

"When?"

"I don't know. It could be a hundred years from now. Although, I'm hoping it won't take that long." He said.

"Me too." She smiled.

"When it happens, how does forever sound? Does forever work for you?" He asked, echoing her words that night after her mother's funeral.

"I'd say so."

"Did she look OK?" He asked. A couple of tears fell from her eyes.

"Yeah. Alive. I miss her."

"I know you do. I miss my mom." He told her.

"You do?"

"Sure. Some days I wake up even expecting to wake up in Galway to the sound of her voice."

"It must come as a disappointment to wake up in that huge hotel."

"Well... I figure that if Darla hadn't come along, I would never have got to see you." He said.

"Well, then, maybe I should thank Darla." She said dryly. She didn't expect to see him look so sad.

"I have to tell you something." He looked like he was about to impart some awful piece of information.

"What?"

"I, uh.... Did Cordelia tell you anything about recent events in LA?"

"She said that Darla drove you to the edge."

"You don't know how far."

"Just tell me." She prompted gently.

"I slept with her."

"What?"

"I slept with her. I'm sorry Buffy. I just... I wanted to feel something other than the emptiness."

She jumped up. He went to follow her.

"Leave me alone!" She said, running away into the darkness

Part Three

She walked along the Sunnydale streets in a daze. Angel had slept with Darla? When Cordelia had told her Angel had gone a little crazy, she never imagined this. She found herself once again walking down Revello Drive. It was too late for her mother to be up, but she went into the garden anyway. "Buffy!" She heard a whisper. Angel jumped down from the tree by her bedroom. He came over to her

"You've been crying again." He said. "What happened?"

"You're the one person I really can't talk to about this." She said, laughing bitterly.

"You can talk to me about anything." He said quietly. He led her over to the bench on the porch. She tried to stop crying and sniffled softly.

"Angel had sex with Darla in LA."

"Darla? I killed her." He said.

"I know. A law firm, Wolfram and Hart brought her back. I don't know how. She was human, but dying. Angel tried to save her, but couldn't. The lawyers found Dru and got her to make

Darla back into a vampire. Then, for some reason, Angel had sex with her." Angel took her hand.

"Buffy, let me explain something to you."

"Do I want to hear this?"

"Probably not. But you need to hear it. Darla.... She made me. For a hundred and fifty years I was with her. She... she blew the top of my head off, but it was never love. I only ever loved you. If I know Darla, and if I know me, it wasn't love that drove him to sleep with her. It was desperation, sadness, emptiness." He paused. "But I don't know what happened. I do know that Darla had the power to drive me crazy. I don't know why he did it, but I bet he didn't do it just because he felt like it."

"Well, that's very reassuring." She said sarcastically.

"You should talk to him. Ask him why."

"Yeah, like he'll tell me."

"I'd tell you. And he's me." Angel smiled at her.

"This is so bizarre. I'm going to Angel for advice about Angel. I think I'm getting a headache." She rubbed her temples.

"Buffy, he loves you. I love you." He said. She smiled.

"You'll get in trouble with Buffy if she hears you saying that." She joked. He smiled.

"Talk to him." He said. She nodded.

"I will. Angel, whatever happens, if this whole thing works or not, it doesn't matter. I forgive you. I love you." She said. He smiled and nodded.

"Good night, Buffy." He said. She walked down the path and along the sidewalk. Looking back, she couldn't see him. Then, she looked up. He had resumed his position in the tree, watching over the girl he loved. She smiled, and walked towards the mansion.

When she arrived back, all was still. She walked back out into the garden, breathing in the scent of night blooming jasmine. She saw Angel, still sitting where she'd left him.

"Angel." She said. He turned. She couldn't tell, but it looked like he might even have been crying.

"Hello." He said, his voice so full of pain, sadness and self-hatred, she herself wanted to cry. She tried not to, because if she cried anymore she'd be hospitalised with dehydration.

"I spoke to Angel." She said. "He told me to come back and talk to you. He told me you'd tell me the truth about Darla."

"I hated myself." He said hollowly. She sat down beside him. "I hated that I had betrayed you. It was after... her that I had my epiphany. It was then that I hit rock bottom. That was pure desperation, Buffy. It was... stupid. I can't blame you for feeling like you do."

"It doesn't matter, Angel." She said.

"It doesn't?"

"No. Because you killed her for me once. It didn't make you happy, either."

"That was her intention. But I could only ever be happy with one person."

"Oh. It is me, right?"

"It was always you, Buffy. In over two hundred years there was only ever you. There still is only you."

"Then Darla doesn't matter." She said, taking his hand. "None of it matters."

"It must be almost dawn." She said.

"Not for a while." He told her. She snuggled to him. "How is Faith?" She asked.

"She's getting better. She thinks a lot. A lot of the other prisoners try to pick fights with her, but she tries not to rise to it. She finds it hard. But she's really improving. She wants to be good." He said.

"I'm glad. I never hated her Angel. I tried to, but she was my friend, my sister almost."

"I know. She knows. One day, she'll be well and you'll be able to..."

"Forgive her." Buffy finished. He nodded. "It must be almost dawn." She said.

"Not for a while." He told her. She snuggled to him.

"That's good."

**

The next day was spent in the mansion. The younger Angel had come along just before sunrise, and was now also holed up in the mansion. The three vampires were also driving each other crazy. Or, to be exact, Spike was driving both Angels crazy. Neither was particularly happy about Spike's Buffy 'thing' and didn't much appreciate hearing about it.

"And after I was beaten up by Glory, Buffy pretended to be the Buffybot." He said loudly. Both Angels were taken aback. Buffy was unimpressed.

"Why don't you tell them the actual truth?" She suggested.

"But, there are children around." Spike said.

"I don't mind." Dawn cut in.

"Shut up Dawn. I pretended to be the Buffybot to see if Spike had said anything about the key being Dawn to Glory."

"Which I hadn't, for the record." Spike cut in. "Then, she ravished me..."

"I did not! I gave him a very quick peck to thank him. Then he realised it was me." She said, blushing furiously.

"You kissed Spike?!?!" Angel was clearly furiously jealous, but trying to keep it under control. Spike's eyes gleamed. He'd made Angel jealous!

"I did not kiss Spike. Not like that. Give me some credit."

"Riley Finn!" Spike said under a cough. She glared at him.

"Who's Riley Finn?" Younger Angel asked innocently.

"Someone you'll get to enjoy beating up." Angel said, smirking. Buffy hit him in the arm.

"Not that you should enjoy beating him up." He added hastily.

"If this goes right, I'll never have to put up with Riley Finn. Ever."

"What about during Psych class?" Willow asked.

"Well, during that. Maybe we should warn them about the Initiative. I mean, if I don't end up dating Riley, I won't find out as much about them."

"Or you'll find out another way. You can't alter everything, Buffy." Angel told her.

"I know. But still..."

"Don't worry." He said with a reassuring smile. Spike watched this interaction.

"Oh God. They're back making googly-eyes at each other." He turned to Dawn. "Makes me want to heave." He winked at her. She laughed.

"We are not!" Buffy said. "I don't do googly-eyes."

"That's not entirely true." Both Angels said at the same time. She looked from one to the other and burst out laughing.

"Some things really don't change." She laughed, feeling better than she had in a long time.

**

That evening, as soon as night fell, the Scooby Gang- both of them, headed towards the factory. Spike had begun collecting Judge parts for Drusilla, and while the Scooby Gang of that time fought his minions, the older versions took the Judge parts. Only Buffy noticed the absence of Spike.

"Oi!" He shouted. Spike in a wheelchair turned to see him. He came over, looking shocked.

"Who the Hell are you?" Spike asked.

"I'm... your lucky star. Don't ask so many bloody questions."

"You look like me."

"Yeah, funny that. Shut up and listen. Keep out of the Slayer's way. Take Dru and spend some time in South America. Stay away for a while."

"I want to kill the bloody slayer. She's so bloody annoying." Younger Spike said.

"Yeah." Spike's expression softened a little. "She grows on you. Just try not to get staked, OK?" Spike in the wheelchair nodded. Spike nodded.

"Good. Remember: You're the big bad."

"I know, mate." They grinned at each other, and Spike went off to join the gang.

**

Willow and Tara had arranged the spell, and were putting the final touches to it. They were gathered in the library.

"It feels weird to be back in here after everything." Xander said.

"I know. Last time I checked, fried Mayor still covered much of the floor." Buffy said.

"Not that there was much floor left." Xander pointed out.

"True."

"Are we ready?" Willow asked. Buffy went to the Younger Angel and hugged him tightly.

"Whatever happens?" He whispered. She nodded. She then went to her younger self and hugged her.

"Look after him, OK? And Dawn and Mom." She said.

"I still don't get the Dawn thing, but sure." Young Buffy nodded, understanding more than she let on. Buffy then bade farewell to the younger Willow and Xander, before hugging Younger Giles and Jenny. They would forget the time travel, but not the things told to them.

"We'll work this piece of archaic Romanian out if it kills me." She said, not realising the bitter irony of her words.

"I hope it doesn't." Buffy whispered. Once the farewells had been given, Younger Willow and Jenny began their half of the spell. The Present Day versions then went out to the parking lot, where the van was parked. The road in front of Sunnydale High was straight, and at this time of night, deserted. They all piled in and Angel drove out of the parking lot. Then, he let rip down the street, Willow and Tara chanting the spell. Buffy prayed that this would work as she wanted, needed it to.

Forty.

Fifty.

Sixty.

Seventy.

Seventy five.

Part Four

"Buffy? Buffy? Buffy?" A voice called. She woke up slowly. Weird. She didn't remember falling asleep. She sat up. She was in an unfamiliar bed. Angel came in.

"You are awake. Your mom should be here soon. You might want to get dressed." He grinned. It was daytime. Sun was streaming into the room.

"Angel? You're in the sun!"

"Yes Buffy. One of the perks of being a human being."

"What date is it?"

"Sixth of October, 2001. Why?"

"Nothing. Just wondered."

"It worked Buffy." He said. "Well, most of it worked. The forgetting thing didn't do so well. Everyone's kind of disoriented. They're all coming over here to talk about it all."

"We?"

"Went back in time. When we got back, I was lying in bed next to you. Not that I minded, with this great heartbeat thing." He grinned.

"How do I know what's happened since, then?"

"Well, that's the weird thing. I have two memories. One of being Angelus again, that one, and the other. But I don't want to spoil it for you. It'll come to you. Or you could read your diary."

He winked and went out again. She scrambled out of bed.

"Satin sheets? Nice." She grinned to herself. She went to her dressing table- she knew instinctively where her diary would be.

January 19th 1998.

My birthday. Usually, these suck beyond the telling of it. Witness last year- fighting big scaly demons. However, this year was different. This year, Angel's curse was altered so he can be happy. Which means he can, you know, have sex. But we've decided not to rush into anything. But I love Angel so much sometimes I think I'm going to spontaneously combust. Which, as we all know, can happen. I had the weirdest dream the other day. I dreamt that Buffy from 2001 came back in time with all her friends, to warn me of Angel's curse and stuff like that. Weird, huh? Even by my standards. The weirdest thing was, in the dream, I didn't have a sister. If only. Dawn is so annoying. But the strange thing is, the Buffy who came back did have Dawn and promised that I'd understand sometime.

Buffy smiled. It was beginning to come back to her. The monks had still changed everything to include Dawn. But now, she remembered differently. She flipped through the pages.

ANGEL IS HUMAN!! ANGEL IS HUMAN!! ANGEL IS HUMAN!! ANGEL IS HUMAN!! ANGEL IS HUMAN!! ANGEL IS HUMAN!! ANGEL IS HUMAN!!

I'm sorry! But I'm so happy! He's a real human being! He's still really strong, but ANGEL IS HUMAN!! We stopped Drusilla from awakening Acathla, and next thing I know, Angel is lying on the floor with a heartbeat. After ceaseless researching, Giles discovered a prophecy that a vampire with a soul would shoeshine. Not shoeshine. Hang on, I'll ask Angel.... Shanshu. I knew it was something like that. Anyway, he's human now. He had to fulfil his destiny and repent for his crimes. By stopping Acathla and staking Dru, he did so. The funny thing was, Spike was nowhere to be seen. I wonder if we've seen the last of him? Here's hoping! But ANGEL IS HUMAN!! I really am so unbelievably happy!

Graduation Day.

Yes, we killed the Mayor. We also blew up the entire school. Actually, it was Giles who did the blowing up part, I just watched. And rejoiced. I'm so glad I persuaded mom to take Dawn away though. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to them. Faith is still in the coma, but Angel thinks that he might be able to help her if- when she comes out of it. He thinks she could be OK. I just wish he'd been able to stop Wesley taking her that time. I hope we haven't lost her forever. Even Mom liked Faith.

Buffy stopped suddenly. What had happened to her mother? Was she dead? She stopped and calmed. Angel had just told her that her mother was coming to see them. Huh? She flipped through more pages.

Mom went into surgery today. The doctor said he got the whole tumour. Which is good. Angel stayed with me and Dawn all night at the hospital. Poor Dawnie. She's had so much to deal with- being The Key, and now having her mother go through serious surgery. And she is her mother. Dawn is mom's daughter just as much as I am. She belongs with us.

She continued flicking back and forth, trying to condense four years into a minute or two.

September 1999

Started at UC Sunnydale today. Was pretty unnerving, and just plain weird. Willow is sharing a room with Cordelia. I almost wish I was rooming with Willow, like we had planned. Then, of course, I realise that I'm living in a huge 1920s mansion with Angel. Anyway, Angel's paying for Cordelia's tuition, since her parents are currently in jail for tax evasion. It's really cute. Since Angel became human, he's been like a big brother to her. Maybe I should be jealous.... Nah. But he's good to her. Better to me! But I had to take out some vamps on the campus tonight. A vamp called Sunday and her little minions. They've been taking new Freshmen each semester for years. Well, not anymore. Also, in the college bookshop, dropped a pile of books on some guy's head. Riley something. He's the TA for Professor Walsh, my Psychology tutor. There's something not right there.

Buffy laughed. She remembered the other way too- going out with Riley. And it made her laugh.

December 2001

Went out on a date with Riley Finn tonight. No, I haven't ditched Angel for the life of Riley (See the pun?). But it turns out Riley is one of those weird soldier boys we've been seeing around. The same ones that put a chip in Spike's head (!). Anyway, I'm pretending to date him to get some information. He's totally gross. And dumb. When I got back I had to shower just to get the memory of Riley off me. But Angel made up for my horrible night. Sigh. I love Angel.

She smiled.

"Buffy! Your mom is here with Dawn!" Angel shouted. Only throwing a dressing gown on, she ran out and enveloped her mother into a hug. For now, she hadn't remembered all of her new past. She still remembered her old one, the one where she didn't have a mom anymore.

"Mommy!" She screamed, running into Joyce's arms. "I love you mom."

"I know, baby, I know." They stayed in the hug for a while. "I remember too. Some of it."

"You do?"

"It's strange." Joyce sat down. "I didn't until Dawn started acting, well, just like you now. Then she told me. It was like I'd dreamed having cancer and dreamed of dying."

"You did have cancer?" Buffy asked.

"Yes. But they got it in time. I stayed in for a while. It was touch and go for a while, but I'm OK now." Joyce smiled at her daughter, who had a few stray tears running down her cheek. Angel wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her softly.

"Go and get dressed. You'll get a chill." He told her. She nodded, and went back into her room. She didn't get dressed, however, instead, she went to the last entry in her diary.

5th October 2001

OK, OK! I know I haven't written for a while. What can I say? I died, OK! Anyway, just to get you up to speed. Spike moved into our house during my dead time. I'll have to speak to Angel about that one. Spike is a good boy now, I know. But it doesn't stop him being annoying! Willow and Tara are talking about getting an apartment in the same block as Xander and Anya. As for Cordelia, she's living with David. You wouldn't expect Cordelia to fall in love with the shy, nervous David Nabbit, would you? Well, he's filthy stinking rich, so maybe yeah! Seriously though, she adores him. He adores her too, and she brings him out of himself! She also got him dressing better. He even moved to Sunnydale for her! Isn't that cute?

Buffy heard a female voice ring through the house.

"I'm five by five!" She heard. "Where's the Dawnster?" It was Faith, this she knew. She carried on reading.

Oh! Me and Faith were talking about my second death. Do you think that there will be a THIRD slayer? So much for the 'one girl in all the world' theory. Faith told me yesterday that she was so glad that we were there for her when she came out of her coma. She used to be so messed up. She still has a way to go. But I think there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Did I tell you she moved into my old room at home. Mom wouldn't have her living in that rat infested hole of an apartment anymore. I'm glad. We're family now, right? All of us. OK, I'm going to stop before I get totally schmaltzy.

Buffy put down her diary and got dressed. It was a lot to take in. But life was now good. Sure, she still slayed demons, but she was happy. She went out.

"Hey B!" Faith came over.

"Faith!" She hugged her tightly.

"B, what's with the hugs? Thinking of joining the other side? Cause if you are, I can take Angel off your hands..." She teasingly.

"No, I just... I'm glad you're here."

"Not you too. Angel and Willow just did the 'we're so glad you're OK' thing. Well, I'm glad too. As it happens, evil never did take MasterCard." She joked. But beneath the joking exterior was underlying sadness. Buffy recognised it in Faith just as she saw it in Angel.

"You're on the right side now, Faith."

"I know. And I get like this whole support network going. A mom, sisters, an Angel. It's cool."

She winked. Buffy grinned. As the rest of the family arrived, Buffy felt happier and happier. It really was exactly that: Family. And even Spike and Faith were a part of it. Life was good. And all because she took a little trip in a van with her friends. She'd thought that the time she went back to was the happiest she'd ever been, and ever would be. Turned out, she was wrong. Angel put on a CD. Then, they heard the smooth voice of Dean Martin, someone Buffy didn't know much about, besides that Angel liked him. She listened to the words:

How lucky can one guy be?
I kissed her and she kissed me.
Like the fella once said...
Ain't that a kick in the head?

"Dance, Ms Summers?" Angel asked, holding his hand out to her.

"Sure." She grinned.

The room was completely black...
I hugged her and she hugged back...
Like the sailor said, quote
"Ain't that a hole in the boat?

My head keeps spinning...
I go to sleep and keep grinning...
If this is just the beginning...
My life is gonna be beautiful!

I've got sunshine enough to spread...
It's just like the fella said...
Tell me quick...Ain't love a kick...
In the head?

Like the sailor said, quote,
"Ain't that a hole in the boat"?

My head keeps spinning...
I go to sleep and keep grinning...
If this is just the beginning...
My life is gonna be beautiful!

She's telling me we'll be wed...
She's picked out a king size bed...
I couldn't feel any better,
Or I'd be sick!

Tell me quick!
Oh, ain't love a kick!
Tell me quick...
Ain't love a kick in the head ?

And as they spun around the room to the amusement of themselves and the audience, Buffy knew exactly what Dean was talking about.

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