Part Six

Buffy~

He turned to go, but that wasn't what I wanted. I grabbed his arm and turned him around with all of the force I had. I knew I was hurting him, but I didn't care. He caused me so much pain, and I wanted him to know how much it hurt. "Oh no you don't. You don't get to run away anymore when things get complicated."

"Isn't that what you did?" he retorted back. I knew it wasn't meant to hurt me, but it still did. I know he saw the hurt in my eyes because the minute after it left his mouth, he was apologizing.

"No Angel. No more apologizing for mistakes. I know I took the easy way out, but I had to. Everyone was telling me how to live my life, and I needed to get away so I could live it. I needed to go somewhere where people would accept me for me, not because I was the Slayer."

"I understand," he told me simply. I knew things would be okay between us, but there was one more thing I needed to get off my chest. I punched him across the face, "If you ever feel that you should make my decisions for me again, so help me, I'll rip out your rip cage and parade around town with t on my head. Got it?"

He took a long, hard swallow, "I promise. Never again."

"And later, you're going to tell me why you are standing here, in the sunlight." For the first time since I had saw him, I kissed him. I put all of my pain, frustration, and happiness into that kiss. I was home. We broke apart, and I looked over at the gang, who was looking at us in shocked happiness, and said, "Let's go home."

Part Seven

It was later that night, and Buffy and Angel were sitting on their hilltop. The one from that Christmas so many years ago when Angel had tried to kill himself. "This is the first time I've seen the sunlight in years," Angel said, bringing Buffy out of her daydream of Angel and her in a house with kids and white picket fences.

"How are you enjoying it?" She asked, looking up from where her head was settled on his chest.

"It's beautiful, but even without it, I get it every time I look at you. I don't need the sunlight, I just need you."

"I love you."

"I love you," Angel leaned down to kiss her and his lips caught hers in a sweet kiss. But as the kiss intensified, they were viciously pulled apart by two vamps.

"Aww look what we have here. The Slayer has returned to her lap dog." Fang boy # 1 said.

"Aww look, it's about to be non existent fang boy." Buffy retorted. "You know what I hate the most about you guys? You have no respect for privacy! I was enjoying a very happy moment here!"

"So, you're about to be dead. What does it matter?" Vamp boy # 2 told her.

"Oh go fall on a stake," Buffy said as she fell into fight mode. Both of the vamps charged at her at the same time. Buffy concentrated on vamp number one as Angel pulled the other one back so he could get rid of him. She side stepped his charge and did a back kick, effectively kicking him to the ground. He got back up and managed to hit her with a fierce hook to the left cheek. Buffy fell with the punch and the next thing she knew, the vamp was on her. She tucked her legs to her chest and pushed the vamp off with all her might. The vamp went flying and she jumped back up. He again charged him, and she grabbed him by his shirt and ran him into a near by tree. She kneed him fiercely in the stomach and flipped him over onto his back. She took her stake and plunged it hard into his heart. In a scream, he was dust.

Buffy wiped herself off and looked over to where Angel had been fighting the vamp. She was shocked to see that he was standing there staring at her. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing. I was watching you. It's like going to the ballet. You're dancing. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

Buffy blushed and mumbled a thank you. Angel went over to her, and put his arm around her. "Let's take you home. It's been a long night."

"Ok." They walked off into the night, unaware of the shadows watching them.

*~*

"Everything is going as planned. The Slayer will never know what hit her. We will have her."

"But she took down two of my strongest men."

"But she wasn't alone, master. He has returned."

"The one with the Angelic Face."

"Ahh, Angelus. Yes, I know him. He and I used to fight side by side. But he has changed. He fights what he is. He does not know his place here. I will have to teach him. In one weeks time. The Slayer and her guardian will know their place as the victims."

*~*

"Goodnight, Buffy. I love you." Angel leaned down and gave Buffy a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Buffy, Gile's called and told me you were home. I'm so gl- What the hell are you doing here?!" Joyce had opened the door as soon as she heard Buffy come up the drive. She did not come to the airport that morning, so she didn't know what happened with Buffy Angel. "I thought I told you to leave!" Joyce was beyond anger. This man, that stole her little girl. She hated him.

"You what?" Buffy asked calmly, although she could feel her face changing to a darkened shade of red.

"I did what I thought was best for you. He's a vampire, and he can't give you anything a young girl deserves. He's a monster."

"No, he's not! I love him! So he left. Big whoopdie fucking do! I don't care. Not anymore. I'm living my own life."

"Your own life? So you live your life by running away every time something goes bad? You think you're being mature by letting everyone worry about you for five years, and think you can come back and everything will be like it was?"

"No, mom, I don't expect that! I can see how everything is different. Everyone has changed. I've changed, Willow's changed, Xander, you, and even Angel."

"Yeah, and how's he changed? He improved on how to hurt you? How do you know you can control yourself around him? What will you do if he changes to Angelus again?"

"He won't! I know the stipulations of our love, and we can work it out. So we can't have sex. None of that matters. The only that matters is our love."

"But Buffy, sometimes love isn't enough. You know that. You need more. What about a family?"

"God mom, I'm the Slayer. Obviously you are still as dense as you were five years ago. My life belongs to everyone but me. My life belongs to the people that I save. And although, it does belong to those people, it's still my decision. If I wanted to, I could quit slaying and live the kind of life that you want me to have."

"Why don't you?"

"Because I can't. I've been doing this for too long. I just can't stop, knowing that someone could get killed cause I want a white picket fence and kids playing in the yard. No one knows what I have to deal with. The emotional and physical insanity that I feel when someone dies because I wasn't there on time."

"But Buffy. You don't need him. He doesn't have a place in your life. You should have killed him the minute you found out what he was and still is."

"Mom, Angel is the reason why I've survived all these years. If it weren't for him, I would have died a long time ago. He's my life."

"And she's mine," Angel said, speaking up for the first time since Joyce had interrupted them. "She's my redemption. She's my soul. She owns everything about me. I loved her the first time I saw her. Without her, I would be nothing. I wouldn't have a purpose, a reason. She's my purpose, she's my reason."

"You may think it's okay to see each other, but I don't. And as long as you live under this roof, Buffy Anne Summers, you will not see this boy." Joyce folded her arms over her chest to show that she was serious.

"Mom! Newsflash! I'm twenty-three! You don't own me anymore! You never have! And I'm not living here. I'm living with Angel in his mansion. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to pack." Buffy went up the stairs, and returned with a suitcase filled with clothes. "I'll be by tomorrow to get the rest of my stuff. Goodbye mom." She gave her stunned mom a quick hug, and se disappeared out of her mother's life. Forever.

Part Eight

"It's almost complete. Soon the Slayer will know what real loss is like. Andrew! Stephen! Get over here." Two fledgings scuffled their way over to their master.

"Yes, sir?" They asked uncertain.

"I want you to follow the Slayer tonight. She's weak, but she may not be enough. Andrew, you are my strongest. You will challenge her while Stephen tapes. If you die, then we will know that we need more time. But, if you have her down, if you kill her, you will be down in the basement for a week, understand?"

"Yes, sir," Andrew answered. Andrew left with Stephen in tow.

"Let's begin the process. We must get inside this girl's mind."

Buffy~

What was I doing here? I didn't belong here. Not me. Not the Slayer. This place I was in was too dark. I'm used to the dark, but not this kind. It's too dark here. I can't find my way. For the first time in my life, I felt lost. I didn't know what was doing this to me. Al l I know was that I couldn't stop it.

3I was in a dark forest. There were all of these dark cloaked figures around me. They were staring at me, not saying anything. I tried to talk, but I couldn't. I guess that's what scared me the most. Whenever I start to feel fright in battle, I say things to keep my mind away from the fright. I know that fear with be the death of me. If I can't stop it , it will control me and become my every being.

I've been there before. I've been in a place where I couldn't do anything. It was the worst feeling in the world. Being there, but not seeing a thing. That's what this is like. It's like I was when I left for New York. There was only one way I got rid of it, but I can't leave again. I know I can't. Not now, not when everyone needs me.

I start to fight. I push my way through, but it seems that I'm just going around in circles. I'm lost. There's no way out. I can't do it. I drop to the ground and I do something that I swore to myself I would never do in the middle of a fight. The almighty Slayer dropped to her knees and cried. I cried for my life and for help that I knew wasn't there.

But then, something! Something was reaching to me! A light? No, a hand. It was someone. I grabbed the hand, not knowing where I was going, but I was better there than here.

I woke up. In the arms of my Angel. He saved me. He saved me from my death. My guardian, my protector. I would have died if he wasn't there. But I can't expect him to be there every time I need help. I have to do this on my own. I know something wants me. If it wants me, then it will have to come get me. But not before I find it first.

Angel~

I heard her calling out, and in a second I was at her side, comforting her. She had this far off look, like she was planning something. I didn't give it much mind. I asked her if she was ok. She nodded her head and asked me to stay with her. Of course I did. I pulled her up to my chest and got under the covers with her. There was nowhere else I wanted to be at that moment. I had everything, and she was in my arms.

I knew I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up, she was gone.

Part Nine

Buffy~

I was in the graveyard. I could feel that feeling. I knew it was here to take me. Like Hell it would. Not now. Not ever. I had to prove to myself that I could do it without Angel's help. That I didn't need him.

I whirled around when I heard a twig snap. There, looking me right in the eye was the ugliest vamp I had ever seen. His fangs glistened in the moonlight and he had an aura of confidence, that he knew he was going to win this fight. I was going to end that. I was going to win. There was no way I would let him get the best of me.

I was shocked when I felt a stinging pain in my right cheek. The vamp had caught me off guard. So it got the first hit, I was going to get the last. I whipped out my stake and took my stance. He charged and I side stepped him. A small smile spread across my face. I had what I needed to finish this fight. I figure what an opponents weakness from it's first move. This one was jumpy. He liked to get things done fast. This would be a fast fight. He would die in the next five minutes and I would go home, knowing I could do something on my own.

I must have judged him wrong. Because one minute I had the upper hand and the next I was on the ground struggling as the vamp straddled my waist. He hit me over the head, and the next thing I saw was black. The black was consuming me and there was nothing I could do about it.

Go to Part 10