Disclaimer: All things Buffy belong to the great yet evil god, Joss Whedon, I'm simply having a little non-profit geared fun.
Spoilers: Absolutely none, unless you count the fact that there are these characters named Buffy, Angel and Giles as spoilers.
Notes: Buffyverse from a different angle.
Dedication: This is for Deb, who is the beta queen and who is going into surgery tomorrow and has the best of my thoughts with her. And also this is for all of the people who wrote me inquiring about this fic the past two years. :-)

Prologue:

Salem Town, Massachusetts

Year: 1692

The town of Salem village existed in mass hysteria as a large number of the towns residence, mostly women and children, were openly accused of being involved with the black arts………..

Buffy Summers sat tired, alone and hungry in a darkened and cold prison cell. Her only tie to the outside world was a small, and steal bared window that just barely allowed the dim light from the clouded November sky to filter in. She had been in this cell for a little over a week; her only food was the occasional platter of bread and water that was brought to the floor of her cell. She had not been allowed to change clothes or bathe during the time she had been held captive and she found herself almost wishing for death as a pleasant alternative to the dank and miserable existence that she was currently surviving.

In the weeks passed she had watched as both neighbors and friends had been taken from their homes and been brought here to await being put on trial for witchcraft. She knew she was next, she had predicted her own demise into this frightening world of injustice. It came to no shock to her when they had come to her own home and summoned her to await trial. Being single and a woman during times such as these gave her very little to fight back with and her fate rested in the hands and minds of her captures.

It was her spark of originality that had clinched it. She had always been set apart from the other woman of her time, not afraid to speak her mind or voice an opinion when called for it. She argued willingly with her brothers and father, a trait that caused more then one puritan neighbor to raise their brows disapprovingly. Women were supposed to be sweet and docile, to give openly to their husbands and their community and to God, to not have a mind of their own. However, Buffy’s father Giles was a fair and intelligent man. He had recognized early on that his daughter possessed a sharp mind, and he had nourished and encouraged her to develop it, teaching her to read and write and to expand her grasp of the world. He had realized that his daughter had more to offer the world then the destined role of wife and mother, and he had made sure that she knew it too.

Unfortunately this had made her a primary target that fateful day when the cries of "Witchcraft" had rang through out their small community. Her father and her brothers had fought hard and violently to protest their sister and daughter being taken, but the harder they protested the more the law enforcers became convinced that this girl had them all under a spell. So she was ripped away from her home and brought here, the harsh winter promising of death and demise.

Buffy was completely isolated, lacking in both company and reading material. She was bored beyond belief, and she spent her days imagining herself in the far off places that she had read about in her father’s books, escaping into the sweet world of her active imagination. Her only comfort came from the voice of the older woman in the cell next to hers. The elder woman had often been considered a witch long before the trials had started. She had lived by herself in a small cottage just outside of town and she had kept to herself, which had escalated the towns’ curiosity. She wamongst the first to be taken, but she weathered everything in a peaceful fashion, speaking to Buffy calm and lucidly through the walls of their prison. They had become fast friends; Buffy enjoying the woman’s experienced filled stories and the elderly woman enjoying Buffy’s ability to maintain an intelligent conversation. It was this bond that ultimately shaped Buffy’s future.

The rain was pouring down hard and fast the dark night that Buffy’s cell door was finally opened. In stepped one of the towns many Pasteur’s, a man who only preached at night and who most people in the community feared. He would speak passionately of hell and damnation, his eyes seemingly glowing a bright yellow when he got truly excited, but he held the respect of all of the towns’ people. Buffy had never liked him; the feeling he gave her was spooky, and evil. During the last few years since he had come to town she had tried to stay as far away from him as she could, a task that wasn’t hard seeing as how the man only came out at night, claiming he spent his daylight hours studying the bible and other religious text. The irony was that this man had been drawn to Buffy through the years, singularing her out as a prospective mate, admiring her mind and her cunning. True evil was attracted to true good and he wanted nothing more then to destroy the good he saw in her.

"Admit to your sins now and you might be spared," the man said challengingly, silently daring her to do the opposite of what he had stated.

"I have done nothing wrong," Buffy claimed stubbornly, raising to the challenge.

"Then you shall be punished," he said, slipping into his demonic visage, the face of a vampire.

Trapped and weak from days of malnurishment, Buffy didn’t stand a chance. She was grabbed into the strong embrace of the demon, one of his hands around her waist and another tearing away the clothing from her neck. He effortlessly ripped into her skin, tearing her flesh and partaking of her blood. It was only when she fell limp in his embrace that he dropped her to the ground. He quickly rolled up the sleeves to his shirt and ran a strong fingernail across his wrist, watching his own blood bead to the surface. He bent down to her dying form and forced his wrist to her mouth, watching gleefully as his blood slowly flooded its way into her system. An old life was dying, a new one was taking form. Just as abruptly as he had come, he left, secure in the knowledge that by tomorrow night he would have a new partner in crime not realizing there was a being next door who had the ability to change the fate of the beautiful, blonde woman.

The old woman had heard in horror the events in the next room. She was powerless to do anything about it, not wanting to alert the vampire that she was there in the idea that Buffy would need her when all was said and done. She was one of the few people brought to prison that did in fact have knowledge of witchcraft, though she would never admit to it. She recognized what had happened and did the only thing she could to help her friend; she let Buffy keep her soul. While Buffy lay dying on the floor, the vampire blood harshly taking over her system, the woman next door muttered a spell. The spell stopped the soul from leaving the body, allowing the soul to take permanent control and forcing the emerging alter-demon into the background. The woman had given Buffy the opportunity to have a heart and conscience, two things that vampires did not possess and even though the poor girl was now forced into the dark world of vampirism she would still be herself. It was up to Buffy to use this gift wisely.

*****

Sunnydale, California

Year: 1982

A town had been created for the sole purpose of allowing a place in which demons could carelessly roam free, its property marking the gateway to hell. This was an unfortunate twist of fate for the human occupants of the small town of Sunnydale…………….

Six-year-old Angelus, or Angel to family and friends, walked home hand in hand with his parents. The fair had recently come to Sunnydale and Angel had spent a fun yet exhausting day playing in the sun with his family and friends. Unfortunately the darkness of nightfall marked the end of the tiring day and the time had come to make the journey home. Angel was actually enjoying the peaceful walk with his parents by his side more then he had enjoyed the fair, he felt loved and safe, two feelings he wouldn’t experience again to some time much later in his life. The night was strangely quiet as they made the short walk home, the sounds of the people playing and having a good time soon became muffled into the background as the family got further and further from the fair grounds. Together they walked through the darkened streets of Sunnydale; completely unaware to the potential dangers that surrounded them.

"Dad, I need to go to the bathroom," the small boy cried out in urgency, tugging on his father’s hand.

"You can’t hold it until we get home, Angel?" the loving man asked his little son.

"No, I need to go now," Angel responded, hoping his voice conveyed his urgency.

"Very well then son, why don’t you go behind that tree over there and your mother and I will wait for you," Angel’s father said kindly. Angel’s mother nodded her own approval of the idea, indicating to him with a wave of her hand that she would also wait.

"Okay," came the hurried reply as the little boy skipped off to hide behind the tree.

It was the intervention of fate that night that kept the little boy hidden behind the tree as a dark and menacing figure stealthily approached his parents from behind. In the fashion common to little boys, Angel took his time in completing his task, the minutes ticked by as he slowly finished what he was doing and made his way from behind his tree to where his parents stood. However, the site that lay before him stopped the little boy dead in his tracks.

Angel’s mother lay on the ground, pale and lifeless and his father lay nestled limply in the arms of a tall man who was doing something strange to his neck. Fear kept Angel from moving or calling out, his little mind working to hard to grasp what was happening. Powerless and helpless, the little boy was forced to watch as the life was drained out of his father, the strange man finishing his task and dropping the body of Angel’s father on the ground next to the body of Angel’s mother. Angel stood as still as a statue until the retreating figure of the dark and evil man was completely out of site. Once the man was gone Angel ran like mad to his parents, tears filling his eyes as all the illusions of childhood came to an abrupt stop.

Gone was naive six-year-old child, and in his place was the mind of a little, traumatized man, angry and bitter, determined to grow up to be strong and powerful. Angel made a vow then and there to get the beast and those like him that had done this horrendous act to his parents. He had come to the harsh and reality-based conclusion that monsters really did exist in the world, no matter what he had been told in the past. It was now his mission to rid the world of them and make it a safe place for other children. No one else should have to suffer like this, ever. He had found his purpose in life.

Chapter One:

Sunnydale, Present Time

A tall figure roamed listlessly through the darkened streets of Sunnydale, the ends of his black trench coat flapping in the wind as he moved stealthily through the night. Cautiously he surveyed his surroundings, his gaze scanning from one side of the road to the next, his dark eyes portraying no emotion other then a chilling intensity of strong determination. He strained his ears to pick up the slightest sound, his body tensed and energized. He walked on with deadly purpose in his stride, every sense available to him on alert, his posture indicating that he was geared for a fight. The man was tall, well developed, and beautiful, looking every bit the avenging angel sent to rid the world of insolence and evil.

Angel kept his mind focused as he patrolled the streets, looking for the things that went bump in the night. He knew from experience that one moment of distraction could lead to a world of pain, which was something he truly couldn’t afford to let interfere with his life long pursuit of vengeance. This night especially had him on edge for he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being followed. It was entirely eerie, this tingling sensation he got in the back of his neck that let him know he was not alone, yet each time he turned around he’d be greeted by nothing more then stale night air and the occasional street lamp. And so he continued in his nightly routine, wooden stake in one hand, a holy cross in the other, ever mindful that a set of eyes were boring into the back of his head.

Stubbornly he continued to roam, the night unusually quiet for the ever-melancholy town of Sunnydale. Clouds overhead were starting to form and Angel got the distinct impression that it was going to rain, but he wouldn’t let even the rain stop him from his sworn duty. He had become extremely disciplined over the years, not letting anything interrupt his quest for inner peace. Throughout his childhood he had kept pretty much to himself, becoming a loner, isolating himself from love and therefore pain. His only real companion was an English gentleman by the name of Rupert Giles, the librarian at his old high school. He had met ‘Giles’, as he lovingly called his friend, while inquiring about books on vampires and demonology when he was a freshman in high school. Giles was an expert on the topic and the two of them had become fast allies, Giles doing the book and research part of their combined demon hunting team while Angel trained his body relentlessly in the art of combat. There were times when Angel felt as if he and Giles were the only two beings in Sunnydale aware of the evil that roamed freely in their town, a feeling that separated him from the rest of the human race.

He would patrol for hours each night, killing any vampire that he came across, praying for the final night when the ghost image of his parents being killed would finally stop haunting his memory. He got a great solace in his self appointed task, each death by his hands giving him that brief feeling of release, but his need for further revenge would always come back to motivate him to continue in his quest. Each night that Angel hunted brought him closer to discovering the location of ‘HIM,’ the one vampire in all the world that he hated with a fiery passion, the one vampire that had guest starred in every nightmare Angel had had since the age of six.

Lately the usual mystic hot spot known as Sunnydale had been very quiet in the way of demonic activity and Angel couldn’t help but wonder if it was simply the quiet before the storm. He hadn’t even gotten one kill in that night, and he was beginning to feel restless, his feeling of being followed not have lessened any in the interim minutes. Once again he turned to glance behind him, almost positive of a presence, but as before he found himself alone, the shadow of his body his only companion on the darkened streets. He shook his head at himself, questioning his sanity, as he turned to head home for the evening, figuring that some sleep would probably do him a world of good.

As fate would have it, it was the walk home that proved fruitful and Angel smiled at the challenge placed before him, a punching bag in the form of a soon to be dusted vampire. The demon must have been newly risen from the grave, for he was walking around with his vampiric feeding face on and snarling viciously in search of prey. Any seasoned vampire would remain in their human features until the last possible moment, tricking their prey into their waiting arms and teeth. Those newly risen from the grave tended to wake up distorted, not having the capability to hide their vampire faces, their minds not letting them rest until they drank from their first victim to subside the demonic urges, at least temporarily. The one in front of Angel now had confusion written all over him. For a brief moment Angel felt sorry for him, the poor guy was an innocent until some vampire had taken it upon itself to turn him. Now he was left abandoned in a new world with absolutely no clue as to what happened to him other then the knowledge that if he didn’t get the blood his body cried out for he would surely explode into a thousand pieces. The sympathy that Angel felt for the guy was, however, brief and Angel moved his body go into immediate battle stance.

When the vampire saw Angel, it immediately began to charge, its mind only grasping the scent of human blood. Angel was ready for the blow when it came, the vampire effectively tackling Angel to the ground and Angel allowing himself to fall in a way that wouldn’t do any permanent damage to his body. Together on the ground the two rolled, Angel tightening his grip on his stake and trying to maneuver his arm in such a way that he could strike through the vampire’s back to where his undead heart would no longer beat. The vampire picked up immediately on what Angel was doing and he moved to grab a hold of Angel’s wrist to inhibit any movement from Angel. Angel’s head moved to seek out the location of his cross, he had dropped it somewhere during the fall and since he seemed to live under Murphy’s Law, he could not see it anywhere from his current position under the beast.

Angel struggled to get out from under the demon, rolling from one side and then to the other in the hopes that the vampire would loose his balance. The demon continued to snarl viciously over Angel, annoyed that his meal was fighting back. In desperation Angel’s spare hand grasped a rock on the ground and Angel quickly moved to bring it up and crash it against the demon’s head before the demon could respond. The maneuver worked and the demon rolled away in pain, allowing Angel enough time to quickly move to his feet.

The vampire quickly recovered from Angel’s attack, his yellow eyes glaring at he human who had somehow managed to best him. In a gallant effort Angel once again moved towards the vampire, intending on taking him down for good, the demon, however, had other ideas. He was prepared as Angel charged at him and he used Angel’s speed against him, moving out of the way at the perfect moment to turn around and grab Angel from behind and clasp a choking arm around his neck. Angel began to grow dizzy with lack of air, his legs rapidly kicking to free himself as the vampire laughed victoriously. Neither the vampire nor the vampire hunter heard the light shuffle of foot steps coming up from behind them.

One moment Angel was held in the death grip of a demon and the next he was falling backwards to the ground, vampire dust swirling madly in the air around him. It took Angel a minute to get his baring, little stars dancing across his vision due the impact of his second fall. The world spun dizzily around him and when his vision finally recovered from its blurry state, he had to blink to make sure he was seeing things correctly and confirm that he was not dreaming. His eyes focused on the most beautiful vision standing above him, a mystical blonde angel, his savior.

There were no words to describe the beauty of the woman looking down at Angel with concern etched across her face. She had long, pale blonde hair, the light coming from the moon and stars making it glisten with several different shades and highlights of golden splendor. Her skin was as pale and as milky as cream, looking soft and inviting to the touch and her lithe frame was small, yet somehow she exuberated an aura of strength. Her hazel eyes looked down at him with a haunted and guarded expression that matched his own, and Angel felt the immediate need to gather her in his arms and hold tight, even if he had just laid eyes on her for the first time. The streetlights reflected off of the vision before him, making her glow brightly against the darkness of night, surrounding her with holy brilliance. Angel was falling desperately into the pull of this woman’s eyes, his heart and his soul touched with flutterings that he had previously tried to keep locked away and thus had no experience dealing with when they came crashing to the surface. He was never much of a believer in love at first site but he was just starting to re-evaluate his opinion on the subject, this woman evoking feelings in him that he didn’t know he was capable of possessing.

She reached down a small hand to help him to his feet; the contact of his hand touching hers sent little shooting bursts of fire through his system. Gradually he came to stand on his own; his eyes never leaving the gaze of the woman whom had obviously come to his rescue. For what seemed like ages the two beings just stood there, each staring intently at the other, the rest of the world slipping quietly away around them. Finally she spoke, the sound of her voice ringing musically in his ears.

"Are you all right?" she asked softly, her face still wearing an expression of concern.

"Yes, thank you. You saved me from becoming vamp food," Angel replied, glad that his voice didn’t portray the nervousness he felt being around her.

"Anytime," came the soft reply, her eyes growing dark and unreadable. "You should be a little more careful next time, killing vampires is a tricky business."

"Yeah, I’m aware of that," Angel replied sarcastically, not liking the fact that he saw the woman build up the same imaginary walls he offend used when meeting people he thought he might like. She was reminding him of himself.

The woman just nodded and then turned to leave, relaxed in the knowledge that her dark ward was safe from harm, for the time being anyway. Before she could make even a few steps she heard Angel call out to her from behind.

"Wait! Who are you, what’s your name and why were you following me tonight?"

Buffy smiled softly to herself; impressed that he had been able to sense it was she that had tailed him all evening. Slowly she turned around to face him again, her expression laughing in the face of dramatic irony.

"My name is Buffy, and let’s just say I’m a friend," she said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "I was following you because I don’t want you to get killed. We have the same purpose, you and I……….. I want to kill them, I want to kill them all." With those words she once again turned around to leave, somehow managing to disappear into the night before Angel could protest once more.

Chapter 2:

Angel could not sleep that night. The image of the beautiful, blonde girl, Buffy, danced continuously across his mind, her slithe, perfect form glowing by the light of the moon. Whether his eyes were open or closed, he would still see her, her eyes gazing into his as if she knew everything about him and liked what she saw. Never in his life had another being affected him this way, rendering him incapable of any other thought save a pair of haunted hazel eyes. One meeting and he was hopelessly and determinedly hooked, his mind and body wanting nothing more then to seek her out and be in her company again. This knowledge scared him to death for he did not like not being able to have firm control over his emotions. Angel had dated on and off during his life, never allowing anyone to get too close. He would take a woman out on one or two dates and then quickly loose interest the moment she started to pry into his life or make the attempt to get to know him better. He had never wanted anyone to know what he was and what he did at night, and he had never had the desire to share his world with anybody, until now. The flick of a stake, the offering of hands and the contact of eyes had left him hopeless and vulnerable for the first time in his adult life.

There was more to his instant attraction then the obvious beauty of the girl who had rescued him tonight, although he couldn’t quite place his exact feelings, he knew it went infinitely deeper. Her eyes had revealed so much and so little at the same time. He had seen the pain there, he had recognized the determination that came from recovering from the hardships of life and trying to take control of your own destiny. He had recognized these things because he saw them in his own eyes whenever he looked in a mirror. He had made an instant connection with the woman on a spiritual level, one that shared in a life of hunting the unsavory things that went bump in the night, one that shared in a life of demons, but there was even more to it than that as well.

There was a mystical quality to their meeting too. The crashing of symbols, the ringing of bells, the feeling of being absolutely complete in another being’s presence, all happened with metaphoric clarity. A symphony had started, a play was about to unfold, and Angel had found the one place in life where he was meant to be for eternity and all with the chance encounter of a being who had managed to touch his soul. His body physically ached to see her again, he longed to touch her hands, her face, and he wanted to know everything there was to know about her, all this after laying eyes on her for the first time. He wasn’t quite sure if this meant he was normal or if it meant he was in desperate need of a psychiatrist, but either way, it strengthened his resolve to find out more. He wouldn’t rest until the mystery of his blonde savior came to light; he now had two missions in life.

*****

"Giles!" Angel called the next afternoon, breezing into the Library dressed in his customary black leather jacket, white T-shirt, jeans and dark sunglasses. Angel was a student at a near by college, though he felt no embarrassment over returning to his old high school on a daily basis to confer with Giles over the previous night’s events and to do a little training. The late afternoons were usually quite at the school, and Giles and Angel were pretty much left to their own devices without the interruption of inquiring students.

The older librarian looked up affectionately from his book to the young man he loved like a son, trying his best to look annoyed at the interruption of his reading. Although he would never vocally admit it, he was always tremendously relieved to see Angel for his afternoon check in for it meant that Angel had survived yet another night of demon hunting. It was the day that Angel didn’t come to pester him that Giles dreaded, neither of them wanting to face up to the fact that Angel was in fact human and thus subseptable to death.

"Hello Angel, how did patrol go last night?"

"It was very………..Interesting, I guess that is the best word for it," Angel said as he reveled in the curiosity that overcame his mentor’s eyes. As much as he loved and respected Giles, teasing him gave Angel a sort of fiendish delight, though all in good humor.

"Interesting how, exactly?" Giles questioned, not willing to play games, especially when it concerned the safety of Sunnydale and the safety of Angel.

"Well, I was fighting this one vampire and he managed to get the upper hand when all the sudden this woman came to my rescue and killed the vamp," Angel replied, trying to gage Giles’ face for a reaction. He was not disappointed; Giles looked up at him, flustered, completely surprised at the recent turn of events. Angel came up and took a chair at the table Giles was sitting at, tapping his foot listlessly while Giles absorbed this new information.

"A woman came to your rescue and killed a vampire? So not only are you telling me that there is someone else out there who is aware of the existence of vampires but she knows how to kill them?" Giles questioned, the shock still present over his features.

"Yes, that’s it exactly," Angel affirmed, hoping that Giles could spread light to who his mysterious woman was while trying to hide the urgency in which he needed to know the information

"What did this woman look like, was she a demon?" Giles asked, his brain working a million miles a minute.

"She was small, petite really, but strong, very strong and she mentioned that she wanted to kill them all. She didn’t look like a demon as far as I can tell," Angel answered, pushing his patience to the limits while waiting for Giles to come up with some answers.

"Did she give you a name?" Giles continued with his interrogation, almost as anxious as Angel was for the answers behind the mysterious appearance of a new ally.

"Yes," Angel replied, "she said her name was Buffy." Her name rolled off of his tongue naturally, like he was destined to utter it. He had the weird longing to say it again, over and over, liking the way it sounded coming from his lips and the way it rang in his ears. However, any further thought of Buffy was soon washed away by the look that passed over Rupert Giles’ face. For a moment Giles looked as if he not only recognized the name but that he had full knowledge of the person in which the named referred to. A sad and tragic expression took over the older man’s face and for a brief moment it looked like he was going to cry but the look soon passed and Giles’ puzzled expression came back.

"Hmmm, I don’t recognize that name, I’ll have to consort my books. Meanwhile you should probably get some training in before tonight," Giles suggested while getting up and heading for his index cards.

"Whoa, wait a minute," Angel called out. "For a minute there it looked like you knew who I was talking about. What’s going on Giles?"

Giles turned to face Angel, his own confusion evident. "I don’t know, Angel," he sighed. "The mention of this lady’s name brought to mind some memories that I don’t remember ever experiencing. I’m pretty sure I’ve never met a woman named Buffy, that name would have definitely stuck in my mind if I had but for some reason some images were flashing in my mind that went by too fast for me to sort out by the mere mention of her name. It’s probably nothing though," he finished, dismissing the whole thing with a wave of his hand. "You really should get some training in, you did mention that that vampire had the upper hand last night. You should be more careful while fighting vampires, it can be a very tricky state of affairs………."

Giles’ voice trailed off at the shocked expression that came over Angel’s face. "What is it?" he asked, wondering what was up now.

"Its nothing," Angel replied, "its just that she said almost the exact same things to me last night. Are you sure you don’t have any offspring that you’re unaware of," Angel half joked, trying to relieve some of the tension apparent in the room while trying to delve deeper into Giles’ mind about Buffy at the same time. He was now more curious then ever about the existence of the woman whose name obviously attracted more then just his own interests.

"Yes, quite sure," Giles replied distractedly, returning to his task of looking up books. Angel quietly sighed to himself, knowing full well that he was going to get no more information out of his friend just yet. He could only hope that he would run into Buffy once more during that night’s patrol.

Chapter 3:

Buffy Summers had a fitful time sleeping that day, her mind continuingly conjuring the vision of a sparkling pair of beautiful brown eyes that had managed to touch her soul upon looking into them directly for the first time the previous night. She had lived almost four hundreds years upon this earth. Four hundred years of roaming mindlessly, cursing her existence as a creature of the night, but never in all her years experience had someone touched her the way that the vampire hunter Angel had by just one look. Perhaps it had to do with shared pain. Buffy recognized a hurt child in Angel, though his adult exterior struggled hard to keep it well hidden. She wondered briefly if her own grief showed in her eyes the way Angel’s did, or was it something deeper that had caused her to be able to read the man she had only the pleasure of meeting once. The latter idea scared her, for she couldn’t afford to fall in love with this human, though her heart was trying desperately to tell her that she already was and that all was lost for them both as a result.

Angel deserved better then to be subjected to the dark world of the night that she would bring into his life. She was a vampire, he was a human and though he did take it upon himself to fight against the vampires for the sake of humanity, he was still a creature born of sunlight. If she had any sense she would stay away, especially considering her growing attraction to the brave and selfless human, but she knew deep down that she couldn’t stay away, that some invisible force always drove her to him, watching him as he fought against the continuing threat of darkness.

She had been watching him for over a month now, last night being the first time that she had actually been stuck in the situation in which she would have to confront him. He mystified her the first time she had seen him. A beautiful, destructive human male fighting against the vampire population. She had never seen anything like it in all hers years as a vampire and she had an instant respect for the brave soul who took on an impossible battle. She too had been fighting her brethren her whole entire life, the gift of her soul a curse as much as it was a blessing for it separated her from either of the two worlds. The introduction of Angel into her world threatened the carefully placed shields she had kept around her like armor over the centuries but she couldn’t stay away. He had touched her deeply that first time she watched him from afar. She had seen his soul, seen his plight, and she felt as he did, vowing then and there that she would do anything within her power to make sure that he lived a long and healthy life.

She had come to Sunnydale on a mission, never intending to fall in love while there. For four hundred years she had been searching determinedly for the vampire that had sired her, equally determined to extract her revenge when she finally found him. The Hellmouth was a well-known anomaly amongst the vampire community, its dark power drawing the truest of evil like a moth to a flame. She had thoroughly examined Europe and Asia, wearing out all resources available to her and the Hellmouth was her last hope of finding the very evil she hoped to destroy. The month she had been in Sunnydale offered few clues as to whether her dark sire inhibited its territories but she refused to give up, sure that he would turn up here sooner or later. And so she patrolled the streets at night, running into Angel on one of her first fateful nights amongst the small, sullen community.

The late afternoon passed remarkably slow, Buffy’s undead heart pounding at the thought of seeing Angel again that night. Her mind tried to tell her to stay away, it tried to tell her that seeing him again that night might bring her deeper into the spell that had already been woven intrically into her life, but she knew she would go, she had to go. The thought of keeping Angel safe outweighed her fear of love springing up between them and it alone was the deciding factor in pushing her go out that night.

The nighttime finally came, bringing with it the wonder of moonlight and the dark mysteries of the earth. Buffy Summers rose quickly from her troubled slumber, warning herself to keep her guards up as she slipped out into the night to find Angel.

*****

Angel’s thoughts were planes away as he walked stealthily through the night, his senses open and expanding to try and pick up the presence of the blonde angel whom he desperately hoped to see again with everything in him. For the first time in his memory, his journey out into the world of the night had little to do with battle and revenge and a lot to do with love and attraction. So far the night had only brought disappointment in its wake, but somehow Angel just knew that he would see her again. He couldn’t pinpoint how he knew, he just did, though it might have something to do with the slight murmur of his heart beating openly for the first time for the sake of another being.

As odd as it seemed, the night was less threatening when the promise of seeing Buffy held stagnate in the air. She seemed to evoke the feelings of safety, comfort and love within him, though feelings of lust where not too far behind. He wondered where his instant trust in her had come from. He had hardly trusted anyone during his life span, but she had managed to crash through all of his walls and resistance with one easy smile. Perhaps it was simply that his time had come. The fates were telling him that he could hold back his heart no longer and it was long overdue for Angel to feel and to know love. And so they placed this perfect being in front of him, an easy match of his soul to hers.

A beautiful, heart-breaking smile lit Angel’s face when the silvery song of her presence filled every pore of his body. Slowly he turned to face this magnificent creature, his visions of the day and the night before hardly doing justice to the beauty that lay before him now. She answered his easy grin with a small smile of her own, all her inhibitions instantly melting away when his smiling eyes reached hers. A quiet peace blanketed the earth as the two held eye contact, the intimacy of the moment causing both of their hearts to lurch in their chests.

"I was hoping I’d see you again tonight," Angel said when he finally found his voice, his body struggling hard to resist the impulse to take the blonde beauty into his embrace.

"I had to be here to watch your back, you seem to have a knack for trouble," she gently teased, her hazel eyes dancing merrily like the twinkle of the stars above.

"Ouch, that hurts, Buffy," he replied, teasing her back. He was amazed at how light, easy and peaceful it was being with her. It was as if they had known each other for lifetimes.

"Care to join me?" he asked, holding out his arm. "I’d prefer to have you by my side then lurking behind in the shadows," he added, praying he wasn’t being too forward.

His fears were put to rest as she smiled once again at him and gently placed her hand in his, an instant electrical current charging between them as a result of the contact. There was magic to the evening, magic to their meeting and to their presence in each other’s life. The silent hum of the siren rang methodically through the night, a slight breeze swelling up and ruffling the hair of the two beings as they stared joyously into each other’s eyes, their hearts singing ecstatically due to the contact of skin. Any thoughts of putting up walls or shrinking away from love quickly faded into the far distant background, as the great folds of time and space demanded that fate be recognized. Buffy lost herself to the dark pools of Angel’s eyes, drowning desperately in his gaze as he was drowning in hers.

With unbelievable slowness Angel slowly lowered his lips to hers, the quickened pulse of his own heart as well as that of hers was beating loudly in his ears. The world seemed to spin in a dizzying rush around them and all either could do was feel the other, the smell, the touch, and finally, the taste. Contact was made and the heavens sang.

An overwhelming sensation encompassed them both as they moved as close together as they possibly could, his arms locked around her back as her arms came up around his neck. The world fell away, leaving them both alone in the vastness of space, their bodies shaking wildly at the intense onset of emotions. Nothing in this life or beyond could have prepared the two for the power evoked by their joined lips. All shields, walls, lies, hurts and pains came crashing down, each soul completely open to the other. Both of their sets of eyes were closed tightly but tears still found a way to silently stream down their cheeks. A mystical bright light generated itself around them, surrounding them with the dawning of true love, shielding them from the outside world.

Buffy felt a rush of turmoil inside of her, the electricity and sexual heat of the moment causing the demon within her to surface against her will. It was fed by her lust; fed by the contact of being desperately controlled by feeling for the first time in her whole extremely disciplined life. Fear broke through her joy and she struggled to break free of Angel’s firm grasp over her. With all the exertion of all the strength she could muster, Buffy pushed Angel away from her just as her face changed into its vampiric form. Angel jumped away, completely shocked, his mind not wanting to believe what his eyes were trying to tell him. She fearfully made eye contact with him once more before turning and running into the darkness, leaving a startled Angel behind.

Chapter 4:

Angel did not sleep that night, his mind at war with a tangled swell of emotions. He had grown up hating vampires with an almost tangible vengeance. It had gotten to the point to where he had let that hatred consume him, the darkness of his detestment controlling the path he had chosen for his life. For years he had fought and killed monster after monster, never once shedding doubts about what it was he was doing or why he was doing it, until now. He couldn't get the image of Buffy out of his mind, her eyes sparkling in hazel splendor as her hair reflected the light of the moon. It was impossible to think of her as one of them, yet he had seen her true face with his own eyes. She went against everything he believed vampires should be like. She had saved him at great risk to herself, she had killed her own kind while doing it, and she had looked at him with eyes filled with both sorrow and love. She was the epitome of goodness and light, yet she was one of them, her true nature revealed during what was both the happiest and the most startling moment of his life.

The kiss had been unbelievable. He had never been touched in such a way, a way that made him feel like he had journeyed to a place where only happiness and love existed together in perfect unison. His heart had felt as though it had expanded to fill his whole body and his body had sunk pleasantly into a whirlwind of feelings and sensations that had left him breathless and moved beyond words. Despite knowing her for such a short time he was already hopelessly and irrevocably in love, and it tore him apart to think that the one person he had instantly loved belonged to the race of beings he had grown up believing were the plague of the earth.

Yet, she was different. He knew instinctively that she was different for he had seen her soul shinning through her eyes. It would have been impossible for her to fake the eyes, for even if she had been pretending to be on his side just to get close enough to him to kill him, she wouldn't have been able to create the glow he had found swimming in her hazel depths. The eyes were the windows into the soul and hers spoke volumes about her character. They spoke of sadness, and regret; of age, of wisdom, and of a love of life that overshadowed the darkness she lived in. However, the realization regarding her demeanor only worked to confuse him more. To his knowledge he had never heard of a good vampire, they were supposed to be evil incarnate, shadows of their former human selves, soulless beings who fed off the innocent. Innocents such as his parents.

He still felt the grief for them so strongly in his heart, remembering only brief images of hugs, and laughter. He had been so young when they had been taken from him and he couldn't control the hatred that surged within his body whenever he came face to face with a vampire. It startled him to think that there was one vampire out there that he had looked onto and not felt hatred towards. He had been shocked, surprised, maybe even a little frightened, but hatred had not once entered into the equation. The bottom line was he loved her and it was out of his control that he did so. He had loved her from the very second that time had stopped and they had come in contact for the first time and not even the dawning of her darkest secret had deterred his devotion towards her.

With his trademark resolve, Angel made his way to Giles' office the next day, determined to solve the mystery surrounding the woman of both his dreams and of his nightmares.

*****

Giles' wasn't the least bit taken back as Angel walked into his library in hurried, persistent strides, his face wearing the mask of one that was both brooding and decided. Without preamble, Angle stormed towards Giles' desk, his arms crossing over his chest as he agitatedly announced his discovery.

"She's a vampire," he stated, his voice lacking the disgust that Giles was sure would come with the news.

Giles eyed Angel thoughtfully, expressing no shock over Angel's words. He had spent the whole night researching Buffy Summers, and he could honestly say that rarely had he encountered anything as fascinating or unfortunate as the story of this wayward girl.

"I know," Giles said calmly, looking Angel in the eye. "She's a vampire all right, but not in the way that you might be thinking."

Angel returned Giles' stare with only a hint of amusement, his curiosity moving him to inquire further. "Now you're telling me something that I already know. I get that she's different, she's the only vampire I've seen that hunts her own kind. What I don't get is why? What's different about her?"

Giles motioned for Angel to sit down, barely able to contain his impatience to share the knowledge of what he had discovered about Buffy's life. To discover that there was a vampire out there with a soul was new territory for him and it sparked the adventurer aspect to his personality. He briefly wondered if this is what scientist felt like when they discovered something new, only this was more then a simple discovery, this was the chance for Angel not to have to battle by himself every night, the chance for Giles not to have to worry as much as he did for Angel's safety. An ally with the strength and speed of a vampire brought a new kind of hope to their cause, the hope that maybe they did have a fighting chance to make a dent in the demon population.

Angel quietly sat in the chair facing Giles, his eyes shining inquisitively. Giles had feared that there would be rage in Angel when he found out the truth about Buffy but Angel just stared back at him calmly, only the slightest sign of tension around his eyes. Clearly the boys attraction to the female vampire ran deeper then his hatred for the vampire community, a feat in itself that was nothing short of amazing. Giles had often worried that Angel kept to himself too much, that he kept contact between himself and others at only a bare minimum. Clearly this girl had managed to break through Angel's hard built shields, and Giles could only hope that this new found kinship wasn't ill fated.

"There are only brief accounts of Buffy's life in the journals and books I went through. Her history is sketchy at best, but all accounts refer to her in the same manner, lamia ab anima, or "vampire with soul." The accounts read of a beautiful female vampire with long blonde hair and a petite frame that hunts her own kind and has done so for hundreds of years. Apparently she managed to keep her conscience and soul intact upon being turned, but how or why that happened nobody knows. As a result of her activities the demon community considers her an outcast, though she does seem to be feared by them as well. She keeps mostly to herself which is why there isn't a lot of information available on her, but all accounts would indicate that she is on our side," Giles finished with, closely monitoring Angel's reaction to his words.

A golden light shone in Angel's eyes as he stared at Giles wonderingly. A small, pure smile filtered slowly across Angel's face, though clearly this information didn't come as much of a surprise to him either. "I knew it," Angel said wistfully, "I knew she had her soul. I could feel it, almost as if I saw it the way I saw her in game face, that tangible."

Giles applied effort to hide his own smile at Angel's obvious excitement over the confirmation of Buffy's soul. "Well, I would say you have good instincts then," he said with a nod. "The first records of her date as far back as American colonization. I'll bet she has some fascinating stories to tell. I'm especially curious to know how it was she managed to retain her soul."

"Me too," Angel replied, the look of determination returning to his eyes. "I'm need to find her, talk to her, ask her these questions," he continued insistently, making it clear with both body language and words that his drive to find her was as much out of need as is was out of understanding. Giles was about to agree when a small red headed student walked awkwardly into the library, he immediately recognized her as Willow, his sometime assistant with filing and the scanning of new books that came in. The girl was something of a computer genius, which was a small blessing considering that computers and Giles mixed like oil and water. Both Angel and Giles fell into silence as Willow shot a shy smile in their direction, her gaze filtering down as to avoid eye contact with the extremely attractive Angel. Before Giles could open his mouth to give Willow instructions, Angel rose from his chair.

"You're Willow, right?" Angel asked, slowly approaching the girl as an idea began to form in his head.

Willow blushed and nodded, looking at her shoes while her cheeks turned a bright pink.

"I was wondering if you could do me a favor. I've seen you in here a couple of times and I've observed that you're really good with getting into records on the computer that would otherwise be off limits." At this Willow blushed even further, but nodded her head once more, this time slowly working up the courage to make eye contact. Angel smiled at her direction and continued to speak when it was obvious he had her attention. "I was wondering if it would be possible to look up apartments or hotel rooms that have been rented out within the last month or so. I'm looking for a woman, early twenties, late teens, who goes by the name Buffy. If you could find her address for me, that would be great."

"I can do that," Willow whispered softly, already turning towards the computer to bask in the challenge of her task. Angel turned to Giles with a smile on his face, reveling in the opportunity to find Buffy before the sun fell for the day. To confront her in her own home would be the perfect opportunity to corner her, for she would have no where to run.

Giles smiled in return and shook his head. "I don't have to remind you to be careful, but if you do manage to speak with her try and convince her to come here. I will be here until late and I would love to talk with her myself."

Angel nodded absently as his heart rate started to steadily increase with the aspect of seeing Buffy, and at the thought of being close to her once more. Her image danced merrily across his mind as he tried to work out in his head what he would say to her when the saw each other, hoping he wouldn't choke when the time came.

It was during this reverie when the small red head at the computer softly announced, "I found her."

Chapter 5:

Angel's hand wavered with trepidation as he paused in front the door to Buffy's apartment building. Now that he'd found her location, he wasn't exactly sure what to say once he saw her. His actions as of late had been more emotional driven then ever before and all he really knew is that regardless of what she was or what shaded secrets existed in her past, he wanted to know everything he could find out about her. It was a new feeling to him, the feeling of being led by the heart, but now that he'd seen her and kissed her, he knew that he could never go back to the way he was before. There was a light that existed when he was with her, a warm glow that started in his chest and spread slowly and seductively through his whole body until it not only encompassed all of him but all of the air around him as well. He was beginning to feel that warmth again, even though he was on one side of the door and she was on the other. Apparently all it took was being near her, that and the anticipation of drinking in the sight of her golden beauty, to make that feeling rise. His heart pounded loudly in his chest as he pushed himself to knock, his nervousness turning into concern, curiosity and love as she opened the door and their eyes met once more.

The surprise of seeing him was evident on Buffy's face, as was the fact that she had been crying before he got there. The gentle stain of tear tracks gently marred her silken cheeks, and her eyes were swollen with tears and lighted with an inner sadness. She hadn't expected him to find her; she had been so certain that once he found out about her true nature that he would want nothing more to do with her. And yet here he was, his expression one not of hatred but one of concern and restraint, as if he were battling with himself not to take her in his arms. Her heart lifted briefly at the thought, until she remembered just what she was and why giving into the gravitational pull she felt towards this man would be a bad idea.

For seconds they just stared at each other, the silence just as intimate as words would have been. Finally she was able to find her voice, the sound of soft words cutting through the stillness and reverberating through his system. "How did you find me?" she asked intently, trying hard not to read into his presence at her door.

Angel took a deep breath, trying to calm the quickened beating of his heart in order to be able to respond. He looked at her good and hard, and he could physically see her put her walls up. Almost as if she was determined to keep him at bay despite their obvious mutual attraction towards each and despite the fact that he now knew the truth about her nature. The sight of her trying to block him out raised the indignation within him and strengthened his resolve to have her. He knew for sure at that exact moment that he didn't care what she was. What mattered was that she awakened things in him he'd never felt before and he would be damned if he let her shut him out.

For the first time since early childhood Angel felt the urge to voice his emotions, and not hide behind his own walls. "It wasn't that hard, I just followed my heart. That and I got a little help from a friend."

Buffy felt her resolve weaken at his words. So there it was, Angel had admitted that his heart was involved and he had gone through the effort of tracking her down. Her heart sang out in exhilaration in response to his words and she wanted so much to follow his declaration with reassuring words of her own, but in the end she held out, wanting to keep him away from the darkness that consumed her existence.

"You shouldn't have come here," she said quietly, turning away from his gaze to avoid being consumed by the hypnotic pull of his eyes. She stepped back into her apartment as Angel moved forward and closed the door behind him. "What happened last night was a mistake. This can't ever be anything," she finished, her heart breaking as she spoke. She took another step away from him, as if knowing that if he got too close her resolve would break and she wouldn't be able to deny him anything.

At first Angel was angry, upset that he had opened up to her only to be rebuffed and that she was denying the electricity that sparked between them like a current. The kiss had been many things: powerful, intense, passionate, pure and raw, and saying it was a mistake defied everything that his soul felt. But with Angel's anger came a startling insight to the creature in front of him, one that caused him to fall even more in love with her, if that was even remotely possible. She was trying to protect him. He saw the anguish in her eyes, saw a look of longing that easily matched his own but that was somehow marred with inner turmoil. The fact that she kept stepping back showed him just how susceptible to his closeness she was and a slow smile came across Angel's face, one that Buffy found disquieting. He took another step closer, causing her to back up against a wall. As much as he wanted to grab her for a hug and a kiss, he had to struggle to keep a laugh from spilling out of his throat. The amusement of the situation didn't get past him. Here he was, a mere mortal, who had a four hundred year old vampire cornered against the wall with no weapon other then his heart as it beat in his chest for her.

"I know what you are Buffy, and I don't care. And the kiss wasn't a mistake. How could it be a mistake when ever since it happened I've wanted nothing more then to do it again?" he asked sincerely, watching the play of emotions his words caused to flash across her face.

More and more Angel's presence, thoughts and words were breaking through the emotional walls she had taken lifetimes to build. His eyes were so earnest, and he looked at her as if she were beautiful and precious. Her heart was melting so rapidly that she felt she almost didn't have much fight left in her to be able to walk away. For four hundred years she had been alone, she had kept everyone she'd come across at arms length and had managed to harden her heart against anyone who potentially threatened her solitude. One look at Angel had changed that. For the first time in centuries she wanted to be with someone, she wanted to lose herself in another soul and share little intimate stories of her life with that person. But most of all she wanted to believe she could do that and it would turn out okay.

Her eyes once again rose to meet his and he was surprised to see how large the pupils had grown, how wide they were and how scared she looked. She looked like a deer caught in headlights, afraid to break out of her shell and let him in, yet finally realizing that she could no longer resist the pull of her soul as it cried out for his. Angel took the initiative and moved closer to her, his face coming to rest just inches from hers. Their eyes were unwaveringly locked together, as if no force on earth could tear them apart. His heartbeat was fast and irregular, while she took in several unneeded breaths, their physical proximity causing both of their bodies to lurch forward with unrepressed need. Every inch of Buffy's skin tingled with sexual tension, as if the cells and molecules that made up who she was sped up by his nearness.

Angel thought he would die if he didn't kiss her soon. His soul had a purpose, and that purpose was to be with her, and as close as he possibly could. For a moment they stayed as they were, close but not quite touching, lost in each other's gazes, and prisoners to the passion that flared between them. And finally, drawn together by some unforeseen force, they crossed that bridge and melted together, the fronts of their bodies pressing firmly against each other as his arms engulfed her waist and her arms engulfed his neck.

The world around them stopped and fell in hush as their lips met in a fierceness unparalleled even by their own predator natures. They pushed their bodies even closer together, trying to have their bodies touch in every possible location remotely possible as their hearts felt like they had expanded to fill out their whole bodies. Buffy could hear the blood rush through Angel and moaned deeply as Angel relentlessly took possession of her lips, losing himself in her light, and her love. It was like coming home after a long journey, and each felt that this is where they belonged, as if their very existed hindered on this event and the union of their souls. Small gasps and moans escaped from each of them as they each fought desperately to consume the other. Angel couldn't get enough from the taste of her, couldn't get enough of the feelings provoked from her lips against his. He took her lower lip between his teeth, he pushed and tangled her tongue with his, and she answered back with an equal ardor.

Once again Buffy's demonic features took over her face as the passion welled so strongly within her. Only this time she didn't pull away, and Angel didn't respond to her change. It was as if neither one of them had noticed nor neither did they care. Tears began to flow from Buffy's closed eyes. The onslaught of emotion was so powerful, and the walls she had built around her had now crumbled completely, leaving her open and vulnerable. But Angel didn't give her time to ponder it as he continued in glorifying in the pleasure of their contact. He squeezed her tighter, trying to mold her into himself, wanting nothing more then to stay like this forever. Each knew then that they would die for the other, and feelings of protectiveness intermingled with the fierceness of their love.

Gradually Angel pulled away, keeping his body touching hers. He looked into her eyes, finding there the love he sought and returned. His own eyes teared as he gazed at her, marveling in her beauty, not fully believing that she was his, as if it were a dream. He reached up and lightly touched her cheek, stopping a tear as it slowly rolled down her cheek. Again their eyes held as if nothing else of earth could rivet them. Still keeping eye contact, Angel reached down and lifted up Buffy's legs beneath the knees as her arms remained locked around his neck. He cradled her snugly in his arms as he moved to lay her on the couch in the living room. They had a lot to talk about, they both knew that, but for now they both had other things on their minds.

Go to Part 7