Part 6

"Could someone explain to me why I'm always the one stuck with the stinky herbs?" Cordelia demanded as Willow handed her a packet of the goods in question. "Do you have any idea how many shampoos it takes to rid myself to the stench?"

"When the mirror begins to fog up, drop them in the bowl." Willow ordered, conveniently ignoring Cordelia's task issues. "Everyone else needs to blow out their candle after Cordelia adds the herbs."

"Are you sure that there is nothing I can do, Will?" Buffy asked from the other end of the room where she'd been pacing as Willow set up the spell.

"You just need to come sit by Angel, and do whatever you can to soothe him if he becomes agitated. Restrain him if he tries to move you, but that shouldn't be necessary."

"Are you sure that Buffy's up to that job? Angel's big for a guy, and he has that added vampire strength." Kate objected.

"I can handle it. Besides, with the number of chains holding him down, I seriously doubt restraint will ever enter into the picture." Buffy assured her as she took her place at Angel's side. Faith snorted from her corner, obviously dying to comment about Buffy restraining Angel, in chains, on his bed.

"All right, places everyone!" Willow commanded, and began to chant. "Goddess Hecate, we beseech thee and thy brothers Morpheus and Hypnos to aid us in our cause." As she continued, she carefully lit each person's candle before finally sitting in the circle and lighting her own. Everyone stared at the mirror in it's new place at the foot of Angel's bed. Thunder sounded, the electricity went out, lightning lit up the sky, and each person's flame flared up before settling back down to its original size as the mirror began to cloud over. Cordelia dumped her herbs into the bowl, and the others blew out their candles simultaneously. At the sudden dark in the room, pictures began to coalesce in the mirror's surface.

Willow was ecstatic. She grinned at Tara from her spot, sharing a secret smile with her. This was the most complicated spell they had attempted yet. Tara smiled back at her. Buffy was amazed, she hadn't actually believed this spell would work, not after what Angel had told her when she had briefly possessed telepathy about the thoughts of vampires not creating a reflection. Kate shivered, wondering how on earth she came to be involved with a bunch of overly forceful teens wielding spells to save vampires. How on earth had her life come to this? Riley didn't believe in magic, he believed in what was tangible. This couldn't possibly be happening, could it? Anya was bitter. She remembered when she could accomplish way more than this with a single word, and now she was barely any help at all in doing the spell. And it was all Cordelia's fault. She glared at the aspiring actress across the circle. Xander's stomach growled. The last time he'd eaten had been that twinkie he'd bought at the gas station on the way here. It was definitely time for dinner after this. Cordelia wondered what her employer's worst memory or fear was. She sincerely hoped that it wasn't something that she'd be traumatized to see. She really wished Anya would quit looking at her like that. It made her feel like she had something on her face. Giles couldn't help but be proud of Willow. She was really coming along as a Wicca. Jenny would be so proud. Oh, Jenny.it'd been a while since he'd thought of her like that, as though she was right there. Even though he was quite happy with Olivia, and even imagined that he could easily come to love her, Jenny's death was something he'd never get over. Wesley hoped that whatever this fear of Angel's was, that they would be able to overcome it. It had been a long time since he had had a friend like Angel, someone whom he respected and admired, and demanded nothing in return.

The vague images finally settled into recognizable shapes, and much to Willow's surprise, sounds could also be made out.

All the members of the scooby gang immediately recognized the scene being played out for them on the mirror. They watched as Buffy stared at them despondently before the focus finally shifted to a fire truck, and then faded out. Buffy whimpered softly from her place by Angel, clutching his hand as the pain of that particular memory lanced through her as well. The gray nothingness reformed itself again, this time into a picture of Buffy on her wedding day, looking delighted and ecstatic as she walked down the aisle in an empty church. They watched as she and Angel exchanged vows, kissed, and then walked out of the church into the sunlight, where to everyone's surprise, Buffy, and not Angel, burst into flames before the mirror once again faded to grayness. Buffy glanced in shock down at Angel, and moved a little closer to her former lover. Once again, the nothingness began to be shaped into a new memory. This time the grayness materialized into a scene in a sewer, and the circle of onlookers watched as Angel and Buffy broke up.

Kate was beginning to feel like a voyeur. These were not memories that were meant to be shared with a crowd of people, but she found she couldn't look away.

Willow was confused. From what she and Tara could tell from the spell placed on the drug, there should only be ONE bad memory, not a motley of assorted gut wrenching, tear-jerking scenes. She continued to watch though, as Angel killed his family, and killed Ms. Calendar, and at that particular memory she distinctly heard Giles sob, tormented Buffy as Angelus, found Buffy lying dead in a pool of water, regained his soul, had a sword shoved through him by the love of his life before being sent to hell, listened to Spike talk about Buffy's dating escapades as he had blades shoved into him, before they finally concluded with a scene of Buffy and Angel frantically clutching at each other, and glancing at a clock, while Buffy repeated I'll never forget, and Angel cried. As the images finally came to a conclusion, the electricity returned and everyone in the room was shocked out of their contemplation of Angel's emotional wounds.

Giles looked around the room, and noticed that Kate looked slightly uneasy, Riley looked upset, but what about Giles couldn't even begin to fathom, Willow looked stunned, Cordelia and Wesley had identical expressions of worry and concern on their faces, Tara looked tired, Xander slightly guilty, Anya appeared rather bored, and Buffy was crying into Angel's neck, telling him that she loved him, needed him, missed him, remembered, and threatening to stake him if he didn't wake up so she could tell him face to face, in between her sobs.

"Giles." Willow repeated, trying to get his attention. He tore his concerned gaze away from his Slayer and looked at the witch. "Giles, I don't know what to do to give him peace for that. There shouldn't have even been that many memories. Maybe his curse refracted the spell slightly, and allowed for even greater suffering because he should've been stuck in only one bad memory, not several lifetimes' worth." She told him worriedly.

"Well, what can we do to help him?" Kate asked, walking up to the former librarian and the redheaded Wicca.

"Buffy." Angel groaned from the bed suddenly, twitching as he attempted to move closer to her. His eyes opened, and he looked at her crying on him in agony, unable to deal with the fact that she was in pain. "Shhh. Don't cry. It's okay." He tried to soothe her.

Buffy lifted her head from it's place on his shoulder and gazed up at him hopefully at the first sound of his voice, her tears still streaming down her face, but forgotten now. "Angel?" She asked, in the most heart broken voice the rest of the room had ever heard. "Angel!" And she suddenly kissed him with all the love for him that she had. And continued to kiss him, and he her, until the other occupants in the room decided to remind them of their presence.

"All right. That's enough of the really, really, really gross public displays of affection." Cordelia announced. Buffy and Angel finally broke apart, but Buffy refused to move further away from him than a few inches, and they continued to stare at each other, doing that silent communication thing that's so irritating to those who aren't participating in the mind meld. "Ugh! Buffy, the keys are on the dresser, we'll wait for you two upstairs, but make it snappy. I refuse to have any mental scarring from having to come down here and getting you, and finding the two of you in any compromising positions!" Cordelia warned them, as she ushered everyone out of the room.

"I love you." Buffy told Angel.

"I love you." Angel reminded Buffy. "I always have, and I always will."

"I mean it! You have ten minutes, and that's it! If I have to come down here, you better believe that you'll regret it!" And with that final warning Cordelia left them.

Part 7

"Why didn't you ever tell me some of these things? What your fears were?" Buffy asked, slightly hurt that he wouldn't confide his most painful secrets to her, yet at the same time deeply touched that almost every single one had been about her safety, happiness, and well-being.

"And what would that accomplish? You knew, you always knew." He explained as she unlocked his chains. "I just never felt it necessary to give you some of the extremely specific details." He rubbed his wrists. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. I remember that day, you know. My perfect day. The happiest day of my life, the one that never existed. God! How bitter does that sound?" She asked glancing at him wryly. And then at the look of loss on his face, she was unable to resist kissing him again. "Do you know how much I love you? I've been wandering around for months, a very bad copy of my former self because I couldn't deal with life in the same way. It hurt so much, when you left." She paused for a moment, as tears threatened to overcome her again.

"Oh, Buffy. I'm so sorry. More than anything else in the world, I wanted your happiness. I never wanted to cause you any pain, yet that's all that I managed to do." Angel explained into her neck, as he clutched her to him, unwilling to let her go, even for a second.

"But that's just it! You don't cause me pain! When I'm around you, I feel like me! More like me than I ever have at any other time! I don't have to hide anything around you, I don't have to pretend. It's surreal almost, like the rest of the world fades away, and doesn't matter anymore. Like you and me are the only two people left on earth, and we have all the time we want to make each other happy. And that's when I get my moments of happiness. When I can look into your eyes, and see how completely and utterly loved I am. All of me, without reservation. Not even my own mother does that. Sure, we've had more than our fair share of rough spots and overwhelming anguish and heartbreak, but that wasn't you causing me that pain, it was circumstances. And to be perfectly honest, I'd be more than happy, beyond delighted even, to trade all the sunny picnics in the world for an hour, a second even, with you. You're everything in the world to me Angel. And if you try to leave me again, so help me God." She attempted to be menacing, and was rewarded with one of his rare smiles.

"I love you Buffy. You are everything to me. And I promise that as soon as we deal with everyone upstairs, we're going to have a very very long chat where I can tell you exactly how much you mean to me. You are the most perfect creation I've ever laid eyes on. The powers that be were showing off when they made you." he said in wonder, just staring at the delicate seeming beauty that was clutched so frantically in his arms. Then, without seeming to help it, he kissed her again. When that seemed to quickly begin to get out of control, he reluctantly pulled a few inches away from her. "I love you. But we better go upstairs before Cordelia comes down because, to be perfectly honest, I'm more scared of her in a temper tantrum than I am of returning to hell." His joke was rewarded with one of her brilliant smiles. The kind that always seemed to make her glow, and light up the furthest reaches of his cold heart, and warm his soul so that for a moment he forgot that he was dead, and all the attendant pains that went with his condition. He kissed her briefly again, but pulled away before she had a chance to respond, and began towing her to the door.

She groaned. "Must we? Isn't there some back exit we could use to escape them forever?" She asked hopefully.

He turned around and grinned at her. "Yes. But it will really be much better for us to deal with them now. Can you imagine what they'd do to us if we left them and they'd have to come searching?" He asked, pulling her into his arms again, and showering her face with kisses as he explained.

"Hmmm. Okay. Whatever you say." She agreed wholeheartedly without even listening to him. Instead, she much preferred to give one hundred percent of her attention to his actions. He laughed down at her, and continued to pull her towards the elevator.

Part 8

"I'm counting to ten, and if they're not up here by then, I'm going down to get them. And if I see anything that I shouldn't have to, Angel is going to have to pay me a lot more in damages." Cordelia announced to the silent company. "One, two, three." she quit at the sound of the elevator rising. "Well, it's about time!" she began, "I almost had to go get you!"

"Sorry, Cordelia. Are you all right? How's your head?" Angel asked, leading Buffy into the room.

"It's nothing worse than what one of Doyle's lovely bequests give me."

"Good. Is everyone else okay? I didn't do anything to anyone, did I?" he asked worriedly, looking around the room.

"No, although it might have been appropriate. Why? Is Faith still downstairs?"

"Well, just because I was chained up again.and I don't remember anything directly after fighting Faith. And, yeah, she's still downstairs."

Wesley suddenly decided to participate in the conversation. "Well that would be because you passed out almost immediately after your defeat of Faith," he explained.

"You get chained up a lot?" Buffy decided to join in too.

"Boy! Howdy! Not only do I get to make the coffee, I get to chain the boss up too. It's beginning to become a habit!" Cordelia exclaimed.

"Oh." Buffy looked faintly shocked.

"I obviously don't know a lot about what's going on, Buffy. But I do have some self-respect. Must you cling to his arm? Can't you wait until I officially break up with you to do that?" Riley suddenly pleaded, ignoring all the previous small talk.

"I'm sorry, Riley, but no, I can't. I've waited too long, and let him go too many times before to do it again now, and I'm sorry if that hurts you, but consider us officially broken up from this moment on." Buffy made no move to relinquish her death grip on Angel, but she did spare Riley a sympathetic glance.

"Buffy, if you'd like-" Angel began.

"Don't even start, Angel. I mean it. I'm not letting you move more than four inches away from me, and that much will only be due to extreme circumstances. If I lost you again, I honestly don't think I could handle it. Don't you think four major times is enough? How much more do you expect me to take?"

"Well, you weren't ever expected to remember the fourth time."

"I promised I would, and I did. You weren't ever supposed to escape from hell, but you did," she pointed out. "You should never have had an escape clause in your curse, but you did. And you never should have let the opinion of the mayor sway you, but you did." The last fact was said in a deeply hurt voice.

"Oh, I'm not complaining. There is no where else on this earth that I'd rather be than at your side, but I want you to be happy."

"I'm happy when I'm with you." Buffy reminded him in a small voice, "You don't think that happiness thing works both ways? Besides, you were the one who left me."

"I left because I thought it would be best for you. I wanted so badly for you to be happy, and to have that normal life you've always dreamed of, something outside of demons and darkness. And between what the mayor and your mother said, and my dream, I thought I had to be the one to take that enormously painful step. And everyone else pretty much agreed with that decision also. I mean, I fed off of you, there's no excuse for that," he said, his self disgust evident in his rich voice.

"I forced you to drink me! I couldn't let you die! Do you know how hard it was to get you to do that? Despite the fact that you were barely able to talk, and quite delirious, I had to chase you across the mansion, and beat you until your demon made an appearance, and then had to actually force your fangs onto my neck! And even then, it still took you a moment before you finally gave in to the strongest force in living creatures, the will to survive! I absolutely refuse to allow you to take responsibility for that night. And besides that, it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and I don't feel guilty or shamed by it at all. I felt so close to you in that instant. I didn't know where I ended and you began, and that was one of the most exquisite moments of my existence. I love you, Angel. All of you! And you're going to have to accept that!" Angel could only grip her tightly in his arms, his eyes welling up with tears at the depths of his emotion. Giles, Willow, and Xander shared a guilty look as they all remembered their treatment of Angel in the hospital after he'd drained her. They'd had no idea that's what had happened, even though by then they all should have known better than to think Angel would deliberately harm Buffy in any way. "Wait a moment," Buffy ordered, pulling away from him slightly, "what do you mean what my mother said?"

He laughed, "I'll tell you later. It's not important anymore. I love you with all my heart Buffy, but none of the problems we faced are gone. Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked her, once again willing to sacrifice any happiness he might have for hers.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life. We'll find some way to make it work." Buffy assured him.

"Okay, then. If we're going to do this, we might as well do it right." Angel suddenly kneeled in front of Buffy, and pulled her hands to his face, which, given the great discrepancies in their heights, was about shoulder level for her. "Will you marry me?" And with that he pulled a claddagh ring out of his pocket, and placed it near her finger, looking up in question.

"Oh my God, Angel. Of course I'll marry you! Where did you find that? I thought I'd lost it for good!" Not waiting for an answer, she suddenly kissed him, proving quite thoroughly that she'd be more than happy to marry him.

Part 9

"Oh brother. Maybe I should have allowed them more time downstairs. This is sickening. Enough already!!" Cordelia demanded.

"I can't believe this, have you no heart?" Riley demanded, when it seemed as though Buffy and Angel were never going to come up for air. "I don't deserve to be subjected to this. I'm leaving!" And with that, Riley left, slamming the door behind him.

"What I still don't understand, though, is how Angel came out of the spell? And why nothing seemed to work properly? How come he had so many bad memories torturing him? What made it just lose its hold on him out of the blue like that?" Willow suddenly blurted out. "I mean, I know it was nothing we did. Our spell only showed what he was suffering from, so that we could get an idea of how to help him."

Buffy and Angel finally separated slightly, Buffy gasping for air. Then, seemingly out of the blue, she burst into tears. "Shh. Shh." Angel comforted her. "Don't cry, I can't stand it when you cry. What's wrong? What is it?" Angel demanded to know, looking distraught. "Can I do anything?"

"That's it!" Willow exclaimed, startling everyone in the room. They all turned and looked at her, and she reddened slightly. "Sorry. I just figured out what it was that must have pulled Angel out of the spell." At everyone's curious stares, she explained. "Buffy was crying. I don't think there's ever been a time that Angel would leave Buffy in pain, when there was something in his power to do to ease it."

At that, Buffy started laughing as the tears continued to roll down her face. She turned to Angel. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to cry. There's honestly nothing wrong." she laughed at the look of disbelief that passed over his features. "I swear! As a matter of fact, everything couldn't be more right, finally! I love you so much, and I can't believe that I finally get to stay with you.forever."

"That's the whole point." Angel finished for her, finding the words within himself somehow.

"Ugh! Can't you just, like, not do that anymore?!" Cordelia demanded, as the two reunited lovebirds got that sappy mushy look on their faces again. "I mean, I couldn't be more happy that you finally get a chance to be together, but can't you just.not be together in front of me? Despite the desensitization you'd think I'd have to that, it's really really gross, and it's certainly not helping that queasiness I'm feeling from being knocked in the head!"

"I'm sorry, Cordelia." Angel apologized, somehow managing to sound sorry without sounding sorry at all. "How is your head?" he asked, his genuine concern for her shading his voice.

"I'll be okay-Eeaaaaauuuhhhh!!" she interrupted herself, clutching her head. Angel immediately rushed to her side, catching her before she fell. Wesley rushed to fetch a glass or water, while Angel held Cordelia one handedly, and pulled some painkillers out of his pocket.

The rest of the group stared at them all in shock. "That was weird." Anya commented.

"What did you see?" Angel demanded as Cordelia finally looked up at them again.

"Faith's gone. She managed to escape while we were all up here." she said, looking terribly frightened.

"Hey, it's ok. We've caught her before, we'll catch her again, alright? Don't worry about it. Here." Angel comforted her, handing over the pills he held.

"And, ugh! I swear, when I finally do get to talk to the Powers, I swear to God they're not going to enjoy it! I mean, how much abuse am I supposed to take!" she threatened, and then washed down the painkillers.

"Would anyone like to explain what the hell is going on?" Xander demanded. "When did you two get so friendly? I thought you were a strictly one girl kinda vampire. And what's with your spaz attacks Cordy?"

Cordelia shot him a withering look. "Just for your information, that was a mind numbingly painful vision, not a spaz attack!" she announced.

Buffy looked back and forth between the two of them. It had all happened so fast that she was just registering that she wasn't holding Angel anymore. "Wait, I thought you said your friend Doyle got visions of the future?" she asked, then looked around. "Hey, where did Riley go? Not that I mind, just that I didn't see him leave, oh well." she wondered, turning back to Angel expectantly, but Cordelia was the one who answered.

"Doyle's dead."

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! Why didn't you say something?" Buffy demanded.

"It happened a long time ago. You didn't even know him, why would you care anyway? You've got your demon." Cordy shared, looking exhausted and heartbroken. "I mean, you guys couldn't even bother warning us that Faith was loose, why would you suddenly care that someone you met for five seconds had passed away?" she asked, staring straight at Buffy, without any sign of her usual haughty self centered manner.

"Cordelia." Angel began, but didn't know what to say. He settled with giving her a hug. "He cared about you a lot.you were his favorite topic of conversation." Angel smiled at her, and she grinned faintly in response. His last thoughts were even of you, but he wouldn't- couldn't- have done anything differently. He might have wished for different circumstances, as heaven knows every person on that boat did, but he made his amends. He's at peace now. And none of what happened was Buffy's fault."

"I know." she whispered. "I just miss him so much." she trailed off. "Anyway, what are you doing over here with me, when your favorite Slayer is over there, looking lonely?" she smiled at him, pushing Angel back over to his fiancee. "I'm fine. Just keep the make out sessions to a minimum in public, ok?"

"You know what? I'd better go.I.uhh.have to report to work! And it's obvious you guys need some talking time, something I'm not needed for. So, I'm just gonna." Kate announced, looking very uncomfortable. "I'm glad you're feeling better Angel, and umm, about what I said.after my father, well, you know.I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that. You do know a lot about that." She said sincerely. "The only excuse I can offer is that I was still in shock over the whole thing, and was understandably upset."

"It's ok." Angel forgave her.

"NO, it's not ok. But it is inaccurate, and I'm sorry. Anyway, I have to go. Talk to you later." And with that, she turned and left the room.

"Thanks for your help on the Erithostan!" Wesley called after her.

"No problem, anytime!" she called back, a door slamming as she left.

"Uh.I'm glad everyone's having their emotional bonding moments and everything, but.Cordelia- having visions?! Is anyone else having problems with this concept?? And let's not even discuss Angel's apparent popularity with the ladies." Xander announced.

"Xander!!" Almost everyone in the room glared at him in annoyance.

"What?" he demanded, doing his best to look innocent.

Giles decided it was time to add his two cents. "It's late, and we're tired. Why don't we continue this discussion tomorrow. Xander, Willow, Tara and I can return tomorrow morning. I assume, Buffy, that you'll stay here?" At her look, he colored slightly, and continued, "Right. Well. We'll even bring doughnuts. Right now it's probably best if we all just get some rest before finishing catching up, and discussing what we'll do about Faith." This suggestion was met with general approval, and the gang said it's good byes.

As Buffy and Angel watched the last of their friends leave, Buffy grinned at her intended. "Now, where were we? Before you nixed my escape idea, that is." Angel smiled back at his diminutive soulmate.

"I don't recall. Want to refresh my memory?" he chuckled at the delighted look that crossed her perfect features.

"Gladly." She announced gleefully, before pulling him down for another of his earth shattering kisses. "I thought you'd never ask." and proceeded to remind him, in detail, of their previous activities. She pulled away briefly, "Remind me to ask Willow and Tara first thing tomorrow about finding some type of soul anchoring spell.it's becoming very high on my priority list to cast one." Angel laughed, and promised to do just that.

Part 10

**Five Years Later**

"Remember that time that all of Sunnydale tried to burn you three at the stake?" Xander asked. Buffy threw some of her saltines at his head from her place on Angel's lap.

"Ugh! How could we forget?! That's not a funny one Xander! Pick again!" Willow ordered as she and Amy cringed at that particular memory.

"Hey! I thought it was funny!" he attempted to defend himself. At their murderous looks, he quickly picked another one, "Well, how about that time we had to sneak into the military base, and I convinced Cordy to dress like a hooker?"

"Xander!" Cordelia screeched. "That one's not funny! Pick again!"

"You know, not many life and death situations ARE funny guys! Give me a break here!" he exclaimed. "Wait! I've got one that's really funny this time! Honest!" he assured them hurriedly, when the people closest to him threatened him with pillows. "Remember that time that the band candy made all the adults in Sunnydale think they were teenagers? And Giles kept trying to get Buffy to-to-to punch people?" he was cracking up so hard he could barely get the last part out. Giles managed to look extremely embarrassed, and Olivia patted his hand soothingly. Everyone else cracked up hysterically. Except for Buffy and Angel, they were busy making their own fun in Angel's armchair, and were completely oblivious to the group. Watching them reminded Xander of another one of the Hellmouth's greatest hits. "Do you guys remember the time that Spike and Buffy were engaged? And absolutely grossed the rest of us out with their PDA's?" That one caught their attention. Buffy turned around and glared at Xander while Angel clutched his wife harder, and growled possessively.

Willow, feeling guilty for being the cause of that one, decided to quickly change the subject. "Uh, how about the time you guys all thought I was dead, and I thought you guys had all done drugs?" she offered, unable to come up with a better story on such short notice. However, it did what it was supposed to and the animosity aimed Xander's way lessened.

Anya looked up from filing her nails. "How about the time when Giles turned into a demon? Or the time Buffy thought she was a cavewoman?" When they all shot her funny looks, she resumed her filing. "Well, I thought they were funny." she muttered.

Sophia, Faith's replacement Slayer, looked around them in awe. "Wow, you guys have really seen some crazy things. I can't imagine what it would have been like to go through all that!" she shared, impressed. "And here I thought that just normal run of the mill nightly vamp activity was something extroardinary."

Buffy smiled at her. "Yeah, it's quite overwhelming at first, but pretty soon it's the least of your worries. Oh, hey, do you guys remember when I got my 'aspect of the demon' and could read minds? And how jealous it made that girl, what was her name, Nancy?" They all laughed at that.

"What about the time Xander had Amy cast that love spell that went so horribly wrong, and every single girl in Sunnydale, including Drusilla and Buffy's mom had the hots for him?" Cordelia reminded them. Most of the girls groaned at that memory.

Xander reddened at that, and shared a different one. "How about that time we went to that club of wannabe vamps that had Deadboy all bothered because they didn't know anything about the undead, and then that guy walked past that looked exactly like him?"

"Could you please not call me that?" Angel demanded, "Besides, it's not even accurate anymore."

Buffy patted his hand. "Hmm, how about that year where Spike was unable to perform?" she asked sweetly, glancing over at the peroxide blonde vamp, "Or that time when he came back to Sunnydale completely plastered because his thundering looney of a girlfriend had left him?"

Spike glared at her. "I've been sitting here, minding my own business, Slayer. Don't get me started on you and Peaches. I have more stories than all of you combined! Your entire relationship is a big laugh to me."

When Buffy made a menacing move in his direction, Angel restrained her. "He's not worth the effort sweetheart. Just ignore him, you're much better off where you are." he reminded her.

"True," she agreed, and proceeded to kiss her adoring husband, and forgetting all about his wayward childe.

"You know, this is just like old times." Xander announced, looking around at everyone fondly. At their stares, he amended, "Well, except for the fact that we're missing Oz, Jenny and Faith, and have Tara, Anya, Amy and Sophia instead. And that we're in Angel's apartment instead of the good ole Sunnydale High library." Buffy raised an eyebrow at him, gesturing to her substantial waist. "And that Buffy's pregnant. And that Angel's human. And that they're married. And that Giles and Olivia are married. And except for the fact that Willow and Tara are life partners." As they continued to stare at him, he concluded, "Ok. Well, maybe not."

Send feedback to Elizabeth

Back to the Fanfiction Archive