Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Would I write this if I did? No, I would be sitting somewhere in the sun sipping something nice and cool...
Rating: see the show, you can read this
Spoilers: the whole BtVS and Angel-series and definitely the first story in the series called "Lonely".
Summary: Buffy meets someone who knocked at her door in the middle of the night Distribution: if you want it, take it, just let me know where it goes
Feedback: oh please.

She met him in her dreams again. But this time it was different, he wasn't holding her, smiling at her. He was just standing far away, looking at her. Mist surrounded him, she could barely see his eyes, but they also looked different. Now they seemed longing, why would they be longing. And for what? He was looking at her, could he? Maybe?

She could see herself in the dream, she was just staring, not able to move or to reach out. And suddenly he looked disappointed and she could hear him speaking:

"I knew you would not take me back," he said.

She tried to answer, but her lips would not obey. 'Of course I'd take you back, I would take you any way possible', she wanted to scream.

His face was sad and with a frustrated shrug of his shoulders he turned and disappeared in the mist.

"Angel," she screamed again and woke with a start only to look into the eyes of the person she'd found at her doorstep. She stared at him, but did not faint this time.

"Finally you're awake, kid," the person spoke and a grin spread across his face.

"Whistler," she sighed. "What the hell are you doing here? No rewind that. I don't want to know, last time you told me to send my lover to hell," she winced slightly at her own words.

"I told you it wasn't meant this way," he explained again. "Nobody knew you two would get pelvic. It wasn't planned. He was meant to destroy Acathla and earn redemption that way."

Buffy jumped from her bed and paced the room: "And why should he have to earn it? Angel hasn't done anything. The demon did and he should rot in hell, but instead...", her voice broke and tears welled in her eyes again.

He waved his hands in the air: "I know. I know, believe me. We didn't know your friend was casting the course again. Angel should not go to hell."

"But he did," she cried at him in frustration. "And I sent him. Can you imagine what that meant to me? Can you imagine," her last words were only a whisper.

"I can guess," he replied. "After all you are still here, not at home, that should tell something."

"That really helps," she snorted.

"Sorry, but it wasn't the reason I came." He went into her tiny kitchen, opened the fridge and closed it again, sighing. "Food is not high on your rates."

She only shrugged: "So what was the reason you came?"

"I have something to show you, kid."

Buffy quirked her eyebrows: "In the middle of the night?"

"The problem just came up," he explained and looked at the bottles she had stored. No alcohol, he frowned and sighed again. "Besides I was assuming you were familiar with night time activities."

"So what is it, a demon, is someone destroying the world again? Because just to let you know, I don't care. I left Sunnydale three months ago and they survived without me so far, otherwise it might have been in the news."

"It is ... a demon, but you have to come with me. You have to see yourself," he said cryptically.

"Now I can see where he had his attitude from," she sighed. "You trained him, right. Talk about cryptic." She shrugged again: "Fine, I'll come with you, but you wait outside." When she saw his questioning look she rolled her eyes: "I have to dress." She opened the door and shoved him out of the door.

*******

They made their way through the dark streets of LA in silence. Whistler - of course - had no car and Buffy could not stop thinking that a long walk through dark streets was really a dream coming true. This little demon was beyond annoying, besides his horrible taste in clothes. Can you say stuck in the 70ies? Cordelia would have a heart attack, she thought and smiled inwardly. The former may queen was almost the only person she was able think about without anger or pain. Maybe because she didn't really connect her with ...

Whistler lead her through the town, she had grown up in LA but he seemed to know every street, every alley, every spot. It was quiet, Buffy looked at her watch, it was almost five, the dawn would be coming soon. And she had a job that would start at seven, she sighed, talk about duty. World savage always came first, but why the hell was her destiny coming in form of Whistler.

Suddenly he stopped in front of a large stone brick building with huge doors that were up some steps. He turned to her: "We're there," he said and laid a hand on her shoulder. "This will be shocking, kid."

She sighed loudly: "I have pretty much seen everything so far, so I really doubt that."

"No," he shook his head emphatically. "This is different, it's kinda ... personal," he tried to explain without giving everything away. She wouldn't believe him without seeing it herself.

She frowned: "Personal?"

He only nodded and lead her through the doors into something that could have been an office. She looked around, but Whistler took her hand and pulled her over to an old fashioned elevator. As soon as they were in he pressed the down-button. The doors opened again after a short while and Buffy stood in the middle of an apartment that was situated in the basement of the same building. The lights were dim. Her slayer senses began to tingle immediately, vampire her whole body screamed, but there was something else, something she could not put her finger on or didn't dare to ... something she'd thought dead.

She looked at the demon beside her, her heart racing by now: "What. I mean why did you bring me here?"

"You will see," he answered and pulled her over to a door, opening it slowly with one hand and tightening his grip on her arm with the other.

Buffy looked frantically from the demon to the slowly opening door and back, her slayer senses were screaming by now, her gut was only a twisted knot. When the door was fully opened she saw a figure laying on a king sized bed, almost completely hidden under the covers. She couldn't see him, but she suddenly knew. No, that was not possible, her mind told her, but her heart pounded so loud in her head she thought it would explode every minute.

Slowly she approached the bed, taking one step and another, when the person in the bed suddenly turned around in his sleep. Buffy's breath stopped, she stared at him, rationally she knew it was not true, it could not be true, but it was. She knew she wasn't dreaming, she looked back at the demon still standing in the doorway. When he nodded and smiled she crossed the distance to the bed with one step and sat down. She reached out with a trembling hand and took the other person's hand, pressing it tightly, tears running freely down her face, but this time they were tears of relief. Her voice was only a whisper when she reached out with one hand to touch his still bruised face ever so gently: "Angel." She turned again to Whistler: "How is this possible?"

He stepped a little bit closer and seated himself into a chair standing in the corner of the bedroom: "I told you, Angel was never meant to go to hell. So they brought him back."

"They?"

"The Powers That Be, they are ... well, let's just say they are very powerful."

"He is still a vampire." This was more a statement then a question.

He nodded: "Yes, he is, but there is no more happiness clause."

Her face brightened a little bit: "No more clause? Why?"

"Because it would not serve the purpose."

"Oh great, another cryptic sentence," she rolled her eyes.

"Buffy," Angel suddenly whispered. Her head snapped around, but he was still fast asleep.

"I am here, my love," she whispered back and stroked his cheek as soft as possible. He looked horrible, beside his face his arms and the part of his chest she was able to see were covered in bruises and slowly healing cuts and she did not dare to imagine how the rest of his body would look like. Suddenly she frowned: "Why doesn't he heal more quickly?"

Whistler sighed and shifted in his chair: "He's been difficult the last weeks."

"Weeks," she shouted in disbelief. "He's been here for weeks and you didn't tell me. Do you love to see me suffer?"

He waved his hands in defense: "Calm down, kid. I just didn't think you wanted to see him right after ... his return. He looked a lot worse then and he wasn't as calm. More like an animal," he tried to explain.

"Oh," was Buffy's only reply.

"I had to chain him to a wall for two weeks. And still he is barely able to recognise anything. He refuses to feed most of the time, the stubborn bastard. I really would have liked to present him in a better state to you, but I fear for his health, so..."

"You came to get me," she finished his sentence.

He only nodded: "I am sure your presence will help and ... the love you two share."

She brightened by his words: "I am sure."

He held his hand up: "Don't be too optimistic, kid. It will need time. He is very weak, you have no idea what hell is like. Time moves different there. A day on good old earth are hundred years there."

Buffy swallowed hard: "So he was there for thousands of years," she asked while her she wanted to scream inwardly by the mere thought of the tortures he must have suffered. And then another thought, a frightening one, crossed her mind: "How can you be so sure he would want me here? After all it was me who sent him there."

He suddenly laughed as if she'd made the most funny joke: "Are you kidding. Kid, that stubborn bastard loves you more than anything. He loved you from the first moment he saw you, nothing could change that. Why do you have these strange thoughts?"

"Guilt," she answered plainly and shrugged. Another thought came to her mind: "Does anybody ... I mean do they know he is back? At home."

"No. They don't," he answered, shortly discussing if he should tell her she herself was presumed dead. No, he would not do that, he could not, that would be messing around with fate, the PTB would be very angry with him and he had learned the hard way never ever to mess with them.

"Good," she said relieved. "They would not understand," she explained with a soft voice, again stroking Angel's face. She bent down and kissed his cheek. Immediately he seemed to relax and Buffy could not help but smile. The smile grew and suddenly a feeling of pure joy and delight was creeping up her whole body, she wanted to jump and sing. He was there, he was alive, well somehow, and ... there was no clause in his course. Her heart was humming with love.

"What happens next?" she asked.

"You take care of him," he said with a smile. "My job is done. I only came to bring you together again. But you will soon know," he added quickly. "Another messenger will be sent to show you the way." With this he nodded a last time at her and left.

Buffy turned her full attention to the sleeping vampire in the bed and smiled. Then she stood up, pulled her pants and shoes off and slipped under the covers with him, cradling him in her arms to make him feel safe and loved. Suddenly the world looked bright and promising again. Forgotten were the pain and grief of the last months, she just knew they could overcome everything - together.

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