Disclaimer: Joss is God. I own nada but the plot and the new Slayer: Elannan McGreggor
Spoilers: anything is possible up to Eternity.
Summary: Buffy and Angel get used to being human again. A new Slayer comes to town.
Author's Notes: This is the sequal to my story: "Angelus". Elannan is of my own creation. this story takes place directly after the first.
Feedback: Please. I'm not too proud to beg.

Angel was confused. The last thing he remembered was dragging Rebecca over to the fridge and forcing the blood bag into her mouth. He didn't know what he was doing at the mansion in Sunnydale. He looked around and saw Buffy curled up in a fetal position on the bed. He made his way over to his beloved.

"Buffy? Can you hear me?" He shook her and got no response. Angel felt for a pulse and was relieved to find a strong, steady one. Angel kept trying to wake her, to no success.

"Buffy please. Wake up. I need you. I don't know what's going on. The last thing I remember is being in LA. Then I wake up here, in Sunnydale. Please wake up, Love. I need you to tell me everything's going to be alright and you love me." His stomach growled and Angel was surprised to find that he needed to fight to breathe. "What happened last night," he wondered aloud.

Willow carefully entered the mansion. She knew Angelus would have brought Buffy here.

"Hello? Is anybody here?" The only answer she got was sobbing coming from Angel's old bedroom. She headed in that direction. Willow was not prepared for the sight that greated her: Buffy curled up on the bed an Angel spooned against her, sobbing his miserable guts out. "Angel?"

Angel turned around to see Willow standing in th doorway. "What kind of spell did you perform last night? Why am I human again?"

Willow was stunned. "I don't know, Angel. The spell we cast was to only give back souls. Not make anyone human. There is no way that the spell we used could have made you and Buffy human again. Why is she still out?"

"I don't know." The memories of the previous night came back in a rush to Angel. "Oh my God! B-B-Buffy! I killed her! Made her like me! I-I killed Riley and Xander, too!" The former vampire began to gasp for air, now much needed air.

"Xander? The demon killed him?" Angel could only nod.

"Oh God. Xander!" Willow began to cry with Angel for the loss of her best friend and best friend's boyfriend.

Angel had not even told Willow that Buffy had allowed Angelus to drain and that Buffy had killed her own mother. That would be for Buffy to tell, if and when she ever woke up from her deep sleep.

"Buffy, Buffy, Buffy, I'm so sorry Buffy. I never wanted this to happen." The thought never even crossed his mind that Rebecca would want to Angel to turn her. He had realized too late that She had put something in the champange, for he felt his control on his body slipping and the demon rising to take control and what Angelus did, could never be undone. Xander, Riley and Joyce could never be brought back to life like him and Buffy. Even if for the two, it was unexplained, but still a welcome gift. Angel hoped Buffy could find it in her heart to forgive herself and him, for knowing that she could not love him was worse than Hell for him.

*****

Buffy Summers woke up to hear sobbing on the floor beside her. She looked over to see Angel hunched over, crying like a baby and Willow sitting on the floor, her hands wrapped around her legs which her curled up tight to her chest. She, too, was crying. Buffy remembered the night before and knew that the demon which had taken up residence in her body was responsible for the death of her mother. Ditto for the deaths of Xander and Riley.

She crawled over to her beloved. She held him while he cried and whispered that things were going to be alright.

Angel could hear Buffy speaking, but could not register her words. He was too absorbed in his own pain. He had finished sobbing to really listen to her words.

"Angel, please know that you are not capable of killing inncocent people. You are capable of breaking my heart but not my spirit. Not even Angelus could break my spirit. I still love you, Angel. I always will. Even after everything that happened last night."

"How can you forgive me for turning you into the very thing you hunt night after night?"

Buffy smiled and Angel felt as if he could forgive himself if Buffy was by his side, forgiving him.

"Easy. It wasn't you. I could never forgive Angelus for those things. I hate Angelus as much as I love you. If I could forgive you for breaking my heart when you left, I think killing me for the second time in my life is a little less serious." Buffy tried to joke, but it went flat.

Buffy heard quiet sobs and was relieved to see Willow was calming down. She went over to the redhead and tentatively hugged her. "I'm so sorry about Xander. I never wanted him to die. He was one of a kind. I feel so much guilt over his death."

"Buffy, I don't blame you or Angel for Xander's death. I blame whoever brought out Angelus in the first place. It's their fault. If I ever see them, I will do the spell I was gonna do to Oz and Veruca." Willow got up and hugged Angel.

"Thank you for being such a caring person, Willow."

She smiled. "You're welcome."

There was silence for several minutes until Buffy spoke up. "What I want to know is how are Angel and I human? I assume that you only performed the curse, Willow."

"I believe I have the answer to your question," a new voice rang out. A beautiful woman stepped into view. She had long brown hair and brown eyes that looked awfully like Angel's.

"I performed a spell that strengthened the curse and made sure that neither Buffy nor Angel can ever become vampires again."

"Who are you?"

"Elannan McGreggor. The new Slayer. Since one died, here I am."

Angel would have reconized that voice anywhere. He looked up and saw the ghost of his twin sister staring at him. She was likewise shocked.

"Angelus? Is that really you?"

"Ela, I thought you were dead! I saw your grave!"

Buffy was getting some bad vibes from this girl. "So you two are related?"

"She's my twin sister." Buffy was shocked.

"You said that you killed your family.""Ela was killed by cancer in 1752. I started drinking heavily after her death and it lead to me being here. With you." Buffy blushed.

"How are you alive now?"

"A witch dug up my grave in 1756 and cured my cancer. She brought me back to life and told me that my brother had been made a vampire on the anniversary of my death. She also told me that he had killed our family and made me immortal so I could find my brother. So I have."

"Willow, we need to get to Giles' before he reports us to missing persons."

"Only one slight problem."

"What is that, Ela?"

"With the spell I cast, the subjects of the spell cannot go out in daylight for another 48 hours."

"Then someone will drive us to Giles'."

"Last time he checked, you were both evil. The man will try and stake you on site. If you give me the number, I will call him and tell him what I did."

"Buffy, why would Giles forgive us? Why would anyone forgive us?"

"Because the are who they are. Giles forgave you for Angelus killing Ms. Calender. Anya, you might have a problem with. Hopefully, her old boss hasn't recruited her to become a vengence demon again. So you'd probably be safe from her. My mother was a meddlesome woman who couldn't accept that her daughter is a vampire slayer and blamed the vampire boyfriend for my gig. She thought that a normal life would be best for me and sent away the one person in the universe who could even remotely understand what's it's like for me."

"This is all well and good but I'd like to get home sometime soon so could someone please call Giles and tell him that we are alright?"

"Sorry, Will. Got caught up in the moment."

Buffy gave Elannan Giles' number and the brunette went into the main room to call the former watcher. Buffy sat down on the bed and Angel sat down beside her.

"Will. could you give Angel and I some time alone?"

"Sure. I'll be outside with the other person pushing 250." She left and shut the door behind her.

"Angel, what does this mean for us? We already know that the human gig does not work with you."

****

.Buffy woke up the next morning in a strange bed. With her head resting on a broad, warm chest. She reconized the chest as Angel's and remembered how they had spent the rest of the day and night. She had a feeling that she had gotten only once before, in November. She was content to stay there forever, but there was a knock on the door. Buffy and Angel groaned at the same time.

"Whoever it is, make it quick."

Elannan peeked her head around the door. "I called Giles and explained to him what happened with the spell and you two being human again. He was very relieved. I could hear a girl in the background complain that she would beout of a job." Angel chuckled. "The girl in the background would be Cordelia, my secratery, and a good friend."

"She is also the most vain woman I've ever met!"

"Buffy," Angel reproached.

"What? She was!"

"Anyway, Giles wants you two to come by after sunset. He also wanted me to tell Buffy that two bodies were found dead and another in critical condition at the hospital."

"Who's the one in the hospital?"

Elannnan rattled her brain for the name of the boy in the hospital.

"Something like Xavier Hares. I'm not good at translating the accent."

"Xander Harris, maybe?"

"That's it, yeah. He should be fine with the blood loss no that much."

Buffy was elated. Her best friend wasn't dead! He would be able to forgive her!

****

Buffy was afraid to enter Giles' apartment. She didn't know how they would react to her killing Riley and her mom. Even though neither were missed very much.

Angel squeezed her hand for comfort and strength. "You ready?"

Buffy gave a shaky nod and rang the doorbell. Giles answered the door and hugged Buffy. He gave Angel a nod to show that he was forgiven. The three entered the place and saw Xander sitting in a wheelchair with Anya behind him. Cory and Wesley were stnding by the couch. Willow and Elannan were standing in the archway, having already forgiven the couple.

Xander wheeled over to Angel and stuck his hand out. Angel took it gratefully. "Elannan told me that you were human but I guess the sweaty palms clinches it. Just make sure you never hurt Buffy again or I will kill you."

Angel regarded the boy. "I would hand you the weapon."

"Does you being human again mean that I'm out of a job?"

"I'm afraid so, Cordelia. Buffy and I are moving to Philadelphia in August. But until then, Buffy and I will be staying at the mansion."

Willow spoke up, "why Philadelphia? There are colleges in LA." "I'm transferring to Penn and then, hopefully, into med school." Everyone sat down to talk about this and that. Buffy realized that even though the past week was the worst in her life, it was the best too. She had lost Angel and went through the most painful restoration: good to evil to good.

Send feedback to Katie D.

Back to the Fanfiction Archive