Distribution: If you had permission to take any of my other stories, you can use this one as well. Just let me know where it's going. Others, just ask and I will most likely give permission.
Feedback: You don't even have to bother on this one. I'm quite aware that it's not up to par.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss, the WB, Mutant Enemy, (the evil)FOX, and whoever else came up with them. If they belonged to me the show would be drastically different. Please don't sue, I'm only a high-schooler without a job anyways.
Rating: Same as the TV show
Spoilers: Set after the third season episode "Bad Girls." Small spoilers for that episode, nothing else after that has happened.
Concept: Unable to keep Faith's murder to herself, Buffy goes to Angel for comfort and understanding.
Author's Notes: The is fic number 17 in my rewriteing-season-three-to-get-Buffy&Angel-back-together series. The title means "Seize the Night" just as the "carpe diem" phrase Buffy used in "Welcome to the Hellmouth" is 'seize the day'. And I'm aware that the plot is really, really shaky on this one, I told you I was running short of ideas.

Buffy sat alone in her room for over an hour after she got home from Faith's. She couldn't sleep. Faith's words echoed over and over in her head. "Want. Take. Have." Buffy couldn't believe what she'd done. "You killed a person!" A few tears rolled down her face. "No, you don't get it B. I don't care."

She knew that she had to talk to someone. She thought briefly of calling either Willow or Giles but knew that neither of them would understand. Willow really wouldn't after how Buffy had been blowing her and Xander off to be with Faith.

There was only one person she could go to. He'd seen the blood afterall, and she was pretty sure he already suspected something.

Buffy knocked loudly on the mansion door. When there was no answer she knocked again.

Finally, she opened the door softly. "Angel?" She called out into the foyer. When there was no answer she went in. A quick search revealed that she was alone in the mansion.

Buffy went slowly into Angel's bedroom and curled herself up on the bed, his scent comforting her. She cried herself to sleep.

**

Angel entered the mansion through the back door an hour or so before dawn.

He sensed that someone else was there and immediately raised his guard. He stalked through the house as he tried to locate the intruder.

As he neared his bedroom he heard a familiar voice mumbling. Both his hearing and his other senses told him that this was Buffy, but that made no sense. Why would she be here?

He opened his bedroom door and was greeted with a sight that inflamed him to his very core. Buffy lay on his bed.

But the love and desire he felt were soon overcome by feelings of protectiveness as she seemed to be having a bad dream. Buffy tossed and turned nonstop, mumbling things that he didn't understand. Tears streamed from her closed eyes.

Angel went to her quickly with the intent of waking her up. Just as he reached the side of the bed Buffy jerked upright, wide awake.

"Faith...NO!!!" She screamed at the memory of Faith killing the man that night.

"Buffy..it's okay." Angel was immediately beside her, pulling her into his arms. She clung to him as tightly as she could. Her entire body was shaking.

"It....an accident." He could hear her mumbling. "Faith didn't mean to....blood....we didn't want to....accident...Faith.....man...." Angel tried to make out what had happened but didn't have a clue. He rubbed her back and whispered nonsense as he attempted to calm her down.After several minutes she had cried herself out and lay still in his arms. He still held on to her, whispering that she could tell him anything and that everything would be all right.

Finally Buffy pulled back, just enough to look him in the eyes."I'm so scared, Angel. I don't know what to do, I...I just have to tell someone."

"Whatever it is I'm right here." Angel whispered as he took both her hands in his own.

"When you saw me tonight...in the alley....the blood....it wasn't mine."

"I know." Angel said simply.

"You..."

"It didn't smell like you."

"Oh." She took that in. "The blood...it belonged to a human person. At least it did until Faith killed him."

"Faith...." Angel couldn't believe his ears.

"It was an accident. We were fighting vamps and all of a sudden she turned to stake one and instead of going poof it started bleeding..." Buffy trailed off as she started to cry again.

Angel pulled her back into his arms and waited for her to stop crying. When she did, he asked her gently. "Does anyone else know?"

"No...I...I didn't know how to tell them. Faith, she said we'd both get in so much trouble and we just shouldn't tell anyone. She even dumped the body. She doesn't care, Angel. She killed a human and she doesn't even care." Tears were still streaming down the Slayer's face.

Angel gently tried to wipe them away as he said softly, "I think a part of her does, deep down. It's just that she's a much different person than you. Your sense of right and wrong is so high because it's who you are. And you knew this was something you shouldn't keep quiet about. That was good, Buffy. And I'm glad you came to me." He whispered the last.

"You were the first person I thought of." She whispered just as softly.

He smiled at that answer and kissed her softly. He pulled back after only a few seconds though, making sure it didn't start to lead somewhere that it couldn't.

"But we have to tell Giles. The Council will have to know, I'm guessing. I'm sure they'll know what to do." Angel told her carefully.

Buffy nodded, saying in a small voice, "You'll come with me to tell him?"

"I'll be right beside you." Angel said as he took her hands again. "Do you want to go now?"

"Yeah. Get it over with." Buffy said with a grimace. "Let's go."

They left the mansion hand in hand.

***

When they arrived at Giles house a few minutes later they were very surprised to see the downstairs lights on.

"Wonder what's up." Buffy said as she knocked softly on the door.

They heard a commotion from inside as if things were being moved around and all, then Giles opened the door carefully. When he saw it was Angel with a very distraught Buffy he moved aside to let the couple in.

Buffy walked slowly into the living room to be surprised by the sight of Willow sitting on the couch pretending to read a book and looking totally like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Okay, what gives?" Buffy asked, sniffing the air as she noticed a strange scent.

"Something that requires lavender, poppyseed, and something else I can't identify." Angel said from behind her.

"Turmeric." Willow said automatically, before thinking about what she'd said and slapping a hand over her mouth.

"Okay, what magick have you been two been working?" Buffy said with a moan.

"Willow was working." Giles said as he came up next to her. "She merely wanted me to check and make sure her spell would work as she wishes it to." He added evasively. "Now, what has happened? Why are you here?"

Buffy explained, more calmly this time, exactly what had happened that night with Faith. Both Willow and Giles listened attentively while Buffy spoke, Angel's hands resting on her shoulders for moral support.

"Oh, my." Was all Giles had to say when Buffy had completed her story. "I'm afraid the Council must be notified of this at once. They will be the only ones who can handle her."

"We sort-of figured that." Angel spoke. "That's why Buffy told you."

"I'm very thankful you did. Now, I must phone the Council at once. As much as they dislike me at this moment, I'm afraid there is no choice..." Giles trailed off as he went into the other room to make the call in private.

As soon as he left, Buffy turned her attention to Willow. "So, what spell are you working on now?" She said lightly.

"Um....well...it's..." Willow had that hand in the cookie jar thing going again.

Buffy picked up a sheet of paper that was sitting on the table. It had a circle drawn on it with various items in certain places. At the bottom was some type of chant, but in a language Buffy didn't know. Willow tried to take the paper back but Buffy moved to keep it out of her grasp.

"Angel? What's it say?" She asked as she handed the paper back to him.

'Lavender purifies the unbeating heart.
Harmony of self is restored as two become one in part.
Poppies do your magickal deed.
Take all the evil and make it heed.
Turmeric will break a spell
And by no means return the aspect of hell." Angel translated slowly.

"And what exactly is this for?" Buffy asked curiously. "Come on Willow, spill. It's obviously something that involves me or you wouldn't have looked so guiltily when I walked in."

"I didn't want to tell you. Because I'm not sure if it'll work. And I didn't want you two to get your hopes up and then..." Willow trailed off then.

"Us two?" Buffy pointed at Angel and then at herself. "This has to do with both of us?"

Willow sighed and let it all out. "Lavender is for purification and harmony of self. It momentarily purifies the demon part of a vampire and joins it back with the human part. In a nutshell, it brings both to the surface at once so that magick can be done on the vampire without it killing the person doing the spell. Poppyseed, like the poppy flowers in The Wizard of Oz, induces sleep. It can be used with great accuracy, effectively putting the demon to sleep so it doesn't bother the person with bloodlust. And turmeric breaks a previously cast spell, or in this case a certain clause in a previously cast spell."

Both Angel and Buffy stared at her with amazement and disbelief on their faces.

Finally, Buffy came out of it enough to speak, "You can really do that?"

"I already did." Willow said softly. "I had just completed the spell when you knocked on the door. The problem is I still have to find a spell that will allow me to see if this one worked or not."

"I think it did." Angel spoke up.

"You do?"

"Well, I feel different. I don't really know how, but I do. I was so worried about Faith and Buffy and all when we came in that I didn't really pay it any mind, but something has changed."

He looked at Buffy and Willow could see a long-dead hope flicker back to life between them.

"But you guys won't...um...until I can be sure and all, right?"

Buffy grinned slightly at Willow's embarrassment. "Of course not. It's too big a risk."

"Well, good, then....I'll let you know as soon as I find a suitable spell." Willow said, aware the neither Buffy or Angel really registered her presence. They looked at each other as if they were the only two people in the world.

***

It took Willow all of two days to find and perform the spell that confirmed that Angel's soul was bound to him and his demon was permanently on siesta.

It took Buffy all of two minutes after hearing the news to show up on Angel's doorstep with a huge smile on her face.

Neither of them wasted time with words, Angel simply pulled her into the house and brought her to him in an earth-shattering kiss. And they certainly didn't stop at that.

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