Woohoo! I finally got it done! *happy dance* Yes, folks, it's the long awaited sequel to In Another Past. Aren't you all happy? :) This one didn't come as easily as the other did which is why it took so long. And even though I'm not completely happy with it I hope you like.
Disclaimer: Nope, not me. I'm not evil, I just like to pretend to be sometimes. ;)
Rating: PG
Summary: Sequel to In Another Past, read that first
Spoilers: Not a one.
Dedication: Everyone of ya 'cuz you're all so special.
Author's Note: This is a whole new world, folks, so things are totally different.
Feedback: I won't be complaining. Please, though? I am not as sure about this one as I was about the first. So, I'd love it. (that was me, begging shamelessly)

Buffy was dancing slowly in Angel's arms, languidly drawing circles on the back of his neck with her fingers. This was where she wanted to be. In any time, from any past, it didn't matter. This was where she was supposed to be.

"Buffy?" a voice interrupted. She turned and saw Riley standing there. In this time he was still her boyfriend. Well, almost former . . .

"Riley," she said quietly, detaching herself from Angel. He squeezed her hand quickly before leaving the two alone.

"So, friend of your's?" he asked.

"We need to talk," she replied, not wanting to meet his eyes. She looked up at him sadly, knowing that she was going to break his heart. He looked at her expectantly.

"So . . . talk," he folded his arms across his chest and waited.

"Well, I, uh," she sighed, "Have you ever felt your soul sing?"

He looked surprised at the question. "What do you mean? 'Soul sing?'" he asked, still looking at her quizzically. She sighed.

"When we met, first touched, did you feel it? Not physically, but in your soul? Like it was singing. Like it had finally found it's other half?" she asked.

"Nobody feels that way when they first touch, Buffy," he said.

"Stop being logical. It happens. I know it does. Because it didn't with you and it did with Angel," she replied.

"Angel? That guy?" she nodded.

"You told me that Professor Walsh liked me before you did, remember? When I first saw you, when I dropped the books on your head, my body didn't start buzzing. I can feel it when Angel's near. My body starts to hum. I don't want to break your heart, Riley. But you can't deny your soul its other half. You can't," she said quietly.

"So, you're going dump me? We've being going out for almost a year and now, you've met this guy who makes your 'soul sing' and we're just through?" he asked, anger in his voice.

"Yes," she whispered, "I touch him, I feel him near and everything in front of me becomes clear and everything around me becomes fuzzy. The only way I know how to describe it is my soul sings."

"Did I do something to you, Buffy? Are you mad at me?" he was getting desperate.

"No, Riley, you didn't do anything and I'm not mad. It's just. . . over," she said quietly.

"How can it be over?"

"It . . . just is. I'll see you around." She looked at him, her eyes sad, but her resolve strong and walked away. And he watched her, not knowing what to do.

* * * * *

Buffy sat down next to Angel. He wrapped his arms around her. "How did it go?" he asked gently.

"Well, breaking up is never easy," she sighed. She looked up him and smiled, "I love you."

"I love you," he replied, kissing her softly. As they broke apart she looked at him again.

"We have to go see everyone else now. There's already a Scooby meeting set for this afternoon. They can all meet you so," she stood up, offering her hand to him, "let's go." He obliged.

* * * * *

They walked to the door to Giles' house where the rest of the gang was assembled. Angel was nervous.

"Maybe you should go alone and tell them that you broke up with Riley and then I can meet them later?" he proposed.

"Why? Are you nervous?" she teased. He looked sheepish in answer.

"Angel, I'll tell them that I've been thinking about breaking up with Riley for a long time now, which is actually true, and that I met you earlier in the year. I've already mentioned you to Willow. Please? I want you to come with me." Her eyes were pleading and no matter how hard he tried, he could never deny her eyes. He took her hand in answer and walked up the walk.

"Always," he whispered.

"You know, things are different in this time," she said quietly.

"I know," he replied, but as the door opened and he turned to face the doorway, memories of the 'other' past shook him. There in the doorway stood Jenny Calender.

"Hi, Jenny," Buffy said, eyeing Angel, "Is everyone else here?"

"Yep," she answered, ushering them in. Angel watched her, his mind vividly replaying the events where he killed her. Buffy led him through the apartment door and waited behind her.

"Hi, guys, what's the what?" Buffy asked.

"Apparently not what, but who, Buff. Who's the guy?" Xander asked immediately.

"Guys, this is Angel. I met him in history," Buffy explained.

"So, where's the hick?" a strangely familiar British voice asked.

Angel whirled around to see none other than Spike standing in the kitchen, blond head and all.

"Riley and I broke up," Buffy said quietly.

"Move fast, don't ya Slayer?" Spike prodded as Angel watched in wonder, "And Peaches, what are you looking at?"

"Ignore him," Buffy whispered, then continuing to the rest of the group, "Angel, this is Xander, Cordelia, Willow, Oz, Giles, Jenny, Spike, and where's?" she looked around, looking at Spike questioningly, "Anya?"

"She said she was going to be late," Spike said simply before moving from the kitchen to the couch and turning on Passions.

"So, what do I have to kill?" Buffy asked, turning back to everyone. She took Angel's hand and led him over to the couch, sitting on his lap. The group watched in amusement. "Giles?!"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, it seems that there is a new demon," Giles began.

"Isn't there always?" Buffy asked, running her fingers through Angel's hair. He smiled lazily at her.

"Are you gonna explain this all to me when we leave?" he whispered into her ear. She giggled.

"Yeah."

"Buff?" Xander yelled.

"What?"

"Are you even listening to what Giles said? Or is the new boy too distracting?" he retorted.

"I'm listening!" she huffed. He snorted in answer and she rolled her eyes. She turned back to Giles and motioned for him to continue. Half an hour later they were ready to go kill something.

"Bye Buffy. I'll see you at home?" Willow asked as she and Angel walked out the door.

"Yeah," Buffy replied, picking up her bag of tricks by the door. She took Angel's hand and left.

"Okay, that was weird, they were awfully cuddly" Willow said as she picked up her own bag and moved towards Oz.

"Yeah, what happened to Fish Boy?" Xander asked, Cordelia whacked him on the arm. He looked at her questioningly.

"She's been shaggin' him," Spike finally said, looking up from the TV.

"But she's been with Riley and she said that she broke up with him," Willow said.

"Just because she was with Riley doesn't mean that she wasn't with him, too," Anya said matter of factly, not taking her eyes off the TV screen.

"Well, it's just not Buffy," Willow stated before heading out the door with Oz. "Besides, she doesn't even have history."

* * * * *

"I told you everything was going to be weird," Angel said quietly as they swept the cemetery.

"Weird for you or weird for us?" Buffy asked.

"Well, both actually," he chuckled, "but I meant for them about us." Buffy grinned at the sight of them all seeing Angel.

"Yeah, but they'll get over it," Buffy replied as she sat down next to him on a large headstone.

"So, you gonna explain everything to me?" he asked, looking at her.

"Well, everything happened almost the same except without you. It's kinda weird. Xander, Willow, Giles, Oz, and Cordelia are pretty much the same. Anya was still a vengeance demon and she still lost her powers. Spike is still a vampire, I guess it was always his destiny and he still has that chip in his head. Um, Xander, Cordy, Willow, and Oz all did break up, but both couples are back together now and all is forgiven even though Cordy is still hesitant to let Xander and Willow be alone without supervision. Spike and Anya, oddly enough, are together. They found companionship in their lost evilness. And Jenny," she looked at him, "is alive."

"I noticed." She detected a hint of sorrow in his voice as he said it.

"You didn't do anything, Angel. Remember, this is a different time line we got going on. She and Giles are married," she said, taking his hand.

"I know, but I still remember the other one and I still remember the hurt that it caused," he answered.

"I know," she replied.

"Buffy, how am I supposed to do this?" he asked.

"Do what?"

"Help you?" he replied.

"That's not your destiny anymore, Angel. Your destiny is to be with me," Buffy said firmly.

"But I can't do that, Buffy. I can't just watch you fight and I can't just watch you die. We went through this before, remember?" he said just as firmly. She nodded. One of the memories she had been given was of that day.

"Oh, for the love, Angel!" a voice came from behind them. They turned, Jenny was there.

"Jenny?" they both asked.

"Angel, I know what happened. Do you know how surprised I was to have all these images of you flashing through my head when I saw you?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said quietly, "they flashed through my memory, too."

"I did a little spell to figure out what was going on, but what happened was not what was supposed to happen. I was supposed to just understand and then I was in this marble room with these blue people and they told me what happened," she continued.

"The Oracles," Angel said knowingly.

"The very same. They told me what happened and they gave me a message. This is what 'shanshu' is Angel. You're getting another chance. You have the knowledge of what happened, but you don't have to carry it and you have your chance," she said.

"But I still can't protect her!" Angel yelled.

"Would you let me finish? Being that you've been granted this gift, you'll find that there's another one. You've been made a little superhuman. Consider yourself the first, and probably only, male slayer. You're the perfect companion for the slayer. You always were," Jenny said quietly, looking at the man before her and the small blond girl beaming at his side.

"See?" Buffy whispered. He turned to her to see tears welling in her green eyes.

"Why are you crying?" he asked gently, wiping them away.

"Because I love you," she answered, a smile spreading across her face.

"I love you," he replied before catching her lips in a soft kiss.

* * * * *

"Hey Buffy, it's Willow. We're back at Giles' house. When you get home could you come over?" the redhead's voice came from the answering machine. Buffy looked at Angel tiredly before heading back out the door.

"We'll be back soon," he comforted her.

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk to any of them right now," she said as the walked down the hallway.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I want to spend time with you," she replied quietly, "I had to change time to spend time with you and I don't get to."

"How about I promise you a lot of time together as soon as we're done?" he asked.

"Promise?" she pouted.

"Promise," he replied, kissing her again.

* * * * *

"Why don't you just leave her alone?" Spike asked, not that he didn't like bugging the slayer, but Passions was on again and he didn't want to be interrupted.

"Because it isn't like Buffy!" Willow cried.

"She's happy Willow! Leave her alone," Cordelia replied from the couch where she and Xander sat.

"You can't tell me that it doesn't make you wonder that you've never heard her talk about this guy she met in history that she had an interest in. Or that suddenly she and Riley break up? Or that she looks more comfortable with this guy that none of us has ever heard of? She told me this morning about a dream she had with a guy named Angel in it, I didn't know who he was, but she gave no indication that she was 'shaggin' him as Spike puts it," Willow fumed.

"Well, okay, I am curious, but does it matter?" Cordelia replied.

"Yes," the redhead replied through gritted teeth, "we're her friends. We deserve to know the truth."

"Only if I choose to tell it to you, Will," Buffy's voice came from the doorway. Willow stood staring at the blond slayer standing in the doorway.

"We are curious, Buff," Xander stated as he watched the couple enter the house.

"Red's right, Slayer. It is a little odd," Spike replied, still watching Passions.

"Why do you care, Spike?" Buffy asked angrily.

"I like to watch you squirm," he replied.

"Maybe we should tell them," Angel said softly from behind her, gently touching her arm. She looked back at him, watching his eyes and sighed.

"I've known Angel for four years. Since I moved to Sunnydale," Buffy began.

"And you never told me?" Willow cried.

"Listen, Will. The first time we lived this life, Angel was a part of it all," and she began telling the story of what happened.

"Why don't we remember it happening this way?" Willow asked, still angry.

"Because I went back in time. I stopped Angel from becoming a vampire and then the Powers That Be allowed him to come with me. He remembers it all this way, too," Buffy continued.

"This is my redemption," Angel said quietly and then going on to explain 'shanshu' and the events that happened in L.A.

"You mean I worked with you in L.A.?" Cordy asked. Angel nodded.

"The Oracles, speakers for the Powers That Be, said that this was my second chance. To begin again without bearing the sins of a demon that never existed, but knowing them," he replied.

"I know it's confusing, guys, but I'm telling the truth. We lived everything different before with Angel. Things happened pretty much the same, give or take a few incidents, without him. And I was sent back in time last night, but I was there for a month. I killed the vampire who was supposed to sire him," Buffy said, holding Angel's hand.

"Yes, Buffy, it is confusing," Giles said quietly, standing close to his wife.

"Please, just believe me. I know it was bizarre having me be so close to him before you even knew he existed, but just know that he's my soul mate and I love him," Buffy looked at them, her eyes begging.

"It's true," Angel backed her up, "all of it. And I love her, so very much."

"As bizarre as it is, we do live on a hellmouth," Willow said quietly.

"Cool," Oz said, monosyllabic as always. Buffy grinned at her friends and turned to her love. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she smiled as kissed him. The group watched, still in wonder.

* * * * *

They were all, except Spike, at the beach. Playing in the sun, building sand castles, having water fights. Even Giles and Jenny joined in. Mostly because Buffy poured a bucket of water over their heads. After the water fight had ended, Buffy looked at Angel mischievously and grinned.

"Race ya," she said and she started running off to the water.

Angel laughed at the memory and started to run as well.

"I let you win, again," he said when he reached her, standing knee deep in the water.

"Whatever you want to think, honey," Buffy teased as he moved closer to her. Soon, they were less than inches apart and as he had that day back in time, he cupped her cheeks and kissed her gently. She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss and he lifted her out of the water, holding her at the waist and began twirling around.

They broke apart, their laughter reaching the ears of all who played on the beach that day. The rest of the group watched from shore, knowing that even though they didn't carry the memories of the beginnings of the couple's love, this was another beginning. Filled with all kinds of true happiness.

And that's the end, little girl. Didya like? I hope, I hope. Let me know, k? Please? 'Cuz that would be kewl. I'll give you a piece of banana bread that our (me and my roomie's) crazy friend Matt gave us. Shameless bribery, what can I say?

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