Note: I wrote this fic before Season 4. I figured you all might want to see this. This was my first "good" fic, which I like to consider my first fic, b ecause the ones before it were like a page long and they sucked. So this was my first real fic, before Penance.
Remember, this is before I knew what Buffy S4 and Angel S1 was about, so a lot is different. (No Riley).
Jen

"ANGEL?" BUFFY ASKS as she looks around an empty road.

She saw him. She swore she saw him. Or at least shethought she saw him. It had been five years since he left Sunnydale. She had no idea where he had gone, or if he would ever be back. She had dated since, but she never found anyone that she loved like Angel.
After the ascension and the five years after, many things happened with Buffy and the gang. Willow and Oz got married after they got out of college, and Giles moved back to England. He keeps in touch of course. Occasional phone calls to Buffy and the gang. Willow became a watcher, but not Buffy's. She was basically a watcher to a slayer in training... IF anything ever happened to Buffy, that slayer would replace her. Another slayer was assigned to Wesley when he moved back to England. She replaced Faith, and she seemed to be holding up pretty well. She hadn't died... at least not yet. Xander left Sunnydale for a few years after college. He went into the Army. Funny thing, he figured all that training he had from Halloween, he would put it to use. He came back about a year ago, and him and the gang are still very close. Cordelia moved out of Sunnydale to Los Angeles after the ascension. She said she was leaving to become an actress. that was the last time any of the gang ever heard from her.

Everyone's lives seemed to have worked out well. Buffy was still the reigning slayer in Sunnydale, and had a part time job on the side. She was still living with her mother, though, because Buffy wasn't actually getting paid for her slayer duties. A new mayor came to town after the ascension, everyone says he seems like a normal guy, more normal than Richard Wilkins, the former Mayor, but they don't know.

Buffy continued to walk down the street, "This is crazy." She sighs and sits down on a park bench. Ever since Angel left, she would imagine seeing him. That someone that wasn't him... was. She looked around the empty park, at the empty playground. She looks down at Mr. Pointy in her hand. She had kept it ever since Kendra gave it to her about six years ago. She hadn't bronzed it... at least not yet. She didn't need to talk about her 'glory days' just yet... because she was still experiencing them.

She sighed and stood up again as she heard some footsteps behind her. She turns around and sees no one. "You vampires never learn do you." She says. "You know I don't like playing these pathetic games. Why don't you--"

"And you, my dear never change." A man says from behind her. Buffy recognizes the voice, "No. It couldn't be."

"It is."

"But you--" Buffy turns around to face the man. It was Angel.

"I what? Left? Yeah I left-- but I'm back. For good."

Buffy smiles slightly, "To be with me?" She had no idea what he was really talking about... or who he really was. She was fooled. Fooled by this image that it was really Angel. She had no idea what she was getting herself into.

"Yes, love-- You."

Buffy throws herself into Angel's arms and hugs him, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too Lov--" Angel pauses, "Buffy."

Buffy pays no attention that he almost called her 'lover'. The name Angelus would always call her.

"So-- What's been going on here lately?"

"Not much..." Buffy says, still hugging him. "Okay... Alot.. But lets not talk about that. Where have you been?"

"I went to Los Angeles for a while..." Angel says. "Saving souls... that sorta thing. Got kinda boring after a while so I wanted to come back."

"Why did it get boring? You don't like helping people?"

"No--It's not that. I mean, Buffy... without you... it's practically... hell."

"Oh--" She didn't know what to say. "I'm so glad you're back, Angel."

"So Am I." He looks over her shoulder. She wouldn't let go of him. "Is that old mansion still around?"

"Yes-- No one has lived there in years. Not since--"

"I left?"

Buffy nods, "Yeah. Everything's still there and the same."

"Good... Good..."

Buffy finally pulls away from Angel and takes his hand and they walk. "How was Los Angeles? I heard Cordelia lived there... did you see her?"

Angel nods, "Yeah--- Worked with her for a while..."

"Oh..." Buffy says quietly. She knew Cordelia would have loved to be with Angel if she had the chance. "What did you to do?"

"Pretty much what we're doing right now." He says with a smirk.

Buffy lets his hand fall, "What?"

"I'm kidding, Buffy."

"That wasn't very--" Buffy pauses for a second and pushes Angel out of the way, to see three vampires standing before her.

"Well... Well... Well..." the first vampire says.

"Look who is back in town--- Wussy boy. The vampire with a soul-- boo hoo."

"Probably came back for that slayer. He shoulda killed her when he had the chance," another vampire speaks up from behind the first.

"Hmm... How was tasting the blood of a slayer, Angel dear?" the last vampire speaks.

"Excellent." Angel speaks up from behind.

Buffy spins around to see Angel in vamp mode, "Angel?"

"No, lover-- Correction. Angelus."

"No. NO! It can't be! No! Just when I thought I was--" tears start to form in Buffy's eyes.

"When you thought you were what? Getting me back?"

"Aww look Angelus," the vamp says from behind, "Poor Buffy is crying."

Angel grabs her from behind, "Perhaps we should cheer her up, huh boys?"

The vampires grin as Buffy struggles in Angelus' arms.

"Let go of me!"

"Say please--"

"PLEASE!" Buffy says, and flips backward by kicking a vampire in front of her in the chest, and using him to flip over Angelus. Angelus falls to the ground and

Buffy places a foot on his chest. "Do you remember the last time you were this way--- What did I do to you?"

Angelus lays on the ground grinning. "Before or After?" He grins. "The before wasn't that good if you ask me."

Buffy looks down at Angelus, frustrated. She places her foot on his neck and presses down as hard as she can, knowing that since he can't breathe it can't kill him. "What did I do?"

"Sent me to hell." Angelus says plainly. "And guess what lover--" he says still grinning. "I think the next person who will experience hell out of the people here--- Will be YOU."

"People?!? People?!? You're not people!"

"Then what are we Buff? Animals? Oh right-- What was that you said to me when we first met..."

"Animals I like."

"Right--Right." Angel grins, making no effort to get off the ground. He could if he wanted to. "Did I ever thank you for sending me to hell, Buffy? Huh?" Angel continues to tease her with his words. He could always do it. Even when Angel pretended to be Angelus when they were tricking Faith, he did it.

The three vampires grab Buffy from behind and one pulls out a small cloth covered in chloroform and puts it over Buffy's nose.

"Sweet dreams, lover." Angel grins as he watches Buffy's eyes. "See you in hell."

Buffy watches Angel with saddened eyes, as her eyes begin to blur and then she passes out and falls back into the vampire's arms.

**

BUFFY WOKE UP a few hours later. She was tied up to a chair in the middle of a large room. She recognized the room very well. She hadn't been there in years, but she knew where she was. She was at the Crawford Street mansion where Angel had lived when he was living in Sunnydale. The room was empty and dark. The only light from the room was the small fire that was burning in the fireplace in front of her. Her hands and feet were tied to the chair, and her mouth was gagged with something. What it was, she didn't know.

The room remained empty for a while, as Buffy sat in front of the fireplace, thinking about everything that was happening. She couldn't believe that Angel was back to Angelus. How could he have changed? She didn't know. She only knew of two ways he could be changed back. Either he had that moment of happiness or his soul was taken from him. She hoped it was taken. She didn't want to think about if it was the happiness that changed him. She couldn't think about that. She sat there and pushed all the ideas out of her head. She looks down at the ground and closes her eyes. She sighs as she waits for something... anything. Minutes pass, which seemed like hours to Buffy. She felt like all that she was had been ruined by this. She had moved on from Angel, or so she thought. And now-- She had to deal with him again.

Angel walked into the large room from behind Buffy. He smirked when he saw how depressed she looked. "Aww--" Angel starts as he makes his way closer to Buffy and sits down at the fireplace in front of her. "What's the matter, lover? Not happy to see me?" He laughs, as Buffy doesn't look up from the floor. "Oh-- I don't even deserve a hello?" He grins and puts his hand on Buffy's chin, pulls her head up quick, and makes her look right into his eyes. He takes the object out of her mouth as she tries to turn her head away, but can't.

"Why?" is all she can say.

"What's the deal, Buff?" Angel asks, "I mean, the last time I was this way, you got upset. When you sent me to hell, you got upset. When I left, you got upset. And now that I'm back, you're upset. What can I do to make you happy, Buffy?" He says, trying to act like Angel as much as he can.

Buffy glares at him and spits in his face, "You can leave me alone."

Angel laughs and wipes his eyes with his hand, "The same old Buffy, how could you not love her." He says mostly to himself and walks back out of the room. Buffy looks back down at the floor, making no attempt to escape, at least not yet. Her eyes look around the ground, and make their way up towards the fire again. Her eyes stare into it, as she hears voices from another room, but pays no attention.

"Did you bring it?" Angel says to someone else in the mansion courtyard.

"Yes," was the only thing the other vampire said as he sat at the stairs that led up to the side of the mansion.

"Well where is it then?"

The vampire stood and lifted a small box from the stairs. It was a small wooden black box. What was inside, only Angel and the other vampire knew.

Angel walks towards the vampire and takes the box from him. He opens the box slightly and looks inside. He grins up at the vampire. Angel turns around slightly and sets the small box on a nearby table. The vampire doesn't notice that Angel picks up a stake until it is too late. Angel turns around quickly and stabs the vampire in the heart with the stake. "Now." Angel says as the vampire turns to dust, "Everyone knows I love freebies." Angel tosses the stake to the ground and walks towards the table.

Angel grabs the box off of the table and walks back to the fireplace, where Buffy still sat.

"You know," He said, in that menacing voice that Buffy hated. "I hate to see you this way. but there is nothing else that I can do."

"If you hate me this way, then let me go."

"No, no, no. I wouldn't want to do that."

"You do realize that you aren't making any sense, right?" Buffy asked, getting annoyed.

Angel makes his way in front of Buffy, and sits down again. "That's what you think." In his hands, he still held the small box. He looks down at it, as Buffy does as well.

"What is that?"

"You'll see, lover." He says simply. And sets the box down in front of the fireplace. "I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." He grins.

"Just remember this one thing." Buffy says quietly then looks right into his eyes and glares. "Every plan that you have come up with since I've known you-Every pathetic try to take over the world-Every little thing you have done. I have stopped. I can stop you. And I will."

"I wouldn't count on that, Buff."

"We'll see," she pauses. "Lover."

**

MANY HOURS PASSED, and Buffy remained in the chair at the fireplace. Angel still sat in front of her, watching her every move. She wasn't watching him though. She had her eyes focused on the floor again. As her hands behind her back worked on the rope. Angel glanced at her and back at the door, as if he was waiting for someone. And he was-For more than one person in fact. And they were late.

Buffy's eyes looked up at Angel, but her head remained towards the floor. She watched him, wondering what he was waiting for--What he was planning--What he had in store for her. She looked back towards the floor when he brought his attention back to her. He noticed that she had been watching him. He didn't say a word, just smirked as his guests finally arrived.

Angel stood as two vampires entered the room, dragging behind them someone very familiar to Buffy, but neither of them could see each other. Buffy was facing the wall, as this person was being dragged in, unconscious.

The two vampires brought the unconscious victim to the couch and laid them down. As Angel walked over to Buffy, picked up the box, and turned her around to face the person lying on the couch. As soon as Buffy's head lifted up, she knew exactly who it was.

"Willow!" Buffy screamed. "Leave her alone! She has NOTHING to do with this!" She tried desperately to get out of the chair, but couldn't.

"And how do you know that?" Angel asked, with a smirk. He stood there with the two vampires behind him, in his hand was the box.

"If I'm missing something here-then why don't you just FILL ME IN."

Angel laughs slightly, "You'll know soon enough."

Buffy makes one more attempt to get out of the chair, but can't. Her wrists bleed from the rope, and from the many attempts she had tried to get out.

Angel finally opens the box once again, this time-taking out its contents. Inside was a small bottle. It was a bottle small enough to hold a sample of perfume.

Buffy watched the bottle, wondering what exactly the liquid inside of it was. It had a small yellow glow to it.

In front of Angel were a small table, and an empty black metal bowl. Next to the bowl was a bag of something that looked like soil. And next to that was a spell book.

Buffy watched, realizing that they would probably have Willow do a spell for them. Now all they had to do was wait for her to wake up. Buffy watched Willow, as did Angel, and the other two vampires.

**

ABOUT AN HOUR PASSED, and Willow had not yet woken up. Angel was getting aggravated, he wanted to get the spell done as soon as he could. Just then, Willow moves slightly and everyone focuses their attention on her. She moans slightly from the pain the vampires caused when they knocked her out.

Angel grins as a vampire watches Willow open her eyes, and he quickly grabs her by her hair, pulling her towards Angel. Willow screams, realizing where she is and sees Buffy.

Buffy watches-scared for her friend. Wondering if Angel would hurt her. She prayed that Willow would not be harmed, but she knew Angel. Angel would hurt Willow to get to Buffy.

"Listen to me," Angel tells Willow as she watches him in shock. She didn't know he was back, of course. "I need you to do a little spell for me."

"No," she says simply.

"No?" Angel asks, "Big mistake."

A vampire tilts Willows neck and bites hard.

"No!" Buffy yells, as she sees this happening.

"Tell me you'll help me and he'll stop." Angel warns Willow.

"I don't want to die." Willow says, in between sobs.

"Then say it."

"I'll help you. I'll help you."

Angel motions for the vampire to stop and he stops. He didn't even take a drink, just bit. He then motions for Willow to come to the table, and she does.

She glances down at the spell book and Angel points to the spell he wants her to do.

"No!" Willow screams as she reads what the spell does, "Please! No! You can't do that to her."

Buffy watches, knowing the 'her' she spoke of was she.

"Can't do what?" She barely got the words out of her mouth.

Willow was about to speak when Angel glared at her. "Say a word-And you die. Right now."

The vampire steps closer to Willow and she stops him.

"Okay." She glances at Buffy, who had a very worried look on her face. Willow mouths to her, "I'm sorry." And looks down at the spell book again. She stands there for a moment staring into the book.

"Will you please get on with it." Angel reminds her, and Willow breaks out of her trance.

She nods as she picks up the small bag off the table and opens it up. As she does so, she still cries, not wanting to do the spell, but not wanting to die. She pours the bag's contents into the bowl and speaks the first line of the spell. "To the demons of the earth, I ask of thee today." She pauses and picks up the small blue liquid off the table and opens it, then continues with the spell. "In the room is a slayer. Find her, and take her soul away." Willow sobs as she pours the liquid into the bowl, and a small blue flame appears in the bowl. As it does, something goes through Willow, and she falls to the floor. Once again-she's unconscious, or dead totally. We don't know.

Buffy watches in horror as the flame turns from blue to red. Something goes through her as well and something slowly floats through the air towards the flame. Like a star, but brighter, and blinding to anyone in sight. Angel and the two vampires cover their eyes from the light. The small ball of light continues moving towards the flame. Finally it reaches it, and the flame turns to black and the bright light disappears.

Buffy falls back in the chair, eyes closed. As Angel and the other two vampires gather around her.

"Any moment now." Angel says as they watch her.

Slowly, Buffy's head moves up and she looks around

"Buff?" Angel asks, as he looks into her eyes, looking for any sign that the spell worked.

"What?" She asked. She looked at him strange, lovingly, but all the hate she felt for him was gone.

He sensed it, and she knew it. "Don't just stand there, babe." She says, "Get these ropes off me, they hurt." She pouts.

Angel looks up at the other vampires with a grin. "It worked." And he unties the ropes off her hands and herfeet. Buffy stands, "So-What now?"

"Let's say you and I go have a little fun."

Buffy grins, "Sounds like a plan. lets go." She takes his hand and grins at the vampires. "See you later, boys."

**

THE FIRST PLACE that Buffy and Angel went to was the Bronze. It was actually their only choice. They couldn't go to the school library; it had been years since they had been there. They really didn't know what exactly they were going to do. They hoped that someone they knew were there. Angel wanted so desperately to scare one of Buffy's friends, as did Buffy.

They entered the Bronze slowly. Since Buffy wasn't a vampire, the first thing people would assume was that Angel was back. Angel. Not Angelus. But they both had a plan.

On the stage was a band, but it wasn't Oz's. Their band had split up years before. A while before Oz married Willow. But he was there, in the Bronze. He sat there, looking worried. Willow was supposed to meet him. He knew Willow was never late. He glanced at his watch and then looked up and saw Buffy and Angel. Buffy looked normal. But looks can be deceiving.

Oz watched them, shocked to see Angel. The last time he saw him was when they were fighting off Vampires on Graduation Day five years before. He stood, "Buffy. Angel. have you seen Willow?"

"Not even a "Hi Angel, how have you been"," Angel thought with a grin on his face.

Buffy tried to hide it as well as she could. She makes a fake frown and looks at Oz with a worried look on her face, "Why? Was she supposed to meet you?"

"Yes," Oz says. "She was. Over an hour ago."

Buffy didn't know how to make him go without having to go out herself to pretend to look for Willow. She thought for a moment then got an idea, "Okay. why don't you go check your house or at her office, and I will check around the Bronze allies."

Oz nods, "Alright. I'll beep you if I find her."

"Beep me?" She asks then notices the beeper in her pocket. "Oh right, okay."

Oz quickly made his way out of the Bronze in search of Willow.

"What if he goes to the mansion?" Buffy asks him.

"Not to worry, my friends are there." He grins.

As Buffy and Angel stay at the Bronze, Oz makes his way around town, in search of Willow.

He first checks his and Willow's house. It was empty. No one was there. A small cat was asleep on a chair in the living room. Oz sighed, "Willow where are you." He said to himself and left the house again.

After leaving the house, he drove up to Willow's office, where she worked during the day. She was an intern at a law firm. She had been interning there while she continues her pre-law degree at UC Sunnydale. Oz looked through the window of the locked door in the small building. The inside was totally dark. Oz pounded on the door a couple times, "Willow? Willow?" He looks through the window again and sighs. "Not here either."

***

MEANWHILE AT THE BRONZE. Buffy and Angel were having a good time dancing together. Which was something they didn't do much when Angel and Buffy both had their souls. Then all of a sudden, Buffy's pager went off in her pocket. It took her a few minutes to realize what it was.

Angel reached into her pocket and pulled out the pager. He finds the off switch and turns it off, then places it back into her pocket as they continue to dance.

**

OZ SIGHS as he slams the payphone receiver down for about the fifth time. "Com'on Buffy." He waits for a few minutes then gets back into his car and drives off towards the Bronze. He arrived there about ten minutes later and walked back inside, to see Buffy and Angel having a good time. Not the slightest bit of worry was on either of their faces. "What is going on?" He says to himself and walks up to them.

"What's all this about?" He asked, getting upset. "I mean, You told me you were going to help me find her. I beeped you for help and I get no answer, and now you're here, not worrying a bit about your so-called best friend!"

Buffy turns to face him, not knowing what to say. She glanced over at Angel, who still had a stupid grin on his face.

"It's nice to find out which friends really care about you and which ones DON'T." Oz said, and quickly made his way out of the Bronze in search of Willow again.

As he was leaving, he bumped directly into Xander, who was entering the Bronze with a girl on his arm. The girl seemed familiar to Oz, but he still couldn't figure out who she was.

"Whoa. Oz, slow down." Xander tells him, stopping him in his tracks. "What's wrong?"

"Willow is missing."

"What?" Xander's face dropped.

"Yeah- and Buffy and Angel are in there right now, partying. Not caring at all about where she is!" Oz said, getting upset again.

Xander peered into the Bronze and saw the couple, closer than ever.

He walked back over to Oz. "Well since they obviously don't care-Let's go find her." He looked over at his date. "I'm sorry, Anya. I have to go."

The girl sighed as it finally hit Oz who she was. "Anya? You're dating Anya?" He asked as he walked off towards his car with Xander.

"People change," is all that Xander could say. The two got into Oz's car and drove off down the street. Anya sighed and walked into the Bronze.

"So how did you two get together?" Oz asked as he drove off down the street, having no clue to where he was going.

"We'll talk about that later." Xander said, looking out the window. "We have more important things to do right now. When was the last time you saw Willow?"

"When she came home from work around eight. I had to do a few things, so I told her I would meet her at the Bronze around ten. She never showed up."

"Well where could she have gone? I mean, there isn't many places to go in Sunnydale."

"I don't know-"

Xander interrupted him, "Wait-turn around."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it!"

Oz turns around as soon as he can down the road, and drives off in the other direction. "What is it?" He asks Xander.

"Go down there!" He pointed to a long dark road. Oz obeyed and drove down the long street. Minutes later they were in front of the Crawford Street Mansion. Oz started to park the car directly in front of the Mansion.

"What are you, stupid??!" Xander asks him.

"What?"

"Listen Ozzy boy," Xander says. "We're sneaking in. For one. they'll hear the car. Two. they'll see the car if they come out. Three. Okay I don't have a three, but hide the car!"

Oz sighs, "Gee I'm glad I have you here, Xander. I may have done something stupid."

Oz turns the car around towards the woods, and they park the car behind some trees.

"Now this is more like it. See you're getting it." Xander says with a smirk.

"I guess some of us aren't blessed with the gift of." He pauses, not knowing what word to use.

"If you only had a brain." Xander sung quietly and got out of the car.

Oz turned off the car and got out as well. "We're here to save Willow. not gripe at each other. Why do you think she's here anyway?"

"Just a hunch." He says as they slowly walk towards the entrance of the Mansion. "You said Buffy and Ang-"

It just occurred to him. "Wait a minute, what is Angel doing back in town anyway?"

Oz shrugs, "I don't know."

"So in one night Angel comes back, Willow disappears, and Buffy changes. Does anything else seem weird here to you?"

"You think Angel has something to do with it?"

"Well it could be a coincidence but I don't think so. Of course he has something to do with it. He has more than SOMETHING to do with it. He has EVERYTHING to do with it."

"I think you're-" Oz started to say, but Xander hushed him as they walked down the stairs towards the courtyard.

Xander and Oz made their way toward the mansion door, from behind them they could hear something. "What-" Xander turned around as did Oz, and they saw the two vampires standing in front of them.

Meanwhile inside the mansion, Willow was still lying on the floor. She opened her eyes and tried to get up slowly, but she couldn't. She didn't notice the commotion going on in the other room. She looked around, forgetting everything that had happened to them. She rubs her eyes, remembering the flame, but that was all. Then, something broke her thoughts of trying to remember what happened. Her mind was blank. All she could hear was the voices in the next room. She focused on the doorway and ducked behind the table so the vampires wouldn't see her awake.

"I'll tell you what I'm gunna do," one vampire said as he grabbed Oz and pushed him against the wall. The other vampire stood behind Xander, holding onto his arm as the other continued his small speech to Oz, "I'll give you a choice. You can die slow, or you can die quick."

Oz squirmed in his grasp as Willow looked around for anything. She noticed the stake that Angel had used earlier on the vampire that delivered the potion. She tried to reach it without being noticed by the vampires. She reaches as far as she can and finally grasps it as the vampire makes its way closer to Oz.

Willow screamed, "Xander!" He turned to face her. "Catch!" She tosses the stake and Xander catches it. He stakes the vampire behind him and he turns to dust. The vampire still had Oz pinned against the wall, when Xander staked him in the back, and he turned to dust as well.

Oz and Xander both take a sigh of relief as they smiled at Willow grateful to her for helping them. She smiled slightly, glad that someone had come to help her. The two guys walk over to Willow and Oz picks her up off the ground. She was still very weak, so he pulled her up and cradled her into his arms. They headed towards the stairs in the other room when they hear something coming down the stairs and they turn quickly towards another door to the left of them.

"Com'on." Xander whispered to Oz, who was still carrying Willow. They headed to the door quietly and Xander opened the door as Oz and Willow left, Xander followed and they close the door behind them.

Buffy and Angel enter the empty Mansion and look around. "So tell me something Angel. What was that you said back at the Bronze? That the vampires were here and that they could handle things?"

Angel sighs and looks around, "I thought they could."

**

OZ, WILLOW AND XANDER RAN as fast as they could to the car. Oz sets Willow in the back seat, and the two guys get up front. Oz starts up the car and pulls out of the woods and drives down the long dirt road.

Buffy and Angel come running out of the mansion at the sound of the engine. They make it out in time to see the taillights at the end of the road.

"Well. Now what?" Buffy asks, aggravated.

The gang drove down the road towards town. Willow sat up in the back seat and sat directly in the middle of the seat.

"What happened Willow?" Oz asks, looking through the rear view mirror, seeing willow in it.

"I don't remember," She says. "All I remember is this bright blue flame. Everything else is just a blur."

"Do you think maybe we should call Giles?" Xander asks both Willow and Oz.

"Well since Willow doesn't remember what happened, I think we should. He may know what is going on."

Everyone agreed that they would call Giles. They pulled up to Willow and Oz's house and went inside. They walked back to the study, which was used for Willow's watcher duties and for when she took work home.

The room was large and there were two large shelves filled with books. In one corner of the room was a table with six chairs gathered around it. It was pretty much what they used since they couldn't go to the library to read up on the demons. In the room was also a desk in another corner, which Willow used for work.

Willow made her way over to the table and sat down. Oz did as well, as Xander walked over to Willow's desk and picked up the phone. He dialed the number quickly and waited for someone to pick up.

Giles' phone rang three times and finally he picked up. "Hello?"

"Hi Giles," Xander says. "This is Xander. We have a problem."

***

GILES ARRIVED IN SUNNYDALE the next morning. He took a cab from the small airport to Willow and Oz's house, where the gang still was. He knocked on the door, and Oz let him inside.

Willow was sitting in the living room on the couch, curled up. In her hands was a cup off coffee. "Hi Giles." She smiles and stands, and set the coffee down onto the small table in front of her. "It's so good to see you." She walks over to him and smiles slightly, actually still a little confused by what was going on.

Giles had already found out what was going on from Xander when they talked on the phone. "Any luck remembering anything?"

Willow shakes her head, "All I remember is the." Giles interrupts her, ".Flame, Yes. There are many spells used that include the flame. Which has been called the Flame of the living, and the Flame of the dead. In this case, I believe it to be the Flame of the dead."

"How do you know?" Xander asks, entering the room from behind.

"Well, you all said that Buffy has changed. Like she doesn't care about anything she has done anymore?"

Oz nods, "Yeah, she was very strange when we saw her at the Bronze with Angel."

"Angel?" Giles asks. "He is back?"

"Xander must have left something out." Oz says with a slight smile.

"And he doesn't have his soul?"

Oz shakes his head, "No, I don't think so."

"Well there is only one spell that could have done this." Giles points out.

"What spell?" Willow asks, curious.

"It's a spell that robs slayer's of their souls. Vampires have used it for centuries, so a new slayer wouldn't be called. Now we--"

"So she pretty much became like Faith?" Xander asks, interrupting Giles.

"No, Faith did have a soul. This is much worse. Faith had the power to change her course, to go back to good if she really wanted to. Buffy doesn't have this choice. A demon has taken over her soul, and the Buffy we all know. is gone."

"Is there a cure?" Oz asks.

"I did some researching last night. I haven't found anything. Not a single cure. but we must not give up. As of now, we are Buffy's only hope."

**

THAT NIGHT THE GANG went into major research mode. Well, everyone except for Willow. Willow spent the night asleep on the couch, while the gang ate pizza and coke as they researched. Giles of course, spent all night drinking Coffee, even if he preferred tea. On the desk were dozens of books. The shelves behind them on the walls were pretty much empty, except for a small shelf filled with law books, but those weren't going to do any good.

"I think I've got something here," Oz says, interrupting Xander from stuffing his fifth piece of Pizza into his mouth. Oz passes the book to Giles. Giles looks through the pages for a few minutes, then looks up at them. "You've found something better."

"Better?" Xander asks, talking with his mouth full. Oz and Giles give Xander a disgusted look as he tries to chew.

"What?" Xander asks.

They both shake their head and go back to the book. Giles sighs, "Better for when we cure Buffy. This doesn't help HER cure."

"Wait-Wait-Wait a minute here!" Xander says, practically spitting the pizza out of his mouth. "Why don't you get one of those orbs that you used on Angel and try that? That got his soul back didn't it?"

Giles nods, "Yes but he's also a vampire-It could be completely different for us mortals."

"Can't we just give it a try?"

"I can't see why not." Oz says, looking over at Giles.

"I suppose we can try."

**

EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT. Everything was set up in the small room. They cleared the floor for everything they needed. Since Willow couldn't perform the spell, Giles had to. Willow was feeling sick from the spell she had performed the night before. It tired her out.

Oz found Giles an Orb they needed on Willow's shelf.

"Looks like Willow was prepared." Giles says.

"Well Willow had it just in case." Oz says as he hands the orb to Giles.

"Lets just hope no one stops us this time like they did with Angel's cure."

"They can't." Oz says.

"They need to be invited in." Giles reminds Xander.

"Right."

Everyone starts to set up everything. The orb and the candles sit in a small sacred circle on the floor. Giles sits down in front of them, as Xander and Oz do so as well on opposite sides.

Xander sits on one side, waving burning herbs and incense over the Orb.

Oz sits on the other with an open Latin book.

Giles sits with a small open book, which had the curse printed inside.

Giles casts some stones into the circle and nods at

Oz, giving him his cue to read out of the book as Xander continues to wave the incense.

Oz reads from the book, thinking about the last time they did this spell. "Quod perditum est, invenietur."

Giles reads the spell out of the book, "Not dead. Nor of the living. Spirits of the interregnum I call. Gods, bind her. Cast her heart from the evil realm." Giles starts to feel a little weak, Xander and Oz can tell. "It's working." Oz whispers.

"Return. I call on." Giles pauses, and then all of a sudden his head snaps back, just like Willow's did six years before, when they did the spell on Angel. His eyes stare at the orb as he continues to chant the spell, but in Rumanian.

"Te implor, Doamne, nu ignora aceasta rugaminte. Nici mort, nici al fiintei. Lasa orbita sa fie vasul care-I va transporta, sufletul la el. Asa sa fie! Asa sa fie! Acum! Acum!"

The Orb glows brightly for a moment then goes dark. Giles relaxes like Willow did and then looks toward the others.

**

Angelus and Buffy lie asleep in the bed in the mansion, when all of a sudden Buffy sits up, gasping. She glances over at Angel on the bed, as light flashes through her eyes, and she falls down to the ground. She looks up at Angel, "Angel?"

"Buffy..." Angel knew what was happening, "No.. No." He screamed, "They couldn't have..." He grabs a vase off the beside table and throws it against the wall, "No!"

She was confused for a moment, not sure what to think, then all of the memories came flowing back to her, and she glanced at Angel, scared. She couldn't think of anything else to do, she turned, and ran out the door of the mansion.

Buffy!" Angel yells from inside the mansion, as he runs out to go after her.

"No. No." She says to herself and runs off down the street as a car is seen in the distance. She yells, "Help me please!" She still felt very weak from the spell.

The car doesn't stop, just drives by her. Buffy runs as fast as she can, not knowing that Angel was following close behind.

Buffy reaches the Bronze, but it was closed. She grabs the payphone, slips in money, and then dials Willow's number.

It rang a few times. "Com'on. Com'on." Buffy says, looking down the alley for Angel.

The Answering machine picks up with a small cute skit from Willow and Oz. "Thank God they don't have a long message." Buffy says as she hears the beep. "Willow Someone pick up!" Buffy says. "I'm at the Bronze. Angel is after me. Please come!" She yells into the phone and hangs up.

She walks to the door of the Bronze and kicks the door a few times, trying to get it open. With no luck, she runs to the side of the building and climbs up a ladder to the roof of the Bronze. She sees a small window that is above the stage and tries to open it. "Locked." She says, "When did they start locking this thing." She says and then breaks the window with her fist.

The glass falls to the floor below, and Buffy climbs in, then grabs a hold of a rope used for the stage and she quickly slides down to the floor. She walks out from back stage and out to the main stage, to see Angel standing in the middle of the Bronze floor.

"Well hello lover," Angel says as he walks closer to her.

Buffy looks around the stage as he comes closer. She looks for anything to protect herself from him. She looks directly above herself and sees a large air vent, slightly open. Also above her are the lights used for the bronze. all on a long thick bar. She looks down at Angel as he tries to grab her ankle. She jumps up as quickly as she can and grabs the bar.

"Smart girl." Angel says as Buffy flips herself up into the vent.

Buffy climbs through the vent and comes out of another, behind the bar of the Bronze, but Angel doesn't see her. She looks up at the ceiling, seeing many fire sprinklers at the top of the ceiling.

"He's not the wicked witch, he's not gunna melt." Buffy says, looking around the room. She then notices that the sprinklers are attached to a fire security system. "Excellent."

"I need a lighter." She looks around the bar and finds matches. "It'll do."

She jumps up on the bar and Angel notices her. She lights a match and lifts up her arm as far as she can towards one of the sprinklers. "Com'on." Buffy says to herself, as the small flame touches the sprinkler.

All of a sudden water comes pouring out of each individual sprinkler and the Bronze's alarm goes off.

Angel knew that people would come, but he also knew he would have another chance at Buffy. He quickly runs towards the window Buffy used to enter in. He climbs up the rope quickly and leaves the Bronze.

Buffy looks around the room. "Great. that's the only way out that isn't locked." She says to herself and looks around. She walks over to the main entrance door and notices no lock or anything on the inside.

"Great."

She checks out the side door as well, and has the same problem.

"If I stay here the police will find me in here." She says. "How am I going to explain this one?" She sighs and runs towards the stage window, and climbs up the rope as well. She climbs out of the window and Angel grabs her from behind.

"I figured you would come up this way, lover." Angel says. "I thought you were smart-I guess I was wrong."

"You've been WRONG about a lot of things." Buffy reminds him.

Angel's grin fades as a familiar voice speaks from behind, "Let her go."

Giles stands from behind, a crossbow in his hands, pointed directly at Angel's back. If he were to shoot, it would hit Angel's heart.

Angel pushes Buffy out of the way and he turns around to face Giles. "Giles buddy, long time no see."

Giles passes Oz, who is standing behind him, a pair of handcuffs, "Put these on him."

Oz nods and slowly walks towards Angel.

"If you touch him, I kill you." Giles reminds Angel as Oz puts the handcuffs on Angel from behind.

"You know Buff-I still think we should have tried chains."

**

LATER AT WILLOW AND OZ'S HOUSE Angel stayed handcuffed in the office.

"You do realize that once I get out of here, you guys are going to have to find a new house, right?" Angel says.

"You're not going anywhere." Giles says as he sets some things up in the room.

"Let me guess. you're going to try to restore my soul."

"Actually, close, but no."

Angel sighs and teases, "The suspense is killing me."

"Now you're getting even warmer." Xander says as he enters the room with Oz.

"Great if it isn't the whole Scooby Gang." Angel sighs.

Buffy sits in the other room on a chair next to the couch Willow was sleeping on, having no idea what was going on in the next room. She really didn't care. She watches Willow, hoping she would be okay. Giles told her that all of the stress from the spell had made her sick.

Meanwhile in the office, Giles, Xander and Oz are clearing off the floor again for what it seems like another spell.

"Where is that book you found earlier?" Giles asks Oz. Oz finds it on a pile of books on the floor and passes it to Giles.

He looks through the pages again and puts some things out on the floor for a spell.

"Does Willow have another Orb? It isn't clear. it's a little blue one." Giles says, looking around the room. Oz shrugs, "I'll check." He walks to a shelf on the other side of the room, which had a bunch of Willow's witchcraft stuff on it. He looks through each shelfslowly, hoping that there was one. He finds a small box and opens it, revealing the small Orb. He picks it up and hands it carefully to Giles.

"What did she do, buy out the whole magic shop?" Xander asks, eating yet another piece of pizza.

"Will you stop eating!" Oz says.

"Sorry." He tosses the bitten piece of pizza on top of the pizza box, which was now on the floor.

They set up everything, exactly like the previous spell, and Xander comments. "Didn't we just do this?"

"The spells are very similar." Giles says, motioning for them to take their same positions.

"Just do what you did last time, just don't read the book Oz, I've got the whole spell here."

Xander hands him the burning herbs, keeping the incense in his hands. "Take the smelly herbs, I can't stand them anymore."

Oz rolls his eyes and waves them over the blue orb, as Xander waves the incense.

"Adeo abduco immortalis. Inclino sui aborior eripio undique secus. Acum. Adeo abduco immortalis. Undique secus." Giles focuses his eyes on Angel, tilting his head forward, but not losing sight of him. "Abduco meus vita. Dono immortalis meus vita." Giles looks towards Angel more, and the Orb glows.

Light forms in both of their eyes and Xander and Oz look back to each of them. "What's going on?" Xander asks.

"I don't know." Oz whispers. "Stay still."

The light in each of their eyes meet, and a small line of light, like lightning, connects the two through their eyes. Angel is lifted up from his chair and the handcuffs break. Giles does not remove his eyes from him. "Acum!" Giles says one last time, as they both fall to the ground, and the Orb goes dark.

Buffy runs into the room as the light disappears, "What's going on?" She sees them both on the ground and approaches Giles first, not sure about what happened. Xander and Oz focus their attention on Angel. They knew what the spell would do. They watched, wondering if it would work.

Buffy shakes Giles, "Giles. Giles. No please, God no." She shakes him again and then hugs him to her. "No. Please." She cries as she holds him in her arms.

Xander and Oz turn to them and see him. "Is he-" Oz says, not knowing what else to say.

Buffy looks up at them, tears rolling down her face. "Yes. He's dead." She looks back down at Giles and hugs him close to her. She then looks back up at Oz and Xander, "What spell did you do? What did this to him?"

Oz and Xander don't say a word, they just turn back to Angel, who is still lying on the ground.

Angel lies on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Breathing heavily from pain. Breathing?

Oz and Xander stare at him as he slowly sits up, and looks at them. "Buffy?" Angel says, not noticing anyone else but her. He then notices Giles, "What-What happened?"

Buffy looks up at him, hearing him breathing. "Angel? You're."

He interrupts her and looks down at his own hands, "Breathing." He looks up at her, "How?"

Oz finds the spell book on the floor and hands it to Buffy. She reads it slowly to herself and looks back up at Angel. "This spell-Gave you life. He gave you life."

Angel looks down at Giles' motionless body as Buffy kisses his forehead.

Buffy looks down at him, "Thank you Giles. Thank you." She takes her hand and closes his eyes.

**

GILES' FUNERAL WAS A few days later. Eventually, everyone adjusted to him not being there. But they knew that in a way he always would. He would be there in their hearts, and they would never forget him, or what he did for Angel.

Angel had finally had another chance at life. And him and Buffy could be together. Finally. in the way they always wanted to. It took a while to get used to, Angel still had habits of staying out of the sunlight, but in time he got used to it, and began to enjoy life. as a mortal.

Send feedback to Primeval Slayer

Back to the Fanfiction Archive