Disclaimer: Characters are property of Joss. If I owned them Buffy & Angel would be happily together.
Rating: PG-13 I guess
Distribution: My site http://www.geocities.com/buffy_angel_lover14 . BA_Fluff, archives, and if you have permission for any of my other stories, you can have this one. Anyone else if you want it take it, and tell me where it's going.
Spoilers: Up to Blood Ties for Buffy, and The Thin Dead Line for Angel
Authors note: Angel has memories with Dawn, so he knows that she exists.
Dedication: This is for Elizabeth. She came up with the idea for it :-)
Feedback: Pretty please? Must I beg for it? It will make me write faster, and I'll know that what I write is actually kind of good.

Part 1

Dawn stood outside her father's house. She had to have gotten out of Sunnydale. Everyone was treating her like an outcast. Buffy, Giles, and her mom weren't too bad. But the others, they were different around her. She needed an escape. She hoped LA would be that for her.

She had run away. She knew her dad would call her mom, but at least she would be with him. He didn't know that she wasn't real. He would treat her like she was normal.

Dawn smiled at the fact that she was about to see her father. She hadn't seen him since the past summer. 'That wasn't real,' she reminded herself. But this would be.

She went up to the door and rang the doorbell. There was no answer so she rang it again. Still, her father didn't come to the door. Getting impatient, she knocked on the door. It remained close. 'Maybe no one's home.'

"Can I help you?" came a voice from behind Dawn.

She jumped. She turned to face the woman.

"Are you looking for Hank Summers?" the lady asked.

"Yeah, how do you know him?"

"I'm his neighbor." She nodded her head in the way of her house. "Well, if you're looking for him, I have to tell you that he's out of town. Or out of state. Or country. Not really sure. All I know is that he's away."

"Oh."

"What's a young girl like yourself, doing out in LA by herself at sunset?"

"I'm his daughter. I was hoping that I could stay with him for a few days."

"He didn't know that you were coming?" the lady persisted.

Dawn shook her head; "It was a surprise."

"No one else knows you're here? Do you have anyplace to go?"

She thought for a moment. She only knew one other person in LA that she could go to. "Do you know where Angel Investigations is?"

"Sorry honey, I don't."

"Oh. Well, I can find it myself." Dawn said before turning, and hurriedly walking away.

It took some time, and asking for directions, but she finally found the old hotel that Angel lived in.

She quietly entered the large building. She looked around. She caught sight of Angel, sitting at a desk reading a book. He didn't even notice her presence.

Dawn walked towards him.

He sensed her, and looked up from his reading. "Dawn."

"Hi Angel!" she greeted.

"What are you doing here?" he questioned.

She didn't answer.

"Is Buffy with you?"

"No." she replied. "She doesn't know I'm here. I ran away."

"She must be worried sick about you. Why on earth would you run away?"

"It's complicated."

"And why did you come here?"

"I went to my dad's, but he's out of town or something. I had no where else to go, so I came here. I have no money, I spent it on the ticket to here."

"You know I'm going to have to call Buffy." Angel stated. "She has to know that you're here, and that you're safe."

"Could you please not." Dawn pleaded. "I don't want to go back to Sunnydale."

"Why not?"

"It's complicated."

"You already gave me that excuse, try another one."

"Everything's different. I found out what I really am. Actually, no I didn't. All I know is that I'm not Dawn Summers."

"What do you mean? You are Dawn Summers."

"No I'm not. Buffy says it doesn't matter. That we are sisters. But I know the truth. She just says that so I won't do anything stupid. So she can protect me. That's all she cares about."

"Shouldn't that be a good thing?"

"It's not. She does it because she has to." Dawn looked at him. "Please don't call her. I don't want to go back."

"I don't have a choice."

"You do. You can either call her, or you can not call her. I'm kinda hoping that you won't call her."

"I have to. You can't stay here."

"Fine. I'll go then." She turned to leave.

He caught her arm; "You're not going anywhere. It's a big bad world out there, especially at night."

She pulled her arm away, "I can take care of myself. I don't need you telling me what to do. I have enough people doing that."

"Dawn, please. I'm sure that you and I can have a talk with Buffy and straighten this whole thing out."

She gave in, "You promise to talk with her?"

"I promise." Angel gently led her over to a chair. "Take a seat. I'm going to call Buffy, and then you and me are going to have a talk. You're going to explain to me why you think that you're not Dawn."

She nodded and took a seat.

Angel made his way over to the phone. 'How am I going to do this?' he thought. He looked back at the young girl. Her eyes were on him, watching his every move. He picked up the phone. 'Here it goes.' He took a deep breath and dialed.

Part 2

Buffy paced back and forth across the room. "Where could she be?" she asked her mother.

"Honey, I don't know. Are you sure you checked everywhere?"

"Just everywhere that exists." Buffy answered. "I'm so worried about her. What if Glory has her?"

"I'm worried too. We'll find her. I know we will." Joyce said. "I'm sure that she is safe," she added.

Buffy took a seat next to her mother on the couch, "How can you be so sure that she's safe?"

"Mother's instinct, I guess."

"But she's not really your daughter." Buffy pointed out.

"You don't understand. She's my daughter in every way that counts."

She rested her head on her mother's shoulder, "I do understand. She's my sister. Nothing can change that."

"Maybe Dawn doesn't realize this." Joyce commented. "I know we told her it doesn't matter who she is, but she still has to have her doubts. It's normal."

"I know. I just wish we knew where she was."

The phone rang.

Buffy gave her mother a hopeful look before answering it. "Hello?"

"Buffy. It's Angel."

"I can recognize the voice." Buffy replied. "What do you want?" she asked coldly. "I don't really have the time for this."

"I'm sure what I have to tell you will ease your nerves."

She raised her eyebrows, "Oh? What is it?"

"Dawn's here. She's safe."

"What the hell is she doing there?" Buffy yelled into the phone.

"She just showed up. She said she was looking for your dad, but he's out of town. This was the only other place she knew to go. Don't be upset with me. It's not like this is my fault."

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief; "I'm not upset with you. I was just freaked that Dawn was missing. Now I know she's safe."

"Do you want me to buy her a bus ticket and send her home?" Angel questioned.

"No, that's not safe. I'll come to pick her up."

"Buffy, I'm sure she'll be perfectly fine if she rides the bus."

"It'll be too dangerous. Things are all complicated now."

"You and Dawn both like to say that. Fine, when will you be here?"

"I'll be leaving soon." Buffy told him.

"Okay. Do you know where my new place is?"

"I'm sure I can find it."

"I'll see you then."

"Bye." Buffy said before hanging up the phone. She looked at her mom. "That was Angel, Dawn's with him. I have to go get her." She grabbed her jacket. "Please come with me."

"I think one family member will be enough for Dawn to handle at one time. Take one of your friends."

"Yeah, because they'll act all normal around her." Buffy replied sarcastically.

"I guess you'll have to go alone."

"Alone? Definitely not a good idea, when you're dealing with Angel and me." A thought came to her. "You know what? I have a better idea."

________________________

"Spike?" Buffy called.

"Bloody hell. Don't you ever knock?" he answered.

"I don't have time for this. I need a favor."

"How much is this gig going to be paying?" Spike inquired.

"Is that all you think about? Money?" She stepped closer to him. "I found out where Dawn's at. I want you to come with me to get her."

"Fine. Where's the rug rat at?" he asked as he followed Buffy outside.

"Angel's," she mumbled.

"What? I don't think I heard you clearly."

"I said Angel's. Okay? Let's just go and get this over with."

"She's with Peaches. Now this is going to be interesting. I wouldn't pass this opportunity up."

Buffy looked like she was about to strangle him. "Spike, don't. This is bad enough already."

"Sorry love. I'm just surprised that you're asking me to go to your ex's with you. Angel and I are not the best of buddies."

"Believe me, I'm not going to enjoy this plan either. But Dawn seems to like you. So maybe it won't be too hard to get her to come home."

Spike opened the passenger side door of his car for Buffy. She gave him a strange look. "What? Can't a guy be polite once and awhile?"

"I thought I'd never see a polite gesture from you."

He motioned to the inside of the car, "Are you going to get in or not?"

She got in the car, and Spike shut the door. He went around to the other side, and got in as well.

He looked at her. "Your hands are shaking," he observed.

She glanced down at her hands, "I'm just a little nervous."

"A little?"

"Okay a lot. Let's just go."

Spike started up the car and the two of the headed off to LA.

Part 3

After hanging up the phone with Buffy, Angel made his way back over to Dawn. He took a seat next to her.

She looked up at him, "So… I guess she's coming to get me then."

He nodded, "She's on her way."

Dawn just kind of shook her head knowingly; "Did she sound angry?"

"A little, but I think she's more glad that you're alright." Angel said truthfully. "I think that everything will be fine."

"Then you don't know my sister."

Angel's face changed to an expression of hurt. He turned away, embarrassed. He wished Dawn hadn't seen his display of weakness.

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just Buffy's way protective of me. She gets really mad when I do something wrong. I swear, I keep expecting her head to spin around like in The Exorcist."

"Come on. I know it can't be that bad. I've witnessed some of your sisterly battles." Angel leaned closer to her, "I don't think I've ever seen her head spin around."

Dawn giggled before quickly turning serious, "That wasn't real. It never happened. You've never really seen me with Buffy."

"What do you mean it never happened? I was there. I think I would know."

"Apparently, I don't exist."

"I'm looking right at you."

"Okay, so maybe I do exist, but Dawn Summers isn't real. Up until like six months ago, I wasn't even in Buffy's life. I was some form of energy."

"But I remember you…" Angel started.

"Everyone has memories of me. They just aren't real. I'm not really Buffy's sister. I'm no one. I don't know what I am. Why I'm here. There are a lot of questions I have, but no one seems to know any answers for them. All I know is that I'm the key."

"The key to what?"

"One of the answers that I don't know. I just can't fall into the wrong hands. There's some god named Glory who's looking for me. She's seen me before, but she doesn't know that I'm the key. She knows what I can be used for…at least I think she does. But she's evil, so if she finds out that I'm the key, I'll probably end up dead. That's what everyone thinks anyway."

"I bet you're scared."

"Terrified. No one else has picked that up yet. They're so worried about protecting me from Glory that they don't notice what it's all doing to me. I have all these memories that aren't real. I can't remember anything but being Dawn Summers. I feel so lost and …I can't really explain it. Do you know what I mean?"

"I think I do." Angel felt this pulling inside of him. It was the first time in a long while that he felt compassion towards another being. He looked at the young girl in front of him. Her eyes held a fear that was too old for her to be handling. "I promise to help you out. I have many books that Giles doesn't have. Maybe I can find something about the key or Glory in them. I don't want you to be afraid."

"But what happens if you find a way to destroy Glory and it works?" Dawn asked.

"What do you mean?"

"What if once Glory is gone, I go away too? The reason I was made into the key was so it could be hidden from Glory, and Buffy would protect it. So what if once Glory dies, I return to my original form? I don't want to. I want to stay Dawn."

"I don't know what will happen. I don't want to lie to you and say that everything will be alright, because I have no idea how it will be. But I will help figure this out. I'll try my best to keep you as Dawn."

"Why would you do that for me?"

He gave her a small smile, "Dawn, I care about you. I love you. I wouldn't want to see you get hurt, ever. When I was in Sunnydale, I used to think of you as a sister."

"You did?"

"Yeah, you always annoyed me like a little sister would."

She laughed, "Hey! I resent that. What else was I supposed to do? You and Buffy were constantly getting all kissy face. Could you ever keep your hands off each other?"

"We had to. We didn't have a choice in the matter."

"Oh, bad topic to bring up. I'm so sorry. Sometimes I put my foot in my mouth."

"Buffy used to say that a lot." He got up. "I'm going to start doing some research, see if I can find anything."

"Okay," she answered.

"It's late. You must be tired. If you want I'll show you where my room is and you can try to get some sleep."

She nodded, and followed him to his bedroom.

"If you need anything, don't be afraid to holler," he said before starting to shut the door.

"Do you still love her?" Dawn questioned.

He paused for a moment before shutting the door completely.

Her question had startled him. He knew the answer. It was clear as day to him. It was just, what was he going to do when Buffy arrived? He hadn't seen her in such a long time. What would happen between them? Could he control himself when she was around him?

He found a book, and tried to concentrate on it. His thoughts kept drifting back to Buffy. Did she still love him? And what about her boyfriend Riley?

Did she love him? The answer to that scared him. What if the answer was yes? He couldn't bear the thought of it.

He looked through one book after another for a few hours. He had finally managed to get his thoughts off of Buffy. Unfortunately his quest for answers about Dawn was turning up fruitless. He didn't want to break his promise to her about finding a way to help.

His eyes shifted uneasily towards the door. He could feel her. His stomach felt like he had swallowed butterflies. He took an unnecessary breath. His hand trembled, he was so nervous. He closed his eyes, trying to get the jitters to pass. He needed another moment. He would just go to check on Dawn. 'Check on Dawn,' his mind repeated.

"Angel?" he heard her call from behind him.

Part 4

Angel froze when he heard her voice. It had this soothing effect on him. He took a deep unnecessary breath before turning to face her.

"Buffy," he said softly. He drank in the sight of her. She was beautiful. More so than he had remembered. Her blond hair was longer and was loosely curled. She looked older, more mature. Her face held an expression of worry. Her green eyes, that once held love for him, were expressionless.

What caught his attention next, was her companion. "Spike," he greeted with a harsh tone. What was he doing here? And with Buffy?

"Hello Peaches, nice seeing you again."

"Likewise," Angel returned.

"So Dawn's here?" Buffy interrupted. She looked at Angel hopefully. "She didn't run off?"

He shook his head, "No. She's in my room."

"What is she doing there?" Buffy questioned. A hint of anger showed in her voice.

"She was tired, I told her to get some rest." Angel clarified.

"Oh." She looked at her surroundings, "Nice place you got here. What happened to the other one?" She was trying to make conversation with him.

"It blew up."

"Oh," she said again.

"Yeah, someone didn't like me too much."

"Can you blame them?" Spike added.

"I seem to remember someone setting your place on fire."

"That's because you got your girl angry, and she wanted to kill you. So it looks like that was your fault too." Spike smirked.

"Maybe I should just kill you now. Then, I won't have to listen to you anymore." Angel shot back.

"I could kill you first."

"Shut up! The both of you." Buffy broke in. "You two sound like a bunch of first graders."

Spike stuck his tongue out at Angel.

"He's the one acting like the little kid." Angel pointed out.

"I don't have time for this." She turned to Spike. "Maybe it was a mistake bringing you with me"

"Might I remind you, that you're the one who asked me to come along. It was supposed to be a favor." Spike replied.

Buffy looked at Angel, "Take me to Dawn. I want to go as soon as possible."

He flinched at her words. She didn't want to be around him. "Umm…okay. One thing first."

"What is it?" She put her hands on her hips, "Do I need to pay you for taking care of her?"

"No. Of course not."

"Then what is it?"

"Dawn told me about her being the key." Angel stated.

"She did what?" Buffy looked angry. "I can't believe she did that. Is she going to tell just anyone about this?"

"I'm not just anyone." Angel said. "Don't be mad at her. She just told me because she wants…no…I think she needs someone to understand."

"I'm here, I understand."

"I don't think you do. Why else would she run away?"

Buffy stepped closer to Angel; "You have no idea what's been going on. You were brought into this a few hours ago, and you think that you know everything? Well, you don't. You don't know how hard it has been. Or what I've been through lately. I'm trying my best."

"I know you are. But maybe Dawn needed to talk to someone else. Someone who's not as close to her as you are. Maybe I am that person."

"What makes you think that?"

"I know what's it like to not know what exactly your purpose in life is. She doesn't know who she is. What she is. She needs answers."

"I want to give her answers, but I don't have any." Buffy supplied. "It's not that simple."

"It's complicated." Angel agreed. "Buffy, I think Dawn should stay with me for awhile. I can take care of her. Protect her. She just needs some time away from it all."

"No, she can't stay here. I'm the one that's supposed to protect her. Not you."

"I know you can handle this all alone, but I want to help. I've been researching for a few hours now-"

"We've been researching for a few months. We have found nothing. This thing predates most the written work."

"This thing, Buffy, is your sister."

"I love her, Angel. I'm going to find a way to help her. To kill Glory so she's safe."

"She's afraid."

"I know. That's why I need to destroy Glory."

"But what if that means the end of Dawn?"

"What?" Buffy asked confused.

"Dawn thinks that once Glory is gone, that she might have to go away too. She's scared, she doesn't want to go."

"I never knew that. I never gave any thought to it. How could I be so blind? She should have said something to me."

"It's hard for her. She doesn't want to upset you. That's why I believe she needs someone besides you."

"I can't let her stay here."

"Why not?" he inquired. "Give me one good reason."

"I'd miss her too much."

"You can stay too." The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them.

Part 5

"Stay here…" she repeated his words. "With you…" she trailed off. She was trying to digest the proposal he had just given her.

Spike burst out laughing. "Her move here with you? Now that's something I have gotta see."

"Spike, please," Buffy warned. "Could you please just…?" She nodded her head toward the door.

"I get it." He turned to leave. "You need some privacy. Believe me, I do not want to see you two shagging."

"Out!" she yelled.

Spike smirked before finally walking out the door.

Buffy looked at Angel. He stood silently. Had he meant what he said? Did he want her to stay with him?

His thoughts raced. Why had he asked Buffy to stay with him? The words just flew out of his mouth. It was like he had no control over his own words. He caught her gaze. She had been staring at him. "Buffy…I…"

"Do you?" she asked.

"Do I what?"

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

Did he want her to stay? The answer was so unclear to him at the moment. He knew what he wanted to do, but was it the right thing to do? But he was sure of the best thing for Dawn. "I know that Dawn should stay with me. And…I think if you want to, you can stay as well."

"It would be good for Dawn," she rationalized. "I mean, you're right. She needs to get away from Sunnydale for awhile. She needs a break."

"So I guess we've decided that she's going to stay with me for the time being. What about you?"

"I never said that Dawn is definitely going to stay here. We have to discuss this with her. That's all we need is to make a decision for her that she doesn't want. That'll make her not want to run away again."

"Okay. We'll talk it over with her." Angel agreed. He looked at her for the answer to his question.

"I think Dawn would be more comfortable if I was around. She might need her big sis. There are some things that she may find easier to talk to you about, but there still are those things that are…"

"Girly." He finished for her. "I understand. That's why you are welcome to stay here as well."

"It would be the best thing for Dawn…"

"Yeah. It's not like it's a permanent move or anything." Angel added in.

"It's temporary." Buffy confirmed. "We'll just try it out for a bit. See how it goes."

"Exactly. I can fix a room up for each of you." Angel said. "And then you can stay in them."

Buffy chuckled, "Well this is awkward. How are we going to live together, if we aren't even comfortable around each other?"

"We won't be living together. We'll just be staying together."

"Right. Two completely different things. You have weird logic."

"We just need to get used to each other. Then everything will run smoothly." Angel told her.

"Right. We'll be friends. We're mature enough to do that."

"We can do that now. It won't be like the last time we tried it."

Buffy nodded, "Because we're older."

"And we've changed."

"A lot," she finished up.

"I think we have this all planned out."

She agreed, "I think we do too. It's just…if we have this all planned out so well, how come it feels like such a crazy unworkable plan?"

"Because it involves the both of us. Working together and seeing each other every single day."

"Two very not good things. But that's the old us."

"No I think the old us could do that very well."

"You're right. A little too well. I meant the more recent old selves. The new selves are fine with the whole plan thing. We can make the best of it."

"For Dawn." He slipped in.

"Yeah, for Dawn."

"I don't know why we're making such a big deal out of this. I mean, we can handle this. We're both adults."

"Right. Besides, we don't even know if this is going to happen or not yet. We still have to talk to Dawn."

"So maybe we should go do that…" Angel urged. "There's no point in worrying about something that's not even going to happen."

"Just show me the way."

"Huh?"

"To Dawn." Buffy clarified.

"I knew that." He led her upstairs to his room. "She's in there. She's probably asleep."

"We can wake her. It's important."

Angel gently knocked on the door to announce their presence.

"Come in," Dawn called back. Angel opened the door as she continued. "I take it Buffy's here."

"Right you are." Buffy answered.

"I know. Get my butt up and ready to go." Dawn said. "I'm on it."

"Wait." Buffy stopped her. "Angel and I have a proposition for you. Now it's completely up to you. It would just give you a nice break from everything Sunnydale."

"And that would be…?" Dawn questioned.

"How would you like to stay here at Angel's for a little while? At least until we figure this whole key thing out."

"I could really stay here?" Dawn inquired, looking at Angel.

"You could," he replied.

Dawn looked back at Buffy, "But what about you? I thought you had to do the protecting me thing?" She cast her eyes to the floor, "And I'd kinda miss you."

"I'd be staying too." Buffy stated. "So what do you want to do?"

Part 6

"I think I might be still asleep. This has to be a dream. I swear I just heard you suggest that both you and I live here with Angel." Dawn said.

"I did," Buffy assured her.

Dawn looked puzzled, "Wow…that's quite a…um…I'm not sure. I just never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth."

"I said them. I think it would do some good if we stay with Angel, but the final decision is up to you." Buffy told her.

"Are you sure you're up to this. I mean, staying with Angel. Won't that cause some problems?"

"We're adults." Angel stated. "We can handle them."

"We want what is best for you." Buffy added.

"So do you want to stay here?" Angel asked.

Dawn thought for a moment. She really liked being at Angel's. She didn't have to worry about what the others thought of her. He didn't pass judgement on her. He treated her like she was normal. He knew that she was the key, yet nothing seemed to be different between them. Buffy would also be here with her. She couldn't imagine a day going by without seeing her sister. "I want to stay," she announced. Another thing occurred to her, "What about Mom?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine with this. As long as you are safe, she'll agree with it." Buffy replied. "We'll miss her, but she can come visit. Who knows, we might not even stay here too long. It all depends on what happens with Glory."

"Okay," Dawn agreed. "What about my stuff? We're going to need clothes and things. I don't think Angel wants to be around us wearing smelly old clothes."

"Yeah, I think then I'd have to plug my nose." Angel teased.

Dawn jokingly punched his arm.

"Ouch!" he laughed.

Buffy laughed as well, "I'll have Spike drive me back to Sunnydale. I'll get us some things and return back here. You can stay with Angel, and help him get two rooms ready. How does that sound?"

"Good," Dawn said.

Buffy turned to leave, "I'll be back. The ride to Sunnydale is going to be so much fun. I get to put up with Spike asking questions about this arrangement. I really don't want to hear his opinion on the matter."

"Why is he even here with you?" Angel questioned. "Don't you hate each other? At least I thought you did."

"I hate him. He's nothing but a thorn in my side, but strangely I feel comfortable around him. I cringe to say this, but I think of him as a friend. Weird. Isn't it?"

"Very weird." Angel agreed. "He won't want to stick around, will he?"

"He might make a cameo appearance now and then. He won't be able to resist the urge of seeing what's going on with us. It'll fuel his rude remarks."

"Great," Angel replied sarcastically.

Buffy pointed to the door; "I better get going. If Spike is too bored out there in the car, he might leave without me. I'll see you both soon. Bye."

"Bye," both Angel and Dawn called after her.

When Angel heard the door shut behind Buffy, announcing that she had left the hotel, he looked at Dawn. He gave her a small half smile. "So are you sure you're okay with this whole thing?"

"I'm positive. I think this will actually be kind of fun."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, I won't have to go to school for one."

"Don't think that you are going to get out of that. I'm sure that Buffy will see to it, that you somehow get your schoolwork."

"Darn. There's also the fact that I get to see you."

"What a thrill that must be." Angel teased.

"No, I mean it. I miss having you around in Sunnydale," she told him. "You were always so nice to me. I wish that you didn't leave. I know why you did. I probably would have done the same thing. Being around Buffy everyday even though you couldn't have her. That would be hell. You think that it'll be different now?" she questioned.

"I can only hope that it is."

"I really missed you. She does too," Dawn confided in him. "She doesn't say it, but I know she does. Do you miss her?"

Angel nodded, "Everyday. I always think that maybe tomorrow things will change. That my heart won't ache as much, but it always hurts just the same. It'll never stop."

"Not until you find a way to be with each other. Right?"

"We can never fully be together. Things will happen, bad things."

"I know all about it. The curse, and how you can't be truly happy. I have memories of when you went bad, even if they aren't real." Dawn reminded him. "Do you think you'll ever have a chance? Like maybe some kind of higher powers will reward you and Buffy for all the good things that you two have done?"

"Can you keep a secret?" Angel inquired.

"A secret? You're going to tell me a secret of yours? Sure."

"I mean it. You can't tell anyone. Not even Buffy."

"I promise not to tell a soul, living or otherwise." Dawn vowed.

"After the battles of the End of Days, the apocalypse, and such, I will be awarded with Shanshu. I will die-"

She interrupted him, "What kind of a reward is that? You will die. How's that a good thing?"

"I wasn't finished. I will live and then die. Meaning I will become human, and after a normal life I will die."

"That is so cool. Why don't you want Buffy to know?"

"It might not happen in her lifetime. I don't want to get her hopes up and then end up disappointing her. Who knows if it'll ever happen."

"What do you mean?"

"I have done some things lately that I'm not proud of." Angel said.

"That doesn't mean anything. You can be forgiven." Dawn pointed out. "I'm sure that one day you will become human. And then you can live happily ever after." She saw that Angel didn't agree with her. "What's the matter?"

"I won't live happily ever after unless…" he trailed off.

"Unless you're with her." Dawn finished for him.

He nodded. "We shouldn't focus on that though. I've learned that thinking too much about the future will lead to trouble. Right now we have Glory to deal with, and we have to learn what exactly the whole key thing is about."

"You always did have the rational head. Didn't you?"

"Not all the time," he verified. "Now you're still looking tired. Why don't you try to get some more sleep?"

"Weren't we supposed to be getting rooms ready?"

"They can wait."

"Okay," she said. She did something that Angel wasn't expecting. She rested her head against Angel's chest. "Goodnight Angel."

"Goodnight," he whispered. He watched as the young girl slowly drifted to sleep. He felt his unbeating heart feel for this girl. She trusted him. She had the innocence to forgive him for anything bad he had ever done. She was like a little sister.

Part 7

Angel too had fallen asleep soon after Dawn did. He awoke when he heard the door to the hotel shut. He gently moved Dawn, and scooted out of the bed.

He made his way into the hotel lobby. He saw Buffy dragging two very large suitcases across the floor. He quickly walked over to her, "Let me give you a hand with that." He tried picking up one of the suitcases, which he dropped back on the ground. "Did you pack rocks?" he jokingly asked.

"Ha ha, very funny. I just didn't know how long Dawn and I would be staying so I packed a lot." Buffy justified.

"I'll help you push them to your rooms." Angel offered, once again trying to pick up a suitcase.

"Where's Dawn?" she questioned.

"She's asleep in my room."

"Didn't she pick out a room?"

"Not yet. She was tired so I told her to get some sleep. It doesn't matter what rooms you two want to use. It's your choice."

"How about we just go to the nearest two rooms? That's as far as I can get these suitcases to go."

"Okay, but we have to somehow get them up the stairs."

"Great," Buffy replied.

After some grunting and struggling, the two of them managed to get the suitcases up to the second floor.

"Whose suitcase do I have?" Angel inquired.

"Dawn's." she answered.

He opened a door; "We'll make this her room." He dropped the baggage onto the floor. He turned to Buffy. "We'll put your things in the next room over." He opened the door to the other room.

As Buffy walked past him into the other room, she tripped and nearly fell. The suitcase went crashing to the ground. Angel caught her right before she hit the floor.

He held her in his arms, he wished the moment could last. He looked into her eyes. He felt an urge to kiss her lips, but it soon passed. Feeling awkward he quickly released her, helping her balance herself.

They stood in silence. It wasn't the comfortable silence that used to be between them. It was the unpleasant silence that came when you didn't know what to say. They both were surprised at the moment they had just had.

The silence was deafening to Angel's ears. He couldn't bare it any longer. Finally he decided to break the quiet. "Are you sure you didn't pack rocks? Clothes cannot weight that much."

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief before chuckling at Angel's small joke. "I'm sure. I think I left the rocks at home."

Angel flipped the light switch on in the room, "How's the room? Will it be okay for you?"

She looked around. It wasn't very neat. A thin layer of dust covered practically everything in the room. It was obvious that it hadn't been used in quite some time. She nodded, "It'll be fine."

"I know it needs clean-"

She interrupted him; "It'll be fine. Give me a few days, and it'll look like I've lived here forever."

"I should probably go straighten up Dawn's room."

"She can do it."

"No, I got it." Angel assured.

"I'll clean up this room while you work on hers." Buffy said.

Angel left and they both went to cleaning up the rooms. It didn't take much time. After a little dusting and tidying, they looked good as new.

He watched from the doorway as Buffy put her clothes into the dresser. He stood quietly, not letting her know of his presence.

She knew he was there. "You can come in you know," she stated. She turned around to face him. "You don't need to stand in the doorway. I won't bite. No pun intended," she added.

He came into her room. "So what did your mom say about this arrangement?"

"She wasn't too thrilled about it. But it came down to what would be best for Dawn. What's best for Dawn is that she's here. It'll do her some good. It'll do me some good." She said the last part in a barely audible whisper.

"Things have been tough in Sunnydale?"

"You have no idea." She looked at him. "Go ahead and ask it. You know that you want to."

"What about Riley?"

"He's gone," she said simply, hoping that he would leave it at that.

"Why?"

"It's complicated."

"I don't think it is," Angel persisted.

Buffy sat on the bed; "He left me. Went to some jungle with the military. He said there was something missing between us. Like I couldn't satisfy him. He was having a vampire suck his blood so he could feel something." She couldn't stop herself; she had to tell him. Tears started to pour down her face. "I wasn't enough. Is there something wrong with me?"

Angel quickly took a seat next to her on the bed. "There's nothing wrong with you." He pulled her into his embrace, trying to comfort her.

"Then why does everyone leave me?" she cried into his shoulder.

"Because, we're idiots. We don't realize what we have." He admitted.

"You knew what you had. What we had. You still left."

"I'll be the first to say that the most foolish thing I ever did was leave you." He soothingly rubbed her back. "But it was for the best."

"If you count being dumped by another guy for the best."

"It's given us both time to grow up, and change. We needed the time apart to mature. You needed to find out who you are, without being held back by me. You have grown into such a strong independent individual."

"Angel, you never held me back. You pushed me forward. You helped make me the person I am today." Buffy told him.

"So where do we stand?" Angel questioned.

"Why don't we try the friends thing? It could work."

"Yeah, friends." He agreed.

"I think I'm going to get some rest."

Angel stood up to leave, "Goodnight." He softly touched her face. "I'll see you in the morning."

Buffy watched him go. She lied awake for a long while after he left, wondering what their newfound friendship would bring. She wondered if it would last, or would they become too close to be just friends.

Part 8

When Buffy woke up after her peaceful slumber, she felt a tinge of disappointment. She had dreamt of him. In her dreams, he came to her during the night. Nothing happened between them in the dream, nothing physical, that is. He held her through the night, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. He was just there for her, comforting her, making everything right again.

She had wanted desperately for the dream to be real, and when she woke up, Angel would be there next to her. Dawn wasn't the only one who needed him. She needed him. He could make her life better.

It seemed like everything had been falling apart. Her mom had the tumor; her sister wasn't really her sister. A god was after Dawn, the key. They had no idea how to stop her. Angel used to be the one solid thing in her life. The one she could always count on. She needed him to be that again. She knew that no matter what, he'd be there for her. She just needed him to be something more to her then a friend.

That's all he could be to her, but that didn't stop her from wanting. Things were different from when they were together. They had both changed. But there still was that spark between them. The undying fire that would burn forever.

Buffy finally managed to drag herself out of bed. She heard voices, and followed them into the kitchen. Both Dawn and Angel were there making breakfast. Dawn was laughing at something he had said. Angel was funny? He made jokes?

He sensed her presence and turned to face her. "Good morning," he greeted. "Do you want some pancakes?"

"That'd be great." Buffy answered. "You can cook?" She had never known him to be one that cooked. Maybe she didn't know him at all.

"A bit," he replied. "I'm not the best at it. But Cordelia used to insist that I make her breakfast after a long night of fighting demons. She seemed to enjoy my food."

"Then it most be good. Queen C wouldn't eat just anything. It probably has to be gourmet." Buffy joked.

Angel wasn't amused; "She's not like that anymore."

"Oh," she muttered. "Umm…so when does she get here?"

"What?" Angel asked.

"You know. When does Cordy get here for work?"

"She doesn't work here anymore," he mumbled. Hoping she wouldn't catch what he said. It was wishful thinking.

"What do you mean? She quit?"

"Not exactly. And I don't want to talk about it."

"You're not getting off that easy," she persisted. "Now tell me what happened."

"I fired her," he stated simply.

"Why?"

"She was…they were…" he trailed off. He didn't know how to answer her question. Her simple question wasn't so simple.

"They?"

"Wesley, Cordy, and Gunn. I fired them all."

"Because you just got firing happy?" Buffy urged him on. "I know for a fact that Cordy depended on this job. Did you just decide to leave them all out in the cold?"

Dawn sensing that this was not something she wanted to get in the middle of, silently moved out of the kitchen.

"I don't know what happened. Things haven't been the greatest around here. You're complaining about how bad your life is, well mine's not so hot either."

"Maybe it's because you fired your friends."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"When I said that to you before, you didn't seem to care. You still butted in. If your life is so terrible, maybe we shouldn't be here. If you don't want Dawn and me around, just say so, and we'll be out of your way."

"Maybe I need you!" he yelled. He quickly turned away, embarrassed that he let his true feelings out.

Buffy let his words sink in. All this time he was so set on her staying was because he needed her? She gently touched his arm, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I had no right to."

"No, you did have a right. I've been a jerk lately. To everyone." He spun back around to face her. He had tears in his eyes. "I need you around, Buffy. I'm losing it. I can feel my demon. It's trying to get out; it's trying to be free. I need you to be her to keep me sane. You can keep me from falling into the darkness. It's so tempting, and what scares me the most is that I want it. I can't revert to being a cold-hearted monster. I can't. And I'm coming so close to being one."

"You're not, Angel. You'll never be one. Angelus is the killer, not you."

"Then why have I let so many people die?"

"It's not your fault. You can't save every-"

He cut her off, "I locked a bunch of lawyers in with Darla and Drusilla."

"What?"

"I left them for dead. I let them get killed."

She shook her head, "No, not that. You said Drusilla and Darla. Darla's dead. She's been dead for years. You killed her. I saw you do it."

"This evil law firm brought her back." He proceeded to tell Buffy all about his encounters with Darla.

"I don't blame you, Angel. You're not evil." Buffy told him. "You're good. You made a mistake."

"I have made a lot of mistakes."

"Everyone does. I make mistakes. No one is perfect."

"You are," Angel stated.

"No, I'm not."

"You are to me."

She blushed at his words. He thought she was perfect.

"How can you care about someone who has done so many bad things?"

"It's simple. You can forgive someone you love for anything. There's nothing complicated about that."

She said love. He had heard it loud and clear.

She continued, "I'm sure Cordelia Wesley, and…and…what was the other one's name?"

"Gunn," he supplied.

"Gunn," she repeated. "I'm sure they can all forgive you. You just need to talk to them, like you did with me."

"Cordelia said that they didn't need me anymore."

"She's lying. They need you, and you need them. Forget about Darla. I know that's hard, but you don't need her. Go back to what you do best, and that's helping the hopeless. Fighting for a better good."

"You really think it's that simple," he questioned.

"It won't be, but I know you. Even if you have changed, I still know your soul, your heart. And I know that you will not give up. And I'm going to be right here. I'm not going anywhere." She brushed away his remaining tears with her thumb. "We can get through this together. That's the way it should have been all along."

He gave her a gentle smile. He wrapped his arms around her small body, and embraced her. He breathed her in. She was what he needed.

Part 9

Angel was still holding Buffy in his arms when Dawn reentered the kitchen.

The young girl rolled her eyes, "I take it you two made up."

The couple slowly released each other. Buffy looked at her sister sheepishly.

"Can we eat now?" Dawn asked. "I'm starving."

"Go ahead," Angel told her.

Dawn helped herself to the pancakes Angel had made. "So what were you fighting about? I heard yelling."

"Don't worry about it," was Buffy's answer.

"Was it about me?" Dawn inquired.

Buffy shook her head, "No, it wasn't. Angel and I just had some things to discuss. It's over now."

Angel watched as the two girls ate. He still felt Buffy's warmth against his cold skin. He yearned to hold her again. She had smelled of vanilla, her favorite scent. He had missed it so much. He used to be able to smell it on his clothes, after hugging her. But those scents had long ago faded.

But here she was again. Memories of their times together came rushing back to him. There were so many good ones that outweighed the bad ones. He knew there would soon be more memories to add to his collection. Buffy would be living with him for an indefinite amount of time.

He watched as Buffy smiled at something her sister said. It made him smile himself. He caught the sparkle in her eyes. She was breathtaking. He had missed seeing her. He had forgotten just how beautiful she was. There was not one flaw on her, and even if there were, it would add to her beauty.

What would happen between them? He had just held her in his arms. What did it mean? Were they still friends? Or something more? He wished it meant something more, but he knew the truth. They could never be more than friends. Or could they?

They were more mature. They could control themselves. Not let things get out of hand. He knew that when he was around her, all thoughts of control flew out of his mind. She was like a drug he was addicted to. You are strong, until you are put face to face with it. That's when the truth showed.

Buffy cast a glance in his direction. He smiled at her. Her face lit up. She slowly got out of her chair and walked over to him. His heart did a flip-flop. He felt like a nervous teenager out on his first date. Why was she coming over to him?

He looked at Dawn, hoping she would give away some hint at Buffy's intentions. She made none. She looked as her older sister came over to him, shrugged, and went back to her pancakes.

In the meantime, Buffy had covered the distance between them. She looked at Angel as if she was unsure of what she wanted to do.

He tried to send a message through his eyes, urging her to go on. They used to be able to hold complete conversations with only their eyes. He wondered if that was still true. She looked like she made up her mind. They still had it. She could read his eyes.

She stood up on her tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. It was over in a matter of seconds. She settled back, flat on her feet. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked softly.

"For everything. You're being really great."

"I should be the one thanking you, not the other way around," he stated. "You're the one that helped me out. You forgave me for what I have done."

"I'm not the one who you need to hear forgives you. You need to hear it from your friends," she said. "You have to talk to them, and soon, before you lose your nerves. Promise me you'll do that."

"I promise," he agreed.

"Good. Just be honest with them, and they'll forgive you."

"But what about Darla? What do I do if-"

"I told you to forget about her. You don't need her. You need your friends, not an enemy. She's distracting you."

"It's hard."

"No one said that it would be easy. Focus on me. And Dawn. We need your help. Keep your thoughts away from Darla. She's no one. Just keep telling yourself that. Repeat it over and over."

"I should kill her."

Buffy shook her head, "No."

"Why? If she's dead she can't bother me."

"If you come across her, then go ahead, kill her. But seeking her out will not solve the problem. That's what got you in this situation in the first place."

"I don't know if I can do this."

"You can. We can do this together. Whenever you start to think about Darla, come to me. We will fight this together."

"You're not upset with me?" Angel questioned.

"Should I be?"

"I'm obsessed with my sire. I can't get her out of my mind."

"Seems to me likeyou have been. You can't tell me that you've been thinking about her every moment I've been here." She looked at him, and he made no move to answer. "That's what I thought. I'm not upset with you. Wait a minute. You think I should be jealous. Don't you?"

"I never said that."

"But you were hoping that I was jealous."

"Well, I was…umm…"

She came closer to him and whispered in his ear, "I am." She gave him a smile. "Dawn and I are going to go shopping. You know, pick up a few things for our rooms. Do me a favor when I'm gone?"

"Sure, anything."

"Call Cordelia and the gang. Talk to them." She walked out of the kitchen with Dawn.

"I will," he called after her. He walked over to the telephone, and picked it up. Buffy admitted that she was jealous of Darla. He lied to her though. Darla hadn't been on his mind since Buffy arrived. Buffy was the only one he thought about now. She had no reason to be jealous. He quickly dialed Cordelia's number, before he lost his nerve.

Part 10

Buffy and Dawn were in a store in downtown LA, browsing around for anything they may need for their stay.

Dawn picked up a candleholder. "Can I get this?" she asked.

Her sister shook her head, "No, you don't need it. I don't have that much money to spend."

Dawn reluctantly returned it to the shelf, "Why do you always have to be such a spoil-sport?"

"Dawn, you don't need everything you see. Sometimes I swear that you are still six years old."

"But I never was," Dawn pointed out. "I'm what like six months old really?"

"Please don't start with this again." Buffy pleaded. "I really don't want to discuss this now."

"Well, maybe I do. Don't start with this again? Don't you think that I have a right to? You know who you are. Where you came from. I have no idea what the answers to those are for me. No one else seems to know either." Dawn said. "I want to know. Why does this have to be happening to me? Why not someone else? Oh wait, if this was happening to someone else, I wouldn't even be here. I wouldn't exist." She broke down into tears, "Why Buffy? Why?"

Buffy took her sister into her arms, "I don't know. But we're going to figure this out. Angel's going to help. He won't let us down."

"You've spent months looking for answers. Why are you so sure he'll be able to find what you couldn't?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. It's just a feeling. Angel wants to help fight for the greater good. Something tells me that he's not going to give up looking for answers until he finds them. We can count on him."

"I know", Dawn brushed away her tears. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"For what?"

"For making a scene in public. I know how much you hate when that happens," Dawn reminded her.

"It's okay. What you did is understandable. You want answers, you need them." Buffy assured her. "Are you better now?"

"I'm better. As better as I could be anyway." Dawn changed the subject, "So what do you need to buy anyway?"

"Some things to make the rooms a little more homey."

"How about some cleaning supplies?" Dawn asked. "It doesn't look like those rooms have been cleaned since the 1950's."

"Scary part of that is, you're probably right. You think Angel could have at least dusted them or something."

"Speaking of Angel, what's going on with you two anyway?" Dawn questioned.

"What do you mean?" Buffy said pretending not to be too interested in what Dawn was saying. She tried to look like she was engrossed with something on the shelf. She just stared at it.

"You two have been flirting, nonstop." Dawn waited for Buffy to reply. When she got no answer, she continued. "I mean, come on, what was with you kissing him? Friends don't kiss friends. That's what you were trying to be. Right?"

"It was just a friendly kiss. I was thanking him for what he's doing for us." Buffy said unconvincingly.

Dawn didn't believe her either, "If friends kiss each other, it's usually just a peck on the cheek. Yours was on the lips."

"It was just a peck on the lips," she tried to defend herself. "It meant nothing. I swear it was nothing."

"If it was nothing, then why are you getting so defensive about this?" Dawn inquired. "I think you have a crush on him."

"I do not."

"Oh, right. You two are way passed crush territory. You're in love with him. Admit it. I know you are." Dawn told her. "Don't try to hide it from me. I may be younger than you, but I'm not stupid. Or blind for that matter. You two look like you're going to jump each other at any moment."

"So what if I love him? It's not like I can do anything about it. We can not be together. Ever." Buffy concluded. "That's final. There's no ifs, ands, or buts to it."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Dawn muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing. Spill," Buffy said.

"I can't tell you. You'll have to talk to Angel about it. You didn't hear anything from me."

Buffy gave her sister a weird look, "Okay…" She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to think of what to do next. "How about we get back to shopping? No more talk about my love life."

"So there is something? I knew it!" Dawn exclaimed.

"I said no more talk. What part of that did you not understand?" Buffy questioned. "I'm sure that I made myself pretty clear."

"You did," Dawn replied. The last thing she wanted to do was get Buffy mad at her. There was no way she could get away from her sister here. She had to stay on her good side.

Buffy made her way down an aisle of cleaning supplies, looking for what she could use for the rooms.

Dawn watched her, trying to make up her mind on whether or not to tell Buffy something. It wasn't about the Shanshu thing. Angel told her not to tell. But she didn't remember him ever saying she couldn't tell Buffy, "He still loves you."

Buffy was startled at Dawn's sudden remark. She looked over at her sister, and gave her a smile. "I know."

"You do?"

"I know because I still love him. That kind of feeling will never go away."

"It won't?"

Buffy shook her head; "It will always be there. I'll never stop loving Angel."

"Cool," Dawn said trying to show that it wasn't a big deal to her. But deep down she was happy. "So what do you think he's up to now?"

"Hopefully talking to his friends." Buffy answered. 'Hopefully he is,' she repeated to herself.

Go to Part 11