Disclaimer: Joss and company own everything.
Note1: This is a follow-up to "Tomorrow's Light". You'd kinda have to read that to understand this one.
Summary: Before his and Buffy's wedding, Angel's fears are taken away- a move which may cost him Buffy.
Spoilers: Everything before the musical on BtVS, and Darla was never brought back on A:ts
Rating: I'm gonna go with PG-13 again. Maybe PG-15 for some sexual stuff
Note2: I know absolutely nothing about city water systems, so bear with me in this story- I'm just winging it. Words in between < > are a person's thoughts.
Distribution: Want it- take it. Just let me know where it's going.
Feedback: As always, appreciated.

"Xander…sweetie...? How come Buffy and Angel are getting married next week, but we haven't even set our wedding date yet?"

"Anya, we will. I promise you, we will. Besides, they may not be able to get married on Valentine's Day after all. Remember...Buffy's supposed to have all four of her wisdom teeth yanked out this morning. And I really don't see her wanting to get married looking like a blowfish.

"That's awful," Willow was already having sympathy pains for her best friend. "I know what she's going through...I was only 18 when I had mine removed. Remember, Xand?"

"How could I forget? I've still got the pictures on our mantle. I can't pass by without busting a gut laughing. You won't see the old Xand man here getting any taken out any time soon. My dentist said I've got cute bicuspiths," he beamed.

"Poor Buffy," Tara said.

"Poor Buffy?! Try more like poor Angel." Xander had, much to the surprise of everyone, grown very fond of the ex-vampire. Of course he attributed it to the new video game he had received from him for Christmas, but the rest of the Scooby gang could see the growing friendship between the two. "He's the one that's stuck taking care of her. I don't know if any of you have noticed, but the Buffster's not the best patient in the world."

"I'm sure she'll behave for Angel," Dawn cut in, a huge knowing smile across her face. "We're going over later tonight, aren't we? Finish some preparations for the wedding?"

"If you feel like facing the wrath of Buffy-Kahn be my guest," Xander left his seat to retrieve a soda from his fridge, laughing to himself at the image of Angel trying to translate for a mumbling, puffy-cheeked slayer.

******

"Wife phucks." Buffy walked into the mansion as Angel held the door for her holding an ice pack to each side of her face. Still frustrated with the effects of the novacaine, but dreading the ensuing pain that was yet to come, she carefully slumped down on their couch, looking up at her fiancee with sorrowful eyes. "Ah gant beweive dis."

"I know, Buffy. You'll be fine in a few days, though. You're sure to heal a lot faster than normal." Two minutes out of the dentist's office and Angel was regretting his insistence that Buffy have her surgery out of the way before their upcoming Valentine's Day nuptials. "Here." He handed her two of her pain pills before heading into the kitchen to get her a glass of water. "And the doctor said you're supposed to rest a lot for the first twenty-four hours, so absolutely no slaying, understand? Xander and I will handle things tonight, and-"

"Gour're weaving be?!" Buffy immediately grabbed her jaw from the consequential pain of her sudden outburst.

"Only for an hour or two. You'll probably be asleep anyway. Cordy and Dawn will be here with you." Angel headed back into the kitchen to make Buffy some soup and after helping her slurp it down, he put her to bed, welcoming Cordy, Xander, Anya, and Dawn into the mansion later that night.

"So how's my sister doing?"

"Not bad, Dawn. She's been asleep for the past few hours- those pain pills really knock you out, don't they?"

"Well, so long as our little slayer is out like a light, I guess I'll stay." Xander happily sauntered into the kitchen to grab some sodas out of their fridge for the rest of the gang. The night's conversation was mainly focused on two sets of wedding plans- Anya and Xander had finally decided on getting married in the spring.

"So, bout ready to hit the streets- kill a bunch of nasties?"

"Actually Xander, you and Anya can head on home if you want. Things have been pretty slow around here anyway since we opened this branch of the agency. Get some sleep- I'll do a few quick sweeps tonight."

"I don't know, Angel." Despite the prospect of having the night off to be with Anya, Xander was reluctant to let his friend patrol by himself. "There are a lot of scary things out there that go bump in the night."

"Oh come on Xander," Dawn said. "This is Angel we're talking about here- he isn't afraid of anything," she proudly boasted.

"You sure? I mean, Buffy won't be with you tonight, and even though it's kinda hard to patrol while you two are sucking face, at least when she's with you, you've got someone to watch your back- which in this case probably only creates more a a distraction for her, if you think about it-"

"Xander- be a good boy and listen to Angel," Anya began dragging him out the front door. "Night guys- tell Buffy we hope she fees better."

"Okay- Cordy, Dawn," Angel gathered a few stakes as he grabbed his jacket. "She's sleeping now, so just keep an eye on her. Giles said she should be feeling much better by tomorrow morning."

******

"Buffy?! What are you doing out of bed?!" Cordelia put down the bowl of popcorn her and Dawn were sharing while watching the videos they had brought over to watch while "babysitting" the slayer.

"Yeah, you're supposed to be resting," her younger sister chimed in.

"I've been resting all day. I'm tired of- hey-" she stopped, realizing her mouth's numbness had subsided. "I guess Giles was right. Still sore though. So, what're we watching?"

"WE are watching The Birdcage, YOU are going back to bed. Angel will kill us if he finds you out of bed so soon."

"He's not back yet?" Buffy began to worry even more. It was almost one in the morning- way later than when Angel said he would return.

"I'm sure he's fine, Buffy," Cordy reassured her. "He can take care of himself."

"You're right. Plus, Xander's with him."

"Uh…not exactly," Dawn passed an awkward look to her sister as she continued, "Angel sent him home with Anya- told him he could handle things himself." Buffy sat down between the two of them on the couch, complaining about Angel's stubborness. Another half-hour passed, and as the movie ended, the three were startled by the sudden knock at the front door. "Who's out this time of night- besides your fiancee," Cordy asked aloud as she sat up to answer it.

"Cordelia? A little late for you to be up, isn't it? What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Geez…nice to see you too guys." She moved aside to let Gunn, Wes, and Fred through the door, taking notice of the bags they carried along with them. "I'm here babysitting. The question is- what are you guys doing here? And where are Spike and Ash?" Ashlan had returned to LA with the others to help out now that Angel, Buffy, Cordy and the rest of the slayerettes headed up the Sunnydale end of Angel Investigations. Spike, much to the un-dismay of Angel and Buffy, had also joined the LA branch.

"They're finishing up their patrolling," Wes answered. "They'll be here in a little while."

"Whoa, whoa. Babysitting??" A shocked Gunn passed a glance at Buffy. "Damn- you two work fast!" Shooting him an exasperated glare, Buffy explained. "Her and Dawn have been assigned babysitting duty tonight to watch me while Angel's out patrolling."

"And…you require babysitting because…?"

"I had all of my wisdom teeth yanked out this morning and my overprotective Angel wanted to make sure I got enough rest."

"Oh…well, that explains why you look like a blowfish," Fred warmly smiled. The three tossed their bags onto the floor and joined the girls in front of the fireplace.

"So what's the deal with the overnight packs?" Cordy asked. "Have bag will travel?"

"We figured this would require at least a few days to deal with," Wesley answered.

"What are you talking about? What's going on now?" Buffy began to go into full worry-mode.

"Has Angel told you anything about Dr. Brandon Crane?" Wesley supressed a shudder at the mention of his name.

"Once or twice. He was a professor of psychology at the university near the Hyperion, right? Specialized in fear and it's causes?"

"That's right. Dr. Crane was interested in the study of human fears and phobias ever since he was a child. He lost his job due to his obsession with inspiring terror in his patients and students. Crane turned to a life of evil and used various drugs, chemicals, devices, and his expertise in psychology to terrify whomever crossed his path."

"A month or so before Edge and Christian surfaced in LA, he was one of our main problems," Gunn added. "He had developed a gas that amplified a person's fears. Drove a lot of people to madness- more people to death."

"But he's in jail, right?" Cordelia said. "I mean, after we stopped him the police managed to get him sentenced to life in prison."

"He was, but our favorite law firm has been pretty busy as of late," Fred announced.

"Don't tell me-"

"That's right. Wolfram and Hart managed to help him escape a few weeks ago."

"So what's the story? What's the good doctor up to?" Dawn asked, shifting slightly on the couch.

"Take a look-" Gunn handed them the front page of the LA Times. Buffy began to read some of the main article aloud. " 'Local CEO nearly killed in an apparent suicide attempt. Jason Reso, 47, was said by eyewitnesses to be leaping alongside his own 95 story Allsop company building using only a 10ft rope attached to the roof's antenna.' Okay…so some wacko with a rope decided he was Spiderman for the day…so what?"

"Mr. Reso is a very stable man, Buffy, let me assure you," Wes told her. "We worked a few cases for him and he is a good friend- very level-headed. He is also deathly afraid of heights."

"But that's not all. Cordelia, do you remember Sean Martin?" Gunn asked her.

"Short and stubby? Bald, wore glasses…really, really shy and quiet? Kind of a wuss?"

"I'd say she remembers him," Dawn mused. "Who is he?"

"He worked for Mr. Reso. The morning when this happened-" Gunn motioned to the newspaper's headline- "Sean basically told off Mr. Reso and just about everyone else in the office, then quit." Buffy pondered for a moment, trying to find the connection between the two incidents. "So, what are you saying- this Dr. Crane has come up with a way for people to face their fears?"

"No…" Cordelia realized, "he's come up with a way to remove fear altogether."

"Exactly," Wes affirmed. "His control over human fear has increased, giving him not only the power to induce it, but also to take it away."

"Umm…I'm still a rookie here," Dawn admitted, "but…wouldn't that be a good thing-"

"But then-" came a familiar voice from the door- "what would us vampires do for fun if there's no one to scare?"

"Spike- where's Ashlan?" Wes asked, hopping up from his seat to approach him.

"Right here." The young girl stepped through the doorway, making her way past the ex-watcher to turn her attentions to her future sister-in-law. "Buffy? If we were to find something that's considered valuable-

"Well, valuable to *some* people," Spike added. "Would we get a reward?"

"It depends on what you found," came Buffy's confused response.

"Well…" Spike disappeared through the front door, re-entering in a moment dragging something obviously large in front of him. "How valuable do you consider this?"

"Angel!!" Buffy rushed up from the couch, Cordy and the others a step behind her. "Angel?! What happened?!"

"He can't hear you," Ash informed her. "He's alive- don't worry. He's just been knocked out or something. He's unconscious, but he should be okay." Wesley and Gunn helped to carry their boss into the bedroom, laying him out on the bed to give him a closer inspection. Buffy meanwhile hadn't taken her anger-filled eyes off of Spike.

"So…where's my reward, love- *smack*!!" The sound of Buffy's hand slashing across the vampire's face echoed throughout the mansion, much to everyone's delight. Not giving him any time to recover, Buffy began her rant.

"You bastard. What happened to him?! Why didn't you do anything to-"

"Ease up, brat. This is how lil' sis and me found him. Do you honestly think I could pass up a good fight if the opportunity came up??" He strolled past the highly pissed slayer and removed a cigarette and lighter from his pocket. "He'll be fine. Probably just got blindsided or someth- hey!" he protests as she snatches away his freshly lit smoke.

"You are not smoking in our house, and you are definitely not staying here!"

"Would you mind telling me where I'm supposed to stay then?"

"How 'bout *your* crypt."

"Don't you think I should stick close by- just in case whatever attacked Peaches tries to do it again?"

"If you're so dead set on staying here- you can sleep outside, on the ground like any other dog." She retrieved a blanket and pillow from one of the guest rooms, tossed them at a shocked Spike, and retreated to her's and Angel's bedroom. "Is he alright, Wesley?"

"He should be fine in the morning, but- Buffy, look here-" he pointed to Angel's bare shoulder, where a small puncture mark was still visible. "It looks like he's been injected with something. Can't tell with what though. We managed to obtain a sample of blood from Mr. Reso and Sean," he began as they all walked out into the hall, "we were hoping maybe Willow could help us run a few tests."

"She and Tara are away on some witches seminar or something. They won't be back until this weekend."

"Alright- get some sleep, and keep an eye on Angel tonight. If Crane has developed a new toxin and is working for Wolfram and Hart, this won't be good for any of us."

"Where are you two going?"

"I know a doctor who owes me a favor," Gunn answered for him and Wes. "We're going to see what we can find out about Crane's new chemical. We'll meet you guys here in the morning."

"You'll tell Giles about what's going on?" Wes asked.

"Yeah. Dawn, will you go call him? Let us know if anything comes up sooner." As Wes and Gunn left, Buffy could hear Spike's groveling from the outside foyer, adjusting his pillow against the wall.

"He'd better get quiet damn quick because I'm *so* not in the mood for his bitching," she vented. Cordy followed Buffy back in to see Angel, while Dawn, Ash, and Fred got comfortable in one of the guest rooms.

"What does Wesley think did this?" Cordy asked, afraid of just what the answer would be.

"Doesn't know," Buffy sat down next to Angel, reaching out to brush the back of her hand across his forehead. "But he was injected with something."

"One of Crane's henchmen, maybe?"

"I hope not."

"You don't know the half or it. Buffy," the brunette took a seat next to her friend on the large bed, "when Crane let his fear toxin loose in LA, he managed to spray Angel in the hope of driving him mad with fear. We didn't think it would have the same effect on him when he was a vampire, but it did. Crane's main objective was revenge for being fired from the university, but his ultimate goal was to cripple Angel, bringing him to his knees with fear."

"It's so hard to imagine Angel afraid of anything," Buffy whispered. "He's always been the one to…ease everybody else's fears." Silently cursing Brandon Crane in her mind, she places a soft kiss upon his forehead. Angel slowly rolls over to his left, still asleep, draping his right arm over Buffy's lap. "What was Angel afraid of, Cordelia?" The former mayqueen studied Angel's sleeping form for a moment before answering her friend. "You."

"What??"

"He was afraid of losing you. He kept seeing images of you…telling him you never loved him…that you'd wished you'd staked him when you had the chance. He was finally able to get a grip on it before it was too late and managed to stop Crane- but it still left him shaken."

"Oh god…" was all Buffy was able to breathe out.

"Yeah. Wesley wasn't overreacting when he said we need to deal with this fast. He'll be okay, Buffy. You two are together, and we'll all be here to deal with it. Get some rest, huh?" She hugged her friend goodnight before deciding to spend the night along with Dawn.

Buffy quickly slipped beneath the covers to snuggle up to Angel. She noticed that he was still sound asleep, and gently ran her fingers through his hair, quietly studying his peaceful, sleeping form. "What did I ever do to deserve you," she softly sighs. She traces a finger alongside of his cheek as she begins to think over everything that they've been through. "We've gone through so much...had to put up with so much pain..." Her voice is barely even a whisper as she runs her hand along the side of his stomach. "You…are the best thing about me. If I ever lost you-"she stops that train of thought quickly, pushing any ideas of that ever happening out of her mind "-I'd be losing myself." Buffy carefully intertwines her fingers with his as she grabs the hand that was resting around her waist. "Falling in love with you was so easy, and so wonderful that I can't even imagine anything else coming close to loving you. You have such gentle grace...and such quiet strength." As Angel slowly rolls back onto his back, beginning to wake up, Buffy lays her head down onto his chest. "You're just so beautiful, Angel. I love you so much."

"Mmm...I love you too, Buffy," says Angel, slightly moaning from the pain racing through his head. "I love waking up to hear that every morning with you in my arms...it can't get any better than that," he says smiling. "You sound a lot better."

"Angel, forget about me. What happened tonight? Spike and Ash brought you here. Said they'd found you knocked out a few blocks away."

"I don't…really remember to be honest with you. I remember dusting three vamps then I decided to head home. I was walking…and then the rest is a blur. I'm fine though- it's just my head is killing me," he adds, gently rubbing the back of it. "And I'm kinda cold. How long was I out before Spike and Ash found me?"

"Don't know," she smiled, "but if you're that cold, maybe I should work on warming you up," she grins as she wraps her arms around Angel's neck.

******

Part Two

"You're certain he's been exposed to the toxin?"

"Oh yeah, boss. Angel was sleepin' like a baby after we gave him the shot and knocked him out."

"Good. Is everything in order for tomorrow night?"

"My crew's takin' care of it. Enough of the toxin to take care of this whole city. All ready to be loaded."

"You've taken care of the guards?"

"Already done. Should've been there- one of them started stripping," O'Haire suppressed a laugh in front of Brandon Crane. "Guy must've been scared of-"

"Just be certain that everyone knows their jobs for tomorrow night."

"Sure thing." O'Haire began his long hike back up through the sewers to check with the rest of his gang.

"Now that he's been exposed, him and his beloved slayer will be out of the picture…permanently...Buffy's pain is as important to me as his own…

******

Stretching out her arm to reach for Angel, Buffy noticed that he was no longer lying next to her. Receiving an answer in the sound of running water, she hopped out of bed, pulling the sheets around her naked form, and peered her head into their master bathroom. There was Angel, already half-dressed in his black pants and boots. She stood there, unnoticed, just watching his every move. He straightened his belt through the loops and proceeded to pull his gray sweater over his head. Buffy smiled, admiring his muscles flexing as he lowered the sweater over his body into place. He ran his hand through his wet hair a couple of times, and turned around, finally noticing Buffy watching him with her loving eyes. "Good morning," she said almost as a whisper, reaching up to plant a kiss on his lips, but was surprised when he turned his head slightly and her lips landed on his cheek.

"Morning." He walked his way by her back into their bedroom, putting his pair of black sweatpants and his tank top into one of the drawers.

"You're up early."

"Mmm. Went out running- worked out when I got back."

"But Angel…?" she looked at him, wondering just what had gotten into him to train without her. "We always train together." It had become one of their favorite routines. Waking up together in the morning, going out for a warm up run before returning to the mansion to work out in the more than spacious gym room Cordy and the others had fixed up for them. "I mean…that's what we do in the morning…" she said wrapping her arms around his neck,"...well, unless we get distracted. We have a tendency to-" Angel slid out from under her embrace "-do that…" Buffy watched as he continued pacing around their room. "Sweetie, are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure? I mean, you just seem a little…out of it. Did I do something wrong?"

"I said, I'm fine. I just want to get started on this case. You getting dressed?" he barely looked down at her sheet-covered body as he brushed past her and into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Angel," Fred happily greeted him.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Morning to you too, Angel," Dawn snipped back. "Me, Cordelia, and Fred spent the night here…remember? The whole babysitting Buffy until Spike and Ash dragged your body back in here last night? Any of this ringing a bell?"

"So what are you two still doing here? Don't you have school? And Fred, shouldn't you be doing research?"

"Already acting like a big brother," Dawn sighed. "I don't have to be at school until 7:30."

"Dawn and I made some breakfast," Fred boasted. "Do you want anything?" she asked, holding a plate of pancakes in front of him. "I know that now you can eat and all, and Cordelia had said something to me before about you liking pancakes- and chocolate, she said you love chocolate," she continued rambling on in her typical fashion, "if you want some chocolate chip pancakes, we could-"

"Where's Cordelia?" he cut her off.

"Hmm? Oh…Cordy, Cordy is still getting changed. You know, I still don't understand how she can take so long getting ready-"

"Can I help it if I look so good in everything I have a hard time deciding what to wear?" Cordy appeared out from one of the mansion's guest rooms, Ash following behind her. "Morning, Angel," "Morning," the two greeted him with smiles.

"How are you feeling?" Ash asked her brother.

"Fine."

"You sure?" Cordy pushed. "I mean, you must've taken some knock to the head, cause-"

"I'm fine. Why does everybody keep asking me that? I'm fine." Angel walked over to the table in front of the fireplace, leafing through some of Wesley's papers on Dr. Crane.

"Well forgive us for caring, O Patient One." Cordy noticed Buffy as she emerged wearing a pair of cream- colored pants, boots, and a light blue sweater. "Buffy- what's his deal this morning?" Buffy sighed as she sat down next to her on a nearby stool.

"I don't know, Cord. Maybe just a rough night- not enough sleep, I guess."

"And just who's to blame for that?" Dawn gave her sister a nudge with her shoulder as she smiled up at her giggling.

"Shouldn't you be at school by now?"

"Sheesh…I don't have to be at school until 7:30! I realize that Angel might be a little new to the whole idea, but you…she's only been moved out of the house for a little more than a month, and already she's forgetting."

"Go get your bag-" Buffy smiled at her. "We'll drop you off." Dawn went back down the hall to her guest room, grumbling to herself as she went to grab her backpack. "Speaking of which, how have things been at home, Cordy?"

"Great. I'm majorly missing Dennis, though."

"Oh…you never told me you were seeing someone," Buffy said.

"Not unless you count a ghost as someone," Cordelia smiled. "Dennis is my ghostly roommate. He's really wonderful, Buffy. You'd like him…easy to get along with," she laughed. "How's he been, Fred?"

"I can tell he misses seeing you…but he understands- especially since you call him."

"Ooookaaay…just a little too weird for me that you hold phone conversations with a ghost," Buffy replied. "How about you and Dawn? You two getting along ok? Any more squabbles? Tiffs? Doorslammings?"

"Not after we had our little chat."

"I'm afraid to ask," Buffy laughed.

"I just laid down the law and explained to her that now that I've moved in, I'm in charge and I lay down the groundrules-"

"And then she laughed in your face and told you don't quit your day job," Ash finished for her. Ash had grown very attatched to the brunette and when things quieted down in LA, she would always spend time back in Sunnydale with her new family. "It was really cute."

"I'll bet," Buffy laughed along with her. "But other than that, you two are doing ok? And Willow and Tara?"

"Things are going great. Except that your sister is always borrowing my clothes and rarely returns them in one piece- if she returns them at all."

"We told you Cordy, you're more than welcome to stay here with us."

"Thanks again, but I'd prefer having to deal with Dawn than having to listen to you two go at it all the time. Plus," she glanced her head over her shoulder in Angel's direction, "I'm not liking Mr. Sunshine's recent change in attitude."

"I would think you of all people would, Cordelia," Angel angrily glared at her as he grabbed his jacket.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're always going on about how I'm always brooding and moping around…not sticking up for myself…not speaking what's on my mind. What's the matter…this new me isn't up to your standards?"

******

"So this Crane fellow…he's created fear-inducing and fear-eliminating chemicals to force innocent people to bow to his will?" asked Giles from his, Xander's, and Wesley's seats in the back of Angel's black Benz. After meeting with Gunn's friendly doctor, Wesley had been able to trace the laboratory in which a few of the chemicals Crane had used in his latest toxin had been produced. After dropping off Dawn for school and picking up Giles to fill him in with all the details, Buffy and Angel decided to start looking into things that morning.

"It's almost a form of mind control, really," Wesley answered. "The only lab that contains these few crucial elements that we need to form an antidote just happens to be here in Sunnydale- Mardel Labs."

"I don't get it," Xander said. "What's the big deal?? I mean- no fear?? How cool is that?!"

"Picture it Xander-" Angel began, "a world in which people have no inhibitions, no restrictions."

"They'd become careless and wild," Buffy added.

"Reckless…and without remorse for their actions-" Angel tried to convince him. "Anarchy would ensue."

"I see your point," Xander admitted after taking in all that they had explained. "Hey, uh…Angel, man…you might want to, uh- you might wanna turn…ya know- soon," Xander shakily advised him.

"And why's that?" Angel asked with an unusual smirk across his face.

"Look- I know you and Buffy might be all invincible and stuff, but uh- us mere mortals back here- we're not, and I really don't think driving straight into the side of that building you're speeding towards is gonna do us…any…good…Angel!!! Turn!!!" At the last possible moment, Angel laughed as he made an extremely sharp right, narrowly missing the side of the lab building, pulling into the parking lot. "Let me guess-" a terrified Xander, along with the other three passengers, sat up from his crouched position in the car, "you've been exposed to the toxin??" Though both Wesley and Giles suspected that the former vampire had indeed been injected with Crane's drug, neither had informed the others of their fear.

"Don't worry-" Angel assured, noting the scared look Buffy was giving him from her seat beside him, "I can handle it." When he spotted the entrance to the lab, he sped up the car, screeching down on the brakes after speeding up to pull the car alongside the stairway. "Oh yeah???" asked an unconvinced Xander, following them into the Mardel Lab building. Upon entering the back stock room, Wesley and Giles began their search for the chemicals necessary for the toxin's antidote. After doing some of his own searching, Xander called Buffy and Angel over when he heard voices coming from the loading area. O'Haire and his men- all vampires- were loading up trucks with crates upon crates.

"Must be Crane's supply of the toxin," Buffy surmised. "We've got to follow them- see where they're taking them." O'Haire directed the last driver as to where he was headed with his load and began helping him load the last truck.

"Good idea. So," Xander turned to Angel, "what's the plan for getting past those guys? Angel? Angel??"

Without a word, Angel raced past them, rushing towards the familiar O'Haire. "Angel!!" Buffy called after him. Somehow knowing that she would not get a response, she and Xander raced after him but stopped in their tracks as they noticed Angel pummeling his way through the swarm of the vamp gang members, taking a few stabs of some knives- which he seemed to not notice. As he knocked each man out of his way, Buffy and Xander were left to do the actual slaying. Slamming the last vamp in his way against a nearby truck, Angel finally cleared a path to O'Haire.

"That's right," O'Haire taunted him, "come and get me tough guy." Not wasting a minute, Angel began his charge towards the tall spikey red-haired man. As he inched closer to him, too intent on destroying him, he never even heard the vamp approaching from behind with the pipe. The back of his head met lead and he fell to the floor. O'Haire rubbed his goatee as he walked over to his prone body. "Welcome to the food chain, Angel." With a final kick to his groin, O'Haire and the last remaining vamps managed to hop into their trucks, speeding off with their supplies.

******

"Hey guys," a perky Cordelia welcomed Buffy, Angel, Wes, Xander, and Giles back into the mansion. "So what did you find at the- hey!" She was surprised at Angel's rude behavior as he pushed himself right past her. Cordy frowned, "I guess someone's still in their bad mood. Anyway, what did you find out?"

"We managed to retrieve the chemicals needed to create the antidote," Wes answered. "Ash, Fred" he called down the hall to them, "we've got everything- let's get started." Since the Scooby Gang's resident witches were still out of town until Saturday, Wesley had to rely on both Ash and Fred for help in this area.

"Yes- but that's not going to help us until we find out where Crane is and what he's planning to do with his new toxin," Giles reminded all of them.

"I would say it's nice to see you all back in one piece," Spike announced as he entered the room, "but we all know that's a bloody lie. So…what's the what?"

"All we know is that he's got a bunch- or, actually, he had a bunch of vampires," Buffy corrected herself recalling the many vamps that she had just slain, "and they were loading up some trucks with a lot of crates with his toxin. There was this big, scuzzy looking slimeball-"

"O'Haire?" Cordelia asked her, recognizing the description.

"Yeah that must be him. Him and a few of his gangbangers managed to get away with a pretty big stash of this stuff."

"Where were they headed?"

"See, that's the thing Cord," Xander began as he walked towards Angel with a disappointed glare. "We had planned on following them until Rambo wannabe over here took a pretty big leap of faith and started his own one man wrecking crew through O'Haire and his goons like there was no tomorrow." Cordy, shocked by what she heard of Angel's unusual actions, passed a glance at Buffy, searching her face for some sort of explanation.

"Is that how you got all cut up?" Cordy asked him. Angel, who was bringing the first aid kit with him into the kitchen, barely passed her a look as he stormed past her. He quickly pulled his gray shirt off over his head to reveal several stab wounds that were still seeping blood.

"Buffy…what's going on with him?"

"You know that puncture mark from last night?" Cordy nodded as Buffy walked past her towards Angel in the kitchen. "We think he's been injected with some of Crane's toxin."

"Not again with this. Look…I'm fine," Angel spoke up at hearing mention of his condition. "God…you all worry too much."

"Oooo…Peaches isn't too peachy any more, is he?" Spike smiled. "I must say, I find myself liking you with a bit more attitude," he told his sire, and new boss.

"Catch me on a day when I care," Angel snapped at him while bandaging his third cut.

"We just don't want you getting yourself hurt, Angel." Buffy took some gauze, offering to help him. "Here, let me-"

"I can do it," he bluntly cut her off. He placed another piece of tape over one of his patches, tossing the first aid kit onto the counter. "Don't know why you'd bother anyway," he murmured, rolling his eyes at her.

"Excuse me?" a hurt Buffy asked. Cordelia, watching just what was playing out in front of her, motioned for Giles, Spike, and Xander to join Wes, Ash, and Fred in the den to continue working on coming up with the antidote. After a minute of studying Buffy's hurt expression, she followed the two into the large den, leaving Buffy and a very different Angel alone.

"Angel-" Buffy tentatively took a few steps towards him before continuing. "I think you should just let the rest of us handle this whole thing with Crane. I mean, your senses have been thrown off by the drug, and-"

"Yeah…just keep telling yourself that. What makes you think it's the drug talking? You just think you know me so well, don't you?" His cutting eyes were enough to push Buffy to tears, but she maintained her composure. < This isn't him. He's been exposed to the drug. It's not him- just like Angel and Angelus. Angel would never… > "Do you really think I need you hovering over me as much as you do? It's like I'm in prison here or something- seeing you every minute of the day. If I would've known I'd be spending my humanity like this I would've asked Spike to turn me back."

"You don't really mean that," Buffy spoke aloud, needing to hear the actual words- the truth that Angel was under the influence of the toxin- for Angel's sake, as much as her own. She hoped that somehow Angel could fight off the drug's effects- somehow he still had some of his senses. "Angel, it's Crane's toxin that's making you like this. Can't you see that? He injected you with it to weaken you- to make you reckless and indifferent to get you out of his way. I mean, you're not making any sense-"

"Wrong again, kid-" he coldly stared down at her tender face, "and I do mean *kid*," he stressed, eyeing her unappreciatively. "Have you noticed the looks we get when we're walking through the mall or the store?? I mean, it's embarrassing enough to have you hanging all over me without all the stares from people who think I'm either your big brother or you uncle. I mean, you said it yourself…all I am to you is some cradle-robbing boyfriend. Not to mention…" he scoffed, pausing a moment to see the effect his words were having on her, "I had a hard time believing that you haven't been with anyone since I left, but after last night…you really haven't picked up anything since our first go in the sack, have ya?"

As Buffy felt herself walking backwards against the wall, dazed by what she had just been told, Angel grabbed a few weapons and, not giving her any time to respond, he continued his influenced rant. "Look, I don't have time for this. Ya see, unlike you, little Miss slayer with an attitude, I take my responsibilities seriously and right now, I've got a psychotic doctor to hunt down. So why don't you just stay here with the rest of the freak squad, and stay out of my way." He moved to rush past her to get to the front door, but was caught by surprise when she grabbed his arm from behind. "I'm not letting you leave here," she managed to get out between sobs.

"Oh…this is good," he sneered, sharply pulling away from her. "I suppose next you're going to tell me 'I'm coming with you, Angel. I love you, Angel-' " he mocked her.

"I *do* love you, dammit," she yelled, grabbing the attention of both Ashlan and Cordelia, who cautiously walked back out from the den, observing them from a distance.

"Give…me…a…break," he leaned forwards, stressing each word as he leered at her with cold eyes. "You've never loved me, and believe me- the feeling is more than mutual. The last thing I need right now is to have you tag along for the ride and botch things up like you always do." Looking up, he noticed Cordelia begin to say something- which he quickly cut off. "Don't you start too, princess-"

"Angel!" Cordy yelled, trying to reach him. "Don't you remember the last time this happened!?"

"Well let's see," he sarcastically pondered. "Ya know, I do tend to face a lot of vicious things on a daily basis- there's just been so many…oh yeah. The last time I dealt with Crane he made me afraid of losing our dear friend over here-" he nodded in Buffy's direction.

"No- he didn't make you afraid," Cordelia corrected him. "He just induced your already existing fear of-"

"What fear?! Of losing her?!" he paced towards his friend. "I'd be the better for it. Best thing that could happen to me."

"Don't you realize what's happening!?" Cordy made another attempt to reach him. "This isn't you-"

"Well maybe it's who I should be. What you see is what you get," he made a waving of his hands, indicating his pride in his new attitude.

"Angel, fight it," Buffy pleaded with him. "We can't have you like this- fight it-"

"Maybe I don't want to fight it! Maybe I don't want to be saved! In case you haven't noticed- I don't need any rescuing- especially by you."

"I can stop you." Buffy's voice was barely a whisper as she inched a step or two towards him, peering up at him with a fierce look behind unshed tears.

"Really?" he asked her in mock panic.

"Well if she doesn't," Spike emerged from the den, finally hearing enough, "it'll only take me a minute to get the job done."

"And it'll only take me half a minute to knock you on your sorry ass- what's it going to be?" Not waiting for an answer, Angel storms past them. "Ash-" he walked towards her and tossed one of the weapon bags he was carrying at her. "Gear up and get in the car." He sauntered off to one of the back doors, and before Ash could even begin to argue, he shouted at her "Now!!"

Grabbing her jacket and cell phone, Ash quickly followed her brother, still with no idea of what had just happened. As Angel let Ashlan pass him out the door, he turned slightly to give Buffy one final glance. "Don't wait up lover. If you get bored, why don't you try giving Spike a go. Let him enjoy the dullness known as Buffy."

******

"You idiot!" Brandon Crane was not amused by the news O'Haire had returned with.

"Dr. Crane, I- *wham*!" his excuses were quickly silenced by Crane's fist knocking his head backwards.

"You didn't dispose of him when you had a perfect opportunity! But…" he took hold of one of the numerous viles of toxin O'Haire and his men had returned with, "you were somewhat successful nonetheless. And you're sure the drug has taken effect on him?"

"Absolutely. He came after us like he had a death wish. Really freaked the slayer out too."

"Excellent. You men," he yelled to the vampires unloading the last few crates, "start the process. Set the timer for two hours. That should give us enough time to get back to LA before all of it is loaded into the water. And you," he brushed past O'Haire to lean over the guard rail, peering down at the resevoirs beneath them "get back to the lab for the rest of it. And be sure to give our friends at Wolfram & Hart a call. Let them know that they have nothing to fear," he quipped, an ecstatic grin across his face. "By tomorrow morning, all of Sunnydale will have a taste of chaos to come…"

******

Part Three

"Buffy-" Wesley called out to the slayer as he raced into the hall. "We've finished the antidote. We don't have much yet, but it should be enough to cure Angel. Where- where is he?" He studied Buffy's distant facial expression before asking again. "Buffy? Are you alright?" Again, no reply. "Buffy, where's Angel??"

"He…he left," she breathed out. "Went…looking for- for Crane."

"Then we'd better hurry. We've got to get this to him now."

"Why? What's the deal??" Cordy asked from her seat beside Buffy.

"The longer the toxin remains in a person's bloodstream," Fred explained, "the harder it is to cure them. Angel could be stuck like this unless we hurry."

"But we have no idea where he went," Gunn reminded them.

"I don't even think the big poof knew where he was going himself," Spike said. He glanced up at a still motionless Buffy- her eyes still empty and lost, reeling from the things Angel had said to her before leaving. he silently whined.

"Buffy," Cordy turned Buffy to face her, "you gonna be alright?" Buffy automatically nodded her head in response. "That wasn't really Angel. You know that don't you?" Again Buffy solemnly nodded. "The only reason he even said any of those things was because those are his worst fears. I told you- Angel's deepest fear is of losing you- you leaving him, not loving him anymore. Crane's managed to take that fear away, so now Angel is deliberately trying to lose you- trying to push you away."

Buffy reached up to wipe a single tear before it could trail down her cheek. "I know. I know that Cordy…it's just," she took a deep sigh before continuing, "it was just so much like before, you know?" Cordy gave a sigh as she nodded in agreement, remembering that painfully dark time of her 17th birthday. The way Angelus had taunted Buffy and mocked her's and Angel's love was enough to drive the young slayer insane, but somehow, she had fought through it. "Do you want to know what the really bizarre part is?" Cordy raised her eyebrows as Buffy confessed. "I'm responsible for both times."

"What do you mean you're responsible? Buffy, you weren't responsible for Angel lousing his soul- you were responsible for finally giving him true happiness. He's only ever known true happiness in your arms, in the love you two share. And how can you even think you're responsible now?? I mean, Crane was the one to inject him with this stuff-"

"But I'm the one who must give Angel some reason to doubt how much I love him!" she could no longer fight back the tears which were now streaming down her face. "I love him so much Cordelia. I can't lose him again. I can't! Not when I just got him back- and human! We're finally going to have a life together and we're finally going to be married, and I can't lose him."

"You're not going to," Cordy reassured her. "We'll find him in time. Buffy, Angel knows how much you love him-"

"Then why-"

"It's because he loves you so much that he's afraid of losing you. You know Angel better than anyone, and you should know how down on himself he is. He's gotten better over the past few years, but when it comes to you- in his eyes, Angel could give you everything that he has and still fall short of being worthy of you." Cordelia embraced her friend in a warm hug trying to calm her down when Giles came running out of the den holding a sheet of paper.

"I've found it! When Wesley was telling me about Wolfram and Hart…I knew that I had heard that name before somewhere. Then it occurred to me…about two weeks ago, Mardel Labs had been issued a grant… funded by Wolfram and Hart."

"Well that's a start…" Buffy sat up, gently rubbing her hands over her eyes as she began to calm down and go into full slayer mode. "But we still don't know where he's at."

"On the contrary," Fred and Wesley emerged with a small plastic bag containing what looked like a small piece of red playdough. "This is what was on the bottom of Xander's shoes when ya'll got back from the lab. It's red clay."

"So…what does that mean?" a still confused Buffy asked.

"The only place that I can think of around here that would have red clay is below. As in, below the city. If Crane wants to expose as much of the city as possible to his toxin, what better way to do it than to pollute Sunnydale's water supply-"

"The resevoirs beneath the city- of course!" Giles realized. "We'd better hurry."

"What about Angel?" Buffy asked.

"We'll call him on the way," Gunn told her. "Come on-"

******

"So…what was that all about back at the mansion?" Ash was silent during the entire ride back to Mardel Labs. When they finally got inside, she finally mustered up enough courage to ask her brother the question looming over her head ever since she saw the tears welled up in Buffy's eyes.

"What are you talking about?" he sharply retorted.

"Oh, I don't know…maybe that whole thing with you telling off your fiancee in no uncertain terms?! This toxin is really working it's stuff on you, isn't it?"

"Don't you start too. You didn't have to come, and if you're not going to help then go back with the rest of them!" After a moment as they continued their search of the lab, weapons in hand, Ash confronted him once again. "You love her so much. You're really that afraid of losing her, aren't you?" Angel couldn't supress his laugh at her last remark.

"I think I'm more afraid of you than I am of finally being rid of that clingy little freak." Ash had finally heard enough. Drug or no drug, she was determined to bring him back to his senses.

"That's it! Look Angel, I know this isn't really you, but I am not going to let you keep-"

"Ssshh-" Angel waved a hand at her upon hearing footsteps and a voice. Motioning for her to follow, he lead them further into the lab to find O'Haire on his cell phone.

"We've got the last of it…Crane and I should be back in LA by tomorrow morning…Angel??…he's out of the pictu-" O'Haire pulled his cell down from his ear. The half demon picked up on two scents- one familiar and one foreign but somehow similar to the first. "We'll see you tomorrow morning." He flipped the lid of his phone closed as he turned to see Angel and Ash standing before him.

"Well well well…what do we have here?" O'Haire took a step towards the brother and sister. "Back for more, huh Angel? And you've brought a friend…who's the kid?"

"No one of consequence, and none of your concern. Where's Crane?"

"It doesn't matter…in less than an hour, you won't recognize a single person in this pathetic city. They'll all be too busy running wild."

"The only one who should be running is you," Angel threatened him.

"Point well taken-" O'Haire quickly tossed a knife at Angel. Quickly jumping to the side, Angel was able to avoid the blade- which found it's way directly into Ash's stomach. Dazed only for a second, Ash pulled the knife out of her stomach, watching as the deep gash readily closed by itself. She looked up to see Angel chasing O'Haire up the stairs leading to the roof. She followed after them, finally reaching them ontop of the building.

Before she knew what was happening, Angel had tossed a black rope at O'Haire's feet, tripping him to the floor as the rope latched onto one of his feet. Struggling to get up, O'Haire soon found himself dangling upside down over the edge of the building, suspended helplessly 100 stories in the air.

"For the love of god Angel don't let me fall!!!"

"You never answered my question," Angel yelled to him, kneeling down on the roof's edge. "Where's Crane?"

"I can't tell you that!! He'd kill me!!" O'Haire's eyes widened as he saw Angel pull out a knife, slowly slicing through a few of the rope's threads. He felt the rope slip a little and began screaming once again.

"Death is death," came Angel's simple reply. "Does it matter who administrates it?" Angel cut through more of the rope's threads, leaving only a few remaining. "Where's Crane??"

"Down below!"

"Where at down below??"

"The city's resevoirs!"

"Of course. He's going to release his toxin into the city's water supply," he muttered loud enough for a still flabbergasted Ash to hear. Giving O'Haire a final grin, he placed the knife back into the pocket of his leather jacket and stood up. "Come on-" he motioned to Ash. "We got what we needed."

"You're…you're not just…gonna…leave him like that?? Are you??" Angel simply continued walking over towards the stairs. Ash turned around just in time to hear O'Haire's scream as he saw the rope begin to tear completely. Rushing over, she grasped the rope just as it snapped and O'Haire began his descent. With a loud thud, O'Haire's body smashed into the side of the building, knocking him unconscious as Ash pulled him up. She tied him up with some of the rope, leaving him on the roof as she took the rest of the rope with her, racing after Angel.

"Crane's planning on polluting the city's water supp- what the-" Angel's head bounced off of the roof as his legs and body were tightly lassoed together, pulling his entire body down. He managed to roll himself to over, expecting to see one of O'Haire's men, but instead, a very brassed off Ashlan. "We don't have time for these games, Ashlan. Now untie me!"

"You're crazy if you think I'm letting you go! You're out of control, Angel. The toxin has affected you more than you think," she kneeled down to tie more of the rope tighter around him.

"I told you, I can handle it!-"

"You can't!!" she yelled back at him as he stared at her in disbelief. "You're not even afraid to kill," she murmured. "Now I'll be back for you. But you're staying here."

"Where are you going?"

"After Crane. I'll get Buffy and let her know what's going on."

"I can help you," he pleaded with her. "Look- you're right, Ash. Crane's drug is too much. But…I can go with all of you and help…you'll be in charge…you'll call all of the shots," he gave her an earnest look as she slowly walked back over to him. She paused in her movements to simply stare down at him with a fierce glare.

"You almost fooled me…" she turned back around, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket.

"Untie me you little…untie me!!!" Ash tried as best she could to ignore her brother's pleas while she called Buffy's cell phone.

"Ash-" Buffy yelled into the phone, instantly recognizing the number displayed on her cell phone's screen. "Where are you?"

"Mardel Labs. Look, I don't have time to explain. Crane's planning on polluting Sunnydale's wat-"

"Water supply with the toxin. We know. Giles found a lead- we're headed there now. Where's Angel? Is he alright?"

"Define 'alright'," Ash quipped. "I had to restrain him if that's any indication."

"You what?! What happened?!"

"Don't worry, he's fine. I've got him tied up right…here…oh no…" Ash turned expecting to see her brother still struggling against his ropes, but her eyes were met with the bundle of rope left behind from the escaped Angel. "Damn!"

"Damn? Damn's not good," Buffy worriedly said into the phone.

"Angel's gotten loose. I'll meet you guys below- don't move in until I get there. Hopefully Angel won't get there before us…"

******

Within fifteen minutes Buffy and the others were hurrying through the sewers below Sunnydale. Upon turning a sharp corner, Buffy's head came into blunt contact with another. "Owww!" She glanced over to see who she had run into. "We've got to stop meeting like this," she faintly smiled at her soon to be sister in law, recalling how she had first met Angel's sister back in December.

"You alright?" Ash asked, helping her to her feet.

"Yeah- is Angel with you?"

"No…I just hope he isn't in there going after Crane by himself. You've got the antidote?"

"Right here," Wesley produced a small needle in his hand. "Let's go, before it's too late." The team raced through the maze of descending tunnels, following Giles' instructions for reaching the resevoirs, until finally reaching the enormous clearing.

As they ran through dusting a few of Crane's henchmen, Ash spotted the doctor over by the controls, preparing the sequence to infuse the toxin into the system. Plunging for him, Ashlan jumped on his back, pulling him backwards from the computer board. As she tried to choke him to the ground, Crane caught her by surprise, breaking her hold and spraying her with his toxin. The young fighter staggered a bit, blinded momentarily by the red mist, before lunging for him once more. As she slammed him down on the ground, Ash was abruptly tossed off of Crane and into the nearby wall. Looking up as she rubbed the back of her head, she saw Angel punching away at Crane.

"Wesley!!" she called out to her friend. Wes took notice of Angel and fought his way over to him. He made a fervent attempt to pull him off of Crane but was knocked to the ground by Angel for his efforts. The needle he carried was knocked out of his hands as well, sliding over to Buffy's feet. Seeing her two friends laid out on the ground, she quickly retrieved the needle and plunged the tip into Angel's shoulder, injecting him with the antidote.

Angel's grip on Crane loosened as he stumbled backwards, reeling from the effects of his second injection. As his head swirled while the antidote took effect, his eyes came to focus on Buffy going toe to toe with Crane. Finally getting the upperhand, Crane hoisted Buffy in the air with one arm, preparing one of his needle's with the other. Before he could inject the slayer, he found that his arm had been caught in mid-air. He barely had time to glance over his shoulder only to be punched by Angel. He kneed Crane in the stomach, leaving him hunched over as he slammed his head up against the wall, knocking him out and to the ground.

"Angel?" Buffy timidly asked him, not sure whether Wesley's antidote had taken effect. She inched towards him, searching his eyes for the all too familiar love and compassion that gave him away to her everytime.

"Buffy," he whispered back, taking her in his arms, stroking her head as she clinged tightly to him. As the others neared them, Angel pulled himself out of their embrace to face her. "Buffy…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Buffy. I- I didn't mean…I'm sorry-"

"Angel it's okay. It wasn't your fault- it was the toxin."

"Buffy- I would never…" he averts his eyes down to the floor, remembering all that he had done and said to hurt her thanks to Crane. "I love you so much-"

"I know…I know," she leans over, stares deep into his eyes, and tenderly kisses him.

"Angel man," Gunn led the crowd that rushed over to them, "you alright?"

"Yeah. Everybody else okay?"

"We're all fine," Wes assured him. "Just thankful that the antidote worked."

"You and me both. Wesley-" Angel wished he could think of a better way to convey his appreciation to Wes and the rest of his friends for bringing him back before it was too late, "thanks. All of you-" his eyes traveled among the rest of them, "thanks."

"We're just glad to have our broody Angel back," Cordy smiled as she hugged him.

"Likewise," both Ash and Spike agreed.

"Wait a minute…Ash," Cordy suddenly realized something, "I saw Crane spray you with that red stuff- the toxin. How come you're okay?"

"Maybe it hasn't taken effect yet, Cordy. But actually, even if it does- it won't do anything to me. I mean, what the hell do I have to be scared of, right? Can't be hurt…can't die…but can't really live, either…" she trailed off with more than just a hint of bitterness. Though Angel and the others had helped her cope with just simply 'existing' until the Powers decided whether to grant her humanity or the ultimate peace she so desired, the tragic irony of her situation still pierced at her every day. Each passing day, her time was divided between fending off demons and getting caught up with the changed world around her. Spending time with mostly Cordelia, Buffy, and, to her surprise Spike, had really sped up the awkward task.

"Good point," Xander shyly said. "So…what do we do with him?" he pointed at an unconscious Crane being tied up by Gunn and Giles.

"I've already called the police," Wes answered. "The LA police," he specified. "They'll most likely place him in an asylum this time."

"Let's go home," Buffy finally whispered to Angel as she wrapped an arm around his waist, leading them back up to the city above.

******

"How are Ashlan and Wes doing?…Oh no…What did she do??…Well just make sure to keep an eye on them for the night- they're staying the night, right?…Angel's doing okay. His head is really killing him, but other than that, the antidote seems to have taken full effect…I'll tell him…Get some rest, Cordelia. We want you all rested for the big event next week…Alright- we'll stop by tomorrow morning. Night Cordy." Buffy hung up the phone and helped Angel make his way up the stairs to their bedroom.

"I'll be okay," he assured her. "I think I just need to lie down for a minute-" he took a seat on the edge of the bed, holding his head once another sharp pain hit him, "-or six months." Buffy gently kissed him on the forehead before going back downstairs. She returned from the kitchen with a fresh ice pack, a glass of water, and a few more aspirins. "Ash and Wes are gonna be fine. But…it seems that Crane's toxin finally took effect on Ash."

"Is she okay? I mean, Wes gave her the antidote right?"

"Eventually. Wesley seems to think that your sister is deathly afraid of the dark."

"Why does he think that?"

"Because all she kept doing when they got back to my house was shutting off all the lights and closing the blinds. Cordy said she smashed every lamp in the house," she laughed. "Everyone's spending the night at the house" she informed Angel as she handed him the pills and water. He gulped them down eagerly as she continued. "Cordelia said she hopes you're feeling better, and if you need anything, just give her a call."

"Uggghh…" he moaned, taking the ice pack from her hands and placing it ontop of his head, hoping to completely numb his throbbing headache. "I think all I need right now is you," he shifted over on their bed motioning for her to join him. "Angel…I think we need to talk."

"I know," he whispered. "I can't even begin to apologize enough. None of it…none of the things I said to you-"

"Angel, I know that. And I already told you- you have nothing to apologize for-"

"But the things I said-"

"Angel-"

"No Buffy…just let me get this out. Everything that I said was the exact opposite of what I really feel. The only reason I even said any of those things was because…" he trailed off, feeling somewhat ashamed of what he was trying to confess to her.

"Crane took away your deepest fear- and that's what we need to talk about, Angel. Angel…why are you so afraid of losing me?" Angel's head lowers as he stares down at the floor. Buffy quickly tips his chin up to look into his luscious chocolate orbs. "Tell me…you know you can tell me anything." Angel takes a deep breath before he begins.

"Buffy…there's not a feeling in the world that can describe just how much I love you and how much joy you bring me. Just knowing you is heaven to me, but being totally and helplessly in love with you...there isn't a word to explain how wonderful it is. And I know how much you love me in return-" he quickly adds already seeing her wanting to cut in, "I just…don't understand why. That's why I'm so afraid of losing you- I still can't believe that you're able to love me."

Buffy looks up at him, softly staring into his sorrowfilled eyes, and carefully grabs his face in her hands. "I love you," she begins, emphasizing each word. "There aren't enough words that I could use to tell you just how much I absolutely adore you, and want to be with you as your wife- now and forever. You give me a reason to live, Angel. I- I don't think I would have even," her voice began to waver, "been able to survive being brought back if it weren't for you. Knowing that you would be there for me-"

"But Buffy…everything I've done…I may be human now, but-"

"But nothing," she angrily interrupted him. "Angel you had no control whatsoever over what your demon did. It wasn't you."

"It's not just that, Buffy. When I left…" he winced at the memory of when he left her for her own good, "I can only imagine that it hurt you half as much as it killed me to do it."

"I won't lie to you, Angel. It almost killed me when you left. But do you know the one thing that kept me from falling apart? The fact that I knew you and I would be together again one day."

"You had such faith in me," he whispered.

"I have nothing but faith in you. As much as it hurt, I knew that it was only a matter of time before you came to your senses- or I decided to come and beat some into you- and you realized that I can never have a normal life unless you're in it. How could you expect me to love somebody else when you already have my heart? There is no one else out there for me but you Angel, so I have no where else to be but here in your arms."

Angel sits up, tenderly taking her into his embrace, running his thumb along her jaw. "I love you," he says as he brushes Buffy's hair behind her ear. "I love you too. So from now on- no more of your ridiculous thinking?" Angel gently nods his head with a seductive smile, as he lifts his head to kiss her. Finally, Buffy breaks off their kiss and just stares deep into Angel's eyes, becoming lost in a loving, familiar place. "Good…" as Buffy softly grabs Angel's face with her right hand, she presents her left hand to him, in particular her ring finger, which held her beautiful diamond claddagh ring upon it. "…because you see this? This means that you and I are going to have a beautiful life together."

Part Four

"Only seven days away," he replies.

"Which reminds me…" Buffy pulls herself onto his lap, "where are we going for our honeymoon? I mean, we are going on a honeymoon, aren't we? We've saved the world enough times- we deal with all of the endless problems thrown at us- I think it's only natural that we should be allowed to take at least some sort of vaca-" Angel silences her babbling with a sweet kiss. "Do you know how adorable you are when you babble?"

"Nice try…but don't avoid the question- where are we going? You know, you really shouldn't keep things from your wife."

"Somewhere I know you'll enjoy, and that's all I'm saying." Buffy slips down from off his lap and tosses off her clothes, leaving them in a pile with the rest of the laundry in their basket, and slips her bathrobe on. As she observes Angel kicking off his boots, pulling his shirt off over his head, she sits back down on their bed. "Alright...but it better be good! Or else!", she slowly smiles, sitting up and folding her legs in the middle of the mattress.

Angel chuckles lightly as he takes his sweater off. "Or else what? You'll beat me up??" he laughs softly, nudging her playfully as she laughs and tips over, scooting off the bed and raising her fists, as if to fight. "Yeah, I will! Let's go, 'tough guy' ", she pushes him playfully, jabbing him softly in the stomach as he laughs. "I never thought you'd be the one kicking my ass, sweetie..", he goes to kiss her on the cheek and she socks him on the jaw, giggling as she steps back and elbows him in the chest.

He groans, rubbing his cheek with a short laugh and a playful growl, "If that's the way you wanna play, then fine!", he jumps up and tackles her on the bed, rolling with her off the mattress and onto the plush carpet below. He gently pins her arms back near her ears with a grin, as she laughs. "You have beautiful eyes..", she smiles as his chocolate gaze burns into her own.

He blushes and continues to look down at her, giving her a soft kiss on the tip of the nose. "That's only because I'm looking at something as gorgeous as you…" he strokes her chin and gives her a tender kiss. Buffy pulled his body closer to hers and felt his arms tighten around her. His hand traced light circles over her taught stomach. She shivered and brought her arms around his neck, inclining her head to meet him halfway in a kiss. The kiss was long and sweet and filled with the promise of more. Buffy slowly worked her hands through his hair, and he sighed against her lips. Her hands slowly caressed the back of Angel's head, and she pulled his lips down to hers once again, feeling his mouth devour hers.

Soft moonlight spilled in increments through the large-paned windows surrounding their bedroom and shimmered off of Buffy's golden hair. Dark shadows surrounding their bed swallowed up one shaft of light and fed it toward the pillows on the black silk sheets. Angel brought one hand upward to caress the side of her face with his fingertips and she did the same, brushing her hand over his jawline. Neither spoke. They layed that way for several minutes, touching each other and staring into one another's eyes.

Buffy sighed, and pulled on Angel's lower lip with her mouth playfully, pulling him down to her into another sultry, exploratory kiss. He felt his knees weaken as he responded to his beloved's touch. Angel gently traced a path with his hands along the outside of Buffy's stomach through her bathrobe. She whimpered as Angel took only a fraction of a second to study her form, arched within his grasp, the curve of her neck and the way her hair fell loosely behind her. Her eyes were closed and she sighed as she felt his hands move higher. He gently brushed his fingertips against the warm skin near the base of her neck and as his fingers reached the edge of her shoulder, Angel deftly hooked his hand around to her front and gently slid the robe off of her onto the floor.

Angel used both hands to caress her arms at each side while he tenderly kissed her neck. She shivered and leaned into his touch involuntarily. Buffy made a small noise of pleasure in the back of her throat, a strangled sound of mindless pleasure at his assault on one of her most erogenous places. She brushed her lips against his neck, pressing a kiss to his collarbone and felt his arms wrap around her. "Are you trying to seduce me, Buffy" Angel's low voice said against her chest.

"I hope so..." Buffy's voice was hardly more than a sigh in the darkness, "...'cause I've already been hopelessly seduced," she whispered, drawing herself further into his embrace and pulling at the waistband of his pants, slowly slipping them and his boxers from his body and onto the floor, joining her robe in a pile.

"I love you," Angel whispered against her hair. "I am so completely in love with you, Buffy." She slipped backwards into his strong arms and allowed her body to go limp in his grasp. Angel caught her lips in his own and she convulsed toward him, pressing her mouth into his. He sighed softly as she caressed the smooth skin of his back, feeling the taught muscles that were now tense with desire. She continued to work her way down his throat with her kisses, all the while running her fingers over his washboard stomach.

Angel moved his hands from her hips and slid them slowly to the small of her back, then moving them upward, caressing her softly as he went, sighing softly as he felt her hands move lower still on his stomach. Buffy looked up into his shimmering brown eyes that were now glazed with desire. "I love you…so much, Angel." Unable to resist her a moment longer, Angel swept her up into his arms and set her down gently further up on their bed, lowering himself on top of her. She loved the way his body felt pressing solidly down on her own, making her feel safe in a way she had never known, before meeting him.

Angel concentrated on the smooth, creamy skin of her throat, setting it on fire with his light, feathery kisses. She sighed with pleasure as he traced a trail of kisses along the curve of her shoulder and collarbone, then worked his way back up to the sensitive spot at the nape of her neck. Finally he captured her lips with his own, and their kiss sent a course of ultimate desire rushing through her.

Crisp black silk sheets rustled and undulated as the two lovers beneath moved in gentle exploration of one another. A glimpse of shoulder here, the curve of hip there, light glancing off a head of hair; each cameo added to the peaceful picture of simple, unhurried love. The busy sounds of the city were banished from this oasis, and into the still air came only the quiet sound of soft kisses and contented murmurs.

The lovers had melded into one, and the eternal, ancient rite began. Their movements were languid, each savouring every precious moment of their joining in the late hours of the night. They were finally able to enjoy these few hours to spend in close harmony with each other, leaving behind any thoughts of their most recent difficulties to enjoy the simple pleasure of their own company.

Time stood still as they pulsed slowly together, pouring their intense love into each other, shuddering with their deep, exquisite releases. "Angel..." Buffy gently sighs his name as he leans over her, gently pinning her beneath him as he nuzzles her neck. She slowly pulls him down ontop of her, as he leans off to her side, slinging his arm around her waist, as she rests her head beneath his chin. "This…right here…the two of us together," Buffy sighs, "...it's the most pure and perfect thing there is," Angel finishes for her, pulling Buffy in closer to him. As he becomes willingly lost in her eyes, he finds himself falling in love with her all over again. "I love you...," they say simultaneously, before drifting off to sleep.

******

"How's your head, Wes?" Angel asked as he returned to the dining room in Buffy's house with a fresh plate of pancakes.

"Aside from the throbbing and the huge bump I'm going to have…not bad."

"In case I haven't said it enough-"

"Angel…" Wes interrupted his fifth apology attempt, "I know. Believe me, I understand. You had no idea what you were doing- and even if you did, this breakfast more than makes up for it," he beamed, taking two more pancakes from the center plate.

"Yeah tell me about it," Gunn added. "If I would've known you were such a good cook, I'd have offered to stay here in Sunnydale instead of Cordy."

"There are definite benefits," Cordy smiled. "But don't think I don't miss seeing you guys on a daily basis…well, sometimes. Especially with the new help we've acquired." Her eyes trailed off to an, as usual, fighting Ash and Spike in the kitchen. This morning's argument had something to do with a bet on a game of pool from what Cordy could gather. She couldn't explain it to anyone, not even herself some of the time, but she just saw something in Angel's sibling- more often than not, she attributed it to the simple fact that she was related to the former vampire. The bond she had formed with Angel over the past few years was so similar to and yet so different from the bond he shared with Buffy. She had depended on him just to make everyday life more…bearable…tolerable, was the only way she could explain it. She had learned so much from him- in his actions and words, both spoken and unspoken. And it was this bond that she hoped to expand upon her relationships with both Ashlan and the little sister she had always secretly wanted and finally found in Dawn.

Angel passed by her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder as he sensed what she was thinking about in watching Ash finally obtain the fifty dollars that a grumbling Spike finally handed over to her. "Lousy, no good, bumbling, lil' cheapass…" the blonde vamp mumbled as he removed his mug of blood from the microwave, finally sitting down with everyone else at the table. "So…I'm assuming Doctor Doolittle is back behind bars?"

"Actually, he's undergoing extensive research in LA's asylum," Fred answered.

"I guess he's stuck on the flipside now, huh?" Xander managed to get out between mouthfuls. The two gangs were finishing up their breakfasts when the front door swung open. "Anybody home?" Willow's voice could be heard echoing throughout the house as she and Tara walked in, returning from their witching seminar. "Guys! Hey- whoa! Big crowd for breakfast on the weekends, huh?," her gaze fell upon the two groups, including Giles, sitting around in the dining room. "We missed you so much, but we had such a great time. We've got at least five book's worth of new spells to try out-"

"-and we performed a few envocations of the spirits," Tara cut in.

"Gosh, there was just sooo much," Willow continued, "we can't wait to show you guys everything! So…I guess things were pretty boring around here, huh? What happened interesting while we were gone? Any big scares?"

Twelve forks dropped simultaneously as Willow and Tara were quickly on the receiving end of twelve exasperated stares. Angel was the first to make any movements. He sat up, beginning to clear some of the plates. "No Will…for the first time, I can honestly say there were no big scares around here," was his honest reply. Buffy, Cordy, and Ash began to help clean up, simply walking past the red-head and her girlfriend, raising their arms in the air with deep, annoyed sighs.

"Tough crowd," Tara whispered. Willow nodded in agreement.

"Was it something I said...?"