Disclaimer: Joss and company own everything- unfortunately
Note1: Second story in my Reasoning series. A follow-up to the Sweet Euphoria series.
Summary: Buffy's already made an impossible choice- now Angel may have to make one of his own.
Spoilers: My first series (you'd really have to read those three stories to understand these)
Note2: For this story, after someone is turned into a vamp, they don't need to rise from a grave before they're fully turned. Just follow this formula- bite, drain, feed- presto! Instant vamp! Oh yeah, and since Darla was never brought back in my first series, Drusilla was never killed.
Rating: Somewhere between PG-13 and R for some violence and language.
Distribution: Want it- take it. Just let me know where it's going.
Feedback: As always, greatly appreciated.

The cold night air wafting through the windows roused Ashlan as she lifted her head with a start, sensing that someone was approaching. She listened intently for a moment before glancing at their staircase, watching the slayer and watcher descend. The two hadn't made it halfway down when Ashlan's eyes averted to the other end of the hall, where the rest of the gang were making their way over to her chains.

"You all look pretty down..." she managed, moving her arms a bit in her restraints. "Oh...please don't tell me that Angel's already died, and I missed it?"

"He's not going to die," Buffy said matter of factly. "Cordy had a nice little chat with the Oracles. Top that off with a visit from Whistler, and we've got you beat."

"Really?" she smiled. "And just how do you figure that?" The group, minus Dawn and Tara who remained upstairs with Angel, parted off to the side as Spike emerged from the library, his pace slow but steady, the anticipation of what he was about to do overwhelming him. "Spike- you've stuck around to join in on the fun? I would suspect that you'll take great pleasure in finally seeing Angel dead." Spike forced a fearless grin and subconsciously held the side of his head for a moment.

"I would've given anything to have the chance you were given," Spike said, kneeling down in front of her. "Redemption is a thing worth working for. Yours could've required a year, perhaps longer, but still…you wasted it all." Pausing to look back over his shoulder at Buffy who nodded accordingly. Spike switched into game face before returning his glance to Ash.

"What are you doing?" the girl asked in disbelief as Spike removed her chains. "Oh...this is good. You know you can't hurt me, Spike," she chuckled. "Unless you want that chip of yours to completely burn your brain out."

"I'll take my chances," Spike says, grinning and taking hold of her neck as he sank his fangs into her. The fierce vibrating already began in his head, set off by the current situation. When the pain started searing, his vision blurred by the spinning in his head, Ashlan glanced down at him in time to see the now snarling face sink fangs deeper into her neck's fleshy base.

Both screaming in pain, though Spike's screams were muffled by his prey's neck, Ashlan was the first to collapse onto the floor, her neck jerked to the side, blood still surrounding the holes of her raggedly bitten flesh. Spike let out an excruciating yelp as he finally released his hold of her. Falling back on his rear, both hands immediately grabbed his head, trying to somehow get a grip on the pain running rampant through him.

"Spike," Buffy called to him, urging him to follow through with things. Only the strength of both arms allowed Spike to crawl his way over to the near-death Ash. Without a moment's hesitation, he gouged a small piece of flesh from his wrist, just enough to draw blood. Leaning slightly over Ashlan, he offered his blood to her, the pain beginning to flare again when she started nursing from his wrist.

Her body, now transformed with the blood of her new sire, went limp for a moment while Spike's face returned to normal. "Spike," Cordy and Buffy approached him, placing an arm around his back to steady him. "Are you okay?" the brunette asked, genuine concern clearly evident in her voice.

"Whoa," he grumbled, shaking his head side to side, trying to relieve the numbness that set in after the pain left. "That...was a bloody rush. Ashlan? Where-" he began to stand, his eyes darting around the room, "where is she? You stake her yet?" Buffy left his side, stake in hand, turning her attentions back to the task at hand.

Ashlan had moved to the center of the hall, still in a state of confusion as she leaned forward on her knees. In the light of the roaring fireplace, Buffy could already see the extreme paleness consume her features. She looked fatigued, either from her recent death or recent rebirth to the world of darkness. Her black hair had fallen out of its ponytail and its thick mass hung in strands, hiding the side of her face from clear view.

Buffy was in the midst of lifting her stake above her head, prepared to send the carved wood straight through Ashlan's back, piercing her heart. Once she'd shaken off her momentary hesitation, the stake came swiping down- only to be caught in mid-air. Anticipating the impact, Ashlan had quickly rolled over, grabbing the stake with both hands- avoiding the fatality of the impact. "I'll let you get away with it now, slayer," Ash muttered through gritted teeth, "but next time, I get to be ontop."

She swiftly shoved away a stunned Buffy, scampering to her feet once she noticed the others- Gunn, Xander, and Wes each with stakes in their grasps. Wesley was the first to come lunging for her. The attack of the young englishman sent her into a frenzied counteroffensive. Hands and feet shot out in lightning-fast displays as the others rushed over to his aid. Though she no longer had the unique strength or powers that accompanied her former hybrid-condition, years of fighting alongside Angelus and Spike in order to survive had provided her with an impressive display of techniques.

Ashlan sent Xander and Wes sprawling across into the sidetables topped with glassware, most of which tipped over and shattered on the floor. The force of their impact also swept a lamp from its perch, further darkening the room. With only Gunn to contend with, Ash was pleased to see Giles and the slayer approaching her. Gunn had his stake ready when her fist snapped his head back. Two follow-up blows sent him reeling backward, landing against the nearby wall. Back came the newly reborn vampire's attentuated laugh, wicked and taunting as Giles attempted to grab her from behind, making her accessible to Buffy's ready stake. With a simple grabbing of the arms that were wrapped around her waist, Ashlan flipped him over her shoulder, a hard punch to the face following after.

Her first punch left the attacking petite blonde stunned; the more forceful second stripped her of the stake she held in hand. Buffy was sent sprawling across the floor, where she landed in a confused heap, glancing up in wounded disbelief. The Scoobies who were still standing turned toward the general area of the attack, only to be left staggering by blows from fists, elbows, and knees. Once she had cleared enough of a path, Ashlan exhaustedly hurled herself straight through one of the mansion's larger french windows, the glass completely shattering as she made her fast escape into the night.

******

Part Two

Shards of glass and splints of wood littered the floor of the mansion's great hall. Patches of rain spouted down through the broken window through which the monster made its escape. Muscles ached, bodies were bruised, minds were spent, and spirits were broken. After watching the events transpire- events that were caused by her own methods, the battle-weary slayer raced upstairs to check on her hopefully recovering husband, leaving the others to start cleanup on the chaos that ensued.

"Well...that was a big heap of fun. We simply must do it again some time."

"Shut up Xander!" Cordy shouted back at her ex. She tossed a piece of wood into the pile as she brushed past him.

"Hey- I don't see you doing anything better to lighten our situation, *glorious one*," he snapped back at her.

"That's enough- the both of you," Giles quieted them. "We've got our work cut out for us as it is. We don't need this to contend with." He turned his attentions to Wesley. "How's your head?" he asked, noticing his hand still held upon the bandage over his forehead, his impact against the table's glass cutting open a nasty wound.

"Good. Surprisingly good, and yet somehow...I'm incredibly brassed off," he sighed.

"Oooo...take a number and get in line," Spike says from his seat on the couch.

"Spike..." Giles sighs, trying to keep peace among all the young and severely angered fighters.

"I'm sorry mate, but when I risk my neck for something this important, I expect results," he muttered, walking away in disgust. Though they had succeeded in taking Ashlan's soul, they hadn't been able to be rid of her once and for all. With an unstable vampire on the loose, the gang wasn't fairing much better than what they'd started with.

Giles watched as Spike headed into one of the guest rooms, Gunn and Xander following behind him. Affectionately, Cordelia and Willow approached him. "We'll straighten this out, Giles," Cordy assures him.

"She won't be hard to find," Willow offered. "It'll be all downhill from there. I mean- no more big bad hybrid, right? Piece of cake."

"I wish it were that simple." Seeing both of their confused faces, Giles explained. "You saw what happened- Buffy hesitated. As a result of a single moment's hesitation, everything fell through."

"Giles...I mean- she is Angel's sister. She may be a psychopathic nutjob, but..."

"I realize that, Cordelia."

"Guys," the wiccan interjected, "look- all that matters is what needed to be done to cure Angel was done, right? Now, we'll fix this. It's just going to take some time."

******

1:09am. Two hours had passed since Ashlan's soul had been taken, and Angel had still not awoken. Though the evening's events had drained her both physically and emotionally, Buffy kept a constant alert vigil laying awake at Angel's side. She'd spent the last hour talking aimlessly to him, somehow knowing he was able to understand her. It was really nonsense mostly- about how Dawn was recently improving in school, how she wished he'd wear less black in his daily attire, just anything to maintain her composure at seeing her beloved still unconscious after all their efforts.

"I don't want to live without you..." she began again, searching for any signs of his waking up. "You are the only person that can complete me, and I am so completely in love with you...I have been since the first time I kicked you on your ass..." she laughed through unshed tears. "And we've been through everything imaginable...and I know I can get through anything else the Powers dish out...because I have you...and that's all I need..." the tears flow from her eyes as she reaches over, making sure not to hurt him as she places a gentle kiss on his forehead.

Slowly, Angel awakens, the memories of the previous days happenings rushing back, severely hurting from every place on his body. As he opens his eyes, he sees Buffy leaning over him feeling her lips on his cooling forehead, her hand in his. "Buffy...?" Angel says as his voice begins to crack.

"Angel...?" Unable to believe her eyes, she reaches out to caress his face, tracing a finger over his lips, feeling the cool breath escape from his body. Pulling herself down into his arms, she places an ear to his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, her final indicator that he was alive and going to be okay. "Buffy..." came Angel's groggy voice once more, still confused by what was going on.

"Shhhh...don't talk. You're okay. Everything's okay." Buffy says a silent prayer as the tears continue to roll down from her eyes and she grasps Angel's hand, leaning over to gently kiss him. she continued assuring herself of the validity of her actions that evening, the image of Ashlan in full game face crashing through the window flashing before her eyes. "Cordelia!! Giles, Willow!! Guys, he's awake!!"

"Angel!" Dawn was the first to come bouncing into their room, leaping onto the bed, nearly knocking Buffy off as she wrapped her arms around Angel.

"Dawn, be careful!" Buffy yelled at her.

"Who cares- he's okay!!" Dawn defended, giving Angel a kiss on the cheek.

"Man, did you give us a scare," Gunn announced, as he and the others made their way into the room. Hugs and tears were passed around the room as the Scoobies found a few solitary moments among the evening's chaos. Knowing that their actions had come through was a newfound relief, but the inevitable consequence of not being able to follow through was in the back of all their minds.

"Where's Ashlan?" Angel's two simple words caught everyone off guard. Passing stares amongst each other, everyone's eyes finally fell on Buffy. "She...she, uh- went back to LA. We thought that...maybe there were some books that Wes left behind at the Hyperion that could help. So she left a few- a few hours ago. You know- to try and, uh- find the books. Cause if there was anything, then she could...she could bring them back. The books, I mean. Or- or she could call, you know, and uh-"

"I think he gets the point, Buffy," Cordy stopped her friend's babbling. "Come on guys-" she turned to the others, urging them back out the doors. "We've all had enough joy for one night. Let's get some sleep- leave these two alone." As everyone was leaving, Cordy grabbed Buffy by the arm, pulling her to the side. "Buffy..."

"Cordy, thanks for bailing me out back there. I just-"

"I know, I know, but Buffy...you're going to have to tell him. You have to-"

"Cordy, I know," Buffy cut her off. "I know...but not now. Not tonight. I can't do that to him. I just got him back, and..."

"Oh Buffy, I know. I understand, but...I just don't want things to be any harder than they have to be. It'll be alright though...just get a good night's sleep." The two embraced in a warm hug, both harboring the dread of what the next few days would bring for everyone.

******

The bloodthirsty figure paused only long enough to make sure her victim would rise no more, before turning and striding out of the alley. In the darkness which followed, the rain continued to beat down upon the victim, and thin, red streams of blood were washed away from the pierced throat, to float down the alley and end up in the drainage tunnels beneath the city. As she turned the corner of the darkened alley, she picked up on a familiar scent- something about the tinge of death it held, something from the past.

Remaining in game face, she made her way down the street to the cemetery. Her keen vision spotted the figure, moving slowly towards her from the mausoleum. Cautiously stepping closer to close the distance between them, she prepared to strike. Upon catching a glimpse however, a wicked smile broke out across her face. The silent figure, draped in heavy red silk, passed her a knowing smile as they finally came face to face.

"My my...aren't you looking well…"

"It really *is* you...I had my doubts when I received word of your return. All grown up...daddy's little sister...brought back to play..."

"Mmm-hmm...you should never doubt what you aren't sure about," she quipped back. "And you...when I first came back I thought you would have still been with-"

"No no," she cut her off. "That was then...this now, and right now...we have each other," she smiled.

"An unfortunate circumstance for our friends, though..."

"Is it true though...he's human? Finally human...after all this time?" At the girl's nod, her smile became even wider.

"He's one of them though now...the Powers made him a slayer."

"Mmmm...no matter."

"You have a plan then...?"

"Daddy and his precious little Buffy are going to be in for quite the surprise, aren't they...?"

******

Part Three

" '...a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. "Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse," thought Alice; "only as it's asleep, I suppose it doesn't mind..."

Angel looked down at Buffy, curled up ontop of him reading the fairly large, red and gold book she held in her hands. He closed his eyes as her soothing voice began to relax him. He had always longed for peaceful moments like this- moments free of worry, when time seemed to stand still. "Buffy...?" She looked up from her reading to stare up at him. "You should get some sleep."

"I thought you liked me reading to you?" she asked, giving him her best pout.

"I love it...even though when you suggested it, I never thought you'd pull out Alice in Wonderland," he smiled. "Out of all those books over there- Dickens, Shakespeare, even Tennyson, and you picked Alice in Wonderland? That's really cute. I didn't even know this was over there."

"Well it was always my favorite book growing up. I guess it still kinda is. Mom used to always read it to me at night until I fell asleep," she said with a sigh. "Sometimes I used to pretend I was Alice and go on adventures in the backyard with my stuffed white rabbit...until Dawn got to him."

"Why? What happened?"

"She ripped his ears off to make a coat for one of her dolls," Buffy said giggling, snuggling closer to him after setting the book aside.

"The joys of sisterhood, huh?" he laughed, slinging an arm across her stomach. "Ash was a hassle to put up with sometimes." Buffy immediately tensed upon hearing the name. "Buffy...is something wrong? Ash...she's okay isn't she? You've heard from her?"

"Yeah..." she finally whispered. "Yeah...she's fine...you, uh- you're feeling better?" she quickly changed the subject. "I mean, you look a whole lot better."

"Mmm...a little sore, but I'm doing okay. What exactly happened? I mean, I was in and out of it for awhile, but I remembered you saying something about the Oracles, and Ash...being human? I don't- I don't remember..."

"Shhh...don't worry about it," she reaches a hand up to gently trace the outline of his lips. "Tomorrow, okay? You sleep...I love you" she whispered, softly reaching up to give him a gentle kiss. "I love you," Angel whispered back, settling back down carefully. As his steady breathing soon began to lull Buffy to sleep, the thoughts of what was to come tomorrow were still harbored in her mind. < It's okay...he's okay, and we're both going to be okay... >

******

"I am *not* okay, boys." The leader walked through the crowd of vampires, out in the darkness, while her counterpart sat, aimlessly staring out among those she had gathered and brought to the old warehouse to aid in their cause. "And as long as there are two slayers to deal with, *none* of us are okay."

"So what do we do?" one of the new fledglings asked. "We've come after the slayer incessantly over the years…and now that Angelus is one of *their* kind, their strength only increases. No efforts to destroy them have succeeded."

"Well..." she began, continuing her walk threw the crowd, "maybe that's because all of you pasty-faced twits don't have a clue as to how to destroy someone...really *destroy* someone- break them down bit by bit, weaken them with each attack, until all that's left...isn't even a shadow of what once was."

"Daddy was always the best at that..." Dru smiled, standing to join her.

"We did have a good teacher in him, didn't we?" Ashlan turned to face her. "To defeat someone, you must know how best to *use* them to your advantage...and I intend on putting Angel to good use..." < The Oracles wanted to see how much I valued life? Let's see if they're interested in what life Angel values most... >

******

Part Four

As the afternoon pressed on, Angel was becoming more and more anxious to get out of his bed- let alone his room. He continued shifting in bed, trying to find a way to make his escape, but was continually held back by Xander and Spike.

"Angel, come on man. You keep moving around like that you're gonna re-injure something...plus you're missing Passions."

"Believe me, I think I'll be able to go on without having to watch that ridiculous-"

"Hey, hey- hold it there, Peaches," Spike leaned forward in his chair to emphasize his words. "You can beat me, tie me up, gag me, or whatever other ways you've had of tormenting me...but do *not* bad mouth my show...got it?" Angel flopped his head back onto the pillows in defeat, wondering just why he let Buffy and Cordelia talk him into letting Xander and Spike stay with him while they went over to see Giles. That morning after breakfast, the LA gang returned home in search of a man-eating Kobarga demon, while Willow, Tara, and Dawn were all headed off to school.

"You know Angel, you should really take more of an interest in this show man...I mean, watching soaps is a great way to bond with others," Xander proudly boasted, thinking back on his and Spike's early days of communication through watching the show.

"Uh-huh..." Angel sighed, rolling his eyes as he began to try and shift out of bed once more.

"Seriously..." Xander continued defending. "Angel- you need fellowship, you need togetherness-"

"I *need* a few really strong ropes to *hang* the both of you with..."

"Angel we can't hang them in the house..." Buffy's voice immediately brought the smile back to Angel's face as she entered the room, "...they don't go with anything," she giggled, leaning over to give him a gentle kiss. As their embrace became more heated, Spike hopped up from his chair.

"Oh no- come on mate...we're goin downstairs to watch. I don't need these two lovebirds ruining my show...on second thought- come on, we'll head over to my crypt...a lot quieter over there anyway."

"Uh Spike? Are you forgetting your little problem with the sun?" Xander asked, following him out of the room.

"You've got that jeep of yours with the tinted windows...I've got a few blankets- we're all set. Now come on...we can still hurry before the commercials are over." The two raced off, leaving Angel and Buffy cuddled together in bed.

"Where's Cordy?"

"Dropped her off at the house. She said she had a ton of stuff to do, but she'd swing by tonight," she smiled into his shoulder.

"Did you two find what you were looking for at Giles'?"

"Yeah...no biggie. There's been a lot of extra vamp activity over the past week. You know Giles...he gives paranoia a new name- wants us to 'be on the alert' and all that other good stuff."

"So I guess that means extra patrolling tonight?"

"For me, yes. For you, that means extra sleep."

"Buffy, I'm fine." Seeing her already begin to protest, he sat up in bed, silencing her with a kiss. "It would do me a lot of good to get back into the swing of things. And besides, you'll be right there with me, and you know how terrified the vamps are of you," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her and melting into a deeply passionate kiss.

******

"That is *so* wrong! How are they going to just leave it like that?!" Xander was still venting off his anger at the episode's ending as he made his way over to the door of Spike's crypt. "I've got to tell Anya."

"I thought she hated this show?" Spike asked, walking towards his fridge for a container of blood.

"She does, but I still tell her about it…helps to release pent up frustrations, ya know? I'm gonna swing by the magic store. You going out on patrol tonight?"

"I suppose. Not that I'm looking forward to running into lil' sis any time soon again," he murmured.

"I know...I wonder if Buffy's told Angel by now?"

"No...trust me, if she had, he would've come charging in here with his hands wrapped around my neck, slamming me up against a wall or what have you, blaming me for everything and letting blondie off the hook."

"Well I guess that's a plus for you then, huh? I'll see ya tonight, amigo" Xander waved as he walked out to his car.

"That is, if you make it to tonight, Spikey," came a voice from the crypt's shadows. Spike dropped his glass to the floor, the red liquid completely coating the shattered pieces as he saw the figure approach. "Dru? Drusilla??"

"What's the matter, love? Not happy to see me??" Spike stood, jaw on the floor as she circled him. "So daddy doesn't know about poor Ashlan yet, does he?? Hmmm...do you suppose he'll be-" the cloth of the blanket whips in front of her as Spike races out, "-mad?"

******

"Angel, be careful" Buffy warns him, watching her husband as he lifts several of their various weapons over his head, preparing himself for patrol later that evening. "Don't over do it..."

"Buffy..." he sighs, knowing that her overprotective nature would not be going anywhere soon. "Ugghh...I'll deal with you later," he laughs, reaching for the phone.

"Who're you calling?"

"Ashlan. I want to see how she's holding up- when she'll be dropping by..."

"Angel," Buffy grabs him by the arm, gently lifting the cordless out of his hands before leading him over to the couch. "There's something...I have to tell you something..." the two sit, Angel instinctively pulling Buffy into his lap as she continued. "When you were sick, we found out...we had to...oh god, I don't know if I can do this..." Angel gently tilted her head up, softly tracing a finger alongside her jawline. "Tell me..."

"We found out-" a smoking blanket came charging through the mansion's front doors as Spike let out a yell.

"God damn depleting ozone layer!!!" Tossing the blanket aside, he hurried over to the slayers. "She's here...I mean, she's there- she *was* there. I don't know if she still is, but...I don't even know how she got there, but-"

"Spike, you're making less sense than usual," Buffy tries calming him down, wondering just what had startled the self-proclaimed "big bad". "What happened? Who's here?"

He stepped towards them, staring them both blankly in the eyes as he finally voiced their new source of distress "Drusilla..."

******

Part Five

"So Drusilla- tall, skinny, *crazy* weakling Drusilla was at your crypt, she didn't make any attempt to hurt you, and you ran out because...?" As Cordy's gaze lingered upon him, Spike shifted uncomfortably in his chair, eyeing the others gathered in the mansion. The Sunnydale Scoobies shared Cordy and the slayers' shock at Spike's unusual retreat.

"Well...I mean, uh-...I...I panicked, alright?! I'd like to have seen how you would've reacted, princess!"

"Giles?" Angel turned the group's conversation back to the task at hand. "Find anything??"

"I'm afraid not...I haven't the faintest idea as to what she could be doing back here, but it can't be good."

"When is it ever?" Buffy sighs, gathering up a few more stakes. "You guys all stay here on research duty while we're out on patrol," she nods to her sister and friends before leaving for the cemetery with Angel.

After several minutes of walking hand-in-hand through the quiet, Sunnydale streets, the slayers heard quickened footsteps and feared for a moment that another few vamps were headed their way. Readying themselves, the two held back their stakes as the first of the four approached them.

"Weaklings..." the first laughed at them, smugly crossing his arms in front of him.

" 'Weaklings'? Is that really what passes for a good quip with you vamps nowadays?" Buffy smiled, preparing to charge at him when the other three began circling them.

As the fighting ensued, Angel cornered one of them near the crumbling masoleum, diving in for a neat flying tackle, bringing him to the ground. They wrestled briefly as the demon struggled to extradict himself from Angel's hold. Growling loudly, he managed to free one arm, and slashed the slayer's upper shoulder, ripping his shirt and breaking the skin.

Stunned, Angel paused for a heartbeat, then chased after his fleeing adversary as he noticed him hunched over his wife against the masoleum along with the other three. Before he was aware, the four vamps scattered to the side, intent on clearing a space for the figure that was dropping into their midst.

Clutching a stake in one hand, the figure landed neatly on her feet. No sooner had she steadied herself on the ground than the four vamps dove to attack her. One by one, almost too easily as Buffy mentally noted, she dusted the attackers, turning finally to face the two slayers.

"Ash-" Angel quickly embraced her, "what are you doing here? Is everything okay in LA- I mean, are you okay??" Half-heartedly returning his hug, she smiled over his shoulder at the warily onlooking Buffy. "I'm great...never been better. In fact...you could say I've got a new lease on life," she smiled, pulling out of their embrace. "Isn't that right, Buffy?"

"So it's true? The Powers granted you humanity? You're human now??" Angel hopefully smiled.

"Mmmm...not quite..." came Drusilla's voice as she approached the three of them with five more vamps.

"You should've never came back, Dru," Angel warned her, taking a few steps past his wife and sister to approach his childe.

"Angel, Angel..." Ash pleaded with him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "let me do the honors." Ashlan glared over at him, and to Angel's horror, his sister's face twisted, contorted, until a mask of the blackest evil stared back at him in full game face. The blood-seeking mouth snarled, her hands raised up to attack him, and Ashlan charged at her brother- her enemy.

Drusilla ordered her five accomplices to keep the other slayer busy while she amused herself watching her new prodigy and former teacher battle. Nimbly Angel sidestepped, grabbed the edges of Ashlan's duster, and swung her away from him, still in a state of disbelief. Centrifugal force took over, launching the girl up and away, hurling her into a concrete headstone. The stone cracked and tilted, but did not fall. Ash shook herself like a dog throwing off water, glared at her enemy, and once more charged. This time, however, she feinted at the last possible micro-second, and her shoulder rammed into her brother's stomach full force.

The five fledglings were strong, but still no match for the agile Buffy. She came charging after them, her weapon raised in front of her as she made fast work of the first two. As she glanced over her back to see her husband getting pummeled, a pair of hands came swooping down, grabbing hold of her shoulders from the front and yanking her off her feet. The vamp attacked, only to find the slayer more than willing to meet him halfway with her stake. After dusting the third, Buffy scrambled to her feet, merely throwing aside the other two vamps, eager to reach Angel.

Angel grunted as the air rushed from his lungs, and he flew backwards, directly into one of the taller headstones. The concrete fell in huge chunks around him as a stunned Angel tried to catch his breath. He looked up to see Ashlan standing side by side with Drusilla.

"I should've staked you when I had the chance, you psychotic bitch," Angel yelled up at Dru. "You did this to my sister...I swear to god I'm going to burn you myself."

"Oooo...if you're going to burn anyone," Ash began laughing as she leaned over him, "start with your precious 'beloved' over there," she nodded at Buffy as she finally made her way over to them. "I've got Buffy and the rest of your friends to thank for this...isn't that right, *sis*?" Buffy's face was soon overcast with a shadow of guilt as Angel's adopted a long-suffering and confused glare. < This is insane...they couldn't have...*Buffy* couldn't have...No... >

He was about to say as much when he heard a *tssiccking* sound that ened with something slamming him hard in the ribs. Looking down, he saw the wooden shaft of a leather-fletched arrow protruding from his chest. The "oh" he managed was more one of surprise than pain as he caught a glimpse of one of the two remaining hench-vamps holding the crossbow before Buffy dusted both him, and the fifth and final one. His wife looked at him with widened eyes as he wordlessly pulled the arrow out without a hint of pain. The cold, hard glint in his eyes as he kept full eye contact with her while extracting the arrow revealed his unwavering state of shock.

Ash and Drusilla regarded one another in pride at their actions as they quickly made their retreat. Though the arrow hadn't even been poisened, they'd sacrificed a few members of their ample supply of vamp recruits, and no sufficient physical damage had been done to either slayer, they'd accomplished so much more...they'd succeeded in setting their mental games into action.

They raced off back to the warehouse, eagerly awaiting to witness the divide sure to come, separating the lovers- the slayers. The last thing they saw before disappearing into the refuge of the night was Angel hurriedly storming off towards the mansion, Buffy following after him with a face of anguished dread- her mind already knowing the damage that had been done, her knees already starting to buckle.

******

Part Six

"Angel-" Giles was the first to notice the gash across his shoulder as Angel hurried through the mansion's front doors. "What happened? Drusilla...was she-" Giles paused as he noticed Angel's eyes leering up at him. Never before had he seen this look across his face. Angel was almost unrecognizable to the watcher upon first entering the great hall where everyone was gathered. "Are you...are you alright Angel?"

Angel brushed past him as he pulled his gray sweater over his head, walking to retrieve some bandages for his shoulder. As he carried the first aid kit over to the dining table he looked up to see Buffy enter the mansion. His eyes barely passed her a glimpse as he began cleaning his wound. Having a pretty good idea as to what must've happened during patrol, Cordelia approached Buffy.

"Buffy...?" Without having to ask, the brunette received her answer as Buffy's lower lip began to tremble slightly, her eyes showing the faint glimmer of tears.

"Ash…she's- her and Drusilla are together...we-" Angel's abrupt slamming of the first aid kit's lid startled Buffy, cutting her off in midsentence. Her shame and guilt stricken face helplessly lingered upon her husband, watching as he pulled his sweater back on and walked over to the fireplace, sitting beside it, his head laying heavy in his hands.

"What, umm..." Giles attempted to steer Buffy back to the problem at hand, "do you have any idea where they are? Bu- Buffy??" Giles stood back as she walked past him over to Angel. She tentatively reached out to place a gentle hand on his back, fearful that he may push her away. "I'm so sorry..." she whispered to him. Quickly turning around, Angel just looked at her for a long moment and then paced over to the couch, slumping down as he ran a hand through his hair. Still wary, Buffy debated whether or not to sit beside him. She'd never seen his face so blank- so utterly devoid of any signs of emotion. Even when Angelus had surfaced, his face, though emptied of any humanity, still held an intense hatred and passion, but now...it was as if Angel had shut himself down.

"You lied to me..." she finally heard his voice, barely above a whisper. "You *all* lied to me!" he added, this time shouting his words for the others to hear.

"Angel," Buffy pleaded with him as she finally sat next to him, "Angel, we *had* to...it was the *only* way to save you. The Oracles...they wouldn't reverse the ritual. And then Whistler came, and-"

"Whistler," he muttered, almost laughed at the mention of the constantly meddling demon.

"He told us...Angel-" she took a moment to steady herself, the emotions running through her almost restricting her from explaining their reasoning and actions. "Angel, she was never meant to be brought back...she- the Powers couldn't deal with a hybrid. That's why they took her away a hundred years ago...the two of you couldn't be allowed to exist together." Angel sat listening as Cordelia took it upon herself to begin to speak for the rest of the group.

"Angel- the only way we could give you back your soul- your humanity, was to take hers. Turning her...was the only way to take her soul. She existed at the cost of your own life...your own happiness."

"Should've never..." Angel breathed out, speaking to no one in particular.

"I know..." Buffy whimpered. "I wasn't thinking about anything but- but saving you. Angel, I-"

"Should've never been brought back..." Angel sighed as he continued to elaborate on what he was feeling. "Neither one of us should've been brought back..."

Part Seven

"What...?" Buffy fought back her tears as she inched herself closer to him. "Angel, no...please...don't do this- it was me, I-" she reached out, placing a hand on his, but was startled when he pulled himself to his feet, walking over to where Giles and the others were 'busying' themselves wanting to leave the lovers to talk.

"Oh, Angel, umm..." Giles stuttered, having barely heard much of a conversation between the two slayers and wondering where they stood. "Now that Drusilla and...Ashlan are together, we had best, uh- stay alert, heavy patrolling and all else. I believe we should start by..." As Angel walked back over to the fireplace, he tuned out Giles' lecture on strategy. < She never had the chance...I never *gave* her the chance... > The ex-vampire couldn't remember being at such a loss for words. < What's the point...? What's the purpose in any of it...? She was me...the demon I was...all my sins remembered. > Shaking his head to clear it, he braced himself back against the wall and looked around at the others. < None of them can know...they can never understand- >

"Angel? Did you hear me?" Giles booming voice blasted him out of his thoughts. Angel appeared to be in deep concentration, not having heard a word he said. "Fine," he muttered.

"Angel!" He snapped to attention, looking at up at his by now frustrated wife. "Angel, if you aren't going to talk to me, you could at least listen...we need to locate and stop Drusilla and all you can say is 'fine' " Angel was so maddening when he got like this- in full brood mode. Since being reunited with his soulmate, he had rarely done this.

Without another thought, Angel grabbed his leather duster and headed for the door. "Wait," Xander finally spoke as he stood to his feet. "Some of us should go with you, Angel. Help to minimize the pain factor," he tried making a subtle joke, realizing only too late that this wasn't the time to try and lighten the mood. As he opened the front door, Angel simply turned around in the doorway, suddenly so calm that Buffy was even more terrified than before. "You don't know what pain is..." he said, just loud enough for all of them to hear as he took off.

As she watched her boss storm off into the night, Cordy noticed Buffy's distant facial expression as she started to stand up from the couch. Taking a few steps towards her friend, Cordy could sense that the slayer was wrestling with whether or not to go after Angel. "Are you okay?" she asked, placing a warm hand on her arm.

"I'm just- scared...I didn't want it to be like this. Even if he'd blown his top at me- yelled, thrown furniture, slammed some doors...something, *anything* besides just shutting down like that. I'm afraid he might...god- Cordy..."

"Go," Cordy told her. "Go find him- maybe you two will be able to find Dru and Ash afterwards but just go talk with him. We'll finish up here trying to get some leads." After sharing a quick hug with her, Buffy raced out after Angel, praying she would catch up with him before he did anything rash.

******

Within a few minutes of searching through the cemetery, Buffy spotted Angel by a far-off headstone. "Angel!" she called to him, sprinting to catch-up with his quickened pace upon hearing her voice. "Angel!" "Please!" she cried, grabbing his shoulders, forcing him to turn around and face her. "We have to talk-"

"I don't want to talk about this right now, ok?" Angel said, too quietly for Buffy's liking. "Later. I need to think."

"Don't you dare do this Angel! Don't shut yourself down! I did this-"

"Spike..." he groaned, still avoiding eye contact with her. "Spike turned her-"

"Because I made him...I *begged* him, to save your life. Even if it involved everything I have, I would do anything for you- *anything*. Angel, please! Be mad- be mad at me, take it out on me, but do *not* blame yourself. You couldn't help her- no one could. She was never even supposed to exist-"

"But she *did*!" In those three words, his ire was evident, his voice hiding none of his feelings now. It was enough to momentarily silence his startled wife, but he continued. "She *did* exist...because of me. I fed off of...off of my *mother*, Buffy. And I turned the life growing inside her, my *sister*, into a demon- a monster."

"I know-"

"You don't know!" He was shouting now, the trials and horrors of the evening's events wearing on him. "You can never know...none of you. I spent over a century as a monster. I tortured, killed, and drank from helpless people...I drank from you..." he hoarsely whispered, passing an eye over the side of her neck.

"Angel please," Buffy continued trying to rationalize with him.

"She shouldn't have had to suffer for my sins."

"What sins?? Angel, you didn't ask to be made-"

"Neither did she," he answered shortly, without looking at her. "And you...all the pain and suffering you went through, just because of-"

"Because of how much I *love* you and *need* you!" she defended, wanting to shout it from the top of her lungs. "Angel, it doesn't matter what I'd have to do, who I'd have to go through...I would sacrifice everything for you. And I did...*I* did this, not you-"

"You wouldn't have had to if I'd never-" Angel stopped, his emotions beginning to get the best of him as he turned his back to her, preparing to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Buffy cried, nearly in tears.

"Buffy please- just go."

"Oh no- we are not going through this again, Angel," she vehemently chastised him, the memories of that fateful Christmas morning flickering before her eyes. "I'm not le-" It was the loud thwack that finally caused Angel to finally turn around, only to see his wife laid out on the grass.

"Buffy!" he yelled out, hurrying over to her side. "Wh-" At first he wasn't sure what had happened- one minute he was running to Buffy, the next, the wind was knocked out of him and he was lying on the ground, dazed and with a throbbing headache.

"Oh..." one of the figures gasped, attempting to catch her breath from laughter, "now I remember why wreaking ultimate havoc and chaos is so much fun!" With another quick swing of the blunt weapon she held in hand, Angel's world went black as well.

******

Part Eight

"They should've been back by now," Dawn was the first to voice what all the Scoobies were worriedly thinking. "What if something happened? We should've gone with them."

"Relax, bit" Spike tries calming her. "They weren't exactly going out on patrol looking for our two resident whackjobs-"

"But what if they didn't have to go looking for them," Dawn interjected. "What if Drusilla and Ashlan found them? I mean, what if they've got them both strungup over a vat of acid-"

"I did that once," Anya proudly announced to the group. "Except I didn't even bother stringing the man up *over* the vat of acid...I just tied him up and threw him in," she smiled.

"Honey- not a big help right now," Xander cautioned her.

"Or maybe they've got them tied to a post ready to be burned, or..." Dawn watched as Cordy got up from her seat, retrieving the phone from the counter.

"Enough of this-" Cordy tries putting a stop to the young girl's vivid imagination. "I just hope Angel took his cell with him."

******

"Annoying little gadget, isn't it?"

Amplified to an unbearable degree to vampire ears by the warehouse's circular design, the ringing sound grew louder and louder until it was suddenly surpassed by another: the sound of shattering glass.

"Well...that's one way of getting rid of it," Dru observed as Ashlan hurled Angel's still-ringing cell phone out one of the windows. Her new prodigy strolled alongside their two captives, eager to see them finally wake.

Buffy O'Halloran- slayer, chosen one, world savior, wife to another chosen warrior, finally awoke from what seemed a dream in which her arms had been pulled by their sockets. She found it curious, however, that even in the waking world she couldn't move her limbs.

Her eyes- sunken, rimmed with red, and a shade paler than their usual green- snapped open and surveyed her surroundings; the concrete, desolate walls of the vast warehouse, the narrow chair that seemed to be the sole piece of furniture, the heavy chains that lashed her arms to her body. She waged a brief but futile struggle against the chains, then looked behind her, hoping that her eyes would fall upon Angel.

Centered on the cold floor, just inches out of her reach, Angel was stretched out, jagged cuts across his face. One particularly willful scrape left a deep, red furrow across his forehead.

All the while, Buffy had been scanning the surroundings for the pair of bloodthirsty fiends when her gaze landed on Ashlan- seated on the ground against the nearby walll facing them. "Ash..." Buffy managed to breathe out before hearing the stirring beside her. Angel started to wake, reaching deep within himself, draining the last resevoir of his contained power in an attempt to push himself up. But, having bled profusely for the past hour or so, he collapsed back onto his hands and knees, almost snarling like a cornered animal.

Ashlan waved Dru over to join them. As the eccentric vampire joined her, Ashlan waited a moment, then got up and went over to her brother, a triumphant laugh already escaping her lips. "Can you hear me, Angel?"

The former vampire's heart was pounding in his ears. Not only from the severe blow he received to the back of the head, but from the image that had gripped him once he had the chance to look around the dimly lighted warehouse- Buffy, almost completely wrapped in chains, a small gash across her forehead, and a much larger one alongside her neck.

"Angel? Pet??" Dru crouched beside him. In a sudden burst of energy, Angel raised a hand in an attempt to grab her, hit her- which ever he could manage, only to have it pierced through with one of his grand-childe's drawn out hairpins. "Oooo...Daddy wants to play rough, does he?"

"Drusilla..." came Buffy's weakened voice once more, "leave him alone...I swear, I'll-"

"What? You're gonna what??" Ashlan answered for her. Stepping to the side a bit, she knelt down before the slayer, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "I don't really think you're in much of a position to do anything, Buffy." Standing once again to her feet, Ash walked back over to her still-shaky brother.

"So...this is it. The beginning..."

"Of...what?" Angel mumbled, making another attempt to get to his feet. "Of her end-" Ash leered towards the bound slayer, "or possibly your new beginning."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Buffy asked, still wriggling in her chains.

"I've known you," Ash turned her attentions back to Angel, "for as long as I can remember. I've also known that you've struggled against your own inner demons and, more often than not, you've always lost the battle." Ashlan was circling him now, gazing at him- through him it seemed. "I mean, sure- you may be human now, but we've all watched your spirit change when the beast claws its way from inside you. You were always in great pain, weren't you?"

Angel winced slightly. "I'll show you pain-" He made a sudden lunge for the youth, only to be lurched off balance, landing toward the wall.

"You fight evil so well because you've had to wrestle with that evil in your own self. That makes you powerful, Angel. But I intend to make you more powerful still. You and I- we're not so different, you see. Pain is our power." Spotting Dru from behind him, Angel managed to turn and made a leap for her. This second burst of energy carried him clear past the center of the floor, with nothing to show for it but abraded elbows from landing face first on the hard cement.

"Let her go..." Angel whimpered, his sorrowful look falling upon a helpless Buffy.

"Now now..." Dru stepped towards him. "We wouldn't want Buffy to miss out on this. Poor Angel," she said, with false sincerity. "You never could decide who or what you were once those damn gypsies cursed you- never given a choice in anything, were you? But now...little sister is going to give you the choice that *none* of us were ever given."

"Mmm..." Ashlan agreed with her. "Since your *all-mighty Powers* wanted to see how much I valued life, I think they'd find it quite interesting to see what life *you* value most."

"What are you saying?" Angel moaned.

"It's very simple, Angel. You have two choices before you...unfortunately- both result in her death." Ashlan and Dru glanced over at Buffy, now with an unmatched look of confusion and fear plastered across her face. "Either we kill Buffy and allow you to enjoy the rest of your years enjoying humanity, or..we turn you back to the vicious and destructive vampire that we all know and love, and you get to do the honors and put your *beloved* out of her misery yourself..."

Part Nine

"Where the devil are they?!"

"Ohhh- what happened to Mr. Relax??" Dawn regarded Spike, who was now pacing around the mansion, puffing away at his third smoke in less than an hour.

"Bullocks to this- I'm going out there after them!"

"Where? We don't even know where they are, Spike," Giles tried keeping the blonde vamp from doing anything rash. "And we can't very well afford one less person if you so happen to run into trouble." He turned to Cordelia. "Angel still no picking up?"

"No..." Cordy sighed, placing the phone back onto its base. "Uggh- this is ridiculous! How are we supposed to-" the brunette's eyes painfully squeezed shut as she felt the first signs of the forthcoming vision.

"Cordelia-" Giles caught her from behind as the power behind the latest images knocked her soaring backwards. "What is it?? What did you see??"

"It was dark...empty with a huge row of windows. Buffy was in chains and Angel was bleeding. Only Ashlan and Dru were with them…none of their other cronies. And there was- this bell, this *huge* bell outside of the windows. It wasn't even ringing though," she whimpered, still very shaken and weakened by her vision.

"Huge bell?" Willow asked, her eyes squinting a bit in thought.

"Like a church bell?" Tara offered. "Hanging from a church tower?"

"But how could a bunch of vamps with this little habit of avoiding all things holy be holding Buffy and Angel inside a church?" asked Xander, standing from his seat beside his fiancee to join Cordy and Giles.

"Wait-" Spike took a final drag of his smoke as he stood up. "Princess said the bell was outside a huge row of windows..." he trailed off, finally realizing exactly where Dru and Ashlan were. "The ol' warehouse down on Monmouth street- you know, the one owned by that idiot priest, Roland Dagget? Right down from the church?" Seeing their faces take in recognition of the now-abandoned building, Spike grabbed his duster, headed for the door.

"No way, man" Xander began following him. "*All* of us are going."

"If you want to tag along junior, you're more than welcome to, but some of you have got to stay and keep an eye on Cor." After some initial arguing, it was agreed that Spike and Xander's chances would be better improved taking the powerful wiccans along with them. As they watched the four race off for the warehouse, Dawn, Anya, and Giles remained at the mansion, tending to Cordelia and praying that the others would be able to rescue the two slayers.

******

Ashlan was perched atop the worn chair, observing her brother with mounting disillusionment. When she spoke, her disgust was evident. "Look at you," she told him. "You're not even capable of making a simple choice. It's really not that difficult, Angel- either we kill her, or you kill her. Personally, as much as I'd love to drain her, I'd much rather enjoy watching you do it," she laughed.

"But draining Daddy could be fun too..." Dru spoke. Although Angel wasn't her true sire, he still held more of an influence over her than Spike ever would- an intensity and heartache that raged below the surface which Drusilla could never resist. "Or..." she touched a finger to the side of her face, suddenly developing yet another hideous choice to offer him. "Hmmm...I've always wondered what kind of vampire a slayer would make..."

Beside her, Ash halted in her laughter, sensing in Dru's sudden composure just what she was proposing. "Turn Buffy...and she'd kill him?" she pondered for a moment, passing the petite blonde a glance. "Yes...that would do quite nicely...either way, I really don't see the two of you benefiting from things in any way...so- which one will it be, Angel?"

Angel began to explore his own mind, his eyes widening in horror at the choices laid before him. Depictions of his violent past continued to play across his thoughts- as they had so often in his mind's eye: the beatings he endured from his father as a youth, those he dished out on others; the vicious murders he committed on those who were unfortunate enough to cross Angelus' path; the redirected rage he now brought to the city to save the helpless.

The two most disturbing images finally came into clear focus- the viciousness unleashed in his sister, and his extraordinary soulmate, his beloved- the very essence of his being, having to suffer through death a third time in her young life. Angel couldn't help but inwardly laugh at the thought, remembering a conversation he overheard so many months ago between Fred, Gunn, and Wesley.

~~~"I hate seeing him like this," Wes sighed from his desk. "Its too often that he gets like this you know."

"You mean in full Buffy mode?" Gunn asked the englishman.

"You two have to admit..." Fred began to dreamily sigh, "a vampire and a slayer in love- that's so romantic..."

"Actually, I believe the word you're looking for is tragic. The two of them can never be together. This is why Angel left Buffy- for her own good," Wes recalled the time around graduation. "As long as he's a vampire, he can't offer her a normal life." Looking up from his books, Wesley noticed the questioning look on the young girl's face. "Fred?"

"Its nothing, just...what if- I mean, what if Angel were to..." she paused, almost unable to voice the extreme idea that suddenly came into her mind. "Turn...Buffy? Then they'd be able to be together...wouldn't they?"

"As much as I hate to admit it," Gunn added, defending Fred's notion, "the thought crossed my mind once or twice. That's love right there-" he pointed towards Angel, sitting in full brood mode in his office, staring intently at his photo of the slayer. "Those two are a part of each other, man- I mean, Willow and the others know that spell to curse a vampire with a soul, so Buffy would still be good."

"Angel would sooner stake himself than condemn Buffy to his world," Wes sighed, silently mourning the chance that Angel and Buffy would seemingly never be given.~~~

"Choose!" Ash screamed at him, growing impatient with her brother. Angel knelt, readying himself to stand before them, when Ash's fist buried itself into the right side of his forehead, driving him backward to the floor. As his gash began to bleed once more, he looked up to give his sibling an intense stare. "I would rather die with her, than live without her. If you kill her...you kill me, so turning me...it wouldn't do you any good...considering I'd stake myself in an instant."

"Without your precious soul?" Ash disregarded his threat. "I highly doubt it brother."

"Having a soul has nothing to do with it. Even if you took mine away, it wouldn't matter- I'd still have hers. She'd still be in me- her heart, her soul. Which is more than I can say you'll ever have..."

"Blah, blah, blah..." Ashlan and Dru whirled around to the sound of the new voice approaching from behind.

Part Ten

"Why Spike," Ashlan said, in a tone of mocking disapproval, "you're...drooling." In full game face, Spike couldn't hold back an insane laugh. "Welcome to our little funhouse," Ash told him. "Have the sudden urge to join your friends here?"

With a sudden rage, he approached the two. "At the rate you two are going?" he laughed. "A blind chimp with a broken pencil would have a better chance of killing these two twits than you fools do."

"My Spike's had a change of heart- so to speak," Dru chuckled, sliding an arm across his chest from behind.

"Well considering his entire *lack* of one, I'm ruling that option out," Ash warns. "Beside's- Spike's been having a few, uh...*performance* problems as of late," she grinned. "Isn't that right, *William*?"

"And wouldn't you just adore trying to find out, love?" he smiles back at her, passing a sudden glimpse at Buffy who was eyeing him with a confused stare. "Bloody problem's gone," he announced, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small, cracked chip. "You were right- all it took was all the pain that came from turning you to short it out. Took a lil' while, but- I just had ol' witchy Tara remove it for me...before I drained her," he proudly boasted. "I've never felt better. That is, until I came walking into *this* pathetic scene."

He knelt down before his sire, raking a hand through Angel's sweat-streaked hair. "Since when do we ever give our victims options? There is no 'either' or 'instead'...only first and second- quickly and painfully. Am I the only one who remembers this??" Standing back to his feet, he strolled over to Dru, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her into his embrace as he nuzzled her neck. "You remember, don't you, baby?"

"How could I forget?" she smiled, leaning back further into his embrace. Ashlan was pacing anxiously in the center of the cement floor. "Christ- if it's not these two with the constant affections, its you two! What exactly do you want, Spike??"

Spike gestured to his sire and Buffy laid out on the floor. "If anyone's going to kill the both of them- it's going to be me."

"Well isn't that interesting," Ash said in a patronizing tone. She noticed him inching his way over to Buffy and, still skeptical of his change in attitude, reached out to grab him as he leaned down before the helpless slayer. "But why kill them so quickly...when we can watch them suffer? I mean- you're not the least bit interested in Angel's choice??"

"The only thing that interests me about that loser is how fast his blood will be flowing into my mouth- after I finish off blondie," Spike smiled, again turning his attentions back to Buffy.

"Call me old-fashioned, but I rather prefer the mind games approach. But...to be fair, I'll let you have a taste before we make Angel choose. So go ahead, Spike," she grinned, gesturing to Buffy. "My captured slayer is your captured slayer." Spike happily nodded. He conjured an attentive look towards Buffy's neck before raising his head back up. "On second thought- I'd much rather have a taste of Peaches," he laughed, crawling over to Angel. In a none too pleasant fashion, he grabbed him by his shirt, pulling the collar off to the side to expose his neck. Ashlan, eager to see him go through with it, knelt beside him. "Now pay close attention-" Spike instructed, leaning in closer. "You're about to be educated." A split second later, Angel could feel more of his strength being drained along with his blood.

Part Eleven

Accustomed to Spike's smugness while feeding, Ashlan conjured an attentive look. Alongside her, with her mouth slightly ajar stood Drusilla. "Now that's my Spikey...come here, luv," Dru held out open arms to embrace him as he pryed himself away from Angel's neck after having a taste. < Ugggh...who would've thought drinking from Peaches would be so...disgusting...hardly any flavor at all, the big, boring poof. > Spike thought to himself, wincing ever so slightly as the pain in his head, thankfully unnoticed by Ash and Dru, began to die down. He cast his glance upon Ash. "Now, what does our lesson suggest to you regarding methods of killing?"

"That killing is as fun to do as it is to watch?" she offered, a smile plastered across her face. Shaking his head slightly, Spike pulled the stake from his jacket pocket. "Not quite...our lil' lesson suggests that it's probably not a good idea to trust someone who happens to be well versed in methods of mayhem and madness," he said, regarding them coldly as he lunged for Ash. The new fledgling got to her feet, but Spike launched himself at her again, tagging one leg. All bets were off now; picking up the shorter girl, Spike spun her round and threw her against the wall. Plaster and brick crumbled, exploding outward with the repercussion. Seeing his chance as he watched Dru hurry over to the girl, Spike quickly set himself to freeing Buffy.

"You know what I love most about this job?" he asked her, lifting the final chain above her head. "The excitement." Buffy nodded without taking her eyes from Angel as she slid to his side. "He's hurt," she said, heaving a sigh. She turned her head to look at Spike. "You drank from him." Spike shrugged, as if to say that it was all part of the job. "Only a little...and it wasn't even that good. Righteous do-gooders are always bland."

Ashlan shook her head, pulling herself from the mess. She was moving slower, as though she was weakening or growing tired. For a second she wondered if it was because of the fight, the fact that dawn was approaching, or because she hadn't really "fed" that evening. A split-second later, Xander, Willow, and Tara came charging in around the corner of the building. Racing over to their friends, they quickly checked their bodies for any serious damage.

"Angel- your head! Are you alright?" Willow asked, helping the others get him up.

"Fine...I'm f- fine," he struggled, a bit of his slayer strength coming to the surface.

"You're not fine-" Buffy scolded him. "You all get him out of here- Spike and I will take care of these two."

"Give it up, you fools!" Dru's voice boomed. "None of you are getting out of here tonight." With that, Dru clapped her hands, awaiting her minions to come to their aid. When after a moment none were present, Xander took the opportunity to let her in on things.

"Your boys wanted to play," he smiled smugly, producing his own stake. "And we were more than happy to oblige. You'd be amazed how far a few stakes and a little magic will get ya nowadays."

"Not half as far as I'm going to bury all of you in the ground!" Dru's face took on a look of intense hatred as she charged for Buffy. The slayer anticipated her attack and managed to knee Drusilla in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her, and drives right hands to her eye. The two exchange a few blows until Buffy manages to catch her with a quick roundhouse. Dru is spun around, only to come into blunt contact with the fatal stake.

Momentarily dazed by what had just transpired, Spike carefully eyed the pile of ashes at his feet. He couldn't help but smirk. "That's one way of shutting the bitch up."

Spotting Ashlan approaching the blonde vamp, Angel grabbed Xander's stake, quickly tossing it at her- his jaw dropping slightly as she swiped it away with her hand. Finally freeing himself from his wife's and friends' grasps, he stumbled over to Spike's side to face her. "You...are not even worth the air you breathe now that you're actually human."

"I'd say take a long, hard look in the mirror," Spike says, "but that saying's kind of lost on you, isn't it?"

"You're one to talk, aren't you? Everyone else has had a turn playing the 'human game', ever wonder why you always seem to be the odd man out? We are who we are, Spike- people don't change!! Now, let me finish what I started...if I can never enjoy humanity, neither will he!"

Ash started toward Angel, but Spike again rushed her. With an almost nonchalant wave of her arm, Ashlan swung around, catching Spike across the chest, and sending him crashing into one of the piles oil drums. Spike frowned, exasperated. Ash saw the look, nodding slightly in acknowledgment. "If you all leave me be, I give you my word this will be my last kill," she began. "Once I turn him, I'll no longer have to- Angelus will be having enough fun for both of us."

"You've got to get through me first, girlie," Spike spat back, crouching and rushing in again. He caught Ash around the waist, and the two tumbled end-over-end in the refuse of building materials. Instantly they were both back on their feet, nimbly circling each other, studying and evaluating their opponent.

By now Buffy had moved close enough to get a good view of the fight and hear what was being said among the three. She tried to signal to them that she was nearby, hoping they could fend her off towards the sharp end of her stake in hand- her plan failed when Ash turned and glared directly at her. Staring into her eyes, appalled for some inexplicable reason, she never knew when the girl reached over and drew her out, circled her throat with one arm, and poised her other hand out in front of them. Cold dread froze Angel where he stood at the sudden change of events. "Buffy! Ler her go, Ash!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, brother."

"Let her go!" Angel demanded. He tried to remain calm and clear-headed. Here was a girl- his sister, his blood...the fact which had kept her alive until now- who could snap Buffy's neck quicker than he could move to save her, and the realization was nearly paralyzing.

"Let me be. Let me go my way, and you can go your way with her. Give me your word- I'll trust you," Ash insisted. Her grip never changed, her hand never wavered.

"Angel, don't!" Buffy cried out, not out of fear, but out of anger at herself for not killing Ashlan when she had the chance. Slowly Angel shook his head. "I can't let you go, Ash. I can't let you start all over."

"Even if it means her life?" Frantically, Angel looked around, searching for anything he could use to help Lois get out of the clutches of Ashlan. Far to the left behind him was a pile of lumber, some of it turned and shaped for some future purpose. Could he use some of it to make a stake? If he had to, could he drive a piece of wood into his own sister's heart?

"It doesn't matter, Ash, we'll hunt you until you've been stopped."

Ash glanced at the girl in her arms, her grip never wavering. Overhead, beyond the roofs of the nearby buildings and church, the first faint rays of dawn painted the sky. Suddenly, without warning, she ran a sharp nail across the scar on Buffy's neck, somehow knowing that it was her brother's mark, leaving a trail of blood running down the flesh. She released her and shoved her toward Angel and Spike. Buffy stumbled, nearly falling, as she crashed into her husband. Taken by surprise, Angel grabbed her, knocked backwards by the force of the impact.

"I only kill those *deserving*," Ashlan voiced darkly, drawing her leather duster tighter around her. "Wish you could say the same, eh Angel?" she laughed at her own misfortune, resorting to mind games once more before turning to run around the side of the building. Angel turned to Buffy, who was already waving off his question, giving him a little push. "I'm fine! Come on, we're going after her!"

"Spike- get all of them home, and hurry...the sun's almost up!" he ordered, giving Buffy a look that immediately told her not to argue with him.

Part Twelve

Finally reaching the warehouse roof, Ash halted in her pace to peer over the edge. Seeing and hearing nothing, she began walking over to the opposite edge. As she was glancing about, her back to the other side, a black-clad figure came swooping down on her from behind, as if out of nowhere, and grabbed hold of her neck, yanking her off her feet.

Ashlan screamed, more out of surprise than anything else, kicking booted feet in the air trying desperately to break away from his grip. Her hands free, she reached above her head for the rigid wrists that were lifting her and put all her strength into a downward tug on Angel's arms.

Angel flew headfirst as he was hurled, executing a midair somersault. When his feet planted firmly on the black tar rooftop, a nimble forward roll placed him out of arm's reach of his sister. Ash saw only a rolling ball of blackness until Angel whirled on her, showing the upper features of his determined face as well as the stake he held in his right hand. "I can last a lot longer than you can, Ash!" he yelled to her, eyeing the ever approaching dawn.

Ashlan drew in an unnecessary breath before attacking again, only to find Angel more than willing to meet her halfway. The two siblings struggled for dominance of the raised piece of wood until a right cross from Angel sent Ash and the stake he held in that hand flying. Before his sister could recover, Angel stepped in, grabbing her and lifting her off her feet, flinging her through a half circle. But Aslan was no slouch; she reversed the hold, answering her brother in kind, and landing him on his back atop the roof's edge.

The vampire pressed the attack, throwing herself on Angel and maneuvering him closer and closer to the edge. His back bent over the wall, Angel finally succeeded with a sudden boost of strenght in squirming out from under her, shoving her clear across the roof to the center.

Struggling to rally from their wounds, Angel and Ashlan eyed each other across the blacktop. Angel was certainly the worse off- already weakened from before, the gash on his forehead barely closed, and yet somehow he managed to meet Ash blow for blow.

Angel backhanded blood from one cheek and adjusted his hold on the retrieved stake. As he began pacing towards her, Angel came to a sudden halt, thwarted vindication oozing from him. Ashlan's face slowly shifted back to its human guise, hoping to get the better of her brother's emotions.

In Angel's eyes were reflected images of himself- except that they belonged to an earlier incarnation of Angelus. Angelus- who had brought destruction of many villages, who had dealt death to the cities of Europe, who had murdered his entire family with a gleeful smile.

"Gaze into your past, Angel," Ash was saying, shifting back into game face. "This is your former self, your true self...so tell me again why you refuse to join your own sister and become the greatness that you once were?" Not waiting for an answer, seeing her brother's hesistation, she dove at him, landing him onto his back- the stake knocked to his side.

She gazed up momentarily at the bright light shattering through the clouds. "I may be reduced to dust in a few minutes, but I'm not going alone," she spoke, her grip around his neck tightening as she attempted to take his last breath with her. "You wil be nothing. I'm sick of you. I'm sick of both of us!"

Angel reached deeply into himself, draining the resevoir of his contained power. Veins lept out of his taut neck as his arm stretched out to grab the nearby stake. His hand flew for the blunt end, grasping it tightly. Toppled by Angel's sudden shift in position, Ashlan was a second too late in fending off the stake's sharp entrance through her back, fatally piercing her heart.

Angel was still desperately trying to catch his breath as his sister's ashes speckled his shirt. Bit by bit, all that remained of Ash dusted the blackness of Angel's attire. As the sun's first rays came radiating over the roof's edge, Angel's arm was still raised with the stake in hand. < Did I...? > Angel questioned, glancing at the stake, then the dawning sun coming to a full rise over the horizon, then back at the stake. He sat up slightly, dropping the stake off to his side. The wind began to swirl the dust off of his clothes when he finally stood up, anxious to finally return home.

******

Part Thirteen

For several long minutes Angel remained outside the front doors of the mansion. He was, standing solemnly and stared silently at the few remains of his sister stuck in the intricate weavings of his sweater. The sunshine across his chest and face felt good- warm and full of vibrant strength. Slowly, finally, he opened the front door, dusting himself off completely. Trying not to make much noise, fearing he would wake any of the others trying to catch some sleep, he silently paced inside.

He found Buffy, as well as the others, wide awake and nervously pacing the floor of the great hall. He entered noiselessly, but she saw him from the corner of her eye and rushed into his embrace where they melded, seeking comfort and relief in each other's arms and lips. She never asked if Ash was dead- she had no need to. And he was glad not to have to answer any questions at the moment. Wordlessly they walked upstairs, hand in hand, and crawled into bed to catch the last hours remaining of the early dawn. The others, exhausted from the night's events and overjoyed that things had finally been resolved, all made their way to their own guest rooms, all anxious to redeem a few hours of sleep.

After only a few moments of finally getting to hold each other after so long, Buffy and Angel were interrupted by a tiny knock at their door. Without waiting for permission to enter, Dawn padded her way over to them. "Can I...stay in here with you guys? Just until I have to go to school?" Her wide eyes and small smile that reminded him so much of Buffy were all it took for Angel to gather the young girl into a strong hug. The three got comfortable under the covers, Dawn snuggling up between her sister and brother-in-law, finally letting sleep take over her weary body.

7:03am. All were still asleep in the house- or so Angel thought as he crept out of his wife's embrace, dragging Dawn along with him.

"Can't I stay home with you guys today?" she pleaded, giving him the trademark Summer's pout.

"Dawn..." Angel sighed, pouring her a glass of orange juice.

"All right- I can take a hint. You and Buffy are going to be busy making up with the major smoochies in bed all day. Gotcha..." Angel tried to hide a faint blush, but Dawn still noticed it. She grabbed her bag, gathering her books together. "Tell Buffy I said bye?"

"Sure thing," he smiled at her. Reaching up on tiptoe, Dawn wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug before placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "Love you, Angel."

"Love you too, Dawnie." Watching her head out the front door, Angel stopped in his tracks as he could feel his latest companion to join him in the kitchen approaching. "Morning, Spike," he said over his back, placing the carton of juice back in the fridge. The blonde vamp hesitated before fully entering the kitchen.

"You gonna kill me?"

"Well that depends…were you the one to leave the lid off of the milk?" he smiled, finally turning to face him over the fridge's still opened door.

"I think it's pretty safe to say that wasn't my doing. Sounds like your wife's handy work to me," he smiled back at him. He watched as Angel set out to fixing breakfast, gathering a few pans and plates. "Can we talk?" Angel nodded as he followed his childe into the great hall to sit.

"Thought you weren't into that touchy-feely stuff, Spike?"

"Well you never know- I just may surprise you one of these days."

"You always do," Angel agreed. "Look, Spike...thanks for-"

"Mmm-" Spike waved a hand at him as Angel began his thanks. "No worries," he smirked, taking a smoke out of his pocket. "Buffy's not awake is she?"

"Not yet- but she will be if you smoke that thing long enough," Angel smiled.

"Well I'd take it outside," he said, pulling out his lighter and lighting up, "but seeing as how the sun's up..." he trailed off. "It's weird, ya know? Dru's finally gone...and at my hands. Never thought I'd see the day, ya know?" Spike stood, beginning to pace around in front of the fireplace. "I don't regret it though...and I've lived to regret almost everything I've done- you know that better than anyone. I've done...a lot of terrible things in my lifetime...a lot of terrible things. But the one good thing that I've done- the one good thing, is staying here and helping you- all of you."

"We've appreciated it," Angel spoke up, adjusting his position on the couch.

"You know what it's like, man. You go through life...a creature...not quite human but not quite a monster. 'Til you find your place. You were lucky enough to find it with Buffy...and I was lucky enough to find it with all of you. That's the one good thing I can say about all of ya- you don't treat me like a monster...you treat me like a man...and that...means a lot to me."

"You're not a monster, Spike."

"And neither are you..." Spike took a seat beside his sire in the couch, hoping to talk some more sense into him. "Let me ask you a few things...tonight- given the choices you were given...if I hadn't come in there and saved your ass," he flashed a proud smug, "what would you have chose?"

"I...I would've let them turn me...then I would've staked myself before I could even touch a hair on Buffy's head."

"Those aren't the words of a cold-blooded, monsterous killer, Angel." Still seeing his apprehension, Spike turned slightly to face him more clearly. "If you could go back and change things...you'd never have been turned by Darla...would you do it?" Angel took in a deep breath before answering.

"Knowing what I know now? No...only because if I'd never been turned...I'd have never known Buffy."

"Angel...all those years ago...that wasn't you, man- you've got to realize that. Your family...turning Ash...that wasn't you. I mean hell- the fact that the bloody Powers gave you back your humanity is proof enough that you weren't responsible for any of it. And on top of all that, you've got someone who wouldn't care if you went running naked through the entire city wearing a squid on your head and singing bleedin' showtunes...actually I think she'd enjoy that..."

It took all of Buffy's strength to supress her laughter at Spike's last comment as she continued listening to their conversation from the stairwell.

Part Fourteen

"The point is- Buffy's going to love you no matter what happens…so my suggestion is to put an end, once and for all, to all of your brooding, and enjoy what you've been given...enjoy what you deserve." The corners of Angel's mouth turned up a bit as he reached over to grab Spike's smoke out of his mouth. "You shouldn't smoke these...they'll kill ya," he smiled, tossing it into the fireplace.

"I'll take my chances," Spike smiled, standing to his feet, heading for his own guest room at the end of the hall. "Hey, Angel?" Angel turned from his path back into the kitchen. "Look, I'm...I'm sorry as hell for what happened to your sister..."

"Yeah..." Angel whispered, giving Spike a final smile as he disappeared into his room to get some sleep.

Buffy walks downstairs slowly, noticing Angel staring into oblivion as he stands in the kitchen. She approaches him almost in a creep and kisses him on the neck from behind, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Morning..." she sighs into his back.

"Morning...I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't...I felt you get up," she smiled as he turned around to face her. "Dawn already leave for school?"

"Yeah..." he slipped his hand into hers as she pulled him towards the steps. "Everyone else is still asleep."

"Mmm...let 'em sleep," she shrugged.

"We have to talk," they said in unison, both laughing afterwards at their shared train of thought. As they finally reached their bedroom, they say together on their bed, facing each other as Buffy began.

"I was kinda...listening in during your talk with Spike." Angel slumped his shoulders slightly, almost letting out something between a sigh and laugh as he looked towards the floor. Grabbing his chin with one hand, Buffy pulled his face up to look at her. "What he said was true...you know that, don't you? It's not your fault what happened to Ash. None of it was your fault...she couldn't be saved."

"I know..." he whispered, reaching an arm out to pull her into his arms. Stroking her head softly, running his fingers through her soft, golden tresses, he let out a deep sigh. "Spike asked me if I would've changed anything about...my past if I could." Pulling away from her slightly to gaze into her eyes, he continued. "As painful and horrible as all of it was...I would've rather died that day a million times over, than to live a million lifetimes without knowing you."

"I don't know what I would've done if you'd never come into my life, Angel," Buffy says with that familiar smile that Angel fell in love with so many years before. He pulls her close and softly presses his lips against hers. "I love you," he says as he pulls away for a quick minute.

"I love you." Getting lost in the passionate kissing, each of the lovers begins to think of how much they truly did love one another with all of their heart and soul, knowing they could never be complete with anyone else. Somehow, in the heat of the moment, the couple forgot about making breakfast for their friends and became lost in each others touch.

"Hey!" The couple upstairs ignore Xander's whines from the kitchen. "Where are the pancakes?? Ya know, this is *no* way to be treating a guy who's getting married in a few weeks! If I'm out all night, fighting vamps and other creepy-crawlers, risking my cute little neck for people without so even much as a thank you-" he begins shouting up towards the stairway, "because they're too busy sucking face-" his shouts are soon met with the slamming of the master bedroom door, "I expect pancakes the next morning!"

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