With an hour left before graduation, Buffy finds herself surprisingly nervous as she stands in Cordelia's bedroom. After spending the morning in a daze, too worried about Angel to show much interest in traveling around town with her father, she finds herself finally perking up getting to spend her last few moments as a highschooler with Cordelia and Willow.

Cordelia primps Buffy's robe, trying to smooth as many of the wrinkles out as she can. She steps back, arms folded, assessing her work, while trying to keep up appearances around the slayer. Willow had told them all about the supposed prophecy that could turn Angel human, but the brunette suspected that she was the only other one to know, besides Willow and Giles, what would need to be done tonight for it to happen. "Not bad," she forces out a smile. "Not exactly dry clean perfection, but passable."

Buffy walks across Cordy's bedroom, looking into the mirror with a mixture of anxiety and satisfaction. "It'll do fine. Thanks." Idly smoothing out a few folds of her own burgandy gown, Willow timidly raises her head, looking towards her best friend. "H- how's Angel?"

Buffy bites her lower lip, forcing a smile. "I don't know...I tried calling him but he didn't pick up..."

"Oh Buffy, I'm sure he's okay," Willow tries assuring her. "Isn't that right, Cordelia?" She turns to Cordy for support, finding a new and almost disturbing look on her face. "Cordy...?"

"Mmm-hmm..." The brunette passes her a suspicious smile as she busy herself fitting Buffy's head with the cap, working with her hair until it fits.

"Are you guys sure?" the slayer sighs, feeling the depression starting to kick in again. "I mean, I'd just feel so much better if I could see him, or at least talk to him before having to sit through some long and boring graduation worrying about him."

"Oh Buffy, I'm sure he was just resting," Willow tries again, anxious to change the subject for both Buffy's and her own conscious' sake. "And who says graduation is going to be boring? I intend to be entertaining during my speech, so I'd better not see any of you sleeping while I'm up on stage."

"You? Entertaining??" Cordy blurts out in typical fashion. Receiving a stunned glare from the brunette, as well as a sympathetic look from Buffy, Willow can only pout as she grabs her own cap.

"Well...just promise me you won't snore..."

******

Listen to the waves
Everything communicates
Will it ever be
Anything more
Than wishful thinking?

Joyce snaps yet another picture of the three girls, leaving them all nearly staggering from the repeated flashes. Buffy rubs her eyes as her mother pops out the film and inserts another roll. A repeated honking gets their attention as Hank pulls his Explorer into Cordelia's driveway, motioning to his wrist to indicate the time. They all quickly pile in, with the girls maneuvering so as to not rip their gowns.

"It's too bad your parents had to go out of town for the week, Cordelia," Joyce turns back in the passenger's seat to face her.

"I doubt they even would've came if they *were* in town," the brunette mutters under her breath. Though she hated to admit it, she envied the relationship that Buffy had with Joyce. And even though she hadn't known Hank for too long, she could see even he had more of a relationship with Buffy than she did with her own parents.

Staring blankly out the car window, Buffy can feel an anxiety building in her stomach as the moment draws nearer. In just a little over an hour, she thinks, her heart pounding at a frenzied pace, it'll be over. It'll be all over. Childhood will come to a screeching halt, replaced by both promise and uncertainty.

Oh no, there you go Looked away and missed the show How much wasted time Will you survive?

Willow, Cordy, and Buffy were walking across the high school parking lot towards the football field when Oz and Xander called out to them. "Lookin good girls," Xander pulls Cordy into his arms, giving her a tight, reassuring hug. As he pulls away, he can feel Willow's hands reaching up to his head. She quickly adjusts Xander's cap, brushing the tassel out of his face. "Well, you look dapper enough for the occasion. I'd even go so far as to say you look, dare I say, handsome."

He lifts the cap slightly, and is nearly blinded as Joyce's bright light flashes before him. "Hey! Easy with the bright lights there- I don't want to end up walking into anything as I'm fighting to rip the diploma out of Snyder's reluctant grasp."

"You and me both, Xand," Buffy smiles, giving her own hat a quick adjustment. "I'll be surprised if Snyder manages to hand me a diploma he hasn't laced with poison."

"Buffy...?" Hank lifts his head curiously at his daughter's last remark, "you're still having disciplinary problems in school? After everything that happened in LA?"

Feel the blades of grass
How it brings you back
It will always be
Only as green
As you can see

Buffy, along with her mother, can only sigh, each letting out their own small, irritated laugh. "No dad..." Buffy smirks at him, looping an arm with Willow as the friends move past him, "...no problems at all...at least none you'd ever show an interest in..." Leaving Hank to deal with her mother's own fury at his behavior, the slayer can't help but think back over her life, and where in those brief eighteen years could she find a memory of her father not disapproving of almost everything she'd done.

Oh no, there you go
Looked away and missed the show
How much wasted time
Will you survive?
Oh yeah, fooled again
Don't know how
And I don't know when
Not much else to blame
But wishful thinking

"You're mulling..." Willow's cheerful voice brings her back to reality. "No mulling on graduation day."

"Yeah Buffster," Xander moves to her side, slinging an arm over her shoulders. "Don't wanna have a gloomy face for the rest of your mother's ten roles of film."

"All right everyone," they can hear Giles' voice call out over the already assembled class, "time to fall in. You have an entire community awaiting your company."

As they reach their destination, Xander responds to the librarian with a mock salute. "Yes sir, Mr. G-man!"

"Xander-" Giles lets out a sigh, "fix your hat. And will you please stop calling me that! You'll be out of highschool in a matter of minutes- grow up!"

As they file away, Xander's cap was caught by the breeze, and goes sailing down the pavement as they all give chase, screaming and laughing like children at play...the sound of innocence.

Little breakdowns
In coastal towns
They come suddenly
Crashing over you
They come...
...easily

I'm falling through the sky
Through frozen places

They assemble as a mass at the back of the school, strolling down the bright pavement and taking their seats in groups of two, Pomp and Circumstance blaring on the P.A. system. Buffy sits in the third row, plopping down in the chair as she looks around, watching the crowd as countless flashes, whistles, cheers, and screams of encouragement emanate from everyone's families. The enormity of it all was overwhelming. In just a few short minutes, she would graduate. She would receive her diploma, and then look to the future. No more procrastination, no more delays. It was here. It was now. It was the end...and the beginning.

And yet, when her thoughts should've turned to the options that lay ahead of her, planning out whatever future career a slayer could have, her mind quickly drifts to the only certainty she'd ever known in life- Angel. She had gone to sleep with him on her mind. And, like always, when she was most troubled, she fell into dreams. But last night, after so many before spent with wonderful images of herself and the souled vampire, she found only herself. Alone on a winding, dirt path with wide, flat pastures that grew wildflowers of crimson and pink on the left, and on the right, yellow and white blossoms swayed gently in the soft, warm breeze.

She had looked out across the field, both relieved and surprised to have finally spotted Angel, laughing and happy as he approached her. Finally closing the distance between them, he smiled up at her, and was about to speak when Buffy finally took notice of the red stain that was quickly growing on her shirt. She could almost feel it in her sleep as she cast her eyes down, watching the small trickle of blood sliding down her neck, seeping through the white fabric. But before she could even lift her eyes to Angel, she had woken up, bolting straight up in bed, a cold shiver staying with her for the rest of the night.

Oh no, there you go
Looked away and missed the show
How much wasted time
Will you survive?
Oh yeah, fooled again
Don't know how
And I don't know when
Not much else to blame
But wishful thinking

"Students, parents, staff, gathered family, guests, and alumni, I wish to welcome you to the commencement of the 1999 graduating class of Sunnydale High School!" Principal Snyder recites over the P.A. as everyone's attention shifts to the stage. "Before we begin, please rise and join us in the singing of our school song, which is on the back of your programs."

In all honesty, none of them knew a single line of the song, nor did they care. This was their moment, and they wanted to relish every second of it before they walked up to the stage and walked into a new life. Following a motley mix of bizarre medleys, they sit down again, laughing wildly. Even Buffy seems to have regained her spirits, joking about how bad Xander's cap fit.

"If I may have your attention please," they hear Snyder's voice cut their antics short as they settle back into their seats, all of them snickering and biting their tongues so as not to laugh. "I turn the stage over to class valedictorian Willow Rosenburg who will give a brief speech and then we will proceed with the distribution of diplomas." As the applause quickly builds to a roar, thanks to the extra efforts of the Scoobs, Willow approaches Snyder at the podium, a few index cards beginning to shake in her already trembling hands. "Make it quick, Rosenburg," Snyder warns, handing the stage over to her as he takes a seat.

And I try to
Realize that I needn't look any further
The whole of the universe
Is plain to see

"Friends, family, distinguished guests, and my fellow classmates," she begins, praying to any higher power that would keep her from bumbling through her words. "I spent many nights awake thinking about what I could say tonight that you would remember. Act- actually...I'm not sure if many of you will even remember my name after all of this is over...but one thing that I am sure of is what matters most to me in my life...my friends."

The four teens, along with Giles, perk their heads up, focusing even more intently on Willow's words. "Friends will give you support, they help when needed, and they keep you from being lonely. Also, having friends gives you the chance to experience what your friend is doing for you. Sometimes giving is more enjoyable than getting. I couldn't imagine the last four years without my friends. That's why I'd like to thank all of them right now, and I would like to say that I could not have made it through without you all.

So, tonight, aside from the importance of friendship, my message is simple: make it a goal to discover what really matters in life. The things we usually fill most of our time with are often times not the things that matter the most. Let us decide today that we will take the time to do something valuable, or better yet...to be someone who makes a difference. Thank you."

As the students and crowd enthusiastically respond to Willow's speech, Snyder didn't exactly share their sentiments. Pulling her aside before allowing her to return to her seat, he leans over to whisper to her. "Very touching, Rosenburg..." he smirks. "A real heartwarmer. I hope you weren't referring to Buffy Summers and the rest of those future burdens to society in your little spectacle up there."

Suddenly no longer in fear of what possible repercussions could come of her actions, Willow pulls her arm out of his grasp before smiling back at him. "As a matter of fact, I was. Oh- and my name's Willow...and you Mr. Snyder can just kiss my ass."

Staring dumbfounded at her as she takes her seat, Snyder hesitantly takes to the microphone once more. "Th- thank you, Miss Ros- umm...Willow. Ladies and gentlemen, we have assembled here tonight to celebrate something of great significance. Each of these students has proven that hard work and dedication is its own reward..."

Buffy tunes his false praises out as she considers that significance. The comprehension struck her like a thunderclap. < It's over. All of it. Over. I'll walk up to the stage and receive my diploma, then...what? >

One by one, they walk up to the stage, shake Snyder's hand, and return to their seats with diploma in hand. Xander adds to the spectacle in his own inimitable fashion, screaming "Hallelujah! Free at last! Free at last!" as he ambles off the stage and jogs back to his seat. Portions of the assembly broke out in laughter. < Class clown to the end, > Buffy laughs to herself.

The rest of them would follow suit, sans the comic relief. Each of them receive the traditional handshake, receive the traditional diploma, and make the traditional walk back to their seats. They say nothing to one another as the rest of the student body also partakes of the ceremony. They drink it in, the remarkability of the moment. The field lights pop on as the sun starts to set on the horizon. < A fitting gesture of symbolism, > Buffy thinks. < The sun will set tonight, then rise tomorrow- the birth of a new day. > And the birth of a new life for the slayer.

And I try not
To rely on another world
Or the future
The whole of the universe
Is a mystery

******

They gather in the side parking lot after changing out of their 'formal attires' in the locker rooms following the ceremony. Xander, relieved to be free of his awkward-fitting cap at last, doesn't seem to stop beaming at the thought that he'd no longer have to be subjected to the horrors of highschool life. Buffy's parents walk up to them with their congratulations, and Joyce stretches out her arms to get their attention. "Alright people, here's the plan," she says. "Half of you go in Oz's van, the rest of you will come with us in the Explorer. We're all headed back to our house for a little party. Mr. Giles," she turns to the ex-watcher, "you'll be joining us I hope?"

"Yes. Yes, of course. But I've got a few...things to finish up here. Then I have to, umm...pick up one or two items at my apartment-"

"Aww...you didn't have to buy us anything, G-man," Xander gushes over him.

"I didn't," he chuckles. "At least not for people who insist on calling me that. But I will be over as soon as I've taken care of everything," he passes around a warm smile before turning to head to his own car. "Oh- umm...Willow? May I...speak with you for a minute?"

"Sure..." The redhead walks alongside him through the parking lot, already having a pretty good idea as to what he wanted to talk about.

"I'm going over to the mansion right now...check up on Angel. You and Buffy meet me there in a little bit, but none of the others."

"But Giles...I already told them about the prophecy-"

"Yes, but none of them know about the actual act. I'm afraid of how they would react knowing what Buffy must do."

"Alright...give us about an hour...we'll be over."

Minutes after Giles and the Scoobs head their separate ways, the graduates are tumbling out of Hank's Explorer and Oz's trusty van as they pull up to the Summers' house. They had removed their graduation attire, and were anxious to get a nice family meal together. Buffy was tossing her robe into the back seat as the others were goofing around, walking up the porch into her home.

Dinner soon turned into a happy retrospective of the friends' memories of some of their better moments in their four years at Sunnydale High. Xander kept Hank entertained with his good-natured antics, while Willow and Cordelia endeared themselves even more to him with their charming and bubbling personalities. For his part, Oz was enjoying just sitting back, watching the others interact and engage in conversation- not exactly his area of expertise.

While the others were enjoying themselves, Buffy can't help but grow more worried about Angel. He'd promised to be at the house at sundown, which was a good thiry minutes ago. She now began fearing the worst, that he wasn't physically able to keep his promise and had been ravaged again by whatever was causing his weakened state. "Honey?" Joyce places a hand on her shoulder, "you're awfully quiet. Anything wrong?"

"I'm just worried about Angel. He should've been here by now. I think I'm gonna run upstairs and change then head over to the mansion. Make sure he's okay." With that, she pulls away from the table and begins racing up the stairs until her mother's voice draws her to a hault.

"Honey, no-" Joyce hesitates. She didn't want to ruin her daughter's surprise by letting her see her now-emptied room, but she was also well aware of how troubled Buffy would be without checking on her boyfriend. Before she can get another word out, the phone rings.

"I'll get it in my room," Buffy draws in a sharp breath, "maybe it's Angel." Not waiting for her mother to respond, Buffy charges into her room, only to be struck by the realization of it's total lack of everything. Only a few of her posters were left hanging on the mostly bare walls. The plush carpet, phone, and bright curtains were the only two pieces of proof that the room had ever been inhabited. The slayer is so baffled that she almost doesn't notice that the phone had already been picked up.

Gathering her bearings, trying to get over her first shock of finding her room gone, she picks up the phone, only to hear even more devastating news.

"...well is he alright?" Willow's worried voice comes leaping over the line, panic and fear clearly evident in her tone.

"I put him into bed..." Giles breathes out, "but...Willow- we're out of time. He's not going to last much longer."

"I'll get Buffy. We'll be right over."

Trying to maintain whatever senses she had left, Buffy hurries down the stairs, seeing Willow waiting for her at the bottom. "Buffy- that was Giles. We need to-"

"I heard," she cuts her off, the fear and anger raising in her voice. "What's going on? I go upstairs to find a hole in the wall where my room should be, and now you and Giles have been keeping something from me about Angel??"

"Buffy..." Willow finds herself unable to explain things just yet, hoping desperately that she wouldn't lose her best friend in the process. "We have to get to the mansion. Please, just...let's just go..."

"Honey, what's going on?" Joyce steps up behind them, anxious to hear what Angel's condition was.

"We have to go to the mansion right now," Buffy states, an intensity lacing over her words.

"What's wrong?" Xander calls over to them as he, Cordelia, Oz, and Hank join them.

"That was Giles," Willow answers. "He, uh..." She looks to Hank, trying to come up with some sort of believable excuse other than the truth. "...needs some help taking care of some...wrapping up things from graduation. You know- collecting gowns and hats and stuff. Oh- plus...Xander has a few overdue library books that he needs to bring to him right away."

"I do?" Receiving a subtle kick to the shin from his girlfriend, he quickly shuts up. "Oh- yeah. Don't wanna have them take away my diploma. Come on, let's go."

The friends were in such a frenzy piling into Oz's van that Willow completely forgets what Giles had told her about bringing everyone. "Aw man..." she sighs, bringing a hand to her forehead.

"Somebody better start explaining things," Buffy nearly shouts, casting her eyes from one friend to another, looking for answers.

"Willow..." Cordelia leans over, "does this have anything to do with tonight? What Giles told you about-"

"How did you...you heard?"

"I accidently picked up the phone this morning," she defends herself. "Not like I was spying on you or anything!"

"Wait- what happened this morning?" Buffy raises her eyes to them.

"Giles called us while we were at Angel's," Xander blurts out, though instantly regrets opening his mouth. "Xander...you've got a really big mouth that you need to keep shut with Twinkies at all times..." he mutters to himself, letting out a nervous laugh as he sees Buffy angrily staring at him.

"Look-" Buffy raises an arm in the air to stop their fussing. "One of you had better tell me what the hell is going on right now and why none of you had the decency to tell me before!"

******

Buffy comes pounding through the mansion's front doors, the rest of the Scoobs trying to catch up with her. "What happened? Angel- is he alright??"

"Yes," comes Giles' soft reply. "He passed out and took a tumble down the stairs. I took him up...stairs..." Giles trails off, watching as his former slayer flys up the massive stairway. Lifting a shaky hand to his head, he removes his glasses and turns his head, only to see all of the others standing in the great hall, staring at him with blank, helpless faces.

"What are you all doing here?" he asks them all, though his eyes turn accusingly to Willow. "There's no need for you all to stay." Not expecting Xander to be the one to confront him, Giles replaces his glasses, blinking back a few times as the young man approaches him.

"Angel's sick...Buffy's a nervous wreck...we stay."

A streak of moonlight drew away behind the heavy drawn draperies as Angel slowly begins to open his eyes, immediately settling them on Buffy, sitting on the bed by his side. A soft breeze was blowing in, playing in her hair as she reaches out a hand to softly caress his sweat-streaked face, feeling Angel move slightly in response to her. "Angel?" her voice whispers as she leans forward to give him a closer look. "Are you...?"

"I'm okay..." he tries insisting for the millionth time that week.

"Would you stop saying that?" she snaps back at him. "Whatever's happening to you has gone way beyond just scaring me. Giles, Willow and the others are all downstairs," she announces, feeling him tense at the librarian's name.

"Giles? You...talked to Giles?" < Did he tell her about the prophecy? >

"No. Angel- has Giles or Willow said anything to you about what's going on?" She feels his hesitation to reveal anything and instantly pushes him for an answer. "Angel- what's going on? What have Giles and Willow told you?" As he opens his mouth to tell her the little bit that Willow had told him, another voice can be heard coming up the stairs.

"Buffy..." Willow sticks her head in the door frame, fearing her friend's reaction, "Giles wants to...talk...downstairs. He said to br-"

"I'll be down in a minute," Buffy's stern voice shoots back.

"But he wants you to bring down-"

"Willow- just get out! I'll be down in a minute!" Not wanting to cause her any more reason to be upset, Willow turns back around, headed downstairs with the others.

A few minutes later, Buffy emerges at the top of the stairs, slowly making her descent. The others were all seated around the fireplace, a heavy silence draped over them. As she approaches, she opens her mouth, shakes her head, and snaps it shut. Other than the clock and the soft crackling of the fire, there was no sound among them.

"How's Angel?" Willow takes it upon herself to open things up, nervously lifting her eyes to face Buffy.

"Sleeping..." she quickly answers back, now folding her arms across her chest. "What is going on? And right about now, I'd appreciate the truth, since anything less is apt to get you all beaten-"

"Buffy-" Giles tries calming her, but he couldn't stop her- she was in full rant mode.

"Don't 'Buffy' me, Giles! You're in on this too! Now what the hell is happening to Angel?!"

With a deep sigh, Willow shifts a bit in her seat before finally explaining things to Buffy. "When you first told me about Angel getting sick, I started doing some research. Giles and I...found an ancient prophecy about the 'souled vampire' who would finally regain his humanity. Something called Shanshu. It talks about the vampire's redemption being brought about by the strongest lifeforce known to the universe-"

"In this case," Giles interjects, "the bond that you two share. It's quite powerful-"

"Gee- what a shocker!" Buffy throws her hands up in the air. "Never saw that startling revelation coming! Still confused over here- what exactly is happening to him?"

"He's becoming human, Buffy..." Giles simply states, finding Buffy, for the first time he could remember, at a loss for words. "It's a process you see. It started at the beginning of the week. As he continued to regain his humanity, his body became more steadily and more extremely affected by the factors that humanity brings with it."

"So that's why he's been so sick? Because his body can't handle it?"

"Not without..." The englishman hesitates, averting his eyes to the floor.

"Without what?" Getting no response from any of them, Buffy's strangled voice shouts out to them once more. "Damn it- without what?!"

"The sacrifice..." Giles resumes softly. "The humanity has to be anchored by an ultimate, noble sacrifice-"

"You call letting someone drink your blood noble?!" Cordelia blurts out in her typical fashion. "It's just gross if you ask me."

"What is she babbling about?" Buffy sighs, sounding frustrated and harried even to herself. "Guys- just stop, okay! Stop with the cryptic and tell me what Angel needs to get better!"

There was a moment's silence before Giles lifts his eyes to her. He had an expression on his face Buffy couldn't quite read- she didn't believe she'd ever seen it before. Somewhere between hopelessness and disbelief at what he was about to tell her.

"Your blood. If Angel doesn't...without your blood to maintain him, well..."

Buffy slips into a sudden daze, her ears falling deaf to Giles' stammering. She could only gaze at them all, her eyes bright and lustrous with the emotions running rampant throughout her- shock, bewilderment, confusion, but never once, for a single moment, do her mind and heart harbor any doubt as to what she would do tonight. And while she remains there, mesmerized by all that she'd finally been informed of, tears begin to spill out of her eyes.

"It took you all...three days...to tell me any of this while I've had to stand by...watching my lover die. My only question for you is why?"

"Buffy...we didn't want to-"

"What?!" she turns to face Giles more fully. "You didn't want to worry me, is that it?! Didn't want to get my hopes up that Angel could finally gain back the humanity that was stolen from him?!"

"Well...those make our top ten list," Xander tries lightening their mood, but finds his efforts met with a round of sharp glares.

"This is fun for you, isn't it Xander?!" Buffy yells at him, trying to stifle a sob. "Everything's just one big joke to you, isn't it? Always has been..."

Taken aback by her outburst, Xander goes to speak up, but stops himself once he feels Cordelia's hand come to rest on his shoulder. The other Scoobs, unsure of how to act, continue staring after Buffy as she makes her way over to the stairs. Wishing she could somehow redo the past 72 hours, Willow follows after her.

"What can we..." she reaches out a tentative hand to place on her best friend's shoulder, but winds up pulling it back when she feels Buffy flinch away.

"Don't...touch me."

"Please..." the redhead, now on the verge of tears herself, desperately tries again. "What can we do?"

"Leave...go home. All of you...just leave us here..."

"Wait a minute-" Xander pushes past Cordelia, no longer able to hold himself back. "You're not actually going to go through with this, are you? You're going to let him...feed off of you? How do we even know this prophecy is the real deal?"

"Xander..." Giles tries warning him, but again finds himself incapable of reaching any of them.

"No- I'm serious! Buffy, this is insane! You're the slayer, and you're gonna let a vampire- umph!!" Xander's head goes reeling back, his body following suit, as the impact of Buffy's solid punch almost knocks him off of his feet.

"I would die for him..." she proudly states, turning to head up the stairs once again. "Now go...there's nothing that any of you can do or say. If you're not all gone when I come back down...I'll put you all out myself."

Seeing Xander take another step towards stopping her, Giles grabs him by the arm, pulling him back into the great hall. "Don't. Let's just go."

"You've got to be kidding me! You're just gonna let her stay here to have him sink his fangs into her?!"

"Now you listen to me!" Giles' yell matches Xander as he grabs him more forcefully, surprising himself and the others. "I am not leaving her here to have a vampire feed from her...I'm leaving her here to give her and a fine young man who all of us, including *you*, have come to trust and depend on over the years, a chance at a normal life together. A chance to forge a new destiny for the both of them, away from the darkness they've both been condemned to for so long.

In case you haven't noticed, that girl loves and needs him more than anyone else in her life- including all of us. And Angel has proven on more than one occasion just how much he worships her. So unless you plan on spending the next few evenings in the intensive care unit of the hospital, may I suggest that for once you shut up and go home!"

******

Black, orange, white, and red
Dresses hanging off your bed
From now until you reach your grave
Baby I will be your slave

When she's certain that the others have left, Buffy enters Angel's room, taking a seat on the bed. She can hear Angel whimpering in his sleep, caught up in a delirious state. She glances around the room, finally noticing where all of her things had traveled.

"Buffy..." comes Angel's weak voice as he takes a few haggard breaths. "It's you..."

"It's me," she forces a smile out, placing a gentle hand against his sweaty cheek. "I see you and mom have already planned on renting out my room," she chuckles, happy to see a small smile form at the corners of his mouth.

"I wanted to...to surprise you. For graduation...moving in with me." After a fit of painful coughing he continues. "Won't get to have it now...

"Don't talk like that...we'll be all cuddled up with Mr. Gordo tomorrow night."

"I didn't...want to go without seeing you."

"Angel..." she begins, forcing back her own tears, "...I can cure you."

"It's okay..." he whispers, taking another gulp of air. "I'm ready."

"Angel, listen to me- sit up," she instructs him, wincing herself as she sees a bolt of pain cross his features. "You're going to live. You *have* to live...and you're going to be human," her mouth betrays her, forming a small smile at the thought.

"Giles...Willow...told you?" At her simple nod, he presses further for an answer. "What do I...the sacrifice...Willow never told me...what is it?" He sees her eyes dead set on his own, a fervent determination in her voice as she answers him.

"Drink..." Angel's eyes search her face in a state of confusion, watching as she removes his own leather jacket, revealing even more of her skin through her black tank top. "Drink me..."

Ask for your hand to hold
I could never be so bold
I could never be so brave
Baby I will be your slave

Angel feels a cold thread of terror slip down the center of his mind. "No..." he hears himself say in a panicked voice.

"It's the only way." Her voice comes sharp, holding a commanding note he'd rarely heard her use.

"Get away..." Desperate to get himself as far away from her and the idea as possible, he pushes her aside, trying to pull himself to his feet.

"It'll save you. Angel- you'll be human."

"It'll kill you," he matches her resolute voice, closing his mind off to the demon's voice raging within to break her skin and drink from her lifeforce.

"Maybe not- not if you don't take it all."

"You can't ask me to do this."

"I won't let you die," Buffy softly cries. "I can't."

"No...I won't. I'd rather die...it's over..."

I had a dream of bleeding skies
Crippled legs and static eyes
All I stole and all I gave
Baby I will be your slave

Stumbling on his feet, Angel clumsily makes his way down the stairs, reaching a hand out to steady himself against a wall as he crosses over into the great hall. Losing his balance, his legs giving way, he feels himself falling forward, knocking into the nearby table. Buffy catches him in time to prevent his full descent to the floor, pulling him back to his feet where he stands with his head spinning and his stomach churning.

"It's never over- not with us! It will never be over with us! I won't let you die. Drink..."

"Please..." he begs her, tearing his eyes away from her, trying to maintain his resolve.

Seeing no other way, Buffy does what she realizes she should've done at first. She balls up her fist, whips it back, and sends it straight across Angel's jaw, praying his demon would bring forth its rage, gaining control. Only slightly reeling from the blow, Angel lifts his head back up to face her. He wanted Buffy to see him, to see him on the verge of tears himself at what she was asking him to do. But once again he feels her fist connect with his face, this time more forcefully.

Staggering on his feet by now, he meets her gaze again, his eyes momentarily traveling to the curve of her neck. He quickly turns his head, sickened by what she offered to do, yet full of admiration that she has the courage and love for him to do so. Buffy swallows a small sob before punching him a third time, finally succeeding in her task, bringing his demon to the surface, forcing his game face on.

He feels Buffy's hand go up, wrapping around his neck, and tries to stop her, but there was no strength left in his body or mind. Buffy draws in a convulsive breath and pulls his face to the curve of her neck, cradling him in a strong grip to keep him from tearing away from her. His hesitation lasts only a moment before he hugs her tightly to him, supporting her back with a steady arm, feeling her tremble as he breaks through her skin.

I'm broken, lost in misery
But you don't have to worry about me
I have no more soul to save
So baby I will be your slave

Her heart beating in her ears, her breaths coming more rapidly, Buffy chokes down a wimper as she feels the first few trickles of blood sliding down her neck. The strength flows out of her legs and she feels herself slip backwards onto the floor, Angel quickly following. As he slides an arm around her, supporting his weight with the other, without thinking, he plunges his fangs in deeper, eliciting a soft moan from her that dances with his own.

Buffy's body shifts forward and her head lolls back, the skin of her face flushed with the intensity surging through her. She'd always loved him with a passion that ached, that burned inside of her, but this new sensation went beyond meer physicality, reaching a part of her soul she'd never known existed until feeling her lover, her soulmate, drink of her essence.

The impulse created between the two was so strong it overrode any coherent thoughts playing in Angel's mind. Just as his demon was raging within, his soul screams out from underneath as the slayer's potent blood spills down his throat. From out of the corner of his eye he sees Buffy's arm fly out, her hand grasping onto a metal pitcher he'd knocked over in his attempt to outrun her. In a split-second, the metal twists and contourts underneath her grip, making a clinking resonance that almost overshadows their own intense sighs.

Angel slides up a hand, cradling her head as he begins to feel her heartbeat pulsing through him, giving back life to his own cold dead one. He clings to her as he feels her settle her legs alongside his waist, her hands coming to rest on his back as she pulses underneath of him. Buffy's entire body clenches, her leg jolting out with her own powerful release, breaking the nearby table into two splintered pieces.

He moans against her throat when she grasps him a final time, trying to recover any sense of self. Pulling away from her with a jerk, he feels his face, now rid of his vampiric features, dripping wet. The moisture may have beem from sweat or it might have been tears. "Oh god..."

Little by little, Angel's strength returns and he crawls back over to an unconscious Buffy. "Buffy?" He smooths a hand over her throat, feeling for a pulse but finding none. "Buffy..."

******

"We need help! She's lost a lot of blood!" With Buffy cradled in his trembling arms, Angel charges into the emergency room, demanding someone help them.

"What happened?" a nurse approaches him, leading him to a free operating room.

"She needs blood. She's lost a lot of blood..." he repeats, finding himself unable to produce much more of an explanation.

"Try to stay calm. We're going to take care of her," the nurse tries comforting him as he lays her out on the table.

"Something bit her. She needs a transfusion- now!"

"You found her?" the attending doctor makes his way over to them. "Was she conscious?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! I'm sure!" The doctor gives his instructions to the nurse, then pulls aside Angel to gather more information. "Tell me what happened."

"Something bit her- I don't know what."

"Any allergies?"

"None-" he almost growls, breaking off a piece of the door behind him with his arm, surprised by the fact that he could still do so. "Just help her."

"We'll do everything we can," he promises. "But you'll have to wait outside." Passing a glance to her, not trying to make sense of the situation, only wanting it to go away, he hears himself muttering something to the doctor. "A phone..."

"Right out there," he points before returning to the room to help the poor young girl who'd just been brought in.

Angel stares thoughtlessly at the payphone as he dials Buffy's home, fully expecting the worst reaction from Joyce.

"Hello?"

"Joyce..."

"Angel! Where are you? Are you alright?"

"The hospital..." he whispers, so quietly she strains to hear him. "Buffy..."

"I'll be right down!"

He had expected her accusations to come immediately but figured she'd save that for a face to face confrontation. Lifting a shaky hand to dial again, he almost flinches away when he hears Willow's voice answer after the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Willow-"

"Angel! What happened? What's wrong?"

"Hospital..." He finds his vocabulary quickly dwindling with his second call, hoping Willow would volunteer to inform the others.

"Oh god- I'll get everyone- we're on our way!"

******

"Where's my daughter?" To say that Hank was panicked would've been a severe overstatement. With Joyce only a few steps behind him, the overwhelmed father runs clear past a still in shock Angel, pounding on the nurses' counter. "Buffy Summers...where is she? Where's my daughter?!"

"Sir, she's still receiving treatment," the young nurse explains. "She's lost a tremendous amount of blood. It's a good thing that young man over there found her when he did, otherwise..." She sits back in awe, watching Hank snap around to set his eyes on Angel.

"What happened to her?" he demands, marching over to where the newly turned human Angel sits. "Damn it-" he grabs him by his sweater, pulling him to his feet, "I said what happened to her?!"

"Hank!" Joyce shouts, raising a hand to his shoulder, tearing him off of Angel. Hastily brushing past him, she pulls Angel to the side, her voice more calm, but still near the breaking point. "What happened?"

Angel stares at her dully before giving any response. "She...she..." Seeing him still in a horrorified state, she leads him over to a seat, sitting down alongside him. "Angel...please..." Joyce places a hand aross his chest, "what happ-" Focusing more intently on what she comes to discover beating beneath her hand, she takes notice of his face, full of more color than she was used to seeing. As their eyes meet, she can almost feel the new life pumping through his system. "Oh my-" < How? This is impossible. > "Angel...you're alive," she breathes out as more of a question than an observation.

Watching as he swallows the lump in his throat, Joyce turns her head towards the room where Buffy was still being treated, trying to piece everything into some sort of perspective. < There's something else going on here... >

"Mr. and Mrs. Summers?" the young nurse calls over to them, "the doctor has just finished up with Buffy."

"Is she alright?" Hank asks.

"She'll be fine. She's had a transfusion and she's regained consciousness. You can go in and see her now. Only two at a time though..." she trails off, her eyes casting a slightly timid glance at the young man who'd so brazenly and dauntingly brought her in for treatment.

"You'll be okay?" Joyce checks with Angel, not exactly wanting to leave him in his state. He slowly nods without looking up at her, feeling a small pat on his shoulder before she and Hank head down the hall to Buffy's room.

"Sweetheart..." Hank breathes a sigh of relief upon seeing his daugher sitting up in bed. He wraps her up into a tight hug, being careful not to upset the bandage that was gracing the side of her neck. "Thank god you're alright. What happened?" After receiving the same treatment from her mother, Buffy comes up with an explanation.

"Well I was at Angel's to- to see why he never showed up at the house. He had...been resting and just lost track of the time. We were walking back to the house and...something just leapt out at us. I don't even know what it was-"

"And he didn't protect you!" Hank immediately shouts.

"He couldn't, dad! It got him too!"

"He looks perfectly fine to me!"

"Is he okay?" Buffy moves forward on the bed, trying to pull herself to her feet but finds herself being restrained by both of her parents.

"You're staying right here until the doctor clears you to come home," Joyce's stern voice informs her. "I'll send Angel in."

Despite Hank's immediate protests, Joyce pushes him aside to go out into the hall to get Angel. But before she even reaches him, she can feel her ex-husband's hand grabbing her arm from behind, spinning her around to face him. "Are you crazy, Joyce? I don't want my daughter going anywhere near him from this point on!"

"Excuse me, but *our* daughter is eighteen years old, has a very level head, and is in love with a fine young man who's never done a single thing that wasn't in her best interest..." she pulls away from him before adding "...unlike some..."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I don't understand why suddenly you've decided to take such an interest in her life- it's not like you've bothered much in the past few years. So either you can make yourself useful for a change and go to the cafeteria to grab us some coffee, or you can wait for me to call security and have them escort you out of this hospital...unless of course you'd like me to show you out in my own special way?!"

Seeing no point in fighting, though completely shocked by how a woman he thought he had known so well could be in full support of letting their daughter continue a relationship with this young man, Hank storms off down the hall to the elevators, heading up to the cafeteria.

"Joyce!" Giles, with Willow and Oz following behind, comes running down the hall, anxious for news on Buffy. "Where's Buffy? Is she alright?"

"She's fine, she's fine," she assures them, leading them along to where Angel still sat in a daze. "The doctors gave her a transfusion..."

Three sets of eyes come to rest on Angel, not necessarily accusing, but still questionable to say the least. "Can we see her?" Willow asks.

"Of course- but she wants to see Angel now..." Joyce rests a hand on his shoulder, grabbing his attention. "Angel? Buffy wants to see you."

Blinking back his own tears, Angel stands to his feet, a slight hunch and uneasiness in his step as he slowly makes his approach to Buffy's room.

"Where are Xander and Cordelia?" Joyce asks, taking a seat along with the others.

"I called them," Willow answers, "they're on their way."

"Joyce..." Giles turns in his chair to fully face her, "there are a few things we need to tell you," he begins before outlining the past week for her, finally giving her the answers she'd been looking for.

"So no wonder Angel is so upset...my god..."

******

Angel finally reaches her room, slowly leaning his head in, but Buffy instantly spots him. "Angel!" she shoots up from the bed, pulling him into a tight embrace, but is surprised to find him give her barely any response. She rests her head against his chest, tears nearly springing to her eyes as she feels his steady heartbeat against her cheek. She grasps his hand, leading him over to the bed so that she can sit down, still feeling a bit lightheaded. She tries pulling him down to sit beside her, but finds him resisting. Leaning up to gently kiss him, a small gasp escapes her lips when he pulls away from her. "Angel...what's wrong?" No response. "Are you okay?"

Angel barely nods his head in recognition. Buffy softly traces a finger along the hand she was still gripping as she notices the tears welling up in his eyes. "Angel..."

"I'm sorry..." he says with a weak voice. "Buffy, I'm so sorry..."

"No...don't do this, Angel," she gets out between her own sobs. "Don't you do this, Angel- you have nothing to be sorry for." He seems lifeless to her, and at a moment when he'd finally, after so long, regained his humanity, this scared her beyond words. "Angel, I'm fine. *We're* fine, and you're *human*," she emphasizes, giving his hand another squeeze. "That's all that matt-"

"I lost the last breathe of me that was human when I fed from you..."

Although her eyes were by now streaming with tears, Buffy puts on her most resolved face, reaching out to grab him and pulls him into her arms despite his struggle. "I love you," she whispers against his temple. She pulls out of their forced embrace to capture his eyes with her own intense gaze. "We're going home- now."

"No..." His returned, more forceful speech takes her by surprise as she gets out of bed, headed for the door. "You're staying here. You're still-"

"We're going home," she repeats, her voice this time deadset as she grabs his reluctant hand once more, leading him out into the hall and over to the counter. "Who do I talk to about being released?"

"Released?" the nurse eyes her warily. "Miss Summers, you've experienced quite a bit of trauma tonight and you've lost a significant amount of blood. It would be in your best interest to-"

"It would be in my *best interest* to be able to make my own damn decisions for once in my life!" she shouts, knowing full well that her friends were listening to her every word. "Now where's my doctor?"

"Honey, honey-" Joyce walks over to her, placing a warm hand on her shoulder as if to calm her down. "Mr. Giles and I will go talk to the doctor about getting you released tonight." Joyce and Giles leave with Buffy to follow the nurse down the hall, as Angel takes a seat next to Willow and Oz.

"Are you okay?" Oz looks over to him. "Angel?"

Angel looks to him, startled, as if his voice had brought him out of a deep private reverie. "No..." His calm broke. He fetches a deep sigh and runs a hand distractedly through his hair. "I...god...what I did...to her...to Buffy..." Willow and Oz can only look to each other, trying to think of how to possibly respond.

"I'm out of here," the three can hear the slayer's voice as she, Joyce, and Giles return.

"Oh- I'd better go get your father," Joyce sighs, turning in the opposite direction to head upstairs. "Wait right here. We'll be down in a minute."

"Buffy..." Willow places a tentative hand on her friend's arm, hoping she wouldn't flinch away from her touch again. "Are you sure you're-"

"I'm fine," she quickly retorts, moving over to pull Angel to his feet. "We're going home."

Buffy forces Angel to look up at her, holding his face in her hands. As she looks anxiously into his eyes, her ears pick up on the voices quickly approaching from down the hall.

"Xander-" Cordelia's is the first that Buffy can make out. "Don't!"

"You bastard!"

After shoving Buffy out of the way from behind, Xander grabs Angel, and locking his arms behind his head, slams him face first into the wall. In an instant, he pulls him away, whipping him into a nearby metal cart, sending him flipping over it, injuring Angel's knee in the process.

"Xander!" Buffy yells, rushing him from behind, knocking him off to the side.

"What is going on here?!" one of the nurses behind the front desk calls over, while another reaches over for the phone to call security. Not wanting to complicate matters any more, Giles hurries over to plead with her to withhold any call. "We'll handle this- I swear it. Xander!! Outside- now!"

"The hell with that!" he snaps back, going to lunge for Angel once more but finds Buffy standing in his way. "Buffy- get out of the way! You're still hurt!"

"Get the hell out of here, Xander!! Now!!"

"Buffy-" he makes another move forward until Buffy grabs hold of his arm.

"If you touch him, I'll kill you."

"We're not leaving you with him! *I'm* not leaving you with him!"

"You don't have a choice! Oh- actually you do. You either leave now, or you stay for six months eating all your meals through a straw!!

"I'm calling security," the fervent nurse calls over again, but before she can grab the phone, Giles grabs Xander from behind. "Outside- now!!" With Oz's help, Giles succeeds in removing him from the scene, dragging him out to the parking lot.

As Cordelia and Willow rush to Buffy's side, their eyes finally take in Angel's condition. His forehead was now graced by a three inch gash that was bleeding profusely and he was having trouble standing to his feet.

"Is he alright?" Cordelia breathes out, genuinely concerned for what she could only assume was a now very much human Angel.

Before Buffy can answer them, Angel braces himself against the wall, pulling a hand up to his head as he looks to them. His injured leg would barely support him as he begins a retreat down the hall. An orderly pulls him to a halt once he spots his injured condition.

"Sir, you need-" Angel was vaguely aware that he had tossed the young man into a nearby room before he could even finish his sentence.

"Angel!" Buffy cries, pacing after him. "Wait!"

"Go home, Buffy!" He tries outrunning her, but she quickly catches up to him in his weakened state. She wraps an arm around his shoulders, leaning her head against his arm.

"We *are* going home."

"No- wait for your parents, and just go home!"

Extracting himself from her arms, Angel staggers down the hall, reaching the glass doors and disappears around the corner, leaving Buffy standing, the tears flowing freely down her face as her world becomes a wild blur.

"Buffy..." Cordy and Willow make their way over to her, looking to each other as to what they could do. "Are you..."

"Can we do anything?" Willow cuts into the brunette's thought. Staring straight ahead down the hall Angel had just left her in, Buffy offers them her last three words before making her own departure.

"Go to hell..."

******

The cold rain came, fierce winds blowing through the opened windows of Joyce's room. Ontop of the bed, curled up into a tiny ball, lay the slayer, waiting for her mother to return from downstairs. < Go home, Buffy... > She thought back to Angel's last words to her, thunderstruck. She should've said something, made some sort of effort to stop him, but she couldn't seem to get past her feeling of disconnection from him.

"Honey..." Joyce's voice comes wafting into the room, "Willow called again." Buffy clenches the pillow she was holding tightly at mention of the wiccan. She must've been so caught up in her own brooding that she'd never heard the phone ring for the fifth time since she and her mother had returned home from the hospital. "Wanted me to tell you to please call her."

Joyce was well aware as to what had happened at the hospital in those few moments she had left to find Hank, but the severity of it was just now dawning on her as her ears pick up on Buffy's sobbing. She'd returned to the emergency room to find Willow and Cordelia staring blankly down the hospital's corridor. They'd told her about Xander's rash actions, Angel's cold departure, and pointed her down the hall to find her daughter. After peering into a few sets of rooms, she finally made out Buffy's outline through the pouring rain, seeing her standing out in the parking lot just as the storm had started.

"Honey..." She crosses the room, settling down on the bed, cuddling her daughter across her lap. Running a hand through Buffy's hair, she tries calming her enough to get her to talk. "Things will be okay."

"How?" She turns her head slightly to look up at her. "I don't know anybody anymore..."

"Buffy," Joyce takes a deep sigh, trying to gather her thoughts, "I know you feel like Willow and Mr. Giles betrayed you-"

"They never told me until he was dying, mom! About an hour before Angel was set to die was when they finally were so kind as to tell me what was going on and that I was the only one who could've saved him all along!" What had been the easy task of simple breathing just seconds ago was now becoming a struggle as Buffy's sobs begin welling up inside, wracking her small frame. She breathes in a steady, calming breath before continuing in an even lower voice. "How do you even begin to forgive that? How can...how can anyone deserve to be forgiven for that?"

"We don't forgive people because they deserve it, honey. We forgive people because they need it. And even though I don't think Mr. Giles and Willow's secrecy was the wisest decision either one of them has ever made, I still believe that their intentions were good ones-"

"Yeah...trying to make my decisions for me- as always. God mom..." Buffy sits up, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I just can't do this anymore. Between Giles, and Willow, and Xander...and dad," she adds as an afterthought, "I can't stand knowing that they think they know what's best for me all the time." The slayer closes her eyes tightly as if to help keep the image from coming into full view in her mind, "I could've killed them for what they did tonight."

"Who?"

"Dad and Xander. It's bad enough that Angel's already low self-esteem guy, but dad didn't help improve upon it with all he had to say."

"That's just your father's way, dear," Joyce reflects with a somber note. "Always has been."

"And then Xander- I never thought he could be so unimaginably heartless."

In a way, Joyce agreed on almost every level with her daughter. And since she was opening up voluntarily for the first time in years, she'd be damned if she was going to toss out any criticisms. "And Angel..." she finally begs the question, knowing full well he was the first and last thing on Buffy's mind.

"He wouldn't...even look at me..." Joyce translates from her daughter's soft wimpering. < Go home, Buffy... > "And he was hurt...and he wouldn't even..."

"Oh, honey...honey..." Side by side mother and daughter lay, Joyce's arms protectively wrapped around her little girl. She couldn't help but ache for both her and the young man she'd come to regard so highly.

An hour dragged by like a year, and still Buffy hadn't made a move to leave her mother's arms. "Buffy..." Joyce begins tentatively, afraid to spoil the soft peacefulness that had falled over them, "how are you feeling?"

"I don't know..."

Joyce pulls slightly away from her to sit up and face her fully. Looking at her for the longest moment, her eyes lower to the curve of her neck, now bandage free. The small mark that was already beginning to scar graced her skin and stood out to her as a chilling reminder as to the evening's events. "Are you sure that doesn't hurt?"

Spotting her mother's eyes trailing over her warily, Buffy immediately goes on the defense. "Mom- he had to. I had to make him- he wouldn't do it, do you know that? He would've rather died than having to do it, and I'm sure he would've if I hadn't knocked him so far out of it that his demon took over." Still seeing her brow furrowing at the sight of the mark she now bared, Buffy sits up as well. "Mom...don't..."

"I'm not, honey. Just like you, I don't think Angel could ever do any wrong in my eyes. It's just...it's just a little much for a mother to take in at once." She makes a gentle grab of the blonde's hand, running her thumb over the back of it. "And if I'm having this hard of a time adjusting to all that's just happened...if seeing how he was when he brought you to the hospital was any clear indication, Angel must be beside himself."

Buffy didn't offer any other response than to pull herself to her feet, give Joyce a quick hug goodbye, and begin her run to the mansion...her run home.

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