Rated: Hmm... I hate rating stuff R. It makes me feel so dirty! And I hardly rate anything R, so lets say... mature audience. We are talking about Angelus here, right?
Disclaimer: I own didly squat! So Raspberries! Raspberries! Respberries! And I don't care if I spelt that wrong, so there! Humph!
Spoilers: Let's see.... if you don't know go back to my first posting of this series and read what I have there.
Dristibuation: On any B/A fic site, I don't care, just let me know, okay?
Summery: I don't know... i guess I dont wanna spoil it for ya!

"How can you look at me? Let alone touch me?"

Angel looked up from the book he was reading. Buffy had fallen unconscious after a battle against a six vampires, and he had brought her to his place. Making sure that she rested until she woke.

He blinked, "What?"

Buffy sat up on the bed, "I don't understand you Angelus... Angel. I... you... I never thought I'd end up here. And I never thought I'd see you again, and now that I have it just... it brings back a lot of memories, Angel. Most of them, pretty bad." She brought the blanket up close, clutching at it, "I did so many things, and I've barely been able to go one day without thinking of you... you're my... my worst fear, Angel. Thinking of all those people I could have saved if I had just... I don't blame you for hating me, Angel. You have ever right to... I just wish... I wish things could have been different."

"Buffy," Angel began, looking at her disheveled form, "I can't... I can't fully blame you. Not anymore."

"What?" She whispered.

Angel sighed, standing up and walking over to the bed. He sat down beside her, "I know that I should be... I should be furious with you for what you did to me... but I can't. I can't, I can't blame you for something your demon did. When I first met you in Ireland... I didn't even *know* you. I met the demon, not you... I know absolutely nothing about you... all I know is that you're here now, and that... that this pain is never going to go away unless we can..." He sighed again, gazing at her, "Unless we can let it go..."

Buffy glanced at him, "Okay... ah, how exactly are we going to... let it go?"

Angel looked at her, and for the first time, he realized how young she actually was. Her soul, being away for so long, it appeared that it still mentained that shard of innocence. She gazed at the sheets, too frightened to look at him in the eye.

"I'm still new at this," Angel started, "So, I'm not really sure... ah... maybe... maybe we should start out slow..."

"You mean, like... being friends?" Buffy started, looking at him.

"Ah, yeah," Angel started, "I guess so...."

"That means we have to talk about our problems and stuff like that, huh?"

Angel nodded.

Buffy sighed, "Okay... well..." She looked at him, "So... what have you been doing for the past ninety nine years, *friend*?"

Angel grimanced, and glanced at her.

******************************************

"This is... this is weird," Willow said, sitting on the steps of the library in between Oz and Xander.

They had just read up on their new friends... well, not friends, but not enemies either, at least Willow didn't think so. Once she had been in close enough to actually talk with the teary eyed blond girl last night, she couldn't help but feel a strong pull. Like a kindred spirit... but maybe that was just her...

"It was in the books, Will," Xander said.

Faith sighed, leaning against the wall as Giles paced back and forth, consumed with his thoughts and what he had read.

"It's still weird," Willow retorted.

"This is intorlerable," Giles said, while the other four younger people in the room, mouthed what he said at the same moment he said it.

"G. Just chill, okay?" Faith started, "Ya scarin' us already, what with you pacing like a maniac."

Giles shook his head, "I couldn't believe that the answers was under my nose, and I hadn't even considered it. They were in the Watcher's diaries and I so blindly skimmed that area."

"So, let's state the facts," Xander started, trying to rationalize what was going on, "We got ourselves, two, count 'em--" Willow held up two fingers, "two, vampires. Also known as..." He looked at Giles for help with the names.

The Watcher sighed, "Angelus and Lilith..."

Xander nodded, "Right. Anyway, they're all weird and stuff, not like ordinary blood sucking fiends, and so we look `em up and they are basically mean ass vampires. Killed a bunch of people..."

Willow interrupted, "But, when the nineteenth century came around, all records of killing for Angelus and Lilith died out. And they haven't been seen since."

Oz nodded, "Then, Giles said that there were mentions of them in the fifties, and thirties."

Giles nodded, "Yes... ah, there was one by a Watcher named Emilia Paterson, who worked in New York. She, well... she had an encounter with Lilith..." He grabbed the Watcher's diary, "And she wrote that... that the particular vampire sang at a night club--"

"Singing vamps?" Xander questioned.

"Yes," Giles answered, "Jazz, actually... she was partically good, until one of the worker's caught her drinking blood from a cup... after that it is said that there was a large mob, and that even Emilia's Slayer, Lilah Sanderson, had fought her..."

"Well, what happened?" Faith demanded, "Did blondie kill a sister Slayer or what?"

Giles looked pale, "She... she let her go..."

Willow blinked, then looked at Oz, "This is weird."

******************************************

"You sang at a Jazz club?"

Buffy chuckled, "Yeah... yeah, I did... I mean, I didn't exactly enjoy all the attention, but it was nice... to be with people again... Anyway, there was this demon or something, and I tried to fight it but I got caught by a Slayer, so I left."

Angel nodded.

Buffy sighed, "Anyway, besides almost getting burned at the stake, staked, and not too mention beatened alive, I have to say I would have been satisfied to just be hanged like you were."

Angel sighed, "Still wasn't fun."

"I'm sorry," Buffy started, "I mean, I know how difficult it is for you to talk about that whole insident... but just because she betrayed you doesn't mean everyone will..."

"It's a nice thought," Angel mused.

"Yeah," Buffy sighed, looking at him, "It is."

Angel turned to her, "I haven't really gotten a chance to, but... ah, are you... hungry?"

Buffy squirmed in her seat, "A... a little bit..."

Angel stood, "I, um... I have some fresh blood from the blood bank... ah, I could warm it up for you if you like."

"No," Buffy walked towards him, "That's okay... I'm sorry.... I just... I.. well, I don't like to--"

"Feed in front of others..." Angel finished, "I know the feeling."

Buffy nodded, looking down sheepishly as she followed Angel into his kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, pulled out a bag of blood, and handed it to her. He turned away, respecting her privacy and shame as she changed and ate.

When it was quiet again, he took the empty bag from her and placed it away.

He smiled, hesitantly, "So..."

"So..." She smiled, taking a step forward.

He took another one, "You up for a sweep?"

******************************************

Faith ran toward her friends as fast as she could. What was she thinking when she agreed to let them come with her on patrol?

Nothing, as usual, Faith thought darkly.

Willow let out a tiny shriek, and Faith tried to run faster. She saw the group of vampires who started to gang up on her gang! Oz fell down, but got back up, painfully by the look of it.

She just had to run a bit faster...

Just a little more and maybe...

"Get down!" Buffy shouted to Faith's friends before she shot double stakes at two vampires. They exploded into dust. She ran toward the two fallen teens and helped them up as Angel pulled a vampire off of the fallen boy who he thought was named Xander. He punched the vampire, then shoved the stake home.

He turned to see Buffy moving toward him after finishing off the other vampire. She brushed off her shirt and stared at him for a brief moment, before turning toward Faith. The stake held by the current Slayer did not go unnoticed by the two souled vampires.

Willow looked at the situation, and decided to play peacemaker, "Thanks for the help."

"No problem," Buffy said, putting her stake away.

"So...." Oz started, playing peacemaker as well.

Xander glanced at the two vampires, "Lived long?"

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