Angel was busy packing up his and Willow's belongings while the red head
was out with Faith and Cordelia, trying to finish their aborted shopping
trip.  The group as a whole had decided, that they would cancel their
remaining vacation time in Capeside and head home to Sunnydale early.  They
needed time to regroup and recharge after everything that had happened on
this trip and the only way they thought they could do that would be if they
were back in their normal surroundings.
Angel picked up Willow's green sweater, holding it close to his face.  It
was the same one that she had been wearing the day before, when the Watchers
had taken her.  He inhaled her scent, smelling everything that he associated
with the woman that he loved.  Mixed in with the essence that was Willow, he
could also detect the underlying fear that she had felt before the he had
gotten there and hated that he hadn't been there sooner.  But now, that
particular threat was no more and the souled vampire was grateful for that.
A knock on the door to their room startled him out of his thoughts and he
went over to see who was there.
"Buffy," he said as he saw the blonde Slayer on the other side of the door.
  He was surprised to see her there.  Joyce and Giles had told him that
Buffy had decided that she wasn't going back to Sunnydale, choosing instead
to remain in Capeside and try and resume a normal life.  It had become
something of a problem between the couple as Joyce was trying to decide
whether or not she should stay behind with her daughter.
"Hey Angel," Buffy greeted, a smile gracing her face.  "Can I come in?"
Angel opened the door a little further, silently granting her permission to
enter.  Buffy looked around the room, noticing the half-filled suitcase on
the bed.  "What's going on?"
"What's it look like?"  Angel returned, going back as he finished folding
Willow's sweater and placing it in the suitcase.  Buffy noticed the mixture
of male and female garments in the bag and frowned at the implications.
"It looks like you're getting ready to leave," she answered.  "But I
thought you guys were going to stay until after New Year's.  You know,
celebrate with Pacey's friends and stuff."
"Things have happened," Angel began.  "Willow and the others just want to
get home and try to relax before they have to start school again.  It's
really a good idea anyway.  Until we're sure the Watchers aren't going to
send anyone else after Faith and the rest of us, it would be better to be
where we know the territory and are better equipped to deal with anything
that they might throw at us."
"What do you mean if the Watchers send someone else after you?  What
happened?"  Buffy asked, confused and generally concerned, so Angel
explained about the Watchers' plan to kill off Faith so that they could
activate the next Slayer with the hopes that she would be more easily
controlled.  Buffy listened in stunned silence at the thought of what her
former friends had been put through, including Willow, but was thankful when
Angel told her that she wasn't going to be targeted.
"So now you can see why everyone is so anxious to get back to Sunnydale,"
Angel finished.  "They all just want some peace of mind that only comes from
being around people and places that are familiar."
"But what about you?"  Buffy questioned, going over and standing by Angel,
tucking on of her arms into his.
"What about me?"
"Well, I understand why the rest of them want to go back to Sunnydale.  I
mean, I would probably feel the same way if something like that had happened
to me," Buffy explained.  "But what I don't understand is why you're
leaving.  Come on, Angel.  Why don't you stay in Capeside awhile?  Spend
some time with me and my new friends.  It's been so long since we've had
anytime to ourselves and I've really missed you."  Buffy tried to wrap
herself around Angel.  Tried to draw him into a kiss, but he refused to
allow it.  He separated himself from the blonde, pushing her away from him.
"Buffy, I'm going back to Sunnydale with them because I want to," Angel
told her.  "I told you, Willow and I are together.  What affects her,
affects me and if Willow wants to go back to Sunnydale, than that's what
we're going to do."
"Oh come on, Angel.  You don't really mean that," Buffy brushed off Angel's
statement.  "Willow was just there for you when I wasn't and I'm sorry for
that.  Let me make it up to you."  Buffy again tried to insinuate herself
into the vampire's space and, again, Angel rebuffed her and put some more
space between himself and his former love.  "Angel?"
Buffy was genuinely confused about why Angel wasn't accepting her touch.
Sure, she knew that he said he was with Willow, but she didn't think it was
that serious.  There was no way that Angel could love Willow more than her.
She was his true soul mate.  The one that he loved above everyone else.
Willow had just been there when he needed her.  She just had to make Angel
realize that.
"Buffy, don't," he ordered.  "I love Willow.  She's the person that I plan
on spending the rest of my life with because I know that the minute she
dies, I won't be far behind in joining her.  Willow completes me.  She make
whole and my life wouldn't be worth a dime if she wasn't involved in it."
Buffy and Angel's attention went to the door as it suddenly opened,
revealing a smiling Willow.
"That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," the red head said as
she entered the room.  She completely ignored Buffy, walking over to Angel
and wrapping her arms around his neck.  "I love you, too, you know.  You
make my life worth living. If it wasn't for you, I don't know what kind of
life I would actually have."  Angel leaned down and kissed Willow, the two
of them losing themselves in their mate and forgetting that they had an
audience in a pissed off Slayer.
Buffy watched, stunned at the play that was unfolding in front of her.
Angel, her Angel, was kissing Willow and he looked like he was enjoying it.
'But that's not possible,' she thought.  'Angel loves me.  I'm his soul
mate.  Not some little mousy computer geek.'  Buffy cleared her throat,
finally breaking apart the couple, although they didn't move from their
embrace.
"I think its time for you to leave, Buffy," Willow stated.  The blonde
stared defiantly at Willow.
"I think that decision should be left up to Angel, don't you?"  The vampire
looked over at her and she felt a chill run down her spine at the look that
he gave her.  It was at that moment that she realized that maybe, just
maybe, the place she had held in Angel's heart had been taken.
"Willow's right.  I'm glad to see that you're okay, but we're over."  And
with that final statement, Buffy knew that she had lost.  That any hope that
she had held at one day being able to resume her old life was over.  That
the best thing she could do was try and move on.  The blonde sighed and left
the happy couple, mourning what she had lost when she had left Sunnydale so
many months before.

Pacey nervously entered Dawson's bedroom.  He had gone, only expecting to
see his long time friend and was surprised to see Joey, Jenn, Andy and Jack
there also.  It seemed to Pacey that he was walking into an ambush of some
sort, but figured that was just his paranoia talking.
"Hey guys, what's up?"
"Well, Dawson told us that you were planning on leaving tomorrow and that
you were going to come over," Joey began, "so we figured this would be a
perfect opportunity to talk to you."
"Talk to me," Pacey questioned, looking over the assembly of friends.
"Talk about what?"
"About you going back to Sunnydale," Dawson answered.  At Pacey's curious
look, he continued.  "Well, we were thinking that maybe it would be a better
idea if you stayed in Capeside.  I already talked to my mom and she said it
would be no problem for you to stay here."
"And I'm sure you would have no problem transferring your records back to
school," Joey broke in.  "That way you can graduate with us, just like you
want to.  After all, we did say we all wanted to graduate together."
"And if you stayed here, you won't have to worry about vampires and such,"
Jenn added, shivering at the thought of the demons that she had so recently
been introduced to.  "I mean, that can't exactly be fun, having to deal with
all of that."
"Well, it certainly makes life interesting," Pacey quipped, trying to keep
his voice light, although he wasn't exactly feeling all that great at the
moment.  It seemed as if his friends in Capeside were trying to tell him how
they thought he should be living his life and, while he appreciated it, he
had learned that he enjoyed being able to make his own decisions.
"But how much fun can it really be?" Andy wanted to know.  She walked over
to where Pacey was still standing and wrapped her arm in his.  "Always
having to look over your shoulder and wondering just what exactly was that
shadow behind you."
"Just the idea of constantly fighting demons makes my skin crawl," Joey
shivered.  "Come on, Pace, you have to admit, Sunnydale doesn't appear to be
the best place to grow up."
"Oh, I have no problem admitting that it isn't exactly Capeside, but it
does have its appeal."  Pacey gently pulled away from Andy.  "My friends for
one.  I feel like I make a difference there.  That what I do means
something."
"But Pacey, that kind of life isn't any good for you," Joey tried pointing
out.  "It can only get you killed."
"And what kind of friends let you go up against something that you have no
business dealing with?" Dawson shot back.  "They have no right to put you in
that kind of danger.  They shouldn't have even asked you to."
"They didn't ask me, I volunteered," Pacey almost yelled.  The temper that
he had been trying to control was slowly overpowering him.  He looked around
the room and, while he could tell that everyone was worried about him and he
appreciated it, he wished that they had more faith in him.  "As for the
danger, whether I go out and fight with them or not, just living in
Sunnydale puts me in danger.  Even going to school has its pitfalls.  With
out patrolling all we're doing is trying to even the playing field.
"And sure, I might not be trained for anything, but other than Faith and
Giles, neither is anyone else.  We're all just normal kids who would like
nothing more than to be ale to go out and have fun like everyone else, but
we also know that we have a responsibility and we aren't willing to shirk it
just because it might be easier.  And if you even think that I can do that
than you don't know me as well as you thought you did."
The friends from Capeside watched in stunned silence as Pacey walked out of
Dawson's room.  They weren't sure what just happened but whatever it was,
they had a feeling they had just seen the last of their friend.

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