The girl watched as the two figures fought. She searched her mind for why the man seemed so strangely familiar, and yet at the same time completely foreign. She moved stealthily closer, an action that would have put Angel to shame. Buffy would be so proud. She moved closer to the slayer already going over the spell that would turn this battle in the favor of the slayer. Buffy was fairing well, but not as well as Willow thought she should be doing.

Willow shifted slightly in the shadows behind the struggling forms. Despite her efforts, she couldn't dentify the man that Buffy was fighting. <Maybe if he'd just step into the light and turn around. and aturally he'd be all accommodating and actually do that. Concentrate!> What she did know was that it was a vampire or some other demon type creature. <Most likely vampire. It has no aura, other then the dark evil that surrounds it.> She gasped inwardly at the first sight of the creature's face. It was Angel. Sure she was seeing things, she blinked and looked again. <Still Angel.> Then her shock turned to fear and sadness. She watched the continuing battle, but her mind was occupied going over everything that had happened in the last few weeks. No...this couldn't be! He had his soul. <I saw him earlier, all fully ensouled.>

She knew she didn't have time to analyze what she was seeing, Buffy wouldn't be up to her best considering the opponent. She would need Willow's spell, now, before she was hurt any more seriously. Willow closed her eyes and concentrated on the space around Buffy. Finding the slayer's brilliant aura, Willow latched onto it. She began to slowly thread power and strength throughout the aura. The witch slowly opened her eyes and watched as the enhanced aura flared bright enough for the human eye to see; shimmering like
the Northern Lights against the blackness of the night sky.

Willow relaxed as Angel drew back, clearly pained, and hissed angrily at the slayer. He pushed her away brutally, causing the slayer to fall to the ground, before turning and running off into the shadows.

Willow walked slowly out of the shadows to where Buffy still sat on the ground dazed. The hacker could see the small cracks forming in the slayers mask of calm. She waited, knowing that in a moment she would be holding a very frightened, angry and hurt Slayer in her arms.

"We got to get out of here." Buffy managed between gasping breaths. She wouldn't fall apart. Not yet. Later she would. When she knew she was safe and Angelus was no where around. <Angelus> Buffy screamed into the night after him; her eyes tearing. <Oh god Angelus is back.> She thought she might break. The Chosen One was only was vaguely aware of Willow coming up to stand next to her. She looked over at the hacker.

"Angel?" She whispered her beloved's name brokenly before throwing herself into her best friend's arms.

Willow caught Buffy to her, easily engulfing the blond in her embrace. All the while her mind was processing what she had seen. Something felt wrong. Something more than Angelus' return. But she just couldn't put her finger on what it was.

Willow gently pulled out of Buffy's arms and began to lead the shaken Slayer down the street. She could still feel the emotions of turmoil and shock wafting off of Buffy. The hacker turned and, slipping an arm gently around Buffy's back, headed off to one of the only safe havens they had: the high school library. Both girls knew that Giles would be there. If there was one thing they could always count on, it was Giles in the library, burning the midnight oil. They sometimes wondered if it, not his apartment, was his real home.

Willow squeezed Buffy's shoulders again. Looking her friend over, she knew that Buffy really needed to be somewhere safe. Somewhere Angel couldn't get and were no one would bother her. That meant Willow's house. Angel had been re-invited into the Summer's residence.

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

Giles' head came up from the book he was reading when the library doors swung open to admit the two girls. He took one look at his Slayer and realized something terrible had happened.

"Buffy what is it?" He demanded, his voice roughened by concern and worry. He looked to Willow when his charge remained silent. She simply shook her head and motioned for Giles to take Buffy's hand. "We need to take her to my house. It's the only safe place until we figure out what has happened. And we need to find Angel. But we have to be very careful."

"What does Angel have to do with this?" Demanded Giles worriedly, anything that had to do with Angel and that left his slayer acting like this couldn't be good.

"Buffy was patrolling. She came across Angel...er...Angelus. I think. They fought and he booked when I ....when I showed up." Willow stammered not wanting to hear Giles' worry about her playing with Magick. "Come with me. I need to get her to my house, cause if it was Angel he's not invited in my home. And
we need to warn Joyce not to let Angel any where near her in case he *has* lost it." Willow said softly.

"I'll deal with Mrs. Summers. You drive my car and see that Buffy is taken care of," Giles said distractedly. Willow nodded, already leading the distraught slayer to Giles' car.

Only after the young women had left did Giles pause to think about the fact that Willow wasn't sure if Buffy's attacker was Angel. Did that mean she thought it might be Angelus? He knew that of all of them, it was the hacker who was able to see how one was not the other, though the other was the one.
 

Giles picked up the phone and dialed Mrs. Summers’ telephone number. Strangely he felt as though he were doing something wrong but he couldn't fathom what.

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

Willow entered her front door with the still distraught slayer in tow. When they entered her room, she walked over to her computer. She picked up a small Tupperware container of tea she had recently made. The ingredients were chosen for their calming qualities. <Sleepytime's got nothing on MY home brew.> She thought as she sprinkled some of the loose tea in a mug.

She smiled at the slayer who had settled onto her bed, visibly relaxing. She was safe here and she knew it.
 

Willow reached over to add a small amount of belladonna to the tea and then looked over at Buffy.

"Hey," she said keeping her voice soft. When Buffy looked up, she continued, "I am going to go heat some water, alright? The French doors are locked and he isn't invited, so your safe from him. I'll be right back." She leaned forward and hugged Buffy tightly, knowing that this was difficult, more so than the first time, because Angel had returned only to be lost again.
 

Willow headed down to the kitchen, her heart breaking for her best friend and for Angel. If he had somehow lost his soul, regaining it would be horrifying for him. Again. She moved carefully around the kitchen. Her eyes were drawn upward and she looked out the small window above the sink only to gasp in surprise. For standing across the street under the lamppost, was a figure watching the house. <Angel?> She wasn't sure. She thought the figure looked familiar and felt a slight pull at her awareness that screamed Magick, bad Magick, and major black mojo. She shook off the feeling of familiarity and walked back over to the stove and poured the contents of the now steaming teapot into the large mug, she reached up and grabbed the bear shaped honey container and poured a large amount into the mug. She lifted the cup to her nose and drew in a deep breath. The sent of Rosemary, Lavender, mints and rose hips accosted her. She grabbed a muffin and a glass. Opening the fridge, she lifted the orange juice and poured herself a full glass. She then set all of her bounty on a tray and carefully headed up stairs to the Slayer.

Willow entered the room silently. She could see Buffy laid curled into a small ball on her bed, burrowed under the blankets. Willow leaned over and brushed a strand of hair out of the Slayers face. Smiling warmly at her when Buffy turned her head, seeking the comfort that Willow was offering. "You'd make a great Mother, you know that Will?" Willow grinned. "Well I am a little young to be your mother, but how about your sister? We can even have mandatory sisterly spats. Kay?" Willow offered hugging the now sitting slayer to her.

"Thanks."

"Not a problem, Now drink this." Willow said, handing Buffy the cup of tea she had steeped in the kitchen. She looked on as the slayer brought the drink to her trembling lips.

Willow watched over her distraught friend long into the night, her own thoughts and feelings too turbulent to allow her to sleep. Angel was back to being Angelus. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't understand how it had happened. She had seen the vampire at the mansion earlier in the day and no there was no indication that he wasn't all soul having. And Angelus certainly wouldn't have given up a chance like that
to kill her.

Willow waited until the first strands of dawn had touched the sky before allowing Morphius to claim her, but she soon walked among the shadowed landscape of dreams. In her mind she watched the fight once more. She could see Buffy's brilliant white aura against the night, and she could see Angel. Angel was dark light, non light. It was like he pulled the light from the world around him rather the adding his own to it.

<No Soul.> She awoke with a start, surprised to see the clock's red lights read 1:30pm. She'd slept nearly 6 hours. <didn't seem so long.> She stretched and looked at the slayer who had once more curled into the fetal position. She had apparently gotten up to change her cloths at some point. She wondered if Buffy realized that she had watched over her until the dawn.

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

Angel struggled groggily to his feet. He had a splitting headache, which for him was odd. He rubbed his temples slowly, hoping that would help ease the pain. Looking up he saw the murky gray of twilight through the window. It was nearly dark again, meaning that he'd been unconscious the entire night and all of the next day. He moved toward the doorway intent on cleaning up the mess from the struggle the night before.
It had all happened so fast. There was a sharp pain in the back of his neck, and then everything went black.

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

The library was quiet when she entered. Buffy was perched on the edge of the table in front of the weapons cage watching the two men. Every so often Giles would glance at Xander, who was placing crosses all over the front of the cage. Willow could see a number of them bad been placed within as well.
She knew without looking that Angel lay curled up on the makeshift cot in the back of the cage. Willow found herself heading for the cage already aware of the steady burning pain he was in.
 

Giles looked at the hacker, a small smile playing across his lips. "You're here, " he said "this means we can go on patrol and you can research for a reason as to why Angel's curse may have been lifted, since we know that the happiness clause was not met." Giles said.
 

Willow felt her face drawn of color. She turned toward the cage again and looked at the trembling figure huddled in the small space on the cot. He looked so helpless. It was a state that Willow could never remember associating with Angel. Lonely, pained, and guilty, yes; but never helpless.
 

"Okay, when are you going to be back?" she asked.
 

"About midnight I should think." Giles answered.

Willow nodded her head. Not that she was agreeing with the question being asked, but because she wanted to think Giles was asking. She knew they just assumed she would do it. This time they were right.
 

She waited for them to shuffle out of the library and when they had left, Willow looked once more at the cage. <Jeez, Xander paranoid much?> She moved over to the structure and started removing the crosses from the front of the cage. She then opened the with the key she knew Giles had forgoton she possesed.
 

The hacker walked slowly over to Angel who rolled over to look at her. She didn't miss the slight relaxing of his form when he saw who it was. She reached above the cot to pull the large cross from where Xander had placed it and chucked it unceremoniously out of the cell, strangely satisfied by the loud clattering it made. She turned back into the cell to find Angel looking at her. Willow smiled gently at him and carefully reached forward to push the torn shirt he wore out of the way.
 

"Where are you hurt?" she asked softly. He looked up at her surprise, washing through his system.
 

"I have some nasty gashes on my stomach, and back." he said after a moment of hesitation. Angel let the shirt slid from his shoulders and watched as the girl stepped back and gasped, as the full extent of the damage done to the vampire at the hand of his opponent came into view.
 

"Please tell me that Giles, and Xander didn't do that to you?" she whispered looking up into his eyes. He could hear the horror in her voice and marveled at her ability to feel for him.
 

"No, the thing I got into it with before did." he said.

"And they doubted you?" she demanded sounding incredulously as she walked back to her book bag. Rummaging through it, she pulled out a number of bandages and moved back to the now smiling Angel.

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

Buffy and Giles paused as a man moved under the streetlight. They relaxed slightly when they saw it was Xander.

"Did you find anything?" he asked as he came closer.
 

"Nadda." Buffy answered saddly as she looked down at her feet.

"Buff, I'm sorry but you may have to accept that Angel's gone bad, and that there is nothing to be done to save him this time." Xander said, torn between rejoicing that the vampire had finally shown his true colors, and pain for the loss he knew Buffy was feeling.
 

"I...I know." The slayer replyed at last, not meeting Xander's gaze.
 

"It's quiet out tonight. I wonder what's happening." Xander said, trying to draw away from the touchy subject. Buffy's head came up suddenly as a tweek to her spider-sence she didn't recognize touched her.
 

"What is it?" Giles asked softly. Buffy shook her head and waved them away, uncertain of what she was sensing. She turned to study the shadows and gasped when she saw him. It was Angel, she would have known the silhouette he cut anywhere. She started, realizing that would mean that he'd escaped. <Willow?!>
 

"We have to go back to the library." Buffy gasped already heading in that direction. She could feel the other two at her side, and wondered fleetingly if Angel had come to finish the job of destroying her loved ones, before worry for her best friend over ran her slowly emerging self pity.
 

He watched them go, smiling softly, already knowing where they would be heading. He chuckled darkly and headed in the opposite direction. It was feeding time. The dark ally beside the bronze had served him well once, and with his looks it would be no problem to lure one of those delectable mortals to their death. He smiled softly as a small blond girl that reminded him of the slayer slipped out of the club. She was trying to disentangle herself from a young man who had clearly been drinking too much.
 

Angel smiled slowly. <Perfect> He moved out of the shadows and caught the boys arm. "I believe the lady said she wasn't interested" He purred dangerously. The young woman stared up at Angel with adoring eyes, clearly struck by his handsome visage. He drew her away from the dumbfounded young man and into the shadows with him. She stared up at him, her blue gaze bright with interest and sudden passion.
Angel chuckled. It was so easy. Human's were driven to desire with such amazing simplicity. He gently tilted her head to the side, his lips caressing her pulse point before fangs pierced the soft flesh there. She cried out softly clutching him closer, her body grinding against his unawares. He chuckled in dark pleasure at her reaction. Even as death neared, they sought pleasure, these foolish creatures.

After a long moment he dropped her broken form to the ground in front of him. He looked up at the sky and silently waited for the last waves of his pleasure washed through him.

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

The library was quiet and Buffy rushed forward, terrified of what she would see when she moved past the over turned table. Willow lay motionless on the floor, her red hair falling in her slack face.
 

"Willow," she cried out, rushing to the hacker’s side. She leaned down and checked for a pulse at the red head’s throat. When her fingers found the slight pulse, relief coursed through her, and she looked up at Giles and Xander with a small smile. "She's alive, she should wake up soon. He didn't bite her." Buffy said, her voice filled with relief.
 

"Oooh. What happened?" Willow gasped as she came to. She blinked rapidly and her first thought was of Angel. She looked around and seeing him gone, wondered if he was the reason her head hurt so much. She sat up and slowly reached to take the slayer's offered hand.
 

"Willow are you okay?" Giles asked worriedly. His eyes scanning her neck for telltale bite marks despite Buffy’s reasurances. Her hand raised unwillingly to touch the patch of skin that, though discolored, showed no breakage.
 

"He didn't bite me." Willow said, her hand caressing the small marks he'd left. Her face flamed as she remembered what Angel had done, her eyes darted about the room, trying to find a safe place to sit.
 

"Willow, you took down the crosses," Xander half accused seeing the number of crosses that had been removed from the cage. His eyes fell on the one that she had chucked across the room, with some shock.
"I thought that you'd gone over board." Willow admitted softly, she looked at Giles hoping that he would understand what she had been thinking.

"It's alright, we will simply have to be on the look out for Angelus." Giles said softly, "Perhaps you should all head home." he said after a moment.
The library doors burst open suddenly and in sauntered Cordelia. Xander groaned under his breath at the former prom queen. She looked completely rattled, her hair mussed. "I thought you said that Angel was cured." Cordelia, demanded sounding like her normal slightly hysterical self.
 

"Why what happened?" demanded Willow stepping closer to Cordelia.
 

"About an hour ago, I saw Angel drain some girl by the bronze. It was gross, there was blood everywhere, and her neck was yuck." Cordelia said. She looked pointedly at the slayer before continuing. "I thought you all where in the ‘look but don't touch’ way of things."
Willow's mind was spinning; her thoughts in turmoil. The man that had been in that cage earlier had been in full position of his soul. She knew had he not been he would have killed her.
 

When they finally left the library, Willow headed toward her street by herself, not all worried. She doubted that anything would happen to her between here and there. She stepped out of the light of a street lamp and into a shadow then gasped as two strong arms caught her up and dragged her back against a hard chest.
She tried to scream but her mouth was swiftly covered by a strong hand. Her mind frantically, searching for the identity of the owner and as it slowly dawned on her, she relaxed. <Angel.> she tried to turn around, but he held her in place.
 

"Oh little tree, how appetizing." The vampire whispered huskily against her neck. He chuckled as she stiffened against his hold. "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are when bathed in fear? " he demanded, his mouth brushing along her throat and sending unwanted chills through her.
 

"Look at me little tree." He said as he turned her around in his arms. He caressed her cheek gently, his gaze soft, and he leaned down, his lips capturing hers in a searing kiss. She gasped and his tongue slid into her mouth. She tried to pull back; his touch was wrong. <Oh, but Goddess that feels so good.> her mind whispered to her as his mouth continued to touch hers. And then she knew what was wrong. <Warm. His hands and lips are warm. > Angel was never warm, his touch was always cool, gentle but cool. She jerked herself out of his arms and stumbled down the street straight into another strong chest.
 

He was so confused, he knew that the vampire had feelings for the hacker, had seen the fact burred deep in the vampires mind, he'd seen the clinch they had shared in the library when she'd freed him, so why had she pulled away? She couldn't know. The slayer hadn’t even known he wasn't the vampire she thought he was.
He watched her as she fled him, his mind's eyes opening to look at her, really look at her. What he saw shook him to the bone. She would simply have to be eliminated. She could destroy his chances with her witch's eyes.

Willow looked up uncertainly, her body going through a desperate confusion of flight or fight. "Willow,"the hard chest she colided with whispered her name, his hands gently capturing hers. She felt the difference immediately. She started to speak and Angel tried to follow her breathless monologue of what had just happened to her in the last few minutes.

"I thought...I thought he was you...only he wasn't and he was going to hurt me. He kissed me...he touched me, but he wasn't you, he was warm and you’re cold. I..." her voice trailed off as he brought his fingers to her lips.
 

"Shh, it's me. I'm not going to hurt you." he whispered drawing the shaking hacker into his arms. He stared out over her head into the shadows beyond, and thought he saw one of them move. He tensed slightly making Willow draw back to look at his face. She tried to turn to see what it was that had caught his gaze only to be held more tightly against the vampire's form. She stiffened then, her earlier fear returning ten fold. What was wrong? Tthis was Angel she knew that, and yet…
 

"Shh, I'm not going to hurt you Willow." He whispered leaning down close to her ear. Close enough that the air expelled from his lips brushed over her ear and neck. She trembled but tried to relax in his grip. He pulled her gently down the street, and walked with her up to the door of her house. She fished for a moment for the key in her pocket before finding it. She jammed it home, and started to push open the door. She turned when she felt Angel's hand leave it's place on her elbow.

"Aren't you coming in?" she demanded softly looking up into the vampire's slightly troubled gaze.
 

"Are you sure?" he demanded, "I should go home, try to get some things together and go hunting." He said already stepping back from the door.
 

"Angel? Hunt what? All we know is that something that looks exactly like you except warm, <and seems to have a thing for me> is on the loose out there. We don't know what it is, or even how to kill it, or worse if
something will happen to you if we do kill it." Angel paused staring at Willow, the entire statement had been uttered without a single breath, in Willow fashion and for once he understood exactly what she was thinking. "And what if it doesn't need to be invited, it knows I know now." she said that last part softly looking down at her hands. She hated using guilt trips but she didn't want to be alone and Angel was the perfect way not to be, plus with her lap top perhaps they could find a way to stop it force it back to it's true form.

After a moment Angel shook his head and Willow turned back to the door uttering a soft-spoken invitation as she went. He followed her into the darkened house knowing that she truly trusted him. He wasn't sure he was worthy of that trust but it was something he had every intention of protecting and cherishing.
 

"Come on." she said leading himup the stairs. She stopped before her bedroom door and opened it. Angel stopped, surprised; the room had changed. Posters from Dingo's Ate My Baby no longer hung on the wall, and the number of stuffed animals that had once taken up residence on the shelves that hadn't been occupied by her books was drasticly reduced.

She walked into the room and motioned for him to follow her. He watched as she moved over to the bookshelf and began scanning it for what she needed. Willow pulled out a number of volumes on demons and other supernatural creatures and then one slender unmarked book.
 

Angel stared at if for a moment, then watched as Willow opened it's cover and he saw what was within. <It's her book of shadows> Angel realized. He watched as she flipped page after page before stopping at the one that said 'Warding' at the top in Willow's sure hand.

"Time to make this place demon proof! Uh, present company excluded." she said smiling at the vampire warmly.
 

Angel watched as Willow moved over to her closet to pull open the door. She leaned down and dragged out a trunk much like the one that Buffy used to hide all her 'slayer stuff '.

He watched, with no little surprise, as Willow opened the top pulled out a number of mementos and then removed the false bottom. What was beneath, however, did shock Angel. It had been a number of years since he'd seen the stock of a full-fledged witch, but he recognized all of the trappings, from the five-pointed encircled star to the sage and myrrh that lay in bags at the right of it.
 

The obvioously advanced witch pulled three candles, a baggy of herbs, as well as a small amulet from with in.

Angel watched with interest as she began chanting. As she did so, she went to each opening in the house and slowly seeled the openings with the mixture of cloves and salt water, and a large banishing pentacle. When the upstairs was done she turned to face Angel, and smiling softly, she reached forward and touched his forehead lightly. "To Angel only I offer welcome, to him my home is open, and my magick shall not harm, to all others that seek to harm me and mine, I offer up resistance and protection in the name of the ancient ones."
 

She paused, clicked her tongue lightly and said, "I know...I know Giles, told me not to. But I can't just sit back with the rest of the world and be helpless. I am not a slayer, I am just Willow," she paused and offered him a smile, "But maybe for once it will be enough. That what I am will be just what you need." She mumbled the last part under her breath, uncertain if she should be implying that Angel might need her. Before Angel had a chance to react to anything Willow was doing she'd headed down the stairs to undoubtedly do all the other openings leading into the Rosenberg home.

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

Buffy paused at the edge of the street and glanced over her shoulder to the two men with her. She grimaced when she saw all the yellow tape. Well, the police had taken the body so she wasn't going to be able to look at the marks on it's neck. If there where any.

A large part of the girl that was Buffy wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but if he wasn't guilty, why had he run? why had he knocked Willow out? She grimaced as she stared at the ground and saw something that she hadn't ever really noticed at other scenes of vampire attacks. There was blood on the ground. Lots of it. More than there should have been she thought.
 

"Giles?' she gasped pointing at the stains and the looking at him for an explanation.

"This is very odd indeed." Giles stuttered out, an idea not at all to his liking forming in his head. What if Angelus had already enlisted help to create this scene to make it look as though it wasn't a true vampire attack? It could be done, for all they knew the stains could have been caused by any number of things, and the blood didn't even have to have been human. He shuddered. It, however, didn't seem like something Angelus would do. He normally crowed his kills loudly, and would be rubbing it in Buffy's face that she had failed to protect an innocent.
 

It just didn't seem like something that was very Angelus like. Something was very wrong with this situation. He remembered the look on Willow's face when they had all sort of inadvertently blamed her soft heartedness for Angel's escape. She hadn't looked all that remorseful even knowing that Angel might be out murdering innocent people.
 

He cringed at the thought, realizing that Willow might be on Angel's side. What if he had some how made her let him go, what if she hadn't been knocked out? What if... <Damn it Ripper pull your self together> he berated himself inwardly. This wasn't a StarWars movie and Willow wasn't going to be tempted to the dark side of the force. As far as Giles knew away.

"We should go and make sure Willow's okay. We need to get her to help us revoke his invitation at my house."
 

There was nothing to support that Willow was helping Angelus, or that she had any idea what was going on. Giles continued inwardly fighting to keep his faith in the hacker.

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

He was aware of Willow, the witch: she was the only danger that they would find out what was happening. He had but to make the Slayer believe what he knew to be true; that the vampire and the witch were more then mere friends.
 

He grinned though he felt a slight twinge of envy, he would never get the chance to taste the passion he knew waited in the depths of her soul. She would have to be eliminated, before she managed to inform the others that there were two. Of course he doubted that they would believe her, they would assume that the hacker was simply under the vampire's sway.
 

He moved into the shadows closer to the house. He could feel the magic as it waved off the house, he couldn't pass the barriers she had erected, but he also knew she wouldn't be staying in for the rest of her life. And she wouldn't always be protected.
 

He felt once more the stirrings of hunger, the whispers to feed. Feed off foolish humanity that truly believed they owned even the deepest of nights. He knew that some like the slayer and her posse, even a few others knew about them, about the force of night. About the demons and the other creatures that walked at night.

The slayer thought that all was what it appeared to be. He watched as the witch moved back to where the vampire stood, watched the easy way she took his hand and led him to her bed. She pushed the vampire gently down and settled beside him, before reaching up and flicking the bright over head light off leaving the two of them in the half light of the lamp on the hacker's desk.
 

It was too perfect. If only Buffy and the rest would walk by Willow's at the moment, if only they would see the tender embrace the two where sharing if only they would see the tentative way he caressed her check, fighting down the urge to crush her against him.
 

He knew all about Angel, all about his barely repressed desires, all about what he thought when he found those beautiful green eyes trained on him, and he couldn't understand why he hadn't acted on the whisperings. The demon wouldn't have complained if he had. He could have drained her while making
love to her. That was the best. The ultimate high to drain the life out of human beings while in the throws of the most powerful creative energy humans ever realized. It was better that way; the taste different more fiery and intense. It was like adding spices to an already superb soup. He chuckled. <humanity.> He waited knowing that if the Slayer didn't see them now she would catch them later, perhaps even more compromised.

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

Buffy moved silently up to the Rosenberg porch. She lifted a hand and pressed the doorbell. She heard someone stand and walk slowly down over to the door. She knew that she was being peaked at from with in. Only to have the feet move away and the sound of a door opening. She wondered what was happening. She thought she heard a whisper but was unsure. She reached for the handle of the door and slowly turned it. The lock mechanism held surprising the slayer. She kicked the door suddenly expecting the wood to give.
 

"Who the hell is that?" demanded a voice she would have known anywhere.

Angel. She was in shock. Angel was at Willow's and it was light outside that would mean he'd spent the night. After she came home he must have been there. <What if she is hurt?> Buffy wondered frantically. She heard Willow's voice answer. "It's Buffy, Angel. Should I let her in?"

"Yeah." he answered. The door swung open suddenly and Buffy saw the shock of her life. Angel was standing behind Willow looking for all the world like a frightened child and Willow was standing before him with protective fury in her eyes. The slayer went to charge forward only to find her self blocked in much the same way an uninvited vampire would have been.

"Don't bother, Buffy as long as you're angry you can't get in." Buffy looked shocked. Willow smiled <yeah me and my fifty-fifty spells. Huh.> Willow thought uncharitably. The slayer had once in the past stated that Willow's spells only worked half the time. They had, it was true then, but Willow had learned thanks to the man behind her that her spells went bad because she doubted herself. Angel had helped her to believe.

"So calm down and you can come in. Try to hurt him and I'll blast you." Willow warned.

"Willow I don't know what he's done to you but I can help. Or Giles can." Buffy stuttered.

Willow smiled kindly at the slayer as she slowly moved closer but not close enough to hurt Angel. Willow knew that Angel wasn't sure what was going on but he would be.

"Angel hasn't done anything. That thing that attacked you wasn't Angel."Willow said softly.

"Willow you can't know that. I am telling you it was him." Buffy cried angrily surprised when she was froze by the spell.

"Calm down Buffy." Willow stated. "That which attacked you merely appeared to be Angel. I Know it's crazy but there are two of him walking around." Willow insisted.

"Okay...okay given that this is the Hellmouth I am listening. But how do you know that this is Angel? The good, real Angel?" Buffy demanded.

Willow bit her lip not sure she wanted to say it again and not sure she wanted to tell Buffy what had happened. She'd mumbled it to Angel but she was sure he hadn't remembered it.
 

"I known because He.." she said pointing to Angel, "Has a soul,and if that's not enough I ran into the other one....and, and he did and said things that Angel would... would never do or say." Willow stammered.
 

"Like what," demanded the slayer. Willow looked down again then met Buffy's glare, her own eyes blazing.

"Like he kissed me and Angel would have neverdone that, and he was warm and he hurt me." Willow stuttered out. Buffy stared at the hacker in shock. <Angel had kissed her? Hurt her, yet..>
 

"Wait you're saying that there is someone else out there that looks like Angel and acts like Angelus but it's not either of them. What did you split?" she demanded looking at Angel. "Do you Jekyl and Hyde?" Angel looked at Willow for help. Willow stepped easily between the two.

"No, he's Angel. That thing what ever it is, isn't Angelus either. It's not obsessed with you and it apparently wants us to hate Angel." Willow said.

"He kissed you?" Buffy asked almost as though she had only just heard the words. Angel watched the look on the Slayer's face. "Well I guess I really can't claim that it is Angel since Angel would never be interested in you not like that." Buffy said not realizing the cruelty of her words. Angel stared at her, shocked he had never seen Buffy be so heartless when it came to the hacker, but there was no way to refute what the slayer was saying without causing trouble between them.
 

"That's right Buffy, he kissed me. Right he wouldn't ever want me when he could have you right." Angel could hear the anger in Willow's voice though he was sure it was going right over the Slayer's head.
 

"Okay assuming you are right, and this is Angel, and he's a good guy; then what was it that attacked me?"
 

"Shape-shifter?" Angel offered. Buffy looked over at Willow, she seemed to be thinking over what Angel said.

"I don't know. All I do know is that he looks like you even, sounds like you. He knows things you know but he's warm. His skin is warm." She blushed slightly and continued, "And he has a heart beat."
 

"Did you kill the woman outside the bronze?" Buffy suddenly demanded.

"No!" Angel answered angrily.
 

"Then who did?" demanded the Slayer.
 

"Maybe the double did it. Buffy."
 

"If it's not a vampire why would..." she trailed off remembering all the blood that had been on the ground.
 

"Where is the body?" Willow demanded suddenly, heading for the door."Come on Buffy, Angel time to go to the morgue." Willow cringed inwardly at the thought but the only way she was going to be able to prove to Buffy that Angel wasn't guilty was if she saw the body and could see how the person was killed.
 

"Alright, but if you try anything I'll stake you. Willow or not." Buffy said holding a stake menacingly in front of her.
 

Angel cringed inwardly. She really believed it. He knew that Willow had more reason to trust him, she'd seen the other, while Buffy had only their word for what was happening. They walked down the street in retentive silence. Willow was aware of Buffy shooting Angel unsure looks and Angel's eyes never leaving the pavement.

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

Giles waited patiently at the Rosenberg residence as Willow had requested and couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped his lips when Willow and Buffy walked into the house. Willow and Buffy were talking rather heatedly with each other, and Giles could only get that what ever had happened to the woman by the bronze, she hadn't died of blood loss, something else had killed her.

"Would one of you ladies care to fill me in on what it is you are talking about."

"Angel didn't kill that woman." Willow said looking at Buffy as she spoke.

"She seems to think that what ever killed her hollowed out her soul." Buffy said still not sure she understood what Willow had been trying to explain.

"Alright, but then? Where is Angel? What is it that made you check, and what does it mean." Giles, asked then looked at Willow.

"It means we need to do some research. It means that Angel, our Angel is on our side. But we are going to have to make sure that we don't confuse what's happening. Apparently there are two of him running around. One of them is a demon of another kind." Willow said.

"So we should start on this first thing in the morning when we are rested.." Giles said. He stood and headed to the door. He wanted nothing more than to blame Angel, only he knew that Willow wouldn't except that now. She somehow knew what was happening or had an idea and he was sure that he would find out in the morning what ever else she knew.
 

"Giles wait up." Buffy said following the watcher out of the door. Willow watched as the door was shut and they left. She felt the shakes start again as she remembered the double's touch. <He's flesh. Warm, in contrast to Angel's cold. His touch deceptively seductive.> She didn't look up when she heard the front door open, didn't acknowledge Angel till he was standing in front of her a duffel bag in one hand.

"Hey," he said softly as though he feared that his normal tone would frighten her. She smiled and looked up as he continued, "where did Buffy go?"
 

"Giles. She went with Giles, " Willow said absently. Angel noticed the far off look in the hacker's normally clear gaze and wondered at it.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice gentle.
 

She looked up at him for a long moment before speaking. "I know that you didn't hurt Buffy and that it wasn't you that grabbed me last night and....it still doesn't make any sense, I know, but how do we stop it? Why did it pick you?" He looked at her for a long moment. Those where some of his own questions, but what he wanted to know more than that, was how Willow knew he wasn't the man who'd attacked Buffy and her.
 

"How did you know?" he asked.

"Know what?" she asked, not sure what he was talking about.
 

"How did you know it wasn't me?" He clarified, "you let me out before you even knew I wasn't going to hurt you, and Willow..." he paused, not sure how to approach the other thing he was worried about.
 

"What Angel, what else?" She asked.

"You shouldn't have done it Willow, you pushed me," he paused again, "I could've hurt you." He said finally his hand reaching to touch to small discoloration on her neck. He'd stopped himself from biting her. Barely. He'd been hurt and angry and she'd been rather provoking. She'd done it to make him leave so that he was free, but she'd put herself in danger and that was not allowable.
 

"But you didn't, and you won't, and I knew because you have an aura. That thing doesn't. Angelus didn't. And I can still feel the demon within you." she said. She looked down at her hands. She had never spoken to any of them about her growing powers, or what had happened to her after she had returned Angel's soul. She could never tell Buffy what had appened while she was returning Angel's soul. Buffy would never understand, and she was sure that if Angel remembered he probably thought it was a strange dream.

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