Title: Fluffy Angel (Ep 39 of The Fluffy Files)

Author: Hilary

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Everything I have borrowed from Joss.

Author's Notes: From now on I won't be taking the episodes in chronological order. If you want to vote for which episode is done next then go here <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FluffyPolls/join> As always assume the episode has run as normal up until the point I start writing.

Dedications: As always to my beloved beta, Becca. Without whom none of this would have made any sense

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"We lost two more to the Slayer last night." Darla announced on bended knee. She knew as well as anyone how bad the Master's temper could be when he received bad news. The best course of action, she'd found, was to remain on your knees with your eyes lowered until the storm passed.

"The Slayer!" The Master roared, acting just the way Darla had expected. "Each night she destroys more of my family!"

Darla winced as he began to wreak havoc on their underground lair, throwing huge candelabras to the floor and pounding the ground with his fists. It was a good thing they lived in a stone cave or the whole place would be ablaze by now.

"You know, as much as I love theatrics." A voice said from the dark. "Maybe you should just try killing the bitch."

As quickly as his tirade had started it ceased, and the Master looked up as the owner of the voice emerged from the shadows. He was the epitome of cool, clad entirely in black with a shock of bleach blonde hair on his head. A scar sliced through his left eyebrow and a lit cigarette dangled from his fingers.

"And I suppose you would be the one to do that, William." The Master sneered his name as though it were an insult.

"It's Spike." The other vampire replied calmly, as though this was a discussion they had been through many times before. "And yeah, I'll do her in for you. Beats hanging around in this hole."

The Master considered this for a moment, before nodding. "Very well. Do what you will. Either way it will rid me of one thorn in my side."

Spike didn't take the bait. Instead he just took another puff of his cigarette before sweeping out into the tunnels.

"Why didn't you let me kill her?" Darla pouted, back on her feet now that the rage had subsided.

"Patience." The Master soothed. "I have a plan that will deal with two of our problems at once."

* * *

Buffy's walk home was slower than she'd initially intended. Not only was she still mulling over the prospect of her and Angel in a relationship, but she was getting the increasing feeling that she was being followed. Finally she turned to face her follower and let out a small gasp. There wasn't just one of them, but three. All of them tall, broad and seemingly made of solid muscle. The one at the front of the group growled and took a step towards her.

Buffy instinctively took a step back. She'd never had to fight three vampires as tough as this before. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a stake and quickly tried to calculate what her best move would be. She never got the change to move, as all three of them pounced on her at once, forcing her arms to her side and pressing her firmly against the wall of a nearby building. As Buffy struggled to get free the apparent leader of the group gave a toothy grin and leaned in to bite her.

From the alleyway, Spike watched. He knew the vampires that were attacking the Slayer. They were The Three and they worked for the Master.

"Bastard's tryin' to take my kill." He growled softly.

He watched for a few more minutes and when it became apparent that the Slayer wasn't going to be able to take on the Three alone, he jumped forward and grabbed the leader by the neck.

"Now boys, play nice." He said, whilst punching the vampire in the face several times.

Buffy reacted instantly, kicking one of the vampires that was holding her and head butting the other. She then took a brief second to look at just who it was who had saved her. She had no idea who he was but he fought with a grace and fluidity that she'd never seen before. She then turned her attention back to the other two vampires, happy that her rescuer could take care of himself.

"Ok, which of you two wants to go first?" She asked, raising her stake once more.

Before either of them could move, however, one of the vampires was tackled to the floor and Buffy briefly caught a glimpse of Angel before the remaining vampire moved forwards.

"Wow, it must be rescue Buffy night in Sunnydale." She muttered as she fought her now single foe.

Now that there was only one of them it was much easier for her to fight and in a few minutes she had him on the defensive.

"Looks like you're not so tough now you don't have your friends." She taunted as she plunged her stake into his chest.

She turned just in time to see Angel dust his opponent, which just left the other guy. Although he was still fighting well, Buffy noticed with alarm that he'd been hurt somewhere during the fight. His black t-shirt was now ripped, revealing a deep bloody wound underneath. She moved forward to help but Angel caught hold of her arm and held her back.

"What are you doing?" She hissed quietly. "He needs help."

At that moment, however, she was proved wrong when the final vampire was staked, leaving the three of them alone with three accompanying piles of dust.

"Are you ok?" Buffy asked, shaking herself free from Angel's grip and moving forward. Angel was quicker, however, and Buffy yelped in surprise when he grabbed the other guy by the shoulders in pinned him against the wall in much the same way as she'd been by the group of vampires.

"Angel, what are you doing?" She asked hurrying over to join them. "This guy saved my life."

"You can't trust him." Angel growled, not even looking at her.

"Why not?"

For the first time Angel looked at her and faltered. "Because...."

"Go on, mate." The other man prompted, speaking for the first time since the fight began. "Tell her."

Buffy placed her hands on her hips and looked at them both expectantly. "One of you had better tell me what the hell is going on or in a minute you'll both see just how unpleasant a cranky Slayer can be."

"He's a vampire!" They both exclaimed at once.

Buffy blinked slowly. "What?"

Angel had now released Spike and took a step back from both him and Buffy.

"Angel?" She asked in a small voice, pleading with him to tell her it wasn't true.

He lowered his eyes and that was all she needed as confirmation of the truth. Rage surpassed any feeling of hurt she'd had and she reached into her pocket for her stake.

"I suppose this was all a game to you?" She said bitterly, trying her hardest not to let the tears fall. "To get me to trust you, make me have feelings for you so that you could kill me?"

She realised with irony that this was the first time she'd told him she had feeling for him.

"Buffy, it's not like that." Angel tried to protest. "I just wanted-"

"Save it!" Buffy spat. "I can barely stand to look at you any more. Stay the hell away from me, my friends and my family. If I see you again, I will kill you."

For a moment it looked as though he was going to argue, and Buffy was faced with the possibility that she was actually going to have to stake him. However, after a moment he lowered his head and walked away, disappearing back into the darkness.

Buffy closed her eyes for a moment before turning to face the other guy.

"What about you?" She snapped. "You decided to join in the tricking Buffy campaign?"

"Hey!" He protested. "I never pretended to be something I'm not. I just wanted to kill those guys so that I could have a go at you myself."

Buffy looked at him for a moment and then laughed, she couldn't help it. This had to be the only time in her life where a death threat had been comforting.

"So what's your name?" She finally asked. "We may as well be on first name terms if we're going to try and kill each other."

"Spike."

Buffy wrinkled her nose. "What kind of lame name is that?"

Spike grinned. "Same as Buffy, I suppose."

"Hey!" She protested with a small smile. "There's nothing wrong with my name."

"Nothing wrong with mine either." Spike countered.

They lapsed into silence for a moment as they both realised how insane this situation was. They were supposed to be killing each other and here they were laughing about each other’s names.

"So." Buffy finally said. "Are we going to do this fight thing?"

Spike paused. It had been such a long time since anyone had made him smile. Not since Drusilla in fact, the former love of his life who had left him in 1920 to try and find Angel. Kind of ironic that Spike was the one that had ended up finding him.

He looked down at his chest, which was still bleeding slightly, and shook his head.

"Maybe some other time, pet. I'm not exactly in top shape at the moment."

Buffy frowned and took a step forward. "Lemme take a look at that."

Before Spike could argue she's batted his hands aside and lifted up his shirt, peering at the wound that lay underneath.

"This looks nasty," she murmured, prodding the wound gently and causing Spike to yelp.

"Sorry." She said, rolling his shirt back down.

"That's fine." Spike grumbled. "Just poke at my still bleeding wound."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "So, if we're not going to fight what are we supposed to do now?"

Spike pulled a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one, taking a deep drag and blowing a plume of smoke into the night air.

"Well, I don't know about you but I'm gonna find myself a place to kip until this thing heals itself. Might come and find you after that."

Buffy looked at him for a moment, her mind going to places she really wished it wasn't.

"You could stay at my place." She finally said quietly.

Spike stared at her for a moment and then he began to laugh, loudly.

"Have you gone completely bonkers?" He asked as he tried to compose himself. "I told you five minutes ago that I wanted to kill you and now you're inviting me into your home?"

Buffy frowned as Spike continued to laugh.

"Watch out for the big, bad Slayer." He giggled. "She might invite you in for a cuppa."

"If you really wanted to kill me you'd have done it already." Buffy finally said, her voice soft and calm. "You're not into the whole mind games thing like Angel was."

Spike sobered quickly at her words. "How do you know what I'm like? You don't know me."

"I know a good fighter when I see one. And I know when someone doesn't hide what they are."

Spike nodded. "Well, you've got me there I suppose. But what if I try and kill you in your sleep. Or go after your family?"

Buffy shrugged. "That doesn't seem like your style. You want an even fight, right? You want to know if you can really take me."

This rendered Spike speechless for a moment. How was it possible that in the short amount of time they'd spent together, she already seemed to know him.

"Alright." He finally agreed. "But only for one night. I'll be healed by then."

Buffy nodded and the two of them began to walk back towards her house.

* * *

"I don't believe it." The Master said as he paced his lair, torn between being angry and amused. "Not only did Spike not kill the Slayer but he helped her to destroy the Three. And now the Slayer has taken him under her wing like some stray dog."

"Let me kill them for you, master." Darla purred. "Please?"

The Master thought for a moment and then shook his head. "No, I cannot lose another of my precious children to the Slayer. Our family is small enough as it is."

Darla smiled. "What if I get Angel to do it for me? Bring him back to us."

The Master looked intrigued. "What makes you think he'll do that? He obviously cares for the girl."

Darla laughed. "I think it'll be different if she's hunting him down. Just leave it to me."

"Very well."

* * *

Angel didn't know how long he'd been pacing his room he saw the disgusted look on Buffy's face. He should have known this day would come eventually. Maybe if he'd told her the truth in the first place it would have been easier. No, she'd have staked him and asked questions later. But now what was he supposed to do? Surely she'd seen that he was on her side, that he'd been watching her and helping her ever since she arrived in Sunnydale. She probably thought it was all lies.

He was brought from his thoughts by a knock at the door and for a moment his heart soared. Maybe it was Buffy. Maybe she'd found out where he lived and wanted to talk, to give him a chance to explain. He hurried over and opened the door.

His face fell when he saw who was on the other side.

"What do you want?"

Darla pouted. "Come now, Angel. Is that any way to treat an old friend?"

"You're not my friend and you're not welcome here."

Darla merely brushed past him and moved over to the centre of the room. "Come on, you know as well as I do that the whole invitation thing doesn't work on the home of a vampire. Or have you forgotten what you are?"

"No." Angel replied softly, lowering his eyes. "I haven't forgotten."

"I hear your little Slayer friend found the skeleton in your closet tonight." Darla said as she opened the fridge and smiled when she saw the bags and jars of human blood on the shelves. "Or should I say skeletons. Depends if you're counting the number of people you slaughtered in your time."

"Get out." Angel hissed.

"Have you told her about the curse?" Darla asked, moving towards the door but making no move to leave. "Maybe she'll understand. And if she doesn't, you know where I am."

As Darla swept out of the door Angel sighed. She was right. He was going to have to talk to Buffy and there was no time like the present. Grabbing his jacket he headed back out.

* * *

"Relax." Buffy said as she opened her front door. "Mom's out of town on a buying trip for a couple of days. Come in."

Spike nodded and gingerly stepped over the threshold. He couldn't remember the last time a human had willingly invited him into their home. Usually it involved holding a family member hostage until someone invited him.

"Take a seat in the kitchen." Buffy said, "I may as well patch you up while I'm here."

Spike sighed and trudged into the kitchen without a word, plonking himself down on one of the bar stools.

"Take your shirt off." Buffy called from upstairs and he sighed again before doing as he was asked. So much for the Big Bad.

Buffy stopped as she got into the kitchen doorway. Spike was sat with his back to her and she could literally see the muscles flexing in his back and shoulders. He was hot, there was no denying it and she idly wondered if this had now become part of the vampire package.

"I know you're there." Spike said softly, causing her to jump. "Enjoying the view?"

"Hardly." Buffy lied, moving round to the front of him. "Just wondering if I should stake you or not."

Spike smiled. "I bet you like an even fight as much as I do, Pet."

Buffy nodded and soaked a cotton ball with some disinfectant. Spike hissed in pain as she cleaned and bandaged his wound but said nothing.

"There we go," she smiled. "All done. Let me show you upstairs."

Spike nodded and followed, still trying to come to terms with the situation, and the fact that the Slayer had clearly been oggling him earlier.

"You can take the bed." Buffy said as she showed him into her room. "You're hurt and I'm gonna head out and do a quick patrol before I go to sleep anyway."

Spike looked at the bed and then at the small space of floor beside it. He knew it would be the gentlemanly thing to give Buffy the bed, but he was in no way a gentleman and he couldn't remember the last time he'd actually slept in a real bed. And as he'd told Buffy earlier it was just for one night.

"Alright." He agreed, taking off his coat and draping over a nearby chair before sitting on the edge of the bed so he could remove his boots.

Buffy smiled. She thought for a minute she was going to have to argue with him over who took the bed and who took the floor. She should have known Spike wasn't the type to lie about what he wanted.

"I'll only be out for about half an hour." She said as Spike lay down.

"Ok." He said, already sounding half asleep. "Night."

With a small smile she tugged the blankets over the already slumbering vampire and closed the door quietly before heading downstairs. She grabbed her jacket and opened the front door, almost walking face first into the person on the other side.

"Hi." Buffy smiled uncertainly.

"Hi." The girl replied. "I'm Sarah, a friend of Willow's. I was supposed to meet her tonight for some tutoring, but she wasn't at home. Her mom said she might be here. I'm really sorry to bother you."

"Oh, that's ok." Buffy smiled, relaxing a little. "But Willow isn't here. She might be at Xander's. I can call him if you like."

"Thanks." She replied. "That'd help me a lot. I feel like I've been walking around town all night and these books weigh a ton."

Buffy stepped away from the door. "Come on in, this'll only take a second."

As she stepped through the door, Darla smiled.

"Why don't you pop your books on the table." Buffy said, wandering into the kitchen to get the phone.

Darla followed, letting her vamp face come forward. Reaching into her bag she pulled out a small bottle and a gauze pad. She empted the bottle onto the pad and walked into the kitchen where Buffy had her back to her and was dialling Xander's number. She had barely finished punching in the first digit when Darla grabbed her from behind and smothered her face with the now soaked cloth. As Buffy began to struggle Darla tightened her grip, holding the cloth firmly in place. It only took a few second for Buffy's struggles to stop and the phone to drop out of her now limp fingers.

"Sweet dreams." She sneered as Buffy sagged into her arms, her head lolling back onto Darla's shoulder. Darla held the cloth in place for a couple more minutes before slipping it back into her pocket. She then dragged Buffy over to the middle of the kitchen and dumped her on the floor. Now all she had to do was wait.

* * *

Angel wasn't sure how long he'd been standing on Buffy's doorstep for, but it felt like several lifetimes. He raised his hand to knock for about the seventh time and lowered it yet again. This was much harder than anything he'd ever had to do in the past and it was now that he remembered why he'd chosen a life of solitude.

Finally he knocked. Taking a deep breath as he did.

No answer.

He knocked again.

No answer.

Even as his brain was telling him there was no one home, his feet were carrying him around to the back door just to make sure. His unbeating heart lurched at what he saw as he peered though the glass. Buffy lay on the floor, apparently unconscious, and Darla was bent over her with her fangs bared.

Without another thought he burst through the door.

"Get away from her!"

Darla grinned. "Angel! You're just in time for the feast."

She propped Buffy into a sitting position and nuzzled her neck for a moment before taking a bite. Angel charged forward, shoving Darla away and cradling Buffy in his arms. It was only then that he realised Darla wasn't fighting back.

"You smell that?" Darla asked triumphantly. "Fresh human blood, still warm. And you know how potent Slayer blood is reputed to be."

He hadn't been aware of it at first, but now the whole room seemed filled with the coppery scent. He tried not to look at Buffy but he couldn't help it. Her head had lolled to the side, and he could see the blood glistening on her pale throat.

"You know you want to." Darla taunted. "Your whole being is crying out for it. Taste her."

He let out a small growl. His whole body trembling with the effort not to let his demon come forth. Darla knelt down beside him, wiped a finger over Buffy's wound and waved it under his nose.

"Just a taste." She whispered, running her finger over his lower lip.

It was too much to bear. With another low growl his demon visage came forward and he licked at the small trace of blood on his lip.

Darla smiled approvingly. "There you are. Now, there's plenty more where that came from. Finish her. And when you're done come and find me."

Leaving him with his inner war, Darla left to tell the Master that phase one of her plan was complete.

Angel looked down at Buffy once again, his whole body crying out for more of the sweet nectar he had just tasted.

It's not like you have to take it all, the demon encouraged, but even if you do what does it matter? She's probably going to kill you anyway.

His head was moving down to her neck before he even realised it, his tongue darting out to lap at the blood that was trickling from the wound.

"Listen, I was thinking-" Spike murmured, wandering into the kitchen and rubbing his eyes sleepily. He'd heard noises coming from downstairs and figured that Buffy was back from patrol. As he entered the kitchen he froze, seeing Angel with his mouth fastened over Buffy's neck. He didn't think for a second before charging forward and dragging him away from her.

"You stay the hell away from her." He growled. "Or I'll stake you myself."

Angel's human features came back into place, Spike's presence bringing him back to himself. He looked down at Buffy's body with horror before turning and bolting.

Spike quickly hurried to Buffy's side, propping her upright and placing his fingers on her wrist. He found a pulse still strong. Looked like he'd managed to get there before Angel had taken too much blood.

"Slayer?" He called gently, patting her cheek with his hand. "Come on now, wake up."

When there was no response he sighed, picking her up and carrying her upstairs, pausing only to grab the first aid kit that she'd left on the kitchen counter. Halfway up the stairs Buffy stirred and let out a sleepy murmur.

"Slayer?" Spike asked tentatively. "You awake?"

Her only response was to alter her position slightly so that her face was nuzzled into his neck. That in itself was weird, but Spike almost dropped her when she placed a small kiss on the tender skin of his throat. He quickly made his way up the rest of the stairs and placed her on her bed.

"Spike?" Buffy murmured as he rummaged through the first aid kit looking for the disinfectant and a band-aid. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to find something for that bite on your neck." He replied, not looking up from his task.

"You don't have to do that." She said sleepily, her hand reaching over and encircling his wrist. "I like it when you bite me. It's sexy."

Spike almost fell of the bed and he looked over at Buffy, only to find her apparently still unconscious. Clearly she was trapped in some dream and didn't know what she was talking about. He quickly cleaned and patched up her wound before tugging the blankets over her and getting ready to settle himself on the floor.

"Don't leave me." Buffy moaned, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Stay."

Spike rolled his eyes and tried to pull her arm away from him. This only caused Buffy to whimper and tighten her grip.

"Bugger this." Spike growled, seeing his efforts were getting him nowhere. He swung himself up onto the bed and lay down next to Buffy.

"Happy now?" He asked, more to himself than to her.

"Mm-hm." She agreed, snuggling close to him and apparently drifting back to full sleep. Spike closed his eyes and followed soon after.

* * *

The sunlight was filtering in through the drawn curtains and warming Buffy's face as she woke. Her head was pounding and for a fleeting moment she wondered if she had a hangover. She remembered Willow's friend coming over and then nothing. Now she appeared to be in bed, and still fully clothed.

As she looked down at herself she froze, there was an arm wrapped around her waist. A clearly male arm clad in a black t-shirt. She was almost afraid to see who it belonged to, and as her eyes moved up the bed they came to rest on Spike's still sleeping face. She couldn't help but smile; he looked so peaceful and so unlike the big bad that he'd appeared to be the night before. She tried carefully to extract herself from his arms without waking him, but it was no use, after a moment he let out a small moan and his eyes opened.

"You ok, Pet?" He asked gently.

Buffy nodded. "Sure, why wouldn't I be? It's not like I can't remember what happened last night or anything."

Spike raised an eyebrow and Buffy sighed.

"Fine, what happened last night?"

Spike sat up and ran a weary hand over his face. "Came downstairs to find Angel trying to make a snack out of you. Seems he wasn't up for a fight though, he took off almost as soon as I walked into the room."

Buffy stared at him with wide eyes, waiting for the punch line. When she realised he wasn't kidding he reached up and felt her throat, gasping when her fingers found the band-aid Spike had put on her.

"I'll kill him." She hissed.

Spike nodded. "I'll help."

* * *

"It was perfect." Darla grinned as she told the Master what she had done. "He couldn't help himself."

"You're certain he killed her?" The Master asked.

Darla shrugged. "Even if he didn't she's bound to hunt him down once she realises he's fed from her. It'll only be a matter of time before they fight. And I know Angel will kill her. You remember how brutal he can be."

The Master smiled. "Yes, of course. Still, maybe you should give Angel a little more 'encouragement' and find out if the Slayer still lives."

Darla nodded and headed back out.

* * *

A quick detour to Buffy's house told Darla that the Slayer still lived and that she and Spike were apparently preparing for battle. As she had said, it didn't matter. Angel could take them both, she didn't doubt it. All she had to do was talk to him.

* * *

"Go away." Angel said dully, not moving from his position on the edge of his bed.

"I have to say I admire your strength, Angel. I really thought you'd have drained the Slayer dry.

He said nothing, merely staring at his hand in his lap.

"She's coming for you, you know." Darla continued. "Her and her new man. It must cut you up that she moved on so fast, and to another vampire too. I guess you're too pathetic even for her."

Silence from Angel.

"What? You're just going to sit here until they find you? Let them kill you before they make love in your ashes? Come on Angel, there's more to you than that, I know it. You can fight them; you're stronger than the two of them together. Embrace what are you are and come back to me, where you belong, where you're accepted. You don't have to be alone any more."

She cupped his chin in her hand and raised his head so that their eyes met

Angel looked at her, a lone tear running down his cheek. "You're right. I want to finish this."

Darla smiled. "I know just the place."

* * *

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Spike asked as they entered the Bronze.

Buffy nodded. "He lives around here somewhere I'm sure of it. We need to see if there's a basement or something."

"Why bother?" A voice called from the shadows. "I'm right here."

Buffy turned and motioned for Spike to stay behind her.

"Show yourself then or are you done playing fair?"

Angel chuckled, a dry throaty sound that sent shivers down her spine. "Why would I fight fair? I'm just an animal, right?"

"Wrong." Buffy replied. "Animals I like."

"And yet you took one into your bed." Angel sneered, finally emerging from the shadows. "I hope he wasn't too rough with you."

Spike growled and took a step forward.

"Watch your mouth, Mate."

Angel laughed again. "Defending the lady's honour, Spike? I see it didn't take her long to remove your bite."

"Shut up!" Buffy spat. "At least he's never hidden what he was from me, and he certainly didn't attack me in my own home."

Angel shrugged. "Can't help what I am."

"Why?" Buffy asked. "Why did you pretend to help me and care about me? Was it just a game to you? So you could get close to me?"

"Would that make it easier?" Angel asked. "If I told you it was all a game would it make it easier for you to kill me?"

"Maybe." Buffy replied. "But I want the truth."

"Everything you've no doubt read about me is true. For two hundred years I lived solely for the kill. I slaughter my family, their friends and I enjoyed every second of it."

Buffy closed her eyes and willed herself not to be sick.

"What changed?" She asked, opening her eyes again once the nausea had passed.

"I fed off a girl, a gypsy, and her clan cursed me. Restored my soul."

"Bloody hell!" Spike swore under his breath.

"What? They couldn't give you a plague of warts or something?"

"You don't understand, Pet." Spike said softly, moving to stand by her side. "When you become a vampire your soul is gone. You don't feel remorse or anything like that. Angel's now got to deal with the fact that he's killed thousands of people."

"A fit punishment for everything I've done." Angel added, lowering his head.

"So why did you attack me?" Buffy asked. "You could have told me."

"Well, I was kind of hoping he'd drain you." A female voice said and Darla emerged from the shadows, full vampire face showing.

"You!" Buffy exclaimed. "You're the one who attacked me!"

"Catches on quick doesn't she." She looked around at the others and smiled. "Quite a crowd we've got here. I look forward to seeing you all die."

Buffy raised her crossbow as Spike and Angel flanked her on either side. "You get to try."

From behind her back Darla pulled two large pistols, one in either hand. She pointed them both at the group and fired.

Buffy gasped as Angel and Spike both collapsed, Angel bleeding from the shoulder and Spike from the stomach.

"Oh, don't worry." Darla grinned. "Bullets can't kill vampires. It'll just keep them out of the way for a while. Now, let's see if you're as bullet resistant as they are."

Buffy quickly dived behind the pool table as Darla fired again. She had to time this right. Soon enough Darla had to reload and at that moment Buffy jumped up and fired as many shots as she could from the crossbow she carried with her. Unfortunately she had to take a few seconds to reload each time and she only managed to get three bolts fired before Darla was ready.

The first one missed and embedded itself in the wall behind her, the second one hit her in the stomach and the third hit her in the arm.

"You're a lousy shot." Darla laughed as she pulled the two bolts out of her body with a small hiss. "Now if you'll just-"

She froze suddenly and the two pistols clatter from her hands. Buffy looked confused as Darla turned away from her and it was only then that she saw the crossbow bolt sticking out of her back and Angel crouched behind Darla.

"Angel?" Darla whispered in shock and disbelief, moments before exploding into a cloud of dust.

Buffy stood there stunned for a moment before hurrying around the pool table to where the others were. She headed straight for Spike who was still lying on the ground clutching his stomach and moaning softly.

"Spike?" Buffy whispered as she knelt beside him and pulled his head into her lap. "Are you ok?"

He chuckled and then winced as it aggravated his wound. "If I can go a while without getting stabbed or shot that would be nice."

Buffy smiled; if he was making jokes then he was going to be ok. She looked up at Angel who had moved over to join them.

"Thank you." She said softly.

Angel nodded, his face falling as he saw Buffy fingers gently stroking Spike's hair.

"Listen Buffy. I think it's best if I leave town. Being around you is too hard. I need to go some place where I can help people on my own. Maybe LA."

Buffy nodded. "I'm sorry for everything that happened, Angel. I'm sorry if I hurt you."

Angel shook his head. "No need. Just take care of yourself, and watch your back around Spike. I know you care about him but he's still a vampire. If I get word that he's hurt you I'll come here and stake him myself."

Buffy smiled and nodded. "I know. Thank you."

Without another word Angel turned and left, leaving Buffy and Spike alone.

"Do you think you can stand?" Buffy asked as she propped him into a sitting position.

Spike nodded. "Give me hand."

As carefully as she could she helped him to his feet, wrapping her arms around his waist when he almost collapsed against her.

"So I guess it all ended well then." Spike groaned. "You know, aside from the wounds and stuff."

Buffy smiled coyly. "Not quite."

And with that she leaned up and kissed him, something she'd been longing to do since seeing him shirtless in her kitchen the night before. Spike closed his eyes and kissed her back, this was something he'd been longing to do since she'd taken him back to her house.

As they parted Buffy smiled.

"Let's go home."

Spike smiled in return. Home, he'd never really had one of those before, but it was something he could definitely get used to

The End