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Buffy pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. She looked at the lights on in the house, wondering how many people were in there. She needed to talk to Dawn before she talked to anyone else, but would she be able to? She opened the car door and began to walk inside dreading what she'd find.

As she opened the front door, the sound of Dawn's laughter reached her ears. She set her bags down and slowly walked towards the kitchen. She was relieved to find only Dawn and Willow in the kitchen.

"Buffy," Willow said her eyes lighting up, "How did it go?"

"It was nice," Buffy said with a smile. She knew Willow would ask for details later, but never in front of Dawn. "Dawn, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"I'll be upstairs if you need me," Willow said as she headed towards the door. "It's good to see you smiling again Buffy."

Once Willow had left the room, Dawn whirled around "You've been gone for a week, and now you're here to lecture me."

"No, slow down. No lecture. I just need to talk to you."

"Great," Dawn said rolling her eyes. She plopped into a chair and crossed her arms waiting for the yelling to begin.

"I know I haven't been there for you, and I know I have been pushing you away," Buffy began. "I think we both need a change of pace, and I have an idea on how we can do that."

Dawn look at her wide-eyed. Change of Pace? Where is she going with this? Then she noticed the twinkle in her sister's eyes and realized that Angel must have taken her back. She knew where this was headed. "Are we moving to LA?"

Buffy was caught off guard. Why do I even bother preparing speeches anymore? "I had thought about it."

"Cool," Dawn said as visions of palm trees and shopping with Cordelia flashed in front of her eyes.

"Cool?" Buffy was amazed. She thought there was going to be a fight over this. "Angel has offered to let us move in with him. I could work with his company, and they have some pretty cool schools there." She tried to pull Dawn back into her prepared speech.

"Does Cordy still work with Angel?" Dawn interrupted.

"Uh, yeah..."

"When do we leave?"

******

Buffy looked around her living room. Everyone was watching her expectantly wondering what the big bad was this time. Buffy thought back to all the times they had sat in this living room strategizing to fight apocalypses, demons, and such. She realized this might be the final time they were all together.

"So, are you gonna talk or are we just gonna stare at each other all night?" Xander quipped finally breaking the silence.

"Well, I wanted you all here so I could talk to you. I need to tell you guys the truth." Buffy took a deep breath as she looked at the puzzled looks on her friends’ faces. "You guys know that I haven't been really happy lately, well, for a while I guess. I've been trying to carry on, but I finally sat down and thought it all out. Thought back to the last time I was truly happy. I realized that was when Angel was here."

"Dead boy!" Xander exclaimed. "Is that where you've been? Did you forget? Pelvic with Angel equals death!"

"Calm down, Xander. Let me finish." Buffy silenced Xander, her glare accomplishing more than her words. "Things have changed. Angel's soul is anchored. He can't lose it anymore."

"What?" Willow's eyes got wider than Buffy had ever seen them.

"Angel was granted his soul in return for everything he has done for humanity."

"How do we know for sure?" Xander asked, then saw the look on Buffy's face. "Oh."

"Believe it. It's for real." And boy did we test it, Buffy thought, a slight blush creeping into her face.

Tara jumped in to save her, "That's not why we are all here though is it?"

"There is more." Buffy took a deep breath, "Angel has asked me to move in with him." She looked expectantly around the room. No one seemed shocked by this. "And I said yes." Again, no surprise on anyone's faces.

"What about the hellmouth?" Willow asked, hating to burst Buffy's bubble.

"Well, Angel and Wesley found a spell that they believe would seal the hellmouth for good. In theory, that means that I'd be free to leave Sunnydale."

"You think they would have found that years ago," Xander scoffed.

"Willow, Tara, would you be willing to do it?"

"Sure, Buffy. Anything you need to be back with the happies." Willow answered eager to help her friend.

"Thanks, Will."

******

They worked long into the night, and as the sun rose they finally completed the ritual that sealed the hellmouth.

"Goodbye high murder rate." Buffy said exhausted as they sat around in the remnants of the Sunnydale High School library.

"When are you leaving?" Willow asked hesitantly.

"Well, I still need to sell the house, and I need to talk to the social worker about moving with Dawn, but hopefully that won't take too long." Buffy looked around at the sad faces. "Come on, guys. LA's just two hours away, and you can come visit anytime."

"Shack up with dead boy? I don't think so," Xander said as he stalked out of the building.

"Give him some time. He'll cool down." Willow offered.

*******

The social worker hadn't had a problem with them moving at all. In fact she had suggested that it might be better for Dawn to be that close to her father. The house had sold immediately. An investment firm had called Buffy and offered her the asking price for it the same day she put it on the market. All that was left was to pack up their lives and move to LA.

Angel had called with the incredible story of how his office had exploded, and given them directions to his new place. While she was a little afraid to move Dawn into a place that seemed to be a target for the "good-guy, bad-guy" war, but he reassured her that this place shouldn’t be blowing up any time soon. She had to admit, she was excited to see the hotel and realized that it gave Dawn much more freedom than she would have had in his apartment. It will also give Angel and me more privacy, she thought with a small grin.

As Buffy packed up the last of her things, she looked around her soon-to-be old bedroom. Her gaze rested on the window, Angel's window. She remembered the nights he crept in to see her after patrol, and how convinced she had been that he was her life. She had been right.

Lost in her memories, she was startled when Dawn came barreling through the door. "Do we have to wait for the movers, or can we go now?"

"Dawn, someone needs to let them in. I can't just leave a key under the mat."

"Fine." Dawn yelled as she stalked off.

Buffy laughed to herself realizing Dawn was as excited as she was about their new start in life. As Buffy sealed up the last box, Dawn stalked back in, overnight bag in hand.

"I've called Tara and she'll let the movers into the house in the morning. I'll see you in the car!" She turned and left before Buffy could answer. OK, maybe she's more excited than I am.

*****

They arrived in LA just as the sun was setting. "Finally, I thought we'd never get here." Dawn jumped out of the car almost before Buffy could stop. Buffy turned off the engine, got out of the car, and began to stretch sore muscles. As she walked around the car she noticed Dawn had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and was staring at the hotel.

"Dawn, are you okay?" Buffy hoped Dawn wasn't backing out of this now.

"We are going to live here?" Dawn asked incredulously.

"Yep, home sweet hotel," Buffy had carefully avoided the description on the hotel to Dawn, as she wanted to surprise her with the impressiveness of it.

Suddenly arms slipped around her waist. "Welcome home," Angel whispered into Buffy's ear. Buffy tilted her head back for the kiss she had been looking forward to for the entire drive.

"Glad to be here," she said nuzzling Angel's neck.

"Gross! You guys won't be doing that all the time will you?" Dawn chided.

"It’s amazing. You start to feel like a parent long before you are," Buffy chuckled to Angel

Angel reluctantly let his arms drop from around Buffy and walked over to Dawn. He pulled her in for a friendly hug. "Welcome home, Dawn."

"Can I go in now?" Dawn was dying to see the inside of the place. "Do I get to pick a room out?"

"Any one that you want, as long as it's not already taken."

"How many people live here?"

"Well, it was just Wesley, Lorne, Gunn, and me until you guys got here."

"Great, a bachelor pad fixer upper," quipped Buffy.

Angel chuckled as he led them inside. He watched as the two girls made almost identical movements as they took in the interior of the hotel. Sometimes he still had trouble believing that Dawn wasn't really Buffy's sister. The monks had created such a likeness of Buffy in many ways.

Their silent awe was suddenly replaced by Dawn's squealing as she ran down the hallway in search of the perfect room. "Which one's ours?" Buffy asked Angel.

"I hadn't permanently decided yet. I thought we could pick it out together…" Angel trailed off. He wasn't sure what kind of room Buffy would like. He'd only seen her room at her mother's house, and he wasn't sure what her tastes would be now.

"Do we get to test them all out first?" Buffy smiled suggestively.

Angel smiled responding to the lust in her eyes, "As many as you like."

*******

After several hours of "room searching" Buffy and Angel returned downstairs to find everyone in the kitchen enjoying some of Dawn's peanut butter enchiladas. Well, enjoying might have been too strong of a word. "I got tired of waiting on you guys, so I found the kitchen. Do you want some?" Dawn asked cheerfully offering them some rock hard enchiladas.

"Uh, no thanks," Buffy said praying she didn't have to eat one ever again.

"Did you find a room?" Angel asked trying to switch the subject.

"Yeah, and it's so cool. I have a floor all to myself, and the room is so big, you know I never had a room that big in Sunnydale. How is the soundproofing here because I wouldn't want to disturb anyone with my music, or hear anything else that goes on? Can I decorate it anyway I want…" Dawn gushed.

"Hang on, hang on, Dawn you need to breathe." He was happy that the young girl was excited but he didn't realize that anyone could switch subjects faster than Buffy did.

"Oh, sorry. I'm just so excited."

"To answer your questions. Soundproofing, not so good. Yes, you can decorate. And I'm glad you're happy here."

"Well, you guys may know her, but I'm guessing you’re Buffy." Gunn had waited long enough to be properly introduced.

"You must be Gunn. I've heard a lot about you." Buffy was happy to meet the newest member of Angel's team. Our team, she reminded herself, it's ours now. A slow smile spread across her face as she began to realize that Angel and she would be sharing a lot now.

"OK, I'm hoping that smile isn't because of what you heard about me," said Gunn noting the dreamy look on Buffy's face. "You're the slayer huh? Aren't you a little small?"

Anger flashed in Buffy's eyes. "Look, I just met you so I'll let that one go. Yes, I am the slayer, and I may be small but I'll kick your ass any day."

"Now children," Angel chided smiling "Buffy, Gunn's a great asset to us, though I admit he lacks a certain instant charm. And Gunn, Buffy's kicked my ass several times, so you'd be a piece of cake."

"You kicked his ass?" Gunn's jaw dropped, "Hell, I haven't met anyone who could do that yet."

Buffy smiled at Gunn. "Well, I guess you’re okay then." Buffy could see the twinkle in his eye and knew that he accepted her whether he wanted to admit it or not.

*******

Dawn and Buffy had sat around the kitchen talking to everyone and getting to know them; though Dawn was disappointed that Cordelia wasn’t there to greet them. Dawn had headed off to bed a few hours ago, but Buffy had stayed behind to get information on what she could expect to fight here.

"Lawyers, go figure," Buffy mumbled to herself as she finally headed off to bed.

As she began to remove her clothes from her overnight bag, Angel crept into the room behind her. He had wanted to surprise her, but she felt his presence before he could. She whirled around to face him, and then began to laugh at the expression of surprise on his face.

"I never could sneak up on you very well," Angel said taking her into his arms.

"Nope, always felt you coming a mile away," Buffy said, leaning up to accept his kiss. "I'm glad we got a room two floors away from everyone else."

"Why's that?" Angel asked as he began to slowly plant little kisses down her neck.

"Don't have to worry about the noise level," Buffy breathed as Angel's kisses began to affect her. Angel chuckled as he led her over to the bed.

:: On To Part Three ::

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