"Eeeewww." Buffy grimaced. "Demon Goo...." She removed a hand from her blonde hair, wiping it on her already stained clothing. She looked up and caught Riley staring at her. "What?"

He smiled sweetly. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you look?"

She moved closer to him. "No... Why don't you tell me?" She murmured, raising her face closer to his. His smile grew, and he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her softly.

They were brought back to reality by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Buffy pulled away from Riley, looking over at the intruder. Her breath caught in her throat as she caught sight of him.

It was Angel, leaning against an ancient mausoleum, eyebrow raised. "Sorry to interrupt the Kodak Moment." He drawled, standing up straight and strolling over to where they stood.

"Angel...." Buffy whispered, blinking.

His lips twitched into a cold smile, and he leaned down to look her directly in the eye. "Hello Lover." He said evenly.

Her eyes widened. "No....." She whispered brokenly. "No."

"Buffy?" Riley said softly. "What's going on?"

Angelus' head snapped up as he eyed Riley, a predatory gleam in his eye. "This is Riley, huh?" He said, circling him in interest. "Isn't he cute." He stopped in front of Buffy. "Of Course I'll have to kill him."

Buffy's shoulders shook and tears streamed down her face. "How...."

"I was planning on ripping put his spleen and making him eat it. You know evisceration has always been one of my talents." He smiled s Buffy's hand flew to her mouth. "Aww, Don't cry Buff. He has to be punished, you know that. He touched my girl. It's a guy thing." He brushed his hand across her scar and she flinched at the touch. "Until next time, lover." He whispered, lowering his lips to her neck, not taking his eyes from hers. He kissed the scar softly before slipping away into the night.

She watched him disappear, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. This wasn't happening....It couldn't. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her- Had someone else made him happy? She shivered. The idea upset her more than she like to admit. She looked over to where Riley stood, a frightened expression on his face.

"My Spleen?" He cried. "I need my Spleen! It does.... something."

"Giles." She said simply, pushing her grief down into the deepest corner of her soul, burying it there, hidden. She was good at hiding. So much of her lived in that part of her now, that solitary, lonely place, that sometimes even *she* didn't know what she was feeling.

She turned to walk away, Riley falling into step beside her. Finally, he regained his composure, and asked the question she had been dreading.

"Who was that?"

*

Angelus cocked his head to the side, studying the couple dancing to a slow, romantic song played by the newest of the Bronze's 'fresh talent', An Even Smaller World. He narrowed his eyes, a deeper malice stirring within him than anything he had ever known. The boy, Parker, had *used* Buffy. Had toyed with her, hurt her. Only he was allowed to do that.

Angelus growled as Parker smiled at the nameless girl, hearing snippets of their conversation through the noise of socializing teenagers. "You gotta live for the day...." Parker said seriously. Had he used the same lines on Buffy? The thought angered Angelus further, the idea that Parker had not only used a line on Buffy, but that he had used a *recycled* line on her, like she was the same as the others. She wasn't the same; She was a fascinating creature who could be anything she wanted to be; a chameleon in a static world.

The corner of Angelus' mouth turned up in a smile as he watched the couple walking out of the Bronze arm in arm: This would be a satisfying kill. He longed to feel Parker's blood on his cold hands, to hear his tortured screams as he was disemboweled slowly and painfully with a rusty spoon coated in acid.

He followed them into the alley, mulling over plans in his head.

*

Buffy watched her friends faces as they sat in Giles lounge room, in the midst of an awkward conversation with Riley about Angel. She saw fear, anxiety, and sadness plainly written across Willow's features. She wondered idly if the sadness was for Angel, and grief for what was essentially his death, or sympathy for Buffy herself, who sat, curled into a little ball , not having much input in the conversation. She had delayed answering Riley's frenzied questions until she had backup, choosing to let Giles explain the whole heart-wrenching situation.

She sighed and tightened her arms around her legs, squeezing her eyes shut and willing herself to travel back to happier times, before LA, before hell, before the clause. She remembered late-night make-out sessions with Angel in the graveyard, and how her body had always tingled in anticipation before she saw him. The tingle had been smothered when he returned from hell, ignored and pushed away so that the little self control she had remained in tact.

She struggled to pay attention to what was going on around her, ignoring the urge to sink down inside herself and never return. She couldn't. Angel wouldn't want it.

"I can't believe you dated a vampire." Riley said, shaking his head in disappointment. Buffy remained silent. "How could you be so stupid?"

Her heart broke at those words, and she willed herself to defend herself, defend Angel. She couldn't control who she loved. It just happened. She couldn't- wouldn't shut down her heart. But she just didn't know how to defend herself. It turned out she didn't need to.

"You're calling *Buffy* stupid? You, who is wearing last years commando gear?"

Buffy jumped out of her seat at the sound of Cordelia's voice. "Cordy...." She exclaimed, hugging her tightly, thankful for the reminder of Angel. She knew Angel and Cordelia had been close, and suddenly was glad. Someone else to share her pain, even if only a fraction of it. Cordelia clutched her tightly.

"I take it you ran into Angelus already...." Cordelia said softly.

Buffy nodded sadly. "How did this happen?"

"OK, this is where the story gets long." A new voice said from the shadows. Angel's voice. Buffy's body tensed, but she relaxed as he emerged from the darkness and locked eyes with her. It was Angel. *Her* Angel. There were little signs, of course, the unmistakable guilt in his eyes, the stoop in his stance, but somehow she just knew.

She heard Riley's voice through the haze that had come over her. "You got a lotta nerve coming here."

She turned slightly to see him standing beside her, crossbow raised. She held up a hand.

"Hold Up, Captain FarmBoy." She said harshly. "This is Angel. Souled version 5.0."

"How do you know?" Xander asked, only a little unsure.

"I Know." She said firmly.

Apparently this satisfied him, because he walked over to Angel, clapped him on the back, and said. "Good to have ya back, buddy. You had us all a little worried there. Hey, listen, I know you sort of have this thing against killing people when you are in possession of a soul, but do you wanna make an exception for FishBoy? He's been really bugging me today- and did you hear him? He called Buffy stupid."

Angel glared a Riley. "Not a smart move." He said through gritted teeth, then looked at Xander. "But I can't kill him. Sorry. It's not worth the guilt."

"Angelus still might though." Doyle said, from where he had been standing next to Cordelia.

Buffy snapped to attention. "What does that mean?"

Angel looked down at his feet, then up at her.

"There's two of us."

"Pardon me?" Giles sad quickly. "Two of you? What? How?"

Angel indicated for them all to sit down, taking a moment to collect his thoughts before he began to speak.

"It's all Zara's fault." He started.

"Who's Zara?" Buffy asked suspiciously, a note of extreme jealousy slipping into her voice. Despite himself, Angel's lips twitched into an amused smile.

"She's a witch we saved." He informed her, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh." She said in a small voice.

"She decided to help me by banishing the demon from my body.' He said. "Without my knowledge."

"But something went wrong." Willow said seriously, having very much experience with spells turning bad.

He nodded. "Instead of the demon just disappearing, being banished or whatever, we were split into two. "

"Uh, Angel?" Xander said cautiously. "Hate to ask this, but shouldn't you be- I dunno.. Dust?"

Angel stared at Xander, surprised at how perceptive he was. "Actually Xander- yeah. I should be."

"But you're not?" Riley asked. Angel paused to stare at him, wondering where Buffy found the idiot.

"No." Angel said slowly, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not. I'm standing here talking to you."

"Duh." Cordelia said, rolling her eyes.

"So we went to see the Oracles." Doyle said, taking a hip flask from his pocket.

"The who?" Buffy asked, confused.

"Talking Ouija boards." Angel explained. Buffy cocked her head to the side, trying to recall where she'd heard the term before.

"I thought they were a myth!" Giles said in wonder.

Angel shook his head. "Real. Most legends are."

"So? What did they say?????" Xander asked, desperate to know how Angel stood before them.

"The Powers need me as a warrior." He said slowly, then locked eyes with Buffy. "A human warrior."

*

Parker blinked, struggling to focus. A pair or glowing amber orbs stared at him out of the darkness.

"Who are you?" Parker whispered, his throat dry.

The figure, a tall, dark man dressed all in black stepped out of the darkness, smirking down at him. He crouched in front of Parker, checking to make sure that his chains were tight enough. They were in the basement of the mansion, the only light coming from the flickering candles.

"Name's Angel." He said, grinning. "and I will be your murderer for this evening. If there's anything you need, any body part you'd like removed, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Why?"

"Buffy Summers." Angelus said, his eyes narrowing in hate. "You touched my girl." He shook his head. "Not the smartest thing in the world."

"Buffy?" Parker said. "That's what this is about?"

Angelus stood up, wandering over to the table and picking up a glinting silver dagger. Finally, he answered.

"She's what everything's about."

*

"Human?" Buffy whispered, a million emotions conflicting in her heart. "Human?" She repeated, swallowing.

"Pretty Much." He replied.

"He can still kick demon butt though." Cordelia put in, grinning.

'Very good at the butt kicking." Doyle confirmed.

"Cool." Xander said, surprising even himself. "Deadboy's alive. Deadboy is of the living. This is a good thing."

"Yeah, except his evil twin is out and about, waiting to rip out my spleen!" Riley cried.

"Oh, Come on, what does a spleen really do? Do you really want it that much?" Xander said mockingly.

Riley tried to glare at him menacingly, but only succeeded in looking like a monkey giving birth. Xander cracked up laughing at the look on his face.

"Human???" Buffy said again, louder this time.

He nodded again.

"You're human!!!" She cried, launching herself into his arms, raining kisses over his face. He laughed, nuzzling her neck.

"Buffy!!!!!!" Riley shrieked. "What are you doing????"

Buffy leaned her forehead against Angel's and grinned. "My boyfriend. Right. Whoops." She giggled, but made no move to remove her legs from Angel's waist.

"I'm sensing a reunion for our superheroes." Oz commented, smiling.

Willow clapped her hands, grinning like an idiot. "This is definitely a good thing." She cried.

'What about me?" Riley whimpered.

Buffy paid no attention to him, capturing Angel's lips in a kiss.

"You're of the past." Cordelia said bluntly. "Buffy no longer has any need for a whiny rebound guy and she would be all too happy to let Angelus tear you up into itty bitty bits."

Buffy turned her head to glare playfully at Cordelia. "No, I wouldn't let him die. I'd allow him to be tortured for a few hours before saving him. Giles gets all pissy if I don't."

"No, go ahead, let him die." Giles said seriously. "It'd be a mercy, really."

Riley gazed around, wide-eyed. "You're all insane!!!"

"I know. Isn't it great?" Buffy exclaimed.

Riley gave one more bewildered cry before scampering out of the apartment.

"He'll probably die, you know." Spike said idly, not ungluing his eyes from the TV screen, where a repeat of his favourite soap was playing.

"I know." Buffy said. "Hey Angel, you're human, right?"

"We already covered this, Buffy." Angel smiled.

"Well, doesn't that mean that the curse.." She trailed off, smiling wickedly.

"Is non-existent. I was wondering how long it would take you to work that out." Cordelia told her, filing her nails.

"We'll see you tomorrow guys." Buffy said quickly, hurrying Angel out the door.

The group watched them go with interest.

"Angel's gonna get lucky." Doyle declared.

"They'll be going at it for days." Spike agreed.

They all shrugged, settling in to watch Spike's soap marathon.

*

"Please..stop." Parker whimpered as Angelus trailed the dagger down his greasy body, leaving a thin line of blood behind it.

"Not gonna happen." Angelus replied, smiling sadistically.

Parker's body was marred with bruises and burns, cuts and puncture wounds. His fingers sat at odd angles, and one ear was almost completely torn off.

Angelus stood, leaning over the shuddering boy. "We'll have more fun later." He said icily, pulling on his duster. "You know how it is. Places to go, people to kill."

With that, he walked up the stairs, leaving Parker whimpering in pain in the basement.

*

Angel cracked one eye open when he felt Buffy's warm hand on his chest. She was staring at her hand intently, watching it rise and fall in time with his breathing.

After a moment, she felt him watching her, and she smiled sheepishly. "Having fun?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I wasn't sure if you were real." She murmured, dropping her chin so that it sat on his chest.

He brushed some hair away from her face. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because I've had this dream so many times....." She whispered, tears threatening to fall down her beautiful face.

"So have I." He replied, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"You have?"

"Of course. Waking up with you in my arms, sunlight streaming through the window.... It's perfect."

She turned her head, resting her ear above his heart. *Thump thump, Thump thump.* "Perfect." She whispered in agreement, then glanced at the clock. She groaned. "Or it would be of I didn't have class in half an hour. They were curled up in Buffy's bed at the dorm. Willow, wisely, had opted to stay with Oz for the night.

Angel furrowed his brow, but nodded, reluctantly unwrapping his arms from Buffy's waist as she stood. She wandered over to her closet, picking out a swirly patterned sundress and pulling it over her head.

"We should have a picnic for lunch." She said thoughtfully. "With the whole gang."

He nodded in agreement. "By the way- Should I be afraid? Is Xander planning something for me?"

She turned to look at him, raising an eyebrows. "Why?"

"He's being too nice." Angel said. "It makes me wary."

"Oh, that." She said, nodding. "No, he just likes you a whole lot better than Fish Boy- sorry, Riley."

"Ahhhh." Angel said, propping himself up on one elbow. "Ok. Lunch then."

She grinned. "We're gonna have one of those picnic thingies you were so obsessed with me having!!!"

He glared playfully before his expression turned serious. "Buffy, you know I never really *wanted* to go, right? That I just wanted you to have what you deserved?"

She came to sit by him on the bed, leaning her forehead against his. "I know. I didn't, at first. I thought you were just bored with me, that you couldn't be bothered sticking around and making it work. But then, I thought about *you*, and I knew you'd never do that. I know you wanted to stay with me, to be with me, but it still hurt *so* bad that you weren't." She paused, then broke out in a grin. "But now you are, and that's all that matters. Even if you do have to spend half your time in LA." She kissed him softly pulling back before it could deepen, grabbed her bag, and bounced out of the room. Angel smiled as he watched her go, before rolling over and going back to sleep.

*

Parker looked around the stone basement in desparation, tugging at his chains. His captor had disappeared again moments earlier, muttering something about needing equipment. Parker didn't want to stick around to find out what he was talking about. Unfortunately, it didn't look like he had a choice, because the chains weren't coming free. He heard footsteps on the stairs, and he looked up to see his torturer holding a large chain saw in his hand.

"Always wanted to use one of these." He confided before starting it up in one fluid motion. The chain saw roared to life, and Parker was no more.

*

"Riley, man, what is with you? You're acting like a zombie!!!" Forrest asked, staring at him in concern.

"I like my spleen." Riley said , for about the twelfth time that day.

"I'm glad for you." Forrest paused. "Really." He sighed and looked around the courtyard. "Hey, isn't that Buffy???" He paused again. "Isn't that Buffy making out with some guy?"

Riley looked up. "Yeah. We broke up. Her ex-boyfriend is gonna rip my spleen out. He's a vampire. Apparently one with a soul, though they've been split into separate bodies, and I'm guessing that one of them is the one she's kissing." He turned around to check. "Yeah. That's him."

Forrest blinked. "You're a strange person, Riley."

*

Buffy grinned up at Angel, tracing her fingers over his features, marveling at the way the sunlight played across them, yet he didn't burn.

Oz looked up at Angel, squinting in the sunlight. "You're still very pale, man."

Angel smirked down at Oz. "I haven't really had the chance to sunbathe, what with the spontaneous combustion and all."

"Well, looky here, Angel got himself a sense of humor!" Xander exclaimed.

Angel shrugged. "The brooding thing doesn't work in the daylight."

"*You* could brood in a Jim Carrey movie, Angel." Cordelia pointed out, picking at a croissant.

Buffy plopped down onto the ground, motioning for Angel to sit down next to her. He obeyed, pulling her into his lap and resting his chin on her head.

"Ok, an a darker note," Oz began. "Apparently Parker never showed up for class today. Normally, I'd think, hey, the Asshole has a hangover or something, but I just thinks it's a bit of a weird coincidence."

"I don't believe in coincidence." Buffy said slowly.

"You think Angelus has him?" Doyle asked, swigging his whiskey.

"Considering the thoughts running through our mind when I found out about him???" Angel said slowly. "He's definitely on the hit list."

Buffy looked up at Angel with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be. I left you. You were hurt and vulnerable, and he took advantage of it. I was never angry at you, just bloody furious with him."

"Still."

"Buffy. Don't brood." He said firmly. "If you brood, then I'll start brooding. It spreads like an epidemic."

She sniffled, but nodded, leaning back against him, savoring the feeling of a warm body beneath her.

"So what do we do with Angelus?" Xander asked, stuffing his face with potato chips.

"Two Angel's." Buffy said thoughtfully, her mind drifting to the naughty place, which involved the two Angel's, some leather pants, and the removal of said leather pants. She smiled slyly to herself before bringing herself back to reality.

Oz was staring at her, an amused expression on his face.

"Buffy's having lusty wrong feelings." He stated.

She blushed. "Maybe."

Xander caught on to what they were talking about and gave her a look of mock disgust. "You are sick."

'Oh, Come on, I've been with Riley for the past few months. He has the sexual attractiveness of a dead slug." She grumbled. "I've been living on fantasies like these for months."

"Too much information." Willow said quickly from her spot in Oz's arms.

"Really? I was hoping for details." Anya said, leaning forward.

Angel buried his head in Buffy's shoulder, willing someone to change the subject before things got very uncomfortable for him.

*

Night had fallen, and Angelus gazed thoughtfully at what remained of Parker Abrams, relishing the memory of his gruesome death. One corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. One down, One to go. He had big plans for Riley. Very big plans indeed.

*

Buffy walked the quiet paths of UC Sunnydale, reflecting on the events of the past few days. She had looked past the bad things recently, choosing instead to focus on Angel and his return to the land of the living. Out here though, alone in the dark, it was much harder to ignore the terrifying thoughts of Angelus. She heard him laugh inside her head, felt it reverberate through her bones. She shivered, pushing the thoughts of him away.

"Thinking of me, lover?" She whirled around at the sound of his voice, whipping out her stake, though somehow, she knew she wouldn't have to use it.

"Don't flatter yourself." She replied icily, trying not to focus on his features, identical to her soulmates. Suddenly she was glad for his cold, dark eyes and the arrogant way he held himself. It helped her to differentiate between him and her love.

Angelus shrugged. "I was thinking of you." He informed her, strolling over and standing so close that they were almost touching. "I'm always thinking of you."

Her gaze turned steely. "The object of your obsession." She paused, sneering. "Lucky me."

"I met your little friend Parker."

She stiffened. "Thought you might of." She cocked her head to the side, studying him. "I hope it was painful."

"And people wonder why I love you so." He smirked. "Maybe when I round up Riley, you can join in the fun."

"Sounds like a riot." She replied. "I don't have time for this. Am I gonna kick your ass, or did you just want indulge in a little chit chat."

"Aren't we the feisty one, tonight, Slayer." Spike said, appearing behind her. "Sod off, you great poof. You can play later."

Angelus glared at Spike. "William. How lovely to see you. I hear you've been neutered."

Spike growled. "Which is exactly why I'm gonna tell you that Fairy-Boy is walking home alone right now." He patted Angelus on the shoulder. "Make it hurt."

"Will do." Angelus nodded, disappearing into the shadows.

*

Riley's head snapped up as he heard twigs snapping behind him.

"Who's there?" He cried, his eyes widening in fright. Angelus shook his head. Didn't this kid ever watch horror movies? You *never* asked who was there. It was like a rule or something. Don't show your weakness, your vulnerability. He sighed. He had been hoping that Buffy at least had lined up a challenge for him, but no, he really was just a pansy. Ah well. Even pansies died.

*

Riley's eyes darted around quickly, searching for the source of the noise. He turned in a circle, but could make nothing out in the darkness. He shrugged and started walking again, willing himself to go faster.

It was stupid of him to be out alone at night, especially unarmed, but the Initiative had captured several hostiles the night before, and he had been grilling them for information on Angelus. The things he had heard had terrified him further, though he hadn't shown it in front of his men. To them he was strong, and brave, but on the inside he was cowering like a cow at a steakhouse.

He heard another twig snap, and he whirled around, only to see a fist flying towards his face. He didn't have time to react before he was knocked to the ground, passed out cold.

*

"Ey, Slayer, where are ya going????" Spike asked when she veered off to the right.

She looked up at him, her face set in a determined line.

"We have to get to Riley before Angelus."

Spike waved his hands. "Soul Boy's on it. Watcher sent 'im out to follow Riley at sundown."

Buffy frowned. If Angel got hurt trying to protect Riley, she'd kill someone. Badly.

She looked up at Spike, but said nothing, choosing to glower instead.

"Personally I don't know why we're bothering to save Lilac anyway. He put a bloody chip in my head!!! Have you people not heard of Loyalty?????"

Buffy stopped short and raised an eyebrow.

"Loyalty?? To someone who sent assassins after me, kidnapped my best friends on several separate occasions and hired someone to viciously torture my boyfriend for hours on end???"

"Well when you put it that way.... I just sound evil." Spike grinned.

Buffy laughed and they continued walking.

*

Angelus stood, hands on his hips, looking down at an unconscious Riley in triumph. He chuckled.

"I know you're there, Angel." He called to the darkness behind him.

Angel shook his head as he stepped from the shadows. He glanced at Riley, then back at Angelus.

"Nice Job." He said softly. "But you're not going to kill Riley."

"You're right." Angelus nodded. "I'm gonna torture him for hours first."

"Not this time." Angel stood between Riley and Angelus.

"You're gonna stop me??"

"I can take you." He said, pulling a stake from his sleeve.

Angelus shrugged. "Maybe." He looked behind him. "But I've got more friends than you do."

Angel's eyes widened as he saw a large group of vamps come to stand behind Angelus.

He swore under his breath, and the battle began.

*

"Where the hell is he???" Buffy cried, pacing in a circle in Giles' living room.

"Buffy, please sit down." Willow said softly. "I'm getting dizzy."

Buffy stared at her for a moment.

"Where is he????" She wailed.

"Buffy, I'm sure he's fine." Giles said, irritated. "Sit down."

He took of his glasses and rubbed his temple. truthfully, he too was worried. From what Buffy and Spike had told him, Angel should have been back a long time ago. He frowned, turning away from the group so that they wouldn't see the worry in his eyes.

He jumped when , a moment later the door swung open and Angel stepped through, a cut over his right eye seeping blood down the side of his face. A nasty bruise marred his cheek, and he walked with a slight limp. His silk shirt was torn, and he was covered in mud. Giles mouth dropped open.

"What on earth happened to you???" He gasped.

He heard Buffy let out a cry.

"Angel???" She ran to his side, slipping his arm over her shoulder to help support him.

Angel gave a wry smile.

"Angelus has made some new playmates. I managed to dispose of most of them, but he got Riley." He looked into Buffy's eyes as she eased him into an armchair. "Sorry." He said sincerely.

She shook her head. "We'll look after Riley later." She said. "Are you okay????"

He nodded. "Superficial wounds." He murmured. "I'll be fine once I get cleaned up."

Willow came over to them, a wet face cloth in her hand. She handed it to Buffy, who set about wiping the blood away from Angel's face.

"I think they took his to a factory in Wiltshire St." Angel said, wincing as Buffy touched a sensitive spot on his face.

Buffy nodded. "I'm on it. I'll call the Initiative, send them out get Riley. I'll face Angelus. One on One. Spike can take care of the minions."

Angel shook his head. "I can help!" He insisted, and tried to stand. "As soon as I get the feeling back in my legs."

"I want you here anyway, in case he sends anyone after our friends. Extra Security." Buffy ordered. "Get the others here. I want everyone in one place." She added, walking over to the weapons cabinet to prepare. Once she was satisfied with her artillery, she leaned down to give Angel a long, passionate kiss. She pulled away after a moment, breathless, and then was out the door.

*

In a lonely, deserted fectory on Wiltshire St, Riley screamed.

*

Buffy stood in front of the wooden door that led into the factory, and cast a sidelong glance at her companions. Spike on one side, evilly eyeing Forrest and Graham, who stood on her other side.

"I still don't see why we had to bring them." He muttered.

Buffy glared at him. "I told you, Spike. You need to fight his minions. They need to get Riley out of there. I need to concentrate on killing Angelus. You do want me to kill him, don't you?"

"Of Course he doesn't. Hostiles have a deep loyalty toward their sires." Graham said seriously.

In unison, Buffy and Spike turned toward Graham and burst out laughing.

"What?" Graham cried.

Buffy caught her breath and shook her head. "One thing you gotta learn, Graham, is that every case is different. Vampires have personalities. Desires. Dislikes."

Spike threw the cigarette he'd been puffing on to the ground, stamping it out with a heavy leather boot.

"And I dislike my bloody sire." He confided.

"Spike has an inferiority complex." Buffy laughed.

Spike growled. "Do not."

"You do too! You're so competitive when it comes to him!! You'd probably hit on me if you thought it would upset him!!!"

Spike shrugged. "Probably."

"Uh Guys?" Forrest interrupted. "Riley, remember?? We have to get in there before he gets killed."

"Relax. Angelus'll just be bloody torturing him." Spike said, then a high pitched scream rang out in the quiet night. "See?"

Forrest and Graham glared at him, but Buffy was already poised, about to kick the door in. She backed up, angling her leg before shooting her foot out, breaking the lock on the doors .

The door swung open, revealing a large, cold room. At the opposite end, Angelus stood over a quivering Riley. Minions were scattered through the room, though none made a move toward the door.

Angelus span around to face the door, morphing back to his human face.

Buffy stepped through the open door, raising her chin and pulling a crossbow from her bag.

"Honey, we're home." She said in a mock sweet voice.

"I was just preparing dinner." He smirked, gesturing to Riley.

"My favourite." Spike muttered. "How sweet of you."

"I Try." Angelus shrugged.

"This is going to end tonight." Buffy said firmly, raising her crossbow.

"I don't doubt that." Angelus replied. "Course, we could have a little fun first."

He strolled up to her, standing back and eyeing her appreciatively.

"My little girl's all grown up." He smirked.

"You bet I have." She said, poising her finger on the trigger of her crossbow. "I don't let little things like identical faces bother me."

"Good for you." He said, letting his fingers trail across her collarbone, dislodging the straps of her tank top.

She shivered, and he smirked, knowing that he could still provoke physical reactions out of her. He leaned down and placed tiny kisses on the nape of her neck. He smiled when he arched toward him.

Buffy shook her head as if coming out of a trance, when she felt Angelus' fangs protrude and sink into her soft flesh. She heard his soft growling. She looked over his shoulder to see Forrest and Graham dragging a dying Riley across the floor, and Spike in the corner battling a fledgling vamp.

She smiled to herself, bringing a hand to the back of Angelus' head and kneeing him in the stomach.

"Not tonight honey." She said, hands on her hips as she looked down at him. "I've got a headache."

He jumped to his feet. "Pity."

She bent and picked up the crossbow she had dropped in her haze.

"I want this finished." She said. "I want to go home to the arms of my lover and not have to worry that his evil half is stalking me."

"It's a nice thought- but never gonna happen." Angelus said, lunging at her. "You're gonna be in *my* arms."

She shook her head. "Over my dead body."

Angelus stopped and stared at her. "Why of course."

Her eyes narrowed in anger as she caught onto his meaning. "I'm not gonna be like you."

He smiled, seeing that he was pissing her off.

"Oh, but can't you imagine it?" He said. "We would rule the hellmouth together. King and Queen of darkness. We would spend our nights on the hunt and our days.... Well, I'm sure we could find *something* to do. " He said, raising an eyebrow seductively.

She ignored the look on his face, choosing instead to pull the trigger on her crossbow.

The crossbow bolt sailed through the air, missing Angelus by inches.

He watched as it flew past him, impaling a young blonde vampiress.

He turned back to Buffy. "Didn't like her much anyway."

Buffy glared at him, furious that he had moved. This called for a little hand to hand ass kicking.

She moved forward, her hand shooting out and striking him across the cheek.

"Really, Buff. Do we have to resort to bitch-slapping?"

"I just like 'em." She replied, launching into a high spin kick.

Angelus staggered backwards, grabbing her ankle as he fell. She landed hard on top of him, but sprang up, whipping a stake from the waistband of her pants. She twirled it through her fingers, settling it into a familiar, comfortable position in her hand.

Angelus was already back on his feet, and he jumped, holding onto a low hanging pole. He curled his body into a ball, then pushed his feet out with all his force, catching Buffy in the shoulders. She flew back into a wall, hitting her head, dazing her for a few moments.

She shook the wave of dizziness off as quickly as she could, as was soon swapping fast and furious blows with the demon. They were both beginning to tire, but Angelus kept evading Buffy's stake.

Finally, Buffy froze. She raised her chin, and a small smile adorned her bruised face.

"Game Over." She whispered, pulling him to her and kissing him savagely.

In the back of his mind, Angelus knew that this was a set-up. Some kind of tactic to distract him from their battle. However, the larger portion of his brain didn't care. He return the kiss fiercely, his hands roaming down her back. He slipped a hand under her shirt, pulling his obsession closer to him still. He felt her hand wander to the back of his neck, felt her fingernails dig into his flesh, and he let out a soft, contented growl.

After several minutes, Buffy pulled away, breathless. She put her mouth close to his ear.

"I hate you." She whispered, jerking his head back and slamming it into a wall. She shoved the stake into his chest, not at all surprised that she was a little regretful. Angelus had been part of Angel for so long, and he was such a good kisser. She ran a hand through her golden hair as she watched him burst into a cloud of dust.

"Ashes to Ashes...." She whispered, picking up the ring that had clattered to the floor. It was silver, with an intricate Celtic design etched into the gleaming metal. She wondered briefly if Angel had one the same before slipping it onto her thumb.

Was It wrong to have something to remember your nemesis by?

She didn't really care if it was. Let it be wrong. He was a part of her life, and in his way he had loved her. As much as she hated him, he had made her stronger. She was thankful for that.

She turned around to see Spike staring at her, a small smile of amusement on his face.

"That was amusing." He smirked, referring to the passionate kiss.

"I thought he should die happy." She replied, grinning.

"Fair Enough."

*

An hour later, Buffy stood in Giles' apartment, surrounded by her friends. She turned and looked up at Angel, the cut over his eye already healing. There was something in his eyes that had always been missing before. A streak of freedom, maybe.

Angel caught her watching him, and tightened his arms around her slim waist.

"I'm sorry about Riley." He whispered, leaning his chin on her head.

She closed her eyes. Riley had died from a loss of blood before the ambulance had reached Sunnydale General. She felt a tear drop down her cheek. He had, all in all, been a good guy and it saddened her that she had been unable to prevent his death.

"We can't save everyone." She replied after a moment, although even she didn't know whether she was telling Angel or herself.

He nodded. "I know."

He pulled her down to sit on the couch, and she curled up next to him, suddenly contented. It had been a long time since they had been this touchy feely in public, and it felt good just to relax with her friends, everyone getting along. She looked over to where Willow and Oz sat on the floor, Oz going through Giles records and Willow, leaning against him, reading a wicca book. Xander and Anya were sitting in front of Giles' TV watching a Jerry Springer re-run with Spike. Xander was carefully explaining the merits of trash TV to Anya. Cordelia and Doyle sat on the other end of the couch. Doyle was drinking Irish Coffee and Cordelia was fast asleep against his shoulder. Giles was pottering around in his kitchen fetching them all 'a spot of tea'.

"This is nice." She murmured into Angel's chest. "No-one's fighting."

"It'll never last." He replied, though he was smiling. "Soon enough Cordelia will wake up and see that Xander's wearing purple and red together, then Anya will be distracted from the TV and will be on my back about leaving you. Spike will then come over and start a drinking competition with Doyle, and it will turn into this huge English versus Irish argument. Oz and Giles will start a debate over 70's music, and you and Willow will be left as peace-keepers."

"I know." She sighed, then grinned up at him. "Great isn't it?"

He nodded.

"It's perfect." He whispered, kissing her softly.

And all was forgotten.

:: Chapter Two ::