Inside Dreams
by Always Luv

Buffy woke up the next morning to find herself in a familiar embrace in a strange bed. Angel. She remembered and came to LA to confront Angel. This was his bed and his arms. Willow would be so happy to hear that they'd gotten beck together. 'Oh Gods, Willow. I just ran out yesterday, or was it the day before?' Trying not to wake Angel, she got up from her comfortable haven, to call the gang and let them know that she was ok. Better than OK actually, she got her memories back, her boyfriend... 'Oh No. Riley. What the hell am I going to do about Riley. I don't want to lead him on, but. and if I broke up with him right after I got back from running off to LA with no reason he'd know something was up. Oh, what am I going to do?.'

She felt Angel's arms wrap around her once more. "Morning. You want breakfast?"

"You cook?" she asked incredulously

"Yeah. I cook for Wesley and Cordelia all the time." At her look he added "Cordy's not allowed to cook in my house anymore"

"Bad experience?" she sympathetically asked

"Yeah. So you want?"

"Uh-Huh. I'm starving. You start cooking. I've gotta call the guys, they're probably worried sick."

"Alright"

Willow jumped to grab the phone as soon as it rang. "Hello?" she answered expectantly.

"Will?"

"Buffy!" She shouted.

"Not so loud Will. Are you alone?"

"Yeah, why? Where are you? Why did you leave so fast? What did you remember? What was the demon like?"

"OK. One at a time."

"Where are you?"

"L.A. I told you that when I was leaving."

"Where in LA?"

"Angels" she mumbled incoherently

"Where? Did you just say you're at Angels?"

"Yeah. Some stuff happened that I remembered that I wasn't supposed to. I had to talk to him about it."

"What do I tell Riley? He's been calling like every hour to see if you've called yet."

"Tell him I'm at my dad's or Cordy's or one of my old friends from Hemery."

"You're gonna talk to me when you get home. When are you coming home by the way?"

"I'll be home in a day or so. I'll spill all of the gory details when I get home."

"Gory details? What about the curse? Do we have to worry about Angelus coming to kill us?"

"Never again"

"Never a - The clause is gone?" She heard Buffy's murmur of ascent "Oh My God" she shrieked. "I'm so happy for you. For you both.Wait, what about Riley?"

"I haven't figured that one out yet. Will, promise not to tell anyone anything till I get there and explain it to everyone. OK. Please"

"No problem"

"Thanks so much. You're the best friend ever. Oh, I gotta go. Angel made me breakfast."

"Bye"

"See you in a day or two"

Willow hung up the phone, waited a minute, and picked it back up. She dialed Giles number first. He loved Buffy like a daughter and was going mad with worry.

"Giles.Yeah, she just called.She's fine.She'll be home in a day or two.She said she'd explain it when she got home.Ok. You too. Bye Giles"

Next she called Xander and Anya. Well actually Anya didn't care, but Xander was like her brother and was really worried.

After Xander she called Mrs. Summers, and Finally Riley. She called Riley last because well, he was really bugging her lately, calling so often, even though she said she'd call as soon as she heard from Buffy, but no. It's not that she didn't like Riley. He was great really. A nice guy. Made Buffy happy. But Angel made her shine. Riley would never be able to do that, she knew. She also knew that in a few days Riley would be history, and she felt truly bad for him. He was a good guy, but he'd never be Angel.

Doyle watched as Buffy sat down to eat the breakfast that Angel had made her. He was glad that Angel finally found happiness.

"There's nothing you and her deserve more. I wish you all the best. I wish I could be there with ya, man"

Suddenly the scene before him switched to one of Cordelia sitting on her couch, watching the commercial that he'd made.

"Oh, princess. I never meant to make you so sad. I wish I hadn't had to go, but it was worth it to make sure you lived. I died to give you a better life, and I'll never regret it. I just wish it didn't make you so sad. I never meant to make you cry."

Just then Doyle heard a voice saying that he was to meet with the higher powers. (Not to be confused with the Powers That Be). He went to see what they wished of him. These powers were unpredictable, and could request anything of him.

He stood before these all powerful beings, and waited for them to acknowledge his presence. The looked and acted much like the oracles, but possessed a greater power.

"Allan Francis Doyle" It was a statement, not a question.

"That would be me."

"Do you know why you have been summoned before us?"

"No. I was only told that I was to come before you."

"We know how you feel about the messenger."

"Messenger? Cordelia??" he whispered

"Yes, the human, the messenger. Cordelia Chase."

"What does Cordelia have to do with any now? I'm dead. She's still of the living."

"You love her."

"Yes" he replied, with some hesitation.

"She loves you. We have seen her reaction when your name is mentioned, since your death"

"She loves me" Doyle whispered in awe

"Yes. Love is the way of humans. Their purpose if you will."

"What does this mean?"

"We know of your life Allan Francis Doyle." The other Power elaborated " You have given you life so that theirs may continue. Now even in your death, you worry only of how their lives have progressed. You care naught of your after life."

"But what does this mean? How does this affect me?"

"The Powers That Be, believed that you have earned you redemption, but also that you should be rewarded for you selflessness."

"A reward? What kind of reward?"

"You have been granted the opportunity to return to your life."

"You'd send me back? I get another chance?"

"Yes."

'I'll take it. I can't thank you enough for another chance to be with Cordelia"

"Thank us not. It is you who have earned this gift."

Buffy sat in the circle of Angels arms after finishing the wonderful breakfast that Angel cooked for her.

"When are you going home?"

"Another day or two"

"How is this relationship gonna work?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Well. I've decided that all of our decisions are going to be equal from now on. You are gonna have a say in ever decision in this relationship from now on."

"OK. So, for now, I have school during the week, and you have the agency, but we can commute on the weekends." She smiled up at him. "And maybe for next year, I can transfer to UCLA. Mom wanted me to go away to school after all. And I'll still be close enough to the hellmouth for when there's prophecies of demons. The guys can handle the run of the mill usual vamps. "

"Hold on a second" Angel pushed Buffy up from her comfortable position so he could get up and retrieve something from his desk. He came back and held out Buffy's missing Claddagh. "I found this when I was packing up to leave. I figured that maybe you'd want it back now that we're back together." He slid it on to her ring finger. "There's, ah, something that I never told you about this ring..." He looked up to see the tears pouring from Buffy's eyes. Her smile however assured his assumption that these were tears of happiness. "These rings are, well, they're wedding rings. Technically, they marry us."

"...Technically, they marry us." Buffy gasped at this revelation.

"They - They marry us?" He nodded. "We - We're married?" At his smile and nod, a grin broke on her face and she threw herself into the arms of her Angel. "We're married, you're my husband. Oh My God. Oh, Angel. I've never been so happy in my life."

The next Day:

Riley sat in his room, reading, when his mind wandered to Buffy. His girlfriend. She was visiting her father, but she said that she would be home in a day or two. Or so said Willow, her best friend. Willow WOULD know. So, here he was. Waiting for his girlfriend to return from her impromptu vacation. He wasn't worried about her per say, she was the slayer after all, he didn't know what exactly a slayer was, but he knew that she was REALLY strong, and could without a doubt take care of herself.

Cordelia sat on her sofa, flipping through a cosmo magazine. She had just watched Doyle's 'Angel Investigations' commercial and wanted to get her mind off of him for a little while. Angel was really starting to rub off on her and she was almost brooding. So far, it was doing nothing for getting her mind off of Doyle. He was pretty much all she ever thought about. Just then there was a knock at the door. She tossed the magazine on the table and went to answer it. She opened the door, looked at the person on the other side, and promptly fainted.

Doyle walked up to the door to Cordelia's apartment and knocked somewhat timidly. He heard her get up and walk to the door. He watched as the door opened, Cordelia looked him straight in the face, and fainted. He rushed to pick her up and carry her into the living room to lay her down on the chesterfield.

"Cordelia. Wake up, Princess, You gotta wake up, please." Cordelia's eyes slowly flickered open slowly. She looked up at him dreamily.

"Doyle? Oh, god. I must be dreaming."

"No Darlin', you're very much awake. I'm here, I've come back to you princess"

"Oh My God, Doyle." Now fully awake, Cordy was gathered into Doyle's arms, where she cried her heart out and held onto him for all that she was worth. "Oh, you were dead, and I was alone, and...Promise that you'll never leave me again?"

"I promise. I'll never leave. I promise you darlin'. I'm here to stay."

"But How?"

"My reward. And I see that our boy Angel, has gotten his reward too."

"Yeah. And so have i. I got you back, and now I can tell you how much I love you, and all of the other things that I never got to say before you died."

Part Seven

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