A frigid silence fell upon the room. No one dared speak, for fear that they would say the wrong thing. Hope looked as if she would cry. “You killed her?” she whispered.

He could feel shame rise through his body. “It was just after I became a vampire. I was out one night, looking for a meal, and saw her. When I attacked her, I didn’t know she was a slayer, but when she fought back with strength and skill equal to mine, I knew who she was.” He paused, and felt the burning tears fall down his face turn into sobs. It was the first time Buffy ever saw him cry. She put her arms around him and held him tight.

“Wha...What happened?” Hope asked.

Angel tried to speak, but couldn’t. “Angel, do you mind if I tell?” Giles asked him. He shook his head ‘no’. The Watcher took a deep, sharp breath. “The two fought all night, neither one of them wanting to give up. Finally, at a half an hour till sunrise they stopped. Not wanting to die from the sunlight, Angel ran away into the shadows, leaving Mira in a bad state. They both had fought so hard they hadn’t realized the damage that was being done to them. Their adrenaline had numbed their pain. After their fight, she hunted almost every night in hopes to see him again. When she would run into him, he taunted her. When she didn’t see him, he would scare her family.”

“I don’t understand, why didn’t he just kill her and get it over with?” Hope questioned angrily.

Giles preceded to continue, but Angel stopped him. “It’s my story. I can finish it,” he breathed. Trying to hold in his anguish, he spoke. “I...I wanted to mess with her head...drive her insane, and unfortunately, I did. On the night of her 19th birthday, I attacked and killed her family. She came home and found them there. I had...” he paused, and looked down, covering his face with his hands, “mutilated their bodies.” Hope let out a stifled cry. The tears never stopped flowing from Angel’s dark eyes. “I was hiding outside one of the house windows, so I could see her reaction. When she saw them--she threw up, then let out the most bloodcurdling scream. It was an awful sound, but I loved it. Her face was twisted in horror.” Angel’s head began to throb at the memories of his actions. He could still smell their blood on his hands, he could still see the look of fear that her family had in their eyes right before he killed them. The pain he was feeling at the memories made him want to drive a stake through his heart. “She was full of rage, because she knew that it was I did it. Knowing she would come after me, I waited in the village graveyard. She got there soon I did. She walked up to me, and said, ‘kill me’. She bared her neck to me. I grabbed her and shoved her into a tree, and bit her.”

“Oh God...Oh Lord,” Hope said, feeling pressure in her chest. “I can’t breath....” Buffy ran over to Hope just as she passed out.

“Hope!” Buffy shouted. “Clear off that table!” She commanded, picking her friend up. Giles did as she said, and Buffy laid her gently down. Angel took off his jacket and laid it underneath her head.

“I’ll go get some water,” Jenny said.

“This is all my fault,” Angel said, wiping his tears away. “I can’t believe I ...”

“Its okay, Angel. What you did wasn’t your fault. It was the demon within you. It was Angelus.”

He shook his head. “But it was done by my hands. Buffy, What I told you doesn’t even begin to describe the things I’ve done.” She kissed him, and took his hand and squeezed it.

“I know. But you still can blame yourself for these things...” she trailed off, and looked over at Hope. “I know that she won’t blame you either.”

“Hope? Are you awake?” Hope opened her eyes. She could see Giles standing over her, and Jenny next to him.

“Oh,” she said, smiling, “It was all a dream.” She sat up, to see Angel and Buffy walking over to her. “Oh no! It wasn’t a dream.” She put a hand to her head. “Did I pass out?”

“Yes, you did. Are you feeling all right?” Buffy asked her, concerned.

Hope nodded. “I think so.”

“I’m so sorry. I...I...” Angel apologized.

“Don’t be sorry. I know that it wasn’t really you.” She tried to soothe the tension between her and Angel. “So, ha ha, what do we do now?”

“Now, we party!” A woman’s soft voice called out from behind them. The group turned around to see Drusilla standing before them, very much alive. Behind her was Spike and about 20 vampires, all with their game face’s on.

“Oh my god your alive,” Buffy uttered.

“Yes. Alive and strong. Isn’t that right, love?” Spike said, kissing Drusilla’s hand.

“Yes, Spike.” she looked at Angel, “Hello my pet.”

Buffy turned to Angel, who had transformed into his vampiric face. He growled, “What do you want?”

“Don’t you know, love. We want you,” she said laughing.

“Its party time. Charge!” Spike yelled, and all the vampires ran to attack them.

Buffy reacted instantly by screaming at Giles, Hope, and Jenny. “RUN! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!” The Slayer threw a chair at the oncoming vamps, almost knocking them all down. She grabbed another chair and threw it at a window, breaking all the glass. “GO!” She said, pointing toward the hole. Buffy ran to Angel, but two vamps got in her way. One of them kicked her, and she stumbled back. “NOT NOW!” she screamed. Adrenaline pumped through her body as she lunged at him, throwing him over her head and into a bookshelf. She grabbed a nearby stake and drove it through the heart of the other. Before she could get to Angel, 3 vamps came up behind her and grabbed her, making it unable for her to move. Buffy struggled desperately to escape, but failed. She watched as two burly vampires grabbed a hold of Angel. He tried to fight them off, but they were too strong for him.

“Well well well. Isn’t this nice? Poor little Slayer and her traitor of a boyfriend. Tie them up.” He ordered. “And you two, go get the other three who ran from here, and I want them alive,” he commanded, and two vampires left to get Giles, Jenny, and Hope.

“Let her go! Take me, but spare her,” Angel yelled.

Spike only laughed. “You actually think I’m going to let her go? You’re dumber than I thought.” He walked over to Buffy and sniffed her. “Mmm. You smell good. Good enough to eat.” Buffy spit in his face. “Well aren’t you the feisty one?” He laughed, wiping his face off. The vampire grabbed her neck and squeezed softly. “I wouldn’t do that again if I were you. You know, I just got a brilliant idea,” he looked at Dru, “Wouldn’t it be nice to make our little sunshine here one of us?”

“Oooohh, Spike. Let’s do it. And afterward we can have a party, with cake and presents.”

“I would rather die than become like you,” Buffy snapped.

“Well that is a shame, but it can be arranged.” he smiled evily. “You are very sexy, very beautiful.” All of a sudden Spike kissed her roughly on the lips. Buffy cringed.

“LET HER GO!” Angel bellowed, and tried his hardest to break free, but he was tied to tightly to the chair.

Dru sauntered over to the angry vampire. “Don’t worry my pet,” Dru crooned as she caressed his face. “It will all be better soon, I promise. We just have to get you home.”

Buffy and Angel were dragged to an abandoned home in the outskirts of Sunnydale. They had been blindfolded and gagged, and had no clue where they were. “Hey Spike, where do we put them?” a voice asked.

“Just dump them in one of the bedrooms. They won’t be going anywhere. Did you find the other three?”

“We almost caught them, but they ran into a house and we couldn’t go inside.”

“Can’t you do anything right?” He asked, angrily. “Forget it. Just take them away.”

Buffy felt herself being carried upstairs. “OUCH!” Her muffled voice said, when they dropped her body on the hard wooden floor. She heard the door shut and listened for any noise. When she was sure that there wasn’t anybody else with her, she spit the gag out of her mouth.

“Buffy?”

“Angel?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, but I think my whole side is bruised. How are you holding up?”

“I can’t get these ropes undone. The son of a bitch tied them too tight.”

“My wrists are killing me. The rope is making my skin raw.”

“Can you get your blindfold off?” “I can try.” Buffy rubbed her head back and forth along the floor, trying to get the blindfold to inch up so she could see. Finally, after scratching her face up, it came off, and she opened her eyes. Her blurry vision took a moment to adjust. She looked up and examined her surroundings. “Ugghh...where are we?” The room was small, and there was one tiny window covered in cobwebs with a curtain over it. Dust filled every nook and cranny, and the wood was rotting. She saw Angel laying five feet in front of her. “Oh Angel, your bleeding.” His wrists had been cut up from the coarse rope.

“Can you scoot closer to me?” Buffy wiggled her way over to him. “Now turn so that your back is to my back, and our hands are touching. She did as he said, and when there hand met, she felt relief flood over her. Just his touch comforted her. “Okay, now try and undo the ropes.” Buffy frantically worked at his ropes.

“Damn, they are tight.”

“Just keep trying.”

Despite the tightness of it, she managed to undo the binding rope. “I got it!” she exclaimed.

“Sshh! Keep your voice down.” Angel reached up and pulled off his blindfold and undid the rope at his feet. He immediately reached over and untied Buffy. As soon as she was free, she hugged him.

“Angel, we have to get out of here.” They stood up and Buffy rubbed her sore, bloody wrists. Angel wiggled the door handle, but it was locked. He tried busting through it, but the wood was too solid and the lock was too strong.

“Figures. We’ll have to go out the window.” Buffy pulled back the curtain. All she saw was a barren field and some trees. There was a road nearby, but no other houses. “Where are we?” she whispered. Angel came to the window.

“Damnit! The sun is going to rise soon.” That is when Buffy noticed how light it was.

“Oh no, sunrise,” She said, and glanced at Angel. “We can’t leave.”

“I can’t, but you can,” he said. “I want you to get out of here as fast as you can.”

“No, I wont’ leave you.”

He grabbed her arms and pulled her close to him. “You have to leave. save yourself. Most likely they won’t try to kill me until sunset anyway, so you have time to get help.” He kissed her. “Now go.”

Her eyes teared up, as there lips embraced. She knew she had to go. Buffy opened the window, to see the sun slowly start to come up. “Angel, get to a dark corner of a room.” He moved out of the sun’s deadly rays, and Buffy put one leg out and took one last look at Angel, as if she wouldn’t never see his beautiful face again, and climbed out. She grabbed onto the branch of the nearby tree and swung herself up on it, and climbed down. The only relief she had was that she knew she was safe, and that Giles, Hope, and Jenny had made it to safety.

The Slayer walked over to the road. “Which way to town?” She asked herself. She walked a few steps down the road, and looked behind her. Then, like a miracle from heaven, she saw a car driving from the distance. She stuck out her thumb, and hoped they would stop. “Come on, come on. Please stop.” The car slowed down, and pulled off to the side of the road where she was standing.

The driver rolled down the passenger window. “Where to?” The elderly woman asked. “Oh dear!” she exclaimed, noticing Buffy’s disheveled clothes, hair, and bloody wrists. “Are you okay, Miss?” she asked in a southern accent.

“I need to get to Sunnydale as soon as possible. Can you take me there?”

“Yes, Yes. Get in!” she urged. “I’m on my way there right now.”

Buffy got into the strange car and shut the door. “You don’t know how much this means to me. Thank you so much for giving me a ride.”

“Oh you are welcome. Where did you get those awful looking cuts on your wrists?”

“Its rope burn,” Buffy told her.

“Rope burn! Honey, were you kidnapped or somethin’?”

“Something like that. But I’m okay now.” She assured the woman.

“Should I call the police?” she asked.

“No, really. I’m okay.”

“Well, if you say so. You know, to be honest, I never stop for hitchhikers, but something beckoned me to stop for you. I don’t know what it was. Maybe it is the full moon.”

Buffy felt her heart thump. “Full moon?”

“Well yes, don’t you know? The Full moon is tonight.”

She could feel her stomach rise into her throat. “Are you sure its tonight? I thought it was on Saturday.”

“Oh no. You are probably thinking of last month. Last month the first full moon was on a Saturday. This month it is on a Wednesday.”

“Oh.” Buffy barely uttered.

The woman laughed. “You’re probly wonderin’ how I know all this. Well, my name is Gayle Callahan. I’m an astronomer for the local TV station.”

“I’m Buffy Summers,” , she thought. “How far are we from town?”

Gale smiled. “Boy, you sure are anxious to get there, aren’t you?” Buffy nodded earnestly. “We should be arriving there in ten minutes.”

Those ten minutes were total hell to The Slayer. All she could think about was the prophecy, and how Angel was still trapped in that house. All the while Gayle was yammering about something. Tears formed in her dry eyes. < I love him so much, and now I know he loves me. I can’t lose him now. >

Buffy was so deep in thought, that she didn’t realize they had gotten into town. “Well, we’re here,” Gayle said cheerfully. “Buffy? Buffy? Are you okay, dear?”

Buffy snapped out of her trance. “Huh? Oh, we’re here.” She looked at Gayle. “Thank you so much. This means the world to me.”

“No problem. I’m just glad I can help out. Is there any specific place you would like me to take you?”

Buffy thought for a moment. “Can you take me to Sunnydale High School?”

“Sure.”

Five minutes later they arrived in front of the large school. Since she broke the generator, there was no one there, but she knew that Giles would be in the library. Buffy looked at the kind woman. “I don’t have any money or something to give you.”

“Oh don’t worry about it. Maybe we will meet again someday and you can buy me a cup of coffee.” She joked.

“Sure. That would be great,” Buffy opened the car door and got out. “Thank you again,” she said, turned and walked toward the front door. She heard the car drive away.

The Slayer pulled open the heavy door and made her way to the library. Not realizing how bad she looked, she walked into the library and saw Giles sitting at their table, looking so worried. She could tell he hadn’t slept last night. “Buffy! Your alive!” He exclaimed, relieved. “Oh God, you look terrible.” he said and helped her over to a chair. He grabbed a few paper towels and pressed them to her wrists. “What happened? Is Angel okay?”

“Oh Giles,” She said, and began to cry. She could no longer hold it in. “Tonight is the full moon!”

He looked dumbfounded. “N..No...It’s on Saturday.”

“Giles, look at your calendar. You haven’t changed the month on it yet!”

He got up and dashed to it. “Oh no,” he whispered. The top of the calendar said December, 1997. “How could I have overlooked this?” He turned to the young girl and tried to comfort her. “I’m so sorry. Angel--is he...”

“I don’t’ know. I *sob* had *sob* to leave *sob* him.” she managed to say between sobs.

“Leave him where?”

“Where we were taken.”

“Buffy, tell me what happened.”

She did her best to explained to him what had happened. “So Angel is still in that house? We have to get him out as soon as possible.”

“How Giles? There are tons of vampires swarming in it, and once the sunsets...” she sobbed heavily, “...once the sun sets, they will take his soul away.”

“We won’t let that happen. Listen, I want to get home, clean yourself up, and get some sleep. Hope is there, I couldn’t let her go home. Since your mother is out of town, I used the key you gave me to let her in. Her parents think that she is spending the day with you.”

“Hope--is she okay? And what about Jenny?”

“Yes, they are both fine. Now please, listen to me once, and get home.”

Buffy knew he was right. She hadn’t eaten or slept, and needed a shower. “Call me if you find anything out.”

“I will.”

Buffy slowly trudged home, taking in her surroundings. She basked in the sun’s warm rays, listened to the birds chirping, and watched the small puffy clouds move against the pale blue sky. She felt like collapsing. Not because of exhaustion, but because she felt so hopeless, so alone.

The Slayer walked up the steps, to her front door. She took out her key and opened it. “Hope?” she called out to the thick silence. “Are you here? It’s me, Buffy.” She shut the door behind her, making sure it was locked.

Hope came bounding out from the kitchen and threw her arms around Buffy. “I’m so glad your okay! Oh my, you look awful!”

“Gee, that seems to be the universal reaction to my present looks.”

“I’m sorry, Buffy. You just look like you’ve been through hell.”

“Sure, if you’re into understatements. So how are you doing?”

Hope sat down on the stairs. “I am okay, I think. So much has happened in the past twenty-four hours. I’m still trying to take it all in.”

The Slayer sat down next to her. “It will be weird at first, but trust me. Soon it will become an everyday thing, just like breathing.”

“Giles told me about those vampires last night...Spike and Drusilla. What happened?”

“Let me take a shower and I will tell you.” Buffy said, walking up the stairs. “How about you make some coffee?”

“Sure. Oh, I’m making soup, do you want some?”

“That would be great. Thanks.” Buffy made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. She shut the door behind her and collapsed on her bed. “Oh God,” she cried to herself, “How am I going to get through this day?” Buffy forced herself to get up. “I have to think clearly.” She sauntered over to her dresser and looked into the mirror. It was the first good look she has gotten of herself since yesterday. “Oh man, I do look like hell.” She peeled off her clothes and wrapped a bath towel around her small body, and went to the bathroom. Shutting and locking the door, she removed her towel and got into the shower. The hot water hit her body softly. It was the first time since yesterday that she felt relaxed. The raw skin on her wrists stung as the water made its way over her body, but she ignored the pain. Buffy washed her hair and body with her favorite peach shampoo and soap that she had gotten for her 17th birthday. After twenty minutes, she made herself shut the water off, not wanting to come out like a prune. Buffy left the bathroom and went back to her room. She sat down in a chair and examined her reflection in a small hand mirror. “Oh crap,” she said, as she noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the red blemish on her cheek. “This is not what I needed right now.” She applied a light coat of makeup, blow-dried and styled her hair, and put on her favorite pink tank top and pair of blue jeans. After finally feeling good about her appearance, she decided to join Hope in the kitchen.

In a dark room, two voices spoke out in the dead silence.

“Spike?”

“Yes, luv?”

“Is it time yet?”

“No, luv. Be patient.”

“But I can’t wait. I want my party.”

“Soon, luv. Soon.”

“Feeling better?” Hope asked, when she saw her friend emerge from the hallway and sit down on the couch.

“Yeah, a little.” Buffy responded. Hope handed her a cup of coffee and bowl of soup. “Thanks,” she said, and took a bite. “This is really good. I didn’t realize how hungry is was.”

“So, do you mind telling me what happened?” Hope asked. When she saw Buffy grimace, she quickly added, “But if you don’t’ want to, that’s okay. I don’t want, well, I just,” she was trying to find the right words. “Its just that, well, I’m worried about you. I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I feel like I’ve known you all my life.”

Buffy was touched by her honesty. She felt guilty for being so suspicious of Hope. Even though she still felt an aura coming off of Hope, she was extremely comfortable around her new friend. “I don’t mind telling you about what happened.” The Slayer relived the night through her words as she retold the story to Hope. “And right now he is sitting there...just waiting...”