Old Flames
By KNS

Disclaimer: Once again, allow me to express that I own Nothing but the plot, not even the Characters, with the exception of one or two here and there.
Author's Notes: Second chapter in the Year In, Year Out Series. I realize this story may not make some people happy, but so it goes.....
( strickland@frontier.net )

You to the left and I to the right,
For the ways of men must sever-
And it well may be for a day and a night
And it well may be forever.
~ Richard Hovey - "At the Crossroads"

"So how bad do you think this is going to be?" Buffy asked, setting her glass of lemonade back on the table that separated her from Angel.

Angel made a face. "Hard to say. Even Giles didn't sound very optimistic, which doesn't bode well for any of us." He leaned back in his chair and adjusted his sunglasses.

It was the beginning of January, and in sunny Miami the weather was bright and beautiful. On this early Monday afternoon it was especially nice outside - the clear sky was a brilliant shade of blue, the sun was warm but not merciless, and a gentle wind was blowing in from the ocean, bringing with it that wonderful smell of the endless sea.

Buffy and Angel were seated on the deck of their house, enjoying the pleasant weather as they waited for the newest Slayer to arrive.

"Take a guess," Buffy urged. "On a scale of one to ten, what do you think?"

"Based on Giles' information, I'd say seven," he answered after a moment's thought.

"A seven," Buffy echoed. "That's not so bad. I mean, Faith was about a nine point nine, so if this girl's only a seven, it shouldn't be too hard to straighten her out."

Angel looked as if he were about to agree, but the car pulling into the driveway attracted his attention. "That's Giles with her now," he said instead.

Together they stood and went around the house to meet the new girl. As the pair approached Giles' rather dilapidated car, they saw that there were actually three people waiting there for them - an unknown man, a teenage girl, and a very unhappy looking Giles. Buffy glanced a question at Angel; he shrugged, knowing no more than she did.

"Hey Giles," Buffy greeted the frowning council head. "I see you've brought visitors."

"Hello Buffy," Giles said, his voice calm and clipped as it always became when he was fiercely annoyed. "This is Arnold Simmons and Helen Taen. Helen, Mr. Summers - Angel and Buffy Summers."

The short, square bodied man with short-clipped brown hair shook hand with Buffy. "It's an honor to met you, Slayer. I was absolutely shocked when I heard of Wyndham-Price's actions against you."

He didn't sound Ôabsolutely shocked' - he sounded snide and petty, Angel thought. He didn't like the way the man's eyes looked at Buffy as if she were an insect. This was the man who, for over a month, had neglected to inform Giles that a new Slayer had been called. Angel thought that this man had probably backed Wesley one hundred percent in all his actions.

Apparently Buffy was thinking something along the same lines because she gave the man one of her tight-lipped, I'm-smiling-only-because-I-have-to smiles. "It's a - pleasure - to meet you," she said, her voice full of implication.

The Watcher gave her a smile of the same calabur. "Charmed, I'm sure." He turned and gestured at the young woman standing beside him. "Helen, say hello to the Slayer."

Helen was a tall, slim female with dark hair and even darker eyes. She was dressed in the style common to the individuals of her generation - that is, in a mid-drift shirt that exposed more skin than it covered and jeans so tight it was a wonder she could walk at all. She turned her dark eyes on her Watcher and said calmly, "You're not my father, Lemons, and she's not the only damn Slayer standing here." Then she looked at Buffy, smiled brilliantly and said, "Nice to meet you. And you, too, handsome," she added to Angel.

Simmons rolled his eyes and sighed, as if to say ÔSee what I put up with?' "Enjoy your stay, Helen. Ms. Summers, I leave her in your care." He started to turn towards the car, then remembered something at the last minute. "I almost forgot," he said, handing Buffy a large envelope. "Here's her contract."

Buffy and Angel exchanged glances. "What contract?" Angel asked, reaching for the envelope.

The Watcher snatched it back to his chest. "None of your affair, Angelus," he said stiffly.

There was a tense silence for a moment where nothing could be heard but the breaking of the waves on the shore behind them.

Buffy laughed shortly, and it was not from amusement. "I know you didn't just do what I think you did," she said, her voice laced with mockery. "I know you didn't just come to our home and insult us. I know you're smarter than that."

While Simmons was busy gaping at Buffy, Angel plucked the envelope from his hands. Opening it, he pulled out documents made of heavy paper and quickly scanned over them. "What is this?" he asked, glancing at the Watcher.

Simmons pressed his lips together and glared.

"It's a contract between the Watcher's Council and Helen," Giles explained. "Wesley decided at some point that Slayers should sign an agreement to work for the Council in exchange for care, assistance, and protection. It's completely legal and binding. Internationally."

"How long does it last?" Angel asked, knowing there was more.

Giles smiled humorlessly. "Only for as long as she's a Slayer."

Buffy took that papers from Angel's hands. "I assume this is the original?" she asked without looking up.

"Of course," Simmons sniffed.

"Good." Buffy abruptly ripped it in half, then in half again. She took the pieces and placed them in the envelope. "Have a nice trip home," she said, handing the envelope back to Simmons.

The Watcher gave her an ugly look. "There are copies on file, you know,' he sneered.

Angel smiled. "You know what you can do with those. Happy flying."

The Watcher glared at them both for a moment, then pushed past them to circle around the car, mumbling about what he was forced to endure.

Giles opened the trunk and unloaded Helen's two duffel bags. "I'll see you again tonight, Helen," he told the young woman warmly.

Helen smiled falsely. "I certainly hope not. I can't stand English accents."

The three adults exchanged glances.

"See you tonight," Buffy said firmly.

"Of course," Giles answered.

As he and the Watcher drove away, Buffy and Angel surveyed the new Slayer. "Giles is a very good friend of mine," Buffy said. "He could be yours too, if you're wise enough to take him up on it."

"I don't think so," Helen said smugly. "That old man's got more than one screw loose. So that's your place, huh? Not too bad. One of you two must be loaded," she added. Picking up her bags, she began to stroll towards the house.

Buffy looked at Angel.

"Okay, so she's not a seven," Angel admitted. "She's a nine."

"Damn straight," Buffy laughed.

Angel nodded. "I know. It's going to take some time. But it's worth the fight, don't you think?"

She sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, it is. But - the only fighting I think she'll do is that which involves words. She's got this apathy - it's like she just doesn't care about anything. And according to her Watcher's reports, it shows in her fighting."

"Simmons didn't seem to like her much," Angel reminded her.

"I noticed," Buffy agreed wryly. "But his reports were very meticulous. I've read everything he turned in to Giles. She just doesn't give a damn about anything. I know there's a reason for that. God, she's a classic case - a psychiatrist would love to have a crack at her."

"Sounds right up your alley," Angel commented. He watched Buffy as she paced around the small library. He knew she could handle this girl. She had the training, skill, experience and patience to straighten the new Slayer out. What was making her so uneasy then? Only the memory of a long dead friend she'd never been able to help.

"She's not Faith, Buffy," Angel said quietly. "And you're not another teenager trying to help her out. You made it through the hard times. Now all you have to do is show her how you made it."

Buffy let out a breath of laughter. "I'm really hoping she doesn't use me as an example."

Angel stood up from the recliner and went to stand before her. "Don't ever put yourself down," he said sharply. "Maybe you feel like you've made some mistakes in your life - but no more than anyone else. You're *alive*. Despite all the odds, against all the rules - here you are. Alive. Sane." He smiled winningly at her. "Reasonably normal."

"Watch it," she said warningly, but she was smiling too.

"Don't worry so much," Angel encouraged. "She's not going to be another Faith."

"Who's Faith?"

They turned to find Helen casually leaning against the doorway, arms crossed loosely over her chest. She smiled at them with more than a touch of superiority, knowing that they had no idea how long she'd been standing there.

"She must be somebody that really scared you, if you're talking about her like this," the dark haired teenager said, stepping into the room. "From what I hear, that takes somebody pretty special - to scare the might Buffy, I mean. Tell me some more about her."

The girl doesn't realize how right she is, Angel reflected. He glanced at Buffy, but she was staring out the window, her eyes gazing at something only she could see.

The doorchime suddenly sounded, saving Angel from having to answer. "Company," he said shortly, then moved past Helen, who didn't give him an inch of extra room. "Thanks,' he grumbled.

"No problem," she laughed. Turning back to Buffy, she repeated, "So who's Faith?"

Buffy looked at the young woman watching her expectantly.

"Hey, ex-Dead Boy!" Xander's greeting echoed up the hallway and into the room.

"Faith was another Slayer," Buffy said quietly. "She was a good friend." She moved to slide past Helen, paused at the last minute. Meeting those dark, unreadable eyes, she added flatly, "I killed her." Then she moved past the girl, who stared after her with disbelief scrawled across her face.

Slouched in a chair at the far end of the table, Helen started to answer, then paused and gazed at Willow suspiciously. "How'd you know I was from Phoenix?"

"Giles told me," Willow answered gently. The girl was suspicious of everything. Perhaps she had a reason to be, but such quick doubt sat oddly in the eyes of one so young.

"Oh," Helen said blankly. After a moment she asked, "Are you a Watcher, too?"

Willow made a face. "Well....not exactly. I spent a lot of time training to become a Watcher, but then I changed my mind. I still help Giles now and then though." She heard the knock on Buffy's door and smiled at the young woman. "I'll be right back."

"What was your name again?" Helen asked.

Willow called back her answer before pulling open the door to reveal Giles and Marianna. "Hi guys."

"Great, now we can eat," Buffy said brightly as she came around the corner.

"Is that Giles?" Xander shouted from the livingroom. "I really hope it is, 'cause I'm starving."

"You're always starving," Angel could be heard answering.

"It's nice to know we're wanted," Marianna laughed as she stepped past Willow.

"Yes, well, wait until you meet Helen," Giles returned, speaking low so that his voice wouldn't carry.

"I hear that, Mr. Four Eyes," Helen called from the kitchen. She didn't sound upset, but seemed rather pleased with his comment.

"I take it you haven't made much progress yet," Giles dryly said to Buffy.

Buffy threw up her hands. "Do I look like a magician to you? It's only been a few hours. Now come on, let's eat before Xander starts in on the furniture."

They settled around the oak table, Willow and the boys on one side, Giles and Mari and Helen on the other, Buffy and Angel each seated on separate ends. Marianna sat beside the new Slayer, and when she introduced herself to the young woman Helen was very civil (much to Giles' surprise.) In fact, throughout the meal Helen surprised the group - she answered questions posed to her politely if a little vaguely, and otherwise ate silently.

Buffy was just beginning to take a liking to the Slayer when, in the middle of finishing her baked potato, Helen looked across the table to Xander and said, "I remember you - you're the guy who blew away the last big-shot Council head, right?"

Shocked, Xander simply stared at the girl.

Buffy bolted to her feet. "Helen, would you help me bring out the desert?"

Helen rolled her eyes but stood and followed Buffy to the kitchen. "Did you really -"

"Shut up," Buffy snapped, turning on her. Her eyes fiercely bright, she told her, "You can say anything you want to me. You can say anything you want to Angel. But don't you dare even think about repeating what you just said to Xander - or anything else to do with that incident. If the fact that you don't know a single detail about the situation didn't make you watch your words, the two boys in that room certainly should have."

Helen toyed with her dark hair and gazed at Buffy sullenly. "Yeah, okay, whatever."

But when they returned to the table Helen asked no more careless questions, and after dinner she even volunteered to take the two boys out to play on the beach.

"I'm sorry she said that," Buffy told Willow as they loaded the dishwasher.

Willow shrugged. "She didn't say anything that wasn't true. I just wish she hadn't said it in front of the boys."

"It won't happen again," Buffy assured her grimly.

"Buffy, are you expecting company?" Mari asked as she brought more dishes from the table.

The blonde Slayer jammed a bowel between two plates. "Only you guys. Why?"

"They won't get clean if you do that," Willow warned.

"Yeah they will..."

"Because a black sedan just pulled up in your drive," Mari added.

As Willow pulled out the dishes to replace them properly, Buffy glanced out the window over the sink. "I don't know who that is," she said, grabbing the towel to dry her hands. "Probably has the wrong address."

She headed for the door as Will continued to pull out dishes. "Did you like the desert? I used an old recipe of my mom's. The mice had nibbled at the card a little so I had to guess how much sugar to add..."

Marianna was staring out the window. "Willow, I'm sorry to interrupt, but doesn't that car have government plates?"

Willow yanked out the last mug, then moved to the window. "Um, I think-" She abruptly fell silent. Looking out the window, she stared at something for a moment, then slammed the mug down on the counter and ran out of the room, calling for Angel as she went.

"What's going on?" Angel asked, appearing from the library.

Willow caught him by the arm and dragged him to the front door. "I can't believe this, it's been years..."

"What's wrong?" Xander asked Mari.

Mari shrugged. "I don't know. A black sedan with government plates is in the driveway, and Buffy's talking to the driver, but..."

They followed Willow and Angel outside. "Oh god," Xander groaned when he saw the man Buffy was facing.

Angel turned to him. "Do you know him? Should I be getting a weapon?"

"Not unless you want to be facing murder charges," Xander sighed, averting his eyes.

"What?" the ex-vampire asked, confused.

"Angel, that's Riley," Mari said gently. "Riley Finn. Buffy's husband."

The blue eyed man stared at her without moving, watching her as she watched him. His face was closed, and his eyes reflected nothing of what he thought or felt.

Nothing, that is, until he put his glasses into his breast pocket and smiled at her. "Hello, Buffy," he said gently.

Buffy stood very still. A voice in her head was telling her this wasn't happening, it couldn't be happening. She looked at his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes. They were still bright and keen, but there were little lines at their corners, and somehow they seemed a little colder than she remembered them. She wondered how much coldness and how many lines could be credited to her.

She didn't smile. Her world was about to fall apart - that was no cause to smile. "It's - good to see you," she said instead. Only half of her meant it, the half that wanted to throw herself into his arms.

He seemed relieved at her answer. "It's good to see you, too," he said warmly. "I wasn't sure...Would you mind if I hugged you?"

The question was almost absurd. "No," she answered, and awkwardly wrapped her arms around him. It felt both wrong and right at the same time. Pulling back from him, she shook her head and mumbled, "I'm sorry." She wasn't sure if she meant sorry for hugging him or sorry for pulling back or sorry for a billion other things for which she owed him an apology.

"It's all right," Riley answered, laying a hand on her cheek. "I'm sorry too."

"Riley!" Willow cried, appearing beside the pair. "How are you?"

Riley laughed and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Willow, hi. My god, you look wonderful. Still married to that bum of a businessman?"

"Of course," Xander answered. "And I'll have you know I make over six figures, thank you very much."

The two men warmly clasped hands. "How've you been, g-man?" Xander asked.

"Good, good," Riley answered. He turned and saw Marianna standing on the other side of Buffy. "Mari, you're as beautiful as ever," he said, bringing the back of her hand to his lips. "Where's Giles? Off researching demons somewhere?"

"No," Mari laughed. "He's gone to collect the boys and Helen. Goodness, Riley, why didn't you call first? We would have held dinner for you."

"Oh, I didn't want to be a bother," Riley answered easily.

"It's never a bother when an old friend of Buffy's stops by," Angel said, his voice unreadable. He offered his hand to Riley. "I'm Angel."

Riley accepted his hand. "Nice to meet you, Angel. I'm Riley Finn."

Willow could almost taste the animosity between the two men. Lord, this was not going to be pretty. "Well, Xander, we better get going. The boys have school tomorrow. It was nice to see you again, Riley."

"Wait, wait," Riley protested. "We haven't even had a chance to catch up yet. You have to let me take you to dinner, at least. How about tomorrow night?"

"Sure, we can do that," Xander agreed before Willow could stop him. "You're going to be in town for a while?"

Riley's eyes slid to a still silent Buffy. "As long as I have to," he said slowly, and even Xander understood what he meant.

"Call us," Willow said, and reeled off their number. "Boys, let's go!" she called, walking towards the car.

"Later, Riley," Xander said in a subdued voce. He followed Willow and added his call for the boys to hurry up.

"Riley, is that you?" Giles asked, walking up the beach with Helen beside him. "Good god, man, what are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd stop by for a visit." Riley briefly embraced the older man. "I'm glad you're still alive and kicking, old man."

"Good to see you haven't been locked in some foreign jail," Giles returned. "I see you've found Buffy and - Angel," the council head stumbled, as if just realizing the ramifications of the situation.

"I'm Helen," the dark haired Slayer announced, putting herself infront of Riley. "Helen Taen."

Riley smiled politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Heather."

Helen smiled. "I'm a pleasure to meet. And the name's Helen."

"My apologies," the tall man dutifully said. "Buffy, is there somewhere we could talk? Perhaps over a drink?"

Buffy's eyes widened. What was she suppose to do now? She couldn't really say no, but with Angel standing right there - But Riley deserved something from her, too. "Sure," she said slowly. Looking at Angel, she added, "I won't be gone long.. I'm just going to go wash my hands."

Angel nodded patiently, as if he wasn't at all bothered that she was going out with her ex-husband. He was her ex, right?

"Okay then," Buffy mumbled. She turned towards the house, still somewhat dazed. Helen tagged after her, asking questions that she ignored or answered in monosyllables.

"So, Riley," Angel said when Buffy had gone, "what do you do?"

Riley shrugged. "I'm with the government."

"I'm guessing not as a postal carrier," Angel said dryly. "FBI?"

"Very close," Giles interrupted. "Riley heads the CIA."

"ÔHeads' is a strong word," Riley objected. "ÔAssists' would be a better description."

Angel smiled slyly. "I knew a CIA agent once."

Giles knew exactly where he was going with that. "Look, here's Buffy," he said quickly.

Buffy stopped beside Angel. "Helen's inside. I'd watch her if I were you." She hesitated, then abruptly turned away. "Be back soon."

Angel resisted the urge to tell her to stay away from alcohol. She was an adult, she had the right to do whatever she wanted. But it hurt him a little that she hadn't even kissed him goodbye.

"Nice to meet you, Angel," Riley said, a touch of condescension in his voice. "I'll call you, Giles, Mari."

"Of course," Giles answered while Mari nodded.

"Nice to meet you too, Riley," Angel said civilly, although he was thinking something quite the opposite.

The three watched the black sedan back up and drive away.

"Alright," Angel said finally. "Who's going to tell me about Riley?"

Finally he pulled into the parking lot belonging to one of the most expensive restaurants in Miami, a little place where stars from all over the world visited whenever they came to town. Buffy could only imagine what Riley was trying to say by coming here.

"I'm not really dressed for this," she said awkwardly.

Riley flashed her a smile. "You're always beautiful. And besides, I've got enough plastic to make a deck of cards - why should they complain?"

An attendant stood outside Riley's door, waiting for him to get out and hand over the keys. Buffy put a hand on his arm as he reached for the door.

"I lost the baby, you know," she said calmly. "It was never born."

Riley laid his hand over hers. Gently he answered, "I know. I went to the doctors after - after you were gone. I had to threaten them pretty heavily before they'd break doctor-patient privilege." He paused, squeezed her hand. "It wasn't your fault, you know."

Buffy's jaw clenched and she pulled her hand away. "Yeah, okay," she said, opening her door. She wished he wouldn't start with the old lies again.

"Love at first sight," Angel guessed, a trace of bitterness in his voice. Buffy had told him that she'd never been married.....

"Hardly," Giles answered, handing his spoon to Mari, who slipped it into the dishwasher. "It must have been just over a year before she agreed to go out with him. Even then, she wasn't really s-serious, I don't believe. She kept thinking -" he cut off his words.

"She thought I was coming back," Angel supplemented, suddenly struck with guilt. He'd wanted her to move on, right? And she'd made no secret that there'd been other men....

Giles ducked his head. "Yes, well. Riley was involved with a group attempting to neutralized vampires through implants. He wasn't too keen on her Slaying, but he m-managed to come to terms with it." He swallowed a sip of tea.

"But they weren't together right away, were they?" Mari asked.

"No," Giles agreed. Leaning against the counter, he added, "It wasn't until after Oz's death that they truly became involved. They dated seriously for two or three years; when she entered her doctorate program they were married - I suppose that was eight, no nine years ago."

"I hardly knew you at all then," Mari said, a slight smile on her face. Giles smiled back at her.

"So what happened?" Angel asked, hoping Giles wouldn't decide it was none of his business. He really didn't relish the idea of asking Willow to tell him.

"The war," Giles said bitterly. "They might have worked things out if the war hadn't come along. Riley was already in the CIA by then, but only as a junior agent, and when Buffy was drafted he wasn't in a position to do anything about it. There were - issues - between them before she left. When she came back...." He shook his head.

"War does terrible things to even the best of people," Mari said, closing the dishwasher and turning it on. "I remember when she came back, she didn't smile anymore. It was like she'd forgotten how to do it."

"Riley tried to see her, but she would have none of it," Giles said. "Her wound healed very quickly, and when it did she lost herself in the biggest cities she could find. Two years taught her how to do that fairly well. Not even the Council could locate her."

"But you did," Angel said. Buffy had told him so.

Giles smiled without amusement. "Indeed, but only because she developed a pattern. I'll spare you the details, for what she did really hurt no one but herself. At any rate, she eventually went back to Riley for a while. She finished her doctorate, published two books, even took up teaching at Yale. But none of it lasted. After a year or so it all fell to pieces again. One day she simply left. No note, no message of-of any kind. Not for nearly eight months." The smile on his face was frozen, as if he'd forgotten it was there. "There was no pattern this time."

He sounded sad and bitter and a little confused, and Angel had to wonder what could have happened to make Buffy treat him like that. He had always been a father to her...

"It wasn't really her fault, you know," Giles said as if reading his thoughts. "Everything - caught up to her, all at once. The war, the drinking, the miscarriage - it all added up. I never could blame her for leaving. I was happy enough that she hadn't attempted suicide again."

"Sounds like Slayer senior hasn't always been a good little girl," Helen said, sidling into the kitchen. "It's good to know she hasn't always been a saint. I don't feel so bad anymore."

Angel slanted her a cold look. "Mind your own business, Helen. You don't know what you're talking about."

"What are you doing here, Riley?" Buffy finally asked, making her tone soft and curious, not letting any hint of her fear show.

Riley smiled at her and shrugged. "I've been in the Haosend Islands for the last five months, you know. Mail travels a little slower there. Two weeks back I came across an old magazine. Guess who the cover story was about."

She smiled ruefully.

"I knew you weren't dead," he said confidently. "I'd know if you were. Took me a while to hunt you down, but - here I am."

Buffy looked at the man seated beside her. For the first time in many years, she truly looked at him. There were lines at the corners of his mouth from years of smiles, and longer lines across his forehead from years of brows drawn together in concentration. The hand around his wineglass was bronzed and sinewy; he wore a simple gold band on the second from last finger. Beneath the elegant suit his shoulders were squared and straight, betraying no hint of weakness.

Lastly she glanced at his eyes. They were still bright and blue, and in them she saw herself and their past and his current fear.

"I'm sorry, Riley," she said softly, suddenly blinking back tears.

"Oh Buffy, don't cry," he said hastily. He reached out and cupped her chin. "I forgave you the day after you left. I know things were never easy between us. It wasn't all your fault - hell, it probably wasn't even half your fault. Fate conspired against us, that's all."

Buffy brushed at her eyes and nodded. "Look at me making a fool out of myself. The management will never let me in again."

Riley patted her shoulder. "Hey, it's not like you've dropped a stack of books on anyone."

It took a moment to catch on, and then she laughed a little. "Well, it's not like you've donned your commando gear and done your GI Joe impression."

"I do a damn fine impression of GI Joe," Riley returned. He paused, then added in a more serious voice, "I know you've already eaten, but do you want to get a table, maybe have something sweet?"

She hesitated only for a moment. "Yeah, that sounds good. Let's do that."

"Good," Riley said, smiling. "Great."

"Have a nice time?"

Buffy spun on her heels, found Angel standing a few steps off to her right. "You waited up?" she asked. "You should have gone to bed. I'm sorry I'm late - we were talking...."

"You don't have to explain," Angel said calmly. "I'm sure you two had some catching up to do."

"A little," she agreed vaguely.

They stood in silence for a long moment.

"Well, I'm beat," Buffy said finally. She turned and moved towards the staircase.

"You told me you were never married," Angel said behind her.

She stopped. "I - don't know what to say," she answered slowly. "I'm sorry -"

"No, wait," Angel interrupted. He walked over to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just a little surprised, that's all."

"I should have told you," she said, shaking her head. "I just - couldn't. Honestly, I thought you'd never find out."

"It doesn't matter," he answered. Brushing a strand of hair away from her face, he added, "Come upstairs."

She smiled at him, unsure if he could see her or not - even after Willow had recast the binding spell, he'd kept some of the vampire characteristics. "How is Helen doing?"

Angel linked her arm through his and lead her upstairs. "She's fine. We worked out for a while before she got angry and locked herself in her room. She didn't like it when I told her she had a lot to learn...."

Panting for breath, Helen withdrew from Angel a few steps. "I don't get it," she gasped, pushing her dark hair out of her eyes. "I'm the Slayer - I'm suppose to be stronger than you!"

Angel visibly relaxed and stepped towards her. "Well, it's a long story," he began, wiping at his forehead.

"Don't let down your guard," Buffy advised Helen.

Helen cast her a contemptuous glance. "I know-"

In an instant Angel lunged forward and kicked her legs out from beneath her. She fell onto the sand with a howl of disbelief.

"I warned you," Buffy said, shaking her head.

After eating a late breakfast the three had decided to head outside to practice fighting skills - rather, Buffy and Angel had decided, and dragged along Helen, who had wanted to spend the day suntanning and shopping.

"We'll go shopping tonight," Buffy had argued. "I'll also show you the local vamp hangouts. For now, though, we're going to work on your skills. I know you have a lot to learn."

Helen had given her an ugly look but complied, and they had spent nearly four hours out on the sand. Buffy and Angel took turns sparing with her, only breaking occasionally for water. It was only now becoming to dawn on the young Slayer that she could no more best Angel than she could the other Slayer.

"That's it, I want a break," Helen announced, pulling herself up off the sand only long enough to plop down beside Buffy and the waterbottles. After taking a big drink she said, "If my fighting with him sucks so much, let's see you do it."

Buffy shook her head and handed Angel a waterbottle. "I don't think so."

"Oh, so it's okay for me to try, but not for you, huh?" Helen challenged.

"I'm not the one in need of sharpening my skills," Buffy pointed out.

"You probably can't hold him off for more than five minutes," the dark haired girl said. "You probably couldn't take him if your life depended on it."

Angel saw the memory pass into Buffy's eyes. Quickly he stood up and pulled her up with him. "Come on, Slayer, show us what you got."

"You asked for it," Buffy said, smiling faintly. She could still remember the fight for Acathala -

Angel threw a punch at her and the instincts kicked in. They had learned months before that a blow taken bu one of them was immediately felt by the other, and their sparing had changed because of it - they no longer attempted to best each other through blows, but rather through various pins.

Helen, however, did not understand. "Quit circling each other and fight!" she cried.

The pair ignored her and remained focused on each other. Buffy kicked out with her left foot and tried to grab his arm to flip him; Angel avoided the blow, ducked to the right, and lunged for her waist. She skittered away with a laugh. This continued until Angel finally threw a punch at her stomach; when she skipped sideways to avoid it, she stumbled over a hole in the sand and fell.

"Hurry, get up!" Helen said encouragingly.

Buffy rubbed her right knee. "I think I pulled something."

"I think you did," Angel agreed, gingerly pressing around his own knee. "Let me help you," he said, offering her a hand.

She winced. "Hey Helen," she began, grasping Angel's hand. Abruptly she pulled, bringing Angel down beside her to the sand. Quickly rolling, she pinned him beneath her. "Never let your guard down," she finished.

"Buffy, Angel!" a voice called.

"Is that Willow?" Angel asked.

Buffy nodded and stiffly stood up, favoring her sore knee. "Over here, Will!" She offered her hand to Angel, adding, "Don't even think about it."

Angel accepted her hand with a grin. "I wasn't."

"What are they doing here?" Helen asked, gesturing towards Willow and Xander.

"Gee, Buff, don't you think you should at least remove the sand from your face before dinner?" Xander asked.

"What dinner?" Angel returned. "And why are you so dressed up?"

Willow looked concerned. "We're going to dinner at the Blue Water Dock," she said, her voice slightly tense. "You know - with Riley. Buffy, he told me you said okay..."

Buffy had completely forgotten about that. "Oh," she said blankly. "Um, yeah, Excuse us for a moment." She latched onto Angel's arm and pulled him a good distance away.

"Somebody's gonna be in it deep this time," Helen laughed. "I bet he really gives her hell."

"Helen," Xander began, using the same voice he applied when lecturing his two boys.

Willow could guess how Helen would react if Xander started to lecture her. "How do you like Miami?" she interrupted quickly.

"I'd probably like it a hell of a lot more if I actually saw it," Helen complained. "Buffy was going to show me around tonight. Guess that's out now."

"No, it's not," Angel said, rejoining the group. "We'll clean up and then go in. I'll show you the local haunts and hot spots."

Willow looked at the closed expression on Angel's face, then looked at Buffy, who was still standing where Angel had left her. Only a slight frown on her face hinted that she was upset.

"Cool," Helen said with a smile. "I bet you're a good dancer," she added, walking beside Angel towards the house.

"I bet you don't find out," Xander muttered under his breath. "I just don't like that girl."

"It's because she remind you of Faith," Willow told him. Here comes Buffy. Smile."

Buffy shot an unreadable glance after Angel and Helen, then smiled at Willow and Xander. "Give me five minutes."

Xander and Willow exchanged glances. For Buffy to cut her time that much meant one thing - she and Angel were having a major fight.

"We'll wait out here," Xander said quickly.

"You look wonderful," he told her as she sat down.

Buffy glanced at the dark maroon dress she was wearing. "Thank you," she said somewhat stiffly. It seemed odd to accept compliments from a man other than Angel, but at the same time it was distantly familiar, like hearing an old song.

A waiter appeared at Buffy's shoulder. "Here you are, madam," he said, placing before her a pink-filled glass with a paper umbrella on its edge.

Buffy started to shake her head and object, but Riley explained, "It's a fruit drink. No alcohol, I promise."

Willow glanced at Riley's drink. It looked exactly like the one the waiter had given Buffy.

Xander felt his shoulder tense up. If Buffy sent back the drink, the mean would be miserable. If she accepted it, the meal atmosphere would be excellent, but who knew what would happen afterwards?

Giles and Mari were carefully not looking at either Riley or Buffy.

Slowly Buffy took a sip from the drink. "I like it," she said, smiling at a very relieved Riley.

"I knew you would," Riley said, answering her smile with one of his own.

Smiles broke out around the table, and Xander wondered if the others' were as false as his.

"Riley will drop me off," Buffy assured her. "We have some talking to do."

Giles was worried and it showed. "Y-yes, well, let's speak tomorrow, shall we? About Helen," he hastily added.

Buffy gave him a knowing look. "Sure. I'll call you."

The parking attendant showed up with Xander and Willow's car.

"Have a good night, Buff," Xander said, his voice not as light as he'd tried to make it. Extending his hand to Riley, he told the agent, "Thanks for dinner. I'm sorry you won't be staying longer."

"I'm not sure how long I'm staying," Riley answered, picking up on Xander's hint. "I'll be sure to let you know."

Out of them all, only Mari seemed truly pleased that Buffy was accepting Riley's presence. "Good night, Buffy," she told the Slayer as she hugged her goodbye. "Be happy," she added softly, so softly that only Buffy heard her.

"I am," Buffy answered, giving her an odd look.

When they were finally left alone, Riley took Buffy's hand and smiled gently down at her. "Would you care to take a walk with a stranger?"

Buffy tilted her head as if considering the question. "No," she finally answered, "but I will with you."

And so they walked down the long, bright streets of Miami, chatting between themselves, completely ignorant of the people passing them by. The passed from shadows into pools of light and again into darkness, and as the minutes slid into hours they talked of their past, both the times they had been together and the times they had not - and beneath the half-full moon something reawakened between them, feelings that neither had thought could ever be revived.

Buffy ignored the feelings for as long as she could. She pretended that it was only the affection of friendship that shone in Riley's eyes, and it was nothing more than a touch of sentimentality that kept her smiling up at him. Eventually, however, she realized that she might be playing with emotions that were best left alone, and she told him that it was time for her to leave.

Riley looked at his watch, sighed, then nodded. "Of course. But first why don't you come up to my room for a minute - I brought you something that I'd like to give you."

She hesitated only a moment. This was Riley, her ex-husband, and she owed him a lot. "Okay, sure," she agreed, silencing the little voice of warning in her head. "Where are you staying again? Oh wait, I remember. The Westwind Marriott. That's not far."

"Fount it," Riley said, reappearing from the bedroom. He had shed his tie and jacket, and the cuffs of his sleeves were rolled halfway up his forearms.

"Thought you'd got lost for a minute there," Buffy joked, suddenly realizing that she was nervous.

He laughed and handed her a little wrapped package. "Here. I hope you like it."

"It's not even my birthday," she said, accepting the gift.

"Well, I've missed a couple," he returned sheepishly.

She let the remark pass. Gently she separated the brightly colored wrapping from its contents. It turned out to be a small photo album; when she opened the first page, she realized what it contained.

There was a picture of her and Willow in full snowgear standing in front of a ski run; they were both wearing sunglasses and grinning broadly. There was a picture of Willow and Oz and Xander and Cordelia sitting at a picnic table. There was one of her and Riley dressed up in Halloween costumes, and another one of Willow and Xander's wedding. There was one where she stood alone holding a tiny newborn child, little Buff, the child that at the time she hadn't known was hers, and there was one of her own wedding, where she and Riley were cutting the cake together.

In the very last picture she was alone. She was laughing at the person taking the picture - Riley, she could remember that now. She was standing in front of the house they'd rented in D.C., and she was very pregnant. The picture had been taken two days before she'd left.

"Oh Buffy, I'm sorry," Riley said softly. "I didn't mean to make you cry."

She shook her head mutely. After a moment she wiped at her eyes and said roughly, "It wasn't your fault, you know. I-I just couldn't do it anymore. Playing house was fun, but I knew it wouldn't last. Nothing ever does. But I did love you, Riley. I really did-"

Riley caught her face between his hands. "I know that," he answered, his own voice none too even. "I've always known that. I knew you weren't dead, and that's how I knew...."

"I was dead," Buffy wept. "I was-"

He kissed her - very gently, very briefly, more like a friend than anything else.

She looked up at him, startled. "No," she said, seeing something in his eyes. "Don't."

"Don't what?" he returned, gently kissing her again.

"Don't do that," she said, putting her hands against his chest. "I can't....."

"I still love you,' he said softly.

She met his eyes, and her resolve crumpled. "Riley, Riley. I-"

She didn't turn to face him. He didn't make any move towards her.

"You're still wearing the claddagh ring," he said finally, his voice without emotion.

Her shoulders slumped. "Nothing happened," she began.

"Don't," Angel said sharply, and she could hear him come to his feet. "Don't lie about it. Don't pretend that I'm that stupid."

Then she turned to face him. "I'm not lying, Angel."

"We're linked, remember?" he returned. "I feel everything you feel."

"Then you understand," Buffy sighed, a trace of relief in her voice. "You know how confused-"

"No," he said bitterly. "No I don't. I don't have to, though." He paused, turned his closed face away from her. "I've packed a few things."

"I owe him, Angel," Buffy said, desperation creeping into her voice. "We were married, for god's sake. I owe him whatever he wants."

Angel nodded grimly. "And you don't owe me a damn thing."

"Dammit, don't take that holier-than-thou attitude with me," she snarled, the desperation changing to anger.

"You're angry at me because you slept with your ex-husband?" Angel demanded. "What about me? Do you know how it made me feel?" He held up a hand. "No, wait. I don't want to hear that answer." Brusquely he pushed past her.

She caught his arm and turned him towards her. "First of all, things got a little out of hand, but I did not sleep with him. Get your facts straight. Secondly, he loved me, Angel. He still does. He always has. And dammit, I love him too. And I owe him. One morning he went to work - before he left I asked him to pick up some milk and he kissed me goodbye - and I walked out the door and never looked back."

Angel looked at her for a moment, then pulled away and walked towards the staircase.

"Guess where I learned that little trick, Angel," she called after him.

He turned to glare at her. "Don't try to blame this on me. You made your own choices."

She laughed. "Oh yeah? Let's talk about them. You left me, Angel. I did everything I could do to hold you, and you walked away! Oh, you don't like to hear that, do you?" She said as he started to turn away. "Twenty years, Angel, twenty damn years. Never one phonecall, never even one note. And I waited and waited and waited. I kept thinking ÔHe'll call soon. He misses me. He loves me.' But you never called or mailed a letter or sent a message or proved in any way that you cared one bit. You walked away and that was that. Well guess what- I waited anyway. But finally I realized you weren't coming back. Never. Never. And Riley was there. Riley loved me. Riley married me. Riley swore he'd never leave. Riley put my life back together - and I walked out. Just like you did. I'm a quick learner." She threw the little album Riley had given her at his feet. "See, I even have proof."

Angel couldn't believe what he was hearing. Every word she said went straight to his heart. She's never spoken of the twenty years they'd spent apart, and he'd gradually come to assume that she never would. What really made him feel terrible was that she was right - whatever had passed between her and Riley had as much to do with him as her.

His anger and sense of betrayal left him in a rush. Slowly he walked down the staircase towards her. "I'm sorry," he said awkwardly. "Forget about Riley for a minute. Those twenty years - I looked for you -"

"Yeah, whatever," she interrupted, raising her hands. "Just forget about it. You stay here and work out your issues - I'm calling a cab. Where's Helen? She can come with me."

"Helen's at Will and Xander's," he said shortly. "Don't walk out, let's talk this over."

"Oh, now you want to talk," she laughed bitterly. "I don't have anything to say. Both you and Riley have said enough. Between the two of you, you're breaking my heart all over again, you know? You're breaking my heart." She shook her head and walked into the kitchen.

"Dammit, Buffy, come on," he snarled, following her. "Wait a minute -"

She reached to activate the phone, not even glancing at him.

He turned it off. "I said, hold on a minute."

"Get your hand off that phone, Angel," she said in a deadly soft voice.

"I'm sorry to bother you," she said, smiling sheepishly.

Giles squinted at her and shook his head, noticing that she was wearing the same dress from the night before. "Come in," he said, motioning for her to enter. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Can't a woman just drop by her friend's apartment now and then?" she returned as she stepped inside.

Giles turned to give her a disbelieving look.

"You guys had a fight?" Willow asked doubtfully.

"Must have been one hell of a fight," Xander guessed, taking a seat across from him in an easychair.

"What happened?" pressed Willow. She handed Angel a glass of ice water.

Angel accepted the glass but shrugged away the question. "I need to ask you two a question," he said, cradling the glass in his hands.

Xander and Willow exchanged glances. "Alright," Xander answered warily.

Angel took a deep breath, then met their gazes squarely. "How much does Buffy love Riley?"

Willow unsteadily sat down and looked away. "She didn't come home last night, did she?" Xander said, only half asking. "Dammit, Riley, where were you before now?"

Angel's grip tightened around the cold glass. "That much, huh?' he asked, his voice oddly calm. "I see."

"No no no," Willow denied. She moved to sit beside Angel on the couch and pried the glass from his white-knuckled grasp. "What did she say, Angel? Did she say she was going back to him? Did she say she didn't want to be with you anymore? Did she say that?"

Reluctantly Angel answered, "No..."

Willow laughed nervously. "Then there's no problem! Geez, Angel, you would have thought -"

"She spent the night with him, Willow," he interrupted quietly.

"O-oh," she said, shocked. "Buffy wouldn't do that..."

"Buffy might if the man was Riley," Xander said grimly.

"Xander," the red haired woman protested.

"She does love him, Angel. A lot. When you left her, she went through some hard times, and Riley was there to help her," Xander told him, a little of the old anger in his voice.

"She doesn't care for him half as much as she does for Angel," Willow snarled at him. "She made Riley have the wedding at night, for god's sake!" She clapped a hand over her mouth, instantly sorry for what she'd said. "I'm sorry," she breathed.

Angel turned his head. Even when marrying another man, she had thought of him. Had she taken off the claddagh ring for the ceremony? Had she looked towards the doors one last time before saying ÔI do'?

You're breaking my heart all over again, she'd told him, and now he realized what that really meant.

Buffy pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. "I don't know," she answered dully. "Riley wants me to go back to D.C. with him. Angel was so mad, I never got around to telling him *that*. Maybe I should just go with him. I don't know. It's just - dammit, where the hell was he when I needed him? Where were either of them?" She dropped her hands to the table. "I have such bad luck with men."

Giles nodded and tipped his mug in acknowledgment. "No argument here."

Buffy made a face at him. "What do you think I should do?"

"I can't answer that," Giles said, no longer smiling. "You've always lived your own life, made your on choices - I can't start telling you what to do now."

Willow and Xander looked at each other. It had taken Angel almost an hour to say those words - now that he had, they didn't know how to respond.

"Well, try courting her," Willow offered hesitantly.

The two men looked at her. "What?"

Willow rolled her eyes. "You two know what courting is. I know it's been a long time, Xander, but think hard." She lost her bantering note when Angel continued to look at her with confusion. "You never courted her, Angel. I had to have a spaz attack before you'd even take her out for coffee. She was always your girl - you never had to work at it. Riley, on the other hand, had to really go a ways before she'd even give him the time of day. If you really, really want to hang on to this relationship, act like it's a brand new one. Bring her flowers. Ask her where she wants to go, what she wants to do. Trust me, it'll work."

Xander shook his head. "I say go to Riley and tell him to keep his hands - and other things - off your woman or you'll kill him."

"You can't just threaten to kill a CIA agent," Willow argued.

"Sure he can," Xander said. "It's very easy. All he has to do is go up to him and say, ÔHey, Riley, get out of town or I'll suck you dry.'"

"I'm not a vampire any more," Angel reminded him.

Xander's face fell. "Oh. Right. Well, be creative. You can still do that, right?"

Giles nodded. It had taken her almost an hour to admit that. "That's a good place to start."

"Because you can't resist my winning smile and magnetic charm?" the young Slayer suggested, surfing through stations.

"I don't think that was it," he said with a short laugh. The girl did remind him of Faith sometimes.

"How about because you're hoping Buffy will forgive you if you have a witness to put a guilt trip on her? Oh yay, the Silver Moons," she cried, turning up the volume.

That suggestion hit a little too close to home. Stubbornly he shook his head as he turned the corner onto the street where Riley was staying. By his best guess Buffy was with him.

Helen threw up her hands. "Alright, fine, you let me come because I begged to go back to a place without snoring kids. Happy now?"

Angel suddenly pulled into a side alley and turned off the engine. "Stay here."

"What? Where are you going?" she demanded as he flung open the car door.

"I let you come. Now stay here." That was all the explanation he made. He ignored her demand that he leave the key so that she could listen to the radio. He knew if he gave her the key neither she nor the car would be there when he came back.

He'd seen Riley slide into an alley a little up the street just as he turned the corner. At least, he was fairly certain it was Riley - the man was the right height and build and had his facial features, but was wearing a long coat and brimmed hat. If the man wasn't Riley, he could always walk up the two blocks to the hotel - but he was pretty sure it was.

Quickly he crossed the street, then slipped from shadow to shadow until he reached the mouth of the alley. He started to swing around the corner, then halted when he saw two men not five feet from him.

"Looks like it's all here," a man wearing a dark jogging suit said. Obviously *he* wasn't Riley - besides the fact that his hair was mostly gone, his voice was also a few octaves too low.

"For a job like this, I figured it'd better be." That voice belong to Riley, Angel would have sworn to it. The agent had an interesting way of slurring his vowels, almost like a Midwestern accent.

Angel glanced around the corner and saw the two men shaking hands.

"Ouch," the deep voiced man said, yanking back his hand. "You stabbed me!"

The outline of Riley shrugged. "ÔFraid so."

"You-" The jogger let out a stream of profanity, then abruptly became silent, stumbled a few steps and fell sprawling to the ground.

Angel watched as Riley slowly moved forward to lean over the man.

When Riley walked out of the alley a few minutes later, the coat slung over his arm and his hat and little sack in his left hand, Angel was casually leaning against a wall, waiting for him.

"Good morning."

Riley calmly turned to face him. "Morning, Angel. What are you doing out so early?"

Angel pushed away from the wall to face him squarely. "Cut the crap, Riley. I saw what just happened back there. What's going on?"

Riley smiled lopsidedly, turned, and began to walk away.

"I has to do with Buffy, doesn't it?' Angel guessed. Certain things were starting to fit together in his mind, like why Riley would suddenly reappear in Buffy's life after years of absence.

"No, it doesn't," Riley called over his shoulder without pausing.

Angel easily caught up to him in a few strides. "I think it does," he argued, keeping pace with the taller man. "I think that's why you've suddenly made a reappearance."

Riley shook his head. "You're way off base."

"Am I?" Angel challenged, suddenly blocking the agent's path. "Did you really just show up to say hi and wreck her life for the hell of it?"

Riley stopped. He gave Angel a hard look, then sighed and glanced away. "A couple of years ago Buffy did some consulting for us. I'm sure you understand what I mean. Her - work - resulted in the take down of several major mafia figures. One of them died of a heart attack, one of them committed suicide, and one of them was released from prison just before Christmas." He glanced at Angel. "Guess who's number one on his hit list."

"There's a contract on her," Angel said dully.

The agent chuckled without amusement. "More than one, I'm afraid - we've tracked down six so far." He hesitated, then added, "This crimelord - he's not all human. Do you understand what I mean?"

Angel thought of the two Mora demons that had attacked Buffy not a month before in the mall. "Yes, I understand," he said shortly. Yes, dammit, he understood very well. "What's this crimelord's name?"

"You won't find him," Riley answered. "And even if you did, you couldn't get near him - like I said, he's not human."

"You said he wasn't *all* human. There's a big difference."

"I'm not going to split hairs with you and I'm not giving you the name,' Riley told him calmly. "But I am taking Buffy back to D.C. with me."

Angel's eyebrows arched in surprise. "Did she agree to that, or were you planning to club her over the head and tell her when she got there?" he asked coolly, keeping the fear out of his voice.

Riley shook his head. "She needs someone to protect her, to watch her back. Can you do that?"

Angel fought down the urge to laugh. "I've been doing that for a long time. Long before she ever knew you."

The agent started to reply, then paused. His expression became thoughtful. "You know, Willow told me a long time ago that Buffy had once been involved with a man called Angel. You wouldn't happen to be the same man, would you?"

"What if I said I am?" Angel returned calmly.

Riley slanted him a look. "Then maybe I'd reconsider about that name," he answered. The he laughed shortly and added, "Or maybe I'd just curse my damn luck and walk away. That would probably be the best thing to do. It would be a first for me - I never walk away from anything." He tilted his head back, looked up at the light sky and smiled. "Maybe I should give it a try."

Angel shook his head, then suddenly stopped and nodded. "Yes. Yes, I did. But I remember it now."

"Well that's good," Buffy said, appearing in the doorway between kitchen and entrance. "I'd hate to think there's anyplace I'd go that you wouldn't follow me."

The pair stood silently and gazed at each other.

Giles looked from him to her, shrugged and ran a hand over his head. "Turn out the light and lock the door on your way out. Good night - or morning, I should say." He moved past Buffy, shut off the kitchen light and withdrew further into the apartment.

"I'm sorry -" they each began, then fell silent, looking at each other.

"Let's not apologize," Buffy offered quietly. "Neither of us did anything wrong."

Angel nodded. "Alright. We'll go home and talk." Without taking his eyes off her, he reached behind him and opened the door. "Helen's in the car. She demanded that I let her come."

"She's got you wrapped around her finger," Buffy laughed quietly. "Did you two have fun shopping?"

"What shopping?" Angel returned. "All she did was flirt with guys all night. There was no shopping involved."

"Five more minutes," she mumbled, rolling over.

"It's two in the morning, Buffy," Angel told her. "And someone's here to see you."

She groaned and cautiously opened her eyes. The blinds were still down, so she opened her eyes and looked at the man sitting beside her. Angel had a line of tense muscle his brows, and his eyes were filled with worry.

"It's Riley, isn't it?" she asked.

Angel nodded. "He's waiting outside with Helen."

"Is that a hotdog with eyes?" she asked the dark haired Slayer, subtly announcing her presence.

"It's a dolphin," Helen said, making a face at her. "It doesn't look like a hotdog."

Riley got to his feet and dusted off his pants. He was wearing a dark suit, but not sunglasses, and the jacket was casually draped over his left arm. "Hey, sleepy," he greeted her, then glanced back at Angel. "It was nice to meet you, Angel."

Angel stood up and solemnly shook his hand. "A pleasure, Riley."

"Good-bye, Ellen," the agent told the young woman drawing pictures in the sand. "Try not to break too many hearts."

Helen looked up at him. "See ya, g-man. And the name's Helen."

Riley smiled and turned his gaze back to Buffy.

"I'll walk you to your car," she offered quickly. He was leaving - she shouldn't have felt surprise, but she did anyway. He'd been here less than three days and already he was leaving. He hadn't even asked if she planned to go back with him.

She supposed he'd already figured out the answer.

"I'm glad you came, Riley," she said softly as they walked towards his car.

He nodded and flashed her a smile. "I am, too. I'm just sorry-"

"You couldn't have known," she interrupted. "Besides, you gave me a chance to explain - and to apologize. Any trouble was worth that."

They reached the side of his black car. He turned to face her and put his hands on her shoulders. "What I was going to say was that I'm just sorry I didn't look for you sooner. I kept thinking that you wanted space, that you needed time. Guess I waited just a little too long, huh?"

She looked down at the sand, at her bare feet and his shiny shoes, then glanced back up to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry, Riley. If things were different..."

"I know," Riley said, dropping his hands. He glanced out at the ocean and sighed. Turning his eyes back on her, he added lightly, "But it was good to see you again. And like you said, we got a chance to set things straight, so we have had some luck after all. ÔBut whether we live or whether we die (for the end is past our knowing), here's two frank hearts and the open sky, be a fair or ill wind blowing.'"

"ÔIn the teeth of all winds blowing,'" Buffy finished softly. "You always were a fan of Hovey."

He smiled lopsidedly. "I've always been bad with my own words."

She felt a rush of tenderness for the man standing before her. They had had some good times together, hadn't they? They had been going to raise a family together. They had been planing to grow old together. If things were different.....

"I love you, Riley Finn," she said, her voice unsteady.

"I know," he said gently. "And I love you, too, Buffy Summers." He leaned forward and lightly kissed her cheek. "If you ever change your mind, you know how to find me."

That was the end of it. He climbed into the dark sedan with government plates, slipped on his sunglasses and drove away. She watched the car move farther and farther away, and she told herself the moisture in her eyes was from the sun's reflection off the car's black paint.

When she began walking back towards the house, Angel was there waiting for her. She halted before him and looked into his eyes, searching for something that proved she'd made the right choice. She was almost sure she found it.

"Regrets?" he asked her softly.

"Every now and then," she answered honestly, and moved past him.

Helen was leaning against the doorframe, brushing the sand off her hands. "Must be pretty cool having two way good lookin' guys after you, huh? I sure hope I'm that popular at your age."

Buffy met the young Slayer's gaze, and the grin slid off Helen's face. In those hazel eyes Helen saw more than just pain and insecurity, she saw herself in a few years, should she be lucky enough to survive, and for the first time in her life she wished that she could take back the words she'd just said.

Buffy broke the gaze between them and silently moved into the house.