Angel woke to a slight burning sensation in his arm. He looked over to see the sun had draped it way toward the bed. *That's why I slept on the floor.* He quickly got out of the sun's way. Looking around, finding no Buffy in sight, he decided to go down stairs.
What he found was Spike drinking a cup of tea with the Wiccan.
"Hey Willow..." He looked nervously at Spike. *I really don't get what he needs to be here for.*
Willow looked up and smiled at the soul. "Hey."
"Spike." Angel made his attempt to be nice, barely audible.
Spike only looked away in disgust.
"Where's Buffy?" Angel's brown eyes seemed like a puppy looking for its owner.
"She had to run a few errands." Willow said quickly.
"Oh." Angel's disappointment showed.
"You wanker. Don't tell me your back to being the slayer's lap dog. Because if that's the case, I will walk outside right now." Spike laughed sarcastically.
"Be my guest." Angel gestured towards the door.
Spike stood up and quickly, meeting the glare of the dark-haired vampire.
"You better watch yourself." Spike warned with death gleaming in his eyes.
"uh..." Willow sat by, helpless to stop it.
"Or what? You'll... bite me?" Angel laughed in the blonde's face.
Spike picked up Angel and held him against the wall. Angel just laughed at the idea. Their heads whipped toward the door as Buffy popped her head in. Spike dropped Angel.
"Buffy." Angel and Spike said at the same time, glaring at each other, they both started toward the slayer.
"Hey." The slayer’s voice was un-spirited.
"How are you?" Angel rushed to her aid.
Clearly not wanting help, she stepped back. "I'm fine."
"Obviously." Spike said under his breath. Which earned him more dirty looks.
Spike sighed and walked out of the room.
Angel sat Buffy down on the couch. "I missed you."
Buffy looked away nervously, "Yeah."
Angel got up, noticing her distance.
"I need something to eat." Angel said staring straightforward, almost embarrassed.
"I'll have Willow call something in." with that Buffy walked out of the room.
"Yeah." Angel said softly, looking away, ashamed of what he was.
~*~
Spike growled, turning his music down. "Show yourself."
Dawn emerged from the shadows, into the cavern of the neutered vampire.
"Sorry. I'll go.."
"No. Wait. It’s ok little bit." Spike softened his tone, to the young girl.
"So you must be pretty upset, with Angel's unexpected return and all." Dawn tried to understand what he was going through, but then stopped realizing she couldn't.
"upset would be an understatement, pet." Spike lit a cigarette, inhaling long and hard.
"Well, if it helps, I still find you completely irresistible." Dawn smiled, showing every tooth she had.
Spike smoothed back the young girl's hair. "Thanks."
~*~
Willow smiled, as she looked down satisfied at the table setting. She had just finished putting the last of the food on. Her ear heard the bell, done. She walked over to the microwave and took out to mugs of blood. She then proceeded to place them on opposite sides of the table. *Just in case.*
"Dinner." Willow yelled up the stairs.
As everyone walked down they gaped at the food that stood before them. Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Ham, Stuffing, Corn and Pie for desert.
The door opened, in walked Anya and Xander hand in hand.
"Delicious." Dawn rushed to the table, picking up a piece of turkey with her fingers.
"Polite girls, eat after they say grace." Willow scolded Dawn softly.
Dawn sat back in her chair, waiting for everyone to get situated.
Spike walked up from the basement, where he had spent most of his sunlight hours, it had almost become a second home.
Angel walked in from the living room, catching up on his nighttime dramas. He waited for Buffy at the bottom of the stairs. The hours seemed to go by so slow. Waiting for Buffy to recover, to talk to him, had almost been harder on him than coming out here.
Buffy smiled slightly, acknowledging his presence.
After everyone was situated, they looked around the table. "Grace." Xander said and began to pass the turkey. Everyone said 'Grace,' before doing the same.
"How is it Buffy?" Willow looked at her friend, concerned she might not be enjoying her food.
"It's great." Buffy tried to step up the enthusiasm.
"Well it must be, I mean... when you were in hell... you must not have eaten. Because that would end the whole point of the torture." Anya's monotone voice filled the room.
She slowly hung her head in defeat, she the looks she was getting and what they meant. "I'll be quiet now."
"No. I didn't need to... I was never hungry." Buffy explained the ex-demon.
"Oh." Willow quietly got up. "If you want, you don't have to eat anything." Willow began to take the slayer's plate, when a hand stopped her.
"No. It's okay, I want to." Buffy smiled, this time happily.
"It's about bloody time you get the temperature right, I'm proud of you." Spike seemed to be too concerned with his meal, to see what was going on.
Angel quietly sat, sipping his mug, he wasn't hungry but he hated to be impolite. His thoughts were on other things, mainly Buffy. He didn't know why he was here, or what he had wanted to accomplish. Things would turn out like they had before. Why was here then, to comfort her? To comfort himself, in knowing she was alive and well. But a part of Angel sensed she wasn't ok. The very same part, that at one time had belonged to the girl herself.
As Angel looked around the room, he saw something never had before. This was a family, not friendship, this ran deeper than that. A family Angel had once been a part of, but now he realized he wasn't. He would never be part of this family again, because of what he was and what he did. He looked back at the slayer, who tried to make jokes and smile at things people were saying. Suddenly the vampire felt very out of place.
Spike made a funny and Buffy acknowledged by laughing, *then why does he get to be a part of this family?* Angel glared at Spike from across the table and for the first time he knew the answer. *He loves her.* Angel could sense it, feel it, almost like it were his own blood boiling inside. *He loves the slayer, but she can't...*
Angel turned away, not baring to face the two. Suddenly his world collapsed, in one swift turn of events, Angel knew the reason Buffy wouldn't speak to him, and she was telling Spike. *She told Spike, before me.* Angel walked into the kitchen in anger.
"That's something, I can't allow." Angel muttered to himself, picking up the phone.
::UNDECLARED::SPLASH::PROLOGUE:: ONE::END TWO::THREE::