"Angel." Spike's voice was barely audible as the vampire stepped through the door.
"Spike." A sound of concern came from the soulful one.
"Oh, don't worry I didn't take a bite out of your bloody cavalry. They are still here, saving and everything else good and cheeky." Spike rolled his eyes in defense.
Angel decided against talking to the bleached vamp. Instead, he found his way, awkwardly into the dining room. Where all the noise was coming from.
Willow stopped in mid-sentence, as did everyone else, when the vampire showed his presence.
"Angel?" Willow's voice sounded happy at first, then she looked over at Buffy, who hadn't said a word. "Angel." Willow changed her whole meaning, yet keeping the words the same.
Angel only acknowledged Willow with a slight smile. Not bothering to look or care about anyone else in the room, especially not Spike.
"Buffy." Angel sounded like a long lost friend, someone you forgot you had. Respectfully, he kept his distance from the young blonde girl.
Once, hearing his name she slowly brought her eyes up to the man she had once loved. The very same eye's... yet different. Same nose, But different. Same tall, muscular-ok stop that!
Buffy returned her eyes one more time to the tablecloth, before excusing herself from the table. She began to walk quickly up the stairs. Angel followed, was he supposed to? Not in Spike's eyes.
"Hey-" Spike began to make his way up the stairs, but paused feeling a hand stop him. He stood his ground at the bottom of the stairs, alongside him stood his Little Bit.
"He's so dreamy..." Dawn ventured.
"He's not *that*... "dreamy." Spike whined. Dawn rolled her eyes.
~
"So how are you?" Angel asked softly.
They had been in the room for over three minutes, without a start in conversation.
*Old habits die hard.* Angel thought bitterly.
Buffy had situated herself, halfway across the room from him. Afraid of what? That she might fall in love with him, again? That he might turn and kill her? She didn't know why, but she kept her distance. Which didn't seem to hurt Angel, until he tried to reach out to her in confidence. When she flinched backwards you could almost feel his pain.
The words came slowly, but surely. "I... I'm doing the best I can." Buffy's eyes scrambled around for a spot to fixate on, anywhere but on him.
"Look. Buffy-"
"Why are you here?" Buffy's voice was harsh and it took a minute for the wound it left on Angel, to stop stinging.
"Why? I don't know maybe because I *care* about you... and because ever since the day I heard you were dead, its been all I think about. Maybe that's *why*." Angel hated being sarcastic, but he thought it was more than obvious why he risked the flight down here.
"You know what I mean Angel. I haven't heard from you for months and all of a sudden you are pushing your way back into my life because something happened to me, something you couldn't control." Buffy laughed a harsh laugh.
"You know what? This is the first thing that seems familiar to me, since I've been back."
"What?"
"You. Us." Buffy got quiet, closing her eyes, as if she was reliving their entire history.
"It's hard for for too." Angel confessed. "I wouldn't have even come but, I thought I owed it to you- To myself..." Angel felt his eyes begin to soften. "God, it’s been so long... I almost forgot how painful this was. How beautiful your face is."
"Stop." Buffy wiped a tear aside.
Angel agreed silently, this wasn't the time or the place. "I'm just so glad your okay. The day Willow came to me, I thought I saw my own life flash before my eyes... You have no idea what it was like, to try and go on without you. Not knowing where you were, or if you were ok..." Angel stopped trying to contain the emotion in his voice.
"Welcome to my world." Buffy shot back quietly.
"Buffy-If I could have been there..."
"Don't." Buffy stopped him short again. "There is nothing you could have done. I did what I had to. I lived free for awhile. And now it’s over. I was happy for awhile. But it’s gone now. And I have to face it." Buffy seemed to be talking to herself, more than Angel himself.
"You want to know the strangest thing? When I was there... I was never worried about being left out-or abandoned. For once, I felt-no I *knew* that I was loved, and I *knew* that I was safe... everyone was..." Buffy turned her head away looking out the window, into the dark cold night.
"I have never experienced true pain, like this before..."
Angel didn't say a word, he only walked over to her and proceeded to put his arms around her.
Buffy let the tears slide down, she smiled a little. Angel. So familiar. So safe. It was when she was with him, when he was there. That was the way she felt in *heaven.* Buffy held onto him, as if he was the most important thing in the world. And right now, he was...
~-~
"She has been up there for over a bloody hour... I think someone should go check to see if she still has a pulse!" Spike was practically hyperventilating, humoring the scoobies present at the least.
"Oh, Spike. What did you expect?" Willow reasoned with the newly sensitive vampire.
"Well, I'll tell you what I don't expect. I don't expect them to come out of this alive. I mean, you've all seen what happens when he goes loony. It’s ugly." Spike was beginning to sound like Cordelia, I tell you the jealousy just keeps racking up all the points.
"Spike. You and I both know, why you are doing this." Dawn looked at him.
He looked away ashamed, knowing Dawn didn't have to go any further.
"I have to get out of this bloody hellhole." With that Spike kissed his *little bit* on the head, and headed out the door.
Dawn hung her head, she always seemed to get this way whenever the vampire left. Willow shook her head, "Oh no, Missy. Don't even think about it. That's all we need is another Summers/Vampire relationship. Now go on, get yourself ready for bed." Will patted the young girls butt toward the stairs.
Dawn smiled, Willow sure tried hard to fill the shoes of Joyce. It would never be the same, but in Dawn's mind it was a good substitute.
~-~
Angel woke to find the arms of *his* slayer, wrapped around his waist. He then realized why he had woken up. Willow stood in the doorway gazing down at the couple, happily. When she saw Angel had regained consciousness she only smiled and kept looking.
"I haven't seen her this happy, since... well, before-" Willow stopped, as she cursed herself, for the reminder.
"I try not to think about it too much, the whole Buffy being gone thing left the wiggins on the whole lot of us." Willow never understood why she had trusted Angel so much, even after he tried to kill her. But none the less she found it comforting having him around again.
Angel smiled grimly, "That's understandable, I did a version of that myself."
Just then Tara came and wrapped her arms around Willow's waist. "Coming to bed, honey?" Tara pleaded.
"I'll be right there." With a kiss on the nose, Tara left the two to talk.
"I'll see you in the morning?" Willow was hesitant, afraid she would find Angel gone and Buffy broken hearted.
"Sure." Angel smiled. A smile, Willow had not gotten the chance to see yet.
With that the red headed girl went to bed.
Angel gave the blonde one last look, before nuzzling his nose into her neck and smelling the scent of her shampoo.
*It’s been forever...*
:: Buffy looked around wildly, trying to find some distinction as to where she was. The colors were all blurry, so blurred in fact, that Buffy couldn't tell the difference between them. As warmth filled senses, she began to yell. Only to find she had no voice, instead she could hear everything at her will. Anything, and everything. But at a moment’s notice, when they were not wanted, they would cease at her will.
Being was not an option here, here you were one, with everything. The trees below, the flowers, every scent you have ever loved or hated filled your nostrils. Dawn. Where is Dawn? In a second flat Buffy was there. Through the blurred colors, she could see Dawn. Weeping by a grave. Her grave. As the girl cried Buffy tried to reach out and hold her.
Dawn looked up as Buffy touched her, looking around but apparently not seeing a thing.
Time had no meaning here. Life had no consequences. Love had no end. Everything you have ever felt badly about, suddenly seemed to dissipate.
What seemed like forever of happiness, came to an abrupt halt. The world she now lived in, began to crumble to her feet. Feet? She didn't have feet anymore. She had no use for her body. So why then was she being put into one?
Just as quickly as the trauma had started it ended. Buffy found herself in darkness, not able to breathe. Not understanding. She didn't need breath. But now she was filled with pain, trying to grab as much oxygen as she could. This isn't right... Help me!::
"Help me! Help!" Buffy tossed and turned in her sleep. Angel looked over to find her scratching away at air. He quickly woke her up.
"Buffy. It’s ok. shh. Its ok..." Angel stroked the girls hair with such a tenderness.
Light flooded the room as a worried Willow came rushing in.
"What happened?" Now with Tara and Dawn at her side, Willow rushed to Buffy.
"Nothing. She was dreaming. It’s ok." Angel reassured them.
Buffy buried herself in Angel's chest, trying to find her sense of being once again.
"Buffy?" Dawn raised her hand to her beloved sister. Buffy flinched and only dug deeper at Angel.
Angel reassured her safety by stroking her arms.
"She needs to be alone. It’s ok." Angel looked at the three with a plea in his eyes.
Understanding Willow ushered the other two girls out of the room and shut the door.
Buffy was now crying, "I want to go back... I want to go back." Buffy sobbed into her love.
Willow stood outside the door, listening. Shocked at what her friend had been chanting. Not knowing what to do she went back to bed, with Tara. Not that she slept one wink.
*What does she mean she wants to go back?*
Willow's eyes fell heavy, as soon as the sun began to rise.
::UNDECLARED::SPLASH::PROLOGUE::END ONE::TWO::