It Lives In Me

by Chrissy

DISCLAIMER: Joss is God, Joss is King, Joss our Lord owns Everything!
SPOILERS: None of the second season of "Angel" has happened. The BTVS fifth season has happened up to "Into the Woods", but Joyce never had cancer, and Riley left Buffy toward the end of September. (I haven't actually seen the episode, so I'm not sure whether or not that's true.) Also, Glory and Dawn never existed. This story takes place almost a year after the events of "I Will Remember You" (A:TS). Charles Gunn never teamed up with Angel. Neither did Wesley Wyndam-Price. Wolfram & Hart never existed; therefore, Angel's first place was never blown up, Darla was never called back to the mortal dimension, etc.

Part One

Buffy awoke in a cold sweat. She didn't remember exactly what the dream was about, but... Angel was in it.

She groaned and switched on the lamp on her night stand. There would be no going back to sleep. Buffy never fell back to sleep after she dreamt about Angel. And she'd been dreaming about him a lot lately. She couldn't remember anything much about the dreams, except for how vivid and real they felt. It was like living in photographs, brief flashes... of the past...?

With a sigh, she got up out of bed and dug deep into one of her desk drawers. She pulled out a drawing. It wasn't very good; in fact, it didn't really resemble Angel in the slightest. But she had drawn it from her own memory, and it was supposed to be of Angel. So it reminded her of him.

She stared at the picture for a moment, and then quickly threw it back into the drawer.

'Why do I do this to myself?' she thought desperately. She lowered her head into her hands, and just rocked slowly back and forth in the chair, crying herself back to sleep.

"Please!" Sarah begged, her eyes filled with terror. "Please! Just let me go! I won't tell a soul, I swear!"

"You will tell no one," the vampire agreed, sinking his teeth into her neck.

"Hey!" Angel yelled, hitting the other vampire over the head with a wooden beam.

The other vampire, Marc, stumbled under the blow, releasing Sarah.

"Go on! Get out of here," Angel told her, his eyes never leaving Marc.

"But--"

"Go!" Angel shouted, and she took off.

"You!" Marc accused. "You're one of us! Get your own meal! That one was mine!"

"Not anymore," Angel said, slamming the beam down again.

Marc, filled with fury, lunged at Angel, but the soulful vampire quickly stepped aside, and brought the beam down yet again on Marc's back.

Marc hit the ground with a loud, "Oof!" Angel quickly staked him, and the red-headed vampire turned to dust.

Meanwhile, Sarah raced down the alley, getting the hell away as fast as her legs would carry her.

Suddenly, arms grabbed her, and she was pulled behind a dumpster. Sarah tried to scream, but a disheveled-looking man clapped a hand over her mouth before she could.

"Don't scream. Don't make any loud noises," the man advised. "I'm not here to hurt you. I just need you to answer a few questions. Okay?"

Sarah nodded quickly, and the man took his hand off of her mouth. "What's wrong?" he asked her, seemingly concerned. "Were you attacked?"

Sarah nodded, still untrusting. "I don't know who... or what he was. He bit me, cut me, or something." She tilted her neck, and the man quickly pulled a handkerchief from his pocket.

"How'd you get away?" he asked, pressing it to the wound.

"I don't know. Some guy saved me. Only..." She looked scared again. "Only, he wasn't a guy! His face was all... like the one who cut me."

A look of realization came over the man's face. "Who was he?"

"I don't know!" she cried.

"Can you describe him?"

"Tall, dark hair, dressed in black... I don't know, okay? I was kind of busy running for my life!" Sarah looked terrified.

"Thanks. Get out of here," the man advised weakly. "Go home, and be careful out here after dark from now on."

Sarah nodded and quickly ran away.

At the other end of the alley, Angel concentrated on wiping the vampire visage from his face. He slowed his breathing, closed his eyes. And all of the sudden, he was back to being plain-faced Joe.

Then he heard a noise. Footsteps. They were slow, uneven. He whirled around, staring into the shadows.

"Come on out!" Angel called.

"Angel!" the voice half-called, half-groaned.

If Angel's heart had been beating, it would have stopped. 'No,' he thought. 'It can't be!'

"Angel!" the voice said, louder. A figure stumbled out of the shadows, and Angel's eyes widened.

"Doyle?" he called incredulously, rushing to his friend.

"Well, who d'you think it is, man?" the voice rasped. "The tooth fairy?"

Angel reached out to steady the man. "Oh my God, Doyle! What the hell...? I mean... you're...!" Angel laughed in shock.

"I'll explain everything," Doyle promised. "But right now, I'd really love a glass of my single-malt whiskey. You got any around the office?"

"I'll see what I can dig up," Angel promised.

"Cordelia!" Angel called, pushing open the door. "Cordelia!"

"What?" a voice called from his office.

"We've got a visitor! A client!" Angel called, helping a weak Doyle onto the couch.

"Coming!" she called, finally appearing in the doorway to Angel's inner office. "What *is* it?"

Doyle looked amazed, staring at her from the couch. She hadn't noticed him yet, but Angel pointed, and she followed the direction of his finger.

"Oh my God!" she screamed, seeing Doyle. Her eyes rolled back and she slumped to the floor.

"Whoa!" Angel said, his vampire reflexes allowing him to catch her just before she hit the ground. "Well, that's not exactly the reaction I expected."

Doyle looked stricken. Finally he cleared his throat. "How is she?" His voice was hoarse.

Angel picked Cordy up off the floor and gently tapped her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open, and Angel helped her to her feet.

"Wow," she muttered. Angel led her to the couch, and she plunked down beside Doyle.

"Okay, I'm better," she said after a second. "Oh, my God, Doyle." She cleared her throat, and gently, lovingly touched his cheek. "How are you even here?" she whispered.

Doyle took her hand in his two and held it there. "I'm not really sure."

"Do you have any idea?" Angel asked, his arms crossed.

Doyle cleared his throat and looked around uncomfortably. "I'm not... really... very sure..." He sighed. "If I'm here, it's because the Powers-That-Be thought you'd need me. And... well, I don't have to tell you that's not a good thing."

"See, now *that* kind of confuses me," Cordelia said. "I mean, will somebody please explain to me how your being back in the realm of the living is a *bad* thing?"

"I was the original seer," Doyle said. "Uh... so... Apocalypse."

"Apocalypse," Cordelia repeated.

"Yeah," Angel admitted. He turned to Doyle. "Have you had any visions?"

"No," Doyle confessed. "Although... well..." He hesitated.

"What?" Cordelia asked.

"You get the visions now," Angel told her. "Can there be two seers?"

"I don't know," Wesley said. "I guess we'll have to find out about that."

"Great," Doyle said.

"Well, I'll go get right on that," Angel said, hiding a smile. "I'll leave you two alone."

"No!" Cordelia exclaimed. Angel turned to her in surprise.

"Well, alright, go," she said, blushing. "I was just trying to be polite about it." Doyle smirked, and Angel left the room, trying not to laugh.

When Angel was gone, Cordelia turned back to Doyle.

"So...," she said.

"So...," he said.

Angel stepped into the elevator, pulling the old-fashioned gate shut behind him. He wanted Doyle and Cordy to have their privacy. God knows how he'd feel to have a second chance with...

Angel swallowed painfully and tried to push her name from his mind. It'd been a year.

'A whole year,' he thought.

Part Two

Giles woke up at eight a.m. the next morning. He ate a leisurely breakfast, and then drank his coffee -- French Vanilla Roast -- out on the patio.

He was just getting up to pour a second cup when Buffy strode onto the patio.

"Giles!" she greeted him.

"Hello, Buffy," he said. "What brings you here?"

"Demon," Buffy said. "I was on patrol last night and I ran into this guy. We fought, but he got away." She hesitated. "And Giles, it was weird."

"What do you mean?" Giles asked, intrigued.

"I cut myself," Buffy explained. "I mean, he cut me. But I... I don't know. I stabbed him. Some of his blood, it got into the cut. And then, all of the sudden..."

"Did it poison you?" Giles asked, alarmed.

"I don't know!" Buffy exclaimed. "I mean, its blood healed my cut! And... I guess that's good, but..."

"Well, we'll just have to find out what it was," Giles said thoughtfully. "What did it look like?"

"Green... big, ugly, green, covered in armor... oh, wait a minute!" She paused. "Ugh!... I'm trying to remember... well, it had a big red jewel on its forehead... it seemed so familiar..."

"You've seen it before?" Giles asked, confused.

"Yeah! I know I have, somewhere!" She thought again. "Oh, yeah!" Buffy eyed Giles. "Last Thanksgiving, remember Angel was lurking around?" She swallowed painfully. It still hurt to say his name.

"Yes," Giles said, still confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"When I went to L.A. the next day, I stopped by his office." She saw the look on Giles' face and rushed on. "Don't worry, I just stopped in to chew him out. Nothing else. But anyway, right when I was leaving, this demon crashed through he window. Same guy as last night. Well, same kind, anyway. Angel killed the guy in his office right away. Something to do with food, I think... peanut butter and chocolate or something." She laughed. "Sorry, that sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?"

"You don't remember?" Giles asked incredulously.

"Well... no!" Buffy shot back defensively. "I don't know. That whole time I was there... it's kind of... I don't know, blurry... or something."

"Well, it was almost a year ago," Giles conceded.

"Yeah."

"Well, the phone's on the desk inside," Giles said. "Why don't you call Angel. Find out what kind of demon it was. And how to kill it!"

"Mohra!" Buffy said suddenly. "I remember now. It was a Mohra demon." She turned to Giles. "Can't you just... research it or something? I really don't think it would be... very... easy to call him."

"Buffy, I have a business to run," Giles reminded her as he took the coffee inside. "I just don't have time for extensive research like that, especially when the information is readily available over the telephone."

Buffy forced a smile. "Yeah. Sorry. I... I guess you're right."

Angel was sitting at his desk, paging through an old reference album, when the call came.

With a groan, he remembered that Cordy had taken the day off to spend time with Doyle. Angel sighed and picked up the phone.

"Hello? Uh... Angel Investigations," he said.

"Angel?" Buffy said, sounding confused.

Angel felt his throat tighten. "Uh... Buffy... hi... what can I do for you?"

"Mohra demon," Buffy said matter-of-factly.

Angel felt a jolt go through him. "Yeah?" he croaked.

"Remember? You killed that one when I... well, you know... last November?" Buffy reminded him.

"Uh-huh," he said.

"How do you kill it again? I'm thinking cookie-dough-fudge-mint-chip for some reason, but I know that can't be right." She laughed nervously.

"You remember?" Angel nearly whispered, a chill running through him.

"Remember what?" Buffy asked, confused. "Remember you killing him? Yeah, sure. I mean, I remember that you did... but... well... I can't remember how. That whole visit was kind of a... blur... So yow do you kill it?"

"You have to smash the jewel on its forehead," Angel said, temporarily swallowing his anxiety. "Uh... why?"

"There was one in Sunnydale last night," Buffy answered.

"A Mohra demon in Sunnydale?" Angel asked incredulously.

"It's the Hellmouth," Buffy said. "Why is this such a surprise?"

"No, no!" Angel interrupted. "Buffy, Mohra demons aren't like other demons. I mean... well, they're dedicated killers. And all demons are, I know, but these guys specialize in other warriors. Warriors for the Powers-That-Be." A thought hit him. "Meaning you. If they're in Sunnydale, it probably means they're after you. Be really careful. They're strong, able fighters. Hard to kill."

"I'll be fine!" Buffy assured him. "It's not exactly like I'm inexperienced or anything. Besides, if I get hurt, its blood's got healing powers."

Angel felt his throat constrict again. "How do you know that?" he managed to choke out.

"Some of it fixed a cut on my arm last night," Buffy explained, sounding surprised. "Angel... are you okay? You sound kinda... weird."

"Fine," Angel said, his mind still racing.

They sat in awkward silence for a moment, but finally Buffy spoke up.

"Well, thanks for the info," she said.

"Sure," Angel said.

"Well... bye, then, I guess."

"Bye." Angel heard the phone click, and slowly placed it back on the base.

Angel leaned back in his chair, staring at his right hand, where the Mohra demon's blood had mixed with his, the previous November. He thought back to that beautiful day, almost a year before.

He remembered how Buffy had classified the day. How, for the first time since she'd become the Slayer, she had felt like a normal girl, "falling asleep in the arms of my normal boyfriend." And how he'd promised to make the next day just as special.

"I'll never forget... I'll never forget... I'll never forget...!"

Angel sighed and closed his eyes, the bittersweet pain of the memory nearly too much to bear. He wondered every day if he had made the right choice with the Oracles. Could he have protected her as a human? Could he have trained with her, grown stronger? Could they have been happy until the very end?

Suddenly his eyes shot open, and he sat straight up.

He picked up the phone again and quickly dialed Cordelia's number.

Buffy hung the receiver up slowly. Hearing his voice again... just his voice had opened up all of the old wounds.

She felt embarrassed, too. 'Cookie-dough-fudge-mint-chip?' she thought incredulously. Where had *that* come from?

And there'd been something else. Angel's reaction to the demon's blood's regenerative powers had bothered her. It worried her. Did the demon's blood do anything else? Could it harm her?

She hadn't told either Giles or Angel, but the blood getting in the cut had not been an accident. The night before, when the demon had attacked, it had slit her down the arm, and it'd nicked an artery. Blood was gushing everywhere. Buffy had feared for her life. She had barely been able to protect herself from further injury, she was so lightheaded.

But through all of her dizziness and worry, somehow she'd just known the demon's blood would help. Her brain had argued against it, but she'd had no other options.

'How did I know?' she wondered, troubled.

"Okay, where's the fire?" Cordelia asked, dragging Doyle along by the hand.

"What?" Doyle asked her, confused.

"Huh?" Cordy replied.

"Can it," Angel said abruptly. "We've got a problem.

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at him.

"Buffy called me today," Angel explained. "A Mohra demon attacked her in Sunnydale." He raised his eyebrows.

"And that's important because...?" Cordelia prompted.

"The end of days," Angel said.

"What?" Cordy asked, still confused.

"When the Mohra demon attacked me last November, he talked about the end of days," Angel explained. "Buffy killed him, but he said that ten would come for every one we killed. The end of days. It's why I..." He swallowed.

Doyle nodded, but looked confused. "Angel, I know how you feel, but the end of days... that was the Scourge, man."

The group was silent for a moment, remembering that awful day.

Then Angel spoke up. "Doyle, I think the Scourge was something else. I think it must've been coincidental."

"Angel--" Doyle argued.

"Think about it!" Angel insisted. "A Mohra demon attacks me. Turns me human. When we went back and fought it, it was even more powerful.

"Now, almost exactly a year later, another demon of the same species -- a species dedicated to killing warriors for the Powers-That-Be -- that same species just *happens* to attack Buffy, in *Sunnydale*, on the *same day you're returned to Earth*!"

"What do we do?" Cordelia asked quietly.

"We're going home."

Part Three

"Giles?" Buffy called into his home, later that evening. "Hello?" All of the sudden, her stomach felt strange. Like it does when you go on a roller coaster -- like the whole gut area was empty, as though her stomach had fallen out, and something was stabbing at the place where it used to be.

"Angel," she said quietly. She turned around to face him. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Buffy," he said quietly. God, it killed him to see her.

"What are you doing here?" she repeated.

Angel exhaled out of habit. "You should sit down."

Buffy took the offered seat, only then noticing the others in the room.

"Cordelia," she said, nodding her head in acknowledgment. "And... uh... Doyle...?"

Doyle smiled. "That's me."

Buffy nodded and turned back to Angel. "Where's Giles?"

"Getting Xander and Willow," Angel said. "This is a big one. We're going to need everybody."

"What's a big one?" Buffy asked. "Angel, what's going on?"

"That Mohra demon you saw," Angel explained. "It's kind of a long story, but I'm pretty sure it signifies the end of days."

"The end of days," Buffy repeated. "As in... apocalypse?"

"Pretty much," Doyle agreed. "If it is the end of days."

"Well, either it is or it isn't," Buffy said, annoyed. "And if it isn't... well, you know what..." She stared angrily at Angel.

"It is," Angel insisted. "You're going to have to trust me."

"Okay," Buffy said after a moment. Angel pulled a chair up and sat down across from Buffy. Their close proximity bothered Buffy. His knees were almost touching hers. God, it hurt so much...

"A year ago, a Mohra demon attacked me," Angel started. "You were in my office, but you don't remember."

"Yes I do!" Buffy objected. "You smashed the jewel in its forehead with your clock."

Angel shook his head. "No. The Mohra demon attacked, but I didn't know how to kill it and it got away."

"No it didn't!" Buffy exclaimed, angry and confused. "I mean, sure, I don't remember it very... well... but I think I'd remember if it got away!"

"Buffy, you don't remember this part at all," Angel said as soothingly as he could manage. "Now, just hear me out. You'll understand by the end of the... er... story."

Buffy nodded. "Okay. Go on."

"It got away," Angel continued. "You helped me track it through the sewers. Eventually I found it. I thought I'd killed it, but I didn't. Some of..." Angel stopped, looking over to Doyle, who nodded. Angel took a deep breath. He had to tell her the whole story. They'd cooked it up on the way down, and it explained everything... to some extent. But it hurt Angel to be saying it; or rather, it hurt not to be telling her what really happened, what they had shared. "Some of its blood mixed with mine. It made me weak. I thought I'd killed the demon, so I left and went back to the office. Later that evening, Doyle had a vision. The Mohra demon wasn't dead. I had only stabbed it in the stomach. I hadn't smashed the jewel.

"So I went after the Mohra demon again. I tried to fight it, but it was even stronger than before, and I was weak. Luckily for me, Cordelia and her... rather large mouth told you where I was. You... you saved me. But before you killed the demon... well, it said a great darkness was coming, the end of days, when all human life would be wiped from the planet." Angel paused for a moment. "I knew I couldn't fight them in my... weakened state, so I went to the Oracles. They agreed to turn the clock back twenty-four hours. I was the only one who would remember, so that I could remember to kill the demon before its blood made me mor-- weak."

"And that's what I remember," Buffy said, realizing, without noticing his slip-up.

"Yes," Angel confirmed.

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Buffy asked. "Angel, I've been remembering!"

"What?" Angel asked, his blood running cold.

"I remember!" Buffy said earnestly. "In my dreams... although... well, it's a little different in my dreams."

"How?" Angel struggled to ask.

Buffy blushed visibly. "It's... uh... it's not important. But, God! I thought I was going nuts or something! Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't know," Angel said honestly. "Right after you left, we had... well, Doyle had another vision. This one was completely something else. They're called the Scourge. They're full-blood demons, and they hate humanity. They're... like an army of these demons or something. They try to kill off every half-demon... anything with human blood on the planet. When we fought them, they'd just developed this big... I don't know, light thing. When it detonated, it would destroy anything and everything with human blood in it for half a mile in every direction." Angel stopped and pointed to Doyle. "He stopped it. Sacrificed his life. We'd be dead right now if it wasn't for Doyle."

Buffy looked over at Doyle, then back at Angel, confused. "Uh, Angel, if he's dead...?"

"Oh, I came back," Doyle said, patting Cordy's hand. "But she has the visions now."

"Cordelia has visions," Buffy repeated, unbelieving.

"Lovely little migraines of death and destruction," Cordy said, wincing and shivering a little as she did. Doyle wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she smiled playfully at him.

"But... do you see why we came now?" Angel asked her.

"Well, sort of," Buffy said. "But it's not like this is something you couldn't have told me over the phone."

"No," Angel said. "I mean, I could've told you over the phone, sure. But I couldn't help you fight it over the phone."

"Fight what?" Xander asked from the doorway.

"Another big bad," Buffy said over her shoulder, her eyes never leaving Angel. "Angel thinks we can't handle it on our own."

Giles stepped forward. "I'm sure he doesn't--"

"Yes I do," Angel interrupted, staring back at Buffy. "You can't handle this guy on your own. Because we're not talking about one Mohra demon -- we're talking about an army. Why else would the guy you saw be in Sunnydale, near the Hellmouth?"

"Gee, maybe because it's a demon, Angel," Buffy said sarcastically. "I don't know, demons just have this thing about the Hellmouth. They can't seem to stay away from it. I mean, take you, for example." She regretted the last line as soon as it was out.

Angel felt her words as though they'd been a punch. "That's not fair, and you know it," he said quietly.

"Well, what are we going to do? How do we kill these guys?" Willow jumped in, saving Buffy from having to respond.

"You have to smash the jewel in their foreheads," Doyle said.

"Hold on," Xander said. "I mean, you said army."

"Yeah. Meaning lots of them," Angel clarified.

"I got that, thanks," Xander said, his ill-will evident. "But how do we stop an army of these guys? Sneak up on them when they're sleeping or something?"

"Buffy and I can fight them," Angel said. "The rest of you guys... well, I don't know. These guys are hard to beat, even for us. They're strong. And when you injure them without killing them, they get even stronger."

"Oh. Well, that's bad," Willow said.

"Angel, if we're talking about a large number of these demons, and they're as hard to kill as you say, then I'm not really sure how you and Buffy are going to beat them," Giles pointed out. "Two of you against all of them? Those are... suicidal odds."

"It's not like we have a choice, Giles," Buffy argued. She thought for a second, then looked up at Angel. "I've got an idea, but... well... I doubt you'll like it very much."

"Go ahead," Angel said, bracing himself.

"We recruit Spike," Buffy said carefully. "He has that chip in his head, which means the only violence he gets comes from killing other demons. And..." she hesitated.

"What?" Angel probed.

Buffy sighed. "You're... well, you're not going to believe this, and... you'll probably wish I hadn't told you."

"Oh, this is getting good!" Cordelia said. "Spill!"

Buffy shot her a look, then continued. "Spike... well, I think he has a crush on me... or something..."

Angel stared at her. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Sadly, no." She saw the look on Angel's face and smiled bleakly. "I wouldn't worry. With the chip in his head, he can't, like... well... do anything."

"Oh, thank you so much," Angel said. "Actually, that thought hadn't even occurred to me."

"Scary mind-picture, huh? Me and Spike," Buffy snorted. "Huh. Yeah right."

"Could we please get back on topic?" Giles pleaded. "I still remember the noises you two made when you were engaged. I'd rather *not* revisit that, if you don't mind."

"You and Spike were engaged?" Angel asked, his voice numb with disbelief.

Buffy blushed. "Uh... well..."

"My fault," Willow said quickly. "Spell... gone horribly wrong..."

"Hey, I have an idea!" Buffy said brightly. "Angel, you think the Oracles would let us erase *that* day?"

Doyle looked confused. "*Spike*? As in the guy who tortured you, Angel? We're letting him help? And... *he's engaged to Buffy*?"

"Spike tortured you?" Buffy asked, horrified.

"Uh... yeah," Angel said.

Buffy sucked her breath in. "Him and me... we're gonna have a little talk..."

"Back to these Mohra demons?" Giles interrupted. "Do we or do we not request Spike's assistance?"

Angel sighed. "We do. At this point, we really need anyone and everyone who can fight well. I'm even willing to... well, how about that Riley character? Think he can help us?"

Giles sighed and began to clean his glasses. Xander and Willow looked embarrassed.

"Riley... isn't going to help us," Buffy said stiffly.

Angel looked inquisitively at her, but decided not to push the subject just then. "Well, then it's going to be just you and me and Spike, I guess," he said after a minute.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Well, I'll go get him. He's probably just hanging out outside my house."

Angel looked positively dangerous at that. "Buffy, I think maybe I should go get Spike. It sounds like we need to... talk..."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "I think I can guess what your definition of 'talk' is; and the answer is no. I can take care of myself."

Angel sat forward in his chair. "Be careful around him, Buffy. I've known the guy a lot longer than you have, and he may not be smart, but he's tricky. He does whatever it takes to get what he wants. He thinks he's in love with you, he wouldn't bat an eye at torturing you until you return his... er... affection. That's just the way he thinks."

"Except for the chip in his head," Buffy reminded him. "He can't harm a fly without... okay, he could probably harm a fly, but he can't hurt people without monster headaches, and you know how Spike is about pain."

"Don't let your guard down around him," Angel warned. "Buffy, I'm serious. You know, when he was in L.A., *he* didn't torture me. He hired another guy to do it. He could just as easily pull that on you. Have you thought about that?"

"No," Buffy admitted. She stood up. "Well, I'll be careful. And back in ten or fifteen minutes. Why don't you guys start the brainstorming?"

"I knew it!" Buffy exclaimed, spying Spike standing underneath the big tree in their front yard, staring longingly up at her window.

"Oh, uh, Buffy!" Spike said, hearing her comment and quickly turning away from the house. "I was just..."

"Stalking me?" Buffy asked, her eyebrows raised. She walked closer to him, lowering her stake to the sleeve of her jacket, where she could quickly pull it out. She hadn't forgotten Angel's warning.

"Spike, this has got to stop," Buffy said, advancing slowly. "If you want to talk to me, fine, but I won't have you lurking around my house every night! You're scaring my family! And me!"

"No!" Spike said defensively. "It's not...! I mean, I wasn't lurking... I mean, what in God's name makes you think I'd even give a bloody damn about you?!" He nervously threw down the cigarette he was smoking and ground it with his boot toe.

Buffy raised her eyebrow and pointed to the countless other cigarette butts lying all over the ground.

Spike shrugged and even blushed a little.

Buffy nodded. "Well, whatever. Just don't let me catch you standing out here again unless you've got a pretty good reason." She paused for a moment. "Anyway, come on."

"Where we goin'?" Spike asked, surprised.

"Giles'," Buffy replied. "We've got a problem. Need your help... as much as it kills me to say that."

"Oh! So you need my help, do you?" Spike asked, pleased and surprised. "Well... why should I?"

"Because you owe us," Buffy said sternly. "We've supplied you with blood and... more blood, and protected you, and... and Angel told me you tortured him in L.A., Spike. You're lucky I'm not staking you right here. Do I need to make myself any clearer?"

"No! No! I'll come!" Spike said quickly. He paused. "Hey, wait a minute, did you say Angel was *here*?"

"No, I didn't, but yeah, he is back in Sunnydale," Buffy confirmed.

Spike snickered. "You don't seem too happy about that. Aww, did the little poof break your heart again?" he teased.

Buffy spun around and grabbed him by the throat. "Call him that again and *you* will be the little poof -- of dust," she said evenly.

Spike nodded quickly and she let him go.

"Good! Glad that's cleared up," Buffy said, continuing to walk. After a moment, she said, "You know, Spike, he didn't seem too happy when I said you've been following me around. You know, stalking me. Watching my house. Like you were a minute ago. I believe he said he wanted to have a... 'talk' with you."

"Kick my bloody ass, more likely," Spike muttered, lighting up another cigarette.

"No," Buffy said tiredly, "he won't. We need you to help fight. Maybe he'll kick your ass later, though. Unless you do a good job, I'll help."

Spike didn't say another word the whole way back to Giles'.

"We're back!" Buffy announced, shutting the door behind them.

Angel turned around with a book in his hand, and Buffy winced at the still-familiar image.

"Spike," Angel said coolly, obviously restraining himself.

"Hello there, Angel," Spike said, smirking a little.

"It's terrible to see you again," Angel continued, turning back to his book.

"Was that a funny?" Xander gasped.

"Ha-ha," Buffy said sarcastically. "Look, I want *no* fighting between the two of you. We've got enough going on as it is. Got it?"

"What did I do?" Xander asked defensively.

"I was talking about Angel and Spike," Buffy said.

"Sure, Buffy," Spike agreed. "Just as long as he doesn't start anything.

"You baby," Buffy said, shaking her head in disgust. "Angel?"

"Yeah," Angel said, not looking up.

"Good. So what have you guys found?" Buffy asked, changing the subject. "Anything useful?"

"No, unfortunately," Giles said. "But we should keep looking."

"Great," Buffy said. "But, you know, we kind of need something now. Cordy, you think you could have a vision or something?"

"That's not the way it works," Cordelia said, annoyed. Suddenly she clutched her head in her hand and screamed. Everyone looked up, and Doyle helped her sit down on the sofa.

"What is it? What do you see?" Angel asked anxiously.

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "You mean it actually *worked*?"

Cordelia moaned in pain, still clutching her head. Doyle soothingly whispered into her ear and rubbed her back. After a moment, she was quiet and looked up.

"What is it?" Angel asked again. He knelt down beside her, and turned to Willow. "Would you grab her bag by the door? I think -- Cordy, did you bring your pain pills?"

Cordelia nodded.

"Yeah," Angel told Willow. "Little clear bottle. Would somebody please get her a glass of water?"

Willow got the pills, Xander got the water, and a moment later Cordelia swallowed some of each.

"What did you see?" Angel asked again.

"The high school. The Hellmouth," Cordy whispered. "And I felt... something... I don't know what. Pain... fear... despair. It was... horrible. I don't know how else to describe it. Just... utter... pain. I don't know."

"Are you okay?" Doyle asked. Cordy nodded, closing her eyes.

"Why didn't I think of that before?" Buffy muttered. "The Hellmouth! Duh! That's why you said they were coming here to begin with!"

"We still need a plan," Angel argued.

Buffy sat down again. "Okay. You're right. So... well, the way I see it, the only way you and Spike and I are going to be able to take them all on is if we get 'em in small groups. This big army... if they're not all in Sunnydale yet, we ought to pick them off one by one as they filter in. What do you think?"

"Oh, I don't think so," Spike said. "An *army*? I'm not fighting an army. No way. The next chip they put in my head... I may not be able to eat anything at all."

"'Army' figuratively," Buffy said, frustrated. "Meaning lots of these demons."

"Oh." Spike sat for a minute. "Well, I'm still not too keen on fighting these guys. Why should I stick my neck out for you?"

"Because if you don't...," Buffy said in a sing-song voice.

"Bloody hell," Spike muttered.

Angel stood up. "Okay. I think we need to start by checking out the old library tonight. Figuring out how many are already there, that sort of thing. So... well, come on."

Buffy stood too. "Sounds good." She and the two vampires pulled their jackets on, armed themselves, and filed out the door.

"We'll keep researching!" Giles called after them.

Part Four

"Oh, the memories!" Buffy sighed, staring up at the wreaked facade of Sunnydale High. "Vampires... demons... Faith... training... frying the mayor to a crisp..."

'Riley,' she thought, biting her lip.

"That's all very... sentimental," Spike said. "Can we get on with it already?"

"Shut up, Spike," Angel said, annoyed.

"I was just kidding anyway," Buffy said, staring at the two of them. Angel shrugged and the three entered the building, carefully stepping around fallen beams, charred lockers, and Xander's "mayor meat".

Suddenly Angel stopped. "Someone's been here," he whispered, shining his flashlight on an area where the rubble had been cleared. The remains of a small cooking fire, several candy wrappers and a lantern sat there, covered in dust.

"That's nothing," Buffy said stiffly. She turned on her heel and walked on down the hall. "It's old."

"You sure?" Angel asked, concerned. "Buffy, if this could be a--"

"It's nothing!" Buffy snapped. "It's old! It's from when Riley stayed here last spring, okay?! Can we please move on now?"

"Sure," Angel replied, unsure of what to do. Something had obviously happened between the two, and although Angel had to admit that a small part of him savored that, the larger part ached for Buffy. He knew how hard giving up the woman you loved could be. The question was, had Riley really loved Buffy?

'I'll grind you to a bloody pulp if you didn't,' Angel vowed. He followed Buffy down the hall, Spike trailing as far behind as he could manage.

Finally, Buffy stopped. "Shhh!" she whispered, holding a finger to her lips. "I hear something!"

Angel stopped just behind her. He tried to concentrate on whatever the noise was, but... Buffy was so close... so close... so close that he could smell her shampoo...

Spike noticed Angel's discomfort and smirked. He stared down at Buffy, who had no clue of what was going on behind her. He too suddenly felt distracted. Hesitantly, he reached out his hand, trying to touch a strand of her hair that was shining in the moonlight filtering through the broken beams above.

Angel slammed Spike's hand away and growled. "Don't even think about it," he warned dangerously.

Spike held his hands up in mock defeat as Buffy turned around to face them. She eyed them accusingly.

"Watch it," she warned. "Look, you two promised! Do you think you can get control of yourselves and *pay attention*? We're on a mission here!"

Angel nodded and inched toward the doorway. Buffy eyed his "retreating" back -- because she knew that he was indeed retreating, from her -- with a longing. She missed Riley terribly, but... truth be told, she could barely control herself when she was around Angel, especially now that Riley was gone. Angel was as much a part of her as... as her arm, or a leg. He was her other half, and she needed that, even though she knew she could never have it.

She sighed and followed him to the doorway.

Spike looked on jealously. He knew that if he killed Angel, Buffy would never forgive him, and therefore never love him. But that didn't stop him from wanting to.

Giles sat up suddenly, staring at the book in his hand. "Oh no," he whispered.

"What?" Willow asked, looking up from the books she was studying.

"Did you find something?" Xander asked.

"I'm afraid so," Giles said, frowning with worry.

"What is it?" Cordy asked him.

"We've got a serious problem," Giles said. His worry was evident; as he explained, he seemed to stumble over the words. "The Mohra demons -- they're not working alone. This 'end of days'; they've tried it before. Once, back in 1758. Isabelle Humphreys -- she was the Slayer then -- stopped it... and immediately afterwards, she killed herself."

The group sat in stunned silence for a moment, trying to absorb it.

"Well... wow... I mean, but Buffy wouldn't commit suicide, right?" Willow said anxiously.

Giles shook his head. "No. I don't believe she would. But... well... before the Slayer killed these Mohra demons, there was an outbreak of suicides, attempted suicides... self-inflicted injury, in the area. All of the victims were associated with the nesting ground of the Mohra demons. They'd visited the area in recent history, or were very... er... close to someone who had."

"So what are we talking about here?" Cordelia asked, worried. "Some kind of... I don't know... possessing demon, or something?"

"I don't know," Giles said thoughtfully.

"No, no, no," Doyle interrupted. "We have a bigger problem. Okay, really it's the same one, but... well, in your vision, Cordy, you saw the Hellmouth as the nesting ground."

"Buffy," Xander realized.

"And Angel!" Cordelia added indignantly.

"We have to help them!" Xander exclaimed, jumping up from his chair. "We have to get to them before they get... possessed..."

"Precisely," Giles agreed.

Xander stared at the man in shock. "You... you're not gonna... like... say... you know, be the plan-man?"

"On the contrary," Giles countered. "Buffy and Angel... and Spike, I suppose... they're in serious danger. We don't know what kind of... possessing demon we're dealing with. Xander, I suggest that you and Doyle get to the high school. You need to find Buffy and Angel, and get them out as soon as possible. It would be best if they never got near the nest." He turned to Willow and Cordy. "You two keep researching. Anything you can find on this, alright?"

Willow nodded.

"What about you?" Cordelia asked. "What are you gonna do?"

Giles grabbed his coat and shrugged it on. "I have a friend a few hours away. Harry Blackforth. He lives about an hour from Los Angeles -- unfortunately, about three hours from us. He has extensive resources on past Slayers. Since Isabelle Humphreys was killed by this demon, he'll probably have information on them."

"Great," Xander agreed, grabbing his coat.

"I count seven," Buffy whispered.

Angel nodded. "Yeah. Buffy, we can't take on seven without more help."

"No," Buffy said stubbornly. "We have to."

Angel caught her by the arm. "Think about what you're saying. *Seven* Mohra demons. You couldn't even kill *one* the other night."

Buffy stared at him with grim determination. "We have to *try*, Angel! How much easier do you think it's gonna get when even *more* come?"

"Hey!" a voice whispered loudly, from down the hall.

Buffy turned around quickly, her stake at the ready, but it was only Xander and Doyle. She sighed with relief. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We've got to go," Xander said. "Giles and Willow and... we discovered something. Kind of a long story. But you can't go in the nest! That's really important!"

"What?" Buffy asked, confused.

"Just come on!" Doyle insisted. "We'll explain it on the way back."

"About bloody time," Spike said loudly.

The Mohra demons looked up.

"Oh, shit!" Angel muttered.

Buffy stared at Spike (if looks could kill!), who shrugged sheepishly.

The Mohra demons charged, all seven of them at once. Buffy and Angel blocked the doorway, throwing identical punches at the first two.

"Spike!" Buffy said loudly, trying to hold back the next one.

Spike ran over to help, plunging his sword straight into Mohra-number-three's stomach. The demon stumbled back, and Spike quickly yanked the sword back out.

"No!" Angel said. "You have to smash the jewel!"

Spike charged into the library, trying to draw some of the demons away from Buffy.

Two of the demons followed him, fighting from either side. Spike unleashed hell on them, releasing all of his pent-up energy and focusing it on the demons.

Buffy and Angel had their hands full with the other five. Xander and Doyle tried to help, but they were quickly thrown aside. Doyle landed on top of some charred lockers. Xander landed on the floor next to Spike. He didn't notice the small snake staring at him from the corner.

Angel was doing battle with the first two demons, who were already back on their feet. Buffy was handling the other three. Suddenly she found an opening and slammed her fist with every ounce of strength into its forehead. The jewel crashed under the pressure of her fist, and the demon emitted a strange light from its body, finally disappearing into oblivion. The other demons were so startled by their fellow creature's demise that they stopped for the briefest of seconds, watching the spectacle. Buffy found her opening, slamming the blunt end of her stake into another creature's forehead. He too quickly disappeared.

Two down, five to go.

"Here!" Willow exclaimed, stabbing at the page with her finger.

"Find something?" Cordy asked, looking up from her book.

"Yeah! It's called a Scarral Demon; it... well, it sounds like what we're looking for. It feeds off of... worms, actually... ew... but it's like all demons; devoted to the destruction of the human race. This particular one likes possessing people, causing them to inflict bodily harm on themselves and others. Ew..." she wrinkled her nose, still scanning the page. "It says that people possessed by this demon... they're conscious the whole time, only they lose control of their bodies... mostly. They still have the ability to think, speak, comprehend what's going on, feel pain... ugh! How sick is *that*?! If it can't make the person kill themself, it'll terrify 'em to death..."

"Pretty gross," Cordelia agreed. "Anything else?"

"Yeah... it can take the form of any reptilian animal... in its natural state, though, it appears like... green ooze or something... yuck..." Willow looked up from the book. "That still doesn't tell us nearly enough. Now we know the name of the demon, though. So just keep looking through."

"Well, what else do we need?" Cordy asked skeptically.

"How to kill it, for starters," Willow said. "Anything, really. Anything and everything you -- we -- can find."

By now, Spike -- with Xander's help -- had managed to dispense of one of his challengers. That left four more, three of whom were battling Buffy and Angel.

And they weren't doing so hot. One of the demons had Buffy pinned to the floor, slamming her head into the ground over and over. Angel tried to get over and help her, but he was busy with two demons of his own.

Suddenly, the Mohra demon went flying off of Buffy, crashing into one of the library walls. Doyle helped Buffy to her feet with one hand, a length of pipe in the other.

"Thanks," Buffy gasped, feeling the back of her head with her fingers. She winced. "You know, they say that kills brain cells. Good think I don't really wanna be an academic." And with that, she darted over to the demon slumped against the wall. With one deft kick, the demon was out of the game for good.

Buffy focused her attention on Angel. Specifically, the demons he was fighting. Spike and Xander were doing okay with one of the Mohra demons, but Angel was on his own with the other two. Doyle seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he rushed to vampy Angel's side at the same time Buffy did.

"Anything?" Cordelia asked hopefully.

"Nope," Willow replied, frustrated.

Buffy slammed the demon into the wall, her stake in hand. She was about to make a glib remark when suddenly Mohra regained control. He grabbed her wrist and flipped her upside down, landing her on the hard floor.

Angel saw all this from where he was fighting alongside Doyle, and was about to go help her, but Spike got there first.

The platinum blonde kicked the demon back into the wall. It lay there, unconscious, blood trickling from a wound in its head.

Spike offered Buffy a hand, and she took it, standing up.

"Thanks," she said haltingly. Spike nodded, and she nearly smiled at him. But she quickly caught herself and rushed to Angel's side. Spike sighed and absent-mindedly finished off the unconscious demon.

"Hey! Hey, I think I've got something!" Cordelia exclaimed.

"Yeah?" Willow prompted excitedly.

"Yeah! This Scarral dude... okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "This book... it says mainly the same stuff you said before. But... okay, also... let's see... yeah, its natural form is a puddle of bright green goo. It can move in that form, and it can only infect... no, sorry, it's easiest for this thing to possess people in its liquid form. All it needs is skin contact. In its reptile form, it has to bite the person."

"You'd think getting bitten by snakes would be bad enough without the magical side-effects," Willow muttered.

Cordelia continued. "Okay, also, once it gets into your bloodstream, it takes about... oh, twelve, fifteen hours to take effect. That's the average time. The longest time recorded time was eighteen hours. But then, this book was written in 1895. Kinda out-dated."

"But you wouldn't know right away." Willow shuddered. "Creepy."

"Yeah, and one other thing," Cordy said. "There are, like, three ways you can get possessed by this thing. It can go through your skin or an open cut when it's a liquid, it can bite you as a snake, or--"

"Yeah, you already said those two," Willow interrupted. "What's the third way?"

"A little help here!" Xander gasped as the demon he was fighting slashed out with its sword. Xander jumped back just in time, and Buffy quickly ran over to help.

Spike, Angel and Doyle had the other remaining demon. Or, the other remaining Mohra demon, anyway. Scarral was in the corner under a pile of rubble, watching and waiting.

But the gang didn't know that.

Angel finally gained the upper hand on "his" demon. He kicked it hard, sending it flying across the room. The demon was obviously unconscious, so he and Doyle rushed to the aide of Buffy, Xander, and Spike.

The Mohra demon that they were now fighting was skilled, even more so than the others. He slashed at the circle of people surrounding him with his sword, and succeeded in inflicting some minor injuries to all of them. The final straw came when the demon swung its blade at Xander's head. It didn't take his head off entirely, but he did succeed in effectively slitting Xander's throat.

"Xander!" Buffy screamed, as the boy's hands quickly flew to his throat. He was losing blood fast, and he slumped to the ground, turning deathly pale.

Enraged, Angel quickly finished off the demon. Only after did he realize that they still needed its blood.

"Xander!" Buffy cried, pressing her hands to his throat to stop the bleeding. "Xander, come on, don't die on me now!"

Xander's eyes fluttered incoherently, and Buff knew she didn't have much time. She turned to Angel.

"Blood! Mohra's blood! It'll at least close the wound!' she ordered.

"Mohra's gone," Angel said quietly, defeated.

Buffy's eyes went wild, at the same time brimming with tears.

"Here!" Spike called suddenly, pointing to a puddle of the green blood that was still on the floor. He cupped some of it in his hands and ran it over to where Xander lay, semi-conscious, on the floor. Then he carefully poured it on Xander's neck.

The blood did a strange thing then. It seemed to crawl into the cut across Xander's throat. Within seconds, the cut closed.

But Xander was not okay.

"Xander, wake up! C'mon!" Buffy said nervously, tapping his pale cheek.

Angel felt Xander's wrist, fighting the urge to finish Xander off. So much blood... "He's alive," he said quietly. "Barely. He lost a lot of blood. We need to get him to the hospital. Now."

Buffy nodded. "You think the phones in here still work?"

"No," Angel said, shaking his head. "But, believe it or not... well, Cordy made us all get cell phones. Let's hope it still works in Sunnydale." He pulled it out of his pocket and dialed 9-1-1.

"Nine-one-one operating center. What is your emergency?" a pleasant voice asked.

"We're in the... old high school," Angel said. "You know? The one that's blown up?... Yeah, well, we've got a kid here who's in serious need of blood transfusions. Now!"

"Very well, sir," the operator said. "Where in the building are you?"

"In the old library," Angel said. "You come in the front entrance, down the hall, it's the right turn in front of the stairs... or where the stairs used to be. Hurry!"

"An ambulance is on the way," the woman assured him.

"Bloody awesome!" Spike murmured across the room. He stared at his hands; all the cuts were gone where the blood had touched them.

Part Five

"How is he?" Willow cried, rushing down the hallway toward them.

Buffy hugged her friend. "Better, I hope. The doctors think they got him in time. They're giving him blood right now. But he hasn't woken up yet."

"Are you guys okay?" Willow asked.

Buffy smiled wearily. "Tired. Hard fight. Worried. Concerned. Stressed. I guess that covers it."

Willow smiled back at her. "Well, why don't you get some rest? You look like you could use it!"

"Gee, thanks," Buffy replied sarcastically.

Meanwhile, Cordelia went straight for Doyle. "Oh my God!" she cried. "You could have been killed!" she took his face in her hands and tenderly pressed her lips to his. Then she enveloped him in an enormous hug.

"Which suddenly I'm not minding," Doyle murmured, stroking her hair.

Angel smiled at the two, then turned to Willow. "Did you guys find anything about the end of days?"

"Yeah!" Willow exclaimed. "Didn't Xander and your friend tell you? That's why we sent them; to get you out of there!"

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked carefully.

"Well, I guess you got kind of busy in the fighting," Willow conceded. "Anyway, this isn't the first time these guys have tried this! In the 18th century, another Slayer was killed by one of these demons! Not Mohra, I mean... and technically, I guess it was suicide..."

"Explain, please?" Angel prompted, glancing sideways at Buffy. His mouth suddenly felt very dry.

"These Mohra demons, they work with another kind of demon, Scarrals. Scarral demons possess you. They control you, make you do bad things to yourself."

"So the Slayer was possessed," Buffy said, realizing.

Willow nodded. "Yeah. It's a long story, actually."

"Where's Giles?" Buffy asked suddenly.

"Oh, he has a friend who has lots more information on this thing," Willow said. "He drove off to visit the guy and get as much info as he could on this suicide demon."

"Well, call him and tell him to come back," Buffy said. "We beat the things."

"Great!" Willow exclaimed. "So Angel and Cordy can go back to L.A. now?"

"Yeah. I guess we can," Angel murmured, staring down at Buffy. On the one hand, it hurt to be here. On the other... he didn't want to leave.

Buffy seemed to read his thoughts. "It's better if you just go," she said quietly.

Angel nodded. "I know. But... well... I worry about you. Especially now that I know about the Spike thing."

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "He's a vampire. I'm a vampire slayer. Kinda comes with the training, how to deal with him if it gets ugly. Not to mention that he's effectively... defanged." She looked up. "Where *is* Spike?"

"Anyone for root beer?" Spike called gleefully. He hurried over to Buffy. "You wouldn't *believe* this place! Vampires' heaven! And I don't have to pay for it! I'm coming here from now on!"

Buffy stared at him incredulously, noticing the red packages in his hands. "You're *stealing blood* from a *hospital*? Some of those blood things could be for Xander! Put them back! Now!"

Spike sighed. "Buffy, I've gotta have--"

"Now!" she said again, pointing to where he had come from.

Spike grumbled, but went to put the blood back.

Buffy sighed and turned back to Angel. "See? He's not ruthless. Just a pig."

"Be careful around him," Angel warned.

"I know, I will," Buffy said dutifully.

"I mean it!" he insisted. "Buffy, you can't just--"

Suddenly Cordelia screamed, clutching her head. Immediately the gang ran for her. Once again, Doyle caught her before she fell.

"Aaagggcckkhh," she groaned, holding her head. Doyle lowered her to a plastic chair. She groaned, her face withered in pain. A moment later, she sat up.

"I'll get the pills," Angel said.

"It was...," Cordy started weakly.

"Shhh," Doyle soothed. "You don't have to say anything just yet. Rest for a sec." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

"No!" she exclaimed. "I saw two faces. You need to know. Giles... and Spike."

"Giles," Buffy gasped. "He's at that guy's house! Willow, how do you call him? Did he leave a number?"

"Yep," Willow confirmed. "But he won't be there yet. He'll still be driving. What if... how about I call him, or call the guy, and just leave a message for him to call back right away...?"

"Good idea," Buffy agreed. "Okay. You do that. I'll get Spike." She looked around. "Where is he *now*?"

"Here," he said sullenly, joining them again. "I returned the bleedin'... blood..."

Buffy nodded. "Good. Now; you need to go home. C'mon."

"What am I, five?" Spike protested.

"Buffy, can I talk to you for a second?" Angel asked quietly. Buffy nodded, and they stepped aside.

"Cordelia saw Giles and Spike in her vision," Angel started. "You seem to be assuming that that means they're both in trouble. Have you considered the other option?"

"Other option?" Buffy prodded.

"That Giles is the one in trouble, and Spike is the one doing it. Causing the trouble," Angel said quietly.

Buffy snorted, then turned angrily toward him. "Angel, stop it. You're jealous of Spike. Fine. But... as strange as it sounds, he's my friend, just like you. Anytime he's ever said a word against you, I've beat the holy crap out of him. Maybe I ought to do that to you too...?" She took a deep breath. "The point is, you need to stop doing this. Spike is... well, he helps us. He hasn't caused... *much* trouble since he got that chip. If you can't deal with that, then leave. Please." Angel didn't challenge her further, but he looked extremely concerned. Buffy nodded and turned around.

"Spike!" Buffy said. "Come on, I'll walk you home."

Spike hesitated. He didn't want to give up any ground, but the thought of Buffy walking him home...

"Wait up!" he called, trotting after her.

They left the hospital and walked onto main street, heading for the cemetery where Spike's crypt was.

They walked in silence for awhile, until finally, at the gate to the cemetery, Buffy spoke.

"Thank you for saving Xander," she said quietly.

Spike nodded, trying not to show the surprise he felt. "Uh... sure. I just feel like... you know, Xander's in trouble, and..."

"That's not the real reason why," Buffy said knowingly.

Spike didn't answer, and they walked along in silence again.

"Spike, do you like me?" Buffy asked after a moment.

Spike hesitated for a minute. "Well, sure, I guess you're okay... as far as Slayers go..."

Buffy raised her eyebrow. "That's *not* what I meant."

"What?" Spike asked, flustered. "Why would I... I mean... what makes you think... I...?" He fell silent as the crypt came into view. They walked closer in silence again. At the door, Spike suddenly leaned over and grabbed Buffy. She tried to pull away from him, shocked, but then he kissed her.

To say that Buffy was surprised would be an understatement. She struggled for a moment, but Spike held on, and she found herself falling into him, kissing back. She slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

Spike felt as though he were in heaven. All these months and months of pent-up energy between the two, and now...

Buffy stopped, gasping for air. She stared at him, surprised and...

"Did that just happen?" she croaked, slowly backing away from him.

Spike stepped toward her. "I don't know. Did it?" he asked playfully, trying to pull her into his arms again.

Buffy took another step away. "No," she whispered.

Spike reached for her arm. "Buffy, I'm--"

"Don't touch me!" she said angrily. She stepped away again. "I... I have to... I have to go... I... I can't do this..." Buffy ran away as fast as he could.

"Buffy, I'm sorry!" Spike yelled after her. He would have gone after her himself, but he could sense that the sun would be rising in a few moments, and that was decidedly fatal for him.

Buffy stopped at Giles' front door. She stood up straight and took a deep breath. Then she opened the door and walked inside.

Willow was just hanging up the phone.

"Any luck?" Buffy asked hopefully.

Willow shook her head. "No. No answer. I mean... well, Giles didn't call the guy before he left. So I guess he could just be out of town... right?"

"Right!" Buffy agreed half-heartedly.

She turned to Angel, Cordy and Doyle, who were gathering their things together. "You leaving?" Buffy asked.

"Yep," Cordy said. "This evening. Sunset. I mean, unless you want us to stay and help you look for Giles."

Suddenly Buffy thought of something. "Actually, I have a better idea. This guy's house is about an hour from L.A...."

Angel nodded, understanding. "Want a ride?"

On to Part Six