A Glimpse of His Face

by Mariah

Part Eight

"Hey, sleepyhead," Buffy kissed him softly on the forehead the moment Angel opened his eyes.

He grinned, rubbing his eyes drowsily. "How long was I asleep?"

"For me.forever. The truth.well, I'd say something like six hours." She glanced at the clock across the room. "It's almost seven. I'm guessing you were tired."

He reached out his hand to stroke her cheek. "Sorry I dozed off like that."

"You're forgiven. Besides, there's no time like later to continue our very important conversation about my mother. Anyway, come on, get dressed."

"Where are we going?" Angel sat up sluggishly, running a hand through his spiky hair.

"Oz's band is playing at some club tonight. I promised we'd be there."

"We?" he cocked a brow.

She beamed sweetly. "You don't mind, do you?"

He grinned. "You know how much I LOVE going out."

Buffy crawled into the bed next to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Of course, I do," she smiled at him, "you're my personal party-vamp."

Angel chuckled, winding his arms around her waist.

"And besides, you haven't heard everything yet," Buffy grinned.

"Oh, there's more?"

"Ahm," she nodded. "You. Get. To. Dance. With. Me," she punctuated her words by pocking his chest with her index finger.

Angel gazed at her miserably. "Do I HAVE to dance?"

Buffy laughed. "Slow, honey. I won't release you onto the dance floor just like that. People will start decamping. It won't be good for Oz's business."

"You know, you really hurt my feelings now."

Buffy squealed, when Angel wrapped her in is arms, rolling over and positioning himself above her on the bed.

"And what are you gonna do about that?" she beamed devilishly.

"Don't tempt me, my love," he grinned. "I have a number of very interesting ideas."

Buffy suddenly became solemn, locking eyes with him.

Angel's smile vanished as well, and he was now watching her with solicitous eyes.

"Angel.I'm ready now," she uttered, after a lapse of muteness.

"Are you sure?"

She wetted her lips. "I don't wanna wait anymore. I can't."

"Me neither," he replied, his voice thick with emotion, and his lips slowly descended on hers for a soft lingering kiss.

"Make love to me, Angel," she prompted, suddenly breathless, as his quick hands were already working on disrobing her from his shirt, inwardly, thankful that she had nothing else underneath it.

Angel felt himself harden even before he finished undoing the too many buttons. All the memories of her seventeenth birthday came rushing back, as fresh as if that magical night had transpired only recently. He craved to feel her heat around him again, all over him, he wanted to drawn in her again, and never to surface. His body and soul cried out for her at the same time, and before he fully grasped what he was doing, he tore the shirt open, baring her full round breasts.

Angel peeled the shirt down her arms, and the moment she was free, haled it from under her, and flung it aside. Then he turned his full attention back to her breasts. Gently, he ran his tongue over each rigid nipple, teasing her, initiating soft groans that told him he was doing it just right. Then he cupped her breasts with his hands, manipulating them, nibbling at them with his craving mouth.

Buffy groaned softly, and wrapped her legs around his waist, and her arms around his neck, drawing his head closer to her chest.

Angel's hard stroked around her hot center, tormenting her until she couldn't bear it anymore. Their minds were reeling from the sweet strong smell of her arousal, obfuscating their senses.

"Angel!" she groaned, her fingertips clinching the muscles of his back. "Now! I need you inside me.now, Angel!"

Angel's mouth released her breast, and he angled his head up to peer at her. She was lying with her eyes closed, her limbs wrapped around him, her body slightly vibrating with want.

His hands roamed to her shoulders, and he drew back a little, before entering her for the first time.

"Oh, God!" he screamed, when her burning heat swathed him, and she was tighter than he could ever imagine, than he could ever remember she could be. He remained inside her for a few moments, not moving, UNABLE to move, because he didn't want to, and couldn't, leave that heat. During these few moments, he felt alive again.

When his senses partly returned, Angel drew out from her, just a little, never too much, and then pushed back in, gently at first, thinking of her and that she had to get used to his size before he could increase their pace.

Buffy tightened her embrace around him, pulling him closer. "Angel, harder," she pleaded quietly, "faster.do it faster."

Angel placed one hand on her back, and one under her head, supporting it up for their lips to meet, and shoved harder this time. With each time, their rhythm only grew, discharging their bodies, until they were driven by nothing but the fervor and the desire for more. Perspiration coated them rapidly, as they moved in an inhuman, constantly increasing, rhythm on the disheveled bed, eyes shut, fingers cutting into each other's flesh every time his length filled her.

As she came, Buffy shoved savagely against Angel, and he rolled backwards, now, holding her on top of him, clutching her close to him, filling her with his cold seed.

They kept rocking together in a still growing pace, even after they both had come more than once, until Angel spilled into her one last time, and stilled.

They rolled over, without him disconnecting from her just yet, and he rested his head on the pillow of he breasts, his body sprawled across hers.

Buffy enclosed her arms around him, gently stroking his spiky hair. She felt him beginning to shrink inside of her, and abruptly realized just how much she didn't want him to leave. She didn't want to feel empty again. After they had made love, he was such a part of her, that being without him wasn't an option she could ever consider.

Angel maintained inside of her, unable to pull out, unable to give up that heat, the fire that gave him life. He missed being warm like that. Only once had he felt that way before, and it had been such a long time ago. Her heat was a resurrecting fervor for him. Angel could almost feel his heart racing, and his lungs panting, along with hers.

A small sob tore him from his thoughts, and his head immediately sprang up, worriedly examining her face.

The minute she realized he had been looking at her, Buffy turned her head to the side, averting her eyes from him, but still powerless against the warm tears that trickled down her cheeks onto the black silky sheets.

Angel instantly drew out from her, and moved towards her center, and carefully, with mindful eyes and gentle fingertips, checked it for blood or lacerations of even the most trivial kind. After descrying none of the above, he crawled back to her, and stroked her face gently, wiping the tears away. "What's wrong?" he asked tenderly. "Why are you crying? Did I hurt you? Did I do anything?..."

Buffy put her hand over his mouth. "No."

Angel let out a breath of relief, even though he technically didn't need to breathe.

"I'm just.I.you're still here," another sob escaped her lips, "you're still my Angel."

Angel gathered her in his arms, and rocked her gently, as she was crying into his chest. "I'm always your Angel, my love," he whispered to her, while his one hand was firmly holding her to him, and the other smoothing her rumpled hair. "Remember? Always."

Buffy smiled, brushing her tears away with the back of her hand. "Just like I'm always your girl?"

Angel beamed, kissing her hair. "Just like you're always my girl."

"I love you, Angel," she murmured, clasping her hands around his back.

"I love you too," he replied softly.

Angel inclined backwards, until his head rested on the cushions, still holding Buffy securely atop him. He fumbled with one hand for a comforter, and when he grabbed it, tenderly shrouded her naked body with it, invariably stroking her back, as she lay on his chest in tranquil serenity. If her heartbeat hadn't betrayed her, he could have assumed she was asleep.

"Angel?" he heard her voice, with only hardly perceptible traces from her earlier tears.

As a reply, he merely kissed her crown.

"Was I.was I good? I mean, was I.was I okay?" she inquired, without looking up at him.

A brief pain flickered in his orbs, and his unbeating heart tightened to the memory of his demon answering that same question almost two years ago. "You were incredible, Buffy. You haven't even the slightest idea of the effect you have on me. You make my heart beat again. You make me feel alive."

"Thank you," she whispered, again, without looking up.

"There were other women before you," Angel went on, "many other women, and even if only out of respect to you, I will never deny they happened. But it was only two times in my entire existence, that I have made love. My demon had sex with those women, whilst in reality, they meant to him less than nothing. But with you.the two times I was with you.these times were the very fulfillment of my dreams. To you.I made love."

Buffy finally looked up, locking eyes with him. She beamed, tracing a tender finger over the outlines of his lips. "You know.I doubt that's possible, but I think I've just started loving you even more." She removed her finger, and locked lips with him in a long gentle kiss.

Angel broke the kiss first, avoiding her surprised gaze. "I.I have something that belongs to you. I'd like you to have it back.if you want it."

"Something that belongs to me?"

He pulled from underneath her, looking for something in a drawer that stood next to the bed.

Buffy sat quietly, waiting.

When he found what he'd been searching for, he returned to her, taking her hand in his. He opened his palm, revealing a small silver Claddagh ring, identical to the one on his ring finger.

Buffy gasped, reaching out her hand to touch it hesitantly. "Where did you get it?" she wanted to know.

"I found it in the mansion a long time ago. I didn't know.the way things used to be, well.if it would be wise to return it to you. But.but now, I do. I would be honored.if you wore my ring again, Buffy."

Her eyes roamed over the silver Claddagh for a long moment, before speaking again. "Are you proposing to me? Again?" she asked, grinning knowingly.

Angel gaped at her. "How did you know?"

She shrugged. "Let's just say I've studied my boyfriend's origin. Well? Are you?"

He averted his eyes briefly. "Do you want me to?"

Buffy looked down at her hand that was still held in his. "Well, if you asked me, chances are I would say 'yes'."

Angel gulped, and slowly, with an almost quivering hand, slid the Claddagh on her ring finger.

Buffy smiled, gazing up at him. "Now, I'm saying 'yes'."

"I.this isn't a proposal yet. I want to buy you a real ring first. I want you to have a beautiful ring."

"I love this ring. It means to me so much more than you can ever imagine."

"But."

"No buts," she whispered, and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him softly.

Part Nine

"So, what are you doing with the living arrangements?" Willow asked Buffy, while the two girls were strolling through the campus towards their dorm. They had just been to the library, to pick up some books they would need to study for their exam in a couple of days.

"I told you, he's moving back to town. To his old apartment, which I suddenly discover is a part of a building he happens to OWN. I just wonder what else am I gonna find out about him over the years."

"You mean other than how loaded he is?"

Both girls beamed at Willow's comment.

"Yes, OTHER than that. So, my boyfriend is rich, so what? To tell you the truth, I couldn't care less if he were broke. Could you believe it? It's been two days since we got back together, and you haven't stopped telling me to get the goofy grin off of my face."

Willow laughed. "By the way, you're wearing it right now."

Buffy rolled her eyes, smiling. "It's like a dream, Will. I can't even tell you because I doubt you'd understand. Sometimes, I can't understand myself where all this happiness suddenly comes from."

"The 'A' word?" Willow hinted.

Buffy chuckled, and locked eyes with her best friend.

"Probably!" the two of them exclaimed in accord.

"You know, and please don't get me wrong, cuz there's no one out there who's happier for you than I am, but I really hate it that you're leaving. Now they're gonna put me together with some other roommate from Hell," Willow mused.

Buffy put her arm around Willow's shoulders, squeezing them slightly. "I'm sure they'll have mercy on you," she grinned.

"Yeah, easy for you to say. You're the one who's gonna wake up every day next to Angel."

Buffy suddenly stopped. "Will, I'm having the best idea!"

Willow turned towards her friend. "What about?"

"Angel owns the building! The ENTIRE building. There are other apartments in it but ours," she spoke with a hinting sparkle in her eyes.

Willow gaped at her with disbelief. "Are you sure?"

"Totally! All I gotta do now is tell Angel, and trust me when I say he's gonna say 'yes'. Oh, Will, it's gonna be great! And Oz can move in too," she pointed, grinning.

Willow's eyes lit. "God, you got me all hopeful now.but what if he's not gonna say 'yes'?"

"Will, it's Angel we're talking about here. He'd love to have you guys there, I'm sure. Come on, other than myself, you're among the very few people in this world he allows himself to consider friends. And believe me, thinking of someone as a friend is a huge step for him."

"So can I start asking Oz?" Willow inquired, with eyes somewhat pleading, somewhat happy.

"Yes, you can start asking Oz," Buffy assured her with a smile. "Besides, if you're having any doubts, Angel is coming to pick me up in a few minutes, to move all of my stuff to the apartment, and then I can ask him in front of you."

"Oh, that's gonna be great!" Willow exclaimed happily, and almost dropped the stack of books she was holding.

The two girls took a seat on the nearest bench.

"Yep," Buffy replied. A dreamy smile shone in her eyes, and Willow instantly knew her friend was thinking about Angel. "I can't believe I'm actually moving in with Angel. It's like.after all we've been through, our lives couldn't get any better than this. And you know what? The funniest thing is that my mom doesn't have a clue about it yet."

"Saving the best for last, ha?"

"Oh, yeah. I wanna spend some quality time with my renewed boyfriend before I drop the bombshell on my mom. Somehow, don't ask me how, I'm having a very strong feeling she isn't gonna take it very well," Buffy smirked.

"You have my ultimate support," Willow nodded reassuringly.

Buffy cocked a brow. "Wanna break her the news yourself?"

"Hell, no!" Willow shook her head.

Buffy laughed, and Willow was soon to join her.

"Have you told Giles?"

"Nope, later. Another bombshell. Remember? Saving the best for last. It's just that neither Angel, nor I have yet decided when exactly 'later' is gonna come."

"Good point," Willow nodded.

"Yeah, so the only ones who know as of now are you and Oz."

"Does Riley know?" Willow asked with a pointing smile.

Buffy stopped her walk, eyeing her best friend. "And I should tell him...why?"

"Come on, don't tell me you don't know! The guy's eyes have been allover you from the unforgettable moment when you almost killed him." Willow chuckled, thinking back to said incident in the library.

"Very funny," Buffy mocked her, then took a deep breath. "Of course, I know. He even asked me out once."

"He asked you out?! And you didn't tell me?!"

"Well, I.look, Will, it's not really important, okay? I'm with Angel. Thank God, it's for good this time. I don't care about Riley's of any kind, okay? Riley is."

"Hi, Riley!" Willow cut into Buffy's words, her voice possessed an intentional note for the Slayer to shut up.

Buffy hushed at once, her eyes following Willow's, and descrying Riley walking up to them.

"Hey," he greeted the two, the moment he was near them.

"Hey," Buffy responded, not really knowing why, but averting her eyes for a moment.

"Hey, Riley."

Riley glanced at Buffy, then at Willow, then back at Buffy. "You two aren't patrolling now, right?"

Buffy looked up at him. "No. Just coming from the library," she gestured with her hand to her pile of books. "You?" Then she glanced at his gear, and immediately regretted her latter question. "No, I guess you aren't."

Riley smiled. "I'm off in about ten minutes. What about you? You could join the guys and me if you want. Having a Slayer at hand can only help."

Buffy grinned humbly. "No, thanks. We.have very different perspectives about vampires and demons in general, Riley. I don't support the one saying they need to be tortured nearly to death before they're finally being killed."

"They ARE evil, Buffy. We're not doing anything to them that they haven't been doing for centuries to hundreds of innocent people."

"You know, there really is no point arguing about it. We have difference of opinions, let's not make an issue out of it. As long as we stay out of each other's way, and won't tell each other how to hunt, things should go smoothly. I've been a Slayer for almost four years, Riley. I don't like people telling me how to do my job." Her eyes bore into his for a long moment, making her point, until Riley was forced to avert his gaze.

"No offence here, Buffy, but have you ever considered you might be in the wrong line of work? Vampires, ALL VAMPIRES, must be eliminated. They are EVIL, that's why you hunt them, remember?"

"Whatever. Riley, let's." she trailed off, the moment a black convertible pulled to a stop in front of them. Buffy instantly leaped from the bench, and was in Angel's arms the second he was out of the car.

He wrapped her in his arms, and their lips soon met in an everlasting kiss, until Buffy broke it due to her need for air, but they still kept their arms around each other.

"God, I missed you," Angel whispered in her hair, when he pulled her to his chest.

"I missed you too," she murmured. "Two days have never looked more like forever to me."

"I know the feeling," he breathed out, as they started walking back to Willow and Riley, with Buffy's arms still encircling his waist, and him having his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, Angel," Willow greeted him with a smile.

"Hey," he smiled back.

Buffy turned to Riley, and felt Angel's arm tighten around her. She reinforced her hold around his waist, to reassure him. "Riley, this is my I'm-not-your-fiance-until-I-buy-you-a-proper-ring boyfriend, Angel. Angel, this is Riley Finn."

The two men exchanged a civil look.

Buffy turned to face Angel. "So, is everything ready with the apartment? Are you here to pick me up?"

Angel beamed, the love shining from her eyes as she gazed at him chased away all the worries he could ever conjure up. He leaned down and gently kissed her lips. "Yeah," he replied, sending the hand that wasn't around her into his pocket, and pulling out two identical keys.

Buffy opened her palm, grinning expectantly, and Angel put one of the keys on it. "What's the other one for?" she asked him.

That minute, Willow reached out her hand, and Angel gave her the second key, which she immediately pocketed.

Buffy glanced between her friend and boyfriend.

"That's in case you lose yours," Angel explained, and Willow suppressed a giggle.

"I won't!" Buffy demurred, frowning. "I happen to be very responsible.most of the times."

"You lost the last one I gave you," Angel reminded gently, but unable to keep his grin away.

"I did not!" his girlfriend protested. "Besides, it wasn't really my fault, and I didn't LOSE it. If you ask me, that vamp I was fighting still has it," she stated matter-of-factly.

Angel sent Riley a strange look, then a similar one to Buffy, who instantly grabbed the meaning of it.

"Oh, Riley knows everything, don't worry," she waved her hand. "He's a kinda vampire hunter too, actually. We met once on patrol. He was with his team, and I was with Mr. Pointy. We kinda bumped into each other."

Angel glanced at Riley again, but then let the subject drop, and faced his girlfriend. "So, are you ready?"

She nodded. "Very. Oh, wait, one question first. Is that okay if Willow and Oz get a flat close to ours?"

Angel peered at Willow. "Of course, it is. You can move in whenever you like. Only I gotta warn you. No one's lived in any of the apartments but my own ever since I bought the building. It's gonna require some cleaning. I can get you a key to one of them by tomorrow."

Willow grinned gratefully, and swung her arms around the stunned vampire. "Thank you!"

Angel hesitated at first, but then hugged her back. "You're welcome," he said, when they pulled away from each other. "So, I'm having a key done by tomorrow. When are you two moving in?"

"After we clean it, and then as soon as we can."

"Great!" Buffy exclaimed, hugging Angel. "Do I have the best boyfriend, or what?" she pressed her face to his chest, smiling.

Willow just laughed, Riley stood in silence.

"Oh, and by the way," she picked up a pile of books from the bench, and stood before Angel, waiting for him to take it from her. "You get to carry my books."

"Oh, do I then?" he grinned devilishly, and before Buffy knew what hit her, he hoisted her up in his arms, together with the books, and carried her to the car. When they reached it, he seated her in the seat next to the driver's, and while Buffy replaced her books to the backseat, Angel climbed into the driver's seat, and started the car.

"Willow, you need a lift?" he asked her.

"No, I'll walk," she smiled.

He glanced at her books. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Will, get in."

"No, I'm okay. Go ahead, you two."

"Okay," Buffy waved to Willow and Riley and Angel drove off in the direction of her dorm.

"So, this is Angel," Riley commented, when the couple was gone.

"Yep," Willow smiled.

"THE Angel."

Willow turned to him. "THE Angel?" she obviously had no idea what he was talking about.

"Buffy told me all about him."

"She did?" *She couldn't have! She wouldn't be so stupid!*

"Yeah. Her beloved boyfriend, who left her because he loved her too much."

"Oh, that," Willow released a deep breath she'd been holding in.

Riley pretended to overlook it.

"They got back together two days ago," Willow said, explaining Angel's presence.

"So I see." he pondered. "I don't like him."

Willow gulped. "Excuse me?"

"I just don't like him. Something's wrong about this guy, I can feel it. Does he hit her?"

Willow gaped at him, speechless for a second. "WHAT?!"

"Does he."

"God, what's wrong with you?! The world is gonna turn upside down the second Angel would EVER lay a hand on Buffy! You have no idea how much this man loves her! Where the Hell are you getting those ideas from?" Willow exclaimed, letting her trepidation get the better of her

"I'm not getting anything. Look, I'm sorry if I've just jumped to conclusions, but.there's something wrong about him. I know trouble when I see it." He met the redhead's unequivocal gaze. "And no, it's not jealousy."

"Is there another reason why you hate a person you've just met? You know, I've been there already, Riley. You don't know him, but Buffy and I have a very good friend, his name is Xander. He fell for Buffy the moment he first lay eyes on her, and that was her first day in Sunnydale high school. The problem was, that that same night, Buffy first met Angel. The moment these two saw each other, they were in love. And Xander was jealous. Oh, you have no idea how jealous he was, but guess what? It brought him plain nothing, but the fact that Buffy came close to nearly hate him several times throughout our friendship, because the things his jealousy made him do regarding Angel were on some occasions just too absurd. With time, Xander realized he's fighting a losing battle, and chose his friendship with Buffy over a blind jealousy. He still doesn't like Angel, but he mostly keeps it to himself now, because he's learnt to respect the fact that Buffy loves him, and that he loves her just as much, and that it's neither his fault, nor Buffy's that she's chosen Angel. It's not like you can decide who to fall in love with. And just so you know, I've known Angel for years, and let me tell you, he's one of the most wonderful and exceptional people I've ever met, and I consider myself lucky to have him as a friend. And something else; I don't mean to hurt you by saying that, but Angel is the right person for Buffy. By now, you've come to know Buffy's the Slayer. She fights evil, but she doesn't do it with all the.well, whatever you guys use in the Initiative. On several occasions, I can assure you, that if Angel hadn't been by her side, and fought with her, she wouldn't have been alive today. And one last thing. There's no one, NO ONE who's more important to Buffy than Angel. She's so protective about him that to an outsider, it might look ridiculous sometimes. Wanna hear a story? There was another Slayer once, and she poisoned Angel, and it almost cost him his life. Buffy went after her, and nearly killed her. Faith, that's her name, is still in a coma. So, the moral of this story is don't try to hurt Angel, IN ANY WAY YOU CAN THINK OF, because you don't wanna mess with the Slayer after you harmed a single hair on her boyfriend's head." With that, she simply smiled sweetly, and headed in the opposite direction to the one Buffy and Angel had left earlier, towards Oz's dorm.

Riley remained standing there, still absorbing everything that Willow had just said. Despite all, he couldn't help the feeling he didn't like that guy. Something just wasn't right with Buffy's overly perfect boyfriend, and no matter what it would take, he WOULD find out exactly what that thing was.

Part Ten

When Buffy returned home from college, she found Angel in his lately highly uncommon brood-mode. She immediately didn't like it. He'd been so different ever since the hazard of the clause to his curse had vanished from their lives. He had been like a whole new person. He'd been smiling a lot more, he'd been so much more happier, so much more open. There really hadn't been a single time she'd caught him brooding ever since they'd gotten back together. She really wasn't looking forward to coming home to find her boyfriend in that state again. His smile was the most beautiful thing in the world for her, brighter than any sun. There was absolutely no way she was ever giving it up.

Buffy walked over to where he sat, and slipped onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Speak up," she prompted.

Angel looked up at her, mustering a smile. "It's nothing," he kissed her softly, encircling his arms around her waist. "How was your day?"

Buffy chuckled. "In your dreams, pal! Talk."

He sighed, and leaned his head against her shoulder.

Buffy instantly started to worry. "Angel, what's wrong?" she angled his chin up, locking eyes with him.

"I don't know, I." he looked down. "I was never going to tell you this, but I feel like I have to."

"Tell me what?" she demanded.

"I.well, it sort of has to do with your mother."

"My mother?"

"Yeah," Angel averted his gaze from her, trying to decide upon the right words to tell her something like that. He took a deep breath he suddenly needed a lot, and faced the woman he loved. "She came to see me."

"She came to.wait, how? How does my mother know you're even here? We haven't told her yet."

"She'd come to see me before I left, Buffy." He did everything to avoid her eyes after these words left his lips.

"Before." Buffy couldn't believe it. She swallowed hard. "What.what did she say?"

"She basically told me to get out of your life. The details are not important. Buffy, I." he stopped, seeing she was too much in shock to listen to him right now. He hugged her, and she buried her face in his neck, not crying.yet. "I'm sorry."

Buffy embraced him tightly. "No, I'M sorry. I'm sorry that my own mother went behind my back, and did this to you.to us." She wiped her tears away, even before they started. "What did she say, Angel? I wanna know everything she told you. I wanna know what made you leave."

"It didn't."

"Don't.lie to me. At least, you.don't lie to me. I wanna know what she said."

He looked away, sighing. "That you were still a girl, that you were just starting out your life and didn't need me popping up in your way. The curse came up, of course, and that you were too much in love with me to make the right choices, and therefore I had to make them for you."

"Oh, my God." she covered her face with her hands, and then smoothed back her hair. "I can't believe this.I'm gonna kill her. God, I swear I'm gonna kill her." She stood up from his lap and started pacing the room.

"Buffy, no, you don't understand."

"Angel, you don't know my mother. When she wants something, she gets it. She probably had had it planned for months before she acted."

"I don't think."

"You don't know her!"

"Buffy, listed to me, please," he tried to reach out for her, but she wouldn't stop pacing. "I didn't tell you everything for that."

Buffy calmed, returning to him, and taking her former place on his lap. "I'm sorry," she murmured, frustration evident in her voice.

Angel nodded. "The reason I told you was.I think.I DON'T think, actually, that I can face her again. I thought I could do it, but now."

"You want me to tell her alone?" she cupped his chin. "Because either way, we'll have to tell her. We've been keeping it a secret for far too long, from both her and Giles. We gotta tell them. But I can do it alone, if you feel that you can't."

"It's not that I can't." he grimaced, searching for the right words.

"Then, what is it?"

"I'd rather not to," he whispered. "Forget it. Never mind."

Buffy nodded. "You know what?" she rose from his lap again. "I've had enough waiting. We're going to see my mother, and then Giles, tonight. And believe me, the only way she's gonna say something like you-know-what again is over my dead body."

Angel managed a brief smirk, inwardly, not quite sure of what he'd gotten himself into just now.

"Nervous?" Buffy asked her boyfriend, as they both stood before the Summers' front door.

"In times like these, I honestly wish I were dead," he admitted.

"You ARE dead, honey," Buffy squeezed his arm.

He only smirked at that, but she could see clearly just how fidgety he was.

She took his hand in hers, and Angel inwardly thanked her for that. Then she took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

"Buffy!" Mrs. Summers smiled when she found her daughter outside after opening the door, but that same moment, the smile faded into a smirk. "Angel."

"Don't you dare," Buffy held up her hand, and her mother didn't quite understand what she was referring to. She stepped in, and pulled Angel after her, while he did his best in trying to avoid Joyce's gaze.

Joyce followed them into the living room, where Angel and Buffy occupied the couch, firmly holding hands. Joyce seated in the armchair opposite to the couple.

"Do you have something you want to tell me, Buffy?" Joyce glanced between her daughter and her.well, she needed to be blind not to realize straight away he was her boyfriend.

Buffy gazed at her, striving to conquer her inner anger. "I think you've guessed that by now."

Mrs. Summers smirked. "You realize I will never approve of it, don't you?"

"Who said anyone needed your approval?"

The two were glaring at each other, until, suddenly, Angel spoke up.

"I need it," he whispered, looking at his girlfriend.

Buffy brought his hand to her lips and kissed it gently, gazing at him tenderly, while Joyce just sat there, absolutely stunned by what he had just uttered.

Angel looked down briefly, then back up at Buffy, mildly stroking her cheek with his finger. "Our life together can't begin before that, Buffy," he told her. "It wouldn't be right. At least.not for me."

Buffy nodded, and they both faced her mother.

"I.I can't do this," Joyce shook her head, abruptly more confused than she'd been in her entire life. "This is absurd, this is.this is wrong."

Angel sighed. "Several months ago," he gulped, and felt Buffy taking his hand again, filling him with more strength, "you came to me, and you said things to me, and I listened. Now, please, do the same for me. I don't expect you to say anything yet. Just listen.to Buffy, and to me. Hear what WE have to say."

Mrs. Summers nodded.

"Thank you," Angel acknowledged. "You know.that I love your daughter very much. I love her more than anything. She is the most important person in my life, and there's nothing I wouldn't do for her, nothing I wouldn't give up for her. It was why I listened to you all that time ago. I couldn't bear the thought of being responsible for stealing the rest of her life away from her."

Buffy faced him, her gaze slightly wounded.

Angel wrapped one arm around her shoulders, implying he didn't mean that, then turned back to her mother. "When you talked to me, I was still guilt ridden after everything that my demon had done to her.and to everyone else, but especially to her, because HER I hurt the most." He pulled Buffy to his side, gently kissing her hair, and as much as she tried to overlook it, this tender gesture didn't escape Joyce's eyes.

"I felt guilt about it.one you can't even imagine anyone can be feeling. But.but it was so much stronger then.than it is now. Then.the guilt I was feeling was so strong, I couldn't see through it. I.no matter what I did, I always felt it wasn't good enough for her, that I wasn't good enough for her. Not for her, never.never for her. SHE deserved better than me, than anything I could ever offer her."

"What changed now?" Mrs. Summers asked, looking down into her lap. Seeing the couple's pleading eyes made it hard for her to resist giving the vampire that loved her daughter the chance he maybe really deserved.

"Now.Buffy and I, we." he took a deep breath.

"We found out that the second time Angel was cursed, the clause was left out," Buffy continued for him.

"What does it mean?"

"It means that my demon can never surface again, that my soul is permanent, that I.that I can never hurt her again."

"It's.well, I'm happy for you," Mrs. Summers told Angel, keeping her tone as nonchalant as she could, even though she didn't even want to start picturing the full size of the stone that had been lifted from her heart just now.

Angel nodded. "Knowing that, changed things. It changed everything. Our entire lives. I didn't feel as guilty anymore, because there were no more chances it could ever happen again. I started.I started thinking about the possibility to.to have a future together. Without the curse, and with several things that Buffy made me realize were true, I allowed myself to consider the possibility of a future. Without the guilt to cloud everything, I could see how truly happy I made her, how safe and loved she felt with me, and there's nothing more priceless for me than seeing the only woman that I love smile when she looks at me. What I'm trying to say is.if you came to me, today, for example, and tried to persuade me into leaving her.you would lose. I wouldn't listen, because I love her too much to see her cry."

Joyce Summers sat quietly, keeping her eyes fixed on the carpet beneath her feet, instead of the vampire in front of her, or her daughter, who was lovingly holding his hand.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier, mom," Buffy spoke abruptly. "When I said I didn't need your approval.I didn't mean that. I was too angry, and I didn't mean that. I DO need it. I need it because you're my mom, and Angel is the man I love, and intend on spending my life with, and I need you to approve of him."

"I always wanted the very best for you, Buffy."

"He IS the very best for me. Yes, he's a vampire. It wasn't his fault he became one. He didn't WANT to be bitten, and turned. He didn't ASK for it to happen, and believe me that he's paid so much more than you think for the things he HASN'T done. You know what? I'm actually happy he's a vampire. If he hadn't been one, I would have never gotten so lucky to have this wonderful man in my life, because he would have died centuries before I was even thought of," her eyes tried to make her mother understand, and she could descry a slight change in the elder woman's expression, which made her come to the point. "What did you want in the perfect man for me, mom? Did you want him to love me? To cherish me? To respect and adore me? To make me so happy I would want to scream from joy? To give his life for me? To be willing to do everything for me? To think of me as the most important person in his life? Angel is every single one of those things and so much more. His only flaw, or at least, you see it as a flaw, is that he's a vampire. But other than that, could you really ask for more for me?"

Joyce beheld the two lovers, who were awaiting for her decree as if their lives were depended on it, and in a sense, they were. Buffy was right. Other than the vampire thing, there was nothing in the way Angel treated her daughter that she didn't like. In fact, Joyce had to admit it to herself, that the real impediment hadn't been him being a vampire at all. Deep inside, she knew there could be no one better to keep her Slayer daughter safe than a vampire who loved her more than life itself. The true obstacle had been his curse. She had been too scared to even think of his demon coming back, therefore had tried to keep him as far away from Buffy as she only could. But the curse was no longer a peril. "Does your Watcher know?" she asked her daughter. "What did Mr. Giles say about it?"

Buffy and Angel exchanged looks.

"We were about to head over to his apartment after.after seeing you," Buffy replied.

Joyce nodded. "I would like to speak to him, AFTER you will tell him everything. I want to know what he will have to say about the whole situation."

"What do YOU have to say?" Buffy queried, clasping Angel's hand tighter, feeling inside it's the moment of truth.

Her mother inhaled a deep breath. "I.well, I." she focused on Angel, "I would like to get to know you some more, preferably BEFORE you two are eloping to Vegas."

Buffy dropped Angel's hand, and hugged her mother. "Thank you," she whispered, as Joyce hugged her back. "Thank you so much!"

"I haven't really decided on anything conclusive yet," Joyce let the two know. "I just feel I haven't given Angel a fair chance. I should have gotten to know him better before passing such crucial judgement."

"Thank you, Mrs. Summers," Angel smiled, wrapping one arm around his girlfriend's waist.

"Joyce," Mrs. Summers extended her hand. "Until I find another reason to hate you, I think you can call me by my first name."

He grinned thankfully, shaking the offered hand.

"Just keep my baby safe for me," Joyce requested, giving him her first genuine smile.

"Hello," Giles greeted the vampire and the Slayer standing in his doorway, holding hands. "Come in," he motioned for the two to enter.

A perplexed look passed between Buffy and Angel. For some reason, Giles behaved as if he weren't surprised at all to see Angel.

"Giles, we.we have something to tell you," Buffy said, while the three of them were proceeding into the living room.

"I know," the former Watcher smiled.

"You know?" Angel didn't understand. "How?"

"Buffy told me she was going to LA with Willow and Oz," Giles began to explain, matter-of-factly, "she also told me that she intended to find you. Not surprising, really, after everything that happened after you discovered the implications of the second curse." The englishman removed his glasses and began polishing the lenses. "When she returned...her smile shone through so much, I could barely recognise her," he smiled as he placed his glasses on a nearby table. "Let's just say I put the pieces together...plus, she was wearing your ring again; big clue."

"And you're not mad?" Buffy didn't get it. She expected to give away at least half the lecture she and Angel had given her mother earlier that evening, but to come and find.this?.

"Mad?" Giles chuckled. "Why on earth would I be mad?"

"Let me rephrase. Are you okay with it? With Angel and me being back together, I mean."

"Yes," he shrugged.

Buffy narrowed her eyes. "What's gotten into you? Where's the Giles we all know and love?"

Her former Watcher laughed. "Buffy, Angel's soul is not under any hazard anymore. His demon can never return. And you know perfectly well, that other than that I've been completely supportive in this relationship. I'd known he was in love with you long before he said the words himself. There's no one better for a Slayer than a vampire, to fight along her side in battle, to keep her safe and protected, and what's better, this vampire loves you. I have told you time and again, you can never have a normal human boyfriend, and this was one of the reasons I was so glad when Angel came into the picture." He then turned to Angel. "I know how much you love her. I trust you with her, more than I would ever trust anyone else. I.I hated you for a very long time, and it was for the wrong reasons. I've come to understand it eventually, but I never got to say it to you, until now. I wish the two of you all the best."

"Wow." Buffy let out a breath. "And you.you're not hurt.that we didn't tell you before?"

"I knew you would tell me. You just needed to wait for the proper time to come, and as you can see, I was right."

Buffy grinned, leaning against her boyfriend's chest. "You know, all that you've just told us, could you say the same to my mom when she calls you in a few minutes?"

"It went well, don't you think?" Buffy asked Angel, while they both were sitting on the ground, leaning against a large tombstone in the cemetery.

He cradled her closer to him. "It did."

"My mom even ALMOST didn't freak. It's amazing. You have an amazing power over women, do you know that? They simply give in to your charms."

"Only the Summers women," he smiled, kissing her lips softly.

Buffy nestled against his chest. "This is great, Angel. I mean, my mom is trying to accept you, Giles is.okay, THAT still requires a long-term processing, but you see my point. My friends are great."

"All but Xander," he reminded.

"Until he returns from.whatever state he's in now, it can wait." She tilted her head upwards and met his lips in a gentle kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too," Angel beamed, kissing her nose.

"Well, isn't that pretty?" a third voice spoke.

Buffy and Angel instantly looked up.

"You're becoming more of a softy each time I see you, Angelus," the vampire mocked him.

Two more came up behind him, all in their game-faces.

"Do you know what I hate the most?" Buffy jumped up from her boyfriend's lap, producing a stake.

Angel stood up right after her, ready with a stake of his own.

"And what might that be, Slayer?"

"When dumb vamps get smart enough to actually attack the Slayer in groups."

Angel morphed into his game face behind her, ready to attack.

"I guess we'll push our luck anyway," one of the vampires challenged her. "Killing the Slayer is considered an honor. Killing her AND Angelus.that's twice better. Maybe I'll dismember him, slowly, and make you watch."

Buffy kneed him in the groin, and he doubled over. She kicked him under the chin, sending him flying into a tombstone, while from the corner of her eye, she could see Angel fighting the remaining two.

Buffy charged at the lying vampire, and nailed him to the ground. "Never. Talk. This. Way. About. My. Boyfriend!" she intermitted her words to slug him in the face. After his face resembled more to a bloody mass than had an actual form, she finally staked him.

Buffy climbed to her feet, and brushed the dust from her clothes. She looked up, just in time to see Angel staking one of his opponents.

"Need help, honey?" she asked him.

"I'm good," he replied, while turning to the other vampire.

"Hey!" Buffy exclaimed, when said vampire cut Angel's cheek with a knife he was holding.

Before he knew what came up on him, Buffy and Angel's stakes pierced his heart in the same time.

"Who do these guys think they're hunting? Is it you, or is it me?" Buffy grumbled. "They have no respect for my job! It's not easy being the Slayer, the least they can do is appreciate ME wanting to kill them. How do you ALWAYS manage to get slashed in the face?" her voice was soft, with slight traces of smile in it, as she asked the last question, while tenderly wiping the blood from Angel's laceration with her fingers.

He was still in his demon face, but surprising himself, didn't feel shame when she touched him. The pure love in her eyes as she was gazing at him spoke volumes, telling him it's his soul she was seeing.

Angel brought a gentle hand to stroke her cheek, and she leaned into it. "Happens," he said, answering her question from before.

"Want a kiss to make it better?" she smiled.

He leaned down. "You know, I do," he whispered, and closed his eyes, capturing her lips in a sweet kiss, wrapping his arms around her.

In the shadows of the trees, Riley stood, and watched.

Part Eleven

"Morning," Buffy murmured, making herself more comfortable on Angel's chest. When she looked up, she saw he was still asleep. She kissed him softly, until he opened his eyes. "Hi," she beamed.

Angel kissed her. "Hey. You're off to college?"

"In a while. What are you gonna do all day?"

"I was thinking to go over to Giles'. He called last night, remember?"

"Yeah," she breathed out, flopping on his chest, and sliding her arms down his bare muscular form, eventually enclosing them around his waist.

"See? So, I'm even doing you a favor," he grinned, and Buffy looked up again. "If I go there today, you'll avoid at least three hours of research tonight."

She smiled, folding her arms on his chest to lay her chin on them. "That's why I love you so much."

Angel angled up his head, and met her lips in a sweet kiss. "That's all?"

"You know...there's more," she marveled, stroking his face with her index finger. "Need me to show you?"

"Don't you have classes now?" he grinned.

"True," she pouted.

"How about tonight, then?"

"Tonight?"

"Yeah. I'll even make us dinner."

"You cook?" she arched a brow.

"You'll be surprised from the many skills I have, my love," he wrapped his arms around her, pressing her to him.

Buffy giggled. "On one condition."

"What's that?" he wanted to know.

"That tonight I get to see your other skills too," she brushed a finger over his jawbone.

"It's a deal," he kissed her gently. "I love it when you're being such a tough negotiator."

"Buffy, we need to talk," Riley grabbed her arm as she, Willow and Oz were exiting the classroom.

The trio stopped, and her eyes fell down on her arm, waiting until he got the massage and let go. "I can't," she replied.

"Why?"

"My boyfriend and I have dinner plans," she said simply, not thinking she owned him any further explanation.

"It's lunch," Riley insisted.

"We have lunch plans before dinner plans," Buffy argued, starting to walk off. She didn't want to talk to Riley. She'd been trying to stay away from him up to a point when she started avoiding him in the halls. Ever since Willow had told her about their 'little talk', Buffy'd been trying to get as far away from him as possible. She REALLY didn't need any more trouble between her and Angel, on top of the ones they'd had to deal over the years.

"Are YOU the dinner?" Riley called after her, knowing it'd make her stop.

It did. The three of them stopped, whirling around to face him.

"So, I see that everyone here is aware," he smirked, nodding. "The only real idiot seems to have been me."

Buffy reentered the classroom, with her friends in tow, and Oz closed the door on the four of them.

"What do you know?" she folded her arms on her chest.

"You mean, besides the fact that your boyfriend is a damned bloodsucking fiend?"

Buffy grabbed his neck, and shoved him into the nearest seat. "You call him that again, and I won't be responsible for my actions," she hissed.

"You're sick!" Riley retorted hoarsely, rubbing his neck. Slayer or no Slayer, he had no idea that tiny girl could be so strong.

"Maybe, but that's none of your God damned business. Stay out of our lives, Riley, I mean it this time," she bellowed, glowering. "If anything happens to Angel, and I mean ANYTHING, I swear it will be the last time you will get to see the light of day."

"You should listen to her, man," Oz commented, in his usual expressionless manner.

Riley's gaze turned to him and Willow. "How could you two know about it, and not stop it?"

"Why would we want to stop it? So what if he's a vampire, Riley? Not ALL vampires are evil." Willow stopped for a second. "Wait, let me rephrase that. All vampires are evil, except for Angel."

"What, he's good?" Riley ridiculed.

"For the matter of fact, yes," she exclaimed, wide-eyed, a triumphant smile emerging across her face. "He has a soul! He was cursed...with a soul, almost one hundred years ago!" the redhead argued, her words punctuated as though she was making it up as she went along. "He's a person, just like any other, only...dead." Her smile faded. "Okay, that did sounded better when I said it in my head...what I meant to say was..."

"Will, let me," Buffy terminated her. "I'm not gonna go around the lines here, Riley, just hear this; Angel is my boyfriend. Like it or not, YES, he's a vampire too. But other than that, as Willow said, he's just like you and me. Wait, drop that. He's not just like you and me. Because of his soul, he's been feeling inconceivable guilt for centuries, as a result of everything his demon did, and it's tormenting him until today, and you can't even imagine what it's like. Try to picture to yourself how it's like to commit all the crimes HIS DEMON did, and then live with the memories. Trust me, you wouldn't survive a day. You wouldn't survive a MINUTE!"

"Don't make him a saint, Buffy..."

"He IS a saint."

"No one asked him to murder!"

"No one gave him a choice! He didn't murder anyone! He's a much purer person than you, trust me on that. There isn't a single living being that has EVER walked this earth, upon which Angel has EVER inflicted any deliberate pain. The only ones he's ever killed are demons, and vampires, together with me. You fight vampires, but you seem to know nothing about them! You claim that you capture them only for research purposes, but what have you come up with by now, besides newly developed techniques about how to make their pain-racked death even more agonizing?"

"We know enough!"

"Really? Willow and Oz are neither Slayers, nor Watchers, and I bet they know so much more! Do you know why? Because they actually bothered to read about what they were killing, to learn about it, and to understand it. YOU, on the other hand, act like robots. You kill, and torture, just because you're TOLD to do so." The look on the Slayer's face told Riley that she wasn't impressed by his work. "Do you know that a vampire was a person once? That ANGEL was a person once? A person with a soul...just like you and me. He didn't ask to be turned...didn't WANT to become a killer..." Buffy lowered her head and exhaled sharply, wiping a tear from her eye. "Angel's soul was STOLEN from him by the same demon that stole his face - he had no control over what he did. The things Angel did...they weren't his fault," she looked up at him again, her eyes pleading with him to understand. "Do you even think about the person the vampire used to be before you kill them? I do..." her eyes softened, "I'm in no doubt that you have read about the things Angelus did...and I'm not going to lie to you and say that he wasn't a merciless murderer...he was. But Angel isn't. His soul has been returned to him, and he has to live with the memories of everything his demon did. He's plagued by those memories everyday, and he's atoning for evil that demon did. Now, try to picture how it's like, for a tender soul like Angel's, to live with these images forever, and don't tell me you don't get shivers all over your body just by trying, because I do, and if you have even a bit of humanity in you, you must!"

"You can't do this. You can't just clear him from everything he's done."

"Riley, are you dense?" Willow spoke this time. "Have you been listening to a WORD she's been saying? HE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING! It wasn't Angel. Angelus and Angel are two different individuals, and you can't possibly merge between the two. Other than the outer appearance, they have NOTHING in common!"

"That, and being murderers," Riley gave her a triumphant look, albeit not quite sure which one of them was he trying to convince at that point.

"Listen to me," Buffy hissed, "for the last time. Angel hasn't done anything! He devoted his life for doing good. He's the essence of good. If you ever even tried to get to know him, you'd see it too, but why bother? Right, Riley? He's just a vampire. You have no right to."

"Hello to my very missed friends!"

The four of them turned to the door.facing no other than Xander Harris.

"I knew I'd find you guys here!" he glanced at their faces, and the smile disappeared from his lips. "And I think I've just barged in on something."

"This isn't the time, Xan," Buffy whispered, casting down her eyes.

"Sorry, we're kinda." Willow began.

"Trying to knock some sense into a wall." Oz murmured, with an almost actual expression, receiving a glare from Riley. Being a werewolf himself, he'd not been taking Riley's prejudice very well.

"This is definitely the warmest welcome I've received yet," Xander grinned, then without a warning, pulled the three into a bear hug. "God, how I missed you," he said, in a tauntingly bantering voice.

Buffy was the first to pull away, wrapping her arms around herself. She abruptly felt extremely weak.

"What's the what?" Xander questioned the other two. "And I don't know you," he told Riley.

"Xander, that's Riley. Riley, that's Xander," Willow gestured apathetically between the two.

"Ahm," Xander nodded in acknowledgement. "And we're fighting about...what, exactly?"

"Angel," Willow supplied all the needed information.

"What does Dead-Boy have to do with it?"

Buffy glared at him.

"No need to get touchy," Xander raised his hands in a form of defense, then turned to Riley. "You know, buddy, if your life is dear to you, you REALLY don't wanna insult Dea.Angel in front of her," he motioned towards Buffy. "It's not really smart. Believe me, I know. It doesn't even matter if they're ex's or not."

Riley chuckled. "You think they're ex's?"

Xander glanced at Buffy only for a minute, and his gaze fell on her right hand. He rolled his eyes, in mimic irritation. "Oh, boy.when?" he asked Willow and Oz.

"A few weeks ago," Oz replied.

"I knew that! I knew he wouldn't stay away. I just knew he couldn't do that!" he informed, in his typical 'I told you so' manner. "Did they get pelvic already?" he asked Willow, receiving a daggers shooting scowl from Buffy, and noting to himself to shut up next time, because there wouldn't be a mere glare.

"There is no more clause, Xander," Willow filled him in.

"Oh.oh!" he finally grasped, and astounding everyone around him, hugged Buffy.

The Slayer sent him a questioning look.

"Oh, I'm good now," he clarified. "As long as he can never have me for dinner, I'm good.oops," he hissed, facing Riley. "You know, I didn't mean it like DINNER dinner."

"That's what we were wrangling about," Buffy let him know.

"Oh.you don't like Dead-Boy.oww!" he wrapped his arms around his stomach, where Buffy's elbow had just been.

Willow giggled against Oz's shoulder.

"You know," Xander straightened up, swallowing, "it isn't considered an insult, actually. I'll just blame it on the fact that the blondie over there said something he shouldn't have, and that's why you're overly grouchy today."

Buffy had to admit it to herself he was right. "Sorry, Xan," she patted his shoulder, receiving an understanding smile in return.

"What is going on here?"

The five turned to the origin of the voice. It was professor Walsh.

Buffy advanced upon her, her gaze almost menacing enough for the older woman to tremble. When she was standing right before her, she stopped. "You," she pointed at the professor, "and you," she pointed at Riley. "If I ever catch EITHER ONE OF YOU, or your other little soldiers-wannabes anywhere NEAR my boyfriend, you'll wish you were dead."

With that, she headed out of the room, and her friends followed.

Maggie Walsh faced Riley immediately after everyone else was gone. "Does she know?" she demanded.

"No."

"Is it done?"

Riley glanced at his watch. "It's being carried out as we speak, ma'am."

"Excellent," she nodded.

Riley nodded too, and started to leave.

"And, Finn," she called after him.

He turned around. "Yes?"

"Try to keep your personal feelings out of it. Remember who we're dealing here with. If he is powerful enough to cause a Slayer to become his personal love-slave, there is no limit to what he can do. I want you to make sure Ms. Summers is also out of our way. I will not appreciate her intruding. I have enough to deal with, I don't need a Slayer too."

"I'll make sure she doesn't interfere."

"Very good. You can go now."

Riley nodded, and left.

"So, what do you have to say about it, guys?" Buffy asked the three, as they were entering the building her and Angel's apartment was in.

"You can forget about your psyche A," Oz pointed out.

"No, I mean, the part I actually DO care about," she grinned at him over her shoulder.

"You kicked his ass!" Xander exclaimed, punching his palm. "Aww!"

Buffy laughed. "You weren't even there, how do you know?"

"You're Buffster," he put one arm around her shoulders. "I'm guessing."

"Well, anyway, I don't care. Tonight, I'm gonna have my dinner with Angel, and I'm gonna forget all about it. No bad Riley-thoughts for tonight, only Angel."

"And we all know what that means." Xander rolled his eyes playfully.

"Hey!" Buffy shot him a look. "We DO other things too, you know."

"As long as you believe that," he squeezed her shoulders.

Buffy rolled her eyes, smiling.

"So, Buffster, what's that I'm hearing about Dead-Boy giving away free apartments? You think if I make him like me, I might get one too?"

"I doubt that."

"You think I won't get one?"

"No, I think there's no way in this lifetime you can make Angel like you," she grinned.

"Come on, have mercy on me. I live in my parents' basement, and I have to pay rent!"

Willow burst out laughing, and Buffy was soon to join her. Oz managed a small smile.

"They.they actually make you pay?." the Slayer hardly managed to speak.

"Very nice, laugh as you want, mock my already miserable existence, sure, why not?" Xander simpered.

"I'll talk to Angel, Xan," Buffy patted his back. "I can already see how elated he's gonna be. Nothing can make him happier than having you next door."

"Are you sure? I can think of a few things." Xander quipped.

Buffy laughed, producing a key from her pocket, and sticking it into the lock, but all traces of smile vanished the second she opened the door. She gasped, sending her hand flying to her mouth, as the tears started cascading down her cheeks.

"Oh, my God," Willow gasped behind her.

Part Twelve

Giles rubbed his sleepy eyes, while heading to open the door. "Just a minute!" he yelled, his voice partly annoyed, partly jaded. Only ten minutes ago he finally left his research, which he'd had to do alone because everyone had had classes and for some reason Angel hadn't come as he'd promised, and tried to get some decent sleep. And now, he might as well forget about any kind of rest, because whoever was behind the door, was pounding at it as if it were the end of the world.

"Buffy," he acknowledged, all traces of irritation no longer evident in both his voice and his facial cast. Her eyes were red from crying that still hadn't ceased. Behind her stood Willow, with a terrified expression on her face, next to her were Xander and Oz, their mien wasn't quite explicable. It was something between utter confusion, and fear. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"They," Buffy tried to utter something through her tears, "they."

"They took Angel," Willow finished for her friend, her voice somewhat trembling.

"Who took Angel?" Giles inquired, only then realizing the four were still standing outside. "Please, come in," he motioned inwards, "have a seat." He put one arm around the still crying Buffy, and led her inside, on his way grabbing a kitchen towel from the counter, and offering it to her, it being the closest thing to a tissue he had at the moment. Buffy took it from him, but didn't use it, just slightly leaned against his side, embracing herself.

When everyone was finally seated in Giles' small living room, his attention was turned to Willow, Oz and Xander, understanding very well that the Slayer next to him, whose tears only now started to quell, was unable to give away any essential information. "Now, please, tell me what happened."

"We don't know," Willow started. "We walked Buffy home, and when she opened the front door, the." she gulped, looking down.

"The entire apartment was a wreck," Xander continued. "Everything was upside down, there was blood on some of the furniture, and on the floor. It was obvious there had been a heck of a fight going on. And Angel was nowhere to be seen."

Giles nodded, rubbing Buffy's back soothingly, as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "I understand you have some ideas concerning who might have done it."

"We have one idea," Oz said. "It's the Initiative."

"The Initiative?" Giles' eyes widened in surprise. He adjusted his glasses before continuing. "Whatever made you think they had anything to do with it? The Initiative don't stalk vampires in their own homes, as far as I know. They hunt vampires outside, on some sorts of patrols, like Buffy. What interest do they have in putting their entire efforts into locating a specific vampire and then going through all the troubles of capturing him?"

"Wrong theory," Xander objected. "It was definitely these guys, whoever the Hell they are. They dropped this," he tossed a shocker gun to the ex-Watcher.

Giles scrutinized the weapon, then looked up. They were right.

"And besides," Willow added, "Riley knows about Angel. He must have seen him or something, because he knows Angel is a vampire. He told us today after class, but this entire operation had obviously been planned before that, because by the time we got to the apartment, Angel had been long gone."

"Giles," Buffy spoke for the first time, her voice by now relatively steady, but still hoarse with tears. "Help me find him. You have to help me find him. They will torture him, and they will kill him. If.if Riley has anything to do with it, and he has EVERYTHING to do with it, they'll hurt him so much more. I can't let this happen to him, Giles, I can't let them do this to him, I.I can't lose him.I can't." she started sobbing again, and Giles took her into his arms, rubbing her back gently.

"Before we go out chasing humans...is there anyway we can be sure?" he asked the others.

"How much more proof do you need?" Xander exclaimed, rising to his feet. Inwardly, he couldn't believe he really was that anxious to help.Angel. "Look, if everything I was told about them is true, they're gonna kill him, slowly, if we don't do something. We can't just sit here while." he toppled back on the couch, waving his hands in defeat.

Willow patted his knee, sending him a brief, but appreciative smile. "Giles, Xander is right, and so is Buffy. These people have no morals. This word doesn't exist in their limited vocabulary. We have to get Angel back, and if we don't act now, we will lose him for sure," she bit her lip after uttering that sentence, ruefully glancing at her best friend, who was sitting quietly next to her father-Watcher. "We gotta think of something, and we'd better do it fast. Every wasted second can cost us Angel's life."

"The first thing we have to figure out, is a way in," Oz observed. "Will?" he motioned for his girlfriend, who instantly nodded, and retrieved a laptop from her school bag, turning it on.

"What are you guys doing?" Xander asked.

"Breaking into the UC Sunnydale files," Oz explained, "No, try this code," he guided his girlfriend, typing in a different combination from hers, then turning back to Xander. "The Initiative is being run by one of the university professors, and most of its members are college students. It means that wherever the headquarters is, it should be somewhere within the campus territory, or at least have a passage connecting to one of the university buildings."

"Good thinking," Giles commented. "Now, all we need is a plan."

"No, first we need to find these guys, then we need a plan," Xander corrected him.

Giles sighed. He most certainly hadn't missed the boy's presence through the summer, but he couldn't ignore how much he had matured. He faced Buffy. "Why don't you get some sleep now?"

She shook her head.

"Buffy, you must have some sleep before we do anything, alright? You cannot help Angel in this state. Breaking into the Initiative building and releasing Angel will require your full strength. Go, have some sleep."

"I'll go with her," Willow offered, wrapping one arm around Buffy's shoulders and taking her to Giles' bedroom upstairs, while Oz occupied her place in front of the laptop.

"We'll, bring him back," Willow whispered to her friend, "I promise."

"Hey, man, what's up?" A brown haired commando smacked Riley's back, while the blond was aimlessly wandering through the halls of the Initiative.

Riley turned around, his gaze both irritated and perplexed, since he'd been deep in thoughts. No matter how much he'd tried, everything that Buffy had told him earlier that day just wouldn't get out of his head. It was bothering him, a lot. Too much, for his liking. He almost.he almost CARED about a vampire, a hostile! He cared about a hostile! If Maggie Walsh ever guessed what was going through his head, she would have it on a plate.

"What do you want, Mike?" he asked his colleague, not really in the mood to talk now. He needed to think. He needed to think a lot. He needed to think about exactly how much of everything he'd been fed with all these years in the Initiative was a lie.

"Hey, what's with the gloom, man? Didn't have a good hunt last night?" he winked.

"Leave me alone, Mike," Riley shook Mike's hand off of his shoulder and started walking on.

Mike caught up with him in a second. "Well, so congratulate me, cuz I had the BEST!"

"And I'm the lucky one to hear about it," Riley grumbled.

"You got that right. Walsh sent us after Angelus, THE Angelus. Jealous yet?"

Riley stopped. "What did you say?"

"Oh, suddenly interested in the details?" Mike mocked.

"Spill!" Riley demanded in a steely voice. "Were you in that team?"

"Okay, okay." the other man raised his hands in defense, "you don't have to tell me twice.and yeah, I was in that team. Anyhow, we got back a while ago. What. A. Fight! You haven't seen anything like it, I swear. Williams is still having his stitches done, I just got out," he showed Riley his bandaged arm. "That hostile kicked our ass big time! We needed TWO back-up teams to finally take the bastard down. I'm telling you, the older they get, the stronger they are."

"Where is he?" Riley wanted to know.

"Where's who?"

"Angelus!" he was rapidly running out of patience. "Where is he being held?"

Mike shrugged, not really understanding why Riley cared so much. "Walsh wanted him under constant observation. Come on," he motioned for the blond to follow him.

Riley barely managed not to gasp when they stopped in front of an observation cage. The form he descried through the impervious glass could be hardly recognized as human. They had battered him so much, there didn't seem to be a spot on his body that wasn't bleeding, or bruised, or lacerated. His clothes were in some places ripped into shreds, and the fabric was sodden in his own blood. He was lying on the floor, his hands fettered behind his back. He was just now coming around, Riley could tell from his sporadic quiet groans. He couldn't hear them through the windowpane, but he perceived the vampire's lips moving, and his face twitching in what he knew was pain.

"What the Hell have you done to him?" he turned towards his colleague, grabbing him by the collar.

"Wow!" Mike waggled out of his grip, backing off. "Have you switched sides or something?"

"Since when is it our policy to." he gestured towards the cage, "to do THIS?!"

"Since when isn't it?!" the dark-haired soldier hollered back.

Riley wanted to retort, but.he realized that he had nothing to say. *Oh, my God.* he cogitated, when out of nowhere, an image of that beaten vampire rose before his eyes, and it was one in which he was lovingly holding his girlfriend. Everything that Buffy had said, everything that he'd been taught for so long.it all started falling into place, contradicting one another, and Riley abruptly felt like something bashed him in the gut, with full force, and made everything so much more clear. TOO clear.

"Hey!" Mike smacked his arm, and Riley disconnected himself from his reflections, looking the other man in the eye. "Are you in our world again?"

Riley didn't answer, only averted his eyes towards the cage, where the captive vampire started to stir a bit, with still closed eyes. He tried to move his arms in an attempt to remove the steel shackles, but rapidly gave up, dropping his hands, due to the absolute lack of potency.

He tried to shake these images out of his head, but it was in vain. Never, in all his years in the Initiative, had he looked at a hostile that way. What was going on with him? When he was looking at him, he didn't see a hostile, he didn't see a vampire. He saw a person. A person, who was loved, who had a family, who would be missed, a person who had a girlfriend who would be more than shattered if anything happened to him.a person who he had seen with his very eyes fighting evil next to the Slayer herself.

Was that person a hostile?

"I can't wait until Walsh cuts him open," he heard Mike saying. "It's just too bad she's not gonna let us watch. We earned it, you know, after what we've been through to get him. You know, not that he's gonna need it or anything, but his apartment was a total wreck when we left," he laughed. "Really, Finn, you should have been there, you'd have had the time of your life. I still don't get why Walsh didn't wanna send you with us. Guess she didn't wanna risk her pet," he stroked Riley's arm with a derisive grin.

Riley hit his hand, scowling at him, and Mike's smirk was instantly gone. "Anyway," he waved his hand, "whatever. You seem to be a little touchy today, so I won't disturb his highness," he mimicked a bow. "But let me tell you one last thing, the guy's either stalking some chick, or he actually has a girlfriend. Too bad she wasn't there too. I would capture her," he grinned, "for personal reasons."

"You stay away from her!" Riley shoved him against the wall.

"Hey! What's up, Finn? Having the hots for a hostile? Not enough chicks around campus?"

"She's not a vampire, you moron!"

"Oh, really?"

"She's the Slayer," Riley hissed, "the girl whose boyfriend you've just captured, and nearly killed...is the SLAYER!"

"The Slayer, ha?" Mike made a look, obviously implying he wasn't buying that. "A Slayer and a hostile. That's a good one," he patted the blond's shoulder. "If you're for real, man, we're gonna have one very ticked off Slayer on our hands in no time," he chuckled.

Riley grabbed his arm, twisting it. "I see you anywhere near her, and I'll kill you. Understand?"

Mike released his arm. "Know what? I'm getting tired of your attitude. Sober up, then we'll talk. But anyway, if that Slayer chick really is his girlfriend, you WON'T catch me within a mile from her. I still cherish my life to some extent, you know."

"You better keep cherishing it."

"Yeah, whatever. You know what I didn't get though? Did you know that hostiles come out in pictures? The guy had them allover his place, of him and your Slayer."

"There's a lot we don't know about them," Riley murmured, returning his gaze to the cage, where Angel was lying unconscious. Someone in a white coat walked in through the door that connected the cage with a lab, and shocked the vampire's still form, just to make sure he wouldn't move, in such intensity his body jolted from the floor. Then, the man did something to him that appeared to be injecting him with some kind of a white liquid, and left, securely locking the door behind him.

Riley stood there for another second, then walked away. He needed to get out of there.

Part Thirteen

"Buffy!" Willow was the first to spot the Slayer as she came down the stairs, somnolently rubbing her eyes.

Oz, Xander and Giles looked up as well.

Buffy tried her best not to take in their apprehensive gazes, and simply proceeded in the direction of an empty seat.

"How are you?" Giles asked her.

She offered a feeble smile. "Better." Her voice was still husky a bit, but it was even now. Other than the dark circles around her eyes, and a slight redness that implied there'd been tears, she was prepared to face whatever, and whoever she would be required to face.

"I was asleep for too long, wasn't I?" she asked quietly.

"Quite the opposite," Giles replied, glancing at his watch, "if I'm not mistaken, about three hours."

"THREE HOURS?!" Buffy's eyes widened in almost hysteria. "Do you have any idea what they could have done to him in three hours?! Why the Hell didn't you wake me up earlier?" she rose from her seat.

"Buff," Xander stood up, putting his hands on her shoulders, and seating her on the couch. "If you start panicking now, it's not gonna do Angel any good."

The Slayer nodded, sitting down in amenable silence.

Xander reoccupied his place next to Oz.

"What do we got?" Buffy inquired.

"Well, we know where the Initiative headquarters adjoins the campus," Oz supplied. "The building turns out to be underground, but there are portals that.well, we know of at least one passage that connects it to a campus building. And believe it or not, it's Riley's dorm room."

"What a surprise," Buffy smirked.

"That's not all," Willow went on, "There are passages that lead to several other rooms in that dorm-building, but I think we should go for Riley's, if we're going to use one of them."

"We are!" Buffy interrupted.

"It wasn't that kind of 'if'," Willow smiled, "of course, we are. Well, anyway, besides that, take a look at this," she motioned for Buffy to come closer, and she did. "These are the printouts of the Initiative headquarters building plans. This is Riley's dorm, and here is the entry," Willow started explaining, pointing on various places on the delineation, and Buffy was listening mindfully, swallowing every word. "Here's the main hall. If we turn this way, we reach the cages where they usually keep their prisoners."

"So, we go there," Buffy nodded.

"Actually, we don't," Oz said, turning her attention back to the map. "They're smart guys, but apparently not smart enough. Or maybe they just haven't dealt with my Willow yet," he flashed his girlfriend a proud smile, indicating for her to take it from there and tell Buffy about her theory.

Willow grinned. "Angel is a too valuable asset for them, and they won't risk losing him. They won't keep him together with the rest, that's why that wing is out of the question. We go that way," she pointed on a path inverse to the one she had showed Buffy earlier. "They would expect whoever would come for him to look for him with the other captives, that's why we go the other way."

"So, here we have the labs," Oz continued Willow's explanation, "and cages for what we suppose are 'special cases', demons they hadn't encountered before, and along those lines. THAT'S where we'll find Angel. They would be keeping him under permanent supervision, and even more than likely, in a distinctive cage. It's not gonna be easy, but at least we have a starting point."

"Good," Buffy nodded resolutely. "Leave the fighting to me, don't worry about that. They obviously had no idea who they were messing with when they captured my boyfriend. What I'm concerned about is the security. These guys use all the futuristic toys. Now, how're we gonna pass through those?"

"Will and I can get you in in no time," Oz assured, receiving a warm supporting smile from Willow.

"Are you guys one hundred percent sure?" Buffy asked skeptically. "It's tricky stuff."

"Positive," Willow grinned.

"Alright," Giles spoke this time. "Xander already retrieved the more practicable weapons from your apartment, and we also have the ones included in my private arsenal here. However, it's not enough. Buffy, you must know."

"It'll do," she cut him, "it'll have to do. Is there anything else we might need?" her eyes roamed over the entire gang.

"Not as far as we know," Willow informed.

"Good, so let's move it," Buffy stood up from the sofa and headed towards the door, "we have a boyfriend to rescue, and plenty of commando-asses to kick. So everybody should have their fun."

"And that was our Buffy!" Xander exclaimed, getting up too. "Gotta love her! Unless she wants you dead."

Willow laughed, releasing a long-stored tension, and grabbing the building plans on her way, followed her two friends.

Oz and Giles took charge of the weapons, and were the last ones to leave the apartment.

Riley stood in front of the door to the sector where Angel's cage was. He didn't really.stand, 'fidgeted' would be phrased better. He didn't REALLY want to do that, did he? Was he really willing to risk everything? Everything he'd been taught, everything he'd been raised upon, everything he had once believed was right?. His life?.

He was literally deliberating about..about risking his own life for.for.a hostile. *No,* an inner voice in him reworded, *not a hostile, a person. You gotta remember that. A person.just like you.*

Riley took a deep breath, wiping the perspiration from his brow with the back of his hand. He felt he was being torn apart inside, ripped apart, between his allegiance to his ethics, and his allegiance to his duty.

*But your duty isn't virtuous!* the inner voice prompted again. *Your duty is murderous! If you turn your back on your duty.you'll save an innocent person's life.*

And abruptly, another voice spoke. *But if he dies.you'll gain something else. If you let him die, Buffy will be free. She'll be free for you to take his place. She'll be hurting, and mourning, and she'll need a shoulder to cry on.and you'll be in the right place and in the right time to provide that shoulder. So what if he dies? He's just a hostile! Not a person, a hostile. You gotta remember that.*

*A person.*

*A hostile.*

*A person.*

*A hostile.*

*A person.*

*A hostile.*

*A person.*

Riley looked down on the shocker gun he'd been holding in his hand. It was fully charged, but tuned to a reduced level, not enough for a demon or a vampire, but enough to stun a person, and leave him temporary out of the picture, but unharmed in the long run.

He took a deep breath, and with quivering fingers, pressed the required combination for the door to unlock itself.

It opened.

*It's your last chance to back off,* a voice whispered. *He's a hostile, he's not worth it. He doesn't deserve to live. If anyone ever finds out, you will be killed. Are you ready to die to save a hostile? It's still not too late, all you gotta do is turn around and.*

Riley stunned the first guard that turned up in his way, and since he couldn't touch him, used the gun to slow the guard's fall, and soften the thud the body made when it hit the floor.

Now, it was too late. There was no way back from there.

With five shocked commandos behind him, Riley finally reached his destination. His eyes fixed on the vampire, still lying on the floor of the cage, just like he was when Riley left him approximately an hour ago. Only that now, he seemed to be even worse than before. Riley could tell that no tests had been performed on him yet, and he sighed with relief due to that. At least, there he was in time. Something told him that vampire would probably not survive more than what had already been done to him, advanced healing or not. Riley also noted Angel was unconscious. *How the Hell am I supposed to carry an unconscious body out of here, AND defend us both?!* he asked himself. But inside, Riley knew it wouldn't make even the slightest difference even if he were conscious. He was everything BUT in a condition to move.

Riley quickly entered the code, and the door of the cage opened. He dashed inside, and it instantly closed on him, locking itself.

Riley kneeled next to Angel's lying form, and for only a second, hesitated. He glanced outside through the glass door. He had cut off the alert system, but he only had twenty minutes left until it would fix itself, and he would be detected instantly. If he's lucky, he would be killed straight away, but the vampire he had risked everything to rescue.he would meet an even more dreadful fate than the one ensured for him as for now.

Needing to carry Angel, AND fight, he had no chance to make half of the way back before they both would be captured. It was like a prison. Getting in was easy. The problems were in getting out.

Ultimately, Riley mustered the nerve to touch the vampire's shoulder. To his utter astonishment, he received a response from the seemingly insentient body.

Angel winced, and partly opened his eyes.

Riley moistened his lips, taking a deep breath. He'd necessitated breathing like that quite frequently lately, he observed. "Angel," he whispered. *I can't believe I've just called a hostile by his first name.no, a person. A person.* "Can you hear me?" he shook Angel's shoulder, but when the vampire winced even more, decided not to touch him until he would have no choice. "Look, it's.it's me, it's.Riley. I'm.I'm sorry, okay? It's my fault you're.oh, to Hell with that! I'm getting you out of here. They haven't done anything yet, and I'm not gonna let them, so I'm getting you out. Look, I.I'm gonna have to move you now. It will hurt you," he scanned his battered body fleetly, "a great deal. I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to move you a lot, or otherwise we're never getting out. Okay, I.I'm picking you up now," Riley embraced Angel from behind, under his arms, and the vampire cringed in pain, groaning. "I'm sorry," Riley murmured.

Glancing at his carefully synchronized watch, Riley nearly dropped Angel. Fifteen minutes. No, LESS than fifteen minutes! He had no chance to get them out the way he came. He had no chance to get them out at all.unless.

He slowly turned his gaze towards the second door that led into the cage, the one that connected it with the adjacent lab. He knew where the door of the lab opened. Psyche classroom.

The lab was empty, but the class. Riley glanced again at the door through which he had entered, then back at the one he was planning to escape trough. He had no other choice left but to game.

"Combination!" he hissed. "Dammit, what's the combination?!" Riley strove to recall the numbers he knew by heart only a few seconds ago. There was no time! "Shit!" he looked at his watch. Ten minutes. Riley retrieved a gun from his belt, and aiming it directly at the lock, shot. The computer blew up, and the door opened.

He picked Angel up again and dragged him into the lab.

From there, it was easy, because the door that led into psyche class was locked with a normal key that, as always, had been left inside the keyhole.

Riley let out a breath he'd been holding in, the second he closed that door behind him, and found himself in the dark classroom. His watch told him he had almost ten minutes left until the alarm. Almost ten minutes.

He needed help. He couldn't do this alone, there was no way.

He took a key out of his pocket, and used it to free Angel from his handcuffs. It would be a lot easier to cary him without his hands cuffed behind his back. He pulled Angel to his feet, and tugged him into another classroom, as far as he could down the hall. It'd buy him a couple of minutes.

Then he took his cell-phone and dialed. He didn't know Buffy and Angel's apartment's number, so he couldn't call there, but it was highly unlikely she would be there anyway. He called the Watcher, no answer. Willow's dorm, no answer, Oz's, the same.

"Dammit!" Riley whacked the floor he'd been sitting on in frustration. Then, again, picked up the almost lifeless body next to him, and towed him outside. Just as he was out of the building, a small beeper on his belt started to vibrate. The alarm was on.

Riley pulled Angel to the nearest place in sight they could hide, which happened to be a dorm building. Unfortunately for him, not Willow's.

Everyone seemed to be in their rooms, and not wandering outside, and Riley was inwardly grateful for that. Even though explaining the bruised man that lay next to him to whoever would want to know was a bridge he'd cross when he'd come to it, he preferred to never come to it. He had enough to worry about now. More than enough. For example, how to get them two of them through the commandos that were now popping up everywhere around campus. Preferably before sunrise. He tried reaching Buffy again, but it was no use. He tried all the numbers he could think of, he left numerous massages. No one was home.

From time to time, he briefly glanced at Angel. He didn't seem to be getting any better, and without even intending to, Riley was scared he would die. He abruptly realized just HOW MUCH he knew nothing about vampires. How do you know when a vampire is dying?.

The moment he turned off the cell-phone after another futile attempt to contact the Slayer, Riley's ears suddenly descried a fight outside. He slowly, careful not to reveal too much of himself, dared to look through the ajar door. It was Buffy. She was fighting several Initiative members, and with her were her Watcher, Oz, Willow and Xander, helping the best they could. Riley moved back from the door, inclining his worn out back against the wall, and closing his eyes for a second. NOW, what was he supposed to do?!

Buffy had to see him. She HAD to know he was there, because it was the only way to ever save her boyfriend. But if he tried making himself discernible to Buffy and her friends, he would also be detected by his colleagues, and then he'd be doomed.

Riley gazed at Angel. He was lying on the floor next to him, with absolutely no signs of life. Not that vampires had ever had them, but Riley was unconsciously searching for them in THAT vampire. She had come for him. Of course, she would come for him, Riley had known she would. He'd never doubted it, not for one second.

He looked outside again, his men were losing. Riley grinned inwardly, recalling Willow's words about never messing with the Slayer after harming her boyfriend.

The soldier who was fighting Oz was the nearest to the building, and Riley knew he had to go for it. He couldn't wait any longer. He checked his shocker, and was relieved to find it still charged. He closed his eyes momentarily, inhaling a deep breath, and ran outside.

He rapidly approached Oz and his opponent, and shocked him in the ribs before he could understand what hit him.

Oz stared at him in surprise, not really knowing what to do. He did come there with the purpose of fighting Riley, but he wasn't so sure about it anymore.

Riley, however, didn't have the time to wait for him to decide what to do, and he simply grabbed Oz's arm, pulling him into the building, hoping the few remaining commandos in the area were too busy fighting to notice him.

Once inside, Riley simply motioned at the still form of the vampire on the floor, and that single gesture explained more than any words ever could.

Oz kneeled next to Angel, checking his wounds. "You've enjoyed yourself, haven't you?" he observed coldly.

"I didn't do it!" Riley insisted.

Somehow, Oz felt the strange need to believe him. "Did you get him out?" he asked, his voice more sedate this time.

"Why do you think they're all out there? They're looking for me, and if they find me, I'm dead. Is he.okay?" he asked, in a quieter tone.

Oz shook his head. "No need to be a genius to know he isn't. What did they do to him?"

"Nothing. I freed him before they could do anything. They maybe took blood, stuff like that. Look, I'm not into it, okay? I don't know anything about that. My job is to go out and hunt hostiles, I don't know everything that's being done to them once they're brought into the Initiative. But I observed captives sometimes. I can recognize signs, and as far as I can tell, he wasn't harmed in that way."

"Oh, so he looks like that because they DIDN'T touch him."

"That happened while.while he was being captured. At least, some of it did." Riley looked down in mortification. "Some of the guys, they.they like.playing with the hostiles after they're brought in." he whispered.

"How?" Oz demanded.

"How should I know?" Riley threw his hands up in the air. "I wasn't there, dammit!"

Oz sighed. Having Riley as the one who'd saved Angel, he already didn't know what to think.

"Listen," Riley spoke again, "just get back out there and get Buffy. Tell her to stop the fighting, because she only draws more of the Initiative here, and that's the last thing we need, if we EVER wanna get him to safety. Just tell her to leave them alone and they'll leave her alone. She's just an obstacle, it's me they really want, so they won't waste their time on her if she's not in their way. Go get her."

Oz nodded, and left.

About ten minutes later, he returned, together with the entire gang.

"Angel!" Buffy cried out, her voice a mixture of happiness and horror, as she dashed to his side.

Riley stepped aside, not that he was visible to her in any way, and silently watched her as she tenderly cradled Angel's head on her lap, gently stroking is hair, and randomly kissing his face and head. It really seemed like everything and everyone else had ceased existing for her.

"Angel," Buffy said his name softly, kissing his forehead, "honey, look at me," she stroked his cheek, "it's me. It's Buffy."

"Buffy." he breathed out her name, so quietly only her ears could pick it up, and it looked like it cost him all of his strength.

"Thank God," she inclined forward, hugging him.

"Buffy," Xander's voice broke into her little world, "we gotta get him out of here. The soldier boys are gone, seems like they have something a lot more important to do than fight the Slayer."

"They're looking for me," Riley told them, and for the first time, everyone's eyes fixed on him. "And they hope that if they find me, they find him too. I'm a renegade now," he gesticulated with his head towards Angel.

"In other words, they want him dead," Oz elucidated.

Buffy looked up at Riley. She held him with her gaze for a while, until she abruptly averted her eyes. Slowly, she stood up, picking Angel up too.

The four men rushed to her aid, but eventually only Giles and Xander held him up, each one supporting him from one side.

"It'll be okay now," Buffy whispered to Angel, gently kissing his lips, before Giles and Xander carried him outside, and Willow and Oz followed. She remained by herself with Riley.

The two stood in an awkward silence for a few moments, before Buffy abruptly flung her arms around him.

Riley, that it wasn't even the LAST thing he'd expected, just stood still.

Buffy pulled away after a while, her eyes teary. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion and tears.

"Buffy, I.I'm sorry. I'm sorry for."

"Thank you," she interrupted him. "You saved his life, Riley, and no matter what you did in the past, what you did now overpowers everything. I will never be able to thank you for that. You didn't just save his life, you.you saved mine. I'm in an eternal debt to you, one I will never be able to repay. Thank you," she smiled, and started walking away.

"Buffy," he called after her.

She stopped, turning around to hear what he had to say.

"I." he looked down, then back up at her. "Can I come with you? They're looking for me everywhere. I.I have nowhere to go, if they find me."

Buffy nodded in consent, smiling, and proceeded towards Oz's van, where the rest were waiting.

Riley followed her.

On to Part Fourteen