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Title: Remember Me

Author: trixie firecracker

Rating: over all- NC 17

Disclaimer: don’t own them in any way shape or form. That honor belongs to Joss Whedon

Feedback: I would love it

Summary: Buffy and the Scoobies come to help Angel cause someone (of the big-bad variety) is back in town

REMEMBER ME

He was dreaming. He knew it, but he didn't care.
~cool sheets, golden hair...hot mouth, flesh glistening with sweat...~
"Angel!!!!"
It was a scream of terror. He sprung out of bed, wondering if it was a
part of his dream. He listened, and didn't have to wait long.
"ANGEL!!!!!!!!!!!"
It was Cordelia. Angel took only a second to pull on his boxers as he raced
up into the office and saw what had made her cry out his name.
"Darla?" he breathed, staring in disbelief at the cool blonde in the
doorway. Her pale skin shimmering in the faint light of the office, Darla
smiled at her offspring.
"Hello lover. I'm back."

******

"Your Dad's really cool," Riley Finn said to Buffy Summers as he stretched
out on the couch by her bed. She scowled at him. Why was he so earnest?
"He's all right," she replied. "For an abandoner that is."
Riley obviously chose to ignore that. "I mean, a partner at a law firm as
big as Wolfram and Hart. That’s hard work."
Buffy closed her ears off to the sound of his voice and leaned back to
rest her blonde head against a pillow. Being in LA was always strange. She
wasn't really getting along with her Dad. He was very wrapped up in the
whole lawyer thing, and to make matters worse, he adored Riley, when she
could barely stand him these days.
After the sort of fight they had over Angel, she wasn't sure if they would
reconcile. But he had pursued her unceasingly until he finally wore her down
and she agreed to let him tag along to LA.
Those things were bad, but they weren't what was wigging her out the most.
Every time she walked down a street she could feel Angel. His very presence
was palpable in the air, in the alleys, in the dark, shadowy places... she
could almost smell him... he was in her blood.
"I'm gonna call Giles, see whats happening down in Sunnydale," Buffy said.
She wasn't going to call Willow because she didn't have Tara's number and
that’s where Will always was those days.
"Giles? Hey, what’s up in Slayerdale?"
His tone was a little panicky, "Buffy... Angel called me."
She shot up so fast that she knocked her bedside table over. "What? Is he
all right? OH my GOD!"
"He's fine, he's fine," Giles assured her hastily. "But he may not stay
that way for long. IT seems that Darla has been resurrected."
Buffy sat back down with a thump. "Darla? You mean, schoolgirl outfit, bad
hair, Angel's sire, Darla?"
"Put quite simply, yes," her former Watcher replied. "It seems that some
sort of evil force has brought her back. Now, no one is sure why, but it
cannot be for good."
"I would think not," the Slayer said, her brain working fast. She had to
go to Angel.
"You must go to Angel," Giles reaffirmed her thoughts. "Willow, Xander and
I are coming up as soon as possible. We may need Willow's powers and of
course Xander..."
"To get donuts?" Buffy guessed.
"Precisely. You should go over to Angel's office immediately. He needs
your help. Apparently he didn't know you were in LA."
"I didn't think I'd stop in for a courtesy visit," she quipped, twirling a
long lock of golden hair around her finger.
"I'll see you soon Buffy. Be careful," Giles advised and Buffy smiled
fondly.
"I'll take care of myself," she responded, and they hung up.
Riley stood up. "What’s going on?"
Buffy’s head snapped up. She had completely forgotten about him.
"I have to go see someone," she answered.
He looked confused. "Who?"
"Angel," she said tersely. "He needs my help."
"What about me?" Riley whined and she stared at him in disbelief.
"You don't need it," she snapped. "And if you have that attitude, you
might not ever get it again."

*****
"So, Darla... what's hell like?" Cordelia asked gingerly, perching on the
edge of her desk, making sure her neck was covered by her hair.
"Delicious," the Vampire replied with her trademark drawl. She swung her
legs out and got up, moving towards Angel. "Still got a soul?"
Her offspring didn't even look at her. "Yes, and I'd like to hold onto
it."
Darla laughed cruelly. "I never said you wouldn't darling. But I will say
that it’s pathetic."
"You know, I think you should look up the definition of pathetic," a
familiar voice said from the door. Buffy leaned against the frame, clad in
her fighting outfit. Black leather pants and a black tank. She smiled
sweetly at Darla. "Cause there would be a drawing of you right next to it."
The woman vampire sighed. "So you're still the Slayer?"
" And stronger than ever, overbite," Buffy snapped, and Cordelia burst out
laughing, stopping abruptly when Angel glared at her.
However the expression on his face changed as he glanced at Buffy. "Thanks
for coming--" he broke off as Riley stepped into the room, and put his arm
around Buffy. He seemed to be daring Angel to say something, but the vampire
would have none of it.
"You know I had to," Buffy said to Angel softly, and their eyes locked.
For one sweet and telling moment, they were the only ones in the room,
communicating a silent message to each other through their gazes.
"Oh, this really makes me sick," Darla gagged. "Still the same. When are
you two ever going to stop?"
"They already have," Riley said in his best 'annoyed' voice. "Buffy and I
are together."
Darla giggled. "Who is this blond boy scout? Sorry honey, you may be a
stopover, but you'll come to know soon enough that these two are forever. I
found that out soon enough. In fact, my back still hurts from Angel's
stake."
"Wait a minute, if he staked you, how can you still be here," Riley
inquired, confused. Everyone ignored him.
"You shouldn't have come back Dar," Buffy said sarcastically, but with a
definite threat in her tone.
The woman strolled over to the desk and sat on top of it. "I do what I
please Blondie. Besides, I have some unfinished business with my son here."
Angel winced. Riley was flabbergasted. "You’re his mother?"
Again he was ignored. "What business?" the Slayer demanded, shaking
Riley's arm off her shoulder.
"Isn't it obvious?" Darla asked. "Oh well, I guess for the feeble-minded,
it’s a difficult concept to grasp. Angel's doing a little too much good work.
I've been sent to stop him..."
"Kill him," Buffy filled in grimly. She pulled out her stake. "Well, I
guess I'll just have to stop you then."
"Wrong again Slayer... I've got the Gem of Amara."
Angel shot out of his chair. "I destroyed that."
"Do you think the Powers that Be would let you do that my sweet one? No,
no, you only thought you destroyed it. You didn't. I have it, and there’s no
way I’m letting go of it.”

"You've got the Gem," Buffy repeated, searching Darla's slim fingers for
the telltale ring.
"Oh, I'm not wearing it sweetie," she smiled as Buffy raised her stake.
"Don't get too excited. I had it surgically implanted."
Every one's mouths dropped open as they realized the truth. Darla was
undefeatable. Buffy was the only one who bounced back quickly.
"Ooh... I bet that left a mark," she cooed.
The Vampire sidled over to Angel. "Not as big as the mark on your
boyfriend will be once I'm done with him."
"He is not her boyfriend!" Riley protested.
"Shut up Riley," Buffy snapped, annoyed with his outbursts at a time of
crisis.
Darla strolled over to the commando, running her hand down his arm. "Let
him speak. You know, he's a cute one- I think I should change him."
"Go ahead," Angel growled from the corner. Buffy couldn't help but smile
and then she remembered her duty and stopped herself.
"Get away from him Dar," she cautioned the vampire. "And while you're at
it, get the hell out of town before I make you."
"Honey, you can't make me do anything," she crooned, looking out the
window. "I'm indestructible."
"Oh yeah?"
With one swift kick, Darla went crashing through the glass and sailing out
the window. Everyone raced over to look out. Unfortunately they saw that
since it was only the third floor, Darla was fine, and at that moment,
racing down the street.
"At least she's gone," Buffy said, trying to be upbeat, although she felt
like screaming.
"Yeah, did anyone notice she kinda smelled?" Cordelia remarked, and went
back to her desk, sorting through papers.
Angel took Buffy's arm. "I don't like this," he said. "She's confident."
"Too confident," Buffy agreed. "She knows that she can complete the job.
That’s a bad. Someone brought her back. But who?"
"Wolfram and Hart is my best guess," Angel replied, staring into her eyes.
"WHAT?" she cried. "What are you talking about? My Dad works there now!"
Angel's face was shocked. He took a step back. "I'm sorry Buffy."
"What are you sorry for?" Cordelia snapped. "They're the ones who hired
Faith to kill you."
Buffy gazed up at him wordlessly, the horror in her eyes apparent to all
in the room. "I'm so sorry..." she whispered. "That my Dad would do this..."
"I don't think he had anything specifically to do with it," Angel hastened
to assure her. "He must not have known."
Riley, by this point, looked like he was about to explode. It had not
escaped his notice how wrapped up in each other Angel and Buffy were, nor
had what the vampire Darla said gone over his head. "I want to know," he
yelled, interrupting all the discussion. "WHO THE HELL IS DARLA???"
Every one stared at him, surprised, perhaps because they had forgotten his
existence. Cordelia looked at Buffy. "Who is this freakshow you've got for a
boyfriend these days? Kind of a step down from Angel, wouldn't you say
Buff?"
Buffy glared at her. "Cordy, please stay out of this. Riley, I don't
really have time to explain, so here’s the overview- Darla is a vampire-
she's Angel's sire. He staked her about three and a half years ago..."
"To save Buffy," Angel finished her sentence, their minds in sync. "And
then she wasn't heard from again. But it looks like someone has brought her
back so that she can introduce me to Mr. Pointy this time. Got it solider
boy?"
Riley's lips tightened, and he didn't answer. Buffy was about to admonish
him, when the door opened. In walked Giles, Willow (who Buffy rushed over to
hug), Xander (who Cordelia scowled at), Spike (who was wearing leather pants
and a pink shirt) and Anya (who made a snide remark about how she would
never work in a place 'like this').
"Spike," Buffy couldn't help giggling. "WHAT are you wearing?"
"Pink, actually," he took a swig out of a bottle that he was carrying. "I
like the color. It reminds me of blood."
"Shouldn't you be going for the red then?" Xander asked, staring overtly
at Cordelia, who was doing the same to him out of the corner of her eye.
"Shut your gob," Spike replied absently, looking at Willow oddly. She
didn't seem to notice and hugged Buffy again.
"We're so glad you and Angel are all right," the redhead enthused. "When
we heard that Darla was back..."
"What did she say?" Giles asked, staring out of the window pensively.
Buffy leaned against Angel momentarily. She was tired, and he felt it,
willing some of his strength into her. It worked. She smiled gratefully up
at him, and he smoothed the hair out of her eyes tenderly. Riley stared at
them pointedly, but neither of them paid any attention to him. "She said
that she was brought back to kill Angel. Seems someone thinks he’s a
do-gooder, that he ought to be killing humans, not helping them. Anyway, she
also has the Gem of Amara."
"What?" Giles turned around. "I thought you had destroyed it Angel."
"I thought I had to," the ex-demon responded, thinking hard. "But Darla
said something about that they wouldn't let me do that. It must have been
the Powers that Be. I don't know."
"Oh and one other thing," Buffy said. "She doesn't just have the ring.
It's implanted inside of her."
Giles looked worried. "Gulp," Xander said, "Giles has got his impending
doom face on."
Angel jumped into action. "Okay, Giles, Willow, Xander and Anya, I think
you guys should get a big box of donuts and start researching. There must be
some way to kill a demon with the Gem of Amara in their possession. Cordy, I
think you should be handling calls from our clients, but also look up all
our files on Wolfram and Hart. Maybe try and break into their site online.
And Buffy..." his face softened as he glanced down at where she stood by his
side. "You and I will patrol."
She smiled happily at the familiar thought. Patrolling with Angel by her
side... what could be more normal? She liked the way it was going. The
original Scooby Gang was back together again.
"What about me?" Riley asked, in a snit.
"You can stay out of everybody's way," Angel growled, as him and Buffy
went out the door.
"Or get donuts," Xander piped up. "I am starved."
Giles looked up from a book, "Get some jellies."

*********
    "Its quiet tonight," Angel mused, as he walked alongside Buffy down a
narrow LA street.
"It is," she whispered, not looking at him, feeling the backs of their
hands brush. It was so familiar to her- patrolling with him, except they
weren't sneaking kisses in the shadows or linking their hands together in an
embrace.
"I don't think we'll see Darla again tonight," he said, glancing around,
but also careful not to look at her.
Buffy agreed. "I don't think so either. She'll be laying low."
"I was certain I destroyed that Gem," Angel commented angrily, and she lay
her hand on his arm.
"I'm sure you did the best you could." Instantly she regretted the
impulsive action, removed her hand and decided to look at him. Their eyes
locked, and she felt her stomach melt, dissolve into pure desire.
"Thanks Buffy but I can't make excuses. I just hope Giles and Willow can
find something useful," he said, and then smiled slightly. "It was like old
times in there today."
A ghost of a smile appeared on Buffy's face. "I know, the Scoobies were
back. We haven't worked together like that in a while... not really since--"
She didn't finish the sentence but it still hung in the air,
         ...you left...
unspoken, unsaid but a palpable presence in itself.
"Buffy..." Angel began but suddenly a vampire jumped out of the darkness
and landed on the Slayer. She quickly did a back flip, dislodging him, and
pummeling him with her fists. It seemed to be an extraordinarily virile demon;
the beast hurled Buffy into a wall and winded, she lay on the ground,
panting. With a growl, Angel punched the vampire with all his strength, and
soon Buffy too joined the fight. They had their hands full, but after a few
moments they managed to hold him to the ground and dust him.
"God, that guy gave me the creepy," Buffy said, looking up at Angel. He
was staring down at where her sweat had seeped through her sleeveless top.
Shakily, Buffy took a breath and their eyes met.
   Without a word they fell into each other's arms, kissing with a ferocity
that would have stunned others, but left them still wanting more. Panting,
Buffy jumped up so her legs were around Angel's waist, never losing contact
with his hot mouth. He held her close, tracing the inside of her mouth with
his tongue, kissing her desperately, then moving onto her neck. He had the
urge to bite down as his teethe grazed over the spot he had drank from just
one year before.
She held his mouth to her vulnerable neck, whimpering as she felt him suck
hard on her flesh, trying to assuage his hunger for her blood. Pushing her
back against the wall of a nearby building, Angel's hands came down to slide
over her breasts with their straining nipples already waiting for his touch.
He growled low in his throat, bending his head to lave his tongue over one
nipple through the silky fabric, which slipped and slid with the movements
of her body. Buffy moaned, feeling his chest and back and arms with her
fingers, leaving nothing unexplored. "God Angel, take off my clothes," she
implored and he partially obliged, sliding his hands underneath her shirt,
molding and shaping her bare breasts with his possessive fingers.
"Angellll.." she murmured softly, and he picked her up, walking quickly
away from the wall. She looked at him with eyes sleepy with desire.
"What-- why'd you stop?"
"We couldn't do that there Buffy..." he muttered, taking a moment to kiss
her sweet lips. "I want to see you spread out on my bed. I want to see you
naked, not just feel you... I want to experience everything this time...hear
you call out my name, feel you underneath me... naked and wet and--"
He was cut off by Buffy's desperate kiss. He held her, stroking her
through the fabric of her clothes as they neared the office.

"What if people are still up?" she wondered, slipping her hand into his
shirt, tracing the muscles of his chest lazily.
"They won't be," he assured her. "There’s no lights on."
"Riley..." she suddenly remembered, but Angel didn't stop walking.
"Would you rather be with him?" was all Angel asked.
"NO," Buffy replied, kissing him with all the love in her soul. "I
wouldn't."
They took the elevator down to his place, giggling and kissing and
touching each other as best they could.
"Here we are," Buffy said, with forced bravado.
"Are you nervous?" he asked, as usual, reading her moods like they were
his own.
Buffy gazed up at him. "It's just that it’s been a long time since I've
been with you. I don't want to be a disappointment."
His eyes were tender as he cupped her face in his hands and said, "Buffy,
you could never disappoint me, not even if you tried."
She melted, laying her hands over his. "I love you."
"I love you," he answered, and they smiled, knowing that they were going
to have to discuss this sometime but that now, they just wanted to go with
the moment.
"I'm sweaty," Buffy said playfully. "Let's take a shower."
He grinned, and she giggled, pulling him along with her to the bathroom
area. She was glad to see it was clean, and turned on the water, removing
her clothes as she did so. Angel pulled her back against him once she was
naked, and cupped her breasts in his hands, lightly kissing the back of her
neck. She sighed, leaning fully back, and feeling her knees go weak.
As soon as the water was hot, the couple got in. Buffy moaned with
pleasure as the pounding jet of water caressed her aching muscles. "Kiss
me," she murmured to her lover. He complied, pressing her up against the
tiled wall with the force of his mouth, as he slipped his fingers between
her thighs and explored the wetness there.
She groaned, bending back as far as she could, supported by his arm, and
spread her legs so he could have full access to her. He smiled slightly, and
went down on his knees in front of her, sliding his tongue up her inner
thigh. Buffy gasped, her head falling back against the wall.
Using his tongue and fingers, Angel tormented her with licks and thrusts
until she was writhing against him, pushing herself closer and closer. Angel
wanted her to come. He wanted to feel it, every moment of it. He circled her
clit with his mouth, drawing it in deep, and using his fingers to thrust
inside her, creating a sensation he knew she adored.
"ANGELLLLL!" she screamed, fireworks exploding in front of her eyes as she
came, shuddering and panting with pleasure. "Please... I want to feel you
inside me."
Picking her up, Angel neglected to even turn off the water as he carried
her through to the bedroom, laying her sopping wet body down on the coverlet
and watching her spread her legs for him.
"Angel," she murmured, and he came down, sliding into her, filling her with
all of his strength.
"I missed that the most," he whispered against her lips. "Hearing you say
my name like that. Like you love me... like I'm the most important person in
the world to you."
"You are," she breathed, pressing upwards with her hips, causing him to
slide in deeper, harder. She moaned, "You are. Angel...please..."
As sweat poured from his skin, Angel pounded into Buffy's body with a
passion she matched. "Bite me," she growled and he growled in response, his
vampiric features taking over. She watched in fascination and desire for
something wilder, something even more different...
Angel's mouth fastened over the scar at the base of her neck, and he bit
down lightly, immediately feeling her blood seep into his mouth, filling him
with warmth. He thrust hard, and deep and came inside of her as her blood
filled his mouth. She gasped, feeling herself come, contract around him
powerfully, and then go limp with satiation.
"Buffy.." he muttered, his features returning to normal. Ashamed, he
stared down at the shallow bite in her neck, the trail of blood down her
breasts.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Ummm..." she said uncertainly.
"I think I better get back to my Dad's... its late."
He kept staring at the cut and the blood, wanting to kill himself for
doing that to her. "I'll walk you."
She held up her hand. "No... I'll be fine of my own. I have practice."

*****

"Who'd you do last night Buff?" Xander asked the Slayer as they thumbed
through past Watcher diaries, sitting in the office of Angel Investigations.
With them were Willow, Anya and Cordelia- who worked at her desk in silence.
Her head snapped up. "What?"
"Well, did you dust any pointy-ones?"
She smiled slightly in relief and looked down again. "Just one. No sign of
Darla though. We're not getting anywhere here. I think I've read the same
paragraph about three hundred times."
"Do we need donuts?" Xander wondered. "Cause I can get some more."
"That does seem to be your occupation..." Cordelia said cheerily. "You
know, you're designated 'useless one'."
Xander laughed with gritted teeth. "I'll choose to ignore that. So...
whaddya say, donut run?"
Willow glanced up from her laptop. "Yeah, Xander, go, go."
He closed the thick musty tome gratefully, grabbing his car keys as he
left the office.
Cordelia looked up from her paperwork in agitation. "I cannot work
anymore!"
"I second that," Willow breathed, shutting the laptop and sitting back to
rub her eyes.
"Willow, "Anya began. "What is going on with you and Spike?"
The redhead blushed. "He's being all weird. I don't know. Its freaksome."
"For all of us," Cordelia snapped. "What if you give him a happy and he
gets all evil."
"Um Cordy, that’s Angel," Willow reminded her. "Spike's already evil."
"Oh yeah," she said. "I keep forgetting. He's acting all normal."
"It's cause of the chip in his brain," Willow supplied.
"I think he'd be good in bed," Cordelia mused and everyone gaped at her.
She stared back nonchalantly. "Oh c'mon guys, he is so fuckable. All British
and nasty... that accent."
Anya sighed. "The only thing that turns me on is vengeance and I can't
have that anymore so..."
"Spike does it for me to," Willow giggled then turned red. "Well only in a
small way. A very miniscule way. You know who I used to have a crush on?
Giles."
"Yeah, he’s attractive when he sings," Anya said thoughtfully. "Speaking
of him, where is he?"
"At the library," a voice said from the doorway.
Buffy looked up at Angel and just as quickly looked down. He avoided
looking at her as well, going over to the desk and sitting on the corner.
"Find anything here?"
"Nope," Willow said regretfully. "Nothing about how to kill a vamp that’s
got the Gem of Amara. Maybe it's impossible Angel."
"I don't think so," he shook his head. "Nothing is foolproof."
Buffy got up and paced the room, still pointedly refusing to look in the
direction of her lover. "We have to find a way to take her out."
"Buffy..." Cordelia looked shocked. "What happened to your neck?"
Everyone stared suddenly at the bandage at the base of Buffy's smooth
tanned neck, which she had had covered by her hair up until that moment.
"Um..." she faltered, and was then saved. Riley entered the room just
then, in head to toe leather clothes.
"Um, Riley, what is with the leather? The sight is making me blind,"
Cordelia said witheringly. She was not a fan of Buffy's new man, and made no
secret of it.
"Hi Riley," Willow chirped, and he glanced at her momentarily before
looking at Buffy.
"Hey," he grinned at her, and then that faded as he took in the bandage.
"What happened to your---"
"Let's get moving people," Angel interrupted him, grabbing Buffy's arm and
pulling her along with him to the elevator. "Call down if you need us."
As they descended in the elevator, the air was choked with silence. Buffy
walked into the kitchen with her arms crossed, staring straight ahead. Her
back was rigid and unyielding.
"How are we going to explain that--" Angel inquired. She turned and
regarded him helplessly with her huge hazel eyes.
"Angel..." she began, "I don't want you to think that I didn't want what
happened last night. Because I did. I was just freaked out afterward by how
powerful it was. It brought me back to the day before Graduation... when I
had to heal you...just don't think that I didn't want you to, or that you
hurt me." She crossed over to where he stood and looked up at him.
"I shouldn’t have done it Buffy," he said tersely, the lines of his face
set in an expression of utter guilt.
"I asked you to," she reminded him, and he put his hand up to her neck,
sliding the tips of his fingers over the bandage.
"I thought I had hurt you... when I saw the blood... I felt so ashamed,"
he explained gruffly and tears filled her eyes.
"Last night was so beautiful," she murmured. "I wish it had never ended."
"We'll make another one like it soon," he promised and then could have bit
off his tongue as he remembered when he had said something like that
before...
"...I never want this day to end..."
"...We'll make another one like it tomorrow..."
A strange look flashed across her face, but then she shook her head as if
to clear it and smiled at him gently.
"I'll hold you to that."

*****

"Have you found anything yet Cordy?" Buffy asked as she thumbed through an
old musty Watcher diary without much interest.
Cordelia looked up from her paperwork. "Nope, and you know, you asked me
that two minutes ago."
"Sorry," Buffy replied sheepishly. "It's just that we need to find out
something... Angel's in danger."
"Angel's in danger?" Cordelia smirked. "Darla hasn't even shown up since
that one day. Maybe she liked life as a vamp again and went in search of
greener pastures."
"No, I don't think so," the Slayer responded, massaging her aching neck
muscles. "She must be getting a big reward for this. Angel's hurting a lot
of people."
"He is," Cordelia said, in a rare moment of seriousness that was not all
about her. "I'm worried about that. But I don't know if you should be
around... you know, giving him happies."
"I'm not---" Buffy began then broke off. "I mean, I'm not even sure if
we're together like that--"
"Angel!" Cordelia greeted the ex-vampire with a grin. "What’s the dire, you
don't look so good."
Buffy looked down. She knew he must have heard what she was saying, and at
that second, she wanted to sink into the ground and die. His face was
inscrutable, but she had caught the flash of hurt before he closed off.
"Buffy," he started carefully. "Something happened to Riley."
She was up out of her chair like a shot. "What? Did you do something to
him?"
"No," he said firmly, the look in his eyes one of disgust, and she
instantly felt ashamed. "I didn't, but it seems that your lover," he paused,
"went off in search of Darla, who found him, and tortured him with a hot
poker for a few minutes until he managed to escape. He's at the hospital."
"God, that boyfriend of yours is a real brainiac," Cordelia remarked but
they ignored her.
"I better go to him," Buffy said, grabbing her leather jacket.
"I'll go with you," Angel offered, and she looked up at him warily.
"I don't think that’s a good idea," she replied. "You might upset him even
more, and if he's hurt..."
   "Go," Angel answered. "Go to him."

****
    Buffy studied her father covertly as they sat down to eat in the hospital
cafeteria. He looked haggard, worried, bothered, but most of all, hungry.
She watched at he began to consume the mass of lasagna and Caesar salad on
his plate.
Buffy didn't want food. Her stomach was churning. And it wasn't because of
Riley. She wasn't worried about him anymore. Though he would have to stay in
the hospital for a couple days, his wounds were superficial, and he was
currently doped up on drugs for the pain.
"Dad," she began tersely, "what is with your new law firm?"
Hank Summers stiffened, taking another big bite of his lasagna before
answering. "What do you mean honey?"
"I mean, do you know about their habits of taking out people who are doing
some good in the community?"
"Buffy, its all for the greater good," her father told her gently,
starting on his cheesecake.
"For the greater--" she broke off angrily. "God, you are so delusional. Do
you know about Darla?" her voice got menacing. "About Angel?"
"Am I supposed to?" his lips tightened. "Look Buffy, this is no concern of
yours. The information is classified. Why are you even thinking about this?
You should be concerned about Riley for God's sake."
"Riley? God, Dad, do you care more about Riley then about me?" she cried,
her blond hair falling over her face as she bent her head. "I'm your
daughter."
"Buffy..." Hank answered, "this isn't about you. Riley is a good man,
he'll make you a good husband."
She jumped up, causing him to spill his milk down the front of his suit.
"Marry Riley? Now you've gone insane. There's only one man I could ever
marry---"
It hit her then. A revelation so strong, so true, it almost hurt. She
loved Angel. She always would love Angel. Riley was nothing to her. He never
could be... it was impossible. She had been Angel's since the day she met
him, and nothing would ever shake that. How could she have been so mean to
him today? All he wanted to do was help her, comfort her... ~and I pushed
him away~ she thought, her heart aching.
"I have to go Dad," she picked up her coat and ignored his protestations as
she swept out of the room like a woman on a mission.
Entering Angel investigations ten minutes later, Buffy stood in the
doorway for one sweet moment. Angel was alone, no sign of the others. He
worked at the desk, sifting through paperwork, giving no indication that he
knew she was there. But she knew that he knew.
"How's Riley?" he asked, confirming her thoughts.
"He's fine. In the body that is, in the brain... he may need some work,"
Buffy quipped, pushing away from the doorframe and walking over to the desk.
Angel still didn't look up, his neck stiff with tension.
"We still haven't found anything remotely useful."
"Why don't you forget about that for a while," she said softly, reaching
over to close the book. He glanced up, and saw the playful look on her face.
"Where are the rest of the Slayerettes?"
   "They're out for dinner," Angel answered, a ghost of a smile dancing on
his face. "What's going on?"
"SShhh..." she murmured, locking the door and throwing off her jacket. "I
want you to be quiet now."
She came around the desk, throwing one leg around him, straddling him
where he sat. Angel stared into her eyes, his hands on her tiny waist
automatically. "Buffy?" he questioned, as she leaned forward and kissed him
sweetly, passionately.
"Hush Angel..." she muttered. "Just know that I love you."
That was all he needed at that second. He pulled her firmly against him as
she leaned down, kissing his neck, removing his shirt, tracing the lines of
his firm muscles with her warm hands. He shuddered, and she felt his
hardness against her belly, causing it to melt, dissolve into pure desire.
Bending his head, Angel took off her shirt and immediately cupped her bare
breasts, using his fingers to stimulate her already rock-hard nipples. She
moaned, her back falling back on the desk. Angel's mouth closed over one
straining nipple, his tongue coming out to torture her, flicking teasingly
at first, then sucking hard until she thought she would scream.
There was no time for excessive gentleness, their bodies in such a frenzy
of lust that they tore at each other's clothes, Angel pushing her onto the
desk, spreading her legs and shoving into her wet, hot center. "Angel!" she
groaned helplessly, her head lolling back as he thrust into her, deeper,
harder, his face a mask of concentration.
She reached up with her hands, squeezing his arms, needing to touch some
part of him to make sure this wasn't a dream. He bent forward, kissing her,
moaning against her lips as his hand slid between them to stroke her
clitoris. She whimpered, as he felt and found her most sensitive spot,
caressing her until she came, in frenzied movements, seeing stars before
her eyes. Buffy almost passed out, it was so intense, but she was not so out
of it that she didn't feel the hot flood of Angel inside her, feel his arms
pick her up and cradle her against him as he slumped in the chair.
Moments passed as they recovered, the spell not broken until Angel gently
removed Buffy from his lap, pulling on his boxers and jeans. She smiled
sheepishly, locating her clothes and dressing.
"I don't understand.." Angel breathed and Buffy's hazel stare was on him
at once.
"What?"
"I was truly happy---" he said brokenly, tears on his face. "For just one
second... I know I was truly happy--- but nothing happened..."
"We have the answer to that."
Angel and Buffy turned at the sound of the voices...

"The Oracles..." Angel breathed as he stared at the man and the woman, garbed in
strange robes, looking at him placidly. "You were destroyed!"
"We have been brought back simply to deliver you a message," they
intoned, never looking at Buffy, who gaped at them, astonished. She wanted
to ask her lover who they were, but something stopped her.
"You soul is bound," they told Angel, "and the prophecy will come true one
day. You will be human. It will be soon."
"I don't understand-- I thought I had to go through Armageddon.." Angel
protested helplessly, but the Oracles shook their heads.
"The Powers that Be think differently. Soon..." was the last word they
chanted as they faded away. Angel fell back against the desk, too in shock
to even realize the implications of what Buffy had heard.
"What was that about?" she asked, in a deadly calm voice.
He looked up, his eyes pleading. "I was going to tell you Buffy... but--"
"What?" she snapped. "It slipped your mind? You forgot you were going to
have your biggest dream realized?"
"It's not that simple," he struggled to find the right words. "I didn't
want to tell you because I wasn't sure it would ever happen. I mean, they
basically said I had to survive about three million Armageddon’s to become
human..."
"I had a right to know," she said fiercely. "There was a time when I would
have been the first person you told."
"Yeah well there was a time that you're weren't sleeping with a blond guy
named Riley Finn, Buffy," he shouted. "How was I supposed to tell you? You
told me straight to my face that I was a mistake! How could I then say, 'oh
yeah, Buffy, I'll be human one day'"
"You should have told me!' she repeated, shaking her head, her throat dry
as she swallowed convulsively. "Angel.. you are my best friend... I want to
know when things happen to you..."
"We're not best friends anymore Buffy," he cried, standing up and pacing
the floor. "We haven't been for a long time. We're lovers, you know that.
We'll never be anything else... and I couldn't tell you. It was too hard for
me... it would have been to hard for you."
"I would want to know what we could have," she yelled and then got the
strangest look on her face. "I can't go on knowing what we might have had,"
she whispered, and looked over at the clock.
Suddenly it all came back to her. It was like a movie before her eyes-
that day, that forgotten day--
She slumped to the floor, sobbing, "I said I'd never forget... I said I'd
never forget... I said I'd never forget..."
Angel went down on his knees, trying to hold her shaking body, tears
coming to his own eyes as she flung him away, screaming, "WHY DIDN'T YOU
TELL ME???!!!!! God, Angel, HOW could you go on after that day?"
"It wouldn't have been fair to tell you, " he said quietly, staring
straight into her eyes, trying to will her to understand, but she would have
none of it.
"You could have been human!" she screamed. "And you gave that up! You
didn't even ask me! God, I can't believe I went home never knowing... God, I
said I'd never forget it... I said I wouldn't..."
"You couldn't control it Buffy..."
She cut him off by holding her hand up. "But you could Angel. You could
have told me. You had the power to change our lives... probably for the
better, but you didn't."
"I did it for you!" he shouted. "Can't you see that?!"
Buffy covered her face with her small hands and ran from the room. Angel
grabbed the clock from the desk, hurling it across the room with brute
force, as he sank to the floor, sobbing.

****

   "Giles!!" Willow screamed, running down to Angel's apartment, where the
ex-Watcher was getting a glass of orange juice. Startled, he dropped the
cup, watching the glass shatter and the citrus liquid spray down his front.
"Thank you Willow," Giles said wryly. "That is exactly where I wanted
that."
"No, Giles," she gasped for breath. "I found what it takes to kill Darla."
Giles blinked, shocked. "What? What could it possibly be that we've
overlooked?"
"We forgot to check that old Watcher diary... you know, that guy who liked
gardening?"
"Yes, stuffy fellow... never wrote about the job," Rupert sighed, taking
off his glasses to clean them with his shirt, then changing his mind as he
was reminded of the sodden material.
"Well, he did once," the redhead grinned. "At the end. He mentions the Gem
of Amara because people still thought it was a myth."
"Yes, it was, sort of like the Holy Grail."
Willow scrunched her brow in frustration. "I know, I know, you told us,
anyway, he writes about how there is only one way to kill the person with
the Gem of Amara in their body. Apparently a lot of demons thought that if
they swallowed it or something, they would be undefeatable."
"Yes, so what is the way to kill her?"
Willow looked sheepish. "It's a spell. In Latin, and I can't read it. We
should tell Buffy and Angel, but I can't find them."
"We shouldn't panic. I'm sure they'll show up. Besides, we have to get
this spell translated."
    *****
As Angel prowled the streets looking for Buffy, he felt his head begin
to ache. God he wanted to explain things to her, make her understand. In a
way he was angry, because he had given up everything for her and she
couldn't focus on that. Rationally though, he knew that it was more about
how he had taken the decision away from her again.
He couldn't find her anywhere. He couldn't feel her, didn't have that
tingle in his belly, the warmth in his blood, which was a signal that she was
near.
Finally, on impulse, he jumped in his car and headed for Sunnydale. An
instinct told him that was where she had gone. Once he was there he went
straight to the mansion. She was there... it was inside him, that pin prick
of a warning... it soothed him and energized him all at once.
"Buffy..." he said hoarsely, seeing her where she stood, before the
fireplace, staring into nothingness.
She didn't turn at first, her back rigid, as she commented dully, "I
should have known you'd know where to find me."
Buffy spun around slowly, facing him so he could see the mascara-smudged
eyes, tear-streaked cheeks, red mouth, mussed hair... he took a breath,
feeling every bit of the pain emanating from each pore of her body. "This is
where I killed you," she said painfully, touching the cold stone of one
wall. "Do you remember that."
"I remember everything Buffy," he answered roughly, walking towards her.
"You know that."
"What do I know?" she laughed without humour, raking her hands through the
snarls of golden hair cursing over her shoulders. "I don't even remember."
"Yes you do," he countered quietly. "You did remember."
"Not soon enough," she flung at him brokenly. "I said I would never forget
and I did. God, I went back and shacked up with someone new!"
His face tightened; "You can't blame yourself Buffy. The Oracles ordained
that I was the only one who would have any memory of that day."
"How could you do that?" she stared up at him, her eyes bruised with
betrayal. "How could you just go on... knowing what we could've had? What we
should've had?"
"I didn't have a choice," he grabbed her shoulders, making her look
straight into his deep gaze. "I didn't have a choice Buffy. What was I going
to do, make you suffer as well?"
"How could you?" she repeated, pressing her hand to his cheek, imploring
him to understand. "How could you ever have gone on after that day... how
could you have given up being human... for me?"
"Buffy..." he breathed, "you know why. I love you."
"That’s not enough," she shivered, faltering. "It's-- it can't be enough.
To give up..."
"It is," he said firmly, cupping her face in his large hands, stroking the
curves of her tear-stained cheeks softly. "You understand. I know you do,
but you just don't want to. I love you Buffy. That may sound small, but it’s
everything. The Oracles told me you would die if I became human... and I
asked myself, how could I ever take my dream when it means she will die? And
then it came to me, that my dream is to have a normal life with you, not
without you. Buffy... if you weren't in this world, there would be no point
to it, not joy, no light, no rainbows... nothing worth living for."
She sobbed softly, kissing him gently, with all the love she felt at that
moment. They wept, holding each other, giving each other strength.
Buffy pressed her hand to his chest, smiling.
"Some day your heart will beat."

********

"Don't drive fast," Buffy whispered, snuggling against Angel's shoulder as
they shot down the freeway to LA very early the next morning. He glanced
down and smiled softly at her, able to hear her even over the roar of the
wind. "I don't want to get back yet."
His lips curved as he tried to concentrate on the road, but mostly inhaled
the sweet scent of her hair... it was like vanilla, honey and sunlight... a
smell uniquely Buffy. "I could turn around you know," he told her, dropping
a light kiss to her forehead. "We could disappear up the coast."
She realized he was joking, but a part of her reveled in the thought of
vanishing with him, forgetting their former lives, living for each other...
she sighed, knowing it was an impossible dream.
"Can I keep dreaming?" she responded sleepily. "This is too perfect too be
real."
Angel felt as if his heart would explode from happiness. He could never
love her more than he did in that moment. But then she tilted her head up
and kissed him sweetly on the lips, and he was forced to rethink his earlier
thinking. "I love you," he murmured.
"Always..." she vowed softly, falling asleep with a tiny contented smile
on her face. Angel drove carefully, not wanting to wake her from whatever
dreams her mind was weaving. He knew no peace awaited them back in LA.
As they drove into the city, she slept on. Angel pulled into the parking
lot below Angel Investigations before sunrise and lifted her up, carrying
her into the building.
"OH MY GOD!!!!!" Willow screamed as the couple entered the office. "What
happened to Buffy?!"
Angel winced, saying, "Buffy is asleep, so sshhh..."
"To late," the Slayer groaned, rubbing her eyes and then looping her arms
around Angel's neck. "But can I still stay right where I am now?"
He smiled, with teeth. Willow even double taked at the brilliant sight.
"Sure you can love."
Willow grinned somewhat sleepily. "So you guys are back on, huh?"
"Oh yeah," Buffy giggled, as Angel sat down and kept her on his lap. "So
you must be still up for some reason, did you find anything?"
Willow clapped a hand to her forehead. "YES! I am so scatterbrain-girl. Me
and Giles found a spell to defeat Darla."
"You did?" Buffy enthused, glancing at Angel happily. "Where? We looked
everywhere."
"Member that Watcher who liked gardening?"
"Yeah, he was a flower-fan. He liked beets to," Buffy chirped, and Willow
shook her head.
"Didn't just like beets. He liked spells to. I found it by chance. Anyway,
it’s a potion. I'll mix it up, and all you have to do is get Darla to drink
it."
"Oh that’s all?" Buffy said snarkily, and looked at her lover when he
squeezed her hand.
"That's not going to be easy," he confirmed seriously. "Darla's pretty
smart."
"Yeah, but she's also feeling very cocky," the Slayer mused, tapping her
booted foot against Angel's leg. It was starting to hurt, but he kept his
mouth shut. Having her sitting on his lap talking about battle-plans was so
familiar he could have wept. As it was he wanted to go up to the rooftops
and shout that she was his, and that she always would be.
"I think we could use that to our advantage," Buffy announced, smiling
down at the ex-demon with a glint in her eye. "Wanna go downstairs and
discuss you know... battle stuff?"
"Yeah, I think that'd be good... we should talk about that... stuff."
Willow laughed to herself as the couple booted it on out of the office and
practically sprinted to the elevator.
****
"So all we have to do is get her to drink this?" Buffy said, doubtfully
holding up the clear bottle filled with a mysterious clear potion. "Should
be a snap if Dar's as stupid as I think she is."
"Be careful Buffy," Giles said, and she looked at him with apparent
daughterly love.
"I will you worry-wart. I'll be fine. I took out Darla before, I can do it
again."
"Are you taking credit for my kill?" Angel came up behind her, wrapping
his arms around her waist.
She laughed, leaning into him. "No, fine, but I did help."
"I'll let you do it this time," he murmured in her ear and she grinned.
"So romantic."
The door opened and in walked Xander and Cordelia, mid-lip-lock. As they
saw everyone standing there, they broke apart, frantically rubbing their
mouths. "God Cordy, stop kissing me!!"
Cordelia's lips opened in shock. "It was you who was mauling me!"
"Relax guys," Buffy ordered, "We so already knew you guys were being all
kissy-face again."
"Oh," Xander relaxed, then tensed up. "How did you know?"
"You were fighting," Angel remarked. "That's a sure sign. Plus, Cordy,
your lipstick was always smeared. I didn't want to say anything."
"Okay, Angel, we should head on out," Buffy cut in, grabbing her bag of
weapons and looking in on where Spike and Willow sat, making out in the next
room. She restrained herself from asking WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING??? as
she knew that they had been flirting for a while. "Have fun you guys!" she
called happily, and they mumbled in response.
"Do they ever come up for air?" Xander wondered, peeking in himself.
"I don't know but its disgusting," Cordy groused, and then she and Xander
snuck looks at each other. "Want to go downstairs?"
He nodded swiftly. "Let's do that."
***
As Buffy and Angel walked through the sewers and neared the warehouse where
Darla had set up shop, they slowed their rapid steps. "So we've got the
plan," Buffy scrunched her brow, looking up at him. "A sucky plan , but oh
well, you can't win em all."
"It'll work," he grabbed her, kissing her fervently, holding her as close
as she could be. When he let her go, Buffy's knees felt weak.
"Way to disable me before battle," she griped playfully, shaking her head
as if to clear it and following him as they stealthily entered the warehouse
through a back way.
"Hey Darla," Buffy shouted, seeing the vampire reclining on a chair next
to a window flooding in sunlight. The demon sat up, squinting as she stared
at Buffy.
"God, you really are ugly Darla, and squinching your cheeks won't help,"
Buffy grinned, keeping the vamp busy as Angel carried out their weak plan.
God, this will never work, her brain screamed, but she kept on advancing
towards Darla.
"Slayer," Darla hissed, looking bored. "What do you want? You can't kill
me so is there a purpose to this visit?"
"Yeah, see I got a little problem with you wanting to kill my boyfriend,"
Buffy twirled the stake in her hand, and Darla smiled evilly.
"That was fun... the poker and all..."
"No, freakshow, not that one," Buffy quipped, "My real boyfriend. My
future... My Angel."
Darla's whole body stiffened, and Buffy knew it was because she hated
anyone referring to Angel as their's. She still thought of him as hers.
"And I was thinkin'," the Slayer tilted her head, "I don't believe that
you're invincible."
"I am little girl," Darla crooned, preening under the bright light of the
sun. "See the tan I've got? I'm on my way to skin cancer as we speak."
"That might actually be an improvement," Buffy said smoothly. "But sorry
Dar, can't really believe that nothing would kill you."
"I am indestructible," the vampire snapped, and Buffy realized happily
that Darla really was stupid and cocky and their plan actually might work.
"Oh Yeah?" Buffy crossed her arms and looked skeptical. "Prove it
overbite."
Darla's red lips tightened with anger and she picked up the first thing to
reach her attention. A bottle of holy water. Licking her lips, she chugged
it back, smacking the bottle down again with a grin.
"See?" she winced as she swallowed the water. "A little tingly but it went
down fine--" she stopped as she felt it. A strangely familiar feeling.
"Wrong again," Buffy cooed. "So stupid Darla, gotta think about it for a
second... why would there be a bottle of holy water in your place? Oh yeah,
cause me and Angel brought it. But you know what's inside? A very special
potion. It's gonna send you right back where you belong."
Darla's lips curled in a snarl as she crumbled into dust, and Buffy
grinned, glad to be rid of that particular thorn in her side. "Let's go
home," she said wearily to Angel, who stepped out from behind a couple of
huge crates, taking her in his arms and holding her close.
****

"That tickles," Buffy giggled, "And besides, shouldn't you do that
downstairs? You know where we're not in full-view of anyone who might walk
in? That door isn't even locked."
He shrugged and she pulled his face back to her neck again, "I know, I
don't care either."
As they kissed against the wall of the main office, Angel's game face came
on as he nuzzled her neck, and ran his tongue over the spot where he had bit
her before. She moaned softly, and he grinned. "Ya like that?"
Suddenly and without any warning, the door opened and Riley and Buffy's
father strode into the room. When they saw the entwined couple, they
stopped, rooted to the spot in shock.
"God, why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer," Buffy squawked, as
Angel straightened her clothes like the gentlemen he was.
"What are you doing with that freak?" Riley burst out, and Buffy took a
warning step towards him. Hank Summers held up his hand, saying, "Buffy, I
am your father and I love you, but I want to know what you're doing kissing
a... vampire?"
"Spoken like a true member of the Wolfram and Hart clan," Buffy snapped.
"Get out Dad," she sneered. "It's none of your business."
She turned to Riley next, her face softening ever so slightly. He really
deserved better than this. But she couldn't give him that. "I'm sorry Riley,
but what I want is Angel. I can never love you the way you want me to. I'm
sorry."
He looked like he might cry, but then asked snarkily, "Well what about
Kate? Yeah, Spike told me all about her."
"Kate?" Buffy questioned, and Angel looked at her helplessly. There was no
way he was going to talk about this in front of Riley.
"She's Angel's girlfriend," Riley said with rancor. "Did you know about
her Buffy?"
"Get out Riley." She pushed him out the door with as much force as was
needed, turning around to face Angel dead-on.
"Who's Kate?"

"Tell me who the hell Kate is before I kick your ass," Buffy warned her
lover, crossing her arms and looking at him expectantly.
His face tightened, became angry, closed off. "What about Riley?"
"That is different and you know it," she snapped, "Tell me who Kate is
Angel."
"She's a Police Officer that I work with," he answered, looking down.
"We've gone out a few times but that’s all."
"Did you sleep with her?" Buffy asked in a very small, scared voice,
playing with a loose thread on her shirt. His head shot up and he looked her
straight in the eyes.
"No, love, I didn't."
"But I slept with Riley," Buffy commented rather inanely but Angel seemed
to take pity on her as he came forward and scooped her up into his arms.
"Yeah, you did," he confirmed raggedly. "But I pushed you away and I don't
blame you for finding someone else."
"But we found our way back to each other." Her voice was low, painful. He
kissed her gently.
"We always will Buffy," he assured her, kissing her again.
"Mmmmm..." she murmured. "There was almost nothing about this day I didn't
like."
"We'll make another one like it tomorrow," he responded quietly,
meaningfully and she winced.
"God, Angel, I forgot that. I can't believe it. It must have been so hard
for you... to go on, knowing what could've been..."
"It was hard," he admitted roughly, brushing his lips over hers in a sweet
caress. "But it would have been far harder living in a world without you."
"I forgot you," she breathed, holding him close. Bringing her hand up to
his face, she slowly started to trace the lines and contours of it with her
fingers, first his forehead, then down to his eyelids, along his cheekbones
and nose to his lips... tears ran down her face as she smiled at him, a
smile of profound joy. Buffy had seemed so lost since he left but in that
moment she looked so... found that Angel's heart rejoiced.
"But you remembered," he said softly and she pressed her forehead to his.
"Yes," she whispered, "I remember you."

END!! Hope you liked it. Give me a shout and tell me what you thought about the fic. I really love to hear your opinions!