Tomorrow's Light

by Skylar

Disclaimer: Joss and company own everything.

Note1: This story incorporates a lot of ideas and information from various movies and shows other than just Buffy and Angel, (The Crow, Blade, Interview With the Vampire, the WWF, just to name a few). Trust me, everything comes together pretty well, and if you really think into it, everything could've made sense on either show.

Summary: Angel returns to Sunnydale to reconcile with family- both present and past.

Spoilers: Everything before the musical on BtVS, and Darla was never brought back on A:ts

Rating: I'm gonna go with PG-13, just to be safe.

Note2: I've made a few changes for my story. First, Riley and Parker were never in the picture. Since Angel left, Buffy's only had some meaningless dates. Spike doesn't love Buffy and doesn't hang around so much; Angel, not Dru, was the one to actually sire Spike, and like I said before, Darla wasn't brought back, but Angel is still extremely depressed and stressed out in LA.

Note3: Words in between '' are a person's thoughts, and in between ~ ~ represents memories/flashbacks. I've thrown in a bunch of different songs here. Some I just took a few lines from because they seem to express things better than I could write them. "Thinking About Forever" is by P.O.D., "Gone" is by From Zero, "I Don't Want to Live Without You" is by Gregg Tripp, "Greater Than/Less Than" is by Saliva, "Running Out Of Time" is by Ozzy Osbourne, and "Home" is by Duncan Sheik.

Distribution: Want it- take it. Just let me know where it's going. Feedback: I'd appreciate it. But don't be too harsh. It may warp me for life.

Now I know what it means to live for someone else

To give up yourself

Things have changed, at times get kinda strange

Your love remains the same

"Angel?" Buffy continued her walk through the darkness, calling out for her beloved. She cautiously approached the water's edge that lay before her. As she closed in nearer, flames began to rise up out of the water. She waspulled back suddenly before the flames could reach her. "Angel?" she asked, feeling a cold hand on each of her shoulders. She quickly turned around, but it wasn't Angel that she found.

"It's only after we've lost everything-" the taller of the two long blonde-haired men began...

"-that we're free to do anything." his younger brother finished for him.

Out of nowhere, Joyce Summers emerged from behind the brothers. "Buffy...Buffy, what are you waiting for?"

"Mom!" Buffy awoke with a start, still feeling the icy hold the two men had on her as they turned her around to deliver their message. Glancing around her room, still shaken by the dream, she attempted to get back to sleep. "Uggh...at least when I was dead I couldn't dream any more of these doom prophecies."

******

As the rest of the city slept, the two vampire brothers walked the length of the dock, silent as the grave, scrolls in hand, as they set out to begin the ritual. Finally reaching the edge of the dock, they began to recite.

-Aaccaal Alaan Draa...

-Dotre Diem Bray...

-Aaacaal Naapraa...

They watched, as with their final words a ring of fire began to dance upon the murky water, and they awaited the rise of their fallen comrade. After a few moments, they watched as the figure rose out of the rumbling vortex created in the water, animated by an unknown force, an earth-shattering scream escaping her mouth. Struggling in her swim, she pulled herself over to the closest pillar and began to climb the rotted wooden ladder along the side of the pier. Finally reaching the deck, she gasped for air, coughing up water with her last bit of strength as she collapsed at the feet of her "saviors".

******

Fragments of the sun's beams broke through the window, quickly rousing Buffy from her sleep. Slowly, she stretched out and looked over on her nightstand to check what time it was. "Nine?? On a Saturday??" She groaned as she rolled back over under the covers. "This has got to be the earliest I've ever gotten up on a weekend." Just as she was slipping back into the first good sleep she'd had over the past few weeks, she heard Willow at her door. "Hey Buffy," she knocked, "want any breakfast? We decided to all meet up at the café. Start some plans for Xander and Anya's wedding. Then afterwards we're gonna start decorating the house for Christmas. Even though I'm Jewish, I figure I'll help you Catholic folk with your little tree decorating tradition," she chuckled.

"I can hardly contain my excitement." She ducked her head out from under her pillow as Willow entered the room.

"Come on. Out of bed," she ordered, dragging her out by her arms. She waited for her to get dressed before leading her to the stairs, Buffy's eyes still closed, not wanting to face the day. "We're coming to stairs, I suggest you open your eyes," Willow joked.

"All right, all right. The sooner we get done breakfast, the sooner I go back to bed."

"You that tired?" Willow asked as she, Tara, Dawn, and Buffy walked to the local café. "Rough night?"

"Mmm. Managed to dust a few, no biggie. Afterwards though, Giles went into lecture-mode about some stuff he started researching after he got a call from Wesley."

"Wesley called? Anything wrong? I mean, is Angel...?"

"He's fine, Will. Actually, it had nothing to do with him," Buffy said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. It had been two weeks since she and Angel met, and she still kept replaying it over in her mind at least a thousand times each day. "Something about some 'grave, impending danger' lurking on the horizon."

"Same old, same old?" laughed Dawn.

"You know it. Happy as ever at happy house. Things were too quiet around here anyway. I've been needing to dish out a good ass-kick-"

"Owww! Oh, jeez, sorry," Buffy apologized to the fallen party of the head-on collision, rubbing her forehead. Being so caught up kidding with her friends, she hadn't noticed the young girl running, turning the corner of the next street. "Here," she offered her a hand, which the girl took. "You okay?" At her nod, Buffy began a closer inspection of her. The girl couldn't have been more than 20.

Dressed all in black, she was dripping wet from her shoulder-length black hair to her boots. Patches of what looked to be a mixture of blood and mud covered her black shirt, slashed from end to end and having two of what seemed to be large bullet holes. Her face, somewhat pale, held a blank expression, and her eyes…the only other time she had seen eyes so dark were Angel's. The only other thing she could make out on the girl was the silver charm dangling from the chain around her neck- "Nice cross," Buffy smiled. "You sure you're okay?" The girl slowly nodded again, pulling herself up completely and dashing off again down the street, stumbling slightly as the others watched her in the distance.

"Oookay. That ranks up there with weird," said Dawn.

"So what else is new?" answered Tara. "She had a nice ankh though."

"Tara, please, watch the language. We've got a kid with us," Buffy said, motioning towards Dawn. "I swear Willow, you are such a bad influence on her. You're warping that innocent mind."

"Haha," Willow replied, taking Tara's hand once again. "She's talking about the cross around her neck. Technically, it's an ankh- it's a symbol for life."

"Lovely..." Buffy sighed. "So, who's cooking Christmas dinner this year...?"

******

I'm on my way, alone inside

If I could just have another wish

Then maybe you wouldn't have died

Give me reasons tell me lies

The truth be told no one to believe

Can't follow you and don't ask why

Cause you've gone, yes you've gone

To the other side

"You're sure the vision showed Buffy?"

"This one was the strongest I've ever had. I could see Buffy so clear...and another girl. There were gunshots, a rope, a huge cage...a lot of water...and you and Spike were both in it- with these other two guys...both vampires." Nodding his head in approval, Angel quickly grabbed his bag. "Okay, explain this to me again, because I'm still not getting this whole thing." Cordelia was sitting on her boss' desk, watching her co-workers as they scrambled about, gathering weapons and books. Anything they could get their hands on to help them.

"Look, you guys really don't have to come. We're not even sure if they've managed to do this yet." Angel slipped into his leather jacket, glancing over his shoulder to check the clock. 5:31pm. Sundown was a few minutes away and he wanted to head out as soon as possible.

"But they can. That's all that matters, right?" Gunn said, anxious to get going as well.

"Hello? I'm definitely coming, but I just don't-"

"Then just get some clothes, pack a bag, and let's get going, Cordy."

"And you expect me to ready in a few minutes?" Noticing the sharp looks directed towards her, she quickly began gathering her own things. "Why clothes? This isn't going to count towards our Christmas vacation time, is it? Wait...do we even get vacation time for Christmas?" Ignoring her for a moment, Angel turned his attentions to Wesley. "You phoned Giles, right?"

"I told him as much as I could-"

"And I'm still doing more research-" Fred chimed in. "According to everything we've already found, the ritual can't take place without the ankh-"

"Let's just hope they didn't manage to find it before we could." With that, they finally packed into Angel's new black Benz and headed towards Sunnydale.

******

It was a slow day at the magic store. Halloween and Thanksgiving had come and gone, with their share of problems, of course. Anya and Xander were now in the clear without distractions to begin plans for their wedding. The gang was gathered around their table in the closed shop to talk about arrangements for the big day.

"Honey, are you sure about wanting to get married in a church?" Xander questioned. "I mean, that's a little too normal to be...well, normal." Anya, caught up in everything, simply kissed him on the cheek and continued. "Now I have my gown but you still need to rent your tux, so I guess pretty much the only things left are the invitations. Ooooh...plus the catering, the cake, the reception- ugh. We've got a lot to do Xander. Xander? You okay sweetie?" Everyone had taken notice over the past week of Xander's semi-panic attacks whenever new plans for the wedding came up. It wasn't that he didn't love Anya and wanted to get married. That was one of, if not the only thing he was sure of in life. But just the thought of all the preparation was enough to make his head spin. "Yeah. Oh, I'm fine. See..." he pointed to his face, "...happy camper. All smily teeth and dimples."

"Speaking of teeth," Buffy interrupted, getting up from her seat, "I'd better get going. Do a few sweeps. You," she said, pointing to Dawn, "home by 10:30."

"Eleven?"

"10:45."

"10:50?"

"What's an extra five minutes going to be?" Giles asked, still bewildered by teenagers after all these years.

"Fine, eleven. But straight home with Tara and Will, k?" At her nod, Buffy started her walk towards the door.

"Wait up Buff," shouted Xander. "Sweetie, I'm gonna tag along tonight with Buffy," he said to his fiancee, gently leaning over her shoulder to give her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I'll meet you at home. Love you."

"Love you too. Be careful." She watched as Buffy and Xander left for the graveyard, Giles slouched over the counter with his books, Willow and Tara were caught up with each other, and Dawn had taken off god knows where. "Okay, is anyone going to help me with my wedding, or is this a one ex-demon job?"

******

"Just wanted to get away again, huh?"

"Ya know me too well Summers," Xander chuckled.

"Wuss," she flatly stated, nudging him with her elbow. They began their walk to the cemetery along the sleepy, empty streets of their town.

Meanwhile, the now fully powered force inhabiting the abandoned mansion that once served as a safe haven to one of their own, began to set their plans into action.

"Who are you?" the young girl asked, curling herself into a ball on the ground. She had found her way back to the mansion after initially running off from the docks.

"We're family, Ashlan." Their leader bent down to pull her into a sitting position.

"Edge?" She looked at him with longing eyes, not knowing what to make sense of anything.

"We're both here," spoke Edge's younger brother from aside. "You'll be alright. It's been awhile," he chuckled.

"Spike? Angelus? They're here too?"

"Unfortunately, they've had a change in priorities. No matter though. It's of no great consequence. You'll see them soon enough.

"How did I survive, Christian?" She was becoming even tenser, eyes darting around the mansion, still not understanding how she came to be where she was.

"You didn't...but we brought you back..."

"No!" Ashlan pushed herself up off the cement floor and backed against the wall, yelling wildly. "This isn't real! This can't be! I- I'm still- but I can't be-" she finally collapsed to the floor, holding her head in her hands as the images of her own murder played out in her mind. The five gunshots ringing out in her ears, the taught rope wrapping around her body, the feeling of the icy water engulfing her as she was tossed over, and the pure hatred for the brother who watched her fate befall her. The two blonde brothers approached her, gathering her up and pulling her into the corner. "There's a reason why you've been brought back, Ash," Edge said. Her eyes, which were just moments ago filled with anguish and fear, now sharply focused on the two young vampires before her. She knew...and she knew what was going to be done.

******

"Slow night you two?"

"What is it about you vampires sneaking up on people," Xander asked, startled by Spike's appearance.

"Best way to play the game," he replied, smiling. "I've been out here for awhile now. Bagged three already. You?" he asked Buffy.

"A couple," she replied, looking towards the ground.

"How many's a couple? Two?" At her silence, he continued. "Three?"

"Do we hear four?" The three turned around to see the owner of the new voice. Before he knew what happened, Spike's head came into blunt contact with a hard kick to the face. Surprised to now be on the ground, he glanced up only to see Buffy on the receiving end of another swift kick. She fell backwards ontop of him, holding her jaw and watching Xander as he tried to put up a fight against the young girl.

Not being any match, Xander was promptly thrown ontop of his two friends, knocking all three to the ground. The girl turned around, standing over top of them with piercing eyes. Finally able to get a good look at her, Spike pulled himself up. "You?" He nervously pointed with a shaky hand to the leather-clad girl. "Yeah," she finally spoke, grabbing him by his jacket. "...me."

She began punching away at a still-shocked Spike as Buffy made her way over to them. She managed to pull her off of him, spinning her around to deliver her own devastating kick. The girl's head was knocked off to the side a bit, but she quickly recovered, smiling with the fact that the blow had no effect on her. "Is that everything the all-mighty Slayer's got?" she began to laugh, grabbing Buffy by the throat, raising her in the air and slamming her against the nearby Mausoleum. Being face to face with her, Buffy finally realized that she recognized the now vicious face from earlier that day.

Buffy struggled for air, as the young girl's grip became tighter and she slipped into her vamp face. Not wanting to prolong the moment, the girl quickly raised her right arm, from which a small glowing dagger suddenly appeared. As she reached back, she found that her arm had been caught in mid-air. She glanced over her shoulder only to be punched and flipped backwards to the ground.

Finally free from the massive grip, Buffy slumped to the ground to find Angel standing before her, waiting for the girl to get up. Spike and Xander rushed over to help Buffy up, intently watching when the girl finally got up, dagger still in hand. Laughing to herself, she turned to face them. "Well, well, well...family reunion, eh you two? she asked the two vampires.

"Ashlan?" Spike asked, not willing to believe what he was seeing.

"Does the corpse have a familiar face? And here I thought you would've forgotten all about me," Ash said, a faint Irish accent to her voice. "What the hell did you do to your hair? Looks like a shredded cream puff, Spike," she laughed. She kicked Spike to the ground again, turning her attentions to Angel. "And aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Angelus. Now your hair isn't half bad...isn't half good either."

"They killed you, Ash," Angel blankly said. "You're dead."

"Sorry to disappoint you," she wickedly smiled. Ash stabs him in the stomach twice, leaving him hunched over, grabbing his stomach. She chokes Angel against the Mausoleum with her boot; Angel grabs her boot, trying to break free as Ash grits her teeth. She removes her boot from his throat, replacing it with her dagger. She finally releases her chokehold, knees him in his ribs, and slices him across his chest with the dagger. She picks his limp body up, hurling him against the marble wall. Tossing a last glance at the other three, she slowly walks off, but turns around as she sees Angel shakily get up. "Oh Angelus, a little something for you until next time-" and with that she threw the dagger, making direct contact with his chest.

"Angel!" Buffy yells, struggling over to his prone body. Xander makes his way over as well, helping Buffy to lift him up.

"Good god," Spike barely whispers, watching as Ash makes her retreat, literally disappearing into the air before his eyes.

******

"You're lucky she missed your heart," Giles said. Cordelia, Gunn, and Fred had headed straight to see Giles once they arrived to do more research as Angel went in search of Ashlan. Everyone made their retreat back to Buffy's house. Giles had taken the dagger out of Angel, and was now bandaging his deep wounds.

"She's always had bad aim," he chuckled softly, trying to make light of the situation.

"So I take it this was the 'grave, impending danger' you were talking about, Wes?" Buffy asked from her seat next to Angel on the couch.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid so. We had hoped that they wouldn't have been able to bring her back, but now that they have, we've got a nightmare in the making," the former watcher said.

"Tell me about it. She almost took my head off with that kick. Tossed us all around like ragdolls. Angel," she turned to face him, "who was that?"

"It's a long story," he sighed.

"We're not going anywhere," she gently smiled.

"Her name is Ashlan O'Halloran...my sister."

Part two

"Sister?? I never knew you had a sister." Buffy always knew that he hated talking about his past, especially his family.

"I told you before, some lies are necessary because the truth is more painful."

"And as of right now," Spike chimed in, "we're in for about as painful as it gets."

"Well wait," Tara said, "if she's your sister, than she'd have to be a vampire too, right? But then...how..., how was she out in daylight earlier this morning?"

"She's a hybrid- only half vampire," Angel explained.

"I'm assuming you were her sire?" Giles asked.

"In a roundabout way...I'm the one responsible." He braced himself for the painful memories he was about to dive into. "When I was first turned, my family...my family were the first people I... My mother-" he paused, trying to maintain his composure as he continued- "my mother was pregnant at the time when I was changed. I returned home that night, and she was the first person I attacked. I drained her... to the point of death, before feeding off of the rest of my family. It was a few days later that I learned that my Aunt had come by later that night and found my mother, barely alive, but the trauma had induced her labor. She finally died after giving birth."

"Man, there were some weird names back in your time," Xander exclaimed. " 'Angelus', 'Ashlan'. You never hear of any vampires named 'Tom' or 'John'." Rolling his eyes at him, Angel continued. "Somehow, when I fed off of my mother, it affected the child. She was born already turned, but not as a full vampire. She's half human, and does age, at a slow rate, but has most vampire tendencies- except exposure to the sun won't kill her."

"Just your everyday vamp with a tan, huh?" Xander chimed in again.

"Nowhere near it," Angel said. "You have no idea what she's capable of." Angel stood up, gently wincing at the pain in his chest, and walked over to Giles. "When I found out my Aunt had taken her, she was the next on my list. I took in the child and named her Ashlan-"

"The one with the face of innocence-" Giles finished for him. At Angel's nod, the vampire continued.

"I raised her...she was practically my protégé before I was cursed."

"Yes, we've been doing quite a lot of research on her. The only one of her kind, really. She has quite the resume of abilities stemming from her, uh- condition... being a hybrid and all," he began reading from one of the books that Wesley brought him. "Incredible strength and reflexes, remarkable speed and agility, possesses the power of self-healing which regenerates damaged tissue at great speed, is able to charge any object with kinetic energy. When a charged object impacts after being thrown, it explodes."

"From what I can tell, she was virtually indestructible," Wesley added.

"So what happened to her if she was so big and bad?" Dawn asked.

"The Brood."

"She belonged to the Brood?" Giles asked, slightly shocked by the revelation.

"All three of us did," Spike explained.

"Okay," Cordelia began, "now I'm even more confused than before. What was the Brood?"

"A group of vampires that wreaked havoc throughout Europe in the nineteenth century," said Spike. "Me, Peaches over there, Edge, Christian, and Ashlan."

"No remorse, no mercy- just the kill," Giles added. "I remember reading about some of their, umm...finer work when we first learned about you, Angel. But I had no idea you were part of them."

"There's one crime among all vampires. It's a crime that means death to any vampire- kill your own kind," explained Angel.

"After the poof here decided to sire lil' ol' me, as a sort of celebration, the three of us set out for a grand feast that night. Unfortunately, so did Edge and Christian's sister, Alaana- real bitch that girl was."

"Again with the big 'A' names," Xander said. "Ya know, maybe it wasn't the times, maybe it was just you guys and your families."

"Somehow Alaana found out that Ashlan was a hybrid…not the sort of thing we thought they would look too highly upon. She was set to tell her brothers about it when the three of us decided to stop her...there was a fight, lot of blood, in the end, Angel here sliced her gawky head off and the three of us were left standing over her."

"A week later was when I was cursed. That same night, the Brood was supposed to meet but I got...distracted, you know..."

"Always was the greedy pig, weren't you?" Spike chuckled. "By the time he actually did show up, all wobbly and confused with his brand new soul, Edge and Christian had already poisoned Ashlan. Tricked the poor girl into drinking a bunch of dead blood. Nasty way for a vampire to die." Seeing a few confused faces, Angel chimed in to explain. "Blood from the dead- a dead human, that is- is lethal to a vampire...even just a hybrid." Spike continued his story. "They tied up Ash, just waiting for Angel to see their revenge for Alaana."

"And where were you when all this was happening?" Buffy asked Spike. He turned to face the slayer, slightly lowering his eyes to the ground, now feeling remorse for some of the things he had done in life. "I wonder how Peaches managed to deal with this all these years," he thought to himself. "I was...uh...gathering knives…loading the pistol...ya know, that sort of thing," he smugly trailed off.

"And tying me up. Don't forget the tying me up part," Angel said with his trademark half-smile. "I let my guard down. Didn't know what was happening. For a minute, I thought they were going to kill me too. But that would've been too simple. Too meaningless." He looked up at his friends, listening with rapt attention to one of the most painful events of his life. "She was beaten...raped, finally shot...five or six times...and I had to watch the whole thing. As an added bonus, they didn't even leave her dead body behind for me to bury. They took it with them when they came over to America, threw it off the docks-" Buffy placed her hand across his back, trying to soothe him. "Well that explains why she was all wet," she said.

"But how-" Cordelia began, "what's she doing back? I mean, how is it possible?"

"Willow, you little troublemaker you," Xander poked his finger at her, "you couldn't have just stopped with bringing Buffy back, could ya. Had to go and show off, huh?"

"We're still trying to figure that part out," Fred answered, pushing past Xander with her books. "So far what we've got is the Ritual of Gangrel. Used to resurrect a tortured soul that could not pass into the realm of the dead because of unfinished business."

"Like a ghost?" asked Anya.

"But not the Casper-friendly kind," Giles added. "According to my research, Ashlan must've been brought back to avenge her own death. That's the only way her soul will be able to rest and cross over completely- by killing the one who killed her."

"But what does that have to do with you?" Cordelia asked Angel.

"I'm guessing she blames him for what happened," Fred answered. "Unless they're blaming you for her?"

"Who?" asked Giles.

"Edge and Christian," Angel answered. "They must've been able to do it. They must've gotten hold of the ankh."

"Wait…" Buffy began, "would that happen to be the same ankh she was wearing?" Noticing Angel's questioning look, she explained. "This morning when we ran into her, she was wearing this cross around her neck. Willow said it was an ankh."

"Well, I guess they didn't have any problem getting it," Wesley said, "considering she was wearing it. She must've had it on when they killed her."

"And she has no idea it was them," added Angel.

"So what's the game plan?" asked Gunn.

"As of right now, we have none. Right now, our first priority is drawing the three of them out of Sunnydale."

"Whoa, wait a minute here. Don't think I'm not getting involved with all of this." Buffy could already see Angel begin to argue.

"This isn't your fight, Buffy. That's why I hoped we would've been able to find the ankh before they did. I knew she was down below the docks and wanted to stop it before she could start stirring things up here."

"I'm sorry, but I think you're missing one itty-bitty thing here," she said, a slight annoyance in her voice, "I'm the slayer. I slay vampires remember? That's what I do, and at the risk of sounding cocky, I do it damn well."

"You have no idea what she's capable of, Buffy. I mean, just look at tonight. She's not even at full strength yet and look at what she did," he motioned to his bandages. "You said it yourself, she threw us around like ragdolls. And with Edge and Christian guiding her...no! I'm not putting you at this big a risk...I've already put you at too many over the years." His eyes locked with hers, desperately pleading with her to let him handle it. "She could kill you," he faintly whispered.

"Angel," she gently reached out to cover his hand with her own, "every freaky thing that I go up against could kill me. Hell, I've been dead twice already. Third time's a charm, right?" she nervously laughed as Angel's angry glance fell upon her. Seeing the scene transpiring before her eyes, Cordelia took it upon herself to break up the party.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting all funned-out. So-" she sat up, grabbing Wes, Fred, and Gunn and shoving them to the door. "-we're going to head over to Giles' house for the night and we'll all regroup here tomorrow morning to work on our game plan. Good? Good."

"Yeah," Angel said, sitting up from the couch to grab his jacket. "We'd better get going. Rest up. I don't think they'll try anything else toni- uggh!" He moaned in pain feeling Cordelia's hand on his chest as he went to follow her out Buffy's front door.

"Where do you think you're going? You're hurt, and you're staying here...I mean, if that's all right with you, Buffy?" Cordelia had never seen the slayer so eager. "Great! I mean, of course. Good idea. We can, uh, keep an eye on your wounds."

"I'm a fast healer," Angel said, turning around to once again start following his crew. Since seeing her a few weeks ago, Angel found it harder and harder to try and repress all the memories, all the feelings. It would kill him being under the same roof again with her. But still, he was feeling weak, and just being near her, breathing her in, hearing her voice would be- 'No! We made our agreement, and-'

"An inch or two to the right and you'd be a lovely pile of dust, boss" Cordelia pushed her three coworkers fully out the door. "We're taking your car. Spike!!"

"What?" he called from Buffy's kitchen.

"Come on, you were just leaving, weren't you?"

"But I'm busy," he came walking into the living room with an opened container of blood. "Got to keep up my strength now that the lil' sis is back."

"Brown bag it, and let's go." Cordelia pushed the gang out of Buffy's house, but waited for the slayer to approach her. "Buffy, just...just watch him- please."

"Oh Cordy, come off it. You don't have to worry about-"

"No, not the curse. I know you two know better than that. It's just that...well, he hasn't been too well," she said with a sigh.

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked, a naturally worried look across her face.

"He's just been really stressed out and depressed...and not just his usual brooding." Her eyes stared over the slayer's shoulders to give her boss a final glance. He was carefully sliding his jacket off again and was lifting his shirt to inspect one of his bandages. "I just worry a lot about him, that's all." Buffy could see a faint glimmering of unshed tears in Cordelia's eyes. "I didn't know you two had gotten so close?" Coming back to her senses, Cordy finally grasped what her friend was implying.

"What? Oh...no, no. Nothing like that, Buffy. But I do love him…like a brother. He's practically my best friend if I really think about it. That's entirely different from being in love with him."

"I know that Angel does love you, Cordelia. You've had to realize that over the years."

"I know that," she said, matter of factly, "and I also know that not only does he love you, but he's madly in love with you. Always will be." Cordelia noticed that Buffy's eyes averted to the window. "And you'll always be in love with him, right? So, what are you waiting for?" Buffy's eyes returned to her friend's face, recalling her mother's exact words from her dream the night before. "You and I both realize all of this, Buffy. It's Angel we have to convince. Why not take the opportunity tonight? Just talk. Maybe things will be different for a change." With that, Cordy gave her a reassuring hug, and Buffy and Angel were left alone in her living room. Willow, Tara, and Dawn all headed upstairs.

"I thought we were going to decorate tonight?" Dawn whined. The young girl had caught the Christmas spirit, and combined with the overwhelming joy of having her sister back to share it with, she was looking forward to celebrating with her family. "Do you think they'll be okay down there? You know…alone?" Dawn asked Will and Tara.

"They'll be fine. It might actually do them some good, ya know," said Tara. "Especially Buffy. We'll see you in the morning Dawnie." As they settled down into bed, Willow began discussing any spells they may be able to conjure up to help stop Ashlan.

Part Three

"You didn't kill them?!" Edge was now pacing the floor of the mansion in a frenzy, shocked that Ash had not disposed of Angel and the slayer when she had the chance.

"In due time." Ash laid herself out across the cold cement floor, staring aimlessly at the ceiling, a sick smile across her face.

"Our priority here isn't to play games, it's to put Angel and that slayer in the ground. We've had to put up with enough from him in LA; he's been nothing but trouble for us the minute he arrived. Haven't you been listening at all to us?!" Christian, following his brother's lead was now getting furious as well. "Do we have to remind you why we were gracious enough to bring you back?! Or maybe you've spent so many years underwater that your ears are still clogged, so let us tell you aga- aggh!" Christian's mouth met fist, as Ash could no longer hold back her rage, catching him with a fierce right punch, slamming him up against the wall.

"No, I don't think you quite understand, so let me put things into perspective," she tightened her grip a little more, "don't you two worry your lil' heads about Angelus, or the slayer for that matter. She's not as intense as you said, Edge," she motioned over towards him. "The two of them are only part of the smaller picture. Once we eliminate them, you'll have your run of things around here. We could pollute this town with vampires- the three of us, you know? Let me have at least a little fun before I get to be sent back. It would be the least I could do to leave a permanent mark on this century, since I never got the chance before," she snarled, still cursing Angel in her mind for killing her. "Besides..." she finally relinquished her hold on Christian, dropping him to the ground, "...my brother has already been weakened."

"The dagger?" Edge asked from his corner. "I take it you-"

"Poisoned it? You two should know my tricks by now. Smeared in a little dead blood as well, just for fun. Might as well give him the same treatment he gave me, right?" Edge and his brother nervously agreed, looking to each other to make sure they kept their heads about everything. They didn't wish to even fathom what she would do to them if she only knew they were the ones to...nevertheless, they considered it a risk worth taking. Bringing her back- the only one they could think of to eliminate the two pesky warriors. "It's only a matter of time before it kicks in," Ash continued. By tomorrow's light, if he's not totally keeled over and is stupid enough to fight us, he can look forward to a nasty death." Ash flipped herself up from the floor, slowly walking over to Edge. "Is everything set for tomorrow night? Manage to get a crew together, did you?"

"While you were out playing nice with your brother, we had the oh so difficult task of 'recruiting' a few members for the New Brood."

"How many?"

"Fifty or so. You'd be surprised at how many dimwitted humans walk these streets at night," Edge laughed. "And I thought all the saps came out to play in LA"

"Get more. This slayer and Angelus...they must be dealt with expediently. Plus we've got Spike to contend with."

"Whatever you want done...we can do," Christian replied.

"Good. That's very reassuring boys," Ash grabbed a leather jacket from the mantle, headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Edge.

"Get a bite to eat," she snickered. "I'm hungry, and this pathetic town awaits. And for desert, well...I was thinking of leaving our little friends a special surprise before the big day tomorrow. You know…for old time's sake..."

"You realize that even when she does kill Angel, she still won't be able to cross over," Christian told his brother once Ash was out of hearing distance.

"I'm aware." He tossed his sibling one of the young girls he had taken back to the mansion for 'dinner'.

"Then you must also realize that she's going to go after us once she discovers this." Christian eagerly switched into his game face as he tilted the girl's neck to the side.

"We'll just have to take care of her like before. We killed her once...we can do it again." Edge began feeding from a second girl. "After all- history does have a way of repeating itself."

******

Oh I, I had to leave a little while

Don't ask me why

And I, I didn't mean to make you cry

My love

There's a light shining bright

In my eyes tonight

But I still see your face

Through the blinding light

I don't want to live without you

Oh, no, I won't walk away

I don't want to live without you

No one could ever take your place

"So...umm," Angel was the first to try and break the silence in Buffy's living room. "Thanks. You know, for letting me stay here."

"You know you don't have to thank me," she said, inching closer to him. As they stood there staring at each other, both were hit once again with the painful realization of how much they missed and needed the other, now more than ever. Since seeing each other again not too long ago, it had just made everything harder and more painful. God knows how much Angel wanted to take her in his arms, just to reassure himself that she was in fact alive. He didn't think he would ever get over his initial reaction when he received Willow's phone call a few weeks ago, even after finding out that they were able to bring her back. A part of him had died with Buffy that night, and deep down he knew that he would ever get it back.

"No tree yet, huh?" he finally broke the silence, searching the house for any signs of the upcoming holiday.

"Uggh…if it was up to me we'd just decorate a pine cone. We'll probably get some mishapen pine-needle-shedding hideous excuse for a tree Christmas Eve. Say, I'm kinda hungry. How 'bout something to eat?" Not waiting for an answer, Buffy led him by the hand into the kitchen. She grabbed a muffin from the counter for herself, then opened the fridge to remove a fresh container of blood. She poured some into a mug and placed it into the microwave, aware of Angel's following eyes. "Didn't know you had taken up the habit," he joked, carefully sitting down at a stool.

"Coffee just doesn't do it for me anymore." She softly laughed, retrieving the mug and handing it to him. "Actually, we just keep some here for Spike."

"Didn't know he had taken up root here."

"He hasn't, trust me. He stops by maybe once a week and believe me, that's more than we'd all like."

"Can't say I blame you." He went to drink from the mug but upon tasting the warm fluid, he nearly spit it out.

"What's wrong?" a worried Buffy asked.

"It's got alcohol in it." He took a deeper smell of the concoction. "Smells like whiskey."

"Ohhh...Spike must've taken it upon himself to add a little kick to it." Buffy couldn't help but laugh at Angel's disgusted face.

"Ohhh...but, how do I know that you just didn't try to ply me with liquor to take advantage of me in my condition," he smiled.

"I never thought that I needed alcohol before to take advantage of you." She smiles a bit, reaching over the table to extend her hand to his shoulder. She knows that he used to tremble at the mere touch of her, and he displays the same feeling and shudders a bit as she gently rubs his back. "How are you feeling? How are your ribs?"

"Buffy," he began, gently grabbing her hand, "never mind about me. How have you been?" He can't begin to imagine what she's been going through since being brought back. "How've you been dealing?"

Buffy sighs, lowering her glance to the counter. As much as being brought back was eating her up inside, she still hadn't really talked about things with any of her friends. But at that moment, being with Angel seemed to lessen some of the pain. He had really been the only one who ever understood her. Both of them knew it. Without so much as a word or expression, Angel always knew what she was feeling. Finally, she rises out of her silent haven to answer his question. "It just...hurts. It hurts all the time now. I didn't want it to be like this, and I'm- I'm getting scared." Angel quickly moved over to sit next to her along the counter, surprised to see tears welling up in her eyes. "Buffy, it's okay." He casually slips an arm around her shoulders, and Buffy immediately pulls herself into his embrace, being careful of his bandages.

"It's not okay, Angel. It's never going to be okay again. I can't-" she leans further into his arms, "I can't feel anything anymore. It hurts to eat, it hurts to even breathe sometimes, and I don't understand any of it. I feel like I'm not myself, and I can't do anything about it." She rests against him, finally feeling a sense of warmth and safety for the first time since being back. Angel tried to soothe her, not really knowing what he could say or do to help her. He remembered how happy she said she was. How she had finally found peace. And to be snatched away from that...he couldn't understand how she was able to stand it. 'But then, she's always been the strong one. She's had to go through so much, so fast...and I wasn't here to help her these past few years.' He continues to silently scold himself, as Buffy finally eases her grip from around him. "Sorry," she whispers, lifting her head up to face him.

"No need to apologize." He gently brushes away her faint tears, cupping the side of her face with his right hand. "It's good to get all of this out, you know. I mean, I'm sure it feels better after you've talked to Willow and Dawn-"

"I haven't." Angel's hand slowly slides down from her face, shocked that she hasn't talked about what she was going through with any of her friends- family really. "Buffy...why?"

"I can't. They were just...so happy to bring me back. I couldn't just tell them 'Thanks for nothing'. They can't understand anyway...what it's like."

"I guess nobody really can." Upon seeing his head lowering towards the floor, Buffy softly lifted his face up to her own. "Except you, Angel." She gently traces her fingers alongside his jaw. "No matter what happens, you're always the one who seems to understand everything about me." Angel gently leans his head forward against hers, closing his eyes as he breathes in her warm, comforting scent. In his mind, he knew that being this close again wouldn't do either one of them any good in the longrun. After they had stopped Ashlan, he would have to return to LA and she would go on in Sunnydale, trying to make sense of the world again. But what he was feeling at that moment outweighed all logic, and his barrier finally broke down. "It's kind of hard not to understand everything about you, when you're all I ever think about." Buffy, relieved and touched to hear this, slowly raised her eyes to meet his own. "Those eyes..." she began, gazing lovingly into his soft orbs. "I'll never see in anyone else's what I see in yours," she whispered.

'How am I ever going to get up the courage to ask him?' she asked herself. 'C'mon, what's the worst that could happen?' the optimist in her asked, but the pessimist was already ready with her answer- 'he could say no, and most likely, he will. How am I ever going to be able to make him see? To make him finally see that the only way my life could ever be complete was if he was here with me, by my side.' She knew that he would be too noble, as usual, to make the first move to their mutual recovery- she was the one who had first taken his hand in hers. But she sensed that her desire to feel his soft lips against hers was matched by his own.

As they sat, staring intently upon one another's face, Buffy shyly trailed her fingers along the side of his face, and nervously smiling up at him, said, in the softest whisper, "Angel...I love you." Now, completely ignoring the voice in the back of his mind screaming at him, Angel gently ran his hand through her hair as he bent his head down to softly press his lips to hers. As the kiss drew on, Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck, only pulling away once to smile up at him. "I love you," Angel sighed, looking down at her smiling face with longing eyes. He pulled Buffy closer against him, softly brushing his fingertips across her cheek as they embraced once more in a kiss. Both slightly timid, they began to deepen the kiss, Angel slowly sliding his tongue into Buffy's welcoming mouth.

When their kiss finally ended a few minutes later, Angel recollected his thoughts and was the first to break the silence. "Buffy...what are we doing here?" 'We can't do this. We can't do this knowing that we can never be together. I shouldn't have stayed here. I shouldn't have kissed you. I shouldn't have fallen in love with you- that way I couldn't have always hurt you.' But instead, he let her answer.

"Angel..." 'God I've missed saying your name so much.' "I- I want you to stay. After we've taken care of Ashlan...I want you to stay. I need you to stay." Already seeing him tense up, she held a finger to his lips and continued. "I know, I know..." already hearing his lame arguments, "but I also know that it's getting so much harder to be apart from you with every passing day. Especially now, I need you...so much. Just- just say that you'll stay. At least long enough to talk."

"Buffy," he paused, trying with all his might to listen to the rational voice echoing in the back of his mind, "I'm not saying that I don't love you, because I love you more than life itself- you know that." Buffy automatically nodded, and he continued. "But...what do I really have to offer you? Nothing but a life of darkness...we've been through this before Buffy. You deserve a normal life." She reaches for him, and hugs him so tightly to herself that he winces in pain.

"I've never understood how you can even think that. If anything, I don't deserve such a sweet, caring, smart, and loving man as you. And as far as not having anything to offer me, you gave me the greatest gift of my life the day that you first said that you love me." Seeing him still harboring doubt, she pulled slightly away to face him. "Angel, I'm never going to have a normal life. Why can't you see that?? My life is so full of complications and terror. But the only thing that ever makes sense to me is you...us- together," she stressed. "How can you expect me to have a normal life when you keep taking away the only normal part of it by always leaving me?"

"But the curse-"

"Means nothing to me. I've told you that before. And sunlight...I spend more of my time in the darkness than I do in the sunlight and I'd rather spend my time in the darkness with you. And as far as having children goes...I don't want to have any children unless I have them with you. Angel, you are more than everything that any woman could ever want...I just happen to be the lucky one to have gotten to you first. Angel- all I want is you. All I've ever wanted is you. Just you- here with me. Forever." He gently traced the outline of her face with the back of his hand as he picked up her cue. "That's the whole point." They sat for a moment, simply enjoying one another's comfort when Buffy let out a yawn. "Well...we should probably get some sleep," she said, pulling him up by both arms, leading him up the stairs to her room. As they approach her the bedroom, Angel lets go of her hand and gently kisses her forehead good night. "Where are you going?"

"Downstairs on your couch." He turned, heading for the stairs when he felt her arms encircling his stomach. "Oh no you don't. You're sleeping in a bed tonight, and, no offense, but I don't think Tara and Will are willing to share theirs, and Dawn's a little too young for you. So you're stuck with me tonight." Buffy tried pulling him back into her room but he wouldn't budge.

"Buffy, the couch is fine. You know I'm a fast healer, and I've had worse."

"Look," she got behind him and started trying to push him forward, "whether you like it or not, you're sleeping in my bed tonight." Angel couldn't help but smile at her frustration in trying to move him. "And where are you going to sleep?" Buffy ceased in her pushing and walked back in front of him. "Oh, I don't know. I was thinking of giving the roof a try. Where else would I sleep but in my bed...next to you. Ya know," she walked into her room, turning down her sheets, "I don't even know why we're arguing here. Either you sleep in the bed, or neither one of us is getting any sleep. Sooo..." she patted the spot next to where she was sitting on the bed. Realizing that he was fighting a losing battle with both her and his own weariness, he walked over to her and sat down. "See. Now, was that so hard?" Buffy walked over to her closet and began to undress. Angel automatically turned his back and was staring out of her window when he heard her speak up.

"So…your sister, huh?"

"Yeah. Not exactly what you would've expected, right?"

"Well..." she finished buttoning her shirt over her head and approached him. "...I definitely see the family resemblance around the eyes...and teeth," she gently teased. "Come on, bedtime." She took his hand and led him over to the bed. They settled down beneath the covers, and Buffy instinctively pulled herself into Angel's welcoming arms. "Goodnight, Buffy" he softly murmured.

"'Night, Angel." Buffy snuggled more deeply against Angel. She could not remember being more comfortable in anyone's arms- not even her mother's. No, more than comfortable, it felt natural to be in Angel's arms, as if she was born for this moment. Born for this man. He was so amazingly wonderful. The point of hair that fell so engagingly over the side of his forehead, the breadth of his shoulders, even his strong, gentle hands...all of these and more were starting to make her shiver in breathless anticipation of trying to convince him to rethink his decision. "Angel?" she breathed in the dark. "Promise me you'll think about what I said?" For a minute she thought he was already asleep...or simply ignoring her, but he finally spoke up. "After everything...we'll have time to talk. Get some sleep, Buffy." Somewhat contented, Buffy laid her head against his chest. When Angel thought she had finally dozed off to sleep after a few minutes, he gently kissed her head. "I love you," he whispered, closing his own exhausted eyes. A second later, he heard Buffy sleepily mumble, "I love you more."

******

Part Four

"Buffy?? Angel??" Cordelia's voice echoed throughout the house, quickly awakening a perfectly relaxed Buffy. As she raised her head off of Angel, she noticed that he was still sound asleep. As she sat up, she gently ran her fingers through his mussed hair in an attempt to wake him. "Angel? Cordy and the guys are here." Slowly, his eyes fluttered open for a short second before he moaned and closed them again. "Angel?" Buffy was wide-awake now, sensing something was wrong. "Are you alright? You don't look too good." He pushed himself up on one arm, holding his head with the other as he finally sat up in bed. "Yeah...yeah, I think I'm okay. Just a little more sore than I thought." Seeing the apprehension in her eyes, he leaned forward to push a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "Hey- I'm okay. Don't worry. By the way, good morning." He crawled out of the bed, waiting for her to get up. "Good morning to you too." Without thinking she stood up on tiptoe to give him a short, but sweet kiss.

"You look rested," Angel said, pulling on one of the shirts he retrieved from his bag.

"Actually, that's the first good night's sleep I've had in a long, long time. But, no surprise there," she smiled.

As Angel raises his arms while attempting to put the shirt on over his head, the gashes in his stomach send a sharp pain radiating through his whole side. "A little help, Buffy?"

"Oh...I'm sorry Angel, I don't know where my head is. Come here." Angel approaches her, and as Buffy pulls his shirt down over his head, he captures her lips with a soft longing kiss.

"Buffy...I love you. You know that, right? I always have, I always will."

"I love you too, Angel", says Buffy as she answers with another kiss. 'Maybe this is it. Please Angel...come back to me. Stay with me.' Their kiss finally ends as they hear the door opening.

"Do you two plan on gracing us with your presence any time soon?" Cordelia had ascended the stairs and wasn't too surprised to see them in their loving embrace. 'It looks like they had a chance to talk things over.'

"Thank heavens you two are alright," said Wesley, watching Buffy coming down the staircase, Angel and Cordelia not far behind. "For a minute we thought that she would've gotten around to you two. Especially after last night's events."

"Why? What happened last night? The fight at the graveyard?" Angel pulled a stool up to the counter, nodding to Willow, Tara, and Dawn who were busy in the kitchen. Willow and Tara began making breakfast, while Dawn was making sure all the blinds were securely shut to keep out the sun's rays.

"Where have you two been?" asked a shocked Cordelia.

"Hmm...lemme think," Buffy sarcastically pondered. "Oh that's right- sleeping! I do have this crazy knack of doing that from time to time, ya know."

"Oh, sure. Leave us to stay up all night researching about this brand new evil- which really happens to be your problem, considering it's your sister, Angel," she emphasized, noticing that he was beginning to doze off on his chair, "while you two get to sleep, which I really doubt was the only thing that you two did last night, considering Angel can barely keep his eyes open." Cordy couldn't have really gotten mad at them though if they actually were up all night drooling over each other. She still had hope that they would make it work. But with Ash loose-

"Cord- you're babbling," Angel interrupted. "What happened last night?" Cordelia handed him the morning's newspaper. "Read for yourself. Your little sister's made the front page." Buffy moved over to Angel and began reading the headline aloud over his shoulder. " 'Thirteen Bodies Found Dead on the Docks.' This happened last night??" Buffy sat in shock at Cordelia's nod and read through the article. "It says only a few of the bodies were drained completely. The others were drenched in blood and appeared to be...eaten. The police think it happened around dawn."

"My god," breathed an astonished Willow. She had heard some of the stories about Angelus from Buffy, but this act seemed to surpass all others. She placed some pancakes on the dining room table and stole a glance at the picture on the front page. She'd never expected some of them, actually a good number of them, to be children.

"Bloodbath." Buffy and the others gazed up at Angel, who was now holding his stomach with one hand.

"What's a bloodbath?...some sort of relaxation therapy for vampires?" asked Cordelia

"What Ash did…last night..." At their questioning glances, he explained. "It wasn't such a rarity for the Brood to go out hunting together. One night, after a party in London, Ash had thought up a new, uh… feeding ritual." Angel's eyes averted to the counter, wincing from not only his sudden pains, but from the haunting memories of his past. "There were ten or so humans with us...Ash took a few off to the side with her...slit their throats, while the rest of us would 'busy' ourselves with the others. Ash would pour the blood of her few on our set and we'd proceed to make our meal..." his words trailed off as he breathed in a sharp pain.

"One of the Brood's more cre- creative methods of killing," Giles shakily spoke up.

"You know, I think I just lost my appetite," said Willow. Most everyone else had lost their appetites. However, Xander, not wanting good pancakes to go to waste, sat down with his plate as the others began more research in the living room. "You coming, Angel?" she asked, noticing him starting to slump over the counter. "I just need to sit down for a minute. That's all. Still a little achy."

"You sure, you're okay? You look a little pale...even for you." Angel nodded, holding his head up with his left arm.

"Find anything useful last night?" Buffy asked upon joining the others.

"Well, there was one thing useful," answered Fred. "There's really no point in us trying to kill Ashlan. She can't be killed. The only way she can cross over into death is if she can kill the ones who killed her."

"That's Edge and Christian, correct?" Giles looked up from his own book.

"Yeah, now if we can only tell her that-" *Wham!*

"Angel!" Buffy screamed before racing over to him on the kitchen floor. "Oh god, are you alright?! What's wrong?!" She noticed a few beads of sweat clinging to his forehead and his eyes held a glazed look.

"Let's get him upstairs to a bed," said Giles, helping her to try and lift him up.

"No," Angel struggled to argue. "I'm fine. I'll be fine. I just need to sit down…"

"You just collapsed, Angel. We're putting you to bed. I knew something was wrong this morning. You are so stubborn when you want to be. And then you complain when I-"

"Buffy," Wes chimed in, "let's just get him over to the couch." Angel agreed to be led to the couch but was still insisting that he was alright.

"Where's that dagger I pulled out of you." Giles went in search of the weapon, finally finding it among the books scattered ontop of a desk. He gave it a closer inspection, holding it up to his nose. "Does it feel like poison again, Angel?"

"I- " he suddenly had a sharp pain in his head. "Aggh- I'm not sure. I just...I don't feel...right. And I've got the chills."

"Well, what do we do, Giles?" Buffy's fear and worry was painstakingly evident in her eyes.

"The hospital?" Xander suggested with a mouth full of pancake.

"Great idea," laughed Cordelia. "We'll just throw a dead body up on an examination table. That'll give the doctors a good wake up call, genius. Plus, in case you haven't noticed, it's 8 in the morning, brainchild. Not exactly the most vampire-friendly time of day."

"Hey, I don't function so well so early, okay. I don't see you coming up with any suggestions."

"You guys!" Buffy yelled. "Can we please skip the sixteen rounds and focus. Giles, what's wrong with him?"

"I don't know, Buffy. I'll have to run a few tests. Willow, Tara? You two could perhaps help?"

"Of course," Tara answered for the both of them, grabbing her bag. "Don't worry," she placed a reassuring hand on Buffy's shoulder. "He'll be okay. We'll find something to help." Giles, Willow, and Tara left for the magic shop. Meanwhile, Gunn, Fred, and Wes continued their research through some of Giles books and records.

"Xander?" Angel called out, hating to interrupt his breakfast. "Do you think you could hand me my bag? It's by the stairs."

"Yeah, sure." Dropping his fork on his plate, he marched over to the edge of the staircase and picked up Angel's black duffel bag. Heading for the couch, he saw that the bag was already open. He reached for the zipper, noticing a bottle of fruit punch Gatorade ontop of some clothes. "Mmm...punchy goodness." He quickly twisted off the cap. "Hey, you don't mind if I steal some of your drink, do ya? Wash the pancakes down?" Not waiting for an answer, he lifted the bottle to his lips.

"Xander, that's not gatorade, it's-" The red liquid came spewing out of Xander's mouth as he yelped.

"-blood," Angel finished, a bemused smile upon his face.

"Who the HELL puts blood in a Gatorade bottle???" Xander rushed over to the sink to rinse his mouth out as best he could.

"A vampire who likes to stay inconspicuous?" Angel answered.

"Or one who's really big on recycling," Anya offered.

"Aww man! I think the pancakes are coming up."

"Come on, honey. Let's get you home. We'll have some fun…with ice cream. That oughta cheer you up."

"So long as it's not from Dead Boy's freezer," he remarked as they headed out the door. "I'd be afraid to ask just what he's got in his container of Strawberry Swirl."

"Here Angel." Dawn handed him a glass of water and knelt down next to the couch where he was laying. "Is there anything I can get you?" Despite his pain, Angel smiled at the young girl's compassion. "I'm good, Dawn. Thanks." She pulled herself up and gently kissed his sweaty forehead. "Angel- you're burning up! Are you guys sure you'll be fine with him?"

"Yeah. Thanks Dawn. You'd better get going though."

"Are you sure? I mean, something could happen. You might need me for-"

"Nice try, but you're not weaseling out of going to school." Buffy mused to herself. "We'll be fine...I've got him." Dawn grabbed her bag and headed out the front door, leaving Cordelia and Buffy with Angel.

"Angel, what do you think you're doing? Lie back down." Cordelia's hands, as well as Buffy's, began to gently shove his shaky frame back down on the couch.

"I'm fine- really. I was probably just dizzy or something. I feel a lot-" he slumped back down as quickly as he had managed to get up. He moaned as Buffy and Cordy caught him on both sides, lowering him back down to the couch to rest until Giles had found something.

"You're staying right here until we know more." Seeing his glance turn a bit angry, Cordelia threw her arms in the air. "Uggh! You try dealing with him, Buffy. I'll go get him a blanket." She raced off towards the stairs, leaving the slayer and her love alone.

Buffy looks down at him as he grabs her hand, squeezing it tightly. He cringes as he tries to move, he manages to choke out, "I'll be fine...it's not that bad. Ash probably just put something on the blade, that's all. She hasn't exactly been around to know much about poisons. And I doubt Edge and Christian have that vast of a knowledge, so I wouldn't worry." Buffy smiles at his optimism, knowing that he was probably only saying all this to humor her, but she still smiled at his sweetness. "Do the guys have any new info yet?" Disappointed, she gently shook her head. "She's not going to stop, Buffy. You realize this, right? She's going to keep coming until she gets to me, and until I'm dead."

"But even if she does kill you, which she won't if I have anything to say about it," she stressed, gripping his hand a little tighter, "she won't cross over."

"But she doesn't know that. If we could just explain that to her- though I doubt she'd stop to listen." They sat in silence for a moment before Angel noticed a single tear flowing down Buffy's cheek. "Buffy? What's wrong?"

"I'm just- I couldn't bear it again, Angel…seeing you suffer again...almost losing you," she confesses as he softly strokes the back of her hand. He silently thinks back to the last time he was poisoned- graduation. He remembers how much strength and selflessness it must've taken Buffy to risk her own life for his. He also begins to remember just how hard it was that night after the mayor's ascension. Staring at her from the distance, trying to memorize every contour of her body- engraving it into his mind before he had to leave her. 'After all this time...I still find something new in her face everytime I see her.' "I'm right here." He extends his arm to gently cup the side of her face with his free hand. He tries to explain how much he wants to just get up and touch her--just to hold her in his arms, but he can't... 'Not now. Not until we've stopped Ash. Then we'll talk.' But he can still hold her hand and express all he can through the touch.

The afternoon passes slowly for everyone. Angel managed to sleep for most of the day, only waking up a few times to check on Buffy, who had stayed curled up next to him on a chair.

"Buffy?" Cordy carefully approaches her from behind, craning her head towards the kitchen. Buffy picks up the hint and follows her. "I thought maybe you'd be hungry." She placed one of the sandwiches she made in front of her as she took her own seat behind the counter. "How is he?"

"His fever seems to be going down, but he's still shaking. Still pretty pale, too. Thanks," she says, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"He'll be okay, Buffy. He's been through worse...you and I both know that."

"Cordelia?...about what you had said earlier. About Angel being really stressed out and depressed as of late." She had been wondering just what exactly she had been talking about when they first arrived.

After taking a few sips of her drink, Cordelia let out a sigh before proceeding to explain things to Buffy. "I watch him a lot. Sometimes I think he knows...sometimes I think he's so preoccupied with everything else to even notice. It's just been a rough couple of weeks, ya know? First with returning from the other dimension. That really threw him out of it. He started losing his grip on the demon. As usual though, through much brooding and isolation, he forced it down again. 'I don't think I'll even get into the worst of it' she made a mental note, knowing how Buffy would react if she knew he had tried to kill himself again. "Then this not-so-lawful law firm, Wolfram and Hart, starts giving us problems. Then we find out that Edge and Christian were planning some big feeding frenzy in the city. Then my visions took a turn for the worse," she says with a shutter. "Overall, more than just your typical days at Angel Investigations. Plus..." she hesitated for a moment whether to tell Buffy about how much she knew Angel was missing her. Now especially, after getting the news that she was dead- then to hear they brought her back.

"Plus what?"

"He can't take much more of this on his own, Buffy. I mean sure, Gunn and Wesley and Fred and I, we're always there for him. I mean, he's the only sense of family I really have. But...he needs to be with you, Buffy." Now focusing directly on the slayer's weary eyes, she made the confession, for both her and Angel- "He needs you."

Looking up at her on the verge of tears, Buffy said, barely above a whisper, "I need him. More than anything. He's still the first thing I think about when I wake up...and the last thing I think about before I go to sleep at night," she admitted, a quiver in her voice. Cordelia reached across the counter, placing a warm, comforting hand over her friend's. "Did you two get a chance to talk last night?"

"Yeah," she solemnly replied. "Not that it's going to do much good if he's poisoned again-"

"He's going to be fine," Cordelia assured her once again. "So...what's the verdict? Did he finally come to his senses, or do we have to chain him up and both knock some sense into him?" she asked, trying to make light of things.

"The chaining him up part definitely has possibilities," Buffy's sudden smile radiated throughout the kitchen.

"I so do NOT need that mental picture of you two and your escapades," Cordy laughed. "But I am glad to hear things went well last night. So, it's safe to say you guys are back to a permanent basis?" she hopefully asked. "I mean, what's up? What else was there last night?"

"A lot of holding…some crying…some kissing," she blushed slightly.

"Some kissing? There's never just some kissing with you two."

"I know," she smiled, staring off into the living room, her eyes fixated on her love, resting soundly, at last, on the couch.

******

"Hey Dawn, wait up! You doin' anything tonight? Maybe we could catch a movie or somethin'."

"Actually, I've got family visiting, Jeff. And for once, I actually get along with them." Dawn slowed in her pace to wait for the teenager to catch up with her. "I'll definitely take a rain check, though."

"You bet," he smiled. "Can I give you a call? Maybe tomorrow night if you can manage to sneak away from the family for awhile?"

"Sure." Dawn finished at her locker, anxious to get home to check on Angel and the others. As she watched Jeff trot down along the hall to his locker, she caught a glimpse of a face she swore she recognized slowly walking in the opposite direction. "It can't be," she said aloud. 'But then again...she'd be able to, right?' Not taking time to ponder her options, Dawn followed the figure down the hall from a short distance behind. After turning the corner to the empty, dead end corridor of lockers, the figure seemed to have vanished into thin air. "Either that or she can walk through walls-"

"You know, I never did try-" Ash grabs Dawn from behind and locks her arms around her head "-but I've always found that a person can do anything once they put their mind to it."

******

Part Five

"She should have been back by now." Buffy, as well as the rest of the gang, was now in severe worry mode. 'If I find out that she stopped off at a friend's house or went shopping, I swear...She should know better than this...especially with everything that's going on!' 4:45pm. It was only an hour before sundown, and neither Dawn, nor Giles, Willow, and Tara had returned. Angel was now up and about, albeit relatively slower than usual with the occasional pain, and was discussing where they would go searching that night for Ash.

"I'm willing to bet that they've stationed themselves at the mansion."

"But what about the docks?" Wes asked. "Most of her activities seem to be emanating from that area. A sort of safe haven, perhaps?"

"So what's the biggie?" asked Gunn. "We split up, find her, and dust her. Plain and simple."

"It's not that simple," Angel said. "Even if we do find her, she can't be killed until she kills Edge and Christian. So we've got to get to them first."

"Well wherever she is," uttered Fred, "they're bound to be. I mean, there's no way they're going to let her out of their si-" the swinging open of the front door interrupted her.

"Guys! Did you find anything?" asked Buffy, standing up to greet her friends. "Wait...is Dawn with you?"

"No," answered Willow, "we haven't seen her since this morning. Why?"

"She never came home from school," said Angel, approaching the three from behind Buffy.

"Maybe she's at one of her friend's houses?" asked Tara.

"We called a few," said Anya form her seat next to Xander. "Nobody's seen her since this afternoon at school."

"Ugh! This isn't like her. Well...actually, it is, but- I mean, you'd think with everything going on..." Buffy paused for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. "Giles, did you guys find anything about the poison?"

"Actually, we did. The poison Ashlan used is rarely lethal…"

"That's great!"

"Um...yes, but uh- it was mixed with what appears to be dead blood, which is um…ve- very lethal to a vampire," Giles stuttered.

"This day just keeps getting better and better," Angel mumbled, suddenly clutching his side as he slumped over the table. Buffy rushed to his side in an instant, steadying him before Giles continued.

"Angel was exposed to it in such a small dosage that I really don't think it will turn out to be lethal in his case, but still- you need to rest, Angel."

"Yeah man," Gunn reaffirmed. "You're staying here while we all split up. Wes- grab some gear and let's go."

"Where are you two headed?" asked Cordelia.

"The mansion. We'll check it out first, then head over to the docks. With any luck, we might be able to-"

"I'm not letting the two of you go out there all alone," Angel said. He quickly loosened himself from Buffy's grip and grabbed his leather jacket from the couch. "I'll check out the docks. You two stick to the mansion."

"Angel-" Wes knew in the back of his mind that there was no point in trying to reason with the vampire, but still made an honest attempt.

"For the last time, I'm fine. Just stake out the mansion. You find anything, you call me on my cell. Don't move in until I get there."

"Correction-" Angel turned to see Buffy standing behind him, jacket on, and stake in hand. "Don't move in until we get there." Seeing his aggravated face, Buffy didn't even give him the chance to argue. "The two of us will take the docks. The rest of you stay here in case Dawn shows up or calls. And if she does, tell her I'm going to kill her when we get back." The four of them headed out the door in opposite directions, all the while unable to shake the feeling of dread that was filling all their minds.

"Great. So while they're all out playing wargames, we're stuck here."

"Xander, come off it," Cordelia spoke up. "Why don't you eat something...at least that way you'll have your mouth gagged to keep any more mindless dribble from spilling out."

"Man, the hell with this! Just cause Dead Boy's back with his boy scout troop, all of a sudden Buffy doesn't need us? I'm gone." He got up from the couch headed straight for the back door.

"Where are you going?" Cordelia asked, grabbing him by the arm before he could reach the door.

"Down to the docks to help-"

"Ooooo...that would be very low on the idea meter," came a voice from the now flung open door.

Cordelia yelled for Giles as Xander raced to the living room in search of a cross...or a stake- whichever he saw first.

"Ashlan," Cordy managed to get out, taking in a good look of her. Her black hair was still as wet as Buffy's earlier description. The knee length leather jacket she wore blended perfectly with her leather pants and black long-sleeved crew shirt.

"You know, you really shouldn't leave doors unlocked like this. Just about anyone can walk right in."

"You weren't invited in." Cordelia tried to inch her way backwards into the living room. From the proximity, she could hear glass breaking and the others screaming. She could only assume that Ashlan had brought others with her.

"Oh yeah- that whole thing. Being half-human and all, I get immunity. Lucky me, eh?" Just then, Xander raced over to Cordy, shielding her behind him as he held a cross before him. "Get back!" In his other hand he held a small bottle of holy water and began to splash some on her. Ash, for amusement, played along with the game, wincing away from the holy object.

"Yeah...how ya like me now you little...punk," Xander boasted. Before he knew it, Ash's hand was wrapped around his throat, lifting him in the air. Still managing to hold onto the cross, Xander tried to shove it in front of her again, but was shocked to see her hand clasped around it's center. Suddenly, the cross began to glow with it's newly acquired kinetic energy.

"It doesn't work on me, kid," Ashlan laughed. She took the glowing cross from him, staring off into the living room where a group of her vampires had already knocked out Giles, Anya, Fred, Willow, and Tara. Their limp bodies laid lifeless over their shoulders as they were carried out of Buffy's house. Slamming him as hard as she could against the wall, Ashlan proceeded to knock out Xander before using the charged cross to do the same to Cordelia.

"Now comes the fun part," she laughed into the darkness of night.

******

"Looks pretty empty." Buffy, stake in hand, stared off into the distance, observing Angel walking towards one of the abandoned warehouses on the pier. "What? What do you see?"

"Look here," he pointed to the side of the warehouse, waiting for her to catch up to him. Buffy neared the building and, walking off to the side entrance, caught a glimpse of what Angel had seen.

"What the hell?" Buffy gasped. The entire wall was plastered in blood with a huge image of Ashlan's ankh. "Okay, what is so important about that damn thing anayway?"

"It- it was our mother's," Angel muttered. "It was the only thing I had left of her after..." his voice trailed off, his mind pushing back down the memories of his family. "I don't even know why he kept it," he said, referring to his darker side, "...but, it was the last thing he gave Ashlan before being cursed…"

Lambeth Palace, London: 1890

~~~"What a joke." Angelus led his sister out the door of the grand hall. "To think we wasted a perfectly good night hunting after those those- those-"

"Rich bitches?" Ashlan offered him.

"Not exactly what I was going for. More like, moronic simpering snobs. I tell you, I've had it with London."

"Well, it beats running around through the bourgeoise life in Paris."

"You can say that again, Ash" he smiled at her. "You can say that again," he laughed, nudging her shoulder as they sat down on a nearby stone bench. "I've got a lil' present for you," he said, handing her a small box. As she took the gift in her hand, she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you." Ashlan lifted the lid to reveal a small silver cross on a chain. Seeing the holy symbol, she automatically flinched away, averting her eyes. Quickly replacing the lid, she turned to her brother.

"You know, if you wanted to be rid of me, you could have just said something. A cross! What kind of a gift is this?" Angel couldn't help but laugh.

"First of all, it's not a cross- it's an ankh. And second of all- just look." Angel lifted the box's lid once more, picking up the charm by it's silver chain and dangled it before her eyes. "Even if it was a cross, it wouldn't hurt you because you're only half-vampire. Here-" He hooked the necklace around her neck. "I think it adds a certain something."

"Where did you swipe this from," she chuckled.

"It was our mother's," he replied. "I think she'd want you to have it."~~~

Buffy casually slipped her arm around Angel's and clasped her hand into his as they walked closer toward the warehouse in silence. Their footsteps and the water lapping at the pylons beneath them were the only sounds heard until...

"Bloody hell! What do you call that?" Spike chuckled to himself, descending from the stack of crates he was perched upon high above the two.

"I'd call it blood, Spike" answered Angel with sigh. "I suppose you'd write it off as 'grafitti'?"

"Lil' sis been busy, I take it?" He approached the two, and the three continued to search the rest of the pier. "Heard about the Bloodbath here last night?" At Angel's nod, he continued. "Brings back memories. Reminds me of the good old days. It was such an art in those days, ya know? You know what I'm talking about, man" he nodded towards his sire.

"Actually, no Spike. But you can't really go by me- I have morals."

"No worries. I won't hold that against you. All I'm saying is that in those days, a vampire had to be clever for many reasons." Both Angel and Buffy couldn't help but roll their eyes at his eccentric nature. "Now all one needs is a pair of fangs to get by-"

"Spike," Buffy interrupted him, "you wouldn't happen to know where Dawn is, would you?"

"No, haven't seen her since last night. Why?"

"She never came home from school," answered Angel, retrieving his cell phone from the inner pocket of his jacket. "I'm gonna call Wes. He and Gunn should've been at the mansion by now. It's been over an hour." He began to dial, but was suddenly overcome with a fierce chill. As she watched him place his phone back into his pocket, Buffy sensed something was wrong. "Angel?"

"Just...stay on your guard." Buffy quickly turned at the sound coming from another stack of crates by the pier's edge. "Over there," she whispered. The three cautiously made their way over, only to be caught from behind by a group of vamps.

"You three really shouldn't be out this time of night," said one, knocking Spike to the ground first with a kick to the back of his head.

"Don't you know the freaks come out to play around this time," another spoke up, delivering a sharp blow to Buffy.

"Playtime's over." Buffy quickly recovered, plunging her stake through the first vamp. The three continued trying to fight them all off, but soon found that they were pretty well outnumbered. As he mangaed to dust another, Spike took notice of the five vamps headed in Angel's direction, attempting to sneak up behind him. "Angel!" he called out, but it was too late.

Angel knocked down the vamp he was currently fighting, finally turning around at Spike's shout. As he turned, one of the larger vamps caught him with a massive kick- sending him into the wall of the warehouse. Before he can think, the other four vamps grab him, pulling him away from the wall to come face to face with Ashlan. "Angel!" Buffy called out to him, helplessly watching as Edge and Christian had now emerged and, along with the rest of their crew, held her and Spike back. "Easy now, slayer," grinned Edge. "Wouldn't want to ruin the show, would you?"

"You goons have no idea who you're messing with," Buffy sternly said.

"On the contrary. You've got a very important role to play in this little drama of ours," said Christian.

"We intend on punishing Angel for what happened to Ashlan-" Edge began.

"Don't you mean what you two did to her-" Buffy's face was knocked to one side with a hard punch from Edge as he tried to silence her. "And you my dear, would not want to miss this for the world." Buffy's head slowly rolled up to see Christian plunge the needle he held into both her and Spike. "It's only after we've lost everything-" Edge smirked, "-that we're free to do anything," his sibling finished for him, withdrawing the needle from Buffy. Wincing, she heard Angel call out to her. Ashlan neared her brother, drawing her arm back, a wrench in hand. "Angel," Buffy whispered before the effects of the drug took over.

"It's judgement day." With Ash's three words, Angel's world went dark...

******

Part Six

Be what you wanna be

See what you wanna see

You're going to anyway

Take what you need from me

All that you'll ever be

Is something so crazy

And you can find another side to be on

If you wish you can

Or you can choose the other way

Cause it is right there in your hands

What you're wasting is what you're chasing

And its right there in your hands

Angel heard a loud noise in the corridor of the mansion. Struggling to open his eyes, he could barely make out a black cage through the blurriness. "Angel? Angel, can you hear me?" Instantly recognizing Giles' voice, Angel, trembling all over and leaning on his right arm, tried to push himself off of the cold cement. "Giles?" He was unable to utter another word. Giles could not elicit any coherent respose from him after that. Angel was afraid he would collapse if he tried to get up any further, but he pressed on, dragging himself over to the bars of the cage.

As he neared it, he noticed the rest of his friends all enclosed within the steel, Buffy seemingly knocked out. With a final attempt, he collapsed to the ground, at the foot of his sister, now positioned between himself and his imprisoned friends. His eyes fully open and adjusted, Angel looked up at her. Fully taking her presence in, she struck him as a shadow of his former self. This apparition left Angel plunged in cruel suffering which kept tears at bay. Everything seemed irreparably gloomy to him. This was the cruelist moment he had experienced since the crime he witnessed against her. He had just laid eyes upon his sister, now doing the bidding of her own murderers.

"Feeling any better?" Ash asked him, laughing at his attempts to get up. Mustering up some remnants of strength, Angel reached out to grab her but failed in his attempt. "What do you think?" he groaned.

"I think perhaps you got what you deserved."

"Ash...you need help. I don't know...what these clowns, ugh-" he managed to finally pull himself up "told you, but-"

"I've got all the help I need, brother. Come this time tomorrow night, these guys are gonna have their run of this disgusting city, and I'll finally know peace." She carelessly walked over to the lit fireplace as Angel took notice of the situation. Ashlan's voice broke him from his thoughts. "Do you know...how completely tormenting it's been these past hundred years underwater? Nothing to do; this might come as a surprise, but fish aren't much on talking. Not that I could've heard them anyway, considering I've been DEAD!!" she yelled, turning around to face him.

"Ash… let them go," he pleaded, motioning towards the cage.

"I wouldn't be too concerned about them. They're well, and alive, for the time being."

"I'm warning you-"

"Your threats hold no power here."

"You have no idea what you're doing."

"What would you know of that?" she laughed.

"I know you. I know the things you've done...the people you've killed, and not just years ago."

"And who are you, of all people to judge? Now...it's your turn to listen. To know my pain, my grief, my torment at being torn away. But it wasn't only me...there were others. You- you've been betrayed, brother. You call them your family," she walked over to the cage. "But it was really us who were your real family. The only ones you could trust. We are the ones who care for you. I loved you...I worshiped you. You were the only father I ever knew." Angel passed her a blank stare. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"What would you have me believe? That you once loved, and are now capable of this?"

"It really makes little difference to me. Now is the time for retribution." At that moment, the drug finally lost it's effect and Buffy slowly roused. Her senses and the memories of the past few hours rushed through her mind, along with a single thought, "Angel?" she moaned.

"Ahh. Just in time, slayer. Wouldn't want you to miss all the excitement." At her command, Edge and Christian grabbed a still weakened Angel from behind, holding him by both arms down on his knees as Ash approached him. "The guys here filled me in on a lot of things that I've missed out on...you know, from being dead and all." She glanced in Buffy's direction before turning her attentions back to him. "A vampire and a slayer in love- how touching." Pulling herself up, Buffy's hands wrapped around the bars of the cage, trying to force the door open. "I wouldn't do that if I were you" Ash warned her, walking over and placing one of her own hands on the bars.

"Oooo...notice me tremble." Buffy was too focused on pushing against the door with as much strength as she had regained she didn't notice when the bars began to glow a bright orange. She flinched back as the heat seared both her hands, as well as Xander's back.

"Hey! That really burns! And this is my favorite shirt, too." Xander cuddled up to Anya and the rest of the gang as Buffy, still wringing out her hands approached the front of the cage, watching as Ash simply smirked at them and paced back over to a helpless Angel.

"Welcome to our nightmare, slayer," Edge laughed alongside his younger brother.

"Edge and Christian also filled me in on why you're so goody-goody all of a sudden. Cursed with a nice little soul, are we? You- the Scourge of Europe. Hmm...I'm guessing having a soul doesn't help much in the killing department, does it? Now…let's see. We have before us a plethora of oportunities...none of them however are benefitial to you." The two brothers laughed, tightening their grip on Angel. "Do we fight, and I kill you? Do I simply serve both you and your friends to my gang here as a full course meal by means of a bloodbath? Do I kill you first as an appetizer and then...stop me if you're sensing a pattern here," she smiled, slipping into her game face.

"Let them go, and you can have just me. That's what you really want." 'Just buy some time. Get the rest of them out of here before anything happens.'

She couldn't help but laugh at his proposition. "Now that is something. Who are you trying to fool- me or yourself. Do you think I believe for a moment that you're actually happy with this thing you call a life? I mean, from what the guys here have been telling me, you're a demon on the edge, brother. Attempted suicide usually isn't the clearest indication of a happy life." Angel's head lowered at the revelation. Ash circled her brother, leaning over his shoulder, smiling at Buffy's reaction to the news.

'No...Angel...why?' Buffy's mind raced trying to make sense out of what Ashlan just said. 'Why didn't he tell me? Why didn't Cordelia tell me??' her mind groaned. 'I swear, if I'm alive tomorrow, she won't be.'

"Take a good look at them, Angelus," she nodded towards the cage. "Don't think for a solitary minute that any of them actually care about you. To them, you're just a whining coward of a vampire who was dealt an unlucky hand. You don't even count to them. You could disappear off the face of this earth, and it would make no difference to any of them."

She circled him again so that they were face to face once more. "Still willing to sacrifice yourself for them? Why don't you give me a minute to think about that, hmm?" She turned her back to him, taking a few steps towards where Buffy and the others were staring on in the cage. "Aww hell...I've never been very patient-" she snapped around, grabbed Angel by the throat and proceeded to drink from him.

"Angel!!" Buffy screamed, almost breaking her arm alongside the rest of her friends who were all trying to burst the door open. As Angel's head was pulled back further by Edge and Christian, giving Ashlan better access, he could feel more of his strength being drained along with his blood. Pausing for a moment, Ash lifted her head from his neck and motioned for Edge and Christian to release their holds. Before Angel could collapse on the floor, she grabbed him by the hair, staring purposefully into his eyes. "The only clear memory that I have of you dear brother is the look you had on your face watching me die. Such agony in those cold eyes of yours. I suppose it wasn't painful enough, was it? Your chosen form of execution?"

"Them," Angel barely breathed out. "They were the ones...killed you," his eyes trailed over to the two brothers, now pacing in front of the cage, making sure there was no means of escape.

"After all these years," she said, ignoring his revelation, "I still long to see that look of pure agony frozen upon your face-" she reached down to drain him completely but Angel managed to avert her and gets in a good left hand, sending her dropping to the ground. Surprised by his sudden burst of strength, Ash allows her anger to take over and she hops up off the floor. "Oh, that was good-" Ashlan kicks Angel in the side with a hard kick to the ribs, and he groans from pain, his ribs were soft already from the beating he took at the hands of the remaining Brood. "-not good enough, though." Ashlan laughs again, knowing that she's found her brother's soft spot. Ashlan picks Angel up and, without really thinking, throws him into the cage. The force of the impact was just enough to finally bust the lock on the door, freeing the slayer and their friends.

"Welcome to my nightmare, boys." Buffy dives for Edge, knocking him into Christian as the others all spread out to take care of the rest of the Brood's minions. Buffy quickly rushes to Angel's side, pulling him up as carefully as possible. "Are you alright?"

"Get Edge and Christian," he whimpers. "I'll get Ash." Buffy reluctantly agrees, not wanting to leave his side after having been forced to watch his small form of torture. She heads for the other two while Angel turns, only to find Ash right behind him. She knees Angel in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him, and drives right hands to his eye.

The two exchange a few blows until Angel manages to catch her with a quick roundhouse. From her position on the floor, Ashlan finds a wrench and smashes the tool into the side of Angel's rib cage, his ribs cracking as he collapses to the cold floor, in immense pain. Ashlan grins and continues to ram the tool into his side as Angel groans from the sudden pain. As he doubles over, Ash takes a moment to look up at Edge and Christian getting the better of Buffy. She smiles with pride as she sees Christian hand his brother a rope and the two begin trying to tie the young slayer up. Without warning though, Ash keels over, a massive pain surging through her head. The memories of that night begin replaying in her mind.....

Coramsfield, London: 1898

~~~"It's time for justice, little one." Edge and Spike began to tighten the rope around her.

"What are you doing? Angelus!! Angelus!!"

"He's not going to be much help, Ashlan." Christian appeared alongside his brother, holding back Angel on the ground...~~~

Ash winces on the ground, her body trembling from the images flashing before her eyes. Averting his eyes from Ash's struggling on the floor, Angel rushed over to help Buffy fend off Edge and Christian. Catching him from behind, Angel pulls Christian off of Buffy, and throws him directly into the wall. Quickly recovering, a frustrated Christian charged directly for Angel but was met with a stake to the heart. Hearing his only brother scream in pain, Edge relinquished his hold on Buffy, turning around just in time to see him crumble to a pile of dust.....

~~~"Angelus!" she yelled, finally seeing her brother. "Oh god! What's going on!" she whimpered.

"Edge! Leave her alone! Leave her alone...she's just a child."

"So was our sister!" he yelled. "And at least poor Alaana wasn't tainted like this hybrid!"

"How did you know that she-"

"Oh, I'll take credit for that," Spike smiled, tightening another rope around his sire.

"Spike!" Angel growled, trying to reach the traitor.

"Let's just say…you've both outgrown your usefulness..."~~~

"No!" Ash let out an earth shattering scream, tears pouring from her eyes as she felt the sensation of the rope being tightened around her body. Her body wreathed violently as she was experiencing death all over again.

Seeing Edge distracted by his brother's demise, Buffy managed to loosen her ropes and scrambled to find another stake. Edge quickly lunges for Angel, spearing him to the ground and plunging his fist against his face. Not wasting a minute, Edge drags him up off the cement and slams Angel, face-first through the nearby wooden table, cracking it into planks surrounding the carcass of the bruised and bloodied vampire. Angel rolls over and grabs the side of his ribs in utter pain. "This is it, Angel," laughs Edge, kicking away some of the debris as he nears him. "How does it feel..." he picks up one of the splintered ready-made stakes, "...to know you're going to die?" He lifts the stake above his head with both arms-

"He wouldn't know, blondie." As he feels the sudden impact from behind, Edge drops his stake, looking down to see the wooden handle protruding through his chest. Shifting slightly, he looks down at Angel as he tries jiggling the object. "Oh...it's- it's not that bad really," he shrugged. Upon closer examination, he finally noticed that the handle had pierced his heart. "I was wrong..." he trailed off, finally turning into dust.

"Angel," Buffy kneeled down, lifting his head into her arms. "Are you alright? God…you're head." She traced a hand alongside the gash on his forehead. Forcing himself into a sitting position, Angel pulls her into his arms. When they finally pull away from each other, he sees her bruised forehead and cuts. "I'm sorry, Buffy," he whispers. She looks up at him, softly staring into his sorrowfilled eyes, and carefully grabs his face in her hands. She softly kisses his forehead, and then his lips. "I love you," she says, pulling him into another strong hug. He winces a bit before Buffy helps him stand, supporting him on her shoulders.

"Are you two alright?" Giles rushed over to them after staking the last of the Brood's members. The rest of the gang had sustained only a few minor injuries. Buffy nodded. "No fuss, no muss. What about you guys?" The others circled around the two to check on them.

"Angel!" Cordelia yelled, shocked by her boss's seriously wounded condition. "Are you alright?"

"I'll…be fine, Cordy," he moaned, wrapping his free arm around her as she embraced him. Looking over her shoulder, he saw that Ashlan was still lying on the ground. "Ash..." he watches his sister, still writhing on the floor in pain, her eyes shut trying to block the searing images. "She's remembering..." he says aloud.

Angel slips from Buffy's and Cordy's grasp, carefully bending over Ashlan, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder. "Ashlan?" The young girl looks up at him with teary eyes. "Angelus?" As he kneels down, grabbing his stomach in pain, he's taken aback when Ash, zeroing in on his eyes, grabs his head on both sides with her hands. In an instant, Angel's mind, along with Ash, begins to replay the final moments of that dreadful night.....

~~~"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so-" she pleaded to her brother.

"It's not your fault. Look at me- it's not your fault. Do you understand?"

"What about Angelus?" asked Christian.

"Pain is our power" replied Edge. "Leave him. Now that he has his precious soul back, this will just be another memory he'll have to carry with him for the rest of his eternity." Edge laughed as he moved in closer to the young girl with his knife.

"No, no...me first" Christian switched places with his brother and quickly dug into Ash with his own dagger. Edge took his turn having his way with the now almost unconscious girl. As he saw the brothers raise their guns, Angel began thrashing against his ropes, screaming as tears sprang to his eyes seeing the only surviving member of his family being forced to endure so much pain.

"Don't!...No!!!...Aaahhh!" Angel sobbed hearing the two guns being fired. Ashlan breathes her last breathe as a trickle of blood slides down her cheek and even more pours from her stomach and chest. Knocking Angel out with a brick to the back of his head, the brothers departed from Spike, carrying the blood soaked, lifeless body with them...~~~

Ash's hands came flying off of her brother's head as she flinched backwards, feeling the bullets piercing her chest. With a final yell, Ashlan collapses onto the floor beside her already unconscious brother.

******

TBC…

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