Vanishing Act

Serena

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and whoever else would like to claim them. All I know is I'm not claiming them. I do own Leonna, Melanie, Arianna, and Katrina though. Yay, I feel so special that I actually own something. Hehe!! :-)

Synopsis: A new villian pops up in Sunnydale, threatening Buffy's quiet time. She has to figure out a way to stop her before she takes away the thing most precious to her -- Angel.

Rating: PG-13

Timeline: Takes place after Another Chance, so I suggest you read that one first.

Author's Notes: This is the second story of my lovely little trilogy that I'm writing. Be warned, there is some Angel/Buffy fluff, I had to make up for what I did to him at the end! I couldn't be as mean as Joss is. Thoughts in italics

Feedback: Yes please!

*~*

This is nice, Buffy thought as she snuggled closer to her boyfriend as they softly swayed to the slow song Oz's band, Dingoes Ate My Baby, played. She closed her eyes and drew in a slow, lazy breath, smelling Angel's strong scent. She smelt a hint of Ivory soap and the unique scent that belonged only to Angel, just like she did. It had been a week since he'd been changed back from being a creature of the night to a creature of the day.

One week of pure heaven, at least as far as Buffy was concerned. She had never dared to dream that this could or would happen, she had given up on ever having her Angel returned to her. And then a spark of hope had been born, a glimmer in the dark that they could somehow make everything right. That had happened when Willow had found the curse that not only restored his soul, but also made him a living, breathing human being again, something he had not been for two hundred and twenty some-odd years.

The curse had succeeded, and here he was, her Angel, holding her lightly, as if she was as fragile as glass. They continued to sway, oblivious to the world--and demons--around them. Angel placed a soft kiss on Buffy's blond head, which caused her to bring her head up from off his shoulder to gaze into his eyes.

"I love you," he whispered above the music.

"I love you," she echoed and tilted her head up, as he leaned his down, their lips meeting in a tender kiss. They stayed that way, lip locked, for the rest of the song. When it came to an end they reluctantly parted, and Angel put his arm around Buffy's small shoulders as they made their way back to their table. Willow sat gazing at her boyfriend on stage, a goofy little smile playing across her lips. As she saw them approaching, she quickly replaced the love-struck look with a smile and a blush. Buffy looked at her knowingly, and Willow reached over, picking up her soda and taking a long sip, hiding her red face behind the red cup.

"Hey Will. Oz's hair looks different tonight. Did he get it dyed again or something?" Buffy asked as she placed herself on Angel's lap and reached for her iced latte.

"Oh...no, he just got it highlighted two different colors, Passion Plum and Mango Madness yesterday at 4:45 at Debbie's Hair....what?" Willow asked when Buffy began to laugh at her.

"Oh, nothing, I just find it a little funny that you know the exact time he got his hair highlighted. Those colors sound like Snapple names," Buffy said, taking a sip of her drink, then offering some to Angel, who shook his head. Shrugging, she took another sip.

"Yeah, I think they are. And what's wrong with knowing where my boyfriend is? It's not like you don't know where Angel is every second," Willow pointed out, and Buffy grinned.

"Yeah, that's true, but it's harder to keep track of him now, ya know, since he became obsessed with the sunlight and taking nice long walks all over town. Before it was, oh, the sun's out, he's sleeping, or oh, he's playing cryptic guy again or he's making sure I don't get my ass kicked. Now, it's not as easy," Buffy teased, then kissed Angel on the cheek. He just laughed.

"Yeah, well you try spending two centuries without being allowed in the sun and then we'll talk."

"Yeah, but we won't right now because there's a vamp that I need to introduce to my nice stake," Buffy stated, suddenly growing serious as she slid off Angel's lap and grabbed her bag, unzipping it and pulling out a stake in one swift motion. Giving Angel a quick kiss, she walked over to the vampire and said in a low, husky voice, "Let's get outta here."

The vamp, being a newbie, had no clue who Buffy was or what she was capable of, and eagerly led the way, excited about getting its first meal. He led Buffy out into the darkened alley, then backed her against the wall, leaning down to bite her. She suddenly shoved him out of her way and he stumbled backwards. She swiftly kicked him in the jaw, then threw a punch into his face. She was rewarded with a sharp crack as the vamp's nose broke, blood leaking out of it. She reached to get her stake that was hidden in her knee- high boots, and the vampire attacked. He scissor-kicked her in the face, and followed that with three rapid punches in the face, and ended by flinging Buffy into the brick wall. She lay there for a moment stunned, then got up and raised her head, ready to take on the vamp again. She felt like she was being watched, and turned her head to either side, but saw nothing but shadows.

Suddenly Angel jumped into the fray, punching the vamp in its face and wincing at the pain in his fist. He tried to kick the vamp in the face, but he grabbed Angel's leg and lifted it above his head, throwing him back, then going over and raining punches down on him. Angel groaned as one connected with his ribs, and he knew they would be sore. He tried to get a punch in, but the vamp grabbed his wrist and twisted, but didn't have time to break it because Buffy rammed her stake into his heart through his back.

She knelt down beside Angel, whose face was bloody and beginning to bruise. His eyes, filled with pain, connected with hers and he whispered her name before dropping over the abyss into unconsciousness.

Part One

"Angel? Angel, can you hear me?" Buffy asked, frantically. She assessed his wounds and decided she shouldn't move him. She didn't want to leave him, but she needed to call an ambulance and had no way to call. She really would have to work on her mom getting her a cell phone. She glanced around and saw that they were the only ones in the alley (how unusual). Close to tears, she stroked Angel's face and prayed that he would be all right. She had just gotten him back and she could lose him again. Growing desperate, she began to call for help, her voice ringing loud and clear through the cool night air.

*~*

"Mmm, this is nice," Willow whispered to Oz, reaching her hand down to entwine her fingers with his. They had stepped out to get some fresh air during one of the Dingoes breaks, and were strolling down the sidewalk outside the Bronze. She leaned her head on his shoulder, enjoying the quiet, when a cry shattered the silence.

"HELP!!!!" Buffy cried, and Willow jumped when she realized it was Buffy's voice. She waited and heard the cry again, and took off for one of the alleys with Oz in tow. Racing down, she followed Buffy's voice, and saw her blond head bent over. She was crouching by a body, and with dread Willow realized it was Angel.

They rushed up, and Buffy lifted her head at the sound of the footsteps. She quickly rose and let go of Angel's hand. Willow stopped beside her, and Oz followed a moment later.

"What happened?" Willow asked breathlessly, and the tears that had been running down Buffy's face kept coming.

"The vamp...threw me ag-against the wall and...and I got up and Angel attacked him and he hurt him and I couldn't stop him because I suddenly had a dizzy spell and then after I dusted the vamp Angel decided he'd like to go to that fun place known as Unconscious-Land," Buffy said. "We need to call an ambulance, now."

Oz obeyed and ran back towards the Bronze to use their phone. Buffy and Willow crouched down and began to whisper soothing words into his ear, trying to get him to regain consciousness.

"This is all my fault. I should have shook the dizzy spell off and dusted that vamp as soon as he laid a hand on Angel. But no, I waited. I thought he'd still have his super-vamp strength, but I guess I was wrong," Buffy whispered, her eyes never leaving Angel's face. Willow's heart went out to her. She had just gotten him back and now he was seriously injured.

Both girls were startled out of their thoughts by footsteps approaching, and they quickly stood and turned. Oz, Xander, and Cordelia ran up, but Cordy was having some trouble keeping up in her platforms.

"Oh my God, what happened? Wait, don't answer that. Is he going to be okay?" Cordelia asked worriedly.

"I think so," Willow said. "I looked at his wounds and none of them look really horrible, except his wrist. And I think he'll live from that."

They all stared at his slumped form until they heard the sirens of the ambulance grow closer. It parked at the beginning of the alley and two EMTs jumped out with a stretcher and wheeled it toward them. They pulled the stretcher over to the group, and they backed away, giving the paramedics room. All except Buffy. She stayed crouched right next to him, holding his hand and whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

They loaded him into the stretcher moments later and wheeled him to the ambulance. Buffy was at his side the whole time. Wordlessly, she glanced at Willow, and Willow nodded, gesturing to her to get in the ambulance. After it peeled away, sirens waling, the gang, minus Oz who had to stay with his band but who promised to get to the hospital as soon as they finished their set, went to where Cordy's car was parked and jumped in. They raced to Sunnydale General. They parked and jumped out, practically running to the emergency room, where they met up with Buffy and began the long wait together. Xander went to call Giles, and he showed up wanting to know every little detail, in pure Giles-fashion. Cordy and Willow were sitting in those uncomfortable hospital chair, flipping through magazines without reading a single word, and Xander had gone to the bathroom.

"Now Buffy...I need you to give me details on what happened," Giles said. Buffy nodded.

"Okay, well, I was fighting this vamp, and he knocked me against the wall--I was stunned for a sec. I got up and felt dizzy all of a sudden. It passed in a moment, but I...I felt that there were eyes on me," she said as she lowered her voice. "They bore into me...I could feel the-the evil in them, the hatred. It didn't bother me before, but now that the adrenaline has stopped pumping, it's giving me the wiggins. Any idea on what caused that?"

"No...no, none at the moment. I'll have to-to go and research it further," Giles said, then turned as they heard the sharp click of heels on the linoleum. They all stood as a woman in a white doctor's coat walked up to them, her stride alone giving off a sense of authority. She was tall and slender, and as she drew near, she gave them a smile.

"Before you ask, he's going to be fine. He has a sprained wrist and a couple of bruised ribs, but he'll definitely recover. He's awake, so you can see him after I ask you some questions. You¹re Buffy, right?" she asked.

"Buffy? Oh, yeah, that'd be me, I'm Buffy," she babbled, then composed herself.

"Good, now, I need to ask you some questions about the patient, Angel. First off, last name. I need one to put on his file."

"Last name? Umm...Angel really doesn't...doesn't use it..." she stammered, then made a snap decision. "Summers...yeah, it's Angel Summers. Next?" She smiled a bit nervously.

"Okay, um...age and date and place of birth?" Buffy paled.

"Oh...umm...hmm. Giles? Maybe you could help answer these questions. Angel's...Angel's 21. He was born in Ireland....God, what was the name of the town? Gal-something."

"Galway, Ireland," Giles said. "We're...not quite sure what day he was born...exactly."

"Yeah, he's not big on birthdays...." Buffy said lamely with a half-smile. "Anything else? 'Cause I wanna go see him."

"A couple more. I know how you feel. Was he attacked?"

"Yes."

"By whom?"

"No clue. It was dark and we were...walking...and some guy jumped Angel. He turned on me and I kicked his as--I mean, I hit him and then he ran," she quickly covered up. Smooth, Buff, tell the world that you're the Slayer.

"Okay, well, the police will probably want to fill out a report later on. Are you all family?" she asked the Scooby Gang.

"Uh, no...just friends," Willow said.

"Oh, well, we can only let relatives in right now. Mrs. Summers?" Buffy glanced around, expecting to see her mother, then realized the doctor was talking to her. "Oh, Mrs. Summers, right, that'd be me. How'd you know?" Buffy asked, a bit edgy.

"The ring. Claddagh. Irish wedding band. Heart pointing towards you. No- brainer really."

"Oh...of course," she said, fingering her ring. "Can I see Angel now?"

"Of course, right this way," she said, leading Buffy through the emergency doors and down the hall to Angel's private room. She paused at the doorway and fearfully glanced in. She shuddered when she saw Angel hooked into an IV machine, his face covered in bluish bruises and his lip split. He sensed her in the doorway and opened his eyes, trying his best to crack a smile. Needless to say, it didn't work.

"Buffy," he said softly and she covered the distance to his bed in two big steps. She held his hand and softly kissed him, being very gentle because of the split lip. She slowly broke off and opened her eyes, staring into his.

"How do you feel?" she asked worriedly.

"Well, my lips feel suddenly painless. That medicine is incredible, you should bottle it. You'd make a fortune," he teased, then said, "No, I think I'll keep it for myself."

"Why thank you. Seriously, though, how do you feel? Oh my God, I'm so sorry this happened. If only--"

"Don't play that game," Angel interrupted. "It wasn't your fault, I should've known I wasn't as strong as I was when I was a vampire. I was just so worried...You were smashed into that hard brick wall and a rage filled me....I had to hurt him. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out quite like I planned."

"Well, look on the bright side. I get to play nursemaid again," Buffy said, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes and an enticing smile on her lips.

"I like the sound of that...." Angel said with a smile of his own on his lips and pulled her down into another kiss. When it broke off, Buffy straightened and pulled a chair over to the bed. She clasped his hand with both of hers and brought it up to her lips, kissing it gently. They sat there, staring into each other's eyes for a long time.

"Oh, before you distract me too much, I had to make up a story about what happened and stuff. Okay, first off, you're 21 and you were born in Galway, Ireland. We didn't say your birthday because you never did tell me....Anyway, we were walking and this guy jumped you and I hit him and he ran away. And that's the end of my brilliant little white lie. Oh yeah, and your last name is Summers. The doctor thinks we¹re kinda....um...married...." She paused awkwardly, then continued. "So...um...just go along with it, okay? Save us both a lot of explaining.” She gazed at Angel's face intently. "You¹re not...mad, are you?"

"Mad? Of course not. That's what I've thought from the moment I gave you that ring, Buffy. I love you with all my heart and soul," Angel said with such sincerity that it brought tears to Buffy's eyes.

"I love you too, so much sometimes I can't even stand it. I need you in my life...so much....I depend on you so much. You really scared me today. I thought you were gonna leave me." Angel wiped the tears from her eyes with his hand, then placed it back in Buffy's grasp.

"I could never leave you. And we will be...someday. If you want," Angel said, teasing again.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll twist my arm into doing it somehow..." She smiled, then leaned down for another kiss. "God, what did I ever do to deserve you?" She mumbled into his lips.

"I think it's the other way around."

They continued to kiss for a long time.

"Yeah," Buffy said as they broke slowly away, "It's definitely the other way around."

"Haha, very funny. I think it's mutual, don't you?" Angel asked in his teasing voice. Buffy noticed he liked to tease a lot more now.

"Sure, twist my words around..." Buffy was cut off by another kiss. She sighed happily. "Yeah, mutual," she whispered, then covered his lips with hers again.

Part Two

"Well, well, well, if it isn¹t my dear friend Angelus. He sure has changed. The last time I saw him, he wasn¹t exactly defending Slayers, he was actually fighting them...ah well, things change. I'll have to have a word with Spike about this...actually, it'll probably be a couple of words. Come, Melanie, my sweet. We have friends to see," Leonna said, then turned and walked through the shadows of the night, blending perfectly in, with Melanie in tow.

"Where are these 'friends'"? Melanie asked as they walked above the Hellmouth. Leonna could feel its power in the air, the absolute evil of this disgustingly cute town called Sunnydale. She smiled, a smile filled with malice, and her blood-red lips formed the words she spoke with the same amount of malice.

"Why, darling, I can feel them. We're getting closer. Hurry, hurry."

Within minutes, they stood at the doorway of Spike and Drusilla's new lair, coincidentally another factory. They never learn, do they? Leonna mused, then strode past the guards, who continued to stare out into the street. It was as if they didn't even notice the two new arrivals....

*~*

Buffy rubbed the back of her neck as she made her way back out into the waiting room to find Giles there alone, sipping coffee and reading a book he had brought. Glancing at the title, Buffy saw it was in another language.

"Geez Giles, how many languages can you speak?" Buffy said as she warily lowered herself into the chair next to him.

"What?" he asked, not glancing up. Buffy rolled her eyes.

"You sent everyone home?"

"Yes, they were all dead tired. How's Angel?"

Buffy blushed. "Oh, he's fine, did the doctors say when they'd release him?" Buffy asked, rubbing her temples.

"Three or four days if all goes well. Would you like a lift home?" Giles inquired, still totally absorbed in his book. Buffy peered at one of the pictures, which showed a human sacrifice being made on the top of a pyramid. She shuddered.

"No, thanks, I'll walk. I'll be able to get home a lot faster than having you drive me in that...that thing you call a car. Good night," Buffy said, then stifled a yawn and picked up her handbag. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was 1:30 in the morning. She walked out of the hospital and began down the sidewalk in the direction of Revello Drive. She yawned again.

Hope I won't run into any vamps on the way home, they'll have to deal with a very tired and cranky Slayer. Plus I really don't want to ruin yet another outfit, even though this one's almost gone.

Buffy continued on through the dark streets of Sunnydale, not even allowing herself to think about what could have happened tonight. Angel...no, she wouldn¹t even think about it. Shutting her brain down, she walked on autopilot to her house and climbed wearily into her bedroom window. She noticed all the lights in the house were out and her mother had left the porch light on for her.

Too tired to walk *all* the way downstairs to turn it off, she undressed and slipped into her pajama bottoms and a tank top. She threw the covers back and climbed into bed bone-tired. She shut off the light and as soon as her head touched the pillow she was out.

*~*

"Drusilla? Sweetheart, are you in there?" Spike called softly into their bedroom, opening the door slowly and rolling his wheelchair in. Dru sat on the bed, staring off into space, obviously in a place that was not Sunnydale.

"Pet, are you all right?" Spike asked, wheeling himself over to the bed and clasping her hand with his own. Willing her to look in his eyes, he saw that dreamy, spaced-out look she often possessed.

"Where are my daisies? They were right here a moment ago...where could they be, Spike? Here daisies, come to Mum. She'll make you all better..." she trailed off, returning her gaze to the wall. Spike frowned. She¹d been like this for a week now, it had all began when 'Daddy Dearest' had been turned back into a human by that stupid little pathetic, whiny, sarcastic, sniveling bitch they all knew as Buffy.

Actually, Spike was kind of glad it had happened--it meant that Drusilla was all his again, no more competition. Angelus had so graciously taken over Spike's role in her life--or rather un-life. He knew what they had done, he had heard them, their sounds coming from Angelus's bedroom. His blood still boiled at the thought of his Drusilla making love to another man...

"Spike? What's wrong, my sweet? I can feel...your hatred," Drusilla said slowly, looking back at Spike.

"Oh, it's nothing, pet. It's just that you're starting to worry me...you haven't eaten in nearly a week. You'll waste away."

"I miss Daddy....Bring him back Spike," she whimpered, placing her hand on his chin and making him look her in the eye. She silently begged him. "Do it for Princess...please."

Spike looked away and suddenly spun around out of Dru¹s grasp as he felt a presence behind him.

"Hello, William. Long time no see."

*~*

Groaning, Buffy reached over to grab the glass of water she had placed on her nightstand, and gasped as her room suddenly vanished and she was in another place and century, watching another Slayer. The other Slayer was bruised and bloody, and the vampire that was attacking her wore all black. Her hair was midnight black and her nails were blood red, matching her lips perfectly. She moved with cat-like grace and was beating the Slayer into a bloody pulp without so much as blinking an eye. Terrified, Buffy sat and watched.

She winced as the Slayer took a blow to the face and something cracked, resulting in even more blood spilling down her face onto her torn dress. Buffy could feel the evil in the air, the pure hatred and animosity. Suddenly, as the Slayer tried to get a punch in, the vampire disappeared, only to turn up behind the Slayer, where she grabbed the poor girl by the neck and bit into her flesh viciously, the blood streaming down the sides of her mouth as she gulped. Reaching down with her free hand, she pulled the stake from the weakened Slayer's hand and shoved it through her back, right into the heart. The girl gave an agonizing scream and fell to her knees, the life slowly being drained from her. The vampire smiled, her yellow eyes glowing, before she again vanished into the night, but not before gazing at Buffy for a long moment. The hate poured over Buffy, and she was chilled to the bone. She blinked, and the vampire was suddenly gone, enveloped once again by the night, and Buffy was left alone in the blackness.

With a start, she woke up, running a finger through her hair and glancing around. She was safe, in her room.

For now.

*~*

Spike saw who was standing in the doorway and he immediately tried to get up out of his wheelchair. He couldn't, and reluctantly wheeled himself to greet the new arrival. Drusilla just lounged around on the bed, a huge smile on her face.

"Now, now, William, I know you'd like to give me a hug, but what with your condition and all...that probably isn't the best thing to do. How've you been?" Leonna asked as she sauntered into the room, her eyes dancing around, taking in her surroundings. "Drusilla, darling, you look fabulous. I'd like you to meet Melanie, my friend. Melaine, my sweet, this is Drusilla. Why don't you two talk while I attend to some business with Spike," she said and gave Melaine a little push over to the bed. Drusilla patted a spot, indicating to Melanie that she should sit, and Melanie obeyed.

"Do you like flowers?" Drusilla asked as Leonna and Spike went into the main room.

"That'll be all, thanks," Spike said to the morons he called minions. Taking a hint, they left quietly, or tried to anyway, leaving Leonna and Spike alone to talk.

"Now what's this all about?" Spike asked immediately after he knew they were alone.

"What, I can't come check on old friends?" Leonna asked, a smirk on her face and her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, luv, I won't exactly call you a friend, especially after you ratted us out to that bitch of a Slayer......what's-her-face? Francesca?" Spike retorted.

"Oh, darling, I am sorry about that," Leonna said, her gaze moving dreamily around the room as she circled his chair slowly, with a predator-like grace. "But you seemed to handle her just fine...you needed a little bit of excitement. But that's all behind us now," she whispered as she knelt behind the wheelchair, her face inches from Spike¹s neck. Slowly, seductively, she walked her fingers up his neck, teasing the skin there. He tensed. "You see, pet, I have a proposition for you."

"Oh, really?" Spike asked, trying to remain cool and controlled, and failing utterly. "And what might this exciting proposition be?"

"Something I think you'll be quite interested in." Leaning close to his ear and resting her hands on his shoulders, she whispered the words, so quietly he could barely hear them. They floated lazily into his ear, filling his head.

"Killing the Slayer."

Part Three

"Ugh. Why did I bother coming today?" Buffy whined as she plopped herself down in one of the oak library chairs and sighed. "I totally bombed my history quiz, and we have so much math and chemistry homework tonight I'll be up until four doing it all. I bet all the other Slayers didn't have to go to high school."

Giles, used to her pointless whining, ignored her and kept on reading. Buffy sighed and folded her hands in her lap.

"All right, I'll stop. Any luck with finding something on vamps that can suddenly disappear and turn up someplace else? Gee, how much fun this'll be, me fighting something and then fighting the air and looking like a complete idiot." Her voice grew serious. "Giles, this...this thing totally wigged me out. She had these...these powers, this aura full of confidence and scorn, like she knew she was going to win. And...and her presence there was terrifying."

"Oh, come on, Cordy's not that bad," Xander joked as he walked through the library doors with Cordy on his arm, Willow and Oz right behind him. His grin faded as he saw their serious looks.

"Buffy? What's wrong?" Willow asked, her voice full of concern. Everyone sat down around the oak table, waiting for Buffy to speak. She turned her head to the side, sighing, and then looked back, brushing a piece of her golden hair out of her face.

"Probably nothing," she smiled, or tried to, but she didn1t impress anyone. The smile faded from her lips as she said, "I had this dream last night. This vamp was totally kicking this Slayer's ass, and then...she disappeared. Only, she didn1t stay gone," Buffy swallowed, then continued. "She...she turned up behind the girl...then bit her."

The Scooby Gang winced, knowing what kind of effect the dream must have had on Buffy. She just shook her head.

"That's not all. She...she rammed the stake through the girl's heart, too."

"Ewww. Major ick-fest!!!" Cordelia shrieked, then suddenly grew somber.

For a time, there was silence. Then Willow spoke up.

"Do you think it was a prophecy dream?" Buffy shook her head again.

"It was definitely real, I could just tell. It was like I was in the past or something. The vamp was dressed in an old-fashioned black dress, her hair was black and her nails were blood red. Which matched perfectly with her lips," she said, then shuddered. "And I have a feeling she didn't exactly keep a tube of Revlon1s Candy Apple lipstick and a matching nail polish bottle in her back pocket. Not that she had any back pockets, 'cause, you know, she was wearing a dress..." Buffy stopped when she realized that she was rambling on. "Okay, sorry, I'm just a little wigged. Anyway, Giles has been in full research-mode and turned up nothing. Right?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, nothing as of yet. There's...there's no record of this vampire that you described...are you sure it wasn't just one of your natural fears that you were dreaming about?" Giles asked.

"Giles, you should know best that when I have dreams, they're usually meaningful. Why all of a sudden the doubt?"

"No-no reason, no doubt. Just...just making sure this was a thing that really did happen at some point...yes, well, I'd best get back to my research."

"Ooh, I can help," Willow volunteered eagerly. "Research girl, that1s me." Giles put a hand on her shoulder as she attempted to rise.

"It's all right, I'll manage tonight. I don't feel the need for heavy research just yet. I'll call if I turn up anything of use," Giles said, then turned and headed up into the stacks.

"Well, I for one wasn't exactly looking forward to another all-night research party in this gross old library, the atmosphere ruins my hair," Cordelia said, wrinkling her nose, the she suddenly brightened. "Hey, let1s all go to the Bronze. It's bound to be a little more entertaining than roaming the streets like sitting ducks. Who's up for it?"

Xander rose, along with the rest of the Slayerettes, leaving only the Slayer still seated. They looked at her questioningly.

"You guys go, have fun. I'm off to Sunnydale General to make sure my boyfriend is behaving himself and not flirting with the entire nurse staff," she smiled, then paused. "No, wait, let me rephrase that. I have to make sure the nurses are behaving themselves and not flirting with my boyfriend. I'll catch you guys later." Buffy stood and grabbed the leather jacket Angel had given her so long ago, along with her schoolbooks (a shock, yes, but she1s have lots of time at the hospital to try and get some of her work done so she1d be able to become a senior next year). She pulled the jacket on and held her books down at her side, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She smiled at her friends, then left as the others followed her out, heading towards the parking lot.

As Buffy walked, she began to think about her dream some more. None of the others knew just how much it had wigged her. That hatred....Buffy shook her head. She'd just have to think positively. She'd tell Angel about it and he'd say it was nothing and when she went to school tomorrow Giles would assure her it was all her imagination and nothing like that had ever happened.

She smiled and continued to walk into the fading sunset.

*~*

Spike sat, shocked for a moment, then craned his neck around, staring at the side of Leonna's face. She continued to look straight ahead, allowing him to drink in her profile. She was beautiful, there was no denying that. The gentle bump of her forehead, her long, sensual eyelashes, the sharp curve of her nose, the full redness of her lips. Turning her head slowly, she looked Spike in the eye with her lips turned up in a slight smile.

She rose slowly and walked around his chair to face him. She kneeled again, and Spike squirmed slightly. "And how do you plan to do that, exactly?" Spike asked, breaking the silence that had filled the room.

She looked coyly up into his eyes, blinking her long lashes. "That, my sweet, is where you come in. You see," she said as she stood up, using Spike1s knees to push herself up. "You know her better than I do, you know her weaknesses, her strengths, all those things I'll need if I'm to destroy her. And I was thinking I'd stay here for a while, laying low and watching, and then when you're all better and I feel ready, we'll kill her together," she finished, that little smirk on her face. Spike sat for a moment, contemplating her offer.

"Well," he said, shifting in his chair, "I'm always open to new ideas, and I have to admit your offer is quite...intriguing. But, I don't know...ah, what the hell. I'm always up for a little action"

"I know," Leonna whispered, a knowing smile on her lips. Spike ignored her little comment and continued.

"I'm almost healed, so hopefully we won't have to wait too long. I'm assuming you'll be using some of your...special skills...to fight the Slayer?" Spike inquired, his lips forming a slight smile. Leonna’s grew.

"Would you expect anything else? I thought you knew me better than that, William."

"Don’t call me that. It's Spike now."

"Oh, yes, of course," Leonna said, floating lightly on her platform shoes as she began walking around the room. "You always were the over-dramatic type, darling."

She walked around the room slowly, deep in thought, trailing her fingertips along the bare gray walls as she walked. "Good, so that's settled. We'll talk more about this at some later time. Melanie and I have had a long trip, and need our rest. Would you be a gentleman, love, and show us where we can stay?" Leonna asked as she went over and picked up the two tiny suitcases she had dropped before. Rolling his eyes, Spike led the way down the darkened corridor, stopping at a closed door. Making a sweeping motion with his hand, he indicated this was to be their room.

Smiling, Leonna opened the door, flicking the light switch on as she stepped in. She walked around the room, investigating, then turned back to the doorway. Spike was gone, as she had expected. Her smile grew larger as she thought of the coming weeks and Spike's reaction to her.

It would be interesting, he was in for a lot of fun. Catching up on old times, spending some quality time together. She'd have to remind him about all the good times they'd had.

That had been her main reason in coming. To see William, her little darling, again. Killing the Slayer was just an added bonus.

It would be very interesting indeed.

*~*

Opening Angel's hospital room door quietly, she was surprised to see him awake and watching some cheesy soap on TV. He glanced up when he heard the door open, and his face broke out into a broad grin as he switched off the television. Buffy returned the smile, stepping over the threshold and walking slowly towards his hospital bed. He sat up, staring at her as she crossed the room.

"Wow, Buff, you look gorgeous today. Absolutely gorgeous," he said, reaching up to bring her face down to his. They locked lips and stayed that way for several moments, ending as Buffy straightened and opened her eyes slowly, a smile returning to her lips.

"Thanks," she said shyly, looking deeply into his eyes.

The door to the room suddenly swung open, startling both Buffy and Angel. They looked up to see a woman in a nurse's uniform standing at the foot of the bed, examining a clipboard. The woman obviously didn't look up to see Buffy as she spoke.

"So, Angel," she said in a flirtatious voice. "God, I just love your name. Angel. It's so heavenly, so pure and good. I wouldn't mind screaming it out at the top of my lungs during..." the nurse trailed off as she looked up to see an extremely pissed-off blond standing next to Angel, holding both his hands in her own. The nurse turned bright red and stammered, "Uh...um...during a um..a fight. Yeah, um...a fight. Uh, Sorry."

Buffy just glared at the nurse, her icy stare causing her to look away sheepishly. Angel broke the awkward silence after a few moments.

"Let me introduce you two. Buffy, this is Michelle, one of my nurses. Michelle, this is my girlfriend, Buffy Summers," he said, trying to break some of the tension.

"Oh, um, pleased to meet you. I'll...I'll be out of your way in a sec," Michelle said and checked some of the machines Angel was hooked up to before making a hasty exit. Buffy stood glaring at her the whole time.

After the door was shut, Buffy looked back at Angel and suddenly burst out laughing. She knew she should be really pissed, but when Michelle had been talking, Angel had looked at Buffy and rolled his eyes, indicating that he’d heard this before. A moment later Angel joined her.

"Yeah, she wishes she could get you. Nice try there. Have you been putting up with that the whole day?" Buffy asked, still giggling. Angel nodded, and Buffy laughed even harder. She soon became quiet, as did he, and they went back to gazing into each other's eyes.

The door swung open again, and Buffy looked at the intruder with daggers, but it turned out to be just Angel's doctor. She walked over to the foot of the bed and picked up Angel's chart. Frowning, she looked at it closely, then looked up at Angel.

"My, my, you sure seem to be healing a lot faster than most people. Your ribs and wrist are pretty much healed...very unusual. If they continue like that...I'll be able to let you out of here tomorrow. Hmph. Very odd...anyway, how are you feeling?"

As the doctor was talking, Buffy looked at Angel more closely, seeing that his lip and the bruises on his face were healed. Startled, Buffy looked him in the eye, but he urged her to keep quiet until the doctor had left.

"Angel, what's going on? You're human, you're not supposed to have super healing powers. You don't have the strength of a vamp, so why should you have the healing powers?" Buffy asked as soon as the doctor had left.

"I don't know, baby. They're not as strong as before, but they're still there. I can feel them."

"Ugh. Now I don't get to play nursemaid to you," Buffy said, one side of her mouth raised in a sly smile. Angel returned the smile.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll need you to take care of me and all that. You're so good at that," he whispered, then pulled Buffy1s head down for a tender kiss.

"Don't worry, baby, I'll take good care of you."

Part Four

Angel groaned as he hit the ground hard on his right shoulder, the wind knocked out of him. Struggling, he got up and faced his attacker, assuming a fighting stance. She smirked and moved in, punching at his head. He ducked and sent one flying in her direction, catching her in the jaw. She faltered, and Angel attacked.

He kicked her in the stomach, sending her sprawling backwards. She landed on her back and Angel closed in. Not ready to give up the fight, she stuck her leg in the air, catching him in the stomach. She flipped him over her head and he landed on his back, panting. She rolled with him, landing on top of him and pinning him down with her body. Spent, he rolled his head back and closed his eyes.

"Much better than the last one. You almost had me there for a second," Buffy said as she rolled off Angel and got up to grab her water bottle. She took a swig and threw it to him. He caught it and took a long drink as he sat up. Buffy fixed her ponytail and went back over to sit by Angel, catching her breath.

"Yeah, I'm getting better, a lot better. Although I still need a lot more practice. It's getting too dark now though," he said, panting, looking off into the distance to see the last rays of the sun setting.

They had been training for three hours, at the least. It was a daily routine now, they'd train for a couple of hours, usually at the library or at Angel's place. Tonight, since Buffy¹s mom was out of town on an art-buying thing, they were training in her backyard. She rubbed her neck as she stood up again and walked to the back door. She pulled it open and walked inside, the cooler air of the house causing goose bumps to form on her exposed arms and midriff, thanks to the sports bra she wore. It was a lot easier to fight in than a tank top. Angel followed right behind her, and together they walked up to her bedroom, where Angel's things were.

He put on his jacket and was ready to leave when Buffy's hands reached around him from behind, pushing his jacket slowly off his shoulders. She tossed his jacket to the side and circled his body slowly, ending up facing him, her hands never leaving him.

Looking him in the eye, she leaned up and kissed him gently, tentatively, savoring the moment. As their kiss grew more passionate, Buffy wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him closer as their tongues dueled. She gently pushed him over to her bed and pushed him down, making him sit on the edge. She sat on his lap, and they stayed that way for some time, kissing. When it broke off, Buffy slowly opened her eyes and gazed at Angel. She saw the love she felt mirrored there, and she felt safe in his arms, with his love to shelter her from the demons and the monsters.

She sat gazing in his eyes for a long moment, then slowly took her hands away from his neck to lift her sports bra over her head and off her body, tossing it into a corner of the room. She kissed his forehead, then locked her gaze with his again. She felt his hands moving up and down her back in a slow, sensual way, sending shivers up and down her spine.

"Make love to me, Angel," she whispered, her voice full of need. Angel gazed at her questioningly.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes. I need you..." she said softly, and that was all he needed. They laid down together, Angel flipping Buffy over gently, so she was on her back.

"I love you," he said before catching her mouth in a tender kiss. As he moved down her neck, she echoed his words to him, and they began the process of loving.

*~*

When it had ended, Buffy lay facing Angel, cuddling up against him with her head pillowed on his arm. They spent a few long moments gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. Angel was drawing circles on Buffy's arm absentmindedly with his free hand and he leaned forward to kiss her softly on the forehead. She closed her eyes and snuggled closer to him, feeling completely exhausted and utterly happy. As their bodies cooled, they drifted off to sleep in each other¹s arms, feeling safe and loved and whole.

*~*

Again Buffy dreamt about the mysterious vampire, the one that had the power to disappear, killing another Slayer. This one didn't take as long, but it was still as violent and disgusting as the one before. She did that disappearing thing more than once, too, and she killed the Slayer a totally different way. They had been fighting on a bridge, high about the water below, and the vampire had grabbed the Slayer by the throat and hurtled her to her death. She stood by the stone wall, watching as the Slayer plummeted to her death and landed hundreds of feet below, sinking slowly into her watery grave. Again the vampire gazed at Buffy with evil in her stare, and again she vanished, leaving Buffy all alone on the dark bridge.

*~*

Buffy's eyes flew open, and she sat up in the darkness, clutching the sheet to her chest. Angel felt her stir and sit up, and he groggily sat up as well.

"What's wrong, baby?" Angel asked as he leaned his head against Buffy¹s back, wrapping his arms around her waist, and yawned.

"I dreamt about her again, Angel...the one that can disappear. She-she killed another Slayer, and I was there to watch. Sh-she threw her off of a bridge, and that gaze...it was horrible," Buffy said, shaking.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, it was only a dream. Come back to sleep with me," Angel whispered. He pulled her gently, urging her to lie back down with him. She did and her back molded into his chest, flesh warming flesh. Angel kissed the top of Buffy¹s head and listened to her breathing. When he was sure she had fallen asleep, he joined her in a peaceful slumber, his beautiful Slayer wrapped in his strong, protecting arms.

And they slept.

*~*

"So, Spike my sweet, *what* happened to Angelus? Last I heard, he had a Romani gypsy curse on him and couldn't bring himself to kill another human being. What a pity...he was so vicious and cruel. Some good times we had," Leonna said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs. The skirt she wore had a long slit up each side, and she crossed her legs deliberately to show as much skin as possible.

Spike squirmed a little in his chair.

Leonna smiled.

"Angelus, well, you see, when he had his soul, he fell in love with the bloody Slayer. Sickening, I know. I don't know what happened, but they did something, I'm guessing they had sex. And all of a sudden, boom, he was back, making plays at Dru as if nothing had changed," Spike growled, venom in his voice. "Anyway, the Slayer obviously liked him better as her little lap dog, and she found a way to turn him into a bloody human again. So now he's on their side again, not that I really mind."

"Hmm...interesting. This puts a twist on things, a very interesting twist indeed. Spike, darling, this could change our whole plan. Not completely, but think of the possibilities. What about if we--" Leonna spoke eagerly, but was cut off by Spike.

"Now hold up just a minute there, luv. Don't tell me you're thinking of--" Now it was Leonna’s turn to interrupt.

"But pet, think of how much fun it would be! Just like old times again, and you know how much it would kill--" Spike, not wanting to hear it, held up his hands.

"No. No way. Absolutely not. That wasn't part of the deal. No," Spike said, shaking his head. Leonna just gave him a cold smile.

"Maybe we should get Drusilla's opinion on the matter, have a little vote, hmm? What do you say?" When Spike didn¹t answer, she raised her voice and called, "Drusilla, my love, could you come in here? There's a little matter Spike and I have to discuss with you."

Drusilla entered the room with Melanie at her side. The two of them have been spending a lot of time together lately, Leonna thought with a grin. Patting the chair next to her, she indicated to Dru that she should sit.

"Now, Spike, honey, why don't you tell Drusilla about our little...what shall we call it? Disagreement? Yes, I like the sound of that word. And we'll see what you think about it, is that all right, darling?" Leonna asked.

"Yes, but hurry. Ms. Edith shall be waking soon and will want her tea," Drusilla mused. Leonna sat back, uncrossed and recrossed her legs with the opposite one on top.

Spike squirmed again.

Leonna smiled again.

This was going to be fun.

Part Five

The first sound Buffy heard as she woke up was the door knob to her bedroom turning. She didn't register it at first, instead she snuggled closer to Angel, fulling intent to sleep away her Saturday morning. Her eyes fluttered when she heard the door creak on its hinges as it was opened slowly, and she turned her head to see who was at the door.

"Buffy, sweetie, I brought you some juice. I thought maybe we could go shopping..." Joyce Summers trailed off as the glass full of orange juice she was holding slipped out of her hand, spilling all over the carpet. Buffy...her baby... was in bed...naked...with a man. Joyce brought her hand up to her mouth, covering it as she stared in shock.

Buffy, meanwhile, had bolted up, startling Angel awake. She gasped as she quickly sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest and staring wide-eyed at her mother.

"Baby? What's wrong?" Angel asked groggily, his eyes still half closed. Before Buffy had a chance to say anything, her mother angrily cut in.

"Buffy Anne Summers!" Angel's head snapped up from the pillow as he heard Buffy's mother's voice, and he groaned. This was not good.

"What is the meaning of this? I leave you alone for two days, and I come home to find you in bed with some guy? I cannot believe this! Who is he?" Joyce shouted.

Angel raised his head, slowly opening his eyes as he did so. He blinked several times. Even though the shades were closed, the windows were bright with sunlight.

Joyce gasped.

Buffy sighed, her face a very pale shade of white.

Angel tore his gaze away from Joyce's accusing stare.

"Buffy...that's-that's your ex-boyfriend. The one who took your virginity!" Joyce¹s voice echoed through the room, full of accusations. "This is unbelievable! I will not stand for this in my house--"

"Mom, chill, will you? Angel's...Angel's changed. He's not like he was the last time you saw him. Okay? Just give me a minute and I can explain--" Buffy said hastily as Angel slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Joyce looked at him with murder in her eyes.

"What's there to explain? Huh, Buffy? TELL ME WHAT THERE IS TO EXPLAIN!!! You had sex with your ex-boyfriend--"

"No, Mom, we made love."

"You're too young to know what love is," Joyce retorted, enraged. "You had sex with your ex-boyfriend, who last time threatened you and left you. How do you know he won't do it again, huh? Did you even think of the consequences? Answer me, dammit!!" Joyce shouted and Angel cringed, but kept silent. This was between Buffy and her mother. He was there for moral support...plus he couldn't exactly go anywhere, even if he'd wanted to. His boxers were on the other side of the room.

"Mom, God, will you calm down? Just give me a minute to explain. Angel and I are back together. We're in love, and this was my idea. Everything that happened before...well...um, it-it wasn't his fault. He was...different. But he's better now, I swear," Buffy said, a hint of pleading in her voice.

"He's the reason you've been getting in so much trouble, isn't he, Buffy? He's the reason you've been doing so badly in school, getting into fights, sneaking out late. It was him, wasn't it?"

Buffy stared at her mother, a stare full of sudden anger. She spoke in a low, deadly voice. "Don't you *ever* say that again. That has nothing to do with Angel. He can't help who I am, what I have to do. He's saved my life on more than one occasion. You should be grateful," Buffy spat out, becoming angrier and angrier by the second. How dare she accuse Angel?

"Grateful? For what? That he dragged you into a gang? That he turned my baby into a trouble-maker? Is that what I'm supposed to be grateful for?" Joyce demanded. Buffy just laughed, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, yeah Mom, it's all *Angel's* fault I'm the way I am. Of course, it has nothing whatsoever to do with that pesky little thing called destiny."

Angel gasped as she said this, and he realized what she was about to say. "Buffy," he said warningly, but she ignored him. He groaned and prepared himself for what Buffy was about to do.

"Destiny? Buffy, what are you talking about?"

"Yeah, destiny. See, Mom, there is a reason for my weird behavior. It's just that I've been protecting you from it for about two years now. But I can't hide it from you anymore," Buffy stated flatly.

"What? What have you been protecting me from?" Joyce asked, suddenly confused.

"Mom, have you ever heard of a thing called a vampire?" Joyce nodded, and Buffy smirked, the kind of smirk that all parents hated. "Good, then I don't have to explain that to you. See, out of all the girls in the world, I was chosen to slay them. Yep, that's right, I'm a Vampire Slayer. Surprise."

Joyce just stared at Buffy, completely confused. "Buffy...that's crazy."

"No, it's not. I'm a Vampire Slayer. I slay the vampires. I also kill zombies, demons, you name it, I've slayed it. See, there was a reason for all my weird behavior, all the times I snuck out of the house. Why I got kicked out of Hemery. I just can't believe you've been so stupid that you never noticed."

"Buffy...this is crazy! I know that you're in a gang. There's no such thing as a vampire," Joyce said and laughed lightly, in a carefree manner. She shook her head and continued. "I think you're going to need some counseling, yes, that sounds like a good idea. Maybe we'll even have to move again, before this gets too serious. But honey, seriously, you couldn't have come up with a better story? I mean really, a Vampire Slayer? Who's ever heard of such a thing?" Joyce laughed again.

Buffy just shook her head, then looked at Angel. "See," she said to Angel, "She's doing that selective-memory thingy again. I bet she wouldn't believe me even if she got bit by..." Buffy gasped, then looked back at her mother. "Hey, Mom, do you remember that girl Darla who came to our house last year? She was a vampire. She bit you and you went to the hospital. Remember that?"

"Buffy, that wasn't a vampire, I slipped and cut myself. On the barbecue fork--"

"That we don't have. Don't you get it? Vampires are real!" Buffy glanced desperately at Angel, and he saw how much it hurt her that her mother didn¹t believe her. Suddenly, he got an idea.

"Buff, why don't you bring your mother to meet Giles?" Angel suggested. Joyce just glared at him, her maternal instincts taking over once more.

"You," she said, pointing at Angel. "I never want to see you again. Buffy, you're forbidden to see him anymore."

Buffy just laughed at her mother in that sadistic laugh once more. "Oh okay Mommy, whatever you say. Can I go play with my Barbies now?" Buffy retorted, causing Joyce to become even more angry at her. "Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen. I had to live without him once, don't even think I'm about to repeat that experience. As if you could really stop me, anyway. But go get dressed," Buffy said.

"Why? Where are you taking me?" Joyce asked.

"To meet my Watcher. Now go. Angel and I need to get dressed."

Joyce just shrugged, deciding to play along with whatever it was Buffy had up her sleeve. But she was definitely in trouble. Sleeping with her ex- boyfriend? Grounded till she was five hundred and two. Turning, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

As soon as she was gone, Buffy sighed and leaned into Angel¹s arms, grateful that he had been there for her. Turning to him, she smiled at him. "That's twice now that we haven't had a typical 'morning after' thing. You know, like me waking you with a kiss, us staring at each other for a long time. Normal stuff."

"Well, we could try it. I'll pretend I'm asleep, and you can pretend to wake me up," Angel grinned, then lay back down and closed his eyes.

"Ooh, and then can we play house? You know, I'm the mommy, you're the daddy, I can cook pretend food for you and we can have pretend kids?" Buffy joked. Angel opened one eye and gave her a look.

"I think we played enough 'house' last night, don't you?"

"Enough? Are you crazy? No way."

"What?!"

"What I meant was, we'll definitely have to do that again."

"Oh, we will. You don't have to worry about that," Angel teased.

"Good Because that was...is there even a word for it?" Angel laughed and pulled Buffy back down with him. He pulled the comforter up to their chins and closed his eyes once more. Buffy took the hint and played along. She closed her eyes, waited a beat, then opened them again. She sat up and stretched, faking a yawn.

"Oh, what a beautiful morning. I think I'll tend to my roses in the garden while I bake cookies and do laundry, and maybe I'll even sew while I'm doing everything else. What a stereotypical life," Buffy was about to go on, but Angel reached up and pushed her in the arm, causing her to laugh. "Sorry, I got carried away. I was *playing* pretend." Angel sighed. "Okay, okay. Fine. I'll be good."

She lay back down, closing her eyes again. When she slowly opened them, all hints of laughter were gone. She would be serious about this. She lifter her head and kissed Angel's lips lightly, willing him to wake up. A moment later he pulled her closer, not opening his eyes, and kissed her, except this time it became much deeper.

Angel rolled over, lying on top of her. They broke off and looked in each other¹s eyes. "I love you," Angel whispered, then leaned down and kissed her again.

"I love you too. And as much as I love this, and believe me I do," Buffy indicated with her hand. She gently pushed Angel off of her body and sat up. Angel sat up with her. "We have a date. With Giles. And I really don't want my mom coming in to check on us again. And I'm really sorry about that. I didn't know she was coming home last night."

"Hey, don't worry about it. A little awkwardness can be a good thing." Buffy just looked at him. "Okay, so it's not good."

"Thanks for being here," she said, touching her lips to his.

"No problem. Even if I had wanted to leave, I don't think I could've. Seeing as how my clothes are on the other side of the room." They both laughed and got up. Buffy walked to her closet and Angel began picking up his clothing from their spots on Buffy¹s floor.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw his love, her back was to him and she was pulling a maroon tube top over her head. His breath caught in his throat. She was so beautiful. And she was all his. He watched as she pulled on a pair of black capri pants. How did this happen again? he thought to himself.

Buffy felt her lover's eyes on her, and she turned her head to meet his gaze. He gave her a sly smile and faced the mirror again, pulling the t-shirt over his head and his jeans on. Fully dressed, he turned to Buffy, just as she turned to him. They stared into each other's eyes for a second, then both took two shorts steps, which brought them together in the middle of the room. They began to kiss again, wrapping their arms around each other and losing themselves in the other person.

The door opened again, and they broke off sheepishly. "Buffy," Joyce warned. Buffy just shot her an annoyed look. "Let's go."

Glancing one more time at each other, Buffy and Angel linked hands and followed Joyce out of the room and down the stairs. Buffy grabbed two apples on the way to the back door, handing one to Angel. She bit into hers as she stepped outside into the morning sunlight. They got into the car and began the trip to Giles' apartment, where Buffy¹s mother would finally know the whole truth about her daughter.

Part Six

Joyce just sat in shock, listening to Giles tell her all the monsters Buffy had defeated. She realized that Buffy had been telling the truth, and she couldn¹t believe she had been so blind about it all. All those clues...and she had never picked up on it. She glanced over at her daughter, who was perched on the arm of the chair that Angel sat in, partly in his lap, and suddenly saw her in a whole new light. Her baby had saved the world, and every night risked her life to protect other people.

She glanced around at Buffy's friends, Willow, Xander, Oz, and Cordelia. They had all helped too. And Joyce couldn't even begin to think about Angel, the vampire that had his soul, then lost it after making love to her daughter, then had been made human by a curse that the computer teacher had found. Joyce saw that Giles had finished his explanation, and realized the room had grown silent. Joyce brought the teacup she was holding to her lips and took a sip, then setting it back down in it¹s saucer. She took a deep breath.

"Okay, so let me get this straight. Buffy's the Vampire Slayer, the one who has the skill and strength to kill demons. You're her Watcher, you find information about evil stuff and tell her about it. You," she gestured to the Slayerettes, "Are there to help with research and sometimes fight. And you," she finished, pointing at Angel, "Used to be a vampire, then got cursed with a soul, then lost your soul, then got made human. Right?"

They all looked at Buffy, who nodded. "Yep, that's pretty much the kindergarten version of it. You want to go to first grade, we save the world on pretty much a daily basis, and Angel and I are in love and nothing you say or do will keep us apart."

Angel looked at Buffy, who sat mostly on the arm of the chair with her left arm around him. He brought his left hand up, entwining their fingers. She glanced down at him and smiled, and at that moment Joyce saw how much in love the two of them were, and that this wasn't just some silly little fling. She saw the two smile at each other and she knew her little baby was all grown up. Then she thought of something.

"Buffy?" Buffy looked at her mother. "You were...careful, right? I mean last night when you..." Suddenly Buffy's eyes widened, and she motioned for her mother to stop talking, but it was too late.

"What? Buffy...you two didn't..." Xander said, and Buffy blushed and looked down at Angel, who was staring at the floor.

"Oh my God! I can't believe this!! He's back for two weeks and you two are already...ugh!" Buffy just gave him a look and was about to speak when Willow did.

"Oh, now I get how your mom found out. You two were training at your house...and then you...well, you know what you did, only Angel didn't go home and your mom found you two this morning," Willow stopped, and Buffy nodded. "Wow, I'm good."

"Yeah, she found us, I got really mad and told her, we brought her here, I was careful," Buffy said, with an awkward pause following. "Okay, now that everyone knows what I did last night, I had another dream about the vamp that can do the 'presto, I disappear and then reappear behind you and kill you' thingy. This time she threw the Slayer off of this bridge. And it wasn¹t pretty. Giles, we need to figure out who she is, and fast. I--it feels like she's here, the air feels different. It feels like it did in my dream. Any progress?"

"Hm? Oh...um, none. I've been researching about vampires that ca-can disappear, but as of yet I have been unsuccessful."

"Great, just great. There's a new vamp in Sunnydale, and we don't even know her name. Plus she had this cool thing that she can do, and she doesn't even cast a spell. She just does it. Who has that kind of power?" Buffy asked.

"Well...um...maybe she's part of a cult, or a witch, or she could be a..." Giles trailed off.

"Could be a what?" Willow put in.

"A gypsy," Giles replied slowly, making everyone except Joyce gasp. She was still a little lost. "I don't know why I didn't think of it before."

"Okay. So this vamp's a gypsy? Well that's just peachy. Just what I needed right now! God, they can't just let me have a couple of quiet weeks to spend with my friends?" Buffy whined.

"A gypsy...that sounds familiar. I knew a gypsy who was turned into a vamp, but she didn't have any special powers or anything, and she was killed by a Slayer in the late 1700s," Angel said.

"What was her name? What did she look like?" Buffy asked excitedly.

"Her name was Leonna, or at least that's what she called herself. The clan she was from don't tell any outsiders their real names. She had blond hair, and she always wore very subtle tones, never anything black or red. She was beautiful, with full lips and she had the longest finger nails I'd ever seen. She traveled with Darla and I for some time, and then I think she was with Spike and Drusilla for a couple decades after I got my soul back."

"Okay, well that would explain why she's here, probably staying with Sid and Nancy," Buffy and Xander started laughing, but no one else joined in, and they grew serious once again. "Plus--"

"Buffy, I told you, she's dead. She was trapped in a building that a Slayer had set fire to," Angel said, dashing all of Buffy's hopes that they had figured out who the mystery vampire was. Deflated, she sighed.

"Oh, yeah, I kinda forgot that tidbit of info. Damn, now we're back where we started. Okay, back to the library for more research?" Buffy stood up and stretched. She had been sitting down for almost three hours, first waiting for the Slayerettes to arrive, then listening to Giles recant the past two years of her life. When he had gotten to the part about Angel turning, the memories alone had been enough to bring tears to her eyes, but Angel had been there for her, for which she was grateful. She knew it was just as hard on him.

"Umm..will you guys need any help? 'Cause I have a manicure, and I can't cancel because it took forever to get an appointment. Plus I'm not all that good at the research stuff anyway," Cordelia said as she stood up. No one said a word, so she shrugged and grabbed her cardigan and keys. "Okay, well then I might see you later. I don't know if I'll be able to sit in that dark library for very long. Bye!"

As the door slammed shut, everyone else stood up. Angel put his arm around Buffy and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I should probably go too, but I'll come by the library in about an hour, okay?" Angel whispered to Buffy, but Joyce had overheard. She stepped forward.

"Actually, Angel, if you don't mind, I'd like for you to come back to the house with Buffy and I, there are some issues we need to discuss."

Angel just looked at Buffy, who shrugged. They both had pretty good guesses about what the conversation would be about. Angel nodded.

"Okay, sure."

"All right...well, then Willow, Oz, and I shall head to the library and begin to research further," Giles said, and Willow nodded. She walked over to the phone and punched in her number.

"Mom? Hey, it's Willow. I'm gonna be going to Buffy's house for a while, and I might be spending the night. I'll call you later. Love you," Willow hung up and turned around. "Answering machine. We'll meet you over there," Willow said and followed Oz out the door.

"Can we give you a lift, Mr. Giles?" Joyce asked, but Giles shook his head.

"No, thank you, I have some things I still need to do here before I go to the library."

"Oh, okay, well then I'll drop Buffy and Angel off when we're done. Thank you for taking the time to explain everything to me, I really appreciate it," Joyce said.

"You're welcome. Allow me to show you out," Giles answered. The four of them moved to the door and Giles opened it.

"Thanks again," Joyce smiled as she walked out into the sunlight. Buffy and Angel said their goodbyes and walked out also. They followed Joyce to the car and both climbed into the back seat.

They rode in silence for a few minutes, Buffy occasionally glancing in Angel's direction and vice versa. Their eyes would meet for a moment, and then they'd look away.

"Mom, aren't we going home?" Buffy asked, confused. Her mother had passed Revello Drive and had continued driving.

"No, I thought we could get some fresh air. We're going to buy some lunch and take it to the beach. We'll talk there," Joyce answered, her eyes never leaving the road.

After picking up some sandwiches and sodas, they drove to the beach. They ate at a picnic table, then walked down to the water. Buffy took off her platforms and dangled them from her hand, walking in the warm water. She stopped and stood for a moment, her eyes closed and her head leaned up towards the sun. She let the warm rays wash over her face, her hair blown back lightly from the breeze that came off of the ocean.

She felt Angel come up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and stared out at the ocean. She opened her eyes and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too," he replied and kissed her on the top of her head lightly. She twisted in his arms and faced him, brushing her lips to his.

"Ahem." They broke away from each other and blushed when Joyce cleared her throat. "Guess what the topic of the day is."

"Umm...the wonders of the ocean?" Buffy guessed, knowing full well what it was.

"Nope, not quite. The topic of the day is 'Buffy and Angel-now what?'. Who wants to start?" Joyce said as they began walking along the water's edge, Buffy and Angel hand in hand. Buffy was walking in the water up to her ankles, with Angel right by her side holding his shoes and Joyce a few feet away holding her sandals. She waited.

"Um...I guess I will. You don't know the whole story about what happened between the two of us, all the details, so I guess that's where I'll start," Angel said, then cleared his throat. "We met the night she went to the Bronze for the first time. I knew she was the Slayer, but she had no idea who I was. I warned her to watch her back and gave her a silver cross for protection. But that wasn't the first time I'd seen her."

They continued to walk and Angel continued his story, telling how he had first seen her when she was called at Hemery, how he had tried to stay away from her, but hadn't been able to resist. He told her what had really happened when Darla had bitten her, and their exchange at the Bronze.

The surf played around their ankles as they walked, and Joyce learned about how their forbidden love had began.

Part Seven

Leonna wandered into the main room of the factory and sighed. Melanie and Drusilla were off somewhere together. Those two were as close as peas in a pod now. In a way they were similar, Melanie was not 'all there' either, but she wasn't as bad as Drusilla. And Spike...well, Leonna was enjoying his reaction to her. She was trying to bring back all the memories that she had made for him, and was succeeding greatly at it.

She smiled suddenly as she heard him enter the room. He was walking again, regaining his strength slowly but surely. She turned and gazed at him.

"Spike, it's so good to see you walking again. I'm glad you're getting some of your stamina--I mean strength, back," she said. She watched for Spike's reaction to her words, and she was delighted when he blushed just a bit.

"Yeah, well, the sooner I get stronger, the faster we can kill the Slayer. But I'm not loving this new twist you added to the plan. You'll take him away, right? I don't want him anywhere near me and Dru."

"Of course, if that's what you want. Even though I was sorta hoping we could stay together for a while, you know, make some new memories," Leonna said, walking over to Spike. She stood before him, and brought her hand up to gently caress his chest. "What do you say?"

Spike pulled away from Leonna and began to pace the room. "I can't. I want to, oh God, believe me I do, but I have Dru and I love her. Besides, what's with you and Melanie? Why are you all of a sudden traveling around with a woman?" Leonna laughed. "Is that what you think? Hmm? That I'm 'with' Mel? No way, my pet. Women are better to have around, that's all. You can't trust men. Give them what they want and they're gone. I'm surprised, darling. I thought you knew me better than that."

Spike shrugged. "Haven't seen you in hundred years. People change."

Leonna laughed again. "Yes, my sweet, they do. Now how are you feeling?"

"Stronger. Soon, it'll be soon. Just keep him away from Dru," Spike threatened and growled. If he so much as touched her again...Spike shuddered. He couldn¹t think about it.

"Chill, honey. He'll be too busy. You know, he and I were never together. I didn't know him that long, plus he was involved with Darla. But we never were, and I was a little curious," Leonna smiled a sadistic smile and gave a little laugh. "Don't you worry about him, Spike my love. By the time I'm done with him, he won't even look at Drusilla."

Leonna smiled.

Spike smiled.

They could not wait.

*~*

"Hey Buff." At the sound of Angel's voice, Buffy turned around from where she was standing sorting through her weapons on the bed and smiled. He noticed she had changed into a knee-length black skirt that had slits running up each side.

"Hey yourself. What's up? I have to patrol, and then I thought we were going to go back to the library for an all-night study session," Buffy said. Angel's face was a blank mask, and Buffy immediately knew something was wrong. "What is it?"

Angel avoided her gaze as he moved to the bed and sat down. Concerned, Buffy pushed her crossbow out of the way and sat down next to him. She took his hand in hers and gazed at his profile, waiting for him to talk.

"Buffy...someone--I'm guessing vamp--they....they torched my apartment."

"What?" Buffy gasped. "Oh God, Angel, are you okay? Were you there?"

"Yeah, I was. I was getting ready to leave to go back to the library and all of a sudden this....this ball of fire came through the window. It landed on the carpet in the living room and caught the rug first. I was lucky, the fire didn¹t start to spread for about a minute, and I had time to grab most of my clothes and all of the little personal things that I have and get out. I called the fire department, but by the time they got there, the fire had pretty much destroyed everything. All that art work..." Angel trailed off, and Buffy's heart went out to him. That had been his home for the last three years and she knew how much it meant to him.

"Jesus. This is just great. I'm so thankful you didn't get hurt!" Buffy said, and pulled him into a hug. She whispered in his ear, "Angel, I'm going to find the vamp that did this, and I'll torture him for hours, just for you." She lifted her head off of his shoulder and looked at him, giving him a little half-smile. "Everything will be okay."

"I know. Come on, we should probably head over to the library and get to work. We can worry about this later," Angel said as he stood up. Buffy followed suit, and picked up a few stakes from the bed.

"Wait a sec, Angel. Where are you going to stay?"

"I don't know yet. I guess I'll have to start looking for a new apartment or maybe even a small house or something."

"Okay, but I mean right now, while you're looking," Buffy said, her lips slowly creeping up in a little smile. "You know," she said as she stepped over to his side and ran her fingers lightly up his chest, "I think you should stay here. I'd feel safer and all."

"Oh, really? And where do you expect me to sleep? There are only two bedrooms after all," Angel said, his lips centimeters from hers.

"You know where," she whispered and drew him in for a long kiss. When it broke off, Angel looked at Buffy, full of skepticism.

"As much as I would love to, I can't actually see your mother going for that."

"You just leave everything to me. Come on, we can go talk to her right now. That talk we had on the beach today helped a lot," Buffy said and took his hand. They walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Joyce was sitting at the counter paying bills. She glanced up and smiled.

"You guys ready to go? I can drive you if you want," Joyce offered, preparing to get up. Buffy motioned for her to stay where she was.

"No, that's okay, we're going to walk. I need to do a quick sweep of the graveyard before we go back. But Mom, I have bad news. Angel's apartment was set on fire."

"Oh no. That's horrible, I'm so sorry."

"Thank you, Mrs. Summers, I'm just glad I wasn't hurt," Angel said.

"Is that why you were carrying that big bag when I let you in? You saved some of your things?"

"Yeah, he did, but listen Mom. Angel's going to start looking for a new place, but in the meantime, I was thinking he could stay here. You know, so he doesn't have to pay for a hotel or anything," Buffy said. Joyce nodded.

"You know, that's a good idea," Buffy smiled, but Joyce wasn't finished. "The couch is very comfy."

"Um...Mom, I wasn't exactly thinking he'd be sleeping on the couch. I kinda thought he could sleep with me. Well, not like that, but you know, in my room, my bed is big enough for two people, and you can trust us, totally, I mean it's not like we're gonna do anything with you here too, 'cause that would be majorly gross and I think I just broke the record for the longest sentence ever. Okay, I'm shutting up now," Buffy said sheepishly, then looked at Angel, who was trying hard not to smile and failing utterly.

"Yeah, I was waiting for you to say that. Let me think about it, okay? Be careful," Joyce said, and Angel took it as their cue to leave. Buffy kissed her mother on the cheek, then turned and went through the dining room out the front door with Angel right beside her.

As they were walking down the street, Buffy shoved her stakes into strategic hiding places, tucking one inside her knee-high boots, another into the back of her skirt where she could reach it in a moment. She also handed one to Angel. They walked in silence, hand in hand, until they reached the graveyard. Pushing the wrought-iron gates open, they did a quick sweep but found nothing.

"Have I told you that you look beautiful today yet?" Angel asked as they walked towards the high school. Buffy giggled.

"Not in the last hour or so."

"Well, you do. But are you really going to fight a vampire in that?" Angel asked. He gestured at her tube top and skirt.

"Yeah, why?"

"It'll be a quick fight," Angel grinned.

"Oh, of course, you know, with my skills and all. The person who came up with the idea of putting slits in a skirt should get a big metal," Buffy said.

"Because the vamp will be so busy staring he'll never know he's dust," Angel laughed, and Buffy joined her.

"What, you getting jealous?" she asked.

"Of course not. See, unlike the vampire, I know full well that it's mine, and the vamp can only dream."

"I don’t know if I should kiss you or kill you," Buffy grinned.

"I've got a suggestion," Angel said, leaning to kiss her gently. "And I love you."

"I love you," Buffy said, her heart racing and her lips touched his again. She reached up with both hands, placing them around his neck and pulling him closer. He encircled her waist and pressed her body to his, and she stood on tip-toe to get even closer.

Suddenly, Buffy heard a growl and broke off the kiss, annoyed. A vampire stood a few feet away from her, smirking. She was instantly on edge and shifted into a fighting stance.

"You people are so rude, do you know that? We were busy," Buffy said as she punched the demon in the head, sending her sprawling backwards. She quickly went on the offense, giving her a roundhouse kick to the jaw, followed by a steady stream of punches. She whipped the stake out from her skirt and staked the vampire, who stood stunned and whispered a name before she feel to dust.

Turning around, she saw Angel watching her intently. She walked back to him and he rested his arm on her shoulders as they continued on towards the school. "Did you hear what that vamp said before she blew away?"

"Yeah, it was a name. 'Leonna.' I have a bad feeling about this."

They walked the rest of the way to the school in silence and when Buffy pulled the library doors open she was surprised to see all the Slayerettes (minus Cordelia) already there and pouring over books. "Hey guys, I didn't think you¹d be back so soon."

"Hey Buffy, Angel. We ordered some pizza," Willow said from her spot by the computer.

"Ooh, yummy. I forgot to eat," Buffy replied, walking over to the table and picking up two slices with the cheese oozing off of them slowly. She handed one to Angel and took a bite of her own. "Bad news guys. Some vamps decided to go pyro on us and they torched Angel¹s apartment. He¹s gonna be staying with us until he finds a new place."

"Hey man, that really sucks. We haven't found anything yet, which sucks even more," Xander said as he came down from the stacks with a book in his hands.

"Yeah, I know. Where's Giles? We ran into a vampire on our way over and Buffy killed it, but it said 'Leonna' before it became dust," Angel said.

"Leonna, hmm?" Giles asked as he came out of the office. "I wonder if...no, that's impossible. She's dead."

"Exactly what I was thinking. But it doesn't make any sense then."

"Full research mode?" Buffy asked, already making her way up the stairs and walking over to pick up a book of names. She flipped through, but couldn't find the name. Giles tossed her a book from off of the table, and she went back into the stacks to read by herself. Everyone became engrossed in their own books and the library became eerily silent.

*~*

"Melanie? Mel, my sweet? Where are you?" Leonna called, becoming more and more frantic. Melanie was nowhere to be found. When Leonna had awakened up, the other bed had been neatly made, and Melanie had vanished without a trace. "Spike," she said, running up to him. "Have you seen Mel? I can't find her anywhere."

"Leonna, you're not gonna like this. Take a seat, luv," Spike said, leading her over to a chair.

"What is it?"

"Melanie...Melanie was killed. About an hour ago. By the Slayer," Spike said.

Leonna stared at him in shock. "Oh God. No. Not Mel. No," she said over and over again, shaking her head vigorously. "How could you let this happen? You know what she's like. How could you?"

"I didn't, she went out with Drusilla and they didn't tell me, I was still sleeping. When Dru came home she told me. She was in shock."

Leonna looked away from him, and he felt the air change as her anger built up. He could feel her anger, it almost became a tangible thing, he felt like if he reached out he would be able to touch it.

"That's it. Our plan is put into action tonight," she said, hatred in her voice.

"Um...luv? Tonight? That's a little short notice. The night's half over as it is. Why not wait until tomorrow night?" Spike said rationally. Leonna thought for a moment, then nodded.

"All right, tomorrow night. I hope the Slayer enjoys tomorrow," she paused. "It'll be the last time she sees the sun shine."

Part Eight

The Slayerettes researched deep into the night. Buffy fell asleep with her head in Angel's lap, and dreamt about the mysterious vampire once again. The fight took place on a beach right before the sun rose. Faint colors had started to paint the sky, and the Slayer was putting up a much better fight than the other two had. She managed to stake the vampire, but she missed the heart. The vampire roared in pain and lunged for the Slayer once again. She punched her viciously, then slapped her hard in the face. Then the Slayer spoke, she was the first one that Buffy had heard actually speak during the fight with this vampire.

"It doesn't matter what you do to me, Leonna. If you kill me, another will come, and another, and one day you will know the meaning of defeat," the Slayer spat out, blood pouring down her face. Leonna just laughed and reached down, wrapping two strong hands around the girl¹s neck. "What, you're not going to disappear suddenly and then reappear somewhere else?"

Leonna stared at the Slayer, unbelieving. "How did you know I could do that? No one knows but my--"

"Yeah, well, you should really be careful of who you tell about that little secret of yours. Even family members can betray you," the Slayer smiled. Leonna tightened her grip and lifted the Slayer off of the soft sand. She said a name in a different language that Buffy didn¹t know, then smiled.

"Sorry, darling. It's too bad you got her as your Watcher, you probably wouldn't have even known about me if you hadn't. Ah, well, some things are just meant to be," Leonna said, then pulled the Slayer down so she could speak softly into her ear. "Do you have any idea what I'm going to do to her after I'm finished with you? I'm going to break every bone in her body, but I'll keep her alive until it's over, and then I'll suck her dry. The fact that she's my sister makes it even better!"

And with that thought, Leonna snapped the girl's neck as if it was nothing but a twig. With a sickening crack, the girl fell in a heap in the sand. Leonna raised her head and smiled, closing her eyes. The sun was moments away from rising, and Leonna took a deep breath.

She ignored the salty smell of the ocean, the dew on the grass a hundred meters from where she stood, the smell of a new dawn.

What she smelled was far more delicious than that. It filled the air, pushing the pleasant smells of the morning aside.

The smell of a Slayer's death.

There was nothing as sweet as that.

The sun’s rays rose over the horizon, but Leonna had vanished, leaving Buffy alone once again.

As soon as Buffy awoke, she realized what her dream meant and lifted her head out of Angel's lap. Giles have covered her with a blanket when she had fallen asleep, and she hastily threw it off as she sat up and stretched. She yawned and glanced at her watch, which read 3:15. She leaned down and kissed a sound-asleep Angel, who was propped up against the wall. She covered him with the blanket, and he sighed softly in his slumber, causing Buffy to smile. She stood up and made her way slowly down the stairs. Oz and Willow were asleep at the table, and Buffy glimpsed Xander asleep on the couch in Giles' office.

"Buffy, what are you doing up?" Giles asked as he turned in his chair when he heard her lean up against the doorframe.

"I think I know where to look to find stuff on this Leonna chick."

"Oh? D-did you have another dream?" Giles asked, swiveling his chair completely around and giving Buffy his full attention.

"Yep, beach this time. Oldest one yet, time-frame wise, and the Slayer actually talked. She said something like 'it doesn¹t matter what you do, someone will take my place, blah, blah, blah.' What was interesting was that the Slayer's Watcher is--was--Leonna's sister," Buffy said, keeping her voice down for Xander¹s benefit.

"Well...this-this is certainly something. But I thought this Leonna was dead," Giles argued, also keeping his voice low.

"Giles, she can't be. That vamp I dusted spoke her name, and I keep dreaming about her? This is the third night in a row. You can't tell me she's not still alive. Or un-alive. Well, you could, but it wouldn't be true. Whatever. But anyway...okay, I'm done," Buffy broke off sheepishly when Giles gave her a look.

"Well, then I suppose we should...should look through some old Watcher's diaries and see if we find anything about Leonna," Giles said and stood up. He walked over to a bookshelf and examined the spines of several books. "I really don't know the time period I should look under. What were the women wearing?"

"Umm...long, flowing dresses. Leonna's seemed much more elaborate than the Slayer's, hers was pretty much a plain white one, nothing fancy. If I had to guess, I'd probably say it was early 1600's, based on the pictures I've seen of their clothes. God, if I'd have lived back then, I would've died. The dresses were like miles long, and everything was so formal. Ugh!" Buffy finished when Giles gave her another look, this time sweeping his eyes up and down her body, taking in her skimpy outfit. She smiled innocently and yawned.

"Yes, I imagine you would have."

"Don't worry, baby, you would've looked gorgeous in them," Angel said groggily in her ear as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. She smiled and leaned back, feeling at home in his arms.

"It's a little early for compliments, don'tcha think?" Buffy grinned.

"Not if I'm complimenting you," Angel replied as he rested his chin on the top of her head and yawned again.

"What are you doing up anyway? It's like 3:20 in the morning. You should be sleeping," Buffy scolded playfully.

"I missed you," Angel said simply.

"Aww, that's so sweet. I was gone for two minutes and you missed me?" Buffy said as Angel began to place butterfly kisses along her collarbone. She turned her head to one side and was about to kiss him when she faced forward again.

"Ew, I can't kiss you because I haven't brushed my teeth since before I left to come here, and I was sleeping and that's just really gross--" Buffy was interrupted by Angel's fingertips pressing against her cheek, causing her to meet his lips that were hovering above her neck.

Giles cleared his throat, and they reluctantly broke off, but not without lingering an extra moment or two longer than necessary. "Right," Buffy said. We were just talking about my latest dream. The vamp's Leonna, that's her name, the Slayer actually learned how to use her vocal cords this time. She couldn't have died, Angel, that's just too strange that the vamp I kill would say her name as she died. Plus, we've got a new research idea. They're--"

"I'll take it from here, thank you," Giles said. "Begin looking in here fo- for any information on Leonna. The Slayer's Watcher was her sister, so she must've said something about her in the records she kept."

Giles tossed both Buffy and Angel a book each, and they took them back up into the stacks and began to read. They didn't speak, but they did keep physical contact. Angel's right arm was around Buffy's shoulder and her right hand was loosely intertwined with his. She rested her head on his shoulder, yawning occasionally, and read.

"Buffy?" Giles questioned, shaking her gently. Shaking her head, Buffy woke with a start.

"Huh? Oh, Giles, did I fall asleep again?" Buffy asked and sat up slowly. She rubbed her eyes. "God, what time is it?"

"It's 4:17, to be exact. I've sent the others home, and I think you and Angel should go home as well. I can drive you, if you'd like."

"Yeah, that sounds good. Let me just wake Angel," Buffy said. Giles nodded, and stood up, heading back down the stairs.

"Sweetie? Time to wake up, we're going home," Buffy said. When Angel didn't respond, she shrugged and leaned forward, kissing him lightly on the lips. He woke up with a smile, and Buffy repeated herself.

Nodding groggily, Angel climbed to his feet and helped Buffy. She smoothed her skirt and hair, and together they walked out of the library with Giles and to his car. They rode in silence to Buffy's house, and Giles told them to go to the library the next morning when they could. Nodding, they said good night and walked up the steps to the house. Buffy paused and reached up, finding the spare key hidden in the rafters of the porch, and opened the door. They trudged quietly up the stairs and walked exhaustedly into Buffy's room.

Buffy changed into a pair of cloud pajama pants and a simple white tank top, and Angel pulled on a pair of old sweatpants, and the two of them crawled under the covers of Buffy's bed, cuddling together and falling asleep instantly.

*~*

By the time Buffy and Angel got to the library on Sunday, it was already three o'clock. They had slept until one, and returned having showered and changed. Joyce had been surprisingly okay with the idea of Buffy and Angel in the same bed, which thrilled Buffy to no end. She kind of wished Angel never found a new place to live. She loved falling asleep and waking up in his arms, having her body pressed against his, just enjoying his company. But she doubted her mother would love that idea.

"Hey Giles, anything yet?" Buffy asked as they walked through the swinging doors and towards the table where Willow and Oz were seated. They lifted their heads and smiled at the sound of Buffy's voice. Cordelia and Xander were nowhere to be found, even though Buffy knew they were there, Cordelia's car was in the parking lot. She could only guess what those two were doing.

"Nothing yet. Here," he said, handing Buffy two old books. "These are from 1607. The Slayers didn't live long back then, you know. Many died before their sixteenth birthday."

"Wow, that sucks. Are we looking for anything interesting?" she asked as she settled herself down on Angel's lap in one of the oak chairs. She wasn't ready to not have physical contact with him. She shook her head in amazement. Less than a month ago, she was trying to be strong so she could kill Angelus. Now, she couldn't go for two minutes without touching Angel.

"Just any mention of Leonna or a vampire with extraordinary powers."

"Okie dokie," Buffy replied as Angel slipped an arm around her waist and they all grew silent, concentrating on their reading.

*~*

"Spike! No. I will not wait one more night! The Slayer needs to die. Tonight," Leonna cried, her voice ringing clear through the large room, her anger and animosity pouring out of her. Spike just stood where he was, unfazed.

"Leonna, listen to me, luv. Dru says something else has to happen first, and that's going to happen tonight. She says it must happen, or everything will go out of wack and there goes our bloody plan. What's one more night?" Spike asked, getting tired of this conversation. They had been going at it all day.

"What are you talking about?"

"Dru says--"

"One final preparation must be made on the Slayer's team before they come out to play. The stars have told me that we must wait for them to figure out the last clue before we close in. If we don't, they will become very angry and punish us all," Drusilla said, floating lightly on her feet as she came out of her room.

"What's left to figure out, darling? Besides me, that is. But they don't know I exist, let alone am here right now. So I don't understand," Leonna sighed.

"We wait. Period, end of discussion. Be patient, luv," Spike said as he walked cockily up to her, a smirk on his face. "Everything will happen tomorrow."

Leonna sighed again, signifying defeat. "All right," she grumbled, then brightened. "Tomorrow we shall have our fun."

Part Nine

"Guys, I think I found something," Buffy said excitedly, sitting up and watching as everyone looked up from what they were reading, focusing their attention on her. "It's from this Watcher from 1608. The Slayer was English, her name was Catherine, and the Watcher was Romanian. Her name was Torah, or at least that's what she was called. Anyway," Buffy paused, glancing at the book for several moments before continuing. "Catherine was sent to Sicily to battle this big vamp dude named...Bambi-something."

"Bambiollian?" Giles questioned.

"Yeah, that's it. So they were staying in this little fishing town on the coast--which would explain the setting in my dream--when one night Catherine didn't come home after her rounds. Her body was found on the beach the morning of April 14, 1608. This is the part about our new friend, though.

"When I first learned of my sister's true nature, I was in shock. I knew my Slayer must know about this, for I had a premonition it would later come back to haunt me. And it has. My Catherine was found by a fisherman this morning, dead, her neck snapped, on the beach. I cannot stop my grief, but I must stop my sister. She must not be allowed to ruin anymore lives, like she has ruined the peoples' whose own touched Catherine. I shall leave the way to defeat her in this book, for if I fail and am not able to stop her tonight, someone must.

First and foremost, her name is Leonna. At least, that's what she's calling herself, she hasn't changed her name. Her true name is a secret that only our clan knows, and no one outside it must know. That is just the way of it. But I am getting off track. When Leonna was a mortal, she had a natural gift of magick and was very powerful. She could perform a spell without uttering it, all that was necessary for her to do was think it in her mind, which will make her that much harder to defeat. Her special gift that was bestowed upon her is the one that makes her so hard to best. She has the power to vanish into thin air and turn up wherever she likes. However, this power does not exceed great distances, only ten kilometers at best. The only way to defeat her is to get help. You must contact my clan and have the elder woman perform a spell that will render her powerless. Then, and only then, will you be able to use your slaying ability to stop her. The catch is that Leonna must be in the proximity of the elder woman when the spell is performed, which I'm afraid means you will need to bring her to the place my clan is.

Since someone is reading this, I can only assume that I have failed, that Leonna still walks the Earth. You must arm your Slayer with this knowledge, she must be prepared for this battle. Leonna must be vanquished. You must avenge the death of Catherine, and the other innocents that were killed at my sister¹s hand. Be careful, use your head as you fight, and do not let yourself get distracted by whatever tricks and magicks she may have up her sleeves.

--Torah, clan Kalderash

April 14, 1608

"Then there's another person's handwriting. It says Torah was killed by Leonna the night of April fourteenth. No other Slayer has been successful in killing her, and I guess she was kinda forgotten about," Buffy finished, and looked up. "Anybody got a phone book?"

"All right. Let's just get all the facts straight," Giles said, a thoughtful look on his face. "Kalderash...that sounds vaguely familiar."

"It should," Angel said, his voice a bit hoarse. "Kalderash was the clan that Jenny belonged to."

The room was suddenly silent. "Jenny, as in Ms. Calendar Jenny, as in our computer teacher that you killed Jenny?" Oz asked. Willow nodded.

"What are we waiting for? You know we can't defeat her alone. Somebody hand me a phone book," Buffy said, impatient.

"Buffy, we...we can't rush into this. Think of how it will sound if we call--"

"I don't care how it will sound. That's not the issue. The issue is killing Leonna. We need their help and they owe it to us. They put us through so much hell. They didn't tell Jenny that the curse would break, which resulted in Angelus coming back and killing a lot of people--and don't even start to brood now, mister," Buffy told Angel. "They're responsible for the deaths of innocents and they're also responsible for Jenny's death. So I don't see--"

"Buffy, while we think that is true...I'm sure they won't see it that way. We must...we must think out a strategy first," Giles interrupted. Angel nodded.

"No. I don't care what they think. Now, we can go to group counseling after this is all over and talk about our problems and make 'I' statements, but we need them on the phone, pronto. Will, punch in and see if you can get a number. That is, if they have any phones," Buffy said. Willow scooted her chair over to the computer and got to work.

"But--"

"No time for that now Giles. This is the way we're going to handle it. Period, end of discussion," Buffy retorted. Giles and Angel sighed. They both knew Buffy had made up her mind and they could not change it.

"It's too bad we can't talk to Torah somehow, find out specific things about Leonna, like any special weaknesses that she might have or something," Buffy said.

"Why not hold a seance?" Cordelia suggested as she and Xander came down from the stacks, complete with rumpled clothes, messed-up hair, red faces, and lipstick covering both their mouths. At the sight of them, the whole room rang with laughter. "What? What?" she demanded.

"Noth--nothing of importance, Cor," Buffy said, laughing even harder. "Sorry, it's just...never mind. A seance, hmm?" Buffy questioned after laughing for a few moments. "You know, that's not a bad idea. Just out of curiosity, though, what were you two up to up there?"

"We were...we were reading. Books. And researching. Also in books," Xander said sheepishly, causing everyone to laugh harder.

"Okay, we're done," Buffy said, growing serious again. "Seriously, that's not a bad idea. What do you think Giles?"

"Well...it could prove most useful in learning more about wh-what we'll be facing."

"Okay, so we have a seance. Cool!" Buffy exclaimed. "When?"

"Tomorrow night. We need a new moon, if I remember correctly," Giles said, walking up into the stacks to retrieve a book. The others sat silently until he returned carrying a dark brown book. "Ah...here it is. We need a new moon, 13 white candles...and some special herbs. I shall get all the supplies and we will perform the ritual tomorrow."

"Does this mean we can go?" Cordelia asked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and looking very bored.

"Ye-yes, you can all go. I doubt we'll have success looking any further."

Everyone stood up to leave. Willow glanced at the clock on the wall, which read 6:45, and grinned. "Goody, I can still catch 7th Heaven 'Beginnings' tonight...what? It's a very good show...never mind."

They walked to the parking lot, and parted ways. Oz and Willow headed for Oz¹s van, Cordelia and Xander for Cordy's car, and Buffy and Angel for the cemetery for a quick sweep before calling it a night. They waved goodbye as the cars peeled out of the parking lot and walked along the sidewalk towards the cemetery in silence. Finally, Angel spoke up.

"Does the air feel different to you tonight?"

"Yeah," Buffy said, nodding her head. "It does...like there's someone incredibly evil here. This is exactly how it felt in my dreams...the feelings are the same, you know, evil, hatred, yadda, yadda, yadda."

"The Leonna I knew was vicious and cruel to humans, but otherwise she was a very sweet thing, calling people 'honey' and 'darling.' "

"How long did you know her for?" Buffy asked as they continued to walk.

"She was only with us--Darla and I--for about three years, and then I lost track of her. I did hear she was with Spike and Dru for a while after I got my soul back. But not many of us knew about her. She kept a very low profile."

"Great. And I gotta get her to chase me halfway around the globe."

"Buff, how are you going to get Leonna to chase you halfway around the world?"

"I don't know, I was kinda hoping this old lady could come here and perform her little spell," Buffy frowned. She kicked a stone out of her way, and it skittered down the sidewalk and under a car.

"I highly doubt she's going to, babe," Angel said gently.

"Yeah, I know. I don't know, maybe I can knock her out and handcuff her like I did you...no wait, that won't work. She could just get herself out of them. Okay...I have no clue," Buffy sighed, then she smiled slowly. Stopping, she faced Angel. "You know, I never did get around to returning those handcuffs," she whispered, smiling slyly up at him. He grinned.

"Really...well, I'm sure we'll find some use for them. We could play cops and robbers," he suggested, teasing her. She ran her hands lightly up and down his chest and stepped closer.

"That's not exactly what I had in mind," she replied, her head cocked to one side and her lips inches from his. "But it does have possibilities..."

"Definite possibilities," Angel said before claiming her lips as his own, covering them with his.

"Get a room!!!"

They broke off when they heard Xander yell as he drove by in Cordelia's convertible with the top down, and laughed as he smiled and waved and Cordelia rolled her eyes. They waved back and continued on to the graveyard. Finding it deserted, they walked to Buffy's house. As soon as they walked in the door, they were called into the kitchen.

"I was going to order some Chinese food, what do you guys want?" Joyce asked as she handed them a paper menu. Buffy held it and they studied it for a minute.

"Sesame chicken for me. And a Jolt," Buffy said, handing the menu back to her mother.

"Sweet and sour chicken. And I'm paying," Angel said, silencing Joyce's protests with a motion of his hand.

"All right, fine. I'll order. What do you two plan to do now?" Joyce asked, walking over to the phone and punching in the number for the restaurant. Buffy was about to speak when Joyce held up her hand and ordered their food. After she had hung up, Buffy spoke.

"Mom, you may want to sit down for this one, but I am actually going to do my homework. Then maybe watch some TV and call it a night. These past few days have been rough," Buffy said, then changed her mind. "Actually, Angel and I are going to train before dinner. It won't be ready for a half hour anyway, and I'm not quite ready to tackle chemistry and the U.S. government."

"Okay by me," Joyce replied, and Buffy and Angel headed up to her room to change. They got a little side-tracked, and came down about ten minutes later, heading out into the back yard to work out. Joyce walked over to the door and watched them fight for a long time. She admired the skill of both of them, the agility and speed too. She was seeing a whole new side of Buffy that she hadn't seen before, and it amazed her that her daughter was such a talented fighter.

When the food arrived, they stopped and joined Joyce in the dining room to eat.

"Angel, I began looking for some places for you, and I found one that you'll definitely like. I'll tell you where it is later, but we have an appointment to see it tomorrow at eleven," Joyce said as they ate. Buffy looked at her mother.

"Where is it, Mom?"

"It's a surprise," she answered, a secretive smile on her lips. Buffy looked at Angel, who shrugged.

"Don't look at me."

They ate the rest of the meal in comfortable silence and helped clean up when it was done. They both went upstairs to change, Buffy into her pajamas and Angel into a pair of old sweatpants and a white t-shirt. Buffy grabbed her books and brought them back down to the living room. Her mother was watching Touched By An Angel on the couch, which caused Buffy to grin at her lover. Angel sat down on the opposite side of her, and Buffy settled herself at his feet, pulling the coffee table up to her as she began to answer the questions in her math book.

She listened with one ear to the episode, which was about some chick who was trying to get her boyfriend to change his ways and become good again. When it had ended, a happy ending of course, Buffy smiled at Angel.

"Now where have I heard that before?"

He just laughed and kissed the top of her head, then glanced at Joyce to see if she was going to say anything. She just smiled and nodded slightly, indicating it was okay. He sighed in relief. He cared very much about what she thought of him and wanted her to approve of their relationship and love, and she obviously did.

They watched TV until around eleven. Angel glanced down at the Slayer, who had her arms wrapped around his waist and her head on his shoulder, and smiled. He pulled the blanket that was covering them up a little more, making sure she was warm. She hadn't moved in quite some time, and with a grin Angel realized she was sound asleep. Joyce quietly turned off the television, kissing Buffy's forehead and Angel's cheek before heading upstairs. He smiled at her and gathered her daughter in his arms, lifting her gently as he stood. He held her lightly as he walked up the stairs, turning out the lights as he went, and walked into her bedroom. He placed her on the bed and closed the door.

When he went to turn off the light, Buffy stirred and opened her eyes. She smiled groggily at Angel and made an effort to climb underneath the warm comforter. He pulled it back for her and helped her crawl underneath it, stripping his shirt off before he joined her under the warm down comforter. He gathered her up in his arms and held her close to his chest and she snuggled up to him.

Sighing, she whispered "I love you" to him as she drifted off. He echoed her statement and laid for a long time staring at his Slayer before allowing sleep to consume him.

*~*

"Spike?"

"Yes, pet?"

"I'm not coming tonight."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to ruin anything for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Bring him to me, baby. If I go, I might screw the whole plan up."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Now go."

"Anything else?"

"And I get to play with him for a little bit before I change him."

"Of course. We¹ll be back."

*~*

The next evening, everyone gathered at the library. They helped Giles prepare for the ceremony, lighting candles, rearranging the furniture, doing a practice ritual so they would all know what to do. Finally it was time to begin. They all sat in a circle, the herbs and candles they burned around them. They filled the air with a strong earthly scent.

The library was covered in darkness, the only light coming from the candles. They cast strange shadows on the walls, dancing and playing over the bookshelves. The seven figures sat in a circle, hands joined, minds clear. Giles was about to start the ritual when the double doors burst open, filling the room with light and making it impossible to see who was standing at the door.

They all turned their heads sharply at the noise and Buffy counted at least twelve vampires. She reached for her stake supply in her bag and pulled several out, passing them around.

Angel tried to make out the figure who stood in front of the rest. He knew in an instant it was Spike, the cocky stance gave that away. They all stood up and Buffy and Angel strode forward slowly, wearily. She motioned for the others to stay back, out of the fight.

"Well, well, if it isn't the bitch and her pet. Fancy meeting you here," Spike grinned, showing a mouthful of fangs. They continued walking, undaunted.

"Spike, so good to see you out of your wheelchair and back on your feet," Buffy quipped, reaching her leg out and knocking him over. He landed hard on the hard floor and the fight began.

Buffy simply held up her stake as the first vamp charged her, and she killed it without the blink of an eye. The second one didn't learn from the first's mistake, and was dead before he knew it. Angel also killed two vamps that way before any real fighting started. The Slayerettes all grabbed crosses and joined in the fray.

Buffy kicked Spike in the head, sending him flailing into the magazine rack. She staked another vamp who lunged at her, and connected solidly with another's jaw as it moved to attack her. Angel kicked one in the stomach, those hours of training with Buffy paying off greatly. He staked another and turned looking for more. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cordelia and Xander holding crosses and herding two over to Giles' office, where Willow and Oz were crouched down, stakes in hand.

He saw three vamps converging on Buffy and ran to help her. He backhanded one as Buffy took a nasty punch to the jaw and stood a moment, stunned. She kicked the vamp in her shin, causing her to crash to her knees. She elbowed Buffy in the knee, giving her a dead leg for a minute. Before she could do anymore damage, Angel staked her through the back and helped Buffy stand. She glanced at him, love in her eyes, before shoving the stake under her arm, staking the vamp who'd tried to sneak up on her. She saw Giles get another with the crossbow and looked around for Spike. He stood leaning on the wall, a smirk on his face, watching the battle. Buffy grinned evilly and started towards him. From behind her, she heard glass break and gasps, but was too busy to see what they were from.

"You know, Spike, I haven't had any action for weeks. This wasn't the most brilliant plan. Wouldn't you rather have a tired Slayer than one who hasn't had a decent kill in weeks? Has that peroxide finally gone to your brain?" He just laughed and pointed.

Buffy followed his finger with her gaze, having it rest on her friends and Watcher. Each was being held by a vampire, a knife to their throats. She looked back at Spike with murder in her eyes. She advanced on him, but he stood his ground.

"Uh, Drusilla? We're ready for you, pet," Spike called. Drusilla walked into the room and stood next to Spike.

Buffy switched her gaze from Spike to Drusilla, and was about to look away when Drusilla brought her pointer and middle fingers up, holding them inches from Buffy¹s face.

"Look at me, dearie. Be in my eyes," she said as she hypnotized the Slayer, rendering her powerless. As Angel saw what was happening, he rushed forward, his intent to warn Buffy to look away. He was struck with a bat in the back of his head and was sent sprawling on the floor, unconscious. The vamp that hit him glanced at Spike, who nodded his head towards the Slayer. He walked up behind her as Drusilla broke contact and she stood for a moment, stunned. She made a fist and was about to punch Drusilla in the head when the world around her went black.

Part Ten

The first thing Angel noticed as he came to was his head was pounding. He groaned and rolled over, burying his head into the pillow. He rode out the dizzy spell and looked up when it was over, taking in his surroundings. He was in a small, dark room that had two queen-sized beds in it. The windows were boarded up and there was an over-stuffed chair in the corner and a TV on the dresser.

"It's not much, I know, but it's good enough."

Angel started at the sound of Leonna's voice. Wincing as he turned his head, he saw her sitting in a rocking chair. She used her red crushed-velvet platforms to rock her body. He noticed she was wearing a blood-red crushed velvet tank top that went perfectly with her shoes and very short black skirt. The outfit reminded him of something that Buffy would wear, and his heart ached for her. He yearned to hold her in his arms.

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice hoarse. Leonna just smiled. She stood and walked toward him, taking a seat next to him on the bed.

"I want you. We never got to have any fun because of Darla. But she's gone," Leonna said and smiled her evil smile. "So now there¹s nothing stopping us."

"Sorry, Leonna, but I'm not interested," Angel said as he made an attempt to stand, his head throbbing as he did. Leonna pulled him back down by the arms and dug her nails into his skin.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot. You've got a thing for Slayers now. Last time we were together, you took great pleasure in hurting them, not loving them," Leonna said, her voice deadly. Angel glared at her.

"I'm not like you anymore, Leonna."

"That'll change soon," she grinned, taking Angel's hand and placing it on her leg. He shuddered, repulsed that she wanted him.

Suddenly she disappeared and reappeared in Angel's lap, pushing him back into the bed. She crushed her lips to his, trying to invade his mouth with her tongue, but he resisted her. Shocked that he would not want her, she looked in his eyes with anger.

"Angel--no wait, Angelus. We can do this the easy way--during the moment of passion, when it will feel good, or we can do it the hard way--now, with lots of pain. But you will be my new lover," she smirked, then added, "My new, demonic lover."

Angel just stared at her in despair.

*~*

"Buffy? Can you hear me?" Willow asked, cradling Buffy's head in her lap.

"Ow," Buffy groaned as she opened her eyes. "Are you guys okay? And ow."

"Well, everyone who's here is okay," Xander said, trying to joke.

"What do you mean 'everyone that's here?' Who isn't here?" Buffy demanded, slowly sitting up and rubbing her head. Spike was going to pay.

"Buffy, drink this," Cordelia said, handing her a glass of cold water. Buffy took the glass and gulped the water down greedily. She kept her hand on her head, gently massaging the sore part. She glanced around and saw Xander, Willow, Oz, Giles, Cordelia, Angel...Angel was missing.

"They took him, Buffy," Giles said, seeing the look on her face, the look of longing. Realization dawned on her face, which was quickly replace by horror and rage.

"I can't believe them. What the hell are they trying to pull? Do they really want to fight me when I know they've taken him? How stupid are they?!?!" Buffy cried, standing and beginning to pace the room.

"Buffy, ple-please sit down. We need to figure out where he might be," Giles reasoned. Buffy continued her pacing.

"A factory. That's probably where they are. I just wish we knew where. Great," she said, tossing her blond hair out of her face. "This is just peachy. Some loser demons kidnapped my boyfriend, my head is killing me, and we have to figure out how to stop Leonna."

"So what should we do? I mean, we all know what they're going to do to Angel. Now what?" Oz asked. Buffy suddenly gasped.

"Oh God. I forgot. No. No, they can't do that to me. They can't!!" Buffy cried as her eyes welled up in tears. "I just got him back. Why would they do that to me?"

"So it'll be easier to kill you," Cordelia said simply.

"That's their plan," Buffy said slowly, absorbing everything. "Take away Angel...make me weak...kill me." Buffy raised her head and dried the tears from her eyes, which changed from frail and vulnerable to cold and hard before her friends' eyes. "Too bad it won't work. Instead of one helpless little Slayer, they're gonna get one mightily pissed off Slayer who's in a bitchy mood and out for revenge. Will, I need that number. I have to make a call."

"Sure Buffy, here. Just...be nice. I mean, I know you're really piss--mad, but we kinda need their help," Willow said, taking a folded up piece of paper out of her pocket and handing it to the Slayer. Buffy just stared at it for a long moment.

"Buff? What're you gonna say, exactly?" Xander asked.

*~*

"Hi, this is Buffy Summers calling...What?...California...Sunnydale...I need to talk to an 'Arianna Prince.'...No, don't put me on hold...I need to talk to her now...What?...I'll give you orders if I want...I'm the damn Slayer...Now put me through!" Buffy ordered, silencing the girl who had answered the phone. She stood tapping her foot, her hand on her hip, very impatient. "Hey, these calls aren't cheap...I don't care what she's doing, I need to talk to her, so dammit put her on!"

"Buffy, ma..maybe you should--"

"Not now, Giles."

"But--" Buffy silenced him with a hand motion. Frustrated, he took off his glasses and cleaned them before beginning to pace the room.

"Hello? Arianna? Good, this is Buffy--what? Hang on, I'm gonna put you on speaker phone," Buffy said, pressing the button and then hanging up the phone. A young woman's voice filled the room.

"Who am I talking to and what the hell do you want?" Arianna asked, clearly very upset at Buffy.

"Don't get an attitude with me, Arianna. I've had a really bad day and I don't need any lip from you. Now listen to me. A girl from your clan was killed in the 1600s. Her name was Leonna."

"Leonna? We don't have any Leonnas among us."

"Um, hello? Did you hear me when I said she died in the 1600s? I wouldn't have expected you to have childhood memories of the girl. She's a vampire, and she's here, and we need your help."

"You need our help? You've got to be kidding. You throw this huge attitude at me--"

"You haven't even seen my attitude yet, honey," Buffy retorted. Giles move to interrupt, but Buffy just looked at him. He sighed.

"Whatever. The point is, you're not getting any help from us. Go bother someone else with your little story. Good one, though. A vampire named Leonna," the other girl laughed.

"Is there a superior we can talk to?" Giles asked, cutting in.

"Sorry,"Arianna said snottily. "She's too busy to listen to your lies." And with that, the line went dead. Buffy just stood facing the phone, hands on her hips and murder in her eyes.

"What a bitch! I can't believe it!"

"Buff, you weren't exactly Miss Niceness there," Xander said. Buffy just snorted and laughed.

"Xand, what the hell do you expect? Huh? My boyfriend's probably having a great old time with Drusilla right now, there's a vampire that I can't kill by myself, and the people who should help us are being stupid and won't help at all. I think I'm entitled to be a little bit of a bitch." Buffy began to pace around the room, thinking. Everyone else remained silent, letting her blow off steam. "God, I would kill for a french vanilla cappuccino right about now."

"Buffy...we need to concentrate on--"

"Giles, don't start today. I have a plan," Buffy said, being very dramatic as she said it. She even threw in a hand sweep and a pose. She giggled, and everyone just looked at her, as if they were waiting for her to snap.

"Don't look at me like that, you guys. I seriously have, like, a kick-ass plan. I'm so brilliant!"

"Oh? And what would this oh-so-brilliant plan be?" Cordelia challenged, crossing her arms over her chest. Buffy imitated her and began laughing hysterically.

"Buffy, we must be serious about this, we...we must focus--"

"Giles, do you want me to have a nervous breakdown or do you want me to make a complete idiot of myself?" Buffy asked, then sighed and composed herself. "Okay, I'm sorry, I'm just doing this so I don't cry. This is what I'm thinking. Angel told me that Leonna had wanted him really badly when she had been with him and Darla. So she's probably with him right now. I don't even want to think about that now. Giles, you have a pilot license, right?"

"Why, yes...I do. Why do you ask?" Giles asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Perfect. Okay, we grab Angel and fly to Romania. I'm sure Leonna will follow, I mean she kinda does want to kill me. We convince those dim-wits to help us kill Leonna and change Angel back human. If they won't help with Angel, you know those crazy gypsies and their vengeance kicks, we can always do it. What do you think?" Buffy asked, cringing slightly. She had a feeling they hated it.

"You know, it's a pretty damn good plan," Willow said.

"Well, it must've been, because you just said a bad word. Where's the soap?" Buffy teased, relaxing.

"I think it's a good place to start...but what about school? You all can't very well miss it," Giles said.

"On the contrary, G-man. We're actually quite good at missing it," Xander quipped. Giles gave him a slight smile.

"We could pretend our grandparents died," Buffy suggested. "Snyd-man would probably want a note from them saying we were there, though, the little troll."

"Hey, isn't next week Spring Break? You know, the time where we get 2 weeks off in the middle of March?" Cordelia said.

"That's right!" Buffy exclaimed. "But we can't wait that long. Giles, time to think of a really good excuse to tell the president of the Hair Club for Men, otherwise known as Principal Snyder."

Giles began to pace the room. Everyone fell into deep thought mode.

"I've got it!" Willow said, causing everyone to jump as the quiet was shattered. "We can say we're going on some educational trip with Giles to Romania because we¹re such good students.”

"Um...Will? Besides you, we're not good students," Xander said.

"Why don't we just all say we're sick or something?" Cordelia suggested. p>"I think Giles should call the school board and say we're going on some weird library filing seminar in Romania and he can say he just found out about it and we need to leave ASAP," Buffy said.

"You know, that's not a bad idea," Xander said. Buffy smiled. "It's a horrible idea!! Filing? In Romania? Please. Who'd buy that?"

"Okay, okay, so it was a crappy idea. Why don't you think of something?"

"Okay, I will. Um...hmm. Huh. Drawing a blank here."

"Why not just tell them we're taking an early vacation?" Oz said. "I mean, come on. Are our parents really gonna care where we go? Will, you just say it's school-related. Xander, your parents won't care, and Buffy's mom knows. My parents couldn't exactly stop me from going, and Cordelia...will your parents care?"

"Probably not. I can just say it's school-related too. I doubt they'll care...in fact, I don't even think they'll be here. They're leaving for the Bahamas tomorrow," Cordelia replied.

"And Giles can say his aunt died or something, and we're good to go," Buffy said.

"I think we're forgetting one tiny thing, guys," Willow said. "How exactly are we going to get there?"

"Giles is going to call the Watcher's Council and have them fly a plane here for us to use. They're also going to bring Kendra so she can keep an eye on the place while we're gone," Buffy said simply.

"Oh, okay. Will they do that?"

"They'd better. Giles, get calling," Buffy said, pushing him over to his office. He nodded and walked over to the phone on his desk, punching in a number and waiting. He began to speak, and Buffy sank slowly into a chair. She put her head in her hands and went over what had just happened in her mind. They had taken her Angel away from her. Again.

He was probably Angelus by now, getting ready for his first meal. A silent tear fell from her eye, and they started coming. She began to sob, shaking. Willow placed a hand on her back, giving her silent support. It wasn't fair. Buffy had been through so much, yet she wasn't allowed to have the one thing that meant the most to her. It was as if fate hated her, hated what she was, hated how good she was.

"Never again," Buffy said, slowly raising her head out of her hands. She had mascara running down her face, and she smudged it even more when she wiped the tears away and sniffled. "This is never going to happen again. None of my friends are going to be turned into vampires. *None.* Those gypsies are going to make sure of it. They owe it to me. I've saved the world about thirty billion times. That's all I ask."

"How exactly will they be able to do that, Buff?" Xander asked. Before she could answer, Giles walked out of his office and took off his glasses. He rubbed the bridge of his nose before he spoke.

"What's the what, Giles? Are they gonna send a plane or do I have to go steal one?" Buffy asked.

"They've just sent someone now. They should be here at about," he paused looking at his watch and calculating how long it would take. "6:30 in the morning, give or take a half hour. Kendra and her Watcher will be arriving by a different plane at around 2:45 to watch the place. The Council has agreed that this is most important and they say we must leave as quickly as possible."

"Yeah, we got that part. So now what?" Cordelia asked, examining her nails.

Buffy stood and smoothed her clothes. "We need to go get Angel--I mean Angelus. He's coming along for the ride. We'll take him back to my house and keep him there until the morning. What time should we leave?"

Giles leaned up against the counter and thought for a moment. "We-we should probably leave early. We'll have a very long flight ahead of us. How does eight sound?"

The Slayerettes all nodded and began to plan how they would lure Angelus to them.

*~*

"Well, I certainly didn't expect you to be up this soon, love. It usually takes a few days," Leonna said as Angelus stirred. He opened his eyes and smiled.

"Probably has something to do with the fact that I've already been changed once. Where are Roller-Boy and Dru?" he asked as he sat up and stretched.

"Outside, waiting. You must be hungry, my sweet. Come," she said, standing and extending her hand. Angelus just looked at it and got up on his own. "Let's go get something to eat, hmm?"

"I think I'll go by myself. There's someone I need to go see," he replied, strolling to the door and opening it partially. Leonna appeared in his way, closing the door with her back and pulling him close.

"Let me make something clear. You're mine," she said with an icy edge. "Don't go running back to your little Slayer, darling, or I'll stake you myself. Got it?"

"Whatever," Angelus growled, pushing her out of the way and opening the door. He strode out into the main room and saw Spike sitting in a chair by the table with Drusilla perched in his lap, cooing to him. He smiled as he walked up to them, but Dru just ignored him and continued with Spike.

"Angelus. I didn't think you'd be back this soon. How's the Slayer?² Spike asked, an arrogant smile on his face. Drusilla looked up at her sire and smiled. Angelus frowned. He'd expected a better reaction from Dru, like jumping on him and forgetting Spike.

"Angel...I missed you. Will you come for tea and cakes later?" Drusilla purred.

"Of course. Right now," he said, rubbing his neck and cracking his knuckles, trying to look tough. "I need to go find my dear Slayer. We have to have a little chat about what she did to me."

"Which one will you hurt first?" Drusilla asked. Angelus smiled.

"I was thinking of dear Cordelia. She always turned me on, maybe I'll find another use for her before I kill her."

Spike smiled. "Have fun, mate."

Angelus moved to the door and looked over his shoulder before he left. "Oh, I will."

"That didn't go the way I planned, Spike. Why didn't it go as I planned?" Leonna asked, causing Spike to shift his gaze from the door to Leonna's bedroom. She stood leaning on the doorframe, her arms crossed and she looked very angry. Spike could feel her anger as if it was right in front of him.

"Whatever do you mean?" Spike asked, playing dumb. "Oh, that. You see, Angelus has this little...obsession with the Slayer. He wants to hurt her, and that's what he's going to do. Let him alone until he's done."

Leonna wiped a piece of black hair out of her eyes and walked forward, turning her head to the side and looking at the door. She made a decision and Spike tried to change her mind.

"Leonna...don't go after him. He's gotta do this first, and until it's done, he won't even look at you," Spike reasoned, but Leonna was already gone, evaporated into thin air. He shrugged and turned his gaze back to his princess, who had forgotten all about Angelus.

*~*

"What's with you, Leonna? Last time we were together, you weren't the stalking type. What's changed?" Angelus sneered. He continued to walk along on the sidewalk, not stopping to face Leonna, who had appeared behind him. She glowered at his back and appeared before him, stopping his determined walk with one hand on his chest. He halted and looked at her, annoyed.

"Don't look at me like that, Angelus, my sweet. I know about your little obsession with the Slayer, and Spike and I already have a plan. You were part of it, turning you was just the beginning. We're going to kill her, just not yet. We want to--"

"Okay, she changes me, not only back to Soul Boy, but also human, and you think you'll get the privilege of killing her? Think again," Angelus scowled.

"We can kill her together. And then we can be together," Leonna said, her voice seductive. He just looked at her, bored.

"Yeah, um, great. Can't wait for that one. But right now, I have a date with a cheerleader," he said, trying to shove her out of the way. Leonna just reached up and crushed her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his waist. He almost pulled away, then shook his head and pulled her closer.

Leonna smiled.

Hidden in the bushes, the Slayer glared at Leonna with hatred.

*~*

"Ew!" Willow whispered. She was hidden with Buffy, and they were trailing Angelus. All the Slayerettes were there, ready to put their plan into action. She nodded to Cordelia, who stood up and walked down the long row of bushes, coming out at the end onto the sidewalk. She glanced nervously at Buffy, who was waiting for Leonna to leave so she could give Cordelia the signal.

"I have some business to attend to, but I'll be back in a few hours," Angelus said. Buffy shot daggers at him with her eyes.

"I'll be waiting," Leonna responded with a tantalizing voice before vanishing from sight. Buffy nodded to Cordelia again, and the cheerleader smiled weakly and squared her shoulders. She walked around the corner with her hands in her jacket pocket and her head down.

"Cordelia. I'm so glad I found you!" Angelus said, startling her. She jumped and glanced up, smiling at him.

"Angel, we've been looking for you. Are you okay?" she asked, concern in her voice. "Yeah," he smirked. "I'm fine now."

Cordelia walked up to him and offered her arm. "I'll walk you back to Buffy's house."

"Wait, there's one thing I gotta do first," Angelus said, changing into game face and grabbing Cordelia with both hands. She screamed as he moved in to bite down, and was stopped as Buffy hit him from behind with a baseball bat. Cordelia sidestepped so he wouldn¹t fall on her, and went straight to Xander.

She shook for a moment, the adrenaline stopping and she realized what had almost happened. They watched as Buffy handcuffed Angelus and Oz and Xander helped her lift him up.

"Not exactly the way I envisioned us using these handcuffs...well, that'll come later. By the way, Cor, Oscar-worthy performance there. Two thumbs way up for bravery," she smiled, then turned her head, sweeping her eyes over Angelus¹ crumpled figure. "And you...if you weren't in the body of my boyfriend, you would be screaming for mercy right about now."

"So, now what? Your house?" Xander asked. Buffy nodded, and they began the trek to her house.

They were silent on the way, mostly thinking about what was going to happen to the in the next week or two. They had all packed and talked to their parents, and it seemed they were going to get away with leaving. It turned out there were teacher's workshops on Thursday and Friday, so none of them would be missed too much.

They just hoped that they would be able to kill Leonna without, you know, dying.

Part Eleven

The first sound Angelus heard when he woke up was Buffy's voice.

"Wow! This plane is so cool!! It's got a big-screen TV and everything," Buffy squealed, exploring the plane they would fly to Romania on. He groaned and tried to move, then realized he was bound in place. He glanced around the spacious plane, taking note of everything. Buffy looked up and saw he was awake. She smiled and walked over to him.

"Well, look who's awake. Did you have a nice nap?"

"Untie me," he demanded. Buffy just laughed.

"I don't think so. We're gonna take a little trip. To a place called Romania. Hey, don't you have some friends there? I think they're called the Kalderash people. Yeah, that's it," she said and he growled at her. Unfazed, she patted his head and drew a curtain around him.

She left him and went back to join the others. Giles was talking to the woman the Council had sent to help. Her name was Katrina, and she seemed pretty cool. Buffy could tell Giles had a thing for her already.

"Okay, peeps, let's get this circus on the road," Buffy said. She kissed her mother goodbye before climbing into her seat and buckling her seat belt. The others followed suit.

"Be careful, Buffy, and call me when you can," Joyce said, her heart heavy.

"I will, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too," Joyce said and blew her daughter a kiss before walking out of the plane. She stood by the door to the airport and waved as Giles and Katrina got the plane moving. It picked up speed and rose smoothly into the air, beginning the journey that would carry its passengers halfway around the world. They had to try to get help from people who didn1t like them, restore Angelus1 soul, and stop a gypsy vampire from killing them all.

It was going to be fun.

--END

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