Part Three
One night, Buffy and Willow were seated at one of the many tables surrounding the Bronze dance floor. They were discussing life, love, and men.
Willow casually asked Buffy, “We’re talking about a guy?”
Buffy wrinkled her nose in reply. “Not exactly a guy.” She stated, “For us to have a conversation about a guy, there would have to be a guy for us to have a conversation about.” She paused with a puzzled expression on her face before adding, “Was that a sentence?”
Willow replied simply, “You lack a guy.”
“I do.” Buffy agreed. She went on, saying, “Which is fine with me most of the time but...”
“What about Angel?” Willow interrupted.
“Angel? I could just see him in a relationship.” Buffy quipped, “ ‘Hi honey, you’re in grave danger. I’ll see you next month.’ ”
“He’s not around much, it’s true.”
“When he is around, it’s like the lights dim everywhere else.” Buffy smiled, thinking of the effect Angel had on her. She asked Willow, “You know how it’s like that with some guys?”
“Oh yeah.” Willow replied with a grin as she looked towards the dance floor where Xander was doing his own version of dancing.
After talking with Xander and Willow for a bit, Buffy left blaming poor spirits. Angel, who had been hiding from her, watched her go from behind the stairwell. She turned around for a moment as if she sensed someone watching her, but he was already gone.
As Buffy made her way home, she sensed that someone was following her. Suddenly, she was attacked by three armor-clad vampires. They dragged her into an alley with two of them holding her on either side. The vampire that was not holding her came up to her and pulled her head to the side. Just as he was about to bite her, Angel grabbed him by the hair and pulled him away.
He told the vampire, “Good dogs don't...” he paused to punch the vampire, then added, “...*bite*!
Buffy was caught off guard, but soon recovered. She kicked both of her feet up and got the two vampires that had been holding her in the faces. They let her go, but soon one of them had her up against the fence. Angel was fighting the other two. One pulled an iron bar off a window. Buffy yelled, “Look out!” but it was too late. He turned around and was rewarded with a slash in the ribs with the pipe.
Buffy finally pushed the vampire away from her and gave him a double fisted punch to the face. Angel was bent over in pain, about to be stabbed again by the same vampire, but Buffy got there first. She kicked the vampire away from Angel, then helped him up.
She yelled, “Run!!!”
All three vampires followed them from the alley as they made their escape. Jumping over a row of hedges, they finally made it to Buffy’s house, but the Three were not far behind. Buffy got the door open and pushed Angel through, yelling, “Get in! C’mon!”
She got inside just as the first of the Three caught up to them. She turned and slammed the door on its hand, causing it to withdraw. She slammed and locked it. One vampire looked through the window while another looked in from the door.
Angel said from the window, “It's alright. A vampire can't come in unless it's invited.”
“I've heard that before, but I've never put it to the test.” She leaned back on the door in relief, but pushed herself away when she saw Angel’s wound. “Oh... I'll go get some bandages, just... take your jacket and your shirt off.”
She went into the kitchen. Angel looked out the window one last time before following her.
As he entered the kitchen, he stripped off his jacket and torn shirt, exposing a large bird tattoo on his right shoulder blade. Buffy turned and saw the tattoo. She took a deep breath and came over with the first aid kit.
“Nice tattoo.” She told him with a small smile. Exhaling deeply, she began to clean his wound.
“I was lucky you came along.” She turned her face to him and asked with a smile, “How did you happen to come along?”
Angel offered as explanation, “I live nearby. I was just out walking.”
“So, you weren't following me? I just had this feeling you were.”
He smiled and asked, “Why would I do that?”
“You tell me.” She answered. “You're the mystery guy that appears out of nowhere. I'm not saying I'm not happy about it tonight, but... if you are hanging around I'd like to know why.” She finished bandaging him and began to pack up the first aid kit.
“Maybe I like you.” He replied with the same coy smile.
“Maybe...” Buffy added. They smiled at each other, but the moment was lost when the sound of the door opening sent Buffy into action. She ran into the foyer to intercept her mother and pulled her inside before slamming the door. She anxiously looked outside for any sign of the Three.
Mrs. Summers said, “Hi! What are you doing?”
“There's a lotta weird people outside at night...”
Her mom started toward the kitchen, but Buffy ran in front of her and stopped her progress. “I just feel better with you safe and sound inside,” she continued. “You must be beat.”
“I am,” Mrs. Summers answered. “For a little gallery, you have no idea how much-”
“Well, then why don't you go upstairs and get into bed and I can bring you some hot tea.” Buffy interrupted.
“That's sweet!” She suddenly became suspicious. “What'd you do?” she asked.
“Can't a daughter just be concerned about her mother?”
Angel appeared behind Buffy, fully clothed and puzzled.
“Hi.” Mrs. Summers said.
“Hi.” replied Angel.
Faced with a new obstacle, Buffy looked back and forth between her Mother and Angel, thinking of what to do. She finally introduced them. “Oh! Okay... Um... Angel, uh, this is my mom. Mom, this is Angel. Uh, we ran into each other on the way home.”
Angel said politely, “Nice to meet you.”
They all nodded, not sure of what to do next.
Mrs. Summers finally asked, “What do you do, Angel?”
Buffy replied quickly, “He's a student.” Her mom gave her a disbelieving look, so Buffy embellished, “Uh, first year community college. Angel's been helping me with my history, you know I've been toiling there.”
Her mom replied in a motherly voice, “It's a little late for tutoring. I'm gonna go to bed, and, uh, Buffy?”
Buffy smiled at her mom, telling her, “I'll say good night and do the same!”
Mrs. Summers started up the stairs, turning to say to Angel, “It was nice to meet you.”
When her mother was gone, Buffy yelled out the door, “Good night! We'll hook up soon and do that study thing!” Angel watched from behind it with a small grin on his face. She slammed the door and started up the stairs with Angel right behind her.
They entered her room and as Buffy softly closed the door, Angel looked around. He said rather apologetically, “Look, I don't wanna get you in any more trouble-”
Buffy interrupted, “And I don't wanna get you dead. They could still be out there.” She moved in front of him and surveyed the room. Embarrassed, she said, “So, uh, oh... two of us, one bed. That... doesn't work.”
Turning to face him, she said, “Um, why don't you take the bed? You know, you're wounded-”
“I'll take the floor.” Angel interrupted.
“Uh, no, that's not-”
He interrupted again, adding, “Oh, believe me, I've had worse.”
She reluctantly agreed, “Okay. Um, then why don't you check and see if the Fang Gang is still loitering and, um, keep your back turned while I change?”
Angel went to the window and looked out as Buffy entered her closet to change.
“I don't see them.” he said.
Ignoring his observation, Buffy asked, “Y'know, I'm the chosen one, it's my job to fight guys like that. What's your excuse?”
Angel replied softly, “Somebody has to.”
“Well, what does your family think of your career choice?”
“They're dead.” he replied sadly.
Buffy, who had changed into a light pink tank top and pajama pants, came to stand next to him by the window. She asked quietly, “Was it vampires?”
He turned to face her and with a crack in his voice said, “I-it was.”
“I'm sorry.” she replied.
“It was a long while ago.”
“So, this is a vengeance gig for you.” She said more as an observation than a question.
He paused, looking at her closely. “Y-you even look pretty when you go to sleep,” he told her shyly.
Buffy blushed a little and ducked her head a little. She quipped, “Well, when I wake up it's an entirely different story.”
They went over to the bed. Buffy handed him the comforter and a pillow from her bed, telling him, “Here. Sleep tight.”
They both laid down, Buffy on her bed and Angel next to it. As he arranged himself in a comfortable position, Buffy said his name, “Angel?”
“Hmmm?” He asked.
“Do you snore?”
“I don't know. It's been a long time since anybody's been in a position to let me know.” He turned his head towards her and smiled. She smiled back.
The next morning Buffy told Giles, Willow, and Xander about the Three and her night with Angel. As Giles researched it, Buffy answered curious questions from Willow, and fended off a jealous Xander. Giles discovered that The Three were a band of warrior vampires that were extremely dangerous. He told her she wouldn’t be in any immediate danger, but she should train more.
When she came back to her house, it was already dark. She walked into her room and called for him.
“Angel?”
“Hey.” He came out of the shadows next to her bed.
She turned on her desk lamp before walking over to him and handing him a plastic bag of food. “I brought you some dinner. It’s a little plate-less, sorry.”
He accepted the bag and looked at it for a long moment.
“So! What'd you do all day?” She asked.
“Uh, I read a little.”
Buffy glanced over at her diary, which was out of place sitting on her desk.
Angel continued, “And just thought about a lot of things. Buffy, I-”
Buffy interrupted, saying, “My diary? You read my diary?” She walked over to put it in a drawer before returning and continuing, “That is *not* okay! A diary is like a person's most private place! I... You don't even know what I was writing about! 'Hunk' can mean a lot of things, bad things. And, and when it says that your eyes are 'penetrating', I meant to write...'bulgy'.”
He tried to speak, “Buffy-”
“And 'A' doesn't stand for 'Angel' for that matter,” she continued. Thinking for a second, she added, “It stands for... 'Achmed', a charming foreign exchange student, so that whole fantasy part has nothing to even do with you at all-”
Angel finally interrupted her rampage with the truth, “Your mother moved your diary when she came in to straighten up. I watched her from the closet. I didn't read it, I swear.”
Buffy looked at him, exclaiming, “Oh!” Suddenly she realized what she had just confessed and added a little more slowly, “Oh...”
Angel went on, “I did a lot of thinking today. I really can't be around you.” Buffy looked up with a surprised expression on her face. He continued, “Because when I am-”
She looked down and interrupted dejectedly, “Hey, no big. Water... over the bridge, under the bridge...”
As she rambled on, Angel said, “All I can ever think about is how badly I want to kiss you.”
“ ...over the dam...” It took a moment for her to register what he had just said. “Kiss me?” She asked disbelievingly.
“I'm older than you, and this can't ever...” He looked up and saw her staring at him with her eyes wide and sexy, then added, “I better go.”
“H-how much older?” She asked.
Breathlessly, he repeated, “I should-”
She approached him, finishing his sentence for him. “go...You said...” She too was breathless.
Soon, they were very close, staring into each others eyes. Angel leaned down and Buffy leaned up. There lips connected gently first, and then harder. They shared a passionate kiss that went on for several moments. Suddenly, Angel pulled away and turned away from her. He cried out and grabbed his head.
Buffy reached for him, asking him, “What? What is it? What's wrong?”
Angel snapped his head around, revealing that of a vampire’s. He growled and bared his teeth. Buffy let out an ear piercing scream that caused Angel to jump out of the window and slide down the eaves that hung just below. Buffy’s mother ran into the room and exclaimed, “Buffy, what happened?”
Buffy backed away from the window with a shocked look on her face. She turned towards her mother and began to calm down. “Uh, nothing,” she said, “I saw a shadow.” She turned back to the window.
The next morning, Buffy again disclosed the events of the past evening to her friends.
As they were walking up the front walk to the fountain, Willow asked in disbelief, “Angel's a vampire?”
“I can't believe this is happening. One minute we were kissing, and the next minute...” She turned to Giles and asked desperately, “Can a vampire ever be a good person? Couldn't it happen?”
“A vampire isn't a person at all.” Giles cleared his throat before continuing, “It may have the movements, the, the memories, even the personality of the person that it took over, but i-it's still a demon at the core, there is no half-way.”
Willow said, “So that'd be a no, huh?”
“Well, then what was he doing?” Buffy asked. “Why was he good to me? Was it all some part of the Master's plan? It doesn't make sense!”
Buffy and Willow sat down on a nearby bench. Xander said to Buffy, “Alright, uh...” He sat next to her and looked at her, “...you have a problem, and it's not a small one. Let's take a breath and look at this calmly and objectively. Angel's a vampire. You're a Slayer. I think it's obvious what you have to do.” He smiled sweetly at her.
Buffy gave no reaction, so Xander looked up to Giles for help. Giles crouched beside her and said, “Uh, it is a Slayer's duty-”
Xander interrupted, “I-I know you have feelings for this guy, but it's not like you're in love with him, right?”
Buffy looked away.
Xander asked incredulously, “You're in love with a vampire? What, are you outta your mind?”
The conversation ended there as Cordelia passed them and distracted their attention.
Angel, meanwhile, had returned to his apartment in the basement of a warehouse. He entered through the metal door, but as he bent to turn on the light, he sensed someone in the room with him. He straightened warily. “Who's here?” He said to the room.
“A friend.” A blond vampire came out of the shadows dressed in a catholic schoolgirl uniform. Her name was Darla. Angel spun to face her.
“Hi. It's been a while.” She said.
“A lifetime,” Angel replied.
“Or two, but who's counting?”
Angel glanced her up and down before asking, “What's with the Catholic schoolgirl look? Last time I saw you it was kimonos.”
“And last time I saw you it wasn't high school girls,” she replied. Flaring the skirt and giving a curtsy, she added, “Don't cha like?” She walked slowly towards Angel. “Remember Budapest? Turn of the century? You were such a bad boy during that earthquake.”
“You did some damage yourself.”
Darla got a wistful look on her face. “Is there anything better than a natural disaster? The panic. The people lost in the streets. It's like picking fruit off the vine.” As she talked, she made her way over to the bed. Glancing over it, she remarked, “Nice! You're living above ground, like one of them. You and your new friend are attacking us, like one of them.” She walked over to the window, then turned to him, saying, “But guess what, precious? You're not one of them.”
Darla let the blind snap open, letting a stream of light into the room. Angel threw his hands up in front of his face and fell backwards to escape the light.
“Are you?” She added maliciously.
Angel turned towards her, still squinting from the bright light streaming through the window. He said, “No. But I'm not exactly one of you either.”
She walked towards the fridge, asking, “Is that what you tell yourself these days?” Opening the fridge, she revealed bags of blood hanging inside. She added, “You're not exactly living off of quiche.” She closed the fridge and turned towards him. “You and I both know what you hunger for.” She walked towards him as he watched her warily. “What you need. Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's who we are. It's what makes eternal life worth living. You can only suppress your real nature for so long. You can feel it brewing inside of you. I hope I'm around when it explodes.”
He growled, “Maybe you don't wanna be.”
“I'm not afraid of you. I bet she is, though.” Darla turned to leave, but before she did, she turned to say, “Or maybe I'm underestimating her. Talk to her. Tell her about the curse. Maybe she'll come around. And if she still doesn't trust you, you know where I'll be.”
Darla left, leaving Angel angry and with a lot to think about.
After school Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles began to research Angel. They discovered that he was about 242 years old and had originally come from Ireland. They also read that he was one of the most vicious vampires of his time but there was no record of him killing anything in the past 80 years.
A little later, Willow was helping Buffy with her history homework in the library.
“Okay, so let's review. Reconstruction began when?” Willow asked. Looking up, she noticed that Buffy was staring into space, “Buffy?”
“Huh?” Buffy snapped out of her thoughts when she heard her name. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “Um, reconstruction... Uh, reconstruction began after the... construction, which was... shoddy, so they had to reconstruct.”
“After the destruction of the Civil War.” Willow corrected.
“Right. Civil War. During which Angel was already, like, a hundred and change...”
Willow sighed, asking Buffy, “Are we gonna talk about boys, or are we gonna help you pass history?”
Buffy stared at Willow, not saying anything. Willow closed the book that she had been using and leaned towards Buffy.
“Sometimes I have this fantasy that Xander's just gonna grab me and kiss me right on the lips.” She gave Buffy a huge smile.
Buffy smiled, then told her, “You want Xander, you've gotta speak up, girl!”
Panicked, Willow replied, “No, no, no, no. No speaking up. That way leads to madness and sweaty palms.”
“Okay, so here's something I gotta know,” Willow said. “When Angel kissed you... I mean before he turned into... how was it?”
Buffy smiled and got a dreamy look on her face, exclaiming, “Unbelievable!”
“Wow!” Willow sighed. She observed, “And it is kinda novel how he'll stay young and handsome forever, although you'll still get wrinkly and die, and... Oh, and what about the children?” Buffy gave her a ‘look’. “I'll be quiet now,” Willow ended.
“No, it's okay. I need to hear this. I need to get over him so I can-”
“So that you can...” She picked up her pencil and made a stabbing motion with it.
“Like Xander said, I'm the Slayer, and he's a... vampire. God, I can't! He's never done anything to hurt me... Okay, no, I need to stop thinking about this. Okay, let's give another half an hour and maybe something will sink in. And then I'm going home for some major moping.” Buffy pouted, but got back to work.
Darla, who had been listening to the entire conversation, smiled and backed away. She made her way to the Summer’s house and got herself invited in. As Mrs. Summers was looking in the fridge for ingredients for a snack, Darla attacked.
At the same time, Angel was walking up to the front door. He almost knocked, hesitated, then turned to leave. As he went, he heard a scream from inside. He ran to the back door and kicked it in. He found Darla feeding from Mrs. Summers.
“Let her go!” He growled.
“I just had a little, there's plenty more. Aren't you hungry for something warm after all this time? Come on, Angel. Just say 'Yes'!” She pushed the limp woman into his arms, then exited out the door Angel had just come through.
Angel struggled with his demon for a moment, then finally changed his face into that of the vampire.
Buffy came through the front door, yelling to her mom, “Hey! I’m home.”
As she came around the corner, she caught site of Vampire Angel holding the limp form of her mother who had bite marks in her neck. She froze in shock. He bared his fangs.
She took him and threw him through the front window. She told him as he lay on the front lawn, “You’re not welcome here. You come near us and I’ll kill you.”
Buffy went back inside to take care of her mother. She called for a paramedic, then returned to her mother. Xander and Willow walked into the kitchen. When Willow asked what happened, Buffy replied simply, “Angel.”
Buffy went with her mom to the hospital but, after she confirmed that she would be OK, she took off to settle things with Angel. She went to the school to retrieve the crossbow from the weapons locker, then headed towards the Bronze.
Darla, meanwhile, was appealing to Angel. She angered him enough to cause him to go after Buffy.
Buffy followed Angel into the Bronze. She walked through the building while Angel hid in the shadows. Finally, she called into the darkness, “I know you're there. And I know what you are.”
“Do you?” Angel asked cynically. Buffy spun to face the direction of his voice. He continued, “I'm just an animal, right?”
“You're not an animal. Animals I like.”
Angel growled, then came out of the shadows. Buffy spun to face him, pointing the crossbow at his chest. “Let’s get it done,” he exclaimed.
He growled and began to move, jumping up onto a pool table then vaulting onto the second story. Buffy followed him with the crossbow and fired off a shot, but he was too fast. She lost sight of him for a moment. Suddenly, he swung down from a pipe and kicked her from behind, knocking her onto a pool table. She quickly kicked backwards, sending him into a wall. While he was recovering she retrieved her crossbow and took aim. He rose slowly and growled.
Slowly, his features returned to their normal state of human. Buffy still held the crossbow leveled at his chest.
He yelled, “C'mon! Don't go soft on me now!”
She swung the crossbow away from him and fired, hitting the wall next to him. He looked at the bolt and quipped, “A little wide.”
“Why?” Buffy asked. “Why didn't you just attack me when you had the chance? Was it a joke? To make me feel for you and then... I’ve killed a lot of vampires. I've never hated one before.”
“Feels good, doesn't it?” Angel replied. “Feels simple.”
“I invited you into my home and then you attacked my family!” she exclaimed.
“Why not? I killed mine. I killed their friends... and their friend's children... For a hundred years I offered ugly death to everyone I met, and I did it with a song in my heart.” His voice went hard with the memories.
Buffy asked softly, “What changed?”
“Fed on a girl about your age... beautiful... dumb as a post... but a favorite among her clan.”
Puzzled, Buffy asked, “Clan?”
“Romani.” When she didn’t show any signs of recognition, he added, “Gypsies,” as if she should have known what he was referring to. He continued with his story, “The elders conjured the perfect punishment for me. They restored my soul.”
“What, they were all out of boils and blinding torment?”
“When you become a vampire the demon takes your body, but it doesn't get your soul,” Angel explained. “That's gone! No conscience, no remorse... It's an easy way to live. You have no idea what it's like to have done the things I've done... and to care.” He paused as if remembering something long past. “I haven't fed on a living human being since that day,” he ended softly.
Buffy replied, “So you started with my mom?”
Angrily, Angel exclaimed, “I didn't bite her!”
“Then why didn't you say something?”
“But I wanted to. I can walk like a man, but I'm not one. I wanted to kill you tonight.”
Buffy looked down at her crossbow, then back at Angel. Slowly, she set the weapon on the floor and approached him. She cocked her head to the side, offering her neck to him. “Go ahead,” she said.
Angel didn’t move. Buffy straightened. “Not as easy as it looks.”
“Sure it is!”
Buffy and Angel turned to see Darla emerge from the shadows.
“Do you know what the saddest thing in the world is,” Darla asked.
“Bad hair on top of the outfit,” Buffy quipped.
Darla, ignoring Buffy’s comment, answered her own question, “To love someone who used to love you.”
Buffy looked over at Angel, then asked Darla, “You guys were involved?”
“For several generations,” Darla replied.
“Well, you been around since Columbus, you are bound to pile up a few ex's.” Buffy offered lightly. “You're older than him, right? Just between us girls, you are looking a little worn around the eyes.”
Darla smiled. “I made him,” she divulged. “There was a time when we shared everything, wasn't there Angelus? You had a chance to come home, to rule with me in the Master's court for a thousand years, but you threw that away because of her. You love someone who hates us. You're sick. And you'll always be sick. And you'll always remember what it was like to watch her die.” She smiled. “You don't think I came alone, do you?”
“I know I didn't,” Buffy replied as she kicked the crossbow up into her arms and aimed it at Darla.
“Hm, scary.” She produced two pistols from behind her back and aimed one at Buffy and one at Angel. “Scarier!”
She fired one of the pistols at Angel, catching him in the side. He fell back against a pole, doubled over in pain.
“Oh, don't worry,” Darla said. “Bullets can't kill vampires.” She giggled and added, “Can hurt them like hell, but...”
Buffy ran as Darla began to shoot at her. Xander, Giles, and Willow, who had been looking for Buffy, heard the shots and ran into the Bronze.
Buffy hid behind a pool table as she reloaded the crossbow frantically. Darla, still holding the pistols, advanced towards the hiding spot saying, “So many body parts, so few bullets. Let's begin with the kneecaps. No fun dancing without them.”
Darla began to shoot again. When she stopped, Buffy popped up from behind the table and took her shot. Darla stooped over, but when she straightened, Buffy saw that the bolt had only caught her in the stomach. Darla pulled it out, “Close, but no heart.”
Giles, Willow, and Xander climbed to the second story. Giles turned on the strobe light while Willow yelled, “Buffy it wasn’t Angel who attacked your mom, it was Darla.”
Darla spun towards the voice and began shooting towards it. Angel pulled a bolt from the wall. She turned her attention back to Buffy and hopped up onto the pool table. Buffy pulled on the edge, causing Darla to loose her balance and fall over. Buffy then shoved the pool table into the far wall, but as it slid, Darla began shooting at Buffy who dove behind the bar for cover.
“C'mon, Buffy. Take it like a man!” Angel came up behind her, shoving the bolt he had taken from the wall deep into her heart. She cried out in pain and turned to look at her attacker. “Angel?” She asked incredulously. She fell to the floor, exploding into a cloud of ashes.
Angel stood at the foot of the pile, looked at Buffy for a long moment, then turned and left. Buffy said nothing as he walked away.
Later, at a party at the Bronze, Willow, Xander, and Buffy were talking.
Willow asked, “So, no word from Angel?”
“Nah,” Buffy replied. “It's weird, though. In this way I feel like he's still watching me.”
Willow looked over Buffy’s shoulder before replying, “Well, in a way he sort of is. In the way of that he's right over there.”
Buffy looked in the direction Willow was referring to and saw Angel in the shadows near the door. They began to move towards each other. The song in the background crooned “Did they know what they wanted, The times they kissed me? And your hands, That I held in mine...”
Angel and Buffy met each other somewhere in the middle of the dance floor.
Angel ducked his head shyly and said unsurely, “I just wanted to see if you were okay. And your mother.”
“We're both good,” she replied. “You?”
“If I can go a little while without getting shot or stabbed I'll be alright.” They grinned at the joke. Suddenly, Angel got serious, “Look, this can't-”
“-ever be anything,” She finished. Continuing, she added, “I know. For one thing, you're, like, two hundred and twenty-four years older than I am.” Angel smiled.
“I just gotta...” He faltered for a minute before continuing, “I gotta walk away from this.”
Buffy nodded, repeating, “I know. Me, too.” They stood there for a moment. She said softly, “One of us has to go here.”
Angel whispered, “I know.”
They looked at each other for a moment before leaning in to kiss. The kiss was passionate and long. Both gentle and hard. They wrapped there arms around each other while the music continued in the background, “Your eyes, That always make me shiver, Now they are closed, They just sometimes twitch a little, And your body, I could hold for an hour, It sent me to Heaven, With its heat and power...”
The kiss finally ended. They slowly separated, exhaling softly. Buffy kept her eyes closed for a moment longer. She looked up at him and asked, “You okay?”
Angel looked at her sadly and replied very softly, “It's just...” He drifted off.
“...painful,” Buffy finished for him. “I know.” Slowly she began to back away from him. They looked at each other sadly for a moment. Then Buffy said, “See you around?” She drifted away into the crowd as Angel stared after her sadly. The song continued, “I'll remember you, You will be there in my heart, I'll remember you, And that is all that I can do, But I'll remember.”
Angel was left on the dance floor, staring after his love, with a deep burn from her cross burned into his chest as a reminder of what could never be.
Back Forward
“Angel? I could just see him in a relationship.” Buffy quipped, “ ‘Hi honey, you’re in grave danger. I’ll see you next month.’ ” 
“Oh yeah.” Willow replied with a grin as she looked towards the dance floor where Xander was doing his own version of dancing. 
After talking with Xander and Willow for a bit, Buffy left blaming poor spirits. Angel, who had been hiding from her, watched her go from behind the stairwell. She turned around for a moment as if she sensed someone watching her, but he was already gone. 
He told the vampire, “Good dogs don't...” he paused to punch the vampire, then added, “...*bite*!
“I've heard that before, but I've never put it to the test.” She leaned back on the door in relief, but pushed herself away when she saw Angel’s wound. “Oh... I'll go get some bandages, just... take your jacket and your shirt off.” 
She went into the kitchen. Angel looked out the window one last time before following her. 
As he entered the kitchen, he stripped off his jacket and torn shirt, exposing a large bird tattoo on his right shoulder blade. Buffy turned and saw the tattoo. She took a deep breath and came over with the first aid kit. 
“I was lucky you came along.” She turned her face to him and asked with a smile, “How did you happen to come along?” 
He smiled and asked, “Why would I do that?” 
“You tell me.” She answered. “You're the mystery guy that appears out of nowhere. I'm not saying I'm not happy about it tonight, but... if you are hanging around I'd like to know why.” She finished bandaging him and began to pack up the first aid kit. 
“Maybe...” Buffy added. They smiled at each other, but the moment was lost when the sound of the door opening sent Buffy into action. She ran into the foyer to intercept her mother and pulled her inside before slamming the door. She anxiously looked outside for any sign of the Three.
Angel appeared behind Buffy, fully clothed and puzzled.
When her mother was gone, Buffy yelled out the door, “Good night! We'll hook up soon and do that study thing!” Angel watched from behind it with a small grin on his face. She slammed the door and started up the stairs with Angel right behind her.
They entered her room and as Buffy softly closed the door, Angel looked around. He said rather apologetically, “Look, I don't wanna get you in any more trouble-”
Buffy interrupted, “And I don't wanna get you dead. They could still be out there.” She moved in front of him and surveyed the room. Embarrassed, she said, “So, uh, oh... two of us, one bed. That... doesn't work.”
Turning to face him, she said, “Um, why don't you take the bed? You know, you're wounded-”
“I don't see them.” he said.
Buffy, who had changed into a light pink tank top and pajama pants, came to stand next to him by the window. She asked quietly, “Was it vampires?”
He turned to face her and with a crack in his voice said, “I-it was.”
“Hmmm?” He asked.
“I don't know. It's been a long time since anybody's been in a position to let me know.” He turned his head towards her and smiled. She smiled back.
The next morning Buffy told Giles, Willow, and Xander about the Three and her night with Angel. As Giles researched it, Buffy answered curious questions from Willow, and fended off a jealous Xander. Giles discovered that The Three were a band of warrior vampires that were extremely dangerous. He told her she wouldn’t be in any immediate danger, but she should train more.
She turned on her desk lamp before walking over to him and handing him a plastic bag of food. “I brought you some dinner. It’s a little plate-less, sorry.”
Buffy interrupted, saying, “My diary? You read my diary?” She walked over to put it in a drawer before returning and continuing, “That is *not* okay! A diary is like a person's most private place! I... You don't even know what I was writing about! 'Hunk' can mean a lot of things, bad things. And, and when it says that your eyes are 'penetrating', I meant to write...'bulgy'.”
Angel finally interrupted her rampage with the truth, “Your mother moved your diary when she came in to straighten up. I watched her from the closet. I didn't read it, I swear.”
Buffy looked at him, exclaiming, “Oh!” Suddenly she realized what she had just confessed and added a little more slowly, “Oh...”
Angel went on, “I did a lot of thinking today. I really can't be around you.” Buffy looked up with a surprised expression on her face. He continued, “Because when I am-”
Soon, they were very close, staring into each others eyes. Angel leaned down and Buffy leaned up. There lips connected gently first, and then harder. They shared a passionate kiss that went on for several moments. Suddenly, Angel pulled away and turned away from her. He cried out and grabbed his head.
“I can't believe this is happening. One minute we were kissing, and the next minute...” She turned to Giles and asked desperately, “Can a vampire ever be a good person? Couldn't it happen?”
Angel, meanwhile, had returned to his apartment in the basement of a warehouse. He entered through the metal door, but as he bent to turn on the light, he sensed someone in the room with him. He straightened warily. “Who's here?” He said to the room.
“A lifetime,” Angel replied.
“You did some damage yourself.”
Angel turned towards her, still squinting from the bright light streaming through the window. He said, “No. But I'm not exactly one of you either.”
She walked towards the fridge, asking, “Is that what you tell yourself these days?” Opening the fridge, she revealed bags of blood hanging inside. She added, “You're not exactly living off of quiche.” She closed the fridge and turned towards him. “You and I both know what you hunger for.” She walked towards him as he watched her warily. “What you need. Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's who we are. It's what makes eternal life worth living. You can only suppress your real nature for so long. You can feel it brewing inside of you. I hope I'm around when it explodes.”
He growled, “Maybe you don't wanna be.”
“I'm not afraid of you. I bet she is, though.” Darla turned to leave, but before she did, she turned to say, “Or maybe I'm underestimating her. Talk to her. Tell her about the curse. Maybe she'll come around. And if she still doesn't trust you, you know where I'll be.”
Darla left, leaving Angel angry and with a lot to think about.
“Let her go!” He growled.
“I just had a little, there's plenty more. Aren't you hungry for something warm after all this time? Come on, Angel. Just say 'Yes'!” She pushed the limp woman into his arms, then exited out the door Angel had just come through.
Angel struggled with his demon for a moment, then finally changed his face into that of the vampire.
Darla, meanwhile, was appealing to Angel. She angered him enough to cause him to go after Buffy.
Slowly, his features returned to their normal state of human. Buffy still held the crossbow leveled at his chest.
He yelled, “C'mon! Don't go soft on me now!”
She swung the crossbow away from him and fired, hitting the wall next to him. He looked at the bolt and quipped, “A little wide.”
“Feels good, doesn't it?” Angel replied. “Feels simple.”
“Why not? I killed mine. I killed their friends... and their friend's children... For a hundred years I offered ugly death to everyone I met, and I did it with a song in my heart.” His voice went hard with the memories.
Buffy asked softly, “What changed?”
“Fed on a girl about your age... beautiful... dumb as a post... but a favorite among her clan.”
Buffy and Angel turned to see Darla emerge from the shadows.
Buffy looked over at Angel, then asked Darla, “You guys were involved?”
She fired one of the pistols at Angel, catching him in the side. He fell back against a pole, doubled over in pain.
Giles, Willow, and Xander climbed to the second story. Giles turned on the strobe light while Willow yelled, “Buffy it wasn’t Angel who attacked your mom, it was Darla.”
Darla spun towards the voice and began shooting towards it. Angel pulled a bolt from the wall. She turned her attention back to Buffy and hopped up onto the pool table. Buffy pulled on the edge, causing Darla to loose her balance and fall over. Buffy then shoved the pool table into the far wall, but as it slid, Darla began shooting at Buffy who dove behind the bar for cover.
“C'mon, Buffy. Take it like a man!” Angel came up behind her, shoving the bolt he had taken from the wall deep into her heart. She cried out in pain and turned to look at her attacker. “Angel?” She asked incredulously. She fell to the floor, exploding into a cloud of ashes.
Angel stood at the foot of the pile, looked at Buffy for a long moment, then turned and left. Buffy said nothing as he walked away.
“Nah,” Buffy replied. “It's weird, though. In this way I feel like he's still watching me.”
Willow looked over Buffy’s shoulder before replying, “Well, in a way he sort of is. In the way of that he's right over there.”
Buffy looked in the direction Willow was referring to and saw Angel in the shadows near the door. They began to move towards each other. The song in the background crooned “Did they know what they wanted, The times they kissed me? And your hands, That I held in mine...”
“If I can go a little while without getting shot or stabbed I'll be alright.” They grinned at the joke. Suddenly, Angel got serious, “Look, this can't-”
They looked at each other for a moment before leaning in to kiss. The kiss was passionate and long. Both gentle and hard. They wrapped there arms around each other while the music continued in the background, “Your eyes, That always make me shiver, Now they are closed, They just sometimes twitch a little, And your body, I could hold for an hour, It sent me to Heaven, With its heat and power...”
Angel looked at her sadly and replied very softly, “It's just...” He drifted off.
“...painful,” Buffy finished for him. “I know.” Slowly she began to back away from him. They looked at each other sadly for a moment. Then Buffy said, “See you around?” She drifted away into the crowd as Angel stared after her sadly. The song continued, “I'll remember you, You will be there in my heart, I'll remember you, And that is all that I can do, But I'll remember.”
Angel was left on the dance floor, staring after his love, with a deep burn from her cross burned into his chest as a reminder of what could never be. 
