"Buffy-" his thoughts froze. He didn't mean to run into her, he had been trying to avoid it. But now she was standing inches in front of him, her face mirroring the shock that must have been present on his, and his hands gripped her shoulders. At first he had meant to steady the stranger he had nearly knocked over, but his hands lingered in a weak attempt to prolong the warmth her skin always produced. Slowly, however, the shock wore off and pain replaced the shock in their gaze. All at once, the feeling of her under his strong hands went from gentle to a blazing fire threatening to destroy him, and his hands dropped instantly.

"Angel," she whispered, painfully aware that his hands were no longer holding her. Her mind sharpened slightly and the anger once again rose to the surface of her emotions, "What are you doing here?"

Immediately he recognized the changes she made when she was around him. Her stance became defensive, her arms folded over her chest, her eyes darkened. Inwardly, he sighed, knowing that this is the relationship they would have as long as he was a vampire and she was the slayer. And as far as he was concerned that meant forever. He did his best to reciprocate her unaffected calm and replied as evenly as he could manage. "Hunting."

"Leave it to you to be cryptic and vague." Same old Angel. Although, she thought sadly, he would always be the same, his features never wavering. Her musings instantly made her acutely aware of the fact she had changed and that she, like all other humans, got older. She shifted her feet and looked away, momentarily self-conscious. "Care to elaborate."

"I'm not sure that it matters." He knew what kind of response that would provoke, but it was true. They hadn't been a part of each other's lives for years and despite the fact her proximity alone was tearing him apart, she had moved on.

"Not sure that it - - - well I'd like to know." He was infuriating. She hadn't seen or heard from him in 5 years. Now he's standing in front of her and he doesn't think it matters. Of course it matters, she thought bitterly. "I think I deserve to know."

"Buffy, I get it, you don't want me here. I didn't want this to happen. I just need to take care of something and I'll leave and you can get on with your life." Her reaction to his blunt words felt like a stake through his heart. No matter how he tried to deal with seeing her, he always managed to hurt her, which was the last thing he ever wanted to do. He could see tears threatening to fall and knew the quicker he left the sooner she'd find peace. "I'm sorry."

He said it with such sincerity, and of course she knew he meant it. "I know. One of us is always sorry." She let her arms fall to her sides and let out a long sigh before looking into his eyes. Suddenly she remembered something he had said earlier that left an uneasiness in her mind. "It's not that I don't want you here, it's just easier when you're not. Well not easier, just…"

He saw her struggling to explain the dynamic that existed between them. "I understand."

"So are you going to tell me why you came?" She could understand why he wanted to keep her in the dark but it didn't mean she wasn't curious. Mostly, she was worried about him. If he was here it meant the reason was serious and until she knew details her mind would never be at ease. She tried to communicate this in her plea and when he looked back to her she could see he understood her need for information.

"I found the demon that killed Spike and followed it here." He knew his voice gave way to the exhaustion he had gained over the past few weeks. Unconsciously he brought his hand to his head, squeezing his eyes tightly shut, and let out a long sigh. "I'm going to kill it and then I'll leave."

He was tired, worn down, and she could read right through his tough demeanor. "You know I'm not going to let you do this alone?" She didn't expect him to answer, but she could see his objection to her proposal in his eyes. But she would not waver, he needed help, and she needed to be the one helping. "Angel," she started softly, "you can't fight this thing without help. And even if you think that you can, I'm not going to risk you by standing aside."

Her tone went from pleading to decisive and he could tell arguing would do little to change her mind. But, he couldn't shake the concern that crept down his spine as she offered her help. "This demon is dangerous Buffy. If you – you could get hurt. That is not what I came here for." He knew his rationale would fall on deaf ears and he watched as she turned away from him. Whatever they felt for each other was beginning to boil over as the thought of danger entered the equation.

She shook her head, with her back toward him. "All the more reason for us to work together." She didn't need to say anything more. Her words said it all, neither one was willing to risk the life of the person that they loved, so they would fight together and keep each other safe. "My place is down the road a bit. You can rest there until we have some kind of plan. Follow me." She didn't turn back, just started to walk down the dimly lit street. She didn't have to turn to know he was following her, she just knew he'd be there watching her back… always.