A/N: This is the first Fan Fiction story that I have thought good enough to upload. It can be a stand-alone story, but I admit to having continued on from where this leaves off. Let me know if you think this would be a good idea and you would like to read more or if you think it is good as it is. All reviews are welcome and CONSTRUCTIVE Criticism is very welcome. I am always willing to listen to advice that could help me improve my writing.

DISCAIMER: All Characters are the lovely children of Joss. I only brought them out to play with for a bit of time. This is simply for fun and no profit or anything else is being gained from this.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"How the hell could you do that?" Buffy screamed at her ex. The fury keeping the heartbreak and tears at bay for the moment.

"Believe it or not Buffy this has absolutely nothing to do with YOU!" he growled right back at her.

Buffy crossed her arms akimbo and glared daggers. "Oh PLEASE! You don't really believe that do you?" she saw the look in his eyes and her control snapped. Reaching back with her right hand she balled it up and decked him will all her strength she had taking small pleasure in seeing him reel back stumbling a couple of steps before regaining his balance.

"Feel better now Buffy? Got it all out of your system?"

"Not even close! Why the hell did you have to go after my best friend? What destroying my life for the past three years wasn't enough for you? You had to go after her? What about all you said to be Angel? All that crap you said right before the battle with good ol' Dick and you disappeared? How has it changed?" his silence did nothing but fuel the blood boiling rage. "If you couldn't give me the kind of life you thought I deserved then how the hell can you give it to her? What's changed in the past six months that suddenly has you thinking of picket fences and happily ever after's that you couldn't share with me?" the anguish she had been trying to suppress had broken as she said the last the tears now streaking down her cheeks as she gave into the despair.

"That's what this is really all about isn't it Buffy… Jealousy! You don't give a damn about the relationship I have with your best friend, it's the fact that I have a relationship at all that you're not a part of! Did you really think that everything was going to be just fine between us after you sent me to Hell?" Angel was angrier that he had been in years and witnessing the Slayers tears did nothing but feed it. She wasn't crying because she was worried that Willow wouldn't have the life she deserved, she was pissed off and crying because Willow would have the life that she wanted herself and it made him sick!

Buffy sunk down to her knee's her hands coming up so she could bury her face in them. Shaking her head in denial she lowered her hands back down and looked up at the man/vampire who she would always love. "How can you even say that to me?" her voice breaking as she spoke.

"Stop with the theatrics it doesn't do anything for me Slayer! You want to know how I can say it, because it's the truth! You killed whatever future we may have had when you ran that damn sword through me and sent me to hell for four hundred damn years!" his eyes flashed amber as he remembered the torment he had suffered before the redhead had been able to get him back.

"I didn't have a choice! You know I didn't have a choice! The world was about to be sucked into hell because your soulless self-decided it would be a great way to spend a Friday night!" she was getting back to her feet again now, the anger starting to return giving her strength to meet his accusations head on.

"Don't even give me that! Is that how you lived with it, how you can still live with it? You made yourself believe there was no other way?" he growled low in his throat and grasped the blonde by the shoulders shaking her harshly "Spike told you it was my blood that opened the portal, a two year old would have figured out that it was my blood that would seal it. All you had to do was cut me and toss the damn sword into the vortex! That wasn't enough for you though was it Slayer? No you had to send me to hell as well. You needed the revenge, you needed to destroy me to clear your conscious. Funny that you couldn't destroy me while my Demon was in control, you had to wait till my soul was restored before you could do it. Tell me Buffy did you ever tell Willow that you knew that the spell had worked when you sent me into that vortex? Did you tell her that you kissed me and told me to close my eyes and trust you before you ran me through with your blade? Did you tell her that I reached out for you begging for your help and all you did was watch as I was sucked out of this plane?"

Shame and guild made Buffy lower her eyes. Her voice was barely a whisper "I didn't have a choice." She said more to herself than to anyone else.

Angel shoved her away from him "You had a choice Slayer, you just made the wrong one. I will only say this once to you. I love Willow more than you or anyone else could possibly know or understand. It was her memory that kept me surviving in that pit of brimstone and death. If you ever try to come between us then soul or not it will be the last thing you ever try." With that he turned on his heel and left the blonde to her tears. He had a Witch to collect and an undead life to fully start and enjoy. His soul may have been returned to him but the Angel that Sunnydale knew was gone. His time in hell had changed him in ways that no one could ever understand or imagine. He may not be Angelus, but he now saw shades of grey. Willow had told him after he returned and was no longer feral that there was both light and dark inside every living and not quite so living creature and that it was the part that we decided to act on that showed who we truly were.

Humans were born with souls, yet the amount of murderers, rapists, and other despicable mortals proved that just having a soul wasn't enough. If it were then the mortal world would be paradise. No killings, no thieving, no pain and depravity. He was not his old demon self, now he was possibly even worse than when Angelus roamed free, because now he was Angel the Vampire and now he would live and act by his own rules and by his own set of morality rules. Now he was more dangerous than he had ever been before.

He parked the car in front of the unassuming middle class home. Getting out he started up the sidewalk only to stop as his Witch came out the front door a bag in her hand. He took it from her grasp and lowered his head to brush a kiss across her warm lips. "Are you ready?"

The redhead blushed softly before turning her bright emerald green eyes up into his chocolate ones. "Yes, I love you Angel."

He smiles fondly down at his companion. "I will always love you Willow." And he kissed her again pouring all the emotion he felt into that kiss before guiding her back toward the car. He smiled up at the stars as he placed her into the passenger seat. His life was finally starting and there was nothing that he could not do with his Willow by his side and God help anyone who tried to take her away from him.