Chapter 1

Angel hesitated. He cursed inwardly. He never hesitated. He couldn't hesitate. If he hesitated then...

BAM! That would happen. He was thrown backwards into the solid brick wall that made up one side of the alley. He fell down arms first onto the dirty and slightly damp concrete floor. He cursed inwardly again.

He felt slightly nostalgic, after he'd moved to Wolfram and Hart he hadn't been able to really go out and kick some demon but in a random dark alleyway. He jumped to his feet and began blocking and punching. It was automatic now, it had taken a while to get to the point where it was automatic again. Especially just after the year at Wolfram and Hart.

It all started a few months ago. It was the kind of thing that built up over time. Aren't they all? Angel was all alone and still a vampire. You could never satisfy those Powers That Be. They were like parents that expected too much from their children. You know the type that spends the entire time watching a soccer game and yelling at their kids from the side line.

He found an opening and took it. He kicked with a force so strong that he could've pulled a muscle if he wasn't an experienced fighter. The other was on its ass. He released the spring loaded stake which was hidden in his sleeve. He ran at the other and was about to plunge it in the still heart before him but then...

Angel was left to do all of the dirty work. Finding and killing all of the scum left in the city. Then Buffy came. She was looking for Potential slayers and doing some hunting while she was at it. Angel didn't catch the full story though. He spent too much time looking at Buffy and then not looking at Buffy and then stuttering and basically being Angel around Buffy.

And then came the kissing, the not being able to help it and then... Angelus.

Angel hesitated. Again. Again he was thrown on his ass. He cursed inwardly again and reloaded his stake. He and the other paced around the imaginary circle warily. Neither wanted to make the first move because that had a chance of leaving them with the bad position. And neither wanted to be thrown on their respective asses again. An experience not sorely missed by either opponent.

Angelus had taken off to terrorise the city. And he succeeded in that. The entire Scooby gang had been tracking him but they were always a step or two behind. Angelus made sure of that and Angelus against the Scooby gang, well the odds weren't even.

The other made the first move. The other launched at Angel and Angel dodged it in a manner that seemed to say that it was easy but was actually really lucky to get out of the attack. Neither of them were in vamp face and that was probably the strategy of the opposer. Well it worked. Twice Angel had a chance and twice he'd failed to take it.

Then Angelus had set a trap. In that big warehouse. Angel watched from the ether as it all happened. Xander was the first to go, walking into a cage. Or more like falling into it. Then Willow who got trapped in a box impervious to magic. Giles walked into the same cage as Xander and Dawn had followed Giles.

Angel dodged another attack and grabbed the vamp from behind. He held the vamp's back to his front, holding her neck with a strong hand to keep her there. She struggled for a second. Then she just stopped dead. Obviously a thought had appeared into her mind.

The worst thing to do when hunting a vampire, or more specifically Angelus, was to split up. Angelus knew the group would do this, hence the separate traps. And they'd fallen for it. Chumps.

Angel was strongly reminded of the way he used to grab victims before biting them as Angelus. He then let go. A string of emotions came over him as he remembered the last time he'd performed that move on a human being as Angelus. Or as anyone.

All this had left Buffy alone. By herself. Vulnerable.

Angelus sneaked up on her and attacked her. She turned and all she saw was the fist coming towards her. She fell but flipped up quickly, she had to have a fast recovery rate when it came to Angelus or she'd be dead before you could say 'Bite me.'

Angelus, however was fighting quite calmly. He wasn't out of his depths. True, Buffy was one of the best fighters (despite the Beast) that he'd encountered but look at the competition. Humans, other vampires and some vampire slayers who were just begging him to bite them.

In no time he had her cornered on top of many boxes in front of a big window...

The vamp spun around to face him. She half smiled at him,

"What's wrong Angel? Get hit with a blast from the past?" Angel didn't reply he only stood there, frozen. Remembering what came next.

"Take one last look at the moon out the window. It's the last time you'll ever see the moon while breathing." Buffy looked at Angelus instead of the moon. He put on a reassuring smile.

"Go on." Maybe it was the fact that he looked so much like Angel in that instance but for some reason Buffy did find herself turning around and looking out at the full moon. Angelus advanced on her and vamped. He stepped in behind her and held her small frame to his large one by a strong hand on her throat. He dipped his head and smelled her neck.

"Mmm, I love the taste of a scared Slayer at night." He bared his teeth and was about to bite when...

The vamp launched herself at him and he was hit this time, caught while still off brooding. She started punching him numerous times and he felt his face get bruised and swollen. His consciousness grew more distant and he felt a cold seep into his bones. His vision became slightly blurry and he could taste blood in his mouth.

Faith crashed through the window. She quickly threw a surprised Angelus off of the boxes and onto the hard ground. She checked Buffy over quickly and then jumped off the boxes to join Angelus. Buffy had seen Faith coming and that was why she had ever let Angelus get close. Buffy quickly followed Faith off of the boxes and in front of Angelus who groaned on the floor. The drop had been at least 2 stories high. At least.

The two slayers went into 'fight mode' as the vampire got up slightly groggy. He looked at the both of them and shook his head muttering something. Definitely something that you wouldn't want a little kid to learn and most certainly something that would be censored.

He looked up at the vamp above him who was still in human form. She looked at him and then grinned. She vamped and that was when Angel finally fought back. He threw her off of him and pinned her against the opposite wall. She vamped out and he looked at her a little too long. Damn, another hesitation.

After a long and weary fight that looked like it could go both ways Angelus finally more or less defeated the Slayers. Got them in a tricky position to say the least. Buffy was knocked out and Faith, being the little trooper that she is, was still conscious but looked more like a punching bag that had had the crap kicked out of it than a human being.

Angelus stood above them slouched slightly and managed to gather up enough effort to smile. It stayed plastered to his face for a few seconds before being removed because of the sheer exhaustion. The smug look in his eyes was still there though. That would never leave them until he was reinsouled. Then it would be brooding and pain and unsureness.

This time Angel had managed to fix his mistake by just punching her. He felt her nose break beneath his powerful fist and winced as he heard it crack. She held her nose and gave Angel a 'That was Bad' look. They stood like that for a second before she called the fight back on by throwing a punch which was deflected by Angel.

Angelus had chosen Faith first, her being the conscious one and all.

"Now there's no drug you've injected into yourself that I should know about, is there?" Angelus asked as he dragged her to her feet and to face him. She swayed slightly, relying on Angelus' grip to keep her standing, and then she spat in his face.

"Good." Angelus smiled and wiped the spit off calmly whilst holding Faith up single handedly. He then smiled at her predatorily and brought her close to him so that there was barely an inch between them. Faith's eyes widened and fear came into them.

"No goody two shoes Angel 'round to help you now is there? He's just a puff of smoke floating around."

"You think I care about dying?" Every word was spat out and every syllable caused Faith pain.

"Well, yeah. So says your fast beating heart and adrenaline rush." At 'fast beating heart' Angelus clapped a fist over his own and then added,

"By the way, thanks for that. I love it when there's a bit of adrenaline in the mix."

"You gonna talk me to death or just bite me?" Faith asked him. Angelus pretended to ponder the question. Then he vamped.

"I think I'm gonna bite you." He then leaned forward and buried his fangs in Faith's neck. He drank and Faith cried out slightly as she felt Angelus suck the life out of her for the second time. Just when Faith's heart started to slow he stopped and cut into his wrist, drawing blood. He then offered it to Faith and she began sucking at it like there was no tomorrow. After a few seconds she collapsed and Angelus smiled.

Slayer's blood always made him feel refreshed.

And speaking of slayer's blood...

"I'm sorry about what I did to you." Angel said as he deflected blows and shovelled a few of them out himself. The vamp smiled.

"Why? Why should you be sorry? Cos I don't have a soul or that I'm bad and you have to kill me." Angel deflected a blow that came perilously close to his face.

"Both."

Angelus turned to Buffy and bent down over her. He breathed in her scent and smiled.

"Well I think I'll just..."

"Leave her to me."

Angel had her pinned against a wall again and just started to throw punches at her, not really looking at her knowing that this would make him hesitate again. Eventually the vamp slid down the wall and he sat down next to her unconscious body and said,

"I'm really sorry."

"Like B said, why?"

Angelus whirled around and saw Faith standing there.

"You're not meant to be alive yet." Angelus stood up and approached the slayer warily.

"I know." Faith replied simply, they both knew how the siring thing worked.

"Then why are you?"

"I don't know."

"And what makes you think that I'll give you the slayer?"

"Well, for one thing I'm stronger than you. Hell I'm a slayer and a vampire, that's gotta count for something right? And anyway, I want to sire her."

"Sire her? Why?"

"What can I say, I wanna make a club." Faith sneered at Angelus. Angelus stepped aside warily. Not only did he know that someone who was a slayer and a vampire was dangerous and unpredictable, as no one had ever sired one, but he didn't have a problem with Faith siring Buffy. She could do whatever the hell she wanted to, Angelus didn't care.

Faith bent down over Buffy and vamped. She bit into her and began to drink. She almost drank too much blood but managed to stop herself. Siring Buffy was more important than eating at the moment. A Faith and Buffy duo would be the most dangerous ever in the history of vampires. Even Darla and Drusilla couldn't top them. And if it was a group including Angelus then they would be the ultimate killing tool. Even better than the Spike, Dru, Angelus and Darla group.

"Because Faith, I should have stopped you. I shouldn't have sired you in the first place."

"Dude, this is my redemption. Finally I don't feel guilt for anything. All I feel is the hunger, the kill and the pleasure. It's a damn great life. Shoulda told me about it sooner. Or maybe I shoulda let Angelus sire me sooner. Doesn't matter. Now I got two cool bites. Same as B here. Only I think that she's got three. One from you, one from me and one from Drac. Not quite sure how the Drac one came around. But anyway." Faith moved around to Buffy and Angel moved around opposite to her so that she was with Buffy and he was on the opposite wall of the alley.

"We don't have to fight." Angel said, trying to do the pep talk thing that used to hold so much sway over Faith before.

"Actually, I kinda think we do soul boy. You hurt my girl. And now I'm gonna kill you."

As Buffy drank from Faith, Angelus couldn't help but feel as if these two were going to become the most dangerous vampires in the world. And he couldn't have that. He liked his place at the top. It was nice and cosy. As Faith finished Angelus broke off a piece of wood and charged at her. Faith moved aside neatly and Angelus ran into a pile of boxes. He roared and started attacking Faith. She dodged him so easily that he was getting more annoyed by the moment.

Every other new vampire was a crappy fighter but since Faith had previously been a slayer she had the experience of a vampire of roughly Angelus' age. She didn't even attempt to hit him. It was as if, if she did then it would be no fun. It would be too easy. She let Angelus attempt to kill her many times before she saw Buffy rise. She beamed at her as Buffy knocked Angelus out with one sweeping blow which threw him across the warehouse. Then the two had gone off arm in arm to get something to eat.

Angelus had been found by the Scoobies who had finally found a way to get out of the cage and box that they were in. Willow quickly reinsouled Angel and they all listened as he retold the story. Xander was so pissed off at Angel that the previous times seemed like a picnic, Willow insisted that it wasn't Angel's fault but she still gave him a Willow death glare and Dawn and Giles looked lost. Dawn seemed to go comatose and Giles got something in his eyes.

"You've been killing off a quarter of the whole L.A. population. You know you can't pull this off in my town."

"I know. That's why it's not your town soul boy. Me and B own this town. The only reason you're still alive is that I wanted to thank you properly instead of sending one of my dumbass lackeys to do it. With lackeys they're all pain and no brain. Which is good sometimes but not good for all of the torture I'm set to put you through."

"But I thought you are happy with the way that you are."

"I am, don't try to put that shit on me again. Just paying you back for hitting on my girl. I tell you what, I'll only keep you alive and being tortured and beat on by me and my girl for a week instead of a year cos you sired me and all that."

"Gee thanks for the offer Faith but I think I'll pass." Angel went into fight stance.

"Think it over soul boy, it's a limited time offer."

"I've thought, I've decided and I've told you already." Angel said back and Faith held up her hands in a gesture of retreat. Ironic since they were going into a fight in which she would do a lot of the advancing and him doing a lot of the retreating.

"Fine, we'll do this the hard way."

TBC

Next chapter prepare yourself for more flashbacks. Exactly what happened when Buffy came to LA and all (well not exactly exactly but I pretty much explain it in more detail).