Disclaimer: I do not own any thing Buffy, Joss is a god.

A/N: This is a story I started writing last year and I just never got around to posting it, but I went over it again and I decided that I liked it. It really doesn't break new ground or anything it's just for fun. I really hope that you'll all enjoy it, there are probably going to be lots of mistakes.


Buffy rolled over and opened her eyes, it was very dark out. She looked around and realized where she was. She was in a car, heading to Sunnydale. She hadn't been there in almost a year. School would have already started. Home sweet hellmouth, here she came. The last time she had been there she had killed Angel. She sighed and turned over a bit; she wondered how her mother and friends were. She couldn't wait to see them again. She hoped they weren't too mad that she had run away and made the strangest choice of her life.

"You awake?" He asked from the driver's seat.

She rolled over so she could look at him and smiled sleepily. "Yeah."

She sighed and sat up, looking out her window. She felt how close he was and it sent shivers down her spine, they were good shivers though.

She smiled to herself. Wondering how and when her friends would find out about the love of her life.

"Are we going to be there soon?" She peeked out the window. Trying to see a sign. She had no idea how long they had been in the car, she didn't remember getting in it; she figured he had carried her out of the hotel room after she had slept the afternoon away.

"Almost, love."

She smiled over at her vampire. Maybe it was a slayer thing to fall in love with the enemy, or maybe it was a Buffy thing. She didn't really care. As long as she could be with him...


Willow knocked on the Summers' front door. They were hoping Giles' latest lead would really be Buffy this time, so they were stopping by to say 'hi' to Joyce Summers and check up on her. Maybe she had heard something about Buffy lately.

The door opened, and Joyce smiled, to see Willow, Xander and Cordelia standing on her porch. "Oh, hello, Willow." She smiled then turned to Xander and Cordelia. "Xander, Cordelia. Why don't you all come in?"

They did. Willow was trying hard not to blurt something stupid out. But she was saved from that because Cordelia took it upon herself to do it.

"Have you heard from Buffy?"

Willow glared at Cordelia, when she saw the hurt in Joyce's eyes. "No, I'm afraid I haven't." She shook her head gently.

Willow nodded sadly. "Giles says he has a lead. So we're supposed to head over there in a while."

Joyce smiled a sad smile and nodded. They all stood in awkward silence.

"You could always come." Xander added.

"No. No. I think I'll just stay here."

They nodded and no one said anything for a long time. "Well we better head out." Xander said. The two girls nodded and they all said there good byes.

Everyone was in Giles' apartment. Willow sat on one edge of the couch with Oz holding his hand, and Xander and Cordelia on the other; Angel leaned against the wall. All eyes were on Giles. He was busy cleaning his glasses while they all waited to hear about the lead.

"As you know I got a lead from a friend in London. He said he had heard of a girl with blond hair, fighting off a group of vampires."

It could easily be Buffy. But why would she be in England?

"Any luck?" Xander asked quickly.

"I'm afraid that I didn't find her. But I believe that she was in London."

"What was she doing there, though?" Angel asked.

"Well you see Broadway turned her down. So she thought, hey I want to see the world." Came a voice from the doorway. They all turned. Buffy stood at the door smiling at them, her blond hair glowing in the sunlight. She was incredibly pale for Buffy, her hair was longer, hanging down her back where she had had it shorter and a thought came into Xander's head. She hadn't moved from the doorway yet. Hadn't come into the house. He picked up a cross and walked slowly to Buffy, she smiled at him. She could have hugged him she was so happy to see them. She just hoped they weren't to mad. Then he pushed the cross onto her forehead.

She pushed him away. "What are you doing?"

"Only checking."

She rolled her eyes. And gestured out the door. "Sunshine. Remember Xand?"

"Oh, yeah..."

Buffy laughed, and then hurried to the couch. "Tell me everything that I've missed!" The blond was in true valley girl form as she sat down next to Willow.

"Well we've been patrolling for you..." Willow started but stopped when she saw Buffy's wrinkled nose.

"Let's not talk demons, okay? How are things with you?" Buffy glanced at OZ.

Willow blushed a little. "Oh you know...great."

Buffy smiled happily, acting like any other teenager.

"I love those shoes Buffy." Cordelia said looking Buffy's new clothes up and down. Taking in the black leather pants and black tank top, with the red heels and red headband.

"Oh, thanks. Forget LA, Cordy, Europe is the place to shop!"

"You went to Europe?" Giles asked with a smile. He was happy to have Buffy home safe and sound.

"Just London and a few little towns. We just went as a quick stop." She shrugged happily.

"We?" Willow asked confused.

Buffy's eyes went big. "Um, just a few people I met. Like you know, uh, people."

They nodded, waiting for her to tell the rest of her story.

"So, yeah I was in LA for a while. Then I just went pretty much anywhere I wanted."

Suddenly she looked over in the corner and saw Angel. Willow was puzzled. How could Buffy not notice him? Then it hit her. She had been ignoring him.

"Angel." Buffy greeted her voice low. There was no sign of love in her voice, as there had been last time they had talked. Before she had killed him, after he had gotten his soul back. It was almost a cold greeting. "You're back."

Xander watched confused. He didn't hear joy in her voice. She had left because she had killed Angel, hadn't she?

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"How long?" She asked. She had missed out on a lot.

"Almost since school started." Willow answered for him.

"Oh right. I forgot all about school. I guess being kicked out and all does that." She brushed her hair out of her face, and smiled around at everyone.

"So tell us more about you're great journey, oh Buffy." Xander grinned.

She laughed, but before she could say anything, her cell phone began to ring.

When did Buffy get a cell phone? Willow wondered. Where did she get the money for all these nice things?


"Hello?" She held the phone to her ear. Turning her back on everyone as she stood up.

"Buffy?"

"Morning, sleepyhead." Buffy laughed. No one could hear who the person on the other side said. But Buffy had forgotten about Angel's vampire hearing.

"Where'd you go, pet?"

She rolled her eyes and turned so that she was facing everyone again, sitting down on the couch between Willow and Xander. Ignoring their curious looks.

"I told you I was going to Giles', to see my friends. Remember?"

He said something that she couldn't really hear. She could tell he was still half asleep.

"You'll never guess who's here." Buffy said.

"Who would that be, love?"

"Oh, remember my EX? The one I told you about?"

Willow looked at Buffy shocked, at the same time as Angel. EX? Was he just another EX to her now?

There was a low growl from Spike. Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Do you have to do that?" She muttered. Then sighed as he chuckled. "Guess so. I have to go soon."

"You comin' home tonight?"

She heaved a sigh. "Can't, I'm on visiting duty. With my mom and all."

"So I'm the kind of boyfriend you can never take home to meet the folks, eh?"

"Considering the last visit I got myself kicked out of the house, I can say no."

He made a noise, that made her almost laugh, and then she was shocked. "You're not mad, that you can't come with me are you?"

"No!"


Willow was having trouble understanding anything that was going on. Buffy had been talking sweetly and almost flirty with whoever was on the phone, and now she sounded a little mad. Who could Buffy be talking to? It had to be someone in Sunnydale from the way Buffy was talking, and someone she was very close to.

"Then what's with the grumpy?" That sounded like the old Buffy, Willow smiled a little at her friends way of talking, it really grew on a person, she and Xander even did it now. And Angel too.

"Look I can't talk to you here." She sounded sad. Then anger flared in her eyes and she stood up. "I think that's your job, though, isn't it?"

Giles excused himself quickly to make some tea. And Willow wished she could think of a good excuse too. Instead she reached out and held Oz's hand and looked over at Xander who was watching Buffy in shock, while Cordelia looked at her finger nails. The voice on the other end of the phone got louder.

Buffy's voice was shrill as she spoke, "bite me!" She snapped. Then rolled her eyes. "Why did I even say that?"

Angel's eye widened when he heard that. Willow looked from Angel to Buffy and back. Wondering if he was thinking what she was thinking.

"You know what? I have to go." Then she sighed. "I love you." She said softly, her voice a whisper.

Buffy turned back to the gang. "I'm sorry about that." She said, sitting down on the couch again.

Angel looked at her. "Buffy, was that-"

"My new boyfriend? Yes." She cut him off before he could finish. Everyone looked at her in shocked silence.

Then Cordelia grinned at Buffy. Happy to know that they wouldn't have to feel guilty about going out as a group while Buffy was the third wheel.

"W-when did you meet?" Willow was the first to speak up after Buffy's announcement. Giles came out of his little kitchen to hear what she had to say.

"Awhile ago." Buffy wouldn't look at any of her friends.

"It was when Angel went all psycho killer, huh?" Cordelia asked.

"Well, sort of." Buffy muttered. Then seeing Willow's hurt look she said. "We weren't dating, I just knew him."

Buffy thought back to those few months. She had been scared and alone, always afraid of what Angel might do one of her friends or her mom. She never really knew why she had left with Spike, but she wasn't upset that she had. It had been worth it.

This seemed to make Willow happier. She was glad Buffy hadn't been hiding her boyfriend from her.

"Is he hot?" Cordelia asked.

Buffy smiled. "Yeah."

"When can we meet him?" Willow asked happily.

"Meet him?" Buffy didn't think that was a great idea, since they all kind of hated him.

"It does seem fair. Otherwise how can we force you to come on our bowling dates?" The normally quite Oz asked.

Buffy almost laughed out loud at the thought of Spike out on a normal date with her and her friends. She bit back the laughter, but a small one slipped out at the picture in her head. She covered her mouth. Everyone looked at her, wondering what was so funny.

"He doesn't bowl." She finally got out.

"Well, maybe we can have a 'welcome home' party and he can come."

Buffy looked at Willow's hopeful eyes and didn't have the heart to tell her no. "Maybe." She said.

"So, he went to Europe with you?" Cordelia asked. Buffy just nodded. "And he bought you those clothes, huh?" Buffy nodded again.

"So does he have a brother?"

Buffy laughed and Xander glared at his girlfriend.

"God, Xander I was just joking." Cordelia rolled her eyes.

Buffy looked at the clock and jumped it almost 4:00. The afternoon slipped away from her. She guessed it was for the best so they didn't ask her any more questions.

"Oh, hey, I have to go! I need to go see my mom."

"You mean you haven't seen her yet?" Giles asked.

Buffy looked down at her feet. "No. This was the first place I came when I left the apartment."

"Apartment?" Angel asked.

Buffy really didn't feel like going into detail on the place Spike had bought, because she still wasn't ready to tell them all that she was in love with the vampire that had spent all his time in Sunnydale trying to kill her.

"Yeah. Well, I have to go. Sorry." She hurried out the door before anyone could say anything.

"Did she seem...weird to anyone?" Xander asked, as soon as he was sure Buffy was gone.

Willow glared at him. "I bet she just feels out of place."

"Yeah, after you abandoning your family and friends that can happen." Xander's words were harsh but true, and Willow didn't like them.

"I wonder who her mystery guy is?" Cordelia asked the question everyone was dying to know.

"She sounded really mad at him when she was on the phone." Xander added.

"Well from what we heard from this end looks like he doesn't like what he hears about Angel." Willow said, she wondered what Buffy could have possibly said about Angel to her new boyfriend.

"Tell him to join the club." Xander said icily. The only reason they hadn't staked him as soon as he had come back and wasn't crazy, was because Willow thought Buffy would be upset if she knew. She had said 'if Buffy comes back and decides to dust him, then she can, and I won't say a word. But she should make that choice'. Everyone had agreed, but was less than happy.

Angel shifted his weight, not liking the way everyone was looking at him.

"Be careful. All of you." Giles suddenly warned.

"What? Why?" Willow looked at him, her eyes large.

"From what I've seen today, this isn't the Buffy we all knew. Something has changed her. Judging from the phone call she received earlier. We know what."

"Just not who." It was Oz who spoke. And they all nodded, understanding what this meant.


Buffy stood on her doorstep, wondering what she was going to do now. This was her house she could just walk in. But somehow she couldn't bring herself to do that.

'Hey, mom! I'm home. I know I've been away for almost a year. But really it's been no big deal. I ran away with a vampire and know I'm in love with one. Again. But don't worry this one won't turn evil, because he pretty much already is'.

"Yeah, that'll work."

She took a deep breath. It's just mom. What's she going to do? Kick me out again?

She shook her head then, rang the doorbell and waited.

She heard footsteps coming closer and looked over her shoulder, wondering if she ran now how far she could get. But then the door opened and she turned to face her mom.

"Hi." She got out weakly. Her just looked at her in shocked before she grabbed her up into a hug.

"Buffy?"

"Yeah. It's me."

"Oh, god. Buffy."

"I'm sorry." Buffy could feel her mother's tears. "I'm so sorry. But I was happy. Really."

"I'm sorry, Buffy. I'm sorry I handled things so badly. But it was a lot to take in."

"I know." Buffy pulled away from the hug. She looked awkwardly at her feet.