Prologue

Angel looked at Buffy with dark eyes, unable to believe the pure selfishness of all that she was saying and doing. She only thought of herself, what Faith had done to her and not of the fact that Faith was trying to get better, that she had voluntarily given herself over to the police. Buffy didn't consider any of that; she was far too hung up on her own problems with the other slayer to care.

"I have someone in my life now," Buffy said suddenly, throwing the conversation for a whole new turn. But it wasn't anything new for him to hear, Faith had already let slip that she had moved on earlier that night. He wasn't surprised to hear that Buffy had found another man, nor was he as hurt as he had thought he would be. "That I love. It's not what you and I had, it's very new. You know what makes it new?"

Angel refused to look at her as she stepped up toward him, feeling the heat that radiated off her warm skin. He always missed the warmth; it was one of the things that he craved the most from the brief contact that she shared with the humans in his life. Warmth.

"I trust him," She sneered, the look making her face look gruesome. "I know him."

"That's great," Angel scoffed finally, looking over to her. He felt the need to get back at her, get revenge for the pain that she was deliberately causing him in that moment. She knew that his love, his happiness, could turn him into a monster and she didn't care. She was rubbing her happiness in his face. His eyes moved over to the stairs that led down to the main floor when he heard someone coming up them, the familiar light footfalls catching his attention. A head of bright red blonde hair appeared a moment later, eyes turning in his direction. "It's nice you moved on. So have I."

Buffy flinched back at his words, not having expected to hear them. Angel didn't know whether it was right to feel glad that he had received that reaction from her. The redhead that was coming up the stairs clearly heard their conversation, her blue eyes softening as she looked into Angel's dark brown ones. Buffy noticed that he was looking off at something and turned around, immediately taking note of the woman standing at the top of the stairs.

Her hair reached near mid back in natural large curls, her large blue eyes surrounded by dark makeup that made the colour stand out more. She wasn't wearing lip gloss as most women were these days, but instead a neutral lipstick that made her pale skin stand out more. She was tall, probably only an inch shorter than Angel was, and was wearing a pair of black jeans with a red halter top and leather jacket with the sleeves pushed up to her elbows. She looked unreal. Unearthly.

"You found someone new, so have I," Angel continued, seeing the look that came to the red haired woman's face. She did not enjoy being in the slayers presence.

And it was not because she was a demon.

"I think it's time you left, Buffy," Wesley said as he approached the group. Buffy couldn't draw her eyes away from the woman at the top of the stairs, trying to comprehend just what was so special about her that she was able to be with Angel. If Angel loved her, how was he still Angel, not Angelus?

"I want answers," She said firmly, looking over to Angel again.

"You can't just come down here with your great new life and expect me to do things your way!" Angel yelled suddenly, causing the woman to step forward but stopped when Wesley held up a hand to signal her to stay where she was. She looked worried about Angel, her strange blue eyes watching him and Buffy carefully. "Go home."

Without another word Buffy moved around Angel to collect her coat, finally taking her shocked, hurt eyes off of him. Angel moved passed her to face the stairs, leaning on the railing. The woman stayed where she was, her eyes on Buffy. The blonde didn't look happy when she met those blue eyes, she wanted her answers and she was deprived of them.

"See?" She finally asked quietly, "Faith wins again."

Turning to move down the stairs, she gasped and jumped when the woman was suddenly standing before her, on the first step down. She was still slightly taller than Buffy even with the lower level. Her blue eyes were set in a glare, irritation swirling in their depths.

"Faith didn't win anything. She's locked away in a cell right now, unsure of the fate that she will be forced to live out. She didn't win. You just lost." Her voice like was music, soft in tone but strong and powerful, hypnotizing to the senses. She stepped around Buffy before the blonde had time to react, moving over to where Angel was.

"Go, Buffy."