There was a bright flash of light. And when it was over silence blanketed the library as its occupants stared slack-jawed at the ground beneath where the portal had landed. Angel was there, writhing in pain, shaking, completely nude. His face was twisted with emotion; his eyes were wide with fear.
Buffy was the first to snap out of her shock, rushing over to him. Angel flinched away from her touch with a feral growl.
"Angel?" She asked softly, hoping some part of him knew who she was. Xander tossed her a blanket, and she approached Angel slowly. She wrapped the blanket around him, and this time, though he tensed, he did not flinch away.
Instead, he let out a soft whimper and bowed his head, as if accepting whatever punishment they were about to dole out.
But they did not hurt him. He looked up, confused. He saw love and kindness in Buffy's eyes. And he remembered her.
"Buffy?" He asked weakly. She smiled.
"I'm here." She reassured him. "I'm here."
Buffy put her arms around him, and he allowed himself to drift into unconsciousness.
Angel woke up on the sofa in Giles' office in the school library. For a moment he was disoriented. The last thing he remembered was making love with Buffy, amazed that she could love him, despite what he was, and then…Hell. Hell he remembered with excruciating detail. He saw it every time he closed his eyes. He tried to remember what had happened in between, but he drew a blank every time. And then, suddenly, it hit him. The memories assaulted him in a wave. And he found himself missing the ignorance he'd had moments earlier. He curled up, hugging his knees to his chest, and sobbed uncontrollably.
In the main library, the Scoobies were gathered at a research table sharing a pizza while they waited for the vampire in Giles' office to wake up. They were laughing at one of Xander's ridiculous jokes when they heard an anguished cry followed by the sounds of someone crying. Angel was awake.
Buffy stood up, walked over to the office, and opened the door. What she saw brought tears to her eyes. Angel was curled up on the sofa weeping. Slowly, she made her way over to him. She sat down next to him.
"Oh, Angel." Buffy whispered. "I'm so sorry." She brushed her hand across his cheek and held him as he cried.
Curious as to what was happening, the Slayerettes went to Giles' office. They watched from the doorway as Buffy comforted Angel as he sobbed. Sensing that this was a private moment, they turned and went back into the main library.
Giles and the gang returned to the office when it was time to go to classes.
"Buffy, school's gonna start soon." Willow said, alerting the Slayer to their presence. Buffy nodded and reluctantly pulled away from Angel.
When Angel saw Buffy's friends standing in the doorway, he shook with fear.
"Angel, it's alright. No one here is going to hurt you." Buffy reassured him. "These are friends." Giles shook his head.
"No, not friends." He said. "Family." Slowly, everyone nodded, even Xander.
"An evil-fighting, Apocalypse-stopping, highly dysfunctional, family." The boy agreed, and was promptly slapped lightly on the arm by both Cordelia and Willow. But both girls were smiling. It was true. They weren't exactly a typical family, but they were family all the same.