AU Note: Oh my gosh...to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, and/or PM me, thank you so much! You have no idea how much your kind words mean to me. You are all so wonderful! I became insanely giddy this morning when my emails said that this story had been reviewed and also placed on your favorite lists, I can't thank you all enough for not only giving me a chance, but this story as well. It means the world to me you guys, seriously!

~A :]

Part Two

I don't like formal gardens.

I like wild nature.

It's just the wilderness instinct in me, I guess.

~Walt Disney

"I need your help."

"Buffy? What happened to you?...wait, did you say my help?"

"Never mind that Cordy, and yes I need your help."

"I'm sensing there's more going on that you're not telling me."

Buffy pressed her lips into a thin line before speaking. "I'm bringing Angel back."

"Buffy…"

"Don't." The Slayer interrupted. "Don't say it."

She wasn't sure if Buffy was being serious or if this was just a much too late attempt to deny Angel's gruesome departing but either way, Cordelia sighed. "What do you need?"

"I need you to grab a few books of Giles's…mainly the ones about hell dimensions, Acathla, and souls."

"From Giles?" She yelped, "He'll kill me!"

"Then don't tell him." The Slayer caustically replied.

"And how do you expect me to get them without him knowing?"

"I don't care Cordelia!"

Cordelia's eyes widened at Buffy's outburst. "Fine, but I better not get in trouble." She huffed petulantly, though both knew, whether Cordelia got caught or not, she would never tell the Scooby gang the truth.

Buffy was frustrated and that was putting it mildly. She had read through half of the books the brunette was able to grab over the last day and a half and found nothing…absolutely nothing. Neither of them had. Cordelia had helped when she could but with school and keeping up the pretenses of not knowing anything about Buffy, she couldn't blow the Scooby gang off without suspicion. Buffy slammed the fourth book closed with an angry huff. She was getting nowhere while Angel was getting tortured. She felt horrible. She had seen the small looks Cordelia had given her over the past few days after she had told the brunette about her dreams, she knew she was flying on blind faith and grasping at straws when it came to saving him. She didn't know if it was even possible, but her dreams meant something damn it! They had to.

She hadn't slept for two days, so when her eyes started to get heavy, Buffy laid her head down against her folded arms, thinking she could maybe just rest her eyes for a few moments before starting the search again. Her closed eyes twitched, her breathing picking up as abstract images flashed through her mind. Buffy's brow furrowed as she dreamt, her unconscious mind trying to pick out what the images were. Pictures rushed by as her mind tried in what was only hopeless attempt after hopeless attempt to decipher them. The last image was of, what looked like the Crawford Street mansion's living room. Dark and omniscient shadows travelled the walls, reaching for safety as if they knew what was coming. Suddenly, a bright light emanated from the high ceiling, its pinnacle widening as the statue of Acathla reappeared. Its positioning the same as when it had once opened its jaws, sucking her lover into Hell. The white light shone down, its beams like small bullets piercing the stone's form. The ground shook as the statue fractured and cracked, light peeking through its ruptured openings as they spread…widening into gaping holes until exploding into dust. The same soft, whispered, "save him" drifted through the settling dust before she was awoken by a rough shaking of her arm.

"Buffy?"

"Cordy?" She whispered hoarsely.

"Are you alright? You were crying."

Buffy was surprised to feel the wetness coating her cheeks as she blinked, realizing she had fallen asleep. "I don't know."

"Sounds way weird to me." Cordelia spoke as Buffy finished relaying the dream to her.

"I know."

"Yeah, like I get the whole Acathla part, sort of, because I mean that's how Ang…" At Buffy's grimace, Cordelia hastily switched topics. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"No…not tonight at least." Buffy whispered.

Cordelia smiled sympathetically before gathering her things. "I'll stop by tomorrow after class."

The brunette was reaching for the heavy curtain that led to the exit when Buffy's soft question stopped her.

"Why are you helping Cordelia? I mean, I know we talked about this already but you're going above and beyond helping me …cope."

Cordy pressed her lips together in thought. "Because Buffy…you and Angel belong together."

Buffy smiled a soft but sad smile before settling back into the couch, the collapsing curtain the only sound echoing through the large room.

Buffy walked slowly down the street. It was late enough that no one was out but not late enough that the sun was close to rising. She was grateful that school had started two weeks ago. She was still careful and weary about going out in risk of running into someone that would recognize her, or worse, the Scooby gang, but since classes started, everyone seemed to be going home sooner and therefore leaving Sunnydale's streets quiet and bare earlier. Her feet directed her body in no specific direction as she allowed her mind to once again run rampant with doubt. She sighed, her thoughts clearly etched into the sorrow visible on her face; she was getting nowhere fast and she knew it. Her tears fought to break through the barriers of her closed eyes as an overwhelming sense of failure began to surround her. The blonde wrapped her leather clad arms around herself tightly, wishing above all else that they were his large arms holding her close instead of her own small ones. She felt like she was drowning in despair all over again. Her hopes of finding something, anything that would lead her to him, were quickly being dashed by the feeling of failure and foolishness. She blinked rapidly as her vision became blurry. She didn't want to cry, she didn't want to let him down, but it seemed like both were inevitable as a lone tear splashed to the pavement. She sniffled, silently berating herself, the only way his arms would be wrapped around her again was if she brought him back…and he didn't hate her; she shook her head roughly. She would deal with those probable and most-likely possibilities later. Right now, she just had to get him back; he didn't deserve to be there. Buffy let out a long sigh and thought back to what she had read earlier before falling asleep. She had read all about Hell dimensions but had switched over to the two "Soul" texts after she felt like she would be sick for the third time. The idea that time moves completely different in other dimensions was devastating to her, the possibility that the torture he was being subjected to was much longer than the now four months that he had been gone was sickening, but it was the idea that he was being tortured because of the beautiful soul that had attracted her to him to begin with that made her rush outside for air. The texts spoke much about the principle of souls but most of it was difficult to understand. The parts Buffy did grasp repeated through her mind as she walked blindly. The soul was the essence of a person. It was eternal. It annoyed her to new lengths though as she had already known those things. She had learned them from the soul of her lover himself; it was what gave her the ability to distinguish between him and his demon counterpart. She smiled softly as she remembered the text's small reference to soul mates. The one and only half of another's soul, bound to one another for eternity. She swallowed thickly as the fingers of her right hand twisted the Claddagh on her left. She knew without a doubt, Angel was her soul mate.

"Where it with the heart pointing towards you. It…it means you belong to somebody."

"Because…you belong together."

Bound together… Buffy's eyes widened as she gasped, her hands dropping to her sides as she took off, running back in the direction of Crawford street.

Her heart raced as her nerves became hyper-charged the closer she got to her destination. She burst through the heavy curtain, not pausing for a second as she navigated her way towards the room she so desperately needed to reach. She slowed the closer she got, breathing deeply before looking up above; praying to whatever power existed, begging for them to let this work. She turned towards the large fireplace; the place where her reason for living ceased to exist months ago. Where Acathla once stood, she kneeled. She slowly slid the silver ring off her left hand. Her eyes clouding with tears as she brought the small representation of their love to her lips, pressing them gently against the heart before reaching out shakily, placing the beautiful piece of jewelry on the ground. "Please come back...please." She whispered before tucking herself against the far wall, fully committed on waiting with baited breath.

She waited. Her legs were brought up to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around them as she rested her chin on her knees. Tears swam though she didn't let them fall. As each minute ticked slowly by, her hope dwindled. It wasn't until the darkest hour of night when it happened. Buffy shoulders tensed as the ground beneath her rumbled. It started as a slight shudder growing infinitely larger until the whole mansion began to shake. The few windows still intact rattled in their frames as a white light erupted from above. A wispy fog circulated through the room as the light shone down on her ring, the beam spreading further and further as its pinnacle grew. Buffy shielded her eyes as the bigger it got, the brighter it became. Buffy kept her eyes covered until the shaking abruptly stopped, the light disappearing just as quick as it had arrived, leaving her in darkness once again. The only light left, the moon's faint glow, silhouetted the large body that lay in place of her ring. She wasn't sure what she was expecting but it certainly wasn't the love of her life falling from the sky, naked, sweating, and shaking uncontrollably. She stared wide-eyed for long moments before his weak whimper snapped her into action. She scrambled towards him from her spot against the wall, blanket in tow. She placed his head in her lap, running her palm over his face as he continued to shake convulsively, whimpering and groaning continuously.

His whimpers didn't stop that night, neither did her tears. She held his head in her lap, her fingers running through his damp hair as it seemed to be the only part he allowed her to touch, much to her despair. At first he was shaking uncontrollably and the heavy blanket didn't seem to be helping. She attempted to run her free hand over his arms and back to which he just jerked away. She felt her throat close as more tears poured from her eyes landing on his cheeks, making him whimper.

The next night followed much the same until she left him alone. She had run to the bedroom to grab some more blankets to help keep him warm, not expecting him to move since he had yet to except for a few small twitches, which was precisely why she dropped the linens in her arms as a panicked look took up residency on her face when she returned to an empty room. Her heart was pounding as she frantically searched every inch of the mansion before making her way outside. She tapped into her suppressed slayer senses as she walked through the trees, following a forgotten path. Each step was calculated as she listened for the slightest rustle. It wasn't long until she caught sight of him, his hulking figure rushing through the dense forest. She was glad this area of Sunnydale was regularly left undisturbed as she chased after him. She ran for long minutes before she suddenly lost him in the brush. She slowed her movements, her eyes scanning in every direction. She heard the movement seconds too late as she fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of her. They rolled in opposite directions, both jumping to their feet as they locked eyes with one another. Buffy's widened as she took in the feral face of her vampire. His eyes flashed golden, his fangs bared as he crouched low. The Slayer swallowed thickly and tensed as she heard his growl, fear trickling down her spine as he charged towards her. She twisted to the right before planting her foot against his back, pushing him to stumble forward. She didn't want to fight him. His head whipped back towards her, his gaze glaring as he gnashed his teeth. He came at her again, his right fist connecting with her jaw causing her to stagger sideways before catching herself. She barely escaped his next blow as she crouched and swung her foot out causing him to collapse. He lunged for her bringing her to the ground with him. They rolled and fought through the dirt as each struggled for dominance. She finally gained the upper hand when she flipped him off her, landing a powerful blow to his head before his body hit the ground. She scrubbed her dirty hands over her face as she sat staring at the now unconscious Angel. He was back; he came back to her and instead of telling him how much she loved him while begging for his forgiveness, she kicked him in the head. She shook her own softly before pushing herself up, intent on getting him back inside.

She heard Cordelia coming before she knocked. Buffy quietly pushed herself up off the floor, trying not to wake the vampire chained to the wall.

"Cordy."

"Oh! Buffy you scared me."

"Sorry." She whispered.

Cordelia stared for long moments at her friend before noticing the fading bruise to her jaw. "What happened?"

"Uh nothing, don't worry about it."

Cordelia quirked an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest as she stood, tapping her foot. Buffy sighed and pulled back the heavy curtain slightly, allowing just enough of an opening that Cordelia could see inside. The brunette's eyes widened as her hand clasped over her mouth.

"Oh my God!"

"Shhh Cordy." Buffy said angrily.

"Sorry but…oh my God!"

"I know."

"What…when…why…how?" Cordelia babbled. The blonde sighed, her shoulders sagging as she slid her back down the outside wall, her knees brought up to her chest.

"I don't know honestly. It happened a few nights ago, after you left. I…I left to go for a walk and I don't know it just…came to me. I don't even know how it worked but the next thing I know, he's lying there on the ground."

"Is he okay?"

"I don't know." Buffy whimpered. "He doesn't talk and its…it's like he doesn't know who he is, where he is…who I am." She swallowed, her eyes closed tightly. "He acts…wild."

"Wild?"

"Animalistic. He was so out of it the past couple days that I couldn't move him. He was shaking so much…I went to grab a few blankets from the bedroom and when I came back, he…he was gone. I panicked and I went out to look for him. I found him running through the woods, we…we fought and I knocked him out and brought him back here. I had to chain him to the wall so he didn't run off again."

"Buffy, will…will he be okay?" Cordy asked, concern lacing her soft-spoken words.

"I…I don't know. He needs to feed, I think that's why he ran off last night; he can't heal if he doesn't but I can't leave. Could…I mean would you…could you run to the butcher for me?"

Cordelia left shortly after with a promise to be back as soon as she could. Buffy quietly crept back into the large room, glad to see him still asleep. She sat back down against the wall and watched him, her heart elated but breaking with renewed pain as she watched him whimper. True to her word, Cordelia arrived back just before midnight, large containers in tow. Buffy took them gratefully before making her way to the kitchen silently. Taking one of the large containers out of the paper bags, she placed it in the microwave, warming it to what she hoped was regular body temperature and placing the other containers in the fridge.

She walked towards Angel carefully. He was awake. She took slow measured steps as she whispered his name. His nostrils flared as the scent of blood permeated the air. His head snapped up, a wild growl ripping from his throat as his eyes glowed saffron, his fangs glistening as he snarled. Her breathing picked up as her body trembled but she continued to move towards him.

"Angel." She whispered again. His eyes watched her every movement closely. He lunged towards her when she was close enough causing her to jump, involuntarily stepping back in fear as her eyes swam with tears. She flinched as he reached for her again, pulling at his bindings, the iron clanking loudly. She blinked; trying desperately to keep her tears at bay as she slowly lowered herself to the ground. He continued to watch, his teeth bared, his eyes glaring as she slowly set the large container in front of her. Her frame shook viciously though she tried to keep still; with her eyes trained on the ground she slowly pushed the container towards him until it was within his reach before slowly inching herself back to the far wall, her tears precariously close to breaking free.

She eventually fell asleep near dawn, her head resting on her knees. The vampire opened his eyes as he heard her heart rate slow, her breathing even out. He stared for long moments, his head tilting from one side to the other as he watched. He sniffed the air, involuntarily slipping into his demon's image as the scent of blood wafted toward him. It was still slightly warm. He looked toward the small blonde girl pressed up against the far wall again before carefully reaching for the large container. Keeping one eye on the other inhabitant of the room, he turned his shoulders, shielding himself from her as he fed.

:)