Guest- I love reading what you think! Yes, Doyle is only slightly jealous. Lol

Allison117- We will find out about the book soon! Maybe it just took being told to stay away from Buffy for Angel to start coming around.

I hope you all like this chapter, I really enjoyed writing it. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and followed this story!

Chapter 9: Who Are You?

Buffy sighed as she looked around the apartment, Cordelia had left about 45 minutes ago to pick up Gunn and Wesley. When Cordelia left she said that Dennis was still sleeping, being brought back to life must take a lot out of a person because he was normally already cooking her breakfast by now. A small smile appeared on Buffy's face when she saw Angel's black duster was still hanging on the coat rack by the door. She walked over and picked it up, she could smell… Angel. She wasn't sure what it smelt like but she knew that smell. Maybe some kind of aftershave or something. She sat down on the couch with his coat, she still didn't know what it was about him but for some reason she was drawn to him maybe in the same way he was drawn to her, she didn't know. He didn't talk to her much about the draw that he felt, he just assured her that he didn't want to kill her. She squeezed the coat closer to her, she paused when she felt something, sticking her hand in the pocket she pulled out a pack of cigarettes. She chewed on her lip for a moment and looked at the door. Feeling around in the pocket again she pulled out a lighter, black of course. She smiled, he seemed to love the color black. Getting up from the couch, she went outside.

She looked around and smiled, she hadn't been outside in a while even in the day time because everyone seemed to be so busy these days. Taking a half-smoked cigarette out of the pack she put it in her mouth and lite it with Angel's lighter. She hadn't smoked in 5 years, not since her mom kicked her out of the house. It's not that she quit by choice, she just couldn't afford the habit. Her best friend always told her it was a bad habit that would end up killing her and if she died then she would be forced to bring her back to life and kill her. Back then it was funny, bringing someone back to life wasn't possible but now, after Dennis DID come back to life it wasn't funny and it was very possible!

Taking another drag from the cigarette, she looked at the white stick in her hand, it had been half smoked already. Most likely by Angel… her thoughts drifted to Angel. He had been so sweet to her yesterday, he stayed with her all night which they had stayed up talking about stupid random things for a while until she fell asleep then this morning he was nice to her again. Maybe it was the start of something, even if it was a closer friendship. It couldn't be anything more than friendship, she didn't date, her and men were two very un-mixy things and there was also the fact that he was still in love with someone from when he was human. Buffy thought she heard something behind her, turning around she didn't see anything so, she took another drag of the cigarette and went back to her thoughts. Over 200 years of being in love with a dead person, it must get lonely. She knew lonely very well, she didn't have many friends back home, just her best friend that she couldn't ever remember not knowing. She hadn't spoken to her best friend since the night her mom kicked her out. She had been on the phone and her mom burst into her room, she told her best friend she had to go and she never talked to her again. Buffy didn't even get to tell her that she was leaving. She wished she could have stayed with her best friend but there wasn't any room for Buffy at the foster home she lived in.

Buffy sighed, there was no way to get ahold of her best friend now. She could be anywhere, at 18 years old she would have been out of the system and out on her own. Maybe once Angel figured out what was going on with her, he could track down her best friend. She wouldn't pass up more time with Angel, if things kept going the way they were with Angel she would be extremely happy to spend more time with him. Buffy paused in the middle of taking a drag of her cigarette when she heard something behind her, she didn't think she heard something anymore, she knew she heard something. Turning around she gasped with wide eyes when she saw a huge bright red bird looking creature with three heads, towering over her. Buffy let out a scream, dropping her cigarette when one of the bird's heads lunged towards her. The bird started to move towards her, she didn't know what to do, the bird was now standing between her and the apartment door the only thing she could think of was to run. She didn't know where she should run though. There was no way she could run all the way to the Badlands where Gunn's crew was and she had no idea where Angel was, not that he could really help her in the middle of the day anyway. Getting to the side walk she looked both ways to see if anyone was there that could help her, there were two women walking down the other side of the street, they looked towards Buffy, then at each other and started to run down the street.

"Oh God, Oh God." She chanted as she looked behind her and saw the bird lifting from the ground. How could something that big fly? "The thing has three heads and I wonder how it can fly?" She started to run faster, she found herself in front of a large building she had never seen before. She should have kept running but instead she ran into the gated area. She heard the bird let out a loud piercing sound as it started to swoop down at her, landing behind her. Buffy spun around to look at it then glanced around for a way out.

0o0o0

Angel walked into The Hyperion Hotel through the basement, there was an entrance to the sewer down there which made it easy for him to get into the hotel during the day time. Looking around the hotel it lacked the life it once had when he was a guest here, there was dust everywhere and white sheets covering the furniture. The hotel had closed down in 1979, after becoming a protected historical landmark it could not be torn down so the owners had been trying to sell it for the past 20 years. After so many deaths had occurred in the hotel no one had wanted to buy it.

Angel made his way up the stairs to the second floor where his room once was, standing outside in the hallway he looked around. No one had been taking care of the building, it had a lot of damage. There was a door off its hinges and leaning against the wall, ceiling molding had fallen and been left along with a few other broken pieces of the hallway. He stood there in front of his old room for a moment before making his way back down stairs, without hesitation and made his way back down into the basement. Looking around for a moment he moved an old chair over to the wall, feeling around over his head he stopped when his hand came in contact with something. Pulling it down, he opened the dusty bag to find the money he had hidden above the pipe for Judy, 61 years earlier. He opened the bag and found the money still untouched.

Walking up the stairs with the bag of money in his hand he slowed down, feeling something… that he shouldn't be feeling. Tossing the bag to the floor he looked around the lobby of the hotel but he knew it wasn't inside the hotel he was getting the feeling from, it was outside. Stepping closer to the door he looked out into the bright garden, whispering "Buffy." At first, he didn't see anything but suddenly Buffy ran into his view over near the gated entrance of the garden as she entered the area. She looked scared but he didn't see anything, he looked up when he heard a high-pitched scream just as a giant red bird with three heads began to descend to the other side of Buffy. Stepping closer to the door way he stopped when he was about to step out into the sun. When the large bird took a step closer to her so did Angel, he hissed in pain as the sunlight touched him. "Buffy!" He yelled causing her to turn her head towards him. "Come here!" He looked up to the bright sky. "I can't get to you!"

Buffy looked to the large red bird then back to Angel, wondering how she was going to get to him without dying. Letting out a scream when the birds body flew towards her, she set out at a run towards Angel, jumping over a stone bench that was in her way, she flung herself through the door.

Angel placed his hands on her face and ran them through her hair, slightly checking her over but he didn't have enough time to ask her if she was alright, the large bird had already lifted off the ground, flying low. Angel pushed her behind him protectively, slowly backing them up as the bird landed inside the door. Buffy clung to his arm from behind him as his arm slid around her waist, he looked around. "I didn't really think this through."

"What…" Buffy bit her lip, not taking her eyes off the creature that was trying to kill her. "What do you mean?"

"Weapon wise…" Angel told her glancing back at her but quickly went back to the bird like creature. "to kill it with… Also, I kind of have a phobia." Angel watched it as the three heads started to shake, suddenly flames came shooting out of all three mouths. "That breathes fire! Did you see that? It has fire for breath!"

"I saw." Buffy murmured afraid it might do something else if she talked to loud. "Exactly what kind of phobia do you have?"

"Birds." Angel nodded shakily.

"Lovely." She said sarcastically, still clinging to him.

Glancing around the room again he turned his head to look at Buffy then back to the red bird. "Could you do me a favor?"

"That depends."

"On?" Angel asked taking a step back, guiding Buffy with him.

Buffy wrapped her arms tightly around his torso, closing her eyes tightly. "If I live..."

"Oh, you'll live." Angel said taking another step back. "Trust me."

"I do." She said firmly, as if it was the only thing she was sure about.

Angel turned his head to look at her, suddenly not worried about his bird phobia at all. "Can you run over and get that piece of wood?" Angel nodded towards a broken piece of wood near a sheet covered couch. "I will distract it."

Buffy nodded without hesitation.

"Alright, Little One…" He said not taking his eyes off the bird. "Are you ready?"

Buffy nodded again, letting go of his midsection.

"And…go!" Angel lunged towards the bird as Buffy ran for the board across the room.

Buffy reached the board and looked up to see Angel jumping out of the way of the fire breath, as soon as he got his footing he ran, drawing its attention away from her. Now that she had the board how did she get it to him? "Angel!"

As soon as she called out his name the large bird turned towards her, the head in the middle cocked to the side and the head on the left let out another piercing scream. Buffy's eyes got large as the bird began to lift off the ground in her direction.

"Oh, no you don't!" Angel called as he jumped towards the bird, knocking it to the ground. Angel quickly ran to Buffy taking the board out of her hand and starting towards the bird again, then stopped for a second to turn back to Buffy. "Thanks." He swung the board at the bird as it struggled to get up then striking the bird again in the stomach before it had time to recover. The large bright red bird flared it's wings out hitting Angel and knocking him backwards as one of the head reached out and snapped at him, ripping his shirt. "Why do all my shirts get ruined?" He asked as he got up from the floor.

The bird flopped back on to its feet turning towards Buffy, Angel grabbed her and pulled her towards him just as all three of the birds heads breathed out flames as bright as the birds feathers. Angel never took his eyes off the bird as he pushed Buffy behind him again. "Don't worry, you'll be fine…"

Buffy hit Angel on the shoulder drawing his attention towards the door behind the large bird. "Is that what I think it is?"

Angel couldn't believe what he was seeing, a large creature with a lion body and a tan colored eagle head gracefully entered the hotel lobby with its eyes locked onto Buffy. "If you're thinking it's a Gryphon, then yeah. "

"So now we are going to either be killed by Big Bird or Simba and Big Mama's love child?" Buffy sighed dramatically. "Maybe they know about your bird phobia."

"Buffy…" Angel said slowly. "What do you know about Gryphons?"

"Are we really going to play trivia right now?" Buffy looked from one creature to the other.

The large red bird turned towards the Gryphon, the movement catching the hybrids attention. The Gryphon's ears pinned back against its head as it blinked, its tail lashed back and forth, letting out a deafening screech that soon turned into a lion like growl. The bird turned back to Buffy and Angel only to receive a loud roar from the Gryphon. The Gryphon began to circle the large bird.

Buffy watched the large Gryphon that had to be at least six feet long as it kept circling the bird. "What's it doing?"

"Shh." Angel whispered.

When the Gryphon was behind the bird, the red creature started towards Buffy and Angel, grabbing tightly on to Angel again, Buffy whimpered. She didn't know if this Gryphon being here was a good thing or a bad thing. The Gryphon let out a roar as it jumped over the bird, blocking it from the pair. Letting out a loud scream the Lion Eagle hybrid lunged at the bird, Buffy closed her eyes tight against Angel's back but she could still hear screams of a fight taking place. When silence fell she slowly opened her eyes to see the large bird in several pieces, it's red feathers all over the floor. The Gryphon slowly made its way towards them shaking its head to fluff up its feathers then lowering its head to the floor, with wide spread wings and closed eyes.

"What's it doing?" She asked again.

Angel turned his head to Buffy but didn't take his eyes off the large creature who's wings spread almost the whole width of the lobby. "It… it's bowing."

After several moments, the creature stood up opening its beak slightly it gently nudged Buffy in the shoulder.

"An… Angel." She whispered on the verge of crying. "What do I do?"

"Just relax, Buffy." He said stepping away from her. "It won't hurt you."

Buffy took a deep breath. "How do you know?"

"It was protecting you." He reassured her. "Relax."

"Easy for you to say…" Buffy whispered. "You don't have the beak the size of your body about to naw off your shoulder."

As soon as the words left Buffy's mouth the creature stepped back and slowly shrunk down to the size of a lioness. Nudging at Buffy's hand, she slowly brought her hand up, placing it on the Gryphons head she gently stroked it. She looked at Angel amazed when she heard the sound of a purr coming from the creature before it turned its head towards the entrance, looking at Buffy one last time it turned and walked out.

"Who are you?" Angel asked, clearly in as much amazement as she was in.

"Aren't you the PI?" Buffy shrugged. "You were going to kill it with a two by four?" She asked in a hushed voice

Angel shrugged back at her. "Doesn't hurt to try."

"Yeah well now I am in full support of your fear of birds." Buffy said giving him a small smile. "I feel a case of Ornithophobia coming on myself."

Angel smiled at her.

"And here I thought vampires weren't afraid of anything." She gave him a teasing smile. "Well, at least not you."

"I am." Angel's smile fell. "Afraid."

"Of birds, rights?" She said still teasing him. The guy kills demons for a living and he's scared of birds.

"Something even scarier."

Buffy looked at him in confused. "What?"

"You." He whispered. Feeling a change in the atmosphere of the old abandoned hotel, Angel looked up to see the Thesulac demon had manifested on the landing of the stairs. "Buffy, get behind me again."

Buffy moved to get behind him without even knowing why, she would do anything he asked without any questions or hesitation. Once she was behind him, she saw the Thesulac, creepy red eyes, still wearing the hooded robe that he had back when Angel had first met him. "Eww, so not what I pictured!"

"Mmmmm." The Thesulac moaned looking at Buffy. "This one will be a tasty treat. Can I have her?" He asked Angel.

"Only if you go through me and then once I'm dust get in line behind every other demon scum in LA." Angel gritted out.

"You are one to talk VAMPIRE." The red eyed demon smiled.

"Like I said…" Angel snorted. "…Scum."

"So much fear in her." The Thesulac smiled looking at Buffy. "So afraid for him. You don't want him to die because of you… a human who cares for a vampire, now that's new."

"You…" Buffy took a deep breath. "You sure talk a lot."

The Thesulac laughed.

"Why the hell is there a dead…." Cordelia started as she walked into the hotel with Wesley and Gunn behind her. She trailed off when she saw the demon by the stairs, walking as far as she could around it and pressed herself against the pillar at the bottom of the stair case then ran to Angel and Buffy. Gunn, Doyle and Wesley followed behind Cordelia. Doyle gave the demon an odd look, Gunn strolled past it while Wesley pressed against the pillar just as Cordelia had.

"I thought you were going to wait to raise him?" Wesley asked Angel in a high-pitched voice.

"We didn't do it." Angel told him.

"Why is Buffy even here?" Doyle asked his boss.

Angel shrugged. "Didn't really get around to asking." He watched the Thesulac as it walked down the three steps going into the lobby. "Watch his tentacles. "

"Excuse me?" Cordelia asked as Buffy made a face and asked. "His what?"

"Tentacles!" Wesley shouted at the two girls.

"Oh." Cordelia nodded.

"I knew that." Buffy nodded as well.

"I don't remember ordering take- out, but I like what you have brung me." The demon said to Angel. "Not as delectable as the last one perhaps but full of tasty paranoia just the same." He laughed, looking at Wesley. "Especially THAT one."

Wesley looked towards Angel, Cordelia and Buffy. "What did he mean by that?"

"You had your last meal here a long time ago." Angel told the demon. "You should had gotten out."

"Gotten out?" The Thesulac laughed. "Why would I want to do something like that when the room service here in this hotel is still excellent? Paranoia here is like a fine wine."

"It gets better with age. You're still feeding." Angel deducted. "Gunn!" Angel turned to Buffy and whispered. "Get down."

Buffy ducked behind the covered couch as Gunn aimed his crossbow and shot an arrow, pinning one of the Thesulac's tentacles to the banister behind him. With another tentacle, the Thesulac grabbed Gunn's hand holding the crossbow, picking the man up the demon threw him across the room, he hit the wall and fell to the floor. Gunn made a face when landed in a pile of red feathers. Doyle shot another arrow to pin another tentacle, before the Thesulac could react Cordelia and Wesley both ran in separate directions to distract the demon as Angel jumped into a forward roll, grabbing a tentacle and jumping to his feet with it in his hand. "The kitchen is closed." He shoved the tentacle into some exposed wires from an electrical box. Sparks exploded from the box, Buffy peaked around the edge of the round couch in the middle of the lobby, she could see electricity run through the tentacle and into the Thesulac. The demon let out screams of pain until there was an explosion and the Thesulac was gone.

"What did he mean especially THAT one?" Wesley asked the group again.

Gunn laughed at Wesley and shook his head and Angel walked over to Buffy, nodding for her to follow him. She got up from behind the couch and followed closely. Walking up to the second floor he gently took Buffy's hand in his, opening the door he walked in to find an old woman sitting in a chair. "Judy?" He asked letting go of Buffy's hand.

"I don't hear them anymore." The old woman said. "Are they gone?"

"Yeah." Angel nodded kneeling down in front of the woman, taking her hand in his. "They are gone."

"It's you." Judy realized.

Angel nodded. "Yeah, it's me."

Judy smiled. "You look the same."

"I'm not." Angel whispered.

Buffy watched as Angel talked to the older woman. How could she have survived here for over 60 years?

"They killed you because of me." Judy whispered. "I killed you."

Angel shook his head. "No, no, no."

Buffy took a step closer to the chair. "He said I would be safe. Am I safe now?" The woman asked.

"Yeah, you are safe." Angel nodded softly.

The woman slowly turned her head when she saw Buffy, giving Angel a large smile, Judy asked. "Is this your love?"

"No." Angel shook his head. "This is a friend of mine."

"Can I go out?" Judy suddenly asked.

Angel nodded again. "Yeah, you can go out."

Judy started to get up from her chair, when Buffy saw she was having trouble she gently grabbed her arm as Angel grabbed her other arm. "Here." They helped her over to the bed when she sat down.

"I just need to rest. Just a little rest." Judy nodded.

Buffy nodded with a sad smile. "Alright."

"Easy." Angel helped her lay down carefully.

"I am so sorry I killed you." She whispered shakily. "Can you forgive me?"

"Of course." Angel whispered.

"I am just going to rest." Judy nodded. "and then… then I will go out." She slowly closed her eyes.

Buffy gasped when she saw the woman was no longer breathing, a silent tear fell down her face. She placed a hand on Angel's arm. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" He whispered turning towards Buffy. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

Stepping closer, she wrapped her arms around him.

0o0o0

Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn sat at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Angel and Buffy while Doyle leaned against the stair case railing. "I have been accused of a great many things in my time but PARANOIA has never been one of them." Wesley continued, Gunn smiled and looked over at Cordelia. "Unless people have been saying it behind my back."

Gunn looked up to see Angel and Buffy coming down the stairs, he looked at them oddly for a second. He could have sworn he saw them holding hands and quickly let go when they came to the top of the stairs. "You two okay?"

"Yeah." Angel nodded to Gunn.

"We finished?" Cordelia asked.

Angel nodded again. "I think so."

"Good because I for one will be glad to see the last of this place." Cordelia said standing up from where she was sitting. "This places gives me the heebie jeebies."

"No lie." Gunn agreed. "Plus, its kind got an odor. You notice that?"

Buffy nodded.

"Eighty years of violence, mayhem and paranoia leaves bad vibes." Cordelia said.

Angel stepped in front of the group and further into the hotel lobby. "We're moving in."

"A few throw pillows, what's not to love?" Buffy shrugged.

"Angel, surely you more than anyone must appreciate how for the better part of a century this place has been the host to not only a malevolent demonic presence but the very worse faces of humanity!" Wesley tries to reason. "This is a place of evil!"

"Not anymore." Angel said with a small smile as he looked around the lobby.

Doyle nodded. "Call it home."

Wesley looked around nervously then leaned closer to Angel. "Angel you don't… find me… especially paranoid… do you?"

"Not especially." Angel replied not looking at him.

"Oh, thank god!" Wesley sighed. "I was worried!"

"If we are moving in…" Cordelia said placing her hand on her hip as her other hand pointed across the room. "Who is cleaning that up? Not to mention the one outside."

"Not it!" Doyle and Gunn called in unison.

"One outside?" Angel asked. "What one outside?"

Buffy ran over to the open glass doors of the hotel to look out. She turned back to Angel and nodded. "There is one."

"It must have been the Gryphon." Angel mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Wesley asked. "What Gryphon? There was a Gryphon?"

Angel nodded. "It showed up and killed the Trechend"

"THAT…" Wesley pointed to the bright red feathers that littered the lobby floor. "…was a Trechend."

"Never heard of…a… Trechend." Gunn shook his head. "I'm guessing it's another one of those Irish things."

"Wait…" Doyle stepped between Angel and Wesley. "You are sayin' a Gryphon was here?"

Angel nodded.

"Half lion, half eagle… Gryphon?" Doyle asked again, Angel nodded. "What did it do?"

"From what I know about Gryphons it was warning the Trechend but it kept coming at us so the Gryphon attacked. Oddly enough…" Angel looked at Buffy. "It was protecting Buffy."

"What?" Wesley gasped, he was very interested to know more.

"Yeah." Angel said. "Once it killed the Trechend it actually bowed in front of Buffy and wanted her to pet it."

"Extraordinary!" Wesley exclaimed.

"Yeah, it was." Angel paused for a moment. "When she said she was scared of its size it actually shrunk."

"It shrunk?!" Doyle asked shocked. "Since when do Gryphons shrink?"

"It was new to me too." Angel shook his head then looked to Buffy. "We really need to find out what you are."

"I'm Buffy Summers." She shrugged. "Just Buffy."

"Just another piece of the Buffy puzzle." Cordelia frowned. "We are never going to find out what is going on if so much weird stuff keeps happening!

"Yes, I agree." Wesley nodded. "Every time we think we are getting somewhere something new happens to throw us."

Gunn sighed "Basically one step forwards, two steps back."

"One thing we do know…" Wesley began. "When Buffy and Angel are apart the Irish… uh… creatures do not attack."

"I think I can prove that theory wrong." Buffy spoke up. "I wasn't with Angel when Big Bird here attacked me. I was at the apartment… I ran here trying to get away from it."

"How did you know where here was?" Doyle asked.

Buffy shrugged. "I just ran."

"What where you doing when you were attacked?" Wesley asked.

Buffy was about to answer him when Cordelia rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air. "Can't we do this someplace else, this place is gross… and creepy!"

"Uh… yes well…" Wesley stammered. "We could."

"Great!" Cordelia smiled. "My place."