I watched IWRY again today. It doesn't matter how many times you watch it, it's still very, very sad … Why did he do it to us? Was it to keep us hoping that they would end up together, or just to get ratings up!

Later, once everything else had been covered, Buffy worked her way through milling students, both male and female in her dorm corridor. Once she found her room, she said a quick prayer that her roommate wouldn't be too bad and entered, to see a nice enough room with two beds and two desks, the person she assumed to be her roomie unpacking a suitcase laying on one of the beds.

"Hi."

"Are you unpacked already? Wow! That was fast – I'm still only about half way done, and I was here for an hour before you."

"I'm going to see my boyfriend. I haven't got a chance to call him yet today, so he'll be worried I expect, it being nearly dark, and me saying that I would be at his place three hours ago unless I ran into trouble. He might even be pacing!" She wasn't sure why she was telling this complete stranger all of this, but somehow, it felt good to speak to another girl who knew nothing about her, or boyfriend.

"He not in college then?"

"No. He's a bit too old for college, and works in LA … so … you know."

"Tough gig. How much older is he then? There are loads of older students here, so he wouldn't be like the oldest one or anything. Sorry, it's none of my business."

Buffy thought for a moment, and then remembered a conversation she had with Angel before, at the beginning of the summer. Should she say 21 or 26? If she and Kathy became better friends, but not enough to know about vampirism, she should stick to the story of 21. But she had already said he was too old for college. What to say, what to say …

"Well, when I say he's too old, I mean that he thought he was too old. I mean he's only 21, but he said he didn't always want to be surrounded by 18 year olds who are most likely smarter than him. I couldn't sway him, so now we do the long distance thing. Ever since last week, that is. Before that, he lived here.

"Sorry, but I really do have to go now. If I'm not back in the morning, don't panic, 'cause if it gets too late, I don't really want to walk back here – I'll just crash at his place."

"See you later then. And don't forget to finish unpacking."

Buffy crept through the door at about two in the morning, having spent time at the mansion before a quick patrol and a long make-out session. It was getting harder to say goodbye each night, and she just hoped that it wouldn't be too bad when he went back to LA without her. So far, she had spent the three days they were in a long distance relationship with him, just getting the business started up, and then coming back to Sunnydale just to patrol and sleep. It was a good arrangement, except for the fact that they each wanted to do more than they could.

At least Buffy didn't have to worry about sneaking in through her window anymore – if Buffy didn't know just how lightly the dead sleep, she would say that Kathy definitely slept like the dead. It was a good job that slayers could go for about five days without sleep if necessary, and needed only four hours on a normal night. Even with the snoring, she should end up reasonably well rested, and if this was a regular thing, she could sleep at Angel's twice or three times a week. Only when he wasn't there though. Just in case.

The next day is the same. Imagine Buffy thinking: 'I want Angel.' every now and again…

It was about an hour after sunset, and Angel had just gone back to LA. Buffy was wandering around the campus trying to find her way around after an exhausting first day. She had told Angel everything, curled up in his arms and let it all fade away into nothingness. None of it mattered when he was kissing her. She heard a noise and looked behind her, missing the student that just appeared from an adjoining path.

Everything else the same with an added Angel phone call (or fifty) until…

"Mum? You here?"

"Buffy!"

"Hi."

"Honey, how are you?"

"I'm ok."

"How's college? You've been fighting."

"Oh, uh, they started it."

"Just as long as you're being careful. I-I really didn't think you'd show up here for a while."

"Oh, I didn't have classes today, and everything's just been so hectic I figured it'd be nice to come and crash for a while. Angel only went back to LA yesterday, so I figured I would give it some time before I went up there. I thought I'd hang with you for a bit, and wait for Dawn to get home from school; I miss having her highness around the whole time." They headed into the living room and sat down on the sofa together.

"Well, there's not really much to tell. The gallery just got some new things in, and I-I thought it might be okay if I used your room as storage space for a week or so. I didn't think you would want to be around here so soon into college, and there's no where else to put it all."

"Basement?"

"Already full."

"You've done it already, haven't you."

"Sorry, sweetheart. If it makes you feel better, Dawn said 'No'." Buffy laughed, slightly upset, but she knew that in reality, and she wouldn't have been using her room anyway, so it didn't really matter. Sure, she had been planning on going to sleep at home on Monday night (she wouldn't be going out that night, and had no morning classes on Tuesday) to get some real sleep. She would have to just go to the mansion instead, but that was no hardship.

"No, you're right – I don't really need to use it at the moment. So gallery life is booming?"

"Yes, and unfortunately, that means I have to go away again for three nights."

"When? And what about Dawn?"

"I leave on Friday morning next week. I had hoped that she could stay with you in the dorm, unless your father is back from his trip and didn't tell me?"

"He normally tells you?"

"Just in case something happens to his kids."

"He said he'd be away until November at least. I forget where he went. Dawn could go to Angel's – the dorm probably isn't the best place for her to be."

"And being with him is any better?" Joyce immediately regretted her choice of words. She had tried to be nice to him for her daughter's sake, but she didn't like him, and never would. He had hurt her baby girl, and was no good for her. He was a vampire; an evil creature of the night, and Buffy was too blinded by love to see that.

"Tell Dawn I stopped by. Good-bye, Mum. I'll speak to you next week about that trip."

She walked out of the house, still cradling her hurt arm.