Buffy walked in to her house and after unceremoniously throwing her purse on the coach, headed mindlessly into the kitchen. The entire day had been something of a blur. She remembered her alarm clock going off, making her painfully aware that she had to go to work. Then, Charlie dutifully and awkwardly asked if she was okay to which she responded by robotically nodded her head. At some point she's pretty sure they scoped out some spots the cult might be holding up in but it was all pretty mundane and now she's back at home.
She took a moment to go through the fridge, now remembering that she was in fact hungry. After fixing herself a sandwich, Buffy sat down at the kitchen table and forced herself to focus. Last night, after her incredibly surreal dream things made sense. She could see the series of events that had to unfold for her to be happy, for her and Riley to make it. Now, things were a bit blurry again, and any adrenaline achieved by that moment of clarity long gone.
The one thing she remembered without a doubt was that she needed to tell Riley everything. And she planned to do that tonight. They're scheduled to get married in a week and if Buffy had to drag him kicking and screaming it's going to happen. Looking to the clock, she noticed it was just past five. She was almost certain Riley would be staying at Graham's, now the only question would be if he was there or still at the Initiative. Since Riley didn't usually go on patrol with the rest of the soldiers he tended to come home in time for dinner. However, with his current situation nothing was guaranteed.
Determined, Buffy went into the bathroom and fixed her hair and makeup before heading to Graham's apartment. After a stern three knocks on the door, she heard a familiar voice yell 'coming' before the door opened.
"Buffy." Riley said, slightly surprised. He had just gotten off of work and was changing when he heard the loud knocking. That hinted it was Buffy but a part of him was still unsure until he saw her face.
"You were right. I was selfish and stupid and I didn't tell you everything. But it's not too late - and you're right I need to do this and you need to know so grab a jacket." Buffy had basically planned the entire speech out on the way over. The assertiveness seemed to work as Riley, almost as if it were a reflex, grabbed his jacket and headed out.
"Where are we going?" He asked. To be perfectly fair, as upset and mad at he was, the entire day was just a giant reminder of how much we missed her. At work, he sat in his office doing mindless paperwork, trying to ignore the soldiers talking about the Vampire they had locked up. After his dream, he found that it was hard to control the impulse to stake Angel - it took every ounce of self control not to. The entire time, he just wanted Buffy to reassure him that it was a dream, and that this whole thing was blown way out of proportion in his mind.
"Well, Sunnydale's a small town. I'm going to give you the scenic tour of my first three years in Sunnydale." Buffy told him, a little nervous.
"So you're going to show me your and Angel's relationship?" Riley asked, obviously confused.
"Look, there's a lot more to it then that. There's a lot of stuff that's me and Angel and some other stuff that's just about me. But I also want you to understand that the store you pass by and think nothing of may have a greater meaning to me. And I want you to know that because I love you and you deserve to know everything there is about me and my past." Buffy told him, her eyes pleading towards the end. Riley nodded and continued walking, eventually finding himself at the high school.
"The high school?" Riley replied, looking at the newly ressurected building.
"The dramatic effect is kind of ruined by the fact that a nice new school is standing. However, about 10 years ago after being expelled from my old school I came to Sunnydale and started high school here. I guess you could say it changed everything. It's how I became the only Slayer ever to have friends for one." Buffy began, "But this place was more than all of that. It was our home base and everything. So much happened in this school - I mean, I guess it being over a hellmouth and all would contribute. But still...it's important." She finished.
As the sun set, the couple continued to walk around Sunnydale and Buffy recounted the various tales and stories of her years. Some of them, Riley found were familiar, others he had never heard. For the most part, he just stood there, listened, and watched. Occasionally, he would tense up, like when Buffy showed him where she drowned. Sure, he knew she had 'died' before but to actually be in the graveyard above where it happened was somewhat surreal.
Soon, the pair found themselves outside of the Bronze, where high school kids and townies were constantly coming and going. Buffy paused before beginning. "Angel lived right over there." She pointed to a random apartment in an adjacent building. At this point she appeared nervous, which of course made Riley feel nervous. She then told Riley the story of how she and Angel were together and the loophole on the curse.
This was a part of the tale Riley wasn't expecting. He watched as Buffy recalled her fear and tears welled up in her eyes. "He was so terrible, Riley." She told him. He couldn't help but hold her as she pulled herself together. After a few minutes embraced in one another, the two awkwardly separated and continued walking.
She told him about Angelus' reign of terror against her and her friends; about Spike and Druscilla and about Ms. Calender's tragic death. Eventually, the pair found themselves at a large but old mansion and Buffy stopped. "This place holds a lot of memories." Buffy said, looking at the place with an almost fearful look. "Have you ever heard of the demon Acathla?" She asked him, the first time she asked him anything that night.
After telling her he hadn't, she went into a short explanation on the demon that threatened to suck the world into hell in just one breath, and the crazy Vampire who wanted to revive him. Buffy began to hesitate, feeling almost uncomfortable continuing the tale. Riley gave her shoulder a slight squeeze, causing Buffy to look up and give him a slight smile. She closed her eyes for a moment and recounted breaking a deal with Spike and coming to the mansion to kill Angel.
"What happened? I mean obviously he's not dead." Riley said, somewhat confused by the fury of emotions coming across Buffy's face. She explained that she came to late, that Acathla had already been revived using Angel's blood and that only his blood could be used to close the portal.
"I had him. Kneeling in front of he statue and I was ready to impale him and destroy the portal and then it happened. His eyes glowed and he was no longer Angelus. His soul was back." Buffy told him. Riley smiled slightly, but then took a more grim face when it was obvious this turn of events wasn't a happy thing. "I still had to do it. Even if he was good. And he had no idea what was going on and I just did it - I killed him." Buffy finished.
Despite any feelings of dislike he had towards Angel, Riley was nevertheless saddened by what she had to do. Even today, he could tell the pain of what she had to do was still there. After taking a moment to recover from the onslaught of memories, Buffy continued. "I ran away after that. But, eventually I entered a hell of my very own and came back." She told him about LA and coming back to Sunnydale to face her mom and all her friends.
"A few weeks went by and I was trying as hard as I could to live my life. But really, I felt so guilty and so - uneasy. I went to say good bye and a few nights later, I found him, in the woods. He was like a wild animal so I had to keep him locked up." She told Riley how she had to rehabilitate him. Eventually, he heard about the first evil and the mayor, and how Faith turned to the dark side. Again, he had heard these storied before but now, with the inclusion of the Vampire with the soul the stories often took on a new meaning.
After taking a brief trip down to the sewers where he learned Angel broke up with her, they headed back towards the mansion. "Something else happened here?" Riley asked. Buffy simply nodded and continued walking.
"It was the day before the ascension and we ran into each other and of course we had to get into some argument. The next thing I know, there's an arrow show right above his chest." Buffy explained to Riley how Angel was poisoned as a means to distract Buffy and to eliminate Angel as a threat. "We discovered the only cure for the poison was the blood of a Slayer." As he heard this, Riley felt the blood drain from his cheeks.
"I immediately went to hunt for Faith. Despite my morality, this was different - bigger. In the end, I put her in a coma but before losing consciousness, she hopped onto the bed of a truck thereby ensuring I couldn't feed her to Angel." Riley nodded awkwardly, in all fairness a little uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. "I couldn't just let him die, not when there was a viable solution. I made him feed off me." She awkwardly moved her hair and showed her the two little bits of scar tissue on her neck.
"I thought that was from a curling iron?" He asked her. He remember seeing the marks before and had himself thought them strange but she had answered the question without hesitation.
"It was a lie I had to use a lot my freshman year of college. It was a lot more obvious then." She informed him apologetically. She finished her story, explaining how he rushed her to the hospital where she was revived.
The pair began walking back to the school where Buffy informed Riley the story was coming to an end. She told Riley about their plan to take down the mayor. He learned how they succeeded and Buffy saved the day only to watch her love fade into the night. Once she was finished, the pair sat on a bench near the school, holding hands in silence. Riley was absorbing everything he'd learned and Buffy was simply exhausted from reliving so many old memories.
Neither of them noticed the park across the way where a small Initiative patrol searched for Vampires. Amongst them, Angel had been drawn to the two of them. Hidden by the night, he watched the two of them sit peacefully on the bench. "You know," Angel heard someone say from behind, "I might think your decent for a Vampire and all, but even think about screwing with either of them and I'll stake you without a second thought." Graham now came into full view.
"Don't worry. Buffy's my past - an important part but part of the past nonetheless. I'm just happy to find she's met someone and that they're human." Angel responded in as much earnest as he could muster. Sure, the rational side of his mind agreed with this. But a part of him ached as though something that was his was stolen. He swept these feelings aside, cursing the hormones associated with love, and continued to help patrol.