She felt him the moment he entered the crowded room. She'd been waiting for him for the last three hours, but she was still thrown by the presence he had. She'd forgotten about that. It didn't matter, she had a job to do and she was going to do it no matter what. Taking another look at his cocky smile and easy stride, Faith decided she needed some reinforcement after all and made a bee line to the bar.

"Whiskey."

Though she only said one word, her too small, too low top said all that she needed to get the finest alcohol in the house. Her throat burned as she downed it all in one go, and she nearly coughed it all back up when a pair of cold arms encased in leather slipped around her waist.

"Havin' fun, luv?"

Faith suppressed a shudder, but managed to say "Not yet. Any suggestions?"

Spike buried his face in the crook of her neck, and Faith willed herself not to tense. He knew she was the slayer, he said he had a chip, and he wouldn't be so stupid as to kill her in the middle of the Bronze. However clueless the residents of Sunnydale were, they generally didn't miss open killings in their midst. After a deep breath, Spike spoke. "Let's go."

He pulled her along the path she knew to be the most direct route to his crypt, but once she got to the graveyard, she was impatient. She wanted to end this now, and if they got to his crypt, there was no way she could resist the temptation his cold, but very well toned body presented. She pushed him up against a nearby tree and cut off his swarthy remark by jamming her hand into his throat.

"What the hell are you playing at?" she demanded. Her blood was racing through her veins and adrenaline rushed through her body at warp speed. She relaxed her grip just enough to let him reply, but her other hand was placed firmly on her stake.

"Bloody h-uhkhhhh," Spike's voice was cut off again.

"One more time, without the extras, blondie. What the HELL are you planning?" Faith demanded whipping out her weapon.

Spike's wide eyes looked at the stake, then at her. After a moment, his eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything.

"Come on, Spikie! Let's have it!" Faith screamed, trying desperately to ignore the hurt she saw him trying to hide. She cared that he looked betrayed and the fact she cared made her hate herself more.

He just stared stonily at her, not making a sound.

"I mean it! I'm not afraid to kill you!" Faith pressed her stake right above his heart, unable to keep her hand from trembling.

Spike still said nothing.

"TELL ME!"

The stake cut through his shirt and a small amount of blood soaked the material.

Her whole body was trembling violently now and her eyes were wild. Her mind whirled with everything Buffy had told her, about Angel, about how Spike killed Angel, about Drusilla...

Faith pulled the stake back and slammed it down into his chest.

Her raw scream mixed with his roar of pain when she felt the weapon sink into his flesh.

The slayer fell to her knees, as if she had been completely sapped of all her energy, and began to sob uncontrollably. She sat heavily on the ground and drew her knees up, tears overflowing. What have I done? she wondered, repeating the question in her head over and over. What have I done?

When Faith fell to the ground, Spike almost followed her, unbalanced once her hand had left his neck. But he clung to the tree behind him and tried to steady himself. Panting heavily, Spike slowly reached up and ripped the stake from his chest with a sucking sound that was almost as painful as the action. He groaned loudly and it just made Faith sob all the harder.

Shaking his head to clear the pain, he looked at the girl at his feet and without a second thought, dropped to his knees and gathered her gently in his arms.

"Shh...it's alright, luv. It'll be alright," he whispered in her ear.

Faith gripped his jacket and clung to his chest, careful to avoid his right side, where a really nasty hole gave her a nice view of his lungs. She turned away from the wound she had inflicted, but didn't let go.

'It's alright," Spike repeated, looking around the graveyard, warding against an outside attack. "Everything'll be alright."


Buffy clutched the yellow package in her hands as tightly as she dared, trying to hold onto the last threads of her slipping self control. After so many years of waiting, she would finally be able to bring him back. The reality of the situation left her emotions in an absolute mess.

As she walked to her old house, Buffy felt the smallest spark of hope, something she had long forgotten. For the first time in years she looked up at the sky, and simply enjoyed watching the stars swirl above her as she spun around on Earth.

Before, whenever she looked at the night sky she'd be reminded of happy times and it got to a point where it'd just be painful to relive those lost days.

But tonight she allowed her guard to drop and she twirled around inconsequentially, feeling at peace. Angel was coming back and all would be well. As she climbed up the tree outside her bedroom window, Buffy smiled slightly at her actions; after all, her mother was in LA on a buying trip.

Some habits just die hard, I guess, she thought, sliding through her window and getting ready for bed. It was good to have a routine in her life, some normalcy she could count on. Even if it was just a small thing like sneaking into her empty house.

Buffy snuggled under the covers and relaxed her tired body into the cleaning-smelling sheets. She hugged Mr. Gordo and sighed.
It was good to keep him here, she thought sleepily. I like having him here when I sleep over. It was something that happened increasingly less as Angel's apartment felt more and more like home that the one she used to live in. But Mr. Gordo was a part of her life that she'd never forget and he was separate from Angel. Sure Angel held him once, but Mr. Gordo belonged first and foremost to her and her childhood.

Sometimes it felt like Angel dominated her entire life, and she was helpless to stop it. After all, she had a life, she was the Slayer for crying out loud! And to be honest, on occasion she did feel pathetic, to be in an almost perpetual state of depression over a guy. But every time she thought that, she'd remember that Angel wasn't just some guy, he was the guy, the one person in her entire existence who made her feel completely happy.

That didn't seem so pathetic.

She'd even tried to convince herself that Angel would want her to move on, to be happy. Once one of those moments coincided with one of Faith's early attempts to "pull out that stick up her ass" and the end result was a lot of uncomfortable dancing that made her feel even more hollow than before.

But when Angel came back, she could get past that, she could move past the unattainable dream of something she could never have and really live again.

She was about to empty out the contents of the envelope, but she stopped herself. Some indescribable feeling made her not want to do this here. She wanted to be at Angel's when she first read about his resurrection. And if years of slaying had taught her anything, it was that she should trust her instincts.

So, she snuck back out through her window and made her way across town. All the while thinking,

I'm going to get him back. I'll get him back.


After the two slayers had left, Giles attempted to brush up on werewolf lore, but his heart just wasn't in it. He saw the look of his first charge's face when Jenny told her the news, and if he wasn't mistaken, Faith wasn't looking too well at this sudden rush of information.

Poor girl, he thought thinking of Faith's life. First, she feels rather isolated, then I'm afraid we've overwhelmed her with our troubles. But

Faith's sudden initiation to Buffy's complex past was a fleeting problem, Giles feared Buffy wouldn't ever be able to fully recover from the events of this night. If the spell worked, it would signal the rebirth of the old Buffy Summers the one he only glimpsed infrequently now, but if it failed...

Giles sighed and wiped his glasses on his handkerchief. If they couldn't somehow bring back Angel, he feared Buffy would lose her will to fight. Perhaps the will to...NO! He wouldn't think that. What kind of Watcher was he, to make pointless, baseless assumptions about the future?

They would bring Angel back, Giles was sure of that. The alternative was unthinkable.

And then there was Jenny. He kept himself from taking either side during the actual confrontation, but he felt badly for both. He knew that Buffy would ultimately be grateful to Jenny, but at the present time, Buffy was too emotional and was perhaps a bit harsher to Jenny than she deserved. But he would support his slayer, no matter what the situation, and no matter what personal loss.

He may not be the best Watcher, after all, he very much doubted any slayer in history had suffered as much as Buffy had, but he took his duty very seriously and he had no doubts whatsoever as to where his loyalties lay.

Sometimes he wondered about his unique situation and the fact that there were two slayers. Initially, he was very disturbed by it. Unlike Buffy, who he knew saw Faith first as a mark of her own failure, then as something of a sister, the existence of Faith threw all of his beliefs as a Watcher into question. And still one question went unanswered. If he had to chose between the two, Buffy or Faith, who would he pick?

He never thought too long or hard about it, because he feared he knew the answer all too well. And he feared his two slayers already knew his decision.

But which ever he picked, the other would always have priority over anyone else in the world, including himself. So the question was, would Buffy and Faith hold it against him if he went to speak with Jenny? Would they feel betrayed or question if his judgment was affected by personal relations? Surely they wouldn't be so petty.

But Giles knew he was being too hopeful and began to analyze the situation in earnest, as objectively as possible. Buffy will not be happy, he admitted, but she would undoubtedly understand. And even if he didn't know Jenny on such a personal level, her level of distress was so great that he felt like she was in need of some comforting.

His mind made up, Giles placed a ribbon to mark his place in his book and went off in search of the lonely techno pagan.


Oz casually strolled through the streets of Sunnydale, a canvas backpack on his shoulder, a little more than half an hour before sunset. He went through his mental checklist once more. He had made his excuses, prepped his clothes, and was prepared to put his life on hold for a few nights. Walking through the double doors, he scanned what appeared to be an empty library. He looked behind the counter and in Giles's office, but no one was there.

Odd, he thought. He didn't know Buffy that well, though Willow had mentioned her a few times, but he got the feeling she took her job really seriously. He'd learned to trust his instincts, they were usually right. That's why he was such a good test taker, but it had led to other advantages as well. So when Faith, who looked crude, but he thought would never break a promise, a slayer he thought to be very serious, and what seemed to be an annoyingly punctual British librarian all failed to appear at their designated times, he was a little worried.

A little.

Well, he was early. Oz checked the clock. They still had two minutes.

He pulled out a few towels and tied them up to sides of the cage, for a little privacy after he changed back. Giles promised that he would be on the last shift and, though he didn't say it so many words, not Faith, so that things would be less awkward. But still, a little precaution never hurt anyone.

He placed his bag on a chair next to the cage, making sure that it would be well out of reach for the werewolf him. His preparations took less than three minutes, but when he glanced at the clock, he noticed they were all officially late.

He quickly debated the intelligence of going out to find them, but he wasn't sure he trusted the timing of the transformation to be at exactly sunset, so he just walked into the cage and examined the small space. It was cleared of some of the more hazardous weapons and materials that occupied the area when he first came in, so he knew they hadn't completely forgotten about their little rendezvous.

He looked up and noticed a small window near the ceiling. He didn't think he could reach it, but he dragged a chair inside the cage and locked it just to make sure. Then he dragged the chair back out and waited anxiously for someone to show up.

Even though he was slightly scared by this new development, and the people he had turned to for help had disappeared off the face of the Earth, his mind wasn't on the current situation.

After high school, his band had broken up, partly because half the members wanted to go to college, partly because Devon, their lead singer, had been killed by a vampire. Then he was held back from school due to attendance errors. Now he was a werewolf because he little cousin Jordy didn't like to be tickled.

But through all of it, he could always count on Willow to be there for him.

Which is why he was thinking about her, thinking up ways to make up for his lack of attention and his general aloof attitude. He had to tell her, of course, but he dreaded the thought she might reject him. He didn't like to dwell on those kinds of things as a rule, but he wondered what he would do if the woman he loved didn't want to live with a werewolf. The fact that she was a practicing witch did help tilt the odds in his favor, but still.

He just hoped she would understand.

Willow stood, looking uneasy at the sight of the familiar double doors of the Sunnydale High library. Even after she'd made her own life, one that wasn't dependant on Oz, or Xander, or Buffy, she still thought of that library as the place where she first became Willow.

But even more immediate than that, she was a little worried about what everyone would do when she walked in. She didn't know if Buffy would yell at her, or pretend that she wasn't there, or not listen to her, or try to beat her up like she did with Xander, or...

Willow went on listing gruesome possibilities in her head before she realized she was just standing in the middle of a high school hallway, staring at a the doors of the library like an idiot.

Well, it's now or never, she thought, taking a deep breath and walking in. Willow had prepped herself to give an empowered and passionate speech, but when she got into the room, the only one there was the last person she expected to see.

"Oz?"


"Oz?"

Cordelia nodded brightly, but was slightly annoyed and trying to hide it. Was this guy going to ask her about every name that was on her reference list? "Yup, Oz. His real name is Daniel, but everyone calls him Oz. He was the lead guitar player of the band Dingos Ate My Baby before they broke up. And he's Willow's special friend."

Doyle frowned in thought. "And this would be the Willow who graduated at the top of her class and is now going to UC Sunnydale?"

Cordelia grinned so hard she thought her face would split, but she was desperate and this guy was the first one who didn't seem like a complete goon. "That's right!"

"Well, Miss...Chase," Doyle said, sizing up the beautiful brunette, "When can you move in?"

"Really?" Cordelia asked, and when Doyle nodded, she smiled, a real one this time, and threw her arms around him. "Thank you! You won't regret it! When I'm rich and famous I'll totally remember this. Thank you!"

Doyle was unaware of the dreamy look plastered on his face when she hugged him, but he did know that his initial doubts about letting a vain and what he predicted might be a pushy actress live in his beloved apartment melted away. What happened would happen, but in the mean time, he was really going to enjoy this.


"Angel!"

The vampire relaxed and moved out of the shadowed corner to open the door. Doyle closed it behind him and followed Angel into the living room, so excited, he didn't even comment on his friend's lack of greeting.

"Guess what?"

Angel's answer was sitting down in his favorite leather chair.

Clearly used to it by now, Doyle went on, "I got my new room mate!"

Angel raised an eyebrow. "Demon?"

Doyle grinned. "Better. Brunette."

"Ah." So it was a woman. That's interesting, Angel thought.

"Her name's Cordelia Chase an--"

Angel's eyes flew up. "--Cordelia Chase?"

"Yeah," Doyle affirmed, noting the stricken look on his face. "What, old girlfriend?"

"No." Angel said, his thoughts running wild. They can't leave the past alone, can they, he thought angrily. First the slayer, now Cordelia. He looked hard at Doyle. "Don't mention me. You didn't, did you?"

The crazed look in his eyes surprised Doyle. "No, why would I?"

Angel heaved an internal sigh of relief. "No reason." And Cordelia Chase, too. It couldn't have been someone mellow, like Willow, it had to be Cordelia.

Doyle eyed his friend curiously. "Angel-man, what's going on? Ye' develop a sudden rash fer beautiful women?"

Angel was staring at the unlit fireplace, barely breathing. "Didn't you do a background check on her, Doyle?" When the half breed looked shocked and then worried, he continued. "Cordelia, or Queen C, I believe it was, is from Sunnydale."

"Yea, I think she mention'd somthin' 'bout it..." Doyle responded, "Wait...Queen C--OH!" Suddenly he felt as though he'd just discovered the log he was sitting on was an alligator. "Ye mean, Cordelia an'...y'know. She knew 'er?"

Angel nodded and rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. "She's a handful, but human. Just...don't talk about me, alright? I don't think I could deal with it."

Doyle nodded vigorously, his hat bobbing wildly. "O'course, Angel. No problem." He was nervously inching towards the door, when he hesitantly asked, "...anytin' else I can do?"

Angel didn't respond, already lost in his thoughts...and his memories.

"Right..." Doyle murmured, feeling considerably worse than when he first walked in. But there was nothing to be done. Angel had his demons, and unfortunately for him, they were all still alive. As far as Doyle could see, when Angel-boy would finally be in the clear is when everyone who knew that slayer of his was dead. That or when he was dead. Either way, Doyle didn't think he'd be around long enough to see it. Especially not if those Powers were always--

"AH!"

Doyle's hand flew to his head and he was jerking spastically in the middle of a busy LA street. After an eternity of agony, he lifted his blurry eyes and tried to recover from the pain and decipher the images. "Oh, man." If Angel thought Cordelia was bad, he was really going to hate this.


"Commander," Agent Miller's voice buzzed in through Riley's headset. "We've been out here for three hours and we haven't found so much as a fucking puppy!"

He better be using the private link for a comment like that, Riley fumed, glaring at the green scenery through his night vision goggles. "Agent Miller! That is not proper military language and--"

"Shut it, Riley! We're on the verge of being kicked out all together! I don't care if it's "proper military" anything! We're here to find a fucking werewolf that's clearly no where to be found!" Graham yelled.

"Sir!"

Riley blocked out Graham's line and listened to Unit 02. "You got something for me, Agent Krush?"

"I think I have a lead, sir. Come look at this." The solider rattled off his coordinates, and as Riley approached, he saw a distinctive trail. Angry at the lack of caution on the agent's part, Riley was about to lecture him on the dangers of such a careless attitude when he nearly walked right over the biggest paw prints he'd ever seen.

"Oh my--"

"What do you reckon, sir? I think we found ourselves a wolf."


So, there's been an edit. I decided that Buffy's section was just a little too angst and not at all what I wanted to her to feel when learning about Angel, so I changed it. Not much else changed except I caught a few typos that I hadn't seen before. Hope you guys like this new version better. But such I'm not dead! And there will be more chapters to come, this is not a dead story, as amazing as that is. I'm still working on it. Just very, very, very slowly. I want to thank EVERYONE who's reviewed, even when the update date seemed really discouraging. Those reivews are just the highlight of my day. So THANK YOU! to everyone who's done that. But for now, enjoy.