Hey guys! Thank you so, so much for the reviews, favourites, alerts and etc. I forgot to mention this last chapter, so I will now: one hundred comments! Let's all do the dance of capitalist superiority! *Waves money above head*.
If you didn't get that, it was a supreme Anya reference.
Anyway, lame jokes aside. I've combined two chapters here, because if I had split it where I intended then I would have left you with two consecutive cliiffhangers, which would have made me feel bad. So, appreciate that this is reaally long compared to my usual length, and that I may not update for a week or two. I promise to try, though.
Onto the story! As always, read and enjoy.

The next few days were hell for Angel; between the uncomfortable awkwardness between he and Cordy that they both pretended wasn't there and the constant sight of Buffy and Gunn together, it wasn't the best time for him.

Even without her memories of being the Slayer, Angel still found himself loving everything about Buffy as much as he had back in Sunnydale. There were some changes to her, but the main points of her disposition had been untainted by Lilah and Wolfram & Hart. He was exceedingly thankful for that.

Wolfram & Hart; Buffy had seemed to believe Angel about what he had divulged of her history, and after forcing Gunn to drag her to several demon bars and have people and demons they had never met attest to its villainy, she came around fully.

Buffy still harboured a soft spot for Lilah – much to the disgust of everyone else – and was less eager, but not unwilling, to hurt her. Lilah was unaware of Buffy's sudden changing of sides, still under the impression that she was out killing them all. Any day now Lilah would get word of her betrayal, and Angel wasn't sure what would happen to her.

The Slayer had, for the most part, eased up on Angel. His cheeks and nose had healed and she hadn't tried to hit him again. Well, okay, hadn't succeeded in hitting him. He still harboured a constant stinging in his chest that stemmed from the knowledge that she thought he was everything she fought against.

Angel Investigations had been arguing about Wolfram & Hart for the last few days; Buffy insisting that she could just go in there and kick their asses, Gunn chuckling at her and pulling her closer, Angel snapping and saying that it was a suicide mission, Wesley, Fred and Cordy agreeing, and then it would start all over again.

*

"How are you doing, Angel?" Wesley had asked a few days after Buffy had moved in with them.

"How do you think, Wes?" Angel snapped, then guiltily said, "Sorry. Just..."

"I understand. It must be awkward for you, seeing them together."

Angel rolled his eyes, "Oh, you have no idea."

"I understand that you and Buffy hadn't been together for some time and I know that it hurts, but Gunn got to know this girl. She's not the Buffy you remember," Wesley said, always very cogently.

"Beg to differ," Angel mumbled. Throwing Wes an exasperated look he said, "Do you think it's the hair? I mean..." he ran his hand through his spiked hair with an insecure expression.

Wesley tried not to laugh, and aided by the mental picture of his male colleagues in their underwear, he didn't. "... No, Angel. It's not the hair. When," he became more business-like, "Are you going to call Sunnydale?"

Angel mimicked his change in tone. "I want to keep her here for a little while. I know they'd want to know, but she's made relationships here," he didn't let the bitterness seep into his voice, "I'm not sure that she would leave. We'll call them after we've tried everything we have. If she remembers and we can just take her back, it will be a lot easier for all of us. Besides, we need her help with Lilah. She won't be here forever. Cordy said that they're doing fine in Sunnydale, right?"

"Yes, but Angel," Wesley replied with concern, "I'm not entirely sure that that's the best idea."

Angel shrugged, "It's all we've got."

*

Buffy became, if possible, more confused during her stay at the Hyperion. She knew that Wolfram & Hart were evil and was – unbeknownst to the rest of them – preparing to meet with Lilah the next day, but this was not the thing causing the most strife.

Gunn and the vampire, Angel – who she was told had been very friendly with Gunn beforehand – had suffered total deterioration of civility. On several occasions Buffy had offered to leave, but neither of them would hear of it, voicing their concerns about Wolfram & Hart and what they would do when they found her if she was unprotected (which usually caused her to huff and tell them that she could take care of herself).

This was not, however, some sort of love triangle. Angel was cordial to her, but nothing more. Sometimes, though; – when he thought she wasn't looking – the way he looked at her!

Buffy didn't feel as though the vampire was vying for her affections, more he was trying to find someone who wasn't there. Some of the things he said to her made very little sense, and he would stare at her expectantly, waiting for her to understand or respond accordingly. She never did. Although she didn't yet trust the vampire, it was clear that he was telling the truth when he said they had had something serious. Even with her resistance, she felt a physical connection every time he was near which, as far as she could tell, threw them both.

The most confusing thing though, was that Buffy knew that if she hadn't been told of every evil thing he'd ever done, she would have liked him. He was a good fighter, and for that she admired him.

Sometimes she wondered if her forgotten life had always been this complicated. Probably not.

*

"The deal's off, Lilah. Your Slayer's been gone for a week. If she isn't dead, she's with them."

Lilah gripped the phone as if it were the neck of the person on the other end of the line. "The Slayer is killing four people and an extremely cocky ensouled vampire. You think she'd get that done in a day and be home for dinner? Not even you're that stupid. Or," she audibly thumbed through a file on her desk, "If your most recent, ahem, business endeavour is correct; maybe you are," she said wryly and hung up the phone. If there was one thing Lilah loved, it was winning. She didn't know yet how badly she had lost.

*

It was an unusually harsh night outside as Buffy extracted herself carefully from Gunn's arms and gathered up some small and easy to carry – and hide – weapons.

She had debated about it for the last seven days, but there was no way that she could let Lilah get away with whatever she had done. Some part of her quietly hoped that Lilah was the one telling the truth as she felt incredible pain at the thought of being deceived by the person who had taken care of her for so long.

Slinking down the stairs, Buffy was intercepted by a dark figure. "You know, I like how you're trying to break away from that dark, brooding, creature of the night stereotype," she bit sarcastically, "Because it's really working."

Angel kept his face devoid of any emotion and got straight to the point. "You can't beat them."

Buffy feigned ignorance and tried to swoop past him, "I have no idea what you're talking about, just wanted to patrol."

Angel rounded on her and used his height advantage to emphasise his point, "There's no point taking them on. You may not remember it, but I do know you, and you're thinking about going to Lilah."

Buffy, fed up by the intrusion, held a strong frame and glared determinedly at him, "Yeah, well, that's my business. What is it for you now anyway, lunchtime?"

Determined to show no weakness, Angel ignored her snide comment. "If you're going after her I'm coming with you."

Sighing, Buffy relented. "Fine, but if the pointy end of my stake accidentally makes friends with your heart, it's your own fault."

Angel took a step back and allowed her to lead the way to Lilah's.

Buffy refused Angels' offers to carry some of her weapons, stubborn that she should bear most of the weight.

"You're a stubborn as ever," he stated quietly.

Receiving no reply, Angel faded into the shadows and was all but forgotten until the two reached the apartment.

"How are you going to get in?" he asked her, readying his fist to break the glass pane in the door.

The left corner of her mouth quirking upwards, she held a small shiny object into the light, which turned out to be a key to the apartment that Lilah had given her earlier. Both astutely aware of their surroundings, the two felt unspoken satisfaction at the little click the key made when it turned in the hole and they were granted access inside.

"You stay here," she commanded, "Go save a damsel or something while you're waiting."

Angel stood his ground, "You can't do it alone."

Her eyes narrowed and Buffy raised herself up to his level. "I don't need your help."

"We'll see."

She was so close to hitting him. Exercising a rare level of restraint, she threw her hands up in surrender and said, "Fine, but you wait outside when I talk to her."

"I have to be invited in, anyway."

"Have I ever told you that I love that rule?"

She had almost forgotten that he was a vampire. Scolding herself, Buffy spun on her heel and headed up the stairs, not bothering to check if he had followed – which he had.

Hammering her fist on the door, Buffy indicated for Angel to move out of sight as she prepared for the confrontation with the first person in L.A. to befriend her.

*

Angel positioned himself out of sight whilst Buffy banged loudly on the expensive wooden door – five more seconds and he was certain her fist would have smashed right through it.

Wishing that he could see Lilah, Angel observed Buffy's face as a number of emotions flickered across it, finally settling on an accusatory stare.

"Come in, we'll talk inside," Lilah said in response to Buffy's harsh look.

After hearing the door slam shut, Angel drew closer to listen to the progression of the conversation.

"So, you're home," Lilah asked lightly. Angel clenched his fist hearing Lilah call that lifeless apartment Buffy's home.

With no reply and – Angel assumed – more accusatory looks, Lilah pressed on; "Is it done? Are they dead?"

"Uh-uh," Buffy fumed, "You don't get to ask the questions. It's my turn now."

Something scraped, probably chairs being pulled back, and Lilah spoke again – her voice possessing the slightest threatening edge that he didn't doubt Buffy had heard too. "Fine, ask away."

Angel could practically see Buffy folding her arms and pouting stubbornly. "They told me you're lying. I know Wolfram & Hart are evil."

"Well," Lilah said, quicikly transitioning into her business voice, "That's really subjective, isn't it?"

Her breathing spiked and Angel knew Buffy was truly beginning to accept what Lilah was. "Why. Did you. Lie?"

Lilah laughed, "You really are fifteen. A vampire in love with a Slayer? Do you think he would fight back if you tried to kill him? Do you think that the soulful goody-two-shoes could?"

"You said he was evil. He kills innocents."

"Guess what, princess?" Lilah dropped her voice to a mocking whisper, "I lied."

Wham! Angel recoiled at the conundrum of a series of impacts.

Angel could hear Lilah's failed attempts at calm; trying to level her breathing and slow her heart. He could also hear Buffy's panting. She wasn't one easily tired, so Angel could only assume that she felt guilty about harming her – though why, he couldn't imagine. Yes, he figured, that was what it was.

That was when he heard the gun cock.

*

Buffy ignored the smashing behind her and swiftly kicked the gun out of Lilah's grasp. A rogue gunshot fired into the wall and she sincerely hoped that no one was hurt.

"Buffy!" Angel's panicked voice sounded urgently behind her.

"What?" she replied, not taking her eyes off of the cornered woman before her. "I'm kinda busy right now; I'm meeting with my lawyer," she said wryly.

Lilah shakily pulled herself to a stand and, though obviously fearful, squared her shoulders and held her head high.

Turning for a moment, Buffy gingerly grasped the gun that had been cast to the side by her powerful kick. With the pistol in hand, she kept her back to Lilah and examined Angel's panicked face. He wasn't allowed in, but that hadn't stopped him from smashing the door into pieces. She wondered idly why she hadn't registered the tumultuous noise.

"Get out of there Buffy," he told her urgently.

"Angel, would you like to come in?" she asked, hoping that her habitation there was enough to warrant entry.

"He can't," Lilah said smugly, "It's a little Wolfram & Hart extra. You think I wasn't prepared for this? Only I can invite him in."

The corner of Buffy's lip curved into a triumphant smile and she slowly, but surely, spun to face Lilah once again.

"Lilah," she said sweetly, "I think it's fairly rude that you haven't invited my friend in."

Lilah scoffed and shook her head, "You're going to have to do better than insulting my people skills, Buffy."

The two looked at each other with predatory smiles on both of their faces. "Well, if you insist," Buffy replied, her voice sweetening still.

Lilah stared in anticipation before Buffy finally lifted the pistol, "Lilah," she said, cocking it, "I think that you should invite my friend in."

The lawyer maintained her cool demeanour; this wasn't the first death threat she had received. Or the thirtieth.

"You can't kill me."

"No," agreed Buffy, training the gun to her knee, "But I can sure as hell make you dance. Now, I'm giving you until the count of three..." she shifted her aim from knee to knee as Lilah fidgeted uncomfortably, "... To invite Angel in."

The pressure in the room could have broken the four walls.

"One..."

"How do I know he won't just kill me?" Lilah demanded in a very businesslike voice.

Buffy chose not to reply, keeping her weapon aimed and her trigger finger ready, "Two..."

Lilah looked like she still wasn't going to invite him in. She was right; Buffy couldn't hurt her, and she wasn't going to shoot her kneecaps. She was, however, going to give her a fairly severe beating. Severe enough that Lilah would wish that she had shot her in the kneecaps.

"Thr -"

"Okay!" Lilah broke, raising her hands in frustration and surrender. After a minute of contemplation she finally relented, "Angel, come in."

Angel crossed the threshold and looked around for a moment, "Gee Lilah, this is a nice place you got here. The rest of the vermin in L.A. city isn't doing this well."

Lilah smirked disinterestedly, "I know. But I guess when you're used to crypts and broken down hotels anything will look good."

Angel raked his eyes over her pointedly, "No, not everything."

Lilah placed her hands on her hips and feigned boredom, "So are we going to exchange witty banter all night, or are you two going to tell me what you're doing here?"

"Well I'll be honest," Buffy said in a falsely chipper voice, "I did come here to beat the life out of you for lying to me, but now I'm just not sure.

"So," she continued, walking over to a counter and picking up an apple which she threw between her hands nonchalantly, "I'm thinking answers."

"No," Lilah replied, "I think the beating sounds better."

Throwing the apple behind her haphazardly, Buffy proceeded towards the lawyer. "Fine, if that's what you'd li-"

Her threat was cut off, however, by a cry from behind her. At least nine demons of different species crashed through the door and began their assault on the Slayer and the vampire.

"You were stalling!" Buffy exclaimed angrily at the lawyer, who had in fact vanished.

"Lawyers," Angel murmured.

The two easily took down five of the (comparatively) smaller demons each, feeling the battle really heat up when faced with four large and agitated demons.

Buffy ducked her head and rammed her fist into the spot where a human would have their solar plexus. The region caved inwards and the demon stumbled backwards, roaring in pain. She grabbed hold of the demon and slammed it into another behind it, taking two at once.

Angel was fighting the other two, and quite well. He gracefully avoided their punches and substituted them with some of his own. She was hesitant to join the fray, unsure of whether vampires were protective of their kills or not, but when a demon sent him solidly to the ground all thoughts of etiquette were forgotten and the Slayer propelled her foot into the demons' face.

It was lucky that vampires had a quick recovery time, or this girl would be in trouble. Angel soon resumed his part of the fight and head-butted his demon, sending it into spinning into unconsciousness. Buffy promptly followed suit, jumping and head-butting her final opponent.

With all of their foes either dead or unconscious, the two shared a similar thought.

"OW!" Buffy yelled, clutching her temples. "Why the hell did you make me do that?"

"Make you do that?" Angel replied testily, rubbing his forehead, "I didn't make you do anything!"

"We don't all have big, accommodating foreheads like yours. You shouldn't go around demonstrating that and making it look easy!"

Angel stared down at her and looked wounded. "It's not big, my hairline is just... Slightly further back than yours, it looks –"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Buffy said dismissively, squeezing her eyes shut and massaging her temples.

"Marilyn Monroe said it was charming..." Angel muttered bitterly under his breath.

"Marilyn Monroe? Oh, come, on, there's absolutely no way -" she interjected; only to be knocked forward by a demon that had staggered to its feet and knocked her from behind. Buffy fell flat on her stomach, out cold.

Angel jumped back into action and grabbed a metal cane by the door, attempting to shove it through – what looked like – the demons' torso. After four tries the demon swerved to the left side at the wrong time and was impaled by the cane with a satisfying crunch.

Angel burst forward, lifting Buffy into his arms and definitely not thinking about her warm body or equally warm, familiar scent. And definitely not thinking about the fact that she still coincidentally smelled of the same shampoo she used to use, and how her beautiful blonde hair fell delicately and entwined itself in his fingers, brushing against them in an almost therapeutic way, and definitely not thinking about her steady heart beat and how he used to stay awake for hours just soothing himself with it. And definitely not watching her lips move ever so slightly in her sleep, causing him to think about how he used to lay a light kiss on them to wake her up back in Sunnydale.

No, definitely not. Not at all.

*

The Slayer stirred, unconscious only for a few minutes. Angel was halfway home when she awoke and sprung athletically from his arms, planting her feet firmly on the ground and facing him down. Angel stopped walking and waited expectantly for her to speak.

"You were carrying me," she accused.

"What, did you want me to drag you? Leave you alone with the demon that knocked you out in the first place?" he rebutted, his eyes shining menacingly and his temper flaring.

"No, but you didn't have to..." she trailed off, still seething.

Instinctively moving closer to tower over her, he said, "Have to what? Carry you back when you were injured?"

Buffy was surprised by his infuriation – even if she knew that she both caused and deserved it.

"Listen vampire," she said bluntly, "I don't like you, I don't trust you and if I got the chance I'd probably kick your ass again. But," her features softened, "You did help me fight. So, I guess I'm stuck with you. I don't know what we had," she continued, "But I don't want it. We're not friends."

Angel's mind flashed back to Spike's words on his disastrous trip to Sunnydale during Angels' third year.

"You're not friends. You'll never be friends. You'll be in love 'til it kills you both."

The words rang out in his head, now meaningless. There was no rhyme or reason for their separation, just pure disdain for the monster that he always insisted to her that was.

The irony was definitely not lost on him.

*

Her head hurt. She had repeated it a million times, and it hadn't stopped hurting. Not that she had expected it to, but usually there was some modicum of satisfaction gained from expressing oneself. As she walked back to the Hyperion with the ensouled vampire silent at her side, Buffy couldn't have felt any tenser.

The Slayer found that with a two hundred and forty-something year old vampire, conversational preamble was somewhat scarce.

Fidgeting with her hands, Buffy eased her head slowly towards Angel. "Uh," she started. The vampire straightened his gaze forward and furrowed his brow – he showed no signs of participating in her pathetic attempt at small talk. "So, you and Lilah know each other? I mean, I'm assuming that you're not friendly, what with her - what with the... trying to kill you, and all..." she laughed uneasily and awaited a reply. When nothing of the like was given, she dropped any pleasant pretence and prayed that the Hyperion was nearing, contenting herself by tuning into the constant tempo of her footsteps.

Thump. Thump. Thump. The two walked in sync and trudged home bruised, bloodied and beaten; the first rays sun still far from emerging.

After a pregnant pause, Angel said; "Yes, we know each other."

Buffy, who, deep in thought, had completely forgotten about her questions, asked vaguely, "What?"

"Lilah and I. We know each other. I fight evil, she works for it. It's not a good base for a deep and meaningful bond."

"A lawyer and a vampire: which one is the truer evil?" Buffy mused to herself quietly, with some amusement.

Angel was too busy brooding to be at all entertained by the Slayer's jibes. "In this case, I'd go for the lawyer."

Out of nowhere, Buffy reached out and grabbed Angel's arm. This was the first time she had voluntarily touched him without intending any harm. She pulled him to a halting stop a block away from the Hyperion and just studied his features.

"What are you doing?" he asked her quietly, praying that her fists would remain still at her sides.

Buffy twisted her features into some of child-like curiosity. "I'm trying to figure this out. If you meant as much to me as you say, I should remember you," she squinted, scrutinising everything about him, "Maybe I just need to look closer."

Buffy unthinkingly drew nearer to Angel, her eyes still roaming around his face.

Angel had never been impulsive – as an ensouled vampire, anyway. He was thoughtful and considerate; he didn't do anything without weighing the consequences of his actions. In this instance, however, his most faithful trait failed him. Closing the small distance between their faces, the vampire leaned in and brought his lips to hers.

Okay, Buffy hadn't been expecting this. She knew she should pull away. She was with Gunn, Gunn made her happy. This vampire didn't. She should be pummelling him for this.

Only... When she kissed these lips, it felt like they were the cold, dead lips that she had been predestined to kiss; their lips moved against each other's with a passion that she didn't even know she had.

Just that second, something jolted through the Slayer.

Angel felt her jerk, and pulled away. Absent of breath he didn't have in the first place, he receded ruefully and mirrored the happiness he saw in her eyes.

"I'm sorry... I don't know why I..." he began, stopping when he caught a gleam of something in her eye that made him freeze. "Do you remember me?"

Buffy drew in a breath, sighing quietly. Angel noticed that her face was still only inches from his, and her lips puckered slightly as her eyes fluttered closed and then open again. Drawing back, Buffy stared deeply into his eyes and brought a hand to the side of his face.

"No."

Alright, there you go. I know that his decision not to call Sunnydale straight away is a bit questionable, but I think Angel's reasoning was fairly valid. He doesn't want Buffy's other friends to go through the same pain he is, not having her remember them so he wants to keep her there and try to bring her memory back himelf, plus he needs her help getting to Lilah. Even if you don't really agree you'll just have to suspend your disbelief and go with me on that one. It won't be long, anyway – don't worry.
I know that all of my fellow Buffy/Angel shippers are resisting their desires to wring my throat for the way I've ended this chapter, but frankly, I wanted them to kiss, and as much as we wish it she isn't going to remember just because of it. Unfortunately. I promise you that things start to really pick up in the next few chapters, though.
Thanks for reading! Reviews are very welcome. More reviews mean more happiness. :D