Sorry. It is taking me sooooo long to update this and my other fics, but there is so much work. Here it is! Another chapter.

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"Angel, can we… can we talk for a minute?"

Angel looked at Buffy and back to Cordelia. He really wanted to go to bed, but he knew it was better to resolve thins with his ex-girlfriend.

"We can go to my…"

Buffy looked to Cordelia and held Angel's hand when he tried to release it.

"Angel… can't you talk later? I mean… you are hurt and should be…"

Angel cradled Buffy's head in his hand and almost kissed her when something bubbled inside him. It was happiness such as he didn't feel in longtime because he saw the woman he loved more than anything concerned about his well-being.

Buffy lost her breath when the brown orbs looked at her. She saw a strong emotion in the depths of his eyes and almost gasped for breath.

Cordelia, at the other side of the room, was holding her demon at bay with difficult. She was completely disgusted by the display in front of her. However, the Scoobie Gang was just amazed at how stronger the love between Buffy and Angel was, no matter the fact she couldn't remember much.

"Hey. I'll go upstairs as soon as I can. I'll go to talk with Cordelia. She is an important person to me, okay?"

Buffy sighed.

"Yeah."

"Look. You can go show the people around. The rooms in the floor we are can all be used."

"Okay."

Angel looked at the other and Willow took the clue. She touched Buffy's arm to get her attention.

"Come on, Buffy. Show us around this place. We haven't come here in a while."

Angel turned and went to his office. Cordelia followed without looking at the remaining people.

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Angel sat in his chair and turned around, but not without wincing in pain.

"So, what is it Cordelia?"

She was an actress. So, she could pull off the regretful act. Cordelia looked at Angel with pleading eyes.

"Look, Angel… I came here to apologize to you about my whole behavior the other day. No…"

She held up her hand when Angel opened his mouth.

"No… let me get this all out, okay. It was good for me to stay away for a while so I could think straight. I know… I know you never promised me anything. Hell! You never promised anything to any of the girls you were with. There was never a forever in any relationship you had. I know that you only loved… loves Buffy. I reacted badly because I made myself to believe that things between us could really happen. My mind knew all of this I am saying, but my heart just pretended… and I only took it too far. I hope you can forgive me because I don't want to lose your friendship. I don't want to feel this lone person anymore. You, Fred, Wes, Lorne and Gunn are my only family. I intend to keep things this way because I miss everyone here. Beside, you are still The Powers champion and I am your link to them. We have work to do. Can you… can you forgive me?"

Angel looked at the agitated woman in front of him and thought for a little. When he finally spoke, Cordelia felt relief wash all over her.

"Cor. I am sorry. I really am sorry that I couldn't love you the way you deserve. I guess Buffy ruined for any other woman…"

Angel chuckled.

" Yes, you knew, but I have… I did my own mistakes in all of this. I should have ended it when I realized that it couldn't work. I just kept pushing myself for it because I thought I could win of a love, a love so strong that was just preventing me from being happy. I guess I hated the love I felt for Buffy."

Angel had tears in his eyes. Cordelia sat in the chair in the other side of his table and held his hand. Angel didn't flinch so she thought her plan was working.

"I also pretended I could love another woman because I hated the woman I love. She just… she just had disappeared and I didn't know why she left or where she was… She left me… I just wanted the pain to end. The day before we found her… I… I finally realized how much it had hurt for her to hear me say I didn't want to stay with her because I thought she said, by disappearing, that she didn't want to be with me either, which was a stupid thinking… I mean… she already had some schoolboy after her."

Angel gave a small smile when he felt the same jealousy crawling inside him that he felt the day he saw Buffy talking with Riley in the coffee shop during the whole Indian trouble back in Sunnydale.

"I finally realized how much it should have hurt for her to hear me say she should be with someone… else. I realized how much must have hurt her to be with someone while she thought of me because it hurt me to be with someone else while I loved her. I felt like I was betraying the woman I love and… I just fight… I fight the feeling that I need that woman… and only her to be completely happy. I guess she came back to me when I finally realized that I could not be with someone else. I am making any sense?"

"Yes. You are. I just wish to find someone to feel like this for me."

Angel squeezed Cordelia's hand.

"You will."

"I hope. Are we… are we okay?"

"Yes."

They exchanged a fast embrace and Angel limped to the door.

"Look, Cor. I am going to bed. Wes and the others should be around any minute."

"Okay."

Cordelia stared at Angel while he went upstairs. She was a good actress after all.

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AN: Ok… a very emotional chapter for Angel because he had to admit why he went so desperately to other relationships. He experienced in his skin how it is to go on because you have to…. Just like he forced Buffy to do when he left her behind. She left him… or he felt that way. Not a nice poison huh Angel?

Next chapter, a Buffy Willow bonding moment.

I am really dying to reveal W&H plans, but it will be a while.