Author Note: I have a writing project that I should be working on, but the editing process steals my energy. So instead of tightening my original characters, I'm procrastinating with characters I know the best. These are scenes I wish had been different. I don't know if they'll add up to a story or not. If you want a narrative, read/re-read my other Bangel stories. This is something else.

Season 3, Episode 17, "Enemies" Final Scene:

He heard her before he saw her. He smelled her before that. He knew she'd come back. He hadn't yet figured what he'd say when she did. Sitting against the fireplace, Angel waited for her to reach him. When her slow, steady steps, brought her within view, he looked at the ground before her feet. "How you doing?"

"Been better."

Her soft answer tempted him to meet her gaze. "Not hard to believe." His eyes flit to hers. "You were-" He started to stand.

"Don't." Her hand lifted an inch from her side as if warding him off. "Can we just sit?"

He watched it as he sat back down.

She stepped to the wall, leaned against it, slowly slid down.

On opposite sides of the fireplace, they looked at the main entrance to this room. Time stretched until he worried she'd stand and leave without saying anything more.

Finally, words drifted from her to him. "When I asked you pretend to lose your soul, I don't know what I expected. Faith wasn't here when it was real, so she wouldn't know if it was fake. . . but I thought I would."

He stared at the space between them. "I never wanted to take it that far."

"It's not like a movie about somebody else, a bad dream that sticks with you. You know exactly how it feels not to care. All that was a part of you. Those are your memories."

He felt her eyes on him. He focused on the sheen of the skirt and the way the firelight shimmered on it. "There's nothing I can say to make this better. If there's anything I can do . . . what do you need?" He lifted his eyes to meet hers.

"I need you to hold me and help me understand." She pushed herself up and stepped towards him. As she sat beside him, he lifted his arm behind her making room for her.

She rubbed her cheek where shoulder met chest.

His other hand came around to hold her as she'd asked. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything you can tell me."

His hand stroked her arm from shoulder to elbow as he considered where to begin.

"Maybe start with the night you lost your soul – the second time. I know it's been longer for you, so it's okay if you don't remember much."

He lowered his face to kiss the top of her head. "I remember enough."

"I'm sorry I fell asleep. If I'd been awake—"

"You wouldn't have been able to help me. I didn't know what was happening. My insides just felt hot – so hot, I feared I'd actually burn you. I went outside hoping the rain would cool me down. The burning stopped and so did everything else. I wasn't scared anymore. All the thoughts and feelings I'd been having about you and us and what my life was becoming fell away; I felt light and empty."

She squeezed his middle. "Keep going."

He squeezed her back. "The rest of my night was easy. I drank when I was thirsty, killed when I was restless, and stole dry clothes when the storm passed."

"If I'd still been there when you came back, would you have killed me?"

He kissed her head again. "I doubt it. I'd have wanted you again, would've acted however I needed to have you like the first time."

"Really?" She sounded skeptical.

"With or without a soul, I'm fascinated by you – your mix of human qualities and more-than-human ones. In 243 years, I haven't met anyone like you."

One of her hands fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. "I guess it doesn't mean as much if I say I haven't met anyone like you either."

Caressing her shoulder, he encouraged her to relax into whatever comfort she could get from him. "I just wish the reasons were more better than worse."

She bent her head all the way back to look up at him. "Do you ever miss feeling that light, easy?"

He stroked her hair behind her hear. "I miss how I felt before that part of the curse. Not just the happiness but trusting I was safe in myself . . . I'm still adjusting to not having that, not having that even be possible."

"But it could be. I mean, curses can't be the only way to get a soul or keep one, right?"

Hating to disappoint her, his gaze fell from her eyes to her lips. "I don't deserve another way."

Her hand released his shirt and rose to edge of his cheekbone. "Maybe don't do it for you." She lifted her lips up, up to his for a brief, chaste kiss. "Maybe do it for me."