Angel stoked the fire in the big fireplace of his old mansion while Buffy sat curled up on the couch staring off into space. Connor had gone out to get some food for him and Buffy. The power company had shut down, leaving the entire town of Sunnydale in the dark. Thankfully Angel had had a candle obsession, probably left over from his days before electricity, and there were hundreds of them lit around the house.

"Hey." Angel said, standing up and walking over to her. He sat down beside her and took her hand.

"They kicked me out." Buffy said quietly, the emotions choking her voice off.

"They were scared and they acted out. They'll come around when they realize that you were right after we take whatever Caleb and the First are hiding at the vineyard. I feel like I need to warn you that I'm probably going to punch Xander in his good eye for turning coat the way he did and install some real fear into that Kennedy girl for being so rude."

"What if I'm not right about the vineyard?"

"Please don't tell me you're doubting yourself. Buffy," He turned her towards him. "You are the one thing in my 200 plus years that I have never doubted. Ever. I trust your instincts more than I trust my own." She gave him a disbelieving look. "It's true. For someone so young, you have the most amazing ability to figure out a situation quickly and find a solution even quicker."

"I don't feel very quick tonight." Buffy sighed. "They were right about me. I cut myself off from them…. All of them. I knew I was gonna lose some of them and I didn't…." She shook her head and stood up, pacing angrily towards the fireplace. "You know what? I'm still making excuses. I've always cut myself off. Being the Slayer made me different, but it's my fault I stayed that way. People are always trying to connect to me, and I just slip away."

"That's not even close to true." He stood up and walked over to her. "You did not slip away from me. Or anyone else, for that matter."

"Didn't I? Maybe not before I was dead and buried, but after…."

"You were yanked out of heaven by the very people who should've known better that you weren't in hell. You have every right to be angry about that."

"But to pull away from them like I have?"

"It happens. People grow, they change, their experiences influence who they become. If you feel like you're moving away from your friends, it just means that you're changing, you all are, and there's nothing wrong with that."

"Is that why I underestimated their reaction about going back to the vineyard? I knew they would be angry and scared, but that reaction…."

"Was unwarranted. Those girls, they don't know you. They don't know how amazing you truly are. And if Xander gave a speech telling them how amazing you are only to turn on you a couple of days later…."

"Don't hurt Xander. He's been hurt enough."

"I'm not promising anything." Angel leaned down and kissed Buffy gently. They held onto each other for a long moment, enjoying the familiar feel of the other's lips, before pulling away. Angel cleared his throat and put a little distance between them before it could get too heated. "When Connor gets back, we'll get some food in you two and plan our attack on the vineyard."

"The last time I went in, we had four super-beings and plenty of non-super beings and we still got our asses handed to us."

"Last time you didn't know what you were up against. This time you do and this time you have me."

Connor walked into the room just then from the open garden doors. He had about six paper grocery bags in each hand filled to the brims with food. "The grocery store was raided, but I managed to grab a bunch of stuff."

"I see that." Buffy said.

"Their stock room was still pretty full. I guess the people running away forgot about it."

"Or they were in too much of a hurry to care."

The three of them spread Connor's findings out in front of the fireplace and sorted through everything. He had also managed to find some blood for Angel in the butcher's section. It was well past midnight when Spike walked in through the front door and found the three of them enjoying a picnic. They looked up, startled at his sudden arrival.

"Well, isn't this cozy." Spike said.

"You're back." Buffy said, standing up. Angel and Connor got to their feet as well.

"I'm back. Made a stop at your house looking for you and discovered your so-called friends had staged a mutiny. I expected Angel Jr. to be here with you, but not the big man himself." He walked further into the room, but stopped when he noticed Angel and Connor move closer to Buffy.

"What did you find?" Angel asked.

"Hello to you, too."

"Spike…." Buffy warned.

Spike sighed. "You were right. Caleb is trying to protect something from you. I think you were spot on all the way. I think it's at the vineyard."

"We know all of that. What did you find?"

"An inscription on the wall of a secret room that made Preacher Man go on a killing spree in a monastery. 'Non tibi est. Ei solae tractare licet.'"

"'It is not for thee. It is for her alone to wield.'" Angel translated.

"Sounds like a Slayer thing to me."

"Sounds like we definitely need to get a plan in place to hit that vineyard and take what he's hiding from me." Buffy said.

"So, when are we going in?"

"Who said you were invited?" Connor asked.

Buffy glanced at him and saw that Angel was snickering. "Look, I wouldn't hate having more backup on this. If Spike is willing to go in, then he goes in, ok?" Angel and Connor both mumbled their assents and Buffy turned back to Spike. "Where's Andrew?"

"Left him at your house. He ran off to the bathroom just before I hit Faith a bunch of times, and left."

"Really?" Buffy asked. She backtracked sheepishly, "I mean, not that I'm glad, but…."

"Oh, you say the word, and she's a footnote in history. I'll make it look like a painful accident." Spike smiled when she laughed and then looked at Angel. "I suppose you're here to help."

"Among other things." Angel responded.

Spike laughed. "You planning on sticking around this time? Wouldn't that be putting the world you love so much in danger?"

"I am planning to stick around, but I'm not putting anyone in danger."

"Dad's soul is permanent. There's no more loophole." Connor said.

The blonde vampire stood there and blinked in shock for a moment. "Didn't see that one coming, did you?" Angel quipped.

"Please don't fight." Buffy said. "I don't have the energy for it."

Spike nodded at her. "You got what you always wanted. I guess this is where I bow out and give up."

"Guess so." Angel said.

"Angel…." Buffy said.

"Sorry." He looked at Spike. "If you're going to be with us on this, you can stay here. The more the merrier against this Caleb guy is the impression I'm getting."

Spike shrugged out of his leather coat and slung it across the back of the couch. "You're not wrong. Bloke put me through a giant storage barrel of wine with one punch."

"His hits don't get any more fun, either." Buffy said. Spike gave her a questioning look and she shrugged. "Paid me a visit at the school today and knocked me through my office window. It's how I figured out he was hiding something at the vineyard, though."

"I say we strike as soon as possible." Connor said.

Angel noticed Buffy fighting off a yawn. "I say we get some rest and finish planning later."

"I'm good to go." Buffy said, shaking herself.

"You and Connor both haven't slept much from what I gather. Neither have I. We could all do with a little rest."

"Peaches has a point." Spike said. "You've hardly slept a full night in months. Take this time to rest up and we'll figure out an attack plan when we're all awake again."

Buffy sighed. "Ok." She looked at Angel.

He nodded. "Connor, I'll set a room up for you. Spike, your old room is still yours. Buffy, you know where you're going." They shared a small smile before breaking off to their respective bedrooms.

Angel walked into his bedroom a few minutes later to find Buffy sitting at the foot of the bed. She looked up at him and he was across the room in a few strides, pulling her to him. Gripping her thighs, he pulled her upwards and she wrapped her legs around his waist. They fell to the bed, kissing fervently and desperately trying to shed clothing. Buffy rolled them and climbed on top, yanking her top off and tossing it behind her.

Angel sat up and nipped at her collarbone, helping her unhook the clasps on her bra. As soon as she was free from it, he turned them over and stood up. He pulled his sweater off and reached down to undo Buffy's jeans. With a quick pull on the legs, the jeans were discarded on the floor and her underwear followed quickly behind. He took a long moment to enjoy the sight of the woman he loved laying there, naked and waiting for him. He felt the love and joy of it wash through him and the feeling of elation at the fact that his soul stayed put.

"Angel…." Buffy breathed, reaching for him.

He knelt down on the floor and pulled her to the edge of the bed. She gave a sharp intake of breath when his mouth found her center and he smiled as he set to work. Her hands wove their fingers in his hair and urged him on as she arced against him. Just as he sent her over the edge, she reached up and grabbed a pillow to shove over her face and muffle the cries.

Angel chuckled as he stood up and freed himself from his socks, shoes, pants, and underwear. She peeped out from the pillow and gave him a grin. He suddenly found himself pinned against the wall, Buffy kissing him aggressively. He felt a little conflicted about going hard and fast, but at the same time his need to be inside her was overwhelming.

Buffy made the decision for him. She jumped and wrapped her legs around him, using her Slayer speed to reach between them and place him at her opening before pushing down. They both groaned in pleasure and Angel turned them, pressing her against the wall as his hips began to work. He finally managed to grab a shred of self-control and walked them back to the bed. Buffy was still moving on him as he fell back to the sheets. She straddled him and he sat up to keep his lips pressed to anywhere he could reach.

Afterwards, Buffy laid on Angel's chest, ignoring the fine sheet of sweat on both of them. He held her tightly against him and listened to her breathing. They stared into each other's eyes, smiles teasing the corners of their lips. A small part of both of them were scared Willow's spell might not have taken and Angelus would make a sudden appearance.

"I love you, Buffy." Angel said. "More than you could ever realize."

"I have a pretty good idea." Buffy said, turning her head slightly to kiss his chest.

"You still my girl?"

She smiled up at him. "Always."

He leaned his head down and captured her lips with his.

Buffy woke up and realized her back was spooned against Angel's. His arm was draped around her waist and he was sleeping peacefully. She breathed a sigh of relief that she could still feel his soul deep within the pit of hers. When he was Angelus, that feeling was missing and replaced with a great black void.

For a long moment, she just watched him sleep, turning onto her back and looking up at him. She lightly ran her hand up and down his arm and felt a pool of warmth settle over her insides. He had her back no matter what. Him being here meant more to her than she could ever put into words. Something clicked in her mind and she quietly wriggled away from Angel. Dressing quietly and quickly, Buffy made her way out of the room and headed for the garden doors.

"You're going to the vineyard, aren't you?" Connor asked, startling her. He was standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Yes." Buffy said, continuing on her way out the door.

Connor fell into step beside her. "You're not going alone."

"I don't want anyone else I love getting hurt."

"Neither do I. It's why I'm going with you."

"Connor…."

"I'm not arguing about this. I'm going."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "You are your father's son."

They left the sleeping vampires behind and made their way through the woods towards the vineyard. It wasn't so imposing in the daylight. You could see a few Bringers milling around the premises and they were easily taken out. The last one, Buffy threw down the steps into the cellar. Caleb was standing near the bottom of the stairs and he looked up, startled.

"Hey. Heard you got something of mine." Buffy said. She trotted down the stairs with Connor at her heels.

"Well, if it ain't the prodigal Slayer and her boyfriend." Caleb said.

Buffy wrinkled her nose at Connor. "Not my boyfriend." She looked around. "Where's it at? You know I'm gonna find it sooner or later."

"No, you're not. I lay one hand on you, and you're just a dead little girl."

"You're not going to lay a hand on her." Connor said.

Caleb took a swing at Buffy, but she ducked back out of the way. Connor caught Caleb's hand and shot his fist out, hitting the supernatural preacher in the chest with all his strength. Buffy somersaulted over Caleb as he fell back from Connor's hit. He tried to grab her, but missed. She and Connor kept him off balance while staying well out of his reach as they looked around the cellar. Nothing stood out as obvious to either of them.

Buffy grabbed Connor and hauled him up onto the wine barrels. They ran across them and deeper into the cellar. Buffy kicked the last one into Caleb's path as he chased after them. It hit him hard enough to break and sent him sprawling across the floor.

Buffy and Connor landed side by side and looked around again, but Caleb was up off the floor and attacking again. "Connor, I'll distract. You search."

Connor dove out of the way of Caleb and Buffy flipped backwards, landing on her feet a little ways away from him. Caleb lunged at her, but Buffy ran up the wall, across the rafter, and landed on top of some more wine barrels. Buffy jumped back to the ground, pulling Caleb away from Connor, and he turned to swing at her again. She ducked again and worked to keep him off balance and away from Connor. Caleb walked toward Buffy, thinking he had her cornered, but she ducked at the last second and Caleb's fist went through a rack of wine bottles. She used the rack to jump over his head.

"You whore!" Caleb cried.

"You really should watch your language." Buffy said. "If someone didn't know you, they might think you were a woman-hating jerk."

"Buffy!" Connor grabbed her arm and pulled her towards a stack of wine barrels. He kicked one towards Caleb to reveal an open hatch in the floor. Caleb was getting up from being hit by the flying wine barrel just as Buffy and Connor jumped down into the hatch. They heard wine barrels fall on top of it, but Buffy's attention was focused on the rock in front of them.

"What is that?" Connor asked.

Buffy didn't answer. The thing…. A weapon of some sort, she guessed…. Was humming inside of her head. Her eyes raked over the wide, rounded blade at one end, across the handle with the v-shaped blades in the middle, and down to the pointed end of the shaft.

Caleb yanked open the hatch above them and walked down the stairs into the room. Connor moved to stand next to Buffy. Her eyes never left the humming weapon. "So, you found it." Caleb said. "Not impressed. Cause the question now, girly girl, is can you pry it from solid rock before I come over there…." Buffy reached out and grabbed the handle, easily pulling the weapon out of the stone. She suddenly felt…. Whole. The humming in her head had moved out into her muscles and she felt like every bit of her was vibrating with the raw power of the Slayer. "Hmm. Darn." Connor looked at Caleb in surprise. The man sounded scared. "Now, before you go hurting yourself with that thing, why don't you do yourself a courtesy and hand it over now?"

"Yeah?" Buffy turned the weapon over. "You want it?"

"You don't even know what you got there." Caleb said nervously as Buffy turned the weapon in her hand.

"I know you're backing away."

"You think wielding some 2-sided doo-dad's gonna make a difference?"

"Looks like it to me." Connor said.

"If I let her go, she slices me open with that thing." Caleb said, looking off to the side.

A voice that sounded like Buffy's floated through the room. "Faith go boom."

"I'm not letting her out of here with that thing."

Buffy realized Caleb wasn't making a move towards them. She grabbed Connor's hand and hauled him up the stairs. The two of them ran out of the cellar and didn't stop until they were well into the woods.

"Did you say something about Faith going boom?" Connor asked.

"No. But I heard it, too. Must've been the First." Buffy said. "It's incorporeal and is only seen by the people it wants to see it."

"I don't know what incorporeal means."

"Uh…. It can't be touched. Like smoke. You can see it, you just can't touch it."

"Oh." Connor nodded at the weapon in her hand. "What is that thing?"

Buffy lifted it up and looked at it in awe. "I have no idea. We've got to find Faith, though. Something tells me 'Faith go boom' doesn't mean anything good."

Buffy's living room had been turned into an impromptu triage unit. She and Connor had gone back to her house to find out that Faith had led a raid on a supposed weapon's cache the Bringers were storing. There had been a bomb and then three Turok-Han had been sent to finish them off. Buffy had turned all three of them to dust and then she and Connor had helped the ones that had lived to escape. Not the potentials that hadn't gone were treating the potentials hurt in the explosion.

"Will, come here." Buffy ordered. "She's losing a lot of blood."

"Got it." Willow came over to the girl Buffy had been helping.

Connor came in carrying an unconscious Faith through the front door. Giles and Xander were behind him with Kennedy. Buffy gestured up the stairs. "Take her up to my room." She instructed Connor.

"I hope we're in time." Xander said.

"Is she ok?" Amanda asked. "Is she gonna be ok?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Kennedy said. She looked at Buffy. "Right?"

"Mind her head." Giles said to Connor.

"I've got it." Connor snapped as he headed up the stairs. Xander and Giles followed him up.

"I'll be up in a second." Buffy called.

"You guys heal fast, right? You Slayers?" Kennedy asked.

"Yeah."

"So…. She'll be ok?"

"I don't know."

"What's with the axe thing?" Caridad asked.

"She took it from Caleb." Connor said, walking back down. "From the vineyard that no one believed her about." He headed into the kitchen to find a first aid kit.

Buffy smiled slightly at Connor's snappy words. "It might be important."

"Let's hope." Vi said.

"I think we got punished." Amanda said.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"We, uh…. We followed her. And it was…."

"It didn't work out." Vi finished.

"You guys, it was a trap." Buffy said. "It's not her fault. That could've just as easily happened to me."

"So are you…. Are you, like, back?" Caridad asked.

"I don't know. I guess I'm not leaving." Connor came back in and handed her the kit. "Thanks."

"So, we got a plan now, or anything?" Kennedy asked.

"Yeah, there's a plan. Get ready. Time's up." Buffy and Connor headed upstairs. There were a few of the potentials standing around the edge of the room staring at Faith as Giles and Xander examined her.

"Is she breathing ok?" Xander asked.

Giles nodded. "Still unconscious, though."

"We've still got work to do." Buffy said to Giles. He nodded and let Xander take over. Willow was walking up the stairs when they exited the room. Buffy nodded at her and led them into Willow's room. Connor shut the door behind them, closing it on a couple of prying ears.

"Where did you get that?" Willow asked.

"The vineyard."

"Buffy was right." Connor said. "He was hiding something and that something was that weapon."

"When I'm holding it I feel…. Something. When I'm not…. It's humming at me."

"Humming?" Giles asked.

Buffy shrugged. "I think it's maybe some kind of scythe. The only thing I know for sure is it made Caleb back off in a hurry."

"So it's true." Willow joked. "Scythe matters."

"And, ignoring that, I'd just like to point out this is really quite ingenious." Giles said, taking the offered weapon from Buffy.

"Kills strong bodies 3 ways." Buffy said.

"And you say you sense something when you hold it?"

"It's strong. And I knew it belonged to me. I just knew it."

"In addition to being ancient, it's clearly mystical." Giles said.

"Yeah, I figured that one out when I King Arthured it out of the stone."

"Maybe it's some kind of slayer weapon." Connor said.

"I can't imagine how something like this could exist without my having heard of it." Giles said.

"Well, the good guys are not traditionally known for their communication skills." Buffy said pointedly.

"Right. Um…. Any chance that it might be something other than a tool for killing things?"

"The First's guys clearly wanted it out of that stone. It's not just a tool. It's important. We need to find out whatever we can. Who made it, when, why? Does it have a name? I don't know, a credit report? Just find out fast."

"We'll start work immediately."

"Yeah, don't worry, Buff." Willow said. "We'll find out everything there is to know." She sat down and opened her laptop.

"Good, because right now, that thing's all we've got going for us."

Connor walked into the mansion later that day to find Angel pacing furiously in front of the fireplace. Spike was standing at the garden doors at the edge of the sunlight, clearly ready to follow the path of the darkness until he could leave. Both vampires turned expectantly to the door and Angel breathed a sigh of relief.

"Connor!" He rushed over and hugged him tightly. "Where have you been? Where's Buffy?"

"Chill out." Connor said, backing up. "She's fine. Probably telling Xander to take Dawn and get as far away from here as possible right now."

"Xander?" Spike asked.
"She's at her house?" Angel asked.

Connor shrugged. "Yeah."

"What happened? Where did you two go?"

"We went to the vineyard. She was going to go alone, but I wouldn't let her."

"Why would she go alone?" Angel asked.

"Has she gone daft?" Spike looked accusingly at Angel. "What did you do to her?"

"What? I didn't…."

"She didn't want you guys getting hurt." Connor interrupted. "I didn't want her to get hurt. So, I went with her." He looked at Angel. "She said that was something you would do."

"Caleb…?"

"Still breathing, unfortunately, but he's scared of her now."

"Why?"

"Was he hiding something like she thought?" Spike asked.

"Yeah." Connor nodded enthusiastically. "It was this really cool weapon thing."

"A weapon?" Angel asked.

"She thinks it's a scythe and she's pretty sure it's hers. She said it hums in her head when she's not touching it and it makes her insides get all tingly and powerful when she's holding it."

"'It is not for thee. It is for her alone to wield.' It's a weapon for the Slayer."

"Looks like. Willow and Giles are doing research on it. She killed three Uber-Vamps with it when we saved Faith and the potentials." Connor turned and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Angel asked, following his son.

"Back to Buffy's house. She wanted me to come here and let you guys know she's ok."

"What are we supposed to do?"

Connor shrugged. "It'll be dark soon. We're not going anywhere before it gets dark I don't think, so just meet us over there." He dodged out the front door before the two vampires could shootanymore questions at him.

Connor found Buffy in her room with Faith. The dark-haired Slayer had woken up and was occupying Buffy's bed. Faith held the scythe in front of her with both hands as Buffy and Connor stood beside the bed.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Buffy asked.

"Damn." Faith said. "And damn, that's something."

"I know."

"It's old. It's strong, and it feels like…. like it's mine." Faith set the scythe on the bed beside her, scooting it towards Buffy. "I guess that means it's yours."

"It belongs to the Slayer." Buffy picked up the scythe, seeming to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Slayer in charge, which, I'm guessing, is you."

Buffy sat down on the edge of the bed. "I honestly don't know. Does it matter?"

"It never mattered to me. Somebody has to lead. Let's vote for Chao-Ahn. It's harder to lead people into a deathtrap if you don't speak English."

"It wasn't your fault."

"I'm really not looking for forgiveness."

"You're not?"

"What do you want me to say? I blew it."

"You didn't blow it."

"Tell that to…."

"People die. You lead them into battle, they're gonna die. It doesn't matter how ready you are or how smart you are. War is about death. Needless, stupid death."

"So, here's the laugh riot. My whole life I've been a loner."

Buffy and Connor exchanged confused looks. "That's the funny part?" Connor asked.

"Did we miss something?" Buffy added.

"I'm trying to…." Faith gestured in front of her.

"Sorry. Sorry. Go."

"No ties, no buddies, no relationships that lasted longer than…. well, Robin lasted pretty long. Boy's got stamina."

"Principal Wood? And you? And in my…." Buffy stood up and paced away from the bed.

"Don't tell me you two got wriggly."

"No, no, no, no. We're just good friends. Or mortal enemies, depending on which day of the…. Was that the funny part?"

"Ok. The point. Me, by myself all the time. I'm looking at you, everything you have, and, I don't know, jealous. Then there I am. Everybody's looking to me, trusting me to lead them, and I've never felt so alone in my entire life."

"Yeah." Buffy nodded, knowing exactly what Faith felt.

"And that's you every day, isn't it?"

"I love my friends. I'm very grateful for them. But that's the price. Being a Slayer."

"There's only supposed to be one. Maybe that's why you and I can never get along. We're not supposed to exist together."

"Also, you went evil and were killing people."

"Good point. Also a factor."

"But you're right. I mean, I…. I guess everyone's alone. But being a Slayer? There's a burden we can't share."

"And no one else can feel it?" Faith looked at Connor for confirmation and he shook his head. "Thank God we're hot chicks with superpowers."

"Takes the edge off." Connor cleared his throat and looked away. Both women laughed at him. Buffy hefted the scythe and walked over to him, patting his arm. "Ok, come on. We're going to investigate this tomb thing that Giles and Willow found."

"Ok." Connor gave Faith a wave as he followed Buffy downstairs. The sun had gone down and as they made their way down the stairs, Angel and Spike walked through the front door.

"Honey, you're home." Spike said.

"Yeah." Buffy said.

"And you did it. Fulfilled your mission. Found the Holy Grail. Or the Holy Hand Grenade, or whatever the hell that is."

"Right now we're going with scythe." She twirled it impressively. "You guys like?"

"Well, pointy and wooden is not exactly the look I wanna know better, but it does have flair. Can see why a girl would ditch a couple of fellas for one of these."

"I'm sorry about that."

"It doesn't matter. You're back in the bosom. All's forgiven."

"Great. Thanks." Buffy looked at Angel and smiled slightly.

"I'll just…. Go back down to my hole." Spike said, seeing the looks being shared between Buffy and Angel. "Left my fags down there." He headed for the kitchen, leaving Buffy and Connor with Angel.

"Are you guys going somewhere?" Angel asked.

"Yeah." Buffy said. "Giles and Willow found something about a tomb on unconsecrated ground. I need to find out what this is and why I have it."

"Is this a mission I can join you on or…."

"Yeah. No, you're more than welcome." She gestured at the front door and Angel reached over to hold it open. "Thanks."