Chapter 1 "Missing" "Angel?" Willow took in his battered and barely covered body. Fear registering on her face, she stepped back. "Have you seen Buffy?" "No. I thought you were her." How could they be having a conversation like nothing was wrong. Like the world hadn't just turned over and spit him out. "Are you....back to normal?" Hope lighted in her eyes. "In a matter of ways. I need to see Buffy. Where is she?" Relief flooded into her body as she noticable relaxed. "I...I don't know. I came here looking for her. Joyce said that she had cleaned out her closet." "She left? But where to? Why?" "I was hoping she might have come here." Tears that she could hold back no longer shone in Willow's eyes. "I..I don't know where else she might have gone. Everybody is out looking for her." "Well, I think she's already been here." He said, holding out his open hand. The silver ring lay in his palm. The only witness as to where the slayer might have gone. ************* Willow led the way towards Buffy's house, Angel trailing behind trying to keep his battered body moving. The scene at the factory replaying over and over in his head. Luckily he was no longer dressed in the dusty old sheet, thanks to a brief trip to his apartment. Where they had found more clues left by Buffy. Giles, Joyce, and Oz were waiting for Willow at Buffy's house. The all looked expectantly towards Willow as she stepped in the door. "Did you find anything?" Giles asked hopefully. "No and yes." She said turning back towards the open door, where Angel waited, unable to enter. Giles pulled Willow away from the door, and reached for a stake all in one movement. His stance ready to strike at the slightest need. "No Giles, he's alright. He's back on our side." Willow stepped in front of Giles to get between Angel and the stake. "I think he can help." "You sure?" Giles didn't seem too convinced. "Yes, now would you put that down. He can't even get in, remember?" Willow gives an exasperated sigh, as Giles finally lowers the stake. "Good, now back to business. Where's Xander?" "He's still checking out some places. You sure he can't get in?" Joyce said glaring at the figure standing in the doorway. "Wh-where did you find him?" Giles British accent more pronounced in worry. "The old mansion, but he doesn't seem to remember how he got there." "Oh I see." "Did you find anything that might help us find Buffy." Joyce said trying to steer the conversation back on subject. Angel, who had been silent up to this moment spoke, "I found this at the mansion." Holding out the ring for all to see. "What's that?" Oz leaned over Joyces shoulder, afraid to move any closer to the sinister looking vampire. "It's a Klada ring." Gile lifted it to his face and squinted at it. "But how do you know Buffy left it?" "Because it was my Birthday present to her." Angel didn't let any emotions show on his face, but his eyes betrayed the grief he felt. "Oh I see. We-well then she must have stopped there on her way out of town." Giles seemed to shrink with the realization. "It's not the only stop she made..."Willow's words were cut off by Angel. "She stopped by at my apartment too." "How do you know it was recently, I mean *you* haven't been there in a while." Oz's tone gave away his obvious dislike of the vampire. Angel just gave him a weary look and pointed to his nose. "Oh, she was there. Tonight." "Did she take anything? Something that might tell us where she went?" Giles asked hopefully. "No." "Oh, I guess we'll just have to wait till Xander and Cordellia get here. And hope they found something." Resigned Giles sat back on the sofa next to Buffy's mother to comfort her. Willow and Angel exchange a look before she turns back to the rest of the group. Coughing discretely in the direction of Giles. "Yes?" Willow thought, glaring at him for moment, while he looked blankly back at her. Pointing with her head back towards the vampire leaning painfully on the door frame. Angel had a look of pained patience on his face. "Oh yes...well, uh Joyce." "Are you sure he's OK to let in?" Doubt in her tone. Her arms were crossed over herself, as had become habit whenever she worried about Buffy. "Yah," Willow nodded. "Alright, you can come in." Angel started to step into the room, but after the beating his body had not yet recovered from, he staggered foward nearly falling into Willow as she reached to help him stand. No one moved towards them as she manuevered him towards the nearest chair, bending deeply under his weight. "Is he OK?" Joyces motherly instincts pushed caution aside as she looked towards the grimacing vampire. "I'll be alright soon." He said doubling over in the overstuffed arm chair. Turning to Willow Giles asked. "Where did he come from, and how did he get like this?" Motioning towards the still grimacing vampire. "I don't know, but where ever it was, it was bad. If he hasn't healed from this yet, it would have to be. He was pretty torn up when I found him in the mansion. Not to mention...well" She lipped to him. "Oh, well the spell did say he would be sent to hell. And I can only assume how that would be." "That still doesn't explain how he got *back*." Oz eyed Angel, now recovered of his composer. "I don't know how I got back, all I know is I woke up in the mansion. Before that...." The vampire's eyes glazed over with fear. Very little put fear into Angelus, the five century old vampire. At that moment the door opened, and Xander walked into the house, Cordillia trailing after. "Find anything?" Giles asked, pouncing on the distraction the two new members of the group added. "No." Both looked down about their news. "Well it looks like she..." Giles was cut off by Xander. "Wooho, where'd he come from?" Xander was quickly retreating from the armchair in which Angel sat. "And why did you let him in. Remember he tried to kill me, and Willow, and Joyce, and need I continue?" "He's OK Xander. The spell worked." Willow's smile beeming with accomplishment. "You sure he's not going to bite?" Cordillia asked, "Cuz if he is I'm going back to my car." "You wouldn't make it to your car." Oz pointed out. "Oh well then, I guess it's a good thing he's on our side." She eyed the reclining vamp again. "He is on our side isn't he?" Joyce who had remained silent until this moment shouted to the rest of the group. "Yes, for the last time he's on our side. Now can we get to what's important? Buffy is missing, and we have to find her before something happens to her." Slumping to the couch in tears, she sobbed into Giles arms. "Or Buffy happens to something. This is the slayer we are talking about." Xander looked about the room at the worry filled faces. "She is the slayer." He offered in defense of his statement.
