The sun finally slipped below the horizon, bathing the earth in the dusky,
glowing tones of twilight. Angel held Buffy as she fell into another fitful
sleep. He gave an airless sigh of relief at the feeling that accompanied
sundown, and held Buffy a little closer to him.

It seemed he couldn't hold her close enough.

Joyce knocked lightly on the door, not waiting for an answer before she poked
her head in. Angel, self-conscious but not willing to move his arms from
around Buffy, settled for nodding at her. She gave a small, tense smile and
perched on the edge of the mattress.

"How is she?" she asked, careful not to disturb her daughter from healing
sleep.

Angel's eyes dipped down to Buffy, his face softening as it did every time he
looked at her. His voice was strained, and Buffy stirred but didn't wake
when he spoke. "As well as could be expected, I think."

Joyce placed her hands on her knees. "It's strange," she mused softly, "It
seems like this day has gone by so slowly, and yet faster than time ever has
before. Am I making any sense?"

Angel lifted his head, resting his chin on top of Buffy's hair. His hand
found the small of her back, and he stroked it soothingly. Thoughtfully, he
replied, "Yes... I've been alive for so long now that the days usually melted
together until I met Buffy. And then by days still went by quick, though
they weren't meaningless as before. I had purpose because I knew her. So,
in that sense, this day has reached its end too fast." He paused for a
moment, treasuring the girl in his arms with reverence, then he went on.
"But... To see her in this kind of pain... These have been the longest hours
of my existence."

"Yes..." Joyce sounded distant when she answered a moment later.

Angel looked towards the shaded window; the blue light of the night sky was
beginning to filter through the cracks on each side of the shade. His hands
touched Buffy's arms lightly as Buffy began to shake in silence, the terror
of her life chasing her in her dreams. She calmed, the familiar touch of him
soothing her.

"Joyce?" His voice was hesitant.

"Um hmm?"

"I need to leave for a little while. Will you...?" he trailed off, unsure.

Joyce rolled her eyes heavenwards, exasperated. "I'm her mother. Of course
I will. I always will." She paused for a moment, and then her voice became
heavier than before, sad. "Will she be okay?"

Angel nodded slowly, gently releasing Buffy from his embrace and untangling
from hers. "Yes, And I'll come back."

Buffy's eyes stayed closed, but a quiet sound was issued from her lips.
"You'd better," she mumbled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Wait... Where are you guys going tonight? I thought... I thought that--"
Willow started to say when she was interrupted by Oz. He took her hand,
shaking his head briefly.

"We won't be gone for long, Baby. Just doing something that needs to be
done," he explained vaguely.

Willow began to nod, but was cut off by Cordelia, who apparently wouldn't
take that answer for face value. "What exactly needs to be done?"

Xander raked one hand through his hair, then flopped down next to her on the
couch. "Research stuff. Finding out about Buffy's strength. Giles asked
for our help, but he wants you two to stay away from it."

Willow's eyebrows knitted. "Why?"

Oz kissed her lightly, thinking. "It's a sensitive subject. We're also
researching what..." his voice caught for a moment, "happened last night. We
were hoping that you two could stop over at Buffy's for a while. Check up on
her, talk to her."

Cordelia tilted her head, inspecting Xander, who squirmed suddenly under her
gaze. "Okay," she agreed suddenly, understanding flitting quickly over her
features. She turned to Willow. "We should."

Willow bit her lip, nodding. "Yeah. Do you... Do you think she'll want to
see us?"

Cordelia shook her head. "Probably not. But she might need to, and that's
what's important." She looked at Xander and Oz, who were poised uneasily in
different places in her living room, and gave them a meaningful look. "We'll
catch you guys later?"

Xander coughed and lifted his head. "Yeah. We shouldn't be there for more
than a couple hours. I'll page you."

Cordelia stood, pulled up Willow with her. "Come on," she said briskly,
heading for the garage. "We'll talk as we drive."

Willow turned confused eyes on the boys as Cordelia tugged her along. "I-
Uh... You guys can let yourselves out?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as they were in the car and buckled, Willow turned to Cordelia.
"*What* was that?"

Cordelia pursed her lips. "I'm not sure... They're up to something, though.
I only have a vague idea of what it might be. I think I feel like Xander
does on his best days." Her mouth lifted in a slight smile.

"Something like...?" Willow let the end of her question hang in the air.
She hung tightly onto the seat of the car as Cordelia sped around a sharp
corner.

"Think about it for a second, Willow. Right now, what could be going on?"

Willow's eyes got large, and she let a strangely satisfied smile wander over
her face. "You mean that they're..."

"Hey, it's only my guess," Cordelia commented.

Willow nodded, and proceeded to hang on for dear life as Cordelia swerved to
keep from hitting a mailbox that had somehow jumped in front of them. Her
eyebrows knitted together in terror. For a second there, Cordelia had been
driving on the sidewalk.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xander and Oz walked quickly into Giles's office. They stopped and looked at
Giles, who was on the phone, speaking rapidly in what sounded like French.
He looked up and gestured for them to wait before saying something else and
then placing the phone back in the cradle.

Xander lifted his eyebrows. "Well?"

"Old friend," Giles explained curtly. "I wanted a spell, a location spell.
It's a bit complicated, but I think it should perhaps work."

Angel walked in, his long black duster floating on the air behind him. He
stopped, his eyes dark with worry and pain and fear for the soul of the woman
he loved. Placing his palms flat on the desk, he looked Giles in the eye and
smiled predatorily. "I like the idea. But there's an easier way if you'd
like to hear it."

Giles frowned, studying the vampire. After a tense moment, he leaned forward.

His voice was low. "Tell me."