By: Lucey

E-mail: littlelucey@web.de

Disclaimer: still not me!

Rating: PG-13 I guess...

Pairing: B/A (yay!!), X/A

Dedication: to all the nice people sending me feedback :o), and of course to Netti (for no special reason this time) :o))

Feedback: PLEASE!!!!! :o)

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Part 4

After they had rearranged their clothes, Buffy wiped the tears from her cheeks. Riley was gone, but suddenly she did not really care. She smiled softly at Angel as he pulled her up and headed towards the door. Later they could still discuss what just happened between them.

Apparently they hadn´t missed anything, Cordelia still reported the part where they´d realized that Angel had lost some of his memory.

"We all know that now, Cordy", Xander started to get impatient. Maybe he should go outside himself for a while, he thought, while he watched Buffy sitting close to Angel on the couch again. Why were her cheeks suddenly flushed?, he started to wonder.

"Wait. Cordelia, we all know the story, believe me. But what you haven´t told us is WHY you hit him.", Willow suddenly raised her voice, sounding a bit annoyed.

Everybody's eyes turned to Cordelia instantly.

"I hit him because our stubborn friend here", she pointed towards Angel, "refused to tell his princess", she pointed towards Buffy now, "that the damned curse, that caused all their trouble, is finally gone."

"WHAT???", Buffy and Angel shouted unison, staring at Cordelia and then at each other.

"Can you say that again?", Xander repeated.

"His soul is permanent. Long story. Thought I mentioned it."

"*No* you *didn´t*", Giles shook his head. All this trouble because she had just "forgotten" to tell them the most important detail. He looked towards Buffy, only to find that she was still staring at Angel. Both seemed frozen by what they´d just learned, too many thoughts running through their heads at the same time. One could almost see the wheels turning in their heads.

"Is it true?", she asked doubtfully, tears welling up in her eyes again.

"I don´t know.", he had to admit.

It was Anya who cut the silence that had suddenly fallen over the room. Nobody wanted to disturb the couple that was still looking at each other in silence. But their looks had changed from doubtful into something very different. Buffy´s cheeks were flushed deep red and Angel twisted his fingers.

"So you hit him and he lost his memory. Got that. So why don´t you hit him again and we go all home then?"

"Anya!", Xander pushed his girlfriend in the rips.

"Again? Oh no, there´s no way I´m hitting him again.", Cordelia protested.

"It´ll be ok, I´ll heal fast", Angel interfered in the quarrel.

"What? In no way I´ll let her hit you again.", Buffy protested.

"Maybe the idea isn´t so bad.", Willow admitted." We could reconstruct the situation."

"Ok. He was sitting on the edge of his desk like...", Cordelia arranged Angel on Giles´ desk, "...that."

Buffy sent her a look that said nothing friendly.

"I was standing here, turning to Wesley and then just...bang.", she repeated the movement she did hours before. She struck him straight in the face, sending him towards the floor again.

"Are you crazy?", Buffy shouted at her before she knelt down beside Angel. "You knocked him unconscious again!"

She swore to herself if anything had happened to him she would show Cordelia what one single strike could do to a nose.

As Angel gained consciousness again, he had the strongest déja vu of his life. His head hurt, but was somehow placed on softer ground. When he opened his eyes, he saw many faces staring at him. Cordelia, Wesley, Giles, Willow, Xander and Anya were watching him carefully.

"Buffy?", he asked worried. Where was she?

"I´m here", she replied, kneeling beside him, touching his cheek. She looked worried. "Are you ok?"

"My head aches a bit,", he admitted. But then he started to remember...

"Angel?", she asked him, fear in her voice.

"What do you remember?"

He closed his eyes for a second, millions of pictures flooding his mind, and then smiled at her. "I remember everything."

When he saw tears welling up in her face he pressed her hand encouraging.

"I´m fine."

Still not the end! :o)