CHAPTER FIVE The room was silent, everyone's eyes were trained on Angel who was lost in remembering the perfect day he and Buffy had shared together so long ago. Xander cleared his throat, trying to get Angel's attention. When that failed, Anya tried a less than subtle approach.

"So, Angel, you and Buffy huh?"

Giles tried not to groan, instead he silently thanked the higher powers that Buffy was currently asleep on his lap, keeping him from walking out of the room in disgust.

"What? Oh.it would have been about two years ago. During thanksgiving. I came to Sunnydale, but I wouldn't let anyone tell Buffy that I was here, trying to protect her. I'm still not really sure how she found out I was here," Angel said, curiously.

Xander slowly put up a hand. "Sorry."

"She came to LA, she was.incredibly annoyed with me and.everything happened so quickly. We were attacked, by a Mohra demon, and some of its blood mixed with mine. It.well, it's blood has healing qualities, and.it made me human again."

"So, you really did have a heartbeat," Willow said softly.

Angel nodded. "Things were.terrific between Buffy and I. We didn't have to worry about the curse, we didn't have to worry about the fact that I was a vampire, but.I never really considered that I wouldn't have the strength and the power of healing that I had as a vampire. I tried to kill the Mohra demon, and I found that I couldn't. I was pretty much useless to this world as a human and.I was putting Buffy's life at risk. So I went to the Oracles, the beings that have contact with the Powers That Be, and I asked them to turn me back. So, they gave me back the day. Erased it from everyone's memory. Except mine."

Even Xander winced at the implications of that. Angel and Buffy sharing a perfect day and no one remembering it except for Angel himself. That had to be painful.

"Harsh," Anya finally commented, unsure of what else to say, but knowing that if no one said anything, then the room would be silent until Buffy woke up with a start.

It was Willow who ran to Buffy's side, trying to get her to lay back down.

Buffy looked at her sadly and touched the young Wicca's face.

"So sorry Will," Buffy whispered.

Willow looked at her, surprised. Why would Buffy be apologising to her when it was Willow who had caused Buffy's memory loss? Of course, Buffy wouldn't have remembered that even if she had have been told.

"What for?" Willow asked softly.

"Veruca," she said, her voice barely audible.

Willow took a sharp intake of air, not having prepared herself to hear the name of the werewolf that had made Oz leave her. But that had been two years ago now.

Willow smiled sadly and pushed back a strand of Buffy's hair, kissing the Slayer's forehead softly.

"Doesn't matter Buffy."

Buffy just nodded her head, trying to speak, but Willow hushed her gently.

"You need to rest, kay Buffy? Just rest."

Buffy nodded but kept her eyes open.

"Water," she requested weakly.

Giles was up and in the kitchen within seconds, fetching a glass of water. He sat quickly beside Buffy and helped her sit up, feeding her tiny sips of the cool liquid.

No one in the room knew quite what to say and silence descended upon them once more.

~*~

Angel looked towards the clock on Giles' wall and stood up, looking towards Gunn and Wesley.

"Sun's down. Let's go."

Wesley and Gunn nodded and were on their feet instantly. Giles stood up as well, reluctantly leaving Buffy's side.

"Spike's looking for the demon as well, with four of you out there, you might be able to take it down."

Angel nodded and looked towards his team.

"Are you sure you're prepared for this?" Giles asked.

"I assure you Rupert, we wouldn't be here otherwise," Wesley said.

Giles looked at the younger former Watcher, hesitated a moment, sizing him up, and then nodded.

"Thank you."

The group moved swiftly out the door, each of them carrying several weapons.

As soon as the door was shut, Giles began pacing across the room.

"Calm down Tweed-man," Cordelia said tiredly. "Angel knows what he's doing. And I know that Wesley wasn't much when he was last in Sunnydale, but.a lot's changed since then."

Giles looked at the girl who he had once considered a sheer snobbish spoiled child. He nodded his agreement. Things certainly had changed.

________________________

Spike walked through the cemetery, wishing he could be anywhere else but there. He wanted desperately to be at the Slayer's side, but he knew that he couldn't unless he wanted to be staked in the heart.

He just wished that he could have been there when she relived the day that Willow had cast the spell that had caused them to become engaged. He laughed a little at the thought of the spell and the effects it had had.

It seemed funny to look back on it now with fondness rather than with the disgust that he usually associated that day with.

Spike heard a noise behind him and turned, his battle axe brandished high. He sighed as he saw who was behind him and reluctantly lowered his weapon.

"Angelus," he greeted.

Angel nodded hello and continued walking, Spike joining in the small barrage.

"You realise if we don't get this bugger tonight, it'll kill her," Spike said quietly.

Angel looked towards Spike sharply. "It won't come down to that. The Miedstayne's gotta come out of hiding to finish what he started. And when he does, we're going to be there. And we're going to kill it."

Wesley and Gunn dropped behind the two vampires who had sped up their search. Gunn looked towards Wesley who was looking genuinely worried.

"So, this chick we're trying to save.she's Angel's old flame?" Gunn asked.

Wesley nodded. "Something like that."

"You loved her too," Gunn commented.

The young ex-Watcher nodded again. "Not like Angel did, but.yes. In my own way. She.she inspires such innate goodness in everyone. She made two vampires fall in love with her. I've seen far stronger men run to her aid, even when it wasn't needed."

"And this Spike dude. He's cool, right? Vampire with a soul kinda deal as well?"

Wesley shook his head and grimaced. "Not entirely."

Gunn stopped walking and hit Wesley's arm. "Are you telling me that we're working with a cold-blooded blood sucking killer?"

"Not entirely. Spike is.a rather interesting character. He's in love with the Slayer as well."

Gunn just shook his head in confusion and continued walking. "Next you'll be telling me that old British guy loves her too."

Wesley tried to keep the grin to himself as he stifled back a snort of laughter.

"That's what he got fired for."

~*~

It was around twelve midnight before Xander, Anya and Cordelia could convince Giles to go to bed. It was Cordelia's tactless statement about Giles' inability to help Buffy if he was dead that convinced him to head up stairs and crawl onto the soft and welcoming mattress.

It had only taken two minutes before Giles was in a deep sleep that his body had desperately needed.

Xander, Anya and Cordelia settled themselves in the living room, a deck of cards sitting on the coffee table waiting to be shuffled. Dawn was curled in a ball on the couch and had been sleeping since earlier that evening.

Willow was sitting in a corner, a book on her lap, but her eyes were staring at Buffy who was still sleeping restlessly. The Slayer seemed to be in a considerable amount of pain, both from the fever and from having her memories torn from her mind.

No one had said it yet, but each of them had considered half of Buffy's condition to be Willow's fault.

Willow half stood as she saw Buffy's eyes open. The drugged Slayer looked around the room tiredly, too exhausted to even try and struggle. Willow was at her side, holding a glass of water to Buffy's lips.

The blonde girl drank slowly, savouring the coolness of the water inside her mouth.

"I was right, you know," Buffy whispered, gaining the attention of the other three who now stared on in fascination.

"About what?" Willow asked gently.

"Kathy. She's a demon. She wanted.a soul. No one believed me," Buffy whispered.

"Who's Kathy?" Cordelia mouthed across at Xander.

"Later," he whispered.

Cordelia nodded and went back to watching Buffy.

"It's okay Buff. Kathy's gone. No more listening to Cher, I promise," Willow said.

Buffy gave a tired grin. "Thank god for that."

Buffy closed her eyes again and Willow lay a hand to the girl's forehead. "Sleep," she whispered.

Willow stood up slowly and made her way back to where she had been sitting, ignoring the curious looks from the other three.

"So.who's Kathy?" Cordelia asked again.

"Buffy's room-mate who was actually a soul-sucking demon that was trying to take Buffy's soul. It kinda made her go crazy," Xander explained succinctly.

"Angelus crazy?" Cordelia asked.

Xander shook his head emphatically, then stopped to reconsider. "Sort of actually. She wanted to kill Kathy before she knew for sure that Kathy was a demon. It was sorta.scary. I've only seen her out of control once before."

"Faith," Cordelia said sadly.

Xander nodded and began dealing the cards.

Cordelia looked towards the now sleeping form on the couch.

"And I thought my life sucked," she commented sadly.

Xander looked up at his ex girlfriend and smiled a little. "We don't know the half of it."