A/N Update on "My Own Version 2": I'm waiting for the new Angel episodes so I can find out what happens so I don't get things messed up. I'm keeping with the story line (sort of). They're in the middle of a rain of fire in LA. I'm going to try and finish that as soon as I get the transcript for the new episode of Angel.



Buffy watched her sister pack. Dawn was going to LA in about an hour and a half, but she had to be at the school about an hour early. The FBLA trip was on and it was an over-nighter. Not only were they touring that law firm, they got to go visit museums and go shopping. Angel had provided Dawn with more than enough money to go shopping and pay for everyone's dinner at a fancy restaurant twice. Dawn was excited. Buffy had never seen her sister more happy than she was at this point in her life.

Buffy and Angel had been married for a month now. Things had been going great. They had moved into Joyce's old room and fixed up Buffy's old room as a guestroom. Buffy's birthday party had been a small one at the Bronze. For once it had been uneventful. Nothing big had been brewing in Sunnydale, which was really odd. There was only the regular vamp slayage quota: two to three vamps a night. The Slayer and her friends had decided that the Hellmouth needed a break from all that spewing of evil things. None of them were complaining. Their weekends were spent as regular people. Movies, shopping, and most importantly, Bronzing. Angel was learning to dance a lot better too. Buffy had taught him some very interesting moves in the living room while Dawn was at school. Now Buffy always had a dance partner.

"Don't forget Buffy, that lady from social services is coming by to check on us." Dawn said.

"Huh? Oh, right." Buffy said, snapping out of her reverie.

"I still don't get why they insist on picking on us."

"Your grades slipped a lot last year and you chose to live with me instead of dad after mom died."

"My grades are picking back up."

"I know."

"And why would they target me because I chose to stay where I was happiest?"

"They're just doing their job sweetie." Buffy sighed. "Are you ready to go? Angel's waiting for you downstairs."

Dawn looked around and double-checked it all in her head. "Yeah." She looked around again and then with more certainty she said, "Yeah."

Dawn went to pick up her bag, but she grunted and dropped it on the floor. Buffy smiled and picked it up for her. Her Slayer powers came in handy when she was playing bellhop. As they walked down the stairs, the door opened and Lita popped her head in.

"Hey guys." She said, walking in and shutting the door behind her. "Are you about ready Dawn?"

"You're going?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah. My dad had some stuff to do so he dropped me off here on his way to where ever he was headed. My bags are on the porch."

"Hey Lita." Angel said, walking in and kissing his wife. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"You're taking me to the FBLA thing."

"Oh. I almost forgot that you go to the same school Dawn does."

"It's starting to become a trend."

"What do you mean?"

"The going to school thing. Buffy was the first Slayer to ever go to school and slay at the same time. I'm the second."

"True. Well, are you two ready to go?"

"Dawn is." Buffy said.

"I am too." Lita said.

"Ok then, let's get going. You girls need any help with those bags?" Angel asked.

"I don't. I love having super strength."

"Well, don't love it too much. The last person who loved her job and thought it was fun ended up in a six month coma and now she's in jail." Buffy said.

"Faith?"

Buffy nodded. Angel kissed her and took Dawn's bags out to the car. Dawn said that she would see everyone tomorrow night and left. Lita hugged Buffy and wished her luck on patrol for that night. Buffy stood on the porch and waved at Dawn and Lita as Angel drove them off.



"Buffy?" Angel called as he unlocked the door. He walked into the kitchen and looked around. "Baby?" He walked upstairs and looked in their room. She wasn't there either. "Buffy? Where are you?" Still no answer. He walked over to the phone and called Giles. "Is Buffy with you? Do you know where she's at? No, she didn't leave a note and the Jeep's not here. I don't know where she'd be. I'll call Xander, you call Willow." Angel hung up and called Xander. "Is Buffy with you? Have you talked to her lately? Ok, meet me at the Magic Box." As soon as he'd hung up, the phone rang. "Hello? I told Xander to meet us at the Magic Box. Willow and Tara will be there too? Good. Ok. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Angel walked back out the door and headed to the Magic Box. When he got there, Xander and Willow's cars were out in front. Giles usually parked a little ways away in the parking lot of the Espresso Pump. He walked in, the bell ringing, and headed right over to Giles behind the counter.

"We have to find her." Angel said.

"Hello Angel." Giles said.

"Giles! Now. Send out the search party."

"Giles, is Angel here yet?" Willow called from the training room.

"Yes." Giles called back.

"Ok."

"Why is Willow back there?" Angel asked.

"Xander, Anya, and Tara are back there too." Giles answered as he headed back to the training room.

Angel followed. "Giles, what the hell is...."

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Angel! Happy Birthday to you!" Buffy, Giles, Willow, Tara, Anya, and Xander sang. Buffy stood in front of everyone holding a birthday cake with an angel in the middle. The training room was decorated with bright balloons and streamers. Presents were piled neatly in a corner near the couch. His wife was beaming at him as she set the cake down on a table and walked up to him.

"I didn't mean to worry you, but this was the only way I knew we could get you to celebrate." she said, laying a kiss on his cheek. "Are you mad?"

"No." Angel wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist and pulled her closer. "I'm not mad." He kissed her deeply as he turned his back to everyone. She rubbed up against him slightly and Angel groaned slightly.

"Happy Birthday. Wait till we get home." She said huskily, moving back over to her friends.

Angel followed. The party continued. Angel opened his presents and they all ate cake and had a great time. There was music and dancing and lots of talking. A couple of hours later, Buffy and Angel went home. They started to head up the stairs, a kissing tangled mess, but a knock on the door prevented them from going any further. Buffy went to get it.

Gunn stood there with a broad smile on his face. "Hey Buff! What's goin on?"

"Oh...." Buffy looked over at Angel buttoning his shirt. "Not much."

"Can I come in?"

"Uh, sure." Buffy stood out of the way and waited for Gunn to step over the threshold.

"Thanks."

Buffy nodded. "So, uh, what did you need?"

"Just came by for a friendly visit."

"Really?" Buffy looked at Angel who muttered, "He couldn't have picked another day?"

"Actually, I heard there was this vamp nest down near the docks. I was hoping to get you two and go down and bust it up."

"Now?"

"Yeah! It's the best time. They ain't got nowhere to run. Daylight."

"I know, but why now? What have they done to make us really want to go kill them?"

Gunn's smile melted and he slouched onto the sofa. "My boys and I were goin in there to get rid of em last night and they got Rondell. I don't know if they changed him or just killed him. A few of the others were seriously wounded. James may not make it."

"Oh God." Buffy slumped next to Gunn. "Rondell?" Gunn nodded. "He was one of the best."

"You helped train him in some maneuvers."

"Yeah. But he was good before that. I only made him better."

Angel stood in the French doors leaning against the doorframe. He didn't really know any of these people. All he knew was that Buffy was sad and he had to make her feel better somehow. The thing that came to mind was violence. He could see it in her eyes that these vamps didn't have much longer. So, he went to chest that Xander had made Buffy for her birthday and started pulling out weapons.

"Angel?" Buffy asked.

He paused and looked at her. "Are we going or not?"

Buffy and Gunn looked at each other and stood up. They started to load down with stakes, crossbows, and Buffy's favorite sword. They all piled into Angel's convertible and Gunn directed them to an old burnt out factory. Turns out it was the very same factory Spike, Dru, and then Angelus had set up shop in.

"I know this place." Buffy said, giving voice to her thoughts.

"You do?" Gunn asked.

Buffy looked at Angel and then back at Gunn. "This is where Angelus, Spike, and Dru lived before Giles burnt it down."

"Why would any vamps want to set up here now? It's no good." Angel said.

"It is to them." Gunn said. "Low life vamps like them.... Any place is good for them as long as they can hide from the sun."

"Hey, let's use a little bit more of vampire friendly terms here." Buffy said, motioning toward Angel.

"Sorry." Gunn said.

"It's cool." Angel said. "Let's just get this over with."

"Works for me." Buffy said.

She motioned for Gunn to go left once they got in and Angel to go right. She would be the decoy and jump right in. Once the vamps started attacking, Angel and Gunn would surprise attack from each side and things would be over with. Hopefully.

Silently, Angel and Gunn moved into position. Buffy counted to ten and then kicked down the door off its hinges. A small amount of ashes flew up and Buffy waited for those to settle before she jumped in and strode to the middle of the floor.

"Rise and shine guys! The Slayer wants to party." Buffy bellowed.

As she looked around, yellow eyes glared at her from the darkness. They moved out to surround her and Buffy counted about fifteen of them. She could sense one more lurking, but he wasn't of importance right now. The first of the vamps attacked and Buffy dodged out of the way. She grabbed one in front of her and threw him into the one next to him. A sort of domino effect happened and four of the vamps went down. She smiled at her handy work and then ducked. A fist flew above her head and she caught it, spinning with the momentum and whirling into the vampire's arms. He smiled at her, thinking he had her, but she smiled back as his face turned to that of shock as he disintegrated to dust. She took out a few more before she was overwhelmed and Angel and Gunn attacked. They had brought the number down considerably, but there was still seven more to go. Not to mention the one she had sensed lurking in the shadows. The seven watched them cautiously. They seemed to be waiting for a signal.

"Where's Rondell?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know. I can't see in the shadows." Gunn said.

"There's something else here." Angel said.

"I know. I felt it too when I walked in." Buffy said.

"There's something.."

"Familiar about it? Yeah, I got that too."

Suddenly, it was as if a stoplight turned green and all the vamps attacked as one. Buffy, Angel, and Gunn had a hard time fighting them off. Buffy got pinned in a corner with no way out. She started to look around for anything she could use to her advantage, but nothing was available. Then, Angel was there. He was in vamp face and knocking the hell out of the vampires in Buffy's way. She smiled and kicked the nearest vamp that was distracted by Angel's advances. Soon, they were fighting back to back. She had lost track of Gunn in all the frenzy.

"Angel, we have to find Rondell." Buffy shouted over the noise of falling, burnt-out crates she had just dropped on two vamps.

"Who?" Angel growled.

"Are you that mental? The guy we came here to save.. Or possibly kill."

"Oh! That guy! I, uh, saw him over in a corner.. Somewhere."

"Good. Can you get to him?"

"I think Gunn already did."

Buffy looked around and saw Gunn standing in a corner trying to help someone up. She assumed it was Rondell and he was still alive. A vamp kicked her in the stomach and Buffy doubled over. Instead of staying in that position, she fell forward, ducked her head and rolled under the vamp. She popped up behind him and staked him. When the dust cleared, Angel was there.

"Buffy! Come on, we gotta go!" Gunn yelled at her from the doorway. He held a man in dark clothing up on one arm. He looked like he was barely conscious.

"Go on! There's another one here I wanna find." Buffy called back.

"Are you sure?"

"Go! Get him back to the house, I'll meet you there."

Gunn left without another word. Angel stood behind Buffy, morphing out of vamp mode. She turned to him and smiled.

"That was fun." She said, brushing dust off her clothes.

"Yeah. Fun." Angel stared at her. His eyes roamed the length of her body with lust.

"Ok, I know what you're thinking and I promised you that we would take care of that thing that you're thinking of, but right now I need to find that other vamp."

"It's gone."

"What?"

"I uh, can't sense it.. anymore."

"Oh."

"God, you're even more beautiful here."

"Huh? As opposed to our comfy bed where we could be right now if I hadn't sent Gunn with Rondell to our house."

"Our house?"

"Yeah. You know, the one where we live with Dawn? The place where I grew up here on Hellmouth central?"

"I know what you meant."

"Ok. Hey, just a thought here: did you happen to hit your head while we were fighting?"

"No. Why?"

"Cause you sure are acting strange." Buffy sighed. "Come on, let's go see Giles at the Magic Box and tell him about today's lovely adventure."

"I can't. It's still daylight."

"Haha. You have your ring on. Now let's go. I don't wanna have sex in this burnt out piece of crap."

"Maybe I do. Maybe it brings back memories."

"Of what? Death? Torture? Mayhem? Lovely smoke smells that don't come out of your clothes the first 10 washes?"

"No."

"Angel, would you come on?" He pulled her to him tightly and didn't let her go. "Ok, are you asking for me to play dominatrix and kick your ass here? Cause you sure are pushing it."

"Dominatrix, huh? Will there be outfits?" Angel asked, lowering his mouth to her neck to suck on her soft skin.

"You are so horny!"

"Only for you." He licked her scar and bit down gently.

"You know, Faith was right."

"Faith?"

"Yeah. She said slaying makes you horny. It's working. Just not on this Slayer."

"I don't turn you on?"

"Would you stop playing games and come on? We'll get this job done later."

"How about I stay here for a little bit longer? You know, see if any more vamps show? Or that.. presence?"

"You know what? Fine. You do that. I'll be at the Magic Box for a while if you need me. Otherwise, I'll meet you at home." Buffy walked out, picking her stake up off the ground as she headed out.

Angel watched her go. She was even more beautiful than that seventeen-year- old he had been torturing. Her hair was longer and she was much older. She had definitely filled out more. Her confidence was through the roof. *This is going to be fun.* he thought to himself with a smile.