"What happened to you?" Angel asked.

When he and Buffy had burst through the door, Dawn had been laying on the couch. From the looks of it, they thought she was dead. But when Buffy called her name, Dawn bolted up and fell off the couch. Lita and Spike had left quietly. They were probably out on patrol together. Actually, they had been spending a lot of time together.

"I fell asleep." Dawn said. "After Buffy called, you left and said you would be home later with her."

"I was here?"

"Yeah."

"Did you happen to invite me in?"

"I don't think I did. You played some joke about Buffy was in trouble and you needed in for more weapons. I said, 'You live here.' I guess that's an invite. Why?"

"Dawn, that wasn't Angel." Buffy said. She looked at her Angel. "So there is another one. Oh! I talked to him too!"

"What?" Angel asked.

"At the warehouse the other day! That was you Gunn was carrying out, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

"I was getting ready to go find that other vamp, you know that presence we felt, but you said it was gone. Then when I said, let's go after Gunn, you said that you were going to stay and see if the thing came back. You didn't want to go outside.. Into the sun."

"And you're just now mentioning it?"

"Well, I thought you were just horny and pissed that I didn't.. You know.. With you"

"When have I ever acted like that?"

"Please! You've done that for a while now. It's a little thing, but I notice it. You get this look on your face whenever I say no."

"What look?"

"That look! The one that says 'Oh I'm horny, jump my bones now Buffy!'"

"I don't have a look that looks like that!"

"Oh you do too! You had it a lot worse back when we thought we couldn't do it!"

"Guys!" Dawn said, getting their attention back. "Angelus is here. He has an invite to our house. It's really hard to tell which ones which. So what are we going to do?"

"I don't know." Angel said.

"I don't think we should try the de-invite spell." Buffy said.

"Why?"

"It might get confused and block you out too. You are the same demon. Sorry."

"It's ok. I have the demon in me. I've accepted."

"So, what are we going to do?"

"Wait!" Dawn said. "Why can't we do the spell?"

"It might get confused and block Angel out too."

"Then we can just invite Angel in again."

"Which in turn might invite Angelus in too. Same demon." Angel said. "I don't know if that invite you gave him really was one. Maybe he didn't need it."

"Then why would he ask to be let in?"

"Precautionary?" Buffy asked.

"Maybe." Angel said. "But you know that precautionary is not a word Angelus uses too often. The thing I'm worried about is: what if he can come in because he technically lives here?"

"That means he can invite any of his vampire lackeys in. Not to mention the demons he could be sending over here at any time unlike the vampires that can only come out at night." Buffy stood up and sighed.

"Could things get any worse?" Dawn asked.

A loud pounding started all around the house. It got louder and louder until it was shaking the house and making things fall off shelves. Angel yanked Buffy away as the desk toppled over onto the floor. They pulled Dawn over to the French doorway and made her stay. Buffy headed into the kitchen as Angel looked out the dining room window. The house was surrounded by demons and vampires. They were slamming themselves against the sides of the house. Two vamps were crackling with energy just in front of the big oak in the front lawn.

"Angel!" Buffy yelled.

He ran back to the kitchen. Buffy pointed out the door's window. Outside, Spike and Lita were fighting demons and vamps away from them. They were having trouble because they were so outnumbered and the vamps kept attacking in waves.

"We've gotta help them!" Buffy said.

"I'll get weapons." Angel said, running back into the living room. Dawn followed a little ways, but he moved her back under the doorway. "Stay."

"Angel, don't go out there! I have a bad feeling." Dawn said.

"What?"

"I don't know! I've been getting them lately. I can't explain it."

"Angel!" Buffy called.

He looked towards the kitchen and then back at Dawn. "We can't just leave Spike and Lita out there to die Dawn."

"They're not going to. If you go out there, then someone will. I don't know who."

"How long has this been going on?"

"About a week. I just ignored them at first because they were just feelings. I thought it was because I was going on that trip, but it's still happening and it keeps getting stronger each time."

"Do you see things?"

"No. It's just feelings, but I know what they mean."

"Angel! I'm going!" Buffy called.

"Buffy, no!" Angel ran after her, but it was too late. She was outside and kicking demon ass with Lita and Spike.

Angel sighed and ran outside. He threw Buffy her sword and she caught it mid flight. Spike yelled for a weapon and Angel threw him and Lita stakes. As they fought with more confidence, Angel loaded the crossbow he held in his hands. Firing as fast as he could, Angel worked to dust the vamps and impair some of the demons. Things were going smoothly when he heard the scream from inside. Buffy heard it too and she threw demons and vamps out of her way as she bounded into the house. Lita ran in behind her. They were just in time to see Angelus and some of his demons dragging Dawn out the door. Buffy ran up to Angelus, but he stopped her, grabbing her around the waist.

"You're coming with me." He said.

"No I'm not!" Buffy struggled in his grasp. He gripped her tighter, cutting off her air. Buffy tried to scream, but there was no air to allow her to even squeak.

"Buffy, no!" Lita screamed. She was knocked back through the glass of one of the French doors by a demon three times her size.

Buffy watched helplessly as darkness surrounded her. Lita was unconscious and Spike and Angel were out back fighting. As the darkness surrounded her finally and she drifted into unconsciousness herself, she heard the sound of Angelus whispering in her ear.

"You'll be my queen before the sun is up. We'll rule this little town."



"Buffy!" Angel called as he ran into the house.

Lita was sprawled on the floor amid glass and wood shards from the French doors. Dawn was gone and the front door had been torn off its hinges and was now lying on the front lawn. Spike ran up to Lita and picked her up.

"We need to get her some help." Spike said.

Angel didn't register it. He stared at the door. Buffy and Dawn were gone. His two reasons for living. The only person who knew what had happened was out of it. Spike punched Angel and then screamed with pain from his chip.

"Come on man! If we don't get Lita some help, we're never going to find Buffy and Little Bits."

Angel stared at Spike and then bent over and picked up Buffy's sword. He walked out the door without another word.

"Angel! Angel!" Spike called after him.

He kept walking. He was heading towards the factory where Angelus had first been seen. If he wasn't there, Angel would go to the mansion. He would go to every place in Sunnydale and rip the heart out of anyone who stood in his way until he found Buffy and Dawn. There was nothing and no one that could stop him. He had lost Buffy once, not again. And Dawn. If he lost her, it would all be over. He would leave town for good. Never set foot on the Hellmouth again. Buffy had promised Giles the same thing the night she had died. He knew she was still good on her word. And now, so was he.



Buffy opened her eyes as she slowly came back into consciousness. She knew this place. It was the mansion. More specifically in the bedroom on the bed. Sitting up and taking deep breaths to satisfy her burning lungs, Buffy looked around at the familiar room. Nothing had been moved. It was the same as it had been the last time she had been here. The only thing out of place was Angelus sitting in a chair in the corner.

"Geez Buff, I thought I'd killed you there for a second." He said, standing and walking over to her. Buffy held her place on the bed as he sat down next to her and started to stroke her arm. "You know, that little seventeen year old I slept with where I come from just can't compare to the 21 year old I'm here with now."

"Don't touch me." Buffy said, glaring at him.

"I recall you saying something like that to me."

"You're not Angel."

"I wasn't when you said it to me either. You see, where I come from it's exactly the way it's happening here. It's just one of those dimensions. And trust me, there are plenty. Anyway, I know exactly how my little demise happens. I want to change that."

"Where's Dawn?"

"She's.. Well, right now that's none of your concern."

"It is my concern."

Angelus backhanded her across the face. "I was talking." Buffy went to attack him, but he saw it coming and tossed her back onto the bed, pinning her down under his weight. She bucked and he smiled down at her. "Oh! I just love it when you struggle."

"Get off of me!"

"Calm down."

"Fine. Let go of me!"

"Will you calm down?"

Buffy stared at him a moment and then stopped. He smiled cruelly and then rolled off of her. She stood up and brushed herself off. "What the hell do you want with me?"

"I want to take you back to my world and shake things up there. I'm tired of dealing with Spike and Dru. I need someone who can take charge better than they can. Besides, look how Spike has ended up. Dru's dumped him, he's got some governmental chip in his head that keeps him neutered, apparently he was mooning over you for the longest time, and now he's become that new Slayer's lap dog."

"Lita?"

"Yeah, I guess that's her name. She's pretty." Angelus circled her. "Just not as radiant as you."

"Flattered, but so not interested. I have an Angel here. I don't need another."

"There's no one else like you Buffy Summers." He moved in close to her ear. "I remember the taste of you, but now.." He moved a hand to her thigh. "Now it's even more sweet."

Buffy slammed her elbow into Angelus' stomach. "Get your hands off of me."

"Ah, it's not cheating. I'm the same person."

"You're not."

"Oh, but don't you remember? I know everything about you. Every desire, every need, every touch and kiss. I am Angel."

"You don't know me. You never knew me."

"Not here."

"Not ever. I'm not that shy traumatized 17-year-old that you think you know. Just because you have Angel's memories does not mean that you can ever come close to being him."

Like lightning, he pinned her against the wall. "Don't mess with me. I'm more powerful than you could ever imagine."

"Then you haven't done your homework."

Suddenly, the doors burst open and glass shattered from the windows. Angelus let her go and stared at her. Buffy smiled at him and went to kick him in the groin. He caught her foot.

"Not again."

Buffy fell to her hands and cartwheeled. Her free foot flew up and slammed Angelus in the face. "I've got new tricks." She ran out into the main foyer and kicked a demon out of the way. "Willow!"

The red head looked over at her. Her eyes were clouded black with the magicks. The nearest demon to Buffy exploded into fire. Angelus showed up behind her and spun her around violently.

"I knew I should have killed Willow."

"You won't touch her." Buffy started to wail on Angelus. He fought back.

A full-scale battle had broken out in the mansion and out on the front lawn. Tara and Willow were in the doorway blocking any vampires or demons that came towards them. Giles, Spike, and Lita were kicking and punching away at demons and vampires that tried to get near to Angelus and Buffy. Angel and Xander were outside fighting.

Buffy blocked punch after kick after punch and gave back just as good. She could tell Angelus wasn't ready for her new tricks. He had known the fighting style she had back when she was 17, but now that she had grown up, a lot more training techniques were embedded in her style. She could thank Angel for teaching her Tai Chi. The battle between them raged on. A kick to the face from Buffy sent Angelus flying up onto the mantel of the fireplace. He looked down at her, a little stunned.

"Gotta hand it to you Slayer, you've really improved. Sure you don't want to take up my offer?"

"Go to hell." Buffy snapped.

"I would, but then again, aren't you supposed to send me there? Oh wait! No, that wasn't me. That was your beloved Angel."

"Oh I am so gonna kick your ass."

"Bring it on." He jumped from the mantel and tackled Buffy. She rolled with it and landed on top. "Oh, this is the fun part. I love it when you take charge." She viciously punched him in the face.

"Shut up! You don't anything about me!"

"Don't I?"

"Shut up! Where the hell is Dawn?"

"Awe come on! Wriggle some more."

Buffy punched him. "Where is she?"

"Buffy!" Dawn screamed from across the room.

Angelus smiled at her. "Stop this and agree to come with me, or the brat dies." Buffy looked up at Dawn. She had a large cut just under the hairline and she looked even paler than before. "Don't do it Buffy! They're going to kill me anyway. The people they work for told them too!"

"Shut up!" the demon that held her slapped her. Dawn cried out and nearly fell to the ground. She was shaking.

"What the hell are you doing? Who do you work for?" Buffy asked Angelus.

"Ah, ah, ah Buff. You know I can't tell you that." Angelus said with a cold smirk. "Do as I say and this all ends."

"Buffy!" Angel yelled from the doorway.

"You know it's the only way."

Buffy looked from Angelus to Angel to Dawn and then back to Angelus.