A/N : Okay, let's clear something up - I'm a huge B/S shipper and I kind of agree with what Leanne said about Angel in her review. He's here for a reason but that reason is not to split up Buffy and Spike, I promise. Now, thanx for all the reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 15 - Angel

"Angel?" said Buffy as she stirred on the sofa, just moments after the man had laid her there.

"I'm here Buffy" he said softly, sitting beside her, clutching her hand, a hand that she quickly pulled away when she realised.

She opened her eyes and tried to pull herself up to a sitting position.

"Wha...what are you doing here?" she managed to ask, still a little incoherent. He shook his head.

"That doesn't matter right now, are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine" she assured him with a nod, pushing her hair from her face and sitting up straight "I'm just tired" she blinked "Please, tell me why you're here"

Angel sighed, that was his Buffy, never one to worry about herself, much more worried about everyone and everything else.

"We found something in LA" he admitted "a scroll with a prophecy, about you, I think"

"Oh great" Buffy sighed "a prophecy, that's just what I need right now..." she spoke sarcastically and Angel looked worried.

"What else is going on?"

"Oh, so much stuff, you wouldn't believe" Buffy shook her head "what with Dawn and Spike and..."

"Spike giving you trouble?" her old lover interrupted and Buffy had to stifle a laugh.

"Oh Angel, you are so out of the loop"

The vampire looked at her strangely as he realised she was biting her lip so as not to laugh at him. What had he said that was so amusing?

"You wanna help me get back in the loop?" he asked, distinctly curious now.

"Okay" Buffy started, turning to sit up straight, beside him on the sofa, "short version, because I really don't have the energy for the long version" she told him "Glory the hell god, bled Dawn, opened a portal, only Dawn's blood could close it - with me so far?" she checked.

"I think so" Angel nodded "...is Dawn okay?"

"Yes" Buffy nodded too "Spike drained Dawn, not to death just to unconsciousness, and jumped in the portal thus closing it" she got that far with a straight face but the memory of that day came rushing back so fast, the pain of losing Spike, her voice cracked and tears came to her eyes as she continued "He killed himself for us" she choked out "for the world" she smiled a little as she glanced at Angel, "for me"

"He's dead?" the vampire asked, wide-eyed. Could his unruly childe have done all this? Died for the sake of the world? For the sake of Buffy?

"He was" Buffy nodded "but the gang brought him back" she paused before adding quietly "...as a human"

Immediately, Angel was off of the sofa and pacing the length of the room. Buffy's eyes followed him back and forth a couple of times, she knew he must be hurting. He'd been cursed with the soul and trapped halfway between being a man and a monster, not able to truly be either one. He longed to be human again and yet it was his childe, Spike, who got the gift instead. Buffy knew he must be hurting.

"Angel..." she started, but really wasn't sure what to say to him. He saved her having to think of anything as he interrupted.

"Spike is human?" he checked, unable to take in what he'd been told.

"Yes" Buffy confirmed, realising that whilst she was catching Angel up on all she'd missed, she should mention one more vital piece of information. Afraid of his reaction, she spoke quietly "and I should probably mention that...we're kind of together"

She hardly dared to look at him as he stopped his pacing, his eyes going wider and his skin even paler than she'd ever seen before.

"You and Spike?" he said slowly and Buffy nodded yet again.

"I guess it's true what they say" she shrugged, "you don't know what you have until it's gone and when he was gone, oh God, I was a mess" she remembered with a humourless laugh.

"Why did no-one call me?" Angel seemed to ask the ceiling more than the girl he was talking to, before resuming his pacing "I didn't know any of this, maybe I could've helped, I could've..."

"Angel" she interrupted, getting to her feet to stand in front of him and stop his movement that was making her dizzy just watching "you couldn't have done anything more than the gang were doing for me" she told him, looking up into his face "and it's all okay now" she smiled, moving away a little now, putting some distance between their bodies "well, except for Spike having pneumonia but Giles is pretty sure he's gonna be okay now"

Angel sighed, running a hand over his face.

"God, this is a lot of information to take in"

"I know and I'm sorry that I had to tell you all this so fast, I know this was the last thing you were expecting when you came here..." Buffy apologised "again, why did you come here? You said something about a prophecy?" she prompted.

"Buff?" a voice called from the stirs and both occupants of the living room turned to see Xander coming down the stairs "Spike says chicken for the soup if you have any and..." he paused half way down as he noticed Angel "what's he doing here?" he said somewhat nastily.

"I was just asking that" Buffy told him, though he didn't seem to hear, his eyes were locked on the vampire.

"Hey Xander" the taller man half smiled.

"Angel" the younger man greeted flatly before turning his attention back to Buffy "You want me to get the food for the patient?"

"No" she shook her head "that's okay, I'll do it"

"Okay" Xander nodded "Well, I'm gonna go say bye to the gang" he said, pointing up the stairs the way he had come "then I should tell Anya what's going on with Spike being awake and all" with that he disappeared and without a word Buffy headed for the kitchen, Angel trailing behind her.

"So, come on" Buffy prompted again as Angel sat on a stool by the counter and she started to warm some soup from a can "spill about the prophecy"

"Er, well, it's complicated" the vampire told her "but it seems to be about the Slayer..."

"But wouldn't that mean Faith?" the blonde snapped at the word 'Slayer' "I mean she's the real Slayer" - 'and if it's not her then it's Dawn, not me' she thought to herself.

"No, no, it also mentioned the Hellmouth" Angel assured her "the Slayer living on the Hellmouth, something about the giving of power...it's complex and not fully translated yet, so I brought the scroll with me..."

"Dawn's got my Slayer powers, I know" Buffy said simply and flatly her back still faced toward Angel as he suddenly stopped worrying about trying to carefully prise the scroll from insode his jacket.

"Dawn?" he frowned in confusion as Buffy turned around to pour the soup into a bowl on the counter.

"Yeah" she nodded "let's see, your prophecy mention lightening, threads of green energy, power shifting and my sister taking my destiny?"

Angel looked amazed, probably because he was.

"Not so much detail" he admitted "how did you...?"

"Another long story" she cut him off, putting the pan into the sink and running water into it for the tap.

"Wow" she heard him say,

"What? What, wow?" she asked, turning to face him again.

"You're handling this well, finding out you're not the Slayer"

Buffy sighed as she leaned forward, resting her weight on her hands on the counter top.

"Angel, right now, my priority is Spike" she explained "he's sick and he needs me, everything else can wait" she put the bowl of soup on the tray.

"You really love him, don't you?" Angel said, quietly - more of a statement than a question, but it made Buffy uncomfortable.

"I have to take this to him..." she said almost inaudibly, picking up the tray and making for the door. She walked as fast as she dared, focusing on getting up the stairs to Spike and not answering the question she'd been asked.

She took a deep breath as she got outside the bedroom door and walked in backwards so as to open the door without spilling the soup on the tray in front of her. As she turned she realised there was only her and Spike in the room.

"Where'd everybody go?" she asked, puzzled.

"The Wiccas needed rest" he told her from his position on the bed "the Watcher went with Xander back to the Magick shop and when I realised how late it was I sent the Nibblet to bed, since it's a school night and all" he glanced at the clock as Buffy put the tray on the bedside table "I was only out of it for a day, right?"

"Oh, yeah" Buffy nodded, sitting down on the bed, facing him "just today" she smiled a little but Spike knew it wasn't real and it reminded him of her earlier behaviour. There was definitely something not right. He stayed quiet for a ccouple of minutes as Buffy helped him drink some soup, but his curiousity soon got the better of him. He refused to drink anymore and as Buffy put the bowl back on the table he sighed.

"Now, pet" he said softly, reaching for her hand "tell me what's wrong"

"Nothings wrong" she said, unable to look him in the eye.

"You can't lie to me, luv" he told her, tilting his head to see her face better "I know you too well" he smiled and she knew it was true "Come on, tell me" he insisted.

"Can I come in?" said a voice from the doorway and Buffy didn't know whether to be distressed or relieved at the interruption, from Angel.

To Be Continued... (as soon as I can - in the meantime, please review!)