Summary: Angelus made a promise to a certain redheaded witch and intends to keep it. Will Willow do what is right to save her friends or will she follow her heart and cause their demise?

Disclaimer: It's all owned by Joss.

Rating: PG, maybe PG-13.

Pairings: C/X, L/Wes, W/S, W/Aus.

Author's Note: First and foremost: Angelus was never re-souled!! At the end of Becoming Part II Angelus killed Buffy after she destroyed the statue of Acathla – thereby stopping Angelus from destroying the world. This fic is set approximately two years later with Angelus still alive and terrorizing the Scooby gang. Why? Because Jenny Calendar never saved the soul restoration spell to disk. Moving on, Kendra never existed and a different Slayer, named Laurel, was sent to Sunnydale with her Watcher Wesley – yes, the same Wesley minus the drooling J. Giles, Xander and Cordelia are still there and Spike has joined the team as well seeing as he has this huge grudge against Angelus and all. Alright, now read the story 'cause I'm exhausted!

          "This is getting ridiculous," a pretty brunette sighed as she gently closed the book before her. "How many years have we been kicking his ass?" There was silence among her fellow researchers so she continued, "And how many times are we going to let him slip by? I know I can take him out but you guys keep pulling me away."

          "We don't pull you away," the quiet redhead beside her responded, "we keep you safe."

          Sighing, the brunette ran her fingers through her hair. "I know that's what you think but in reality you're holding me back from becoming what I need to be."

          "That's not true," the redhead whispered. "We'd never do that to you. We want you to be the best that you can but you're not ready to face him yet."

          Jumping to her feet the young brunette turned defensive and locked her friend in an accusing glare. "Why not? I've been training two years for this and you want to deny me of it?" No one responded. "It's not fair and I won't accept it."

          "I don't give a damn whether or not you think it's fair," the redhead retaliated. "You will not face him alone. I refuse to go through that again." Pressing her hands over her mouth the redhead turned away from the younger girl and tried to hide her tears.

          Realizing her mistake the brunette wrapped her arms around her friend and said, "Oh, Willow I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you of that."

          "Don't apologize, Laurel," Willow pulled away from the brown-headed Slayer. "I cornered you into it, it's my fault."

          "No," Laurel disagreed, "it's mine. I got hotheaded, again, like I always do."

          "Laurel – "

          "We all agree it was no one's fault," Xander chimed in then added when the two women turned sharp eyes on him, "You two would go at it all day if I didn't say anything, and you both know it."

          Rolling their eyes Willow and Laurel took their seats again and opened the books sitting in front of them. It was another Saturday night for the Sunnydale Scooby Gang, though only three of its members had showed up at Giles' apartment so far. Giles and Wesley, the "rogue" Watchers, were still at the Magic Shop buying whatever it was they bought there; Cordelia was stuck at Twinkie duty; and Spike, well the undead Q-tip was out in search of "dinner". That left, of course, Xander, Willow and Laurel to main research duty.

          Angelus had attempted, again, to end the world and the Scooby's had, again, stopped him but Laurel had been right, Willow thought: they did keep her back, to a degree. Laurel was young, yes, but older than Buffy was when she faced her old lover and the gang knew she could handle herself against Angelus, but alone? Willow refused to allow it and refused to even consider it. Angelus was not to be killed as easily as her friends thought. Okay, Willow reasoned with herself, so the gang's been thwarting his plans for over two years now and it seems that he's starting to slip a bit but he's not. Willow knew Angelus, knew what he was capable of, knew his mind and she knew that he was far from finished.

          Angelus still had a promise to keep to a certain redheaded witch.