Buffy engulfed Xander in a warm hug. She had missed her friend while he had been at all different parts of the world helping the new Slayers. She was so confused right now, but she felt better knowing that Xander was there to help as he always had. They had been through so many apocalypses together and stayed close through it all. She pulled away to take a good look at him. He hadn't changed much since she last saw him, except....

"Oh my God! Xander your eye... I thought...what?" Buffy looked at his eyes, both there. No eye patch over his right eye. How could it be? She was there when...when... she couldn't even think about it.

He smiled and shook his head in disbelief. "I know! Trust me, I have no idea. I went to Sunnydale, eye patch and all. Then as I started to walk around, it feels like I had an eye moving in there, but I thought it was just my imagination. But then I could kind of see through the patch and could sense light. So I took it off, and there it was! I could see and everything."

Buffy led Xander into the family room while she listened to what he told her. Angel stood up and shook Xander's hand and gave him a nod. They had never really been close, but tried to tolerate each other out of respect for Buffy. Their dislike for each other had melted away over the years, and now they didn't mind each other.

"Xander." Angel said.

"Angel." Xander replied, neither knowing what else to say.

Buffy cut the silence and sat down and the others sat with her. Willow stormed in the door with Giles who said that he had flown in because Xander had called. They both hugged Xander.

"Tell me everything." They said to Xander as they sat down.

"Wow." Was all the two could say after Xander told them what he had told Buffy. Angel's normally straightforward face was unreadable.

"Well..." Buffy began as she started to form a theory. "I don't know why Sunnydale is back, but I think I know why Xander's eye is. Xander said everything is the way it was, before The First rose in power. Well, maybe because Xander's eye was part of the damage done...."

"It was reversed when he entered the town." Giles finished.

"Wait. Then wouldn't that mean that everyone that died because of the first would be back? The Slayers and..." Angel didn't have a chance to finish because Xander interrupted him.

"And Anya." Xander said, as sad memories clouded his eyes.

"I don't know... we don't know really anything about what is going on right now. We will have to wait and see." Willow said to Xander comfortingly.

"Spike..." Buffy whispered. They all got silent and looked at her. Angel looked like he had just gotten smacked right in the face as he winced. "He might be... I mean he died...so...." She looked at Angel and then stopped.

"Buffy I have to tell you something." Angel turned to her and continued, "Spike... he is back. He showed up at Wolfram Hart and was a ghost for a few months. But then someone made him corporeal again."

Buffy's eyes seemed to hold fire in them, and the rest of the group all said at once some excuse to leave the room. When they were alone Buffy still held Angel's gaze and finished, "How could you? What? You think that I would never find out? That you would just forget to mention that Spike is back?" Buffy stood up, still not letting Angel escape her gaze.

"It's not like that Buffy. He didn't want you to know, or he would have come here. He said he wanted you to remember him as a hero, and that everything that he had "died" for would have been forgotten if he saw you. I swear I didn't keep him for coming to you. But did you think that I would just call you up, after Spike had said he didn't want to see you, and say 'hey Buffy, its Angel. Your other ex-boyfriend Spike is alive. Wanna come get him and start a life with him?"

Buffy finally broke her gaze. Angel's voice had rose as he got angrier, and she had always hated when he yelled at her, although she had just done the same to him.

"I'm sorry," Buffy said putting her hand on her forehead. I didn't mean to... it's just that you have to understand where I am coming from. This is a big shock for me. So much has happened in the last 48 hours... I don't know what to make of it. And now that I think of it, I understand why you didn't call me. And to Hell with Spike. He could have come here if he wanted to. You risked more coming here than he would have." She looked at him, and gave a faint smile, praying it might bail her out.

Angel laugh when he realized what the smile meant and got up and held her hands. "So... with that whole cookie dough speak you gave me last year. Does this all mean that, you want to be with me?"

Buffy walked into his arms, "Angel, you have always been in my heart. Just the fact that you and I have through so much evil and obstacles together and still love each other is enough to convince me. I want my life to be with you..."

She went into a flash back of when she had last said that same phrase to Angel, "I want my life to be with you". It was before her prom, and Angel had just told her that he was leaving her. She had tired to plead to him to stay, but he wouldn't. Although he had made the right decision, she couldn't see it at the time. Angel looked at her, and some how knew what she was thinking yet again.

"Buffy, this time I am not going to be stupid again. I love you with all of my soul. I want to spend the rest of my life..."

"You mean my life not your life cause you can't and won't die...." She corrected him. He looked at her with that don't-even-go-there face and continued.

"I promise you, this time it is forever."

"Forever" she repeated and then kissed him to seal the deal.