Disclaimer: SC1.

Feedback: In case you didn't know by now, I'm ADDICTED TO IT! So be nice, make me happy and leave something! Anything!

AN: Got BIG responses for the last chapter and for some reason one review got sent to my inbox 42 times... no joke. So I felt that something or someone was telling me it was some kind of sign to put up another chapter... or maybe it was just the site going haywire. But hey, why do you care: you're getting a new chapter.

AN2: Ok, this is IMPORTANT. Since "Normal Buffy's" world is in her head, ANGEL is human. I mean, makes since to me that if he showed up in her head, she would imagine him as human? Hmm? Maybe it's just me, but that's the way it is.

{{{{Story between brackets is a thing from mental institution Buffy's life.}}}}

Normal typing is The Slayer Buffy's life

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{{{{Buffy jumped up instantly, upsetting the cokes on the table and causing them spill al over her jeans and Pike's white shirt.

"Am I insane?" she wondered as Angel made his way towards her.

"What?" Pike asked, placing his hand gently on Buffy's shoulder. "Buffy, what is it?"

"I- I have to- I."

"Buffy," Angel whispered, not fully believing what he was seeing. And apparently, Buffy didn't believe it either.

"How- what?" Buffy stammered and started to shake.

"Whoa," Pike moved to sit Buffy down in a chair, but Angel beat him to it, carefully leading Buffy to the chair and helping her sit.

"No," Buffy cried, shaking her head and staring at Angel, who was kneeling next to her. "No, no, no, no, no, no. No- you can't be here. Or," she turned and looked at Pike. "Or he can't be here. Maybe neither of you should be here. No, no, no, no."

"Buffy," Pike stepped up and lifted her out if the chair. "Buffy, we need to get you home."

"No, no," Buffy whimpered. "No, I'm fine."

"No, you need to go home," Pike insisted.

"She said no," Angel snapped, his eyes never leaving Buffy's.

"Look, I don't know whom the hell you are but you're leaving," Pike yelled.

"I don't know who the hell YOU are either, but it looks like we have something in common," Angel countered, gesturing towards Buffy. "So don't mess with me and I won't have to kick your ass."

"Stop," Buffy placed a small hand on Angel's shoulder. "Pike's my friend. And unlike you, he's real."

"Then how am I here?" Angel asked.

"I don't know," Buffy cried. "And I don't care. I want you to leave."

"Buffy," Angel forced Buffy to face him. "Look at me. You've been gone for a month. We want you back. Willow-."

"No," Buffy sobbed

"Xander, Dawn," Angel continued.

"No."

"Spike, Tara."

"No."

"Me."

"NO!" Buffy screamed and ran out, tears running down her face.

Angel jumped up to run after her, but Pike grabbed his shoulder and shoved him into a booth. Angel jumped back up, only to have Pike push him back down.

"I don't have time for this, kid," Angel growled.

"You stay the hell away from Buffy," Pike said dangerously.

"I don't have time for this," Angel repeated, standing up. Pike moved to force him back down, but Angel was ready this time. Angel grabbed Pike's arm and twisted it around into Pike's back. "I'm going to tell you one more time, then I'm going to get ugly: I don't time for this."

Angel let go of Pike and shoved him face first into the both. Angel shook his head and turned, running out of the small diner to look for Buffy.

* * * * *

"Buffy!" Angel spotted Buffy sitting on the steps of her old school, hugging her knees.

"Go away!" Buffy screamed, hiding her face in her knees.

"I can't!" Angel insisted. "I don't have long. You need to come back."

"Where?" Buffy cried, looking up at Angel. "Even is that place is real- I'm not saying it is- what makes it so great? Huh? Vampires? Demons? Gods that want to grill my ass and serve it on a platter? You? Great, terrific world."

"Fine, I'll play along," Angel said, hiding his hurt from her. "If 'Angel' meant so little to you, why did you spend 6 and a half years in a world with him in it?"

"He was only there for three of them and for half the time, he tried to kill me," Buffy snapped.

"That wasn't really him though," Angel sighed deeply. "I bet he's learned that by now. 'Angel' may still blame the demon in him for it, but he knows it wasn't the man who loved you."

"That's your great argument?" Buffy laughed bitterly.

"That and why was he the one you ran to every time something happened that you couldn't handle?" Angel asked, a question that had been on his tongue since she came to him after she was raised from the dead.

"I-," Buffy smiled, staring off into the distance and forgetting the boundaries she had set up in her mind to separate herself from the world "I loved him. He made everything better, made it disappear. He was the perfect man, even with his imperfections. I loved him for that."

"Would you tell him that?" Angel asked hopefully. "If you had a chance?"

"If I could work up the guts," Buffy laughed.

"Buffy!" Pike's voice pierced through the haze she had been in. She stood up quickly and Angel followed her.

"You tricked me!" Buffy screamed.

"Buffy, you have to realize what's real!" Angel pleaded. "Your body is dying. If you die there, you die here! Buffy, I need you with me! You ARE the reason I'm still here!"

"He left me!" Buffy yelled as Pike pulled her away from Angel. She turned and snapped at Pike, "Get off me!"

"Buffy," Angel pleaded again. "I left you, yes. But I never gave up on you. You are the reason I'm alive. I can't live without you; God, Buffy, I love you! I still do, I never stopped. No matter how many times I've tried to stop, I still can't!"

"Shut up!" Buffy's fist shot out form her side and connected with Angel's face. Angel froze for a moment, but when he looked back at Buffy, who was staring at her fist in shock, he was smiling.

"You've still go it," Angel said huskily, taking her fist and placing it on his shoulder. "You never lost it; you never lost me. Come home Buffy. We want you home."}}}}

* * * * *

"ANGEL! God, I'm going to stake his ass!" Spike grumbled. "No, I'm going to run him through with hot pokers again, shot him, boil him in holy water-."

"Don't forget the garlic," Xander growled.

"Dumb-ass, have you learned nothing in your time with Buffy?" Spike sneered. "Garlic does nothing."

"Then why is there garlic in all the movies?" Xander asked.

"BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL THEY' RE TALKING ABOUT!" Spike screamed.

"SHUT UP!" Dawn shrieked. "God, who freaking cares?"

"I do!" Spike whined. "There are too many bloody misconceptions on vampires. I mean, who would really believe that vamps sleep in coffins? Jeez."

"Yeah, a crypt's so much better," Dawn laughed.

"HEY!" Willow called from upstairs. "Keep it down. Tara is getting tired and she needs to keep it working if we want to see either of them again! So SHUT IT!"

"She's right," Spike sighed.

"So, garlic does nothing?" Xander restated.

"Bloody hell," Spike muttered.

Upstairs, Willow kneeled down next to Tara, wiping the steady sweat the Tara had developed after 18 hours of holding the spell closed.

"I can't do this for much longer," Tara whispered.

"It won't be much longer now," Willow tried to reassure her.

"6 hours, Willow," Tara snapped. "6 more hours. It's too long, I can't hold it that long."

"Yes, you can," Willow insisted. "You can. I now you can."

"No," Tara replied. "I know my strength."

"Now you listen to me," Willow said firmly. "You never know you're strength until you've been tested. You're being test know. When you've pulled through this and Angel comes back with Buffy, then you can tell me you know your strength. You can do it."

"I hope you're right Willow," Tara smiled. "I really do."

"I am," Willow assured her.

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I write, you read, you review, I write more.

AN4: I wasn't sure how to write this in so I hope you guys read this: time moves differently in the separate worlds but the day will end at the exact time for both worlds.