Part 2

'Welcome To Sunnyhell'

Sunnydale, California - 1998

Liam Angelus Kelly, known as Angel to all his friends and rivals alike, was merely sitting on the front steps of Sunnydale High. As he surveyed all the other students walk by chatting and laughing - looking forward to the first day of school, he was still unsure why he even bothered to come back to do his senior year at all. He decided that it had to be Giles' fault, if he'd just let him live his own life then he'd be still in bed sleeping instead of dreading math class. He was so genuinely caught up in his private self-pitying brooding, that he didn't even hear the noise as his two best friends since childhood, Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg approached.

"Hey Angelcakes, wake up already. Class hasn't even started yet," Xander whispered to him as he took a seat besides his friend.

"Xander, leave him alone," Willow chastised. She had of course been in love with Xander since kindergarten, but there were times she just really would like to punch him in the nose. Even after the summer they had just shared, while Angel pulled away from them, not that she blamed him. He needed to find his own path after his parents brutal murder.

"It's okay Wils, I've known Xander way too long to be offended by anything he says," Angel replied winking at her.

Xander just looked at his best friends, "You do know it's senior year, right? It's time for us to bully the freshmen, have lunch off campus and generally run amuck. So why all the sad faces?"

"I just realised that one more year and we'll all be separated at college," Willow said frowning, how was she supposed to survive the college experience without them.

"Wils, some of us won't even get to go to college," Angel told her.

"Yeah, not everyone is super smart and talented like you," Xander added. He wanted to see Willow smile, over the summer they'd grown closer almost to the point of dating. He then turned to Angel, "What's wrong with you?"

"Don't wanna be here," Angel replied.

"Me either, but on the other hand at least we'll get a nice diploma at the end and never have to return to this evil building again."

Willow smiled at them, "How about we celebrate the start of our senior year tonight?"

"Are we thinking about The Bronze?" Xander asked.

"Always."

Xander looked at their third, "Angel?"

"I don't know man," Angel said feeling uncomfortable.

"Come on, you *so* need to take a break from all this shit you put yourself through," Xander told him forcefully - well as forcefully as he could.

"It'll be fun," Willow added.

He looked at both of them, "Okay, okay... tonight we Bronze."

"Yeah!"

The bell chose that exact moment to ring, signally that the day of torture was to begin and all three of them quickly headed off to their classes, in an effort to avoid a run in with the Nazi Snyder.

In a undersized, seedy apartment house on the abysmal side of Sunnydale, Elizabeth - now calling herself Buffy because she thought it sounded more American - was trying to loosen up enough to doze, but instead she kept questioning why The Powers had sent her to the Hellmouth. After a few hours of tossing and turning, she gave up on sleep and got up, heading directly for the kitchen area. Opening the refrigerator and grabbed a bag of pigs blood and fed, not that she was starving - just bored to death. With absolutely nothing to do and literally hours before sunset, she picked up one of her many books that she had unpacked and sat down in her leather recliner to read.

She'd been reading for just over an hour when she sensed a presence approaching her door and then a tentative knock, sounding against the matured wood of the door. Getting up ever so leisurely, she vigilantly moved towards it and opened the door.

"Hiya Kid," came the now familiar and still obnoxious voice.

"Whistler?" she said, "What are you doing here?" A prudent question since she hadn't laid eyes on the guy for almost half a century.

"Well I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop on in and pass on your instructions from *them*," he told her. "But if you rather I left..."

She stepped back and opened the door wider, "Come on in and enlighten me on their latest master plan."

"I'm not sure you're gonna like this one," he muttered. "There's this kid here... well actually he's eighteen so I guess you'd say he's a young man..."

"So?"

Whistler overlooked her disruption, "His parents were killed a few months ago by vampires and now he's on some twisted revenge kick. The Powers want you to help him. He's destined for something great and they need him alive and well."

Buffy was wholly pissed off, "I'm here to baby-sit some twerp who thinks he's a slayer - no freakin' way."

"Hey... don't shoot the damn messenger," Whistler replied shaking his head. "Sorry you don't like your assignment, but tough it out and sooner or later they'll move you on."

"Sorry Whistler."

"No problem, kid," he told her as he put the photograph of her new charge down on her table. "Just promise me that you'll be careful."

She watched as her old friend ambled away and then inquiringly walked over to the table and looked intently at the picture left there. The kid in the photograph obviously wasn't more than eighteen, but there was just something about his expression - a look of pain and suffering within his eyes - a look that touched her, a look and feeling she new far too well. She returned the photograph and decided to follow Whistler's guidance and just play along with The Powers until they got bored and moved her on. Since it was still awhile until nightfall, she went back to her chair and picked up her book to read once more.

An hour or so after darkness fell, Angel was still up in his room resentfully getting ready for his so-called big night out at The Bronze, when his father's best friend and his now somewhat guardian Rupert Giles came in.

"Are you sure you don't want me to make something for dinner? There are some kippers left," Giles asked him trying to be helpful. He knew that somewhere along the line he was messing it up, but he had no idea where.

"No thanks," Angel replied his stomach churning at the thought of what Giles usually made for meals. "I'm really not all that hungry."

"So where are you and your friends going?" Giles asked wondering what Angel was up to, he'd just been too quiet lately.

"To The Bronze. Xander informed me that senior year means it's time to party."

Giles sighed, "Okay. Have a good time and come home at a reasonable hour, please."

"I will."

The instant he was released from the house he felt that he could breathe easier, it wasn't that he didn't like Giles - he always had - it was just Giles tried to hard to be a parental figure when all he really wanted was a friend. He took his time walking over to The Bronze, not keen to be trampled by the multitude of teenagers who would naturally be there. He was just about to enter the last side street before The Bronze when he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye, cautiously he entered the tiny side street and hid behind some trash cans.

A minute later he was flabbergasted to see a delicate looking blond girl come into the street, without doubt this could not have been whatever had been following him - then again he had fallen for something similar once before and it had cost him everything. The blond didn't seem to be looking for anyone or anything, in fact she simply walked past his hiding place muttering something inaudible to herself. He was about to remove himself from his momentary hiding place, when the blond doubled back. Deciding vigilance was not his strong suit he came up behind her and knocked her down.

"Hey," she said irritably.

"Why are you following me?" Angel commanded.

She looked up at him and he was rendered speechless, he had never seen anyone as beautiful as this girl. He felt as though she was looking through him into his very being.

"Following *you*," the blond said. "Jeez, you have a high opinion of yourself, don't you?"

Angel snapped out of it, "What else am I supposed to think? You followed me in here."

"Hello! I was going to The Bronze," the blond replied.

Angel looked at her suspiciously, "Then why come back this way?"

"I decided it was too crowded in there and I'd probably suffocate," she told him.

Angel rubbed his hand down his face, "Sorry."

"You should be," she told him and she got to her feet.

"I'm Angel," he told her offering his hand in a sign of peace.

The blond took it, "Buffy."

"I haven't seen you around before..."

"Just moved here," she answered smiling.

"You gonna go to Sunnydale High?"

"Nah."

Angel's insides melted from her smile and he nodded towards The Bronze and said, "You wanna come with. I'm meeting my friends and it would introduce you to some people in town."

"Maybe next time. I think I'm just gonna head home," Buffy replied.

"See ya round?"

"Maybe," she told him.

Angel turned back to walk to The Bronze and decided to pitch it to her one more time, but when he turned back she was gone. Inwardly he cursed himself, he hadn't even gotten her number or found out the general area of the town in which she lived. What were the odds he'd ever find her again. Sighing he headed to The Bronze, where Willow and Xander would be waiting for him.

Buffy ambled away cheerfully from the unanticipated altercation, she had after all given him a plausible justification if he ever caught her following him. She could now claim she just wanted to say "hi" or something like that. Entering her apartment, she didn't bother flicking on any lights, she had excellent night vision because of her undead state. She opened the refrigerator, but decided against feeding and instead grabbed a beer. Alcohol was something she rarely indulged in, but somehow it seemed to fit the mood. Slumping down on the couch, she opened her beer and stared at the ceiling, knowing full well she'd soon have to go out and patrol Sunnydale.

She had to remove any excess vampires before Mr. I-want-revenge got out there and got himself killed. She didn't like him of course, he was the same as every other male she had met over the last two centuries. She was simply doing her job. Satisfied with the explanation for her uncharacteristic actions, she closed her eyes, lay back and relaxed, pretending that she didn't see his smiling face when she did so.

Entering The Bronze, Angel scanned the crowd until he spotted Willow and Xander. He thought it was unusual that they weren't bickering, in fact they actually seemed to be having a serious conversation. He pulled up a chair and interrupted them.

"Hey."

"Hi Angel," Willow said slightly too cheerfully, as her cheeks turned a bright pink color.

"Buddy-boy," Xander said greeting his friend. "I was just about to go get the drinks. Want something?"

"Yeah, a Coke."

"Be right back," Xander replied strolling off.

Angel looked over at Willow, he knew about her crush on Xander - was it possible that Xander now felt the same way? It was common knowledge that Xander hadn't been quite the same since his break-up with Cordelia Chase, the most popular girl at Sunnydale High the year before, when she'd moved to Europe at the beginning of the summer. Angel wasn't quite sure he wanted his friends to be together like that, what would happen if they argued? Who's side would he have to be on? He knew he was being selfish, but it was just they way he felt about the situation.

"Hey, Angel," Joe Nixon, a fellow classmate said. "See the hottie you were with outside. Did she ditch you?"

"Drop dead, Joe."

Xander returned in time to hear the last of the conversation, "What hottie?"

"I met this girl..."

"And?" Xander pushed.

"She went home," Angel replied.

Xander just shook his head, "At least tell me you got her number?"

"Nope."

Xander banged his head on the table, "You are such an idiot."

"I know."

Willow just shook her head at the guys behaviour. Then got up, "Dance time Xander."

Angel watched his friends dance and let his mind slip away to Buffy. He knew one thing for sure, he was going to find her no matter how long it took or where he had to look. There was just something about her that drew him to her, like she was his destiny or something corny like that. Sighing he tried to keep his mind on the present and having fun with his friends - at least for now.