Back in the mansion, Buffy paced back in forth in nervous apprehension. She was well aware that Angel had followed her inside and was currently staring at his hands, mulling things over to himself. Not saying anything. She felt like screaming. It didn't matter that she knew Daniel had controlled him in some way, it hit too close to Angelus for her to be okay.

She chewed her lip angrily, waiting for him to say something, to deny that he had really tried to hurt her. "Damn it!" she exploded, "say something, for the love of God!"

"Buffy I…" Angel swallowed hard. He clenched his hands together. "I'm sorry. I don't… I don't understand… I couldn't control anything. It was like she'd completely taken over my head. I was too weak to stop it," his voice was soft, betraying how ashamed he was. "I'm sorry Buffy."

She sighed, feeling her anger drain away as he sat down hard in his old, battered chair, staring at the ground. He slowly raised his eyes, and Buffy clearly saw the shame written on his face. "It's okay," she whispered, voice slightly hoarse. "It wasn't your fault."

He blinked. "No, I should have been stronger, I should have fought more." He shook his head, "I still have my soul and I've hurt you."

'Oh crap,' she thought to herself, and let out a pathetic sniffle. Crouching, she placed her hands on his knees, relaxing when he placed his hands over hers. She lifted her head and their eyes met. Held. Then she was on him, his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against him and their mouths met in a furious kiss.

She felt her heart pounding and she knew he could hear it. He moved to her neck, scraping her soft skin with blunt teeth and she let out a long, hard moan. She trailed her hand through his hair, cupping the back of his neck, holding him against her.

They sighed together as lips found each other again. This time the kiss was soft, lingering, a promise of love and devotion. His cold tongue found its way into the soft planes of her mouth, meeting hers and making her feel dizzy down to the bottom of her toes. She leaned into him, one hand gripping the front of his shirt, the other sliding down his back.

'He'll know when to stop, he'll know when to stop,' she repeated to herself over and over again. She knew that she shouldn't. She knew that any further could be too far. Angel moved on from her lips and started to explore the rest of her face. He pressed a kiss to her cheeks, nose, forehead, and that spot behind her ear lob that made her gasp.

"Angel," she half whined/half breathed his name. She tried to press herself even closer, feeling like she could lose herself in the feel of him.

"Buffy…" her name was a strangled cry, a plea. Taking a deep breath, he gently pushed her away, leaning his head back against the chair.

Buffy felt her blood pump and mouth go dry as she scrambled off him. She backed away, hands clenched behind her back. She took a series of long, hard breaths, trying to quell the burning fire in her blood.

"That's not what I meant to do," he mumbled, rubbing his face wearily with his hands.

"The pulling away part or the kissing me part?" she asked in a hoarse voice, smiling a little bit.

He chuckled bitterly. "I wish…"

"Things were different," she finished. She shook her head, "They're what they are and we can't change that. I have to say, though, this cold shower thing sucks."

He gazed at her hungrily and she felt herself heat up all over again. "We just need to be careful."

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She was afraid she might start mauling him again. And that would be bad, she reminded herself. Very, very bad. She knew that they had to be careful, she knew that it wasn't a crime to kiss. But she also knew that the temptation of "that" would always be there. It was hard for him, having that hanging over his head, knowing that he could never really completely show her how much he loved her.

"It hurts sometimes," she admitted cautiously, glancing quickly at him for his reaction. "Things that Angelus said…"

Angel just looked at her, his big brown eyes boring a hole into her mind and she almost regretted saying it. It pained him that she didn't know how badly he wanted her. "You're a constant danger for my happiness," he told her, mouth quirking. "And that's nothing you should ever be ashamed of."

She nodded, reaching for him and settling against him in the chair. She leaned her head against his chest, calming slightly as he gently rubbed her back. "You're the only thing that matters to me," he mumbled.

"I know," she said softly, shutting her eyes and letting herself be comforted by the simple act of being in his arms.

"Maybe we should talk about what happened," he suggested wearily.

"Sure, ruin a perfectly good snuggle by bringing that up," she pouted. Suddenly she perked up and smirked. "Actually, now that I think about, great idea. Who the hell was that? Why did you call her master? Why did you attack me when she told you to?"

"On second thought…"

"Nuh uh," she said. "You brought it up."

He smiled gingerly at her and she felt herself smile back in return. God, he had the most beautiful smile. It was always like seeing it for the first time, he so rarely smiled. "That was the same vampire you encountered the other night on patrol, right?" he began slowly.

She nodded in response.

"You know how you said it seemed like she was studying you?"

"Uh huh."

"I think she was."

Buffy shifted uncomfortably and began fiddling with one of the buttons on his black shirt. "I thought you said most vampires weren't smart enough to study the slayer. 'Cause instincts would inevitably get in control."

"I was wrong." Angel answered gravely, hugging her close, protectively. Buffy felt her stomach flip flop, Angel rarely got this worried. "Daniel needs you. That's why she didn't attack you full out this morning. That's why she's been studying you."

"Need me?" Buffy muttered in disbelief to herself. Then to Angel, "Need me how?"

He cleared his throat. "She's an old one, older than me, almost as old as the Master. I wasn't around at the time, but I've heart rumours that she tried and failed around 80 years to get it."

"Get what?"

"Her resurrection."

Buffy let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "That would explain why she's in Sunnydale," she reflected. "To try it again."

Angel nodded. "She needs the body of the slayer to get it."

Buffy took that in, accepted it. His voice had been blunt, empty of emotion. Like he hadn't cared. She suddenly flashed back to when he'd been under Daniel's control. She felt her fear grow, with wide eyes she looked at him questioningly. "My body?" her voice was a slight whimper, and it made her cringe inside. He sometimes had that effect on her.

A small growl tore its way out of his throat and he sat up suddenly. Buffy tumbled to the floor and wearily rubbed her elbow. He paced madly, turning back to look at her with wild eyes. "I'll kill her before I let her touch you."

Buffy was somewhere between annoyance and arousal watching him get all uptight and worried about her safety. Wincing she slowly stood up. "Good to know," she muttered. "Especially if you're planning to stop her on today's performance."

He stopped pacing, took her into his arms. He sighed into her hair. "I'm sorry."

"For knocking me on the floor or trying to kill me?" he stiffened and she pulled enough away to look him in the eye. "What happened?"

"It was like… like she was controlling my mind. Literally. I could feel her probing into it with long fingers. It was… not the most pleasant feeling in the world."

"Kind of like possession?"

"I don't know, Buffy. I think this was different. I fought it, but it was like, being in her presence… that was what brought it on. Most of me wanted to do anything that pleased her. I've always heard that she prefers male vampires."

"Pervert," Buffy snorted.

Angel touched her hand and gave her a small smile. "I wish that were the only reason for it."

"Xander's mood swings!" Buffy blurted.

Angel blinked. "What does Xander have anything to do with Daniel?"

"Xander and his majorly annoying mood swings. I bet it's Daniel. All part of that mind control stuff."

"I guess it's possible," Angel said, though his voice clearly told her he didn't think that was the case.

Buffy sighed. "Or maybe it was just wacky teenage hormones. Still, never was a big believer in coincidences."

Angel looked towards the door, like he hadn't heard a word she'd said. "It's sunrise. You should go. Tell Giles what you know."

"Yeah, I should," Buffy admitted, reluctantly. He gazed into her eyes, clearly telling her that he didn't want her to go. He wanted to her to stay, stay forever, stay until the sun set and the stars came out. She felt his breath tickling her cheek and she closed her eyes, moving in for the kiss.

"—Why did she seem to know you that well?"

Buffy closed her eyes, feeling a slight flush creep up her neck. Figured. Two minutes away from a long, Angel-y make-out session… and she got jealous again.

"How did she knew… what?" Angel responded, trying to will his mind back to reality. But she was so distracting. He loved the way her eyes looked when they needed reassurance, the way her hair hadn't been brushed in almost 24 hours and still looked perfect, and the way her mouth was so sweet and soft… begging for the touch of his kiss.

"How did…" Buffy paused, took in a deep breath before continuing. "How come she knew you so well if her Resurrection was past your Angelus-y time?"

Angel looked off into space, and Buffy knew that he was remembering a much different time. A time when he'd been a killer, forced under the instincts of the vampire, without the soul of the human letting him make the choice. She knew that it was hard for him. "She'd always been a popular name among vampires. Most of us knew that she was after the slayer. She was very powerful." He gave her a ghost of a smile. "Angelus was drawn to that."

Buffy blinked. "Oh," she said quietly.

Angel sighed and touched her cheek lightly. "Darla was drawn to her as well, which made the demon angry beyond no end. But Daniel was fascinated by Angelus… "

Buffy cupped his face and though he flinched at her touch, he made no move to pull away. Not sure if she really wanted to know, but curious nonetheless, "What happened?"

"Darla was always the jealous type. She yanked me away from France to England. The rest is muddled… it was close to the time that my soul returned." Angel looked thoughtful. "I don't know whether or not Darla was on hand when Daniel tried to get her Resurrection the first time."

"Now that she's here in Sunnydale… she's trying her second chance with you."

Angel gazed at her seriously. "Maybe. But you're her real target."

Buffy looked away. "You'll keep me safe, right?"

Touched by the quiet fear in her voice, he gathered her in his arms, holding her close. "I'd do anything to keep you safe… you know that."

A slight nod of her head was Buffy's only response.

Angel took a breath. "But that doesn't mean…Daniel can control me, Buffy. I will not be the one to hurt you again. If she takes complete control again… you know what to do."

Buffy shivered. "What are you saying?"

"If you have to kill me. Do it."

Each word was like a separate blow to her heart—though she knew it had been coming. She shook her head in denial. She couldn't, wouldn't, do it again.

Panicked by the thought, she spun around to face him. Surprising herself by her anger, she slapped him hard against the face. "No!" she shrieked. "You can't ask me to do that! I CAN'T! It'll…" her voice broke. "It'll kill me."

"Buffy…" he tried to lay a comforting arm on her shoulder, but she backed away from him.

Tears gathered in her eyes. "Take it back," she begged. "We can fight. Don't give up. Please. I'm here if," the first tear slid down her cheek. "If you'll let me."

This time she didn't move away when he came over gently pulling her to him. Angel let her lean her head against his chest, her tears soaking through his shirt, his cheek stinging from her blow. He didn't mind. He was just petrified for what was to come.