I own nothing...yadda yadda yadda. I won't say this again because everyone knows this.

Summary: Buffy Summers was raped by none other than Angel! GASP She was a virgin and he was suprised by that. Riley came by, a stranger to both of them, and knocked Angel out. A lot of fight sequences went on, but finally Riley won, only since Angel was drunk. Buffy, barely conscious and bleeding many places (Angel not only raped her, but hit and abused her too) told the no-necked man to take her to her mothers. Mrs. Summers was upset and drove both teenagers to the hospitals, where Buffy was checked in. Riley left, but not before being questioned by the police. Everyone knows about the rape. Continue....

33 KC

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Two months went by since the night that completely turned Buffy's world upside-down. Two months of telling her story to the police so many times, she lost count. Two months of avoiding the reporters, and trying to ignore the whispers and stares her fellow students cast her way, when she walked the halls at school. Two months of trying to keep herself from falling apart, and from reliving that night over and over again in her dreams.

Buffy had just wanted to curl up in a ball in her bed and never leave her house after the rape, but Joyce Summers wasn't about to let her daughter hide herself away from life. She knew that the longer Buffy stayed home, the harder it would be for her to face the world. So, two weeks after the attack, she insisted that Buffy go back to school and hold her head up high. Buffy 'put on a brave face', but inside she was quaking. Some of the crueler people in school made up jokes about her, which of course found their way to her ears. There were also insensitive boys to deal with, who propositioned Buffy for "dates", thinking she was an easy mark now.

The friends she had hitherto counted on had pulled away from her, and she from them. They just couldn't know what she was going through. Isolated and frightened, her life had become a waking nightmare.

The evidence against Angel was damning; not only did the DNA extracted from the rape kit match Angel's exactly, but the prosecution had an eyewitness in Riley Finn, Buffy's rescuer. Nothing Angel's powerful family did could save him from paying for his crime. The trial was short, but brutal. The jury took two hours in deliberations. At last, they came back with a verdict.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" Judge Gwendolyn Post asked the foreman.

"We have, Your Honor," he replied gravely.

"Will the defendant please rise?" requested the judge. Angel stood up, his family's team of lawyers surrounding him. His stoic face gave nothing away. The judge turned back to the jury box. "What say you then?"

"We, the jury, find the defendant, Liam O'Connor guilty on both counts of rape and assault in the first degree." came the reply. The courtroom became a circus as the photographers' cameras flashed, and the spectators voiced their approval or disapproval. Angel's mother wailed into her handkerchief, and his father's face darkened with anger. Joyce, who had her arm protectively around Buffy's shoulders, pulled her daughter into a tearful embrace.

The judge banged her gavel, restoring quiet to the room. She fixed Angel with a fierce stare. "I sentence you, Liam O'Connor, to seven years in a state prison with a chance for parole in five," the judge said before slamming down her gavel. "Bailiff, please take the prisoner into custody."

Another wail came from Mrs. O'Connor, and she fainted in her husband's arms. As Angel was led away by the bailiff, he looked over his shoulder at Buffy, and smiled. Buffy, meeting his eyes briefly, felt a chill go up her spine. Somehow, she knew this wouldn't be the last time she saw him.

Joyce, catching the moment between Angel and her daughter, quickly pulled Buffy away from the reporters gathering close to them, shouting out questions. She refused to let her baby girl be looked at like she was some sort of exhibit, like she wasn't a human being. They hurried to Joyce's car, and drove to the safety of a house of a family friend. They had anticipated that no matter what the outcome of the trial, their own house would be besieged by the media. Angel's family was too well known in the state of California, and anything involving him was fodder for the tabloids.

Joyce sighed as she drove. She had hoped that she and Buffy would be able to continue living their lives in Sunnydale after the trial. But, even though the outcome was positive, she knew that life here was getting to be too much for her young daughter. Nothing could ever be the same again, and her formerly carefree, normal life had been forever tainted. This realization had forced Joyce to come to a decision. 'It's not running away,' she rationalized. 'It's a chance for Buffy to start fresh somewhere, in a new place where everything she sees won't remind her of her ordeal.'

A new life in London awaited Joyce and Buffy Summers. They had family in England, and a cousin of Joyce's had connections at The British Museum where Joyce would be working until she could set up an art gallery of her own. Buffy would be among new people, who knew nothing of the horrific events in her life and could start afresh. It wouldn't be easy; Buffy wouldn't get over this trauma overnight, Joyce knew, but it was a step in the right direction. Joyce glanced at her beautiful, sad daughter, and prayed that someday soon, she'd see that face light up with life again.

"Flight number 428 to London is prepared to board. Rows 20 and higher please load the plane."

"That's us, baby," said Joyce, standing up and hoisting her travel bag over her shoulder. Buffy followed her mother to the gate, her heart a little heavy because her father had not called to say goodbye.

"Mom," she said while the flight attendant took their boarding passes and checked their passports. "How come Dad hasn't called yet? He knew we were leaving today, right?"

Joyce put her arm around Buffy's shoulders as they headed down the gateway. "I know, honey, I told him," Joyce sighed. She hadn't wanted to broach the subject at such an awkward time, but it couldn't be helped.

"You don't think he's ashamed of me, because of– because of what– "

"Good Lord, darling, no! No, of course not." Joyce knew how much Buffy adored her father, and strove to win his approval. Hank had become more and more distant from his only daughter in recent years, and the rape and trial had proved difficult for him to handle. Joyce and Buffy shuffled down the aisle of the airplane, looking for their seats.

"Your Dad loves you, Buffy," she said as they settled into their seats. "Unfortunately, you're just finding out what I realized before the divorce. He's a very self-absorbed guy, who has a lot of difficulty dealing with things that aren't right in front of him. He gets so caught up in his work, and he forgets what's really important. I'm sure he'll call once we get to London."

'Sure,' thought Buffy rather bitterly. 'Maybe in three months, he'll remember he has a daughter.'

The captain's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Welcome aboard on Flight 428 to London, this is your captain speaking. I expect a smooth flight. Sit back, relax, and if you feel like you're going to puke, well, all hope is lost. "

Some older people laughed at the joke, a couple rolled their eyes, and one man grabbed the armrest intensely. 'This is going to be a long flight, if the captain's going to crack jokes like that the whole time,' Buffy thought and hoped that the airline had some decent movies to offer later.

Once the plane had taken off, and was cruising at a safe altitude, Buffy leaned her seat back and tried to sleep. She hadn't been getting much sleep lately. Every time she closed her eyes, she would see him there, looming over her and smothering her, trying to choke her to death, or threatening to kill her family. Angel was haunting her dreams. She lived in almost constant terror. She wouldn't let anyone touch her, or even look at her for too long. She would not walk down the street alone, even if it were midday. Sometimes she would just let her mind drift off, looking at nothing, trying to escape the world around her. She would dream that she was somewhere else, a place where Angel had never existed and where she was happy. She didn't even remember what happy felt like.

Unable to relax, she picked up the book she had packed in her carry-on bag, and soon lost herself in a different world. Joyce sat beside her, looking a magazine, but not really taking in the articles. Her mind went in circles, thinking of all the things she would need to do once they settled into their new home.

Several hours, and a really bad in-flight movie later, Buffy stretched and yawned in her seat.

"Why don't you try to take a nap, honey?" said Joyce. "You're going to need your energy once we get there. Once we've gotten to the new apartment, we can veg out and watch TV or just sleep some more." Buffy nodded sleepily, picking up a pillow and placing behind her head.

As her mind sought the blissfulness of sleep, she heard a familiar voice whisper, "I told you that I'd be back," She fluttered her eyes open and shut. All she could see was darkness.

"Who are you?" she asked putting her hands out to feel something around her. Was she blind? The voice laughed coldly. Suddenly, two hands clasped her firmly by the shoulders. She struggled to break free, but found herself helpless. "Angel," she said softly, her voice quavering in fear. She felt his presence all around her, smothering her. She began to panic as he pulled her into an embrace...

Angel's presence faded, and she felt herself dancing; waltzing in the arms of another man, one she didn't know. The air was filled with music, and she tried to look at the man's face, but all she could see was a blur, no features. Despite this, she felt safe and loved, and lost herself in the movements of the dance. Looking down at her body, she saw she wore a long, white flowing dress. "I love you," she heard him say. She opened her mouth to tell him she loved him too, when the music stopped, and she was once again in darkness, and she was wrenched out of the strangers grasp. Buffy struggled to see, and her vision cleared a little; a red haze materialized around her and she again looked down at herself. Her dress was molding to her body more tightly and turning blood red, so deep that it could trickle crimson drops. She heard Angel's malevolent laughter in her ear. Frozen to where she stood, she felt his hand slide up her leg, lifting her skirt above her hips, and she cried out for him to stop. She tried to reach behind her to claw at him, but he caught her wrists and spun her around to face him. She could see his face in the dim red light.

"Not so virgin now, are ya?" he chuckled. "Looks like I spoiled that pallet." He threw his weight down on top of her, and she felt herself falling...

Buffy lurched forward in her seat, as the impact of the plane's landing caused her abrupt awakening. Looking down at herself, she saw only the blue jeans and the pink sweater she'd put on this morning. She took a deep breath, and sat back in relief.

'Just a dream, just a dream...' she chanted over and over in her mind.

The captain's voice interrupted her mantra. "Virgin Airlines would like to welcome you to Heathrow Airport in London, England. The local time is ten p.m. Please remain seated while the plane makes its way to the gate, or our flight attendants will subject you to severe humiliation."