-----Angel-----

Maybe I shouldn't have taken off like that, but I had to know. It was hasty, yes, but that doesn't mean... I had to do it. If Buffy was still alive, then I had to at least check. And Willow said the portal works both ways. Didn't she?

"What? Where'd'ya'com'fro?"

An old homeless man was lying on the floor. I looked around and saw that I was still in the hotel, but the hotel was a lot different. Graffiti covered the walls and the stairs were boarded up. The old man obviously wasn't the only one that stayed here, but he was the only one here now. I looked behind me and sure enough, the portal was still there, silently swirling.

"Okay. What now?" I muttered

"Now you die."

I turned to see Buffy standing at the doorway.

"Buffy! What?"

"You heard me. I found you. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Easy way?" I was confused to say the least.

"I lied. There's only the hard way."

She ran at me and got the first punch in before I realised what was happening. I threw her onto the ground and pinned her to stop her attacking me and said to her,

"Buffy, it's me!"

"Who else would it be?"

"What do you mean?"

"Where's Xander?"

"What do you want with Xander?"

"I may not be ready to kill him yet but I sure as hell am ready to kill you."

She jumped back up and kicked me across the room. She then went to elbow me but her arm met mine as I blocked her attack.

"Buffy, look at me."

I grabbed her chin and turned her face towards mine.

"Look at me. It's Angel."

She looked into my eyes and, for a moment, she believed me.

"Angel?"

She struggled away.

"No! You're not Angel. You never will be Angel." She threw me against a wall and held a stake to my heart.

"Don't do it." I pleaded with her.

She sobbed and shook her head. "Not Angel," she whispered to herself. Just before she hit my heart I ducked under her arm and ran back through the portal.

"If Buffy follows me, don't kill her but be prepared for her to kill you!" I shouted as I entered my own world again.

Gunn went to the weapons cabinet and took out a shield.

"Hey, from I've heard about this slayer, better safe then sorry."

"Angel, what happened in there?" Wesley asked me.

I ignored him and looked around the room.

"Where's Fred?"

Cordy answered me, "I gave her a room. She hasn't been out since then."

"Did you find out anything else about the portal?" I asked Willow.

"Not as yet."

"We'll keep researching."

"Good."

I walked up to my room and lay on the bed. I had seen Buffy. Alive. And kicking. I had to see her again. Angelus was obviously around in that dimension, I had to go back, convince Buffy that I'm me and help her to kill Angelus. If I took him by surprise I could finish the fight quickly, maybe... Either way, there was no choice. I had to go back through the portal.

-----Angel-----