Angel didn't move.
He was dead. He knew he was dead. He knew he was bound to die as soon as he touched his family's lifeless bodies. They were gone; burned. Ashes. A terrible sadness still lingered in Angel's dead heart. He would never see his family again. Never. He wouldn't get to see Elizabeth grow up, he would never have a second child.
His heart would never beat again.
Wait...
Angel suddenly remembered his dreams. What was wrong with them? There was something missing... a sort of lullaby, or a dull throb... What was it?His heart! His heart never moved in his dreams! He had no heart in his dreams. If he did have a heart, it wasn't alive and beating.

Angel's eyes shot open, and his mouth opened as if in a gasp. His eyes stared lifelessly into the blankess of the ocean. Angel's mind was racing, but his body was quiet. What was happening? Angel tried to move, but it was like his body was paralyzed.
Then, Angel's body started jerking. He shuddered, and jerked again, his whole mind was a painful mess. Angel silently screamed, the salt water pouring down his throat. He choked, jerking and shuddering again. Waves of memory filled Angel's mind.

Angel clenched his teeth, trying to get it out right. " I'm trying to do what's right here okay?" Buffy glared at him helplessly, as if he were just another vampire without a soul. " I'm trying to think with my head instead of my heart."
" Heart?" Buffy cried incrediously. " You have a heart? It isn't even beating!"
Angel's dead heart was breaking.We made it pump again." Don't," He started.
" Don't what?" Buffy cried. " Don't love you? You know what? I don't have a choice with that! I'm never gonna change, I can't change." Buffy whispered her last words;
" I want my life to be with you." Angel backed away, and saw the heart in her eyes.
" I don't." He whispered.It was a hard choice. Do you still regret it, Angel?
" You don't want to be with me?" Buffy asked softly. She too backed away. " I can't believe you're breaking up with me."
" It doesn't mean that I don't-" Angel stuttered.
Buffy glared at him. " How am I supposed to stay away from you?"
" I'm leaving. After the Ascension." Angel answered, ashamed.
" Where?" Buffy pressed.
" I don't know." Angel sighed. Buffy turned away, not able to bear his face.
" Is this really happening?" She whispered to herself.
It hurtso much, didn't it?

Angel could see Buffy overlooking the ocean, in the sunlight. What would she think of him if he suddenly walked out, and planted a big one on her? Angel glanced at the sun, hoping his mortality wasn't a phase or anything. Determined, he took a step.
Buffy felt something behind her, and turned. The wind whipped her hair, and her eyes widened. Angel, the vampire who cannot go into the sun, was walking towards her. In broad daylight. He didn't seem to be in pain either. Sure, he was a little pale, but he still looked good.
Angel was suddenly in front of her, and he pulled her into a tight, fierce kiss.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. We gave it to you, we can take it away.

Angel swallowed, panic filling him. " Another minute."
Buffy was crying. " A minute?" She gasped. " No, No! It's not enough time!" Angel shook his head.
" We don't have a choice. It's done." He whispered.
" How am I supposed to go on with my life, knowing what we had?" Buffy sobbed. " What we could have had?"
" You won't." Angel replied. At least he had done something right. "No one but me will know." Buffy shut her eyes, squeezing the tears out of them.
" Everything we did--"She whispered fiercely.
" -- It never happened." Angel finished. Buffyshook her head from side to side, meeting Angel's eyes.
" It did, it did!" She repeated. " I know it did!" Buffy stopped and slowly put her hand on Angel's chest, crying. "I felt your heart beat."
Angel was overwhelmed. " Buffy..." He leaned down, and kissed her softly. Buffy broke away and glanced at the clock.
" No! Oh god, it's not enough time!"She cried. Angel felt his own tears now.
" Sh- please, please." He begged. He heldher tightly, not wanting to let go. He would neverbe able to do this again. He loved her so much. She was more thenanything else to him. Buffy shook her head in a sad, stubborn way, her tears still on her cheeks.
" No." She said. " I'll never forget. I'll never forget. I'll never forget." Angel held her tightly, as everything snapped back into reality.
We are done.

The water suffocated Angel now. He could feel it all around him, pressing on him, threatning to crush him. No! The water was ice cold, and for a frozen moment, Angel thrashed about in the water; confused and panicked.
His whole body was numb as he finally kicked to the surface. He was exhausted. He wasn't going to make it kicking this slow. But Angel's lungs were fine. It seemed as if he could hold his breath forever. They weren't screaming for oxygen, they seemed full of air.
Angel finally broke to the surface, gasping and splashing. He treaded water until he could make sense of his whereabouts. Tossing his wet hair from his eyes, Angel stared at the huge city that sat in front of him.

Faith inhaled the polluted scent of L.A. It felt good, strutting around, kicking some ass here and there, never in any real danger. She was walking near the shoreline of L.A, looking for any stupid teenager drug addicts, vampires, or demons. Any of the above was good for Faith.
Faith looked up, hearing shouts and taunts. Three men surrounded another man who lie on the sand, clearly half dead or something. They kicked him occasionally, or yelled shit at him. It was the pathetic work of vampires.
Surprisingly, the vampires picked the fight first. One of them nudged the other, grinning and scorning at Faith as if she were a little girl. Faith grinned. The vampires may have started the fight, but Faith would end it.

Angel's vision was blurry and dimmed from so much salt. He was so tired, he could barely move. He barely noticed those men bothering him. But if they were to get rough, he would do something... when he got up...
Anew voice. A girl. Angel blinked, trying to clear his vision, but the salt had damged his pupils. Suddenly, he heard the pounding of fists against flesh. A thud here and there. Angel knew it was the girl kicking butt. What did it remind him of.... a servant? Serpent... Sphere?
More shouts, footsteps at a running pace. Then, the girl walked to Angel, and bended down to examine him. Angel must've shown suprise;
" What wrong babe? Haven't seen a Slayer in action before?"

Okay, i'm done with the memories. Tired of trying to remember. I'm still not sure what's completely going on in this story, but I think it's going to turn out pretty cool. Thanks for ALL of your reviews EVERYONE. Sorry this chapter's soo short. Going to make it longer in the next. .