Buffy softly wept as she drove along the dark road. Cars rarely passed by her and she didn't know where she was going.

But she just kept driving.

It relaxed her sometimes. It was just her behind the wheel, no one else was in control, just her.

Some depressing song was playing on the radio.

Enough of that.

She bent forward, taking her eyes of the road momentarily, to change stations.

But that moment changed everything.

"Noooo!!!" Buffy screamed as the car swerved to the side of the road. Her front wheels glided over the grass while her back wheels plopped quickly into a pile of thick mud. She tried to move, only accomplishing spraying mud everywhere.

"Damnit!" She screamed angrily, kicking the side of her car. She began to sob uncontrollably, feeling helpless and alone. She reached into her jacket for her phone.

No service.

Buffy didn't know what to do. She staggered to the nearby convenience store and gasped.

"Payphone?" She asked a cashier.

"In the back." The woman said, filing her nails.

Buffy rushed to the payphone and slid a quarter through the slot. She first thought of calling Faith, but her fingers danced across the number pad in a different pattern.

Angel reached for his cell phone and answered it not bothering to look at who called. Probably Faith, he thought.

"Hello?" He asked into the receiver.

"Angel!"

Angel looked confused. "Buffy? Are you okay?"

She sobbed wildly into the phone. "I-I didn't know who else to call…my car…and everything is just all wrong and really, really bad."

She spoke nonsense into the receiver, choking on her own tears.

"Where are you?"

"Some convenience store off of Route 30…"

"Don't worry Buffy, I'll find it. I'm gonna call for a tow truck and bring you home." He assured her.

"Th-thank you…" she whispered, doubting he could hear it.

The tow truck failed to arrive timely, but Angel was there. She ran to him and fell into his arms. He was surprised, but not in a bad way.

"Shhh…it's ok, I'm here." She whispered, still holding her. She then weakly walked to his truck and they drove away.

Angel occasionally looked at Buffy in wonder as he drove back to Tree Hill. He wondered why she was there, what she was thinking. He also felt guilty about leaving Faith at the restaurant alone, but she needed him.

Buffy lay next to him in a dreamless sleep. He fingered one of her golden curls and immediately pulled away.

What are you thinking?

He had no idea what he was thinking, but the foreign feeling wasn't unpleasant.

Buffy woke up as they reached her house. He walked her to her front door.

"The truck should come by with your car by tomorrow." He said.

She nodded.

"Angel, I can't thank you enough…"

He smiled. "Anytime. I'm glad you called me."

Buffy peered into her dark, empty house and looked at him.

"Do you think maybe you could hang out for a while? I just don't really feel like being alone…" She asked, wondering what he would say.

He wanted this. "Sure."

The two walked into her house, shutting the door behind them.

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