She was staring out the window of her bedroom when she felt someone enter. She didn't register much until said person put their arm around her. She smiled gratefully and said "You never cease to amaze me, Will". Willow smiled and said "I saw you sitting up here and thought you could use the company, you look like you are having bad thoughts." Buffy leaned her head on her shoulder and said "I don't know what to do", "About what?" Willow said cautiously. Buffy sighed and said "Angel, he doesn't understand and don't give me that look." Willow tried to hide it but then said "I can't help it Buffy. You say he doesn't understand but he could as could everyone else if you told them. We had it tough when you left, even when Faith came it was hard. I think she had the hardest following in your footsteps, but we learnt and we dealt. If you only told them then they would accept you being back." Buffy gave her an incredulous look and said "Understand, how could they understand and if they did, they wouldn't accept they would pity me as you are now, and don't deny it, I can see it in your eyes. How can they accept me when I can't, answer me that."
Willow picked Buffy's hand up and said "Because they love you. We love you." Buffy shook her head and said "No no you don't because if you did you wouldn't have just given up on me." Willow bit her lip as she saw tears coming from Buffy but she gripped Buffy's hand and said "We are young. It was hard ok, it is hard. I don't think I can even grasp the extent the damage that was done to you let alone understand it but that wasn't what I was trying to tell you. If you tell then they will understand the REASON you weren't here not what happened. They may pity you but Buffy what do you expect, you were tortured." Buffy pulled her hand back from Willow with fire in her eyes and stood up and said "Yes, I was, me Willow not you, not them which makes it my decision whether I tell anyone not yours, so leave me alone."
With that said Buffy left the room leaving Willow staring sadly after her.
No sooner had she got outside that she felt him following her, once she was a safe distance from the house she stopped.
She turned around and said "Would you quit following already, you are making me jumpy." He stepped out of the shadows with a soft frown and said "I just wanted to make sure you were ok". Buffy sighed and said "Well I am not ok, alright; I won't be until you go back to LA. I can't handle your presence every night. A part of me wants to run in your arms and stay there but there is a bigger part that is curled up inside my guts that is itching to come out and play. And I don't think you are ready to see that, so do us both a favor and leave." If it was possible Angel looked even more hurt than before and said in a quiet voice "you've changed Buffy." Buffy looked down and said very softly "Yeah I have" but when she looked up he was gone and she sighed.
The problem with Angel aside from the fact that he was a vampire was he was built a little too much like the vampires that tortured her. His presence was a little too much to take especially when her gut told her the people who had her were still out there somewhere.
Author note: I know I know it isn't B/A and it isn't going to be Spuffy. I felt that some of you had a good case, after being tortured by vampires; she isn't going to want to be with a Vampire. So you will just have to read to see where I am heading with this.