TITLE: The Betrayal of Life

AUTHOR: Carrie

SUMMARY: When Buffy was kicked out of her home in S7, I don't get how she just accepted them all after they let her come back. So this is how I figured it would be, with Angel.

DISCLAIMER: It's all Joss Whedon's.

SPOILERS: I guess Empty Places.

TIMELINE: Season Seven of Buffy and after Home of Angel.

DEDICATION: To Danielle and to Akay because she is so amazing and helped me so much with this fic!

FEEDBACK: I would love some and this is my first fic so please be gentle!

Part 1

His heart almost jumped out of his chest when the cell phone rang. Well his undead heart anyway. He looked at the black phone and picked it up gently before reading the ID name. Buffy, it read in blue words. He slowly picked it up and smiled into the phone.

"Hey," he whispered.

She didn't answer, and at first he thought it was because she just wanted to hear his voice, but when he heard the sob hitch in her throat, for the second time today he felt his undead heart jump in his chest.

"Buffy," he whispered, "What's wrong?"

She sniffled again, almost trying to control herself, "They kicked me out."

His eyebrows ruffled in confusion, "What?"

"They don't want me to lead anymore," she sobbed once again into the phone.

"Not lead, what's going on, Buffy? Who doesn't want you to lead anymore?" He said into the cell phone, desperately now. He never liked hearing her cry.

"Willow and Xander, and Dawn! I died and she doesn't want me anymore! Why doesn't anyone love me, Angel?" she whispered brokenly into the phone.

"Where are you?" he said as he got up from the black leather chair he was sitting in and pulled on his coat.

"In some house!" she wailed.

He slowed down a little when he saw Gunn, Fred and Wesley sitting around a table, like they were expecting him to come rushing out.

"Okay, don't move. I'm coming," he replied.

He hung up without saying goodbye and came towards his family. Or the closet thing he ever had to a family. They all looked at him curiously.

"Where are you going?" Fred asked slowly, from her position on the red velvet couch.

"I have to go to Sunnydale," he said quickly.

Wesley looked at him strangely, "Is everything alright?"

"Buffy needs me," Angel said simply, as if it explained everything.

"Is something wrong with her?" Wesley asked.

"Nothing is wrong, Wesley. I just need to go," Angel said looking at the man that had came the closet to becoming his best friend. "I'll call when I get there."

Before any of them could say anything he was out the door.

Angel passed the Welcome to Sunnydale sign and couldn't help but sigh as he drove past the familiar surroundings. He hadn't been there for so long. More than two years. The air was thick and he couldn't help but think something was coming. Something bad? He wasn't sure. He passed the roads and wondered why it was so empty. He came closer to Buffy's house and for the first time he noticed he felt her no where near her 'home'. He drove up the driveway and felt nothing. She wasn't home.

He parked slowly in the driveway and turned off the engine. He opened his door and got out slowly. Angel looked over the house and slowly walked towards the walk way. He pressed the doorbell firmly and waited for someone to open the door. He looked up towards the sky and saw the stars gazing at him. There never had been stars in Sunnydale before.

The door opened and he came face to face with a girl he had never seen before. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Who are you?"

"Angel, who are you?" he said as he pushed past her, and entered the house.

"Hey!" the girl said, but he was already walking towards the kitchen where he had heard familiar voices. He pushed open the white swinging door and everyone around the kitchen island looked at him.

"Angel," Willow squeaked.

"Willow, where is Buffy?" he asked firmly, waiting for a reply.

Her eyes widened, "Why?" she squeaked again.

He glared at her and everyone around the place. "Jeez Angel, I saw you only a few days ago, what's with all the growls?" Faith said, smiling at him.

"Where is Buffy?" he said again, his patience lessening.

"And what brings you to Sunnydale, anyway?" Xander said, looking at him with his eyes huge in question.

"Buffy called me."

Everyone that was around the table felt a dread feeling set on them. "Angel…" Dawn said.

"No, where is she? What the hell did you guys tell her?" he snarled at them all.

"Angel, she was getting the potential slayers killed," Willow said slowly, almost like she was explaining the situation to a child.

"Who is this guy?" the girl who had answered the door asked, leaning against the door.

"Kennedy, just stay out of this," Willow said.

"Getting killed?" Angel said his eyes widening in horror, "Do you know how many times she has died for all of you!?" Angel growled at the red head.

Willow shrunk in fear. "Angel…"

"Don't," he said as he looked around at the people in the kitchen, "You people, who are you people, because you are not the ones I left her with. The people I left her with would never kick their leader out of her battle."

"Angel, that's not fair," Dawn said as she came slowly towards him.

He spun towards her, "You don't touch me. She loved you so much and you think you can just kick her out of her own house! That's disgusting."

"We did it for the best," Willow said, feeling as if she was deflating against Angel's gaze.

Angel snarled at her, his eyes blazing with anger. "Best! You thought it was best! Do you know what is going to happen now! Everyone is going to die! You are in the middle of, I don't know what, but in the middle of something big and evil and you just kick out the only person that can defeat it? Who put their life on the line every time these things happened? Who saved everyone every time there was an apocalypse? Who died twice to make sure everyone would live to see another day? All of you are the most unappreciative people I have ever seen! She has saved your asses more than I can remember, and I can remember a lot of things. And how do you show her how much you need her, you kick her out!"

"Who do you think is going to take charge if she doesn't? Who do you think is going to take care of everyone if she doesn't? You think you can defeat it with your 'powers' Willow? You think Faith is a better, more stable slayer than Buffy? Xander, do you think you can do it with your powers? Oops, guess I forgot. You don't have any!" Angel said at them all with deep loathing.

"Hey! Willow is a lot stronger than Buffy will ever be!" The girl that opened the door for him said. She pushed off the door she was leaning against and walked towards him.

Angel turned his eyes towards her, and Kennedy took a step back. His eyes weren't human, they were yellow, devil sort of 'I might kill you' yellow. "You think that, do you? Who do you think saved Willow so she can be standing here kicking her so called best friend out of her house? Who do you think Willow went to when she needed help? Having a magic addiction isn't something I would call power. It's more on the lines of disgust," Angel spat at her. "You don't know the nature of Buffy's powers. They weren't just given to her. You think the Powers are dumb enough to give it to someone weak! They give it to someone strong mentally, and they just add the physical part."

Angel gave them one look and the turned around and headed out towards the door. "Angel!" he heard Dawn say and stopped once he was outside and felt her behind him. He didn't turn around though; he just waited for her to talk.

"That isn't fair what you said?" she said quietly.

He spun around and glared at the girl he had known since she was little. He glared at her and he swore he never felt so much anger in him before. "Fair? Do you honestly think that kicking Buffy out of the house she worked so hard to keep was fair?"

"Angel, she…"

"She what? She got some people killed, big deal. Did they kick you out of the house when she died?" he glowered at her.

Dawn's eyes went wide and he saw the tears form in his eyes, and for a second he felt sorry. "That was different," she whispered.

"Really? And what right do you have to kick her out of her own house?" He glared furiously at her.

She looked down at the wood porch and frowned. "I live here too."

He looked down at her, his eyes boring into her and Dawn suddenly noticed why people were so frightened of him, "Okay, you live here. Are you going to pay the bills? Are you going to take care of everyone when they need it? Are you going to lead the group in the danger of an apocalypse when you need to? Really? That's great."

He didn't look at the youngest Summers girl as he turned around and he didn't stop either when she called out to him. He left his car in their driveway and just kept walking. His slayer was waiting for him.