Part 2: Dream's Revealing

Buffy walked into the Bronze, looking for her friends. She saw Willow waving to her a moment later in a corner booth. Buffy waved back, and walked towards Willow.

"Hey, Will," Buffy said cheerfully upon reaching said person. "Where is everyone?"

With a strained smile, Willow said, "Hey Buffy. Xander couldn't make it 'cause Cordelia wanted some 'alone time' with him, and Oz is playing a gig at the college."

"Oh. Why aren't you with Oz then?" Buffy asked.

Willow gazed at the Slayer for a moment, then sighed as she said, "We need to talk about last night...when you brought Angel with you."

Buffy lowered her eyes from Willow's gaze, and slowly sat down, resting her arms on the table in front of her. In a quiet voice, she asked, "What about?"

Willow reached over and gently touched Buffy's left arm at the wrist, and whispered, "You should have at least warned us that you were going to bring him, especially after everything he did to us."

Buffy's head jerked up, rage in her eyes. She stood abruptly, leaned towards Willow on the table, and hissed, "I don't need you or anyone else telling me what to do concerning Angel!" Her voice rose slightly, as she said, "My life has been dictated to enough as it is!"

The Slayer pushed away from the table, and stalked away, leaving behind a very shaken Willow. Once Buffy was outside of the Bronze, Giles came out from where he had been hiding while Willow confronted Buffy.

In a quiet voice, he said to Willow grimly, "It is worse than I thought. All she is willing to see is her love for the vampire."

Willow gazed at the entrance to the Bronze with troubled eyes, and said softly, "No Giles, that is not what the problem is. We're pushing her too much. She needs space after everything that has happened...and the only one doing that is Angel."

"So naturally," Giles murmured in sudden understanding, "she will defend him."

Melody.
Harmony.
Beauty in tone.
Seduction in musical form.

Angel felt it more than he heard it, followed it from chamber to chamber of the mansion, drawing closer to the double doors as he sought the song's source. Into the night he went, led by the beckoning notes. There, in the glow of a park light, the singer, dancing with a partner.

Angel stopped, and started to chuckle at the unlikely couple.

She was radiant, lean, long-legged, and barefoot. Angular, gossamer fabric rising and falling around her like feathers on a breeze, wings of beauty, complementing her form.

He was an old wino, stumbling to match her steps, clumsily flapping after her in his efforts to soar like the glorious vision he danced with. The drunk lifted her as her song rose, and she soared into the air, flapping her wings...

Wings!

Feathered wings of lustrous black, blue-green highlights glinting in the light, she hovered above the man.

A raucous, hawk-like screech, and she dove.

The wino screamed in terror, then in agony as talons ripped, beak slashed, and flesh tore. People running out of their homes to help. Only to stop at the sight of the creature before them.

Angel ran towards the beast to stop it, only to stop himself.

The creature raised its head sharply, and looked straight into Angel's eyes. A connection was made. With a scream unlike anything Angel had ever heard, the bird-woman rose from her victim, and soared towards the souled vampire.

Angel fell to the ground as the creature flew over him, screaming. Whether his, hers, or both, he did not know. In the distance, sirens howled in harmony.

Outside of the Bronze, Buffy stood shivering in rage. How dare they! They do not understand. Angel is not the demon...he is the soul.

Buffy sighed, her anger leaving, as she thought, Although, I can see their point as well. Last night was pretty hard on Angel, more than anyone else. I better go see how he's doing.

As Buffy began to walk towards the mansion on Crawford street, she heard many sirens in the direction she was going. Her curiosity peaked, she went to investigate.

Upon arrival, Buffy saw that the police and an ambulance that was pulling away were in front of the mansion. She also saw that two policemen were asking Angel questions. From the look on Angel's face, he was ready to bolt towards the mansion in panic. Her mouth thinned in anger. Buffy started to make her way towards Angel, only to be stopped by another policeman.

"I'm sorry miss, but no one's allowed past the yellow line," the officer said.

Buffy looked up at the one keeping her from Angel, and said quietly, "I was just coming to see my fiancé, and what do I see? Him being interrogated, and scared out of his wits. I would like to make sure he's alright, and find out what's going on!"

The policeman's brow drew down, as he asked, "Aren't you too young to be engaged?"

"I'll be eighteen in about two weeks, Officer," Buffy explained. She then asked, "Can I please see my fiancé?"

The officer hesitated, then looked into Buffy's pleading green-blue eyes. "Alright," he said quietly, "let me ok it with my superior, miss...?"

"Buffy, Buffy Summers," the Slayer supplied. She did not miss the slight widening of the officer's eyes before he nodded.

"If you will stay here, Miss Summers, I'll go see if you can talk to your fiancé."

Buffy nodded, and watched as the officer went to talk to another policeman. She felt eyes on her, and turned her head to see who. Angel gazed at her with desperation, pleading with her to get him out of the situation he was in. At that moment, she knew she had to get to him now.

"Damn them," Buffy hissed before breaking into a run. At the shouts for her to stop, Buffy leapt over the yellow warning line, went to Angel, and held him in a fierce hug. With a grip born of desperation, Angel clung to Buffy as he visibly shook.

"Get me out of here," he whispered hoarsely.

Buffy nodded, then turned within the vampire's arms to look at the police officers who now surrounded her and Angel. In a quiet and commanding voice, she said, "I need to get him out of here. He is at a very unstable emotional state right now. I am trying to help him, but this situation may have undone some of the work I've done. Now please, let us by."

An elderly police officer said, "I am sorry miss, but we cannot do that. He is the key witness to a gruesome murder."

A shudder wracked through Angel at those words, as he buried his face into Buffy's hair. His muscles grew taut, as his grip around the Slayer became even tighter, making it hard for her to breathe.

In a gasping voice, Buffy said, "Angel! Can't. Breathe!"

Immediately, Angel's grip loosened. With a shuddering breath, Buffy untangled herself from the souled vampire, turned around, and looked into his eyes. All she saw was terror.

In a voice that broke no discussion, the Slayer said, "I do not care what rules we break. I am taking my fiancé home with me. He is in no condition -- whatsoever -- to answer your questions."

With those words, Buffy gripped Angel's hand tightly, and roughly pushed past the policemen. Nobody stopped her.

Silently, Buffy slipped into her bedroom through the window, then whispered while holding out her hand, "I invite you in, Angel."

Hesitantly, Angel took the offered hand, and let the Slayer pull him inside. She gestured to her bed. Angel looked at the bed, then at Buffy, his gaze unsure. With a faint sigh, Buffy pulled the vampire over to her bed, and gently pushed him down onto it. With a gentleness born of long practice, she removed Angel's coat, and had him lay down on the bed.

She gently stroked his hair until he fell asleep. Once the distraught vampire was asleep, Buffy reached for her phone, and hit the memory button for Giles' number.