The next day's lunch was a business lunch with a massive spread of Chinese food set up in the garden. Buffy, Faith, Robin, Willow, Giles, Xander, Anya, Wesley and Dawn feasted while they discussed their next step. Some of the girls were getting antsy, wanting to go home to their families while Giles and Wesley were afraid that without proper guidance, the massive amounts of power the girls had gained could corrupt them. They needed to figure out a plan of action.

"We need to train the girls like Buffy and Faith were trained. There's enough experience and expertise in this room that we should be able to set up and teach some sort of curriculum."

"Like a Slayer school?" Dawn asked, slightly skeptical.

"Why not? Look at this group. We have educators and Watchers. Slayers and magick experts."

"I think this could work," Willow said, getting excited about the idea. "I mean the girls have already started to train so we could just set up, like, classes. Ya know, Mondays from 1-2 is Knife Throwing and Tuesday 11-12 is Stake Whittling or something like that. Then we could take them on field trips to the cemetery!"

"You were always such a nerd, Will," Xander said with a laugh.

"There's nothing wrong with liking school. Besides, if your best friend the nerd didn't let you cheat off her science test, you would have never graduated," she defended herself, but without any real zing as she was smiling back at him. Buffy smiled with her friends as well. It had been so long since she had heard them tease each other, since anything about any of their relationships had been playful, that it was a breath of fresh air. Since leaving Sunnydale and the negative energy of the Hellmouth, things seem to have settled down between all of them. Maybe it was just because they had all had a chance to relax for the first time in who knows how long but the tensions had seemed to ease somewhat. Though nothing had been talked over and Buffy knew all their problems would not just magically be fixed, she knew that with some work, they could repair friendships that had been long broken. Looking at her friends, she knew whatever work was involved would be worth it.

But there was one relationship which she still worried about. She didn't know if any amount of work would ever be able to rebuild her relationship with Angel. They weren't the same people they had been when their worlds revolved around each other. Her world had been turned upside down many times over, she had been to heaven and back and hadn't come out unscathed. And as for Angel? He was human now and had a whole new bright shiny future ahead of him. So where did that leave her?

Buffy knew that he had told her that he loved her during the battle, but that was in the heat of the moment. Besides, even if he really meant it, he had loved her at graduation but that didn't stop him from leaving. And with his new mortal status, would he even want to be dragged back down into their relationship when he could have so much more? She just had no idea where she stood with him. Or actually where she would stand with him when he got his memory back. It was all so confusing.

And more than a little frustrating.

Having been the Slayer for so many years, she knew exactly what to do when she was frustrated. After the meeting dispersed, she headed down to the basement to pound the crap out of the punching bag. She changed into yoga pants and a sports bra, wrapped her knuckles with tape and began to punch and kick the bag hanging from the ceiling. It swung with her ferocious hits but she continued with what would have been deadly accuracy if she hadn't been attacking an inanimate object. She continued for about twenty minutes, working up a sweat, before stopping for a drink of water.

The workout had served to vent her frustrations but she was still tense and now hopped up on adrenaline. She took another swig of water and then moved to the center of the basement floor. Slowly, she began to move through the tai chi kata that she had learned so long ago. Buffy closed her eyes, let her body take over the practiced, controlled movements so that her mind could rest.

Buffy let her mind drift until she reached a place of utter calm. In fact, she let it drift so far that she wasn't aware that another person had entered the room.

"Wow." Buffy jumped in surprise, falling out of position. "Sorry," Angel said sheepishly. I didn't mean to scare you." He had stumbled upon her while exploring the lower floors of the hotel and although he didn't want to disturb her, he wasn't able to pull himself away. The sight of her scarcely clothed body flowing through the kata had completely enraptured him. "I didn't know you could do that. It's impressive," he told her.

"I learned it from you," she replied, wiping at her sweaty face with a towel.

"Oh. Well, I didn't know I could do that either."

"I guess not." They both laughed a little awkwardly. "So I guess you haven't had any memory flashes or anything?" Buffy asked, with concern.

"No, I haven't." He stepped further into the room, taking in all the work out equipment and cabinets of weapons. He shook his head and sighed, disheartened that he couldn't even begin to put the puzzle pieces of his life together.

"Hey," Buffy said, putting a comforting hand on his arm, "it'll be okay. You'll get your memory back." He looked down at her - her hair slightly messy, her face still flushed from her workout, and her eyes looking with such compassion into his - and couldn't help himself. Buffy wasn't prepared for him to press his lips to hers but quickly relaxed into his kiss. His lips were warm now but he tasted the same and his hands sliding down her back felt the same. The voice inside her head telling her that this was a mistake was ignored because it all just felt so right. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer and flattening her lithe body against his muscular one.

It was a heady rush being with him again, at once both familiar and new and exciting. One of his large hands had slid into her hair, tangling in the long strands, while the other rested on the small of her back, holding her close. For his part, Angel could not believe how good, how right she felt in his arms. Her passion was obvious as her tongue danced hotly with his and she moaned into his mouth. He responded by attacking her mouth with even greater hunger than before. He had been watching her, wanting her since he had awoken in the hospital and now that he had her hot and pressed against him, all he wanted to do was make love to her, push her to the ground and claim her as his.

"Oh my God!" Buffy and Angel broke up to find Faith and a group of young Slayers standing in the doorway. Blushing, Buffy looked from Angel to the group and back to Angel again.

"I....I," she stammered, "I can't do this." With that, she pushed past the Slayers and ran up the stairs.

"Buffy!!" Angel called after her, but she didn't stop or even look back.

"I'm sorry, Angel. We didn't know...I mean we didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's fine, Faith. Just go ahead and train."

"Train? For what?" she said innocently. They still hadn't told Angel any specifics of what they did at the hotel.

"It's okay. I remember everything." He headed up the stairs with Faith at his heels.

"What do you mean you remember?" she exclaimed as they entered the lobby. Fred and Wesley, who were talking in the lobby, turned in surprise to the pair.

"Angel? You regained your memory?" Fred asked excitedly.

"Yes I did." He stopped to talk to his friends even though what he really wanted to do was go find Buffy.

"How did it happen?" Wesley asked as they gathered around him. "Was there a trigger?" At Angel's nod, he added, "Well, what was it?"

"Buffy. We kissed and I could remember kissing her all those times before. And then I could remember everything else. It all came rushing back."

"That makes sense. Doctors say that a strong sense memory can often help patients recover from amnesia." Angel nodded, no doubt in his mind that the feel of kissing Buffy was probably the strongest memory he had. The sensation was burned indelibly into his brain.

"So you remember! That's so great! Wait until Gunn hears," Fred enthused. "Oh! And we need to call Lorne!"

"Where is Lorne anyway?" Angel asked, curious as to where his big green friend had been for the past week.

"Well we didn't want to shock you with any supernatural things before you regain the knowledge of them on your own. So Lorne was more than happy to spend some time in Vegas until you knew. It's great that you're back to yourself because there is so much to be done," Wes told him. "We need to begin getting Wolfram and Hart affairs in order. Figure out a budget for the Slayers..." Wesley began to rattle off a list of chores and projects for Angel to do until the newly mortal man cut him off.

"Wes, a little break please. I just remembered like five minutes ago."

"Of course, of course," he apologized. "It's just that when we found out that you had gotten your shanshu, we were concerned that it would come at the price of your history.
You can imagine how happy I am that it hasn't. We need you to head up Wolfram and Hart and you'll be an excellent resource to instruct the Slayers..."

"But of course, we're happiest that you're alive and well," Faith interrupted, giving the Brit a look.

"Thanks Faith. And Wes, I know there a lot of things to be done, but I need to talk to Buffy first." He headed towards the stairs, but his progress was halted when Giles, Willow and Robin entered the hotel. As he talked to them, the Slayers came upstairs looking for Faith and then Willow, Xander, and Anya came in from shopping. As he continued his explanations, the rest of the occupants of the Hyperion except Buffy drifted into the lobby and Angel found himself stuck there for another hour, answering questions and listening to speculation.

Finally, he broke away from the congregation and made his way to Buffy's bedroom where he suspected she would be. He was right. As he climbed the stairs, she was lying on her bed, Mr. Gordo Jr. resting on her stomach. She had showered but she couldn't wash away the feel of Angel's hands on her skin. The knock on the door made her sit up.

"Who is it?"

"It's me. Can I come in?" Angel didn't wait for an answer before entering. "We need to talk."

"About what?" she asked feigning innocence.

"Why did you run away before?" His question was so earnest that she had to answer him truthfully.

"We never should have kissed. It was a huge mistake. We can't start something because once you get your memory back, you'll...." she trailed off, staring intensely at Mr. Gordo Jr. instead of at him.

"I'll what?" he probed gently.

"You'll remember that you don't want me." She met his eyes, sadness glistening in her hazel orbs.

"Buffy, that's impossible. I could never not want you."

"You don't know, Angel. You don't remember."

"No, I do remember, Buffy. And I know that I always want you."

"What?" Her eyes were wide as they focused on him. "You remember? How....? When...?"

"When I kissed you, it all came back. All of it," he told her, though he was unaware of the missing memories of Connor that spared him that particular pain. "Buffy, why would you think I wouldn't want you?"

"Because, Angel. In some kind of amazing twist of fate, you are human now - something we've both wanted for you for, like, ever. You can go do whatever you want. You don't have to worry about Slayers and demons and all this crap anymore. You can go out and live the life you've been denied for so long."

"I just took over as head of Wolfram & Hart, a law firm that specializes in demons and all that crap, I really can't leave it behind."

"You should try to. You deserve so much better than me."

"Buffy, there is no one better for me than you."

The Slayer laughed bitterly. "You have no idea who I am anymore. You have no idea some of the things I've done."

"I don't care. I love you." He reached out to her, taking her hand in his.

"I love you too." She pulled her hand out of his grasp. "But you taught me a long time ago that love isn't always enough." He stepped back, putting distance between them. Her rejection was utterly disheartening. He had a vision of coming up here, taking her in his arms, and kissing her senseless but it was obvious that that wouldn't be happening.

"If you don't want to be with me, that's your choice," he told her calmly, disguising his heartbreak. "But it's not going to change the way I feel about you. So if you ever change your mind, I'll be there." He turned his back to her, but heard her speak softly.

"I'm sorry Angel. It's just too hard." She added to herself, "I'm just too scared."