The nextWesley saw Angel come down the stairs quickly after he went up. The Brit had assumed that he had gone to talk with Buffy and was more than surprised to see him so soon. He watched as the ex-vampire dejectedly walked out into fading daylight and wondered what had gone wrong. Willow noticed as well and headed up the stairs to speak with Buffy. The door to the Slayer's bedroom was open so the witch walked in and sat down on the bed next her friend who was lying down cuddling her stuffed pig.

"Hey Will."

"Hey. Angel just left. He looked upset. Did something happen?"

"We talked. He told me that he regained his memory. I told him I was happy for him. And that was it."

"That was it? No wonder he was upset."

"What do you mean by that?" Buffy asked, sitting up.

"I mean, he's human and he remembers you. He was probably thinking there'd be some smoochies involved."

"That was over between us a long time ago."

Willow snorted derisively. "Please Buffy. I know you and I aren't as close as we once were, but come on, like I'd believe that. Things are never over between you two."

"It'll just be better for everyone concerned if we stay apart," she said sadly.

"Why? I don't get it. You still love him right? He loves you too, right? And now he's all human and un-soul-losing and if you're not together you'll both be all mopey and filled with sexual tension, so why would it be better for you not to be together?"

"It's too hard Will. I'm....I'm afraid that when he finds out how I've changed, how screwed up I've become, he won't want to be with me anymore. I don't think I could handle that," she confessed, tears filling her eyes as she lamented the loss of the girl she had once been. Willow gathered her best friend into her arms.

"I know that things have sucked so badly for a while now and I know you've had a hard time, but I also know that you shouldn't let this opportunity pass you by. Tara and I wasted a lot of time and then I lost her. I was too scared to face what the magic was doing to me, so I let her go and it's my biggest regret. One thing I've learned is that if you want to be happy, you have to deal with your demons."

"Often, literally," Buffy joked. Willow laughed.

"Just think about it, okay? It might be hard, but I think it would be worth it." She kissed her friend's forehead and left her alone with her thoughts.

At the end of the day, Angel sat in bed. He was exhausted but his mind wouldn't stop racing, digesting his memories and pondering his future, so he was reading to take his mind off of it. A knock at the door interrupted him. He got up to answer it and was surprised to find Buffy on the other side.

"Hi."

"Hi. Can I, uh, come in?" He stepped out of the doorway to let her pass. "I think I was a little hasty before. I at least owe you an explanation."

"Go ahead." Closing the door, he leaned back against it and fixed his mahogany eyes on her. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"I've been through a lot since you left. And you won't like the person I've become."

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?" Buffy hated this. She didn't want to tell him this, but her conversation with Willow had convinced her that she at least owed him the truth. She turned her back to him and walked towards his desk. Still, his eyes bore into her back.

"Could you not look at me when I say this?" She could feel when his eyes were no longer on her and taking a deep breath, she told him the thing that stood between them. "I slept with Spike.....more than once." The silence that filled the room at her revelation seemed to surround her, making it hard for her to breathe. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable torrent of anger that was sure to come. He would be disgusted by her. And it would be the final straw between them, the bitter end. She wished she could take her words back, take her actions back, do anything so that she wouldn't have to turn around and see the hatred in his eyes, hear the fury in his voice. But when he spoke, he didn't say what she expected.

"I know." She turned around to face him as the calmly spoken words sunk in.

"What?"

"Demons talk, Buffy." He didn't sound angry, just bitter, regretful and tired.

"And that's it? You don't care?" she asked tentatively. She was glad that he wasn't yelling at her, and yet slightly disappointed that he wasn't jealous.

"Of course I care!" He raked his hands over his face and through his hair, trying to contain his emotion. "When I found out, I flipped. I head towards Sunnydale, ready to rip Spike's head off for touching you and wanting to claim you as mine again. But I got half way there and realized I had no right. I left you so you could have a better life, and if to you that meant being with Spike, I had no right to stop you."

She scoffed at that idea. "Things weren't better for me with Spike. I was severely messed up and stupid and he was there. He provided me with an escape that I couldn't find anywhere else," she admitted softly. "I wish I could take it back. I truly do. I'm so sorry."

"If we're getting everything out in the open, I should tell you I've been there. I went through a really tough time, lost all hope, that kind of thing and ended up sleeping with Darla," he confessed with shame. "So I get it."

"I guess we're even then, huh?" she half-joked. She was upset by his revelation but if he could deal with the Spike thing, she had no right to get mad. He looked at her with rueful eyes.

"Buffy, I wish I could take back so many things I did. And I hate thinking of you with Spike. More than hate really." He crossed over to her with a few long strides, standing close. When he spoke, his voice was low and husky. "But nothing that has happened has changed the way I feel about you. Do you feel the same?"

"Yes," she whispered after a beat, suddenly breathless, overwhelmed by his presence. He cupped her cheek gently, tilting her face upwards and brushed his lips against hers. The kiss was soft and tender, a reassurance, a profession of love. Angel pulled back and they locked eyes for an intense moment. Then, he kissed her again, this time with more fervor. Things escalated quickly, passions too long contained bursting free. She moaned into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck, going up on her tiptoes to get closer to him. Buffy's hot tongue slipped into his mouth, tangling with his now equally hot one.

Buffy was barely aware that she was moving until she felt the bed hit the back of her knees. She fell backwards pulling Angel with her. He propped himself up on his arms and gazed down at her with love shining in his eyes.

"Buffy," he breathed, hoarse with passion. She pulled his head down to hers, expressing her passion without words; there were no words to express how she was feeling. She felt light-headed, like she was sixteen again making out with him in a graveyard, unsure of what she wanted, unsure of how far it would go. But now she knew exactly where she wanted it to go and she knew Angel wanted it just as much.
"Angel, Angel, Angel," she murmured against his lips."We can stop if you want," he told her, his hands coming to a rest on her sides. "Maybe we should take it slow."

"No. I don't want to wait. I want you."

Buffy lay on her side, facing Angel as he slept. She trailed her fingertips gently over his chiseled features, relaxed in slumber and wondered if the peace they were both feeling would be short lived. The previous night had been wonderful, but when they left the bedroom, when they went downstairs and faced their real lives, would things change? More specifically, when Angel went downstairs and saw Spike, would he continue to be so forgiving? It was hard to believe he would be. She hadn't quite forgiven herself for all the fucked up things she had done over the past few years. Her thoughts were interrupted by Angel's eyes blinking open and focusing on her.

"Morning," he rumbled.

"Morning." His hands tangled in her sleep-knotted hair and pulled her in for a soft kiss. He held her close, their noses rubbing together in an eskimo kiss. At first, Buffy was content with just lying in his arms, but then her hands started to wander. He responded by kissing her deeply and rolling on top of her. She mewled as he palmed her left breast, tweaking the nipple gently.

"Angel?" Fred knocked at his door. "Are you awake?"

Angel groaned under his breath. "Yes," he called.

"There's breakfast downstairs if you're hungry."

"Thanks, Fred." He dropped his head against her breast and sighed. "I guess we should go down."

"Yeah, I guess." Reluctantly, she scooted out from under him and began to get dressed. He watched her appreciatively for a moment before doing the same thing. When clothed, Angel pulled Buffy into his arms again and sealed his lips over hers.

"I love you." She hugged him tightly, rubbing her cheek against the soft cotton of his shirt. Here goes nothing, she thought as she pulled back from him and they headed out of the bedroom.

A hush fell over the crowded kitchen when the newly reunited couple entered the kitchen together. The new Slayers had gathered enough information about the Buffy and Angel saga over the past week that they were anxious to see how their very own live action soap opera would play out. But Willow didn't allow for any dramatics. "Good Morning!" she chirped as if nothing had changed. Buffy smiled at her and they went about getting their breakfasts.

"Angel," Wesley said after taking a sip of his coffee. "Fred and I are taking Xander and Anya down to Wolfram and Hart today. Would you like to join us?"

"Sure," he said, digging into his waffles. "Oh man, I love food." Although he savored his breakfast, he ate quickly and then went back up to his room to shower. When he came out of the bathroom, Buffy was sitting on his bed but he didn't notice her. She watched happily while he searched through his drawers for a pair of boxers with only a towel slung low around his waist. She must have made a noise when he dropped the towel and his tight ass came into view because he spun around, accidentally dropping his shorts in surprise.

"Buffy, you scared me."

"Sorry," she said, though she was grinning unrepentantly as she drank in his naked form. Color rushed to his cheeks when he registered her lustful gaze and he quickly pulled on his boxers.

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to talk to you before you left. I think maybe we should take things slowly."

"You're probably right. Last night, we shouldn't have rushed things," he said, walking over to the closet and pulling out a pair of slacks.

"No, I didn't mean...I mean, I don't regret last night.......do you?" she asked nervously. She stood up, ready to make a quick exit if necessary. She still wanted to be with him - had he changed his mind?

"I don't either." He turned back to her.

"Good." She let out an internal sigh of relief. "Things have been so intense, especially last night, and although I know how I feel about you, I don't really know anything about your life. I just think that we should take some time to get to know each other again."

"I'd really like that." He smiled at her, glad that she still wanted to be with him and truly wanting to spend the time getting to know the woman she had become. He knew that he wouldn't like hearing everything that she had to say, but he knew he needed to hear it. And he knew it wouldn't make him love of her any less. If he had learned anything in the past seven years, it was that he would always love her. "Why don't we go to dinner tonight? Just the two of us, we can get some time to talk."

"Great. It's a date." She froze when she realized what she said, but he grinned at her.

"It's a date," he echoed. Buffy was captured in his smile. He was so beautiful when he was happy and his smile made the lights dim everywhere else. He looked delicious, standing there in only his boxers and more than anything, she wanted to push him down on the bed and finished what they had started that morning. But they both had things to do.

"I guess I'll just let you get dressed then." Her eyes lingered on him as she left the room.