A/N: I've gotten a total of about three people altogether to say anything abut the Karen/Angel thing, and so I doubt I'm gunna go with it. VampMeg, I loved your ideas! I'm going to use the ones about Karen and the glamour spell. I hadn't really been sure what I was going to do on the Karen or Faith as Angel's date thing. I was probably just going to help no one noticed. Lol. So I really appreciate your input! It means bunches! Lol. And Sonia, I know what you mean about the Buffy/Angel thing. Very annoying. But she won't exactly be doing that. You'll have to read on to find out what I mean. And the blood thing, well… We'll get to that! Lol. Jane, I agree. They are kinda pushing her around, even without her there. But she's gunna grab the steering wheel and take charge soon, so don't worry! And Ladymiss, thanks SO much for pointing that out! Someone told me earlier, but I've never heard of it, and they didn't give me much besides the author's name, so I didn't know how to find it! I'm really sorry about that, but I had never read the story before. Though I have now, and I loved it! Teehee. But thanks a whole lot! I really appreciate it! It's just I love tigers, and was sick of the unoriginality in his nicknames for her. He calls everyone else those, too. And now, finally on to the story!

Chapter 9: Rescue Mission

Spike sighed. Buffy had avoided him ever since that night. She had gone back to how things had been when she first got there, and it drove him crazy. He tried to get her to talk, to go somewhere, to do anything, but she wouldn't even stay in the same room as him. He growled in frustration, unsure of what to do.

Buffy sighed. Spike had tried to get her to open up again ever since that night. He wanted things to stay how they had become. She didn't know what to do though. She couldn't even be in the same room as him anymore without wanting to rip his clothes off and take him right there. She looked in the mirror at her half-there reflection. She was wearing a low-cut emerald dress that had a slit up one side to just above her knees. There was only one strap going over her left shoulder, and her hair was pinned up, proudly displaying the bites Spike gave her. Most of the time, she wore it down, covering the bites. Her make-up was done lightly, and the only jewelry she was a simple necklace, an emerald stone on a silver necklace. Her shoes were strappy, black heels. With one final tug on a loose bit of hair, she turned and left the room. Spike was waiting for her, dressed up nicely in a tux. Buffy sucked in an un-needed breath out of desire. She wasn't sure she'd be able to get through this night without jumping him. And she didn't really think it was a bad thing still…It was then Spike noticed that her hair was up. She normally didn't do that. Maybe there was some hope for him after all…

Spike held out his arm to her, and she hooked hers with his before they left to go downstairs to the party.

The limo pulled up to the huge hotel Spike was holding the party at. Angel and Faith sat inside. Faith was slightly stronger than Karen, so she had been the one chosen to go as Angel's date. Willow had put a glamour spell on her to hide the slayer spell and make her appear as a vampire. Around the corner, Giles, Karen, and the Scoobies sat crammed into Oz's van, waiting for the signal that back-up was needed. Wesley was driving the limo, also waiting for the signal. Angel got out of the car, and then turned to help Faith get out as well. Angel was in a tux, and Faith had a black strapless dress on, along with black heels. Her make-up was done dark, like it always was. Turning to the doors, they walked to them, arms hooked together. Wesley pulled off to go to the back of the building, passing Giles and the others on the way.

When they reached the door, Angel handed the vamp there the stolen invitation. The vampire looked at it, then back at Angel and Faith, before nodding and stepping aside, allowing them to pass. He leered at Faith as she went by; she winked back. As they entered and began to look around, Angel leaned to whisper something to Faith.

"You're fitting in pretty well," he said.

"Yeah well, if I'm s'posed to be a vamp, may as well act like one, right?" she whispered back. Angel looked at her, and then shook his head.

"Come on. Let's find Buffy and get out of here."

The two began to walk around, looking for the blonde. Suddenly, the room quieted, and heads turned. Curious as to what was happening, Faith and Angel looked in the direction everyone else was looking towards. There, at the top of a small staircase leading to a raised area of the room, stood Spike, Buffy on his arm with her bites uncovered for everyone to see.

"'Lo, all," Spike greeted the room. "I'm Spike, as you know. And this…" he gestured to Buffy, "is Buffy, the greatest vampire slayer to ever live." Spike started to chuckle. "Or, to unlive," he smiled wickedly. She smiled back at him sweetly as he turned his smile to her. Staring into each others eyes, they slowly leaned to each other for a kiss.

Angel stared in shock. He couldn't believe what Spike made Buffy go through. He knew she would never do that, not even smile a him. It was just impossible…

Faith stared at the two. Suddenly, she wasn't so sure they should bother rescuing the ex-slayer. To Faith, it didn't really seem like she wanted to be rescued. ..

Spike looked into Buffy's eyes as their kiss ended. He smiled at her, a soft smile. Maybe there was more than just hope for him…

Buffy stared back at Spike. As of then, she no longer cared. She just wanted to be with Spike, and who was there to stop her anymore? Angel? He was gone. And she thought she might be falling for Spike...

It was about two hours later, and Buffy had been having a blast. She had finally just let go, and decided to just live the vampire high-life. She had talked to tons of vampires, been told stories of times they had killed great vampire hunters, or just had large, meaningless slaughters, and she no longer cared. After all, she wasn't really the slayer anymore! What was stopping her from just enjoying being what she was? She had never enjoyed being the slayer, but she had been given a second chance at life, and by Spike of all people! She glanced over at him. He was talking to a group of vamps, once again re-telling the story of when he turned her, but with flourishes to make him look greater, but not so many it made her look bad. She excused herself from her own gathering crowd and walked over to his side, smiling at him as she gave him a passionate kiss.

From a distance, Angel watched the couple and their every move. He knew that Buffy had to be under some kind of spell to make her act this way. There was no other explanation. And as soon as she was alone, Oz's simple, yet sure to be effective, plan would be put into action.

Another 2 hours had passed, and Buffy was finally alone. As the party was winding down she had gone into a bathroom to check on her make-up, wanting to let everyone's last image of her tonight be a good one. Faith and Angel snuck in after her soon after calling for Xander to come in as back-up.

As she looked into the mirror, Buffy saw a brunette girl come up behind her.

"You're not dead…" Buffy said curiously as she turned around to face the mysterious girl. She gasped. "Angel? But… But you're dead!"

Angel moved towards her. "Buffy… Whatever he did… you don't have to worry now. It's all going to be ok…"

"What? Angel, what are yo-" Buffy was cut off as a hand covered her mouth. She began to struggle and tried to scream. Out of habit, she was gasping, trying to take in the air her body still didn't always realize that she didn't need. Soon she passed out.

Xander let the chloroform soaked rag he held fall to the ground as he struggled to hold up Buffy. Angel took her into his arms, and Xander quietly climbed back out the small window in the bathroom, helping Faith out after him. Together the two pulled out Buffy's limp form as Angel held her up. Angel climbed out as well, then took Buffy back into his arms as everyone but Oz, Cordelia, and Karen got out of the van which Oz had pulled up by the bathroom window and into the limo. Faith grinned at Angel and climbed into the van as he and Xander got Buffy in the limo before getting in themselves. Then the two cars set off back to Sunnydale.

Everyone was gone now, and it had been about 15 minutes since Spike had last seen Buffy. He hadn't thought too much of it, but now that no one was there… He set off in search of her. He remembered her saying something about the bathroom, so he went there first. When he got there, he didn't like what he saw. Buffy small emerald purse was on the floor, its contents spilled. He saw a rag and bent over to pick it up. He gave it a sniff, and just as he thought, smelled chloroform on it. Someone had taken his slayer. As he was leaving, he noticed another smell… Someone familiar…

Spike's eyes widened as he ran out of the room.

Buffy awoke, fully refreshed. She decided to get up and open the curtains. Buffy had made it a habit recently to always shut the curtains in case Spike came in. Sitting up, she threw the covers off and got out of bed to open the curtains for a bit. Then she froze. Slowly, she turned in a circle, taking in her surroundings. She was standing in her old room at her mother's house back in Sunnydale. Then the last night came flooding back to her. She gasped, and ran out her bedroom door and down the stairs, now in pajamas someone must have changed her into rather than her dress from the party and her hair had been let down. The thought of someone doing that, even Willow or her mother, bothered her. She reached the kitchen and saw her mother, standing in the morning light. She froze in shock. Joyce looked up and gasped.

"Buffy! Oh, Buffy. I know Mr. Giles said you'd be fine now that you were home, but… it's just so good to have my baby back!" she went to Buffy and pulled her into a hug. Buffy stood still for a second, completely shocked at her mother's warm welcome, remembering the last words she had said to her, but then brought up her arms to return the hug as tears filled both the women's eyes. After the hug, Joyce pulled away to look her daughter in the face. Then she gasped.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! The windows!" Joyce rushed to close the blinds, but Buffy stopped her.

"Mom…" Buffy trailed off as she stepped into the light. Joyce looked at her in confusion.

"But… I thought…" she let the sentence hang. Buffy gave her a small smile.

"I'm different. 'Cause I was the slayer."

Slowly, Joyce nodded.

An uncomfortable silence descended on the room.

"Well, uh… Mr. Giles and your friends wanted to know if you could meet them at the library tonight. And, speaking of the library, you can go back to school when you're ready. The expulsion didn't take effect," Joyce told her daughter. Numbly, Buffy nodded.

"All right. I'm just… just gunna go and sleep some more…" she said slowly, before turning and slowly walking up the stairs back to her room. When she reached it, she shut the door behind her and looked around.

This wasn't her life anymore. Her family, her friends, her watcher, Angel, Sunnydale… It wasn't her life anymore. Spike and Los Angeles was her life. This? This was just memories. And secretly, a part of her wanted it to stay that way. But another part was glad to have her mother back. Glad to know that soon she could see Giles, Willow, Xander, and even Oz and Cordelia. And then she was glad Angel was back, really she was, but… she no longer wanted to be with him. And she knew that's what her friends would expect, since obviously he was Angel, not Angelus. Lying back on her bed, she curled up in a ball, hoping Spike would come to get her back.

Buffy entered the school building. It was about an hour after sunset. As she walked to the library, she ran into Angel in the hall. She shifted on her feet uncomfortably. Angel smiled at her as he moved closer.

"Buffy…" he started.

"Angel…" she said nervously, hoping he wouldn't come any closer. He seemed to have other ideas as he walked towards her.

"I know that what Spike did to you… It must have been absolutely horrible for you. But I'm here. I hope I can help you," Angel spoke softly. Buffy stared at him in shock, but he must have taken it to be some kind of effect from trauma or something.

"Any questions, just ask. After all, who better to help a vampire slayer turned vampire with a soul than another vampire with a soul?" he smiled encouragingly at her.

Buffy stared at him. A voice inside of her was screaming, "My sire!" but she quickly shut it up.

Angel's smile never wavered as he engulfed her in a hug. Buffy felt smothered, as though she couldn't breath. But then, she didn't need to. Some habits were just harder than others to get rid of. She awkwardly stood as he crushed her with his arms that now seemed so confining when a year ago they felt perfect.

"I've missed you so much…" he mumbled into her hair. Finally, the feeling of suffocation overwhelmed her, and she untangled herself from his grasp.

"I'm sorry you missed me. I… I missed you, too." Buffy thought how that had changed. Changed when she started to live with Spike. When she started to fall in love with Spike. Angel took her hand in his. His hand seemed to swallow hers, even though it should be right.

She looked up at him. Then she ripped her hand away and ran, leaving him slightly hurt and beyond confused.

Everything should be fine. Everything should be good. She was finally back in Sunnydale. With her friends and her mother, and Angel was back. There were two new slayers, and she no longer necessarily had to go out and fight the baddies anymore, even though they all most likely still expected her to. Angel seemed to still want a relationship. She could still go to school. Everything could be like it used to, with the slight addition of blood drinking and a lack of pulse. And best of all, she would never age. Everything should be almost perfect. So why did she feel like things couldn't get any more wrong? And why did she want nothing more than to be back in the hotel with Spike by her side?

Karen watched the scene in the hall take place. Angel giving Buffy a hug, Angel talking to Buffy, Angel comforting Buffy, Angel holding Buffy's hand. She turned away, crushed and just in time to miss Buffy run away. She had known he used to love her, but had hoped that he wouldn't go back to her. But it seemed that was what would happen, if it hadn't all ready. She sighed, moving away from the doors.

I guess it's really time to just… forget about it. It'll never happen. Not with her around… Karen held back her tears as she sat with the rest of the group while they waited for their beloved Buffy, Angel, and Faith.

A/N: More happened in this chapter than I thought. Lol. I think the next chapter or two may be it for this story. And I know, Buffy's change of mind on Spike may seem a bit rushed, but… that's just what came out when I wrote it, and if that's what she wanted to do, then that's what she wanted to do! Lol. As always, RR please!!