Summary: Angel's the one who gets the demon's aspect. But it pleases Buffy. A lot.

Episode Rewritten: 'Earshot', eighteenth episode from season three.

Author's Notes: I'm running out of episodes to rewrite. So, I'll accept suggestions for rewrites. This goes to my loyal readers that always give me the sweetest reviews – especially crystalix.

Rewriting The Love Story

Task 9 – Angel's Aspect

Buffy and Angel were fighting on the park with two demons that had no mouth. The blonde Slayer, who had a knife, killed one of them very quickly and looked around, glimpsing Angel entertained while struggling with the other demon. A combat one-to-one was the safe escape for Angelus' – and Angel's – anger and frustration.

"Catch!" She yelled. He turned around after throwing the demon in the dirt, caught the knife and sunk it into the demon's belly, twisting it cruelly. The creature's white blood flew, wetting lightly Angel's hand, and the vampire didn't worry about getting clean. Buffy got closer to her boyfriend.

"Nice fight. Creatures hard to kill, right?"

He gave her a half-smile. Dear God, he loved her so. He wished he could take her in his arms and love her properly as she deserved, but that was forbidden. Damn Angelus.

"Angel?" Buffy touched his cheek. He had spaced out on her. "Angel? Hello, Earth to planet Angel?" He blinked; she laughed and he smiled a little ashamed.

"Walk me home?" She asked sweetly. Angel grinned, took her hand and they made the way to her house in comfortable silence.


"So, did you kill it?" Giles asked the next morning, when Buffy walked in the library. The blonde Slayer smiled happily and nodded, frowning a little when she recalled something.

"Angel helped me do it, and ended up with some blood on his hand. It was itching a little, but he said it was maybe because the blood had stuff that went against vampires".

"Yes?" Wesley said. "Well, then maybe we should go visit him and have a sample of the affected skin. It'd be nice to study the effects the blood has in vampire's skin".

"Look, don't you dare to do anything to Angel", Buffy said. "I'll stop by after class to see him. If I don't find him anywhere, I'll come here and kick your ass", she threatened and left. Wesley looked stricken at Giles, who shrugged with a little smile.

"She's rather protective of him", it was the only explanation he offered his colleague.

"And that's a little… Weird, don't you think? I mean, she's supposed to kill him, and not date him. I think we should give Mrs. Summers some advice about the dangers of Buffy being engaged in a relationship with Angel".

"Don't do that", Giles warned. "Buffy really loves Angel, and he loves her back. They went through things we would never imagine. If you do that, Buffy will be angered, and she'll really" He cleared his throat, "come here to… Kick your ass, as she put it before".

Wesley made a snorting noise and walked to between the shelves. Giles sighed, grabbed some things he would use when he went to Angel's, put them into a bag and said:

"I'm going to Angel's mansion right now, to get that sample".

Wesley made an agreeing noise.


Angel was practicing his tai chi when he heard a strong knock on the door. Since it was middle of the morning, and Buffy wouldn't knock – she would just try to sneak up on him – he put a shirt on and went to open the door.

Giles smiled politely at him.

"Good morning, Angel".

"Good morning, Giles", the vampire replied as politely, stepping aside so the watcher could walk in the hall. "Please do come in".

"Thank you", Giles replied. "Buffy told me you helped her fight those demons last night".

"Yes, I did", Angel replied. What was going on?

"She also said you got your hand dirty on its blood".

The vampire only shot up his hand to the watcher's inspection. There was a place between his thumb and his wrist where it was red thanks to the itching.

"Well, I'm here to have a sample of your skin, Angel. So I can study the effects it'll have on you".

Angel nodded and held out his hand so the watcher could do what he proposed to. Later, the vampire was reading when he felt the always-welcome tingle in his stomach, and two hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who?" Buffy said in that deliciously innocent voice of hers. Angel tilted his head a little.

"Hannah? Katie?" He teased, and had his reward when she smacked his shoulder. "Hey, baby", he said, getting up and kissing her. "I missed you".

She wrinkled her nose, a playful glint inside her eyes.

"You always miss me".

"That's because I love you", he said, and their lips met in a sweet kiss. After they broke apart, for Buffy's benefit, the slayer snuggled next to him on the loveseat and asked:

"So, did Giles or Wussy Whyndham-Price come over?"

"Giles did", Angel said. "He got a sample of my skin and said he'll have the results tomorrow".

She looked up at him.

"Are you afraid?"

"Of what? Honey, I'm a vampire. There are only some things that can kill me. And I'm holding the most deadly of them".

She grinned.

"You up for some sparring?" She asked. He nodded.


The next morning, Angel was expecting Giles to come with the results, but was surprised when he saw the watcher had Wesley's company. His first thought was that something had happened to Buffy. Had Faith attacked her rival?

"Hello Angel", the oldest of the two watchers walked in, closely followed by his suspicious colleague. "I hope I haven't woken you up".

"No, you haven't. Buffy…?"

"… Is okay", Giles shot back. "I have the results of the exams I ran on that sample of skin I took from you yesterday".

"And?" Angel was apparently cool and collected. Wesley approached him.

"You better sit down, Angelus. What we come to tell is serious".

"Name's Angel", the vampire growled. Giles shot Wesley a look.

"Well, you touched the blood, then I shall warn you: you'll get an aspect from the demon".

Angel pictured himself with tail, horns, long claws, thick skin or, worse, lipless. He cringed. Giles noticed that and hurried to add:

"In humans, this aspect is telepathy. But, in vampires…"

"Telepathy?" Angel got alarmed. "I already have my inner personal demon, extra voices inside my head will drive me crazy", he said bitterly. It had been a tactic, used successfully in Hell, to torture him.

Giles smiled friendly.

"Actually, it's not telepathy. You see, you already have voices in your head, so the aspect of the demon will shut them up. Forever".

Angel looked confused at the two Englishmen.

"I don't think I understood", he said cautiously.

"What do you think…" Wesley began, "… Of being human?"

Angel felt he could faint.


That evening, Buffy came to the mansion and found Angel lying on his back, brooding. She sat on his hard belly, surprising him, and greeted him with a soft, chaste kiss.

"Giles came over?" She asked. He nodded affirmatively. "So, what have he said?"

Since he wanted to surprise her – a good surprise for a change – Angel chose to lie.

"It won't affect me", he pointed to his own head. "Because of him".

She smiled relieved and gave him a book.

"Can you read it for me? It's 'Romeo and Juliet'".

He smiled.


The next morning, two days after the fight with the demons, Giles and Wesley were getting Buffy pissed. They would look at her, then at each other and then share a secret smile. Buffy was angry, but dying with curiosity, and asked them, but they refused to tell her anything, and the slayer gave up on asking.

"How's Angel?" Willow asked after their class was over. The slayer smiled.

"Fine. He read the British version of 'Buffy and Angel saga' to me last night", she said and, at Willow's puzzled look, added, "'Romeo and Juliet'. Sworn enemies that fall in love?"

Willow laughed and looked at the street. She widened her eyes in surprise and confusion. It was middle afternoon, the sun was shining; still, he stood in the sidewalk like it was no big deal, like it was already dark night.

"Uh… Buffy?" She called. The slayer, however, heard a girl saying:

"Damn, look at that hottie!"

By force of habit, Buffy looked at said hottie and thought she was hallucinating.

Angel stood leaning against a black, convertible car, holding a beautiful bouquet of roses. The slayer ran to be close to him.

"Angel?" She squeaked.

He grinned and didn't answer, choosing to kiss her fervently on the lips. Buffy let her stuff fall on the floor and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. After a few minutes, the two of them split apart, both flushed and breathless. 'If the Hellmouth opened right now and ate me, I'd die happily', she thought.

"Sun, Angel?" She whispered. Her boyfriend grinned again, a mischievous grin.

"My aspect of the demon".

She smiled.

"I loved it", she breathed before kissing him again.

THE END

Next In 'Rewriting The Love Story': 10 – Bless The Poison: The Powers intervene to make Angel stay with Buffy. 'Graduation Day', my way!