Disclaimer: All of the characters do not belong to me, but to Joss Wheedon and his crew for Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Note: Cordelia calls Buffy, because she's so worried about Angel and how he's been acting lately. But when Buffy arrives in LA and goes looking for Angel, she walks in on him making love to Darla.

Rating: PG-13: for language and sexual content (some chapters are PG)

Chapter 1

Interrupted

"Hello, is Buffy there…? Oh, hi Buffy, it's Cordelia. How are you…I'm good thanks. Um I need a favor…I need you to come down here…it's Angel…yeah he is in trouble. He has been acting terrible lately, not Angelus terrible, but defiantly not like Angel…. Well, for one he fired all of us…well Darla's back…. No, I'm not kidding you…we haven't been able to get through to him, and I thought that you might be able to…. ASAP…thank you so much Buffy…okay I'll you tomorrow, bye…." Cordelia hung up the phone and turned to Gunn and Wesley. "Buffy's going to be able to come, she'll be here tomorrow sometime in the afternoon."

"That was a really good idea, that didn't even cross my mind." Gunn said.

"Well, you weren't with Angel and Buffy for three years. You never saw how perfect they are for each other." Cordelia answered.

"If they're so perfect than why did Angel leave Buffy?" Gunn asked, confused.

"Angel thought that he couldn't give her the life that she deserved. He believed that she deserved more than 'demons and darkness'. Personally I think it was a crazy idea, but I'm not him. I don't know everything that went on between them." Cordelia said.

"Cordy's right, as far as I'm concerned; I was only there less than a year and I noticed the same thing."

"Then it sounds like the most likely thing that would get Angel back on the right course." Gunn said.

- - - -

The next day, in the late afternoon, Buffy stepped off the bus a block away from Cordy's apartment. She carried a brown leather bag over her shoulder full of everything she needed. A few minutes later she arrived in front of Cordy's apartment complex.

"You sure she's coming today, I mean it's getting kind of late." Gunn asked Cordy in her apartment.

"I'm sure, she wouldn't blow this off--hello we're talking about Angel here." Cordelia answered.

"She probably just got held up or someth--" Wesley was cut off by a knocking at the door.

Cordelia walked over and opened it. "Hi Buffy, God am I glad to see you."

"Yeah, I bet." Buffy hugged her.

"Thank you so much for coming, you're kinda like a last resort." Wesley smiled at her.

"No problem." Buffy set her bag down on the couch. "I know Wesley, but I don't know you."

"I'm Charles Gunn, but I go by Gunn. It's nice to meet you."

"You, too." Buffy said, reaching out to shake his hand.

"So, you told me on the phone," Buffy turned to Cordy, "that you'd fill me in on the rest of the things that Angel has done."

Cordelia filled Buffy in on the past events. "And that's just about it…I think it's just been too much dealing with Darla and everything."

"My God, that's horrible--that's nothing like him, and I know Angel very well." Buffy said, shocked. "Does he love Darla?" Buffy asked quietly.

"Honestly, I don't know." Wesley said, frowning at Buffy. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"So you're the Slayer?" Gunn inquired.

"Yup." Buffy nodded.

"I never would have known, I mean you just so tiny." Gunn said, "Are you as strong as people say you are?"

"Oh, yes she is. She's incredibly strong." Cordelia chuckled. "Gunn, she has strength that you wouldn't believe, unless you saw it."

"Really? Wow." Gunn said in amazement.

"Well, I should probably get going. Where will Angel most likely be?" Buffy asked.

"The Hyperion Hotel," Wesley answered, "it's only about three blocks from here, one of us can drive you if you'd like."

Buffy headed for the door. "No I think I'll walk, thanks for the offer though. I dunno when I'll be back--so will you guys be here all night?"

"Yeah, don't worry about waking us up." Cordelia said.

Buffy opened the door, then closed it again, turning around to face them. "There isn't a chance that, um, Angel will try and hurt me is there--just out of curiosity?"

"I don't think so--do want a stake?" Wesley asked.

"What!" Buffy half yelled. "No, God, no…I always carry one anyways, but I have no intension of killing him. I can always nock him unconscious or something."

"Good luck." Gunn said.

"Thanks." Buffy walked out, closing the door behind her.

- - - -

Angel walked into his hotel room, not bothering to close the door. "What do you want, Darla?" He held up the ring and looked over his shoulder. "You want this?" Darla stood in the threshold behind him and took a couple steps forward, closing and locking the door behind her. Angel dropped the ring on the floor and Darla hurried over to pick it up. Before she could, Angel grabbed her arm and sent her stumbling towards the wall. "Or maybe what you really want is this!" Pushing her up against the wall he gently brushed the hair back from her face. "That maybe--what you really want, isn't it?" Angel leaned forward and kissed her softly, then, when she didn't react, a little harder.

Darla pushed him away. "Don't play games with me." She said fiercely.
"I'm not playing. I just wanna feel something besides the cold." Angel pushed her back onto a table, lowered himself on top of her, and kissed her again. Darla reached up and pushed his jacket off his shoulders, kissing him back. Angel striped off his jacket with her help, still kissing her. Suddenly, Darla began to laugh and Angel pulled back at the same time she pushed him and got up.
"Why are you laughing?"
Darla continued to laugh, not answering him, and Angel punched her, sending her crashing through the glass doors that led to his bedroom. Angel slowly walked after her as she rolled over and looked up at him. "Don't you feel the cold?" Angel grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her up.
"What're you doing?"
"It doesn't matter." Angel said, stroking the side of her face. "None of it matters." He kissed her again and she returned his kiss with passion. They fell back onto the bed and striped off each other's clothing.

- - - -

Buffy walked through the french doors, and into the hotel lobby. Immediately she sensed Angel. "I know you're here." She said to herself, as she walked over to the elevator and pressed the 'up' button. The doors instantly opened and she walked in, pressing the number two. She stepped out of the elevator and followed her feel for Angel. She walked down the left corridor and her feeling slowly faded, turning around she headed the opposite direction and it got stronger. As she passed doors she sensed him more and more, finally at the end of the hallway stopped and turned to the door on the right, knowing that he is there.

Buffy tried the door handle, but it's locked. She took a step back and kicked the door down. "Okay, Angel what the hell is go--" Buffy stopped in mid-sentence and stared at the scene in front of her. Angel lay under the blue sheets on top of Darla. With one hand he stroked Darla's face, and the other was hidden under the sheets. He was kissing her passionately, the outline of Darla's right arm could be seen under the sheets, holding Angel close. Buffy's blood ran cold as she realized what she was seeing. "Oh, my God…Angel?"

Darla looked over and let out a merciless cackle. "I guess he's over you, Buffy. He's moved on to someone he's always loved more."

Buffy stepped backwards out of the room, in total shock. "Oh, my God--how could you?"

Angel rolled off Darla and sat up on the side of the bed. "Buffy!" His voice was full of terror and regret. "I--I--what are you doing here?" His boxers lay in front of him and he reached down and hastily slipped them on.

At first, Buffy was frozen in shock, she couldn't move. But when Angel got up and ran towards her, she took off.

"Buffy! Wait!" Angel yelled, and ran out of his room just in time to see Buffy jump out of the window at the end of hallway. He ran to it, and looked down, but she was nowhere to be seen.

- - - -

Buffy ran down the street, back to Cordelia's apartment. She swallowed the lump in her throat, she couldn't feel anything. It was like her whole body was numb, all she could feel was pain. Overwhelming pain, that tore through her. She didn't stop running till she got to Cordy's door. She banged her fist on it in anger.

"Coming!" Came Cordy's voice from inside. "You didn't have to be so loud--" Buffy pushed past her. Cordelia closed and locked the door behind her. "My God, Buffy what is it? What happened?"

"What's the mat--? Wesley asked, concerned.

"Weapons--where are they?" Buffy demanded angrily.

"Over in that chest, straight ahead of you against the wall…why?" Gunn pointed to the chest.

Buffy ignored his question, walked across the room, and opened the chest. "Is this all that you have…? This isn't going to be enough…oh, God this isn't enough."

"Woe, Buffy slow down." Cordelia walked over to her and closed the chest. "What is going on? Why are these enough?" She said, gesturing to the chest.

Buffy buried her face in her hand, and then raked them through her blond hair. She blinked furiously to keep back the tears, burring her face in hands again. Buffy lifted her head and walked over to the couch and sat down. Everyone came over and sat down around her.

"Buffy, what is up?" Wesley asked, "Did you find Angel?"

"Oh, yes I found him all right." Buffy said bitterly.

"Well, what happened?" Cordelia asked.

Buffy didn't answer right away. "I went to the hotel and um…found him there…. But…" she paused, "but…um, well, I walked into his room and he was there." Her voice broke, "Except when I walked in he was--I saw--Oh God…"

"What?" Cordelia asked desperately.

"Oh, God," Buffy repeated, "He was in bed and--he, um he was having--" Her voice broke again, and then she said, "he was fucking Darla!"

No one spoke, everyone was in shock. "He what?" Cordelia asked in disbelief. "Okay, that's not funny."

"You really think I'd joke about that?" Buffy snapped, "I saw it with my own eyes." Her eyes glistened, and a tear trickled down her face.

"He was having sex with Darla--vampire Darla." Cordelia asked.

"Yup, that's the one…." Buffy said bitterly, "Oh, but wait it gets better. Angel's trigger to turn into Angelus is one moment of perfect happiness. And he gets that through sex…."

"How do you know?" Gunn asked quietly.

"Because, I slept with him four years ago and he lost his soul and turned into Angelus." Buffy said.

"So Angelus is back?" Wesley asked quietly.

"Yup, and my bet is that he'll head straight for us…he'll be here soon." Buffy warned.

"What?" Gunn said.

"You heard me." Buffy got up and walked back to the weapon chest and opened it. She started pulling out axes, swords, and stakes. Everyone come over here…. Wesley, you're going to stay in Cordy's bedroom, I mean you are in a wheelchair and everything."

"Yeah, I don't suppose I'd be much help." Wesley said glumly.

"Hey, Buffy, I'm going to help you. I can fight Angelus; I'm really good with vampires." Gunn said sternly.

Buffy turned around, "No! You're not."

"And why the hell not?" Gunn demanded.

"'Cause Angelus isn't like the other vampires, he's worse--much worse. He could walk over and snap your neck before you could even move. No, you aren't going to help me fight. You and Cordelia are going to stay behind me. If he gets past me for some reason--which is most unlikely, I want you to keep him away from Cordy's bedroom. And I'll be over to continue the fight within seconds."

"Okay, but if I can't fight him then how are you going to?" Gunn asked.

"I told you, I'm the Slayer--endowed with super powers and all. Ring a bell?" Buffy said irritated. "I can through people through walls, jump from buildings, through people really far, and I'm a really good fighter."

"Okay." Gunn gave in.

"Gunn, take the axe, Cordy, take a sword and then take Wesley into your bedroom and remember to lock the door on your way out. Oh, and both of you grab a cross, get one to Wes, too." Buffy bent down and grabbed a sword and stuck a stake in the back pocket of her jeans. As she stood up she heard a jiggle of the door handle. "Oh, God, he's here--everybody stay behind me." Buffy said firmly.

They heard the sound of the lock break and the door opened, and in walked Angelus, closing the door behind himself. He turned and faced Buffy.