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

Note: One thing I forgot to mention, Buffy never dated Riley--she did meet him, but rejected him because he wasn't Angel. Thanks for all your review--I love you guys. Please read and review.

Rating: PG: for language

Chapter 3

Talking Things Over

Angel held the door for Buffy as they walked out of the apartment. Neither of them talked for a block. "Hey, Angel. Maybe we should wait till tomorrow to talk things over. A lot has happened and I'm emotionally drained. Not to mention tired." Buffy said.

"I think that's probably the best plan. Just sleep on it and then we can talk tomorrow." Angel turned the corner, "The hotel is just up here…."

Buffy broke the silence as they walked into the hotel lobby. "Sorry, I'm not that talkative, it's just I'm--"

"Really tired, no problem, do you wanna stay in a suite, or just a regular room?"

"Suite me." Buffy said.

"A suite it is then." And Angel led Buffy to her room.

- - - -

"Oohh," Buffy groaned as she rolled over in bed the next morning. She looked at the bedside clock, it was 10:00. She got out of bed, took a shower, got dressed, and applied a little make-up. Then she headed down stairs.

Buffy stepped out of the elevator and saw Angel leaning on the counter, reading the news paper with a glass of blood in his hand. "Morning," Buffy yawned.

Angel looked up and smiled. "Hey, how'd you sleep?"

"Like a log…you?"

"Good…um do you want some breakfast, I have some real food in here."

"Heh-heh, do you have an apple or something."

Angel opened the door of the miniature fridge behind him. "An apple it is, then." He handed it to Buffy, as he walked around the counter. They sat down next to one another on a red couch.

"About last night, um, I think I was pretty unreasonable and naive about the whole loosing your soul thing…I think I was just really shocked to see you and Darla like that. And I jumped to conclusions. I wasn't thinking straight."

"It's understandable; I mean I can see where you were coming from. I was just in a real dark and cold place--emotionally that is--and I just wanted to feel something besides the cold."

"I should have known that you'd never risk loosing your soul. The way I've seen you brood and everything, you'd never take a chance to turn back into Angelus and do more evil…."

"I knew that Darla couldn't give me that one moment's worth of perfect happiness…. Sure, we were involved for 150 years, but I never truly loved her. I couldn't, I had no soul. And even now that I do, I don't really love her. She took me places, showed me things. She blew the top off my head. But she never made me happy…. There is some sort of never ending connection between us--she's my sire. But it's nothing more than that, because--when she sired me, she damned me…. The only good thing she ever did for me was giving me immortality, therefore I was able to meet you."

"Wow, I guess she did me a favor too, then…. Heh-heh." Buffy started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Angel asked, smiling.

"It's nothing--it's just, well--I was thinking--heh-heh. I have a true talent that nobody else has…I can let loose the worst vampire in history. That's quite a feat, I mean out of all the woman in the world? I'm the one and only--heh-heh." Buffy laughed.

Angel gave a little laugh, "I guess, but you could also look at it from another way. 99.999-ad infinitum percent of the best relationships in the recorded history of the world have had to make do with acceptable happiness. Yet, you can give me perfect happiness--sure, there are definite effects--to say the least--but that only proves the point that we had a perfect relationship."

"I think I like that view better, it boosts your self of steam. But don't forget, that you're half of this--ahem--that relationship…." Buffy looked into Angel's eyes, "Both people achieved perfect happiness."

"Well--yeah--um, do you wanna go out with me to get a drink tonight? I know this nice demon bar--yes it's kinda full of demons--but the host is an awesome guy…. You'd like him."

"Yeah, I like trying new things, like going to a demon bar and not beating up the bar tender for information."

"Heh-heh, Willie--how's he doin'?"

"I haven't needed information lately, so he's doing pretty good…. What's the name of this place we're going to?"

"Karatas--it means place of peace in some language--the host's name in Lorne.

- - - -

"Hey, Buffy!" Cordelia opened the door to her apartment, later that day, to let Buffy in. "How's it going?"

"Better--a lot better," Buffy said as she walked over to the couch and sat down with Cordy. "Angel and I talked over things."

"So do you know why he pulled that crap?"

"He said that he was in a really cold and dark place, emotionally. And he wanted to feel something besides the cold…. And I guess Darla was in right place at the right time." Buffy frowned, "From her perspective, at least."

"Oh, still I think it was really stupid of him to sleep with her."

"I know, but a part of me understands why he did it."

"Maybe--that might just take time for me to realize. So, what about his soul, what's the stitch there?"

"As he said, I am the only person who can give him that one moment of perfect happiness. It's really ironic, I mean out of all the girls on this earth, a vampire Slayer in the one and only that can give a vampire his one moment of true happiness--heh-heh."

"Yeah, that is really ironic…. So he doesn't love Darla?"

"No, he said there was some kind of a connection between them, because she's his sire. Kinda like a mother and son thing."

"Interesting--wait that's kinda disturbing a son sleeping with his mother, oh God."

"Let's just forget that I said that part."

"Good idea." Cordy smiled. "So, how long are you going to be in town?"

"I dunno, I can't stay a whole lot longer, some seriously bad crap is going down in Sunnydale."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Yup, good old Sunnydale…. We've decided to go a bar tonight Tarakas or something."

"Karatas, you mean."

"Yeah, that's the place."

"You do know that, that's a demon karaoke bar, right?"

"I knew the demon part, but not the karaoke. As long as I don't have to sing I'm totally cool with it."

"A Slayer going into a demon bar, you're going to real popular in there."

"They'll get over it."

"Yeah, and besides, the demons can't pull any crap, because there's like this no violence for demons spell in there or something."

"But it doesn't apply to humans?"

"No, it keeps the place nice and calm, hence the name Karatas."

"Cool, this place is just run of the mill, right--nothing fancy."

"Oh, God no, just wear some jeans and a shirt--that'll be fine."

"Well, I wanna take a shower before I go, so I better get going. My hair takes a while to dry, not to mention styling it."

"Thanks, for stopping by, have a good time tonight; I'll fill in Gunn and Wesley."

"Thanks, Cordy," Buffy got up and walked to the door. "You have a good night, too." Buffy walked out of the apartment and headed back to the Hyperion to get ready.