Thanks for the reviews guys! Sorry about the long update... I've kinda been really busy lately... as soon as I see that I've gotten more reviews I'll update this again though.

Angel walked slowly down the stairs, stroking his love's hair gently. She trembled, clinging to him. He felt a sharp pang of guilt. He had been the one to cause her such pain. He had broken her mind and used her body, yet she sought him for comfort. Had she even recognized him?

But she must have, he remembered her telling him that she could sense it when he was near, and the same thing happened to him. His mind flashed briefly back to earlier that night, reliving the horrors that the demon had unleashed.

His vision clouded, red seeping into his sight as he watched them gang up on her. How dare they! She was his mate, couldn't they tell she was taken? Roaring out in pure rage, he leapt off the rooftop where he was perched, driving them off, slashing them, draining them, not even noticing the shivering form on the ground.

When they were all dead and thrown into the ocean, he turned on her. She seemed glad to see him, relieved. He growled low in his throat. In one fluid movement, he was on top of her, attacking her, defiling her…

Angel pulled his mind back, shaken. He still had some trouble comprehending the fact that it was really him that had done this to her. He realized with a jolt that he was already at the bottom of the stairs.

He opened the door, careful not to move Buffy much. Making his way over to the car, he was met with shocked exclamations from both Cordelia and Wesley.

'Wesley, can you drive?' He asked quietly. The former watcher nodded, still in shock at the slayer's condition.

'What happened to her?' Cordelia gasped. She had already grasped some of what had happened, but was unprepared for the sight that lay before her. Angel laid Buffy down in the backseat, and then jumped in as well, holding her head in his lap when she started to whimper. Buffy had a blood soaked bandage wrapped around her stomach, and several more on various parts of her body. It was clearly a hurried job, an attempt to simply stop the bleeding. Stupid police. They should have taken her to the hospital straight off. There were many bruises as well, some on her face, her neck, basically any part of her body that was showing. She was trembling, and clinging to Angel like a lifeline, unable to let him go. Cordelia figured that the pain was just setting in. After all, Buffy was the slayer.

'Angelus.' Angel said bitterly. Cordelia nodded sympathetically. She had really changed during the time she'd been working for Angel. Only a year or so ago, she'd have been yelling at Angel for this, but now she knew how he felt. He must be so scared of losing the one he loved, so guilty for being the inevitable cause of this. She had felt the same way when Doyle had died. Just after they'd finally embraced their feelings for one another. She was jolted back to the present by a phone ringing. Buffy whimpered in distress at the sudden noise.

Cordelia pulled out her cell phone, as did Wesley and Angel, the latter with some difficulty. Realizing that it wasn't any of theirs, they turned to Buffy. Angel reached down, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket and answering it.

'Buffy?' Willow asked anxiously. 'Buffy are you alright?' There was a person on the other line, that, at least she was sure of. Willow's mind raced. Where had Buffy gone off to? It wasn't safe for her friend to be running around, especially after she'd mysteriously lost her powers. Willow had confronted Giles about it less than a day after it had happened, but he'd sworn he didn't have anything to do with it this time, and had been actively researching the cause of it since. Willow had been just as involved, even more so when Buffy'd taken off, and her girlfriend Tara had been helping her with some locator spells, but they hadn't come up with anything yet. Just recently realizing her obvious mistake, Willow had decided to try Buffy's cell phone.

'Willow?' She was surprised to hear Angel's voice on the other end. Buffy had gone to LA?

'Where's Buffy?' Her tone betrayed her concern. Another pause.

'She's here.'

'Is she all right? I don't know how it's even possible, but she just lost her slayer strength out of nowhere! She ran off a few days ago and no one's been able to find her.'

'That would explain it…' She heard him murmur thoughtfully.

'Explain what?' Willow asked, hysteria rising. 'What happened to Buffy?' There was yet another pause. She could tell this was difficult for him. He could at least hurry up though.

'She was attacked by one of the local gangs. I don't know how long they had her for.' His voice was a mixture of pain and anger. She figured it was probably anger that he hadn't been there.

Willow gasped. 'How bad is it?' she asked weakly.

'Willow… earlier tonight someone slipped doximall in my drink…'

'Perfect happiness…' she whispered. Buffy was with Angelus? But then why had he told her he'd changed… or had he?

'Simulated happiness.' He corrected her. 'I was him for about… six or seven hours… he found her… ' Willow was in shock. Clearly Angel was himself again, but Angelus had found Buffy without her slayer strength? This was worse than they'd thought.

'Is she alive?' Only Angel' s vampire hearing allowed him to catch her next words.

'Yeah.' A slight whimpering could be heard over the phone. Buffy? Willow though desperately. What had happened to her? Oh, why had she left? They'd been really close to finding out what had happened to her too. All she and Tara needed was a sample of Buffy's blood.

'She's been scarred so deeply, Willow.' He sounded lost, reduced to this because of her friend's pain. She felt oddly comforted by this. Even though the relationship had been devastating for the both of them… and the rest of the world, she still inwardly nursed the notion that they might have a chance… If the two greatest champions couldn't stay together, who could? She thought sadly of Oz, not for the first time that day. Her thoughts returned happily to Tara for a moment, then back to the phone conversation, slightly guilty.

'And you want to help her.' She finished, understanding. They both needed this.

'She can't go back to Sunnydale like this.' His tone was uncompromising.

'I'm coming out there then.' Even though Angel couldn't see it, Willow now wore her resolve face. Her mind was made up. Giles was needed to hold everything together here, Xander would be busy with Anya if he went, and she didn't think Anya would help Buffy much. Besides, even if Giles or Xander had gone, she'd have been right there beside them anyways.

'All right. We're in the Hyperion Hotel.' He said sombrely.

'Your office is in a hotel now?' That surprised her. How could they afford a hotel?

'Our old one got burned down by a Mohra demon.' He said ruefully. 'Buffy didn't tell you? She was there at the time.'

'No she didn't.' Willow said sharply. 'She had other things on her mind.'

'Like what?' She could tell he was feigning surprise. He never had been a good liar.

'Just seeing you. It's hard for her.' Willow remembered coming back to the dorm that night to find Buffy sobbing and clinging to the leather jacket Angel had given her once. She had been chanting "I'll never forget", repeating it like she'd die if she stopped. It had taken Willow two full hours to coax the full story out of her, and another full day to calm Buffy down enough to leave the room.

Angel sharply drew in an unneeded breath. 'I'll see you soon.' He hung up.