Thank you so much everyone who reviewed! I never would have expected so many people to want me to continue it, but due to popular demand – a continuation. So far, it could go anywhere. I might end it after everyone finds out about Angel being back, or I might re-write the seasons. The only thing is that I don't really want to just be re-writing episodes with very minor changes. I don't know if Angel will go back to LA or get called by Doyle or whatever – but if that happens, I know what to do for IWRY. I have a good plan for that smirks.

There are four people in my house all vying for the one computer, and now that my brother has finished school for the year, it will be increasingly difficult to write anything, so bear with me and remember that that I am very much encouraged by reviews … and flames actually. What can I can? I'm a strange girl …

Angel carried his girl into the house and up to her bedroom, Dawn following quietly like a shadow. He sat on Buffy's bed, with her still crying in his arms, comforting her as best as he could. Unnoticed, Dawn grabbed her bag and went into her room, wanting for once to give her sister the privacy she deserved.

Dawn unpacked the few things that she had taken with her to L.A. and went back downstairs to watch television and to keep on the look out for her mother. She wasn't sure when Joyce would be coming back from the gallery, and thought that it probably wouldn't be the best idea for Buffy's mum to walk in when Angel was in the same room as her. If her mum got home earlier than anticipated, dawn would distract her from going upstairs until she was sure that Angel had hidden, and then she would go up ahead to warn Buffy. Only Dawn and Angel knew how miserable Buffy was, and dawn intended to keep it that way. Giles might have guessed if he was around more, but for all that he loved the Slayer like a daughter, they were not living in the same house, and didn't see each other for more than an hour or two each week.

She put the TV on some random comedy show that she didn't really get half the jokes on, grabbed some ice-cream from the kitchen (one thing about having a girl in the house just getting over a break up – there's always comfort food) and settled down to wait.

Meanwhile:

Angel sat on Buffy's bed, just holding the love of his un-life while she sobbed. It was breaking his heart, and he knew he could do nothing about it. As much as he wanted to stay with her, nothing had changed since the last time they saw each other. They were both in pain, but he couldn't change anything. He decided to come back on a spur of the moment thing, and now wasn't sure where that spontaneous action was going to take him.

He wanted nothing more than to stay with Buffy forever, wherever or however that was. If she fell into hell, he would follow, and if she died … he didn't know what he would do. He hoped that she wanted him to be back, but if not, he would be strong and disappear once more. After 240 plus years, he thought he should be able to control himself enough to leave her for a second time. Maybe if he knew she wanted him gone, he would be able to stay away for more than a week – but somehow he doubted it. She was in his very being, ingrained in his soul as much as he was himself. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her.

When her tears subsided, she moved off of his lap, and he knew they were about to have a big, long talk. He just hoped it wouldn't be the kind of talk that would create a lot of Angel-dust.

"Buffy, I am so sorry. I never, never ever meant to hurt you."

"So why did you leave? I need you, Angel."

"You know why I left, Buffy, and nothing's changed! I can't give you a life, or a future or anything a real girl would want. I can't give you children, Sunday picnics in the sun. I can't be at your graduation, your anything! I'm still a vampire, and you're still the Slayer."

"So why did you come back? Why torment me?"

"Buffy, I –"

"No. No interruptions, not this time. You had your turn in the sewers. You asked me if I had thought about everything rationally, and no I hadn't, not then. But Angel, it's been a while since then. And now I have – rationally and with my head. My heart tells me that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and actually, my head agrees. I slay better when you're around, because I feel safe. I know that if doesn't matter if one vamp manages to push me down, because I know that you'll be there to pick me back up. I don't have that anymore. And it scares me, because for the first time in three years, I don't have any real back up. Sure the gang try, but none of them have super strength or healing like you. I know I don't need to protect you like I do them. And I had that back up, for nearly three years, and then it was just gone. And … and …" she broke off, took a few deep breathes and began again, following a different track.

"Were you just going to skulk around and be 'cryptic guy' again? When you're around, whether I see you or not, I feel you – inside of me. And I love you so much it hurts. And I don't think I will ever be able to get over it, or you. I want my life to be with you – forever.

"You said about children – do I look like the kind of girl that wants, needs or could handle children? You're right, you're a vampire; I'm the Slayer. How on earth could we even think about bringing children into a world when either of us could die at any point in time? As it is, I'm the longest living Slayer, so we don't even know if I can have children. And if I live that long, hello! Adoption!

"Getting old and you staying the same age – we don't even know if I'll survive that long, and you're body is, what 27?" He nodded, not really seeing where she was going with this. "Well my body's age is currently nine years below that, and you could quite easily pass as twenty now, and stay well preserved for at least ten years, if not more. We can handle the rest of it in ten years!

"On one of my first nights in Sunnydale, I told willow that my philosophy is seize the moment, live in the now. 'Coz tomorrow we might all be dead. Well, now we all know there's more truth to that than any of us had ever wanted to.

"Okay, you can speak again."

"Buffy, I – I will always love you, I always have loved you. Ever since I first saw you in L.A. before you even knew you were a Slayer. But we've tried this before – it doesn't work with us. It can't."

"Were you even listening to my speech? That's rubbish, and you know it! Stop making excuses, Angel. I'm 18 – a big girl. You made the decision to leave without asking me, and now you're back, and it's confusing. I'm saying we can make this work – I want you to stay with me, Angel."

"I love you so much." No more words were necessary. Buffy manoeuvred herself so that she could lean on her vampire, he kissed her softly on the head, and they sat there together. Not needed any more words to explain themselves to each other. Angel was staying in Sunnydale, and all was right in the world of Buffy Summers.

Woot Woot! And they are officially back together again folks!