"You don't look too happy," Angel observed quietly as soon as the others had left. "We're out of that place, and I'm....God Buffy I'm human! Why? Why....aren't you happy about that?"

"Is their any reason I should be?" Her voice was colder than she had intended. An anger that even she wasn't aware she harboured burned within her, almost to the point where she wanted to physically hurt him. She didn't need to. The stricken look on his face was pain enough.

"I don't understand Buffy," Angel murmured, his voice laced with confusion and hurt. "What have I done? Why are you so angry?"

It was then it occurred to her that Angel either didn't know what his subconscious fantasy had been, or he didn't remember if he did. Either way, she knew about the day he was human and Angel was unaware of that fact.

"Why should I be happy you're human Angel? Why?" She continued, unable to keep herself from expressing the anger bubbling to the surface. "How do I know it's going to last? How can I know that a week from now I'm not going to forget about this completely, you a vampire and me a slayer again?"

"Forget about it? You mean like..."

"Like before." She replied calmly. "It was your fantasy. A day where you were human and we ate ice cream in bed. Only I know it wasn't a fantasy. Some part of me, somehow knows it was real. I don't know how, or when...but I bet you do. Tell me, why is it you got to retain that memory and I was robbed of it?"

"That was just part of the deal," Angel replied wearily, looking older than ever. "I didn't have a choice in the matter."

"Of course you did! You could have chosen to stay that way in the first place! What was it that made you return to being a vampire Angel? What could possibly have forced you to give that up?"

"Your life, that's what." Angel replied, his anger rising slightly now as well. "I had a choice...either give up my humanity or watch you die before your time and my humanity just wasn't that important to me. Nothing is that important to me. I hated that you forgot, but it wasn't really up to me."

"I died anyway," she realized weakly. "It was all for nothing. I died two years later anyway. You gave up your humanity to buy me what? A year? God that's so unfair."

"You came back." Angel told her softly. "You got a second chance. If you had died the other way, maybe you wouldn't have. Maybe Willow wouldn't have been able to bring you back."

"Maybe I'd still be in Heaven," she finished absently, not even thinking of Angel, or his presence beside her in the bed. His tone immediately became apologetic.

"God Buffy I'm sorry. I didn't mean...I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she told him. "It's obvious I wasn't meant to die either time, or I would have stayed dead. But you should have stayed human. You should never have given that up."

"My humanity means nothing without you." He replied simply. "I have it now though. Something gave us both a second chance."

"Did they? Are you going to keep it Angel? Or are you going to turn around and mind wipe me the first chance you get? You don't have any more superpowers, or super strength. If you're going to keep fighting evil, you have to know your limits. Can you handle that? Because you know what? Most men can't."

"Most men?" Angel echoed, sensing there was more to this than Buffy let on. "Are you referring to Riley, Buffy?"

"He didn't like that I was stronger than him. He didn't like it, so he left. Will you do that when you realize that you like it better as a vampire?"

"No offense Buffy but you are officially insane." Angel said with the first real laugh he had had in a good long while. "What on Earth makes you think I'm going to want to be a vampire again? The strength? You of all people should know that strength is anything but physical. And I love the fact that you are stronger. I love the fact that you are strong. I don't need superpowers. I just need you."

"It was such an amazing day," she whispered, lost once more in the memory of the fantasy. "I wish I could have remembered it."

"There's no need." He said, his voice husky, his eyes meeting hers intensely. "We can make a hundred thousand more just like it. There's nothing to hold us back this time."

"I love you Angel," she said right before kissing him gently on the lips and smiling with relief for the first time since her return from Galendil's hell dimension. "We should probably go mingle with the others though. I'm sure Dawn and the rest of the gang wants to hear tales of my adventures, and I suspect you and Connor have a lot to talk about...to work out."

"Promise me Buffy..." Angel said, grabbing her arm before she could get out of the bed. "Promise me that later on tonight....we'll welcome each other home properly? I've been without you so long..."

The longing in his eyes was so intense that she felt a physical tug within herself as well as soon as her eyes met his. Swallowing as her breath caught, she nodded, unable to break his gaze, heat flooding through every part of her body.

"I promise Angel," she finally managed to say, although she was sure the words came out halted, as his fingers gently touched her cheek and made their way down towards her collar bone with a feathery gentleness that made her heart speed up and her breathing quicken. "Later on...."

Angel smiled that sexy half smile she loved so much and kissed her once more, more thoroughly this time, his mouth strong and firm on hers, knowing what he wanted, what he had been denied and taking it after waiting so long. After he broke the kiss, he reluctantly parted from her and gingerly climbed out of the bed. He sent her one last longing gaze and headed towards the door as Buffy climbed out of the bed behind him.