Chapter Six

Confused by Willow's call Buffy raced to the mansion in order to get to Angel and make sure he was okay. She pushed the solid oak door open and stepped inside.

"Angel!" She called out. There was a roaring fire taking the chill out of the room and Angel's coat lay across the back of the couch. Just as she was about to call for him again he appeared at the top of the stairs.

From the top of the stairs Angel caught her gaze, and held it as he walked down the stairs smiling at her.

"Buffy. There are some things I need to tell you," he stated simply as he took her hand and guided her to the couch.

"Angel, you're scaring me a little. What's going on? I thought you were just going to patrol."

"I did a sweep of two graveyards on the way here. But that's not what I want to talk about. I need to be completely open with you if I expect this relationship to work."

"Oh god," Buffy mumbled as her bottom lip started to tremble slightly.

"Buffy, no, please don't jump to conclusions. Although, I really am hoping that you don't stake me at the end of this." The look on her face said she was about to stake him now if he didn't just spill it.

"Okay, here goes. There is a chance, a small chance, that I will be able to do enough good that my humanity could be restored."

"WHAT!"

"Okay, wait, that's not all. Buffy, on the way here tonight you were thinking out loud and with what you said I realized that Willow was the one to restore my soul. I talked to her tonight. We looked up the spell she used to re-ensoul me. There was other information on the disk though. Miss Calendar changed the curse. My soul is permanent. There is not a happiness clause or any other type of loophole in this curse."

Buffy gaped at him.

"A couple short days ago we agreed that my soul was the only thing really keeping us apart. Now, we know that my soul is no longer a worry or reason for concern. We will never again have to worry about unwittingly releasing Angelus!"

Angel waited for a response.

Buffy just started at him like he had sprouted horns.

She just could not even form a coherent thought to save her life.

Angel was beginning to wonder if she had slipped into a trance or coma. He started glancing nervously at a small clock on the end table behind Buffy.

Buffy finally took a deep breath and said, "pinch me, please."

Angel hesitated for a second, then pinched her arm.

"Oow. Well, I don't suppose I'm dreaming. This is real, right? I mean this isn't a dream, is it?"

"No, it's not a dream," Angel reassured her and silently added **or a memory** as he carefully laid his hand on her cheek and rested his forehead against hers.

"Are you really sure? It almost reminds me of a dream I had once. 'Cause one time, I had this dream that I visited you in L.A. and your blood got mixed with some demon's blood and made you human. We had the best day together, it even included ice cream. But then you had to go all noble and save me from an early death by giving up your new human form. We cried together and promised to never forget but then I woke up," Buffy explained to him so that he could understand why this was so hard and dangerous to her heart to believe now.

She continued, "Angel I never forgot that dream and I promised myself to not give up hope that one day it would come true. I just had to bury the dream and hope deep inside to not think about it."

It was Angel's turn to gape at her. As his initial shock began to wear off Angel stood and walked over to the fire place. He stood facing it and began rubbing the back of his neck as Buffy continued.

"I told you that so that you would know how wonderful it is to have your soul bound permanently to you and to know that you could one day be human. But I also don't know if I want you to be human. That dream made me realize how dangerous that could be in our current lives. I know that I would give up anything and everything to keep you safe, just as you did for me in the dream."

"Buffy, I…I… I'm so sorry."

Why?

Please, Buffy, forgive me.

For what, Angel?

It was not a dream. It was a memory. I am supposed to be the only one to remember it. That day really happened. The powers turned back time so we could repeat it but allowed only me to remember it so I could make something different happen.

"It was…It was…It was real? We actually spent that day together?" Buffy whimpered tearfully.

"Yes. Walking out to you leaning on the fence, pulling you into my embrace, and kissing you in the sunlight was an absolute dream come true. It was the most perfect day of my life until today and finding out that my soul is permanent and therefore no more reasons exist to keep us apart," Angel explained as he hoped that Buffy wouldn't explode in anger at him for turning back that day.

"Are we going to stay together this time? Or are you going to decide that you would be better off alone again?" she asked him sharply.

Angel knew he deserved more venom in her tone than was there, but was grateful for her maturity and answered, "I will never willing break up with you or leave you ever again. The day that wasn't was not only the best day, but also the worst when I realized what had to be done. I could never leave you again. I know that you may not believe me 100% right now, but I will prove it to you no matter how long it takes."

Buffy threw herself into his arms. "I love you, Angel, and I will hold you to that vow!"

"I want you to," he responded as he picked her up and carried her up the stairs to the master suite he had prepared for them.

By morning Buffy had a whole new set of memories to replace those of the day that wasn't.

And, of course, Willow kept her promise so that nobody even missed Buffy and Angel. Willow knew they would want to make the announcement together at Giles' the next evening anyway.