I've been updating pretty fast, and will probably continue to do so until about Wednesday (GCSEs starting – yikes). The chapters are getting longer (or maybe it's just the before and after notes are LOL), which means that they take a leeetle bit longer to write.

Thankyou so much to spk, and again to uskohakuchan and Rabid Reject. I loooooove youuuuuu. Between last chapter and this chapter, everything was exactly like the fight in Graduation Day part 2. I would write it, but I really can't be bothered. I'd have an urge to copy the script exactly. Angel didn't leave, although you'd probably figure that out from reading.

I own nothing, nothing at all. It makes me upset.

My only desire is for reviews (seriously… it's like crack).

---

Flames shooting from the remains of the school cut into the night sky. The burning timbers continued to crackle as the Scoobies stood watching, still dressed in their graduating attire.

"Wow," said Oz, as always turning everything everyone else was thinking into the shortest sentence possible.

"Is he dead?" Willow asked, snuggling closer to Oz. Buffy smiled.

"Yeah, I think so. I can sorta… feel it. We won." She looked sideways at Xander, who returned her smile.

"Always do." His tone was solemn, and he looked to the ground. Buffy wondered if he was still wondering about her, how she'd been changed, but he spoke again, in a lighter tone. "So what now? Party time?" The Scoobies looked at each other. There was a moment of silent agreement, then they slowly walked away, arm in arm, laughing and talking together.

-

At the end of the evening, Buffy and Angel walked back to Angel's mansion together, hand in hand. Buffy could hear the faint tinkling noise the stars were making – after all, a vampire can move almost silently, and there was no sound of breathing to be heard. She looked up, noticing how bright they now seemed to her, how entrancing.

"Buffy?" angel spoke quietly to her, so quietly that she doubted whether a human could have heard him then. She nestled closer to him, so that his arm was wrapped around her waist, his chin resting on the top of her golden head.

"I thought you were going to leave," she whispered to him. "I was so afraid. Angel, I…" she trailed off, then looked him in the eyes. "I don't think I can manage without you. I love you, I -" He held a finger against her lips.

"I'll always be here. I won't make you go through this alone. Not when it's… my fault."

"No, Angel, this is not your fault. I gave myself to you, I told you to drink. I think maybe a part of me wanted you to do what you did. I drank from you, didn't I?" Tears were spilling down her cheeks, down her front and onto the ground. Her pulled her close, letting her cry into his shirt. Angel felt awful, it was his fault that she was so upset, but at the same time a part of him felt happy. They could be together forever.

-

After an age of standing there, crying into each other, they broke apart.

"How are you going to tell your mother about this?" Buffy clapped a hand to her forehead. After everything that had happened, she hadn't even thought about telling her mother.

"Oh God… Mom… I completely forgot. What am I gonna say? Oh my God, oh my God." Angel seized her hand.

"It's going to take her a while to accept. She's never going to trust me now." Buffy stroked his cheek with the hand that wasn't gripping his for support.

"I trust you. She's gonna have to learn to trust you too." Angel smiled, before leaning down for a long, breathless kiss.

-

Joyce Summers parked her car in the driveway of 1630 Revello Drive. Lugging her heavy suitcase to the door, she had a strange feeling. Something, she wasn't sure quite what, was wrong. The porch light switched on as she approached, and it's glare revealed Buffy sitting there, as though she had been waiting for quite a while.

"Are you all right Buffy? You don't look well." Her skin was paler than usual, as though it had been drained of colour.

"Mom… there's something I have to tell you. Please don't overreact." Joyce frowned, and sat next to her on the porch.

"What is it sweetie, you know you can tell me anything. Anything at all."

Buffy looked away, and stammered a few times, as though she couldn't quite get the words out. She took a deep, unneeded breath and then looked her mother straight in the eyes.

"Mom, I'm a vampire." Joyce started.

"What? No, you're… the Slayer."

"I was the Slayer. Angel turned me." Joyce stood up.

"I knew it! He's evil again, isn't he?" Buffy stood up too.

"No! He had no choice, he would have died if he hadn't taken my blood. I'm still me, mom. I'm different to other vampires. I think I've kept my soul."

"Really? And what does a soul do?" Joyce sounded angry. "Oh God, Buffy… you were my little girl…"

"I'm still your daughter, Mom!"

"No, no you're not. You can't be. You're dead!" Tears had begun to pour down Joyce's face, and for the second time that night, Buffy also burst into tears. "I wanted to see you grow up, get married, have children. Now none of those things are going to happen."

"I'm sorry, Mom, it's not my fault and it's not Angel's either." Joyce shook her head and opened the door. Buffy looked at her feet.

"You need to invite me in." Joyce looked her dead daughter in the eyes.

"No, Buffy. I need some time to think. Please, just for tonight… go somewhere else." She closed the door, unable to look at her daughter again, choking on her tears. Buffy looked resolutely at the door her own mother had closed on her, then turned around and walked away into the night.

---

Too. Much. Crying. Oh well, I promise it's going to lighten up. Buffy's still going to go to college (if you're wondering how, i know and it fits with canon and everything taps nose… kind of…) and Cordy's still going to pursue her acting career, but I'm not giving anything else away.

Please review, I do a dance every time I get one. I am not joking, it's quite pathetic really. Even one word is appreciated… or a little smiley face. I do like those. I'll stop begging now, it's probably not very attractive.