Chapter 10

Buffy felt little butterflies in her stomach, she needed that contact so much. She gave in and allowed him to hold her. After five years, Buffy felt the safety that only the arms of the man she loved could give her.

- Where is your son?

- Nobody remembers him. It's part of my agreement to take this job. The senior partners altered reality. They gave Connor a life, a real family, and a childhood. Something I could never give him. He has no memories of us. And no one remembers him. Except you and me… and Eve, for some reason.

- So, not only did you strike a deal with your worst enemy to give up your son, you let them rape the memories of the friends who trusted you?

Angel was talking with unsure voice and Buffy made sure to keep any accusation out of her voice. His shame grew even more.

- He was about to kill Cordelia. And himself. He was so torn up. I didn't have any other way to stop him, any way to help him. Connor's happy now… And...we're doing fine here. I mean, we've done some great work here—

Buffy recoiled from Angel's when she heard Cordelia's name.

- Buffy. What?

- I… I know that you… you love… Cordelia. It must have been difficult to know that she and your son… well… even if it was not really she. And she must have changed a lot for you to feel this way.

- Yes. She changed. She was my rock when things got worse and worse and worse. I feel like a part of me is missing.

- I'm sorry.

- How can you be so understanding about this? Is it because of Riley and... and your… love for Spike?

- No, Angel. I won't lie to you. It is because I still love you… I want you to be happy because I think you deserve it. If you moved on… you moved on… we can't do anything about it. We can't control our feelings. I wish I had loved Riley or even Spike in the way I feel for you, but I can't… I liked Riley and for a while I really thought I loved him, but I finally realized when he left me that I was using him so I'd not be alone… so I'd try to have the things people said were good. Sun, picnics, sex… but nothing of this could fill my heart. Spike… Spike was a mistake.

- A mistake?!

- Yes. I came back from Heaven. You saw me. I know we talked back there, but I was still confused. Spike had this obsession with me and one day he beat me. He couldn't have because of the chip, but he did. I was already feeling like I came back wrong because It was all… so… cold… I… couldn't feel anything. I was depressed I guess… He said it to me. He said I came back wrong and fueled my fears…

Angel understood what Spike did to Buffy. He used her fears so he could take advantage of her. He would break the damn vampire in half the next time he saw him.

- He said I belonged with him… with the darkness… I thought he was right. I craved it. We had this abusive relationship… quite the contrary of what you and I had.

- Oh, Buffy! Why did you believe it??? Did you really think you would have come back wrong? You were, are The Slayer… nothing like this would happen.

- I know now, but back there I… Willow used a pretty dark magic to bring me back and… and there was… something came back with me. I defeated it, but I got scared that I came back wrong. Well… Cordelia… she came back wrong, didn't she?

- I'm sorry.

- And you… and Cordelia?

Chapter 11

- Well, she really changed. After the first year with me, she got really sick around the time they brought Darla back. A demon made her feel all the pain of the humanity. After it, she kind of took our job seriously. Then Connor was born and she was his mother. Things were there and Lorne and Fred helped me to see it.

- I'm happy you had her around.

- Me too. I miss her a lot. Of course, I can't compare anything to what we had, but it was good to feel again.

- How are you really? Here in this place? Don't give me that, "everything's fine here" company line. I'm not buying it. Neither are you. And neither is someone up there. Why do you think that I am here now? I was having these urges to come here, but I didn't want to intrude into your life. I was in England when Andrew told us what he said to you. I couldn't take it anymore… wait anymore. I think it was the way someone found to tell me you needed me. They know you got out of the track, and they want me to help put you back on it.

- No. You are wrong. It looks like Spike is their new champion.

- Spike? Spike who? How is that possible? Care to explain.

- Spike. He has a soul just like me and he is the one helping the… helpless. He's out there on the streets.

- Ok, let me get this straight. Spike is the real hero around here and you're C.E.O. of Hell Incorporated. Angel! You have to stop meddling with time and people memories. Every time you try, you just create some sort of freakin' bizarro world where everyone has to wake up in.

Buffy was sat in Angel's lap and his arms were around her. She looked at him with nothing but adoration and a smile in her face. Angel felt his soul warm against his woman. He was feeling just like before… before their life became so complicated. Before, when he saw her the first time. He knew it was wrong because of his feelings for Cordelia, but he was having a strong urge to kiss Buffy senseless. At that moment, the door to his office opened. It was Lorne.

- Oh! Sorry, Angelcake. I came to pick something in my office and saw lights.

- It's ok, Lorne. Huh? This… this is Buffy.

- Wow! The Buffy!

Lorne was looking from Angel to Buffy curiously before he shook Buffy's hand.

- Hi, the one and only.

- Hi, sweet. Nice to see you two together. Well, I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow.

- Bye, Lorne.

Chapter 12

After Lorne departure, their moment was gone. Buffy and Angel looked at each other lost for words. Buffy finally broke the silence.

- I'm sorry. How could both of us be so lost, huh? To be truthful, since I learned about Darla I arrived to the conclusion that you'd be lost without me, but this?

- I am lost without you.

- No. You had Cordy to guide you. Angel. You forgot your purpose. I did it, remember. You just forgot who you are.

- Could you… could you remind me?

- Uh, no. That's for you to figure out. I can tell you who you were. A drunken layabout who ended up being a demon. You pissed off the wrong people and they gave the world back to you… in the form of your soul. They punished the wrong person for the crimes of that beast. For a while, you got yourself lost. But, one day you decided to use your immortality to be someone. To make a difference.

- That was because of you. Because I saw you.

- No. Angel. It wasn't. You had it all in yourself. I knew many people back in Sunnydale. People who even fought for their lives during the ascension, but after that, they went on as if nothing had happened. You, like Willow, Xander and Giles, decided to take the matter in your hands. You decided it. You could have loved me, but you could still not want to get involved with anything more than protect me. You didn't. You became the guy who always fought his hardest for what was right, even when he couldn't remember why. Even when he was miserable, which was, let's face it, a not small portion of the time. He did right. And that gave him something. A light, a glimmer. And that's the guy I fell… in love. This person is still around here.

Buffy patted Angel's chest.

- You are incredible, you know.

- Yay me!

Buffy put her head in Angel's shoulder and they stayed like that for a while, just holding hands and enjoying each other presence. When the time came, they decided to go to bed… into their apartments. Both warriors slept with a soft smile on their faces.

Buffy for while. She had one dream with images of symbols painted on a door and tattooed onto a man chest. Then everything changed and Angel appeared. He had a sword through his abdomen… like when she sent him to hell. She woke saying his name.

- Angel!

Chapter 13

Lorne, Gunn, Fred, Wesley and Buffy were sat in Angel's office in the next day trying to discover what the symbols Buffy saw mean. Willow was sent to get some information in the archive of W&H.

- Remember how I said, "Let's not have your department looking for those symbols I saw in my dream. Let's do this like we used to, you and me cracking the books"?

- Yes.

- Wesley, that was dumb. What'd you ever listen to me for?

- I don't know. I think I sort of missed this. We and the books.

- Why did you all agree with Angel's idea of coming here? I mean he was working for you, huh?

- Yes. For a while, but his reasons seemed to make sense. But right now, I think we were all wrong.

The door opened and Willow came in with some files and a book in her hand.

- I've found the symbols. The symbols you saw Buffy are protection runes derived from the Enochian alphabet. The ones in your dream seem to be used in some kind of concealment spell. "Clouds before the all-seeing eyes."

Wesley took the book from Willow.

- Let me see this. They protect the bearer from being viewed remotely from higher powers, seers, and mystics. Or, transposed to today, any means of modern surveillance.

- Will. Does this mean that somebody *really* wants to stay hidden?

- Yes. Someone is plotting something.

Angel shot his head up and looked at Buffy.

- Who would be doing it?

- Well, Buffy. The only person I can think of is Eve.

- The slut you had sex with?

- Well.. y-yes. Guys, can you research a way to make the person wearing the symbols be seen or the symbols disappear or something? I think Buffy and I could visit a certain employee of the Seniors Partners.

Angel and Buffy left the room, while Gunn, Wesley and Willow went back to the archives to see if there was some spell so they could deal with the symbol bearer.

- Lorne, what do you think of them?

- Buffy and Angel?

Fred shook her head affirmatively.

- I think if we thought Angel and Cordelia were kyerumption just because they were champions… we were blind. Seeing Angel and his Slayer together can give me a really headache. I mean… their souls scream for each other. It is really beautiful. Their aura pulse together when they are around each other. Angel may have had feelings for Cordelia or any other woman in his life, but it is nothing compared with his love and miss slayer. Miss Slayer is his "her"… there isn't any other "her" around for him.

- You think?

- Yes. They don't need to sing for me to see it. It is cosmic, Fred. It is Fate. They will find a way back to each other.