A/N: Okay, guys! Here we are! The final part of "Tabula Rasa." I just got to say (again) THANK YOU! I cannot believe that I've got 150+ reviews for just six (now seven) chapters! I mean, seriously? Could you all not be more awesome? :D

When I started writing this chapter, I thought that I knew exactly how it would end. This entire episode was supposed to be fluff and light-hearted. So, you'll definitely be as suprised as I was at how the end of this chapter turned out. And, when you get there (trust me, you will definitely know what I'm talking about)...just remember that you love me. Pretty please. I like living. Just trust me.

*cue ominous music*

Random Disclaimer: (I don't own Buffy).

Me: So, how are you guys doing?

Angel: Pretty good.

Buffy: Yeah, last chapter went better than I thought it would.

Angel: I really kinda wish you'd let me punch Xander though.

Me: I did debate the pros and cons of such an action.

Xander: Obviously you decided that the cons out-weighed the pros. My face thanks you for that.

Me: Oh, I know.

Willow: So, what goes on this chapter?

Me: (scratches head) You know...I actually can't remember...

Tabula Rasa Part Three

Bleary-eyed with sleep, Buffy opened her eyes and blinked slowly. A frown creased her features as she took in her surroundings. Where was she? She took in the vast array of books, jars, and little trinkets. She appeared to be in some sort of store.

Buffy tried to get up, but an arm around her waist tightened, keeping her close. Only then did Buffy realize that she had been resting against someone's chest—a very hard, muscled chest that she had the urge to trace with her fingertips.

Buffy turned her head to see who she had seemingly fallen asleep with and found herself staring into the warmest chocolate brown eyes she'd ever seen—or so she thought. All she knew was that she could trust this person with her life, and she was very attracted to him. In fact, she really wanted to kiss him. A lot.

"Buffy?" the brown eyed man questioned. "Is—is that your name?"

"Angel?" Buffy replied confused as to why that name popped into her head. She didn't know an Angel…

"Okay, um," Angel looked around them and noted that it appeared they weren't alone. Seven other people were here with them—wherever they were. "Why do I have the feeling that I've done this a lot before?"

"Huh?" Buffy returned confused.

"Waking up with a woman I don't know," Angel clarified, his lips twisting in distaste. "But I think that it was a really long time ago."

"Maybe you settled down?" Buffy suggested. "You know, maybe you found the love of your life," she continued as she unconsciously tilted her face up to his.

"Maybe," Angel agreed as he stared into Buffy's (at least, he was pretty sure that was her name) green eyes. He felt a nearly overwhelming urge to protect her, to keep her safe.

Then, her lips touched his and it was almost as if the feelings the action sparked shocked them both apart. They looked at each other startled for a moment before quickly closing the distance between them and kissing with much more passion. Buffy felt safe and…loved…

When they finally pulled away from each other, they were both breathing hard. "I think I love you," Buffy said sounding hesitant, but truthful.

Angel reached up to caress her face, seemingly unable to help himself. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Buffy smiled and got to her feet. Angel followed her and neither noticed that they held each other's hand. Buffy flicked on the lights, causing everyone else to begin to stir.

Angel quickly catalogued everyone. Two couples appeared to be just waking up. One consisted of an older man, probably in his late forties or early fifties. He was dressed impeccably and wore glasses. The woman with him was much younger and blonde…and Angel got the feeling that she was an odd one.

The other couple was younger. A cute redhead in a large jacket was snuggled against a short, skinny boy with black fingernails and hair. But, even with his seemingly nonthreatening look, Angel somehow knew that the boy was not all that he appeared to be.

There was a taller boy slumped against the counter, who was blinking dazedly. He looked like an idiot. Angel didn't like him.

A platinum blonde man, probably in his mid twenties, suddenly woke up startled and fell off the counter with a crash, causing the last occupant in the store, a teenage girl, to scream in fright at the noise as she was jerked out of her slumber.

Angel felt a huge surge of irritation for the man, and he growled in annoyance under his breath. Angel's eyes focused on the young girl, and he realized that Buffy had already gone to her.

"Who, who are you people?" the girl asked frightened, cringing away from Buffy when she tried to gently sweep her hair out of her face.

"Don't worry," Buffy consoled softly. "I don't know anyone here either," she paused and glanced back at Angel. "Except him...I think."

The girl looked up and stared at Angel for a moment. He didn't scare her. In fact, she felt very safe with him. "Who are you?" she asked quietly, looking from Angel to Buffy.

"Well, he says my name is Buffy," Buffy answered as she tossed her head in Angel's direction.

"And she says my name is Angel," Angel shrugged. "We're just gonna go with it."

"Okay, who are you freaks?" the taller boy (who Angel was just going to call 'Idiot' until he actually knew his name) asked as he scrambled to his feet.

"You don't know me?" the redhead asked confused.

"Not a clue."

"But you were all, like, 'hey,'" the redhead argued with a pout.

"Which I find makes me angry," the black-haired boy added, glancing from the redhead to the idiot.

"Okay, why was I on the ground?" Idiot was now yelling, beginning to panic. "And why are you all staring at me? Is this some sort of psych test? Am I getting paid for this?"

"It's not just you," the older man with glasses said as he rose to his feet. "Does anyone remember anything?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Well," the older man smiled. "Maybe we all got terribly drunk and this is some sort of, uh, blackout."

"I don't think I drink," the girl said uncertainly. Both Angel and Buffy found that this statement caused them to feel relieved.

"I-I don't see any booze," the odd, blonde girl said as she looked around. "I don't feel any head bumps," she said as she ran a hand through her hair. "I don't see Adam Funt."

"Who?" the older man questioned confused.

"Okay, I'm not panicking." Buffy looked to the taller boy, and raised her eyebrows. He sure looked like he was panicking.

Seeing Buffy and everyone else's looks, the taller boy was quick to defend himself. "I'm not, I'm not," he said quickly. "Stop looking at me like I'm panicking!"

"Hey, hey, take it easy guy," Buffy tried to calm him down. She felt the need to get everyone calm and come up with a plan for action. "Okay, no one's hurt, right?" she continued. "And none of us look all hatchet-y murder-y, so were probably safe here—wherever here is."

"Look at this stuff on these shelves," the redhead said as she looked around. Buffy knew that she and the redhead had to be friends. She just felt that friend-y connection. But at the same time, she harbored a great disappointment and resentment against the girl. Buffy frowned as the redhead continued, "Weird jars of weird stuff."

"Weird books with weird covers," she commented further as she picked up a book. "Magic for Beginners," she read and then realization dawned on her. "Oh, we're in a magic shop!"

"Maybe that's it," Angel spoke up. "Something to do with magic caused us to lose our memories."

"Magic!" the older man scoffed, as he cleaned his glasses on the hem of his sweater. "Magic's all balderdash and chicanery! I'm afraid we don't know a bloody thing…" he trailed off when he noticed everyone's surprised looks. "Except I seem to be British, don't I?"

"I don't like this," the girl said teary as she shook her head.

"It's okay," Buffy soothed. "We'll take care of each other," she smiled and the girl offered a small smile in return.

"We'll all get our memory back, and then we'll be right as rain," the older man assured, though it was more to himself than anyone else.

"Oh, listen to Mary Poppins," the man with platinum blonde hair said sarcastically. "He's got his crust all stiff and proper with that Nancy-boy accent. You Englishman are always so…" sudden he paused and his eyes widened. "Bloody Hell! Sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks, oh God, I'm English!"

"Welcome to the Nancy tribe," the older man said dryly.

"You don't suppose you and I…" the younger Englishman trailed off. "We're not related, are we?"

"There is a ruggedly handsome resemblance," the odd, blonde girl observed, her head tilted to the side.

The older man smiled in pleasure at the compliment before he looked back towards his fellow Englishman. "You do inspire a, um…particular feeling of familiarity and…disappointment," he admitted, causing the other man to scowl. "Older brother?"

"Father," the blonde man argued. "Oh, God, how I must hate you."

"What did I do?"

"Hey," Angel interrupted, feeling the urge to slap the blonde man upside the head. "Let's find out who we all are, alright? Anyone got an ID?"

"Right!" the redhead said brightly and pulled out her wallet. "Willow Rosenburg," she read. "Huh, funny name."

"I like it," the black haired boy returned as he fished out his ID. "Daniel Osborne," he said contemplatively.

"You don't look like a Daniel," Willow told him, before thinking for a moment. "I like the name Oz better," she decided. "It's more fitting."

"Yeah," Oz smiled at her. "Hey, you know, I'm kind of nervous about this, but I'm going to ask you out."

"Oh, well, if it helps any, I'm going to say yes," Willow returned with a smile.

"It does," Oz nodded. "Creates a feeling of security. So, Willow, wanna go out?"

"Yes!"

"Alexander Harris," the taller boy read his driver's license. "Hey, I exist!" he grinned.

"I don't have a wallet," the girl next to Buffy said.

"Don't worry," Buffy replied with a smile. "Look." She gently held up the girl's necklace. "You're Dawn."

Dawn looked down at the necklace. "Or Umad."

"I think we better stick to Dawn, gréine," Angel replied with a smile, before he frowned.

"What did you call me?" Dawn asked confused.

"I have no idea," Angel frowned. "But I think it's a nickname."

"Well, what does it mean?"

"I don't know," Angel sighed frustrated. "But apparently, I know Gaelic."

"How do you know its Gaelic?" Buffy asked, before she suddenly frowned. "And why does she get a nickname, and I don't? I thought you loved me."

Angel's eyes widened. "I do!" he immediately defended before adding. "I think…"

Seeing Buffy's eyes narrow, he was quick to correct himself. "I do. I definitely love you."

"Ugh, I feel so hormonal," Buffy muttered before grimacing. "And nauseous."

Angel and Dawn took an instant step away from her.

"Randy Giles?" the blonde man exclaimed, looking at Rupert in outrage. "Why not just name me Horny Giles or 'Desperate for a Shag' Giles? I knew there was a reason I hated you!"

"I'm sure, uh, Randy is a family name," Rupert replied hesitatingly. "Undoubtedly."

"I'm Anya!" the odd, blonde girl announced from behind the cash register. "Um, these forms say that, uh, Rupert and Anya own the magic shop," she explained.

"This is our magic shop?" Rupert repeated shocked, before brightening slightly. "Oh, well, that's very, uh, progressive of me."

"We need to figure out what's going on," Buffy spoke up and she felt more comfortable. She liked being in charge.

"Looks like Buffy fancies herself the boss," Randy smirked.

"We have a kid here," Buffy began though Dawn was quick to correct her.

"Teenager."

"A teenager," Buffy amended. "I think the hospital is our best bet."

"Uh, yes, let's um, let's head out," Rupert gestured towards the doors and they all started to follow.

"Any suggestions on how we're going to get there?" Buffy asked as they reached the doors.

"Dad can drive," Randy told them. "He's bound to have some mid-life crisis transport," he said as he threw an arm around Rupert. "Something red, shiny…shaped like a penis."

This time, Angel did reach over and slap Randy upside the head. "Would you shut up?"

"What are you talking about, Captain Forehead?" Randy shot back. "I really hate you, but—it's like I can't help but…respect you—like you're my elder or something."

"Really, cause I just want you to go away," Angel returned easily.

"Guys, not now," Buffy scolded as she opened the door. "We just need to get to the—ah!" she screamed and everyone else joined her when they saw three hideous creatures on the other side of the door. One had a shark head and the other two had lumpy foreheads and fangs.

Angel quickly moved and shut the door, locking it the moment it had closed.

"Vampires!" Randy cried, not bothering to wonder how he knew.

"Maybe its Halloween," Dawn suggested as they hid under the window.

"It doesn't feel like Halloween," Willow shook her head.

"Even if it is, those guys are definitely not kids," Xander breathed shakily. "And those are definitely not costumes. Randy's right. They're vampires."

A banging on the door caused them all to jump.

"Slayer!"

"They're definitely not knocking for candy," Xander said with a shake of his head.

"Okay," Willow breathed, scared but determined to think of an alternate solution. "Doors….we need to check and see if there are any other doors and m-make sure they're locked and put heavy stuff in front of them."

"Come on," Oz said as he offered her his hand. Willow smiled slightly and took it before they both hurried off to look for other exits.

"Monsters are real," Buffy stated, looking at Angel. "Did we know this?"

"This does seem familiar," Angel admitted. "But we need to get our memories back."

"As, uh, proprietor of the shop, I propose that we, uh, fight them," Rupert spoke up hesitantly, but there was a vague, determined gleam in his eye.

Buffy was shaking her head, but Angel didn't agree. "He's right Buffy. This is a magic shop, right? One of us here has to know at least a little…"

The vampires outside continued to bang on the door.

"Send out Spike!"

"They seem to want spikes," Rupert stated obviously.

"Oh!" Randy suddenly disappeared, but then reappeared just as quickly with a handful of wooden stakes. "Let's give them these!"

"Well done," Rupert praised.

"But what are they going to do with them?" Dawn asked.

"Slayer, come out to play!" one of the vampires called.

"'Slay her'," Giles repeated. "That's just what they said before!"

"They're going to use spikes to…" Dawn trailed off horrified.

"To slay someone!" Buffy finished in disgust. "A female someone! Who do those jerks think they are?"

"You guys!" Willow called as she and Oz came back into the main store. "We found a trap door in the basement!"

"It leads to the sewers," Oz explained. "Stinky, but escape-worthy."

"Let's go!" Anya urged and they all began to follow Willow and Oz.

Suddenly, a window shattered, and a vampire leapt into the store. Screaming, everyone made a beeline for the back door, but when they yanked it open, another vampire blocked their way. All of them retreated back into the store and Xander fell to his knees, clasping his hands and looking up towards the heavens.

"Now I'm not sure what I am so bear with me here," he asked before continuing. "Now I lay me down to sleep, uh, shabat Israel, uh, om, om…"

A vampire rushed past Xander's kneeling form and slammed Randy up against the bookshelves, demanding kittens, much to Randy's dismay. The other vamp had charged at Buffy like he was possessed.

"Get your hands off me, you son of a—," The vampire clamped his hand over Buffy's mouth, cutting off what she was about to say. Buffy struggled in his grasp as the vamp's fangs inched closer to her neck.

Angel saw red. A fierce, possessive protectiveness overcame him and he growled, grabbing the vamp's arm that held Buffy and wrenching him away from her. He threw the vamp into the bookshelves and picked up a stake from the floor. Unthinkingly, he stabbed the vamp in the chest and then watched in amazement when it turned to dust.

Meanwhile, Buffy had looked to her left and seen Randy struggling with the other vamp. "Hey! Get away from Randy!" she demanded as she grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around, and then punching him in the face. The vampire flew into another stack of bookshelves and Buffy staked him not even a second after he'd slumped to the ground.

Angel and Buffy looked from the stakes in their hands, to each other, and then back at the Scoobies, who were all staring at them in amazement.

"Whoa," Dawn breathed in awe.

"What did you guys just do?" Willow asked wide-eyed.

"Uh…I…" Buffy trailed off, speechless. How had she known to do that? "I don't know," she told them before glancing at Angel, a slow smile spreading across her face. "But it was cool!"

"The boss ain't gonna like this!" a third vampire yelled from the doorway, causing all of them to look out into the street at his slowly retreating form. "I'll be back, and I won't be alone!" he warned before disappearing into the night.

They all watched him go, and after a few beats of silence, Buffy spoke. "I think I know why I'm the boss," she said to herself. "I'm like a superhero or something!" Suddenly, she turned to Angel. "And you're a superhero too! I mean, you threw that one guy across the room!"

"He was going to hurt you," Angel told her seriously, but adding uncomfortably. "But I'm not a hero."

"Uh, what's with the nobleness?" Buffy said exasperatedly. "Just accept the praise."

Angel frowned, but didn't comment.

"Okay, I've got a plan," Buffy said after a moment of thought. "They seem to want Randy, and I'm strong. Like, wicked strong, and so is Angel. So, we'll stay here with Randy and fight them off while the rest of you guys escape through the sewers and get the hospital."

"That's your plan?" Randy asked, not sounding too thrilled.

"Yeah."

"Right."

"I'm not leaving the shop," Anya protested. "I have to protect the cash register, and…do some spells."

"Oh, well, magic might help," Rupert nodded with a slight smile. "Yes, it's worth a shot."

"All right then, you work on that," Buffy nodded. "We need to go," she said looking at Angel and Randy. "Ready?"

"Ready," Randy replied.

"Angel?" Buffy questioned hesitantly, waiting for an answer.

Angel's lips quirked up in a slight smile as he came to stand by her side. "Something tells me I'll do anything for you," he answered as he took her hand.

"Oh, save it for the bedroom," Randy rolled his eyes. "Bloody hell."

"Um, son?" Rupert said from behind them, causing Randy to turn around.

"Um…" Randy trailed off awkwardly as he stared at his 'father.'

"Yes, um…"

They hugged awkwardly, and then Randy pushed Rupert away.

"Right."

"Good, then," Rupert nodded before hurrying back towards where Anya had opened a spell book.

Buffy looked at Angel and Randy before running out the door, shoving the vampires guarding it out of her way. Angel was right behind her and together they began to run down the road. However, when Buffy didn't hear a third pair of footsteps following them she looked behind her.

What she saw shocked her. Randy's forehead was lumpy and his teeth were pointy.

"Hey, I'm a superhero too!" he called after he punched a vamp and sent him flying.

Buffy didn't know what to do, but the moment Angel saw what Randy really was he knew exactly what to do. "Come on," he said before grabbing her hand and leading her away.

"Buffy, Angel, wait!" Randy called, but he was ignored. "Wait up!"

Angel kept running and then pulled Buffy into an alley. He pressed her into the wall. "Don't make a sound," he whispered before placing his back to the wall.

There was a beat of silence before a set of footsteps could be heard. Just as Randy rounded the corner, Angel pushed himself off the wall and grabbed a fist full of Randy's jacket before slamming him into the opposite wall of the alley.

"Bloody hell! What are you doing?" Randy, still in game-face, growled and punched Angel in the face, which caused Angel's game-face to appear.

Which subsequently caused Buffy to scream in shock.

"You're a vampire!" Randy cried shocked, causing Angel to frown.

"You're both vampires!" Buffy corrected with wide-eyes.

"What?" Randy shook his head and Angel backed away from him, glancing at Buffy.

"I'm a—what?" Angel stammered. "No…I-I can't be…"

"Check the lumpies," Buffy told them both. "And the teeth."

Both Randy and Angel reached up and felt their faces, and it looked like Randy pricked one of his fingers on his teeth. "I kill your kind," Buffy said numbly, looking mainly at Angel. She loved a vampire?

"And we bite yours," Randy returned. "So why do I not want to bite you?" he asked, but then paused. "Well, actually…" he sniffed the air suddenly. "You smell really good…"

Angel growled sharply, moving in between Buffy and Randy. "Back off," he warned.

Randy raised his hands, placating. "Chill out, Peaches. Just makin' an observation."

Angel snarled at the stupid nickname, but otherwise remained quiet.

Buffy came up to stand beside Angel; knowing that even though he was a vampire (apparently), he wouldn't hurt her… "Why would you fight against your own kind?" she asked them both.

"We must be noble vampires!" Randy said excitedly. "Good guys. On a mission of redemption, we help the hopeless," he chuckled. "We're vampires with a soul!"

"Vampires with a soul?" Buffy questioned dubiously. "Maybe Angel," she corrected. "I don't get a soulful vibe from you."

Randy pouted. "Oh, yeah? Well, maybe I like being bad! Ever thought of that, pet?"

Buffy was about to respond when she looked past Randy and saw that the vampires had caught up with them. "Uh, guys…" she said nervously, causing both Angel and Randy to look up.

Instantly, Randy moved to flank Buffy and Angel stepped in front of her.

"Okay, I'm a superhero. I don't need you protecting me from everything!" Buffy whispered to him heatedly.

"I can't help it," Angel replied back, never taking his eyes off of the vampires striding towards them.

Suddenly, one of the vampires lunged at Angel and then the fight was on.

Buffy was quick to pounce on one of vampires, punching him twice in the face in quick succession. She spun and swung her leg out, sweeping her foe's legs out from under him. Buffy quickly straddled him and raised her stake to dust him, but he flipped her over his head.

Buffy landed hard on her back, and then quickly rolled away when she saw a foot coming towards her face. Rolling to her feet, Buffy turned and put all her strength into her punch. She felt her fist break the vamp's nose.

"Don't mess with Buffy the—" Buffy trailed off as suddenly all her memories returned. However, this pause cost her, and her opponent took advantage, punching her in the face.

Buffy fell to the ground, dazed. She began to pick herself up when the vampire kicked her in the stomach. Pain seared through her and she didn't have time to move before the vamp kicked her again, causing Buffy to gasp and clutch her stomach protectively.

"Buffy!" Angel yelled as he quickly disposed of his opponent and hers before falling to his knees once he reached her. "Buffy? Are you alright?" he asked quickly, panic setting in. "Are you okay? Is the baby okay?" Buffy looked up at him with tears in her eyes, and this didn't do anything to assuage him. "Buffy! Tell me, please!"

A sob escaped Buffy. "Angel, I'm sorry," she began to cry in earnest when she saw the pain in Angel's eyes. "I'm so sorry…"

Buffy jerked upright in bed and immediately threw back the covers and ran into the bathroom. She made it to the toilet just in time to retch into the bowl. Her hands shook as she flushed, and then she sank the little ways to the floor. She was alone for only a moment before Angel appeared in the doorway, his eyes wide with worry, exactly like in her dream.

The mirror image caused tears to prick in Buffy's eyes.

"Buffy," Angel began fearfully. "Buffy, what's wrong? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

His words catapulted her into tears and before she knew it she was in Angel's arms and cradled against his chest. Her arms wrapped around his neck in a vice-like hold, and Angel rubbed her back soothingly as she cried into chest.

Angel was worried. Had something happened? Had she—? Angel swallowed fearfully. He didn't want to ask. He didn't want to know—but he had to know. "Buffy, is the baby okay?" he asked and the question only caused Buffy to sob harder, which caused tears to form in his eyes and his heart to constrict painfully. "Did you…" he began, but he stopped himself. To even say the words were to make it more real. He didn't want it to be real. But he had to know. "Did you lose the baby?" he whispered.

"I-I had a…" Buffy tried to get her sobs under control. "I had a dream," she explained through her tears.

Comprehension dawned on Angel, and his heart soared and broke at the same time. It soared because the baby was okay. It broke because Buffy had gone through the horror of losing a child, even if it had only been a dream.

"The dream didn't start out bad," Buffy explained quietly, able to control her sobs although her breathing was still shaky, and silent tears still slid down her cheeks. "It—it was kind of funny actually. We all woke up in the Magic Box and we didn't know who we were. But we, me and you, we still somehow knew each other's names and we trusted each other. Anya and Giles thought that they were married," Buffy laughed, though it sounded like a watery sob. "And Spike thought he was Giles' son and that his name was Randy."

Angel snorted. "Randy Giles?"

Buffy laughed and nodded. "These guys were after Spike—he owed them kittens," she continued to explain. "And a few of the vamps broke in and we fought them. I thought we were superheroes," Buffy smiled up at him half-heartedly. "Even in my dream world you still deny it."

Angel chuckled and caressed her cheek, wiping away a stray tear. "What happened next?" he asked quietly.

"We decided that Dawn and the rest of the Scoobies would escape through the sewer entrance in the basement while you and me and Spike stayed behind to fight them off," Buffy told him softly. "We ran off and got them to chase us, and in the process found out that both you and Spike were vampires." Buffy smiled, a tiny, half-hearted giggle escaping her. "Spike thought he was a vampire with a soul, on the road to redemption."

Angel cracked a smile at that. "What happened after that?"

Tears began to pool in Buffy's eyes once more and Angel held her tighter. "The vamps caught up with us and we fought them," she whispered. "The vampire I was fighting wasn't anything special, but during the fight I got my memory back. I just paused for a moment, but he punched me and I went down and…"

Buffy closed her eyes, trying to force back the tears that were just waiting to be unleashed. "I-I couldn't—I couldn't get up quick enough." Buffy couldn't hold back her tears any longer and a sob escaped her as she remembered her dream in vivid detail.

"H-he k-kicked me in the stomach, and I couldn't—I—the pain was too much," she tried to explain herself. "I wanted to get up, but he kicked me again and I, and I…" Buffy dissolved into a fit of tears and cried in earnest once more.

Angel could only hold her, his heart breaking for her. "Y-you came over and staked him," she managed to tell him between sobs. "And then you kept asking me if I was alright…if the baby was alright," she whispered as she choked on a sob. "And I said I was sorry and…" Buffy struggled to continue through her tears. "You were so sad," she cried. "And it was all my fault—"

"Ssh," Angel hushed as he kissed her hair. "Ssh, it's alright, Muirnín," Angel soothed. "It was just a dream. It wasn't real. You're fine. The baby's fine. It'll be alright."

Angel continued this mantra for a good fifteen minutes before Buffy's sobs ceased. They sat together for a moment in silence, before Angel gathered Buffy in his arms and carried her back to the bed. No words were spoken as he tucked her in and then slipped into the bed himself.

Angel supported himself on his elbow so he could see Buffy clearly. He caressed her face with his fingertips lightly, waiting for her to speak. "It was so real," she whispered, looking at him with earnest eyes. "You were so sad," she repeated. "I'd never seen you so sad." Tears once again began to well in her eyes and Angel quickly tried to reassure her, unable to see her cry anymore tonight.

"But it wasn't real," he reminded her. "It was just a dream. Only a dream."

"I can't Slay anymore," Buffy told him. "I love him so much Angel," she whispered. "I can't put him in danger."

"Hey, you won't," Angel assured her softly. "You'll do anything to protect our baby, Buffy. I know that. Spike can handle the Slaying end of things down here. Oz too from what I can gather," he added. "Don't worry about slaying. You just focus on you and our baby."

Buffy nodded in silent agreement before she turned on her side, her back to him. Angel didn't want that much space between them though and draped his arm over her waist, pulling her back against his chest. He kissed her neck tenderly, "I won't let anything hurt you," he whispered, his hand splayed over Buffy's stomach protectively. "I promise."

(ducks rotten fruit)

If I actually scared any of you into thinking that Buffy lost the baby, I'm sorry! I told you guys to trust me! Honestly though, I never planned to end this chapter the way it did. I was just writing that last fight scene and it morphed into this really dramatic, angsty end. Totally not planned.

Anyway, I think that it was a good wake-up call to Buffy. She, in true Buffy form, would have been incredibly stubborn about giving up Slaying and sitting the bench. With this dream, I can avoid some Buffy stubborness and the little arguements that would ensue between B/A. I don't know about you guys, but I wrote enough arguements for B/A in Eye to last me for a while. Of course, that's not to say that B/A won't argue in this story. Trust me, they will. In fact, I'm writing an argument chapter right now, so...yeah...

SO...now that your heart rates have returned to normal...drop me a line? :D

Reviews cause Spike to be assailed by water balloons,

ArthursCamelot