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It was Saturday night. It was the Return of Droscult. The Slayer and her Slayerettes stood in a circle around the welcome sign of Sunnydale High School.
“Why is it that our school is the center of mystical energy, and everything wants to rise from it?” Xander asked as they got ready for Droscult rising.
“Maybe they want to go back to school.” Buffy answered.
Then, all of a sudden, the sign was swallowed into the ground, and a bright light emerged from the ground. Out of the ground came one of the most hideous creatures Buffy had ever seen. He had one eye that was all cut and scratched, two little holes for a nose, and a mouth with the bottom teeth sticking out. He had four strands of hair going down each side of his head. On top of his head was nothing. There was a big hole, and what was left of his brain was seeping out onto the ground.
Buffy felt the chunks rise in her throat, but she swallowed them. She knew what she had to do. She began to speak, “Droscult, we show the things that will bind you. We show you love, friendship, and loyalty. With this, we order you to go back to where you came from, and never return.” Nothing happened. “Giles, what do I do?”
“I don’t know. We showed him the things that will bind him.”
“Wait, no we didn’t. He can’t see. He has no eye. I know what I have to do. Last night I had a dream that I was playing basketball, but when I threw the ball, it was the Claddagh ring that went through the hoop.” With that, Buffy took the ring off the chain, and threw it into Droscult’s head. There was another flash of light, one more brighter than the one Droscult was showing, and he sunk right back into the ground.
After it was over, they all sat on the ground and talked.
“So, Giles, how long until someone else or thing will try to send us all to Hell, again?” Willow asked.
“Hopefully, not for a long time.”
“Well, I’m going to go home and hit the sack.” Buffy said with a yawn.
“Goodnight!”
Buffy went home and thought of Angel. She put a CD into her disc player and listened to the words.
It’s really warm here, but in the wind I feel a chill.
It’s like there is something reaching inside me; reading my soul.
It sees what others can’t see.
It sees the sadness that does not reflect across my face.
Sure, people think I’m happy, but they don’t know.
No one looks me deep in the eyes and sees what I feel.
If only I could tell someone. I wish someone could understand what is going though me right now.
I don’t think anyone has ever felt this loneliness like I am feeling right now.
To lose everyone you ever cared about.
As the song finished, Buffy fell asleep again.
Again she dreamed of Angel, but this time it wasn’t a dream. She was there, actually there with him. No, it wasn’t him, it was Angelus. He stood there and mocked her. He tormented her the way he did when she saw him that first night when Angel lost his soul. All those things he said to her, he said them again. She too remembered everything that went on that night.
<“Angel!” Buffy said in a relieved tone.
“Hey!”
“Oh!” She ran up to him and hugged and kissed him.
“Hey.”
“Oh, my God! I was so worried!”
“I didn't mean to frighten you.”
“Where did you go?”
“Been around.”
“Ohhh. Oh, my God! I was freaking out! You just disappeared.”
“What? I took off.”
“But you didn't say anything. You just left.”
“Yeah. Like I really wanted to stick around after that.”
“What?”
“You got a lot to learn about men, kiddo. Although I guess you proved that last night.”
“What are you saying?” she asked with confusion in her voice.
“Let's not make an issue out of it, okay? In fact, let's not talk about it at all. It happened.”
“I, I don't understand. Was it m-me? Was I not good?”
“You were great. Really. I thought you were a pro.” He couldn’t help but smile as his said these heart breaking words to her.
“How can you say this to me?”
“Lighten up. It was a good time. It doesn't mean like we have to make a big deal.”
“It *is* a big deal!”
“It's what? Bells ringing, fireworks, a dulcet choir of pretty little birdies? Come on, Buffy. It's not like I've never been there before.”
He reached his hand up to her face and she jerked back.
“Don't touch me.”
“I should've known you wouldn't be able to handle it.”
“Angel! I love you.” She couldn’t believe what he just said to her, and this was all she could say hoping that she would get the response she was hoping for. She didn’t.
“Love you, too. I'll call you.” He said it with such a non-meaning tine in his voice.>
The tears welled up in her eyes. She turned around and ran. He followed. As she ran, she saw a tall, dark figure in her path ahead.
“Get out of my way!” she yelled at the figure. It didn’t move.
“Didn’t you hear me? I said……”she stopped dead in her tracks. The dark figure was the same of who followed her to the Bronze her first night in Sunnydale.
“Angel?” But it couldn’t be. Angelus killed him. He staked him. She also knew it wasn’t Angelus because he was behind her running to kill her.
“Buffy, it’s time to stop running. You have to kill him. He’s not me, and I’m not him. I’m right here.”
“I can’t fight him. He has your face. All I see is you when I look at him. I can’t.”
“You have to. I know it’s hard, but please do it for all of the people the demon side of me has killed. Kill him. You can do it. I have to go because he can’t know that I’m here. You are your greatest weapon against him. Don’t listen to what he says.”
And he was gone. Buffy turned around just in time to see Angelus turn the corner. This time, she didn’t move.
“Aren’t you going to run?” Angelus asked her as he neared her.
“No, you’re not the Angel I know. It’s my turn for the flashbacks. Remember that night at the school? The night when you had Willow in your grasp?”
He did remember. He smiled at it too.
<Angelus tighten his grip on Willow even more, and she let out another pained yelp. “This can't be you,” Buffy said almost pleading.
“Gee, we already covered that subject.”
“Angel, there must be some part of you inside that still remembers who you are.”
“Dream on, school girl. Your boyfriend is dead.”>
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Well, you’re right. My boyfriend’s dead because you killed him, and now, I can kill you.”
Buffy and Angelus stared into each others eyes. Buffy could see in his eyes, nothing. Nothing but animal like instincts. In Buffy’s eyes, Angelus could see hatred for him, but love for Angel. He thought to himself how easy it would be for him to kill her right now. At least, that’s what he thought.
Buffy felt a strong jab in her stomach. It was Angelus’ fist making contact with her lower abdomen. The pain was gone almost instantly as the anger surged up in her. They fought. They fought for a long time. Buffy threw punches at him, and he did the same back. Some were blocked, some made contact.
When almost all of Buffy’s strength was gone, she remembered the last fight she had had with him. It was the night when she sent Angel to Hell. All of it came back to her.
<“Hello, lover,” Buffy said as she entered the room.
“I don't have time for you.”
“You don't have a lot of time *left*.”
“Coming on kind of strong, don't you think? You're playing some deep odds here. Do you really think you can take us all on?”
“No. I don't,” Buffy said as Spike came behind Angelus and hit him over the head. Spike had agreed to help distract Angelus for Buffy, but only so he could get Drusilla back. He came through.
Buffy and Angelus fought sword against sword. Slayer against vampire. Ex-lover against ex-lover. It was brutal. It all came down to one thing. Angelus said it.
“Now that’s it isn’t it? No weapons….no friends….no hope. Take that all away, and what’s left?”
He made a thrust with the sword towards Buffy’s skull. But, in one swift motion she caught it, the blade only an inch away from it’s target.
“Me,” she said with a new vengeance. She was back in the fight, and now they fought. She on the winning side, him on the losing side.
She had him down to his knees. She was about to cut his head off when it happened. There was a light in his eyes, and he was angel again. They hugged and kissed, but then she did something she never thought she could do. She sent him to Hell.>
Those last minutes gave Buffy a new energy. One she had never felt before. Angelus came for her. She rolled out of his way, and he hit the ground. Hard. As he stood up, he told her, “Don’t go soft on me now. Kill me. Ohh yeah, that’s right. You can’t because I’m your love. Well, too bad for you.”
“You’re not Angel.”
“You’d like to think that wouldn’t you, but you’ve proved more than once that you can’t kill me. Come on Buffy, I love you.”
The tears came to her eyes, but then she remembered what Angel had told her. “I’m not him, and he’s not me. I’m right here.”
“You know what, you’re right, I can’t kill you. I can do this though.”
She kicked him in the groin as hard as she could just like the night when she had destroyed The Judge.
“Now, this brings back memories. The last time I saw you like this was the time I destroyed The Judge. As I recall, after I kicked you, I walked away, and told you to give me time. And you know what?”
“What?” Angelus asked trying to form a sarcastic tone in his voice, but the pain was unbearable.
“You gave me time.” And with that, Buffy whipped out Mr. Pointy, the stake that Kendra had given her, and thrust it into Angelus’ heart.
There was a scream, and then dust. He was gone. Buffy started to cry. All of the emotions she kept bottled up inside her came out. Behind her, a man came and pulled her into his grasp. She didn’t have to look up to know who it was. She knew. It was Angel.