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Disclaimer: Well, hmm... Jasmine, Joss, whatever! They're pretty close don't you think? <sigh> I know, they're not. So what does this mean? It means that I don't own them!! I'm not Joss! Please don't sue because I need the little money I have to buy more Buffy books. So you're getting my money anyway!!
Spoilers: This trilogy is set during the summer after Season 4, except I wrote all of this or had it all planned out before it aired. So, Riley isn't in the Initiative or from Iowa and Spike wasn't fixed. All I had heard was that Spike would become an ally.
Author's Note: This is the second story in a trilogy. It started out as a short story in my head, but it kept on going. I guess they could be parts to one story, but they sorta end in their own way. You should probably read 'Falling' in order to understand what is going on.
Two days later
Buffy was in front of her mirror putting up her hair to go to the Bronze when she sensed Angel at her window. She turned around to see him staring at her with a small smile on his face.
"Hey! What are you doing here? You need to leave!" Angel looked at her with a worried look, but Buffy soon smiled at him. "You need to go to the front door like a gentleman."
He frowned at her, puzzled. "What about your mom?" In the back of his mind, he was worried her mom's reaction to his return to Sunnydale. She had been the one to ask him to leave.
Buffy shook her head. "Don't worry about her. Just go! Shoo!!" She waved her hands at him.
Angel sighed, but did as she asked and leapt down from the roof and walked to the front door. He rang the doorbell and waited.
Buffy's mom answered the door, and Angel stood there a little scared. Joyce was the one who broke the uncomfortable silence. "Hello, Angel. Please come in, I'll call Buffy."
Angel nervously walked inside. Joyce's invitation and cheerfulness puzzled him. His eyes quickly roamed the living room, then up at the stairs, waiting for Buffy. A few minutes later, she came down the stairs and he sighed in relief.
"Hi, Angel!" Buffy exclaimed and smiled. She quickly noticed his silence and walked over to embrace him. "You don't need to worry about Mom. She understands now and gives us her blessing."
Angel glanced over at Joyce, who was nodding.
"Everything is fine, Angel. She knows that I talked to you. I am more concerned for her happiness now. Before I was trying to push her into a life she didn't want, a life I had wanted for her since she was a baby. But I've realized that things have changed, and I'm glad that she has found you. Especially since you can protect her in these times that I no longer can." Joyce smiled at him.
"Thank you." Angel replied. He was always a man of few words, but this time he felt the need to say more. How could he express the happiness, the immense relief that the felt? Now he had one less obstacle to face with his return to Sunnydale. But so many more to go...including making it up to Buffy.
Angel looked down at Buffy, smiled, and leaned down to kiss her. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear.
"Why? Because you listened to my mom? The way I see it is, it's because of your upbringing." Angel looked at her a little perplexed. "My upbringing?"
"Yep. You know, always get permission from the girl's parents. Weren't you supposed to ask to court someone's daughter? I just figured that you were just too polite, you had to listen to my mom." Buffy grinned at him. She had thought all of this out earlier. It was the best that she could come up with, considering his childhood.
Angel chuckled. "I know I'm old, but I do try to keep up with the times." He paused. "I just felt you deserved more. I always felt that way, I just ignored it until this past year. Your mom happened to feel the same way and came to tell me that. But I must admit, it was a little push in my decision to leave."
"Well, that's over now. Neither my mom nor I care about it so let's just move on with life. And speaking of which, how about we go to the Bronze for a 'Welcome Home' party?" Buffy was determined to start their relationship where they had left off. No brooding, and shying away from her friends. They were okay with his return, so there were no excuses for him.
Angel's eyebrows arched in question at Buffy's wording. "Party?"
"Ok..." Buffy drawled. "A night out with the gang, music and dancing?" She corrected herself.
Angel nodded. "That's fine."
Buffy smiled. "Good. Then it's off to the Bronze with hopefully no unscheduled stops." She turned and hugged her mom, "Bye, mom."
Joyce smiled. She was glad to finally know what was going on with her daughter, and to see her happy. "Bye, hon." She turned to Angel and smiled at him, "Enjoy yourselves."
They turned to leave, walking hand in hand. Once outside and a little ways from Buffy's house, Angel turned to her and smiled. "You look beautiful tonight, as usual."
Buffy was wearing a simple pale violet dress with spaghetti straps. She blushed at Angel's compliment, then replied, "Thank you." She fingered the ring that he had given her and smiled back at him. It was going to work. She knew it. There were no more problems for them to get past.
They made it to the Bronze with no unscheduled stops, or put simply, no vampires. Willow was the first one to spot Angel and Buffy when they walked into the Bronze. "Hi, you guys! Welcome back, Angel!" She exclaimed.
Angel received a chorus from Xander and Oz, "Hey, Dead Boy!" and "Hey!" Angel nodded at Oz then growled at Xander who he grinned back.
"What can I say? Nicknames are hard to give up." He shrugged. "But don't worry. I'm okay with your return. I've had a year to get over it. Besides, I guess we all missed your help. Giles is running us ragged! Not to mention the fact that I couldn't stand Riley. I can handle you better."
Xander's Riley comment surprised Buffy. "How come you never told me that you didn't like Riley? Did all of you feel that way?" She glanced at the trio, who were all looking down at their feet. "I can't believe you guys! I thought you wanted me to date?"
Willow spoke up, "I think I speak for the three of us when I say that we were happy that you moved on and dated. We just didn't like Riley, but we weren't going to say anything because you liked him. We didn't want to upset you. If you'd realized this, you would have dumped him and started moping again."
Buffy nodded, then smiled to show them that she wasn't mad with them. "Well, thanks, guys. I know it was probably a hard position for you. Especially you, Willow, since you knew about the curse." Willow nodded emphatically in return, her red hair bouncing. "You wouldn't believe it!"
"So..." Xander interrupted, turning to Angel. "How's Cordelia?"
"She fine." Angel answered him with no elaboration.
"Dating anyone?"
"Well...not anyone steady. But she has gone out with a few guys."
"Is she ever going to grace us with her presence, again?"
Angel hesitated. It wasn't in his place to tell them that Cordelia was thinking of moving back to Sunnydale. Ever since the acting gig hadn't worked, combined a few bad dates,she had tossed around the idea of coming back. Now that he had left LA, Cordelia had last told him that she was seriously tempted to go home. She didn't want it to look like she was running home to hide, but she'd realized that she missed it and her friends...especially Xander. She'd finally told Angel about her money problems, how he'd payed for her prom dress, and how she'd finally forgiven him.
But of course, Angel was to report back to her on whether or not Xander had a girlfriend. She wanted that piece of information before she came back... that's if she eventually decided to return.
Angel settled with a simple answer to tell Xander, "I don't know." It was the truth. He had no idea if Cordelia would finally decide to come back.
Xander's face fell. Even after a year, he still missed Cordelia. He had realized a long time ago that his fling with Willow had been a mistake. Would Cordelia ever forgive him?
Angel noticed this and wondered whether or not he should tell Cordelia. It would probably give her the push to come back.
Willow gave Xander a weak smile and said, "Don't worry about it, Xander. She'll come back when she feels like it."
Seeing the conversation was at an end, Angel turned to Buffy, "Would you like to dance?" Buffy nodded. He took her hand and led her to the dance floor as Shania Twain's You're Still The One started.
Looks like we made it
Look how far we've come my baby
We mighta took the long way
We knew we'd get there someday
Buffy smiled as she heard the song play. "Appropriate song, don't you think?" She looked up at Angel's face and asked him.
Angel paused to hear more of the song and nodded.
They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong
Buffy nestled her head on Angel's shoulder and swayed to the music. Angel carefully held onto her, not letting her go.
(You're still the one)
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night
Willow looked on at the couple with tears in her eyes. It had broken her heart, too, when Angel had left. She knew they belonged together. And when she found out about the curse, she had been so tempted to tell Buffy, but she held off. Now, she was glad that she had told her friend. It was fortunate that that little accident had happened. It would have happened eventually in Sunnydale, but it helped that Angel had been there. But that was all history now, because Angel and Buffy were back together where they so rightfully deserved to be.
Ain't nothing better
We beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen
Look at what we would be missin'
They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong
Xander watched Buffy and Angel dance. He no longer hated Angel for snatching Buffy, but he was still jealous. Not jealous of having Buffy, but that her had someone who loved him unconditionally. It had always hurt seeing the two of them so close when he'd had Cordelia during high school. Their relationship had been very different. Most of it was made of bickering and making out in closets, yet they had still found someone to love in each other. It had taken awhile for him to realize that, and certainly it didn't show, but deep down he had loved Cordelia for a long time. Now Cordelia was in LA, dating other guys, and had probably forgotten him. But he would never forget her.
(You're still the one)
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night
Angel smiled at the sight of Buffy snuggled against his chest. After he had left, he thought he would never be able to feel her again like she was now. It had torn his heart to leave knowing he would never see her again or at least be with her like he wanted to be. But as Buffy had pointed out, the song was eerily appropriate for their relationship. How many times had her friends looked at them strangely and with distrust? How many times had they said they shouldn't be together last year? Yet, they had survived all of their struggles and bumps in the road.
They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong
I'm so glad we made it
Look how far we've come my baby
The next night I accompanied Buffy on her patrol. It had been a while since we last worked together, but we soon fell into our old routine. We watched each other's backs while fighting and made out when we weren't. It was just like old times.
It was also during one of these make out sessions that we were interrupted by a group of vampires. I noticed that Buffy had been surprised by the attack and was not entirely focused. It was after we dusted a few vampires when I saw one sneak up on Buffy, and I thought I'd lost her again.
I was suddenly living my fears over again. In LA, I had been away from the danger that Buffy encountered. I had always worried, but it wasn't the same as being with her during patrol and worrying.&nsbp; Back before... when I was in Sunnydale, and had patrolled with Buffy, it had been one of my greatest fears to watch her die. I don't know how to describe the agony, the heartbreak that I felt when I saw Buffy dead in the Master's lair. I didn't want to feel that again, especially watching in person. Somehow I thought being away would be easier, but now I have to be here to ensure that she doesn't die, to help her when she needs it. I'm glad that I'm back, at least to put my heart at rest. I'll still worry every night just like Giles, her mother, and all her friends do, but I'll be here to help her, just like this moment when I need to go pull off the vampire that's on her back.
I quickly punched the vampire, plunging a stake in his chest and ran over to Buffy. I pulled off the vampire that was about to sink his fangs into Buffy's neck. Inwardly I flinched at the sight of fangs near Buffy's neck. The last fangs at her neck had been mine. I tried to push that memory out of my mind and set it toward the task at hand. A growl came from my throat as I punched the vampire in the face. After I pummeled the vampire out of hatred, I staked it and watched the dust fall before I turned to see how Buffy had fared with her vampire.
An unneccessary sigh of relief escaped me when I saw Buffy standing there unharmed. "I thought I'd lost you again. I just got you back, I don't want to lose you." I heard myself whisper.
Buffy peered up into my eyes, "Me, neither."
I brushed back her hair on her face and slowly lowered my lipsto hers. It seemed like a lifetime since I had last had the pleasure of her soft skin and gentle lips. I savored the feel of her and the scent that accompanied the moment. But no longer would I ever let them be surprised by vampires and leave themselves vulnerable. I wanted to feel her lips and see her beautiful smile forever.
A week after Angel had been back in Sunnydale, Cordelia visited. Even though Angel had told her that Xander missed her, she had to see for herself first before settling back.
They were all sitting at a table at the Bronze one night when she made her entrance. Xander's mouth dropped when he saw her. She had come back. Cordelia walked over to their table, and they all greeted her. Surprisingly, she didn't insult them but just smiled back. She asked Xander to dance, and unable to respond he just nodded. He was shocked.
It is a mystery as to what Cordelia said to him during the dance, but when they came back to the table, they were both grinning. Apparently they both forgave each other and were willing to pick back up where they had stopped during their senior year. Which meant more making out in closets and constant bickering. But that was normal with the two of them.
The next week, Xander went back to LA with Cordelia to help her move her stuff home. The group called him stupid, but he was just happy to have her back. He was not going to complain. Even when he agreed with them. From what he had heard from Angel, Cordelia had enough stuff for an entire moving van. But all they had to move her things were her small car and a SUV on loan from Buffy's mom. It was going to be quite an experience trying to pack everything in the two cars.
After the move-in, things returned to normal. Xander and Cordelia were together, Willow and Oz were still together, and most importantly Buffy and Angel were back together.
All six of them frequented the Bronze often and hung out together. Buffy and Angel patrolled together, with the others sometimes tagging along. Luckily no armageddons came about, and they enjoyed their summer.
As I walked toward the cemetery to meet Buffy, I pondered the past month. It had been both the best and worst time of my unlife, excluding any soulless periods. With Buffy, I feel alive and happy. She has been the sunshine in my life and I could never leave her again. At the same time, it has been nerve-racking to watch Buffy escape death so often. I know that this is her destiny, her duty, and that she is capable of fighting vampires, but it scares me everytime she battles them.
As I neared the cemetery, I glanced around trying to find Buffy. My eyes stopped at the sight of a vampire hunched over a body. Buffy's body. The blood within me boiled, and my anger surged. I ran as fast as I could, hoping against hope that I wouldn't be too late. I couldn't be too late. Buffy could not die. As much as I have worried about her dying, I have never contemplated what would happen if she did die, what I would do after her death. I have never allowed myself to go that far.
It seemed like eternity by the time I reached the vampire and Buffy. With all the anger inside of me, helped by the demon, and my love I pulled the vampire off Buffy and punched him in the face. It growled at me, and I just growled back. I punched and punched until my soul broke through the demon that was fueling my anger and my punches, and reminded me of Buffy. I quickly dumped the vampire on the ground and staked him.
I turned to Buffy, and knelt down at her body. I checked for a pulse, and let out an unneeded breath as I thanked God that she was still alive. But just barely. Her pulse was very faint and slow. I gently picked her up and started to run toward the hospital. Everyone once in awhile I would stop to listen for a pulse. A couple of times I became scared when I couldn't hear it, but then I would feel for it and I could faintly feel the heartbeat under my fingers.
Meanwhile, my heart tore within me as I wondered what I would do if her heart stopped before I made it to the hospital. Would I let her go, or would I try to keep her by making her like myself? What she despised and feared. Could I force the darkness and blood upon her? Was it my choice to make? I would be taking away the last bit of normalcy that she has. A part of me ached to keep her with me, but another part knew she would not want to become a vampire, even if we could give her her soul. Even though we could be together for eternity.
Right outside of the hospital, her heart stopped.
I ran inside, yelling, demanding attention and care for Buffy. It was eerily like a year ago when I had been the one to drain Buffy and had brought her to the hospital. This time it had been an ordinary vampire who had taken much more than I had. I watched in fear as a nurse took Buffy from me and doctors surrounded her and wheeled her into a room. Looking through the glass window, I tried to calm myself. She was going to be okay. She was Buffy, strong and willing to defy anything. Now at the hospital, she could be taken care of and there would be no dying in my arms.
The doctors took paddles to her limp body and shocked her heart. I turned to look at the monitor. Nothing. They shocked her again. Nothing. The doctor commanded to up the voltage. Her body jumped as they shocked her for a third time. Nothing. I could feel my heart dying for a second time. No. No. NO. Buffy COULD NOT die. She defeated a master, armageddons and the mayor. She would not die from a single vampire. Especially when I just got her back again.
They shocked her again. We all waited, looking expectantly at the monitor.
Beep........Beep...................Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...
My heart jumped at the sound. It started slowly, but soon gained speed as it returned to normal. Buffy was back. Everyone in the room started cheering, and I silently cheered too.
For the first week after the incident, I nursed Buffy like she had me after Drusilla's ritual. She whined that she felt fine. After all, she fought the mayor a day after she left the hospital last year. We paused in silence after she mentioned it. My feelings of guilt were brought back to the surface. She quickly apologized, but the damage had been done already. I left her early that night.
I have never forgiven myself for losing my soul even though Buffy did. I slowly accepted that what happened had been my demon and not myself. But that night one year ago I will never forgive nor accept as my demon's doings. I drank from Buffy with my soul intact and nothing will ever change the fact.
It had been another reason that I had to leave Sunnydale and Buffy last year. I almost killed her and I could not endanger her anymore. I was a monster and she fought them, not dated them. Cordelia tried to reason with me about my departure, but no one could change my mind. Until now, of course, but time has past. I claimed the same reasons as before; I wanted her to have a normal life, someone she deserved and the fact that I had almost killed her. I laugh at that memory. Cordelia had blown up...
"You could be dead right now! And not the existence you're living right now. She gave you her life to save you! She didn't want to lose you, but she still lost you anyways." Cordelia paused, taking a breath. Her face had been turning red. It was always an experience to watch Cordelia mad and angry.
"Don't tell me that in all the years you've lived, you haven't learned about women and their hearts? Buffy loves you. Not the demon, not the gorgeous body, and certainly not the sex."
"But-" I started to protest, but she cut me off.
"As long as she lives, which will be short, she will love you and not some other guy. You want to give her a normal life? You're just giving her misery." She stormed out of my apartment afterwards, leaving me to my thoughts...
Needless to say, I wanted to go back to Buffy. But I needed some time to myself and to redeem my soul. When I first saw Buffy in the park with Riley, my heart broke to see them together. And then I spotted the vampires. My first and foremost mission in my life is to Buffy and her safety. With Riley in the way, her life would be jeopardized. I had to approach them and I had to forget my vow to let her have a normal life by stepping back into her life again. I had hoped that my presence wouldn't ruin her relationship with Riley, but inwardly I wanted her back. She was mine. We belonged to each other and no one else could have her.
And now we are together. I will not let anything keep us apart again, not my demon, nor any other vampire that chooses to come across her or myself. I almost lost her a week ago, but I promise to never let that happen again. Never.
One Month Later
Angel walked into the new school library looking for Buffy. Instead of seeing her, he saw a young girl with black hair rush him and pin him to a wall.
"What do you want, Vampire?" She hissed in a thick accent.
Angel looked over at Giles, who had just come out of his office. "Another slayer?" He asked the Watcher.
Giles nodded.
"Yes, and what is that to you? Another meal? Well, you are not going to get it."
The girl froze as she felt a knife point at her neck.
"I wouldn't touch my boyfriend if I were you. I may not be Faith, but when it comes to my boyfriend..." Buffy threatened the slayer. Giles silently chuckled at her remark. It was reminiscent of when Angel had been kidnapped a couple of years ago and she had been furious.
"Your boyfriend is a vampire."
"Tell me something I don't know." With that, she pulled the knife away from the girl's neck.
Buffy's comment startled the girl and she let go of Angel. Angel took the opportunity to pin the girl down to the floor.
"Ummpphh!! Who are you?!!" The girl yelped from under Angel on the floor.
"I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, and you are?" Buffy answered sweetly. She nodded to Angel to let her up. He stood up from the girl and walked to Buffy's side.
The girl's eyes got huge. She looked at Giles. "Wait a minute. What happened to being the Chosen One?"
Buffy sighed. She glanced over at Giles then asked, "Faith's replacement?"
Giles shook his head. "No."
"But hold on a minute. Faith died a few months ago."
Giles sighed and took his glasses off to rub his forehead.
Angel caught on to what Giles was about to say. "You died Buffy."
"I know I did. But that was a couple of years ago-" She stopped, remembering the incident a month ago. "Ohhh. So does that mean there are three of us now?"
"Umm... Not exactly. There was no replacement sent after Faith died. The Watcher's Council made it to where no Slayer would come after Faith because she switched sides."
"So if there were to ever be another evil Slayer after me, there would be no Slayers? What were they thinking?"
"Actually no. I thought the same thing too, but it was a one time thing. A one time spell of sorts. They wanted to return to a one Slayer lineage."
"But that's stupid! How do they expect one Slayer to rid the world of vampires?"
"Excuse me! Can someone tell me what is going on here? I am supposed to be the Slayer. Why is she one, too?" The girl asked, turning to Giles.
"When a Slayer dies, a new one is called. Buffy died briefly a month ago and you were called." Giles calmly answered.
"Even though she is still alive?" She queried.
"Yes. It has happened before. Almost two years ago, Buffy died briefly and another slayer was called. She died a year later. Her replacement turned to the evil side and as I mentioned, the Council stopped the slaying lineage from continuing after she died." Giles continued his monologue. It was unlike him to not explain everything.
"Ok. Now that that's all explained. What's your name? Where are you from? You didn't happen to have a troubled childhood by any chance? Cuz, the last slayer flipped," Buffy rambled.
The new Slayer looked puzzled at Buffy's last comment, but answered the earlier questions. "My name is Ekatarina, or Katia for short. I am from Russia. But I have lived here in the US, in Connecticut, for the past four years with my Watcher. She sent me here to battle the Hellmouth. I am afraid that she never told me about you." She turned to Giles, "But she did tell me that a Watcher did live here and I was to see him."
"Ahhh... yes. You see, I am no longer in contact with the Council since I am not officially Buffy's watcher. As far as they are concerned, they probably think Buffy is dead. Especially since she chooses not to work with the Council or the Watchers they send her." Giles explained the situation.
"And I would like it if your Watcher wouldn't tell them that I am alive. I rather not have them bugging me." Buffy piped in. Giles gave her a look.
Buffy exclaimed, "What?! I'm sick of them."
"Katia, it is up to you whether or not you want to stay here. With Buffy here, it is not necessary for you to battle the Hellmouth. Your assistance would not go unappreciated, but it is your choice." Giles continued, ignoring Buffy's remark.
"Actually, I think I would like to stay here for awhile. This way I could learn but not get killed so soon with Buffy hereto help me, if I am not interfering?" She turned to ask Buffy.
Buffy nodded. "No problem. Just have to set a few ground rules. Number 1- Stay sane, don't switch sides because you think you're not getting any attention." Katia again looked confused. "I'll explain later." Buffy addressed Katia. "Number 2- Don't get killed. Number 3- Beware of a Billy Idol wannabe vampire. Don't try to fight him yet. Let me and Angel take care of him. And Number 4-the most important one of all, don't you dare ever touch my boyfriend, flirting or staking. I get nasty if you didn't already notice."
Angel grinned at the last rule. It would be helpful to him in his department of keeping Buffy alive if he was still alive, or more accurately undead.
Katia nodded, clearly understanding Buffy's meaning, just confused. "Ok. I accept the rules, but will you explain them? I am assuming you are talking about the last Slayer. But the Billy Idol vampire and your boyfriend?"
"Alright, this is how it happened. Faith, the last Slayer, got jealous of me because everyone paid attention to me and not her. She also had a bad childhood and was easily tempted to the evil side. She got into the Slaying a little more than necessary." Buffy paused. "As for the Billy Idol vampire, his name is Spike and he's killed two slayers before. Billy Idol was an 80's British rock singer with spikey hair. Spike looks like him. His loony girlfriend, Drusilla killed the first Slayer who came after me. Spike and I go back a ways, and we just seem to fight each other once in awhile. I put him into a wheelchair and he got a little mad at me, but we sorta made up a little later. He is walking again, by the way." Buffy took a breath and smiled at Angel. It was time to explain him now. She walked over to him and leaned against his shoulder for a moment.
"Angel, is a vampire like you noticed. But unlike other vampires, he has a soul. Almost a hundred years ago he was cursed by some gypsies with his soul as a punishment. He does not feed from humans anymore. He has been with me ever since I was called. I know, it seems odd that a Slayer and a vampire love each other, but we do. We've had our moments, but we got past them all." Buffy looked up into his dark eyes and smiled. Angel squeezed her hand in response.
Katia nodded. "Ok, I'll leave him alone. As long as he is on our side, I am fine with him."
At that moment, the gang walked into the library. They were all laughing at Xander's last stupid comment. They stopped when they saw Katia. Xander, being a good boy since Cordelia had returned, did not flirt with her like he usually would have done. But that's not to say his eyes didn't look up and down her.
Cordelia didn't like the appearance of a new girl, but she was happy not to see Xander making a fool out of himself over her.
It was Willow who spoke first. "Um...Hi!"
"Hello." Katia replied a little nervously.
"Oh, yeah. Katia, these are my friends. Willow, Oz, Xander, and Cordelia." She pointed to each of them. "They know that I'm the Slayer." She turned to the gang, "Katia's the Slayer who was called after last month's accident." Understanding dawned on their faces and they nodded.
"Hey!", "Hello!", "Hi!", and "Nice to meet you," the gang greeted Katia. "Welcome to the Scooby gang!" Xander exclaimed. He walked over to her and pumped her hand. "You're going to love our Hellmouth! It's never boring!"
Katia laughed. "I will have to trust you on that one."
Angel picked up Buffy from her house later that week. The last few nights had been patrols with Katia, and tonight was their first night to be alone together. She asked him where they were going, but he pulled the cryptic act on her. They walked silently holding hands for awhile.
When they approached the docks, Buffy looked up at Angel a little puzzled. This had been where they had said goodbye and Angel had given her the ring. That day brought up bad memories. She was confused why he would bring her there.
"Angel...why here?" Buffy asked him nervously. His dark eyes showed the remorse he felt, but there was also a little bit of...happiness?
"Buffy...I know these last two years have been...awkward. I feel a need to go back...to where we stopped." He paused, "I want to change what happened, give you the ending you deserved- not the one you actually got. After I came back, we were so cautious, nothing like the way we were before everything happened. These past few months have been wonderful for me. I see the old you in yourself, and for once I am not worrying about my soul and what I could do to you. I want to give you normalcy, but we have already found that to be impossible. So, there is one thing I want to give you. But first, I want to start over again, from where we left off." Angel looked down at her with his dark eyes, and smiled, his love clearly shown.
"May I?" He pointed at Buffy's ring. She nodded and held out her hand. Angel carefully pulled off the Claddagh ring.
"My people -- before I was changed -- they exchanged this as a sign of devotion. It's a Claddagh ring. The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty...and the heart... Well, you know... Wear it with the heart pointing towards you. It means you belong to somebody." He repeated his words from that fateful night. Buffy smiled at the memory. It had been a touching moment; Angel had finally admitted to his love.
"There is also one more thing I need to tell you." Buffy glanced at him curiously. "A Claddagh ring is also an Irish wedding ring." Angel knelt down in front of Buffy, and held up the ring to her. "Will you marry me, Buffy?"
Tears fell from Buffy's eyes. She wiped them away quickly, and sniffled. Angel looked up at her, waiting for her answer.
"Yes." She smiled and a sparkle could be seen in her eyes.
Angel beamed, then slipped the ring back on her finger. He stood up and lifted Buffy up to his level and gently kissed her on her lips. "I love you, Buffy."
"I love you too, Angel." Buffy replied, then laughed as he picked her up and swung her around in a circle.
This time, they had no interruptions and there was no foreboding sense of sadness. No goodbye to be said. No vampires to toss them into the water. No Judge to stop. And most importantly, no soul that could be lost. Right now, the only things on their minds were each other and their future together.