Switched

Angel paced the confines of his office restlessly.  The air around him felt electric and his soul sang within him.  She was here.  He hadn’t seen her but he could feel her presence – his mate was nearby.

The feeling intensified and a moment later he heard the door open.  He turned sharply, expecting to see her standing before him, but instead of the beautiful blonde he saw each time he closed his eyes he found himself looking at the dark hair of another Slayer – one he had never thought he would see again: Faith.

“Hello, Angel,” she said quietly.

“Faith,” he responded flatly, “How long have you been back?”

He forced himself to adopt a defensive posture, ready for her inevitable attack, but his every instinct screamed out against it and against his will he fell his body relax as it accepted the assurance of his heart that there was no danger here.

She still hadn’t moved from her position near the door – in fact, she looked ready to bolt at any moment.  Her usual mask of bravado was nowhere to be seen and her hair and clothes were matted and dirty.  Confused, both by her apparent docility and his uncharacteristic reaction to her presence, he took a step towards her, his eyes searching her face as he looked for answers in her expression.

The moment his eyes met hers reality seemed to shift on it’s axis, leaving him disoriented as his soul cried out in yearning to merge with the spirit that looked sorrowfully back at him through unfamiliar brown eyes.

Reason told him that it was impossible, that it was absurd even to think it, but he couldn’t deny what he felt and his voice emerged in a hoarse whisper as he spoke her name, not in question, but in confused certainty: “Buffy.”

Her eyes filled with tears that swiftly overflowed to run down her cheeks in a steady, silent, stream as she took at tentative step towards him and said brokenly, “You know me?  Oh, thank God!”  Her knees buckled as relief made her weak but before she could hit the floor, Angel’s strong arms were around her, supporting her, lifting her gently as he carried her over to his desk where he sat down, cradling her against him.

The feeling of security Buffy felt as she rested against his chest was indescribable and as the fear and confusion of the last few days was finally released, she buried her face against the soft material of his sweater and wept.

She cried for hours and after a while she realised that she was no longer crying because of what Faith had done to her, she was crying for the things she had held inside her since she had first been called as the Slayer; the loss of her childhood & her innocence, all the people she hadn’t been able to save, all the people who didn’t understand, the loneliness and emptiness that was her life.  And she was crying for Angel.  Crying because he had left her adrift, without his presence to anchor her, crying because she loved him so much and they couldn’t be together, crying because he couldn’t – wouldn’t – cry for himself when he had endured so much pain that he didn’t deserve.

Angel made no effort to stop her, sensing how much she needed to release all the grief and pain she had been carrying.  Instead he murmured soothing nonsense to her, gently smoothing his hand over her unfamiliar dark hair as he held her tightly against him.

At long last her tears stopped and with a final sniff she lay quietly against him, exhausted by the emotional storm she had just weathered.  Angel looked down at her, she looked so fragile, all her defences gone and the need to protect her was so strong that his body shook with the force of it.

Feeling the movement Buffy straightened her spine and sat back just far enough to see into his eyes.  Her face was blotchy and her eyes were red and swollen from the tears she had cried but to Angel she looked beautiful in a way that Faith never had, though the body was the same.

“I-I’m sorry, I’ve made you all wet,” she murmured self-consciously, running her fingers over the large damp patch she had left against his shoulder.

“I’ll dry,” he told her with a gentle smile.

The smile she offered him in return was watery and uncertain but it warmed his heart in as nothing else ever could and his spirit soared as she gave a tired sigh, looped her arms around his neck and leaned trustingly against him.  As his arms tightened around her she murmured quietly, “I’ve missed this.”

“Missed what?” he murmured softly, hoping she meant what he thought she did.

“Being with you.  Being safe.  Being understood,” she explained simply, “for the first time since you left I feel like it’s alright for me to just…be myself…instead of what the others want me to be.”  Her eyes burned but she had no tears left as she added, “They didn’t notice.  They’ve spent days with Faith now and not one of them has noticed that there’s something wrong.  I-I came here because I believed that if anyone would know me, it would be you, but I was scared.  I was so scared.” Her voice broke and she trembled as she remembered the terror of the last few days, “I don’t know what I would have done if you’d turned me away.”

“Shhhh.  It’s all right, I’m here now; I’ll always be here when you need me and I'll always know you no matter what.  If I was blind I would see you... What is it?” he asked as Buffy gasped and sat back, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“You once said that to me in a dream.”  Unable to resist the impulse she reached out and gently touched his face, running her fingers down from his forehead before cupping his cheek in her small palm.  “I love you, that will never change.  No matter how far apart we are, I have to believe that one day we can be together.  It’s what gives me the strength to keep fighting.”

Angel’s dark eyes were damp and eloquent as he turned his head slightly so that he could kiss her hand but before he could speak there was a sound from the outer office and then the door was thrown open and Cordelia dashed into the room, calling urgently, “Angel! Faith has…Oh!”  She broke off as she caught sight of Buffy and Angel, stopping so abruptly that Wesley, who had been right behind her, almost ran into her back.  “Um, never mind, I guess you already know.  Hey, Buffy, are you okay?  ‘Cos you look awful and I don’t just mean the whole being Faith thing.”

Angel glared at her but Buffy gave a quiet laugh, murmuring, “Same old Cordy,” before saying loud enough for the others to hear, “It’s been a tough week, Cordelia.”

“B-Buffy?” asked Wesley in confusion, “Would anyone care to fill me in on exactly what is going on here?”

“Faith stole Buffy’s body and left her with the reject,” Cordelia explained bluntly before turning to glare at Angel and ask in an irritated tone of voice, “What is the point of me getting these head-splitting visions if you already know what’s going on before I tell you?  I want a refund!”

“That’s all you saw?” Angel asked, ignoring the familiar complaining, “Just Buffy and Faith switching bodies, nothing else?”

“Them fighting, with us and the gang from Sunnydale squaring off while they do.  Oh, and it has to be here.”

“Here?  In LA?” asked Wesley.

“Uh-huh.  That seemed…important, like it’ll go better for Buffy if they face each other here.”

“Okay, so how do we get them to come?”

Buffy gave a ghostly laugh, “Oh, that’s easy.  Just call Giles and tell him that you’ve seen ‘Faith’.  I guarantee that they’ll be here a couple of hours later.”

“Do you think you could tell us how this happened?”  Angel asked gently, “We need to find a way to reverse this.”

“I don’t know!  One minute I was fighting Faith in mom’s living room, the next she grabbed my hand and I was looking at myself.  Then Faith hit me and when I woke up I was in the back of a police car.”

“A…police car?”  Wesley questioned.

“Uh-huh, I’ve had such a fun week(!)” she said sarcastically.  “At least the police were only trying to lock me up, everyone else is competing to see who can kill me first!”

“You mean someone other than Faith has been after you?” Angel asked in concern.

“Oh yeah, Giles and the others pointed crossbows at me when I tried to tell them who I was and the Watcher’s Council have decided that I’m really not worth the effort of taking back to England with them.”

Angel growled low in his throat at the thought of anyone trying to harm her and Buffy smiled as she felt his chest vibrate against her shoulder.  “Nothing happened,” she told him, leaning forwards to gently kiss against his cheek, “and I know everything will be all right now that you’re with me.”  She moved to get up and Angel reluctantly loosened his hold on her so that she could stand.  His arms felt empty without her in them but before he could mourn the loss of her warmth she took his hand in one of hers, seemingly unaware of the gesture as she tried to restore some order to her dishevelled appearance with the other.

“Ecch!” she groaned as her efforts proved futile, “Would you mind if I used your shower before we call Giles?  I’ve been hiding for a week and I’m kinda beyond grungy.”

“Of course, come on, I’ll show you where everything is.”

Rising to his feet he led the way to the elevator and Cordelia and Wesley watched as the two of them descended from view, their hands still firmly clasped together.

“I’m glad I’m not in their shoes,” Cordelia said fervently, “I mean, they so belong together and there’s no way it’s gonna happen and no way that either of them will ever find anyone else!”

“Indeed,” Wesley murmured in agreement, “theirs is a truly tragic romance.”

Almost an hour had passed before Buffy and Angel finally came back upstairs.  Cordelia and Wesley were sitting in the office trying to look like they hadn’t been the least bit worried about what exactly had taken them so long but their first sight of them did nothing to calm their fears.

Buffy’s expression was peaceful, the brittle edge of tension gone, and she had changed out of the dirty, tight-fitting clothes she had been wearing.  In their place was a red velvet shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of Angel’s boxer shorts – the only thing he had been able to find that wouldn’t swamp her – that were so well hidden by the shirt’s length, she looked like she wore nothing else, a fact that made Wesley blush and stutter when he saw her and Cordelia ask Angel bluntly, “Are we going to need to chain you up now?”

Angel glared at her but didn’t reply, nor did he move from his position at Buffy’s side.  He had persuaded her to tell him the whole story while they had been downstairs and his outrage showed in every line of his body, as did his guilt at not having been there and his determination that, when trouble came next, he would be right by her side.

As if in mockery of that silent promise, a sudden bright light filled the room and when it faded, Buffy was gone.  Fear flooded Angel but before his panic could fully take hold, the voices of the Oracles filled the air, seeming to come from all directions at once.

“Fear not Warrior, the Chosen is unharmed…”

“…There are things she must know before the coming combat…”

“…We shall return her to this place soon.”

“Wait!  What combat?  Why couldn’t you just send Cordelia a vision to tell Buffy what she needs to know?”  Angel asked urgently, ignoring Cordelia’s indignant, “Hey!” at his suggestion.  His only answer was silence – the Oracles were gone.

Buffy looked at the two golden beings in front of her in mild surprise.  She supposed she should have been more alarmed at finding herself suddenly transported to a strange place but her instincts told her that she had nothing to fear and after everything else that had happened that week it almost seemed normal.  “I guess I’m not in Kansas anymore,” she said flippantly.  “You wanna tell me who you are and why I’m here?”

“We are the Oracles…” said the male.

“…We speak for the higher powers,” added the female when Buffy just looked confused.

“The coming battle must be yours alone…”

“…No others may interfere…”

“…You are the balance…”

“…She tips the scales…”

“She?  You mean Faith?”

The female inclined her head in agreement, “Only one may survive…”

“…You must not fail.”

“Hang on a second!” Buffy exclaimed indignantly, “That’s my body you want me to kill!  Not to mention the fact that Faith’s human and I…”

“Should she triumph, then for ten millennia the Chosen shall be not of light but of darkness.”

Buffy abruptly fell silent.

“You alone must stop her…”

“…Or another, stronger still, will rise to take her place…”

“…The way of things must be restored…”

“…The Balance must be maintained.”

Buffy nodded slowly, “This is about there being two Slayers instead of one, isn’t it?  Faith’s the reason there can be only one at a time, but if that’s true…why wasn’t Kendra evil?”

“She was called in the instant of your death…”

“…In that instant she was the only one – summoned by the light.”

“Isn’t there any other way…?”

The male looked impatient, “Only one may survive.” He repeated.

The female had been watching Buffy with an intent expression and she abruptly turned to him and said with a note of urgency in her calm voice, “The Chosen is incomplete.”

He frowned at her and then turned to study Buffy as though she were a bug under a microscope.  After a moment he nodded reluctantly and agreed, “She is divided from her centre but this is a matter of love.  We do not concern ourselves with such.”

“The Balance must be restored or she shall fail, therefore this does concern us.”

“The Chosen should stand alone.”

“How can two who are one stand alone?”

“What would you have us do?  The Warrior’s task is not yet complete, and his sacrifice has proved they cannot be united.”

“This is a matter of the Soul.  He could serve our cause better if he could live without fear.”

The male looked very unhappy but nodded and the female turned to Buffy.  “The Warrior’s soul shall be bound.  Have no more fear for the consequences of your love.  Now return…and fight well.”

Buffy stared at her in astonished joy for a moment and then impulsively launched herself forwards and hugged both the Oracles who looked extremely startled but not entirely displeased.  Then she released them and had just long enough to whisper, “thank you,” before the light enveloped her and she found herself standing back in the office of Angel Investigations.

“Buffy!”  The moment she reappeared she found herself wrapped tightly in Angel’s embrace and she hugged him back, savouring the knowledge that they could finally be together.  A sudden shudder of something that was not quite pain wracked his body and he released her abruptly before falling to his knees as the world spun dizzily around him.

Cordelia and Wesley hurried forwards but Buffy caught their arms to hold them back and the three of them watched as an orange glow filled his eyes.  The instant it faded Buffy launched herself forwards into his arms, holding him as though she would never let go again.

A moment later, the voice of the female Oracle once again filled the room, “Your soul is bound, Warrior…be at peace.”

A stunned silence filled the room and Angel looked at Buffy, his expression torn between disbelief and hope, “I…I don’t understand, the Oracles never do anything out of kindness!  Is this…real?”

She nodded happily, and reached up to hook her hand around the back of his neck, drawing his face down to hers so that she could kiss him.  For a moment he was unresponsive, unable to believe how much things had changed in just a few seconds, then the feel of Buffy’s warm lips against his reached him and he suddenly realised precisely what this gift meant.  His arms came round her and he lifted her up off the ground, deepening the kiss and swinging her round in a circle as joy filled his heart.  They were both laughing as they broke the kiss, delighting in the knowledge that they could, at last, be together without fear.

Their lips met again and passion flared between them.  Wesley cleared his throat uncomfortably before things could get out of control when it became apparent that they had forgotten that there was anyone else in the room and they turned to face him and Cordelia, too happy to be embarrassed about their behaviour.

Cordelia stepped forwards and gave Angel and then Buffy a hug, saying as she did so, “Congratulations, both of you…I still have a job, right?”  They both looked at each other, then back at her, and nodded.  “Great!  In that case, I couldn’t be happier for you both.”

“Indeed, my congratulations as well,” Wesley agreed, shaking Angel’s hand and, after a moment’s hesitation, giving Buffy a brief kiss on the cheek.  He looked at her curiously, “If one might ask…what precipitated this extraordinary action on the part of the Oracles?  Angel is quite correct in saying that they are not noted for their generosity.”

The memory of what else the Oracles had said returned and just that quickly, Buffy’s euphoria faded.  Sensing her change of mood, Angel’s arm around her waist tightened protectively.  His presence was comforting and she leaned her head against his shoulder as she answered Wesley’s question.

“They said that I was ‘divided from my centre’, incomplete, and that I needed to be whole if I was to have a chance.”

“A chance against what?” asked Cordelia before anyone else could.

“Against Faith…I have to kill her in single combat,”

“Uh…I hate to bring this up but won’t that be kinda a problem considering that she’s currently in your body?  I mean…if you kill it you’ll never get it back!”

“I know that, Cordelia, but I don’t have a choice here,” she looked sadly up at Angel, “You can’t help me this time except to keep Giles and the others out of it.”

“Why?  Why is this so important that the Oracles are intervening directly?  Why must you do this alone?”  Angel asked, hating the thought of having to just stand and watch if she was in trouble.

It took a surprisingly long time for Buffy to explain what had happened during her short meeting with the Oracles because Wesley insisted on making her remember and repeat every single word and gesture that he had been made.

When she was finally finished, silence fell upon the little group.  The thought of the damage that a succession of dark Slayers could do to the world hung in the air, casting a shadow over Buffy and Angel’s reunion.  After a long moment, Angel reached out, picked up the phone and dialled Giles’ number.  Buffy, who was perched on his knee, listened as he told Giles that Faith had been seen in LA and agreed to meet him, ‘Buffy’ and the others at the office in a few hours time.

A little over two hours later, the faint sound of a car pulling up outside the office alerted Buffy and Angel to the fact that Faith and the others had arrived.  They had been sitting around the office talking quietly about everything that had happened in their lives since they last saw one another.  Buffy was initially amazed by how much Cordelia and Wesley had changed since they had begun associating with Angel but it wasn’t long before she realised that she shouldn’t be.  Angel had a habit of changing those around him, bringing out the best in them simply by being himself; she had only to look at herself to see the proof of that.  As she listened to them talk she realised how close the trio had become – the family that none of them really had – with Angel as a kind of older brother to the other two, the one who always watched out for them.  For a split second she was jealous of the obvious affection between them but then Angel tightened his arm around her, as if just savouring being able to touch her, and she realised how selfish she was being.  He loved her, she knew that nothing could every change that, and Cordelia and Wesley were her friends and, as her jealousy faded, never to return, she was suddenly immensely grateful that he – and they – were no longer alone.

“They’re here,” Buffy told the other two as she and Angel reluctantly got to their feet, “Remember,” she said, looking up at Angel, “I have to do this alone…you three just have to keep the others from getting involved.  I wish that there was time to explain this to them but Faith won’t give me that chance so if it looks like I’m going to win, they’ll be trying everything they can think of to protect ‘Buffy’.”

“No ‘if’ Buffy,” Cordelia protested, “You’re going to beat her.”

“No question about it,” put in Wesley encouragingly.

Buffy smiled and reached out to hug them both, “Thanks guys,” she said softly, “if anything should…go wrong, take care of yourselves – and him.”  They both nodded and she stepped back, turning to face Angel.

For an eternal moment they just stood looking at each other before moving as one to take their world in their arms.  Angel buried his face in her unfamiliar dark hair and muttered hoarsely into her ear, “Be careful, Beloved, I’ve just got you back…I can’t lose you now!”

“It’ll be all right,” she told him tenderly, “I’ve never had more reason to win than I do right now…we are finally going to be together, you’ll see.”

Angel’s head lowered to meet hers but the instant before their lips met the sound of the door opening made them turn.

“Hello?  Is anybody here…?” Giles’ voice trailed off and he stopped in his tracks, so abruptly that Willow and Xander nearly ran into his back, at the sight of – as he thought – Faith, and Angel standing wrapped in each other’s arms.  Giles and Willow were both carrying crossbows and Xander held a sword and at the sight of the two of them all three raised them defensively.  Faith entered quietly behind the others, her eyes widened as she realised the significance of the two of them together, and she stayed in the background, watching quietly, though Buffy’s eyes had locked on her the moment she came into the room and her gaze never wavered.

“Angel.” Giles acknowledge flatly, “Or should I say, Angelus?” he asked with a cold expression and a pointed glance at Buffy.

“I still have my soul.” Angel told him quietly, casting a grateful glance at Cordelia and Wesley as they moved forwards to flank the couple in a silent show of support, recognising that it must be hurting them, Buffy in particular, to be looked at with such hatred by their friends.

“Angel, how can you stand with her after everything she’s done?” Willow asked, her voice a confused mixture of fury, hurt and disbelief.

“You’re blind, Willow,” Angel told her, “You claim to know her but none of you see it.”

“Let’s take this outside and get it finished,” Buffy told Faith quietly before anyone could respond to Angel’s cryptic words.  The other Slayer nodded and gently ran her finger over the blade of the knife she held in her hand before turning to leave the room, Buffy picked up another knife from where she had left it on Angel’s desk in anticipation of Faith’s choice of weapon and followed, wondering as she passed her friends if one of them would try to kill her.

They shifted their weapons restlessly but allowed her to pass before following her out onto the street.

“Remember to watch the others, not Buffy and Faith,” Angel warned Wesley and Cordelia as they followed close on their heels.

Once in the street the two girls circled one another warily, each looking for an opening, which would give them the advantage.  Without warning, Faith attacked and as Buffy whirled out of the way, battle was joined in earnest.

They moved so swiftly that to those watching their actions were almost a blur, only Angel, with his superior vision, was able to see clearly as they traded blows with such force that each one could have killed any normal human outright.  Though they were soon bruised and bloody, they seemed almost unaware of the abuse that their bodies were taking as they searched for a way to gain the upper hand.

Faith’s blade flashed like lightning, leaving a deep gash in Buffy’s left arm as she twisted to keep herself from being gutted.  Her movements never slowed but Angel felt her pain as if it was his and he glared angrily at Giles, Willow and Xander when they cheered.  He watched in horror as Buffy fell back before Faith’s vicious blows, using all her skill simply to avoid the knife.  Just when Angel could stand no more and was about to help her rather than see her die, she grabbed hold of Faith’s arm and used the other girl’s body for leverage as she launched herself into the air, coming to land behind her and immediately lashing out with a vicious kick that was too much for even the body of a Slayer.  Faith’s leg shattered and she hit the ground with a curse.  In an instant Buffy was on top of her, pinning her down so that she couldn’t move far enough to throw her off.

A crossbow bolt arced towards the pair on the ground as Willow fired an instant before Cordelia tackled her.  Angel snatched it from the air in time to prevent it from reaching its target before reaching out and almost casually tugging the crossbow out of Giles hands, breaking it in two before throwing the pieces behind him.  Holding Giles’ arm in a grip of steel that the former Watcher was unable to break, he positioned himself between Buffy and the others and looked round to see how his friends were faring.  Cordelia had easily subdued Willow and was sitting on her in much the same way that Buffy was sitting on Faith, but with one hand clamped over her mouth to keep her from trying to use magic.

Xander was proving more difficult to subdue, the boy was waving his sword wildly in front of him, making it impossible for Wesley, unarmed as he was, to get anywhere near him, but it didn’t matter, recognising that he couldn’t disarm the boy and knowing that it was almost over, Wesley was settling for keeping him busy so that was unable to get anywhere near Buffy and Faith.

Buffy looked down into her own face and her mind filled with memories of the girl who had caused her so much pain but, despite everything, she was her sister in many ways.

Hatred glared back at her and Faith said sneeringly, “You can’t kill me…you’ll never get your body back if you do!”

Buffy’s eyes filled with tears as she raised the knife and she whispered softly, “I’m sorry, Faith, I’m so sorry.  I wish that it could have been different.”

Faith’s eyes widened and she made one last desperate effort to throw Buffy off.  As the knife began to descend she cried out, “No, B!  You can’t…!”  Then the blade pierced her heart and she was silent.

Shaking with grief and exhaustion, Buffy got slowly to her feet.  Her head spun from the knowledge that, for the first time, she had taken a human life and the awareness that she now had no chance of ever returning to her own body.  Every muscle in her body ached and, as her adrenaline ebbed, she was suddenly aware of the pain from the cut on her arm and several broken ribs.  She staggered and would have fallen but suddenly Angel was at her side, offering her his strength now that hers was gone and she sagged against him, allowing him to support her.

She realised dimly that Giles, Willow and Xander were weeping over Faith’s – or was it her, she wondered fuzzily – body and that she should reassure them that she was still here but she was so tired and couldn’t find the words.  Wesley and Cordelia had gathered around her and, along with Angel, were looking at her anxiously and she managed a rather feeble smile.

Her smile was the last straw for Xander, who had been glaring at them with hate-filled eyes, and with a howl of rage he scooped up his sword, leapt to his feet and charged at Buffy.  She forced herself to straighten, leaving the shelter of Angel’s arms and knowing as she did so that she had little energy left with which to defend herself – even from an opponent as inept as Xander – but there was no need for her to worry.

Positioning himself between them, every muscle in Angel’s body tensed and his eyes flashed yellow, his angry snarl a warning that even Xander could not miss.

His charge faltered as he realised that, while he might just have been able to defeat an injured and exhausted Faith, he stood no chance against Angel.  “I was right about you all along!” he spat furiously, “You claimed to love Buffy and look at you!  Protecting the Bitch that killed her!”

“She loved you and you’ve betrayed her!” Willow added her voice broken and her eyes burning with hatred through her tears as Angel took Buffy in his arms once more.

“We’ll find a way to kill you both for this,” Giles’ tone was pure Ripper despite the tears that streamed down his face.  His eyes swept over Cordelia and Wesley with contempt, “How could you help them to do this?  What kinds of people have you become?”

“You’re a fool,” Cordelia told him bluntly, “You’re all fools.  You should know that Angel would never do anything to harm Buffy – he’d die first!”

“Don’t talk rubbish, Cordelia!” Giles snapped, “Buffy is dead because Angel deliberately kept us from helping her!”

“And thank God that he did!” Wesley said fervently, “You have no idea of the harm you would have caused if that bolt had found its mark!”

“What are you going on about?”

Cordelia and Wesley both began to speak at once.  Falling silent they looked at one another for a moment, then with a gesture, Wesley indicated that she should continue, adding, “I’m sure that you can put it far better than I.”

Cordelia smiled and then turned to face the others, “Angel knew her the moment that he looked into her eyes…all three of you claim to love Buffy but its been a week and none of you have even noticed that there was something wrong, that she’d changed.”

A confused silence and angry glares were their only response but before Cordelia could spell it out for them, Buffy spoke, her voice redolent with the pain and exhaustion she was feeling, “I could see you inside the body of a demon, Giles, even though I couldn’t understand when you spoke; and Xander, I knew you weren’t yourself when a hyena possessed you.  Are Faith and I really so similar that you couldn’t see any differences between us?”

“Buffy?” Giles whispered, his face suddenly pale.

“Uh-huh.”

“This…this isn’t possible,” he protested, even as he and the others stepped towards her, searching for evidence that she was who she claimed to be, “It has to be some kind of trick!”

Angel growled softly in annoyance and Wesley said sharply, “Don’t be stupid!  Do any of you really believe that Faith could portray Buffy so well that she could fool Angel?  As Cordelia just said, he knew who she was the moment he looked into her eyes!”

Their tears had stopped and some of their hostility had faded but Giles, Willow and Xander still looked doubtful and with an effort Buffy shook off the exhaustion that was trying to claim her and took a step towards them, Angel still at her side.  As one, they backed away and she stopped, meeting each of their eyes in turn.

“You still don’t believe me, do you?  You want more proof.  Fine!  This year:  Willow keeps trying to push me at other guys despite the fact I’ve told her I’m not interested, Sunday, Olivia, Kathy, the ring of Amara, Xander dating Anya, three inch tall fear demon, enchanted beer, Veruca, Oz leaving, Spike neutered, Riley, Maggie Walsh, the Initiative, vengeful Indian spirits, Willow’s stupid spell, the Gentlemen, the Hellmouth opening and Adam. Now if you’re finally convinced – go home!”

They no longer doubted her, Faith had been in a coma during the events she had just summarized and there was no way she could have known about them.  Willow was crying again, this time with relief, and Xander and Giles were both having to blink rapidly to hide the moisture in their own eyes.  They wanted to hug her but something in her expression and the trace of bitterness in her voice discouraged them as she leaned heavily against Angel.

“Go home.” she repeated wearily before dismissing them from her mind and reaching up to gently stroke Angel’s cheek, saying as she did so, “Don’t look so worried, I’m f…” Her voice trailed off as her body finally succumbed to her injuries and Angel caught her as she fell, lifting her in his arms and carrying her carefully through the office and down to his apartment.

As he laid her gently down on the bed, the sounds of movement and voices alerted him to the fact that the others had followed them but their presence was unimportant and he hardly noticed when Cordelia and Wesley shooed them away and closed the bedroom door to give him and Buffy some privacy as he gently tended to her wounds; washing away the blood that covered her and wincing at the huge bruises and deep cuts, feeling her pain as if it were his own.

She stirred as he wrapped her broken ribs, feeling the pain of his actions despite the care he was taking, and her eyes opened, focusing hazily on his face.  For a moment she looked at him in confusion, then memory returned and her eyes filled with a turbulent combination of grief, pain and love.

Tears welled up and she tried to blink them away as she struggled to sit up but they would not be contained and as Angel took her gently into his arms to comfort her she asked sadly, “Why?  Why did it have to be this way?  Faith wasn’t all bad!  We were alike in so many ways…she was my sister!”

“I know,” Angel murmured softly, “But you’re so much stronger than she was.  She couldn’t stand against the darkness so she became a part of the very thing she was supposed to fight, you never have.”

“I…I feel like I let her down!  That I should have helped her somehow.”

“You did everything that you could for her,” Angel told her firmly, “and in the end you did what you had to – the way you always do.  If she had fulfilled her destiny and turned the Slayers to darkness then countless lives would have been lost.”

“I know.  I just…wish there’d been some other way.”  She sighed heavily and then winced as the movement reminded her of her various injuries.  “Now she dead and I suppose that Buffy Summers is too.” She looked down, tears trembling on her lashes as she added, “There’s no way that I could ever explain this, so that ‘normal life’ you wanted for me is gone forever.  I can’t go back to college and the police are still looking for me – I don’t have anything left!”

“You have me,” Angel reminded her, wanting nothing more than to take away her pain, “You’ll always have me.”

At his words Buffy looked back up into his loving brown eyes and her grief faded as she remembered what the Oracles had done.  A smile lit her face and the love in her eyes shone so brightly that it almost hurt him to look at them.  “I can’t believe I’d forgotten!” she exclaimed wonderingly, “I haven’t lost anything compared with what I’ve gained today!”

Unable to resist the temptation she presented, Angel slowly lowered his head towards hers, “I love you,” he whispered hoarsely an instant before his lips settled over hers, their touch as gentle as the brush of a butterfly’s wings.

Buffy’s eyes fluttered open with a little moan of protest as he drew back, which changed to satisfaction as his mouth covered hers more firmly than before.  For a moment the kiss remained chaste, then Angel’s tongue flicked out to stroke the closed seam of Buffy’s lips and she opened for him eagerly, their tongues tangling together as all the passion they had suppressed since the long ago night of her 17th birthday exploded between them.

Ignoring the pain in her ribs, Buffy leaned back against the pillows, drawing Angel with her.  He lay above her, his strength surrounding and protecting her as he took care, even in the midst of passion, to support his weight on his arms so that he did not cause her any pain.

“Angel?” she asked tentatively when they finally broke the kiss so that she could breathe, “does it bother you that I’m not…me, anymore?  Does it make a difference?”

“Oh, Buffy, no!” Angel exclaimed, horrified that she could think that even for a moment.  He looked earnestly into her eyes and, willing her to believe him, said, “I’m so sorry that this has happened and I wish that I could make it right for you but it doesn’t matter to me – not the way you mean!  When I look into you eyes, no matter what colour they are, all I see is the soul of the woman I love looking back at me.  All I see is you – that’ll never change, regardless of the body that you’re in, you’re still you and that’s all that’s important.”

Silence reigned in the living room.  Cordelia and Wesley had both tried to persuade the others to do as Buffy had instructed and leave but all three had flatly refused to do so.

“Do you think Buffy’s all right?” Willow asked Giles softly, “She seemed so angry and that’s not like her.”

“Yeah,” Xander agreed, “Maybe this exchange with Faith has changed her somehow.”

“Would you listen to yourselves!” exploded Cordelia before he had a chance to reply, “Just think about what you’ve been doing for the past week!  My God!  Less than twenty minutes ago you were trying to put a crossbow bolt into Buffy’s back and you expect her to behave as though there was nothing wrong?  What planet do you come from?”

“But…we didn’t know…” protested Willow weakly as they all went pale as they suddenly realised just how close they had come to killing their friend.  If it hadn’t been for Angel…

“You think that makes it better?”  Cordelia asked incredulously, “You spent a week helping Faith hunt her and not one of you noticed there was a damn thing wrong – how would you feel in Buffy’s place?”

“Betrayed, hurt, angry,” Giles listed softly, “Cordelia is quite correct, we have failed Buffy terribly and she has every right to be upset.”

A sudden loud moan from the bedroom made everyone look towards the closed door.  Cordelia and Wesley smiled at one another, having a fairly good idea what had caused it, but the others tensed and Xander got to his feet, saying, “I’m going to go and see if Buffy’s all right, she should be in a hospital.”

“I wouldn’t if I were you.” Cordelia told him, trying not to laugh, “They won’t thank you for it.”

He glared at her but didn’t reply and he crossed the room and pushed open the door, only to stop dead at the sight of Angel and Faith – Buffy, he corrected mentally – lying together on the bed in the middle of an extremely passionate kiss.  For a moment he was so taken aback that he was unable to speak and then outrage took over.

“What the hell are you doing?” he demanded loudly.

They looked up at the sound of his voice and Buffy gave him a look that could have killed at thirty paces, “Get out!” she ordered, and for once Xander had the sense not to argue.

Once he had gone, Angel looked at Buffy and said softly, “They’re not going back to Sunnydale until you talk to them, you know that don’t you?”

She nodded and admitted with a tired sigh, “I don’t want to…not yet.  I wish that just once they could back off and give me a little space.”

“I can get rid of them for you, if you want?” Angel offered, getting to his feet.

“No…I’m going to have to talk to them sooner or later, I might as well get it over with.”  So saying she started to sit up, only to wince as her damaged ribs protested violently to the movement.

Angel was at her side in an instant, helping her to complete the action and supporting her as she got unsteadily to her feet.

“Come on,” she said quietly, “lets go and get rid of them, then we can talk about us and what we’re going to do now.”  She took a step towards the door, trying to hide the fact that the muscles in her legs felt like over-cooked spaghetti and that every movement was agony.

Buffy’s efforts to disguise the extent of her discomfort were futile, the dark eyes that could see through to her soul cut through her deception like a sharp knife though rice paper and he lifted her gently into his arms, taking great care not to jar her in any way.

She started to voice a half-hearted protest but fell silent when his dark head bent over hers and his lips touched hers for a moment, “I love you,” he told her huskily, “I could have lost you earlier, let me hold you.”

Silently admitting that there was nothing that she wanted more, Buffy nestled back against him, laying her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh as he carried her through the bedroom door and into the living room where the others awaited them.

The disapproving expressions on Giles, Xander & Willow’s faces and the amusement on Cordelia and Wesley’s were a silent testament to the fact that Xander had told them what he had interrupted and the three from Sunnydale had not yet been informed about the change the Oracles had made to the curse.

Angel barely had a chance to sit down, with Buffy still in his arms, before the recriminations began.

“Buffy, what on Earth were you thinking?” asked Giles sadly, his expression reflecting his deep disappointment in her, “You know better than this…haven’t the last few years taught you anything?”

Buffy nodded without lifting her head, and Angel suppressed a groan at the feel of her soft hair rubbing against his neck.  He didn’t make a sound but Buffy felt the vibration in his chest and mischievously turned the motion into a caress, rubbing against him like an affection kitten.

Angel dipped his head until his lips were against her ear and murmured softly, “Witch, I’ll get you later.”

She twisted to look into his eyes, and the loving warmth in hers told him that she couldn’t wait, they smiled at one another and then Buffy shifted so that she could see Giles and the others.  “Yes, Giles, the last few years have taught me something,” she confirmed, “they’ve taught me that a life without Angel is no life at all.”

Angel’s arms tightened around her a fraction, not enough to cause her any additional pain but enough to provide a silent reassurance that he would never willingly leave her again and Buffy returned the gesture to tell him that she understood and appreciated his feelings.

“That’s not true!” burst out Willow, “You’ve been happy this year, you know you have, and what about Riley!”

Buffy felt Angel stiffen beneath her and reached up to gently stroke his face as she addressed the most important issue first, “What about Riley?” she asked, “I’ve told you over and over again that I’m not interested in him, I don’t even particularly like him but you’re determined to keep pushing him at me!”

Willow looked wounded, “I only wanted you to be happy,” she said in a small voice.

Buffy forced herself to ignore the inevitable guilt that filled her over hurting Willow and shook her head, “You wanted me to behave the way that you thought I should, you never once asked me what I wanted.  You say that I’ve been happy this year but you know that isn’t true, you just haven’t wanted to accept it!  Everything inside me iced over when Angel left last summer and it changed me.  Do you think that I don’t know what a bitch I’ve been lately?  Do you think I liked what I’d become?”

For a moment no one replied, then Xander said, “I’m sorry that you’ve been unhappy but that doesn’t change the fact that you and Dead Boy here are a disaster waiting to happen…how many people are going to die this time because you can’t control your lust for one another!”

Buffy gasped at the cruelty of Xander’s words and she turned her face into Angel’s chest to hide the tears that sprang to her eyes and tremors shook her small form as guilt over the past overwhelmed her.  She had never believed that it had not been her actions that had caused the nightmare, never believed that she was not to blame for Angel losing his soul and all the anguish that had come after and now, finally, someone had confirmed what she had believed all along – it had been her fault.

Angel’s eyes flashed golden with rage as he felt the impact of Xander’s cruel words strike Buffy’s heart with deadly precision and only the fact that she needed him kept him from tearing the boy limb from limb for what he had said.  Instead he stroked Buffy’s back with long soothing strokes as he endeavoured to calm her and whispered soft words of love and reassurance, reminding her that the curse was gone forever, until he felt her shaking begin to subside.  Then he opened his mouth to give Xander a dressing down that he would never forget, only to find that he had been beaten to it by Cordelia.

He had been so wrapped up in Buffy that he had been almost unaware of what the others were doing and he almost smiled at the sight of Cordelia standing over Xander, calmly cutting him down to size in her most withering fashion.

“…You’re here because you owe Buffy an apology, remember?  Or have you forgotten that you recently tried to kill her?  And how dare you condemn either of them for trying to find happiness together, you ought to know them both well enough to know that neither of them would ever do anything that might result in Angelus coming back, although you obviously don’t since you couldn’t even tell that Buffy and Faith weren’t the same person!”

“Dammit, I know what I saw!” interrupted Xander furiously, “If I hadn’t interrupted them then the curse would already have been broken and…”

“There is no curse.”

Xander stopped mid-sentence and the words that had silenced him seemed to hang in the air for a moment.

“What?” questioned Giles in a voice that was little more than a whisper.

“There is no curse,” Buffy repeated, “or rather, there’s no longer any way of breaking the curse.  Angel’s soul is here to stay.”

“Are…are you quite sure?  When did this – how did this – happen?”

“The Oracles amended the curse just before we called you in Sunnydale.”

“The…Oracles?” Giles repeated in awe, “They’re supposed to be a myth!”

“So are vampires, to most people,” pointed out Angel, dryly.

“Yes, that true,” Giles admitted, “but…the Oracles!  You’ve actually spoken to them?  All of you?”

“Only Buffy and Angel have met them,” Cordelia informed him, “apparently they’re kinda snobbish about only seeing ‘Warriors’ and Wesley and I don’t count!  They just send me head-splitting visions whenever they want Angel to do something,” she added a little bitterly.

“Visions?” questioned Xander incredulously, “You have…visions?”

“Uh-huh, I’m Angel’s link to ‘The Powers That Be’, and believe me, I didn’t ask for the job!” she looked at him disdainfully, her expression pure Queen C, and added, “But at least I’m doing something useful, which is more than you can say!  Still fetching donuts are you?”

Xander glared at her indignantly and opened his mouth to give her an angry reply, only to realise that he couldn’t think of anything to say and close it again.

Buffy gave a slightly watery giggle at the sight of Xander’s outraged expression and Angel threw Cordelia a grateful look, which she returned with a smile, for distracting Buffy from Xander’s earlier accusation.

“It doesn’t make sense,” said Giles, having barely noticed the exchange between the Xander and Cordelia, “the Oracles are supposed to further the plans of the Powers That Be, not help individuals!  Why would they make an exception for the two of you?”

“Because they need us, and because we’re stronger together than we are apart and they know it.”  Buffy told him, “They said that we were ‘two who were one’ and the balance had to be restored or Faith would win.”

“‘Two who are one’?  They actually said that?”  Giles questioned intently, and when Buffy nodded he lapsed into silence, trying to absorb what he had just learned.

Willow and Xander watched him in confusion, unsure of the significance of what Buffy had said.

After a long moment, Giles looked across to where Buffy and Angel sat and said, “I…I owe the two of you an apology.  All this time I’ve been thinking that you had some kind of…choice about the way you feel, that it was just the lure of the forbidden that made you…” he broke off and shook his head, “I’m sorry.  And I’m glad that you can finally be together.”

His eyes warmed as he took in Buffy’s peaceful expression and the trust with which she lay in Angel’s arms, “Be happy Buffy, no one has ever deserved it more.”

Buffy’s eyes filled with tears and she started to get to her feet, only to sink back against Angel with a gasp of pain, which she swallowed so quickly that only Angel realised how much the movement had hurt her.  He looked at her in concern but, seeing her determined expression, said nothing and instead stood up, still holding her and carefully lowered her to her feet.  With Angel’s strength supporting her, Buffy held out her arms in a silent request for Giles to come closer and, when he did, she reached up, ignoring the pain the motion caused her, and gave him a hug.

“Thank you,” she said softly in his ear, “that means a lot to me.”

Giles held her awkwardly for a moment and then stepped back, obviously uncomfortable with the unfamiliar display of emotion, “Yes, well, I…I assume that you’ll be staying here?  At least for a while.”
Buffy looked up at Angel, and the question in her eyes was answered immediately by the hopeful expression in his.  She looked back at Giles and nodded, “We’ll come back to Sunnydale in a couple of days to explain things to mom.”

“What?!” demanded Xander incredulously, “You can’t be condoning this Giles!  Nothing good has ever come from the two of them being together and even without the curse I doubt that’s changed.  Buffy’s place is in Sunnydale – with us!”

“You’re wrong, Xander,” Wesley said quietly, “Buffy’s place is wherever Angel happens to be, just as Angel’s is wherever Buffy is.”

“She’ll get over it!” he snarled in frustration.

“No, she won’t,” Giles told him quietly, “neither of them will.”

“Why?  Why are you suddenly so sure that it’s right for them to be together?  A few minutes ago you were as against the idea as I am!”

“Because the oracles said so; Buffy and Angel are ‘two who are one’, Xander, one soul divided between two bodies – soul mates.   We’ve been trying to break a bond that can never be broken, something more eternal and enduring than the stars themselves.  We have a choice between accepting that fact, or losing Buffy forever because of our refusal to do so and I, for one, have no intention of doing that.”
“I…I’m happy for you and Angel, Buffy,” said Willow hesitantly, “but what about your life in Sunnydale?  You can’t mean to just thrown all that away!”

“What life, Willow?” Buffy asked gently, “I can’t go back; Buffy Summers died today.  Do you think they’ll welcome me back to college if I go in and explain that I’m still me, I’ve just changed bodies?  Do you think the police will stop looking for me?  Sunnydale’s too small to hide in for long unless you stick to the tunnels and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life hiding in sewers.”

“So why did you kill Faith?”  Questioned Xander, his tone cutting, “You had her beaten and you must have known that we’d find a way to switch you back.”

Buffy flinched at the reminded of what she had done and looked away from Xander, only to find the same question written on the faces of Willow and Giles.

“She…she was human, Buffy,” Willow pointed out, “Surely there was some other way… You could have just chained her up and then handed her over to the police after we switched you back.”

Giles didn’t speak; the pain in Buffy’s face, combined with the memory of how they had misjudged her twice that day already, kept him silent and when Buffy began to speak he was grateful that he had not.

For a moment she just looked at them, her expression both bitter and hurt, and then she asked scornfully, “Do you really think that I would kill my own body on a whim?  Do you think that little of me?”

They didn’t answer, but of the three of them only Giles was able to meet her eyes and the pained apology in his soothed her anger a little, allowing space within her for the pain to flood back full force.

“I had no choice,” she whispered, her voice shaking, “the Oracles said…  If Faith had fulfilled her destiny…” she stopped, fighting not to cry, unwilling to show weakness in the face of her friends continuing hostility and mistrust.

Angel felt her tremble and lifted her into his arms once more, surrounding her with the strength and comfort of his presence as he resumed his seat.  Sensing her pain, Cordelia and Wesley moved closer, flanking her and Angel as they had done earlier that night, silently offering their support.

“The-the Oracles told you that Faith had a destiny?  That’s why they agreed to speak with you and Angel?” asked Giles, quietly.

“Just me.  They only summoned me.”  Buffy corrected, “I don’t know when Angel met them,” her eyes met Angel’s for a rueful moment, “we haven’t had much time to talk.”

Her gaze returned to Giles so quickly that she missed the discomforted expression that passed fleetingly over Angel’s face as he realised that sooner or later he was going to have to explain to Buffy about the forgotten day and his previous experiences with the Oracles.

“They…summoned you?  You mean they actually sent Cordelia a vision specifically asking you to come to them?  You didn’t just…go to them for advice?”

“No.  What I mean is, one moment I’m standing upstairs with Angel and the others and the next thing I know I’m in some sort of temple or something with a couple of weirdly dressed people, with blue and gold skin, standing in front of me.”

“My God!” Giles breathed, “Why?  Every legend I’ve ever read suggests that they never allow anyone to see them without the proper spells and some sort of offering.  What could be so important that the Oracles found it necessary to transport you to them?”

“Balance.”

“Balance?  I-I’m afraid I don’t understand,” he admitted.

“There was only ever supposed to be one Slayer,” she explained, “when Kendra was called she was a ‘true’ Slayer because she was called by my death, but when Faith was called, there was already a Slayer – me.  Having two of us upset the balance of things, so instead of being called to fight the forces of darkness, she was called to support them.”

She drew in a shuddering breath and continued brokenly, “The Oracles told me that one Slayer had to die at the hands of another, it was the only way to keep another from being called…  And the winner determined the path of future Slayers – if Faith had won, the Slayer line would have turned to darkness for thousands of years.”  She looked blindly down at her own hands and concluded, her voice almost inaudible and ravaged by tears she refused to shed until she and Angel were alone, “So I did my duty…and now her blood is on my hands and I’ll never forget the look in her eyes as she realised what I was about to do.”

Xander, Willow and Giles stared at her in horror as they finally realised at least some of what she had been forced to endure.

“Buff…I’m sorry…”

“Buffy, I…”

“Oh, Buffy…”

All three began to speak at once and Willow and Xander began to move towards her, only to be halted when she held up her hand to stop them.

“No!  No more!”  If she had had the strength the words would have been a scream but as it was they were little more than a whisper, “You have the answers that you wanted, now go back to Sunnydale!  You claim to know me, you claim to be my friends, but in the last few hours you’ve made it clear that you think I’m capable of behaving like the worst kind of monster!” her eyes burned, and she prayed that they would leave before she broke down completely.  She had cried more in the last twenty-four hours than she had in all the months since Angel had left but the combination of grief and pain and betrayal and even her joy over being reunited with her love, had her emotions reeling and her usual control was beyond her.

They hadn’t moved.  They just stood there, staring at her wounded, guilty eyes.  “Please,” she begged brokenly, “just leave!”

Giles met her eyes for a moment and then nodded slowly, “I am deeply sorry, Buffy,” he told her sadly, “you are quite correct in saying that we should have known you better.  If there is anything that you need…?”

“I’ll call.”

He nodded and then turned towards the elevator, gesturing to Xander and Willow that they should follow him.  Willow took one long look at where Buffy was cradled in Angel’s arms, whispered, “I’m so sorry,” and followed.  Xander didn’t move.

“Xander?” questioned Willow from where she and Giles waited in the elevator, “are you coming?”

“Just a minute,” he answered without looking at her “Buffy…please, I need to talk to you!”

Angel’s eyes flashed yellow, he could tell from the tension vibrating through Buffy, just how close she was to breaking point and after everything he had done that day, he was not inclined to give Xander any more slack.

“Don’t you think that you’ve already done enough?” he snarled, “Get out!  Now!”

Xander retreated a step in the face of Angel’s anger but after a moment he realised that there was little the vampire could do to him as long as he still held Buffy in his arms and that gave the boy the courage to stand his ground.  “Not until Buffy talks to me,” he insisted stubbornly, “I have to make her understand…”

He broke off as, moving as one, Cordelia and Wesley each grabbed one of his shoulders and shoved him backwards until he stumbled into the elevator and then entered after him to block his exit.  He would still have tried to shove past them but Giles’ tight grip on his arm told him that it would be three against one and while he was still debating the odds, Giles reached out with his other hand and pushed the button to take the elevator up to street level.

When the elevator began to move, Angel dismissed it from his mind, knowing that Cordelia and Wesley would see to it that Xander did not return.  They had got rid of him just in time; only a few seconds after they had disappeared from view, Buffy’s control broke and with a wrenching sob she buried her face against his shoulder and once more gave in to her grief.

Her chest heaved beneath the force of her emotions and pain shot through her injured ribs but she couldn’t stop, couldn’t grasp the tattered edges of her self-control.  All she knew was that the pain within her was tearing her apart and that Angel’s arms were all that was holding her together.  But that was enough; knowing that he was there, she abandoned herself totally to his care, knowing that, for once in her life, it was all right for her to be weak.

Buffy cried until exhaustion claimed her and then fell asleep in Angel’s arms, her expression peaceful in the aftermath of the storm.

Angel looked down at her face and felt his heart turn over with love for her.  Her face was blotchy and red, her skin stained with tears and marked by bruises but to him she was beautiful.  Her face was no longer the same as the one in the photo that he had kept with him for almost four years, ever since he had found it in her room after they had faced the Three, but the change barely registered.  All that he saw was the woman he loved – the soul that he loved.

With infinite care, he got slowly to his feet and carried her sleeping form into the bedroom.  Buffy stirred as he placed her gently in the bed, her sleep disturbed by the fact that he was no longer holding her.
“Angel?” she called, reaching for him.

“Shhh,” he murmured softly as he tucked her into bed and turned out the light, before climbing in beside her and taking her back into his arms, “just relax and let me take care of you.  You need to sleep.”  He brushed a tender kiss across each of her eyes, closing them, “I’ll still be here when you wake up.  We have time now.”

“Time,” Buffy whispered, snuggling against him as sleep claimed her once more, “I never realised what a precious gift that was before.”

Angel lay awake all through the night, guarding her sleep from anything that might disturb it, soothing her out of her nightmares before they could wake her.  As he watched over her, Angel thought about what Buffy had said and realised for the first time, that her words were as true for him as they had been for her.

Time.  For a hundred years it had seemed like his enemy; an eternity of despair had stretched out before him like a nightmare from which he could never awaken.  But, instead of the pain he deserved, it had ultimately led him to her and in doing so had become a blessing.  Angel’s eyes burned as he savoured the feel of her in his arms and listened to the steady beat of her heart and the soft sound of her breathing.  It was the sound of a future had had never dared to dream possible.

AngelicVampyre
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To lose your soul once might be considered a misfortune,
To lose it twice looks like carelessness.

Angelus about the Judge:  "Gee, maybe he's broken(!)"
--'Innocence'

Tina:  You've been to Missoula?
Angel: "During the Depression...er...my depression.  I-I was depressed there."
--'City of...'

Angel: "Why would a woman I've never met even talk to me?"
Doyle:  *laughs* Have you looked in the mirror lately? (hesitates) er, I guess you really havent, no."
--'City of...'

Buffy:  Angel, when I look into the future...all I see is you.  All I want is you!
Angel:  I know the feeling.
--'Bad Eggs'

Angelus:  Yeah, baby...I'm back
--'Innocence'

Spike:  I've known you for two minutes, and I can't stand you. I don't
really feature you livin' forever. (to Drusilla) Can I eat him now, love?
--'Lie to Me'