The Spell Is Cast.

Only when Xander had got Giles out was he willing to explain anything. When Giles had heard he demanded to see Willow, despite his horrific injuries. Xander could not deny him.

"Which text is she using?" Giles asked as they neared the ward. Xander mentioned the name and for some reason Giles suddenly went pale. "We have to stop her." Before Xander could object Giles increased his pace and practically burst through Willow's door.

Inside Willow was still under the power of what ever had taken control of her and speaking in a language that only Giles understood. When he realised his face paled once more and he cried out, "Willow no, stop!"
It was to no avail, the power inside Willow carried on. Oz however startled out of his silent shock turned to the English Watcher. "Why do you want her to stop?"

"Because this spell not only gives Angelus a soul, it........." Giles trailed off, his strength failing him, as he lost consciousness, collapsing on the floor, just as the power controlling Willow also stopped and she fell back on the pillows. What ever Giles was going to say, it would now not make any difference. The spell was cast.

Suddenly Angelus lost the upper hand. He collapsed beneath Buffy's feet as Alcatha came to life. Then without any warning the vortex closed, leaving him in stone and Buffy, confused by the sudden change of events. She turned to see Angelus in a heap on the floor. Except there were two differences to the demon that she knew. One; his vamp face, which had held all through their fighting, was gone.

The other was that he was crying in full view of the now sunlit windows. Windows whose deadly rays would have spelt burning for him. Yet that wasn't happening. It was almost as if he was............ No. There was no cure, at least as far as Giles or herself knew. Yet the proof was there before her eyes.

Angelus had stopped crying and was now breathing hard to try and control the grief that had, for some obscure reason taken control of him. His strength had failed and the exhaustion was plainly showing. Buffy tentatively walked over to him. Slowly she crouched in front of her first and only love and with one shaking hand reached out to touch his skin.

He didn't shy away or lash out. Instead he looked up, saw her face and with a cry of relief put his arms around her waist.

Buffy was becoming more and more confused. Like a reflex her own arms went around him as he finally began to speak. "Buffy, what happened?"

She thought she could stand it, but when he spoke her name just like he used to, when he had his soul, her resolve fled and she only replied in nonsense. "We were.......... fighting...... Alcatha............." she trailed off, as he suddenly stood up and turned to survey the room where the stone demon could clearly be seen.

"I thought he had been destroyed." Angel turned to her, with puzzled eyes, that still hadn't registered the daylight that was now on the both of them.

"What's wrong?" He asked, always seeming to know her every thought. His arms went around her once more, offering her comfort and creating even more confusion inside her.

Buffy didn't know whether to laugh or cry for she could not yet believe that this was truly happening. "Angel, is it really you?"

"Really me? What do you mean?" Angel asked looking at her. It was then that he finally noticed that it was the sun which was casting light upon his love's face.

Instinct told him to find some darkness, but at the same time his brain was screaming at him to realise that there was no longer any need to do so. Other things also came to him, memories flooding back and he reeled from her arms from the shock of them.

"Oh my god," was all he could say, as tears began streaming down his face, "what have I done?"

At the Summers' house Joyce was still in shock from the news she had been given. She wanted to take back the threat she had thrown her daughter, about never returning home, but she didn't know where Buffy would be. They - Buffy and Spike - had mentioned something about Giles, who was the librarian at Sunnydale High, nothing else was any other clue to her whereabouts.

She drank the last drop of alcohol in her glass and with determination in her eyes, walked out to her car. She was going to learn the full truth of this, she had to, if she wanted to see her daughter again.

Rupert Giles was back to full strength and as he walked in from seeing Principal Snyder, the rest of the Slayer gang could tell that the day was not going to get better, only worse.

"What's up G-man?" Xander asked, trying to create some humour in the room.

"Commandant Snyder has expelled Buffy from Sunnydale High."

"Why?" Everyone asked in the same second.

"For supposedly killing Kendra," Giles replied as he hit the table with his fist imagining it to be Snyder's face. The Slayerettes jumped and began to look slightly nervous.

"So, why, dare we ask, did you want to stop Willow doing the spell?" Cordelia asked when the anger had briefly subsided from his face. "Was it not the correct spell?"

"It was. It worked." Willow, who was back at full strength as well, began to elaborate as everyone turned to look at her, as she sat in Oz's arms. "At least, it felt like it had. Did it not restore Angel's soul?"

"Not exactly," Giles replied and leaned forward to explain.

When Joyce Summers entered the Library of Sunnydale High, she found it's Librarian not alone. And definitely not in a good mood.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Giles thundered back at Xander who wished he hadn't asked the obvious question.

"But how did you know?" Cordelia asked. "I thought you said that there was no cure."

"I didn't think there was," Giles replied, slightly calmer. "Until I understood what Willow was saying."

"Don't blame Willow," now it was Oz's turn to speak. "She wasn't in control of what she was saying."

"You should have not tried it without my supervision!"

"You were being tortured by him, there was no time to give you a phone call!"

"Don't speak like that to........"

"Well you started..........." All voices now became incomprehensible to Joyce who had been listening to all before, her, having no idea what they were talking about. Silently she waited for the violence to abate before announcing her presence.

"Stop this!" Willow cried, putting an end to Xander and Giles' heated argument. "This doesn't change anything, nor does it help anybody. We should be wondering where Buffy is right now and trying to find her, not arguing about things we cannot undo!"

"You're right," Giles agreed, calming down. "Have you phoned her home?"

"I told her not to come back," Joyce replied, making her presence known.

"How long have you been there?" Giles asked, the first to recover his composure, wondering worriedly if she had heard anything that told her something she had no idea about.

"Not long." She stepped forward to explain. "Buffy told me something that I have no idea about what so ever and I just wanted to know if what she told me was true. I figured you above anyone else would know."

"What did she tell you?"

Slowly Joyce began to explain.

At first Buffy had been speechless and unable to do anything but watch as Angel collapsed in a heap on the floor asking again what had he done as grief racked him. Then her feelings had taken over and she had dropped to the floor also, to embrace her love and offer him solace. At first he had tried to push her away, but she was stubborn in her resolve. She had laid her hands on his face, wiped away the tears and then, on impulse, kissed him.

It was the only thing that had stopped his grief. Forgetting everything he had kissed her back. It was the kiss that had brought back even more memories, good memories this time, of their time together. At first it brought Angel comfort, then only more sorrow. He broke from her to speak. "Why?" He asked hoarsely. "Why do you still care? I'm evil through and through. You should hate me."

"Angel, you're not evil, you're human."

"What?"

"This world is older than you know and contrary to popular belief it was anything, but a paradise. Demons ruled it, until humans were created. One demon bit a human, then the human was turned into a vampire. It bit another and another until the world was swarming with them. The Slayer has existed since then. The chosen one, one girl in all the world able to kill all of them."

"If it is only one girl, then how come Kendra was a slayer?" Joyce, who had been sitting entranced by Giles' explanation finally asked.

"When one slayer dies or is killed, another slayer takes her place."

"You mean Buffy died?"

"She was killed by the master and I saved her with CPR." Xander cut in.

"The Master? Who's the master?"

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I," Buffy replied as she finished explaining about her and Willow finding the curse. "but the proof is before the both of us." she touched his skin, feeling the heat of the sun still upon it. "You should be burning by now, but you're not." She grabbed his hand and put it on her cross. "That doesn't hurt does it?" She asked confidently.

"It doesn't," Angel replied, "but that still doesn't change anything. I've still done those things. Why don't you hate me? You should hate me."

"I can't," Buffy admitted, "all I feel is relief that you're back."

"But......."

Buffy stopped him, laying her finger on his mouth. "I love you Angel." She kissed him powerfully and slowly Angel responded back. It was then that she broke from him. "So? You were saying that I should hate you?"

"Were we talking?" Angel asked. Buffy smiled and for the first time he smiled back. She kissed him again and together they forgot the rest of the world, indulging only in the moment, that had brought the both of them back to each other.

"Buffy, I'm sorry......"

"Angel, I wanted this as much as you did, remember? And it was perfect."

They were in each others arms in the bed that was Angel's in the mansion, having celebrated both their reunion and the fact that Angel was human.

"Shouldn't you be at school ?" Angel suddenly asked. Buffy dropped her smile. "What? What happened?"

"Snyder expelled me, he thinks I killed Kendra. And mom told me to never come back."

"How come?" Angel asked surprised. Buffy sighed and told him about the fight. "Still," he added, after hearing it, "hadn't we better tell everyone that we're okay?"

"I don't want to just yet," Buffy replied. "Let's wait until after school."

Giles' house was strangely quiet but lights in the front window showed signs of inhabitants. Inside the Slayerettes were grouped around Giles and Joyce Summers as they discussed what to do if the curse had worked.

"I know he tortured you Giles and I know how you feel Xander," Willow began tentatively, "but I still think we should welcome him back. After all he does still care for Buffy, whoever he is. I'm not suggesting that we forget everything that happened, ........." she trailed off. Buffy had appeared behind Giles, along with........... Angel.

"Hey, guys."

They went to her, Willow first, welcoming her and eventually him back, thankful that they were both safe. The gang parted from them then and Buffy stepped forward to face her mother. Angel stood at respectful distance to let them make up properly.

"Buffy, I am so sorry," Joyce said and took her into his arms. Explanations would come later. Right now, they had to celebrate that they had survived and won.

THE END.

© Danielle Harwood-Atkinson 2021. All rights reserved.