As it turned out, Oz, through some fluke of incredibly horrible luck, didn’t see Buffy during school. 

He had no idea how he hadn’t but he hadn’t and he knew she was there. Oh, he’d caught glimpses of her across the quad, and going to and from class, but either Willow was with him, or Xander with her. And he couldn’t, absolutely could not, think of an excuse to speak with her alone.

His luck sucked. 

As it turned out, his luck wasn’t going to matter.
~~~~~~~~~~
Buffy entered the mansion immediately after school.

Dropping her books, she sat on the couch and curled next to Angel, letting the tension of the day wash from her in his arms. Closing her eyes, she sighed when his hands rubbed up and down her back, easing the tense muscles there. God, this was heaven. Here, in Angel’s arms, this was the most perfect place in the world. In any world. 

“Rough day?” He asked, placing a kiss on the crown of her head. 

“Yeah,” Buffy agreed, “The worst. But I’m getting my strength back…after my twelve hours of sleep last night.” She frowned, her eyes hardening. “If I ever see Quentin Travers again,” she threatened, “He’ll be more than sorry. I can’t believe the Council does this to their slayers! And poor Giles, he was so upset over all of it.” 

His hands never stopped their movement, his body he forced to remain relaxed under Buffy’s. But Angel’s face hardened and for a moment his demon flashed; but he didn’t let Buffy see that. They’d drugged Buffy, and if he’d known that before they left Sunnydale last night, the Council’s flight would’ve been full of body bags. It wasn’t going to stop him from getting back at those who’d done this to his love. The sun set in barely three more hours. 

It was just enough time. 

Tipping her head up, he gazed in her eyes for long moments, assessing whatever damage the drugs had on her, the damage, the emotional effects. She smiled softly at him; her eyes were tired but clear, her scent nearly normal, her body already responding to his. Lowering his lips, Angel kissed her softly, reverently, reigning in his explosive passion for the softness of worship he needed to show her and Buffy needed to feel. 

It was soft, loving, and slow as Angel moved from mouth to jaw to neck, sucking briefly there before shifting her to his lap. He didn’t want to make love to her on the couch, not this time, not now. This was different, special, this was as much seeing to her pleasure as it was reassuring himself that Buffy was safe and whole and his and nothing anyone did to her could take her away from him. 

He wasn’t sure he could survive that. 

Wrapping her legs around his waist, Angel stood, careful to balance her weight as he walked to their bedroom. Laying her on the bed, lips never leaving hers, Angel continued his slow path across her skin. Clothing was removed inch by teasing inch; skin tasted the moment it was revealed. Cool puffs of breath sent shivers of need across her skin. Finally, when Buffy lay naked before him, flush with pleasure, panting his name, Angel allowed his fingers to graze her core. 

She arched upward, the shock of his begged for touch shuddering through her. Buffy’s eyes closed, her hips moving upwards in a silent plea. She needed more, oh, she needed more. She needed that explosive feel that rush that infused her body and soul. She needed Angel. 

He was slow in giving it, taking his time to touch and taste her, winding her body higher, higher, over the top in a hot-blooded, mind numbing orgasm again and again. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as his mouth found hers once again and he kissed whatever strength she had left away. 

She was boneless and pliant beneath him when he entered her, slipping into her wet heat long after he started such pleasurable torture with a sigh of her name. Her arms, which were lying against the bed, came around his back, her thighs clutching him tighter. Their pace was slow, even strokes that built Buffy back up to another climax and tested the limits of Angel’s control. His face shifted and still, he maintained their pace, refusing to rush. 

The sun was setting; a fiery ball in the sky that just splashed colors along the edges of the large windows in their bedroom, but Angel didn’t care. Buffy. Buffy was all he cared about and all he needed. 

The fingers of one hand drifted lightly over her breasts, her belly, to tease her clit and she shouted in release, hips bucking hard against his, his name falling from her lips as she shuddered around him. Biting her arched neck, Angel emptied himself in her womb, finding the peace and tranquility he needed within her. 

“I love you,” he whispered and Buffy smiled, falling asleep almost immediately. He kissed her lips, heard the soft breath of air leave her mouth and curled up next to her. 

When Buffy awoke, she had a moment of panic. She wasn’t sure where she was; the bed was empty as was the room. Looking around, a growing panic bubbling within her, she scanned for her lover. He wasn’t there. Full-fledged dread washed through her, dispelling her prior feeling of love, contentment, and safety. 

“Angel!” 

No answer. 

Angel was gone. 

He wasn’t in the mansion, though she searched through it anyway. He wasn’t on the grounds, and Buffy felt like throwing up. Everything came rushing back to her, the first night they’d made love, waking up and Angel was gone, Angelus, those months of her never-ending nightmare. She raced through the front door, her heart pounding, and ran smack into Oz. 

“What are you doing here?” She demanded, her voice high and breathless. 

“Came to warn you,” he said and then asked, “What’s wrong?” 

“Angel,” Buffy’s eyes scanned the perimeter of the area but still nothing. “I can’t find him.” 

“The gang,” Oz said as they rushed down the driveway and onto the deserted street. “They’re looking for you. Want to know what’s going on with you; Faith’s suspicious and wants to know where you’ve been heading off to when you ditch patrol with her.” 

“Shit,” Buffy mumbled as they raced towards town. 

“Know where Angel went?” Oz asked as they flew past cemeteries and parks. Ah, the perks of the supernatural. He wasn’t aware that he had this kind of speed. Ow, okay, so he’d probably be sore in the morning. 

“No, I have no idea.” But the worry was clear in her voice and Oz knew she was expecting the worst. 

“Hold on,” Oz stopped, closed his eyes and breathed deeply in. It was faint, very faint, but Angel’s familiar scent was there. Frowning as he tried to figure the direction the vampire took, Oz motioned Buffy to follow him. “The high school,” he shouted as they ran faster, “He’s headed for the high school.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Angel was not happy. 

He’d had to leave Buffy for this, had to leave her soft, warm body, her love and affection, her acceptance for this. She was alone, no one to protect her while he conducted this business and he hated that, too. At least if one of his childer were here, Angel knew they’d protect Buffy with their lives; souled or not, he was dangerous when it came to Buffy being in trouble. 

It couldn’t, of course, be helped and he wasn’t going to let this go. Buffy’s life was placed in danger and that was simply unacceptable. He wasn’t going to let that slide and he didn’t care who knew he was back or what they wanted to do about it. No one put his lover in danger. No one. 

The doors to the library crashed opened, one knocking slightly off its hinges as he burst through. Everyone within – Faith, Giles, Willow, Xander, and Cordelia – froze for a split second before scrambling away from him and for any weapon they could find. 

“Angel!” Xander shouted, “He’s back; he’s evil again!” 

“How’d he get back?” Willow wondered as she trembled in fear. Her hand was shaking on the stake she’d snatched from the table. “And when?” 

“Unimportant now, Red,” Faith snapped as she grabbed up a stake and leapt forward. 

They moved away from the stalking vampire as Faith moved into action, a snarl on her lips and alternate feelings of betrayal and fear in her heart. This was what Buffy was keeping from her; this was what her sister was hiding from her, Faith was sure of it. How could she? Faith wondered as she swung at Angel. How could she do that? Didn’t they have that trust thing going? Didn’t they have a bond, a connection?

They talked about everything, even this, even Angel. And yet Buffy had said not one word about his being…back. 

“Damn you, B,” Faith mumbled as Angel grabbed her. Something within her cracked, the pieces scattering in the wind.

“You’re Faith,” Angel said quietly, as he restrained the urge to toss her to the wall. Instead, out of deference to Buffy’s feelings on this – and the fact that Faith hadn’t done anything to harm Buffy but had done her best to help his lover – Angel just set her behind him and continued to move forward. 

She stood there, stunned, shocked, unable to move for precious moments as she wondered just what the hell had happened. 

“Rupert,” Angel snarled as Xander let a cross bow bolt fly – wildly – at him. He snarled at the boy as the bolt imbedded itself in the far wall, but continued onto his intended target. Grabbing Giles, one hand wrapping tightly around his throat, Angel used the other to backhand Xander as the boy tried some misguided attempt to help. Oh, yeah, that felt good. 

“What’d you tell her?” Angel demanded. “What lie did you tell her? What did you let her believe about the Cruciamentum?” 

Buffy and Oz burst through the doors just then, having heard the tail end of the question. Buffy stopped short, her heart skipping a beat and her face paling. “I think we’re too late,” Oz said quietly. 

“Stop it!” She shouted at Willow and Xander who were attempting to sneak up on Angel with stakes and crosses. “Stop it, he’s not evil!” 

They froze as it all dawned on them. She knew Angel was back. Buffy knew he was back and said nothing to them. Faith stared at her sister slayer in betrayed silence, Willow and Xander freezing in their steps. Angel looked over at Buffy briefly and then returned his full attention to Giles. He was going to kill the man. 

“What,” he asked again to the choking watcher, “Did you let Buffy believe about the Cruciamentum, Rupert?” 

“The Cruciamentum?” Willow asked, “Isn’t that what the Council did to Buffy?” 

Angel just smirked and Giles paled under the ruddy look that the lack of oxygen was giving him. The watcher knew what he was asking, knew what answer he had to give, whether he liked it or not. The truth would destroy Buffy and yet Angel couldn’t let it pass. 

“You okay, baby?” Buffy asked as she approached her lover. Her euphemism for ‘okay’ was, of course, her personal, intimate way of saying ‘hey your still Angel right?’ She took a step towards him, glancing at Faith with a look in her eyes that begged the other slayer to understand. It didn’t look like Faith was anywhere near understanding at the moment. Buffy hoped she would be, eventually. 

“Yeah,” he said softly, his hand tightening around Giles’ neck. “I’m okay.” Angel admitting to being ‘okay’ was his way of reassuring her that he was still soulful and Buffy breathed a sigh of relief. A small part of her still held the fearful belief that he’d revert to Angelus even if Angel had explained everything to her over the past weeks. 

He knew what Buffy meant, she was worried when she woke and he wasn’t there. It was her private way of asking him without airing their bedroom business for all to hear and understand. He couldn’t blame her and Angel never wanted to hurt her like that, but this couldn’t wait. Considering how exhausted she was, from both her ‘test’ and their lovemaking, Angel was surprised that she woke at all. It had to have been moments after he left. His heart twisted at what she must have gone through but he’d make it up to her later. Now was for her watcher. 

“Buffy?” Willow’s quiet voice broke through the room. “What’s going on?” 

“I’ll explain later, Willow,” she assured her friend who was obviously scared and angry. “But right now,” she said and stalked a step closer to Giles, “I’d like to know what Angel meant.” 

Buffy placed her hand on his arm, silently asking him to release her watcher. Giles couldn’t very well answer her if he couldn’t speak. Or breathe. The moment Giles was released, he rolled away from Angel, snatching up a sword as he went, glaring at the vampire. Massaging his throat, Giles took those moments to think of a valid excuse for his action. There was none, so he opted to twist the situation; he never wanted Buffy to discover what he’d done to her. 

Eyes darting between  Buffy and Angel, he understood just what Faith had been talking about. It was something he’d noticed, but had said nothing to; his slayer had been forced to kill the man she loved to save the world, he was willing to give her some leeway. 

Apparently, he’d given her too much leeway. 

“Buffy,” Giles asked, “What’s going on? And why do you not seem at all surprised that Angel’s returned?” 

“Because I’m not,” she said evenly, wondering why her watcher didn’t just deny Angel’s accusations. 

“You knew your bloodsucking boyfriend was back,” Xander accused. “How long,” he demanded. “How long have you known he was back? How long were you putting us in danger?” 

“It’s not like that, Xander,” Buffy told her friend, taking a step away from the group as they glared their accusations at her, and closer to Angel. God, this wasn’t how she wanted them to find out. This wasn’t how she wanted it to happen at all. 

“No?” Cordelia demanded from the far side of the table; it was apparent she wasn’t taking chances with Angel, souled or not. “Because it looks like it is.” She edged to the door, obviously trying to make a getaway. “And if he is going to start tormenting and killing your friends again, may I just point out that you and I aren’t friends and I’d like a thirty minute head start.” 

“Cordelia,” Buffy said tiredly, running a hand over her eyes. God, she felt old. “Nothing’s going to happen to you; Angel has his soul and has had his soul. Do you really think I’d put you guys in danger?” 

Silence. 

“Well, I guess so; so much for friendship.” A bitter laugh escaped her lips and Angel put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them gently. He didn’t know what to say, but he conveyed his support anyway. Oz moved closer to her, showing his support and earning disbelieving looks from the rest of the group. 

“Oz?” Willow asked, tears in her voice, stunned. 

“Giles,” Buffy said, interrupting any other tangent. She wanted to know what Angel was talking about and this sidetrack wasn’t helping. “What was Angel talking about? What about the Cruci-a-whatever?” 

When Giles said nothing, Willow did. “Giles wouldn’t do anything like that to you, Buffy; he’s your watcher, he’d never put you in danger like that.” Her eyes swung to Angel then to Giles. “It was the Council, you know it was. They drugged you without Giles’ knowledge.” 

“Stop trying to defend your soulless boyfriend, Buff,” Xander spat, uncaring what she was talking about when the only killer in the room was her obviously not dead boyfriend.  “And turn this all on Giles. He didn’t have anything to do with the Council’s decision. You, on the other hand, have obviously been keeping secrets from us.” 

“Giles?” Buffy demanded, ignoring Xander. 

“Tell her, Rupert,” Angel said, his voice low and deadly. “Tell her how the Council orders their Watchers to drug their Slayers. Tell her how you had a choice but decided to obey Council law and inject Buffy anyway. Tell her how you endangered her mother and herself when you let her walk into that trapped room with the insane vampire. Tell her how you knew all along that this would happen and said nothing to her, and didn’t help her.” 

“Buffy,” Giles started, pale, tired, scared. 

Scared. Oh, God. He didn’t say anything more for a long moment and it wasn’t the instant negation Buffy hoped for, anyway. She felt something die within her, the trust and love she felt for the man she considered her father. The man she asked, all but begged to take her father’s place at the ice show. And he had, Buffy thought now, Giles had taken her to the ice show and bought her popcorn and soda and laughed at her excitement and they’d shared a wonderful evening together. 

“The Council ordered it,” he said slowly, eyes on Buffy’s. “This…test,” the word was spat like a curse, “Has been in existence for over a thousand years. It’s arcane and dangerous, but…” 

“But,” Buffy whispered when Giles didn’t finish. “But they ordered, so you jumped.” 

“I didn’t want to, Buffy,” he swore but it was too late. The damage was done. 

“But you still did it anyway,” Angel nailed him. 

Buffy looked behind her to Angel, tears in her large eyes. He brushed his fingers just underneath her eyes, his own eyes telling her how sorry he was that she had to find out, but that it didn’t matter. Giles had done this to her and Angel wasn’t letting that go. He’d hurt Buffy and Angel couldn’t let that go. 

“Why?” She whispered in the silence of the room. Everyone was looking between slayer and watcher, stunned at Giles’ admission. 

Faith took a step forward, then stopped; what did she want to do? Did she want to offer support to Buffy? Buffy who’d lied to her, who betrayed her? Faith saw the marks on Buffy’s neck, the puncture marks where Angel had obviously bitten her. She said nothing to that, however. So she stilled, waited, and listened. 

“My dying for you people isn’t enough?” She demanded, turning back to the group before her. “Sending the man I love to hell – with his soul – isn’t enough? Now you have to poison me? Poison me and lie to me?” Her eyes were a cold, hard green as she pinned Giles with her gaze. 

“Damn it, Giles, who gave you the right to judge anything about me? Remember Eyghon?” He flinched and Buffy couldn’t help the cruel smirk that twisted her lips. What had her life become? “You sit here with your musty books, safe and smug in your Council arrogance. You know better, Giles, you think you actually know better than those of us who actually go out and bleed to keep the world safe?” 

Her tears had dried up, but Buffy knew they’d return. They were locked in her heart, in the place where she kept her love and trust for the man before her. The man who had betrayed her. “I owe you protection because I can; I don’t owe you my soul and I don’t owe you telling me how to live my life. And I won’t give you my love,” her voice caught and she stopped. 

Faith took another step closer to Buffy, now halfway between her and Giles. Her dark eyes glanced at the watcher; it was clear he felt terrible over his part in Buffy’s Crui-whatever. But he hadn’t done anything to prevent it, to warn Buffy, or to help her in any other way. Faith had seen the way watcher and slayer acted around and towards each other; it was a strong bond, a relationship that was based more on father/daughter than it was on watcher/slayer. And this was what he’d done. 

Still, Buffy had been keeping secrets herself. Big secrets. 

Swallowing, Buffy spat at the man before her. “I trusted you,” she whispered, “I gave you my love and trust and this is how you repay me? By drugging me, by lying to me? You want to know why I didn’t tell you Angel was back? Look at your actions, right here. You jumped to conclusions; you attacked him and tried to kill him. Even when I told you he was fine, when I said he wasn’t evil, you didn’t care and didn’t believe me.” 

She shook her head. “I can’t give you anything, not ever again; not as long as Angel has his soul and is with me.” 

“Buffy,” Xander caught her attention, “You lied to us! Your evil boyfriend is back and you knew it! How could you keep something like this a secret? He’s evil,” Xander said again. 

“No he’s not!” Buffy cried, already drained. She moved a step backwards, away from her friends, closer to Angel. 

“Then why didn’t you tell us?” Giles asked, trying to overcome his own secrets. Nothing could and he knew that, but he had to ask. This was something big, keeping Angel’s return from them.

“Because I knew this was how you’d react. I wanted to,” Buffy admitted, her eyes on Faith and no one else. “I wanted to tell you but…when he first came back we didn’t know why and he wasn’t…he’d been to hell.” 

Faith found herself nodding – she and Buffy had already discussed it. She’d never seen B so close to tears as she had the night her sister had admitted her fear of Angel being horribly tortured. Of being burned and beaten, whipped, and abused. Because of her. Because she had to send him there in the first place. 

“So you decided to keep it a secret,” Xander snarled. “How long?” He asked, “How long have you been keeping this secret?” 

“Since October,” Buffy whispered. 

The explosion was unbelievable. Even Cordelia started shouting with everyone else. Oz backed away, obviously not used to having his preternatural hearing tested like that. Poor guy. Faith looked steadily at Buffy and the blonde allowed a single tear to fall, hoping her sister would understand how hard it was to keep this a secret from her, when she’d bared everything else to Faith. 

“How could you…?” “Why didn’t you trust us…?” “Since then…?” “Dangerous.” “Evil.” “Lies.” 

“Stop it!” Buffy shouted, raising her voice above their recriminations and Angel’s growl. She swiped at her cheek, erasing the evidence of her pain, but tears colored her voice again; she wasn’t going to let them stop her. “Everything was fine,” she told them. “He wasn’t going to lose his soul again, don’t you think I’d make sure of that?” 

No one answered but it was clear that they didn’t believe her. Cordelia voiced what they were thinking. “You don’t exactly see clear when it comes to Angel, Buffy. When he’s in the room, everyone else fades away.” 

“You knew?” Willow asked and it was directed at Oz. “You knew he was back? You knew Buffy was hiding him and you didn’t say anything?” 

Reluctantly Oz nodded and Willow dropped the stake she’d been clutching. “How long have you known?” 

“Since he returned,” he answered quietly. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” She demanded. 

“It was none of anyone else’s business but Buffy’s. And as long and she and Angel weren’t doing anything to endanger anyone else, I trusted her. Unlike, apparently, her so called friends do.” His gaze swept from Willow to Xander and Giles. Now he understood what Buffy meant. He’d thought she was exaggerating. She hadn’t been. He felt for his friend, the woman he’d grown to know over the months he’d kept her secret. 

“Stop it,” Buffy said again, “Just be quiet. You’ve all kept secrets; no one is free from blame. So think very carefully about your own sins and your own secrets before you dare start telling me ever again what I have to do where Angel is concerned. You, Willow,” she nodded to her best friend. “You told me to kick his ass. When you knew, you knew how much I loved him, you wanted me to kick his ass.” 

“I never said that,” Willow cried, indignant. She was trying to recurse him, for Christ’s sake, she wanted Buffy to stall evil-Angel. 

Buffy turned her eyes to Xander who looked suddenly uncomfortable. “Oh, God,” she whispered, causing Willow to look at her childhood friend in astonishment. “You lied to me. You said Willow said to kick his ass. She didn’t.” Buffy covered her eyes briefly with her hands. “Of course, why didn’t I see it then? She was trying to recurse Angel, she wouldn’t tell me that, not if she knew she could do it.” 

Willow, devastated, stared at Xander. She couldn’t believe what Buffy was saying, yet it all made a horrible kind of sense. “You lied to her,” she whispered, “You lied to me.” 

Oz smiled sadly at his girlfriend. He wanted to gather her in his arms, but this wasn’t the time for that. They’d talk later. About a lot more than what happened here, tonight. And maybe then all the animosity could finally be cleansed. “I wouldn’t have wished this on you for the world, Willow; but being betrayed doesn’t feel good does it? Now you understand a little better how I felt…still feel.” 

Buffy wasn’t letting them get away that easily. They still didn’t understand, and when she looked at Faith, she saw that her sister slayer was torn between that understanding, and leaving in a fit of anger because Buffy hadn’t trusted her enough. Buffy didn’t blame her. She was the innocent in all this, and now she was just as scared as Buffy was.  

“I’m sorry , Faith,” she whispered just loud enough for the supernatural people within the room to hear.  

Then she turned to her friends and let them know what their months of badgering, lack of trust, hatred towards her lover – souled and unsouled – and treatment towards her had caused. They barely trusted her to do her job, constantly checking up on her to see if she was doing it right in the guise of are you okay? And yet when the first sign of trouble presented itself, they always, always turned to her. And then questioned her ability. 

“Angel was good enough,” Buffy said to the group at large, her eyes scanning them to indicate she didn’t hold Faith as part of this. “To have around with a soul; as muscle and warrior as long as he was of use to you. But what about you, Giles? You and Eyghon? How hypocritical is that, keeping that deadly secret with your soul?” She saw her watcher wince and hated that she brought up something so hard for him to remember, but this was hard for her, too. She hated it, but it was necessary.  

“You hid your actions and not only did innocent people die, but Angel saved your precious gypsy.” She had to stop, Buffy thought, she was being overly harsh. But the words kept coming and there didn’t seem to be an end in sight. “And how did Ms. Calendar repay Angel for her life? By keeping information secret that could have saved her life as well as others. She could have told us what would happen and yet she didn’t, she kept that information to herself; she is as responsible for her own death as surely as Angelus was for those deaths while loose. They knew about the curse and warned no one. The results speak for themselves.”

Xander jumped in here, “Aren’t you forgetting, Buffy, that it was you who brought evil Angel out?” 

“Don’t start with me, Xander, you have no idea what-” Buffy stopped, regrouped herself. She didn’t want to say these horrible things to her friends, to Giles, but they just kept coming and coming. She had no control, she couldn’t stop the words, the feelings that rushed out and singed those around her. 

“Xander,” Willow whispered. “Shut up.” 

Buffy shot her friend a grateful look and then looked at her watcher again. She was breaking both their hearts over this, but she had to say these things. She may have kept quiet about Angel’s return, but Giles’ actions endangered them all. 

“And this with the Cruciamentum,” she knew the word that wasn’t ever in question and when she used it, Giles – everyone – knew just how angry Buffy really was. “You lied to me about that, Giles. You stood there in your office while I yelled at the Council for drugging me and said nothing! You let me think it was all them when it was you, when it was the man I’d begged to take me to the ice show in place of my father. I trusted you, Giles! And this is what you did to me; you drugged me, you put me, my mom, and Faith in danger because you refused to tell me what was wrong with me! So you either trust me, or you don’t; but don’t be a hypocrite.”  

Angel remained quiet throughout all this, and Buffy was as grateful for his silent support as she was for his solid chest behind her, his hands on her arms, his cool presence reassuring her. She’d never be able to get through this without him there and didn’t want to think on a time when she had or when she would. 

“I have nothing against Oz,” and she shot him a grateful look, “He’s been the best kind of friend I could ever have, but Willow, you’re dating a werewolf! You know the consequences of him getting out during the full moon. And you’re careful about it. As long as Angel and I know the consequences, something we didn’t know before, then who are you to judge?” 

“Willow locks Oz in the library cage during those night, Buff,” Xander reminded them all needlessly. “You going to start doing that with your vampire? Because I’m thinking that’d be an all day lockup.” 

“Don’t even get me started on you, Xander. Mr. doing a spell with Amy so I can get my girlfriend back. How many died because of that spell?” 

He sputtered for a bit and Faith smirked at him. “You had to do a spell to keep someone you cheated on anyway?” He quieted and didn’t look at either Willow or Cordelia. 

“I’d never knowingly endanger you, and if you don’t know that by now, then you don’t know that at all.” Her voice was cold again, gone were the heat of her accusations, in its place was the ice of betrayal. But she wasn’t the only one to feel that tonight. “I don’t want to lose you, you’re my friends, but I’m not going to give him up either. I can’t.” 

Silence blanketed the room for precious moments and resentment was strong in the air. Finally, Faith broke the quiet; she whirled on her heel and stormed out the broken library doors without a word to anyone. Buffy made a move to go after her, to explain and ask forgiveness, but stopped herself; Faith needed time and Buffy would give her that as she hadn’t given her trust. 

Without looking back at the group, she said, “You’d selfishly demand I ostracize a soulled Angel and yet the secrets you keep are just as dangerous. Talk about hypocrites.”

She turned to Angel, let his arms wrap around her. “Don’t think I’ll forget about this, Rupert,” Angel warned as he led Buffy out of the library and back to their home. She had to stop in and see her mother, probably, and explain what happened. His return, Giles’ involvement in her weakness and Joyce’s abduction. The fact that he and Buffy were together again. 

Oz stayed for a moment, looking at the crushed people in the room. He didn’t blame Buffy for her words, but they did tear at something deep within him. He didn’t like being reminded that a wolf lived inside him. But it was true, and it was also true that they took precautions; the cage, the chains, guarding him.

His eyes trapped Willow’s and he knew that everything that was said – shouted – and not said here tonight impacted her. Good. Maybe now she’d think before acting. Xander. Maybe now they could really come to terms with what happened with the her childhood friend. Maybe now she’d know just how deeply she’d cut Oz. 

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