3rd Person's POV

Buffy opens the door to Angel's apartment. She looks around and sees that it's empty. Sighing she walks in and closes it behind her. She walks over to the bed and sees it's been made. One of his shirts is laid out on it. She goes over to the bed and reaches for the shirt. Behind her Angelus steps over to a statue, picks up a necklace hanging from it and puts it on.

Buffy turns around seeing him. She gasps in shock and runs to hug him.

"Angel!"

"Hey!" Angelus chuckles as Buffy pulls him into a tight hug with teary eyes.

"Oh!" She kisses him then he holds her arms pulling away.

"Hey."

Buffy smiles softly, "Oh, my God! I was so worried!"

Angelus frowns, "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Where did you go?"

Angelus shrugs, "Been around."

"Ohhh. Oh, my God!" She hugs him again, "I was freaking out! You just disappeared."

Angelus moves away looking at her nonchalantly, "What? I took off."

Buffy stares at him confused as he goes to his bed for the shirt, "But you didn't say anything. You just left."

Angelus pulls on the shirt and nods, "Yeah. Like I really wanted to stick around after that."

"What?" Buffy retorts softly feeling her heart crack slightly at his unbothered tone.

"You got a lot to learn about men, kiddo." Angelus shakes his head, "Although I guess you proved that last night."

Buffy scoffs painfully, "What are you saying?"

Angelus goes for his coat by the door, "Let's not make an issue out of it, okay? In fact, let's not talk about it at all." He pulls the coat on, "It happened."

Buffy stammers meekly, "I-I, I don't understand. Was it m-me? Was I not good?"

Angelus laughs snidely, "You were great. Really. I thought you were a pro."

Buffy pouts as her eyes begin to water, "How can you say this to me?"

Angelus frowns with a shrug, "Lighten up. It was a good time. It doesn't mean like we have to make a big deal."

Buffy scoffs with a light foot stomp, "It is a big deal!"

"It's what? Bells ringing, fireworks, a dulcet choir of pretty little birdies?" He laughs shaking his head, "Come on, Buffy. It's not like I've never been there before."

He reaches his hand up to her face and she jerks back.

"Don't touch me."

Angelus shakes his finger at her, "I should've known you wouldn't be able to handle it."

He starts to go but freezes as Buffy yells at him.

"Angel!"

He faces her teary-eyed stare.

"I love you."

Angelus points coolly at her, "Love you, too." He turns away and grabs the doorknob, "I'll call you."

He goes out the door. Buffy can only watch him go, extremely upset and confused.

...

In Enyos' hotel room, he lectures Jenny.

"You know what it is, this thing vengeance?"

Jenny sighs, "Uncle, I have served you. I have been faithful. I need to know..."

Enyos interrupts, "To the modern man vengeance is a verb, an idea. Payback. One thing for another. Like commerce. Not with us. Vengeance is a living thing. It passes through generations. It commands. It kills."

"You told me to watch Angel. You told me to keep him from the Slayer. I tried. But there are other factors. There are terrible things happening here that we cannot control."

Enyos scoffs, "We control nothing. We are not wizards, Janna. We merely play our part."

Jenny shakes her head, "Angel could be of help to us. I mean, he may be the only chance we have to stop the Judge."

"It is too late for that."

"Why?" She asks completely lost.

"The curse. Angel is meant to suffer, not to live as human. One moment of true happiness, of contentment, one moment where the soul that we restored no longer plagues his thoughts, and that soul is taken from him."

Jenny stares ahead thinking. As if a light bulb went off, she turns back to her uncle.

"Then, if somehow, if... if it's happened... then Angelus is back."

"I hoped to stop it. But I realize now it was arranged to be so."

"Buffy loves him."

Enyos replies without hesitation, "And now she will have to kill him."

Jenny stands up furious, "Unless he kills her first! Uncle, this is insanity! People are going to die."

"Yes. It is not justice we serve. It is vengeance."

Jenny exhales and grabs her coat and bag, "You are a fool. We're all fools."

Her uncle just watches her go and shakes his head.

...

Willow comes down the hall and walks through the lounge at school just as Xander comes out of the bathroom. He sees her and quickly jogs over to her.

"Will."

She hugs her arms around herself and turns to face him.

"Hey."

Xander frowns, "Where'd you go?"

Willow shrugs, "Home."

Xander smiles softly, "I'm glad you came back. We can't do this without you."

"Let's get this straight." Willow sighs, "I don't understand it, I don't wanna understand it, you have gross emotional problems, and things are not okay between us. But what's happening right now is more important than that."

Xander nods, "Okay."

Willow drops her arms, "What about the Judge? Where do we stand?"

"On a pile of really boring books that say exactly the same thing."

"Lemme guess: 'no weapon forged.' Blah blah blah..."

He nods, "Yup... 'It took an army.' And so on and so forth."

"Yeah, where's an army when you need one?"

Xander stands up straight making Willow glance over at him in question.

"What?"

Xander looks thoughtful, "Whoa. Whoa! I... I think I'm having a thought. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a thought. Now I'm having a plan."

The lights suddenly go out.

"Now I'm having a wiggins."

...

Jenny sits at her computer leaning back in her chair as she stares ahead playing with a pencil. She thinks hard about what she should do and if she should do anything in the first place.

The door to her classroom swings open making her jump in fright. Swiftly walking with purpose, Laney struts into the room and stands with her hands on her hips infront of Jenny.

"Alright you explain to me what's going on, right now or so help me I'll find a spell and damn you to a dimension so far away you won't know what hit you."

"Excuse me?"

Laney leans forward slamming both her hands against the desk in an attempt to intimidate the headstrong teacher. And to her surprise. It works.

Jenny sits back in her chair almost as if she was shriveling under the hard stare that Laney wore.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Five letters... only now I'm pretty sure it's  seven."

...

"What's going on?"

Xander shrugs at Willow then shakes his head, "Let's get to the library."

Angelus appears behind them.

"Willow. Xander."

They turn to look.

"Angel..." Xander replies not even questioning why the older vamp was here in the first place.

"Thank God you're okay. Did you see Buffy?"

Angelus nods, "Yeah. What's up with the lights?"

"I don't know. Listen, I think I have an idea."

"Forget about that now. I... I got something to show you."

Willow stares at Angel in interest, "Show us?"

"Yeah. Xander, go get the others."

Xander nods and quickly runs off, "Okay."

As Angelus watches Willow run around the corner, he laughs lowly.

"And Willow. Come here."

Willow slowly walks toward him, "What is it, Angel?"

"It's amazing."

As Xander runs for the library, he suddenly stops and turns around, realizing something is wrong.

Jenny appears in the lounge area hall opposite to Angelus as she stands holding up a cross.

"Willow, get away from him."

Jenny curses mentally watching as 'Angel' takes steps creeping closer to Willow in the darkness as Willow turns to look at her.

"What?"

"Walk to me."

"What are you talking about? It's Ang..."

Angelus sneaks up behind her and grabs her by the throat. She lets out a frightened yelp. Xander comes running through the door from the other hall.

"Don't do that!"

Angelus smirks, "Oh, I think I do that."

Feeling a presence beside him, Angelus peeks over Willow's shoulder and sees Laney standing beside him with a weapon pointed straight at him.

"If you even breathe on my sisters neck, I will turn you to literal dust."

Angelus chuckles gripping Willow tighter, "And the fun begins..."

"Angel..." Willow whispers in fear.

Jenny glares, "He's not Angel anymore. Are you?"

"Wrong. I am Angel." He tightens his grip on Willow, "At last!"

Xander stares in complete awe and concern, "Oh, my God."

"I got a message for Buffy."

Buffy appears behind him, "Why don't you give it to me yourself?"

Angelus spins around with Willow to face her. Laney moves closer but freezes as Buffy holds up a hand to stop her from moving.

"Well, it's not really the kind of message you tell. It sort of involves finding the bodies of all your friends."

He tightens his grip on Willow even more and she lets out another pained yelp.

"Watch it..." Laney mutters as she pushes the cross bow in her hand closer to Angelus.

He peeks over at the bow and smiles maniacally.

Buffy shakes her head frowning, "This can't be you."

"Gee, we already covered that subject."

"He's kind of right..." off the looks she gets from everyone, Laney grimaces and shrugs, "Sorry not the time... noted."

"See she gets it." Angelus smirks.

Buffy sighs, "Angel, there must be some part of you inside that still remembers who you are."

"Dream on, schoolgirl."

Xander takes the cross from Jenny and starts toward Angelus.

Angelus doesn't notice Xander get closer as he has all his attention on Buffy, "Your boyfriend is dead. You're all gonna join him."

Buffy stares at him blankly, "Leave Willow alone, and deal with me."

"But she's so cute," Angelus pinches her cheek, "and helpless."

Xander gets closer.

"Kind of a turn on really..." Angel his head to the side and looks Laney up and down slowly.

She shifts on her feet uncomfortably feeling his eyes on her as she stands in converse with a crop top and skirt.

"But she has nothing on you, short stack."

Laney inwardly vomits as her grip on the crossbow in her hand tightens, "Ew... Screw you."

Angelus chuckles in almost a purring kind of way, "Don't tempt me..."

Xander shoves the cross into Angelus' face from behind. He reels back and drops Willow. She cries out as she falls backward into Xander, and they collapse against the wall. Angelus turns to Jenny and wards her off with a hand as he starts to back down the hall. When he reaches Buffy he grabs her by the shoulders. She inhales in fright.

Angelus whispers, "Things are about to get very interesting."

He kisses her, shoves her into the wall and backs out the door. Willow and Xander are up again.

Xander is the first over to her, "Buffy, you okay?"

Buffy just stares at the door.

"Buffy..."

...

Giles paces as Xander stands while Willow and Cordelia sit at the table. Jenny is leaning against the shelves behind them.

Giles swallows harshly as he shakes his head thinking, "And we're absolutely certain that, that Angel has reverted to his former self?"

Xander huffs, "Yeah, uh, we're all certain. Anyone not feeling certain here?"

Laney stares angrily at Willow's red neck then looks down at her shaking leg and clenched fist.

How the hell did this happen? Why did this happen? Spike and Drusilla they could deal with... Angelus? Not so much.

Willow frowns, "Giles, you wouldn't have believed him. He was so... He came here to kill us."

Cordelia bites her lip looking around at everyone, "Well... What are we gonna do?"

Giles shakes his head, "I'm leaning towards blind panic myself."

"Rupert, don't talk like that. The kids." Jenny tries to be reassuring even though she felt completely the same.

Giles groans rubbing his forehead as he looks at all the emotional teens, "I'm sorry. It's just that things are bad enough with the Judge here. Angel crossing over to the other side... I-I-I wasn't prepared for that."

"None of us were." Jenny adds.

Buffy sits silently at a table opposite of Willow. She's looking down sadly at her hands. Willow notices and gets up to go to her.

"Are you okay?"

Buffy shakes her head 'no'.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Buffy shakes her head, "I should've known. When I saw him at the house, he was different. The things he said..."

"What things?" Giles asks trying to receive any type of information.

"It's private." Buffy retorts closed off.

"But you didn't know he had turned bad?" Jenny replies.

Willow looks at Jenny, "How did you?"

Jenny looks at Willow, "What?"

"Well, you knew. You told me to get away from him."

"Well, I saw his face."

Willow frowns confused but let's it go. Then she turns to her sister who was glaring at a wall and questions her.

"What about you, Laney? You showed up same as Ms. Calendar. Did you know?"

"I had a weird feeling..."

Xander frowns feeling as if he was missing pieces and bits of information, "Did you even talk to him before he attacked Willow?"

"Um..." Feeling eyes on her, Laney sighs uncomfortably.

She knew this would most definitely cause Buffy to look at her differently but... what could Laney do? She had done everything perfectly. She wasn't a cheater. She didn't ever cross boundaries. She couldn't help it if her friendship with Angel came before whatever thing Buffy and Angel tried to have. It was his choice.

"Yes... I did."

"What? W-when?" Buffy asks confused.

"Um well... I would have to say that it was probably... before Buffy found him at his place."

"How is that possible? That would mean that you knew where he was when we thought he was in trouble and missing?" Xander says.

Laney shakes her head sitting up in her chair, "No that's not what that means, because that's not how it happened."

"So you didn't think to tell me he was what? At your house?" Buffy glares.

"I didn't even know! Do you both not seem to remember I was here! I was with you all sitting same as you... worried. Trying to find him."

"And he just showed up out of nowhere. Appeared out of thin air?"

"No, look I-I called and told him that we were looking for him. And that you were concerned-"

"So you called and he answered? Why would he do that? I called and messaged-"

"It's not my fault he answered me and didn't answer you!"

Buffy shakes her head frowning as a tear runs down her cheek, "I thought you were my friend..."

"It's not like that! We were just friends, Buffy! I can't help it if he... I didn't tell him to come to my house. He showed up. I can't make him do something if he doesn't... look I'm sorry I didn't tell you he came to my house. But you found him when he went home. It's not like I knew where he was from the start."

Giles stands up interrupting the two, "Alright enough. No fighting. We need to work together and keep an even mind. Buffy if Laney says she didn't know then we should believe her."

"Why do you always take her side?" Buffy replies lowly.

Laney shakes her head frowning, "Maybe because I'm telling the truth. Believe me or not. I don't care. Either way he played all of us. He hasn't been Angel all day. So if we've seen him at all... he's been playing an act."

Giles huffs in frustration while sitting on the table edge, "If only we knew how it happened."

Buffy frowns, "What do you mean?"

"Well, something set it off. Some, some, uh, event must've triggered his transformation. Well, if anyone would know, Buffy, it-it should be you."

Buffy freezes immediately, "I don't."

"Well, did anything happen last night that, that might..."

Buffy tears up and shakes her head before standing, "Giles, please, I can't."

She runs from the library making everyone stare at the door as it closes.

"Buffy, I'm sorry, but we can't afford to... Buffy!"

"Giles, shut up." Willow says sadly as she realizes what Buffy had just realized.

"This is great." Cordelia smiles sarcastically, "There's an unkillable demon in town, Angel's joined his team, the Slayer is a basket case... I'd say we've hit bottom."

"I have a plan."

Cordelia stares at Xander scared, "Oh, no, here's a lower place."

Laney chuckles.

Cordelia peeks over a glance at Laney. Laney catches Cordelia's eyes then looks away emotionless.

Cordelia sighs and looks down at her trembling hand. She quickly holds both hands together under the table in her lap to hide them.

Xander shakes his head, "I don't know what's up with Angel, but I think I may have a way to deal with this Judge guy."

"What do we do?" Willow questions.

"I think, um..." Xander looks at Cordelia, then back at Willow, "I think I may need Cordelia for this one."

Willow lowers her eyes for just an instant as Laney scoffs across the room.

"Oh of course you do..."

Giles rubs his forehead, "Laney..."

Laney rolls her eyes chuckling to herself now feeling upset. She makes a gesture as if she was locking a key at her lips and throwing the key away.

Xander continues on slightly hurt by Laney's new attitude towards him but he knew it was well deserved, "And um we may need wheels."

"Well, my car is..."

Xander interrupts Cordelia, "It might have to be bigger."

Willow raises her hand, "No problem. I'll get Oz. He has a van."

"Good." He looks at Cordelia, "Okay."

"Care to let me in on the plan I'm a part of?" Cordelia asks.

"No."

"Why not?" She stands up with her hands on her hips.

"Because if I tell you, then you won't do it. Just meet me at Willow's house in half an hour. And wear something trashy..." he looks at her and walks off, "...er."

Cordelia is incensed and follows him.

Giles sighs as he looks at the door, "I'm not sure what we should do about Buffy."

Jenny shrugs, "Assuming they don't attack tonight I think we should just let her be."

Willow nods, "I agree."

"I-I-I can imagine what she's going through."

Willow shakes her head at Giles, "No, I don't think you can."

Willow gathers her things into her bag then gets up and leaves the library.

Laney taps her fingernails against the table softly while biting her lip and thinking to herself. Giles sighs rubbing his forehead as he takes off his glasses. Jenny peeks over at Laney seeing the look on her face then frowns.

"You alright Laney?"

Laney freezes and then nods trying not to make eye contact with either of them.

"Yeah... I-I... never mind."

"You look like you have something to say... go ahead."

Laney frowns as Jenny stares at her and now Giles gives her his full attention. She clears her throat and shrugs while pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I-I was just thinking... could we have known?"

"I'm sorry I don't understand?"

"Is there anyway we could've known before. Like any sign that Angel would... change?"

Jenny sighs crossing her arms over her chest as she sits back into her seat, "Yeah um... he would've been in pain. His chest would've felt like someone was tugging his heart out. H-"

"Uh oh..."

Girls frowns, "What uh oh?"

Laney closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before opening them and staring at Jenny and Giles with slight guilt.

"Not to toot my own horn... but I don't think Buffy is the only reason he changed."

"How so?" Giles asks completely lost as Jenny stares knowingly.

"Well Angel and I are very good friends. And so good of friends that gave me a necklace. Which was made regarding friendship, loyalty, and devotion... I can't help but think that I am a little bit at fault. Last night he walked me home to make sure Spike's men weren't following me. It was before he um talked to Buffy. Anyways he told me that his chest... he said he had an indescribable pain. I told him that we would ask Giles the next day. That he should go back to Buffy."

Jenny gasps standing up immediately. She begins to pace around while shaking her head in disbelief.

"It wasn't her... it was you."

Laney freezes, "Me? What was me?"

"You brought him peace and happiness. Contentment. He felt happy to be his true self around you. Laney, you lifted the curse on him."

"M-me?"

"You..."

"Oh no... Buffy's gonna be pissed..."

'Five letters... only now I'm pretty sure it's seven.' 😗😌 come on y'all... that was a good one. Do y'all understand this? It's kinda like a riddle... not really but whatever.

Y'all this is only two chapter into Angelus being here and it's already a WILD RIDE!! I'm having fun writing about him though! He's such a great villain.

What do you think about Buffy and Laney's argument? Should Laney have immediately told them all about Angel coming to her house when they thought he was missing?

Do you think there's anything Laney can do to make the Scooby Gang trust her?

Future predictions?

Any special requests...

Also just for fun!!

Laney's Outfit