Disclaimer- I don't own, you don't sue, okay?
Timeline- Indicated in the story.
Author's Notes- // Indicates lyrics, by me. // **Indicates thoughts** I know I am going to win the Golden Spork for this one, but it will turn out alright, PROMISE!! Also, Faith is alive for the purpouses of this story, she ran to LA.
Summary- A demonic Buffy wrecks havoc on the Slayer's life...three years later, Angel finds out the REAL truth about why his girlfriend was acting so strange, and he realizes that he may have lost her forever.
Series: Dark Princess

Part One

1999

The demon closed her eyes, feeling the power surge throughout her. An overwhelming air current threw her into a wall, and she was gone.

**Everybody has their darks**

**Yours is about to be freed**

******

"Hey, Buffy!" Willow said. Buffy turned around, looking stranger than ever. She gave Willow a once-over, and finally squeezed a 'Hi' out. She was dressed in a red silk halter top, and skintight black leather pants that flared out at the bottom. She had on four-inch heels, and tiger's eye contacts. Her hair was crimped and blown out. Altogether, she looked like a prostitute.

"New look...I...uh...new look." The redhead said, stuttering.

"Yeah." Buffy said. She really wanted this girl to stop bothering her. "Bored now. Bye."

"Isn't she Lil' Miss Sunshine," Willow muttered angrily. She looked towards the stage. Oz was playing tonight. She decided to direct her attention to her boyfriend, not her rude friend....

**Weird** she thought.

******

Buffy walked home. She found a girl and fed off of her. Then she met up with Angel. "Hey," Angel said.

"Hi."

He looked at her. **New look...** Then he noticed the blood above her lip. Angel moved in closer to wipe it off, and she harshly backed away. "Don't touch me," she said in a deathly low voice.

He backed away. She saw the hurt in his eyes, and smiled. **Just doing my job.**

"Look, I'm busy. I've gotta go."

"Alright...call me later? I need to talk to you."

She stopped suddenly, and turned around. "Schedule's suddenly free."

"There's a new demon in town, really powerful. It's names means 'bringer of Hell.' It has the power to shapeshift, assume the form of anything it's touched. If it were to touch a vampire, then a human, and then a demon, it could merge the beings into one all-powerful demon."

Buffy paused a moment. "Here's an interesting revalation- who cares?"

A look of surprise passed over Angel's face. "W-What? What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I just said, you moron. WHO CARES? If you wanna kill it so much, do it yourself. Don't bother wasting MY time on it. In fact, don't bother wasting my time anymore. 'Bye," she said, agitated and angry.

******

Two Weeks Later

Buffy managed to drive all of her friends away, even Angel. Giles no longer spoke to her, except in dire matters of urgency, such as this new demon, to which she replied, "Do it yourself. I don't care." She began cutting classes, and then started skipping school altogether. Willow, Xander, Oz, or Cordelia occasionally saw her at the Bronze, where she remained lonley unless she was dancing, not really dancing, 'engaging in a mating ritual' with one of them, then they left. Most of the guys were never seen again. She moved out of the house, stopped patrolling, and even stopped seeing Angel.

What was up with Buffy?

Angel was walking home from patrolling one night when he met up with her- the old her, dressed in boots, a black hooded sweatshirt, and jeans, with her hair pulled back in a half-bun. She was beaten up, and pale as death. Bruises covered her once beautiful body, alongside covered cuts, one especially large one across her abdomen in the shape of a cross.

"Angel!!" she cried.

"Go away." He refused to meet her eye-to-eye. A deep pain welled up inside of him, like a cross was shoved through his undead heart.

"W-what?" Buffy asked in a beaten, bruised voice.

"I said GO AWAY. Why the hell is it so hard for you to understand? We all GOT your message, loud and clear, Buffy! It said 'Stay away, I don't care anymore!' I thought I loved you...."

".....I guess I was wrong."

He didn't stop there. "You know what? Come on. Hit me. HIT ME! Take out all that rage, all that frustration that you must have had for the past two weeks, and HIT ME!!"

"What? Angel, you're acting crazy..."

He roughly grabbed her arm. A crazy look filled his hollow, pained eyes. "Hit me, Buffy. Do it now, because I never want to see you again."

She wanted to know what was going on. For the past two weeks, she had been in the hospital. She wondered why nobody came to visit, not her mother, her friends, Angel, anyone.

"Angel, what's GOING ON??!! Why are you acting like this??"

The look in his eyes snapped. He raised his arm, and hit her hard in the jaw. He didn't stop, but when he finally did, she lie there, bruised more and bleeding, she looked up at him with eyes that were so pitiful, so hollow, that he said-

"I never want to see you again. I wish I never met you, and I don't love you anymore."

She got up, never looking him in the eye, and ran for miles.

Part Two

2002

Sunnydale

"Hey, Angel!" Willow called. All of the high school clique remained in contact after graduation, all of them in Sunnydale. Angel was newly human from a spell by Willow. He replied the same thing, and twisted the knob to open Giles's front door.

Giles sat hunched over some books, a worried look on his face. Then he looked up. "Oh, hello. Come in."

Angel looked around Giles's house. The last time he had been there was two nights ago.......

Two Nights Ago

The gang had fought hard. None of the major Scoobies had been killed in the battle, the End of Days. None of the living, anyways.

Angel had found her, righthand at the head of the fight. His Beloved, or she used to be. They figured out that Buffy was a vampire, and Angel was the male equivalent of the Slayer now, since Buffy had been turned.

He stalked up silently behind her. The stake was gripped firmly in his hand. Tears ran down his cheeks in rivers, and he plunged the stake into her back. She didn't turn around. He never got the chance to look into her hazel eyes one last time....to look at the demon in her eyes. He silently vowed to kill the person who had done this to her, and she crumpled into a pile of dust at his feet.

The wind picked up, carrying the ashes of his Beloved into the air. In a strange way, he envied her. He wanted to run after the ashes, to have something to remind him of her, but he didn't.

He couldn't.

He wouldn't.

They had returned to Giles's house after the battle. Willow and Xander were both fairly badly injured, Xander with a broken arm, Willow with two broken ribs. That was the worst of the injuries sustained.

The least. In Angel's mind they were lucky. He had just lost the woman he had loved, in bodily form, but not in spirit. Her soul had long since departed from her body.

******

Giles's House, NOW

"Hi, Giles. Anything exciting to report?" Willow asked.

"I'm afraid so. I-it seems that you didn't kill Buffy during the End of Days, Angel....."

"....because she's still alive, and has been for the past three and a half years."

******

Part Three

He felt like a giant sword had been stabbed through him. Like somebody ripped his heart out, just toying with it. Taunting him.

His Buffy was alive.

But he couldn't have been sadder.

"W-What??" Willow squeaked.

Giles cleared his throat. "Let me start at the beginning. Every person has a demon in Hell. If you are turned into a demon, such as a vampire, your soul takes the place of the demon. When your demon was resurrected from the demon dimension, Willow, it must have triggered the release of Buffy's. Th-Her demon found Buffy and tried to murder her. Buffy was badly beaten, and admitted into a hospital in Los Angeles. The demon came to Sunnydale, and...you know the rest. After that day, anything you did, anything you said, was to it."

Angel was crestfallen. Flashbacks of that now fateful conversation with Buffy plagued his mind.

"I never want to see you again. I wish I never met you, and I don't love you anymore."

Bitterly he thought that she had deserved it. The demon, not her. Never her. Never could he take back what he had said that day. The irony, him wanting to say that to the demonic bitch that took her life and twisted it to fit that of a killer, and yet saying it to the one person he had loved more than anything.

//Broken promises is what I saw
Scattered like shards of glass
I haven't forgotten
Everything I said
A new person saw through her eyes
And ruined everything she loved
While she just stood and watched and screamed
And I
I thought her dead...//

On his drive to Los Angeles, where Giles said that Buffy was (he had found out from the Council) he heard that song. It fit perfectly with the mood he was in. One question, one thought, one person filled his mind.

**Have I lost her forever?**

******

Part Four

"B, you coming? We've gotta be at Fat Daddys by ten!" Faith screamed. She was dressed to kill as she ascended down the stairs- snakeskin skintight pants, and a black halter top with high chunky heels and a slit that cut down to her cleavage, and the straps that tied around her neck.

"I'm ready. Sorry. You meeting Jeremy there?" Buffy asked the fellow Slayer.

"Ricky actually. Jeremy was cute, but he sucks in bed," Faith responded, smiling wickedly. The two had met up in LA while Buffy was walking around the neighborhood, during the summer (she finished high school in Los Angeles, not in her old school though) while Faith was on patrol. She had fled from Sunnydale before Buffy did. They talked their differences out, and became very good friends.

They entered the club, equipped with fake ID's. Faith danced while Buffy sat and talked alot, though she got up when she was asked. A screen of smoke filled the air there. It was dark, with various blacklights and multicolored lights flashing on and off in detatched intervals. It was hard to make out faces, but as she was dancing painstakingly slow with an attractive guy, she could make a face out clear as day.

Angel.

******

She was dancing....mating, as he had called it when she had danced like that with Xander so very long ago, with a guy when he saw her face go pale, her eyes cold and hard. She stopped dead, and began walking. Buffy grabbed a girl's arm, which upon closer inspection Angel would make out as Faith, and ran out the door. Faith threw a piece of paper from her pocket at the guy, saying loudly, "Call me!"

After she got outside, Faith inquired, "What the hell was that for?!"

Struggling to keep her voice steady, she said, "Angel."

"Holy shit," she muttered, glancing at the back door which they had exited from. "H-how did he find you? I know the story, you're some freakyass bitchy vampire back in Sunnyhell."

"I don't know..." Buffy said with an undertone of urgency in her voice.

Just then, the heavy metal door swung open, and out drifted the smell of smoke, alcohol, and various perfumes and colognes, along with him.

"Buffy," he whispered, his voice wavering.

She looked him straight in the eye, keeping the steely gaze, the cold voice, but he saw the look of innocence, of longing, and said, "I don't know you anymore."

The two started to run off, but he roughly grabbed her arm. Faith ran, afraid of the confrontation, saying that she would see Buffy at home. She turned around.

"Don't TOUCH me." Her fist went flying into his face, and he staggered backwards, though his grip on her arm did not ease.

"God, Buffy! Won't you even let me TALK to you?" He said, angry. Bringing his hand up to his face, he wiped the blood from his nose. She heard the longing in his voice.

"I thought you had said everything you wanted to three years ago. Remember, 'I never want to see you again....' I got the FRIGGIN message, Angel! I didn't go looking for you, and I would appreciate if you didn't look for me again!"

"Buffy, can I at least talk to you? Please?"

Her resolve weakened. "Fine," she said in a cold, emotionless tone.

******

Part Five

They went to a cafe. "Whaddya want?" the waitress said in an annoying voice.

"Cappichino. Extra foam." Buffy said, glancing at Angel.

"Black cof-" Angel started, only to have Buffy interrupt him. "He'll have the same," she said.

He looked at her queerly. "Coffee makes you jittery. I remembered...." she said, almost ashemedly.

"Oh," he said. The waitress brought their order. "Buffy, look, I know what went on now. Giles just found out. The council told him. I'm so sorry...I know what I said-"

"Angel, I don't want an apology! I gave up on you years ago. Remember that night? You thought I was some little tramp! She stole my life. You hated me. Wills hated me. Giles, Xander, Cordy, Anya, Oz, my teachers, even my own mother wouldn't talk to me! I talked to them before you, and they said the same thing! I...I couldn't take it after you talked to me. I left. It was too much. I met up with Faith here, just in time...."

"Just in time for what?"

"I tried to kill myself. I silt my wrists, I overdosed, I even tried to get a vampire to bite me. She stopped me. And I've been grateful...almost. I hate living. People in general piss me off....along with the vampires. Can't forget them....it's the only thing keeping me alive right now." She spoke with a bitter tone in her voice. "My sacred duty. Ha," she muttered, "They could overrun the city easily. All they have to do is kill Faith and I...."

"...and maybe I should let them..."

The last remark angered him. "Buffy. What happened to the OLD Buffy, the fun-loving, carefree, Buffy? The Buffy I loved."

She stared at him with anger filling her hazel eyes. "How do you know that was ME? Not my evil counterpart? You couldn't tell the difference when you decided I was the bitch that you hated. TELL ME, ANGEL?! HOW CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE? TELL ME MY FUTURE! READ ME MY FORTUNE! I was eightteen years old, Angel. EIGHTTEEN! And then my whole life got screwed around again. For the THIRD time in four years. I WISH you had STAYED dead, Angel! Maybe if you had I wouldn't be here talking to my ex-vampire boyfriend about suicide."

"Please. Go on, tell me how I hurt you! Because you know what?! I'M HUMAN, BUFFY! HUMAN! I killed the bitch who stole your life, and I did it with a smile on my face and a song in my heart. You stopped me from killing myself, more times than once, and I'm not going to let you do that. WHY, tell me WHY I would've come here if I didn't love you anymore, Buffy! For my own peace of mind? I'm not that man anymore. I wasn't a MAN when I did wanted that. Now I want back the woman I love. You, Buffy, only you."

Part Six

She started to cry. For the first time in three years, she cried. She hadn't since...since she left Sunnydale. Unable to look him in the eye, she picked up her coat, dropped some money on the table, and ran out the door.

"Wait!" he called after her. Dropping more money on the table, he ran after her. Buffy weaved through the alleys with expertise. Angel struggled to keep up, but finally ran and jumped on top of her. He hit her hard, and they both went flying into the ground. He heard her head hit the ground with a loud thud. After they stopped rolling, he sat up and cradled her in his arms. She was unconscious, and he could see a large bump forming on her head.

"Damn, she's *not* going to like me when she wakes up," he said. Taking her into his arms, he proceeded to walk to his hotel, which he realized was only a block away.

******

After he reached the hotel, he laid her on the bed. She looked so peaceful sleeping, he couldn't help curling up next to her. Wrapping his arms around her still, beautiful form, he felt her stir, just a little bit, then relax in his embrace.

Angel fell asleep with her curled up in his arms. He hadn't been this happy since he had become human.

Become human...she didn't know yet! He hadn't told her....that thought jolted him awake, causing him to move her. Silently he cursed, then relaxed. He could tell her when she woke up.

A few hours later, they woke up. Buffy moaned, grabbing her head. He heard her, and untangled his arms from her.

Noticing their position, Buffy looked in disbelief at him. "Did you have fun, Angel?" she spat vehemently.

Angel realized what it had looked like. "Buffy, God, no. I wouldn't do that, and you know it."

"How would I? For all I know you came back here and raped me," she said, when sudden realization dawned on her. "Oh, God, you're Angelus, aren't you?"

"NO! I mean, no...Buffy, I need to tell you something. I'm human."

"W-What?"

"I'm human. Willow is a really powerful witch, and she found a spell to make me human. Spike is, too. We both retained out vampiric strength. It...she did it right after the End of Days."

"Oh God..." she said, stumbling backwards. She balanced herself on the bed and sat down. "Oh God, you're human."

Furiously she threw her arms around him and her tongue found it's way into his mouth. She pinned him to the bed, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you sure?" he asked when her tongue was removed from his mouth.

"I'm sure."

She found herself again that night, and he found her.

Part Seven

"This is...nice," she said. It had been two weeks since he found her. They had gone back to Sunnydale for an edgy reunion with the gang, but all was forgiven. The couple was 'like little bunny rabbits, always doing it,' according to Anya.

Willow was four months pregnant with her first child. It was just beginning to show. Anya and Spike were together, oddly enough, as a fitting couple. So were Willow and Oz, and Xander and Cordelia.

Later that month, while the guys were out doing 'manly things' according to Xander, Buffy had a few questions for Willow.

"Wills, when you were first pregnant, what were your symptoms?" she asked the mother-to-be.

"Well...I was sick every morning..that sucked, and Oz thought I had the flu, so he made me go in to the hospital for a checkup. And I craved the weirdest foods! Pickles and chocolate chip cookies."

"Oh," she replied.

"Why?" the redhead asked.

"No reason," she said a little too quickly.

******

Three days later, morning

Buffy was roused out of bed by the feeling in her stomach again. It had been a residual thing, every morning. Sometimes if she laid there for a while and didn't move, the nausea would go away. No such luck this morning, in fact it was greater than it usually was.

Angel hadn't come home last night. He had called late-Buffy had been up, insomnia sucked, she decided-and said that he wouldn't be home.

She jolted out of bed, the wave of nausea becoming almost painful, ran to the bathroom, and threw up everything she had eaten for days. Usually she only vomited once, but this morning, for some reason, everything was stronger than usual. She threw up four times before being able to stop. Trying to regain her breath, she felt another pang of pain in her stomach. She cried out loud, and breathed deeply for a few moments.

Later that afternoon, after trying to keep some food down (with no such success) she went to get an EPT.

She went home to find Angel sitting in the living room watching TV. Hiding the bag behind her back, she leaned down to kiss him.

"Hi baby," she said sweetly.

"Hi. How are you?"

"Fine," she said, trying to make the consistent pounding in her head go away.

"Willow called. She wants you to call her back."

"I'll go do that."

She walked into the bathroom farthest from the living room and pulled it out. Waiting was the hardest thing to do. Finally she gathered the courage to look at the strip.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered.

Part Eight

She called Willow. Her voice was shaky, and her fingers trembled while dialing the familiar numbers. "Hi, Wills."

"Hey. I was wondering if you wanted to come over tonight. Oz is gone. He went to Chicago for a gig, you knew that they were gonna make it big someday...so I was wondering if we could have a girl's nignt. At home, though. I can't drink in my condition," she said.

"Neither can I," Buffy muttered.

Willow caught it. "What? Buffy, are you-"

"Pregnant." She whispered the word so Angel wouldn't hear it.

"OH MY GOSH! Does Angel know yet?"

"No. I just found out myself. Will, I'm so scared. I-I'm not ready for kids! I kill my goldfish! And what if Angel doesn't want kids?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"Trust me, Angel wants kids, as long as their yours. They *are* his, right?"

"Of course! I haven't been with anyone else."

"You need to tell him. Do it now, Buffy. Call me back."

"Okay-" she said, but the wiccan had already hung up.

"Okay...."

******

"Angel? Can we talk?"

He turned the television off. "Sure, honey. Is something wrong?" he asked, concern weaved in his tone.

"Well...not excatly..."

"Baby, drop the cryptic. That was my thing."

She smiled at the memory of his brooding. "I'm...I'm pregnant. With your child, Angel."

His face was a mask, and it turned into a flash of joy. "P-P-Pregnant?! Are you sure!?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, God! Buffy, you look beautiful! I love you! Think about it...you're carrying something made with our love. I never thought that would happen," he said, sweeping her into his arms. She beamed a radient smile at him.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you more!"

"Let's see about that," he said, gently nibbling on her ear. He carried her into the bedroom.

******

"What about patrolling? And what will we name him...her...it?"

"You can't patrol anymore, love. It could harm the baby," he said, when she started to protest.

"Names? We need boy and girl."

"Hmm...how about Jonathon for a boy, and Joanna for a girl."

"Eew! No way!" she cried.

"Well, we *could* name him Spike..." he said, smiling at her.

"...or Xander!!" she said.

"NO WAY! My kid is not gonna be a Xander!"

"We could name him Angel."

"Think about how much he's gonna get teased," he said.

"Yeah, you're right..." she said, "Can we think about this later, baby? I'm really tired."

"Of course, love. Sleep. We can talk later, we have nine months."

And so the Slayer fell asleep in the arms of her Angel, with their child inside.

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