Cold hatred gleamed in the eyes of the man opposite. If looks could kill, Angel knew with certainty he'd be a pile of ashes by now. "No," he said quietly, "I haven't forgotten you."

       Buffy swiftly moved in front of Angel, although with her short stature she didn't provide much of a shield against a crossbow bolt. "Who are you?" she demanded. "And what do you want?"

       "Buffy." Angel tried to move her aside but she refused to budge.

       "I want justice," the man declared, "For two hundred years I have waited for it, and now I will finally find it."

       "No, I don't think you will," Angel replied sadly . . . painfully. "There is no justice for what I did to you."

       "Who are you?" Buffy again asked.

       The stranger inclined his head a trifle in greeting, but his eyes never left the vampire. "Daniel Holtz, vampire hunter. Who might you be, mistress?"

       Buffy crossed her arms. "Buffy Summers, Vampire Slayer."

       "The Slayer!" The point of the crossbow wavered as Holtz stared at her. "You are the Chosen One?"

       She raised her chin. "That's right."

       Willow piped up, "She really is!" Xander and Dawn nodded, and Giles cleared his throat to contribute, "And I am Rupert Giles, her Watcher."

       Holtz stared at Giles too, then sent his gaze around the entire group, ending back at Buffy. "Then the events I witnessed tonight become even more inexplicable. You claim to be the Slayer, yet not only have you not slain Angelus, I saw you in his arms, kissing him." His mouth twisted.

       "No," Buffy replied. "I was kissing Angel, not Angelus. They're not the same."

       "Indeed." Holtz narrowed his eyes, then reaching into his pocket pulled out a small glass bottle. He pulled the cork out with his teeth and tossed the liquid contents at the couple. Buffy instinctively flinched as the drops fell on her, but Angel cried out in pain. Whirling around, Buffy saw him vamp out in instinctive reaction, his skin sizzling and turning red wherever the liquid had struck.

       "Holy water!" she exclaimed, rounding on Holtz furiously. Dawn, who had been standing frozen in the background, darted forward with a bottle of Evian. "Here, Buffy, use this," she urged. Buffy quickly doused the hot spots on Angel's skin with the spring water. Immediately the sizzling stopped, although the redness remained.

       Angel closed his eyes, sighing with relief. "Thank you," he murmured.

       After a quick glance to make sure she'd gotten all the burns, Buffy turned back to Holtz. "Why did you do that?" she demanded, eyes flashing. Behind her, Angel's face returned to its human mode.

       "To test the truth of your statement," he retorted, "and it failed the test. Your �Angel' is a vampire; therefore, he is Angelus . . . albeit with very strange hair."

       Giles stepped forward. "Angel is a vampire, yes. But he is no longer Angelus; he has a soul."

       "I doubt that he's interested in hearing this, Giles," said Angel. He slipped around Buffy and faced Holtz. Buffy started to move between them again, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm and a quiet "Buffy." Shooting Angel a hard glance she complied, but remained alert, watching Holtz's tiniest move like a hawk.

       Holtz ignored the interruption. "Impossible," he said flatly.

       "Not for the Romany," Giles told him. Holtz's eyes flickered. "More than one hundred years ago the Kalderash tribe cursed Angelus by restoring his soul - rather, the soul of the body Angelus possessed. It is that person you see before you, not Angelus. His name is Angel."

       Holtz's face grew taut. Before he could speak the front door flew open and a horde of demons streamed in. The Scoobies instinctively spread out, grabbing weapons.

       "Grapplar demons," muttered Giles, hefting the chunk of crystal he still held in his hand. "Mercenaries."

       Holtz spun around. "Halt!"

       The demons obediently stopped , looking first at Holtz then each other with confusion. "Hold your attack," Holtz ordered. "I must find out the truth here." He turned around. "Are you telling me that Angelus has been destroyed?"

       "No," Angel and Giles said simultaneously. Giles added, "Angelus is still there, but he is helpless to act. Angel is in control of his own body, not Angelus, and Angel fights with us for the Powers That Be. In fact, he is one of Their greatest warriors."

       "You expect me to believe this?" said Holtz with disdain. "This - story? It sounds like the tales I would tell my daughter at bedtime - while she still lived, of course." His glance at Angel was icy; the crossbow still pointed at him.

       "It's all true," Giles said steadily, "as you can easily ascertain with a little research."

       Holtz stared at him for a long minute, then turned to the demons. "Go. Return to your base and do not attack anyone on the way there." The demons hesitated, then reluctantly turned and left the building, shooting sullen glances over their shoulders. Once the door closed behind them Holtz lowered his arm so that the crossbow dangled at his side.

       "Holtz," said Angel. "How did you come here, to this time?"

       Turning around, Holtz gestured with his free hand, as if brushing that aside. "That isn't important."

       "Yes, it is," Angel disagreed. "It's important to you. Only dark magics could have brought you this far. Was it a demon, or something else?"

       The vampire hunter only looked impatient.

       Angel persisted. "Did something come to you - or did you seek it out? Holtz, what did you have to give up for this chance at vengeance?"

       At that, Holtz's lips tightened. "Give up? I had nothing left to give up. You saw to that."

       Everyone there knew what that meant, and they all flinched. Xander looked grim. Anya nodded to herself, her eyes flickering over Angel. Dawn's gaze dropped to the floor. Willow, Tara, and Giles all cast sympathetic looks at the man with the crossbow. Buffy too displayed compassion for Holtz's pain, but she also put her hand on Angel's arm, lightly, showing with that touch her understanding of his anguish.

       Angel closed his eyes momentarily. "We took a lot from you, that's true. But we didn't take everything. We couldn't take your soul."

       Holtz snapped, "What do you know about souls?" then stopped. "Oh yes," he said sarcastically, "I forgot. You have one now so I guess you're an expert? Should I expect you to take Holy Orders next?"

       "No, I'm not an expert on souls," Angel replied evenly, "but I know yours will be destroyed if you allow yourself to be used in the service of evil. You know it too. You're a good man, Holtz . . . a righteous man. And you're being used by something for some purpose other than justice."

       "Why do you say that?" Holtz eyed him.

       "Because there's a prophecy about something or someone called the Tro-clon. �Raised up from darkness to bring darkness.' " Angel glanced at Giles. "Wesley called me about it yesterday; I was going to tell you when this was all over. He believes it arrived about a week ago, in L.A." He sent his eyes back to Holtz. "When did you arrive here, in this time? And was it in Los Angeles?"

       "One week ago," Holtz admitted with reluctance, "and yes, I arrived somewhere in Los Angeles. What else does the prophecy say about this Tro-clon?"

       Angel shrugged. "The usual. Ruination of mankind stuff."

       Holtz straightened. "Then it cannot refer to me. I did not come to destroy mankind, only two vampires."

       "You didn't," Giles put in, "but what about whatever it was that brought you here?"

       Holtz shook his head. "Sahjhan has no substance in this world; he cannot physically interact with it."

       "Which might be why he brought you here, to be his tool." Surprisingly, it was Xander who spoke. "Which makes me wonder why he wants Angel dead so badly - not that there aren't a lot of people who might agree with him, but that's beside the point. And if I might just add something - why don't we all sit down and get comfortable? I don't know about anybody else, but I'm tired of standing here like we're posing for pictures."

       "That's an excellent idea, Xander," agreed Giles. "Mr. Holtz, can I offer you anything in the way of refreshment? All I have here in the shop is water, coffee, and tea - "

       "And chocolate chip cookies!" Anya darted over to the table holding the plate of cookies. Xander, Dawn, Tara, and Willow all found places to sit. Buffy, Angel, Holtz and Giles remained where they were.

       "Er, yes, and cookies," Giles agreed. "However, if you would care to accompany me back to my flat I have a selection of beers and ales - and other drinks too, of course."

       Holtz stared at him. "You are inviting me to your home," he finally said, "after I threatened you with a weapon?"

       Giles shrugged. "Angel says you are a good man. For the moment, I'm willing to trust his judgment." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his handkerchief and began cleaning his glasses.

       Holtz glanced at Angel, then said, "Thank you, Mr. - Giles, is it?" Giles nodded. "I accept your invitation. I must admit, a good English or German beer would be welcome right now." Then he added, "But first, I have a question for - " he hesitated "- for Angel."

       He turned his head toward the vampire. "Where is Darla? If you are here she cannot be far away." Then he glanced at Buffy, at the hand that still lay on Angel's arm. "No, I suppose that has changed too?"

       "Definitely," Angel nodded. "I haven't seen Darla in almost a year, when I told her to leave Los Angeles because the next time I saw her I would kill her. I have no idea where she is now."

       "You had the chance to destroy her but you let her live?" Holtz's eyes flashed. "You claim to be a warrior for good but you set her loose to kill again? How can you possibly justify that?"

       "I can't," said Angel bleakly. "It was wrong to let her go, but - I couldn't kill her. There are a lot of complicated reasons why not, but they would take all night to tell and they all boil down to the fact that at that particular time and place, I simply could not do it. However, if she crosses my path again, I will. Without hesitation."

       Before Holtz could respond, Giles said, "Mr. Holtz, why don't we go get that beer now?" Holtz glared at Angel for a moment longer, then stiffly inclined his head and turned toward the door. Giles glanced at the paraphernalia from their spellcasting. "Anya, would you and the others mind cleaning this up, please?"

       Anya sniffed. "Sure, leave the mess for us!"

       Willow got up. "It's okay, Giles. We'll take care of it." Dawn made a face but also stood and began gathering up candles.

       "Xander," said Buffy, "will you see that everyone gets home safely?"

       "No problemo," Xander said, and Buffy looked at her sister. "I'll be home in a couple of hours." Dawn nodded and Giles and Holtz left, followed by Buffy and Angel.

       Twenty minutes later the four of them were comfortably seated in Giles' living room with various beverages in their hands. "You say this Sahjhan is a dimension-traveler?" Giles asked.

       Holtz took a hearty swallow of dark ale. "That is what he told me, at least."

       "Since it's highly unlikely that he acted from altruistic motives when he enabled you to come to our time, do you have any idea why he would want Angel dead?"

       Holtz shook his head. "I was not in the humor to ask many questions when he made me his offer - or when I arrived here."

       Giles cleared his throat. "Er, no, I suppose not. Very well then, our first priority is to identify Sahjhan." Walking over to a bookcase, he selected several volumes and handed them to his guests. Buffy and Angel exchanged amused glances, then set their drinks on the coffee table and bent to their task.

       Holtz stared at the one given to him, touching it reverently with his fingertips. "This is a wondrous time you live in," he said. "With the touch of a button you can hear the music of the ages, and centuries of accumulated knowledge are bound together in print, available to anyone."

       "It's pretty amazing, all right," Angel agreed. Holtz slanted an enigmatic glance at him and opened his book. His attitude toward the vampire since they'd arrived at Giles's couldn't be called friendly, but neither did it contain the hatred and hostility he'd exhibited at the beginning. Neutral, that was the best word, thought Angel. Not that he believed Holtz was really feeling neutral. He resumed his study.

       An hour passed; discarded volumes littered the coffee table and floor. Buffy looked up. "Is this him?" She passed her book to Holtz, who took one look at the drawing and nodded.

       "This is he," he said grimly. Giles walked over and read over his shoulder. "A Granok demon," he said, straightening. "Strange, there's no mention here of Granoks having the ability to pass through dimensions." He glanced inquiringly at Angel, who shrugged.

       "Sorry, Giles. Never heard of them." He held out his hand. Holtz hesitated, then handed the volume over. Angel studied the illustration. "Doesn't ring any bells. As far as I can remember I've never met him, and I have pretty good recall." He returned the book to Holtz.

       Buffy stood up. "Well, I need to get home to Dawn. Giles, I'll check in with you tomorrow morning to get any updates. Angel, will you walk me home?"

       Angel smiled. "Of course."

       Hiding his own amused smile, Giles turned another page as Angel rose to his feet. After the goodnights had been said and the door had closed behind them, Holtz turned to Giles. "Why is the Slayer afraid to walk home alone?"

       Giles chuckled. "It has nothing to do with Buffy being afraid. She wanted some private time with Angel."

       Holtz looked down. "I see." After a moment he reached for another book.

       Buffy walked silently hand-in-hand with Angel, enjoying both his presence beside her and the night. Tilting her head back, she breathed in deeply. God, it was good to feel normal again! Above them the moon was bright and stars sparkled, playing peekaboo with a few wispy, drifting clouds. The temperature had dropped a bit, and the slight breeze was crisp but not chilling - fairly typical for southern California at that time of year.

       "So tell me about Holtz," Buffy said finally.

       Angel sighed. "What is there to say? He hunted Darla and me, and we got tired of it so we killed his entire family." He flinched away from the memory of a baby lying pale and motionless in its cradle, eyes staring, blood staining its white gown. "He'd hated us before simply because of what we were, but after that I think he went a little insane."

       "Not hard to see why," noted Buffy. "So do you think he's accepted that you're not the same person now? That you're not Angelus, I mean."

       "No," Angel said flatly. "We destroyed everything he loved, Buffy, and Darla Turned his eight-year-old daughter into a vampire. I heard later that he sat with her all night, then carried her in his arms into the sunrise."

       Buffy bit her lip, a look of pain crossing her face. Angel went on, "He endangered his immortal soul by allying himself with a demon in order to exact his vengeance. Holtz put up a good front tonight, but it's going to take more than a few words from Giles or me - or anyone - to change his mind."

       Buffy nodded soberly. "That's what I figured. So you need to be especially careful, Angel. Watch your back."

       Angel squeezed her hand. "I'll be careful; I promise."

       "You better be or I'll never forgive you," she said. Her tone was light but Angel heard the pain and worry beneath it. "You too," he told her. "The Holtz I used to know would never have considered using an innocent person just to get to me, but this isn't the old Holtz. I don't know what he's capable of now. You need to watch out too."

       "I will," Buffy promised, then added without pause, "We haven't had a chance to talk about what happened this evening. Before Holtz entered the picture, I mean."

       "No," Angel agreed. "That pretty much took our minds off everything else." He twisted his head to look into her face. "How are you doing?"

       She smiled up at him, squeezing his hand. "I'm doing great. I feel alive again."

       "You're not - " He searched for the right word. Earlier she'd said she wasn't angry, but that didn't mean she couldn't be "- upset? I mean, about that day."

       Buffy sighed, growing serious. "Of course I'm upset about it. The whole thing upsets me. You were human and we were together and happy. Obviously something had to go wrong."

       The bitterness in her voice wrung his heart. He stopped and faced her. "I had to do it, Buffy. I couldn't take the chance that you might die because you were protecting me - or because I wasn't strong enough to protect you. That would have killed me."

       "I know." It didn't take *too* much effort to smile. "I probably would have done the same thing - I mean, you know, if I were you and you were me. It's okay, Angel. What matters is that we're together now."

       "Yes," was all he said. Hanging between them was the unspoken acknowledgment that it wasn't the same, couldn't be the same, but what was the point in going there? It wouldn't change the stark truth that as long as his curse remained - or at least, the happiness clause in it - they couldn't be together fully, hearts and bodies. He bent down and their lips met.

       "Yes," Buffy sighed when finally the kiss ended. Angel stroked strands of hair back from her forehead and kissed her again, tenderly and briefly. Clasping hands, they resumed their walk. When they reached Buffy's house, she paused beneath the big elm tree in the front yard.

       "Meet me for patrol in an hour?" she asked.

       Angel eyed her with a frown. "Buffy, are you sure you're up to it? You've been through a lot today; maybe you should rest."

       She dismissed his concern with a gesture. "I'm fine, and I think I should let Sunnydale vamps know that the Slayer's back in business. Maybe you should rest, though. I mean, you've been doing my job for me the past few nights."

       He raised an eyebrow. "And let you go out alone on your first night back? Not a chance."

       "So - one hour, then?"

       "One hour," he concurred. "I'll meet you here."

       "Okay." Buffy moved closer and tugged gently at his head. Angel obediently leaned down and they kissed again. It was several minutes before they drew apart.

       "One hour," she murmured.

       "One hour."

       Holtz prowled through the cemetery, every sense alert for his quarry. Giles (the Watcher had eventually persuaded him to drop the "Mr.") had offered him a bed for the night, but he knew sleep would be impossible. When he'd come to Sunnydale his entire being had been focused on one thing and one thing only: finding Angelus and at long last bringing him to justice. Now . . . now his mind was in turmoil.

       If the story Giles had recounted was true, then the evil being he'd hunted for so long was already enduring a mental and emotional punishment far beyond any physical torment he could have devised. Angelus was held captive in the body he'd once commanded, forced to watch helplessly as the entity in control fought and destroyed his own kind and refused to give in to the blood-lust. For Angelus, there could be no greater torture; simple death would have been preferable

       But could he believe what he'd been told? It wasn't that he thought the Watcher had lied to him, but he knew he hadn't heard the entire story. Something was being kept back; he could sense it. And until he found out what it was, he intended to keep a close eye on Angelus or Angel or whatever he chose to call himself. Which was why he was here, in this graveyard. Giles had mentioned that Angel would probably patrol again tonight.

       As he neared one of the numerous mausoleums he heard sounds of scuffling. Cautiously he peered around the corner. Angel and the Slayer - er, Buffy - were fighting vampires - six of them, he counted. A few feet away he spied a body lying crumpled on the ground. Keeping a wary eye on the combatants, Holtz stole over and checked for a pulse. Judging from his clothing and generally unwashed, neglected appearance, he appeared to be a vagabond, one of those called the "homeless" in this age. When he found no signs of life, he turned his attention back to the fighters just in time to see Buffy dodge a vicious blow. Moving in under the vampire's arm, she staked him then instantly aimed a kick at another vampire, sending him flying into a nearby tree.

       Silently Holtz melted back into the shadows, where he could observe unseen. Angel was busy with his own opponents, but Holtz saw him glance in Buffy's direction. "Behind you!" Angel yelled.

       Even as the words left his mouth Buffy dropped and rolled, and the metal bar aimed at her head whistled harmlessly above her. The momentum spun its wielder around in a circle. Buffy shot one leg out in a sweeping movement, and he crashed to the ground, where Buffy staked him before he knew what had happened. The vampire she'd kicked into the tree had now joined the three that were fighting Angel. Buffy ran over. Two of the Undead broke away and began circling her; the other two stayed where they were, with Angel.

       "Two of us against four of you," she observed, ducking a blow and then dodging a kick. "Doesn't seem very fair." One of the vampires, a tall man with short black hair, laughed. "Run away if you want to, Slayer. We'll find you again after we take care of your boyfriend here."

       Buffy ran two steps and jumped, using a nearby headstone to take off from. She crashed straight into the vampire, at the last moment bringing her stake up against her body, pointed side out. Grabbing her, he started to grin, but then a look of utter astonishment covered his face. A moment later his ashes powdered the ground. Buffy turned to his female companion.

       "I meant it wasn't fair to you."

       The woman snarled, yellow eyes glaring through the long tangles of blonde hair straggling over her face. She darted in, landing a punch that sent the other woman sprawling, and jumped on top of her. They rolled about on the ground, Buffy struggling to keep the vampire away from her neck.

       "Since when did you become the Slayer's lapdog, Angelus?" jeered one of the vampires circling around Angel. The second vampire, an older man with long gray-streaked hair fastened behind his neck, also began moving around him.

       "A long time ago, Damien; where have you been?" Angel answered. Holtz pricked up his ears. So Angelus - Angel - knew his opponent!

       "She must be really something." The second vampire leered, his insinuation obvious.

       "More than you can even begin to imagine, Lasalle," Angel said softly. Holtz noted this use of a second name. "Oh, and just for future reference - not that either of you has a future - the name is Angel."

       The two vamps continued circling, just out of his reach. He turned his head slightly from one side to the other, turning with them and keeping them in his peripheral vision. Suddenly they rushed him, one from each side. Angel flung his arms out and to Holtz's astonishment two sharp stakes shot out from the depths of his coat sleeves. Unable to stop in time, the vamps impaled themselves. Stunned, Holtz watched the powdery ash float down. One of his concerns was answered; he'd just seen Angel stake vampires he knew personally.

       Instantly Angel started toward Buffy and the remaining vampire, but before he took more than a couple of steps there was another shower of dust, and Buffy was alone on the ground, coughing and waving her stake-free hand to clear the air. He helped her to her feet. "Are you okay?"

       Still coughing, Buffy brushed ash off her clothing. "Yuck. Just think how much of this stuff I've inhaled in seven years. I hate to think what my lungs look like." She ran the back of her hand over her mouth and looked at it. "Probably the same as my face. Look, it's Chimney Sweep Buffy." She began swiping at her cheeks and forehead.

       Angel laughed. Holtz narrowed his eyes. It was the same laugh he'd heard so many times in the past, yet there was a significant difference. This laugh entirely lacked the mocking tone so familiar to anyone who knew Angelus.

       "It's obvious you've never seen a real chimney sweep," Angel told her. "Here, you missed a few spots." Pulling a white handkerchief from his pocket, he touched it to his tongue and dabbed her face here and there. "There you are."

       Buffy smiled up at him. "So how do I look now?"

       Angel kissed her on the tip of her nose. "Stop fishing. You know you look beautiful - as always."

       Buffy moved a step closer. "You could show me," she insinuated, winding her arms around his waist. "Or not," she added, as more vamps suddenly streamed out of the mausoleum.

       "Maybe later," Angel agreed, "when hopefully we'll have fewer interruptions." Separating, they resumed the fight.

       From his place of concealment Holtz watched as, one by one, they destroyed their opponents. They worked as a team, their movements as smooth and fluid as if they'd been choreographed. In an amazingly short time the new group of vampires were only ashes blowing in the wind. And powdering the ground . . . and headstones . . . and shrubbery.

       After checking the mausoleum to make sure no more vamps remained ("Were they having a Creature of the Night Convention in there or something?" Buffy wondered), the two continued their patrol, with Holtz their observant, silent shadow. They encountered and dispatched five more vampires before calling it a night. This time Holtz felt no surprise when Angel accompanied Buffy on the walk back to her house. Once there, he watched as they came together in a long kiss, drew apart, murmured their farewells, and then kissed again before Buffy finally went inside. Angel lingered beneath the tree until the light in an upstairs room came on - the Slayer's bedroom, Holtz assumed - and only then walked away.

       Safely hidden from view, Holtz waited until Angel passed by, then once again fell in a discreet distance behind him. He tailed the vampire to a street that made him blink. Unlike most of Sunnydale that he'd seen, this area contained only a few large houses, each on its own extensive grounds. None of the houses showed any lights, but that wasn't exactly surprising for that time of night. Angel disappeared into the shadows in front. As Holtz prepared to follow, a car turned the corner onto the street, its headlights flashing over him. He ducked back into the concealment of a large shrub until the car had safely passed, then looked for Angel. The vampire was nowhere to be seen.

       Holtz crept stealthily toward the house. A shadow passed by a window, inside, and he froze. It was unmistakably Angel. Alarm bells rang in his mind. Why had Angel come to this lonely place, at this time of night? Feeling something under his foot, he looked down. It was a rag doll. He picked it up and felt his heart swell. His little Sarah had once had a doll very like this one. So children lived here! Well, this was one family Angelus would not destroy!

       He ran for the door, lips drawn back from his teeth. Prepared to smash his way inside, at the last moment he stopped and tried the handle. Maybe Angelus had been careless . . . yes! The door opened at his touch. He strode inside and listened. All was silent; not even a whimper to be heard.

       "Holtz?"

       He jumped and spun around as the lights flared to life. The vampire stood in a nearby doorway, his hand on a wall switch. Holtz raised his crossbow. "This time you will not succeed, Angelus. This time I will stop you!"

       Angel cocked his head. "You're going to stop me from sleeping?"

       Taken aback, Holtz blinked. "What?"

       "I was getting ready to go to bed."

       For the first time Holtz really looked at the vampire. He was shirtless, his pants were unbuttoned, with the belt dangling open, and his feet were bare. "What?" he said again. "You were going to sleep here?"

       "Why not?" asked Angel, . "I live here. Well, I do when I'm in town. I own this house."

       Again Holtz blinked. "This house . . . is yours?"

       "I bought it a few years ago," Angel confirmed. "Just had to pay the back taxes on it, mostly. The neighborhood isn't what it used to be, you know."

       "But - " Holtz held out the rag doll. "If it's yours, why did I find this in the grounds? And don't try to tell me it belongs to you!"

       Angel gazed at it, then raised his eyes. "Holtz, have you taken a really good look at this?"

       Holtz did so. The bright artificial lights revealed what the moonlight had helped disguise: the doll was not only covered with mold, it was missing both an arm and one leg, and its dress consisted of a few rotting shreds of fabric.

       Angel said gently, "It's probably been lying outside for fifty years at least. Little girls don't play with dolls like these anymore." Holtz could think of nothing to say. He stared dumbly at the vampire. Angel went on, "I think we need to talk."

END OF PART 19