“So… how are you?” Buffy asked, voice perfectly neutral. ‘Good choice of words’, she thought, ‘interested but casual at the same time.’

“Not bad,” Angel answered. ‘Tell her about your Shanshu!’ his mind screamed, ‘Tell her about your SHANSHU!’ Angel shook his head, ‘No! What are you? Crazy? Don’t tell her that!’

“Good, good…”

And the two lapsed into silence. Painful, uncomfortable silence.

“How’s Riley?” inquired Angel, trying to sound nonchalant.

 “You asked that already.” Buffy grinned, “Here I was, hoping this wouldn’t be awkward.”

“I don’t think it’s awkward… you thought it would be awkward?”

Buffy stared at him, not sure what she was supposed to say. “Well, yeah,” she finally admitted, “I mean, the last time we saw each other… it wasn’t exactly pleasant.”

He scowled. “I said I was sorry about that.”

“Right after you beat up my boyfriend!”

“Buffy, I didn’t come here to argue—”

“Then why did you come here?” she interrupted, anger dripping from her words. “You said you want to help. Help with what? What are you doing here Angel? You don’t rush down here every time I face another demon.”

Angel glared at her. “I have a life now… which doesn’t include coming down whenever you’re in trouble. But this is different!”

“Why? Because this time you’re not skulking around in the dark trying to protect me?”

“You’re right. I’ll go back to skulking in the dark… maybe then you won’t be so grumpy,” Angel snapped, sarcasm dripping from his words. He didn’t mean to be this mean to her. Really, he didn’t. But he was so worried, so overwrought, and she could be so damned bitchy when she set her mind to it.

“I’m grumpy? My god, you’re all over me. I was just wondering if there is an actual reason why you’re suddenly here.” Frustration and helplessness finally showed on her face, “I don’t understand anything that’s been going on! Why are these two people here? What do they want from me? Why are *you* here?”

“Maybe I have a good reason to be here,” he muttered.

“If there’s a reason then you better start filling me in because I’m not seeing it.”

“Well, to tell you the truth…those…picture things,”

“Cartoons, Angel.  They’re called cartoons.”

“What the hell?”

She sighed, “Never mind, generational gap.”

“Anyway, those *cartoons*… they… scared me.”

“Ok, let me get this straight.  You, a 246 year old vampire, are afraid of two cartoons?”

“Exactly.”

“Whatever.  Either way, that doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

Because they want something from us! Because I’m worried about you! Because memories from that day are still bothering me! But Angel took one look at her angry, hurt face and all words died in his throat. “You know what?” he said, turning to leave.  “Just forget it.” 

***

“Goddammit!!! Goddammit, Goddammit, Goddammit!!!!”  Serena cried angrily.

“What is it now, Darling?” asked Darien, tentatively.

“She’s taking to long.  She’s supposed to remember and then they’re supposed to make with the smoochies and then they’re supposed to live happily ever after!”

“I take it you’re talking about the whole Muffy and Michelangelo thing?”

 

“Muffy and Michelangelo?” Serena demanded through clenched teeth. “Muffy and Michelangelo???”

 

“Heh….heh…,” replied Darien, slowly backing away.

 

“MUFFY AND MICHELANGELO???  We’ve gone through all this to fix their lives and you think their names are MUFFY AND MICHELANGELO?!?!?”

 

“Um…no?”

 

She glared at him, looked ready to advance. Fists clenched and unclenched at her sides. She took a deep breath, let it out, and said with a reasonable amount of calm, “I will do what I can to over look this…incident.  We have more important things to worry about at the moment.”

 

“Oh, you mean the whole she’s supposed to remember thing that you were screaming about before I called them Muffy and Michelangelo?”

 

***

Buffy watched him turn his back on her, disappear from sight. Well. That was just great. He could just go and leave. What did she care, anyway? It’s not like he had shown much love for her. “Fine! Walk away! Why should I care…” Buffy trailed off, paused. Then her face changed, morphed into an expression of confusion. Angel turned back to look at her, sensing her distress.

 

“Oh no,” he whispered.

 

Buffy’s eyes were trained on his, wide and horrified. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

TBC

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