"Ahhh�" Angel screamed, standing up from the couch. "This isn�t how it�s supposed to be�she�s the one who�s supposed to be going insane not me!" He began to pace. �Okay, just kill her�it�s not like you haven�t done it a million times before.� He told himself. �Kill her tonight and get it over with�kill her�kill�kiss her�love her�NO!!� Where were these thoughts coming from? Angel turned towards the clock once more, not even ten minutes had passed. "Great, just great�I�ll be as loony as Dru by the time the sun sets." Angel yelled.
"Look Giles, I know things didn�t exactly go as planned last night but�"
"Buffy he almost killed you�I�d say you�re underestimating the situation."
"So, I hesitated, the point is I�m still here. I didn�t know what to expect last night, but now I do, I won�t hesitate again!"
Giles looked up from the crossbow he�d been loading. "We can�t be too careful. Buffy, you cheated death once, don�t push your luck."
"Well, I�d say it�s been more then once, but who�s counting?"
"All the more reason to be extra careful."
"Give it up Giles, I�m going alone, deal with it." Giles gave Buffy a look only he could do. "Don�t fight me on this one Giles. I mean it, look what happened when you tried to stop me from fighting the Master." Giles rubbed his jaw, as he remembered the upper cut he�d received last year. "I�m the Slayer, you�re the Watcher�that means I slay, you watch�hence the names." Giles opened his mouth to respond, Buffy continued before he had a chance to say anything. "I am not about to put you, Willow, Xander or even Cordelia in danger. He�s already tried to kill them once, not to mention what�well anyway, you�re not coming, none of you are. So forget about it." Buffy crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"The Master was different Buffy, you didn�t have feelings towards him!"
"I don�t have any for Angelus either. I love Angel�and he�s gone�"
"Technically, yes�but still�"
"No buts Giles, they aren�t the same person, ah�vampire�I�ve come to terms with that and I know I can�t get Angel back. And if I had done my job properly, Angelus wouldn�t have had the chance to kill Ms. Calender�if I had of been responsible, Angel never would have lost his." She almost whispered the last part. Giles set the crossbow down.
"It�s not your fault�none of us knew he would go after Jenny�even she didn�t suspect�"
"Well, whatever�" Buffy picked up the crossbow. "You know I�m right�Giles, I�ve learned to deal with the fact that being the Slayer will eventually end my life, but�well it won�t be tonight, and it sure as hell won�t be by Angel!" Buffy looked at the clock "There�s just under 2 hours till sunset, I�ll come back before I go find Angel. I�ve got some stuff to take care of before then."
"I do wish you�d allow us to help you!" Giles said, turning his attention to a stack of books in front of him.
Buffy held the crossbow up and stared down it. "I don�t need help�Giles, Angel�s going down! He�s going to pay for killing people I cared about." Giles started talking, but Buffy had already left the library, crossbow in hand. Leaving Giles talking to himself.
"But we don�t even know why he chose Jenny, it�s not your fault, Buffy�"
"She�s gone." Giles jumped. "But we do know why Angel did it, or at least we think we do."
"Willow, Xander, where did you come from??"
"I�m surprised at you Giles, I was sure you would know that one. Okay, when two people love one another�" Xander trailed off, when Giles him an icy stare.
"Now then Willow, what were you saying when you came in?"
Willow was momentarily confused. "Oh, right�We know why Ms. Calender was killed!"
Giles looked at Willow with a stunned expression.
"How�what�when�?"
"This�" Willow held a yellow computer disk in the air.
Buffy set a box down on her bed and opened it.
"It�s time for me to put Angel away." She walked to her closet and removed Angel�s leather jacket. For a minute she held it close to her chest and buried her face in it. After all this time his scent was still there. Buffy could feel the tears as they began to sting her eyes. She pressed her eyelids shut, inhaled once more and then walked over to the box. Gently she set the jacket in.
Next she went to her dresser. She opened her jewelry box and removed a rings. The clahddag ring Angel had given her on her birthday. She still remembered the way it had felt, sliding onto her finger and the words he had said. "The hands represent friendship. The crown represents loyalty and the heart�well you know!" A smile spread across Buffy�s face as she remembered. She pulled a scarf out of her drawer, wrapped the ring inside it and set it in the box on the jacket.
Slowly she slid her hand into her jacket pocket and pulled out her necklace. The necklace that had saved her life, last night. At the thought of the mark it had left on Angel�s face, and evil grin replaced the sad smile.
"It feels good to hate him!" Buffy said to the cross. As she said that a memory came flooding back. She had gone hunting for Angel, after her mother had been attacked. He was at the bronze waiting for her. She felt his presence when she walked in.
"I know you�re here and I know what you are!"
Somewhere in the darkness he was there. Then came his answer. "Do you? I�m just an animal right?"
Buffy had almost laughed at that instead she simply said, �You�re not an animal. Animals I like!"
Buffy smiled as she set the cross on the jacket. She took one last look and closed the box. Buffy set the box at the back of her closet, as she did she thought of something Willow had once said to her.
"It is kind of novel, how he�ll stay young and handsome forever. Although you�ll still get wrinkly and die.."
"Well Will," Buffy thought as she closed her closet. �I may die�" She walked over to her bed and picked up the crossbow. She glanced at the clock, 45 minutes until sunset. Holding the crossbow tighter Buffy stared out the window. "But not before I send Angel to hell!"
Angel was sitting on the couch, his hands resting behind his head. Somehow he had managed to stop thinking about Buffy, but only for half an hour. His thoughts started returning to her. She had risked her own life to save his, when Spike had tried to kill him. It was Buffy who had come every day to help him with the bandage on his hand. He knew that although he hated her, he also loved her and for that reason she would have to die, the sooner the better.
Angel bolted upright. Something wasn�t right, no something was very wrong. He had a feeling and he didn�t like what it was telling him.
�Damn.� He thought. �They�ve found it, they�ve found that damn curse.�
Angel went to his bed, grabbed his jacket and put it on. It would be sunset soon and Angel was going to be ready as soon as it came. "Now the only problem is, who do I kill first?" A smile spread across Angel�s face.
Giles reached out and took the disk from Willow�s hand. "What�s this?"
"It�s one of Ms. Calender�s computer disks." Willow answered as she sat down. "I found it while I was cleaning up her classroom." Giles remained silent, as he continued to stare at the disk. Willow decided to go on. "In the days after it had happened, I was asked to teach the computer class. While I was there I decided to sort things out. I wanted to make sure no one found any of Ms. Calender�s personal items." Giles looked up then. "I don�t think there are too many people who would understand most of the things that were in her desk. Well except for us." Giles nodded.
"You�re quite right. And the disk, how does this fit into all of this?"
Xander was the first one to respond to Giles� question. "Well, when Willow told me what she wanted to do, I decided to help her. I thought she wouldn�t be able to do it alone. And, well you know me�I�m as clumsy as they come. I knocked a bunch of paper between the desk and the filing cabinet. When I went to pick the papers up, I came across the disk."
Willow finished the explanation. "The disk wasn�t labeled, so I decided to be safe I would put it in the box of personal items."
Giles interrupted, "I understand all that, but that was almost a month ago, why are you just telling me all of this now?" Willow sighed.
"Because, I�ve kept the box at home�away in my closet. Giles I�d planned on giving it to you right away, but you were in so much pain�I didn�t want to see you hurt anymore." Willow looked at Giles. He gave her a smile for reassurance. Willow continued. "I got the box out yesterday, and started looking through it. when I came across the disk, curiosity got the best of me. I had to see what was on it." Willow stood and moved to the laptop she always used while she was in the library. She turned it on and popped the disk in. After pressing a few keys Willow turned to Giles. "I think you should come see what�s on here. Somehow I think Ms. Calender was working on this when Angel�" Willow was silent for a moment. "I think that�s why the disk was between the desk and the filing cabinet."
Giles walked over to the computer. As his eyes ran across the screen, his mouth fell open. "It�s the curse that will restore Angel�s soul!" Willow whispered.
"Jenny died trying to bring back his soul." Tears began to well up in Giles eyes. "Damn it!" Suddenly his face grew serious. He turned to face Willow and Xander. "It�s going to be too late for this."
"What do you mean?" Xander asked.
"Buffy has�well tonight she�s going to kill Angel�that is if he doesn�t kill her first!"
Xander jumped to his feet. "We�ve got to stop her. If she goes through with this, she�ll never forgive herself once she knows there�s the curse."
Giles remained silent. Willow looked at him."Giles?? We are going to something aren�t we?"
Giles looked at Willow and then at Xander. "Bloody right we are. This is what Jenny wanted and By God that is what we�re going to do!"
