The next few nights were pure hell. He awoke from dreams of the before-time, when the demon had possessed his body, to a soul-rending thirst for blood and an even worse urge to hunt down /something/, anything, and destroy it, drink it, feed.

What little time he didn't spend on the hunt for vampires, barely restraining himself from drinking /their/ blood he spent patronizing the local butchers shops, and stealing from the blood bank supplies. The cold blood was nowhere near as sweet as the blood in vampires veins, and nowhere near as powerful.

/There was nothing that could possibly convince him, even half-mad with thirst, to go into the Bronze. His senses seemed dulled, and he felt exhausted without the blood from other vampires, but his control was so very thin just around vampires and the ocassional saved human. An entire crowd of humans with a few vampires would have broken his fragile self-restraint.

His dulled senses and his pre-occupation were the main reason he hadn't noticed that he'd aqquired a watcher. And not a vampiric one either.

A slim blonde dressed in dark colors trailed him, watching him in fascination. She was naive and unfrightened, but Angel had a magnetism all his own, and without being aware of it, he drew her in like a flame to a moth. Her days were spent in day-dreams and fending off curious friends, and her nights were spent in a club daydreaming, and slipping out at night to trail the mysterious man who had saved her life. He'd done more than saved her life. All unknowing, he'd captured her dreams, her attention and maybe even her heart.

One moonless night, a group of brazen vampires took it upon themselves to destroy Angel.

They were fledglings, five of them in all, and more than enough trouble for him normally. But weakened by hunger, and pre-occupied with trying to keep the raging beast under control, they managed to ambush him easily.

He took out the first one relatively quickly, then a second. But then the three were on him. He landed a punch to a jaw, then rolled away, pinning the younger vampire under himself, using the stake the vampire carried against him before rolling away.

One of the vampires, a muscular type with a truly ugly gameface landed a crushing punch that drove him back against a tree. Ugly closed the distance, and began to do as much damage as possible, even though he could have easily killed Angel right off.

It was very unfortunate for him that Buffy was there.

Human though she was, she easily grabbed the stake Angel had dropped, and drove it up into Ugly's back. It hit his heart, and left Angel trying to stand up.

"Are you..." she asked in concern, and moved to go to him. She didn't reach him, though. The fifth vampire grabbed her and hurled her aside. She hit the ground hard with a startled oof, and he dove after her, fangs bared.

She froze, eyes wide as he descended, then as he came down, managed to lift the stake. It didn't hit his heart, though. It punctured his shoulder, and he screamed in pain.

Angel, dazed by the beating, slowly got up, then noticed the vampire over Buffy. He strode over, and drove Ugly's stake through the vampire's back. Bending down, he hauled Buffy up by one arm.

"You shouldn't be here." he told her bluntly. "It's not safe."

She stared at him with wide eyes, then reality intruded and her eyes narrowed. "If I hadn't been here, you'd be dead."

"Maybe, maybe not. That's my problem though, not yours."

"Not even a thank you, I..." Her words died as she saw his face. His game-face was gone, but there was a naked hunger in his eyes as he watched her. "...I don't... I knew how to deal with them." she murmured.

"How?" He reached up at touched her face, fingers trailing down the side of her face. She leaned into the touch unconciously, eyes closing briefly he cupped her cheek in one hand. Her eyes opened. They were glazed as he stared into them.

"I... You saved my life. Before, when Cordelia went with..."

"Luke." he said grimly. "You stupid idiot." he hissed. She started visibly. "You /know/ what I am. What they are. What made you think..."

"I don't... I don't know."

He closed his eyes. She was so very close, and he was so very hungry. He stood over her, face between neck and shoulder. He could hear her pulse racing beneath her skin, feel the heat of her body. His mouth lingered above her neck, and he closed his mouth. Instead of biting, he bent a bit more, then kissed the jugular. She gasped, and he wrenched himself away.

"Go home." he ordered, then turned and walked unsteadily away.

Once he was out of sight, he ran.