Willow turned the disk over and over in her palm. She had been playing with it for days now.

"Willow, giving someone something for safekeeping implies that you actually leave it in their possession for more than an hour."

She grinned at Spike. She had been pacing back and forth in his room for the past hour. Not that he minded. In fact, he had never seen one of his shirts look better. She padded across the carpet again. She had been going over the "Give Angelus his soul, don't give him his soul" in her head. And she honestly couldn't figure out what she should do.

If she gave Angelus his soul, she would lose him. And as much as she wanted to lose him a scant month ago, now she couldn't imagine life without him. She was his lifemate. He was hers. If he was Angel again, he would belong to Buffy. And it would be wonderful to see her best friend happy again. But it would mean the loss of her life's happiness. Did dreading that make her selfish?

"Come here, Red," Spike said, sitting on the edge of his bed.

She stood in front of him. He took her hands and kissed her wrists.

"There's way too much going on up there,"he said, tapping her forehead gently. "Stop torturing yourself. You'll figure out what's right. You always do."

She smiled, kissing him. "Thanks."

"But that still leaves us with one problem."

"What's that?" she asked.

"How to quiet all that noise," Spike said kissing her forehead.

"I've got a few ideas," Willow grinned, pushing him back on the bed.

Dru watched as the Watcher walked through the bookshelves again.

"Books, books, books," she lisped. "That's all that's in his head, Miss Edith. The little flame, too. Books and my daddy. The watcher is close to her. We hurt him, we hurt her. And then daddy sees what good girls we are. And I can stop sleeping in the nasty old tool shed."

Buffy kicked at an errant paper wad as she sauntered down the hall. Nine vamps in one night. Must be some sort of Slayer record. She couldn't wait to tell Giles.

"Buffy, my favorite Slayer," Xander said as he and WIllow came out of the chem lab armed with spell supplies. "How was the carnage?"

"Nine vamps," Buffy grinned. "A new personal best."

"That's even better than seven in one blow," Willow exclaimed. Xander's face twisted with a dirty joke in the making.

"Stop it," Willow warned. "Whatever you're thinking, stop it. I was making a reference to 'The Brave Little Tailor.' Jerk."

Buffy pushed the library door open and heard the sounds of a struggle from Giles' office.

"Giles?" they rushed in to find Dru bent over Giles, draining him.

"Get off of him!" Buffy bellowed. She kicked Dru back. Dru released her Watcher and he slumped to the floor. Willow dragged him back. Buffy smacked Dru around repeatedly, then threw her into the stacks.

"She must be punished, Miss Edith says so," Dru whined. "Dru has to prove to her daddies what a good little girl she is. This is all your fault little flame, you stole my daddies."

"What is she talking about?" Xander asked.

Willow's blood froze. She stood speechless.

"She stole my daddies," Dru accused. Buffy stopped pounding her long enough to listen. "They sleep with her now. I'm all alone now, the stars sing to me of the naugthy things they do together-"

Buffy's face was stony as she staked her.

"That oughta shut 'em up," she grimmaced.

"Man, she really was nuts," Xander laughed as he helped Giles to his feet. "Imagine, Willow with Spike and Angelus. Hahahaha haha? Willow?"

Willow remained silent as Buffy marched towards her and ripped the front of her shirt open. Her breasts and shoulders were covered with healing bite marks.

"Imagine." Buffy sneered. "You little slut."

"Buffy-"

"All this time!" Buffy bellowed, slapping her. "All those night you went home to 'study' you were fucking my boyfriend! Whore! Slut! Tramp!"

"Buffy, stop it!" Xander cried.

"Buffy, I never meant to hurt you," Willow said, holding her wrists back.

"Yeah, right, you've always been jealous of me, Willow," Buffy hissed. "This is just how you're going to get back at me."

Willow summoned all her strength and tossed Buffy off of her. "For once, Buffy, this isn't about you! Dammit, it's about me! What I want. What I need. And trust me, when I'm with Angelus and Spike, my needs are met."

"Liar!" Buffy hissed, her fingers closing around a thick volume of mythology. "You've been possessed by some sort of succubus."

"No," Willow leered. "It's all me and I'm enjoying every minute of it-"

Willow slumped to the floor as Buffy swung the book into the redhead's temple.

"Was that completely necessary, Buffy?" a recovering Giles asked.

"Absolutely," Buffy snarled. She grabbed her crossbow and quiver and stalked to the door.

"Buffy what are you doing?" Xander asked, propping Willow's head in his lap. Willow may have sinned in Buffy's eyes, but she was still his best friend.

"To kill Angelus," she hissed. "Maybe Spike, too. I haven't decided yet. Killing my computer teacher? Okay. Biting my mom. Alright then. But sending his whore after my Watcher and fucking my best friend, that's going too far!

Giles groaned.

"Well, at least she managed to miss the point entirely," Xander snorted.

Angelus shifted in his chair and checked his watch again. He was pretending to read, but the truth was he was doing everything in his power to keep from pacing. Willow was due home any minute. In fact, she was five minutes late.

"Where are you, Red?" he growled. He had to laugh at himself. The great Angelus waiting for his woman to deem fit to come home. The woman who he had had complete control over less than a month ago. Well, not exactly complete. But he thought he might prefer it this way. Dealing with a challenge was sort of fun. Except when she was late and he had been thinking about her all day.

He shifted again. Suddenly, a crossbow bolt whizzed by his head and embedded itself in the wall behind him. He looked up, Buffy was perched on his garden wall. She cocked her crossbow and grinned maniacally and suddenly disappeared out of sight.

Curious, he picked up the bolt. There was a note stuck on it.

"I have your redheaded whore at the cemetery. If you ever want to see her again. Come get her. I'm just crazy enough to hurt her.B."

Angelus' eyes glowed gold with rage. "WILLOW!"

"Willow," Xander shook her gently. "Will, please wake up."

Willow blinked slowly. Her head was killing her. Suddenly she remembered.

Buffy. She knew. She sat up quickly.

"Where is she?" Willow demanded.

"She's gone to the mansion to confront Angelus," Giles said, pressing an icepack to his head.

"Oh, God." Willow stood up. "Xander, I know you can't understand, but-"

"Willow, you're my best friend," Xander said, kissing her cheek. "If you're happy, I'm happy for you. It's weird, but I'll deal. Just be careful."

"If they were going to hurt you, they would have by now," Giles said.

"Okay, um, who are you and what have you done with my hyperprotective over-reacting freinds?" Willow asked.

"I think that friend is heading to your mansion to kill your demonic lover," Giles said.

"Oh, dear," Willow said. And with that she bolted out the door.

"Angelus," Buffy hissed as he entered the cemetery gate.

"Slut," Angelus grinned, unsheathing a lethal-looking broadsword. "Where's Willow?"

"In a safe place," Buffy said. "Safe from you."

"She doesn't need to be safe from me," Angel laughed. "I love her. You're the one who should be hiding."

"You can't love," Buffy said.

"Why?" Angelus asked. "Because I couldn't love you? Because I wasn't Soul-boy? Trust me Buffy, your sweet-faced Angel wanted Willow just as much as I do. He was just better at covering it."

"Liar!" Buffy shouted flying at him, he deflected her and threw her against a crypt.

"Don't start something I'll finish, Slayer," he growled.

"What the hell's happened here?" Spike wondered. Angelus' room was a mess. Furniture was tossed over, books strewn across the floor. It looked like his sire had flown into a blind rage. He bent and picked up a crumpled bit of paper.

"Spike!" Willow cried. "Thank god."

She threw her arms around him.

"Pet, what's wrong?" he asked, kissing her temple.

"Buffy," Willow sputtered. "Gone crazy, knows about us, going to kill Angelus."

"That explains the note," Spike held it for her to read.

"Oh, gods, no." Willow groaned. "She'll kill him."

"Not bloody likely, pet, if he thinks she has you, he'll crush her," Spike said.

"No," Willow's heart dropped. She couldn't let that happen. Despite what she was doing, Buffy was her friend. She couldn't let her die.

"Spike, get the disk," she said. "We have to bring him back."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

She nodded, blinking back tears. "It's the only choice."

Angelus rolled away from Buffy's viscious kick.

"You know, Buffy, maybe if you had been this lively in the sack, I wouldn't have had to run to Willow," he laughed, jumping to his feet. "You should see her. She comes alive under my touch. She's on fire. The noises she makes as she comes are music-"

Buffy stopped his mouth with another swift kick.

"You sure about this pet?" Spike asked.

She nodded. "The herbs."

He handed the dried bundle to her.

"Don't we have to have a three-person triangle for this?" he asked.

"We also techinically need a virgin goat, but we lets not mince details."

Willow leaned her head back and began chanting softly, tears streaming down her face. Spike wiped at them tenderly.

She chanted for a few more minutes. Spike saw a tiny glimmer in the Orb of Thessaly. Willow's hand began growing warmer as if they bore an inner fire. Her head snapped forward, her voice grew louder, colder.

"Oh, god, pet, I hope you know what you're doing," Spike whispered.

A blue light burst within the Orb. It flowed through Willow and shot through the ceiling. Willow slumped back, Spike caught her just before she hit the floor.

Angelus had Buffy cornered.

"Last move is mine, Slayer," he grinned, raising his sword above his head. "Say hello to soulboy for me when you get to Hell."

Suddenly, Angelus fell to the ground, quaking. He growled as if in great pain. He looked up, his eyes shifting from golden to chocolate brown. His lips quivered.

"Buffy?"

"Willow!" Spike cried as he shook Willow's crumpled form. "Please be alright, please? Red?"

Willow sat up slowly. She groaned and rubbed her head. "What happened?"

"I think it worked, pet," Spike kissed her gently. "Something came through you."

"Buffy?" Angel's dark eyes again held the soul with which he had loved her so completely. Buffy gasped. She threw her sword aside and threw herself into his arms. He wrapped them around her.

"Angel?" she laughed softly. "Is it really you?"

He nodded. "I'm back, for good, I think."

She squealed happily and squeezed him tighter.

"Buffy?" Angel asked. "Where's Willow?"

 "You ready, pet?" Spike asked.

The redhead nodded hesitantly. She looked back at the bed where she and Angelus had spent so many passionate, love-filled hours. Spike reached out to squeeze her hand.

"Don't look back, Willow."

She smiled and blinked back threatening tears. He took her suitcase and led her to the car. She took her seat in the front of the de Soto. Spike gave her a questioning glance. He sighed heavily. It was just like Dru. Angelus takes off and he's left to pick the pieces.

"Hey," Willow smiled gently and stroked his arm. "Don't look back."

He grinned and kissed her. She leaned against him and let him wrap his arm around her as he started the car.

"Never will, Red."