by Mace

Buffy faded into synch in the library. Invisible to Giles, who was bent over a book. Jenny sat on a table across from him, smiling. Buffy appeared direction in front of Jenny. Giles looked up for a second, but sees nothing.

"Buffy! Oh my God!" Jenny whispered.

"Jenny!" Buffy yelled.

They hugged tightly, forgetting entirely the betrayal of the computer-science teacher. Jenny released Buffy, and the just stared at each other for a second.

"You aren't dead, are you?" Jenny asked, dreading the worst.

"No, I've been working on astral projection. It worked," Buffy said almost smugly.

"Astral projection, huh? That's dangerous to be messing around with. If you stay out of your body too long, you might not be able to get back," Jenny replied. "Still, you've got to have a pretty strong will to do that."

"Yeah. This is really important to me. I'm only going to rescue someone, and then I'll go back," Buffy replied.

"If you mean getting Angel out of Hell . . ."

"You know?" Buffy asked, her eyes going wide.

"I watch you guys all the time. I like to see you. Tell Willow did a wonderful job of covering my classes. So how is everything?" Jenny asked as if she had only been on a vacation.

"Angel isn't in Hell. He's in limbo. I've come to get him out," Buffy said surely.

"How do you know that?"

"You saw Bex, didn't you?" Buffy asked.

"The demon Slayer? Yeah."

"I'm not sure if she did it, or if I did, but I saw Angel in limbo. We talked to each other. I'd better go. Any other messages?" Buffy asked.

"Tell Rupert I said that I love him," Jenny said almost dreamily.

"He already knows," Buffy said firmly.

Buffy faded out of synch with her surroundings. When she reappeared, she was in limbo. Angel heard her approach and he turned around to greet his lover. She saw him and ran forward.

"Oh, God, Buffy!" Angel whispered, taking her in his arms.

He and Buffy kissed passionately with all the desperation and loneliness pent up deep in their souls. She clung to him as if she was afraid to let go. Angel held her head pressed against his. They pulled apart slightly, but subconsciously stay close to each other.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered.

"I came to rescue you. I studied astral projection and drank this funky tasting liquid. I miss you so much," she cried softly.

"Oh, my God, Buffy! I can't believe you did all that for me. It's dangerous! You shouldn't have tried," Angel chided gently.

"I did try, and it worked. I'm here," Buffy said. "I couldn't go on. The only thing that kept me sane these past few weeks was knowing that I might can get you home."

"I want to go back with you. I'm so alone, but I didn't want you to risk your life for me. Your life is worth more to me than my own," Angel said, dropping his eyes.

Buffy turned his head to face her and kissed his lips softly. Angel tasted her salty tears that began to flow silently. Angel pulled her in closer to him and deepened this kiss, making Buffy weak in the knees. She prayed that Angel would be able to support her. Her arms wrap around his neck and, with a burst of energy she didn't have early, stood on her tiptoes opening her mouth wider to her love. She pulled away, only to breathe.

"I've missed you," she whispered with what little breath she had.

"I've missed you too. Buffy, what did I do to get sent to Hell? I figured I must have lost my soul. Did I hurt you?" Angel asked.

"You never hurt me, Angel. I don't think you ever will I think I know how to get you out of here, but it's going to take some doing. You have to be ready and trust me," Buffy said.

"I trust you," Angel replied, still holding Buffy's small frame against him.

"Good. Here's what I want to try . . ."

In the library, Giles was reading the same book. Willow and Oz came in, arm in arm. Xander and Cordelia followed them in the same fashion.

"Yo, G-man! What's happening?" Xander asked.

"Do any of you know where Buffy is? It seems that not only does Acathla have to be stopped, but she has to slay him. I tried calling her, but I didn't get any answer," super-librarian asked the Slayerettes.

"What happens if she doesn't slay him?" Willow asked nervously.

"My guess would be going to Hell," Oz said.

"Quite right. We need to find her as soon as possible," Giles said.

"Is she going hunting?" Xander asked.

"She said she was going to do math homework," Giles replied, rubbing the bridge of his nose in a Giles-like fashion.

"We didn't have any homework tonight, did we Willow? 'Cause I had my nails done earlier, and I *was* paying attention," Cordelia said.

"Nope," Willow replied, ignoring the endless shallowness that was Cordelia Chase.

"Hey, Will and I can run over to her house," Oz said.

"Cordy can go with me. We'll go to the cemetery and the park," Xander said, taking her hand and exiting the library.

<< Going to Hell is not on my to-do list. Nope Xander would like to be as Hell-free as possible, >> Xander thought.

Buffy was still lying on her bed. The candles had almost burned out when knocking broke the eerie silence at the Summers' home. The door opened and Willow's voice rung out almost shrilly.

"Buffy! Buffy! Are you home?" Willow yelled.

Oz went upstairs and knocked on Buffy's door. When no one answered, he opened it a crack and peeped in. He saw Buffy lying unconscious on her bed and smelled the incense.

"Willow, she's up here," Oz said.

Willow bolted up the stairs and saw Buffy looking completely relaxed on her bed. Willow called out the Slayer's name a few times before going over to shake her.

"Buffy, Buffy, wake up!" Willow yelled as she shook her even harder.

Finally, she noticed the candles, incense, and books around the room. She picked up the black book and read the book-marked page. Willow went pale and looked over at Oz fearfully. <> The answer hit Willow like a ton of bricks. She ran to Buffy.

"Buffy! Buffy! Wake up! C'mon Buffy, oh, God, Buffy, wake up!" Willow practically screamed at her unconscious friend.

"Will, what is it?" Oz asked as her put a calming hand on her shoulder.

"She's been messing with astral projection. Her spirit might not get back into her body and she'll be asleep until she dies. We have to get Giles," Willow said.

Xander saw Jenny's grave at the cemetery and turned away. Cordy rubbed her hand against his shoulder and they hugged.

"Xander! Xander!" the wind whispers.

"Cordy, please tell me you don't hear anything." Xander said fearfully.

"Cordelia! Xander!"

"Who . . . who's there? Buffy?" Cordy asked, her voice shaking.

Jenny appeared out of thin air in front of Xander and Cordy. Xander turned his head to see her and took off like a shot the opposite direction. Cordelia was fast behind him.

"Xander, Cordelia, please stop! It's about Buffy!" Jenny yelled after them.

Xander mustered up some leftover courage from his army-'daze' and stopped, catching Cordelia by the shoulder. Jenny reappeared in front of the frightened duet.

"Listen, guys, Buffy's at her house. She was messing with astral projection. You should get there!" Jenny said.

"Jenny?" Cordy whispered, finding her name the only words she could speak.

"Yes, I'm like a ghost, a good spirit. Now go!" Jenny said, trying to hide a smile. She turned to Xander and said, "And Xander . . ."

"Yuh . . . yeah?" Xander asked.

"Forgive Angel. She really does love him, and he didn't mean to kill me. I have forgiven. You and Rupert can too," Jenny replied softly.

Jenny disappeared. Xander and Cordy raced toward her car. In the background, the wind sounds almost like it's laughing.

Giles read over the books Willow found. Buffy is still asleep.

"I can't believe she would try something like that! She doesn't know anything about this sort of thing," Giles said, taking off his glasses and wiping them clean.

Cut to outside. Joyce saw Oz's van and Giles's car. She ran out of her jeep, up the steps, and onto the porch. She saw that the front door was open and hesitated. <> Joyce thought. She ran in the house and bounded up the stairs.

"Buffy! Buffy--! Buffy?!" Joyce yelled frantically.

She nearly pushed Willow to the ground as she burst through Buffy's bedroom door. "Oh, God, Buffy!" Joyce said as she spotted her daughter.

"Misses Sum- Joyce- oh, um, this is difficult to explain. You see . . . Buffy has apparently been researching astral projection. We think that she has . . ." Giles began.

"Is she okay?" Joyce broke in hysterically.

"We don't know. I think she will come back to the world of the living, but she can't stay out of her body for long," Giles replied.

"You can't let her die. She's all that I have left!" Joyce proclaimed sadly.

Cordelia and Xander ran through Buffy's bedroom door and nearly fell to the ground.

"We heard that she was unconscious. Giles, what's happening?" Xander asked.

"She's apparently attempted astral projection. We shouldn't do anything. It might disturb the process . . . Who did you hear it from?" Giles asked almost curiously.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you," Cordy said shakily.

"I should go, Angel. I need to get back into my body," Buffy said regretfully as she looked into his eyes.

"I know. It's just when you're here, it's like everything around me . . . It's so much colder and lonelier when you leave. I always feel kinda lost," Angel said as he sighed.

"I feel like that whenever I'm gone. When I killed you, I thought I was killing myself. It hurt me too. Soon, though . . . I promise. . . ." Buffy whispered.

"I want you to know, Buffy, that if this doesn't work, don't blame yourself. I'll always be here for you. Whenever you think of me, I can hear your thoughts, and I want you to have a normal . . . relatively normal life," Angel said. "Promise me you'll go on if this doesn't work."

"I'd better go. When you get back, what do you wanna do?" Buffy asked, evading his request.

"I would really love to take a moonlight stroll with you," Angel said, realizing that she needed him as much as he needed her.

"Done. Whatever you want. I'll see you later," Buffy said happily.

"I love you," Angel said, relishing the sweet words that seemed to come so easily from his lips.

Buffy looked back at him and smiled with tears in her eyes. "I love you too, my Angel," Buffy said.

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him both goodbye . . . possibly forever. Expressing what words never could. Buffy faded out of synch with her lips still firmly pressed to Angel's.

Joyce looked over Buffy. No one spoke a word. Buffy's eyelids flickered and shot open. She looked up and took a deep breath.

"She's coming out of it," Willow whispered to herself and everyone.

Go here for part three

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