Prelude

Timeline Notes: Well, I wanted to include the story lines from the shows in this sequal instead of going completely AU so I had to work out a way to fit my story "Time Changes" into the events, heres the time line I worked out:

"Time Changes" starts shortly after "The Replacement" on Buffy

Xander returns from Chicago and the past after "No Place Like Home" on Buffy and "Dear Boy" on Angel.

Xander goes to LA after "Family"- Buffy and before "Guise will be Guise"-Angel

The Wesley story line from "Guise will be Guise" occurs in my universe, but not Angel's part, this is the case that Cordy tells Angel Wesley is taking care of while she's waiting for him to recover consciousness following his being buried by Kate (In my story).

The Scoobies go to LA because of the Angelus scare between "Family" and "Fool for Love"

Riley gets caught by Spike with the vampire whore shortly after "Shadow"-Buffy

Angel and friends go to Sunnydale to help with the Hellmouth problem after "Shadow" –Buffy, but still before "Darla" - Angel

Time Changes" ends shortly after "Shadow" on "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" and before "Darla" on Angel

This section is an adaptation of "Listening to Fear" to help continuity.

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"Gunn, can I ask you a favor?" Angel said.

"Depends on what it is, Soulful," Gunn replied, he looked uncomfortable sitting in the Summers' front room. Joyce's repeated requests about whether or not he was human, and why was he involved in "all that horrid demon stuff," certainly added to the discomfort level.

"I want you to keep a discrete eye on Darla," Angel said.

"The chick that tortured you?" Gunn asked in surprise. "Why?"

"Because she's got a soul now, she might try to deny it, but it's going to catch up with her soon. When it does it'll hit her hard," Angel replied. "I have to believe that, nothing with a soul can share our past without hurting."

"Why do you care?" Gunn asked.

"I know what she's going to have to go through," Angel said seriously. "And she's human now, she won't have a century to learn to deal or a vampire's recuperative power to keep her from doing irreparable harm to herself while she does. I can't let her go though that alone."

"Okay, I'll look her up," Gunn agreed. "If it looks like things are getting bad I'll give you a call."

"Thanks," Angel said.

"I want that thing out of my house," Joyce demanded, gesturing to Dawn's closed door and by inference Angel, who was staying behind it.

"Mom, could we talk about this downstairs?" Buffy asked, knowing that with a vampire's enhanced senses Angel would overhear every word they said, despite the closed door.

"Don't tell me what to do in my own house!" Joyce snapped. "You may be the Slayer, but I'm still your mother. I don't want him here, and I don't want you seeing him anymore."

""Mom please," Buffy begged taking Joyce's arm and attempting to lead her downstairs. "Angel can hear you."

"I don't care!" Joyce said raising her voice. "He should be ashamed of himself, coming back here, now, when you were just starting to go back to normal. Chasing off that nice, human boy you were dating."

The door to Dawn's room swung open, showing Angel, clinging to the doorframe for support, his face paler than normal and lined with pain. "I'm sorry Mrs. Summers, I'll be out of your home as soon as possible. But I didn't make Riley leave, he had his own problems."

"Angel sit down," Buffy scolded, slipping under his arm to help support his weight, "Does the phrase 'broken leg' mean nothing to you?"

Joyce followed them as Buffy led Angel back to bed. "Haven't you caused her enough misery?" she demanded of Angel.

"I'll have Wesley drive me back to LA tonight," Angel offered.

"Don't" Buffy protested. "I want you here."

"Buffy!" Joyce exclaimed.

"Mom, we'll talk about this downstairs," Buffy said glaring at her mother, who reluctantly backed out of the room. "The Doctor said that her tumor is pressing against her brain," Buffy explained, her voice pitched for Angel's ears alone. "She says stuff she doesn't mean."

Angel looked distinctly unconvinced, "Even if that's true, my presence is only making things worse here. That's the last thing I want to do," he said.

"You promised you'd stay," Buffy pouted.

"Alright," Angel sighed. "But I can stay with Spike."

"He wants you dead," Buffy said. "It's too bad Xander's in LA with Cordy and Wes, you could have stayed with him. You could stay with Giles though. Okay it would be awkward, but he wouldn't try to kill you."

Angel bit back the first statement that came to mind, which had been, "I wouldn't be too sure about that." Instead he said, "I don't want to impose on Giles, and I can deal with Spike."

"You can't even walk," Buffy pointed out.

"Call Giles," Angel sighed in defeat.

"Stop looking at my boyfriend," Anya announced glowering at Cordelia.

"I'm not after Xander," Cordelia exclaimed, exasperated. "I work with him, that means we talk, which leads to eye contact. It's something humans do. It doesn't mean I'm putting the moves on your boyfriend!"

"If you don't want Xander back why haven't you gotten another boyfriend? You've had around two year to do it," Anya said, still watching Cordelia suspiciously.

"Xander, if you don't remove her from the building for at least an hour I'm not responsible for what I do," Cordelia said in a tense, irritable voice.

"Uh… Honey, you want to go watch a movie?" Xander asked.

"We could make out there, it's a human tradition," Anya replied happily as Cordy rolled her eyes heavenward.

"Angel's going to stay with Giles," Buffy said as she entered the living room. "Are you happy now Mom?"

"No, I'm really not," Joyce said. "I realize I should have said this years ago, before everything got so out of hand, but you didn't give me that chance. You locked me out of every important aspect of your life ever since you became the Slayer. I also know you're too old for me to dictate who you can't date anymore, so I'm not going to try. I'm not giving you orders Buffy. I'm begging you. Please give yourself a few years to try dating boys in your own species. If Angel really loves you he'll wait until you've finished growing up, until you've had a chance to really figure out what it is you want in a relationship. It's not like he's getting any older."

"Mom, this is just your illness talking," Buffy said. "After you're better we'll really talk about this okay? Then you'll see. Angel and I are going to take things slow this time. We're going to do it right, you'll see."

"Looks like Angel really called it with Darla," Gunn said. "That girl is seriously loosing it. She completely trashed her place and did a pretty good number on herself too."

"Angel had you checked up on Darla, after what she did to him?" Cordy demanded. "Is he mental again?"

"Empathy is a bitch," Gunn said with a shrug.

"He believes what Darla's going through is the same as what happened to him when he was first cursed," Wesley realized.

"Yep, wanted me to keep an eye on her, give him a ring if it started looking bad," Gunn said. "I thing it's time to make that call."

"What is it with Angel and blonds?" Cordelia sighed.

"She wants me to just ask Angel to put everything on hold for a couple years while I date other guys," Buffy exclaimed. "Can you believe it?"

"Actually it sounds like as eminently sensible plan," Giles said looking up from the inventory he was working on. "I'm certain Angel would agree to it."

Buffy rolled her eyes, the look on her face screamed, "Adults! What do they know?"

"Come on Will, I know you're on my side," Buffy said.

"It's not really about taking sides Buffy," Willow temporized. "I mean you know Angel's dated other girls, it's only fair to let you date other guys."

"It would kill him to stand back and watch me go with other people," Buffy protested. "He'd say it was okay and I should experiment, but he'd hurt so much, I can't do it. I tried with Riley and Scott Hope too actually, but they both knew my heart wasn't in it. I thought it was, but now I have to admit they were right. How is it not a betrayal to everyone involved if I date some other guy while I still love Angel."

"I think Xander and I should go get Angel," Anya suggested. "The drive up would be quality alone time, healthy relationships need that you people have been cutting into ours."

"Dear lord girl, do you need yet another opportunity to have sex?" Wesley asked. "It's a wonder either of you find time to eat."

"We shouldn't subject Angel to two hours trapped in a car with Anya," Cordy said. "That should be classified cruel and unusual punishment. The poor guy just got back from Hell, he doesn't need to be exposed to this version of it."

"You're just jealous because I can keep a boyfriend and you can't," Anya snapped.

Gunn caught Cordelia around the waist as the brunette girl lunged at the former demon.

"Did you see that?" Anya demanded turning to Xander. "She tried to attack me!"

"Anya please, I love you, I'm not going to leave you, so could you please tone down on the insecurities?" Xander begged.

"I'm not insecure!" Anya insisted, storming up the stairs. "She's after you!"

"Cordy, could you go get Angel?" Xander asked. "I'll deal with Anya."

"I'll go with you Cordelia," Wesley volunteered.

"Me too," Gunn said. "Not like I want to stick around here and watch the melodrama."

Buffy's mouth dropped open in pained expression as she watched the black convertible pull up in front of her house. Angel, still limping heavily, got out then paused briefly to talk with his three friends before slowly walking to the front door.

"You're leaving aren't you?" Buffy demanded as soon as she opened the door. After everything you said, you're leaving me again."

"I have to deal with something," Angel said. "LA isn't the end of the Earth, I'll be back in just a few hours if something happens."

"You're still healing, how much help can you really be right now?" Buffy asked. "Why can't you stay here?"

"They don't need me to fight, it's a different sort of problem," Angel said.

"And you're going, no matter what I say. You haven't changed at all Angel. You're still making decisions for both of us without even bothering to talk to me."

"Buffy," Angel said, exasperated. "I have a purpose in LA, I can't just forget that. There's someone there who I'm in a unique position to help, I can't turn my back on her."

"Who?" Buffy demanded. "It's Faith isn't it? She's done something again. What did she do? Break out of jail and now you're going to go "comfort" her! Again!

"It's Darla," Angel admitted. "Having a soul again is starting to get to her. She needs someone who's been there."

"Darla," Buffy said, her voice betraying utter shock. "You're leaving me for Darla,"

"I'm not leaving you," Angel insisted he felt like he was up to his neck in quicksand.

"Well fine, go help your ex-lover. Everyone here things I should give dating humans another try, maybe I will," Buffy shouted. "You go I'll be fine without you!"

"Buffy?" Angel asked in confusion as the door slammed in his face.

"Maybe the Xander and Anya show will actually be a break for you," Cordy said as Angel got into the car. "At least the psycho girlfriend won't be yours."

"Anya and I are going back to Sunnydale," Xander said when Angel and the others arrived in LA. He looked exhausted and frantic. "Anya has seen so many relationships go bad she tends to over-react. Being around Cordy is just too stressful for her."

I understand you've got to do what you think is best," Angel said trying to cover the relief he felt. Angel knew dealing with Darla would be enough for him to cope with, without refereeing catfights between Anya and Cordy. "Take care of Buffy for me," Angel requested. "She won't take my calls and I worry about her."

"I always watch out for the Buffster," Xander said. "You didn't have to ask."

"Buffy, listen to me, he let Dru and Darla kill a bunch of people, and he just fired us!" Cordy exclaimed. "You have to talk to him. He's going off the deep-end here!"

"What am I supposed to say?" Buffy asked uncertainly.

"Well for starters, tell him to get his head out of his ass and listen to his friends!" Cordy suggested. "I'm going to transfer you to the phone in Angel's office. This might take a few minutes, whatever happens stay on the line."

Cordy punched a few buttons on the phone then walked into Angel's office, he was still sitting at his desk, looking distinctly unremorseful. "Buffy's on the phone," Cordy informed him.

Angel didn't respond.

"I said BUFFY is waiting to talk with you," Cordy repeated tartly.

"I don't want to talk with her," Angel said icily. "And since I fired you, why are you taking my calls?"

Cordy walked into the office and picked up the phone. "I'm putting you on speaker phone," she said with a smug look at Angel.

"Angel?" Buffy said, her voice wavering uncertainly.

Expressionlessly Angel picked up the phone and threw it against the wall. When it hit it shattered. "I said I didn't want to talk to her."

In Sunnydale Buffy sat on her bed holding a dead phone, tears welling up in her eyes.

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More time line notes: "Into the Woods"- Buffy doesn't happen, Riley's already gone. Buffy's emotional distress in "Triangle" is a result of her current problems with Angel, not Riley.

"Shroud of Rahman"- Angel doesn't happen, Kate still thinks Angel is where she had him buried. Angel's downward spiral in "Trial", "Reunion" and "Redefinition" is unchanged except the getting arrested by Kate part.