Ted's Return: Part 2
by Tracy Vetter
Buffy awoke with a start. Iw was dark again. Oh, God, no,she thought. She'd been at Angel's apartment the whole day!

She heard the sound of running water and figured that Angel was in the shower. She considered joining him, but decided against it. It was a fun thought though.

The water shut off abruptly and Angel came out of the bathroom in a towel. He smiled at her, droplets of water running down his face and onto his lips. Gorgeous, Buffy thought.

Angel: I wondered when you were going to wake up. Did you sleep alright?

Buffy:Yeah. I didn't have any dreams, which is good, because I don't think I've ever had a GOOD dream in my entire life.

Angel smiled: Me niether.

Buffy: You ready for a night of beating up bad guys?

Angel smiled again: yeah, just let me grab something to eat real quick.

Angel went into the kitchen and when he came back out, he was carrying a packet of blood in one hand and he was holding his towel shut with the other.

Buffy: You might wanna get dressed too. Unless you prefer to fight naked, that is.

Angel grinned: The same thing occurred to me too.

Angel went into his bedroom and when he emerged again, he was wearing a skin-tight black shirt, black jeans and a black leather jacket. He was carrying the blood packet in one hand, only now there was no blood in it.

Angel tossed the empty packet in the trash can as he passed it.

Angel: Ready?

Buffy: Yeah. Just one thing though...

Buffy trails off as she walks toward him.

Angel: And what would that be?

Buffy: You have blood on your mouth

Buffy wipes it off and Angel licks the blood off of her index finger.

Angel and Buffy go to the cemetary, the Bronze, the library, any place where trouble could possibly be brewing. Nothing happens. Not a single, solitary bad guy appears to be out and about.

After a rather uneventful night of being bored stiff(besides the occasional smoochies going on), Angel takes Buffy home a few minutes before dawn and kisses her good-bye. Then, he retires to his own domicile for the day.

The next day, after Buffy returns home from school. She's tired from walking around town all night and she takes a nap, only waking when she hears the sound of glass breaking. It's coming from the back of the house, near the kitchen.

Ted(yes, the robot guy!) bursts into her room.

Buffy: I thought we had settled this battle, Teddy.

Ted: Not hardly, you little smart-ass.

Buffy: Oh, well. Let's get it over with then.

Ted punches Buffy in the face and she staggers backward, holding her bleeding nose.

Buffy: You hit like a girl, Ted.

Ted trips her and starts banging her head on the floor, Buffy throws him off of her and stomps on his stomach. He gets back up, hardly phased at all. He trips her again and reaches down to choke her. She knocks him down and breaks his arm before he has the chance to get up again.He doesn't make a sound.

Buffy: What are you now, the Energizer Bunny?

Ted: New models are always better, didn't you know that?

Finally, after Buffy has beat Ted nearly to a bloody pulp, and he keeps getting up, time after time, she's exhausted. Of course, she realizes that's what he was going for the whole time.

Buffy is breathless: I shoulda tried to escape, huh?

Ted: That would have been a lot smarter.

Ted lunges at Buffy and manages to grab her by the arm, normally, she would be able to fight him off easily, but in her present exhausted state, she can do little more than slap at his hand.

Ted knocks her off of her feet and gets her in a choke-hold. Buffy thrashes and gasps for air as it becomes harder for her to breathe.

Finally, her strength is gone, and the world is becoming black to her. When she finally stops fighting and gasping for breath altogether Ted checks her pulse, to make sure she's dead. Satisfied that she doesn't have a heart-beat, Ted leaves.

Minutes after Ted leaves, Angel wakes up and goes to Buffy's house for another night of looking for bad guys. He climbs the tree next to her house and looks in the window. When he see's her sprawled on the floor, and is unable to hear her heart-beat as he normally would be able to do, he panics and rushes in.

Buffy isn't breathing and her heart has stopped. Angel begins CPR. He's so intent on saving Buffy that he doesn't notice when a car pulls into the driveway of Buffy's house.

A moment later, Joyce(Buffy's mom) walks in the door and goes upstairs to tell Buffy she's home. She finds Angel in the middle of giving Mouth to Mouth Resuscitation and freaks out, thinking that Mouth to Mouth isn't what he'd doing.

Then, she sees the blue cast to Buffy's skin and lips, ans she sees Angel's tears. She dials 911.

Buffy is taken to the hospital in an ambulance, and Joyce and Angel are left behind.

Joyce: You can ride with me, but you'd better move your ass. That's my baby girl they just took away!

Angel's still in shock from finding Buffy that way, so he just gets into Joyce's car mutely. En route to the hospital, Joyce asks Angel about himself, never knowing that Buffy was going out with him.

Joyce: Aren't you a little old for her?

Angel: You have no idea. But age doesn't matter.

Joyce: I see.

An uncomfortable silence settles over them.Angel is the one to break it.

Angel: I know that it looks bad for Buffy to be going behind your back to see me. I can understan how that would make you distrust me. I'm not going to take advantage of her. I just want her to be okay.

They continue talking until they arrive at the emergency room. By the time they arrive, Joyce knows just about everything about Angel. The one thing she doesn't know is his species.

After going into the hospital and learning that Buffy had just been taken into surgery, Angel implores Joyce to stay with her all day. He tells her that he has a rare allergy to the sun, and therefore cannot guard her against the one that tried to kill her, because he has to be where there aren't any windows.

Joyce buys it. Buffy's windpipe was crushed, so when she comes out of surgery a few hours later, she has to be put on a respirator. Angel sits with her for the rest of the night, only leaving when the sun is on its way. Before going home, he goes to Willow's house and taps on her window.

Willow opens the window: Angel...um...hi.

Angel: I don't have a lot of time, so I'm going to have to tell you this really quick. Buffy's been attacked and she's in the hospital. Her mom's sitting with her now, but she's going to need a break every few hours. What I'm here for is to ask you if you can get out of school to sit with Buffy so she's not alone when Joyce needs a break.

Willow: Whoa,I think you said all that without taking a breath. How am I supposed to get out of school?

Angel: I don't know. Tell them whatever Buffy tells them when SHE skips. Just get out of school. I don't want whoever did that to her having a chance to get at her again. I can't be there until sunset, for obvious reasons. Please, tell me you'll do it.

Willow: Well...alright. I'll leave and go over there now. You had better get home before the sun comes up though...

Before Willow even finishes the sentence, Angel is gone.

Willow: Oh, darn. He did that thing where he's not there anymore again...

The next night, Buffy wakes from her sedation to find Angel holding one of her hands, his head resting against the bed. He's asleep. Her mother is holding her other hand, and she's asleep too. Angel wakes when Buffy tries to sit up.

Angel: What happened?

Buffy: Ted happened.Big time.

Buffy's voice is kind of hoarse and Angel leans closer to hear what she's saying.

Angel:You scared me.

Buffy: I died again, huh?

Angel nods.

Buffy: I hate it when that happens.

Angel smiles at her attempt at humor and hugs her. Then, he gives her a gentle kiss, which she returns.

Joyce wakes up in the middle of it all.

Buffy looks at her mother: It's not what you think.

Joyce:Somehow I doubt that. Does your throat hurt any?

Buffy: Only when I breathe, talk or move.

Joyce: I'm glad you're awake.

Buffy:I'm glad I'm ALIVE.

Angel:I second that.

Joyce: I haven't eaten all day, do you two think you can behave long enough for me to go to the cafeteria and back?

Buffy: If it'll take longer than five minutes, I can't do it.

Buffy grins at Angel.

Angel laughs:Down, girl!

Joyce glares at them both.

Angel turns serious: Go ahead. I'll be good.

Joyce leaves and Buffy kisses Angel.

Buffy: I never said I'd be good.


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Buffy is taken home the next night. Angel gets the privilege of carrying her up the stairs and tucking her in.

Angel: I'll find him for you, Buffy. And when I do, I'll kill him.

Angel bends down and kisses Buffy, then he smiles and turns toward the door, to find Joyce standing there.

Expecting her to be mad about the kiss, Angel is shocked beyond belief when she hugs him and kisses him on the cheek.

Joyce: Thank you for coming when you did. She might've died if you hadn't been here.

Angel: I got lucky.

Joyce: Where did you learn CPR? Are you a life-guard?

Angel: I saw it on T.V. once.

Joyce: You must learn fast.

Angel:I guess.

Angel turns away, thinking of what might have happened if Ted had come during the daytime.

Angel: I almost lost her as it was...What if I hadn't come?

Joyce hugs him again.

Joyce:You DID come, that's what matters. Now, tell me more about this allergy to the sun...


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