Placement: Jumps around. Early mid-season 3 of Angel (between Carpe Noctem and Fredless), Same time (beteen Flooded and Life Serial) for BtVS. There will be a sequel, post 7th (BtVS- Chosen) and 5th (Angel- NFA).

Notes: Please review if you read. I like knowing I have a reason to keep the story going, besides... is this not saving you from a bit of boredom?

Disclaimer: Buffy and Angel (and other related characters) own /me/ sadly. Joss Whedon... well he owns /them/. Catch the drift? I'm at the bottom of the food chain here, I just make them and their sidekicks play out scenes from my head to entertain the rest of y'all. I take credit for nothing except the use of the words I place. Also, below is a direct dialogue clip from an episode of Angel yep yep. That's not mine either, although the stuff not in quotes is written with love.

ANY transcripts taken from episodes (aside from writing added in the middle) have been taken from (buffy-vs-angel dot com) and transcribed by Joan the English Chick (pisces (at) englishchick dot com). :)

Prologue: The Messenger Says it Best

Sure I never really understood Angel's obsession with darkness and isolation, but I never took time to question his decisions. I always urged him to come out into the light and enjoy life as it is... have a few drinks every once in a while... I mean... alcohol seemed to make all sorts of things possible. Either way, I started to worry about the chap after that little blonde had walked out the door two months ago. After he told me the story that he was cursed with carrying the weight of a whole non-existent day on his shoulders...I tried offering him a few drinks to make the memories fade away but Angel... no, he actually wants to remember it. Can't say that I'd have made the same decision- he's truly an oddity.

Everyday he replays those memories in his head, I don't think he can go a day without weaning himself off of those thoughts. It's almost pathetic, really. This guy's living in the past- and sadly... I mean that in the literal sense. See Angel... he always seems to be on the receiving end of torment and torture but... the funny thing I don't understand- He never tries to make it better. He accepts all this pain and suffering with the claim that he, well, deserves it all. Nobody deserves pain- not like the fastballs he's dealt with. I was surprised, however, to find that he actually took it sort of hard after my death. I didn't think I'd made that much of an impact on his life. Then again, I suppose the little things in life leave the most unexpected footprints.

What got me was his run-in with Faith. The other vampire slayer. She seemed to be one of those spears in the middle of his relationship with Buffy. Something had definitely happened between the two that caused the little blonde one to erupt like she did. Maybe that, or it was just the tension building between the two lovers. It was saying something, however, that the moment Angel landed his punch across her jaw and he froze in bitter realization. He regretted everything that day, especially when he told her to leave 'his city.' So much pain overcame him that he even followed her back to Sunnydale just to apologize.

Things were quiet awhile and then our boy went a little crazy. Darla came and flipped out the worst of Angel. He was so far gone, but then he ended up sleeping with Darla just to /feel/. What happened after Angel's epiphany, however... it's another tale inside itself. He awoke with disgust at what he'd done... with Darla, nonetheless. Angel doesn't usually admit his wrongs, but he kicked her out without a beat. After hearing of Buffy's death not long after, a darkness overcame him. Funny guy, Angel. He thought he'd gotten over the darkness and Buffy- but truthfully he'd never been able to push her from his thoughts. Once more, he told nobody.

Angel'd left for Sunnydale after he heard that Buffy was alive again. Funny thing was, he wouldn't tell anyone what happened- not even Cordelia. Everyone at the Hyperion was wondering exactly what crawled up Angel's ass when he'd gotten back. They all assumed he stalked her a bit and then drifted away once again- but I tell you, my friends, so much more than that happened. Angel had every right to be bitter- confused and terribly unhappy. I'll be telling the story to the best of my own recollection, but remember, everyone- my own recollection isn't all that great.

Either way, I couldn't quite do the tale justice- not without a bit of ladyluck on my side and a good pint of beer. Even then, I'm not so sure I could completely succeed in putting these events down in a story. The drama that ensues... it's heartening my friends, but I'll do my best to tell the tale. Almost like one of those blockbusters you don't get to see everyday. You're going to have to bear with me, I'm just the messenger.

Let me begin by revealing to you Angel's return from Sunnydale- back to Los Angeles. Cordy and Wes... ahh, little did they know. ((Dialogue taken from AS3 (49) Fredless))

((Recap of Angel's Return))

"He'll be back when he's back," Cordelia assured Fred.

"So - now that she's alive again, are they gonna get back together? Angel and that girl with the goofy name?" Fred couldn't hide her curiosity.

"Well - Fred - that's a difficult question. I think it's fair to say - no. Not a chance, never, no way, not in a million years, and also 'nuh-uh,'" Wesley stated quite plainly, looking over at Cordelia.

"But you said he loved her. And of course she's gonna love him back, because he's so strong and handsome and he really listens when you talk. I-I mean, if you go for that sort of thing, why wouldn't it work?"

Cordy stepped in with a sigh, "Let me break it down for you, Fred." Oh great, now she was pretending to be Buffy. Cordy and her bad acting skills... well, this was actually a pretty accurate interpretation of the Buffster, "Oh - Angel! I know that I'm a Slayer and you a vampire - and it would be impossible for us to be together - but!"

A chortle could be heard from the peanut gallery, and it belonged to none other than Gunn. Wesley's smirk on his face indicated he was game as he stood up to play the part of Angel in this dramatic enactment, "BUT!... My gypsy curse sometimes prevent me from seeing the truth. Oh, Buffy!" Wesley spoke while taking off his glasses and staring at Cordelia longingly.

"Yes, Angel?"

"Oh, I love you so much I almost forgot to brood!"

"And just because I sent you to hell that one time doesn't mean that we can't just be friends." Cordelia gasps as Wesley grabs her wrist, "Oh!"

"Or possibly more."

"Gasp! No! We mustn't."

Wesley pulls Cordelia in closer, voice darkening, "Kiss me."

"Bite me!" Wesley positions Cordy over his arm and fakes sinking his 'fangs' into the neck of Cordelia. This, however, is the choice moment Angel makes an appearance.

"...How about you both bite me."

Fred is slightly startled, feeling almost embarrassed from watching the two. Jumping up, she squealed, "You're back!"

The guilty look on Cordelia and Wesley's faces only grows more evident as they part from each other hurriedly and look away,

"How'd it go?" Gunn questioned the dark one.

"I think those two pretty much summed it up. To be honest - I /really/ don't wanna talk about it."

Cordy had to try to redeem herself now, plus she was simply nosy, "But... ah, Angel - we're your friends... and, and it-it's not healthy to repress stuff like this. You-you need to share your - pain, express those feelings of grief and longing or... The curiosity is gonna kill me!"

Angel retorted dryly, "Oh, no. Wouldn't want that."

"Personally, I don't care at all what happened," Fred's innocent voice spoke up.

"Shut up, Fred," Cordelia commanded angrily.

Angel glances at Fred and sighs, speaking quietly, "Actually, you know what I need right now? - Ice cream. You wanna get some ice cream?"

A gigantic smile appears across Fred's face, "I like Ice cream!" She walks over to Angel and they begin to leave the Hyperion on a quest for ice cream. (No, not cookie-dough fudge-mint chip.)

Cordelia sighs sadly, "Now we'll never, ever know."

"That's right," Angel responded darkly, continuing to exit with Fred.

-End Recap-

See, Angel's departing from LA went somewhat like this:

Angel, Willow's on the phone... She's alive! Buffy's alive!

Angel rushed out of the room in disbelief of Cordelia's words. He had to see her, he had to go to her... now. It didn't take him long before stating to the rest of the gang, "I'm leaving. Now." Nabbing his coat and not wasting another second, Angel did that 'whooshy' disappearance thing he was so good at. Nobody asked any questions, and everybody knew there was no talking him out of it. What they didn't prepare for, however, for his avoidy mood when he'd returned.

Ah well, let the story unravel then.