Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters in this story, they are the property of Joss Whedon and the WB.

It was a dark night in the Sunnydale cemetery. Xander stood inside of the mausoleum with a crossbow in his hands, aiming at Angel's chest.

"I hate you," Xander said, "You killed Ms. Calendar, you tried to kill Willow, you tortured Giles and you tormented Buffy. Soul or not I'm still going to kill you."

Angel had waited for this moment ever since his soul was returned. He was never able to do it himself, to give himself release and now someone was going to do it for him.

Xander took aim and fired, at that time he heard someone run into the mausoleum.

"No!" Buffy cried and ran in front of Angel, using her body to shield him. Xander took his gaze off of the crossbow to see Buffy's lifeless body in Angel's arms.

"Buffy...." Angel said and looked up at Xander. "Go home, Xander. You did enough for tonight," He growled.

Once Xander was gone Angel turned his attention back to Buffy.

"Angel..." She whispered.

"Shhh. Save your strength."

"Angel, I can't see anything. Why is it so dark? Why can't I see you?" She said, and all was quiet as she was surrounded into that darkness.

"Buffy...." Angel cradled her body in his arms, rocking her back and forth as he wept.

The Slayerettes and her mother had gone to Buffy's funeral. Xander had felt guilty and everyone blamed her death on Xander's stupidity.

Later that night, Angel bent down near Buffy's grave and put a rose next to the headstone.

"Damn you, Buffy," he cried, "Why did you have to give your life up for mine?"

A light wind breezed through the cemetery and he heard someone whisper, "Because I love you..."

Angel turned around to see Buffy emerge from the shadows, her appearance almost heavenly. As she slowly approached him, she looked Angel over. She noticed that his eyes were red and puffy and his hair was ruffled.

"Get much sleep lately?" She asked with a small grin.

"B-but, you're dead."

"I am. Well, sorty of anyway." She looked around the cemetery. "We need to talk somewhere else, it's not safe here."

Angel didn't question her; he just followed her out of the cemetery and the two headed towards the old mansion.

Buffy sat next to Angel on his bed, she insisted that he sits down when she tells him the story.

"How?" Was all he could ask.

"When I died I was put in the land of the dead. My soul was to wait for yours until you came in order to cross over into the next life. But you wouldn't be able to because your an immortal, so, they sent me back here onto earth to help save humanity and be with you...."

"Are you a ghost?"

"No, not quite," She answered and took his hand in hers to prove her point. "But you're the only person who can see me, with the exception of a few others."

"Well, you feel real to me," he then asked, "Others?"

"A few demons that feed off of human souls. I just hope that I don't encounter any of those creepy things. I don't have any of my Slayer powers anymore, only in my actual body. The only power I have is invisibility."

"Buffy, you didn't answer my question in the graveyard."

"I told you why."

"That's not good enough."

"I don't know, I guess I just reacted to it," She told him.

"You died."

"But I'm here now."

"Yeah, you are," he said as he pulled her onto his lap and kissed her deeply.