When Buffy arrived at school the next morning, she headed straight for the library as she did every day. It didn't matter if she was late or not, it was still the first place she went. Giles wanted a detailed report every morning before classes of all vampire or paranormal activity, and she was happy to give it to him. It was better than keeping it all to herself, anyway.

"Hey, Giles," she called, swinging through the double doors, confident that no one else would be in there that early.

"Good morning, Buffy," he replied in his usually polite way, sorting through a large stack of books at a table in the middle of the room. "Anything unusual happen last night?"

These morning reports were the highlight of his day. He loved hearing about all the town's demonic activity. What else was there in a place like Sunnydale?

"Nope. Not really," she said, dropping into a chair beside him. "Angel and Drusilla showed up with Spike, but they were no problem."

She chuckled to herself, shaking her head. Drusilla was a coward, and with Spike still in his chair Angel had to look out for all three of them. All things considered, that certainly made her job a heck of a lot easier.

"You're sure?" Giles hoped fighting Angel or something that looked like him wouldn't mess up Buffy's concentration, but she was still in tip-top slayer shape.

"Yeah." Buffy nodded to show him she was okay, but her mind was somewhere else entirely...

Willow and Buffy were in the same homeroom together, due to their last names. Willow was an "R" (Rosenburg), and Buffy was an "S" (Summers). Xander's last name was Harris so he was in a room a few doors down the hall.

"As well as can be expected when you're fighting the man you love," Buffy responded glumly, tracing over her notebook absently with the end of her pen.

"Buffy, it isn't Angel," Willow tried to tell her sympathetically.

"I know. 'It's the thing that killed him.' Giles has given me that speech a hundred times already, but when I look at him, that's all I see."

Willow sighed and put her hand on Buffy's shoulder. It was difficult for Buffy to believe that Angel wasn't himself anymore. He was Angelus, terrorizing the city along with his army of vampires, and intent on killing her or driving her insane, whichever one came first...

One way or another, the slayer had to go. And if Angelus wasn't up to it, he certainly was...