Categories: Season 6
Characters: Angel, Buffy, Spike
Summary:
(Feel free to change the title.)
The Setup: Angel comes to Sunnydale in S6, either before or in place of Riley in "As You Were".
The exact circumstances are up to you; maybe someone called him up, believing he could help Buffy through her time in Hell. But when he gets there, he sees Buffy struggling and Spike clearly in love with her.
To be clear: I don't want Angel-bashing. I don't even want particularly jealous Angel, although he might be. Instead he tries to help both Buffy and Spike, since they're clearly struggling (and honestly, I always pictured S&A's relationship as less hostile than it's usually portrayed--I saw S2 as Angelus just being stir-crazy after being so soulful). He might not try to push them together, but he doesn't explicitly make a move on Buffy either. Feel free to bring up Cangel.
Would love it if there was a (better-written than this) conversation along the lines of:
Buffy: "Spike can't love me without a soul."
Angel: "Yes, he can."
Buffy: "Well, you couldn't love me without a soul."
Angel: "I could. That was why I tried so hard to destroy you. I was still in love with you, and it made me feel human. Without my soul...I couldn't stand that."
Cue Buffy comparing that to "I know I'm a monster, but you treat me like a man." Etc. etc. etc.
Basically, Angel isn't a Spuffy shipper, but he does want them to be happy(/ier) and ends up accidentally pushing them together while the Scoobies look on in horror.
Can Have:
- Lots of Angel/Spike talks about morality, etc.
- Mentions of past Spangel (that wasn't just Angel raping Spike) would also be cool
- Riley showing up at the end to see Buffy dating Spike and on good terms with Angel
- Other people from LA also coming along for the ride
Must Not Have:
- Scooby-bashing
- Buffy throwing herself into Angel's arms right off the bat