When Buffy arrived in Sunnydale, she was followed one night by a mysterious stranger named Angel. He knew of her Calling and warned her of an imminent slaughter. They clashed instantly, in the way that only a pair doomed to fall for each other can. She insisted to all of her friends, and to Angel, that she resented his "cryptic wise man act" and told herself repeatedly that even if she did think he was "gorgeous, in an annoying sort of way", they couldn't possibly have any future together. Well, she was wrong, and she was right.

Just as she began to fall for him, she discovered that he was a vampire. Torn between her duty and her feelings for him, she resolved to slay Angel when she thought he'd attacked her mother. He hadn't, though, and he ended up killing the vampire who had - even though that vampire (Darla) had been his sire and his lover for decades - to save Buffy. They decided they couldn't be together, but their resolve gave way to the inevitability of their feelings for each other. For a while, things went well for them. Angel proved an invaluable help, not to mention a great kisser. They fell in love. Then on Buffy's 17th birthday, disaster struck.

Angel gave Buffy a claddagh ring as a token of his love. Then after an attack by Dru's minions, they hid together in Angel's apartment. That night, they made love. But in the morning, Angel was gone. Literally. Gypsies had cursed Angel with the return of his soul so that he would be tormented with guilt for the people he'd killed. However, when making love to Buffy gave Angel a moment of true happiness, that soul was taken from him, and he became again what he was before - a brutal, soulless killer.

Buffy struggled to bring herself to kill the vampire she'd loved. Angelus, on the other hand, delighted in tormenting Buffy. He was obsessed with her. He undertook a systematic campaign designed to demoralize and weaken the Slayer, but rather than crush her, it gave her the resolve to destroy him, especially since Angelus was about to open a vortex that would destroy the world. In an effort to stop him, Willow attempted to restore his soul, but Buffy had to proceed with her attack. Just before Buffy delivered the killing blow, Angel gasped as his soul flooded back into him. He had no idea where he was or what had happened, and Buffy was overjoyed to have him back again. Unfortunately, Angelus had already opened the portal, and Angel's blood was the only thing that would seal it again. So Buffy kissed Angel, told him to close his eyes, and ran her sword through his heart. Angel was sucked into the void, and Buffy was utterly devastated.

Buffy struggled to go on with her life, tortured by dreams of Angel's death at her hands. Then one night, Angel reappeared, crazed and feral. Buffy nursed him back to health. The two of them were still clearly very much in love, but they knew they couldn't be together. They tried for a long time to find a way to be a part of each other's life, but their feelings ran too deep for them to ever just be friends. Despite his love for Buffy, Angel made the hard choice to leave Sunnydale.

Several months later, Buffy went to LA to chastize Angel for visiting Sunnydale to protect her without telling her that he was in town. While in Angel's office, they were attacked by a demon whose blood made Angel human again. He and Buffy had a dream-come-true of a day together, but Angel had the Oracles take back the day because as a human, he felt he was a liability to Buffy. She left, not knowing about the day they had just spent together.

Angel visited Sunnydale again twice more. First was after Joyce's funeral, when he and Buffy sat together that night in the graveyard, sharing company and comfort. The second time was in End of Days/Chosen, when he brought her an amulet to help in her fight against The First. He offered to stay and be the 'champion' who wore it, but she insisted that not only was it her fight, she wanted him to be in Los Angeles, preparing a second line of defense in case she and the others fell. When Buffy's relationship with Spike came up, Angel's jealousy was obvious. And when Buffy said she didn't know who she'll want to be with when she's ready for an adult, committed relationship - something which could be years away, if ever - Angel smiled and told her that he wasn't getting any older.

Pivotal Episodes:
Welcome to the Hellmouth, Angel, What's My Line I/II, Surprise, Innocence, Passion, I Only Have Eyes For You, Becoming I/II, Revelations, Lovers Walk, Amends, The Prom, Graduation Day I/II, I Will Remember You (AtS), Chosen.

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