"Irresistible "
Author: Michelle
Email: michellabella52478@yahoo.com
"Are you sure you want to stay over?" Angel asked after he opened the door to the empty apartment.
"I'm positive. I thought you and I were going to do the campout thing in the living room," Buffy said. "Unless you changed your mind and think I should just go home."
He shook his head. "No, not at all. Of course I want you to stay, Buffy. But given your run-in this evening with those vampires, I guess I figured you'd feel safer in your own bed."
"SlayerFest '98 was a huge bust, and I'm feeling perfectly fine. Did you have fun tonight? I mean, even though your date showed up close to two hours later?"
"Yeah, I did. It was definitely an eventful evening. Did you have a good time?"
"Yes, for the most part. Aside from the getting kidnapped part." Buffy grimaced. "I'm sorry I didn't win Homecoming Queen for you. I know how much you wanted to say you've dated a beauty queen."
"I already told you before, Buffy, that stuff doesn't matter to me. Michelle and Holly won, so what?" Angel commented. "Besides, I am dating a beauty queen."
"A former beauty queen."
He smiled at her. "It was Fiesta Queen, right? That's better than Homecoming Queen, isn't it?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so. Remember how I told you winning didn't matter? I was wrong. It was majorly disappointing to know all my hard work was for nothing. For all I know, I didn't even get one single vote."
"I voted for you. And I can think of a few other people who did, too. In my mind, you are the Homecoming Queen. Even though you don't have the crown to prove it."
"Thanks. You know just how to make me feel better."
"It's my job. Wait right here for a minute," ordered Angel. "I'll be right back."
While Angel went into his bedroom, Buffy sat down on the couch, her hands folded in her lap. 'What is he doing?' she wondered. When he returned a minute later, he was holding a square black box in his hands.
"What's going on?" Buffy wanted to know.
Angel sat down on the couch next to her. "I wanted to wait another two weeks, but you seem like you could use some cheering up." He handed her the box. "This is for you. Happy anniversary."
"Anniversary?" she repeated.
"Yeah. Two weeks from Wednesday is the six month anniversary of our first date," he told her. "I had to get you something nice."
Flabbergasted, Buffy could only stare at the box she held in her hands. "You didn't have to."
"Yes I did. Are you going to open it?"
Returning to reality, Buffy slowly opened the box. She gasped out loud when she saw its contents. Inside was a gold locket in the shape of a heart, dangling from a delicate gold chain. "Oh my god," she whispered. "Angel, it's beautiful."
"I'm glad you like it."
"Would you put in on me?" she asked.
Angel took the box from her and carefully removed the necklace. Unlatching the clasp, he stood up, making his way behind her to place the necklace around her neck. Once he secured it in place, he placed a soft kiss where the chain touched her skin.
"All done," he announced, returning to his spot next to her. "It looks perfect on you."
She fingered the locket. "You know, you shouldn't have done this. It probably cost you a fortune."
He shook his head. "It was my mom's. My dad bought it for her on their five year wedding anniversary. I wanted to give it to you."
Buffy gazed at him in amazement. "I don't have anything to give you."
Leaning over, Angel moved a stray hair from her cheek. "Yes you do."
She knew what he was implying, but didn't reply to him. Instead, she felt her eyes closing and her head moving closer to his. A rush of warmth flooded her body the second their lips met, and she welcomed it. She loved the feeling of comfort she got from being near him, and feared the day it went way.
His tongue grazed over her lips, pushing forward into her mouth in an effort to seek its mate. The two appendages danced and dueled between their mouths, while their hands roamed endlessly each other's bodies. Angel's suit coat had been thrown on the back of the reclining chair shortly after they'd arrived, and before they knew it, his shirt was unbuttoned, pushed over his shoulders. Buffy honestly couldn't remember if she'd done it or if he had. Everything seemed so fuzzy.
Her hands ran over the warm, exposed flesh of her boyfriend's chest, feeling the muscles ripple beneath her touch. Her fingernails scratched his nipples, causing him to moan into her mouth. Angel wasn't sure if it surprised him or not that she knew just where to touch him. Every caress drove him closer to the edge; closer to taking her right there on the couch, not caring if his sister walked in and caught them in the act.
He glided his right hand from her waist up to her back, finding the zipper of her dress. Pushing it all the way down to the end of its track, he slid his hand inside the opening to touch her. She hadn't worn a bra, and for that Angel was grateful; it meant one less obstacle to deal with. He wanted to feel her without limits; he wanted to join with her in the most intimate showing of love.
As he began to lower the straps of her dress off her shoulders, Buffy knew she had to stop him before they went too far. "No," she said, breathless from their passionate kissing.
"You feel so good," Angel told her, his lips grazing along her neck to her shoulders. "And smell and taste wonderful, too."
"We have to stop," she begged him. "Please."
"I don't want to." He looked her in the eye, caressing her cheek with his fingertips. "I want to make love to you tonight, Buffy."
Buffy shook her head. "Angel, we can't. I promised my mother."
"She doesn't have to know."
"What if Cathy comes home?" she tried to reason.
"She went to visit some friends and promised not to be home much before two o'clock. If that's what you're worried about, we can go into my bedroom for privacy."
"No, that isn't what I'm worried about. Please, Angel, can't we just wait a little bit longer?"
He sighed. "I don't understand. I thought you wanted to."
"I do. And if I hadn't promised my mom I wouldn't do anything tonight, I would. Believe me, Angel, I want to be with you so badly I can't hardly think straight. But I don't want to lose my trust with my mother, either. Things are already kinda strained between us as it is." Buffy frowned. "I hope you understand my reasons for not wanting to tonight."
Angel nodded. He did understand, but his body didn't like it. "Yeah, I understand, I guess. I'm sorry for putting you in an uncomfortable situation."
"It wasn't uncomfortable, trust me. It's been a long time since I felt like that. And I promise you, we will make love one day," promised Buffy. "Just not tonight."
Angel gave her a sweet, gentle kiss. "Whenever you're ready. Why don't you go take a shower."
"Don't you want to take one first?" she asked.
"No, you first. Ladies before gentlemen. I'll set up the sleeping bags and stuff out here while you're in there."
"Okay."
As he heard the shower go on three minutes later, Angel hoped she made it a quick shower, because he needed one. A long, cold shower.
Faith and Buffy were on patrol a week later, stakes in hand, waiting for some action. It was Faith's first patrol through the area with Buffy. "Nice place," she commented. "Do you ever catch kids doing the diddy out here?"
"Nah. There's a smooch spot up by the woods. That's usually where the kids go."
"Yeah? I bet you and Angel have been up there kicking the gearshift."
"Hardly," Buffy scoffed. "Neither one of us has a car, not that we would be up there anyway."
Faith smiled mischievously. "But you like him. When you think about him, you get that good, down low tickle, right?"
She shrugged slightly, unable to stop from smiling at her sister Slayer's comment. "Yeah, I guess." Buffy paused for a moment and thought. "How low?"
"You tell me," Faith laughed.
"How about not? But he is nice and he's funny."
They continued their patrol through the graveyard. "And quite a muffin," the brunette added.
"Blueberry, with that crunchy-munchy stuff on top. It's hard to explain, but Angel's perfect. Everything I've ever wanted in a boyfriend and never thought I could have."
"Have you two done the nasty yet?"
"Faith!" Buffy exclaimed.
"Come on, you can tell me. You're the only friend I've got around here. Who am I gonna tell?" Faith pleaded. "I'm dying to know how far you've gone with Mr. Tall, Dark and Gorgeous."
The blonde Slayer sighed. "All right. Technically, Angel and I haven't slept together."
"What do you mean by 'technically'?"
"Just that we haven't physically made love. We've fooled around a little, like after Homecoming, but we never went all the way," Buffy divulged.
"You've done it before, haven't you?" Faith asked. When Buffy didn't respond, she stopped, grabbing the blonde by the arm. "Oh my god, don't tell me you're still a virgin!"
She shook her head. "I really don't want to talk about it. It's not something I feel comfortable discussing."
"Come on, a simple yes or no would suffice."
Buffy sighed, innately knowing Faith would not give up until she had an answer. "The short answer is no."
"Who was he?"
"No one you know."
"Was it Xander?" Faith questioned, desperate to hear all the information.
"Ew! No way!" the blonde exclaimed once again. "Xander is just a good friend. It happened before I came here." 'I suppose that's not really a lie,' she thought.
Faith nodded in understanding. "I get it. A goodbye screw…never thought you had it in ya, B."
"It wasn't like that. Look, can we drop the subject?"
"Sure. So tell me, you planning on sleeping with you current studmuffin anytime in the near future?"
Buffy laughed. "You never give up, do you?"
It was well after midnight when Buffy returned home from patrol; she and Faith had come upon a nest of vampires in a mausoleum and it had taken them a good forty-five minutes to dust them all. As she climbed through her bedroom window, she didn't notice her mother sitting on her bed, her arms folded under her breasts.
"Exactly what do you think you're doing?" demanded Mrs. Summers.
Buffy glanced up, shocked to see her mother in her bedroom. "Mom. I didn't see you there. Sorry."
"You didn't answer my question, young lady. What are you doing crawling through your bedroom window at twenty after twelve on a school night?"
"I was out."
"Doing what?" her mother wanted to know. "Because it must have been really important for you to sneak in an hour after curfew."
"I'm sorry, Mom."
Mrs. Summers glared angrily at her daughter. "You're sorry? I was worried about you! Where were you? Out with Angel, perhaps?"
"No. I was out with Faith."
"That brown-haired girl with the tight clothes? She's the reason you purposely disobeyed your curfew? I always thought you had more sense, Buffy." She took a deep breath, trying to control herself. "What exactly were you two doing?"
"We went for a walk," she answered.
"At midnight? Give me a break." Mrs. Summers paused, seeing a red spot on her daughter's powder blue t-shirt. "Is that blood on your shirt?"
She nodded solemnly. "Yes." She knew this was it, no more lying to her mother. Mrs. Summers needed to hear the truth.
"Why is it there? Did something happen to you? Were you mugged?" A million different scenarios went through her mind, none of which she liked very much.
"I'm fine. But I have to tell you something. And you're probably going to think I'm completely loony and will want to have me put away in a mental hospital after you hear it."
"What is it?"
Buffy made eye contact with her mother, who was anxiously awaiting an explanation. "Mom, I'm a vampire Slayer."
"A what?" she asked after a lengthy pause.
"Vampires are real and I kill them. One girl is chosen in each generation to be the Slayer, and back in L.A. two years ago, I was called. Every night, I go out on patrol through the streets and kill the vampires. Staking, beheading, etc.…you know, like you read in the horror novels, only real. Sunnydale is located on a Hellmouth, so a lot of supernatural creatures flock here. It's my job to save the world on a nightly basis. And Faith is my sister Slayer. See, I-I died last year for a few minutes and she was called." Buffy hesitated, gauging her mother's reaction. "Mom? Are you okay?"
"Are you on drugs, Buffy?"
Her jaw dropped. "No! Look, everything I told you was the god's honest truth. If you don't believe me, you can call Giles."
"Your school librarian? Is he your supplier?"
"He's my Watcher. Giles guides me, looks up the demons I have to fight on a nightly basis," she explained. "He can explain this whole Slayer gig better than I can."
Mrs. Summers stood up. "No. This is just some outlandish lie you cooked up to keep yourself out of trouble."
"Mom, open your eyes! What do you think has been going on with me for the past two years? How many times have you had to wash blood out of my clothes and you still don't get it? I'm not on drugs, nor am I in a gang. If you looked hard enough, you'd see that!" she exploded.
"Don't use that tone of voice with me, young lady. I'm your mother, not some kid at school. And consider yourself grounded until further notice."
"Mom!"
"Good night. We'll talk about this in the morning." Mrs. Summers said before leaving her daughter alone in her bedroom.
Angel groaned when he heard the telephone ringing on the bedside table. With a yawn, he looked at the clock; it read twelve thirty-five in the morning. 'This had better be important.' "Hello?" he answered when he picked it up.
"Angel? Is that you?"
He immediately recognized his girlfriend's voice. "Buffy? Is something wrong?"
"I'm sorry for calling so late. I just needed someone to talk to, and you were the only person I thought of," she said.
"It's okay. What do you need to talk about?"
Buffy sniffled, still upset about her conversation with her mother. "My mom…she's mad at me because I told her everything. She knows the truth about who I really am and doesn't believe me."
"That's awful, Buffy. God, I don't even know what to say. Maybe you should give her some time to cool off. It *is* a lot to swallow all at once. Believe me, I know."
"What if she hates me?"
"She's your mother. Trust me, she doesn't hate you. She'll get past it and learn to accept that slaying is a part of who you are."
Laying under the covers, Buffy smiled at her boyfriend's reassuring words. "You always know the right words to say, Angel. I love you."
"I love you, too."
"Would you talk to me until I fall asleep?" she asked.
"It's almost one in the morning," Angel pointed out. "We have class in seven hours."
"Please?" she begged.
In that tone of voice, Angel knew he couldn't say no. And he didn't. He stayed on the phone with her for another half-hour, giving her soothing words to fall asleep to.
"You know, I'm surprised your mom let me even come over tonight," Angel commented one night in the middle of November, several weeks after her grounding. "Even if all we're doing is studying."
Buffy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, tell me about it. Ever since I told her about the Slayer thing, she's been acting all overprotective and stuff. But I guess since all we're going is studying, she doesn't mind." She sighed. "What I really want is for her to un-ground me. I hate having to stay in every night while you guys get to go out and have fun."
"I told you it would take some time for her to get used to the idea."
"I know. Maybe I feel a little guilty for leaving all the slaying to Faith while this thing blows over with Mom. It's not fair to her."
Angel reached across the table to grasp his girlfriend's hand. "Don't worry about it, Buffy. Faith isn't too upset about it; the girl loves slaying. In fact, I bet if she were here right now, she'd tell you everything's okay and not to rush back into it. Maybe she'll even let you retire."
"Angel…"
"I know, I know; wishful thinking. But you never know, it could happen."
She frowned. "Only in my dreams."
To help cheer her up, Angel pressed his lips to hers. Buffy responded to the feel of him touching her; his right hand lightly stroking the back of her neck, his left hand still holding hers, caressing the knuckles on her right hand. It was a loving, yet erotic motion to her on his part.
As quiet as a mouse, Mrs. Summers entered the kitchen, seeing her daughter kissing her boyfriend. "I thought this was a study session," she stated, announcing her presence. "And I'm not seeing a lot of studying being done."
Buffy removed her lips from Angel's. "Sorry. We were taking a break."
"Well, whatever your excuse is, I think it's time for Angel to leave. It's nine-thirty."
"Mom!" Buffy exclaimed.
He stood up, gathering his books. "No, Buffy, it's okay. It is getting kinda late, I should go home." Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, Angel headed for the door. "Night, Mrs. Summers. Buffy, I'll see you in the morning."
Once he had left the house, Buffy whirled on her mother. "I can't believe you did that! You practically threw Angel out on his ass!"
"The purpose of him coming over was to study, not make out with you at the kitchen table. Now that he's left, perhaps you'll get more studying accomplished," her mother said.
"Why are you acting like this?"
"Because you need to start behaving more responsibly. I'm your mother and it's my job to make sure you stay safe and out of trouble."
"I *am* safe, nor am I getting in trouble. We were just kissing!" Buffy stared at her mother with astonishment. "You're not acting like my mother anymore, you're acting like a tyrant. Ever since I told you I am the Slayer, you've become this other person."
"Your Mr. Giles may have explained things to me, but I still don't like it. I don't want you to be the Slayer. I want you to be Buffy, the sweet little girl I raised. Not some super hero with special powers."
"Do you think I wanted to be the Slayer?" she asked. "I didn't. But it is a part of who I am. And you know what, Mom? No amount of grounding me is going to change that!"
"You should let Faith do the slaying. Think about it, you'll be starting college in the fall…you could be a normal girl again," Mrs. Summers told her. "There's a whole new world of possibilities out there for you to explore."
"I can't. It's not like I can wake up one morning and stop being the Slayer. It would be like you waking up and not being a mom; what would you do? Truthfully, I wouldn't know where to begin. Slaying is too much a part of me, I'm sorry," Buffy apologized. "I wish you would stop being my mother for a little while and try to understand that."
Mayor Richard Wilkins stood behind his desk inside City Hall, his arm draped comfortably over the back of his leather chair. "I appreciate you coming." He began walking toward his visitor. "I realize it's early…for you…but I think you'll agree that this matter is urgent. Also, delicate."
Mr. Trick didn't back up, despite the very close proximity of the Mayor and his intimidating stature. "I'm a very delicate person."
"So you feel you can handle this?"
The dark-skinned, well-dressed vampire took an unnecessary breath. "It's a little out of my element, but I can get you what you need. I know a beast who knows a guy."
Mayor Wilkins made his way over to the large oak cabinet on the other side of the room. "Are you sure that subcontracting is the way to go here?"
"Well, this guy's worked your town before, and if he lives up to his rep, this place'll be in flames," Mr. Trick promised with a smile.
"I've made certain deals to get where I am today. This demon requires his tribute." The Mayor opened the cabinet. "You see, I *keep* my campaign promises."
The next morning at school, Buffy, Willow, Angel and Xander walked into the cafeteria for something to drink before their first period classes.
"Did you guys study for the English test today?" Willow asked Buffy and Angel. "It's going to be killer."
"Yep," the blonde replied. "Angel came over last night after dinner and we did the study thing."
Xander laughed. "I'm willing to bet a lot of studying got done, too. Between the smooches." Angel smacked him over the head with the palm of his hand. "Hey, that hurt!"
"Good."
"For your information, Xander, we got a lot accomplished. Well, before Mom kicked him out in a fit of motherly rage," Buffy informed them.
Willow gazed at her best friend sympathetically. "She's still not happy with you being the Slayer, huh?"
"That would be a big fat no."
As the four of them approached the soda machine, they came across Principal Snyder, who was handing out boxes of candy bars to nearby students. Willow's face lit up. "Ooh, candy bars! Lots of 'em!"
The Principal handed a box to Xander when he tried to walk around him. "Principal Snyder, thank you! You weren't visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, by any chance?" the boy jokingly asked.
"It's band candy," the Principal dryly replied.
"Let's hear it for the band, huh? Very generous," Buffy commented.
"You will sell it to raise money for the marching band. They need new uniforms."
Xander almost burst into a fit of laughter. "Yeah. Those tall, fuzzy hats ain't cheap, huh?"
Angel shrugged, happy that Principal Snyder didn't hand him a box like he had Xander. "But they go with everything."
"I'm sure we love the idea of going all Willy Loman, but we're not in the band," Buffy pointed out.
Principal Snyder remained nonplussed by her remark. "And if I'd handed you a trombone, that would've been a problem, Summers." He shoved a box of candy into her arms. "It's candy. Sell it. All of you."
"But you're not in the band," Mrs. Summers reminded her daughter as they ate dinner at the island in the kitchen later that night.
Buffy made a face. "And yet."
"Buffy, what would I do with forty chocolate bars?" she asked.
"You could hand them out at the Gallery," Buffy suggested. "'Buy something Pre-Columbian, get a free cavity.'"
Mrs. Summers considered for several moments. 'It *is* for a good cause. I suppose it wouldn't do any harm to help.' "Twenty."
"You're a good mom."
"I'm the best," she agreed.
Buffy took a sip of water. "No, I'm pretty sure the best moms would un-ground their daughters for one night so she could go out with her friends."
"I want you home. I like knowing you're safe."
She sighed, giving up. It looked like she wasn't going to be going to the Bronze with Angel the next night. Despite her promise to him otherwise.
"I heard there was a secret rule that if a teacher's more than ten minutes late, we can all leave," Cordelia said during third period study hall Friday morning.
Buffy, who had been studying with Angel at the table in front of Cordelia and Xander, looked up. "It's Giles' turn to watch study hall. He'll be here. He's allergic to late."
Cordelia sighed heavily. "He is wound a little tight. I had this Philosophy book checked out from the library for, like, a year, and he made me pay the fine, even though it was huge. I was sad to return it. It was perfect for starting conversations with college boys."
To Buffy's right, Angel silently asked her, 'Is she for real?' When she smiled back at him, he placed his hand on her right leg, rubbing it from the knee to the thigh. Buffy put her hand over his to make him stop, afraid someone would see them.
"I like chocolate," Xander stated. "There is no bad here."
"You still have some left?" Cordelia asked, astonished. "I went to, like, four houses, and they were gone. My mother bought seven and locked herself in the master bedroom."
"At least we're raising a lot of money for the band," Angel added.
"The band. Yeah. They're great. They march," rambled Xander.
A few seconds later, Ms. Barton walked into the room, clapping her hands in order to quiet the rowdy students. "Hey! We're all stuck here, okay? So now let's just sit quietly and pretend we're reading something." She indicated to a book sitting on her desk. "Until we're sure that old Commandant Snyder's gone. Then we're outta here!"
Xander stared in amazement as the teacher smiled wickedly at the students. "Does anyone else wanna marry Ms. Barton?"
"Get in line," agreed the brunette sitting next to him.
"I guess Giles isn't coming?" Angel asked Buffy.
Something wasn't right, she could feel it. "I guess not."
"It was the weirdest thing," Buffy began as she, Angel and Willow walked into the Bronze that evening. "I told my mom I want to be treated like an adult and she said okay. Although it was a bit strange to see her sifting through my closet for something to wear."
"That's good, I suppose," Angel said, holding her hand. "I mean, at least you got to come out with us tonight."
She nodded. "Yeah. But I wonder if this is some sort of mid-life crisis thing she's going through. It's like she totally forgot she grounded me. Not that I'm complaining."
Willow put out her arm to stop the other two. "Then your mom isn't the only one, Buffy. Look." She pointed to the crowd inside the club. It was full of dancing and singing adults.
"Let's do the time warp again," Angel commented sarcastically.
"Maybe there's a reunion in town, or, or a Billy Joel tour or something," Willow suggested.
A woman walked by them; she seemed strangely familiar to the three. "Ms. Barton?" Buffy called incredulously.
She stopped. "Buffy? Whoa!"
"Are you okay, Ms. Barton?" the redhead wanted to know. Their teacher was the last person they had expected to see there.
Ms. Barton widely smiled. "Oh, I'm cool, Willow. Willow…that's a tree." She giggled like a little girl. "You're a tree. And Angel…a heavenly body." Without bothering to conceal it, the teacher looked him up and down with appreciation. "Yep, definitely a heavenly body."
Buffy's breath got caught in her throat. "A-Are you sure you don't need some air, Ms. Barton?"
"Okay," she said with a hysterical laugh before disappearing into the crowd.
"Hey, this is not normal," Willow stated.
Angel stood in place, dumbfounded. "Ms. Barton was checking me out. She's, like, sixty. It's sick." He caught the look on his girlfriend's face. "Uh, w-well, maybe that goes without saying."
From seemingly out of nowhere, Principal Snyder came up behind Willow and Buffy, putting his arms around their shoulders. Once again, Angel couldn't seem to move. 'What is going on here? First Ms. Barton, now Principal Snyder?' he thought. "Principal Snyder?"
The principal smirked. "Call me Snyder. Just a last name, like…Barbarino." He let go of them, dancing around so he faced them, standing to the left of Angel. "Hey, did you see Ms. Barton? I think she's wasted. I'm gonna have to put that in her next performance review 'cause…'cause I'm the principal!" he said, smiling.
Willow leaned toward Buffy. "I don't like this. They could have heart attacks."
"Uh, well…ma-maybe there's a doctor here."
When an older, shirtless man climbed onstage, Willow's eyes widened with shock. "I think that *is* my doctor. He-he's usually less…topless."
Principal Snyder threw his arm around Angel's shoulder as if they were best friends. "Whoa! There are some foxy ladies here tonight! Don't you think Buffy looks foxy tonight, Angel?"
"Yeah. She always does," he replied, perplexed by his behavior.
"What's happening?" Willow asked her best friend.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not exactly sure, but one thing I *do* know is that it's one wish I didn't make. There's no grownups; they're acting like…like a bunch of us."
In a warehouse not far from the Bronze, Mr. Trick and Ethan Rayne walked past the assembly line, still cranking out the chocolate bars. "Demand's high," Mr. Trick stated matter-of-factly.
"I thought it might be," Ethan added in his thick British accent.
"That's the reason I love this country. You make a good product, and the people will come to you. Of course, a lot of them are gonna die, but that's the other reason I love this country." He checked his watch. "We're getting close. It's almost feeding time."
While Willow headed in the direction of Xander's house to do some research on what was going on, Buffy and Angel walked through the center of town in search of her Watcher.
"So where are all the vampires?" Buffy asked. "Soup's on, but no one's grabbing a spoon."
Angel caught sight of a couple in the middle of a heated embrace on the hood of a police car. His eyebrows lifted nearly to his hairline when he saw who they were, and pointed. "Buffy…"
She looked in the direction he was pointing to, and her jaw dropped. "Mom? Giles!?"
"Go away," Giles demanded. "We're busy."
Running over to them, Buffy pulled her Watcher off of her mother. "Mom!" Her mother ignored her, instead she was staring at Giles. "Mom! Look at me. Do you know who I am?"
Mrs. Summers smiled as Giles lit a cigarette a few feet away. "Of course. You're Buffy. And that's Angel," she said, pointing to the young man standing behind her daughter. "Hey, look. They're, they're giving away candy. You want some candy?"
"No, I don't! And you don't need any more, either."
"Screw you! I want candy!" Mrs. Summers shouted.
"Mom!"
She stood up, towering over her daughter in her heels. "You wanna slay stuff, and *I'm* not allowed to do anything about it. Well, this is what *I* wanna do, so get off my back!"
"Mom, please, this is…"
Giles interrupted her, reaching for Mrs. Summers. "Oh, for god's sake. Just let your mum have the sodding candy. C'mon, Joyce."
"Listen to me!"
"No, you listen to me! I'm your Watcher, so you do what I tell you. Now, sod off!" Giles yelled at her.
Buffy watched helplessly as her mother and Giles began kissing and touching one another. "Angel, now what?"
He shook his head. "I have no idea."
"Ever since we started selling that band candy…" Buffy stopped. "That's it. The chocolate is making them act like teenagers. It has to be the reason. Nothing else makes sense."
"But why? Who would do that?" Angel asked.
Just then, she saw Ethan Rayne walk out of the telephone booth across the street and go into a nearby warehouse. "You stay here and keep an eye on my mom and Giles. I think I know who's behind this."
Buffy followed Ethan into the warehouse, innately knowing he was the one behind the tainted chocolate bars. He sat himself down on a cardboard box, watching out the window as the adults down below rioted for more candy.
"Ethan Rayne," Buffy said, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring disapprovingly at him. "I should have known you were behind this."
He turned around to face her. "I love this town; just can't seem to stay away." Giving her a longer, harder look, he smiled charmingly. "I remember you. Halloween last year; seventeenth century noblewoman. The costume looked absolutely stunning on you."
"Shut up," she ordered. "I almost died thanks to you and that stupid costume."
"But you looked wonderful. My my, aren't we testy. You're here now, aren't you?" Ethan asked.
"I am, but in a few minutes, you might not be. Unless you tell me what I want to know. And you better not lie to me, because I'll know if you are. And believe me when I say one wrong answer will cause you to lose all your points." Buffy took several steps closer to him, successfully cornering him. "Who's behind this? The real brains, because I know it's not you."
"Easy there, girlie. I'm not out to hurt your precious Watcher. Though I'm seeing it as an added perk. It looks like Ripper came out to play." Off her look of surprise, he smiled. "Oh, don't seem so surprised that I know who you are, Slayer."
She practically growled at him, extremely upset. "You're starting to piss me off, Ethan. I'll ask again, and this time you'd better answer me. Who is the mastermind? You know, the man behind the curtain."
The older British man shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't tell you; I'm just the middle man. All I know is that there's an offering of some kind tonight and I was hired to…incapacitate the adults of this idyllic little town."
"An offering? What kind of offering?" Buffy demanded.
"Not quite sure. But it's big. And it's starting in a few minutes, so you'd better hurry," he taunted.
"Where are they?"
Ethan smirked. "You'll have to kill me first."
"What a loss that would be, too," she said. Without any warning whatsoever, she punched him in the nose. "Feeling ready to tell me now?"
Angel, Giles and Mrs. Summers did their best to keep up with Buffy as she led them through the sewers beneath the town. She hadn't told them what was going on or why they were going down there, but Angel could tell it was something big by the look on her face.
"Buffy, slow down," he pleaded with her, running to her side.
"I can't. If I slow down, people could die. Innocent people and lots of little, helpless babies."
"Then at least tell me what's going on. Why are we down in the sewers?"
"There's gonna be a sacrifice tonight; that's why all the adults were acting like…like us. The candy bars we've been selling for the band were laced with some kind of drug to make them act that way. Apparently, a demon named Lurconis requires a ritual sacrifice of babies. And if we don't hurry up, we won't be able to stop it," she told him.
He touched her shoulder. "What do you want me to do? I want to help in any way I can."
Reaching into the waistband of her jeans, Buffy pulled out a long stake. "Keep my mom and Giles safe while I stop this. And be careful with this thing if you have to use it."
"I know how to kill a vampire. Don't worry about me."
After another minute of walking, they reached a cavern filled with demons and vampires, along with babies in swaddling blankets. "This is it," she whispered to Angel. "Let's get ready to rumble."
"Here we are, Mom," Buffy said an hour later. "Safe and sound at home."
Mrs. Summers made a disgusted face as they entered the house. "What was I thinking when I bought the Geek Machine?"
From behind her, Angel had to stifle a giggle. To him, hearing a forty-something year old woman talk like that was just too funny. He couldn't imagine his mother saying the stuff Mrs. Summers was saying when she was alive.
"Three years ago," she reminded her mother. "And it's not *that* bad."
"I always thought I'd be driving a Ford Mustang. But I suppose Hank never let me buy one. Figures. Make him buy you one, Buffy. So I can drive it."
"Sure, Mom. Once you let me get my license."
Mrs. Summers made another face. "So go tomorrow and get it. I'm surprised you don't have it already. You *are* seventeen."
"I failed the written; they wouldn't even *let* me take the road test. Besides, you grounded me indefinitely," Buffy told her mother.
"Pfft!" Mrs. Summers spat as she made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. "As if I ever listened to my mother when she grounded me. Go out and have fun while you're still young enough to have it."
"Yeah, Mom. Want me to help you get into bed?"
"I'm not in a nursing home yet, Buffy. Geez, it's a Friday night, go out. Your good-looking boyfriend is downstairs waiting for you."
Buffy smiled. "I'll go walk him home. What time do you want me back?"
"You mean you actually expect me to tell you when to come home? You never paid attention to your curfew before, why start now?"
"Okay…" She didn't quite know what to make of her mother's behavior. 'It has to be from the candy. Oh well, I might as well take advantage of it while I can.' "See you later, then."
When Buffy began to exit the room, her mother called out to her. "Honey, remember what I told you before. Have fun."
Fifteen minutes later, when Buffy and Angel entered the apartment he shared with his sister, he just couldn't stay still. He had been wound up from the battle earlier that evening, and had more energy than he knew what to do with.
Buffy couldn't help laughing at him. "I've never seen you this wound up before," she commented.
"I don't know…maybe it was all the excitement tonight. I feel like I could do just about anything right now. I have all this extra energy to burn," Angel told her.
"Yeah, it was a pretty exciting night."
"Is it always like that?"
She shook her head. "No, not always. It's usually a couple vamps and maybe a stray demon on a good night."
"I killed four vampires, Buffy. Four! A stake through the heart and poof, they were gone. I loved it; I loved slaying!"
"It can be an exhilarating feeling. A total rush."
"Better than sex. Well, almost."
Buffy laughed. "I wouldn't necessarily say that."
She gazed deeply into his chocolate brown eyes, and finally understood what Faith had meant that first night they met; about slaying making her both hungry and horny. Only this time, she wasn't hungry. Her heart pounded in her chest like a sledgehammer, and a tingling sensation made its way through her body before settling in her stomach. This was to be their night.
Her gaze caught Angel's attention. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Better than fine, actually." 'Who would've thought slaying could be such an aphrodesiac?'
"Did you want to go home? I know you are still grounded."
Buffy shook her head. "I don't want to go home tonight, Angel. I want to spend the night here with you."
"What about your mom?"
"I'm sure she won't even notice if I don't come home."
Placing her hand on the back of his neck, Buffy pushed her boyfriend's head down for a kiss. She practically shoved her tongue into his mouth the moment their lips met, not that he cared. Never in all their months together had she come on to him like that, and he loved it. He was seeing a new side to Buffy, one that threw her cares to the wind and lived for the moment.
But his better sense kicked in. As much as he wanted to keep going, he simply couldn't. The way he was feeling – extremely aroused – he knew it would be too hard for him to stop if Buffy decided she wasn't ready to take the next step. So he had to stop it before it went too far.
"Why did you do that?" Buffy asked when he broke their kiss.
Angel took a deep breath. "Because if I don't stop this now, I won't be able to later."
"Angel, I don't want to stop. I'm ready for this. Please."
"Are you absolutely sure?" he asked her.
She nodded. "Yeah, I am. As long as you want to and if you still have the…the condoms you brought on the camping trip with you, I think we're all set."
Buffy took his hand and led him to his bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind them. When Angel saw her looking at his bed, reality set him. They were going to make love.
"I want you to be sure about this," he said. "We're going to reach a certain point where we can't go back."
"Why do you keep asking me that? I'm totally ready. Are you saying you don't want to?" Buffy wanted to know. "I thought you said you had energy to burn."
"I do, and believe me, I want to more than you know." 'One look should make it pretty obvious to her that I *do* want to.' "Buffy, I want you so much I can't think straight at the moment."
She put her hands on his chest, running them down to the waist of his jeans. "Then what's the problem?"
He had to close his eyes as she slipped her hands under his shirt, the heat from her fingertips scalding his skin. Her touch was so loving and gentle that his jeans suddenly felt too tight around his groin. "I'm not him, Buffy."
"What are you talking about?"
"When we make love tonight, I want you to know who I am. Who is holding you and kissing you and everything else we'll be doing. I'll be doing all those things."
"I already know all that."
Angel frowned, despite her affirmation. "I just…I guess I don't want you to expect me to do the same things he did. Because the last thing I want to do is disappoint you because I'm not him."
"I know who you are, and I don't expect you to do anything the way he did. Be yourself; don't try to do what you think he might have done. Even though I loved him, I love you just as much, maybe more." She smiled. "And believe me, you'd never disappoint me. I love you, Angel, no matter what happens between us tonight."
Her words reassured him. No longer did Angel have a single doubt in his mind as he lowered her to his bed and made love to the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
An awkward silence filled Angel's bedroom after their lovemaking had come to an end. All that could be heard were the sounds of heavy breathing and the ticking of a nearby clock. The two of them lay on their backs next to one another, not quite knowing what to say.
'Something must be wrong,' Buffy mused. 'Angel's always been sort of quiet, but this is quieter than usual. It's scary and I don't like it.' "Angel?" she said, turning her head to look at him. But he didn't reply. Instead, he continued staring at the ceiling. "Angel, please say something. You're scaring me."
It took him a few seconds to answer. "I'm sorry. I just…it's like my body is still humming."
"Really?" Buffy's face lit up with a smile. She never thought she could make anyone feel like that.
Angel nodded. "Really. What we just did…words can't even begin to describe it. No wonder he lost his soul that night."
The smile immediately left her face. His thoughtless words cut her like a knife, bringing back nearly-forgotten memories of her seventeenth birthday and the day following. Suddenly, the hurt and rejection returned, taking the place of the joy she had felt only minutes before. Rather than say anything to her boyfriend, Buffy turned on her right side to face the wall. Hot tears burned her eyes and a lump the size of Rhode Island formed in the back of her throat.
He knew he'd made a huge mistake the very second the words left his mouth. The hurt in Buffy's eyes was evident in the moments before she turned away from him, and it caused his heart to break. Hurting her was the last thing Angel ever wanted to do. He rolled over and put his hand on her upper arm. "Buffy, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. It was insensitive of me to say what I just said."
"Uh-huh." But she still felt hurt. How could he say that after what they'd shared?
"No, I'm really, truly sorry. Making love to you was the most beautiful experience. I feel like the luckiest man alive to have shared that with you."
"Me, too."
He nuzzled his face in her neck, moving his hands under the blanket to wrap them around her waist. "Do you forgive me?"
"You hurt me. I never thought you could, but you did."
"I know. And I'm sorry. I promise I'll never do that to you again. What I said was wrong and uncalled for," Angel apologized. "Will you please forgive me?"
"Yeah, I can do that. But could you do me a favor?"
"Aside from never bringing it up again, sure. Anything you want."
"Would you make my body hum, too? And then hold me all night long?" she requested.
Angel rolled her body on her back and carefully laid himself on top of her, his hips cradled between her bent knees. "I definitely think it can be arranged."
It was shortly after nine o'clock when Buffy woke up the next morning. Strong arms held her and one leg was thrown over hers. It made her grin and sigh; waking up in Angel's loving embrace was like a dream come true for her. A dream she never got to experience the first time around.
"Are you awake?" he whispered.
She nodded. "Yeah. How long have you been up?"
"A few minutes, but I didn't want to wake you; you looked so peaceful. How did you sleep?" Angel wanted to know.
"Better than I have in a long time," Buffy replied. "I've always imagined what it would feel like to wake up in your arms. And it feels absolutely wonderful."
"You've woken up in my arms before."
"But never like this. It feels like a life-long dream has finally come true. Like nothing else could feel more perfect. Does that make any sense at all?"
Angel placed a kiss on her earlobe. "It makes perfect sense. Last night was incredible, wasn't it?"
"It was more than incredible. It was illegal in at least forty-eight of fifty states. And I can't wait until the next time."
"Buffy, I want you to know how sorry I am for what I said last night. It'll never happen again, you have my word."
Buffy caressed his cheek with the palm of her hand. "It's okay. I guess I should take what you said as a compliment."
"It was. But seriously, you made me feel so free last night, and I don't think I will ever find the right words to describe it," Angel told her.
"You don't have to. Actions speak louder than words, and believe me, you showed me."
He blushed at her words. "Do you want to take a shower first?"
Buffy shook her head. "It's your apartment, I don't want to put you out. I'll have something to eat while you shower. I can take one when I get back home."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Okay. I'll be out in a little while. Feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen," Angel offered.
He climbed out of bed, quickly throwing on a pair of sweatpants and grabbing jeans, a gray t-shirt and black boxer shorts. Flashing Buffy a smile, he left the room, heading for the bathroom. On his way there, he passed by his sister's bedroom as she was stepping out of it.
"Good morning," Cathy greeted him.
"Morning."
"You got in awfully late last night. I'm surprised you're even up this early."
He nodded, throwing his clothes in a pile on the bathroom floor. "Uh-huh. It was an interesting night."
Cathy smirked. "So I heard."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Nothing. Just that I heard what happened last night, and I'm not talking about every adult in Sunnydale embracing their inner teenager. I know what went on between you and Buffy."
Angel visibly paled. His sister knew. "How much do you know?"
"Enough. All right, pretty much everything. Our bedrooms are right next to each other, Angel. And when I hear a headboard hitting the wall, along with the sounds of moaning, I can pretty much put two and two together." Cathy laughed at the horrified expression on her brother's face. "Don't look so shocked. I've had sex before, I know what goes on."
"I-I can't believe you heard."
"I'm not judging you, nor am I condemning you. As long as you're happy and as long as Buffy's happy, then good for you."
Angel stood in complete shock. "You mean you aren't going to give me a lecture about safe sex?"
Cathy shook her head. "Nope. I assume Mom and Dad already told you about all that. So I'll spare you the boring lecture. But there is one thing I do want to mention."
"What's that?"
"You love Buffy, don't you?" He nodded his head. "Then why the hell are you out here while she's still in your room? Didn't I tell you to at least wait until she wakes up? Let that sweet little girl wake up in your arms. Any considerate boyfriend would know enough to do that without being told."
"She is awake. Buffy's getting dressed," he told her. "And she did wake up in my arms, Cathy. I made damn sure of it."
She didn't say anything right away. "Oh. Okay then."
With a shake of his head, Angel walked into the bathroom to take his shower. Cathy trodded to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee and a bagel. After having settled down with the Saturday morning newspaper, she heard the sound of her brother's bedroom door opening.
Fully-dressed, though her hair was still slightly messy from sleeping, Buffy entered the kitchen. She stopped dead in her tracks when she caught sight of Angel's sister sitting at the kitchen table. "Hi," she said tentatively. All the blood in her body rushed to her face in fear of what Cathy would say to her.
She looked up from the article she was reading. "Morning, Buffy. Did you sleep well?"
"Like a baby."
"Are you hungry? I have waffles and bagels. If you want eggs or pancakes or anything that requires actual cooking, you'll have to wait. I can't cook, that's Angel's job around here."
"I can make myself some toast," Buffy said. "I don't want to make you get up."
Cathy stood up. "It's no trouble at all. Have a seat and I'll get you some juice, too. I hope you like orange, it's all I have in the fridge."
"It's fine, thank you." Buffy sat down. She started wringing her hands on top of the table out of nervousness. "Angel didn't tell me you were still home. I sorta thought you'd be at work."
"I have weekends off." She noticed that Buffy was avoiding her gaze, and knew what was going through the girl's mind. "You don't have to feel uncomfortable around me. I know what happened last night between you and my brother, and it's okay with me. It's not like I'm going to call your mother and tell her."
Buffy grimaced. "I can't help it. I've never been in this situation before; it feels kinda awkward."
"Don't worry about it. I know this may sound weird, but I've been expecting it for some time now. I'm just glad it happened here, instead of in the backseat of a car," she commented.
"Yeah, me too."
"Although my brother never seemed like the type who was into quickly little romps in a backseat. Angel always struck me as the flowers and candles type."
"He's very romantic. But we didn't get around to flowers and candles last night."
Cathy buttered Buffy's toast, then handed it to her along with a glass of juice. "Takes after my dad. Lucky you."
"I am lucky." 'This time around.'
"Do you want a shirt to wear?"
"Why?" Buffy asked.
"Because you don't want to walk in the house wearing the same blouse you wore last night. Your mom might get a little suspicious."
Buffy looked at her with curious eyes. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because my brother is in love with you. Buffy, you make him happy; happier than I've seen him since our parents died. Not to mention, I never had a little sister. And I'm starting to think of you as one."
"I know what you mean."
The two burst out laughing, neither hearing Angel come in the room. "What's so funny?" he wanted to know, upon seeing his sister and girlfriend laughing hysterically.
"It's a girl thing," Cathy informed him. "You wouldn't get it."
"Whatever," he replied softly, shaking his head in confusion. 'I will never understand women. Especially those two.'
With a heavy sigh, Cathy knocked on her brother's bedroom door. "Mind if I come in, Angel?" she asked.
"Not at all," he replied.
She opened the door, seeing Angel sitting on his bed, reading a book with his headphones on. "You and Buffy aren't going out tonight?"
He took the headphones off. "She has a test to study for." It wasn't exactly the truth; Buffy had an intense training session with Giles, followed by patrol with Faith. But he couldn't tell his sister that.
"Oh, okay." She took a deep breath. "I've got something to tell you, and I know for a fact you aren't going to like it."
"What is it?"
"I have to go away. There's an appraisal convention in New York City next week. *All* next week. And I have to go. It was scheduled months ago and I totally forgot about it."
Angel blinked before saying anything. "But Christmas is next week. So is my birthday."
"I know. Believe me, I'm not the least bit happy about it. But I have no choice in the matter. If I don't go, I could lose my appraiser's license. The last thing I want is to be away from you during the holidays. But I'll be back before New Year's, I promise."
"What do you mean, you're going to be away from me?" he demanded. "Where am I going to be?"
Cathy grimaced, hating having to tell her brother he'd be alone for Christmas, as well as his eighteenth birthday. "You'll be here in Sunnydale. I can't bring you; it's strictly a business trip, no time for shopping and sight-seeing. I'm sorry, I really am."
"I don't get it. How can you fly off to New York for the holidays and leave me here by myself? This is our first Christmas without Mom and Dad; we should be spending it together, not on opposite sides of the country."
"We'll have Christmas when I get back. And we'll do the cake and ice cream thing for New Year's. You can invite some of your friends over for a party," suggested Cathy.
He narrowed his eyes. "What am I, in third grade? A cake and ice cream party is for ten year olds. I'm going to be eighteen!"
"What do you want me to say? I've already told you I'm sorry. I want to have a family Christmas as much as you do; I hate the idea of leaving you all alone; I feel guilty as hell about it, but there's nothing I can do. You can go ahead and hate me if you want, I'll understand. Maybe I was wrong in thinking you'd rather spend Christmas in warm Sunnydale with your friends and the girl you love rather than cooped up in a hotel room in New York City. Where, by the way, it's going to be very cold. And I know how much you hate winter in New York."
"I just don't want to be alone for Christmas," Angel admitted. "Mom always loved Christmas; she'd be humming 'Jingle Bells' for weeks before it. She'd be up at the crack of dawn Christmas morning baking cookies or making a pie. Dad would be sitting in front of the tree, obsessively organizing our presents into neat little piles." He paused. "We're never going to have that again, Cathy. Mom and Dad are gone."
She sat down next to him. "I know. Believe me, it's hard for me, too. And I wanted so badly to make our first Christmas without them special, and I can't do it. I feel like I am letting Mom and Dad down but not being here with you for the holidays. But there's no other choice. I have to go, no matter how much I hate the idea of leaving you here."
"Just do what you have to do."
"Are you sure? I don't want you to be mad."
"You swear you had no choice whatsoever?" he asked.
Cathy drew an X over her heart. "Cross my heart and hope to die. Stick a needle in my eye."
He felt slightly comforted. "Okay. But you have to bring me back something. I don't care how lame or cheesy it is."
"How about a snowball?" she joked, playing on her brother's hatred of cold weather and snow.
"Very funny."
It was an hour later when Buffy ran down the stairs to the kitchen in search of her mother. She had just gotten off the phone with Angel after her training session with Giles and was just about to leave for patrol with Faith. "Mom!"
"Buffy, what's wrong?" Mrs. Summers asked when her daughter entered the room.
"I need to ask you a favor. Can Angel spend Christmas week with us, like, stay overnight and everything? I'd hate for him to be all alone. Please…" she begged.
"Your father is coming down for Christmas, you know that. Where would Angel sleep?"
"In my room." Buffy caught the look on her mother's face. "Or…not. He can sleep on the couch. Mom, you have my word that nothing will happen. Cathy is going to New York for some convention or something like that, leaving poor Angel all by himself for not only Christmas, but his birthday, which is the next day. He sounded so depressed on the phone."
Mrs. Summers frowned. "I don't know. It depends on how your father feels about it."
"But you can convince him, right?" Buffy asked hopefully. "Just think about how much it would mean to Angel to have a family Christmas. It's his first Christmas without his parents. How would you feel if you were left alone for the holidays?"
She relented. "All right. Your father doesn't have much say in the matter anyway. Angel can stay with us while Cathy is away. I completely forgot she was going away; the trip was planned long before her parents were killed."
"Thanks, Mom. It'll mean so much to Angel. And to me."
"I will tell your father."
"Dad met Angel when I came back from L.A. over the summer. They seemed to hit it off. And besides, they have one important thing in common: they both love me."
Before homeroom the next morning, Buffy found Angel sitting in the student lounge, reading a book on one of the couches. She plopped down next to him, giving him a big smile. "Hiya. What are you reading?"
"'The Mayor of Casterbridge,' Angel replied. "It's for AP English. You're awfully happy today. What's up?"
"I'm happy to see you; I'm always happy to see you."
"That's good to know." He put the book away. "Got any plans for tonight?"
She shook her head. "Nothing big. Dinner, patrol…same stuff, different day. Although I wouldn't say no to some quality time with my boyfriend."
"I think that can be arranged, especially considering my sister's working late in order to tie up some loose ends before she leaves. You can stop by after patrol. Burn some excess energy and release tension. In fact, I happen to know a great way of doing that."
"Sounds interesting." Buffy tickled the inside of his arm with her fingertips, eliciting a low moan from her boyfriend in the process. It was something she had recently discovered he liked; something she hadn't known about him before, human nor vampire. "Speaking of Cathy leaving, I want you to cancel your plans for Christmas."
"What plans? I don't have any, except eating a frozen fried chicken dinner and watching A Christmas Story over and over again."
"Good. Because you have plans now. Mom and I are inviting you over for Christmas. You can stay the entire time Cathy is gone."
Angel was floored by the invitation. He'd resigned himself to the idea of spending Christmas in front of the television. "I don't want to impose on you and your family."
"You are not imposing. But there is one stipulation."
"What's that?"
"Hands off. My dad is coming to visit for a few days and Mom just wants us to be careful around him. According to her, Dad still thinks of me as his little girl. I don't think he's ready to handle the idea of me in an adult relationship," she explained. "Truthfully, I don't think my mom is, either. But neither one of them has to know we're in one."
"So, what you're saying is that I can't touch you for forty-eight hours?"
"Maybe seventy-two at most. We just can't be too…shall we say, obvious, if we do happen to have sex. But I think we can handle it. It's only for three days, right?"
Angel smiled. "Yeah, we can handle it." 'Easier said than done.' "If it makes you happy, we'll manage."
"She's what?!" Mr. Summers exclaimed Christmas Eve morning, shortly after he'd arrived at the Summers' home in Sunnydale.
Mrs. Summers sighed; his reaction was just as she'd predicted it would be. "Hank, it's not that big of a deal. His sister is out of town and Buffy and I couldn't very well make him spend Christmas alone. It's not quite the crisis situation you're making it out to be."
"She is seventeen years old, of course it's a situation! They've only been dating for a few months and you're allowing him to spend the night in her bedroom. Do you actually expect them to sleep? Joyce, think about it. You were Buffy's age once; put yourself in her shoes. Wouldn't you have taken advantage of the opportunity?" he demanded.
"Buffy has stayed over at Angel's place many times. In fact, they went on a group camping trip with a bunch of friends in the beginning of September. I trust them."
"I trust Buffy. It's that Angel guy I don't. I know what goes on in a teenage boy's mind."
She shrugged her shoulders. "Angel is a good kid; he loves and respects Buffy. Maybe if you spent a little more time around her, you would know that."
Mr. Summers practically growled at his ex-wife in anger for throwing his distance in his face. "I will not have him sleeping in the same room as my daughter. Not as long as I am sleeping under this roof."
"Really?" she countered with a raised eyebrow. "Well then, I suppose it's a good thing you don't make the rules here, Hank. I do. And I say Angel stays. You have a choice; you can either stay in the guest room or you can stay on the couch. But know that if you choose the couch, it's because you didn't trust your daughter."
Mrs. Summers poked her head in Buffy's bedroom at four-thirty that afternoon, seeing her daughter and Angel sitting on the bed watching a movie. "Honey? Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone."
"Yeah, sure."
Angel started to get up. "I'll leave you two alone."
"No, no," Buffy's mother said, waving her hand. "You can stay here, Angel. Buffy and I will just talk in my room. It'll only take a minute."
Buffy quickly placed a kiss on her boyfriend's cheek. "I'll be right back." She got off the bed and followed her mother down the hall to the master bedroom. "What's up?"
"I just wanted to have a private talk with you. It's about your father. See, Buffy, he's a little uncomfortable with the sleeping arrangements."
She nodded in understanding. "I get it. Dad's not too keen on the idea of Angel staying in my room. He went into overprotective dad mode and tweaked, didn't he?"
"For the most part. You know I don't have a problem with it, but your dad is a completely different story. He still thinks you're too young to be in a serious relationship and he's not ready to face certain realities about you," Mrs. Summers explained.
"Such as?"
"Such as, you're growing up. You will always be his baby girl, no matter how old you are."
Buffy bit her lip. "Pretty much, what you are saying is that Dad doesn't trust me enough to share the same sleeping quarters with my boyfriend."
"He trusts you. Just not Angel."
"Angel's not going to do anything, Mom!" she argued.
"I know that, don't get angry with me. And I told your father that, too. I also told him that if he doesn't like it, he can sleep on the couch. Your father, not Angel. Buffy, your father just isn't happy about it. Please do me a favor and don't do anything to make him say 'I told you so'."
Buffy smiled at her mother, happy that they were on the same side. "I won't. You have my word."
"Good. Because sometimes, it's hard for parents to accept that their children are having sex."
"What?" She couldn't believe her ears.
Mrs. Summers looked at her daughter, giving her a knowing look. "I was seventeen once, too, you know. I had a steady boyfriend like you do. And I'm not asking for details; the how or when or where. I wanted you to know that I know."
"You're not mad?"
"Like I said, I was your age at one time. I never expected you to wait until you were married, heaven knows I didn't. But I can take comfort in knowing that you love Angel and he loves you."
"We do love one another."
"Have you been careful?" Mrs. Summers wanted to know. "Tell me that much and I won't ask anything else."
Buffy nodded her head. "Yes."
"Okay. Dinner's in an hour. See you then."
"Mom, can we open one present before bed?" Buffy asked at ten-thirty.
Christmas Eve dinner had been surprisingly amicable. Both Buffy and Mrs. Summers expected Mr. Summers to give Angel the third degree or simply to shoot disapproving glances across the table at him, but he didn't. Instead, he politely asked his daughter's boyfriend about growing up in New York and what his future plans were. No fights erupted, and when the meal was over, the two men sat themselves in the living room to talk about sports while the women cleaned the kitchen.
"Sure," her mother replied. "But only one each. Save some for tomorrow morning."
She broke out into a childish grin. "Sweet. Angel, grab a present to open." Buffy pointed to the small pile of presents he had sitting under the tree.
Angel shook his head. "That's okay. I'll wait until the morning."
"Why?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Opening the presents the night before kinda takes all the fun out of Christmas morning."
"Traditionalist, Angel?" Mr. Summers asked.
"Not really. It's what we did growing up. We always went to midnight mass, my mom would get up early and start Christmas dinner…I guess I'm a little used to it."
Mr. Summers frowned. "Buffy told me about your parents. I'm sorry."
"Thank you."
Buffy decided it was a good time to change the subject. She could see the lines forming on Angel's forehead, indicating he was ready to foray directly into brood mode. "Well, if you're not going to open any presents, there's no point in me opening any. It's not fun to be the only one enjoying it."
"Buffy, you don't have to do that."
"It's okay. More to open in the morning."
Mrs. Summers stood up. "Since that's done with, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm going to bed. See you all in the morning."
"Night, Mom."
"Good night, Mrs. Summers."
A couple minutes later, Buffy followed in suit. "Mom's got the right idea. Angel, are you coming?"
"I'll be there in a few minutes, after you've changed. I want to finish my apple cider." He knew Mr. Summers was testing him, and he wasn't about to fail. Angel could sense the man's hostility.
"All right." She gave her father a kiss. "Night, Dad."
"Night, sweetie." Mr. Summers waited until Buffy was upstairs before addressing Angel. "That was a smart move you just made, young man."
Angel took a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst. "She needed her privacy. I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable in her own home."
"And if you had been up there?"
"I would have looked out the window and kept my back turned while she changed."
"How old are you, Angel?" he wanted to know.
The younger man scrunched his eyebrows together. "I'll be eighteen the day after tomorrow."
"You obviously know that Buffy is still under aged. Her birthday isn't until January nineteenth. Keep that in mind when you turn eighteen. There's a little thing called statutory rape and I know several judges who don't stand for that."
It was veiled threat, one that didn't go unnoticed by Angel. "You don't need to worry about it, Mr. Summers."
"Just thought I'd remind you."
"I appreciate it. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
Mr. Summers smirked. He liked the boy, despite his reservations about him sleeping in the same bedroom as his daughter. "You do that, Angel. Remember, I'll be watching you."
When Angel walked into her bedroom five minutes later, she noticed the expression of fear on his handsome face. Without even needing to ask, Buffy knew her father had said something to him. "Okay, what did Dad say to scare you, Angel?"
He shook his head. "Nothing really. But maybe it would be a good idea of I slept on the floor tonight instead of the bed with you." And with her wearing the short white nightgown she had on, Angel knew it was a much better idea for him to be sleeping a good distance away from her.
"What? Come on, tell me."
"He threatened me. Not outright, but it was a thinly-veiled threat. Your dad threatened to have me put in jail for statutory rape if he finds out I ever put a hand on you," Angel told her.
Buffy fumed. "I'll kill him. He had no right to say that to you. In fact, I'm going to tell him so right now."
Angel put out his hand to stop her. "Don't. Your father is right. It *is* technically against the law, and I could get in a lot of trouble for it. Twenty years of jail. We're both minors, Buffy."
"No, you won't get in trouble. Mom doesn't care and Dad doesn't even have to know about it. You're worried for nothing."
"What do you mean? Your mom knows?" The blood rushed from his face and fear gripped his heart. The idea of jail time scared the hell out of him.
"Calm down. Yes, she knows and she told me that as long as I'm happy, she's happy."
He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Buffy, but it feels too uncomfortable, especially with both your parents in the house, keeping an eye on us."
"Angel–"
"I'd feel more comfortable if I slept on the floor. Please don't argue with me."
She was disappointed that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep in his arms, but was aware that she couldn't change his mind once it was set on something. "Fine." If she couldn't enjoy some quality time with Angel then, she had to find a way to do so soon. Before falling asleep, Buffy came up with the perfect idea.
"Mom, I need to ask you a favor," Buffy said the day after Christmas. It was nine in the morning and Mrs. Summers was getting ready to leave for work.
"Sure, honey. What do you need?"
Buffy sighed. "Today's Angel's birthday and I wanted to do something kinda special for him. After all, it is his eighteenth birthday. So, I was wondering if you could stay at the gallery a little later than usual."
"How much later?" her mother wanted to know.
"Eight o'clock? That way Angel and I can have some time to ourselves."
She smirked. "Without any parental supervision, I take it."
The look on her mother's face told her it would take some convincing. "Mom, please! I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't really important to me, which it is. It would mean the world to me if you would please do this. I'll owe you one."
Despite her better judgement, Buffy's mother relented. She knew what Buffy was asking and what her plans with Angel were. 'Even if I do say no, she will just find another way. At least if I agree, I know she won't be off in some cheap, dirty motel somewhere.' "Fine, I'll stay late at the gallery. But don't think for a second I don't know what you're up to, Buffy."
Buffy threw her arms around her mother. "You're the best mom ever."
"I'll have to keep telling myself that while I'm staying at the gallery until eight tonight."
"You know, I was just thinking," Angel began, as he and Buffy walked hand in hand to her house after dinner. She had taken him out for a romantic dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. "I haven't seen or heard from, or even heard you mention Faith in the past few weeks. Is everything okay with her?"
Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I saw her a couple days ago and she was acting kind of strange. Jittery, almost. You know, like she was hiding something from me."
"Do you think she is?"
"Not sure. Faith's not exactly Miss Outgoing when we did patrol together. I mean, sure, we'd talk about guys and sex and slaying and stuff, but she never liked to talk about what was going on in her mind. And I never pried."
"Maybe you should."
"Maybe."
They walked in silence the remainder of the way to her house, Buffy stuck with serious thoughts. Angel's question had her wondering what was really going on with her sister Slayer. 'Next time I see her, I'll have to find out.' Upon reaching the front door, she unlocked it and let her boyfriend inside first.
"Thanks for dinner tonight. You really didn't have to go to so much trouble," Angel said. "That place was really expensive."
"Hey, you only turn eighteen once. Might as well live it up," Buffy replied with a smile.
"What do you want to do now? Watch a movie or something?"
She widened her smile into a more wicked grin. "Or something."
Her arms wound around his neck, pushing his head toward hers. Their lips met in what began as a gentle kiss, which, as the seconds passed, escalated in both heat and intensity. She dove her tongue into his mouth while her hands left his neck. They moved around to her back to pull down the zipper of her long red dress.
When Angel heard the garment hit the floor, he broke the kiss. "Buffy, what are you doing?"
"What do you think I'm doing?" she asked. "Don't you like your birthday present? I picked it out especially for tonight."
His breath caught in his throat when he looked her over. She stood before him clad in only a red lace bra, matching panties and her red heels. The thin undergarments barely concealed, yet accentuated her shapely curves. "It's…you…" He was at a loss for words.
"Just the affect I was going for. But I think someone's a little overdressed." She began unbuttoning his shirt, exhilarated by the obvious affects her outfit was having on Angel. After having successfully unbuttoning the white dress shirt he wore, Buffy scraped her fingernails down his bare chest, down to the waist of his pants and – in the most blatantly sexual thing she'd ever done – along his groin.
It was becoming harder and harder for Angel to think clearly. "Buffy, I don't think this is such a good idea. Your mom is going to be home any minute." 'Jail, here I come.'
She looked up, after having peppered kisses along the hollow of his throat. "No, she won't. Mom promised she wouldn't be home until after eight. You and I have the entire house to ourselves for the next hour and a half." Taking his hands in hers, she brought them around her back, where the clasp of her bra was located. "What are you waiting for? Open your present, Birthday Boy."
Faith stood patiently outside the Mayor's office, waiting for him to open the door. She was bruised and bloody after being attacked by one of his vampire henchmen. When the Mayor finally emerged from the office – a good twenty minutes later – she glared at him as he opened the door.
"You sent your boy to kill me," Faith stated matter-of-factly.
Mayor Richard Wilkins stood arrogantly in his office, briefcase in hand. "That's right, I did." He had nothing to gain by denying it.
"He's dust."
"I thought he might be, what with you standing here and all."
She stepped inside the office. "I guess that means you have a job opening."
"Buffy," greeted Giles, when the Slayer walked into the library one morning in March before homeroom. "How was patrol with Faith last night?"
She dropped her backpack on the floor, hoisting herself onto the counter. "Patrol was fine. Although my partner in crime was a no-show for the event."
"Faith didn't join you? How strange; she's always talking about how much she loves to patrol. Any idea as to why she wasn't there?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe she had a more pressing engagement."
"I am sure she wouldn't have stood you up for no good reason," Giles assured Buffy.
"Please!" she scoffed. "Faith would totally stiff me if something better came along. Like, for instance, a male gender of the human species with a working reproductive organ."
Her Watcher glared at her. "You aren't being fair. It is quite possible Faith got into a fight or battle or something of the sort and it simply slipped her mind."
"And that gives her an excuse to flake on me? I don't think so. Something is going on with her, and I'm dying to find out what it is. Haven't you noticed how strange she's been acting these past few months? We're talking strange and wacky, even by her standards."
Buffy was right, Giles couldn't deny it. The other Slayer had been behaving differently than before, particularly since Christmas. Blowing off training sessions, failing to meet Buffy for patrol, and not stopping by to give him the details of the previous night's patrol.
"You're right, Buffy, she has been rather…off of late. But she could just be having a hard time adjusting to life in Sunnydale."
She eyeballed him with disbelief. "Gimme a break. This is the Hellmouth and she thinks she's God's gift to slaying. Faith is adjusting fine; if anything, she's thriving. No, there's something more than that. And you can bet your ass I'm going to find out what it is."
Faith sat impatiently in the chair across from the Mayor's desk. He had asked her to meet him there at two o'clock, but at two-thirty, he had yet to show. Out of boredom, she began playing with the numerous pencils inside the cup on his desk.
A few minutes later, his door opened and he waltzed in, removing his navy suit coat and carefully placing it on the coat rack. "Sorry I'm late. Important hospital board meeting. I just donated an entire Wing for cancer patients. Anonymously, of course."
"Of course," Faith repeated sarcastically.
He took note of her tone of voice as he sat down. Noticing that his pencils were out of place, he fixed them. "Ooh, someone's grumpy today. Did you get into a fight with some of your friends?" the Mayor wanted to know.
Faith shook her head. "I wouldn't exactly call them my friends; they're Buffy's little Scooby Gang, not mine. And no, we didn't have a fight. Giles wants me to patrol with Little Miss Perfect Slayer tonight. Since I skipped out on it last night to patrol alone, he pretty much ordered me to do it tonight. I hate patrolling with her…there's no action or excitement. It's all 'stake and move on.' Where's the fun in that?"
The Mayor smiled sympathetically. "I can understand how tedious a task it must be for you, but Mr. Giles is your Watcher, after all. Despite how much you hate it, you have to keep up the facade, Faith. At least for a little while longer."
"Until the Ascension."
"Exactly. Which brings me to why I invited you here this afternoon. The Ascension is approaching in a few short weeks. There are things I need to do and things to prepare for. This much go off without a hitch. But there are still some rough ends that require taking care of. That's where you come in."
"What do you need, boss?"
"Your friend. Buffy. She is a threat to my plans. I need her out of the way."
She looked at him incredulously. "You want me to take her out?"
He shook his head. "No, no. I don't want her dead. Then they'd just call another Slayer here, and they all can't turn out like you." He grinned proudly at her. "Just get her out of the picture until everything's all set up. Once she finds out what's going on, she will be too late to stop us."
"So what you're saying is that I have to keep her off your trail."
"Precisely."
"Then come graduation day, you'll kill Buffy and her little annoying friends, along with everyone else in Sunnydale," she surmised.
He stretched in his chair. "Except you. Is there anyone you'd like me to spare? A boyfriend, perhaps?"
Faith thought for a second. She couldn't care less if the people in Sunnydale lived or died. "There is one person. He's not my boyfriend, but under the right circumstances, he might be. Like, say, if his girlfriend was demon meat."
"What is this young man's problem? You're a bright and beautiful young girl. Who else could he possibly be thinking of?"
"Try Buffy Summers. In a big, fat, one-track sort of way," Faith angrily answered.
The Mayor nodded his head in understanding. "Ah, yes. The infamous Angel."
"You know him?"
"By reputation. But that's a story I'll have to tell you later. Right now I want you to concentrate on getting rid of his girlfriend. We'll worry about him later."
Buffy and Faith walked through the warehouse district of town during their patrol that night. The brunette Slayer was eagerly awaiting the right opportunity to start in on her plan.
"Didn't we, um, do this street already?" she asked.
"Funny thing about vamps. They'll hit a street even after you've been there," Buffy replied, keeping her eyes open for forms of undead life. "It's like they have no manners."
Faith rolled her eyes. 'Boring.' "You've been doing this the longest."
"I have."
'Stuck up, arrogant snob,' Faith thought. 'I can't wait to see the Mayor bite you in half. Then your precious Angel will be all mine.' This was her chance and she knew it. "Yeah, maybe a little too long."
"Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean?" Buffy demanded.
"Nothing."
The blonde narrowed her green eyes. "You got a problem?" 'Maybe now I'll find out what's been going on with her.'
"I'm five-by-five, B, living entirely large, actually wondering about *your* problem."
She was offended. "Well, I may not sleep in the nude or wrestle alligators–"
"Maybe it's time you started, because something in your bottle needs uncorking. What, aren't you getting any from Mr. Studly?"
Buffy did her best to control her anger at the mention of her boyfriend. "How about you never bring up my relationship with Angel ever again? It's none of your business."
"Doesn't all the slaying get in the way? I mean, you two don't have a lot of alone time. Must be hard on the relationship," Faith commented.
"He's not complaining. Angel knows about the slaying and understands that it's part of who I am."
She shrugged her shoulders. "All that could change, you know. Face it, B, you've got other priorities now. Friends, family, your lover…slaying isn't who you are anymore, it's just something you do. Not to mention, you've already seen your best days."
Buffy wasn't in the mood to play games. Faith obviously had something to say and she wanted the girl to say it. "What are you getting at?"
"You make slaying seem like it's such a chore, like folding laundry. Maybe it's time to start thinking about a career change."
"A career change? Meaning…?"
"I'm talking about retirement. Think about it; I could take over and you could devote more of your time to other things in your life. I'm sure Angel would love having you all to himself."
"What's bringing all this on? And why now?" Buffy wanted to know. It seemed a little too suspicious to her. Something was definitely up.
Faith put an innocent look on her face. "Graduation's coming up, you'll be going to college, etc.. You can get out of town while the getting's still good."
Not for one second did Buffy believe her. "I'm not leaving town, nor am I giving up the slaying. Sorry to disappoint you."
"I'm not disappointed. But I thought I'd give you the option. Hey, it's your funeral." 'Literally.'
Following the crowd in front of them, Buffy and Angel made their way out of the movie theater. Neither one of them could look at each other until they reached the street, an uncomfortable silence hanging over them.
Buffy was the first to break it. "Well."
'Oh, thank God she said something,' thought Angel. "Well," he repeated, shoving his hands into the pockets of his long black coat.
"That was very…artistic."
"Yeah."
She shifted her weight nervously, not quite knowing what to say. "Wasn't what I expected. I've never actually seen…Well, from the title, I thought it was about food."
"Well, there was food," Angel reminded her.
"Right. The, the scene with the, the food." Buffy paused, more than ready to change the subject from the plot of the movie. "So, feel like getting some hot chocolate? Or some cold shower?"
Angel frowned. "I'm sorry. I wanted to take you out somewhere fun for our one year anniversary. Looks like I bombed on that one."
"It was a nice idea," she reassured him. "I just…I don't like getting you worked up like that. We can't actually do any of those things right now because…well, you know why. Besides, I don't even own a kimono."
"Buffy, you don't have to worry about me."
"Just don't like to rub your nose in it." Buffy shut her eyes in embarrassment at what she'd just said. "Suddenly wondering where that expression comes from."
He put his arm around her waist. "Look, I don't need to go to the movies to get worked up. Just being around you does that just fine."
She couldn't help but blush. Even though it had been a long time since she'd thought about him, Buffy knew it was something the other Angel would have said as well. They were so different, and yet so similar at the same time. "Really?"
"Really."
"You're sweet, you know that? The perfect, caring, thoughtful boyfriend every girl wishes for." She shut up and mentally kicked herself when she realized what she had said. 'Open mouth, insert foot, Buffy.' "I didn't mean that the way it sounded."
Angel smiled down at her. "I know what you meant by it. But I'm hardly perfect. The perfect boyfriend wouldn't have taken his girlfriend to see a sexually explicit movie on their one year anniversary."
"I don't know. I still think you're pretty perfect."
With a smile, Angel bent down, capturing Buffy's lips in a soft kiss. Her arms automatically wound around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Their embrace lasted a full minute before they were interrupted by a lighthearted voice teasing them.
"Check out the lust bunnies," Faith commented with a sly grin.
Buffy looked at her after removing her lips from Angel's. "Patrol?"
Faith nodded. "You got it. They want us down by Mercer."
"Okay." She turned to her boyfriend, flashing him an apologetic smile. "I hate having to cut our date short, but you know how it goes. Good night."
"I understand. But I'll see you tomorrow. And please, be careful."
Faith didn't miss a beat; she was sick of hearing them acting all saccharine-y. "Don't worry, big guy. Just keeping her warm for you." She linked her arm around Buffy's, leaving Angel standing alone in front of the movie theater.
"Sorry to interrupt your date like that. Council's orders."
The blonde shrugged, not wanting to show how disappointed she was about it. "No big. It was only our one year anniversary."
"He took it fairly well. Look, if you want to go back…"
"No. Might as well finish this."
When they reached one of Sunnydale's many cemeteries, Faith stopped walking. "It's never too late, B. My offer still stands. If you want out, just tell me; I'm fine doing this by myself."
"I told you before, I'm not quitting." Seeing something creep up behind her sister Slayer, Buffy widened her eyes. "Faith, duck!"
She did as she was told, and Buffy punched the short, hairy demon before he knew what hit him. "Ow! Ooh! What are you, nuts?" he complained. "Going around punching people?"
Buffy pulled off the hat the demon wore, revealing two horns growing from his forehead. "People?" she asked sarcastically.
"So what, I'm a demon. That makes it okay?" When he saw the two Slayers pull out their stakes, he knew he'd made a mistake. "Hold it, whoa! Stake me now, and you'll never find out what I got for ya, huh? Demon seeks Slayers, highly unusual?"
Faith was in no mood to deal with him. "Talk fast."
"How would you like to get your hands on the Books of Ascension?"
Buffy looked uninterested. "Never heard of 'em."
"Books of Ascension. Very powerful works, and I'm not talking about the prose. They deal with some, ah, dark stuff. And the Mayor would hate for somebody to get a hold before he, ah, well, you know," the demon informed them.
Unbeknownst to Buffy, Faith frowned at the mention of the Mayor. "Don't know. Before he what?" the blonde Slayer wanted to know.
"Hey, hey, read 'em and weep. That's all I got to say. Tomorrow, I get the books. Meet me here and if the price is right, well, I've give the books to you."
"Not really looking to trade with a demon."
The demon remained non-plussed. "And if this were a barter economy, that would be a problem. I want cash, princess, five large for the whole set."
Faith nearly laughed. It was too funny, a demon willing to sell the Mayor's beloved Books of Ascension. "So you can buy, I'm guessing here, some skin care products."
"Plane ticket. Out of the Hellmouth before its adios, Slayer Loco. So, five Gs, what do you say?"
With her stake poised, Faith took a step closer to him. "I think 'Die Fiend' sums it up, wouldn't you say?"
Scared for his life, the demon jumped between the two and ran away. Faith made a move to go after him, but Buffy stopped her. "Oh, let him go. I don't think he falls into the deadly threat to humanity category."
"A demon's a demon," the girl pointed out.
"Not always," Buffy stated, her thoughts straying to Angel for a split second. Shaking her head, she continued. "I'd like to know about these Books of Ascension. Anything that would pin the Mayor down would be great. He gives me the creeps."
"Yeah," Faith agreed. "It'd be great."
After she and Faith parted ways an hour-and-a-half later, Buffy decided to take a trip by City Hall to look for anything incriminating on the Mayor. Her curiosity was piqued when the demon mentioned him, along with the Ascension, and she was dying to find out the connection between the two.
The Mayor's office was on the second floor, so Buffy carefully made her way up the stairs and down the hallway without anyone noticing her. It was well-past office hours, but there were still a few employees remaining. Upon reaching his office, she placed her hand on the doorknob to enter, but stopped when she heard voices coming from inside.
"And what exactly did this demon look like?" the Mayor asked.
Faith shrugged her shoulders. "Demonic?"
'Faith!' Buffy screamed in her head. 'Faith is in cahoots with the Mayor! God, I knew something was up with her, but I never thought she'd be working for the other side.'
"Ah. And you say he has the Books of Ascension, or will soon, and he was, what, willing to sell them?"
"That's what I said."
"Hmm." The Mayor thought for a moment. "You know what I wish? I wish you'd pull your hair back. I know, I know, fashion's not exactly my thing, but, gosh darn it, you know, you've got such a nice face. I can't understand why you hide it."
She only gazed at him, wondering where that particular train of thought had come from. "Yeah, sure. Whatever. It's just a matter of time before this demon guy is gonna spill. Then Buffy and the superfriends are gonna know everything."
The Mayor sat down behind his desk. "You know, you worry too much for a girl your age. That's unnecessary stress."
With a sigh, Buffy walked away. She had heard enough; enough to know that her sister Slayer couldn't be trusted.