"Do you and Buffy want to ride in the limo with me and Willow? There's enough room for another couple," Oz asked the morning of the Homecoming dance. The two cousins sat in Oz's living room watching television.

Angel shook his head. "No thanks. I think I'm going to drive us in my mom's car if she lets me borrow it. I've got plans for the two of us tonight. It requires a bit of privacy."

Oz looked suspiciously at his cousin. "You're not planning on doing something stupid, are you?"

"God, no!"

"But you said you and Buffy will need privacy. I automatically assumed you needed privacy for something of the intimate sort."

"I'm not an idiot, Oz. My plans for tonight don't include any exchange of bodily fluids. Besides, Buffy would beat the crap out of me if I tried and truth be told, I don't want to be on her bad side. Actually, I wanted to talk to her in private."

"About what?"

Angel paused. "Everything. Buffy and I have gotten to be really good friends in the past week. I've told her things I haven't even told you yet. Personal and very private things. And it's about time she knows it all. I trust in our friendship one hundred and ten percent. And I trust that she will be able to understand."

He nodded. "I hope for your sake she does."

"I can't lose her friendship. I just can't. I can't lose *her.*"

"Are you sure it's only her friendship you can't stand to lose?" Oz questioned.

"What do you mean?" Angel asked, narrowing his brown eyes.

"Just that Buffy's a really great girl, perfect for you, in fact. Have you ever thought about maybe dating her?"

Angel shook his head. "Dating? No way. The last thing on my mind is a serious relationship. I don't want a girlfriend."

"You've never thought about her that way? Not even once?" Oz probed.

He blushed. "Okay, so maybe once or twice. But only because we were training together. It was only a natural reaction to being in such close proximity to a woman after nearly ten months. I got really caught up in the moment and could have easily lost control of myself. But Buffy and I as anything more than friends is not very likely."

"Whatever you say," he replied, unconvinced of his cousin's words.

---

"Angel! My lord!" his mother exclaimed when she opened the front door, seeing her youngest son standing on the other side.

"Hi, Mom," he greeted with a genuine smile. While Angel may have had his differences with his father, he still loved and cared very deeply about his mother. "How have you been? Good, I hope."

"I'm very good. You get inside this house right now, young man. Sit yourself down and I'll make you something to eat."

Angel stepped inside, looking around. Nothing had changed since the previous December when he'd left for school. His childhood home still looked the same. "Is Dad home?"

"In the bedroom watching a golf tournament," Mrs. Osborne said. "Do you want something to eat?"

"No, I'm fine. I only stopped by to pick up some stuff and ask if I could borrow the car tonight."

"Well, none of that is going to happen until you have a seat and tell me how you've been doing. It's been so long since you've come by or written or even called."

Angel frowned. "Things got kind of hectic at school last semester. A lot was going on and I didn't have much time."

"You didn't come home for your summer vacation like you usually do."

"I know." After everything that happened, Angel spent his summer driving around the country trying to clear his head, hoping to find himself somewhere along the way. "And I'm sorry. A bunch of us guys decided to spend the summer months checking out the country."

"Did you have a good time?"

"I guess so."

"When did you get back?" she wanted to know.

"Almost two weeks ago."

Mrs. Osborne shook her head. "And this is the first time you've come by to see your father and I? Angel, I can't believe you. It's not like you to be so insensitive."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "Between moving all my stuff into the dorms and schoolwork, this is the first chance I've had to come by."

Unbeknownst to Angel and his mother, Mr. Osborne entered the room. "I still don't understand why you didn't stay at Notre Dame. You were receiving an Ivy League education," he said, letting his family know of his presence.

Angel didn't even bother to say hello to his father. "I didn't like it there."

"It's a much better school than UC Sunnydale."

He stood up. "Look, I didn't come here to argue with you about my choice of colleges. All I want is to find my suit and borrow the car for the night."

"What do you need them for?" Mr. Osborne asked.

"I'm going to the Homecoming dance at the high school. And I'd like to borrow the car so I can pick up my date."

Mrs. Osborne grinned. "Date? What's your girlfriend's name?"

"She's not my girlfriend, Mom. She's just a friend. And her name is Buffy. Buffy Summers."

Mr. Osborne squinted his eyes. "I know that name. Isn't she the girl they arrested back in May for murdering that foreign girl? The one from the Caribbean." He laughed. "Great choice in women, son. You always could pick the winners."

"All charges were dropped. She didn't do it."

"You have to bring her to meet us," Mrs. Osborne requested. "I want to meet the little girl who captured my baby's heart when so many other girls couldn't."

Angel sighed. "Mom…"

"Joanne, don't make a big deal out of this," her husband chastised. "Angel's never brought a girl home before, why should he start now?"

"Angel, you must bring her over before you go to the dance. I want to see the two of you all dressed up. You never bring your girlfriends home to meet us."

Mr. Osborne smirked. "That's because he's never had a girlfriend last more than two dates. I wouldn't get too attached to this one, Joanne. She won't last any longer than the other ones."

His father's comments were aggravating Angel. He wanted to get away from his father as quickly as possible. "Look, can I borrow the car or not?"

"Only if you promise to let us meet Buffy. Bring her by before you go tonight," his mother said.

"Fine." Angel got up and headed for his old bedroom in search of his suit and tie.

---

It was exactly seven when Angel knocked on the Summers' front door. He fidgeted nervously, holding onto the box containing Buffy's white corsage. The door opened thirty seconds later, revealing and older blonde woman, obviously Buffy's mother.

"Hi, you must be Angel," Mrs. Summers greeted, opening the door wider for him. She motioned for him to enter. "Buffy will be down in a minute. Please, feel free to sit."

He smiled. "Thank you, ma'am."

"I have to ask, what time will you be bringing my daughter home? The dance ends at eleven," she asked after she sat down in the reclining chair across from him.

"I was thinking around twelve or twelve-thirty, as long as it's okay with you."

She nodded. "That's fine. You'll have to pardon my rudeness, but Buffy is my only child and I worry about her."

"Over-protective is more like it," Buffy chimed in from the staircase.

Angel got up off the couch to see her. Words escaped him. "You look b-beautiful," he stuttered.

She smiled shyly, descending the stairs. Her dress was royal blue, falling to the floor with inch wide straps that wrapped around her neck, leaving her back completely bare. Her heels were strappy sandals of the exact same color. Buffy curled her hair into ringlets on the top of her head and applied very little makeup.

"Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself." Angel wore a pair of black trousers, a white button down shirt and a dark blue tie.

"This is for you," he said, opening the plastic box, taking out the wrist corsage.

"A white rose. My favorite. How did you know?" she wanted to know.

"Oz. He asked Willow for me." He placed it on her right wrist. "Ready to go?"

She nodded her head. "Off to meet your parents now? Why do I suddenly feel really nervous?"

"Mom insisted on meeting you. Don't worry, she doesn't bite."

"Okay, let's go."

---

"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet my friend Buffy," Angel introduced. "Buffy, these are my parents, David and Joanne Osborne."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. He's told me so much about you," Buffy said cordially.

Mr. Osborne rolled his eyes. "Wish I could say the same, but our son doesn't spend enough time with his parents to mention his new friends."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. 'Apparently Angel's dad isn't too friendly. I'll have to watch what I say around him. Don't want to offend him.'

Mrs. Osborne broke the uncomfortable silence that followed. "So, Buffy, you are still in high school? Do you go to Sunnydale?"

"Yes. I'm a senior this year."

"Underage, too, I bet," muttered Mr. Osborne.

Angel resisted the urge to shut his father up with his own fist. "She'll turn eighteen in January and she'll graduate in June."

"Have you decided where you'll be attending college in the fall, dear?"

Buffy shook her head. "Not yet, I haven't even applied. I'll probably end up staying in Sunnydale and attending UC Sunnydale like Angel does."

"Yes, we're very proud of our boy."

His father snorted. "Sure we are. He should still be at Notre Dame if he had any sense whatsoever."

"David, stop it." Mrs. Osborne turned her attention back to Buffy. "Did you know that we named him Angel because his father and I thought we'd never be able to have another child after Brandon was born? He's our little miracle. Both of our boys are little angels. Only now, one's in heaven and the other is an angel's namesake."

Angel wanted out of the room once his mother started mentioning Brandon. It could be a long conversation that he really wasn't comfortable with. "I'll be back in a second," he interrupted. "There's something I forgot in my bedroom."

Once he left the room, Mr. Osborne looked at Buffy. "You seem like a bright young girl with a level head on her shoulders."

"Thank you."

"And you're probably way too good for Angel. Do me and yourself a favor, Buffy."

"What's that, Mr. Osborne?" she asked curiously.

He waited a few seconds before starting. "Don't let my son charm his way into your bed. I don't want to see you end up as another one of his victims. Be careful."

She didn't quite know what to make of his comment. "I appreciate the warning."

As he was walking back to the living room, Angel was just in time to hear his father's words of warning. 'I'm going to kill him. He shouldn't have said that to Buffy, especially when he doesn't know what he's talking about.'

"Buffy, let's go," he said when he entered the room. "We'll be late."

"Okay. It was nice meeting the both of you."

"The same goes for me, Buffy. You must come back and visit us some other time. Perhaps for dinner one night this week with Angel," Mrs. Osborne invited.

She smiled at the invitation. "I will, thanks."

When they left the house, Angel stopped her halfway to the car. "Buffy, about what my father said back there…"

"Don't worry about it. I know you and I trust you one hundred and ten percent."

Angel looked down and smiled at her. She'd used almost the exact same words he'd said to Oz earlier that morning. He knew right then and there the time was right to tell her. "I was hoping you'd say that. Come on, let's go to the dance and have some fun."

---

The gymnasium of Sunnydale High had been decorated by the Homecoming Committee in the school's colors. Maroon and white streamers adorned the ceiling from wall to wall and a large banner hung over the bleachers reading GO RAZORBACKS! HOMECOMING '98!

"Still using the same decorations from when I went here," commented Angel. "Principal Flutie must be trying to save money."

"Wow, you have been gone for a long time," Buffy said in reply. "Principal Flutie died back in April of last year. Snyder's the new principal."

"You're kidding, right? Snyder? He hates kids; the man is an impotent Nazi."

Buffy smiled, amused. "Sums it up."

"What happened to Flutie?" Angel wanted to know.

"A group of students were possessed by hyenas and they sort of ate him. I cringe just thinking about it."

"Possessed by hyenas? First vampires, now hyena possession? I guess Sunnydale really is different from other towns."

"You got that right. So, what do you want to do first?"

He shrugged. "Well, this is a dance. We could always…you know, dance."

"Alright."

On their way to the dance floor, they were stopped by Willow and Oz. "Hey, guys!" Willow called out, grabbing her boyfriend by the hand.

"Willow, hi!"

"You look great, Buffy," the redhead complimented. "I do so love that dress."

"Yours is great too. Oz, how's it going?"

Oz shook his head from side to side. "The usual. Hey, man," he acknowledged to his older cousin.

"Hey."

While the girls talked amongst themselves, Oz pulled Angel off to the side. "Did you tell her yet? How'd she react?"

"Haven't had a chance yet. I'm waiting until after the dance. Buffy already had the dubious honor of meeting my father. He took it upon himself to warn her about me. Luckily, she didn't care."

"Well, that's good. Look, if I know Buffy as well as I think I do, it'll come as a shock at first, but she will be okay with it. Just explain everything and give her time."

He nodded. "That's why I didn't want to spring it on her right off the bat. Buffy needed to trust me completely, and vice versa. But I'm ready. Come hell or high water, I'm telling her tonight," Angel vowed.

---

Buffy stood in front of the mirror in the ladies' room reapplying her makeup. The door opened and the sound of laughter filled the otherwise empty room. She glanced up momentarily, seeing Harmony Kendall's reflection in the mirror beside her.

"Buffy, I noticed you snagged yourself a date for tonight. Guess this makes you the flavor of the month, doesn't it?" Harmony said to her.

Buffy decided to simply ignore her classmate. She was having a good time with Angel and didn't need the aggravation from Harmony to ruin her night.

"And I just love that dress you're wearing," Harmony continued. "It really says something. What is the phrase I'm trying to think of? Oh yeah. It says 'Pet me, I'm a whore.' Is that really the message you want to be sending to Angel? 'Cause you don't need the dress to say it, he'll just treat you like a whore anyway."

"Mind your own business, Harmony."

"You know, he must really be moving down the social ladder to look for dates. I mean, he's moving through the loser contingent. I guess he's already had his way all the good ones. Why else would Angel being going out with you?"

"As if you know anything about it. We're just friends."

She laughed. "Is that the line he's using this time? It's new, I give him credit for that. And apparently it worked, 'cause here you are."

Buffy whirled on the snooty blonde girl. "Shut the hell up. One more word out of you about me and Angel and I will personally shove my fist so far down your throat you'll need a rectal exam to find it."

When Harmony didn't make any retorts, Buffy walked out of the bathroom, finding Angel by the punch bowl, looking at the couples dancing. He grinned when she reached his side.

"Back so soon? I thought women were supposed to spend hours in the bathroom," Angel commented.

Buffy shook her head. "Ran into someone I don't like, so I made it quick."

"Anyone I know?"

"Harmony Kendall. I think you might have gone out with her a few times based on what she said to me in there."

Angel nodded. "Only once," he answered in a small voice.

She realized that she's made a mistake in saying that. "Oh god, Angel, I'm so sorry. I put my foot in my mouth there. Really, I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know. Do you want to dance? It might take your mind off whatever she said to you."

"I'd love to."

Taking Buffy's hand in his, Angel led her to an empty space on the dance floor. She stood with her back to him, putting his arms around her waist. The song wasn't one she could really slow dance to, but it was too slow to fast dance. But perfect to dance seductively to. A slow, sultry dance.

'This should show Harmony just what's going on between me and Angel. Flavor of the month…ha!' she thought.

Angel could honestly say that he wasn't at all prepared for the way Buffy was dancing. It certainly couldn't be considered slow dancing; this was more along the lines of mating. Not that he minded all that much, it had been so long since he'd danced with a girl, or even had any kind of physical contact with one aside from her. And his body responded to it.

Buffy held his arms tighter around her, pressing her back against his chest, feeling his heart beat through the thin white shirt he wore. She moved her body down along his, keeping his hands in place so that her breasts just barely brushed against them.

"Are you having a good time?" she asked him.

Angel could barely answer her. "Y-yeah. Can I ask you what's up with the little mating ritual we're engaged in?"

"Trying to prove something to Harmony and her friends. Why, does it bother you?"

"Not at all." 'If only she knew how much it *wasn't* bothering me.' He only hoped that she didn't noticed how much it was turning him on to have her dance like that.

Harmony watched in disgust at the dance Buffy and Angel were sharing. "Has she no decency? Look at that display. Have you ever seen anything more disgusting?" she asked her friends.

"I don't know. He seems to be enjoying it," the brunette girl to her left observed. "Quite a bit, actually."

"And Buffy claims they're only friends. Ha! She'll be a member of the club by morning. Then she'll know exactly what he's like."

One of the girls laughed. "At the rate it's going between those two, probably a lot sooner than that."

"They look like they're enjoying themselves," Willow commented.

Oz nodded. "Wonder how long it's going to last, though. Especially with what's coming later."

"What's gonna happen later? Is something bad coming? Big old brewin' evil?"

"No. Remember all that stuff I told you about Angel?"

"Uh-huh."

"He's planning to tell her tonight. Like, everything. You think she'll take it okay?"

Willow gave him a half-smile. "Buffy will be fine. I know her. And if Angel's friendship means anything to her, which I know it does, Buffy will accept it. Everybody's got something to be ashamed of."

"Angel's afraid she won't accept it."

"Can you blame him?"

"Not really."

"We'll just have to wait and see."

"Will, could you see them as a couple?" Oz wanted to know.

She shrugged. "I don't know. You know Buffy's stance on dating. She's totally against it, considering her last few experiences. Why do you want to know?"

Oz looked at his cousin on the dance floor. The expression on his face said it all. "Just curious, that's all."

Buffy turned around, wrapping her arms around his neck, rubbing her body against his. "What did you want to do when we leave?"

Angel placed his hands on her back, trying to keep himself from trembling. No other girl made him feel like that: alive, secure, nervous and needed all at the same time. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was falling for the bright girl in his arms. His very own best friend.

So many possibilities floated through Angel's mind, but he stuck to his original game plan. "Wanna go to the park?"

"The park? Any reason in particular you want to go there?"

"Thought maybe we could just go there and talk. Unless there's something else you wanted to do."

She shook her head. "Nothing off the top of my head. But right now, I'm just enjoying this. Right here, right now. I'm perfectly happy."

---

Climbing out of Mrs. Osborne's car, Buffy took off her shoes. Walking through the park with three inch heels on wasn't going to be very comfortable. She'd rather walk across the grass in her stockinged feet. And in case they ran into anything supernatural, it would be easier to fight with her shoes off.

"What do you want to talk about, Angel? General stuff or something of the more specific kind?"

"Specific. I think we better sit down when tell you this."

She nodded her head. "Okay."

Angel led her to the merry-go-round fifty feet away. When they sat down, he turned to her, gazing into her question-filled green eyes. What he was about to tell her wasn't easy. "Buffy, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Remember how I said something happened to me back in Indiana? That it changed who I am?" he began.

"Yeah."

He closed his eyes. "I'm ready to tell you about it."

"And I'm ready to listen. Please, tell me."

"I…It's hard to say." Angel put his head in his hands. He had to find the right words to say, but couldn't seem to find them. But he had to say it, he needed to tell Buffy; it was time. The only thing he feared was that she'd hate him afterward.

"Angel?"

He took a deep breath before beginning. "Back at Notre Dame, there was a girl. I…she's dead. And it's all my fault. I killed her."

---

Buffy stared in shock at his admission. It was the last thing she expected to hear out of his mouth. "D-dead? You killed someone?" Part of her screamed to run away and never look back, get as far away from him as possible. But she couldn't. No, she owed it to Angel to listen to everything he had to say, no matter how bad it was. "How? Why?" Too many questions were floating through her mind. "When did it happen?"

Angel kept his head down, knowing that if he looked into Buffy's eyes, he wouldn't be able to finish his tale. "Last January. I had just gotten back from winter break two weeks earlier and I met a girl. Katharine Donovan, but everyone called her Katie. She'd transferred to Notre Dame that semester, she was so bright and smart and funny and beautiful. Tall, long brown hair with just a touch of red in it, the most piercing blue eyes I have ever seen, and the nicest person I'd ever met, until I met you. God, she was almost perfect. Too good for me, that's for sure.

"She and I had Chemistry together; we were lab partners. I was a complete idiot and had no idea what I was doing, but she knew it all. Katie helped me study for our first exam, she spent hours with me at the library. She quizzed me, went over facts and concepts I'd never be able to grasp on my own. By the time the test came around, I understood everything. With her help, I passed with flying colors.

"When we got our grades back, I offered to take her out to dinner and a movie as a thank you." Angel shook his head, wishing he could forget it all. "Katie should have said no. If she had, maybe she'd still be alive right now."

"You don't know that for a fact. You couldn't have known what was going to happen," Buffy chimed in. Even though she didn't know how Katie died, she was sure Angel didn't plan it.

He ran his left hand through his hair. "No, I do know it for a fact. I killed her. She had this wonderful future ahead of her and I ruined it. All because I couldn't control my hormones.

"Katie and I went back to my room to talk after the movie. Let me make this short, sweet and to the point: we slept together. That's what I did back then. Go out on a date and usually end up in bed with the girl. I didn't feel anything for her, no more or less than what I felt for the other girls who came before her. I was sick and twisted and perverted and manipulative; I didn't care who I hurt, just as long as I could get a little sex out of it."

Buffy stared at him. "You killed her with sex?"

He shook his head. "Not directly, but pretty close. Like I said, we had sex. She left after it, like they all did. Mostly because I asked her to, not because she wanted to. And Katie looked up at me with those big blue eyes of hers and I told her I'd call her. I never had any intention to, it was just what I said to them afterward. She thought it meant something; that I wanted to be with her.

"I didn't, of course. To me, it was just another conquest, another girl who managed to give me a happy for one night. The next day in Chemistry, she sat next to me and asked me if I wanted to do something that night. She wanted a relationship, but I didn't. When I told her that I wasn't interested in dating her, that it had only been the one night I wanted, Katie…Katie didn't take it too well at all. She started crying, saying she thought I was different from all those other guys out there. And she ran out of the classroom and I never saw her again. Alive, at least."

Angel took a deep breath before continuing. "The next day it was all over campus. Cops were everywhere, so were the reporters. It was a big story there. COLLEGE CO-ED KILLS SELF AFTER ONE NIGHT STAND REJECTION. Katie killed herself because I wasn't man enough to stick around in the morning. She slashed her wrists with a steak knife inside her dorm room. Before she did it, she left a note. Her roommate found it when she found Katie, and was considerate enough to tell me what it said. I THOUGHT HE LOVED ME. I WAS JUST A FOOL."

Buffy placed her hands on his leg. "That was not your fault, Angel. You didn't kill her, Katie did it to herself. Don't blame yourself for it."

His head shot up, revealing his bloodshot eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "How can I not?" he demanded. "She had everything going for her and I took it away with one simple, stupid action. I did kill her, because I drove her to it. Maybe I didn't hand her that knife or cut her wrists with it, but I sure as hell feel like I did. And everyone blamed me for her death.

"The guilt started to eat away at me. I wasn't much of a drinker, so I couldn't find any kind of comfort in alcohol or drugs or anything like that. So I threw myself into my schoolwork. Possibly fill the void that was left when she died. After my classes were over for the day, I'd lock myself in my dorm room and study for the rest of the night. Nobody cared that I was hurting, everyone at school treated me as if I had some kind of contagious disease or something like that. People shunned me. My friends abandoned me and the girls that used to flock around me disappeared. Even my own professors were indifferent towards me. I was like a social pariah.

"Halfway through the semester, the Dean of Students asked me to come to his office. Even though my name hadn't been mentioned in the papers and no charges were being brought against me, he knew it was me; that I was the one Katie wrote about in her note. He very politely asked me not to return to Notre Dame for the fall semester. Said that he himself would write me a glowing letter of recommendation to any other college as long as I did not return."

Buffy widened her eyes. "That's horrible of him to say. He kicked you out of school without having any proof of guilt on your part?"

He solemnly nodded. "Pretty much. But I took it as a wonderful opportunity. It was my chance to get away from it all, away from the guilt and all the people I hurt. I could start a new life where nobody knew who I was, where I could be me. I made a vow after Katie's death that I'd never use another girl in that way again. So far, I've kept that promise. I haven't slept with a single girl since that night in January."

"You could have gone to school anywhere," Buffy started. "Why come back to Sunnydale where nearly everyone here knows about your reputation? I thought you wanted to start a new life."

Angel looked up to the star-filled sky, as if waiting for a sign from God. "As appealing as it was to run away from it all, it would have been the coward's way out. I had to come back here to prove to everyone in Sunnydale that I'm not the same jerk I was when I left. I could make amends for the sins of my past by facing them every single day. Buffy, not a day goes by that I don't see some girl I hurt, a girl I used for my own sick purposes. And I think to myself, how much did I hurt her? Did I almost kill her like I killed Katie? How many other lives have I ruined?"

"You were young, you didn't know any better. It's obvious that you've seen the error of your ways and grew up because of it. You're a better person now. I don't know the old you, but I do know the new one. He's a nice, sweet guy. And you deserve a second chance. Everybody can change."

"I should be dead, not her. How can I be allowed to be this happy and content so soon after her death? Her life is over, but mine continues? How is that fair?" Angel questioned.

Buffy gazed into his eyes. "Maybe you've paid your dues and you deserve that happiness."

"No, I don't." He paused to collect himself. "I'll completely understand if, after hearing all this, you don't want to be seen with a killer." Angel hoped with all his heart and soul that Buffy wouldn't leave him like so many others had. He didn't know if he could handle more rejection.

"How can you say that?" she accused. "You're not a killer, not by a longshot. And of course I want to be around you. We're friends, remember?"

Friends. Deep inside, Angel knew he wanted more than friendship with her. She understood him like nobody ever had. He was beginning to feel love for her; it was something he'd never felt for a girl before. "You don't hate me?"

"No," she answered, shaking her head. "Like I'm one to judge. I have a pretty colorful past myself. If you can accept me – with burning down part of my old school and getting expelled and being accused of murder, along with the whole Slayer thing – then I can accept you. You're a great guy and I'm proud to be known as your friend. No matter what you've done in the past."

"That means so much to me. You're not just my friend, Buffy. You are my best friend."

She gave him a hug. "Good. Because you're my best friend, too."

---

"Did you and Angel have a good time at the dance last night?" Willow wanted to know the next afternoon while they had lunch at the coffee shop.

Buffy nodded. "I know I did and I'm pretty sure he did, too."

"What did you two do afterward?"

"We talked. A lot, actually. He really opened up to me."

"How much?"

"I think he's told me everything big I need to know about him. Apparently he went through hell in Indiana and knowing about it made me understand so much more about him. I see him in a completely different light now," Buffy told her.

Willow raised her eyebrows. "He told you about what happened?"

"Yeah. At least I think so. Why, what don't I know that I should?"

"You know about the incident with that Katie girl?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh. But I'd hardly call it an 'incident.' It was horrible, I feel so bad for him. Something like that doesn't deserve to happen to someone as nice as Angel. Or to anyone at all."

"It put things into perspective for him, I guess," commented Willow. "After Oz told me last week at the Bronze, I was ashamed of myself for judging him so harshly. And for what I said to you about staying away from him. I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to say that when I didn't have all the information."

"Don't worry about it, you were only looking out for my best interests and I understand that. You were just doing the best friend thing. Thanks for being such a good friend that way."

"Anytime. Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Well, Oz asked me this last night while you and Angel were dancing. He wanted to know if I thought you two could be a couple."

Buffy sighed. "Will…"

"No, just answer me. I know how you feel about dating, but come on. You've never even thought about it once?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe once. But I don't know. I don't have those kinds of feelings for him. Sure, Angel's a total hottie, but he's too good of a friend to risk anything with. I couldn't stand it if I lost his friendship with a possibly disastrous relationship. It would be like dating Xander; there's an ick factor involved somewhere that I don't want to have to deal with. Ugh."

"That dance you two were engaged in sure turned a lot of heads. It even had me wondering about it. I think that's what made Oz ask me that."

"Looking back on it, I wish I hadn't done it," Buffy admitted. "It was a stupid idea."

"Why did you, then?"

"To make Harmony jealous. She said I'd end up just like her when she went out with Angel. Used and abused and jaded. I guess I wanted to prove that I could do something really sexy and not land in bed with him."

Willow's eyes widened. "You didn't sleep with him, did you?"

"No! Remember what I said a minute ago about the ick factor? Not likely."

"Why do you regret the dance if it succeeded in making Harmony jealous? Wasn't that the whole point of it?"

"Because…I think it might have given him some ideas of his own. Not that he tried anything, he didn't. But it felt like Angel really enjoyed it. I mean, *really* enjoyed it."

She looked at Buffy curiously for a few seconds before letting her words sink in. "Oh! Are you serious?"

"At least I think so. I give him credit for not trying to…remedy the situation, shall we say. He kissed me on the cheek at the end of the night, but that's it. Complete and utter gentleman other than that. Almost makes me wonder if he had anything else in mind, though."

"Wow. Maybe he's got a thing for you."

Buffy shook her head. "Nah. I'm chalking it up to a natural guy reaction. Not like it's never happened to him before around me."

"It happened before?" Willow asked incredulously. "When?"

"Last Saturday when we were training. I pretended to be a vampire and he had to stake me. Angel flipped me to the ground and metaphorically staked me. But to stake me, he had to pin me to the ground with his own body. That's when I first noticed. I think he was kind of ashamed by it, because he backed away from me by a good three feet. I didn't want to bring it up and embarrass him, so I ignored it."

"Buffy, he likes you. I can tell."

"If he liked me, he'd say it. Angel's not the shy type. Besides, he said I'm his best friend. Most guys don't say that to a girl they want to date; it kind of discourages them. Not the ones I know, anyway."

Willow shrugged. "Okay. It was a shot in the dark, but I had to ask."

---

"I told you, Angel. Buffy doesn't hate you," Oz said.

"She might have if I'd told her sooner. Last night seemed like the best time to break it to her. And it turned out to be one of the best nights of my life," Angel told his cousin. "No pressure to be someone I wasn't. For the first time, I enjoyed the company of a woman without getting physical with her. Never in my life have I felt so good about myself. I'm comfortable being me, comfortable being in my own skin."

Oz smiled. "Buffy's really doing a number on your self-confidence, isn't she?"

"Big time. She makes me feel good about myself. I like myself now, where I didn't before. When she didn't run away or tell me to get away from her, I started to see how good of a friend she is. My best friend, just like you. The kind of person I can tell anything to, no matter how bad it is."

There was knock on Oz's bedroom door, and his mother entered. "Boys, would you like some sandwiches? I have a couple peanut butter and jellies downstairs in the kitchen calling out your name."

"Thanks for the offer, Aunt Beth, but I'm not very hungry," Angel declined. "I had a big breakfast this morning."

"Alright. You know, I just got off the phone with your mother a little over an hour ago. She invited me over for dinner on Wednesday. A big family dinner to introduce us to your new girlfriend. I didn't know you were seeing someone, Angel," Mrs. Osborne said.

Angel let out a deep breath. "I'm not. I brought Buffy over to meet my parents last night and now Mom thinks she and I are dating. We're only friends, but she doesn't seem to be able to grasp the concept of it."

"Oh, okay. Thought I'd let you know we're going to be there."

"I appreciate the warning."

After his mother left, Oz turned to Angel. "But you wish you were dating Buffy."

"What?"

"Come on, admit it. I saw you last night; the look in your eyes and on your face during that dance. They said it all. Anyone looking at you could tell how much you like her."

"Buffy's my friend. That's all."

Oz nodded. "Sure. Just tell me how you really feel. I won't tell her, I swear."

"Like you 'didn't' tell Willow about that stuff at Notre Dame? If you were to tell her, who's to say she won't run off and tell Buffy that I'm beginning to fall in love with her?" Angel demanded.

"I knew it. You're in love with her."

"I didn't say that."

"You just did. Come on, I promise I won't tell Will anything."

Angel relented. "After I told Buffy, and she said she didn't care about my past, I saw her. I mean I really saw her for the first time. She looked different to me. Had that happened a year ago, I wouldn't have even cared; I would have taken her right then and there without a second thought to her feelings." He paused for a moment. "Yeah, I realized that I'm falling in love with her."

"Admitting it is the first step."

"Not like it's going to make a difference. I told her she's my best friend, and she said the same thing to me," Angel started. "Buffy doesn't want to date me. She just wants to be my friend."

"She doesn't want to date just any guy. She's been burned before and she is just being choosy. Don't get discouraged. Friendship leads to love all the time."

Angel shook his head. "I don't know. If Buffy only wants friendship, that's fine. I'd rather have her as a friend than not have her in my life at all. I can live with that as long as she's a part of my life in some way."

"You can't fight what you feel for her. Especially if it's love."

"Yes, I can. Watch me."

---

ONE MONTH LATER

'Je suis, Tu es, Il/Elle est…God, I'm never going to understand this. Why didn't I stick with Spanish? At least I understood that. I hate French,' Angel complained to himself. 'I'll give it ten more minutes. If I can't conjugate etre by then, I'm going back to my room and calling Buffy. See what she's up to.'

In the month that had passed since he admitted to his cousin his feelings for Buffy, Angel did not find it at all difficult to be around her. In fact, he welcomed her presence every single day. They met up at the Bronze almost every night, and they rented a movie every Friday to watch at her house. He simply enjoyed being around her, but couldn't ignore the pang of jealousy he felt whenever he saw Buffy talking to or dancing with another guy.

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

Angel was shaken out of his reverie by the soft voice across from him. Looking up, he saw an average-sized young woman with dark blonde hair holding several school books standing on the other side of the table.

"Go right ahead. Nobody's sitting there," he replied.

She smiled. "Thank you. It means a lot."

He shrugged his shoulders. "It's only a seat. No big deal."

"Yeah, I guess."

They studied in silence for twenty minutes, Angel deciding it was more important to learn vocabulary than to talk on the phone. Besides, he was finally beginning to understand it. The mere idea of comprehending French surprised him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another figure approach the table. Inwardly, he groaned. 'What the hell is with this place today? It can't be so crowded that people can't find their own tables to sit at. Must they all sit at mine?'

"I've been wondering where you went," the figure said to the girl sitting across from Angel.

'Must be her boyfriend,' he thought.

"And I'm sure you have been looking everywhere to find me." She sighed. "Look, James, I'm studying for my Psychology test. Do you mind?"

James's eyes brightened. "Maybe I can help you, Robin. I've taken it before."

Angel tried his hardest not to laugh at James. The guy was coming on far too strong, and it was fairly obvious that Robin wasn't interested in him, just by the tone of her voice.

"No, thanks. Would you please leave now?"

"Maybe we can go get something to eat this weekend, maybe catch a movie. It might take your mind off all these tests you've been having lately," James offered.

"Just leave me alone. How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from me? I don't want to go out with you," Robin told him firmly. "No amount of time is going to change that."

He shook his head. "You can't mean that."

Angel had had it with him by that point. James was annoying him, and it was interrupting his studying. "She means it. Go away, little boy."

James glared at him, shooting daggers with his eyes. "Who the hell are you and since when do you make Robin's decisions?"

"Since I've been her boyfriend. Now go away before I throw you out on your ass," Angel threatened.

"You don't have a boyfriend, Robin," James said.

She nodded. "Yes, I do. And you don't want to piss him off."

Without a word, the young man walked away. Robin sighed with relief. "Thank you so much."

"I take it you know that guy."

"Unfortunately. He's been bugging me to go out with him all semester long. I keep saying no, but now he's turned all stalker boy on me. Following me around, calling me, leaving me notes, that kind of thing. I really appreciate you doing that for me. I just hope you scared him away for good."

Angel smiled. "I hope I did, too. But it was no problem at all. Glad to help you out."

"My name is Robin. Robin McNamara."

"Nice to meet you, Robin. I'm Angel Osborne."

"Your name sounds really familiar to me, but I don't know why."

"Well, I play football. Maybe you've seen my name in the paper or something," he suggested. "Sorry, I sound really arrogant."

"No, you don't." Robin snapped her fingers. "That's how I know you! You're the new quarterback who transferred from Notre Dame."

"That's me."

"Why would you ever come here?" she asked.

"My family is here. I've been gone for a while and I missed them. And my friends as well."

Robin seemed like a very nice girl to him. Friendly and easy to talk to; she reminded him of Buffy. They talked for over two hours about everything from school to movies and music. The two clicked, and Angel took it as a sign. Robin was just what he needed to keep his mind off his growing feelings for Buffy.

"How would you like to go to the Bronze with me tonight? I mean, if you're done studying for that Psychology test," Angel wanted to know.

Robin's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "I'd love to, Angel. Actually, I made up that story about having to study for the test to get rid of James."

"When and where should I pick you up?"

"Stevenson Hall at eight?"

"Great. Sounds like a date."

---

"Is Angel coming tonight?" Willow asked Buffy that night at the Bronze.

"I think he is, but he's usually here by now. It's after eight. But then again, he might have a test to study for. So he might not show."

Willow laughed. "And here I thought you had his entire schedule memorized. Geez, you two do everything together."

"No, we don't," Buffy disagreed.

"Uh-huh. When was the last time you did something without him?"

Buffy sighed. "Will, he's my best friend. Best friends do things together. You should know that."

"You know, people are starting to think you and Angel are a couple. You are out together almost every night."

"Let them think what they want. We're friends, that's it."

"I still say he likes you."

"You know, I can usually tell if a guy likes me, he sends out these vibes. Angel is vibe-free. The only reason you are saying that is because we spend a lot of time together and neither one of us is dating anyone at the moment. You're reading more into it than there is."

Willow glanced up, seeing Angel enter the club with a pretty blonde girl. It didn't escape her that their arms were linked together. "Speak for yourself, Buffy."

"What?" She looked to see where Willow was focusing her attention. It was Angel, with another girl. 'He has a date. That's…that's nice. Good. He needs to start getting out more.' But Buffy couldn't help but be slightly disappointed.

"Are you okay?" Willow wanted to know.

She nodded. "I'm fine. Angel's got a date. That's totally cool."

"Alright." But Willow wasn't convinced.

A minute later, Angel and Robin reached the table. "Hi, guys," he greeted.

"Hi, Angel," they both replied.

"I'd like to introduce you to Robin McNamara. Robin, this is Willow Rosenberg and my best friend Buffy Summers," Angel introduced them.

Robin smiled. "Nice to meet both of you. Especially you, Buffy. Angel has told me quite a lot about you."

"Really? Funny, he's never mentioned you before."

"We just met this afternoon at the library. He scared away a potential stalker and we hit it off immediately."

The four of them sat around the table for forty-five minutes, taking turns asking one another questions. They learned that Robin was a sophomore majoring in Psychology and lived in Portland, Oregon with her mother. As much as Buffy wanted to hate her, she couldn't. Robin brought the sparkles back to Angel's eyes, something Buffy had wanted to do herself.

'He really likes her,' she thought. 'Robin's nice and funny and smart and obviously makes Angel smile and laugh. I can't hate her for that. She's perfect for him; just what he needs. Then why do I want to kill her? Is it because I'm afraid he'll want to spend more time with her than with me, thus ruining our friendship? No, that's stupid. I'm being selfish. I should be happy for Angel. And I am.'

He leaned over toward Buffy. "What do you think of her?"

"I like her." To be truthful, she wasn't lying. Buffy could not think of a single reason to hate her. "I really do."

"You mean that? Really?"

"Yep. I've never seen you look so happy. I can tell Robin's the reason."

Angel put his arms around his best friend, relishing the feel of her in his arms. "That means a lot coming from you. I needed you to meet her, Buffy; I needed your opinion and your approval."

"Well, you have it. I like her. And I can tell she makes you happy."

"So far." 'No, Buffy. Only one person can make me happy. You. And I can't even tell you how I really feel.'

---

Robin turned to Angel when they arrived at the entrance to Stevenson Hall. "Thanks for taking me out tonight. I had a really good time."

He smiled. "It was my pleasure. I had a good time, too. It's been so long since I've been on a date with a girl. I'd almost forgotten how much fun it can be."

"Really? You strike me as the type of guy who goes out with a different girl every night."

"Nope. I've become quite the homebody since I returned to Sunnydale. The last date I went on was back in early February."

Robin's eyes widened. "Seriously? Wow, that's a long time."

"I figure it's time to stop wallowing in my self-pity and start getting out there in the dating field. Time to meet some new people."

"Your breakup with Buffy must have really hurt for you not to date for so long. But it's great to see how good friends you two still are."

Angel was taken aback for a moment. "I never dated Buffy. She's my best friend, she's never been my girlfriend."

"God, I'm such a jerk. There I go, putting my foot in my mouth again. I swear, it lives there. I thought you two were exes, but stayed friends after you broke up. Angel, I'm sorry. When you hugged her…"

"No, it's okay, Robin. It's an easy mistake to make. She and I are as close as two people can be without dating."

"Is she part of the reason you came back here? You missed her?" Robin wanted to know.

He shook his head. "No. Believe it or not, I only met her a month ago. Oz and Willow tried to set us up, but we ended up becoming friends instead."

"You never thought about dating her?"

'Only every time I lay eyes on her,' Angel thought. "Some people are better off being friends." He gazed at her. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. Call it intuition or whatever you like, but a woman can tell when another woman's got a crush on a guy. I got that feeling from Buffy. She's got more than friendly feelings for you. At least that's the impression I got."

"No way, not Buffy. She doesn't think of me as anything more than a friend."

"Okay, maybe I'm reading more into it than there is. There seemed to be this closeness between you two, and the way she looked at you when we walked to the table…I don't know. I thought she was a little jealous."

Angel placed his hands on her shoulders. "Knowing Buffy as well as I think I do, I'm willing to bet she's just jealous because I've found someone and she hasn't. She's doesn't have a boyfriend and is probably lonely. We're together all the time and she never really talks about dating anyone."

"You could introduce her to some of your friends," suggested Robin.

"No!" he replied, a little too quickly. "The only guy friends I have are on the football team, and they're all pigs. I don't want to see her getting hurt by one of them. I'd never set her up with one of those jerks." 'Just keep telling yourself that. Maybe you'll start to believe it. Truth is, you want Buffy for yourself,' his mind told him. "She'll find someone. He's out there waiting for her."

She sighed. "Enough about her. Would you like to come up to my room? My roommate is gone for the night and we can talk and stuff."

It was the other 'stuff' that frightened Angel. "I–I don't think so, Robin."

"I don't bite. Are you afraid something's going to happen up there?"

"Actually, yes. I don't have the greatest track record when it comes to dating. Someone always ends up getting hurt and I don't want that to happen this time."

"You don't have to read me the warning label. I'm a big girl, Angel. I can take care of myself and I'm not naïve."

"Neither am I. But I refuse to see you get hurt, and I'm not going to sleep with you on the first date. I'm beyond that, despite what you might have heard."

Robin looked at him with curious eyes. "I haven't heard anything. But if you don't want to, I respect your decision."

"Thank you. I don't know you too well, but I'd really like to. Would you…would you go out with me again sometime?"

She nodded her head, grinning. "I'd love to."

"I'll give you a call this weekend and we'll work something out." Leaning down, he gave her a peck on the cheek. "Night, Robin."

"Good night."

Robin walked up to her room, opened the door and found her roommate, Shannon, sitting in front of the computer. "How was your date with the football player?" Shannon wanted to know.

"It was fun. I had a good time. And his name is Angel, by the way."

"Whatever. I take it he passed your test."

"With flying colors. I invited him up here, told him you were gone for the rest of the night, and he turned me down. This one's different, I think Angel's a keeper."

"You think?"

Robin shrugged. "Something's amiss, though. I met his best friend. She's really nice and all that, but I get this feeling that there's something going on between them. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but he seems to more than like her, if you get my drift."

"I get it. He's got a thing for her."

"That's how it seemed. Or they've both got a thing for each other and neither will admit it."

"What are you going to do?" Shannon asked.

She paused before answering. "Nothing. I am going to do absolutely nothing. In fact, I'm going out with him again this weekend. I think it means something if he'd rather go out with me than her. I'm taking it as a sign that whatever he feels for this Buffy girl is wrong and he knows it."

---

"Will, can I ask you something?" Buffy asked on their way home from the Bronze.

Willow nodded. "Of course you can. What is it?"

"What did you think of Robin?"

"I don't know. She was nice. I guess I like her, but I don't know her all that well."

"Does she seem like Angel's type to you?" Buffy questioned.

She shrugged in response. "You know him better than I do. But if I had to wager a guess, I'd say yes. It looked like Angel really enjoyed being with her." Willow caught the look on Buffy's face. "Oh my god, you're jealous."

"What? No way."

"No, I can see it all over your face. You are jealous of Robin because Angel's going out with her instead of you. Buffy, you can tell me. You two spend so much time with one another, it's pretty easy to fall for him."

A vampire jumped out of the bushes, growling at the two girls. Buffy whipped out a stake from the waistband of her jeans. "Not a good time." She plunged the stake into his heart without a moment's hesitation. It exploded into dust in seconds.

"I haven't fallen for him. I'm worried about him. The last thing I want to see is him hurting," Buffy told her.

"Are you sure that's all?"

Buffy sat down on a bench, followed in suit by Willow. Shaking her head in confusion, the Slayer answered. "I honestly don't know. Angel's like my brother, but sometimes, I can't help but wonder. I even had a dream once that he declared his love for me and we dropped to the floor and started ripping each other's clothes off. It scares me, Willow, to be having these kinds of thoughts about him.

"You know what, maybe I am jealous. Not because Angel asked Robin out, but because he can have any girl he wants and I get no one. Am I so repulsive that guys don't like me?"

Willow comforted her best friend by giving her a supportive hug. "Don't say that, Buffy. You are not repulsive."

"I am never going to find someone to grow old with. You and Oz and Angel and Xander will all grow old with somebody by your side. If I live that long, I'll be alone; an old maid at the rate things are going. I might as well go join a convent now."

"You won't be alone. We'll always be with you. Besides, you'll meet someone; who knows, he might be right under your nose and you don't even know it."

---

After spending the entire day Christmas shopping, Buffy and Angel sat down on the swing on her front porch. She smiled, saying, "I love the holiday season. All the houses are decorated, the stores are playing Christmas music, children sitting on Santa's lap asking for toys…makes me wish I was a kid all over again."

"If you wanted to sit on Santa's lap, you should have told me," Angel said with a laugh. "We could have had your picture taken and everything."

Buffy shook her head. "I'd have died before I let that happen. Talk about embarrassment. I so don't think so."

"Call me wacky, but I'm getting a mental picture of you in reindeer antlers."

She playfully swatted Angel across the chest. "Not on your life, buddy! I have a tough girl reputation to uphold."

"Oh yes. God forbid someone sees you," he teased.

"Exactly."

Out of the blue, Angel's lips were on hers, his arms wrapped around her back, holding her close to him. Buffy had no idea what brought it on, but couldn't stop herself from kissing him back. Her hands reached out for him, one on the back of his neck, the other cupping his right cheek.

Her eyes met his in a shocking glance once they'd broken the kiss. "What…why?" Buffy stuttered.

"I've been wanting to do that for months now," Angel admitted.

"You have? You wanted to kiss me?"

He nodded, and placed his first two fingers under her chin, raising it. "Yes. I won't deny it or fight how I feel anymore. It's eating me up inside, Buffy; it's festering. And I want to be fester-free."

"How you feel?" she asked, confused. "How do you feel?"

"I'm in love with you. With all my heart and soul; with everything I am and everything I want to be. God knows I don't deserve you; you're far too pure and good for me to ever be worthy of. But I can't stop how I feel. I can't stop myself from loving you."

Buffy took a deep breath and let Angel's words sink in. "You–you love me?"

He nodded. "I do. It was the last thing I expected to do, but I did. I fell in love with you. Buffy, I had to tell you, regardless of whether or not you feel the same. I just needed to get it out."

"I wish I knew what to say. It's such a shock. I never thought you'd say that to me."

"You don't have to say anything. I understand that you don't have the same feelings for me, but I could not keep it inside another minute."

"Angel, I love you, too."

---

"Buffy, wake up!"

She groaned, feeling herself being shook into wakefulness. 'Was I dreaming? God, it seemed so realistic. Like it was really happening; Angel telling me he loves me, and me saying it back.' "Why do I have to wake up? It's my day off," she whined. "Let me sleep, please."

"Because you have a phone call. I suggest you answer it," Mrs. Summer replied.

Buffy sat up, reaching for the cordless phone on her nightstand. "Hello?" she asked, groggily. She was still half-asleep, wishing she could go right back to sleep and back into her dream again, to find out how it ended.

"Hey, you," the voice on the other end of the line greeted. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

Angel. 'It's hard to even hear his voice after he said that stuff to me in my dream,' Buffy thought. 'It was just a dream, though. I have to remember that.' "Yeah, but that's okay. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the mall with me today. I still have some last minute Christmas shopping left to do and I absolutely hate shopping alone. What do you say, will you come and keep me company?" asked Angel.

She didn't even need to think about it. "I'd love to."

In his dorm room, Angel grinned. He'd been spending most of his time with Robin; he felt like he was neglecting Buffy. Even though he really was trying to get over his feelings for her. "Great. Pick you up in an hour?"

"I'll be ready."

"See ya then. Bye!"

After hanging up the phone, Buffy jumped out of bed. Grabbing a pair of jeans and a gray sweater, she ran into the bathroom to take a shower.

---

"So, who do you have left to shop for?" Buffy asked Angel when they walked through the doors of the mall.

"Oz and Robin. Everyone else is done and wrapped."

Buffy smirked. "Even me?"

"Yes, including you. Actually, I already know what I'm getting for Oz. But I'm having trouble thinking up a gift for Robin. We've only been dating for two months and I haven't a clue. This whole dating thing is kind of new to me. And I was hoping you might be able to give me some ideas as to what I should get Robin as a present," Angel told her.

"Oh, I get it. You're just using me."

"No, I need a woman's perspective."

"Fine. What are her interests? Does she like to read? Who's her favorite author? What kind of music does Robin listen to?" she wanted to know.

Angel shook his head. "I was thinking about something more personal than a book or a CD."

"How much are you looking to spend?"

"One hundred dollars, maybe a little more."

"Why don't you get her a diamond ring," she muttered. "Frigging propose to her while you're at it."

He looked down at her curiously. "What, Buffy?" He hadn't quite heard what she said.

"Nothing. What about a watch or a bracelet or something? That's fairly personal."

"Good idea. Would you help me pick it out? You know what a girl would like better than I do."

"Sure."

They walked to the nearest jewelry store. Upon entering it, Angel glanced around at the selection. "I'm not leaving here without buying something for her," he vowed.

For five minutes they searched. Angel couldn't find anything he liked enough to buy for his girlfriend. Everything was either too expensive or *too* personal.

"Hey, Angel," Buffy called from the other end of the jewelry counter. "How about this?"

He made his way over to where she stood, pointing inside the glass case. She had found a gold necklace with an oval locket, decorated with a tiny diamond in the middle of the locket. "Buffy, that's beautiful. Robin would love it."

"You should get it for her, then. It's only ninety-nine dollars, plus tax," she said.

He quickly kissed her on the cheek. "Buffy, you're a genius. I don't know what I'd do without you. I'd be lost."

A salesclerk came up to them. "May I help you with something?" she asked.

"Yes, you may," Angel answered. "I'd like to purchase this locket for my girlfriend."

"Very well." Opening the glass casing, the clerk removed the necklace. "I must say, you have wonderful taste. Would you like to try it on, miss?" she asked Buffy.

Buffy shook her head. "Oh, no. I'm not his girlfriend."

"I'm so sorry. My mistake. Would you like to have it engraved? It's only twenty dollars extra and it'll take two days."

"No, thank you. I'm giving it to her tonight. Could you gift wrap it for me, though? I'm horrible at it and I want this gift to look really nice."

The clerk smiled. "Of course, sir."

While they waited for the necklace to be wrapped, Buffy asked, "So, when does Robin go home?"

"Tomorrow morning at eleven. I'm not going to see her again until January eleventh," he told her.

"Must be hard to be away from her for so long," she commented. "Are you two doing anything special tonight?"

"Sort of. I made reservations at Giorgio's for dinner at seven and then maybe we'll go for a walk or something. Nothing's written in stone yet, though. I want her last night in town to be special."

---

"Big plans tonight?" Shannon wanted to know as she packed her suitcases.

Robin shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe. Angel said he's taking me out for dinner and we're going to exchange presents. I can't wait to see what he got me."

"I bet it's nice. What about after dinner?"

"Don't know yet. What time does your flight leave tonight?"

"Six," Shannon said. "Are you in that much of a hurry to get rid of me? Will I be putting a crimp in your plans for tonight?"

"I just wanted to make sure that we'll have some privacy," Robin told her. "I'm going to make tonight a night to remember. For both me and Angel."

---

"Buffy, it's always wonderful to see you," Mrs. Osborne said when Buffy and Angel stopped over after finishing their Christmas shopping.

Buffy grinned. "It's great to see you, too, Mrs. Osborne."

"We hardly ever see you anymore now that Angel's been seeing that Robin girl." She whispered in Buffy's ear. "I don't like her. She's too perfect. Something's a little off about her."

"She's perfectly nice. And she makes him happy."

"For now she does. But pretty soon my boy is going to realize that you make him happier. I've seen him with her and she doesn't make his face light up like you do. You're the one he should be with, not her."

She gave Angel's mother a kiss on the cheek. "I appreciate the compliment, but will you do me a favor? Give Robin a chance?"

Mrs. Osborne nodded, flashing Buffy a smile. "I'll do my best. Please tell me that you'll be over for dinner on Christmas Eve."

"I had no idea I was invited."

"Angel Patrick Osborne, you get your butt out here right this instant!" his mother called.

Angel knew that tone of voice, and ran from his bedroom where he'd been wrapping gifts to the living room. "What did I do now?"

"Buffy has just informed me that you haven't invited her over for Christmas Eve dinner. As I recall, I told you to do that a month ago. It's only four days away, when were you planning to ask her?"

"It slipped my mind. Sorry," he apologized.

"You're more responsible than that. It's that new girlfriend of yours. She's clouding your mind," Mrs. Osborne accused.

"I'm sure that Angel was busy with his finals and he forgot," Buffy suggested. "But I'll definitely be here. What time?"

"Four o'clock. We always go to three o'clock mass, so we should be back by then," she informed her. "In fact, you're welcome to come to church with us."

Buffy considered the invitation. "You know what, I'd love to. Thank you so much for including me."

"Are you done with me, Mom? I'd like to finish wrapping my presents," Angel wanted to know.

"Yeah, go on ahead. Buffy and I will stay out here and catch up."

Angel made his way down the hallway, passing his parents' bedroom along the way. His father sat in the leather armchair near the door, watching a hockey game.

"Son, come in here for a minute," Mr. Osborne requested.

Sighing heavily, Angel entered the room. "Yeah, Dad?"

"You haven't stopped by in quite awhile. Your mother was worried about you."

"I suppose you didn't care at all, did you?"

"Believe it or not, I do care, Angel. I've been wondering what's been keeping you so busy these past few weeks. The only thing that comes to mind is your new girlfriend, what's her name. Am I correct?"

"Her name is Robin. And she is part of the reason, yes," Angel answered.

Mr. Osborne nodded. "I thought so. You have been different since you came back; in a good way and it shows. The spoiled, arrogant teenager is gone, I've noticed that. At first, I thought it was your friend, Buffy."

"She sees the good in me where a lot of people don't."

"Apparently. Whether you like it or not, Angel, I am your father. And I can see things about you that a lot of other people can't. There's a new girl in your life. Though that's not why you've changed. No, I can tell that you're a man in love. That's the reason for this new you."

Angel vigorously shook his head. "Dad, I'm not in love with Robin. We're just dating."

"I never said you were in love with Robin. Is Buffy at all aware of your feelings for her?"

"What? My feelings for Buffy?"

"Yes. It's written all over you. Anyone can see that you're in love with the girl. So I ask again. Is Buffy aware that you love her?"

Sinking down on the bed, he slowly shook his head. "No, she isn't."

"Don't you think you are being unfair to this girl you're dating by being in love with someone else?"

"As much as I want to be with Buffy, I can't be. After all the crap I've done, I really don't deserve her friendship. Asking for her love is more than I could ever ask for. Look, I may not love Robin, but I don't want to lose her, or see her get hurt either."

"You're gonna hurt her more if you don't tell her the truth."

Angel heavily exhaled. "What do you want me to do? Break up with her? I can't do that to her right before Christmas. She leaves to go home tomorrow morning. That gives us both three weeks away from one another. I'll use that time to sort out my feelings and decide what to do."

"One would assume that you're feelings are as sorted out as they're going to be. You're in love with Buffy. That's obvious, and you admit it."

"Yeah, I do. But I care about Robin. I don't want to hurt her."

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Why not? I already bared my heart and soul to you today. There's nothing else left for me to hide."

"Have you slept with her yet?"

Angel didn't expect his father to ask him such a personal question. "I told you, Buffy has no idea how I feel. I wouldn't sleep with her unless she felt the same, unless she knew how I felt, and unless she wanted to do it. And frankly, I don't see any of that happening anytime in the near future. If ever."

"I wasn't talking about Buffy."

"Oh, Robin. No, things haven't gone that far between us," Angel told him.

"And if they do?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I honestly don't."

"That's all I wanted to know. You're growing up, son. You're taking responsibility for yourself and your actions…and it's about damn time you did so, too."

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