Fire and Ice

At school the next day, Angel stood in front of his locker reading the index cards he'd made for his and Buffy's presentation first period. He was worried that he'd mess up the dates and cause both of them to fail. After all the hard work they'd put into it, Angel didn't want that to happen.

"Doing some last-minute cramming?" Buffy asked, walking up to him.

He nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to go over all the information one last time before we have class."

"Nervous about having to talk in front of the entire class? You never seemed like the type who had a fear of public speaking."

"I just don't want to screw up the facts and end up wasting all of our time. We worked hard on this project."

"We did. But I'm confident that we'll do fine. Come on, Mr. Giles adores you, you're not going to fail. And he's not going to fail me either. Don't worry about it."

"Still -"

Buffy interrupted him. "Angel, just shut up and kiss me. I guarantee it'll take your mind off things."

He couldn't deny that it would. Looking at his girlfriend, Angel wondered if he'd be able to concentrate on the project with her being so close, smelling like raspberries and looking so good. She was wearing a pale pink skirt with flowers on it, a white button-down blouse and cream-colored Mary Janes. The outfit itself was conservative, yet it hid nothing from Angel. He knew the curves that were hidden beneath the concealing clothes. Her hair flowed in waves to her shoulders, and he had to keep himself from running his hands through it.

Bending down to kiss her, Angel placed his hands on either side of her waist, lifting Buffy slightly off the ground. She threw her arms around his neck, brought her lips to his and they kissed gently. Neither wanted to make a big scene in the middle of the hallway, so they kept their embrace rather toned-down.

"Mmm. Do you have any idea how much I missed being able to do that?" Buffy questioned when their embrace ended. "It was hell not being with you yesterday."

"It wasn't like we didn't see each other, Buffy. Plus, we were on the phone for two hours last night," Angel pointed out.

She frowned. "You know what I mean. I missed falling asleep in your arms, your heartbeat lulling me to sleep, making love to you, waking up with your arms wrapped around me so tight and secure…I missed all of that yesterday. It was like the biggest piece of me was missing."

"I know what you mean." Angel leaned his head down, pressing his forehead against hers. "I think maybe we need to talk about something, though."

"What is it?"

He took a deep breath before beginning. "This past weekend was wonderful, pure heaven. I never felt so free in my entire life, and I have you to thank for it."

"I'm sensing a big 'but' here."

"Some stuff happened there that I never planned on. And I think maybe you and I should have thought more about it before we…before we slept together."

Buffy backed up a few steps. His words took her by surprise. "You're angry. At me, for pushing you. I knew it. You didn't want to do it, but I made you and now you're mad."

Putting his hands on her shoulders, Angel shook his head. "No, I'm not angry or mad or even the least bit regretful about anything we did. I wanted it just as badly as you did, believe me. But like I said before, it wasn't planned, at least on my part. I was re-living it last night before bed and in retrospect, I realized we forgot something really important."

"What?"

He looked around, making sure nobody was listening to them. "Protection."

"No we didn't."

"Buffy, we did. Trust me, I didn't have anything. I never expected to do what we did and I didn't bring anything with me just in case."

"I had it covered, Angel. I…I've been on the pill for years now." She caught the look of confusion on his face. "For medical reasons. You know you're the only one."

Angel sighed with relief. It was a load off his mind. "I feel a little better about it now. But maybe next time we should have more. You know, just to be safe."

"Next time?" she asked with a smile.

He nodded. "There's going to be a next time, right?"

"Probably. I wouldn't say no if you proposed the idea. And do whatever you feel you need to do. If it'll ease your mind, do it."

He grabbed a hold of her hand. "That's why I love you."

"I love you, too. Now let's get to class and ace that presentation."

***

Kelley found Melissa after third period and pulled her off to the side of the hallway away from everyone else.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Melissa demanded.

"I've got questions and you've got answers," Kelley stated.

"Go away."

"As soon as you tell me exactly what's going on between Angel and Buffy."

Melissa raised her eyebrows. "Why do you care, Kelley? As I seem to recall, you dumped my brother for Parker. What's the matter, did he get sick of your annoying, incessant whining?"

"I'm concerned about Angel, that's all. I don't want to see him get hurt."

"Like you hurt him? You have no idea how upset he was when you broke up with him. But he's moved on. Get over yourself, Kelley. Angel certainly has." She enjoyed tormenting her brother's ex-girlfriend. It was almost as much fun as tormenting his current one.

"Is it serious?" she wanted to know. "I know they've been working on some project for English class and they went to Prom together. And I walked by them this morning and saw them kissing. All I want to know is how serious they are."

"It's pretty serious. Satisfied?"

"Is it true they went away together this past weekend? That's what I heard."

"What's wrong? Are you jealous of their relationship? Angry because he moved on to someone else when he's supposed to be pining over you?" Melissa asked.

"No!"

"I think you are. Angel's happy, so just stay out of it. I may not like Buffy Summers personally, but she is a vast improvement over you. She makes him happy; happier than I ever saw him with you."

Kelley shook her head. "No. Angel still loves me. He always will."

"Sure, whatever. Feel free to keep deluding yourself. He's in love with Buffy. Told me so yesterday afternoon, as a matter of fact. Oh, and yes, they did go away together," Melissa informed Kelley with a hint of glee in her voice.

The worst possible scenario entered Kelley's mind. She imagined Angel wrapped up in Buffy's arms, a loving smile on his face, blankets wrapped around his waist. "Did they…sleep together?" she choked out.

"Don't know," she lied. Melissa knew that her brother would kill her if she told anyone else. As much as she wanted to blurt it out, just to see the expression on Kelley's face, she did not want to hurt Angel or break a promise to him.

"Angel tells you everything, Missy. You *do* know." 'Do I really want to know, though?' Kelley thought. 'Wait. Angel would never do it with the Ice Princess. He's too chivalrous and noble and old-fashioned. He didn't try to touch me for three years, no way did he go all the way with someone he's only been seeing for a couple weeks. And certainly *not* with her. Not my Angel.'

She smirked. "Maybe I do and maybe I don't. But you'll never find out unless Angel tells you so himself. And I don't see that happening. Now get out of my way before you make me late for class."

As she walked down the hall, Melissa smiled to herself. Kelley was jealous of Buffy. 'How funny is that? Oh, if only she knew. I have got to tell Angel.'

***

Buffy met up with Angel in front of the cafeteria as lunch was beginning. They hadn't seen each other since their English class ended two hours earlier.

"Hey," Angel greeted. "I missed you all morning."

Her green eyes sparkled with glee at his greeting. "Really? You missed me?"

He kissed her cheek lightly. "Of course I did. I always miss you when you're gone."

"That's so sweet."

"You make it sound like nobody's ever said that to you before."

"That's because nobody has. Well, except my parents, but they don't count. But coming from you, it does."

Angel laughed. "I count, huh?"

"Uh-huh." She bit her lip. "Am I…am I allowed to sit with you or isn't it appropriate or proper or whatever? I'm not up on these things."

"Of course you can sit with me. It'll be something new; Kelley never sat with us. She and Missy didn't exactly get along."

"I take it Melissa doesn't get along with anyone you go out with."

He narrowed his eyes. "What makes you say that?"

"'Cause she doesn't like me either."

"She just hasn't given you a chance yet. Give her some time and she'll come around. I'll *make* her come around."

They walked over to where Xander and Melissa were sitting. "Hi, guys," Angel said to them. "Do you mind if Buffy's sits with us today?"

Xander shook his head. "Fine by me." Ever since Prom, he'd discovered that he didn't dislike Buffy as much as he thought he would. He'd been judging her based on rumors and as it turned out, he liked the girl. She was nice, funny, sweet and most of all, his best friend was in love with her. Xander felt he owed it to Angel to try to get to know Buffy, and he wanted to. "How's it going, Buffy?" he asked.

She smiled shyly at him. It felt uncomfortable to be sitting with them; part of her felt unwanted at this table with Angel's best friend and twin sister. "Really good, Xander. What about you?"

"Same. Happy that that English presentation is finally over. I hope Sherri and I did okay. The last thing I need is another F in that class."

"You guys did great, I'm sure of it," Buffy reassured him. "Mr. Giles looked really impressed with your project."

"You and Angel nailed it. Add another A in the grade book for you two."

"I hope so."

Melissa picked up her can of Pepsi and took a sip of it. "So, Buffy, where's your tiara? Prom Queen is such a big honor, I would have thought you'd be wearing it all the time."

Buffy knew that Angel's sister was being sarcastic. "No, I took it off when Angel and I got to my dad's beach house Friday night. Haven't worn it since. And when I got home yesterday, I put it on a shelf in my bedroom with all my other prizes and trophies and things. Why did you think I'd be wearing it?"

"I figured you'd want to prove to everyone that you really are the prettiest girl in the Senior class. Vindication and all that. You know, they can't call you names anymore, like 'Buck Tooth Bitch' or 'Pimple Princess.'"

She glared at her boyfriend's sister. "Well, as I recall, Melissa, those were all names you made up for me."

"Still…"

"Truthfully, it doesn't matter to me anymore. I honestly don't care what people said about me when we were in junior high. I'm not the same person I was back then."

Melissa smirked. "Yeah, I know. You're only half the person you were back then. It's amazing what Weight Watchers and a little plastic surgery will do. Especially when Daddy's loaded and his daughter has a face with mountains of acne."

"Missy, that's enough!" Angel chastised.

"I was only kidding."

"Well, you're taking it too far. I don't want to hear it anymore. Can't you just be civil for five minutes?"

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever."

Angel placed his palm flat on Buffy's back. "I'm so sorry about that," he apologized. "Melissa doesn't know when to stop. Are you okay?"

Buffy nodded. "I'm fine. I can handle it. Hell, I have for years, I should be used to it by now. Angel, she's mostly right. I was fat, ugly and had awful skin. No big deal. Let's forget about it."

***

From across the lunchroom, Kelley stared angrily over at Angel's table. His left hand was rubbing Buffy's back while she fed him french fries off her plate. She balled her hand in anger and disgust; he'd never been that attentive or loving during their three years together.

'Look at her,' Kelley thought. 'She's eating it up! Goddamned little bitch. Who the hell does Buffy Summers think she is? Rebound girl, that's who!'

"Kelley?"

She turned around, seeing Parker looking at her with questions in his dark eyes. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I was asking you what you wanted to do tonight," he told her. "But apparently, your mind is somewhere else. Like, on your ex-boyfriend."

"Don't they realize this is a classroom, not an orgy?" she asked. "How gross! God, we never did that. Look at them! He's got his hands all over her. Angel refused to touch me or even kiss me in public. He's practically groping Buffy in front of the entire school!"

He glanced over at the other table. "Can't say I blame him any. Buffy's a hottie. She's got an amazing body now that she's lost all that weight. He's a lucky guy."

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me."

"You're sick. It…it's gross. My boyfriend's got his hands all over that little slut. It's a disgusting sight."

Parker narrowed his eyes. "Ex-boyfriend."

"What?"

"Angel is your ex-boyfriend, Kelley. You dumped him for me, remember?" He took a deep breath. "As I seem to recall, he wasn't man enough to give you what you needed. But I was more than willing to do it. It certainly looks like he's giving Buffy what you wanted from him all along."

Kelley hit him. "That's not funny."

"And neither is sitting here while my girlfriend is staring at her ex. You need to get over this fascination with him. Who cares if he's screwing her?"

"I care."

"Well, get over it or pretty soon, you won't have a boyfriend. 'Cause frankly, I'm getting sick of it."

She sighed heavily. "Parker, I didn't mean it like that. Really. I can't help but care about him and worry about him."

"Do you still love him?"

"I was with him for three years and a part of me will always love him," she answered honestly. "I hope you understand that."

"Yeah, but I don't like it. You're my girl, not his. He seems to have moved on, maybe it's time you did the same," Parker suggested.

***

"So, I heard you went to Prom with the owner's daughter," Liz said to Angel at work that evening.

"Yeah, I did. We had a great time."

"And here I always thought you hated Buffy as much as the rest of us. Were all the other guys at school afraid to be seen with her and her daddy paid you to go with her?"

Angel glared at his co-worker. "Where did you hear that from?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "That's what I heard at school. Everyone's talking about you two. How much did you get paid for taking the Ice Princess to Prom? A hundred dollars and the weekend off? Not worth it if you ask me."

"I went with Buffy because she asked me to go," he replied through gritted teeth. "Her father never paid me, I went because I wanted to go with her."

"Are you two dating now?"

"Yes. She and I have been going out for weeks now. Is there a problem with that? Is it against some law or rule to date the girl I love?" Angel shot at Liz.

Her jaw dropped. "Love?"

"Love. L-O-V-E. Do you want me to shout it throughout the entire store that I love Buffy? I'll do it."

"I wouldn't mind hearing it," a voice from behind him stated.

Turning around to the checkout line, Angel found his girlfriend standing there with a pleasant smile on her face. "I didn't see you standing there just now," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"I missed your handsome face. And I needed a few things."

He looked down at the pile of stuff she bought. "Apparently so. Want it on your account?"

Buffy shook her head. "I think I'd better pay cash for this. Dad doesn't need to know everything I bought today."

Angel began to ring up her items. Shampoo, conditioner, the raspberry body wash he'd loved the smell of Friday night, a pair of shoes, a silky black nightgown and a matching robe. "Nice," he complimented.

"Do you like it?" she wanted to know.

"Very much."

"I'll model it for you one of these days. Next time Dad goes out of town. Which should be soon, given his track record."

When Angel picked up the nightgown to place it in the bag, he noticed two boxes underneath it. He was a little tongue-tied. "Buffy - you bought…"

"Uh-huh. I thought you might be a little too self-conscious buying them yourself, so I figured 'what the hell' and picked them up myself. Are you upset?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. Just surprised I guess. Why two boxes?"

"One to keep at my house, one for yours," she replied with a mischievous grin on her face. "Think about how many we would have gone through this weekend if we'd had them. Besides, you said you wanted us to use more protection. Here you go."

"You're amazing, Buffy. Totally amazing."

She pulled him close to whisper in his ear. "They're multi-colored and ribbed for added pleasure. Thought you'd like to know."

Liz heard them giggling and from her lane, she caught sight of a box of condoms on the conveyor belt in front of Angel. Her eyes widened. 'Looks like things are moving pretty fast there. Either that or the Ice Princess thinks she's going to get some. Ha! Like he'd do that.'

"Doing anything after school tomorrow?" asked Angel, putting the rest of her things in the plastic bag.

"Nothing written in stone. Depends on what you've got planned."

"Well, Missy's got softball practice and Mom's going to visit an old high school friend. I wondered if maybe you'd like to come over and keep me company."

She lifted her eyebrows. "The whole house to ourselves?"

"We can work on that box for my house. I don't want to see them go to waste."

"Oh no, wouldn't want that to happen. How can I say no to that proposal? You're on."

***

"I don't get you, Buffy," Harmony said to her during lunch on Wednesday morning.

Buffy lifted her eyebrows. "Why? What did I do?"

"The graduation party you're having next month. I was under the impression it was going to be very exclusive. Only the really cool people were to be invited, that's what you told us. Now it's a big free-for-all. There's flyers everywhere!"

"Thank you, Harmony, for telling me. But since I'm the one who put them there, I already knew that. I decided to invite the entire Senior class," she informed her friend. "It's only fair."

"Are you aware that there will be major losers at your party? People like Anya Emerson and Xander Harris will be coming. It's just wrong!" complained Harmony.

"Xander Harris happens to be a very nice guy. You should give him a chance."

Harmony made a face. "Ew! I *so* don't think so. Talk about gross and disgusting. Why are you inviting everyone?"

"It's not just my graduation, it's everyone's. And I don't want to exclude anyone because they're not 'cool' enough for you."

Cordelia sat down across from Buffy. "Whoa, intense conversation going on here. What did I miss?"

"Nothing, except Buffy has completely lost her mind!" Harmony screeched.

The brunette smiled. "And how did you come to this conclusion, Harm? What did she do?"

"Didn't you see the invitations Buffy posted on the bulletin boards around school? Anyone and everyone can come to her graduation party."

"Your dad gave you the okay?" Cordelia asked Buffy. Her friend had called her last night with the idea. She thought it sounded like fun. Even though she knew the real reason was so she'd have an excuse to invite Angel and his friends.

Buffy nodded. "Yep. He even agreed to spend the night at a hotel so he wouldn't get in the way."

"That is so cool. Have you told Angel yet?"

"Nope. He's the whole reason I'm doing this, you know that. If it was just the quote-unquote cool people, he'd be bored out of his cute little mind. If I invite the whole Senior class, then he'll have someone talk to, etc.. Think about it, if I invite you guys and just him, he'd probably be stuck by my side the entire night."

Cordelia pouted her lips. "Oh, horror! An obviously smart and good-looking guy hanging on your every word…what torture for you, Buffy."

Harmony sighed. "Can we not talk about the dementia that is your boyfriend? God, Buffy, what do you see in that boy?"

"I thought I covered it with smart and good-looking," Cordelia said. "Buffy loves him; we should be happy for her."

"Hey, I'm happy that she found someone. I just don't understand why it had to be him. Of all the guys at Sunnydale High, it had to be the poorest, least worthy."

"Harmony, I don't expect you to understand," Buffy told her. "It seems like nobody else does and I'm sick of having to explain it. I love him and he loves me. That's all that matters."

***

Buffy glanced around Angel's house after they walked through the back door. "Are you absolutely positive that nobody else is home?"

"Yes. Missy has softball practice until four-thirty and Mom said she won't be home for dinner. We're completely alone, Buffy. You and me and an empty house for an hour and a half."

She stood in front of him. "So, what do you want to do?"

"I thought we'd get to work on that box you bought yesterday. Unless you have a better idea as to how we can pass the time."

"I don't have any better ideas, sorry. Looks like you'll have to lead the way to your bedroom, though."

Taking her hand in his, Angel led her to his bedroom. Upon reaching it, he opened the door for her. "Here we are, my lady."

Buffy walked in, looking around the room with interest. She'd never been inside his room before. "Nice. Definitely not what I expected from you, though."

"What did you think you'd find?"

"I don't know. Something more masculine. Trophies, posters of football players or half-naked women. Not…stuffed animals and a blanky. That is a blanky, isn't it?"

He nodded, looking down. "Yeah. Embarrassing, but I can't seem to part with it. It's like comfort to me. But the stuffed animals are mostly Melissa's. Only one or two of them are mine."

"I think it's so cute that you have a blanky after all these years. Most guys would never admit to that."

"Guess it's a good thing I'm not most guys?"

Buffy pulled him closer to her until their bodies touched. "It's a very good thing. You're different from other guys, that's part of why I love you. Now, what do you say we open that box?"

Angel grinned. "Your wish is my command."

***

It was quarter to four when Melissa returned home from softball practice. The coach had let the team leave early because she had a parent-teacher meeting at her son's school. So Melissa jogged home rather than call her brother for a ride home.

She sighed with aggravation when she saw Buffy's car parked in the driveway. 'Great. Just what I need. Now I'm going to have to deal with her on top of everything else. I hope she's not staying for dinner,' Melissa thought.

The house was silent when she entered. "Where the hell are they?" she said.

She headed for Angel's bedroom, wanting to tell him that she was home. But when she opened his door, Melissa caught sight of something she really hadn't wanted to see.

Angel and Buffy.

In his bed.

Naked.

Trying her best to suppress the scream inside her throat, she closed the door silently, hoping she had not been noticed by the two lovers.

"Ew…" she mumbled. "I *so* did not need to see that." She tried to shake away the images of her brother in an intimate embrace with Buffy. Walking into her room across the hall, Melissa turned on the radio and waited.

***

"Are you sure you can't stay for dinner?" Angel asked after they were finished getting dressed.

Buffy shook her head. "I wish I could, believe me. But Dad's got some client of his coming over for dinner and guess who has to cook it? Me. Although I'll take a raincheck on that dinner."

He bent down to kiss her. "Anytime. Do you want me to walk you to your car?"

"That's okay. I think I can find it. Besides, it might be a better idea if you straightened up your bed before Melissa and your mother get home."

"We did make a mess, didn't we?" he commented with a smile.

"A little bit. I'll give you a call when my Dad's client leaves."

"Promise?"

"Yep, I promise. Thanks for this afternoon. It was…pleasurable."

Angel laughed at her choice of words. "I have to agree with that. I never knew what I was missing until I met you. And fell in love with you and…well, this. And I saw the flyers around school. I can't wait for your graduation party. It should be fun."

"Oh yeah. We can sneak off and have our own little private party." She glanced at her watch. "Okay, I *really* need to get going. See you tomorrow."

After giving him one last kiss goodbye, Buffy left his room and walked to the front door. She didn't see Melissa sitting at the kitchen table working on her homework.

"Well, I was wondering how long it would be before you two came out of my brother's room," Melissa said.

"I-I didn't see you there."

She laughed shortly. "Yeah, apparently. I've been home for half an hour, but you and Angel were too busy to notice. But I suppose it's understandable when you're focused on screwing the guy on top of you."

Buffy visibly paled. "You saw us?"

"Unfortunately. You know, I never thought my own twin brother would be the fire who'd melt the Ice Princess' heart."

"Shut up."

"Look, Buffy, I don't know what kind of game you're playing with Angel's heart, but if you hurt him, you'll be hearing it from me. And you'll wish you'd never met him, or me. Is that understood?"

"I have no intention of hurting Angel, Melissa. I love him and I don't hurt the people I love. There's no game here. It's real. You are going to have to deal with that."

Melissa stood up. "I'm just giving you fair warning. It's no secret that I don't like you."

"Why? What did I ever do to you? Because if my memory serves correctly, I should be the one who hates you," Buffy stated with a razor edge to her voice. "You and all your friends teased and tormented me for years because I was overweight and ugly. I can understand that and I've moved past it; ignored it and not let it bother me. But what's your excuse now? Huh? I'm not fat anymore, and if my Prom Queen crown means anything, I'd assume I am no longer ugly. So, come on, tell me. Why do you still hate me?"

"You're a stuck up princess who thinks the world revolves around her. You have always looked down on everyone else because we're not good enough to be in your line of sight."

"That's not true. I never did that."

Melissa smirked. "Sure you didn't. Tell me, is sleeping with my unsuspecting brother considered slumming? Or is it a dare, perhaps, from one of your snobby friends?"

She shook her head. "No, never. Maybe you don't care that I've loved Angel since I was five. He never treated me the way the rest of your friends did. He was nice, he always stood up for me when you were making fun of me. I don't need your approval, nor do I want it. Can't you see that I make him happy?"

"That's why I don't want you to hurt him. Remember, I warned you."

"I'm obviously not going to change your opinion, which is fine with me. Think what you want, Melissa. But if you keep this up, I'll show you why they call me the Ice Princess. Don't push me. 'Cause I'll push back."

***

"This is it," Buffy said to Angel as they prepared for graduation. The entire Senior class was milling around the gymnasium, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

"Yep. Looks like," he agreed.

"Are you excited about your speech?" she wanted to know. Buffy couldn't wait to hear it; Angel had refused to let her see the four drafts he'd made of it. He'd been very self-conscious about letting anyone read it.

He shook his head. "Not excited. More along the lines of nervous and utterly terrified."

"You've given speeches before," she reminded him.

"Yeah, in front of a classroom of people. This is ten times different, Buffy. It's not twenty-five students this time around. It's one hundred students and their families. That's a lot of people."

Buffy put her arms around him in a show of comfort. "And you'll do just fine. Forget about the three hundred other people in the room and pretend you're talking to me."

"I wish it were that simple."

"It's time, students! Take your places!" Mr. Giles called.

The students filed into two straight lines, heading for the auditorium. Buffy stood behind Melissa and she reached around her to touch Angel's arm. "Good luck."

He smiled weakly. "Thanks. I'm going to need it."

***

"Now, may I introduce the 2001 class Valedictorian. Angel Riches," Principal Snyder announced.

Carefully standing up, Angel ascended the stairs that led to the stage. He stood behind the podium, his index cards spread before him. Taking a deep breath, he began.

"Ladies and gentlemen, faculty and staff, my fellow students, today we stand at a crossroads. Graduation. To some, it's the end of an era, a great period of time that is coming to an end; to others, it's the beginning of a new life. Where do we go from here?

"I see life as a neverending road. Occasionally, you reach a fork and you must decide which road to take. Do you continue along the same path or do you turn onto another road to see where it takes you?"

Buffy listened attentively to every word he was saying. She couldn't have been more proud of him as he spoke about the difficult choices they'd be faced with; being forced to leave behind loved ones, friends, significant others and everyone they care about during their journey. Angel spoke about true love and finding the one person to spend eternity with. In her heart, she knew he was speaking about the two of them.

When his speech was concluded, the audience stood up and applauded. Angel's words were true, everyone knew it. Buffy felt tears sting her eyes when he ended by saying, "And no matter where our respective roads take us, we'll always be connected. We will be able to look back and say that we are the Sunnydale High Class of 2001."

***

After the graduation ceremony ended, Buffy caught up with her father in the campus quad. "Hi, Dad!"

He embraced her. "Hi, my little graduate. I can hardly believe that my little girl is out of high school. I wish your mother were still alive to see it; she'd be so proud."

"Wherever she is, I know she's watching," Buffy responded.

Mr. Summers nodded. "You're probably right. She wouldn't have missed it for the world."

"Do you want me to introduce you to Angel now?" she asked. "He's over there with his mom and sister. It's the perfect time for you two to meet. And you can say hi to Mrs. Riches. She told me the two of you went out in high school."

"Only a few times, nothing really serious," he said, keeping his voice devoid of emotion. When he'd seen Adrienne Riches across the quad, his heart had skipped a beat. She was as lovely as ever, Mr. Summers couldn't deny it. Or the fact that he still harbored feelings for her, even after close to twenty-five years.

"You two can get reacquainted. She's divorced, you know," she informed her father.

He nodded once again. "Yes, I know the story. Her husband ran out on her, left her with two young children."

"It's awful. And she's been sick with cancer on top of it. Angel's told me everything. He works nonstop to support them and pay off her hospital bills. It's been rough on the whole family."

"He sounds like a good son."

Buffy grinned with pride. She knew her father would love Angel. "He's amazing. Straight-A student, editor of the school paper, hard worker and an all-around great guy. Angel even got accepted at one of the most prestigious creative arts colleges in the country. But he can't go."

"Why not?"

"Can't afford it. He has to go to community college instead. Just wait and see, though. My Angel will be famous. I just know it."

Mr. Summers cocked an eyebrow upward. "Your Angel? How serious is it between you and him? You've only been going out for a few weeks."

"I love him. And he loves me. Does it get more serious than that?"

"Be careful, Buffy." Deep inside, Mr. Summers was worried.

"I am. I'm a big girl, I can handle myself."

He bent down to kiss his daughter on the cheek. "Have a good time at the party tonight."

"You're leaving already? I thought you wanted to meet Angel." Disappointed filled Buffy's voice.

"Some other time. Invite him over for dinner tomorrow night," he suggested. "We'll have more time to talk then."

"You mean, more time to give him the third degree?" she joked.

He smiled. "You know me too well. Have fun tonight and be careful."

"I always am, Dad. You do the same."

She watched unhappily as her father left the campus. Something was amiss with him, Buffy could tell. It wasn't like him to be so disinterested in her personal life.

Cordelia caught up with her, grabbing her by the arm. "Buffy, you've got a big problem," she hissed.

Buffy looked at her in confusion. "Huh? What are you talking about, Cordy? What problem?"

"I just overheard Kelley talking to Michelle Blake and Susan Miller. Parker broke up with her yesterday afternoon."

"Why is this a problem for me? I could care less if Kelley and Parker aren't together anymore. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that she's single now. And from what I heard, she's very regretful."

Buffy waved her hand for her friend to continue. "Meaning…?"

"Meaning that she's got her sights set on getting her ex-boyfriend back. You know, your current boyfriend."

"No."

"Yes. Need I remind you that Angel and Kelley were together for three years? They've got a history; one that Kelley Page is looking to repeat." Cordelia sighed. "Maybe you'd better go talk to Angel before she does. Let him know what's going on."

Buffy shook her head. "Nope. I think I've got a better idea. One that will make her think twice before going anywhere near my boyfriend."

Glancing around the crowd of people in the quad, Buffy found Kelley standing ten feet away from Angel and his family. 'Probably waiting for the right time to tell him. Not gonna happen, Kelley,' she thought. She made a beeline for her, plastering a sweet, innocent smile on her face. Tapping the girl on the shoulder, Buffy said, "Hi, Kelley."

Kelley turned around, raising her eyebrows in the process. "Buffy. Hello."

"Can you believe that we went here for four years and never once had a single class together? It's weird."

"Yeah, weird." She eyed Buffy curiously. "What do you want?"

"I heard about you and Parker breaking up. Such a shame."

"Why do you care?"

Buffy smiled. "Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't care. But I found out you want to get back together with Angel. I'm here to tell you to forget it. It's not gonna happen."

"Oh yeah, that's right. You're his rebound girl. I almost forgot about that. My sympathies," Kelley replied coldly.

"You know, at first I thought I really was the rebound girl. That Angel was only with me because he was missing you. But it's been over six weeks; I know he cares for me. Angel's in love with me, he said it himself."

Kelley smirked. "I hate to burst your little bubble, Buffy, but he loves me. We were together for three years. How can six weeks with you compare to that? And you don't think he'll come running back to me with open arms when I tell him that I made a mistake and I want him back? You will be yesterday's news. If I hadn't broken up with him in the first place, you wouldn't even be in the picture. 'Cause in the real world, Angel wouldn't touch you and we both know it."

She didn't let Kelley's words bother her. Buffy believed in Angel's love for her, but she wanted his ex-girlfriend to back off. And she had just the ammunition. "Three years together? Really? That's a long time. But it's quality, not quantity. Angel and I have shared a lot in our time together. It can't even compare to what you two had. Had, Kelley, not have. Deal with it, it's over."

"I was there when his mother went in the hospital and had her surgeries. I stood by his side when they found out the prognosis and I was his shoulder to cry on. I was his first love, the first girl he ever kissed, and I'll be his first everything. *You* deal with it," snapped Kelley.

"Uh-huh. You think so, huh? Maybe you can help me out with this, I always sucked at grammar. Is it considered comedy or irony when I guy dates a girl for three years and refuses to sleep with her, but then makes love to another girl after only three weeks with her?" Buffy asked.

The question took Kelley by surprise. "No…"

"Yes. If only you'd waited a couple more weeks, you could have been his first. You could have gotten what you wanted from him. But you just couldn't wait, could you? Looks like your loss is my incredible gain."

"You…had sex with him?" she asked incredulously.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Well, I wouldn't exactly call it sex. Angel and I made love. Several times. There's a difference between sex and making love. But yeah, technically we had sex. After the Prom."

"He…never…he wouldn't do that. Not with you and *not* after only three weeks."

"Do you want details, Kelley? Should I tell you what Angel likes? What he can do? What he makes me feel? How much stamina he has?" Buffy enjoyed seeing the look of horror on Kelley's face.

"You're lying. You're sick."

She raised her eyebrows. "Am I? Then why do you look so scared? You know it's true, so stop denying it. Face it, honey, it's over. Angel has moved on; took things to the next level. Without you. It's me and him now, you don't fit into the picture anywhere. So live with it."

***

"I still don't understand why I have to come here," Melissa complained while she and Angel walked up the driveway towards the Summers' house. "She's your girlfriend. I didn't even want to come in the first place."

Angel sighed. "Quit whining, Missy. If Buffy was nice enough to invite the whole Senior class, the very least you can do is make an appearance. Pretend to have a good time."

"The only reason she did it was to make you happy."

"Don't start," he warned.

Buffy met them when they entered the backyard. It was already crowded; people were milling around in the tents that had been set up, swimming in the pool or relaxing in the hot tub. There were even a few people dancing on the makeshift dance floor in front of the DJ Mr. Summers had hired.

"Hey, you," Buffy said. "I was wondering when you were gonna show."

"Yeah, whatever," Melissa replied, brushing past Buffy, heading for the food.

"She sounds really excited to be here," Buffy commented.

Angel bent down to give his girlfriend a kiss. "It was like pulling teeth to get her to come."

"She didn't have to if she didn't want to."

"No, I told her she had to. She can grin and bear it," he told her.

"Did you bring you swim suit like I told you to?" she asked.

"It's in my car."

"Why don't you go get it? That way we can skip the formalities and head straight for the hot tub," she said.

He grinned. "I'll be there in a couple minutes."

Buffy made her way to the hot tub, which had been left empty after the previous occupants had decided to go swimming. Discarding her black skirt and emerald green blouse, she slipped into the warm water wearing a conservative black two-piece bathing suit. The water reached her neck when she sat down and she dunked her head underneath to wet her hair.

Five minutes later, Angel joined her, wearing a pair of red trunks. Her eyes gazed hungrily at his body, filled with both lust and love for him. He sat down across from her.

"Sorry it took me so long," he apologized. "I stopped to say hi to a few people."

"No need to apologize. It's a party, you're supposed to socialize."

"Then why are we in the hot tub by ourselves instead of being out there socializing?" Angel asked jokingly.

She moved to sit next to him. "We are socializing. With each other. Besides, when I'm with you, it's like there's nobody else around. It's as if we are the only two people in the world. Is that crazy?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. That's exactly how I feel."

***

They remained in the hot tub for an hour, ignoring the other people at the party. Buffy broke the passionate embrace they were sharing.

"Maybe we should be doing this somewhere else," she suggested.

Angel nodded his head. "Yeah, we probably should."

"Everyone's watching us. Not to mention, I feel like a prune. My skin is all wrinkly."

He stood up, stepped out of the water and then offered his hand to Buffy to help her out of the hot tub. "I'll get dried off and changed in the bath house."

"I have to fix my hair, so I'll go inside. I know it looks awful. Just come upstairs to my bedroom whenever you're ready. For some alone time."

"I'll be there."

Angel headed for the bath house, passing by his sister along the way. "You and Buffy were certainly in the water for a long time," Melissa said in an accusatory tone.

"Yeah, so?"

"Nothing. I couldn't help but wonder what you two were doing."

He scowled at her. "Mind your own business."

"Meow. You'd better watch it, Angel. Your girlfriend's bitchy personality is starting to rub off on you."

Shaking his head, Angel walked away from Melissa. He simply wasn't in the mood to argue with her. Instead, he walked to the bath house to change back into his pants and shirt. It took him only five minutes to dry himself off and get dressed again. When he exited the building, he found Kelley standing outside the door waiting for him.

"Hi, Angel," she said shyly.

He smiled politely at her. "Hey."

"How are you?"

"Good. How are you?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Been better, I guess. Can you believe we made it through four years of high school?"

"Four years? I never thought I would make it."

"Here we are, though. We graduated."

"Yep."

He was all set to end the conversation there, but Kelley continued talking. "Angel, I…I made a big mistake."

"What do you mean?"

Kelley sighed. "Parker and I broke up. He said I cared more about you and your feelings than I did about him. And he was completely right. I never stopped caring about you."

Angel didn't know what to say. "Okay…"

"Look, I know what I did to you was unfair. I only left you because I thought I needed more in our relationship; I needed a physical tie to you in addition to the emotional one. Parker provided that physical tie that I craved. But it wasn't emotional. It wasn't the same as being with you. It was nice, don't get me wrong. It just wasn't enough."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Which brings me to why I'm here. Angel, I want a second chance. I promise to be honest and faithful this time around. No screwing around behind your back."

He shook his head. "It's too late, Kelley."

"No," she argued. "It's not too late. I admit it, I made a mistake. Everybody makes them. After all we've been through, how can you say no?"

"I moved on. What you and I had is over, you said that yourself when you dumped me for Parker."

"And I told you that I was wrong. I need you; we can work past it."

"No we can't. I'm with Buffy, remember?"

Kelley frowned. "Like that's going to last. She'll be bored with you in another month. The girl only wants you for your body; what you can do with it and what you can make her feel with it."

"Where did you get that from? My sister?" he accused, narrowing his chocolate brown eyes.

"I know you slept with her, and that's understandable. You were on the rebound and afraid you'd never have a chance to be with anyone. Angel, I'll wait another three years to be with you like that if I have to. All I'm asking for is another chance. We can start over from the beginning. Please," she begged.

"No," Angel repeated. "I'm with Buffy. I'm in love with her, don't you understand that? You and I are over. And I am sorry if that hurts you in any way, but you'll just have to accept it."

***

Buffy was standing in front of the mirror in her bedroom when a knock sounded at her door. "Who is it?" she asked.

"Me" was the reply.

She opened the door, seeing Angel on the other side. "What took you so long?" she wanted to know.

"I kept getting sidetracked," he answered, stepping into the room and closing the door. "First my sister, then Kelley."

"Oh. I thought maybe you changed your mind or something."

"And turn down the chance for some quality alone time with you? Not a chance." The first few bars of a slow song entered the room. "May I have this dance?"

She nodded and slipped comfortably into his embrace. "All of them forever."

//I try but I can't seem to get myself
to think of anything but you
Your breath on my face, your warm
gentle kiss I taste the truth
I taste the truth
You know what I came here for
So I won't ask for more

I wanna be with you
If only for tonight
To be the one who's in your arms
to hold you tight
I wanna be with you
There's nothing more to say
There's nothing else I want more
than to feel this way
I wanna be with you.\\

"Angel, I have to tell you something," Buffy started. "And you're probably going to be really angry with me."

"Why? What happened?" he asked her. "What did you do?"

"Something really stupid. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that I look back on it, it was a mistake."

She was the second person to say that to him that day. It made Angel feel uneasy. "Just tell me what happened, Buffy."

She took a deep breath. "After graduation this evening, Cordelia told me that Parker and Kelley broke up. And I was nervous and afraid that she wanted you back in her life. Cordy said she was telling everyone she was going to get you back. So…I sort of had a talk with Kelley. I wanted her to stay away from you and I ended up telling her what we did. Angel, I told her we slept together. God, I rubbed it in her face. I shouldn't have said anything, but I couldn't help it. Now you're probably going to hate me."

//So I'll hold you tonight like I would
if you were mine to hold forevermore
And I'll savor each touch that I
wanted so much to feel before, to feel before
How beautiful it is
Just to be like this

Angel rested his chin on top of her head and laughed softly at her admission. "It's okay. I'm not angry with you and I certainly don't hate you."

"But I told her something very private about you and me. And I did it to piss her off. I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Losing you."

He lifted her head up to look her in the eye. "You're not going to lose me. How can you even think that, Buffy? I love you."

"You loved Kelley. You were with her for three years."

"And she broke my heart. I was miserable when we broke up. I wasn't going to put myself through that pain again by going back to her. And I would never hurt you like that. Didn't I tell you that I feel more strongly for you than I ever did for her? You should trust that."

Buffy nodded. "I do. You guys went through so much together; there's a deep-rooted history that we just don't have."

"We will. Just because Kelley and I have a history doesn't mean I want to repeat it. Despite everything she and I went through, we didn't make it. Going through hell doesn't mean a couple is destined to be together. I want you, Buffy, not Kelley."

"Really?"

Nodding, Angel leaned down to kiss her. She held on to him, determined not to let go. Buffy felt so secure in his arms, in his loving embrace and, importantly, in his love. They were destined for one another; everything they'd go through, they'd go through it together. Buffy intended on spending the rest of her life with Angel, making him happy.

Angel backed up, leading her to the bed. The two of them fell backwards onto the mattress and laughed. "Guess that got a little out of control, didn't it?" he said.

"Just a little." She leaned her head under his chin. "Would you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Don't leave me. Stay with me forever."

He stroked her long blonde hair. "Is that what you want?"

"Yes. I want to be with you. Like that song said."

"I'll never leave you, then. You have my word. Wild horses couldn't drag me away."

Buffy planted a kiss on his adam's apple, trailing along the side of his neck. Her right hand unbuttoned his shirt, then pulled it to either side of his chest. She moved her lips downward, her kisses blanketing his exposed skin.

"Buffy, what are you doing?"

"Shh," she replied. "Don't talk, just feel."

She continued to kiss him and Angel closed his eyes at the feeling of her lips on his skin. But he quickly opened them when she began to unbuckle his belt.

"Okay, we should *definitely* stop now," he told Buffy.

"Why?"

"There's one hundred and fifty people downstairs."

"So?" she asked. "Nobody misses us."

Angel sighed. "What if someone comes in here and catches us having sex?"

"They won't. Because we won't be having sex."

"Buffy-"

"Angel, trust me. Just lay back and enjoy."

***

Half an hour later, Melissa ran up to Willow, who was sitting in one of the tents with Oz. "Will, have you seen my brother anywhere? I haven't seen him since he and Buffy got out of the hot tub."

Willow shook her head. "Sorry, Melissa. I haven't seen him. Did you check the pool?"

"I checked everywhere! I can't find him."

"He went in the house about forty-five minutes ago," Anya informed her. "He's probably with his girlfriend." She didn't hide the bitterness from her voice; Anya was still upset that Angel had gone to the Prom with Buffy rather than with her.

"Wonderful," Melissa muttered.

Weaving her way around the people along her path, she made her way inside the house. He wasn't anywhere to be found on the first floor. 'Great. Angel's with her. In her bedroom, more than likely having sex with her. I'm never going to get home now,' she thought.

She knocked on every door until she heard Buffy answer, "Who's there?"

"It's Melissa. Put your clothes back on and open the door, Angel!"

The door opened almost immediately and she was faced with a very angry, yet fully clothed Angel. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"I want to go home."

"Why are you acting like this?"

"I'm bored. Take me home. I'll be waiting by the car." She turned on her heel and headed back downstairs.

He sighed with aggravation when he turned towards Buffy. "Looks like I have to go."

"Are you going to come back?" Buffy wanted to know. "I still haven't given you your present yet."

"If you want me to, I will."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "You know I do," she said. "Stay here tonight."

"I don't know if I can."

"Please? I don't want to be alone tonight in this big house. Spend the night with me. I'll make it worth your while."

Angel smiled down at her. "I'll do my best. See you in a little bit."

***

Go to Part 19