Chapter Eleven
____________
Buffy unlocked her mother’s door, stepped inside and offhandedly invited Angelus in. He shut the door behind her and moved to take her coat.
No sooner had he gotten it hung than Buffy’s mom called her name from the kitchen, and the phone rang. Buffy dove for the phone.
"Summer’s residence"
The operator’s voice answered her. "Hello. Will you accept a call from London? It’s not collect"
Buffy’s face darkened, but she grinned at Angelus. She was gonna have fun ripping someone to shreds. When she answered, she made her voice perky. "Sure!"
There was a whirring and a click, and then a voice came over the line. A familiar one. "Hello, then"
Buffy closed her eyes. "What do you want, Ethan? And why have you been calling my house?"
Angelus raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes, mouthing ‘old friend’ at him. It wasn’t quite true, since Ethan Rayne was *not* a friend, but she couldn’t really call him an enemy, either.
"Sorry, luv, but I needed to talk to you, and anytime I talk to ‘ol Ripper, it gets out. Magical connections and all that. Ever heard of a demon named Therious?"
The Slayer frowned. "Doesn’t ring a bell...but hang on" She covered the mouthpiece and turned to Angelus. "Ever heard of a something called a Therious?"
Angelus nodded. "Annoying guy. Has a burning desire to rid the world of all polka, or some such garbage"
Buffy smirked and spoke into the phone. "Got a guy here that knows him. What about it?"
"He’s headed your way. Wants to open the Hellmouth. Teamin’ up with a pretty vamp, name of.."
"Darla. Yeah, we know she’s here" Buffy ran a hand over her eyes.
"Oh. Ok, then. Well, that was it, actually"
"Ethan, why are you helping me?"
She heard a sigh. "I’m not a Faithful, Slayer, but that don’t mean I don’t believe. I do. Just because I ain’t a member of the Temple doesn’t mean...never mind. I’ll see you when I see you"
Buffy frowned as she heard a click and a dial tone. She put the phone down and shrugged at it.
"What’s up?"
"Huh?" Buffy whipped around and smiled sheepishly at the vampire. "Sorry, zoned out. Apparently, the annoying demon and the annoying sire are all cozy these days. Gonna raise themselves a nice chunk ‘o hell together"
Angelus groaned. "Lovely"
"BUFFY?!"
Her eyes widened. "Mom? In here!"
Joyce came in glaring. "I’ve been calling for the last ten minutes! What were you doing?" Her eyes flickered to Angelus and she raised an eyebrow. "Care to introduce me?"
"Oh!" Buffy moved forward and grinned. "Sorry. Mom, this is Angelus. Angelus, this is my mom"
"Angelus?" Joyce shook his hand and lifted both eyebrows this time. "Interesting name"
"I usually just go by Angel"
"I see. And you are...dating?"
Buffy bit her lip and shot a glance at her ‘bodyguard’ who shrugged. "Kind of, I guess. We hadn’t really defined what it is we are yet"
"I see" Joyce shrugged. "Alright, well, none of my business, I guess. Buffy, since you’re here, why don’t you come help me with the dishes, and we can all have some coffee after?"
Buffy followed her mother into the other room, Angelus a step behind her, but he stopped to check out the front windows, just in case. When he saw someone, or something, hiding in the shadows he frowned. Glancing towards the kitchen, he could hear mother and daughter talking and laughing. Angelus hovered for a moment, then grabbed his coat and slipped out the front door.
**
Buffy felt him leave. She wasn’t sure how, but she did. Dimly, her mother’s voice registered in her head, and she managed to focus in time to know that she was supposed to laugh, but the minute she felt the vampire leave, her entire being was focused on him. She smiled at Joyce and let her refill the mug in front of her, while scanning the window behind the older woman, hoping to catch sight of her guard.
When she did, it didn’t make her feel any better.
**
Angelus took down the third soldier with ease and held him on the ground. The other two were knocked out on the lawn a few feet away, but Angelus wanted answers. He lifted the ski mask on the guy’s face and tossed it away. "So, want to tell me what you’re doing here?"
Riley Finn just glared.
____________
Buffy’s mom went to get something from her bedroom and the Slayer walked to the window to watch closer. Yes, it *was* Riley Finn, laying pinned under Angelus. Riley Finn who had been taken down so easily. Who was wearing commando gear and following her with his little army buddies.
Buffy groaned. She’d gone *out* with him!
**
Angelus unpinned the commando and stood up. Riley got to his feet and eyed the vampire in front of him.
"If you’ve hurt her, I swear, a stake will be the least of your problems"
Angelus frowned. "Who? What?"
"Buffy. I saw you with her. We didn’t see a lot over there, just a bunch of other vamps coming up to you, but I saw you. With her. And I swear, if you hurt her.."
Angelus started to laugh. And he just kept laughing. "You’re accusing a vampire of hurting the Slayer?"
The soldier frowned. "Slayer? I’m accusing a blood-sucking fiend of hurting an innocent girl"
"Slayer" The Vampire shook his head. "As in, Temple of. House of the Chosen one" At Riley’s still blank face, Angelus rolled his eyes. "We worship her, nimrod. I’m not gonna hurt her"
Riley just raised an eyebrow.
**
Buffy stood in front of the door for a few minutes, debating. Giles would say she should stay in the house, that the soldiers they’d seen were dangerous, and that she should let the vamp sent to protect her do just that...protect her. But Kendra, who Buffy had really loved, would have said that Buffy never followed the rules, and if she wanted to go out there, who was she to stop her?
After a few minutes deliberations, Buffy opened the door and walked outside.
**
"What are you having trouble with here?"
Riley rolled his eyes. "That vampires, which are evil, worship anything but Satan"
Angelus groaned. "My god. Do you even bother to learn about the things you’re apparently hunting? Vampires aren’t necessarily evil. And we’ve worshiped the Slayer for several millennia"
"Riley, what are you doing here?"
The commando whipped around. He strode forward and ran a hand along Buffy’s arm to check for bruises and she frowned at him. "What are you doing?"
"Making sure that scum.."he jerked his head towards Angelus, "...didn’t hurt you"
Buffy giggled. "Angelus? He’s a Faithful"
"What’s a faithful? And shouldn’t you be inside?
It’s dangerous out here. Since you obviously know that.."
"A faithful," Angelus said, puling the attention back to him, "Is a vampire who
follows the teachings of the Temple, worships in it, and follows the orders of
the Council" He turned to Buffy. "But I do agree that you should be inside.
It’s not really safe out here for you with Darla in town"
"What? Who’s Darla?"
Buffy sighed. It was gonna be a long night.
Chapter Thirteen
____________
Buffy and Angelus watched Riley walk away, still confused. After almost an hour of explanations, he was still unsure if Buffy was safe with the vampire, and he didn’t believe a word they’d told him, but he’d been pages, so he’d left. The two still on the lawn exchanged glances before going back inside. There was no telling what the encounter with the soldier would bring.
The minute they were in the door, Angelus made a beeline for the phone, muttering about Quentin Travers and needing more information...or at least more backup.
Buffy had to face the wrath of her mother.
"Where the hell did you go? I go upstairs for *one* minute, and when I come down, you’re gone"
Buffy sighed. "Well, if you’d looked outside, you’d have seen me. We were just on the lawn, talking"
"Talking?" Joyce shot a glance into the other room where Angelus had gotten through to the Council, though all she knew was he was on the phone, making a collect call. "Why do I have the feeling that very little actual *talking* was being done"
Buffy sighed. "Mom, nothing happened"
"I’m sure. There’s a gorgeous man in our living room, and you two were outside together for almost an hour. And *nothing* happened? Why do I find that so hard to believe?"
"Fine! Yes! We were humping like bunnies against the oak tree. Happy now?" Her mother’s sarcasm was really starting to get to her, and Buffy was losing patience. Too much was happening all in one day: Vampire clans who wanted her dead, annoying demons teaming up with un-faithful vampires, prophecies mating her to a master vamp, her friends finding out about her, at the *worst* possible time, and a guy she’d been sorta seeing turning out to be a wanna-be demon-hunting soldier. Her mother’s anger was just gonna have to take a backseat.
"Buffy!" Joyce’s mouth dropped open, and Buffy rolled her eyes. Her mother seemed to think her daughter planned on being a virgin forever, which was ridiculous. Both Kendra and Faith had been shocked to hear that she’d never had sex. It was a basic function of being a Slayer. Buffy was waiting...but she didn’t intend to wait until she was thirty, as her mother seemed to hope she would.
Rolling her eyes, the blonde turned away from Joyce and headed for the living room where Angelus was just hanging up the phone.
"They’re sending...Mrs. Summers" He nodded to her as she came in behind her daughter, then frowned at the look of fury he was getting.
"I want you out. I don’t want you touching my daughter again. Not against a tree, or a house...or, wherever you two normally do what it is that you do"
He glanced at the Slayer who shook her head and made a face. Shrugging, he turned back to Joyce.
"I don’t think I’m leaving"
Joyce opened her mouth to say something but was effectively cut off when Buffy launched herself at Angelus and plunged her tongue into his mouth.
The vampire was pretty shocked by it too, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Automatically, his arms came around her and his tongue came out to play with hers. She felt amazing. Soft, yet strong, sweet, yet spicy. Her body fit against his perfectly, her curves molding to his hard frame easily.
Joyce gasped when he lifted her, wrapping his arms tighter to hold her up, and Buffy’s legs wrapped around his waist. After another minute or so, the broke apart, both panting; she for air, he for control.
"Mom, he’s not leaving until I do. If you’re kicking me out again, I can go now. Or I can stay for a little more, we can talk, and then I’ll take him with me when I go back to the dorms. But if you kick me out now, I’m not coming back"
Her forehead was resting against his and their eyes met while she waited for her mother to answer. That was when he saw it. In her eyes.
Love.
She was in love with him.
He’d have put her down and backed as far away from this dangerous person as possible if he hadn’t been totally aware that his own eyes were telling her the same thing.
____________
Angelus glared at the college boys gathered at the front doors of Stevenson Hall when they openly stared at Buffy’s leg as he followed her inside. They each took a noticeable step back in the face of his anger, and he smiled darkly at them before letting the door swing shut. When he turned to follow Buffy upstairs, he found her facing him, giggling.
"What?"
"Xander does the same thing" She waved vaguely at the guys outside. "Whenever he catches them looking, he looks at them with this expression on his face.." She shook her head. "It always works too. He’s pretty good in a fight, and he’s got kind of a reputation" She shrugged and turned, heading for the stairs. "I might have had something to do with that. Willow and I hung out in school, she started dressing differently, guys started hitting on her...and Xander had to go all defensive"
Angelus stayed a step behind her until they reached her floor. "That’s good. I feel better knowing you’re with someone during the day that can handle himself in a fight"
Buffy rolled her eyes and started looking for her keys. "Because I’m so helpless?"
"No" He took a step forward and brushed his lips across her cheek. "Because you’re sacred"
Buffy blushed. Usually, when someone in the Temple said that, it got her kind of annoyed, but for some reason, coming from him, it made her warm all over. "I must be going insane" It was said under her breath, but she forgot about vamp hearing.
"What?"
"Nothing" She opened the door, stepped inside and then turned back to him. "Come on in"
Angelus came in, wondering again with the casualness of the invitation, but didn’t get the time to think about it. The minute the door was closed behind him, her arms were around his neck, her mouth on his.
It effectively killed any thought at all.
"Buffy" He mumbled it against her lips and how she managed to get a reply out in the one second she freed her mouth from his was anyone’s guess.
"Yes?"
"What.." he lost his train of thought for a second as her tongue pushed into his mouth, "...what are you doing?"
"Hmm?"
Angelus closed his eyes and reveled in the sensuality of the sound, but managed to repeat his question anyway.
She stopped kissing him to catch her breath and rested her forehead against his. "At the time of the question, I was kissing you senseless. I next plan on throwing you onto that bed.." she pointed, "and fucking you blind"
Angel groaned but pushed her away, wondering as he did where he was getting the strength to from. "No" He took a deep breath for control and closed his eyes. "Not tonight"
Buffy’s face crumbled and she looked at the ground for a second before turning her back to him and closing her eyes. "Right. Ok, then" She nodded, more to herself than to him, and pointed at the door. "I guess you better go, then"
Angelus frowned. "Buffy?"
She sniffled and shook her head. "Just go, ok?"
"Buffy, I.."
"Get. Out!"
He stood for another minute, but since she’d ordered him out, there wasn’t much choice. He sighed and left.
Buffy collapsed on the floor into tears the moment she heard the door click shut.
____________
Willow quietly closed the door behind her and frowned at her roommate. The redhead had spent the night with Oz, and was up to speed on the Temple, and everything that went with it...and she fully intended to ignore it all except for the parts where Buffy’d need help to stay alive. She wasn’t going to treat her best friend like a god...Buffy was Buffy, and whatever else she might be, that’s what Willow saw.
Which was, according to Oz, what Buffy had been trying to preserve by not telling them. So, Willow wasn’t gonna feel guilty about it.
However, it didn’t explain why the blonde was now on her bed fully clothed, looking like she’d cried herself to sleep.
The hacker sat on her friend’s bed and smoothed a piece of hair out of her face, which woke her up.
"Hey Will"
"Hey" She gave her best sympathetic-friend look. "Wanna talk about it?
**
Three hours later Willow was smoothing Buffy’s hair back as she cried in her lap, and was silently cursing the idiot who’d done this to her friend. Vampire or not.
"Buffy, you know he’s not worth this. There are other guys" Willow reached for the tissues and handed one to the blonde as she sat up.
Sniffling, the Slayer shook her head. "No. I know...I know you don’t know much about prophecies, but when they.." She sniffled and started crying again. "They always come true. I’m gonna be married to someone who doesn’t even find me attractive!" Collapsing into the hacker’s lap again, she started shaking as she cried harder.
Willow’s face got hard as she comforted the girl in her lap.
She was gonna have to have a little talk with that vampire.
**
Angelus paced the main room of the Crawford St. Mansion. The other Council Vampires staying there were all asleep, but there was *no* way he was going to be sleeping anytime soon.
He’d made the Slayer cry.
He hadn’t meant to. He’d just thought they were moving too fast. He didn’t want to take advantage. Prophecy or not, Travers’ warning was still ringing in his head, and so much had happened in one night...
But he hadn’t thought he’d make her cry.
Of course, further investigation had revealed that the Slayer hadn’t had much luck with guys. Her duties had prevented her from any kind of real dating in high school, and her one experience in college had been bad enough that every single faithful vampire in town had been ready to kill the guy.
Apparently, he’d used her, and when she refused to sleep with him, he’d informed the entire school that she had, and was terrible.
And now, someone else turned her down. Angelus cringed. It wasn’t what he’d been doing, but it was obviously what she’d seen. And no wonder, with what she’d been through before.
So he was pacing. Because sleep was not gonna happen today.
:: Back
to TrinityLast's Page ::
:: Back to Author's
Page ::
:: Slightly Over The
Edge ::