Where's the love?

Rating:R.
Pairings:Buffy/Spike, Angel/Cordelia, Xander/Anya, Willow/Tara.
Genre:Romance/Humor/Angst (but just a little)
Disclaimer:These aren't my imaginary friends. Someone else imagined them and put them on television to share them with me.
Summary:This is set in season 6 and is kind of a rewrite of Hells Bells except in As You Were Buffy didn't break up with Spike, she came to terms with their relationship but they are still keeping it hidden from the others.

Author's note:This is a response to a challenge posted, probably a few years back, on BSdiaries (for some reason they won't let me put a link here). If you're too impatient to wait 'till the end of the story and go searching for it, it's #17. But I think it's probably more fun to read the story first.
If you think that I'm making a complete fool of myself please tell me.
P.s. I suck at titles. This one is taken from a Hanson song that is frequently mentioned in the story, otherwise it would just be Challenge #17. And a Hanson song was btw one of the requirements from the challenge.

Chapter 1

Buffy woke up to the phone ringing. It was the middle of the night. For her it was still Friday night although others might consider it as Saturday morning. The phone was ringing. It wouldn't stop unless she answered it. Slowly she stretched out a hand and fumbled on top of her bedside table blindly until she found the phone and brought it to her ear.

"Hello," she almost whispered in her sleepy voice.

"Buffy, it's Angel" a deep voice on the other end said.

She was awake as soon as she heard his voice. "What's wrong?" she asked in return, her voice getting stronger.

"Nothing serious."

Buffy let out a relieved sigh. "So to what do I owe the pleasure of this nicely timed call?"

"I'm very sorry to call you like this but we don't have any other options," Angel calmly explained. "Me and Cordelia are in Sunnydale. It was only supposed to be a day trip with driving here and back during the night and staying inside during the daytime. But the car broke down just as we were leaving, there's no way to get a hotel room and we really need a place to crash for the day. You know I wouldn't ask if I thought there was any other way…"

Buffy couldn't help but smiling to herself. This was so typical.

"Buffy?" Angel asked carefully.

"Sorry. This really isn't the best of times for you two to come visiting but I guess I could put up a couple of cots in the basement if that's enough."

"Thanks, Buffy."

Buffy wondered if this was really happening. If this wasn't just some freaky dream. Could it really be that Angel was standing on her doorstep asking for a place to stay and with Cordelia, of all persons? And now of all times?

But there they were.

"Can I ask what brings you to Sunnydale this time?" she asked while they put up the cots in the basement. Buffy was mostly just curious but she was giving them a place to stay and not everyone would be happy to have them there.

"It's all my fault," Cordelia said before Angel got a chance to answer. "My parent's dealings with the IRS are finally coming to and end and my old house is being sold. I still had some stuff in the attic and asked Angel to come with me to get it. I'm really thankful that you're letting us stay. We were thinking about checking if the old factory was still there but I couldn't go back there after what happened the last time I was there and that only left you."

Buffy was surprised that Cordelia was thanking her for a cot in a damp basement but wondered when Cordelia had last been at the factory. Then it came to her. The rebar through her chest after finding Xander and Willow together. 'Oh, God! Xander!' Buffy thought. Maybe Angel wasn't the only problem. Anya and Xander would be here early tomorrow morning.

"Cordelia," Buffy started. " I think there's something I should warn you about?"

"Don't tell me you have a pest problem down here, please."

Buffy smiled. This was the Cordelia she knew. "No, it's nothing like that. You know that Xander's getting married, right?" Oh God how she hoped someone had told her.

"Yes, I heard about that."

Buffy sighed in relief. "Well, the wedding is on Sunday…," she explained, "…and he and Anya will be here early…. to avoid the unpleasant relatives that have taken over their place."

"Oh great." Cordelia sighed. "You're telling me that I practically couldn't have found a worse time to be shipwrecked at your place?"

"Well…"

"But hey. It was a long time ago. I don't have a problem with it. But if you think he… or they will, I can just stay down here… you don't even have to let him know that I'm…" her look gazed over to Angel who had sat down on one of the cots "… we are here."

"No. There's no need." Buffy said. "I just wanted you to know the sitch. Xander won't be that mad…. At you" she looked at Cordelia than turned to Angel, "But it's my house and because of the wedding he doesn't have the time to give me much trouble about it. I'll try to minimize the racket tomorrow morning so you can get some sleep but I can't guarantee in what kind of condition Anya will be."

"Don't worry about it," Angel replied. "And thanks again. We don't want to be any worry. Go and try to get some more sleep. We'll manage."

Buffy didn't need to be told twice to go back to sleep. She just said 'Good night' and started up the stairs.
Even if her body felt tired her brain didn't seem to be tired when she got back to her room. It seemed to be working on overtime going back and forth through places and persons from her memory.

Buffy' remembered the first night Angel had spent in this house. They hadn't even been a couple then but already he was the most precious thing in her life. Boy, were things different now. After their last meeting, right after she came back from the dead, the times when she thought of him had become fewer and fewer.
Still, she had recognized his voice on the phone instantly, that maybe would never change.
But now she had so much more in her life than back then: Dawn, Spike, herself and not him. And he didn't have her.

Spike, that was another thought. Angel and Cordy would better have to be gone before he turned up. There was no knowing how he would react to Angel staying in the house, except that he wouldn't like it at all. He might even reveal their secret just to piss him off. She didn't want it to be like that.
She didn't really expect the telling her friends about her and Spike would go down well, but Spike telling Angel out of pure spite was one of the less appealing scenarios.
She wanted to wait until after the wedding to tell them. She didn't want to ruin this happy time for Xander but after the wedding they were telling them. She didn't know exactly how… Maybe just a demonstration, no words necessary…

She loved Xander, but sometimes she wished he was a little less overprotective of her… it would make life just a little easier.
Xander wouldn't like having Angel around tomorrow but that was only temporary. Spike wasn't temporary.

On the thought of that particular blond vampire she finally drifted to sleep.