"Willow!" Xander greeted happily but it sort of waned there at the end and he made a face at his red-headed best friend.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost," Buffy chimed in as Willow got to their table. She'd smiled upon first seeing her but noticed something was off as soon as she'd started toward the group.

"Please don't tell me you've seen a ghost," Cordelia added. "I am so not in the mood for ghosts."

"Is one ever really in a mood for ghosts?" Xander pondered, looking at his girlfriend with his head slightly cocked to the side.

Willow shook her head. "No, not a ghost."

Buffy sighed. "Vampire?"

Willow nodded at that guess. "I wasn't sure at first and I mean no one showed me their fangs or membership to the world of the undead card or anything..."

Buffy rolled her eyes as she went to reach for her bag, listening to Willow's recount of events. She'd already patrolled tonight and had wanted to just come hang out with her friends and relax, but no... vampires and other demonic creatures didn't care about that. They never did.

"Do you need some back up?" Xander offered. Cordelia shot him and a look and he held up his hands and shrugged.

"Nah, I'm good. Hopefully it'll be a quick one and done and I will be right back. Someone order me a new drink?" she asked sweetly before turning around and heading toward the closest exit.

Buffy was outside The Bronze shortly after, walking out the slightly crowded alley way and in the direction Willow had said she'd seen the girl and the potential vampire. She didn't see anything out of sorts on first glance so she continued on, trying to find traces of anything she could put her slaying skills to use about. She was about to give up and start walking in the next direction when she heard a scream. That made her perk up.

OoOoO

"So?"

Buffy smiled, putting her bag back down in one of the chairs. "Slayer wins again," she announced proudly. "The girl was bit and looked in rough shape but she should be fine."

"Another grand ol' day in Sunnydale," Xander said.

"You know it." Buffy smiled, taking a sip of her newly filled cup. "Alright, now who's going to dance with me?" Buffy said and then was surprised when a boy from school had overheard and offered to take her out on the floor. She happily accepted, taking his hand and finding a spot as a new song started by the band. Sometimes after a round with a vampire it sure felt nice to just wind down.

Buffy was starting to enjoy herself when she suddenly felt him watching her. Buffy knew that as a Slayer you were supposed to have some super power thing about "feeling" a vampire but that'd all been hocus pocus as far as she'd been concerned... until he came to town. She didn't know why but he was the only one she'd ever been able to pick up on.

Buffy swallowed, her eyes trying to be discreet as she looked around the crowded club. She didn't see him anywhere but she knew he was there... somewhere. Buffy felt the rest of the world dull a little in sound and her heart beat pick up as she thought more into it, thought about him out there in the shadows of the crowded club, his eyes seeking her out. Buffy quickly chastised herself for going there though. He was a vampire and she was a slayer, and that all meant she shouldn't be getting excited over the fact he was watching her and she knew it. Buffy shook her head a little and smiled at the member of the swim team who'd taken an interest in her and tried to push the other tall male out of her mind.

Of course that was easier said than done... Buffy felt absolutely foolish as she found herself flirting more with her classmate just because she knew he was keeping a close eye on her. A slow song came next and Buffy smiled at Cameron, pulling him closer and dancing a little seductively with him to the beat. She knew it was wrong but it didn't stop her from hoping to provoke a reaction. Out there he was watching her every little move, taking of every sway of her hips, every hooded look she gave to Cameron. She knew the show she was putting on was bound to get a reaction.

Cameron kissed her neck near the end of the song and Buffy rolled her eyes. She finished the song out then smiled brightly at him. "Thanks for the dance!" He smirked and started asking her if she wanted to go somewhere more private with him but Buffy declined, walking back toward her friends. She knew they'd been watching and suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment.

Buffy played off their questions about her strange behavior just now and decided maybe it was best she just head home and call it a night at that point. Part of her wanted to search the crowded Bronze high and low and have a fun back and forth with him but she knew sooner or later they'd cross paths before the night ended.

OoOoO

Angelus stayed one block behind the beautiful blonde as she traveled the streets of Sunnydale. He knew that she was aware of him following her but she made no acknowledgement as she continued on her way. The pair cut through two different cemeteries as they went as well, The Slayer doing some last minute sweeps before she'd call it a night but both were quiet.

Soon, she was Revello Drive and his pace picked up as she got closer to her house. She paid no mind.

Buffy was almost to her front door when she quickly spun around. She was just a few seconds too slow to land anything on him though. Angelus grabbed both of her hands and pushed her weight backward until her back hit the door and he used his body to help pin her in place. Buffy did her best to scowl at him but he could pick up on her heartbeat, the quickened flow of her blood, he could smell her excitement. She made no new attempts to harm him as he held her there. "What do you want, Angelus?" she asked, trying her best to sound annoyed.

He leaned closer to her, his nose brushing against hers. "You already know the answer to that," he told her in a low whisper.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "This whole obsession thing that you have going on isn't getting any more attractive."

He chuckled at that, pushing his body even closer to hers. "You don't have to lie to me, little girl," he told her. Buffy swallowed. "You are enjoying all of this almost as much as I am."

She huffed at him. "Please."

Angelus bit the side his bottom lip, his head tilting to the other side, his lips moving closer to hers but keeping that sliver of distance between them. "That's why you're always out there trying to bait me," he told her, his voice dripping sweetness. "Like tonight, with that... boy."

Buffy laughed a little. "Not everything is about you," she whispered back, her tone hard.

That only made him smile. "You have no interest in that school boy. You and I both know that. He was just a toy being used in our little game."

"There is no game here, Angelus. I'm the slayer, you're just another vampire. I take a stake, I do a little stabby stabby, and then you're dust in the wind."

"You keep telling yourself that, Buffy," he said back to her and the two stared at each other for a long breath. Angelus then bent lower, his mouth moving closer to her ear. "But the truth is... you knew I was watching you and it turned you on. Your innocent little dance turned into something much more darker as soon as you noticed me near. You closed your eyes as those sweet little hips of yours swayed, you felt him getting hard against you, and you imagined me."

As he was pulling away, she surprised him. Her head reared back then came back forward again, catching him right in the nose. He growled as she managed to get one of her tiny arms free and nearly landed a punch on him that time. He let go, jumping backward and over the steps.

He wondered if she was going to pounce but she just gave him a dirty look. "Goodnight Angelus," she said in a sharp tone. She raised her eyebrows - almost as if in a dare - but he just smiled at her. "Goodnight, Slayer. Enjoy dreaming of me tonight."

OoOoO

"You know, vampires are supposed to try and kill me, not... well...," she paused, her cheeks growing red as she tried to think of how she wanted to phrase what it is they both knew he wanted to do to her, "Whatever it is you're trying to do!" she finally finished, flustered.

He raised an eyebrow when she'd paused, his eyes full of many wicked things. "What can I say? I'm not like other vampires."

Buffy replayed that memory from shortly after she'd first met Angelus as she laid in bed. He hadn't been lying, Angelus was certainly one of a kind and he had turned her world up on its head since he stumbled into town just weeks ago.

Giles had reacted to her telling him of their first run-in in ways she hadn't expected, and as The Watcher sat her down and began telling her the tales of the might vampire she understood why he'd been so worried. Angelus already had one hell of a reputation and the fact he was in Sunnydale could not mean anything good. But that hadn't even been the end to any of it. His history, reputation, and so forth were hardly the worst of her concerns when it came to him.

Angelus had yet to attack her in any way. He had deflected and he had defended himself several times but he'd yet to harm her and had told her on various occasions now that he had absolutely no intention to do so... not that she believed him. And that alone was strange, too, but not the strangest aspect of the whole situation. No, that was the idea that this particular vampire wanted her. And not in a bleed-you-dry kind of way but a I-want-to-see-you-naked way. He'd made that clear many, many, many times to her. Buffy was sure it was all some twisted game- Angelus was particularly known for such- but something about it struck her funny.

He had been teasing her endlessly these past weeks and she felt like she was close to losing her mind because of it. She hated how attractive the demon was, his cockiness that only made him sexier, the way he felt anytime they touched... Buffy shook her head, pushing those type of memories away. 'He is a vampire, Buffy, get a grip!' she screamed in her head.

Vampire or not though, Buffy knew she was drawn to him. She found herself dreaming about him almost every night, hoping to see or at least sense him as she'd go out on patrol, she found she enjoyed their little cat and mouse flirting game more than she should. And maybe that was his plan all along...

OoOoO

"Have you seen Angelus again?" Giles asked after a moment, moving a stack of books.

Buffy felt her cheeks redden slightly and cleared her throat. "Last night," she answered.

Giles looked up. "What happened?"

Buffy sunk down a little in the chair. "Nothing, I mean... when I went home he was there, he had been behind me... he followed me home..."

"Did he harm you?"

Buffy shook her head. "No."

"Well, what happened?" he pressed again.

"He... he just talked, teased... made lewd comments..."

Giles sighed, taking his glasses off to clean then for a moment. "I really don't understand what he has been doing," Giles said. ""I'd have expected him to make some sort of advance toward you by now."

Buffy made a face. "Well, he did... just not in that kind of a way you're thinking of."

"What do you mean..." he began then it seemed to click. "Oh," he said. Then repeated it, "Oh."

"Nothing happened really," she assured The Watcher. "He just... makes the comments, almost kisses me... I don't know..."

Giles put his glasses back on and looked at her. Buffy shifted more in the seat under his gaze. "He seems rather fascinated with you, doesn't he?"

"Yes. And his history would prove that to never be a good thing either," she reminded him as well as her own self.

"Right. I've never known of him to actually go after a slayer," Giles said. "He's had run-ins but he's historically done his best to just avoid them..."

Buffy shrugged. "Guess I'm just lucky."

OoOoO

Buffy headed to her locker to exchange some books for her next two classes. When she opened the door her forehead squinted up as she looked at the Ipod taped to the inside of the door. Buffy put the books in her hand inside then reached up to grab it. A note was taped to the back, "For when you're ready" it read. Buffy looked up and down the hall then back to the device.

Buffy put one of the earbuds to her ear and messed with it until music came on.

It wasn't the same song from last night but her mind went back to The Bronze, to her dancing with Cameron. He wasn't the one in her mind though... no, she stood out on the floor with Angelus, dancing in his arms in her little daydream.

The song played right along with her little daydream for a few moments, then she heard Angelus' voice come through the earbuds. Buffy's eyes popped open as soon as she heard him. And they grew wider the more she listened as he spoke of an extremely dirty fantasy starring the two of them. More shocking was it was extremely similar to the dream she'd had last night after she'd finally fallen asleep.

Buffy listened until she felt beads of sweat starting to form then hurried to push the electronic away from her. She shut it down and shoved it into the back of her locker. "No!" she said to it, her fingers pointing out, and took a step back. Buffy took a deep breath and grabbed the books she'd need for her next few classes and tried to push all of those thoughts right back out of her mind.