This story was written between When Slayer's Meet and The Alliance. It was written to resolve a loose end or two from the 1st story (and maybe create another one). It takes place between the first and second seasons, so the attempts at humor in it are based on Season 1.

It's not something I would do now...can't believe I did it then. Much mushier that I would ever do now (or then, if I really think about it). Yet I did it. And I am putting it out there again. My amazement at what I do never ceases...

Like the others, Anya's site died before I retrieved it in it's pure form, I could only find it in corrupted form. I have done my best to repair the damage...

So, such as it is, such as it was, here it is...

Disclaimer: As you know, the characters of this story are not mine, belonging to Joss Whedon and related parties. I have borrowed them for this little experiment, and will return them as soon as I am done. If you haven't read "When Slayers Meet", you might want to. It sets the stage for the interactions in the story. But don't feel obligated. You can probably come up with a reasonable story of your own to account for the beginning point.

The Bronze, Inside and Out

At the Bronze, on a Monday evening. A full week had passed since Buffy and Angel had defeated the Slayer/vampire. Willow and Xander sat at a table, talking. Xander had told Willow about what he thought were Buffy's changing feelings for him, Willow thought it was all in his imagination. She had seen no difference in the way Buffy was treating him, except she was a little more reserved around him.

"I don't know what to do." Xander said. "She says she has feelings for me, but says she wants things to be the same between us for now."

Willow was not happy to hear this. "Buffy actually said she has feelings for you?"

"Well, on our walk, she indicated that her feelings for me have changed." Xander had mentioned the walk he and Buffy took together from the park, but had not mentioned this.

"What does `indicated' mean?"

"I asked her if her feelings for me had changed, and she nodded yes. The same thing happened today. I wanted to be sure, so I asked her what she meant-if she had no feelings for me before Prom night. She said `yes'. Then I asked her if she has feelings for me now. She did the same thing, closed her eyes and nodded."

Willow was upset, but controlled herself. "Did you ask if she would join us tonight?"

"Yeah. But she said she couldn't, she had something else to do. I guess she is hunting."

A moment of silence followed. Xander looked around the Bronze, Willow just looked at the table. Could he be reading her right?

"I don't know what to do. She barely even talks to me. How am I supposed to compete with Angel when she won't give me a chance."

Willow did not answer. Then Xander saw Buffy, sitting alone at a table across the room.

"Oh no," he said. "She's here."

"Where?" Willow asked.

"There," he said, pointing. "She lied to me, told me she was hunting."

"Did she actually say that?"

Xander thought a minute. "No," he confessed. "But she said she couldn't come with us. She said she had something else to do. Why would she be here unless...she's here to meet him."

His voice was getting louder. Willow tried to calm him down.

"Xander, you don't know that."

"I can't take this anymore," he said as he stood up. "This has got to end, one way or the other."

"Xander, I think you should leave her alone. If she wanted to see you, she would have said so."

"I can't take this anymore," he said walking toward Buffy.

"Xander, don't," Willow yelled after him. She did not follow, he did not turn back.

"Buffy," he said as he reached her table.

"Xander. Why are you here?" she asked. She did not appear happy to see him. If anything, she looked somewhat apprehensive.

"I thought you couldn't come tonight. Why are YOU here?"

"Xander, please. You shouldn't be here."

"Why? Is he coming?"

"Yes, HE is coming. And his name is Angel. Why can't you ever say it?"

"I can't take this anymore. You say you have feelings for me, but you never want to see me. What am I supposed to do?"

"Do you think this is easy for me?" she countered. "You've done so much for me, and I may have feelings for you. But I told you, I have to work things out with Angel first. I asked you for some time, you've got to give it to me."

"Give you time to be with him? Why?"

At this moment Angel appeared. "Is he bothering you?" he asked Buffy.

"What's it to you?" Xander said to him, glaring. "This has to end."

"And how do you propose to end it?" Angel asked, glaring back at him.

"I know what I'd like to do..." Xander shouted back.

"Stop it, both of you!" Buffy interrupted. She paused, and then said, looking at Xander "I'm going to the bathroom, and when I get back, I expect you to be back with Willow." She left.

Both Xander and Angel were somewhat embarrassed at their confrontation.

"This has to end. I can't take it anymore," Xander said without looking at Angel.

"Do you think this is easy for me?" Angel retorted. "I still can't bear to be near her, but I can't bear not to give her what she wants...even if it means I have to be around her."

"What about me? I helped her too, but she still ignores me."

"Everything is about you, isn't it." Angel said. "What about her? Can't you see this is killing her?"

"This has to end." was all Xander could say.

"We have to let her take it at her own pace. We owe her that much-both of us."

Xander did not reply, but left the table and the Bronze. Buffy was waiting in line outside the door of the restroom and saw him leave. Willow saw him leave, pulled out what she thought was enough money to cover her bill, placed it on the table, and left, following him.

Angel also followed them, a minute or two later. Buffy, still in line, saw Angel leave and was concerned, having seen the way Xander and he had fought. She went outside to try to find them.

As soon as she left the Bronze, Willow ran up to her. She was petrified with fear. "Buffy, Xander needs help-now." She ran off, not waiting for a response. Buffy followed. After running down a street, Willow turned into an alley. Buffy saw Xander laying on the ground, not moving. She realized he had been mugged, and beaten. Then she saw the muggers. They were about to be attacked by vampires. He Slayer instincts immediately kicked in. She ran quickly past Willow, who was running toward Xander, jumped past one of the muggers, and caught one of the vampires with a kick. The mugger started to run. Buffy turned toward the other vampire, who was moving toward other mugger. She was grabbed from behind by the first vampire, but managed to throw him off of her. She decided she had better concentrate on him. The other vampire had just grabbed the mugger when Angel appeared. He immediately pushed a stake into the vampire from behind. The vampire turned to dust, covering the mugger. Angel then turned towards Buffy and the mugger ran away, without dusting himself off.

"Buffy, I think he's unconscious!" Willow yelled.

Buffy still had her hands full with the vampire. "Call an ambulance," she yelled, silently cursing herself for not even having a stake. She decided not to take anything related to slaying when she was to meet Angel that evening. Now she had to figure out a way to get rid of the vampires.

Then she noticed Angel. "Have you got something I can use?" she asked.

Angel broke a branch from a nearby tree creating a 8 or 10 inch stake. He then managed to circle behind the vampire, and push the stake through its back while its attention was focused on Buffy.

"You really should keep your supplies handy," he said to her.

"I hadn't planned on using a stake when we were to meet tonight." she answered, grinning. The smile quickly faded as she remembered Xander.

"What have they done, and how could I have let them get away" she complained to herself.

The Mistake

In the hospital room-several hours later. Angel, Willow and Buffy were sitting, looking at Xander. All of them found it difficult to see him like this-injured, unconscious. The police had gotten their report and left. The doctors had stabilized him, and said they now must just wait. Xander's parents had come, his father had gone home to try to get some rest. His mother had left to get some coffee. This was the first chance they had to talk among themselves, but no one felt like talking.

Buffy noticed that Angel seemed as upset as the others, he looked at Xander with a pained look.

"Angel? What's wrong?" the Slayer asked.

"I never thanked him," he replied.

"What?" asked Willow. "I didn't think you two got along. Why would you want to thank him."

Angel looked at her. "We were underground, looking for Buffy. I found her in the pool of water. I pulled her out. I would have done anything to help her. She means everything to me. I would have given anything for her. But I couldn't give her what she needed. I couldn't give her breath. He could, and did. I never thanked him for that."

Buffy listened to what he said, her eyes closed. The emotions of the last few hours finally got the best of her. "I'm going to find whoever did this, and I'm going to kill them," she said.

The others were shocked at her words. "You saved their lives," Willow finally pointed out.

"My mistake," she muttered softly.

The Triangle

Tuesday after school. Buffy and Willow were walking together after the last class. Willow had been so concerned about Xander that the Slayer was surprised she had stayed in school the entire day.

"Are you coming to the hospital with me now, Buffy?" Willow asked.

"Not just yet," Buffy answered. "I need to do something first. I'll be there in an hour or so."

Willow nodded and left. Buffy went to the library.

"Buffy," Giles looked up at her kindly. He knew she had been through a lot recently. "Any word on Xander?"

"Willow called between every class," Buffy replied. "No change yet."

"I'll visit tonight," Giles said, making a mental note.

"Giles, how do I hunt a human?"

Giles was surprised. "You don't. The police do."

"I can't let them get away with this."

Giles didn't like her spending her energy on this. "They probably aren't even in town anymore. Do you think they'd stay here after what they saw? The police can track them down as well as anyone."

Buffy was silent. Then a thought occurred to her. "Is that why the crime rate is so low here-except for the grizzly murders and missing people, of course."

"Probably," Giles replied. The pettier criminals do like to work at night, in secluded areas. They won't last long in this town if they do things like that."

"Maybe my Slaying is not such a service after all. Maybe the crime rate would be even lower if I didn't..."

"Don't forget the grizzly murders," Giles interrupted. "Lets not lose perspective."

"Oh yeah," Buffy said, then was lost in her thoughts again.

She spoke again after a moment. "Giles, I've blown it big time again. I`m still hurting Xander, and I don't know what to do."

"I warned you about having a social life as a Slayer."

"I don't think this has anything to do with being a Slayer," Buffy replied. "It has to do with triangles."

"What? Geometry?"

"No," she replied, amused. "Xander, Angel and me. A triangle I've created. And even if I wanted to cut out one of them I couldn't bear to do it."

"Even if?"

"Yeah. I don't know what to do."

"Aren't you forgetting Willow," Giles added.

"Yeah. I guess it's a square or a rectangle or something, with the lines all messed up."

"Not exactly my kind of geometry. Perhaps your mother could help"

"Oh yeah," Buffy said. "I could say `Well, mom, I'm in love with this boy, who happens to be a vampire, and did I ever tell you that I'm a Vampire Slayer, but this boy is a good vampire and...'"

"Ok, I get your point."

Buffy was silent again, but only for a moment. "I suppose I should go to the hospital now." As she rose to leave, the mention of her mom brought out a question. "Why haven't you been to my house lately?"

"What?"

"I think she misses you..." Buffy said, grinning again.

"I told you, we only talked about you. Besides, you-Triangle Girl-want to give me advice about my social life?"

"You should come by and check her out." Buffy said as she walked out the door.

"Are you a librarian? Is she a book?" Giles managed to blurt out as Buffy left.

The Lecture

Buffy arrived at the hospital to find Willow waiting outside of Xander's room.

"Can we not go in?" She asked her friend.

Willow shook her head. "Not just now. I don't know what they're doing, but they asked me to step out for a few minutes."

Buffy nodded. "Do you want to get something to eat?" She had noticed how little Willow had eaten during the day.

"Sure." Willow said.

At the cafeteria, Buffy got a meal, Willow just a drink.

"Do you not want to get more?" Buffy asked when she noticed.

"No. Let's sit. I need to ask you something."

When they sat, Buffy hesitated, looking at her friend. She was about to reach for the food when Willow spoke.

"Buffy, what are you doing to Xander?"

This was unexpected. "I'm not doing anything to him. Not intentionally, anyway."

"He's always liked you, you know."

The blonde nodded. "Yes, but I've always known that you like him."

"But you? Do you have feelings for him?"

The bluntness of the question surprised her. She did not want to answer, but Willow just stared.

"I don't know," she finally whispered.

"You told me you were trying to work out your feelings for Angel." Willow's expression had not changed.

"I am, Willow. I told you the truth."

"But Xander told me that you talked to him and said you might have feelings for him."

Buffy closed her eyes and shook her head. Her reply was a whisper. "He told you the truth."

Willow sighed and waited for the Slayer's eyes to return to her. "Buffy, what are you doing? I feel like you have everything. I just want this one thing, but now you're trying take it away from me."

"No. It's not like that." Buffy said.

Willow just looked at her.

"Honestly, Will, I'm not."

Both of their heads turned to Giles as he spoke now. "They said we can go back now."

The Watcher was surprised at the expressions on their faces when they both turned to him. They nodded and rose to leave. He decided not to say anything about the food left on the table – untouched.