Distribution: Anyone who has permission for any of my other stories may have this too. Others, ask and I will most likely give permission.

Feedback: I love it more than I love Angel chained to my…um…I love and desire feedback.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Joss, the WB, Mutant Enemy, (the evil)FOX, and whoever else came up with them. If they belonged to me the show would be drastically different. Much of the concept of this story, besides being from a challenge, is from West Side Story. It didn't start out that way, the story just kind of took it's own path and it is remarkably similar to WSS.

Rating: Same as the TV show

Spoilers: Nothing Buffy except the character's names. This is totally an AU fic.

AN: This is one of two AU fics I ever wrote, and my favorite of the two. The other was a crossover into the General Hospital world, and I'm not sure if I still like it enough to post it, although it might be okay if I rework it enough. This one was based on a challenge, which I'll post at the end of the first chapter. Oh, and to anyone waiting on the next part of Kokoro Kara, it's probably gonna be a week or so, I'm having issues with where I want the next part to go. Sorry about that.

Enjoy!

King of Swords

By Lady Callista

Chapter 1: The Stranger

"You and Randy had a fight today, didn't you?" Willow asked her best friend as she studied the three cards laid out between the girls.

"Yes, we did." Buffy admitted. "You're certainly getting better at this."

The Wiccan looked up from the cards with a small smile. "Well, Tarot is a little different than anything else I've ever tried, but the High Priest of my coven seems to think I have a real knack for it."

"If you can tell me what the fight was about I'll believe him." Buffy smirked.

Willow turned back to the cards, laying three crosswise over the ones that already sat there. She frowned. "Two of these cards, particularly the Three of Swords, seem to suggest that a third person is coming between you. But the other card is the Wheel of Fortune, which means that a drastic change of life is coming your way, and whatever happens now is simply an act of fate."

Buffy looked at her friend in shock. "The third person thing is sure right. But it's not what you're probably thinking; it's my mother. She doesn't like Randy at all, you'd think after two years of me dating him she'd come to at least tolerate him, but she's giving me more and more grief about dating him. Especially since he's a few months younger than me and a year behind in school."

"Then the drastic change in your life is probably that you're starting college this year and he's not." Willow said. "It's gonna be a real challenge."

"I know it will, but I'm pretty sure I can handle it." Buffy smiled as Willow began to put away her deck of cards. "That's pretty much what we were fighting about, he thinks just cause I'm going to college I'm gonna find some cute older guy and leave him behind."

"Then you'll just have to convince him that won't happen."

OoOoOoOoOoO

"You almost ready to go, honey?" Randy called up the stairs for the third time.

"Almost. Perfection is worth the wait." Buffy called back teasingly.

"We're gonna be late!" Randy answered her.

There was silence for a minute, then Buffy called down, "I'm ready."

Randy moved to stand at the foot of the stairs. His mouth dropped open as Buffy swayed slowly down them and into his arms. She looked beautiful, and very sexy.

Black leather boots went up to her knee, showing a large expanse of leg from their top to the bottom of her very short leather skirt. A blue satin tube top completed the outfit, along with quite a bit more make-up than she usually wore.

"I can't believe it's been two years." Buffy laughed as they kissed softly.

"To the day." Randy said with a smile as he put an arm around her and they walked towards her front door. "It doesn't feel that long."

"It does in some ways." Buffy answered him. "But in others it feels like we just met."

"I remember the first time I saw you." Randy smiled as he opened the door to his silver convertible for her. "It was the first day of my sophomore year. You were new to the school, and there were all these rumors going around about how you'd gotten into so much trouble where you used to live that you and your mom had to move here."

"I still don't know how those got started." Buffy lied. In the two years she had known him, she'd worked hard to convince him and everyone else at school that those things were nothing but stupid rumors. No one knew the truth about her.

"Well, doesn't matter." Randy grinned. "It didn't matter to me then, even if they had been true. Cause I saw you, and I couldn't help but like you, no matter what anyone said. You were standing in front of the school, with the sun shining in your hair, and the wind playing with the hem of that short little dress, and I just thought you were the most beautiful thing in the world."

"You came up to me and introduced yourself." Buffy smiled at the memory. "I looked up at you, and for a second I wondered why this cute guy was talking to little old me. Then I decided it didn't matter why, and took you up on your offer to show me around."

"And aren't you glad you did?" Randy teased as he pulled into the parking lot of the Bronze and went around to open her car door.

"I sure am." Buffy replied as she went into his arms and they kissed fiercely.

"Hey, get a room!" They heard a voice call out a few minutes later.

They both laughed and pulled away from each other slightly, enough to see the pair that was walking up to them.

"Hey, Xander, Willow." Randy greeted them, keeping one arm around Buffy as they started into the club.

The other couple walked next to them, chatting about the things that had happened in the few days since they'd all been together last.

When they got into the Bronze, they sat down at their usual table and continued talking about whatever popped into their heads.

They had been at the Bronze for a few hours already, and were having a great time. Xander and Willow were currently on the floor dancing; leaving Randy and Buffy with some much desired alone time. They were in the middle of yet another make-out session when Randy's cell phone suddenly began to ring. With an annoyed look, he pulled away from Buffy and put it to his ear. "Hello?"

Buffy took a sip of her soda as she watched him talk, watching his face with a growing concern. "What's the matter?" She asked as soon as he hung up.

"That was my mom." He explained. "She said that my brother's disappeared from his father's house in Los Angeles. They don't know where he is or what happened to him, but he packed all his stuff."

"That's horrible." Buffy put a hand on his arm in sympathy. "Is there anything we can do?" She asked in real concern.

"Um, I'm gonna go home and be with mom. Sorry to cut our date short, but…"

"That's okay, I understand." Buffy said. And she really did.

"Do you want me to drop you off, or…" He trailed off.

"I'll stay here a little while I think, keep Xander and Will company. That is, if you're sure you don't want me to come with you."

"No, I think I just need to be there for my mom right now." Randy said as he stood up. "I'll call you if I find out anything."

"Please do." Buffy replied as he bent down for a quick kiss before heading for the door.

"What's wrong?" Willow asked as they came back just in time to see Randy leaving.

Buffy explained the situation, and both of them looked upset. "I feel bad for Mrs. Jennings. She must be going out of her mind."

"She's Randy's mother, though." Xander said supportively. "If she's anywhere near as strong as he is she'll be okay."

Buffy smiled her thanks for that comment. "You guys keep dancing, don't let me stop you. I'm just gonna get something to eat."

Willow started to protest, but Buffy insisted that she not put a damper on her evening.

Willow and Xander reluctantly returned to the dance floor as Buffy flagged down a waitress and ordered some cheese fries.

She had just started to eat a few minutes later when she got the odd sensation that someone was watching her.

She turned to look all around her but didn't see anyone she knew, so she returned her attention to her food.

But the feeling didn't go away.

Buffy turned again, trying to find someone that she knew. Instead, she found herself looking into a pair of gorgeous chocolate eyes that she had never seen before.

She also noticed, as the man wearing those eyes walked across the room towards her, that the rest of him didn't look so bad either. In fact, she thought as she took in his spiked brown hair and all black outfit, he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. And there was something about him that seemed to draw her like a magnet.

"Dance with me?" The dark stranger asked as he held out a hand to her.

Buffy couldn't think about Randy, or anything else for that matter. The instant she heard his deep, rich voice, all other thoughts flew right out of her head.

"Of course." She found herself answering in a sexy voice as she stood up and took his hand. He led her slowly to the dance floor, and then wrapped his arms around her just as a slow song came up.

Buffy didn't stop to think for an instant about how odd this was, instead, she fell right into his arms and laid her head on his shoulder.

OoOoOoOoO

The next morning…

"Buffy, what happened to you?" Willow asked as she dropped by Buffy's house early the next morning. "Me and Xander went back to the table and suddenly you were gone."

"Will, you won't believe what happened. I still don't." Buffy said as she flopped down on her bed.

"What?" Willow sat next to her friend.

"I met the most gorgeous guy I've ever seen in my life."

"But Buff, what about…"

"Randy, I know." Buffy said in a confused tone. "It was just so weird, I've been with him for two years, but I looked at this guy and all of a sudden I couldn't even remember what I liked about Randy. That sounds so horrible…"

"What did you guys do?" Willow cut her friend off.

Buffy described how they had met. "Then we danced together, like, all night. There's just something about him Will, something that I can't resist."

"So, what about Randy?" Willow asked in a worried tone.

"I don't know, I don't know what to do or what I want or anything." Buffy sighed.

"What's his name?" Willow asked suddenly.

"You know what? I didn't even ask."

TBC….

AN2: Anyway, here's the original challenge. This story was written about 6 years ago, all I have to do is polish it up, so I should have a part out every few days.

Blaze's Challenge requirements:

This is an AU story. No vampires, demons or slayers.

Buffy's been going out with a lad for two years since she was sixteen and moved to Sunnydale. The lads older brother comes to town to go to UC Sunnydale.

The brother is like Angel and Angelus mixed, has a caring side but is bad. He sees Buffy and instantly takes a liking to her.

Buffy doesn't know that Angelus is her boyfriends brother when she meets him.

Angelus sets a plan to take her away from his brother.

Angelus and his brother are step family [same mum different dad

Must haves

a masquerade ball or fancy dress party. [where Angelus pretends to be his brother.

Spike and cordelia as Angelus friends

Claddagh ring