Confessions of a Vampire's Lover
Chapter 4: The quite belief in Angel
Summary: The girl next door finally fell in love with the bad boy. But it's never that easy. The good girl is someone rediscovering herself and the bad boy is the vampire who sets out for revenge. She's in love and he's just in it for murder. B/A Buffy is not the Slayer in this world but Angel is still the vampire without a soul.
Rated: T
Disclaimer: The characters used are from Buffy verse, created by Joss Whedon. So don't sue!!!!
It took the police thirty minutes to finally get to my flat. Officer Gunn and Lehane were sent to my flat for the investigation. Officer Gunn, who preferred to be just called Gunn questioned me and Willow separately to get our stories straight about what had happened and how we came to discover the disruption. Officer Lehane, who wanted us to call her Faith instead, took pictures and made reports of her findings. Officer Gunn is a non-uniform officer and Faith is a uniform officer, which meant that she reported back to Gunn with each new findings. Gunn moved to London from LA to live with his wife who at present was studying her masters in Oxford University. Faith is slightly taller than me, athletic, brunette with dark eyes. She had a rebellious past which made her perfect to be an officer in London. No one could bullshit her. She didn't say much to me and Willow when the officers walked in. She just went around taking pictures and writing things on her note pad. I guess she had done this too many times to even care about the victims.
Willow was speaking to Gunn in the kitchen whilst I sat on my sofa in the living room. Gunn had already questioned me earlier. I sat deep in thought and didn't hear Faith walk in but soon she was hovering over me.
"I've taken the pictures and reports I would need. It's just a lot of mess in there, so when it's cleaned up, and you find something missing, call us straight away." Faith handed me her card and went to sit in front of me. "This is messed up. It's vandalism for no reason at all. No signs of break in and no items taken. Not your usual vandalism or robbery."
I merely nodded in respond. I looked down and tried to think through the events of the night. I had repeated them twice for Gunn but it seemed like Faith would want another account of the events.
"Look, I'm going to head down to the lobby. See if someone saw this guy get in."
"The security in this block won't allow anyone to walk in. It's 24-hour surveillance."
"Well, who ever came in must have used the front entrance. And also, looks like he/she was able to get in here without hesitation. The locks are not broken, no windows open, and you're on the eight floor. So no one climbed in through the balcony. Maybe… It's someone you know…?" Faith raised her eye brow at me but I shook my head in respond.
"I doubt it. I was with everyone I know tonight. I've only lived in London for nearly four months. So I doubt it's someone I have met before."
"You'll be shocked at how crazy people can get. It doesn't take long for a criminal to work their way into your life. The weird thing about this is that nothing, absolutely nothing was taken. And not being rude, but you have quite a load of valuables in here that could be sold quickly in the back streets of London." Faith's words really made me feel uneasy. What was she getting at? I knew this person who ran-sack my home? That one of my friends came to destroy my bedroom, just out of shire jealousy. That's ludicrous. I refused to believe it. Plus, anyone who knew where I lived was with me tonight anyways… So there were defiantly flaws in Faith's idea.
Faith stood up after realising I wasn't going to give her a response to what she said. She went towards the door and stopped by my side for a second. She squeezed my shoulder and said "Sorry about what happened, but you can believe that me and Gunn will nail this mother fucker," and with that she left the room. I heard her tell Gunn where she was going and soon she was out my flat.
It had been almost 20 minutes after Faith left when Gunn and Willow finally entered in to the living room. I didn't bother looking up; I just kept thinking what needed to be done to get my place back together. I wondered whether to call my dad and tell him what happened. But soon I decided against it, knowing he would insist I come back to US or he would fly here and make an even bigger mess by shouting around and questioning the security guards with their lack of security.
"You ok, Miss Summers?" Gunn said as he sat down.
"Call me Buffy…. Yeah, I'm ok….Or at least I'm getting there."
Gunn nodded in response and went quite for a bit. Willow sat next to me fidgeting in her dress. We still had our dresses on and as we weren't allowed to move anything in the room until the officers were done. So we remained dressed up and very uncomfortable.
"I think, for tonight only, it would be best if you stayed at a relatives or friends house…. I don't think this person will be back but just to be sure." Gunn finally spoke after a long silence.
"I don't have any relatives here." I solemnly replied.
"Oh, but you can stay with me at my dad's house. He wont mind and plus it's the best place to be after tonight." Willow offered kindly.
"Are you sure? He'd be asleep right now, it'll be wrong to wake him up."
"No way! This is the kinda emergency that he would want to be awake for. Let me go and give him a call. Back in a minute." Willow walked out the room and headed to the kitchen.
"Why would you think this person would come back?" I asked after I realised what Gunn had said earlier.
"No, it's not like that." Gunn leaned forward and said "It's just so you're safe. That's all."
"Well if you think its vandals then I doubt they'd come back to finish off the kitchen and the living room." I looked around and saw my beautiful HD, 50" flat screen TV stuck on the wall. I would hate it if the idiots came back to ruin my 'baby' (which I called my TV).
"Still… You don't know what people are capable of these days." I had a feeling Gunn was hiding something. I had to press on the matter further; I didn't care for secrets when my home was in the talks.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing Miss…. Er... Buffy." Gunn stood up and started walking round the room.
"Hold on… Are you thinking it's a personal attack?" I remembered what Faith was saying earlier and for some reason things started to click now.
Gunn stopped walking around the room and turned to face me. "Is there any reason to think that?"
"No. I don't know anyone in this town to even get someone hating me so much for this vandalism... If that is what it really is." I hoped Gunn understood what I was saying, because I started to ramble towards the end.
"Well… It's weird for your average vandalism crime. No one just comes in to trash two bedrooms, not take the obvious valuables and not even spray paint the walls to show their art work. And why go through so much trouble? You're on the eight floor in a secured building. No one else has called us about vandalism in this block of flats and who ever came in, used a spare key… Which you said only you and your father has; And he lives in LA at the moment. From first look, you'd think its vandalism but to be honest it's shaping up to be far from it.
"Maybe it's just a prank played by a friend… Or maybe…" Gunn drifted off and said something I didn't quite understand.
"Or maybe it's… what? Someone was looking for me and looked through every place in my two bedrooms thinking I was hiding in the closet or something." I rambled on, not really thinking what I was saying. I guess I was just putting things together to come up with theories… I just didn't know how right I was.
"Well… That's what I'm thinking." Gunn faced me. I looked up, confused that he agreed to what I said.
"What?"
"It's a crime, but it looks more personal than just someone who happened to walk by the building and tried to loot the place."
Before I could respond Willow had walked in with her phone next to her ear. "Buffy, Xander said he'll pick us up and drop us off to dad's house. He'll be here in 30 minutes, ok?" I nodded in respond and then Willow turned to Gunn and said "Would you guys be done by then? Coz we will need to get some stuff before we leave."
"Yeah, I'm done. Just waiting for Faith. But you can go get your things together. We've got everything we needed."
Willow nodded and started speaking on the phone again and walked out the room leaving Gunn and me alone. I looked up at Gunn for him to continue explaining what he had said earlier but Gunn just barely noticed my glare as he sat back down on the sofa and went through his notes.
"Who would come looking for me?"
"That's what we need to find out. We'll do our best…" Before Gunn could finish his phone started ringing and he went to answer it.
"What you got for me Faith?" Gunn walked out the room leaving me alone. I guess he didn't want to tell me anything until he was sure it was necessary. I didn't realise that I was shivering for the whole time whilst in the living room. I moved over to grab a throw from the sofa side and wrapped it around me.
Willow walked in with her phone held in one hand a glass of water in the other. "Here, thought you might need this." She handed me the glass and I accepted it gratefully. My throat was sore from explaining the events to the officer. I gulped down the whole glass and thanked Willow again.
"Dad is really worried. He doesn't understand how this could happen. He told me to call Xander to let him know too. He should be here in a bit."
"It's good you got hold of Xander… I didn't really wanna hail a taxi at this time."
"Erm… Do you want me to get your things together? Or do you want to do it?" Willow asked in a low voice.
"Can we do this after the officers have left? I'm not in the mood to pack at the moment."
"Yeah, sure." Willow let out a deep breath and went to open the window that looked out to the over ground trains. She popped her head out and took in a few deep breaths.
"The window isn't locked?" All my flat windows had a lock to them; the keys were always with me. I hardly opened the window as it was always cold outside.
Willow turned to face me and with her other hand she closed the window. "Nope, opened quite easily. Why?"
"I always lock the windows. In fact I never open them to have the need to unlock them." I muttered to Willow as I tried to make sense of it all.
"Buffy, even if the window is left open, no one can actually climb up to your floor without causing attention to themselves."
"But it's night; no one would see them climb up."
"The cameras would. They're attached all over the building." That made sense I guess. But then what was the next theory? The intruder got suffocated whilst vandalising my place and thought he'd open the window to breathe easier.
I heard the door open and heard Faith's voice. Gunn and Faith walked in after few minutes. Faith looked around analysing me and Willow.
"Everything ok?" Gunn asked when he saw the confused expression on mine and Willow's face.
"I… er… Willow just opened the window" I pointed towards the back window near the TV wall and continued "And it opened up easily. All the windows in the flat are always locked. I hardly open them as it's always cold. I don't know if that means anything…"
Faith moved to the back window and opened both windows. She looked out and down the back of the window sill. She then took out her camera and took few pictures of the outside rim of the window.
"I think we need forensics down here." Faith said to Gunn over her shoulder. She started bending further out the window as Gunn made his way to her.
"What's going on?" Gunn asked. Faith readjusted herself and turned to Gunn.
"There's blood running down the window sill on the other side. And there's a lot of it." Faith turned to me and said "Did you have any window cleaners come round today?" Gunn had already started making the call to his office to organise some people to come down here to take samples.
"No, they come round on Tuesday mornings." I replied. "This person was bleeding when he left? Coz there is no blood stains inside the house."
"Well it defiantly indicates that they used the window to come in. or leave the property at least." Faith said. She took another look down and went back in.
"I'm going down to see if the person left a trail. Call me back when the team come in." Faith walked out after Gunn nodded his respond. He spoke fast and to the point over the phone.
"What the hell? Blood on the window sill?" Willow whispered to me. She turned her back to the window and looked at me. "I was just there, hoping to get some fresh air and look what was there… its sick! Some people are so sick! I'm glad this person hurt themselves after leaving the property! Idiots!" Willow ranted and I let her. She was just saying everything I was thinking… And it kinda helped her ranting on so I didn't have to.
"Idiot' isn't the word I'm thinking of." Gunn had finished his call and turned his attention on us again. "Once we get the guys in, we could analyse the crime scene more thoroughly."
"What are you looking for?" Willow asked.
"We need to know how the blood got there, determine whose blood it is; we don't really have anything to go on but we do need to exclude out yours and Buffy's. Faith's following a trail, so if we can determine that he/she got in through the windows then we must have some outside footage of the intruder."
"What did Faith find out from the security guard? You didn't say anything when you walked in with her." I said.
"Nothing. They didn't see anyone come into the building that didn't belong here. All visitors had signed in and out. So unless you know the intruder or the intruder is someone occupying the building…"
"Or someone who climbed in through the window?" I added knowing that we all were thinking it.
Gunn looked out the window and down the building. "It'll be hard for them to get in… It's a steep climb and anyone who even thinks of doing it would cause attention to themselves. But it is night time so it maybe…" Gunn drifted of into his own world. I could see he was trying to place all the facts together.
I heard the buzzer sound; the telecom from the corridor was ringing. I went to get it, trying to get away from the bloody window sill which, I know I will never use from now on.
"Hello?" I was leaning against the wall near the kitchen door.
"Miss Summers, you have a visitor. Mr Xander Harris."
"Oh, right… Send him up." And with that I put the head set down.
I waited a few minutes for Xander to come up and finally when he knocked on my door I opened it to let him in.
"Xander, thanks for coming." I couldn't help myself, and I gave him a big hug. He rubbed my back until I let go of him.
"It's ok. I can't believe someone would do this to you. Where's Willow?"
"In the living room with Officer Gunn."
Xander closed the door behind him and started looking around.
"The mess is in the two bedrooms."
"Oh, ok." I walked back to the living room leaving Xander looking at the two rooms from the corridor entrance. After few minutes he followed me back and introduced himself to Gunn. Willow hugged him too, I guess we both needed support. I quickly filled Xander in on what happened with the bloody window sill and he couldn't help himself from looking even though Gunn told him not to.
Finally after half hour Faith came back. She looked exhausted and from her face I could tell she had run around trying to follow a trail… Which till this day she tells me she couldn't find.
"Gunn, there was no trail man." Faith said as she catched her breath.
"Where have you been?" Willow enquired.
"I… er… I had to make sure." Faith replied and then looked at Gunn and raised an eye brow which I didn't miss, and neither did Willow.
"If… if you can leave a copy of the address your staying at and a contact number, then you can head off. We'll finish up here and close up the premises." Gunn said, I knew he wanted to change the subject by I didn't understand why.
"No, I'd rather stay. I don't want a repeat of what happened tonight." I replied.
"You're better of resting. The guys in forensics would want you all out the way and it's likely to go on for a while. You can check everything before you go." Gunn pressed on.
"I'd feel better if I stayed. I don't mind how long it takes. I just want my flat back."
"Buff, he has a point. You need rest. If you want, once I've dropped you and Willow off I could come back here to close up once they've left." Xander said.
I really wanted to stay but my drowsiness got the better of me. I guess Xander was the best person to leave here if I had to go to Giles house. I reluctantly agreed and finally went to get my things together, even though they were splattered everywhere across the floor. Willow helped me put an over night bag together and after a bit we left. When I left the building I looked up at the rising sun. It was cloudy but the sun managed to lighten the town. I looked at my phone and saw that it was past 6am.
Xander went to get his car round from the car park, and reluctantly left me and Willow outside the building waiting for him. I looked back at my building and followed my eyes up to my floor. Who would go through so much trouble? It just didn't make sense.
"Wow, Buffy… Your necklace…" Willow touched the ruby as I looked down. The sunlight had made the ruby sparkle. Spectrums of red rays were flashing through the gem. "It looks so beautiful. I've never seen anything like this before." Willow muttered.
I wanted to examine the necklace so I gave my bag to Willow and took the chain off. As soon as the chain was over my head, I felt like the world's problems had just been taken of my shoulders. I guess I didn't realise how heavy the necklace was. As soon as I motioned for Willow to take my necklace we felt a small shook wave go through the ground.
"What the hell?" I muttered.
"It's just the underground trains... Didn't feel like an earthquake." Willow replied back.
I shrugged it off and handed the necklace to Willow for her to take a better look at it. I don't know if it was the morning light or the fact I was out of the flat, I just felt so energised and refreshed. I breathed in deeply and smiled at the fact that at least I wasn't home when this person made their visit.
"Buffy, I've never seen a ruby sparkle like this." Willow said as she flipped the gem back and forth. Xander pulled up to the gates and waited for us with his engine still running.
I carried my over night bag with me to the car. Willow didn't bother getting her things together; she only got her messenger bag and put her purse in there. Willow had her own room in Giles house, where she kept some of her clothes and a toiletries bag just in case she had to stay over.
I sat in the front seat next to Xander and Willow sat directly behind me. The drive to Giles house would take nearly an hour or so. As it was early morning, we defiantly would be stuck in rush hour.
"So, how you holding up?" Xander said as he came out of my road and started driving down the dual carriageway, he was heading towards A406 which would take us right on to Giles road.
The ride home was mostly quite. Xander kept checking how I was doing and Willow had dozed of in the back seat. We got to Giles house just after 7am. Jenny answered the door and hugged me straight away. Giles wasn't really the hugging type but for today he made the exception and embraced me in a tight hug. I went to the first floor with Willow and without realising how tired we were; once we had changed we fell into a deep sleep.
That morning I had my first dream after months. I dreamt I was climbing up a snowy mountain in the dark with only a torch held for support. It was freezing and I could see that my fingers were bright red and blood was streaking out from them. I wore gloves that were cut off from the top fingers. I was in a rush to get to the top of the mountain. It had started to snow and I found a clearing which I climbed to and wrapped myself up with a blanket from my backpack. I took out a map from my pocket and looked at it. It didn't look like a normal map; it just had a drawing of a cave and its layout. The snow didn't stop falling so I started to climb up the mountain again. And that was the end of my dream. It stayed clear in my head, like a distant memory that I had just remembered. I still remember that dream. Almost like the whole thing had been planted in my head. I could recall the drawing of the map, to what my gloves looked like when I was climbing. I even remembered the snow falling softly as I looked out to the distant.
When I woke up I pushed back the memory of my weird dream and suddenly wished I hadn't as the memories of last night swamped my head. Xander left Willow and me at Giles house and drove back to my flat. I noticed Willow's side of the bed was empty. I looked around for a wall clock and saw one on top of closed fire place. It was three in the afternoon. I had slept throughout the day. I quickly jumped out and went to shower and change.
Downstairs I could hear the kitchen TV on. I followed the noise in and found Willow sitting at the kitchen table with Xander and Giles. They looked up when I walked in and smiled. The kitchen in Giles house is quite big. Half of it covered with kitchen cabinets and stove and the other half left open for the kitchen table and chairs. The back wall to the kitchen was mainly glass which looked out to a well kept garden.
"Hey, did you sleep alright?" Willow asked as she pushed out a chair for me to sit in.
"Yeah, thanks." I sat down and crossed my arms.
"Let me get you breakfast." Willow busied herself in the kitchen as Giles told me that Jenny had left for university business. Willow returned with buttered toast and a glass of orange juice. I was starving and didn't realise it until I started shoving the toast in my mouth and drinking down the orange juice. Xander talked mindlessly to Giles about the club night and Willow filled in the blanks about the band. After I finished, I washed my plate and started properly listening to the conversation which started to die down when the group got hold of my attention.
"So, like I was with the cops till 9am. They said they'll call you when they get some answers or if they find something new." Xander said.
"What about the blood? Don't they need a sample from me to determine if it belongs to me or not? Even though I know it doesn't." I noticed Xander and Giles exchange quick glances.
"Er… It wasn't blood. They had forensics look at it and er… Faith called me an hour ago or something, she said it was a similar substance but the elements were'no of blood. She said the DNA would be untraceable."
"What? But she said with conviction that it was blood." I remembered how sure Faith was with the discovery.
"It looked like blood, but even after we left, and the forensic team came, the liquid didn't dry up. It was really cold last night and yet the substance didn't dry up, it kept its form." Willow replied.
"So what do they know?" I asked feeling more lost than ever.
"Not much. They think it might have been a personal attack but then again, you're new here. You don't really know many people here. So if it is… then they'll find the perpetrator quickly and if its not then they are pretty much gonna leave it at that. If something comes up they'll follow it. But no one's hurt so… it… doesn't go on their priority list." Xander said quietly.
I felt like I was going to throw up. My throat tightened but my stomach wanted the food out. I wished I stuck to my no-breakfast policy today. I didn't know what to say. They were gonna leave it as a non priority? "They can't do that! What if they come back?!" I almost shouted out. Willow started patting me on my back which hardly helped.
"The security in your building has tightened because of what happened. No one will be able to access the building now, without showing enough proof of identity. They've informed all the residents in the building and are asking for witnesses to come forward." Giles said.
"But it's not enough. I always thought the building was safe… And last night proved me wrong. Nothing is too safe now." My eyes fell on a note pad in front of Giles. I couldn't read much on it but it looked like he had taken note of everything that had happened. "What's that?" I didn't reach out for it even though I wanted to as the note pad clearly stated my name.
"It's… er… It's nothing really." Giles quickly closed the note pad and tried to hide it by putting his hands over it. I looked at Willow and Xander before returning my gaze to Giles. Willow shrugged at me and Xander just looked down biting the corner, bottom lip of his.
"What's going on?" I asked again. "Giles, I clearly saw my name written on that note pad. What have you got there?"
"I… I was just taking account of what happened to you last night. Nothing more. I just want a copy of it so if it does happen again… not that it will… but as you said, you could never be too safe here. I just want to have an account of it at home too so we know what to look out for." Even Giles thought the same. This person would strike again.
I didn't understand how the police could find this as a small crime. My whole world was in my house and right now that world was shattered and torn apart due to some idiots' manic behaviour. There was no point arguing with Xander and Giles about this. It wasn't their fault. No matter how much Giles, Willow and Xander denied it I could see it in their eyes. Why would someone make such a mess of my house without taking anything? Something wasn't there for them to take… Or more likely, someone. That dark thought I had in the back of my mind ever since the discovery of my bedroom made its ugly appearance now. Someone came looking for me last night… They trashed my house hoping to find me or a clue that would lead them to me. And now the police weren't seeing this as a priority case. I didn't want to break down in front of anyone so I excused myself out the room as soon as the conversation went back on track with the investigation.
I sat on Willow's double bed which I shared with her last night. I had made the sheets before I went down for my very late breakfast. I tried to think through everything. What could I have done to piss someone off so badly? I thought back to my first week in London… Maybe I wasn't as nice as people expected me to be. But that can't be. I was just nit-picking now. I knew I could never find out why someone did this. I heard a faint knock at the door. Willow asked to come in. She didn't have to knock as it was her room but it was nice that she respected my privacy enough to ask.
"Hey… Dad is just being dad. He loves reading crime novels and watching CSI. He just wants to be in control of this investigation as the police have already put this on a non-priority list."
"I know… I'm not really mad at him. He's looking out for me and it's sweet. I guess I just really hate the fact that the police don't want to take this as a priority case."
"Its probably cause of what happened last night near Xander's club." Willow sat near the head rest of the bed with her legs crossed. I turned to face her and we sat there facing each other.
"What happened?" I asked.
"It's all over the news. I kinda woke up at eleven-ish to answer Oz's call and when I went down stairs Giles and Xander were hovering over the TV. Some girl got raped near the 'Eddies Bakery' alley way. You know the one few blocks away from Hell Mouth."
"Oh god! No." I breathed out the words horrified at what I just heard.
"What's worse is that after she was raped the girl was brutally murdered. Her throat cut of…" Willow pointed her index finger going through her neck to show the action. "It was a gang rape. Brutal." Willow looked down loosing herself in thought.
"Do they know who this girl was?" I finally asked hoping that I didn't know who she was, not that this made it any less worse.
"No, not yet. Just a description of a short, slim, blonde girl wearing a red top and short red skirt. That's all that was said. They're trying to trace her down. Cordelia had to show the officers the CCTV camera footage of the club. Poor Xander had to face Faith and Gunn twice today. He hasn't slept much at all."
"Fuck!" I don't believe this. "When did this happen? Do they have a time when this happened?"
"They found the body at 7am and the police said that the girl must have been dead for about five hours or so. If think they said something like, the crime might have taken place around 1am to 2am."
"Shit, we were there at that time!"
"I know. I don't remember seeing this girl there… But I was kinda busy with Oz."
"I don't remember seeing her either. Do you think those people who did that to her were at the club too?"
"I don't know… Probably."
"Hold on! Oz called you!" I cheered up remembering what Willow had slyly said.
"Yeah..." Willow said sheepishly.
"So...?!" I threw a small pillow at her to get the words out of her, which only made her giggle and blush more. The quick change of subject was unplanned but I guess we both needed our minds distracted.
Willow told me about her plans with Oz which included a trip to the cinema's to watch 'Haunting in Connecticut'. Willow hated scary movies but she accepted as she really liked Oz. Even though they had only met once, Willow had quickly got on with Oz. They both were very carful in moving on too fast. So their dates normally ended with just a good night kiss and on Oz's days off he would pick Willow up in his car and take her for a long drive. I suppose Oz was a talker in front of Willow as in front of me and Xander he will only say a few words and that's all. Oz wasn't shy; he just didn't feel the need to fill in silence with mindless chatter.
After catching up with Willow, I got my stuff together and got a ride with Giles back to my flat. Willow came back with me. We stopped over at the supermarket to get some extra bin bags before heading home. Giles dropped us off and made us promise to call if something comes up or if we need a ride back to his house. Giles had ordered for me and Willow to stay in his house until he was sure the intruder wouldn't return.
Entering my flat felt like I was walking back into my nightmare. Giles dropped me off at the gates and there was a short walk to the building entrance. Willow patted me on my shoulder and smiled for encouragement but it failed to convince me. We slowly walked in together. Instinctively I looked up to the eight floor. It felt strange knowing that less than 24 hours ago someone was rummaging through my things… Looking for god knows what.
We walked into the lobby to see that there were some extra security guards standing around. I guess they were called in after what happened to my flat. I showed them my ID card and Willow had to sign in and show her driving licence. Once everything was settled in the lobby we made our way to the lifts and waited to be taken to the eight floor.
My house felt used, like it was violated. I couldn't rub off this feeling. Once we settled ourselves, Willow started picking everything off the floor that was too destroyed to keep. I started putting my clothes back in my wardrobe. It was an arduous task and required little attention which resulted in a lot of time to talk and think. Willow and I kept talking about her date with Oz and soon when all questions were asked and answered we moved on to other things. We danced around what had happened to my flat. By the time we had tidied up the place it was almost 7pm. I received a call from Xander saying he had sent Cordelia to pick us up. Cordelia was insured to drive Xander's black Toyota Yaris; a car he bought for her but she wasn't ready to accept the present and so he had insured himself on to it so she would at least drive it once in a while.
"So… That's all of it." Willow stood near the wall-window and stared around the room.
"Minus the room next door…" I added. I sat on my bed, which had been now made with new sheets and pillows filled up with the scattered feathers.
"Xander said he'll fix your wardrobe tomorrow. We just need to buy new pillows, blankets and…" Willow looked around frowning.
"New jewellery box, new jewellery as the chains of my necklaces are broken, new locks for my door… That's about it I guess. This lot will put a strain on my finance."
"Tell your dad. I'm sure he'll help out."
"I can't. He'll defiantly help out but he'll do more than just that. He'll get angry and start making it worse for me. He won't let me live it down. I know if he knew he'll get the first flight here and start shouting at the security guards and probably talk me into moving back to Sunnydale." I let out a deep breath and bowed my head down.
"I guess I understand why you're not telling him… But maybe you could ask him for some extra cash for this month. Say you accidently spent too much on Christmas presents and need help for just this month."
I shrugged back in respond. I didn't know how I'll get the cash together. Before today, my life in London was pretty easy, financially speaking. My dad's monthly deposit in my account would let me live through with no difficulties but now, taking out a big amount would be hard. It will defiantly put a strain on my life for the next few months. Maybe its time I get a job. I was looking into when I arrived here but for some reason I got side tracked and didn't bother finding one. I'll see if Xander would hire me, I heard he paid well. If not him then maybe a part time job in a retail store. My head was everywhere right now and on top of it I had to think about finding work!
"Oh… Shit. I forgot." Willow put her hand on her forehead and looked at me.
"What's up?"
"Your necklace. I forgot to give it back to you. It's still in my jacket pocket in dad's house." Willow said.
"Don't worry about it. I don't really need it right now anyways."
"Hey, you know, that necklace has a secret compartment? Do you know what's inside it?" Willow walked over to my bed and sat at the edge of it.
"Huh? It's just a necklace holding a large ruby in place." I said as I started playing with my hair not really interested in my necklace.
"The latch that holds the ruby in place, I turned it around and if you look at the sides, it got hinges. I tried opening it but its sealed shut."
"I never noticed. It's probably nothing." I muttered back still trying to figure out how to talk to Xander about a job.
"How can you not notice? It's such a beautiful necklace. It's probably worth a lot too."
"It dates back to my grandmother. She's British, did you know? My mum doesn't know who gave her the necklace or how she got it but she really cherished it."
"Your gran's from Britain? You never said. What part of Britain is she from?"
"I don't know. She travelled a lot. I never knew her. She passed away before I was born. I'm named after her. My mum called me Buffy for short and it stuck since then. I apparently look a lot like her."
"I'm sorry to hear of her passing. Do you mind if I ask… How did she pass away?"
"Err… After my mother got married my gran decided to go back to Britain and when she was here… I think her house burned down or something. I don't know. But yeah… She passed away here. I never knew her. Just heard stories about her or some she created. My mum use to tell me stories about this heroine who would travel the world destroying evil. It was really cool. My gran made them up and told the stories to my mum when she was little. I always told mum that she should write them down and sell it to an agent… They were really good."
Willow smiled. This was the first time I told her about my family history and I knew she was glad to hear it at last. Even though it was a very boring history.
"Did she ever write them down?" Willow asked and I shook my head in respond.
"My gran travelled a lot so she probably heard those stories from somewhere else and tweaked them up. There was this story… oh… Erm, I don't remember it clearly but it was one of my favourites. The stories she told were always about a girl with superpowers, the same character but different stories, like comics, init. So in this one she's like about to destroy world's-evil but before she finishes the job she looks at one of these so called 'villains' and I think she kinda falls for him. Coz he's like this gorgeous man and she couldn't continue with what she was doing so she runs away with his evil essence…" I tried to remember that story but for some reason only the ending was being played in my head.
"Sounds like a good story, tell me some day when you remember all of it. So, did you ever see pictures of her travels?"
"No, that's kinda weird actually. There are no pictures of her anywhere. Not even at my mother's wedding. She was defiantly there, but there are no pictures or anything. My mum was so distraught when she found out her mum had passed away and then when she tried to find a picture of her she couldn't."
"That's so sad. What happened to the pictures?"
"When mum looked for them she said she just couldn't find them. We never found out what happened to them."
"That's strange. I've never been close to my grandparents… But more out geographical distance from my mothers side and well dad, is really old anyways. His parents passed away before he got married, I think." Willow pursed her lips and I patted her on her back. It was nice that even in a very strange way Willow and I still had common ground.
"My dad use to say my gran was a crack pot. He never believed her stories of travels. She looks like me but what I've heard she's completely different from me. She travels a lot, enjoyed adventure, and was really popular. Like if you meet some of her friends they tell all sorts of stories about her."
"She's sounds cool. Wish I had a grandparent like that." Willow pouted and made me giggle at her respond.
Willow's phone started ringing and she answered it. She spoke briefly and then put her phone down. It was Cordelia on the phone saying she's down stairs waiting for us. I re-checked all the locks with Willow one last time before heading out the door. I didn't bother getting changed. I had grabbed a pair of old jeans and shirt from my apartment before I left with Willow last night and still had them on now.
Cordelia was down stairs in the car re-applying her lippy. I sat in the passenger seat in front with her and Willow sat behind me.
"Hey Cordy." We both said once we were seated.
"Sorry to hear about last night. You ok?" Cordelia could conjure about natural emotions when shit happened. She was sympathetic through out the journey and even made me laugh about Xander's silly behaviour during the club night. Before long we were parking near the club and walking towards Xander and Cordy's house.
The week followed with few calls from Gunn and Faith. They reassured me that they hadn't given up on this case but as there was no clues to follow up on they were more or less just hoping someone would come forward as a witness. I still hadn't told my parents about what had happened and didn't plan to either. Xander helped fix new locks on my door and windows and I even invested in getting a locker built into my wardrobe where I put my passport and jewellery in there. My photos were trashed but I was lucky that I had a copy of them in my laptop. I didn't bother getting them reprinted but did pass the copies over to Giles for safe keeping. I hardly stayed in my apartment alone. Giles and Jenny had me over for a few nights and then Willow stayed with me for the rest of the time. Sharing a house with Willow was quite fun. She stayed in the guest room which had the wardrobe rebuilt. Xander really cut the financial expense for the repairs but I still asked him for a job. I didn't want to risk it. I needed to get independent and I'm sure the work experience would help me in the future. Xander took me on immediately, I don't even know if he needed help or not, and paid me a good above minimum wage salary too. I was to work on Monday and Wednesday nights as the band was now booked in for it. My next semester schedule gave me Tuesday and Thursday mornings off so I was able to work late nights then. I was happy to know I had no late lessons that semester. Willow said she'll be at the club for moral support but I secretly knew she wanted to be there because Oz was there.
Willow's first date with Oz went really. They watched the movie and then Oz broke down the movie for Willow so she would laugh at it rather than be scared of it. He then took her out everyday after that. Most dates were just walks in the park as his band didn't actually earn him good money just yet. She talked about him or to him every moment she had the chance. I loved seeing her so happy and it was a nice change from the Xander talks we use to have. Cordelia loved the new member to our gang and pushed Willow and Oz together more than needed. By the last week of January, what happened in my flat was old news. I had been working in Hell Mouth for a week and really enjoyed it. Xander joked by saying that now I was getting paid to hang around in Hell Mouth. Cordelia helped train me and bought me a black dress for my uniform. Giles and Jenny were really happy that I started working there too. I guess it was better working for Xander than another boss.
I know that getting my flat trashed was a bad thing but it bought out a lot of good things. I was getting close to Willow before but now we were like sisters. I would tell her things without closing up as much as I did before. I even started wondering whether she would move in with me. The next semester would be starting on the 5th of February and Willow was already getting things back to her dorm room. I needed to ask her quickly before she moved back completely.
It was Friday evening and Willow and I were walking to the train station heading towards Hell Mouth. I wore black tight jeans with an off-shoulder black top with sparkles dusted on it. I had my hair curled out and wore diamond earrings and a silver heart necklace. Willow had her straight, and wore an emerald jumper dress with knee high boots. She was making an effort for Oz and she looked amazing!
"And then Xander told Tracey that he had accidently booked an extra load thinking that's what Cordy wanted and I couldn't stop laughing. Cordy is so annoyed about it that Xander is too scared to tell her the truth." Willow burst out laughing and I joined her remembering Cordy's face. I was telling Willow of the funny problems Xander had in the club two nights before.
"Xander is so funny. I can't believe he's scared to tell Cordy. I would love to be there when she finds out!" Willow burst out in laughter again.
"Me too! I told Tracey if it happens when I'm not there that she should record the whole lot and show it to me!" We walked in to the train station laughing. Many people gave us strange looks but we couldn't care less. I had decided to ask Willow tonight about her moving in. I thought through my argument and knew exactly what to say. Once we left the station I thought it was the right time to ask. It was dark out and the train carriage was too packed for me to get a word through to her.
"Hey Will, can I ask you something?" I started walking slowly and Willow did the same as she nodded her head at me.
"Ask away." Willow said smilingly.
"I was thinking that it was fun having you over these past few weeks. And like I own the place and I have this spare room that's always empty… And well… I know your dorm is on Campus but like I was hoping you would... Like…" This was harder than I thought. I had this whole conversation planned out in my head and right now it was sounding so stupid.
"What?" Willow chuckled seeing my lack of tact in this conversation.
"Would you mind moving in permanently? Like make this your home? Be flatmates? Coz I really liked having you over and you're like a sister I never had… And lets me be honest… We're like always together anyways. And it'll be nice to have you round and not go home late at night. It'll be safer and… My house is closer to Giles too!" The words rushed out. I don't even know if they made any sense. We had stopped walking and were standing few yards away from the Hell Mouth entrance.
"What?!" Willow giggled out. "Are you sure? I mean, I really enjoyed my stay and all but would you really want me around all the time?"
"Yes, definitely. I've thought it through and you'll have your own room. We don't have to cough up stupid cab fares for you to get back to your dorm and I know it's a bit of a travel in the morning but in the evening it's only a 10 minutes short train ride to Xander's from my place."
"I don't think I can afford it. You're place must cost a lot to live in." Willow frowned at me.
"No rent required. You just pay for groceries and bills other than that everything else is sorted. My dad owns this place remember? Plus bills and food don't cost much too. It'll cost less than what you pay for rent for your dorm room."
"Giles would be happy if I did… But…"
"I would be happy too…" I tilted my head and smiled hoping Willow would just say yes so we could celebrate.
"Are you sure?" Willow asked me again.
"Yes! Now will you?"
"I'll have to call the university tomorrow to let them know… And there are all the things I've already left there." Finally Willow shows signs of budging.
"Yes!" I smiled and hugged Willow tightly as she giggled back.
"I'm sure we could arrange all of that quickly." I said as we made our way to Hell Mouth. "I'm sure Xander will help with the move and Giles will sort out the trouble with your dorm room's pre paid rent."
"I would love to stay round yours than make my way home every night to that over crowded halls!"
This was going to be a good night, I could just feel it. My biggest barrier of the night had already passed. I didn't know what else to do after I crossed it as I didn't think that far ahead. But I knew all could be sorted once Willow and I put our heads down to it. I saw the security guard look at Willow and me as we walked across to the club's entrance. Willow went in first as I smiled at Tom who was the guard for tonight. I was about to enter the club but something made me stop. I looked back and I could see few people standing around waiting to be let into the club. I looked out to the opposite end of the road where the road leads to the train station. There were people coming towards the club but there was something else there in the shadows.
I was trying to look past them but I couldn't see anything or anyone, just a puff of smoke coming out. I had a strange feeling storm over me. It felt like I was being watched from the corner where the smoke clouds were rising however the darkness didn't help much and all I could make out was that someone was smoking against the back wall. Hell Mouth was located in a dead end street, which meant it leads only to the train station and any vehicles would have to turn around if they wanted to go further. The alley allowing people to go from the station to the street was well lit but when the alley way ended, there was always a dark patch of unlit ground. Many people used that place to 'deal' as it was well hidden and so this was the place where this person of sorts hid. I was blocking the entrance into Hell Mouth for the customers but I didn't care. I couldn't shake of this strange feeling.
"Is everything ok?" Tom asked. He caught me off guard with his loud, deep voice and for a moment I turned to look at him to realise who was talking to me.
"Er…" I looked back once more to the dark black wall but saw nothing but darkness, no puff of smoke any where to be seen. Soon the eerie feeling was disappearing too.
"Nope, it's nothing." I turned back and walked into the club pushing back the memory of what happened.
Willow was in our usual place near the bar end with Oz and Xander. I saw Cordy chatting to Tracey behind the bar as they served customers. The club was packed out hence the queue forming outside. I smiled deeply as the security of Xander's club filled into me. This was strangely like my second home as I was here more than anywhere else now days. I made my way to Willow and walked only a few steps before being pulled back by someone who had a strong grip around my elbow. I turned to see who it was and dreaded it the moment I recognised the face.
"Buffy, we meet again." Riley Finn stood hovering over me and he spoke almost too complacently. I don't know what intimidates me about him but here he was again sending shivers down my spine. He let go of my arm but I noticed the relief I felt as the sudden rush of blood went through my veins. His grip was tight whether it was intentional or unintentional and I hated it.
"Hi Finn." I said curtly whilst backing away ensuring a good distanced between us.
"Here alone I hope." I wasn't sure if that was a question or not but I replied regardless.
"Here with friends," I turned around to motion my friends to him.
"Oh, you know Oz?"
"Yeah, we met him last week. He's kinda seeing my friend Willow."
"Oh, the red head? Alright." Riley cheerfully said before walking towards Willow and Oz without an invitation from me. I looked around for someone else to talk to but all I could see were strangers. Cordelia was busy serving customers with Tracey and Angela, the other part time bar maid Xander hired. Xander was serving drinks whilst trying to maintain a conversation with Willow, Oz, and the new person who now joined the group; Riley.
I didn't want him to spoil my mood so I decided to join the group anyway. I promised myself to stay next to Willow at all times and when the time was right to remind Willow who Riley is. I shrugged off the bad thoughts and walked towards my friends and Riley.
"Hey, where did you go?" Willow motioned me to take the stool next to hers. I sat down and smiled at Oz who nodded his welcome to me.
"Got chatting to Tom outside." I replied as I tried to get Xander's attention. But I needn't bother as once Xander finished the order of drinks he made me my favourite drink and passed it over to me. Oz was sitting next to Willow on the other side and Riley stood behind me chatting to Oz.
"You ok Buff?" Willow asked as the boys indulge themselves over talks of the new gigs Oz's band had lined up.
"Yeah, I'm alright. So have you told Xander?"
"Nah, I thought when it gets quite we'll both tell them together. That way we could get some ideas together on the move and stuff."
"Good thinking." I loved how natural it seemed to have Willow moving in. It felt almost like my sister moving in with me and I was actually looking forward to getting her room set up, even though we had a week left before lectures started, I thought we could do it in time.
"Hey Buff," Xander finally settled down with the drink orders and stood behind the counter drinking coke.
"Need help tonight?"
"Nah, we're alright. Just got too many orders but Cordy's on top of it. So where were you? Didn't see you walking in with Willow."
"She was chatting to Tom." Willow answered for me.
"Who's Tom?" Riley asked. I couldn't miss the irritation in his voice and Willow caught that too which made her look at me. I shook my head to Willow, indicating I'll tell her later.
"Security guard." Xander replied.
"Oh, right." Riley muttered.
"So, anyways…" Riley resumed his conversation with Oz who didn't mind the small disruption.
"Have you heard from Faith or Gunn?" Xander asked.
"Nope, just the last call I told you about. You?"
"Yeah. They were round here with pictures of the girl hoping Cordy or I would recognise her." Xander said.
"And did you?" Willow asked.
"Nope. I don't remember her at all. It was really busy that night; I would hardly remember anyone who wasn't a close friend."
"Do they know who did it?" I asked. I noticed that Riley and Oz had stopped talking.
"Who did what?" Riley asked.
"Er… You know the girl who got gang raped and murdered near the bakery alley way." I replied keeping my eyes on my drink. I felt Riley tense up. Everyone found it repulsive and I guess this showed Riley's human nature.
"Yeah, so do they know who did it?" Riley asked solemnly.
"Just clues. They didn't want to tell me everything but I gathered that it was someone in this club with her, but not her friend. She was here with other friends who left without her. She goes to the university near by and was generally a good student, no track record of anything bad. Parents are really messed up about it. Dad's a high powered lawyer and is getting private detectives on the case."
"Poor dad. I can't imagine what her parents are going through." I muttered. God forbid if that was me, I know my dad would be doing the same thing.
"Someone in this club? Who could it be? That's just so creepy." Willow frowned and I notice Oz take her hand to comfort her.
"The CCTV vids show her leaving alone. But the direction she was heading was defiantly not her normal way home." Xander added.
"Fuckers! Absolute fuckers!" I said aloud.
"They deserve a 100 times more horrible death than the girl got." Willow added.
"I hope they nail the bastards who did this to her." Oz added.
"Wish the death penalty was still around." Xander added and everyone agreed before backing down their drinks.
The conversation was getting serious and soon everyone went quite. Xander got out second rounds and Riley went over to chat to his mates from university. Once he was gone I reminded Willow who Riley was and she promised to stay with me whilst he was here.
Xander and Oz got into a deep discussion about the club's future plans which was actually interesting now that I worked for the club. Willow listened as she wanted to know the bands schedule.
"We still need to get another band in. Only to give a variety to the customers." Xander added.
"I agree, but I don't do solos just yet." Oz joked.
"Ha! Imagine me hiring you for just a guitar solo…" Xander laughed heartedly but was cut short by Willow's glare. "Not that you're no good, just that I'm sure people would want more… You know… Right?" Xander rambling made me laugh.
"You should get a girl band in next. It would be a good mix." Willow added.
"I think I may know one but… I don't know if they're in London. Last I heard they were up north doing gigs." Oz said.
"Girl group… Hmm. Sounds good. I like it, I like it very much! I'll call round some agents to see if anyone's interested." Xander said. I could see Xander's mind working out all the possibilities with this new venture and I was impressed at how well he was managing it all. Xander learned his business management skills from his father who always talked about his business to Xander over dinner. Even though Xander was very young, those wise words spoken by his father was always remembered when he made business decisions. Giles was a great help too. All of Xander's father's business files were passed over to Xander and Giles looked through them to help out with the settlements and used them when seeking advice for Xander's club.
"We could hold auditions for the bands and see who's the best to play here." I added.
"Wow, that's a really good idea. I mean, that way we can choose the best and if there are few groups we like we could book them in advance. Good thinking Batman!" Xander replied. His last words bought the group in hysterics and even Oz joined in to laugh.
When we calmed down we resumed talking about booking new groups and agents. Oz and Xander kept putting together ideas with Willow's help. I felt my phone vibrate and saw it was a call from the US but I didn't recognise the number.
"Hello…" I answered the phone as I put my index finger against my free ear to help me hear better.
"Buffy?" It sounded like my mother but I wasn't sure.
"Er…. Hold on. Don't put the phone down!" I ran out the club holding my purse and phone. Willow tried to follow but I told her it was my mum on the phone and she left me to it. It must be three in the afternoon in Sunnydale but why was mum calling from an unknown number. I had her work number and home number stored, plus all her mobile numbers. Something must have happened.
Tom let me through the exit and I walked quickly past the line of people outside plus the few standing in groups around the club smoking. I kept on walking past them, going towards the opposite direction of the station.
"Hello, mum?"
"Buffy, thank god! I was so worried."
"Mum, what happened?" Shit, shit, shit! Some either happened to her or she found out about the break in. Shit!
"I was at work and er… I got this call from someone… They didn't leave a name but they were asking about you. They said something about 'you not being in the right place in the right time'… Are you ok? Did you do something? Did something happen?"
"No, mum, nothing has happened. I'm fine. Chill. Who called you? What did they say exactly?" I mindlessly walked forward leaving the club far behind.
"I was at my desk when the call came in. It was a man's voice with a strong British accent. He first asked about me, and how I was related to you. And about my parents. Then he asked about you and wanted to know why I sent you to London. He kept talking in riddles and I didn't understand half the things he said. I didn't answer any of his questions until he started saying that you did something and you'll regret it soon. Does this mean anything to you?"
"No, not at all. I've not done anything. I don't even know who would call you saying all that. None of my friends have you're number. So it can't be a prank."
"It didn't seem like one."
"Mum, where are you calling me from?" I heard her take a sharp breath in and after a few moments of silence she spoke.
"This is crazy. I don't even believe it all myself. But… er… Oh Buff. I don't want to worry you."
"Not telling me is worrying me." I added fearing what was coming next.
"I think I'm being followed. It kind of started a week and a half ago and Oh… I don't know."
"What makes you think you're being followed?"
"Well, someone stands outside my office everyday, I can't see their face but when I go out to look for them, they're gone. I've been getting my mail late. Almost like someone gets hold of them before I do and… I think my phone's tapped."
"What?!" I chuckled out trying to place everything my mum was saying.
"I'm sure about that one. I was on the phone to few of my friends and once, when my friend, Jess, hung up the phone I heard someone breathe down the phone. I asked who is was and I heard a slight chuckle. I was freaked out!"
"So you should be! Did you call the police?"
"Police? Oh, you mean cops… Ha, and I thought you meant the band. Anyways…" I smiled at my mothers attempt to make me laugh. "No. I don't really have evidence of anything. They'll think I'm just making it all up."
"Have you told dad?"
"Err... Buff…"
"No, I know, you're not talking to him but I think you should tell someone at least. You can't live like that, thinking you're being followed!" I knew exactly how my mum felt as for the last few days I had the same feeling, but I put that down to the robbery.
"I told Jess and if anything happens I will call the cops. But I won't tell your dad."
"That's fine but…"
"Hold on." Mum cut me off and I heard her talk to someone. "Listen honey, I have to go, being called back to the office. Don't call me; I'll call you when I'm free. And keep safe… ok?"
"You too mum. Love you."
"Love you too." And the line got cut off. I looked at my phone like it was a portal to another world, my old world where my mum resumed her life in. Who had called to check up on me? Who was standing outside my mum's office? And was her phone really tapped? My own problems no longer seemed important. I felt helpless not knowing how to help from such a distance. A single tear escaped my eye. I felt it floating on my eye lid for a bit until it finally gave in and fell on my cheek. Damn! What the hell was happening?
"You know, you shouldn't be out here alone." A strong, voice from behind me came, faint with an Irish accent. I froze on the spot. All my energy went into figuring out who the voice belonged to but my mind went blank. I looked around to where I was. I had passed the bakery alley few yards back and Hell Mouth stood far behind me. Up front showed the lights to the main street, if I wanted to, I could run to the main street and scream for help. I stood near a dimly lit area and could just make out the closed shop next to me. I could just imagine what tomorrow's headlines would say; 'Girl found dead, only weeks after the gang rape and murder!' The hairs on the back of my neck prickled up. I felt this man's presence surround me. It was the same feeling I got before entering the club. It was strong, almost magnetic.
"Who are you?" I didn't turn around to ask, but I knew this man understood the question was directed to him. I heard him chuckle which sent shivers up my spine.
"What do you want?" I tried my best to keep my voice steady but the last word stumbled out of me.
I heard him take a step towards me. He slowly walked around me. I didn't look up to see him; my eyes were fixated on the floor. I quickly adjusted myself to make a quick break but this man was in front of me before I could do anything.
"Nothing for now." His voice was silky smooth but his accent made it even more irritable. I guess he used his voice to lure women into false security.
He took a step towards me and I reacted defensively. I stepped back and moved my hands up to his chest. I finally got a look at this man. He was masculine, dressed in a black suit. Taller than me, he stood over shadowing me but not looking down at me. He kept his distance to me so I could get a good look at him. He dressed smart which made me wonder what he was after. He defiantly didn't look like a student, but then why was he out here at this time?
I couldn't help looking at his chest and then his arms. He's much bigger than me, I felt like a mice in front of a lion. I had no chance now! I slowly looked up to see this man's face but all I could see was his dark eyes. I was mesmerised. He was stunning. The dim light didn't do justice to his face. He showed me half a smile, enjoying my astonishment. He had a strong jaw line and dark hair. He stood over six feet tall, the street light from behind him made him look almost surreal. My heart felt like it was going to beat out my chest.
"Who… who are you?" I asked again.
"An onlooker…" He replied keeping the half smile on his face.
"Were you listening to my conversation?" I was repulsed at this man's actions, no matter how good looking and irritable he seemed, he had no right to eavesdrop.
He didn't reply he just smiled and leaned in. I thought for a second that he was leaning in for a kiss and for some reason I wanted him to. I wanted to know how it felt to kiss this man, to have him hold me, to be able to touch his cheeks, lips, neck. Slowly he lifted his hand over my face and with his index finger he wiped off the tear that made its home on my cheek.
His touch sent an electric shock through my body. I closed my eyes to his touch and felt my body heat up with his closeness. When I opened my eyes he had taken a step back and his hands were by his sides again, but the half smile turned to a full blown smug grin.
"You shouldn't be out here alone. There are dangerous people out here." The man said.
"Who are you? Are you someone I should be afraid of?"
"I'm a friend… And for the moment you have no danger from me…" He replied easily without hesitation.
"Yeah, well, maybe I don't want a friend."
"I didn't say I was yours." He turned to leave but I had to ask…
"What's your name?"
He had his back to mine and stopped in his path.
"Angel."
"Nice name!" But it was no use saying it; he was down the main street before I could say anything.
So sorry for the late update. It took me forever to write this. Please R&R!
Next chapter will have more Angel, I promise!!!
Thanks for all your support!