A/N: Okay, so lots of stuff happened last chapter! Riley and Buffy broke up (YAY!), Angel totally kicked Riley's ass without the actual ass kicking, and well...that's really all that happened wasn't it? BUT...this chapter answers the question you've all been waiting for...ready...Who the HELL is Andronikos and what happened in France? Well...we are about to find out! Something tells me you'll like it...

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. If I did...Angel would have punched Xander more, had more lines, and would have NEVER left. I also think that penquins have the distinct possbility of ruling the world, and that aliens exist. I also want to get a dog and name her Kitty; I have a locket without a picture in it; I am terrified of hand puppets...still think I own Buffy?

Buffy ran a comb through her hair with a small smile on her face. Clean hair was such an underappreciated gift. Angel leaned against the doorframe with his arms folded across his chest wearing an amused smile, a typical Angel stance. Buffy's heart fluttered at the sight. It had only been a few weeks since Angel had showed up to apologize, and he hadn't stayed long. He'd been there and then he'd gone. He'd offered to help with Adam, but she'd turned him down. She still stood by that decision. Angel was needed in L.A. They were both following their own paths, but Buffy couldn't help the longing she felt. They were strongest together.

Yet, they couldn't be together. Well, not in the literal sense. But would it be worth it just to simply be together? They could both help each other with their callings. But could they both resist the temptation? Even now, Buffy wanted nothing more than to jump into his arms and kiss him senseless. But that would inevitably lead to other things…and that could not happen. But would it be worth it? Just to be together in some way? Yes. It would be worth it. If only they could be sure that they wouldn't get caught up in the passion. Buffy snorted as she remembered her saying that she and Angel were not slaves to passion…how wrong she'd been.

"What?" Angel asked grinning.

Buffy shook her head, "I'll tell you later. We better get down there before they come up here with stakes and holy water."

Angel sighed, knowing she was right. But the truth was that he was enjoying having her all to himself, away from the distrustful and accusing glares. Sooner or later though, they would have to face them. Angel had feeling he knew how this was going to turn out. Buffy would want to get back together. Not immediately of course, but it would be on her mind. This both thrilled and terrified him. He remembered the last time they'd had the opportunity to get back together, the day that never happened. They'd decided to take it slow…and they succeeded…for about five minutes. He wanted nothing more than to be with her again…but the truth was that he didn't know if he had the restraint.

She was so beautiful, and he could remember every single second of every time they were together. He could remember the feel of her warm, flush skin on his. He could remember her soft lips. He could remember everything in vivid detail. Even now, he was tempted. She was wearing his shirt, her tan, toned legs on display. Her wet hair that clung to her neck…

Could he deal with that? Could he control himself? They were slaves to passion and they both knew it. And they knew what it was like when they made love. It was like nothing Angel had ever experienced. It was literally making love and then basking in it. The first time, on her birthday, he'd been as gentle as he could, taking his time. He'd wanted to cherish her, and he had. What he hadn't expected was for her to do the same. It was no wonder he'd lost his soul that night. It had been perfect. But then there was the other time, the time that only he remembered...it had been all consuming passion. After all, they'd broken his kitchen table…

Angel was jarred from his thoughts when Buffy wrapped her arms around him. It took only a second before his arms immediately encircled her and held her close. "Thank you," she whispered looking up at him.

"You're welcome," Angel replied with a smile.

They stared into each other's eyes and it was like neither of them could fight the magnetic force that pulled them together. One of Angel's hands stayed at her waist, but the other moved to cradle her face. Buffy stood on her tip toes and then their lips met.

The kiss was hesitant at first, but after a few seconds it was heavy and passionate. Buffy pulled away to breathe and Angel picked her up and set her on the counter so he wouldn't have to bend. From this position, Buffy was able to put her arms around his neck without too much protest from her cracked ribs, and she let her hands run through his hair.

They continued to kiss until Angel broke away to allow her to breathe again, but his lips never left her skin. He kissed her jaw line and then down the side of her neck. However when he was about to reach the gauze that covered the fresh bite mark, he immediately stilled and took a step away.

"Whoa," Buffy murmured breathlessly. "I'd forgotten…"

"Yeah," Angel agreed. "Me too."

Buffy looked down awkwardly. Inwardly, she cursed herself. What the hell did she think she was doing? She'd broken up with Riley, what? All of twenty minutes ago, and she already couldn't control herself around Angel! What did he think? For all he knew, she was still with Riley! A part of her mind wondered if he'd heard hers and Riley's conversation. It was definitely possible. After all, his hearing was just as good or better than hers. He could have been anywhere in the manison and probably heard bits of hers and Riley's fight. Buffy groaned internally, and cursed again. This was her life. Never simple. Always complicated.

But this wasn't the time to think about her relationship status. She had major things to discuss. Botht with the gang and with Angel. Buffy grabbed Angel's shoulders and let him help her down from her perch on the counter top. "Now we really need to get down there," Buffy said with a slight smile, trying to hide her inner turmoil.

Angel nodded, "Probably a good idea."

They both made their way down the stairs and as soon as they were in sight, every pair of eyes in the room was on them. Both Angel and Buffy were mildly surprised that Riley was still there, but they paid it no mind. There were more important things to worry about.

"Buffy!" Willow smiled before hurrying to her friend, but she stopped uncertainly. "Uh, is it safe to hug you?"

Buffy laughed, "Definitely!"

"Oh, good," Willow smiled before gently hugging her best friend.

"Thanks Will," Buffy smiled.

"Bout time you two came down," Spike said lightly. "The boys here were getting worried."

Angel growled sharply, "Spike, you can either stay and shut up, or leave. One or the other."

Judging by Spike's lack of an answer, he'd chosen the former.

"Well," Giles said in his usual proper tone. "I'm sure we are all glad that Buffy is alright, but I think we need to know what happened."

Buffy's smile fell and Giles added gently, "If you can. It's alright if you find it difficult…"

"No," Buffy sighed. "No, I can do it," she assured them as took a seat on the big couch.

Angel remained standing by the fireplace, his hands in his pockets. He wouldn't be able to take this story sitting down. He knew this story would make him want to destroy something…

Buffy sighed before she stole all her courage and began, "I was out on patrol like normal. Dusted a few vamps, nothing big…barely broke a sweat. I remember dusting a vamp named Tom, and then I went over to the next cemetery. I wasn't there five minutes before this really creepy fog rolled in. I'm talking cheesy horror movie fog that just appears out of nowhere. Then I got the sense that someone was behind me and there he was." Buffy swallowed and glanced at Angel who gave her an encouraging look before continuing, "We had a little chat. I don't remember exactly what was said, but I think he said something about consequences for messing with him...then we fought."

"Yes," Giles agreed. "Angel sort of told us what happened during the fight."

Buffy nodded, not surprised in the slightest. After all, it had been Angel who had taught her how to visualize a fight by the clues left at the scene. It came in handy when you were tracking vampires.

"Did you really stab him with a crocheting needle?" Oz asked curiously.

Buffy grinned, "Yep."

"Sweet," Oz nodded in approval.

"Then I think he threw me into a tree," Buffy winced as she thought about it. Then she got a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. It was that annoying feeling someone always got when they were trying to remember something. She knew there was something more. "He said something to me," Buffy frowned, a foggy memory entering her mind. "What did he say?" she muttered to herself.

"It doesn't matter Buff," Xander shrugged.

Buffy shook her head, "No. It does matter," she argued and her brow furrowed in concentration. He'd had her pinned against the tree. She'd been struggling…fangs…inching closer to her throat. Then it all clicked. "This is going to be fun," she whispered to herself before looking wide eyed at Angel, her hand flying to her neck at the same time.

She ripped the gauze off and felt the bite. Horror. "No," Buffy whispered, tears beginning to spill. "No, no, no," she repeated, horrified. What had she done? How could she have let this happen? She felt like she'd been violated. It was so wrong. That mark was Angel's. It was his spot. It was like she'd always had a little part of him with her. And now that was gone…marred by another.

"Buffy," Angel said quietly coming over to kneel in front of her. "It's okay," he whispered, but Buffy shook her head.

"No it's not Angel," she cried. "I'm sorry," she said miserably. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have. I should have fought harder. I should have done something. I should have—I should have—I—I…" Buffy stuttered desperately, all of the emotion she'd pinned down bursting forth uncontrollably. "I'm so sorry Angel, I tried—I tried…"

"Ssh," Angel consoled gently, though his heart was breaking. "It's okay, It's okay," he whispered over and over.

Disregarding the fact that everyone else was in the room, including Riley and Xander, Angel moved to sit beside her, and pulled her into his arms. Buffy clung to him like her life depended on it, repeating that she was sorry over and over and over. Angel repeated "It's okay" like a mantra in between occasional kisses to her hair.

"It's not okay Angel," Buffy sniffed. "That was your mark. Yours."

"I know," Angel said gently. "I know."

"Wait a second," Xander interrupted. "Lets hold our horses here; what the hell are they talking about?"

"She's marked as belonging to Angel," Anya answered bluntly. "No other vampire is allowed to bite her."

"What?" Riley and Xander exclaimed at the same time, looking at Giles.

Giles sighed, "Anya is right."

In truth, Giles could have gone without explaining this to the group. He had noticed the scar after Angel had left, and it hadn't taken him long to figure out what had happened when after a few weeks the scar hadn't faded. Giles had ignored it, ignored its meaning, refused to acknowledge the mark. He hadn't even been sure if Buffy knew the significance. However, it was obvious that on some level she did, otherwise her reaction to this vampire biting her would not have been this strong.

"So Dead Boy here marked her as his property?" Xander asked angrily.

"Not exactly, no," Giles replied glancing at Angel who had tensed at Xander's implication. He met Angel's eye and the vampire subtly nodded, giving him permission to explain. "In the vampire world, a marked human shows that that particular human belongs to a certain vampire. Only that vampire may feed from him or her. However, in some cases, like Angel and Buffy's…the mark never fades. When that happens, it means that the vampire has chosen that human to be his mate."

"What?" Xander exclaimed angrily. "Of all the—."

"Shut up Xander," Buffy said quietly, yet everyone heard her.

"But Buff—."

"I said shut up Xander," Buffy repeated. "I think we all know what you think about Angel and I really don't care what you have to say about him. Don't be arrogant enough to think that you can tell me what's best for me."

Xander stared at Buffy for a long moment before finally breaking eye contact and leaning back into his chair. Buffy was just emotionally overwhelmed. Yeah, that was it. She didn't know what she was saying. At least that's what Xander told himself. In truth, he saw what Angel and Buffy had. They were head over heels in love with each other and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He knew that somehow, they would always find a way to be together. Even it meant risking the end of the world if Angel got too happy. Xander hated it, but he couldn't deny that Buffy deserved what her heart wanted…and if that was Angel, then so be it. He still didn't have to like it though.

"What happened next?" Angel asked gently.

Buffy took a deep breath, but remained where she was in Angel's arms. "I must have blacked out because when I woke up I was chained to the wall. After a while he came in and began to taunt me. He kept asking me about you. Where you were. Why you weren't with me. What you saw in me. He was apparently impressed with how strong I am. He kept talking about the consequences. He said that it was all your fault. And well…you guys can guess what happened the rest of the time."

It was silent for a moment before all eyes turned to Angel, who regretfully slipped out from Buffy's hold to stand in front of the fireplace once again. "Andronikos is right. This is my fault."

"What happened Angel?" Buffy asked gently.

"I killed his mate Maria a few nights ago," Angel admitted with a sigh.

"Oh dear," Giles murmured.

"Way to go Peaches," Spike called from his place on the opposite wall. "Never liked that bitch."

Angel ignored his grandchild and continued, "I never thought he'd go after you Buffy, I swear."

"I know," Buffy smiled, not an ounce of resentment in her eyes. She still didn't blame him. Amazing. Did she realize how amazing she was?

"After we had rescued Buffy, when you two were fighting," Giles began. "He said some things...you two have a history?"

Angel scowled, "He and Angelus have a history, yes…and a bloody one at that."

"I ascertained as much," Giles said as he removed his glasses to clean them with his sweater. "However, the fact that I have never heard of this vampire concerns me more."

"Ah," Angel sighed and a faint smile tugged at his lips. "That's a long, gruesome story."

"Yet it needs to be told," Giles replied easily and Angel nodded.

"Andronikos is a little more than a hundred years older than I am," Angel began, ignoring the gasps and shocked looks. "I'm really not that old for a vampire," Angel said sounding slightly annoyed, making a faint smile tug at Buffy's lips. "Anyway, before there was Angelus, The Scourge of Europe, there was Andronikos. He went from village to village, killing everyone he met. Blood followed him everywhere. Everyone feared him, vampires and other demons alike. Then Angelus came along and ruined it for him."

"I thought you said that Andronikos was worse than you," Riley interrupted.

"In a way he was," Angel admitted. "In body count, he had me beaten three times over, if you want to do the math...and I wouldn't sugget it. But the fact was that everyone feared me more than him. Angelus wasn't like Andronikos. He was slow and methodical. It was all a huge chess game. Angelus would torture their mind, he'd play with them, make sure that they had nightmares every night…then he'd kill them…or worse…" Angel broke off, swimming in a sea of memories.

"Angel," Buffy called gently, snapping him out of his thoughts. He looked at her for a moment before continuing.

"When it came down to it, Angelus was the most feared and respected. He'd taken the title that Andronikos had held for fifty years. It was also known that I had no respect for authority whatsoever, and that I did whatever the hell I wanted. I never did anything I didn't want to do, even when Darla ordered me to," Angel suddenly smiled. "I didn't even do what her sire told me to do. Anyway, that combined with everything else I had done earned me the unofficial title of "world's most feared vampire." That really didn't sit too well with Andronikos, so one day in London he cornered me."

"What happened?" Buffy asked curiously and Angel grinned.

"I had a stake to his heart in five minutes," Angel answered. "But I didn't kill him…there was too much fun to be had."

"Wait," Willow interrupted. "If Andronikos was a hundred years older than you, how were you able to beat him?"

Angel frowned, "Technically, I shouldn't be able too. Because he is older, he's stronger and faster, but I'm the better fighter, and I'm stronger than most vampires anyway."

"Why?" Willow asked confused.

"I'm a Warrior vampire Willow," Angel explained. "After all, Darla turned me in the first place because I was a strong fighter. She was looking for Warrior vampires in the making for the Master. Of course, that kind of backfired when I wouldn't do the Master's bidding. I'm lucky he found it amusing and didn't just kill me."

"Oh, well, that's good I guess," Willow said somewhat nervously and Angel smiled reassuringly.

"So why didn't you kill him?" Xander asked an eyebrow raised in question.

"There was too much fun to be had," Angel replied. "Angelus thought it was funny, so this rivalry spawned between them. Who could massacre an entire village the quickest? Who could drive someone insane first? Stuff like that," Angel sighed. "Every time Angelus won and every time they would fight, and Angelus would win."

"But he never killed him?" Giles asked and Angel shook his head.

"It continued on like that until I regained my soul," Angel admitted quietly. "Once word reached Andronikos that I was ensouled, he came looking for me. I managed to avoid him most of the time, but not all the time. Three times I ran into him: once in Italy, once in Singapore, and the last time in France. Each time we fought, and each time I barely made it out of there alive."

"But you'd always beaten him before," Buffy argued confused but Angel shook his head.

"No," Angel replied. "No, Angelus had always won…not me. I haven't seen Andronikos since France."

"What happened in France?" Oz asked his expression showing mild curiosity.

Angel smirked, "I threw him off the Eiffel Tower…"

"Seriously?" Oz asked actually smiling.

"Seriously," Angel answered.

"Cool," Oz nodded in appreciation.

"Why were you fighting at the top of the Eiffel Tower?" Buffy asked, somewhat confused at the pride that swelled within her knowing that Angel had thrown someone off the Eiffel Tower.

"It's quiet up there," Angel explained. "Good place to think."

"Oh," Buffy said thoughtfully. "Makes sense."

"That was the last I saw of him until today," Angel sighed. "I ran into Maria a few nights ago and killed her. I figured Andronikos was nearby, so I was just waiting for him."

"Well, now we know the history between the two of you, but that still doesn't explain how I know nothing about this vampire," Giles said frustrated and Angel chuckled, causing everyone in the room except Buffy to look surprised at the sound.

"Hang on a minute," Angel said with a small smile before turning and bounding up the stairs. In a minute he was back, however he was holding a burlap sack in his hand. Wordlessly, he dumped the contents out onto the coffee table.

"Are those—," Buffy began curiously.

"Books from the Watcher Headquarters in London?" Angel supplied. "Yeah."

"You stole them?" Giles asked.

"Borrowed," Angel said with a sly smile. "Borrowed without permission," he added. It might have been Angelus that had actually done the deed, but any vampire would be proud of sneaking into the Watcher's Headquarters. "It was one of the rare times we actually worked together," he expained. "We both thought it would be brilliant if no one ever knew about us."

"How did you know of Watchers in the first place?" Giles asked.

"I've killed three Slayers in my time Giles," Angel admitted quietly. "Their Watchers were always nearby…Angelus got curious and caught one."

"Why do you have the books on Andronikos?" Willow asked as she came forward to pick up a four inch thick volume. "And wouldn't there still be books about him anyway? Just beginning after the year you stole these?"

"Well, to answer your first question," Angel said slowly. "Andronikos decided that it would be a good idea to torch the place, so he gave me the books while he went back to light up the place. I might have locked the door behind him and took off."

"You locked him in a burning building?" Xander asked and Angel nodded.

"Not the worst thing I could have done," Angel shrugged. "Besides, he just kicked down the door and ran like hell." Angel grinned remembering the big bad vampire screaming like a girl. That had made Angelus' day. "To answer your second question. After snatching the books, Andronikos sort of kept out of sight. I don't know how he managed it. I think he found Maria shortly after and went to South America or something."

"So what do we do?" Willow asked glancing around at the others.

No one had an answer.

Ah! Isn't it nice to get everything out in the open? We all know what happened in France, at least! Angel threw him off the Eiffel Tower...typical epically awesome Angel thing to do. Why was he up there in the first place? To think...another typical Angel thing to do! I thought it was funny, at least! Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. I liked coming up with the history, and the whole breaking in the Watcher's HQ. I thought it was a very Angelus thing to do. Also, I really don't have a clue why Angel was turned, so I made up that bit about Darla turning him b/c the Master was looking for Warrior Vamps. I've read a few fics that said Angel was one, so I went with it. Hope you guys don't mind. Besides, Angel's a total warrior anyway!...and a really good lookin' one at that!

So, that was fun...stay tuned for what happens next!...did I really just type that?...

Reviews make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside,

ArthursCamelot