Thanks for the reviews! SMGbest; this chapter should explain things a bit.


Buffy changed into her workout clothes, she hadn't saw Angel since she left his house four days ago, although she was feeling anxious she couldn't wait to be with him again.

Her phone beeped to let her know a text had arrived; it was Angel. The text was short, letting her know that he was cancelling their session. Again. She sat down on the edge of her bed, her throat becoming dry. When she left him he was caring and attentive, since then he had been avoiding her.

He had expressed that he wanted to see her again, so what had happened?! Feeling insecure, the only thing she could think of was he'd had sex with her and that was all he wanted. Nothing more.

Buffy brushed away a stray tear harshly; she didn't want to think that she'd been played. Pulling off her gym clothes and putting them back into her closet, she changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top. With her training session cancelled, she had no other plans.

It didn't take long for her thoughts to gnaw deep down; she needed to know why he was avoiding her, surely he had feelings for her too.

Buffy put on her sneakers, having the determination she had, there wasn't a chance she'd let this slide. If she wanted something she would get it.

The journey was quick and easy, no point in delaying the inevitable. Taking a deep breath, Buffy knocked loudly on his front door. A second later she knocked again in frustration. A few moments later the door opened, Angel stood before her in just gym shorts.

She couldn't help but admire his physique; her happiness was short lived as she looked at his face.

"What you doing here?" The hostility in his tone was not what she was expecting; she gulped then forced a smile "I wanted to ask you about something..." She paused, her eyes pleading.

Angel flicked his eyes towards the kitchen; he let her past then closed the door behind him. He watched her walk hesitantly down the hall; all he wanted to do was pull her close and kiss her but he forced himself to stay back.

Buffy smiled, her voice quiet "you cancelled again..." She didn't know what else she could say, that she missed him? She wanted to spend time with him? Being that direct wasn't a good idea.

He folded his arms across his chest with a shrug, he could only think of one way to get her to leave quickly and that was to be a complete ass "Look Buff, I've got better stuff to do with my time..." he saw her shrink back a little, her eyes hurt.

"Angel... I..." Before she could get further into the conversation he cut her off, his tone condescending.

"Look it was just a good time, nothing important, nothing more... Nothing serious, if you thought it was - not my fault" he could see the hurt plastered over her face, her eyes turning glassy.

Buffy blinked a few times to clear her eyes, his word were hurting "Was it me, was I not good?!" Stray tears made their way down her face, things had moved fast with them but she felt like they had a connection.

Angel snorted, he didn't want to be like this but he had to think about himself. Riley was serious, he had built up his career from being in a troubled place when he was younger. He couldn't risk losing it, no matter how much it would hurt them both. Looking at her tear stricken face was killing him, he wanted to protect her, not hurt her.

"You can leave, I'm busy" he smirked at her as he left to go upstairs; a few moments later he heard the door slam. Angel let out a loud sigh, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

Anger built up inside him, he didn't like being bested especially from someone sly and underhanded like Riley. Angel punched his bedroom door, splitting the wood into tiny pieces and cutting his knuckles.

oooooooooooooo

She hadn't made it five minutes from his house before she broke down completely; she was sitting curled up in a ball in a shaded part of the park, tears running down her face.

Buffy felt played, he had acted like he cared and made her feel special, now it was as if nothing had happened between them. Trusting people was something that she struggled with since childhood, she pushed away any one who showed interest in her so not to get hurt. She thought Angel was different.

The sun eventually lowered in the skyline, day turned to night, warmth to cold. Feeling a gust of cool wind Buffy shivered, it felt like the past few hours had skipped past in minutes.

She rubbed her eyes and stood up; things were not meant to be like this, her life was meant to be turning around. The walk back to her apartment was slow, there was no point in rushing, she had no one to go back to or anyone who she could curl up with to take her mind off of everything.

Buffy stopped in her tracks, the door was ajar- she could sense someone was in her apartment. Pushing it open, she stepped inside surveying the interior.

Before she could move further in, the door slammed shut "Welcome home, I've missed you" a pair of arms wrapped around her torso, trapping her arms.

Riley kissed his way along her jaw line, settling on her ear giving it a nibble. He felt her body rigid with fear, he still didn't like the fact she was being difficult.

"Riley, let me go" she heard him snigger, his breath heavy on her neck "Sure, I'll let you go" his grip loosened which surprised her, his face was deceptively sweet "when you're agreeable Buff, things will be easier..." He suddenly went cold then struck her across the face.

Buffy yelped in pain, cradling her face for safety. With all the crying she had done earlier, she was dried out and exhausted.

"Look what you made me do, going behind my back, letting Angel touch you... You're mine, you always have been" he threw photographs at her, shots of her and Angel embracing.

She looked at him incredulously, he was a sweet boy but had drastically changed one day, nothing she knew about had caused this changed it just happened out of the blue.

"Oh Angel understands, I mean we're just kids compared to him... You certainly are" he smiled once again, taking her face in his hands and kissing her gently.

Buffy didn't have the strength to fight back so she let him kiss her, she showed no emotion, no feeling just emptiness. It didn't take long for her to click; Riley had caused the change between her and Angel.

Riley hoisted her up from the floor, patting down her clothes in an attempt to make her more presentable.

"Now, I've found the perfect place for us in LA, you wait here till it's ready in a few days time and ill pick you up, we can officially move in" the smile he had on his face was genuine. He placed a kiss on her nose and left the apartment.

Buffy blinked a few times; the more she interacted with him the more she suspected that his mind wasn't stable.

Looking at her reflection sickened her, she looked worse for wear. Busted lip, bruised cheek, she knew she had to make a stand; she wasn't going to end up like her mother, being treated like a door mat.

Buffy gulped down a painkiller, her eyes remaining on her reflection. She was going to make him pay, it would have to be planned carefully but she would make sure he was locked away, where he couldn't hurt her.

oooooooooooooo

"Hi Angel, I uh was wondering if you had seen Buffy?!" His eyes travelled over to Willow slowly, why was she asking him? She frowned "I'm sure I heard arguing two nights ago... But I've not saw her since then"

Arguing? What was she arguing about and who with? He hadn't spoken to her since she left his house that same day. It didn't sit well with him that she may be in danger.

"I don't know Willow" he watched her scrutinise him carefully; the way she looked at him told him that she knew about him & Buffy. Angel didn't like the accusation "I've not saw her for a couple of days"

Willow could tell by the look on his face he was serious, the worry he showed made her feel more at ease but it wasn't just an argument she heard, she also head a sickening slap "I'm worried Angel, I went to her college class, she didn't show up... I know how important it is for her to go"

Angel began to worry; he knew that about her too, she wouldn't just skip it. He picked up his phone, dialling her number but it went straight to voicemail. Something was definitely wrong.

"I'll check it out" he shrugged his jacket on and left The Bronze, he'd been there to get out of the house and chill... Possibly bump into Buffy as well. He'd spent a LOT of time thinking things over; even if it got him into hot water, he knew he didn't want to be away from her any longer.

He went to her apartment, knocking quietly on the door then gradually getting louder as he grew impatient. The door was locked but it didn't stop him from trying to pick the lock.

Hearing the mechanism click, the door was unlocked and granted him access to her abode but it was empty. Obvious signs of a struggle.

Sickness rose within him, this wasn't like her. The only person capable of hurting her or causing her to flee was Riley. He'd played them all. He left the apartment making sure it was locked and headed out in his car.

Other than her place, the only other place he could think of finding her was the training facility. If she gained access to the building, she would be able to disable the alarms swiftly - she had changed the pin over for him previously.

Angel made his way around the back of the building to the access door, as he suspected it was ajar. Upon entering the building he could hear her grunting along with the kick bag being hit.

He watched her from the shadows for a moment; he had missed her. The control she showed was impressive - the determination was being fuelled by rage "Buffy"

Startled she jumped around and kicked hard. Her leg swung round striking Angel heavily on his calf, sending him to the floor as he buckled under his weight. Her eyes went wide with shock, she wasn't expecting it to be Angel, she was fully expecting it to be Riley.

"Angel!" She kneeled down beside him, her hand on his shoulder. Angel looked up at her his face turning sour, upon her perfect skin was a purple bruise and a cut on her lip. A fire burned inside of him.

"He do this to you?" Angel stood up tall, his chest puffed out, no matter what it cost him he wouldn't let her be hurt like this.

"Angel, I'm taking care of it... I don't want you to jeopardise anything" her eyes pleaded with his.

Angel knew why she had said that, he was a highly skilled weapon - if he was charged with assault he'd lose his licence, lose his business. He shook his head; he didn't care about the consequences "He's not going to win, I won't let him"

Angel turned to leave the building; he was determined to make Riley pay. Buffy got in front him, her hands on his chest trying to stop him.

Angel looked into her eyes, he couldn't resist any longer so he grabbed her into a deep kiss. The time apart and how he had treated her had ate him up from the inside, he wouldn't hurt her again and wanted to prove himself.

Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck to pull her body flush against his own, she needed comfort. The past few days had been difficult; she wanted to be mad and yell at him but her heart told her not too. She broke the kiss "What did Riley say to you?"

She felt him tense a little; she needed to know what had happened for him to turn like he did, even if it would hurt her "...Not here" he kissed her forehead then headed for his car. It didn't take them long to get back to Angels house and settle across from each other on the sofa.

The look on his face wasn't a good one; she could tell there was something that disturbed him. She took the envelope from him and emptied the contents on the sofa in front of her.

A lumped formed in her throat, like she had received, it was photos of them together and underneath was a ripped exert from a yearbook of her from cheerleading. Buffy sighed deeply; staring at her younger self, smiling widely, the only care she had was if she landed the move correctly at the football game.

She looked up at him, it wasn't like she lied - she just hadn't been forthcoming with the truth "My parents didn't have the best relationship... It was abusive; they eventually abused drugs and alcohol... I uh, dropped out of school when I was granted emancipation at sixteen"

She choked back some tears "I've been on my own since then, it's taken me almost two years to get my life back together, to gain my diploma, only now because I granted access to the money from my Granma's will..." Her head fell into her hands.

Without saying anything Angel sat beside her, his arms pulling her over so she was sitting in his lap, her tears soaking through his shirt.

It had taken over an hour for her to stop sobbing, he held her the entire time doing his best to calm her down. Buffy eventually moved from her position, her face burning up. She didn't mean to act the way she did, she felt embarrassed "Sorry"

Angel smirked "Don't worry about it..." He stretched up cracking his stiff bones, pulling his shirt off and throwing it on to the coffee table, the dampness was becoming uncomfortable.

He sat back down on the sofa, keeping a distance between him and Buffy. Her revelations saddened him, she trusted him, especially to be her first which he could see meant a lot - he then broke that trust. He was selfish, he only thought about himself and the repercussions of what would happen to him.

Finding out what he had, it made it seem much worse of how he had treated her "Buffy... I'm sorry" before she could protest he continued "I didn't mean what I said, you have to understand it took me a long time to build up my business"

She scrunched her eyebrows together, not seeing where this was leading.

"If Riley went to the cops with proof and convinced them to, they could press charges because you're a minor and I'm an educator... That would ruin me" Buffy felt her stomach tighten, she didn't realise how her actions would affect him.

She could tell he loved what he done; it pained her to think she could destroy that. Angel saw the look on her face, knowing that she was ready to leave, his words sunk deep in and knowing the type of person she was, she wouldn't want to cause upset.

Standing up quickly, ready to run Buffy was blocked once again by his body "Buffy" he placed a kiss on her lips.

"Angel..." She shook her head "I don't want your life to be turned upside down because of me" she had to put his needs in front of hers. Panic rose within him, he didn't want to lose her. He leaned down to kiss her again, she gradually accepted his embrace by standing on her tip toes, her hands coming round his neck to pull him closer.

This is where she wanted to be, safe and secure in his arms. With everything that she had been through, trusting him the way she did, it didn't seem possible. Buffy broke the kiss, her heart pounding in her chest "I love you"

Her words ran circles in his head, he felt something for her that was certain, but did he love her? He didn't know. All he could do was pull her close, kissing her again.

"You don't have to worry Buffy" a plan was forming, for them to be together Riley had to be out of the picture, somewhere he could not cause harm. Buffy nodded, she'd already been working on a plan since Riley had left her apartment a few days prior; he would be back any day if he wasn't already in town.