Can I say that I'm pissed off with this site? I mean. I can't reply to the reviews and now I can't even upload new docs. One more step and my account will be unusable.

Now let's quite with the whining! Ehehehehe… longtime, no see. I am back with a new chapter about our favorite couple.

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The moment Buffy closed her mouth her courage vanished in thin air. She asked herself what she was thinking. Angel… well… his whole family was being really nice to her, but what would they think of such a request. A bad voice somewhere in her head, however, reminded her Angel offered.

"Then come on. I'll walk with you to the house and just help you up the stairs, which I think is best for you."

Angel offered his hand to Buffy who was biting her lip nervously. Drusilla and her mother just looked to the exchange closely for Buffy's utter embarrassment. She looked at Angel's hand and realized this was a chance she could not lose to confront her own fears. She accepted his hand.

Then, it happened. Buffy and Angel made everything possible to hide their reaction to each other touch. Their heartbeat speed increased and they felt the electricity that sparkled around them. For Buffy, the touch sent an electric pulse through her body, down her spine that made something in her core just give a somersault. Her eyes widened just for a moment, but Angel didn't saw it because he was too engrossed in his own reaction. He felt every muscle in his body tense up, his chest squeeze and something wake up in his lower parts, which was enough to make him grow ashamed.

To break the somehow inappropriate moment, Angel tried to grab his suit, which was suddenly whisked away to a chair in the other side of the chair he sat previously. It was now near his mother who just looked at him and shook her head no.

"Mom. I'll be back soon."

"Yeah."

His mother gave him the same half smile that was a family characteristic and he heard Drusilla sniggering behind him. He knew he was in big trouble now, but his attention reverted to the woman whose hand he was holding. He couldn't explain why or how, but he had the strongest urge to help her, keep the small blonde safe. The worst was this was not the same thing that happened with Faith. He had wanted to help the brunette, but he never had this damn need to be protective if he was honest with himself. That was also true for any other girl he ever knew, including the ones he dated.

He rationalized it was maybe because of her whole situation. He had to suppress an amused smile when Buffy yarned again. He would use his moment with her to give the bad news too.

"Still tired."

"Yeah. Me and any sort of sedative didn't go well."

Buffy's voice was bitter and she shuddered. Angel misread it as cold.

"Hey, you cold?"

"No. It is nothing. Just something I remembered."

Angel had to suppress the need to turn to Buffy and embrace her. He had read about it in her files.

"It was what they did, wasn't it?"

Buffy stopped into her tracks and turned to Angel. She swallowed hard and started to walk again.

"I'm sorry. I should not have brought this up."

"No. It… it is ok. If you are really to defend me in court, I guess we will have to talk about it anyway. How did you…"

"I read it in your files."

Buffy just shook her head. They had arrived at the main door of the house and Angel opened it.

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"What do you think?"

Caroline reversed her eyes from the young couple walking away to her daughter who was displaying a really bright smile. Too bright.

"Mom, do I have to think anything? It is so pretty obvious. They are smitten with each other. They just can't see. If we have any doubt, now we can be way too sure of that. Are you planning to tell him anything?"

Caroline considered her daughter's question, what she saw, and the silent conversation she had with her son before he left.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, mom"

"I was planning to say something, but I just want to see when they will realize it."

"Oh, no no no no! You just love to sit and watch us struggle with it, don't you?"

Caroline gave her daughter the famous half smile.

"Yes. It was fun to watch you and Graham squirmed around each other until he threw caution to the wind and declared his feelings when he thought William was going to do it. You know he never liked William that much back there. I can't believe he fell into William and Angel's trap. Angel and William still make fun of the way he fell apart when William told them he was in love with you and was gonna ask you to be his girlfriend and then propose. You know he thought William was a no good… and you were the younger sister of his best friend and all that. Sometimes I don't understand man."

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"Well, here we are. The stairs."

"Yeah."

The moment was awkward. She looked at him expectantly. He had offered, she had accepted and now what. She knew she could walk it up, but it would take forever because the stairs were really long and curve. However, she didn't have much time to think.

"Ok, let's end the awkwardness."

Angel lifted Buffy in his arms. She tensed up and closed her eyes. His breath was so near her and the only thing she could see in her mind was the moment Xander had done the same thing to carry her to a bedroom so he and his friends could force their away with her. She felt the beginning of panic, but then, out of nowhere, that sensation was changed for the same one she felt when she had touched Angel's hand at first. It calmed her panic down and allowed her to open her eyes and stare at the eyes of the man holding her. His mouth was so near hers that for a moment she just thought how it would be to kiss him.

"Do you want me to put you down?"

"N-o… I am… ok I guess."

Buffy ran her tongue over her lips and inclined her head to rest it on Angel shoulders, mainly because she was too ashamed of her thoughts. Angel would never ever pay that sort of attention to her and she was too damaged to sustain a relationship with a man like him. A man, with needs, needs she was not sure her body could ever fulfill, no matter how much it reacted to him.

Unknown to her, the adorable gesture was enough to make Angel's heartbeat increase. He could feel the pulse in his neck and prayed the woman he was gently carrying couldn't hear it. She weighed too little for his like and he didn't have any trouble to carry Buffy upstairs.

Buffy had dozed off while he carried her, but woke up when he had put her in bed and was covering her with a blanket.

"Hey, sorry I woke you."

"No. That is ok. Thanks."

Angel had yet again to suppress the urge to kiss the vulnerable woman in front of him. He reminded himself he had to give her some not good news, but she seemed too tired for that conversation, which he decided to postpone. Besides, he was her lawyer and it was not appropriate for him to have those thoughts. He was just holding the door handle to go out when he heard her voice.

"It was the day my other best friend was buried."

Angel turned around to see Buffy had sat in the bed. She was playing nervously with her hands. He swallowed when he saw her eyes were full of unshed tears.

"Willow was just so bright. Willow, Xander and I were a great team and… and in a matter of a week all was destroyed. She was…was the smartest, kindest and smartest person I've ever known… and… and she… "

Buffy breathed hard.

"…she took her own life. Her parents found her inside their bathtub with her wrists cut. She… she bleed to death. We still don't know why she did it. She just left a letter to her parents saying she was sorry she was such a disappointment. After… after her burial, Xander and I went to his place to commiserate. We spent so much time there before… well… before Riley and Forest came along. Xander changed so much, but I… I just… I just… could not imagine he would turn into…"

Angel walked the steps needed to her bed and threw caution to the wind. He just gathered her in his arms. He felt relief when she didn't offer any resistance. She just sobbed her heart out for a while with him just caressing her hair. When the tears finally stopped, she started to tell her story again.

"We were just talking and he gave me juice. After just seconds, I felt my body kind of slowing down a little. I asked what… what… was happening and Xander just smiled. He said he had the perfect cure for the pain we were feeling because of Will's death. That was when Riley and Forest appeared. Xander just carried me to a room, put me in a bed and tried to take my clothes. The bastard! He didn't know I had problems with all sort of sedatives."

"But you resisted their actions."

"Yeah. I tried to fight him. I remember that I cried and asked him to stop. I was… was so afraid. He didn't listen to me. They took pictures of me without clothes in the bed first, I heard Riley saying I would be a fine addition. Then, Xander was over… over… me… I hit his face and he kissed me. He said he spent too much time doing…doing himself while thinking of… of having him in me. He said he had lusted after me for so long. He called Forest and he held my arms, while Xander forced…"

Angel felt his body tense up. He wanted to beat the crap out of the coward who had used his friend, a woman who trusted him, in such a horrendous way. He would bring her justice no matter what.

"Shshshs… Buffy, you don't have to tell me anything more."

"I want to! You said you would help me and I know you have to know. I screamed and screamed and screamed. They just laughed. They… they all took… took turns with my body in every way, one, two or even the three of them… they drunk, used drugs, and mocked me while they were… were using me. The bastards used protection. They even called me names. I guess I passed out. When I woke up, I was in Xander's room completely dressed as if nothing had happened, except my whole body ached. I had the full memory of what happened, but I guess he thought I wouldn't remember because he came in and acted as nothing had happened. I was afraid of him; afraid that if he found out I remember much of it he would kill me. I had the cold blood to play along so I could leave the house. I went straight to the police."

Angel squeezed Buffy near his body without even noticing it.

"You did ok. Nobody can tell what a man who did this would have done if he knew you had your memories."

"The rest I guess you know. They found the date rape drug in my blood. They even searched his house, but they couldn't find anything there. It was a scandal among the rich people my parents knew, but they all blamed me at first and when no proof was found my parents thought I was acting out against Xander for some reason. The bastard had the courage to tell my parents I was in love with him, but he didn't want me and that was why I was probably blaming him for the rape… as if a sane girl would go around to be raped so she'd accuse someone else. My parents expelled me and disowned me."

"Buffy. I can guarantee that I am going to put these men behind bars."

"You can't… can't promise this. I tried and I was just ridicularized."

"I can. I got some things from what you said. One of them told you would be a fine addition, is it correct?"

"Yes."

"Did he say addiction to what?"

"No."

"Buffy, when a woman is subjected to abuse by many men, they usually are gangs and they sometimes take pictures and film their own action so they can talk about their… their performances or have it as a trophy or something. So, these pictures of yours may be somewhere."

Buffy shuddered violently against Angel's body.

"Are you telling me that they watch what they do?"

"I'm sorry to say this, but yes."

"But they searched his house, his whole house and didn't find anything. The same went for Riley and Forest."

"They wouldn't keep it at an easy eye, would they? If everything happened in your friend's room…"

Buffy frowned when she realized something.

"No. It didn't."

"What?"

Angel held Buffy by the shoulders and looked at her eyes.

"It didn't happen in Xander's room. I knew his house as good as mine because we used to play around when we were kids. I know that I was never in the room where..."

"Are you telling me it happened in a place in the house you didn't know?"

"Yes."

"Maybe a secret room?"

"Angel, aren't you watching too much movies? Why would Xander have a secret room? I've never heard of it."

"You said he changed under the influence of his new friends. Who knows? Buffy, a secret room would be ideal to be used in such a purpose and nobody would at first think of one."

In an impulse, Angel kissed Buffy's forehead and helped her to lay down when he saw her heavy eyelids.

"Thank you for telling me this."

"You really think this can be solved."

"Yes."

Angel had all the leads he needed for now and a plan had just formed in his head.

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Yay! Second degree contact!

Wow! Another huge chapter. I am working in a new chapter, which should be posted by Tuesday. I must say there is really big shocking news coming for Buffy. Bad or good? You will have to wait. Just keep in mind the title of this fic.