Chapter 10: Mending fences and making enemies

A/N: Here's the next chapter kiddies! Lol, and dum da dum...Dean and Angel face-off! Enjoy!
Disclaimer- None of them are mine, I just have fun playing with them. Thanks to Paige for Sam's screen name!

Oh crap! Buffy thought as she met Dean's cold gaze; she hadn't planned on him figuring it out so quickly... "How-" she started, unable to think of anything else to say.

"How'd I find out? Your mom let it slip." He answered; his voice deceptively calm. "Why didn't you tell me Buffy?"

The hurt she heard was ten times worse than the anger, and she cringed upon hearing it; she hadn't meant to hurt him. . . She moved to sit on one of the steps and he sat next to her, but there was a definite distance between them, a wall she wasn't sure how to breach.

"Angel is a complicated subject, Dean," She told him softly, her gaze on her feet; anywhere but into those hard green eyes that had been filled with such warmth the night before. "He had a soul, he wasn't evil, and he was good and kind."

"Buffy he's a vampire! Vampires don't have souls, you know that!" He wanted to punch something; he wanted to get in the Impala and just drive. He wanted to plead for some sort of explanation, he wanted to turn back the clock to when he didn't know about this Angel guy; back to when she'd been in his arms and nothing else mattered. But he couldn't do anything more than sit beside her and try not to let her see how much this was killing him.

"Yes Dean, I'm aware of that!" For a moment she met his eyes, anger sparking in them; as well as something else he couldn't identify and didn't care to. "He was cursed by gypsies, they gave him a soul, and he was trying to find redemption. He's helped me and my friends."

"Oh really? Out of the evilness of his heart? That's right, this soul made him not-evil? What a crock!" He couldn't sit there beside her anymore, and he got to his feet to pace; then he picked up on something he hadn't caught before, "Why do you keep saying 'was'?"

"He lost his soul, and now he's evil again." She answered, watching him pace from beneath her lashes.

"How'd that happen? The curse had an expiration date?" He retorted scathingly.

"It doesn't matter how he lost it, the point is he did."

"So he's been stalking you since then? What else has he done? Has he killed people?" He demanded.

"Yes and yes, but I haven't seen him since you and Sam came to town." She studied the ground some more, then met his gaze. "Is it finished between us now?"

He didn't answer for a long moment, thinking it over. "I don't know, I need to think about all of this first. But until then? No." She breathed a sigh of relief: that meant that he was just trying to adjust to the information, not that it was over... at least she hoped so. "Why didn't you tell me Buffy?"

"I was afraid you'd look at me with disgust, that you wouldn't want to be around me anymore, I was afraid I'd lose you. Dean, I care about you and Sam a lot, can you blame me for wanting to keep Angel a secret?"

He didn't like it, none of it, but he couldn't blame her; not really. Angel was her ex, and it was clear to him that she wasn't ready to deal with him yet; else he wouldn't still be around. He just didn't like that she'd kept it from him, especially when said ex was an evil killing fiend. She could only delay the inevitable for so long before it caught up to her, something she'd learned when he'd found out the truth on his own.

"Buffy, I don't like secrets, and I don't like that you haven't taken care of him yet. Good guy or not, he's a vampire. Surely you guessed this would happen and that'd you'd have to kill him eventually? Or that something would happen and he'd become a liability. What if he tried to hurt Willow or Joyce? I don't understand how you could have turned your back."

He crouched in front of her, and then felt another cold chill down his spine that made him pull away again. She felt the change, and looked up at him. "Sam knows, doesn't he?"

"He just knows that my ex was a vampire, nothing else," she whispered. There was once again anger in his voice, and she couldn't blame him for it, she'd asked Sam to keep it from him.

"Damnit Buffy!" He cursed, pacing again. "Sam's my brother, how could you ask him to lie to me?" For that was how he saw it, because he knew that when it came to evil beings, his brother wouldn't keep anything from him if it put either of them in danger; not unless someone had asked him to. And that was lying by omission.

"I'm sorry Dean, I wanted to be the one to tell you, but I wasn't ready yet! I thought I had more time before you found out."

He didn't say anything more, so she whispered "I'm sorry" and turned to go inside, fighting the tears that threatened to fall.

"My father called me; he said there's a ghost haunting the school. Do you know anything about it?" His tone was still a little cold and detached, but she answered anyway. She told him about the scene at the school, about the dream she'd had in History class, about the gun, and Xander's locker attacking him. She also told him about what they'd learned after school, and how it all tied together.

"I'll get Sam to look into it." She nodded and reached for the door, then heard him softly say, "Give me some time to sort through everything, I'll help you with the ghost, then we'll talk okay?"

She turned to look back at him, and braved a small smile, then turned to go inside and up to her room.

"Buffy, do you still love him?" He asked; then hesitated because he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer. He didn't want to cut ties with her as he'd thought earlier, not with everything he'd just found out. Hell, he didn't know what he wanted. He didn't like the fact that she'd dated a supposedly-good-vampire and not only kept it from him, but asked his brother to do the same. Secrets could get you killed.

Buffy was a vampire Slayer, she was supposed to stake the undead bastards, not date them! The image of her kissing one just made him nauseous. He also didn't like the fact that Angel was stalking and killing people, even if he couldn't enter her home, they wouldn't always be protected. Angel was only going to become more of a threat until he was dealt with, and he'd love the opportunity to take him out.

"No." With that, she closed the door behind her and left him once again standing on her porch in the shadows.

Dean hit the cemeteries instead of going back to the hotel and Sam, needing to let off some of his aggression. He'd just staked a vampire when he heard the unmistakable sound of clapping, and a laugh that could only be described as condescending.

"My, my, so she's got herself a knight in shining armor, how charming." The man commented, watching Dean with a smirk.

Dean studied the vampire, he instantly knew that he was one, and drew his gun. Dean aimed it at the man, whose eyebrows merely rose.

"A Winchester too? Not terribly impressive. You know that won't kill me." His statement was matter-of-fact as he took a step towards the eldest Winchester, ignoring the gun.

"I could say the same." He retorted, smirking in return, pulling back the hammer on the gun. "You're right, it won't. Will hurt like hell though, wanna see?" He grinned in pure invitation at the vampire who chuckled.

"You haven't guessed who I am yet?" He taunted, knowing that Dean hadn't.

"Sorry, I don't make a habit of getting a corpse's name. I just kill 'em so they stay dead this time."

"We have a friend in common." He flashed a grin almost like he could see the gears turning in Dean's head as he figured out who he was facing off with. "How is my lover anyway? You wouldn't have had a little fight about big bad me wouldya?"

"Angel." Dean ground out, realizing that the bastard must have followed him to her house and heard every word.

"Hmm no, sorry. Angel's not in at the moment, I'll tell him you called though!" Angelus lunged at Dean, catching him by surprise and knocking him into a tree.

Dean grunted at the impact, and then felt all of his rage flare as he punched the vampire who had caused Buffy all the pain he'd glimpsed in her eyes. He ducked one of Angelus' blows and kicked him hard in the chest, knocking him back a step; just enough to pull the trigger.

Angel growled as he looked down at his smoking chest and the bullet hole he'd made. "Damn boy, that was my favorite shirt too."

"Like I care, try it again and you'll have more holes than that." He threatened, cocking the gun again as he spoke. "She told me your name is Angel."

"It's Angelus, that soul-having abomination was Angel. Pleasure to meet you." He gave Dean a mocking bow, the two never taking their eyes from the other. "We'll have to do this again soon, it's been fun, got an old girlfriend to see, people to kill; you know how it is."

He turned to leave, a big mistake in Dean's eyes, as he chose that moment to shoot him three more times, hit him in the back of the head with the butt of the gun, stopping only when he'd shoved a knife into his side as well. "Like hell you will."

None of these wounds were enough to hurt him that badly, certainly not kill him, but it'd allow Dean to get back to Sammy. The rounds were consecrated iron, which was what caused the smoking. He'd have staked him then and there, but his primary concern was that Sam was alone in their hotel, and no wards or sigils could replace Dean's added protection. They'd do this again soon, he agreed, jogging back to their hotel.

Once Dean had made it to the hotel and was positive that the wards were still in place and that Sam was ok, he told him about the interaction with Angelus. He sat on his bed, and let Sam tend to his wound (a cut he'd managed to get somehow). Sam filled Dean in on all he could find about a vampire named Angel, assuring him he'd look again when Dean informed him that Angel was also known as Angelus. Neither liked what he'd found, and Sam hadn't been the one to meet the vampire but he was glad of that, and they lapsed into an uneasy silence. He knew that Dean had gone to talk to Buffy about the haunting in the school, but knew better than to ask him about the conversation they'd had.

"Are you mad at me for not telling you about Angel?" Sam asked finally to break the silence.

"I was, but I'm not anymore." Dean wasn't any happier with Sam than he was with Buffy, but he never could stay mad at his little brother. He just needed to figure out where all this left him and her, if anywhere at all.

"And Buffy?" Sam ventured, hoping his brother wouldn't throw away the connection the two had developed over something like an ex-boyfriend and a couple of secrets.

"I don't know yet, Sam. We got a spook to take care of, the rest can wait. Now leave me alone bitch, I'm tired." Dean drifted off to sleep with that, not even hearing Sam's reply.

"Jerk." Sam watched him sleep for a few minutes, thinking of the change that knowing Buffy has brought out in him. Suddenly, he heard the ding of an instant message coming from his laptop next to him where he'd placed it to tend to Dean's wound. He picked it back up and settled it on the bedspread before him, then smiled at the sender.

Slaygal98- Is Dean back yet?

Parahunter_mathgeek- Yes. What happened?

Slaygal98- My mom let it slip about Angel. Dean was…displeased.

Parahunter_mathgeek- So I gathered. He ran into him after he left your house.

Slaygal98- He what?! Is he okay?

Sam glanced over at a snoring Dean, and smirked.

Parahunter_mathgeek- Yep, few bumps and bruises, but he's asleep now.

Slaygal98- Thank god. Was he mad at you too?

Parahunter_mathgeek- He said he was, but not anymore. He mentioned a spook?

Slaygal98- Yeah, majorly weird. Although, I guess you guys deal with them all the time huh?

Parahunter_mathgeek- Usually, sometimes a few demons or a wendigo gets tossed into the mix.

Slaygal98- A wendi-what?

Sam laughed and took a sip of the soda on the nightstand beside him.

Parahunter_mathgeek- I'll tell you about it later, what's the news on the ghost?

She proceeded to tell him about everything that had happened so far, and what they'd learned in the library, as much as they knew about the strange events.

Parahunter_mathgeek- Hmm, I'll take vengeful spirit for 300 Alex!

Slaygal98- LOL, yeah that was my thought. What's SOP for you guys now?

Parahunter_mathgeek- Usually? We'd find out where they're buried, dig them up, then salt and burn the bones.

Slaygal98- Okay ew, gross much?

Parahunter_mathgeek- Yeah I know, but what about you? What's the Slayer's next step?

Slaygal98- Well Giles and Willow have some spells they think may work, but we haven't finished researching yet.

Parahunter_mathgeek- Are they witches?

Slaygal98- Sort of... Willow's still on magic training wheels I guess you could say. If their approach doesn't work, we'll try yours.

Parahunter_mathgeek- Agreed. If she needs any help, tell her to let me know. Dean is more for the kill 'em all approach, but I like the magical stuff. He doesn't.

Slaygal98- Why not?

Parahunter_mathgeek- I think magic wigs him out a little. Not that he'd ever admit it.

Slaygal98- Oh no, god forbid

Parahunter_mathgeek- LOL

Slaygal98- I'll tell them you offered though. See you tomorrow in school?

Parahunter_mathgeek- Yep! Be careful Buffy

Slaygal98- Always am, you too . . . both of you.

Parahunter_mathgeek- Of course . . . He'll get over it, Buffy, just give him some time.

Slaygal98- Yeah, that's what he said. I don't want to lose him Sam. He's the first guy I've actually cared about since Angel turned evil.

Parahunter_mathgeek- I know, and he cares about you too. He just isn't good with the whole emotional thing, once he figures stuff out he'll talk to you. And you know he'll help you no matter what.

Slaygal98- I know, he told me he'd help with the ghost, I just want things to be okay between us again.

Parahunter_mathgeek- Yeah, me too. It's late and I should get to bed, talk to you tomorrow.

Slaygal98- Night Sam …and thanks.

Parahunter_mathgeek- Anytime Buffy. 'Night.

They both knew that the encounter between Dean and Angelus wouldn't be the last one, if Sam knew his brother; he'd antagonize the vampire on purpose next time. He'd just have to make sure Dean didn't get himself killed in the process