"What do you think you're doing?" Angel growled.

A painfully large smile took over Buffy's face.

Taking a few short moments, Buffy let herself enjoy the feeling washing over her before biting her lip, calming herself down, on the outside anyhow, and then leaned her head back into the water, looking at him upside down. She smiled, letting her arms float outward, her body straighten up and float on top of the cool blue water.

"Swimming, what does it look like?"

Her exposed body once again grabbed the attention of a group of teenage boys from a neighboring balcony. The hooted and hollered over to her their deep appreciation of the sight of her.

Boys who Angel looked more than ready to go over and kill at the current moment.

He gave them a hard stare down, his fists at his sides, jaw clenched, before turning back to her.

He couldn't help but appreciate the sight before him either. He stood entranced by the perfect peaches and cream overexposed flesh, the flimsy cloth hardly managing to cover what was left of her, the way the sun made random drops of water sparkle like diamonds, the tiny waves that lapped gently toward her face, legs, breasts and stomach...

Shaking his head, Angel growled again. "Not in that, you aren't.

"It's just a bathing suit, Angelus," she answered as though she hadn't a care in the world.

"And who exactly told you that?" he asked, almost making her laugh. "Get up and go change into something... a little more decent."

Buffy lifted her head and let herself sink back down into the water again. "Stop being such a prude," she told him, with a roll of the eyes, before flipping herself back over, this time letting her extremely nude backside shine toward the world. "It's just a bathing suit," she repeated, turning her face away from him as she couldn't contain the blush taking over her face.

At the sounds of more whistling and invitations to do some dirty acts, Angel just about lost it.

Ripping off his tee shirt, which came with a long string of curses at the amount of pain he sent shooting throughout himself once more, he threw it down across her exposed bottom, much to everyone's disappointment.

"Fine, if you refuse to go upstairs and change then you have to instead wear that."

Buffy was silent for a moment. "And if I don't want to do either?" she asked then turned her head back toward him, "Actually, I don't want to do either." She let one arm reach behind her and remove the large shirt, tossing it to the side. "Thanks though."

"Buffy."

"Goodbye now, Angelus," she told him, her head flipping back over as she moved slowly about the large pool.

Seconds later, she found herself not alone. Or floating above in the sunlight. Instead, she was being pushed down to the bottom, flipped right side up again, with Angel crashing down on top of her.

It was a moment he made for himself, private, for his eyes only. And it was a moment she knew would be replaying in her head from this point on.

The way the grainy floor scratched against her flesh, the weight of his body half floating against her, half covering her, the way his arm steeled next to her, his palm spread out against bottom of the side wall, the feel of his other hand caressing her leg, lifting and draping it over his backside, the look in his eyes as he drank her in, the fight for control radiating off of him.

And before she knew it, it was over and they were returning to the surface. His arms remained locked around her as he pulled her to the edge, climbing out and dragging her with him, covering her with his own body as he guided them toward the house.

"What do you think you are doing?" she demanded this time.

He picked her up and carried her inside, dropping her down where she'd lost her robe, which he grabbed for and threw at her. "Pool is off limits. New rule. Sorry."

"You cannot be serious."

Angel looked down at his dripping body, the puddle he was making at his feet, "I think I am. Now, go get dressed."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable," she said angrily and made a show of stomping away.

"Smooth, Angelus, smooth," Spike called out with laughter.

"Shut up."

OoOoO

Groaning, Angel reached over and popped a few more than needed pills before getting himself out of what was left of his sopping outfit.

He kicked everything over to the corner of his bathroom the looked at the pile of his new outfit with a sigh.

This wasn't going to be fun.

Just as he slipped on his boxers, his phone rang. "Yeah?"

"Liam."

"Yeah, Rayne, what do you want?"

The older man laughed. "What is this I hear about Buffy being banned from the pool?"

"Well, that was fast," he muttered. "She was dressed inappropriately."

Ethan laughed again. "Is that so?"

"This isn't funny. You would have thrown a fit."

"Instead you threw one for me?"

Angel rolled his eyes in the mirror. "You didn't see what she was wearing, or I should say, wasn't wearing. Now, should she decided to wear something... else, then we can talk about it."

"Right, right."

"Anything else we need to discuss?"

"Oh, I think that'll do for now."

OoOoO

Buffy stood at the top of the stairs and did her best to force away the true feelings fluttering inside, instead replacing them with false anger and annoyance before making her way back downstairs, joining Angel on the couch.

Angel took one look at her and completely burst into laughter. Real laughter. It was almost impossible for her to keep this going but somehow she managed.

Pouting as she slumped back into the soft cushions and crossed her arms over her chest with a "Hmph."

"You're being a little dramatic, don't you think?" Angel asked her, once more laughing at the sight of her in a snowsuit-like get-up. Hat, gloves, scarf, boots and the whole deal going on with it.

"Don't you?" she retorted.

He looked at her seriously for a moment. Which, was rather hard to do. "Maybe."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, yes... and no."

"Whatever."

"Just because you're being given freedom, for the most part, here doesn't mean every single rebellious thing you've got it in your head to do is a good idea."

"Whatever."

"Buffy..."

She ignored him. Several minutes later though she groaned and wiggled in her seat before hurrying to rip off some of the too many layers she had on. "Okay, we're just going to say my point has been made," she breathed out heavily.

He laughed some more. "I like you, Summers."

"Lucky me," she replied dryly, but hurried to hide her face as it lit up.

OoOoO

"So, how'd it go today?"

Buffy smiled and laid out on her bed, recalling today's events to her best friend, sharing a few more good laughs about it.

"Well, looks like we're off to a good start," Willow said.

She had to agree there. This plan was far from over though. But she was more than ready for it, she knew what she was chasing after and how badly she wanted it.

More than ever.