"No!" Buffy hit the steering wheel of her 12 year old jeep with irritation as it came to a rattling halt and died. It didn't help, and she sighed before pulling the hood toggle and getting out to look at the belts and hoses. She had limited knowledge of cars, and this problem, she realized with dismay wasn't one she knew how to fix. Cursing softly she closed the hood and looked over the expensive mansions that lined the street. It was just her luck to have it die when she was on the way to work, *and* on the wrong side of town.

A Cadillac came up beside her and stopped, and she cautiously looked over to see Rupert Giles toggle down his side window. "May I be of assistance Ms. Summers?"

She brushed self consciously at her waitress uniform before stepping to the side of his immaculate silver Cadillac. "Um... yeah," she murmured as she looked at him pleadingly. "It sort of made a noise... and died." As far as being stranded went, she could have done a lot worse than having Rupert Giles stop to help her.

"I see," he answered as he studied her with a shuttered expression. "And you're on your way to work?"

"Yes. I have to be there in," Buffy glanced at her watch worriedly, "fifteen minutes."

Giles nodded. "Get in. I'll have Gunn's auto shop pick up your car." He slid a cell phone out of his pocket and punched in the number as Buffy got her purse and climbed in before dropping her eyes into her lap. Gunn's was the only place in town that worked on cars. The next closest was a truck stop about fifteen miles away and that was a towing bill she didn't want to pay.

Sliding the phone smoothly back into his jacket pocket, Giles put the car in gear and started down the road with his passenger. "You work at Homestead Cooking don't you Buffy?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It's just until..." she broke off. What was the point in trying to sugarcoat her financial situation? She'd always liked Giles back when she and Angel had been a couple, but now she didn't have a clue what he thought of her. It probably wasn't good, and she doubted just like with Angel, she could make a difference. "It pays the bills," she finished.

"I'm sure it does." He turned onto a street where his beautiful Cadillac looked out of place. "You know my nephew cared for you a lot."

"It wasn't one sided," she answered as she stared out the side window.

"I had hoped not," he murmured before stopping at a stop sign. "He was happy with you Buffy, happier and more grounded than I ever remember him being." She didn't say anything, and he continued, "You know he's back to stay don't you? He's living at Prosperous Acres. It's a tan house, the fifth one on the right. Maybe you should stop in and say hi sometime."

She swallowed, gave a shake of her head. He obviously didn't know how Angel felt about her. "I don't think that's a good idea."

He shot her a glance before making a turn and pulling into Homestead Cooking's parking lot. "In Angel's circle Ms. Summers, it isn't unusual for men to take care of women they enjoy spending time with... women who are not their wives." He paused and gave her a pointed look. "He would possibly be willing to make an exchange with you."

She stared at him with a growing feeling of nausea before getting out of the car with tears stinging her eyes, and was halfway across the parking lot when he called out to her again. She didn't stop, and the older man cursed. Buffy Summers had seemed nice enough at the time, but her actions had hurt his nephew deeply. It didn't mean however that under the right circumstances they couldn't be together. He shook his head regretfully as he pulled out of the parking lot. The girl had obviously been distressed at the idea of being a mistress.

Fred laughed at Mr. William's flirting as she tore the receipt out of her notepad and handed it to the older man. "I'll keep it in mind," she answered with a grin, "but I'm not sure how my boyfriend would feel about it."

The seventy year old smiled at the girl good naturedly before shaking his head with regret. "The good ones are always taken."

"Hey," Gunn hollered through the connecting door to the garage where he was working. "Are you hitting on my girl again Williams? Because you know... I'm the one taking care of your car." He walked into the office and wrapped an arm around Fred's waist as she looked up at him happily. "Might get stuck on the road someday if you're not careful."

Williams laughed as he looked at them fondly. "Can't blame me for trying Gunn. You're a lucky man."

"Don't I know it." He leaned down to kiss the blushing brunette on the cheek before turning toward his customer. "And I'll expect to see you back in another five thousand miles."

"I'll be here," he assured. "Wouldn't want to miss seeing your lovely cashier."

"Yeah..." Gunn nodded as he heard the door close behind Williams. "It seems you have an admirer, Fred."

"I'm a charmer," she agreed, and he tightened his hold before releasing her and getting down to business. "Has Buffy Summers been in yet?"

"No. Have you looked at her car?"

He snorted and shook his head. "She'll have to pay for the tow first, then I'll find the problem, tell her what she owes, and after she pays me, I'll fix it."

She raised an eyebrow. "That's a little harsh isn't it?"

He shrugged as he poured a cup of coffee. "She hurt a friend of mine. It doesn't exactly make me want to jump through hoops for her."

Fred eyed him before nodding. "Okay. When she contacts us, I'll let her know."

Tara wrote out a check, sealed it in an envelope, and set it aside before reaching for the next bill. It was from the telephone company and she tore it open and glanced at the balance due without surprise. Ninety percent of the time it was for the minimum, and that wasn't an exception today. Writing out the check, she couldn't help looking at the last envelope. It was to Buffy from a bank in Los Angeles.

Setting the envelope aside, she stretched before getting up to look at Liam. He was happily chewing on a pacifier, his dark brown eyes staring up at her with interest.

"Hey there guy," Tara murmured with a smile. "Your mother's a little late. Would you like to spend some time with Uncle Xander while I go to class?"

Liam gurgled in seeming approval, and Tara walked over to the phone.

Her agreement with Buffy was beneficial to both of them. Tara paid the usual monthly bills, half of the food, and helped watch Liam when Buffy wasn't able. Buffy took care of any repairs the house needed along with the property taxes, saw the appliances worked as well as paid the dish tv bills. As far as Tara could tell, the dish channels were one of the few luxuries Buffy allowed herself. She seldom went to the movies, ate out, or seemed interested in dating. She'd just punched in the first couple of numbers when the door opened and she turned to see her housemate was home.

"I'm sorry," Buffy murmured tiredly before dropping onto the sofa. "The Jeep broke down and I had to walk home."

Tara winced. It had to be at least ten blocks to the diner. "I uh... was just going to call Xander. Maybe he can fix it?"

"Not this time," Buffy pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's bad, or at least I think it is. It made this horrible noise and sort of locked up."

"Oh," Tara looked at her closely. She didn't know everything that had happened before Buffy ended up in L.A. alone and pregnant, but she knew it involved some powerful people, one of which was Charles Gunn. "So your car's..."

"At Gunn's shop," she finished quietly before changing the subject. "How's Liam?"

"Good. He's in his playpen." Silence fell, and Tara sighed. "Look, if you need some extra cash..."

"Thanks," Buffy didn't let her finish. "I'll keep it in mind, but you already pay most of my bills as it is."

The other girl laughed. "Not as much as I would if I paid rent, Buffy."

"You keep me company and that's worth a lot. You also babysit Liam and that makes you indispensable." Buffy motioned to the door. "Get out of here or you're going to be late. I'm fine," she added quietly when Tara hesitated.

"Alright." The blonde scooped up her books and headed for the door. "But if it helps, tell Gunn the Jeep's mine and I just let you borrow it."

Buffy shifted to make herself more comfortable before looking up at her friend tiredly. "That would be great except I was driving it when I was dating..." she broke off and took a breath. She'd never told Tara about Liam's father, or what had broken them up. It had been painful enough to go through once, much less relive twice. Still, Tara had stood by her side even through the tears and occasional meltdown. "Gunn and Liam's father are friends. When I was dating him, I was driving it."

Tara frowned as she paused at the door. "I could tell him I bought it from you."

"He'd probably want to see the registration," Buffy answered as she watched her leave before getting to her feet and going to check on her son. "Hey, baby." She smiled and scooped him into her arms. "We're going to be okay." She leaned closer and whispered, "I promise," before setting the one year old on the floor and watching as he started to look over the room. It didn't take long for her thoughts to move to his father. With Angel back in town, she didn't have an excuse for not telling him about his son. But Liam was everything to her now, and Angel wouldn't miss what he never had. Besides he may not want Liam, might hate her more for the ties their son would always give them, or think she was trying to use him to get cash. She gave a tired shake of her head. Angel didn't need to know... There was too much pain in her life already, she didn't need to add more to it.

When she first suspected she was pregnant she'd been an emotional wreck, her breakup with Angel still a raw wound when her mother died on the sofa a couple of weeks later. It had been a very bad time in her life when at three months along she'd bought a pregnancy test. It had come back positive, and she'd spent another month barely able to function before Willow and Xander had convinced her to get out of town so she could give birth in peace. They'd even helped her rent her house in Sunnydale for a year so she'd have money for the tiny apartment she'd rented in Los Angeles.

Liam's birth had been anything but easy though, he'd come early, and she'd had to wait three weeks before the hospital had let her take him home. Even after selling the gallery, she'd been left with a mortgage on the house that would take years to pay off.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she tiredly watched her son. It wasn't that she didn't have dreams, someday she hoped to reopen her mother's art gallery. It was just that she needed to pay her bills first. She took a breath and reminded herself she needed to take one step at a time... and right now she needed to deal with Gunn to get her Jeep fixed.

Two weeks later:

Snyder frowned as he watched Buffy hurry into the bar. "Summers! I want to see you in my office... *now*."

She stopped to look at her boss before glancing over to where Faith was watching sympathetically. The brunette shrugged, and Buffy scowled before quickly punching the time clock and making her way to his office. "You wanted to..."

"You're late," Snyder stated.

"No. I still have two minutes."

He settled back in his chair. "Do you value your job here?"

She shifted uneasily. "Yes."

"Then I'm sure you can manage to be here earlier in the future. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes," she answered quickly.

"Good, and I expect you to fill in for Carrie. You'll take her shift on Thursday." Silence fell, and he looked up from the paper on his desk. "Is that a problem?"

"No. I'll be here."

"What did he want?" Faith asked as she watched Buffy tie on an apron before checking to make sure she had a pen and notepad in the pocket.

"He wants me here earlier... and wants me to fill in for the new girl on Thursday."

Faith chuckled. "Better you than me. I hate that shift."

"I know," the blonde agreed. The weekday shift was Monday through Thursday and from one until seven. It was longer hours overall than the weekend shift with fewer tips.

"And as for the rest of it," Faith broke into Buffy's thoughts, "you were on time."

"Yeah, but not by much," she murmured before sighing. "It's not only here Faith, it's Homestead, and shopping, and shuffling Liam back and forth to the baby sitters." She paused. "Did I tell you Tara starts her job at the Quick Stop Friday night?" She looked over, and Faith shook her head. "She's working the weekend shift from six until two in the morning... which means I'll have to come up with extra money for the babysitter." Buffy frowned as the last two weeks without her car came crashing down on her. "Not to mention getting rides with my friends is just... " She broke off and shook her head. "I'm surprised Willow, Tara, and Xander are still talking to me, and I'm going to go broke if I keep calling taxis."

"So talk to Gunn."

"I've tried, a couple of times, but he won't fix my car unless I pay $82 upfront." Faith whistled, and Buffy nodded. "I know, and that's just for the towing and the three dollar a day storage fee he charges."

Faith shook her head. "You should buy a motorcycle. It's cheaper and if it breaks down, you don't need a tow truck."

"Do they make those with baby seats?" Buffy asked as she headed over to her tables where a small group had sat down. "Because if they do, I'd seriously consider it."

Mr. O'Toole?" Angel asked as he stopped at the table the waitress had shown him.

The well dressed man looked up inquisitively. "Yes."

"I'm Angel McCormick and this is Lindsey McDonald."

Silence fell as the middle aged man sat back in his chair and studied the young men he was evidently having a meeting with. "I was expecting Holtz or Ripper," he stated coolly.

Angel studied him a moment before turning to give the waitress his order and Lindsey followed suite. "Yes," he agreed as he turned his attention back to O'Toole and took a seat at the table as Lindsey did the same. "My uncles thought it would be good for me to start meeting some of the clients. Let me assure you, I do speak for Triad Industries."

The well dressed man nodded before motioning to his right. "This is my lawyer, Adam Fletcher. He works for Wolfram and Hart."

Adam nodded at Angel before turning to Lindsey. "And I take it your McDonald's boy. I've heard a lot about you over the years, and if your half as good as your old man, we'd love to have you working for us."

Lindsey smiled. "I still have some schooling left, but," he looked over at O'Toole, "I can assure you any papers signed here today will be legally binding."

O'Toole nodded. "I appreciate that." He turned to Angel. "Your uncle said he would be able to acquire the land I would like to purchase."

Angel settled back in his chair. "You want four houses on Ninth Street. Southside. It's a middle class neighborhood that you feel will be going up in value due to a rumored shopping mall that might be built in the area." He paused as he looked at the man across from him. "One of the houses will be auctioned off in the next month, while the other three are not interested in selling." He broke off as the drinks were placed on their table.

"Thank you, darling." Lindsey smiled at the waitress who smiled back before leaving.

"You have a good grasp of the situation," O'Toole answered in frustration as the waitress walked away. "I *know* I can put in apartments there and make a killing, but they just won't sell."

Angel nodded. "We propose having a third party buy the house to be auctioned after signing an iron clad contract stating the land and any increase in value are yours and then renting it out to less than ideal tenants."

"The less ideal the better," Lindsey chimed in. "The idea is to make the neighbors so uncomfortable, they want to get out. It may also have the added bonus of lowering the property values."

"And if I have problems evicting them after they're taken on as renters?"

"That can be worked out Hyrum," Adam said quietly. "I'm sure Mr. McDonald knows how to do it."

Hyrum looked at Lindsey thoughtfully before studying Angel. "It seems feasible, but I'd need to have the deal completed before the proposed shopping mall becomes public knowledge."

Angel nodded as he leaned back. "We'd guarantee it of course. If we don't complete the deal in the next few months, we'll keep any property acquired and your fee will be erased from our books." Silence fell, and he looked over the table. "Do we have an agreement?"

Hyrum looked at him with a smile. "We do young man... unless my associate finds a problem with the contract."

"Of course," Angel flashed perfect white teeth as Lindsey reached into his briefcase and pulled out a sheet of paper.

"I think you'll find everything in order," Lindsey murmured as he handed the paper to the Wolf Ram and Hart attorney who glanced over it quickly but thoroughly before giving a nod of satisfaction.

"It will do," Adam said as he handed the paper to his employer.

Good, then we have a deal." O'Toole leaned over and signed the document with a flourish.

Angel gave a faint smile before taking a sip of his drink, and Adam looked over at the two younger men appraisingly. "Will you boys be in town over the weekend? I'm sure my secretary would enjoy showing you the 'hot spots' the college kids enjoy."

"I'd be interested," Lindsey broke in. "My friend needs to head back to Sunnydale though." The brunette flashed a smile at Angel. "Seems Triad Industries is having a little trouble tearing down a historic church, and he needs to see if they've burned his house down yet."

O'Toole shook his head with disgust. "Sentimental fools," he muttered. "They get attached to rotten decayed wood and crumbling mortars."

"I take it you've heard about it then?" Lindsey asked.

"Oh yes." He looked at Lindsey before turning to look at Angel. "It should settle down once the building's gone."

Angel nodded. "It should be torn down in a week or two. In the meantime, anyone wanting to protest had better make sure it's legal, or they'll be dealing with our lawyers."

"Oh yes," Adam spoke up approvingly as he looked at his client. "I think these boys are going to go far Hyrum."

"I'm sure of it." O'Toole smiled brightly at Angel as the older lawyer reached into his pocket and drew out a business card before jotting a number on it and handing it to Lindsey.

"My secretary's number," he murmured.

Lindsey took it with a quick smile as Angel said his goodbyes and got to his feet.

It was after ten when Angel set his suitcase on the floor and tossed his briefcase on the sofa before heading into the kitchen. After his meeting with O'Toole, he'd spent a few hours with Lindsey looking at apartments in Los Angeles. He hadn't intended on renting one, but on a spur of the moment decision, and with Lindsey's enthusiastic encouragement, he had. It hadn't hurt that it was in the same apartment building that Spike, Lindsey, and Cordelia had apartments in.

Walking into the kitchen, the first thing that caught his attention was the envelope on the table, and he smirked. He'd been gone for four days, and only had one piece of mail. He could imagine Darla's annoyance at checking his mailbox daily when it was empty three fourths of the time. Turning away from the table, he pulled a beer out of the refrigerator and let the cool liquid burn the back of his throat before dropping into a chair.

Buffy stepped out of the Bronze at 10:05, the party for the group of high school seniors had ended at ten, and she tiredly began to walk back to her house. She'd made 30 dollars in tips... and owed the babysitter for an extra two hours. She stared at the sidewalk as she continued her slow walk home. She was halfway there before she hesitated at an intersection. Her feet hurt, her legs ached, and every day she didn't pay Gunn to fix her Jeep it racked up more on the bill. She didn't begrudge him the three dollar a day storage fee, but she would never get it back if he held to his terms of getting the payment upfront.

She almost unconsciously started walking again, taking a different route than she'd intended on. Her credit was spotless. She prided herself on never missing a payment, even though it hadn't always been easy. She snorted. More like it hadn't ever been easy, but then life wasn't easy, and it wasn't fair. She'd lost so much two years ago she thought she'd die from it.

She shook the thoughts away and stopped when she realized she'd passed the road that led to her house. She hesitated and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before sighing heavily as she acknowledged the real reason Gunn wasn't working on her car. Resigning herself to what she was about to do, she started walking.

Angel looked up with surprise when the doorbell rang before narrowing his eyes with annoyance. He was sick of the late night phone calls and signs left on his yard over the proposed business expansion into the poorer section of town. Half the complaints were about the church that was going to be torn down... while the other half were upset over the loss of a low rent housing unit. What the protesters didn't realize was it was already a done deal and just the beginning of the Sunnydale cleansing that was being planned.

He confirmed the lateness of the hour with a glance at the clock. It was ten till eleven, and he gave a silent snarl as he pulled the door open with undisguised irritation. "Buffy," he murmured with surprise before his eyes turned even colder.

She took in his expression uneasily. It wasn't a good start, but what had she expected? "I... uh... need to talk to you," she stated quietly. "Can I come in?"

He hesitated before stepping out of the way, and she glanced over the room with a frown as she entered. It didn't fit with him, and she couldn't stop from being surprised at his choice of homes. She turned back a moment later and found him leaning against the door, his arms crossed over his chest, and she forced a smile. "My Jeep broke down and it's..."

"At Gunn's," he finished curtly.

Silence fell, and she nodded, took a breath. He wasn't going to make this easy. "Angel, it's been there for more than two weeks, and he hasn't looked at it yet." She adjusted the strap of the bag over her shoulder. "It's just that I really need it." Another silence fell. "I can't afford to pay him outright but I can make payments. Maybe," she looked away from his cold stare, "forty or fifty dollars a month. I have good credit," she finished tiredly.

"Aren't you having this conversation with the wrong guy?"

"We both know I'm not... He'll fix it if you ask him to."

He cocked his head. "Why should I?"

She didn't even try to hide her exhaustion as she met his eyes. "I know you're mad, but you weren't there." She hesitated before walking over to stand in front of him. "You don't know what he said to me, or how he said it." She reached a hand toward his cheek and did her best to ignore the cold anger in his eyes before her palm finally rested against his warm skin. "I was never interested in your money Angel. I wanted you."

"Spare me." He shifted from his spot between her and the door. "The only thing you need to explain is why I should care about your problems."

Tears welled before she turned to look at him. "I'm just asking you to talk to Gunn..." She swallowed heavily before wiping at tears when he didn't reply. She'd have her Jeep towed to a different shop. She'd still owe Gunn, and a towing fee on top of it, but she couldn't afford to make a lump sum payment. "I'm sorry," she murmured truthfully before turning toward the door and stopping when he grabbed her arm.

"If you can get your car fixed for monthly payments, what do I get in return?"

She turned back to meet cool mocking eyes. "You'll talk to Gunn?"

"I might. If I have the right incentive." She looked at him with confusion, and he smiled darkly before pulling her against his chest and lowering his voice. "All I'm asking for is a little quality time." She stiffened. "There's no problem is there? I mean, you said you wanted me right?" He leaned down to nuzzle into her hair.

"No. Not like this."

"Like what?" He glanced up before quickly backing her against the wall and pinning her there. "It's not like I'm offering you money... because I know you don't want it." The cold look he gave her was chilling. "Give your ex a kiss lover."

She slapped him, the quick movement throwing his head to the side before he slowly turned back to look at her. "I sa... said no," she got out.

Angel stared down at her before taking a small step back. "Well then... I guess I can't help after all."

Buffy looked at him incredulously before wiping at tears. He wanted payment, and she did have one to offer. "I'll pay you," she stated quietly. "I made 30 dollars in tips tonight. If you can get him to agree to payments, it's yours."

Angel laughed, his eyes shining with dark amusement as he shook his head. "Honestly Buffy, I wouldn't do it if you offered me your house."

Fresh tears fell. She needed a car. And if Angel needed to hurt her like this, well, she'd done a lot of hard things in her life. "I have to be at work at six," she told him quietly as she slid the bag off her shoulder. "And..." she couldn't stop her voice from shaking, "I'm not on the pill so..." she trailed off seconds before he had her pinned against the wall.

"Don't worry, this won't take long... and having a baby with you couldn't be further from my mind."

The cold uncaring words cut deep, and Buffy was still trying to recover when he leaned down to kiss her, his mouth covering hers as he pressed their bodies together. When he started pushing her to her knees a few minutes later, she sank down easily, grateful her trembling legs wouldn't have to support her anymore.

Tears were falling when he tugged her head toward his erection. "Come on..." he murmured when she hesitated. "You know what I want." His hands tightened in her hair, and she parted her lips and listened to his groan of satisfaction when he slid in.

Buffy set the drinks down in front of the large group that had joined three tables together before gathering the money and heading back to the bar. The place was busy tonight, and she wove her way through the crush of bodies, only stopping when someone wanted to order a drink or needed their table cleared of empty glasses and bottles.

Setting her tray on the bar, she glanced at her watch with relief. There was only an hour and a half left until her shift was over.

She didn't notice Angel watching thoughtfully from his spot along the wall, his eyes dark as he tried to figure out the best way to get what he wanted. Two months ago all he'd wanted was to have her again, to use her before being able to walk away for good. But all he'd done was reawaken an almost painful need to have her. He snorted as he watched her move through the tables with practiced efficiency. Painful was definitely the right word.

He shifted against the wall as his resentment built before he restlessly went to find Snyder.

"Buffy Summers works Friday and Saturday nights," Snyder informed. "Her shifts run from 7 pm until 2 am." He eyed the rich brunette speculatively. "Of course I'd be more than happy to make alternative arrangements, as long as I get a little something for my trouble."

Angel smiled before cocking his head. "And if you moved her to days... say, Monday and Tuesday... Would she take a pay cut?"

"Yes. The Bronze is open from one until seven on Mondays and Tuesdays. If she were to work those days, she would lose 2 hours of pay and be on a schedule that would guarantee a significant loss in tips." He paused a moment before adding, "There would also be a fifty cents an hour decrease in her wage for working days."

"So that's what you can do for me." Angel's fingers tapped against Snyder's desk. "As far as what I can do for you..." he broke off before looking up. "I'm sure you've heard about the city council's interest in taxing bars an extra $5,000 a year?"

Snyder stiffened before giving a sharp nod, and Angel leaned back in his chair. "I have a lot of friends on the council. "Move Buffy's hours to Monday and Tuesday afternoons and I'll make sure it's nowhere near that if it goes through at all."

Snyder gave a slow nod. "Will next week be satisfactory?"

Angel got to his feet. "It'll do." A moment later, he was standing at the door before looking back. "And I promise you, if Buffy finds out I requested her hours be cut, you'll wish the tax was only $5,000 a year."

"I never talked to you," Snyder assured.

Buffy checked the road before pulling onto the street as she mentally ran over her schedule for the day. She'd work from 6 am until noon at the diner before working from 1 until 7 at the Bronze. It was a 12 hour day without the overtime she mused as she stopped at a stop sign before turning onto Main street.

Snyder's new hours had cost her more than a loss in tips, hours, and wages, it also made her hire Liam's babysitter for an extra 3 hours on Mondays and Tuesdays. And the only reason it wasn't costing more was because Tara could pick him up after her classes were over.

She pulled into the small parking lot and parked in her usual spot before looking thoughtfully at the envelope sitting next to her purse. It was the agreed upon payment she owed Angel, the one she'd planned on sending through the post office so she wouldn't have to meet with him face to face.

She closed her eyes in defeat before picking up her purse and the envelope and heading into the restaurant. She'd put off talking to him for three weeks, but couldn't put it off any longer. There was no way she could pay off her mortgage, the babysitter, continue to eat, and still pay him fifty dollars a month. And she'd tried to work out a budget to allow her to do that... but even after canceling her dish network subscription and cutting back on her cookie dough ice cream, it wasn't going to be enough...

Angel sat on the sofa with the phone pressed to his ear. "I don't know Doyle, but Cordy likes jewelry..." he broke off and listened to his friend wonder again what he should buy Cordelia for her birthday before rolling his eyes and sighing. "I'm not getting her anything... No... I mean, when we were freshmen I bought her a silver charm bracelet she seemed to like, but that was back when we were dating."

A vehicle slowly drove past the window, and he sat up at the sight of the familiar old Jeep. "I don't know, but you can always go with roses. They're nice without screaming lovesick loser." He listened for a few seconds more, even as he heard a car door shut, and got to his feet. "Yellow roses," he informed, "twenty-one of them, one for each of her birthdays. Look... I've got to go. I think I'm about to have company." He listened a moment more before disconnecting and tossing the phone on the sofa.

Buffy took a slow breath as she stood in front of Angel's door before ringing the bell. She wasn't expecting it to open almost immediately.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm, but his expression carefully neutral.

She forced herself to meet his eyes. She hadn't seen him since giving him the blow job... and she glanced away at the thought. "I brought your payment." She handed the envelope to him and shifted uneasily when his expression turned frigid. "I um... also need to talk to you."

He pulled the door wider and allowed her to enter before closing it behind her. Silence fell, and like she'd done the first time, she turned back to look at him. "I've had some... unexpected... things come up," she murmured as she watched him closely, "and," she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "I'm going to pay you back, but I can't keep making fifty dollar payments. I think I can do twenty though."

"We're sticking to the deal." He tore open the envelope and looked at the fifty dollar check in it before dropping it on a small entryway table and looking up into green eyes.

"Angel... I can't make the payments. I've lost the weekend shift at the Bronze, and I've got mortgage payments to make... All I'm asking for is a payment reduction, and if I can pay more I will... Believe it or not, I don't like being in debt."

He opened the door. "I think we're done."

She hadn't expected talking to him to be easy... but hadn't expected him to throw her out either. "Then twenty dollar payments are okay?" she asked uncertainly.

"Fifty dollar payments Buffy. If you don't make them, as per the contract you signed at Gunn's, your Jeep's mine." She looked at him with disbelief, and Angel looked back calmly.

He wasn't going to give an inch, and she gave a slow unconscious nod. She didn't have much, but she could salvage whatever pride she could. She'd sell her tv... her washer and drier if she had to, but she wasn't going to beg him to lower her payments. "Fine," she agreed before heading for the door and the man that had shifted in front of it.

"*Or*," he added, "you don't have to make another payment to me, and can keep your car."

She hesitated at the sudden change in tactics before looking up to meet his eyes. "I want to pay you... I mean, I owe the money, but I can't afford fifty dollar payments right now."

He didn't respond before walking over to sort through the papers in his briefcase and turned to hold one out to her a few seconds later. "It's a new agreement. All you have to do is sign it, and you'll be done making payments."

She glanced at the paper, carefully read through the short paragraph before looking at him reproachfully. "I'm not a whore." She held the contract out, and when he didn't take it, let it fall to the floor.

"Sign it, and there'll be no more payments. I'll even tear up the one you gave me today." She shot him a look, and he dropped back against the wall and studied her. "Four dates." He shrugged. "That's all it'll take to never make a payment to me again."

"With sex expected," Buffy parroted the terms before turning to go, and he almost desperately stopped her.

"I'll fire Xander if you don't sign it."

She froze before turning back. "What?"

"I hear he's married these days, has a pregnant wife and taken out a loan on a house." He gave a slow shake of his head. "Holtz already asked me how I feel about hiring his uncle's construction company. I told him it was okay, but I can change my mind." Silence fell, and she felt nausea gather in her stomach.

"I'm just asking for smaller payments."

"You only have two options," he answered in a calmer voice. "You can keep the contract you signed, and get Xander fired in the process, or sign the new contract, and for four dates I'll tear up this check, cancel any debt you still owe and let Xander keep his job."

Silence fell. "You wouldn't fire Xander."

"I wouldn't try me if I were you."

It took a minute, but she stiffly walked back to pick the contract off the floor and take the pen Angel held out to her. Her signature blurred as her eyes filled with tears before she laid the pen on the coffee table and turned to go.

"Saturday night," he told her as she paused at the door. "The Chases are throwing Cordy a birthday party at their beach house. I'll expect you there at eight."

She didn't reply before stepping out and closing the door quietly behind her. In truth it wasn't having sex with Angel that bothered her, it was more about what he thought of her, and it evidently wasn't much. An ache started in her chest as she walked to the Jeep, and she found herself wondering if she'd be able to survive the newest contract she'd signed.