A few hours later, Angelus was still basking in his success when he heard a vehicle stop in the driveway. He recognized the unwelcome sound of Riley's car and growled in irritation. He had hoped he'd banished his opponent for at least a couple of days. However, considering the fact that Farm Boy had stumbled into a blow-up with Buffy just the previous day, *and* that he himself had made a serious move on her, Angelus was optimistic the Slayer would promptly send Finn on his way. He listened as she went outside to greet the moron, then crept to a window on the shady side of the house where he could safely observe the proceedings.
Riley was clutching an armload of gifts and kissing up to the Slayer. "Buffy, I'm sorry about last night. I was jealous and hurt, and I hope you'll forgive me for being such a jerk." He handed over first a bouquet of red roses, then a large box of chocolates.
Angelus sneered. What prosaic and unimaginative offerings. If *he* had been apologizing to *his* girlfriend (though of course Angelus never apologized because he was never in the wrong), but anyway, if he had been trying to make up with his pissed-off girlfriend, he would have come up with a unique gift idea: a demon-in-the-box or the skull of a virgin witch, for instance. Something special that would prove his originality, not items one could purchase at Wal-Mart. When would Buffy see Riley for the insensitive clodhopper he was?
Apparently, not yet. Angelus could see tears glistening in her eyes as Riley spoke on.
"And I admit, I had something against Angel before I even met the guy. After all, he hurt you."
Buffy smiled mistily. "Oh, Riley, that's so touching."
"Why don't we go out tonight, let me make it up to you?" Riley asked eagerly. "Anywhere you choose."
Buffy shifted uneasily. "I'm sorry, you probably aren't going to like this, but I promised Angel that I would patrol with him tonight. We haven't been able to spend much time together yet because of school and all, and I can't skip another night of patrol."
"Oh." Riley looked unaccountably disappointed. "Well, that's okay, Buffy. I can't say I like the idea of you spending time with Angel, but I also think it's admirable you've stayed on such good terms with your ex. It just goes to prove what a special woman you are. Can we go out tomorrow night instead?"
Buffy hesitated for long seconds. For a moment, Angelus thought the memory of his vampiric charms would make her shove the paltry gifts back in Farm Boy's face. Then she appeared to reach a decision, and not one in Angelus' favor. For some bizarre reason known only to her, she smiled at Riley. "Yes, tomorrow would be fine."
As Riley initiated a liplock with the Slayer, Angelus turned away from the window. He paced back to his room, moodily threw himself upon his bed, and reviewed the situation. Riley had been far too understanding when Buffy had told him about her plans with "Angel." Angelus wondered if there was even a sliver of a chance he had underestimated Farm Boy's intelligence. He hated to second-guess himself, but what choice did he have? Either Riley was diabolically clever, or damn lucky.
As for Buffy, she had barely seemed to spare a thought as to how "Angel" would feel when she once again chose Riley over him. Angelus had truly believed he'd done a better job on her earlier. Apparently, he was slipping. He supposed being out of practice did that to even a master, but even so the idea didn't sit well with him. He would definitely have to redouble his efforts. Buffy and Riley were together and happy, and that just wasn't right.
Angelus fell into a troubled sleep, where for the first time he opened his mind to the possibility of failure.
Hours later, a tentative tap on his door roused him. "Angel?" Buffy's voice was uncertain, always a good sign.
Angelus restrained a smirk and slowly levered himself up. Why had he doubted himself? He still had it! He counted to 10 before he strolled to the door and eased it open. "Yes, Buffy?"
She stared at a spot on the wall beside his ear. "Do you still want to go on patrol like we talked about earlier? After what happened, I'll understand if you don't."
"Of course I'll go with you, Buffy. No matter what else goes on between us, I'll always be here when you need help." Together, they proceeded downstairs. As Buffy jammed her favorite stake, the absurdly-named "Mr. Pointy," into her pocket, Angelus spotted the roses proudly displayed in a clear vase on the coffee table, and resisted the strong urge to shred them. "Let me just get something to drink before we leave."
As he turned toward the kitchen, Buffy cleared her throat. "I already got it for you." She reached behind the vase and grabbed a large mug that was filled to the brim with red fluid.
Angelus reluctantly accepted it and gave the liquid a suspicious sniff. It smelled absolutely putrid. In short, it *didn't* smell like his top-of-the-line O positive. "What is this?" he asked Buffy, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.
She looked at the floor. "Well, I didn't want to have to admit this, but I accidentally spilled your blood. I'm really sorry. But I ran out to the butcher's and got you a replacement. It's fresh pig's blood, so it's better than the stuff I spilled."
"Uh. Thanks," Angelus said weakly. Christ! The bitch had presented him with the cheap shit like it was liquid gold and she obviously expected him to enthusiastically slurp it down. And she hadn't even bothered to heat the mug. For once, he was grateful Angel was such a pansy. His souled counterpart had always been reluctant to imbibe in the sainted Buffy's presence, and Angelus planned to take advantage of that fact.
He raised the cup to his lips and pretended to drink. As Buffy politely looked away, Angelus turned and dumped the full contents of the mug into a nearby potted fern. He quickly returned the container to his lips, fake-gulped one last time, then gratefully set the cup down.
"How was it?" Buffy asked anxiously.
"I'm at a loss for words. I don't know how to thank you for taking such extreme care of me, but I'm sure I'll come up with something eventually."
"Great." Buffy smiled in relief. "When you need more, just go to to the refrigerator. I bought three big bags."
Angelus made a mental note to avoid that area for the foreseeable future.
***
Due to the convenience of the Plymouth, they quickly arrived at the first graveyard. Possibly because Buffy had skipped patrol the night before, the demons and vampires were out in force. Angelus and Buffy had barely set foot on the grounds when they found themselves surrounded by a gang of female vamps. Angelus counted six before they attacked.
He tackled the three closest to him, but they were tough, fighting as a team and taking few chances. Angelus found himself working hard to finish off just one. As he killed his first opponent, he glanced over at Buffy, who was caught up in her own raging battle several yards away. She was doing a little better than him, but not much.
Angelus transformed into vamp face and launched his fiercest attacks. They paid off, as he rapidly slaughtered his remaining opponents and ran over to help Buffy with her last one. Together, they obliterated the final vampire. Angelus was a little surprised to realize how much he'd enjoyed the activity, given that he'd been killing his brethren. Then again, if they were stupid enough to take him on, they deserved to die.
Their numerous battles over the next hour were no less trying than the first one, and Angelus found himself hard put to keep up the pace. He'd never before realized what a strain it was to keep Buffy alive. In the past he'd always been more intent on killing her than helping her out. At the rate he was going, he'd be exhausted before midnight. On the heels of that realization, he dropped down onto a particularly ugly gravestone to rest his tired legs.
Buffy peered worriedly at him. "Angel, are you all right? You look pretty tired. Are you sure you've been keeping in shape over in Los Angeles?"
With an effort, he kept himself from glaring at her. It was her own damn fault he was wiped out. Not only did he have to handle *his* fights, he had to constantly monitor Buffy to make sure she wasn't about to have her neck broken, or be attacked from behind, or get coated with paralyzing Havoc-demon slime. Her beloved Angel had never paid half so much attention to her. Anyway, if he *was* the least tiny bit out of shape, it was really Angel's fault for letting the body go to pot. He could only work with what he'd been given.
"I'm just fine," Angelus replied through gritted teeth. He slowly rose and surveyed the area. "I think we've about cleaned out this place. How about we split up and make sure before we move on?"
"Sure."
Buffy cut to the left, while Angelus stayed in the other half of the cemetery. He didn't actually intend to do much searching. He'd suggested the sweep for two very different reasons. One, he needed a breather, and merely walking around a deserted graveyard was certainly easier than running headlong into another fight, which Buffy was likely to do. Two, he was looking for a snack. If not a human, then he would make do with whatever he *could* locate. Surely one reason he felt so weak was because of sheer hunger. He hadn't been able to feed before leaving the house, and it was only natural that he wouldn't be at his best under those circumstances. Angelus remembered an old trick utilized by desperate vampires who had no available human supply: They would cannibalize one another. It was hardly a desirable action, but it was definitely better than starvation.
He scented the air and cut toward the far end of the cemetery. Sure enough, a young, stupid vampire was hiding behind a crypt. It was just a fledgling, but it smelled of blood. Angelus pounced and subdued the miserable thing, clamping his fangs into its neck as it struggled feebly in his grasp. He felt the strength flooding back into him with every swallow. When he finished draining the inferior vampire, he twisted its neck and stood back as it dissolved into a cloud of dust.
Secondhand blood was better than no blood, that was clear. Angelus felt reenergized and ready to proceed with the slaying. He paced back to the middle of the cemetery and looked for Buffy. She was nowhere to be seen. He'd been around her all night up to that point; could she really have gotten herself in trouble the minute his back was turned? Angelus hated to admit it even to himself, but he was a little worried about the missing Slayer.
The cemetery was the largest one in town, and he covered most of Buffy's half before he closed in on her whereabouts. She had been delayed by a fight against a pair of vampires, but seemed to be doing just fine on her own. Angelus decided to relax and watch the action, possibly refresh his knowledge of Buffy's weak points.
After a few minutes of the typical punching and kicking, Buffy maneuvered into position to stake the lead vampire. As he went "poof," the one that had been hanging back attacked from the side and knocked Buffy off balance. Ordinarily, she should have been able to recover with little trouble. However, she was fighting close to a row of graves and knocked her head against a marker when she fell. Angelus watched as a stunned Buffy failed to leap up with her usual enthusiasm. She looked like she was genuinely in trouble, and the second vampire wasn't about to make any allowances.
When he realized he was probably about to witness the Slayer's death, Angelus roared in rage. The thought of some other demon killing her before he got the chance was simply unbearable. He raced across the grounds, determined to stop the lowly vamp from making the biggest kill of his career. Assuming Angelus was an ally, the other demon barely spared him a glance, which turned out to be a huge mistake. Angelus caught the unsuspecting vampire in a flying tackle, grabbed him by the throat, and ripped out his heart in almost one motion.
When he looked up, Buffy was standing over him, staring at his bloody hand. "Um, thanks, Angel. I think. But you know, I could have taken that one by myself, in a slightly less gory way."
"It didn't look like it," Angelus muttered, rising and trying to cup the dripping blood in his palm so he could drink it when Buffy wasn't looking.
"I was playing possum," Buffy explained. "To throw the vamp off balance. Then when he closed in on me I would have taken him by surprise. I've been slaying for a long time, remember. I know some tricks. Not that I don't appreciate your concern. It's always nice to know you still care."
She stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Angelus "accidentally" swiveled his head just a little so Buffy's lips migrated to his. Even then, she had every opportunity to move away. She didn't, so the passionate kiss that ensued was, naturally, *her* fault, and Angelus savored it all the more until the inevitable moment when Buffy tore herself away. "No. Angel kissage is bad. Very bad. Because it can lead to dangerous things. We can't do this."
"Right." Angelus deliberately agreed too easily. "You're with Riley, there's the matter of my soul, and I'll be going back to Los Angeles soon." He studied Buffy's innocent, crestfallen little face. He could kill her on the spot, with barely any effort. But he didn't want to. Angelus told himself it was simply too soon; he was biding his time. So instead of taking out his arch-nemesis once and for all, he merely suggested, "Why don't we just finish patrolling?" and accompanied the guilt-stricken, confused Slayer on the remainder of her route.