*****
Angelus sighed. "No, no, no!" How to phrase matters in a way Buffy would understand? He went with the tried and true, "Pretend it's a lollipop."
Buffy obliged.
"Ouch! Okay, stop pretending that." Angelus winced in pain and wondered if this was truly how it was supposed to be. Naked Angelus plus naked Buffy plus privacy equalled...disaster? Well, he had always said he wanted to have sex with Buffy. It was his own fault for not emphasizing that he wanted it to be *good* sex.
Buffy gave up and perched on the bed, shoulders drooping. "Did I do something wrong, Angel? I'm sorry. I guess I'm too inexperienced for you."
"No, that isn't the problem." Inexperienced was the best time to catch them, assuming they were trainable. "Why don't we try something else for a while." All wasn't lost yet. As he joined her on the bed, Angelus' desperately working mind seized onto one activity Buffy couldn't possibly screw up: kissing.
There, that was better. Too bad they couldn't just stay like that all night, but the goal had always been to move on to the main event and Angelus could never be accused of chickening out. Besides, if he and Buffy didn't make love, Spike was sure to somehow find out and would never let him hear the end of it.
Thinking of which, it was time to speed up the process. With some effort, Angelus achieved separation from Buffy's suctioning lips. "Relax," he urged her. "And remember, whatever hurts you hurts me, too." 'Unfortunately. Damn this chip!' Because of the thing, he definitely had to proceed gently--in other words, in unfamiliar, and therefore exceedingly dangerous, territory. Best to get it over with. On that thought, Angelus began moving.
Down, down...neck...bad place to pause, debilitating memories of not being able to bite it, best to keep going...breasts....bad again, couldn't bite them, either...maybe just nibble a little... ow! Another bad idea...down again...hmmm, maybe he could convince Buffy to get her belly button pierced...would she go for it...? ...a little bit further...there he was.
Angelus had barely settled down between Buffy's thighs when she grabbed his hair with both hands and practically yanked him back up her body. "Angel, I can't wait any longer. I need you now!"
Someone had been reading too many Harlequin romances, but he could work that to his advantage. Angelus positioned himself and sank into Buffy's hot, wet depths. His eyes instantly rolled back in his head. Considering the way the evening had started, he hadn't expected much. He certainly deserved a pleasant surprise, though.
Since violence was out of the question, steady, firm thrusts would have to do. Angelus set up a rhythm, pistoning his hips against Buffy. He was almost impossibly hard, and knew he wouldn't last long. As a tidal wave of sensation made its way up his spine, Angelus found himself on the verge and tried to hold back, make it last longer, but he couldn't. With a snarl he exploded, changing into game face at the same moment. Some small corner of his mind remembered not to try to bite down and Angelus quickly brought himself back under control, returning to his human guise as he collapsed atop Buffy, wonderfully sated. As soon as his muscles recovered enough strength to obey him, he rolled away to lie beside her.
Well, that hadn't been too horrible after all, Angelus decided. True, his endurance was down, so obviously some of his control had slipped away during his dormancy. Still, that fact worked to his advantage. It had made him more reserved and careful; probably made him seem more Angel-like in Buffy's eyes. And really, aside from the problem of not being able to bite, being with Buffy had felt good. *Really* good. If it was like this now, just wait until he got the chip out.
Wait. Why was he thinking long-term? He and Buffy were mortal enemies. The Slayer was around merely to be toyed with and then killed. It was her purpose.
Beside him, the object of his thoughts re-inserted herself into the situation by clearing her throat. "Um, Angel? I didn't...Do you think you could...?" She slowly turned brick-red.
Angelus considered. He supposed he could be generous, especially given the fact that it was in his best interests to keep Buffy on his side at least until he got the chip removed. He slithered back down her body, past that tempting neck and the belly button he still had designs on, and set himself to work.
"That feels so good," Buffy's annoyingly breathy moans informed him.
'Damn, what am I doing right?' Oh, wait, he *wanted* to make her glowingly content before yanking the rug out from under her, which meant he wasn't being an inadequate demon after all. Pleasing Buffy was part of his master plan. In fact, it would work even better if he applied a little more tongue.
Sure enough, soon Buffy began gasping and writhing under him like an anaconda, which was fine for her but not so much fun for the poor vampire caught in her clutches. Reminding himself of his plan, Angelus retained his composure and persevered, until Buffy made a strangled noise that sounded comfortingly close to a death cry. The second her legs relaxed their deathgrip around his head, Angelus extricated himself and scooted a safe distance away. True, he didn't have to breathe, but claustrophobia had become a real concern there towards the end.
Buffy took a few moments to catch her breath before she crawled close to him. "Angel? It is still you, right?" she said in a tentative voice.
"I guarantee you, I am not completely happy," Angelus hedged.
Buffy smiled. "So you're not going to change?"
"Not a chance. What you see is what you get."
"Everything's perfect, then. I can't believe how wonderful it is. Just being with you is more than I ever thought I would have again, so you don't know the full extent of what this means to me."
Maybe if he pretended to be sleeping, she'd shut up. Angelus promptly closed his eyes.
"Angel?" Buffy nudged his shoulder. "You're still awake, right?"
Angelus bit back an instinctive, ungracious reply as he reluctantly looked at her again. "Of course, Buffy. What's on your mind?"
"I have a confession to make. I hope you won't think I'm stupid or weak or anything for feeling this way. I tried not to, but I couldn't help it. Only it's so embarrassing to admit to it."
'This ought to be good,' Angelus thought. "I promise I won't laugh." 'Out loud, anyway.'
Buffy heaved a deep breath. "Okay, well, when I learned that you and Cordelia were working together in Los Angeles, I was really worried. Oh, all right, I admit it--I wasn't just worried, I was green with jealousy. I was terrified you would fall for Cordelia and forget all about me."
Angelus snorted. "You *must* be joking. Me, forget you and fall in love with that self-centered airhead whose greatest interest is which shade of nail polish looks best on her?"
"I thought you and Cordelia are friends."
Good point. Angelus quickly backtracked. "Sure we are."
"From the way you just talked about her, it doesn't sound like it."
"You know Cordelia. She has her good points and her bad points. But let me assure you, once and for all, I could never feel the way about her that I do about you. There simply is no comparison to the degree of emotion. Fate has brought the two of us together. But Cordelia is totally different. In fact, she's like a sister to me." Angelus privately added, 'And remember what I *did* to my/Angel's sister. Mmmm, mmmm. Delicious. Tender and delicate, with quite the piquant flavor.'
Apparently *not* remembering, Buffy squirmed into a comfortable position, shut her eyes, and whispered, "Quote some poetry to me before I go to sleep?"
Poetry? Oh, yes, that frivolous sap his better half had actually *enjoyed* pumping into his feeble brain. Of course, not all of the stuff was mind-rotting. Angelus thought and came up with one of his favorite inspirational passages: "'A devil is behind here, who doth cleave us thus cruelly, unto the falchion's edge putting again each one of all this ream, when we have gone around the doleful road.'"
Buffy's eyes flew open and she raised her head to stare at him. "Where did that come from?"
"'Dante's Inferno.'"
"Huh?"
"Never mind. Just go to sleep." Angelus pushed Buffy's head back onto his shoulder. With any luck, when she woke up she would have forgotten his little slip.
"I guess I should have paid more attention in literature class. Oh, well." She yawned and obediently drifted off to sleep.
It took longer for Angelus to find rest. He was worried about himself. He was supposed to use Buffy and then kill her. No doubts, no hesitation. Yet tonight he hadn't once seriously fantasized about killing her. Why? Could he actually be going soft? Turning even the tiniest bit (*shudder*) good? Could he come up with any possible explanation for his uncharacteristic behavior that would allow him to salvage his prized evil demonhood?
Maybe. Just maybe. After all, realistically, any vampire having sex for the first time in three hundred or so years (counting Angel's time in hell) would probably feel extremely good and therefore distracted from his usual demonic pursuits, no matter who his partner. He'd just been temporarily thrown off balance. He'd be back to his normal homicidal self by morning. He had to be.
*****
The next morning when Buffy woke up, Angel was sleeping soundly. At least, Buffy assumed he was. The whole "not-breathing" issue made it hard to tell. But he didn't so much as stir when she slipped out of bed, so it seemed a safe bet. Best of all, he obviously hadn't gone evil again. If Angelus had reemerged, it was true that he couldn't attack her but he could definitely exercise mental torture and some of the other vicious skills at which he excelled. Instead, he was the same wonderful Angel he had been the day before.
It was barely dawn, far too early to wake him. After all, Angel was used to sleeping most of the day. Buffy crept about as quietly as possible, taking a shower, getting dressed, and fixing breakfast from the supplies she'd brought with her the night before.
It was still early when she finished eating and she found herself at loose ends. She didn't have to go to class, didn't feel like studying, wasn't tired, didn't want to wake Angel, and couldn't think of anything in particular she wanted to do. So Buffy decided to explore the mansion a bit. She began by poking around the kitchen, checking to see if Angel was running low on blood. He turned out to have a pretty good stock, along with a surprising amount of food. Hot sauce? Chicken wings? She'd never known he liked those items.
She allowed the refrigerator door to swing shut and left the kitchen. Where to next? How about a few of the rooms on the second floors? She'd only peeked in them on occasion, so they might contain something interesting.
The first room held several shelves of books. Volumes by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Shakespeare with bookmarks inserted were stacked at the front, indicating they had recently been read. What about that poem Angel had mentioned last night? What had he called it? "Dante's Inferno"? Buffy scanned the titles but couldn't find that one. She'd have to ask Angel to show it to her later.
Old books weren't all that fascinating, so Buffy soon moved on to the next room. It also appeared to be used fairly often, since a TV set and a VCR were tucked away in a corner. She hadn't even known Angel owned a TV. If she got really bored, she could watch something later.
The room appeared to contain nothing else of interest, but as Buffy turned to leave her foot bumped into a hard object hidden under the bed. She knelt down and tugged it out to see a box containing a row of unmarked videotapes. A torn label in unfamiliar writing read "Passion." It sounded like...well, it sounded like porn. Buffy's mind immediately filled in the blank with potential titles. "Hidden Passion"? "Carnal Passion"? "Demonic Passion"? What kind of porn tapes would a vampire watch, anyway?
She was afraid to find out, but at the same time she *had* to know. Buffy turned on the TV and VCR, selected the end tape, and inserted it into the machine. As the video began to play, she frowned. It seemed familiar, and was very un-pornlike. She was sure she even recognized some of the performers. Then the opening theme music started, and Buffy identified the contents of the tape. It was the soap opera her mom liked--"Passions." Buffy reexamined the label. It actually did say "Passions" instead of "Passion," only the final "s" was obscured.
Buffy let out a huge sigh of relief. Her overactive imagination had made her picture something really awful, but it turned out Angel was just a closet soap fan. He'd probably hidden the tapes because he was afraid she'd laugh at him if she knew the truth. Well, she wouldn't mention her discovery. Carefully, Buffy returned each item to its original position and left the room as she had found it. She then continued down the hall but found nothing more of interest. In fact, most of the rooms appeared not to have been touched in months or years.
She was about to give up her explorations and go back to bed when her keen hearing picked up a series of noises from outside the house. Scrape. Rustle. Snap. The sounds stopped, then started again. Someone, or something, was there. It might just be an animal. On the other hand, maybe the intruder was another demon trying to attack Angel. She had to check it out.
Buffy tiptoed downstairs and let herself out the back door, close to the last place she had heard the creature. Outside, the noises were magnified. Around the corner, branches rustled and twigs snapped. Taking a calculated risk, Buffy rushed forward and pounced.
"Ah!" Her captive let out a startled cry as she pinned him against the house.
It was a human, and he wore an Initiative uniform. Buffy eased her hold but didn't release it. "Who are you and what are you--?"
"Buffy?"
It was Riley's voice. Buffy let go and stepped back, allowing Riley to turn to face her. "I don't believe this. What are you doing here?"
"I... demon hunting?"
The combination of his hesitant answer and failure to look her in the eyes told Buffy all she needed to know. "I'm only going to say this once: Leave Angel alone. Haven't you done enough to him already? Actually, more than enough."
Riley scowled and checked his watch. "Buffy, it's 7 a.m. What are you doing at his house at this time of day?"
Buffy crossed her arms. "What do you think?"
"I think we were dating for months, I treated you right and I loved you, but the minute this vampire trots back into town, it's goodbye, Riley, hello, undead lover."
"So because you're jealous, you thought you'd sneak up on him while he's sleeping, not to mention helpless, and do what? Stake him? Perform more experiments on him?"
Riley shook his head. "You don't understand. Your judgement is clouded."
Those lines were really getting old. Buffy cut the dialogue short with a determined, "I'm not listening to a word you have to say. And I told you to leave. Now do it."
"Buffy, please, listen to me." Riley stepped toward her.
"I don't want to hear it." She stood firm, waiting for him to give up.
Finally relenting, Riley turned and slunk away. Buffy stayed in place until he was out of sight and she heard the distant sound of an engine starting and a vehicle moving away. Then she moved back toward the door. Now that Riley knew she was at the mansion protecting Angel, he probably wouldn't come back anytime soon.
God, Riley was being a pain. Buffy sank down on the back steps and propped her chin in her hands. What to do about him and the Initiative? She no longer trusted their work or their methods, and she still had to worry about them going after Angel again. It was best to discuss the situation with him, she decided. Together, they would think of a solution.
Heartened, Buffy started to stand up when she noticed a cigarette butt lying in the dirt at the foot of the steps. In fact, two more butts lay within a few feet of that one. They all looked relatively clean, at least as far as cigarettes went, showing no trace of mud from the rain of two days ago. They couldn't be Riley's, since he didn't smoke. Neither did Buffy, any of her friends, or Angel. So who was leaving fresh cigarette butts around his home?
Angel's voice sounded from inside the house behind her. "Buffy, what are you doing?"
"Nothing," she quickly replied. "Just thinking." For some reason she couldn't explain, she didn't mention the cigarettes as she joined Angel.
*****
Angelus was in the living room of the mansion drinking some of the human blood Spike had thoughtfully procured for him under duress when he heard Buffy approaching. Thinking quickly, he snatched up the volume of Wordworth's poetry he had placed on the table as a prop.
Good move. Buffy's eyes went right to it when she entered the room. "Angel, you can finish reading that book later, right? I thought we could patrol tonight since I skipped last night. I don't want to miss two days in a row."
"Good idea. Let's do that." As soon as Buffy turned her back, Angelus dropped the book like it was coated in holy water. Or full of sentimental crap, which it definitely was. One thing he liked about Buffy, she surrounded herself with violence.
The two selected their stakes and set out on patrol, encountering and dusting an unusually small number of vampires. As much as possible, Angelus studied Buffy's technique. The better acquainted he was with her fighting style, the easier it would be to defeat her in their inevitable rematch. Of course, the main reason she'd taken him down the other time was because Spike had softened him up first, but more careful preparation couldn't hurt. He could admit it; she was a tough opponent and he would have to work to take her down.
Naturally, Angelus had to keep himself in fighting form and continue to trick Buffy, so he also took on his share of opponents. Disappointingly, though, none came close to even his sparring standards. He probably ought to start practicing with Spike, get in some useful workouts that way.
He and Buffy worked their way through the last cemetery on their route and paused. They hadn't encountered a single vampire in the place.
"Where are they all hiding?" Buffy demanded. "There should be a lot more around. They always get brave right after I take a night off." She scanned the area and then gasped. "I know! I bet they got smart and some of them broke into the crypts to hide. We're going to have to search all of them."
Angelus shrugged. "All right." It was a good chance to seek out more violence, and who knew, maybe Buffy was right.
They split up, with each taking one side of the graveyard. At first, it seemed like Buffy had been mistaken. Most of the crypts were sealed shut, and the few accessible ones were deserted. Angelus had circled to the far end of the cemetery before he encountered success. Inside the Alcott crypt, sprawled out on the floor with an empty bottle of bourbon at his side, lay a very familiar vampire: Spike.
"Damn." Angelus had wondered where Spike had been spending his time away from the mansion, and now he had at least a partial answer. Well, he had to make sure Buffy didn't find out Spike was in town. She'd be sure to stake him if she knew. He also had to be careful that Buffy didn't spot them together, which meant he had to wake the drunken vampire and warn him.
"Spike!" Not sure how close Buffy might be, Angelus knelt beside him and hissed. "Wake up!"
Spike cracked open an eyelid. "Oh. It's you." The eye instantly closed again.
"Spike!" Angelus grabbed his shoulder and shook--hard. "Buffy's here."
"So, keep her away from me. I'm trying to rest." Spike didn't even bother to open his eyes that time.
Angelus bristled. Being a lackey was beneath his dignity, but he needed Spike's help too much to argue with him. "Fine." He whirled and prepared to stalk away.
"Hey, wait!" Spike called from behind him. "Got some news for you, if you wanna hear it now. It's 'bout the Initiative."
Angelus' ears pricked up and he crossed to the door, peeking outside to make sure Buffy wasn't nearby. Satisfied, he returned to Spike and leaned against a coffin. "Do tell. Make it quick, though."
"I found Maggie Walsh last night. She's the leader of the pack, it seems. Also turns out she's a psychology professor at UC Sunnydale, and the Slayer's one of her students. And this is the big one. Remember the night we went looking for the Slayer at the college and didn't find her but did see Riley Finn talking to a woman? That was Walsh."
Finally able to put a face to the name, Angelus growled. He wouldn't forget that bitch anytime soon. Calming himself with a concerted effort, he mused, "Well, well. Matters just get worse and worse...for them. Incidentally, Buffy told me she caught Finn lurking around the mansion this morning. It seems I'm still a target."
"Take out Walsh and her stun guns and none of us'll be," Spike offered on a yawn.
"Monday night. We'll move first chance as soon as the weekend is over," Angelus instructed. He couldn't just sit around and wait for his enemies to fall on his fangs. It was time to attack.
*****
It took his finest acting, but Angelus managed to make it through the entire weekend with Buffy none the wiser about his true identity. Monday was the day he had been waiting for. That night, if all went well, he and Spike would capture Maggie Walsh and force her to reveal the secret to safely removing the chip from Angelus' head. First, though, he had to take care of another little problem: Buffy, and her totally understandable (he could be very charming when he chose to be) but inconvenient (he had other plans) desire to spend time with him.
Buffy had loaded up her travel bag and was halfway out the front door when she dropped the piece of unwelcome news. Namely, the statement, "I'll see you tonight, Angel."
Which would ruin all of Angelus' beautifully wicked plans. "No, don't come over."
"Huh?" Buffy turned toward him. "Why not?"
"Well, you've been here all weekend, you haven't seen or talked to your friends in days, you're probably behind on your schoolwork, and I'm sure Giles would like a status report." None of which seemed to convince Buffy, so Angelus hauled out the big guns and played on her emotions. "I think you should talk to your mother again and try to make up with her. It would make me feel much better if you did. I can't help feeling guilty that you two argued in the first place."
"You shouldn't." Buffy stepped back inside and hugged him, reassuring, "Our fight wasn't your fault."
"Rationally, I know that, but I feel bad anyway," Angelus lied.
"All right, if that's what you want, I'll give it a try."
"Thank you. I'll rest easier with that knowledge." Angelus kissed Buffy goodbye and ushered her away, then went off to get plenty of rest in preparation for the evening's festivities.
*****
As scheduled, Spike showed up at the mansion just after dusk. On the plus side, he wasn't drunk. On the minus side, he was puffing away on a cigarette, which he threw aside as Angelus stepped outside to join him.
"Get rid of the butt," Angelus ordered. "And while I'm at it, stop smoking here. If Buffy catches on that you're hanging around, we could both be dust before we know what hit us."
Spike glowered but retrieved the cigarette butt and shoved it into his pocket. "Fine, I'll litter somewhere else instead. You got the game plan arranged?"
"Good to see that you remember I've always been the brains of the operation." Disappointingly, Spike didn't even react to that little gibe, so Angelus moved on. "Well, the person we want is Maggie Walsh. After we grab her, we'll bring her back here. It's the only reasonably safe place where we can conduct our little interrogation. I don't think it'll take very long. She'll probably break down and cry like a baby within minutes."
Spike glanced back at the mansion. "What about the Slayer? She isn't still hanging around waiting to ruin our fun, is she?"
"No. I strongly encouraged her to visit with her friends and also to try to make up with her mother tonight. If that encounter doesn't result in disaster, I miss my guess. I figure Buffy's out of our hair until at least tomorrow. You have an idea where to find Walsh, right?"
Spike nodded. "I know some of her schedule. We should be able to locate her without a problem. Picking her up might be more difficult. She's usually prancing around giving orders to everyone in sight."
"We'll find a way to single her out," Angelus declared. After all, he and Spike were expert hunters, and Walsh was a mere ordinary human. "Come on, let's get in the car. You can give me directions."
Following Spike's instructions, Angelus drove first to the college (no Walsh), then to her apartment (still no luck), and finally to a quiet area near the woods on the east side of town. He stowed the Plymouth near a patch of bushes and followed Spike through the trees to a large clearing that contained a small building. The vampires paused safely out of sight, crouching low and observing the two familiar humans who were visible in the brilliant moonlight. They had hit pay dirt.
Spike nodded toward the duo. "So, Walsh and Finn are together. What is this, a group rate, two for the price of one?"
Angelus grinned. "We might as well take what's on offer, huh, Spike? I hadn't planned on getting both of them, but since they've so obligingly displayed themselves, it would be cruel of us not to take them up on their invitation. We'd better wait a bit until we're sure they're alone, though. Wouldn't want anyone potentially escaping or calling for help, would we?" He studied their enemies. Walsh was unarmed, while Riley toted one of the standard Initiative weapons. They should pose no significant threat.
As they observed, Riley began to move away from his companion. Walsh placed a detaining hand on his arm and leaned toward him, gazing deeply into his eyes while she spoke.
Spike nudged Angelus. "Hey, looking at them, d'you think--"
"*Don't* say it. Don't even think it," Angelus warned.
"Right, then."
They continued watching and soon saw a golden opportunity to pounce as Walsh and Finn set off together along a winding path through the woods. Spike and Angelus exchanged glances, not needing to say a word, before they set off in pursuit. Once they were a safe distance away from the clearing, Spike darted into the woods beside the path and began to gain ground on their prey. Angelus, meanwhile, lurked behind in the shadows until he judged Spike was in position. He then deliberately snapped a tree branch, the noise resounding like a gunshot. Walsh and Finn whirled, scanning the darkness for any sign of danger. It was an easy matter for Spike to skulk around behind Riley and knock him over the head with one well-placed blow. Having first taken care of the more formidable opponent, Spike then turned on a stunned Maggie Walsh.
"I don't know who you are--" she began.
Spike wasted no time in punching her out, too. Angelus trotted up from out of the shadows and grabbed Riley's carcass. "Good job. Wish I could have done it myself. Come on, let's load them in the car before we're spotted."
He and Spike lugged the bodies to the Plymouth, pitched them in the trunk, and were on their way again. As far as Angelus could tell, the operation had gone perfectly. They had achieved their objective and no one had seen them. The fun part would start as soon as they got home.
TBC