The Call

by Heather5

Set in LA: Buffy and Angel work together on a case

The Call

By:  Heather

RATING: PG
DISTRIBUTION: Just ask first.
SPOILERS: maybe a few VERY small ones, but I doubt anyone will notice.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:  The timeline basically goes along with the shows, except for the one small change that you will notice quickly. :)

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Chapter 1

"Hi," Cordelia called to her employer as he walked through the front door of Angel Investigations.

Angel smiled brightly at his friend. "Hey," he said as he approached her and set down the duffel bag he was carrying.

Seeing the smile on his face, Cordy couldn't help but smile herself, "Did you have a good weekend?"

"Yeah, it was great. How about you? Anything exciting or scary happen around here while I was gone?" he asked.

"Exciting, no. Scary, not really, unless you count that Kate stopped by to see you."

Angel grimaced, "What evil deed has she decided to blame on me now?"

"She said that she needed to talk to you. She actually thought that I was going to tell her where you were! Can you believe that?" Cordelia paused, as if she was considering something, "Maybe I should have told her, she wouldn't have lasted two minutes."

Giving her a stern look, Angel said, "Don't say that."

"Would you miss her?" Cordelia asked.

Finally, unable to maintain his disapproving look, Angel laughed, "No, but she would have managed to find me in those two minutes and ruined my whole weekend."

"Oh, I see," Cordelia replied, "So, how was good old Sunnydale anyway?"

"Not much different," Angel answered.

Cordelia laughed, "Meaning that you didn't see anything because you never got out of bed and I don't think you were sleeping."

"HEY! That's not true!" Angel said, but he was also laughing.

"OK, if you say so," she replied, and the continued when she saw his look. "Hey, I'm not complaining. You have been much easier to work with for the last month. There is no more brooding and you laugh and make jokes. You even wear other colors besides black. Over all, it's a vast improvement. Who knew that one little 'Superglue for Angel's Soul' spell would make such a big difference."

By the time that she finished her little speech, they were both laughing. "What can I say, she's good for me," Angel said, once they had calmed down.

"This is a good thing. I'm really happy for you," she said sincerely.

"Thanks, Cordy."

"Anyway, why are you back early?" she asked. "I didn't think you would be back until dawn."

"Well, Buffy has her last final tomorrow and she needed to study." he answered.

"Oh, and let me guess. She can't study with you there?"

"We usually get distracted," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I bet." she replied, as she gathered her things. "Well, since you are back and there are no major catastrophes prophesied, I am going home early for once."

"All right, I'll see you tomorrow." he said as he walked her to the door.

"Bye Angel. I'm glad your back, Gunn and Wesley were driving me crazy." she said and then left the office.

After locking office, Angel headed towards his own room, laughing to himself about the truth in Cordelia's statements. He really hadn't gotten much rest that weekend.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I'm glad that you guys could handle everything while I was gone." Angel said.

He was sitting in the office with Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn. They had just finished telling him everything that had come up during his two-day absence. Surprisingly, there wasn't much to tell.

"Did you doubt us?" Gunn asked with a smile.

Angel's reply was cut short when the door opened and Kate entered the office.

"Angel, I need to talk to you." She said without preamble.

"Hi Kate, nice to see you too." he replied.

She sighed, "I need to talk to you."

"So talk. The man is standing right in front of you." Gunn said.

Kate continued to stare at Angel expectantly, until it was clear that he had no intentions of moving.

"Fine, I need you to help me with a case."

Angel gave her a quizzical look, "You want my help?"

"Want, no" Kate Sighed, "but you're my only choice."

There's the cop lady that we all know and…well, know," Cordelia said, causing the others start laughing.

"Do you want to hear this or not?" Kate asked Angel, who managed to control his smile long enough to nod.

"OK, have you heard of the law firm Wolfram & Hart?"

Angel just looked at her, "Once or twice."

"I know that they have, well, other types of clients besides humans…"

"Meaning that they defend demons." Angel supplied.

"Yes, and I know that they use questionable methods to do it, but I can't prove anything. That's where you come in. They are having a reception for their clients in two days. I can get in, but they will recognize me before I can find out anything. I thought that you could go with me and while they were watching me, you could see what you could find out."

Angel was quiet for a minute before he started to speak, "Well the plan sounds good, except for one problem. They would ID me before I was through the door."

"What? Why?"

"I have crossed paths with them a few times. Basically, I am Wolfram & Hart's public enemy #1."

Kate sighed, "Well, what now?"

"I'll go in, but not with you," Angel replied.

Kate looked startled, "What do you mean 'not with me'?"

"First of all, do you really trust me to watch your back?" Angel asked, but didn't give her a chance to answer, "Not to be rude, but I don't trust you to watch mine. I need someone in there that I can count on. Second, It makes more sense for me to be the one to go into the party. If they decide to pull something, other that keeping an eye on me, I have the best chance of making it out unharmed."

Kate thought about it, then said, "What am I supposed to do? Just turn everything over to you? This is my case."

"No, you can keep watch from the outside. With any luck, the will notice you and it will distract them further." Angel said.

"So who is going to go in with you? All of these guys are known to work with you. They will be as easy to spot as you."

"I won't take any of them. I have someone else in mind." Angel said with a smile.

Cordelia knew immediately whom he was referring to, "Oh this should be fun."

Kate was confused, "Who are you talking about?"

"Just a friend." Angel replied mysteriously. "Are we agreed?"

At her nod, he rose from his seat, "I'll make the call." Since everything was decided, he turned and walked into his office.

Chapter 2

"Angel, I've had it. Are we working together on this or not?" Kate said angrily.

Angel looked at her tiredly, "What's wrong now, Kate?" The two of them were in the office, along with Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn. They had been trying to clean up some old cases, when Kate had come in and started asking questions. The others were still around, but they were leaving Kate for Angel to deal with.

"If we are working together then I think I should be in on the planning," She said.

"You were, remember. You do outdoor surveillance while we go in and see if we can find out what is really going down."

"Who is this 'we'. You said that you were calling a friend, but that is all you will say. Who is it? Why is it better for them to go, instead of me?" Kate replied, still not liking the fact that she was being cut out of the action.

Angel sighed, for what seemed like the 100th time that day, "Kate, she is used to this kind of thing. She knows how to take care of herself in these situations."

"She? It's a woman?" Kate asked, surprised. While she disliked what Angel was, he had always seemed like the 'save the damsel in distress' type, not the kind of man to put an innocent woman in harms way.

"Yes, Kate. She…"

His cut his answer off short when he heard the voice he would know anywhere call, "Anybody home?" He looked up and saw his love come through the door.

"Hey," he said, "You're early."

She smiled, "Lucky for you." With that she put her bags down and walked over and gave Angel a big hug.

Angel hugged her back and said, "Very lucky for me."

The others, taking note of Buffy's arrival had made their way over to their friends. Gunn looked at the pair standing in front of him. It was obvious that everyone else in the room knew who she was. When it was apparent that no one was going to tell him what was going on, he said, "Hi, I'm Gunn. Who are you?"

Buffy removed herself from Angel's arms and turned to answer the question, when she caught sight of Kate. When she realized where she knew her from, she turned back to Angel, "What's the bitchy cop lady doing here?"

Cordelia was the first to answer, "That's the 10 million dollar question."

Buffy was not happy about seeing the woman who had tried to kill Angel standing in front of her, "Well, she needs to leave."

"Buffy," Angel cautioned, as he saw her step towards Kate, "She is working with us on this."

Buffy stopped advancing on Kate and turned back to Angel, "If you say so…"

"EXCUSE ME!" Gunn said rather loudly. When he was sure he had everyone's attention, he continued, "Who are you?"

"Buffy," Buffy, Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley all replied at the same time.

"OK, everything is so much clearer now." He said sarcastically.

Buffy laughed, "Angel called and asked me to come and help out with…something that he has yet to explain."

"Oh, you're the friend."

At his words, Buffy turned to Angel with a smirk on her face, "Friend?"

"Well, aren't we friends?" Angel asked.

"Oh OK. So as a friend, I guess that I will be staying at Cordy's tonight." Buffy replied.

Buffy almost burst out laughing at the look on Angel's face as he said, "Baby, come on, you know…"

"Don't 'baby' me." She said with mock seriousness.

"Let's try this again," Angel said as he stepped toward her. Gently he turned her around so that she was facing Gunn and Kate and then wrapped his arms around her waist. "Kate, Gunn, this is my GIRLFRIEND, Buffy Summers. She is going to be helping us out on this case."

Kate just stared at Angel in shock. To her he was just another demon and she was very surprised at the fact that he did something so human as to date. She wondered if this girl knew what she was involved in. She obviously knew he was a vampire, but it was probably some big game to her. Kate decided then and there to save this girl from herself and the vampire who had seduced her.

Meanwhile, Gunn was trying to cover his surprise. The idea that Angel had a girlfriend had never crossed his mind, "Girlfriend? So,… how long have you two been together."

Cordelia couldn't resist, "Which time?" she asked with a smile.

"HEY!" Buffy and Angel said in unison.

"It's not that bad," Buffy said.

Gunn just looked at her for a moment, "Well how long have you known each other?"

Buffy laughed, "Almost four years. Angel, I feel like I'm meeting your parents. OH! Speaking of parents, we have to go and see my dad before I leave."

"We?" Angel asked doubtfully. "Buffy, I don't have the greatest relationship with your mom. Why chance it?"

"It won't be as bad with him. For one thing, he doesn't know about the vampire stuff, so he'll only think your 8 or 9 years older than I am. That's better than with Mom, she knows that you are more than 200 years older than I am, of course she protective. Secondly, do I really need to remind you of the way Mom found out we were together?"

"No," Angel replied quickly.

Buffy smiled, "I didn't think so."

"OK, on that fun note, let's get back to the matter at hand." Angel said, "Let's sit down and I will explain what's going on."

After hearing all of the details, Buffy asked, "Is this a fancy party?"

"Yes, Wolfram & Hart like big affairs."

"Angel, you should have told me that on the phone. I don't have anything to wear." Buffy said, as a smile spread across her face. "I guess I will just have to go and buy something. Right, Cordy?"

Cordelia agreed quickly, "Right, Buffy."

Angel looked at the hand that his girlfriend had extended towards him for a moment before pulling out his wallet. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" he asked as he looked at Wesley and Gunn.

As Buffy accepted Angel's credit card she said, "Don't worry, Baby. I will only buy what is necessary." She quickly kissed him goodbye and the she and Cordelia left the office.

Wesley watched as the left and then turned to Angel, "I think we are going to need more clients."

Angel laughed until he saw the look he was getting from Kate, "What?"

"How old is that girl?" she asked sourly.

"I don't think that her age is any of your business." Angel sighed.

"She was with you last year at the police station."

"Yes, Kate, she was. So what?"

"So what!" Kate said, then stopped for a moment. "Leaving everything else that I have to say about this alone for the moment, there is no way that she can protect herself tomorrow if there is trouble."

"Look," Angel said, "You don't know what you are talking about. You don't know anything about her. She can take care of herself, better than you can might I add, and Wolfram & Hart don't know anything about her. They would never suspect her."

"Angel, this isn't over," she said, and then turned and walked out of the office.

He watched her go and then turned to Gunn who was still standing near by, "Are you going to give me grief about this too?"

Gunn laughed, "Me? No. I'm just wondering why you never mention that you had a girl before."

"Never came up." He answered lightly.

"Well, I was just wondering, why she's never been around here before. I would think that if I had that girl, it would be hard to let her out of my sight." Gunn said.

At that comment Angel burst out laughing. "You have NO idea," he replied. He then turned his attention back to preparing for activities that would occur the following night. Gunn started to ask more questions, but then decided to let it be for the moment. There would be time for questions after the work was done.

Chapter 3

It was just after sunset when Buffy and Cordelia returned from their shopping spree. Angel and Gunn were just preparing to leave for their nightly patrol when they entered the office.

"We're back," Buffy said, showing off her two shopping bags. She laughed at Angel's look of surprise, "Don't be so surprised, honey. I wouldn't spend all of your money."

"I know that," he replied.

"Yeah, but I had you worried," Buffy laughed.

"Me? Worry? Never!"

Buffy laughed at his antics and then noticed that they had been preparing to leave, "Where were you two headed?"

"Patrol," Angel answered.

"Hang on, I'll go change and come with you." Buffy said quickly.

Cordelia said, "You are the only girl I know that looks forward to a fight."

"Job hazard," Buffy replied and then moved towards Angel. "I'll be right back," she said as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. When she tried to pull away, he grabbed her and pulled her back against him to deepen the kiss. Buffy finally managed to pull herself from his tight grip, although she really didn't want to be free, and walked out of the room to change clothes.

Cordelia scoffed as she watched Angel stare at Buffy as she walked away, "You two are so overabundant with the PDA's."

Angel's only response was to shrug and give her a grin.

Gunn, who had witnessed the whole scene, cleared his throat to get Angel's attention. When he turned to face him, he asked, "You really gonna let your girl go on patrol with us?" At Angel's look, he continued, "I know you said that she could take care of herself, but do you really think that she's up to the things that we face every night?"

"There is nothing out there that she hasn't seen before," Angel said confidently.

"Whatever you say, man. I look forward to seeing her in action." Gunn conceded.

'You should, it's something to see." Angel said, just as Buffy reentered the room.

"Ok, I'm ready. Let's go."

"Just waiting on you," Angel replied.

As the three of them stepped out onto the street and started walking, Buffy asked, "So how does this usually work? I assume that it isn't like patrolling back home."

"No not really," Angel said as he squeezed her hand, enjoying the feel of her being close to him. "Usually Gunn patrols with his…friends and I patrol alone, but since it's been slow, he decided to come out with us."

Buffy laughed and looked at Gunn, "Meaning, he wanted to see if I really could hold my own."

He looked at her quickly, "No, I just thought that I would give my guys the night off, but I don't like to go a night without making a round so I thought I would just stick with you guys."

"Ok," Buffy said, letting the subject drop, "So, Angel tells me that you tried to stake him when you met."

Once again Gunn was caught off guard. Since he was not used to that happening, so he couldn't think a reply and just looked at her.

"Don't feel bad. I did the same thing. Well, not when we first met, but when I first found out about the vampy thing.

Angel released her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, "Yeah, but she changed her mind."

Taking in the cuddly pair, who were obviously very close, Gunn replied, "I can see that."

'Well," Buffy said, "At least you two worked it out and you can work together now." She suddenly stopped and looked at a couple that was walking towards them.

"What's up?" Gunn asked.

"That girl, she's with a vamp."

"How can you tell?" He asked.

"I can feel it," she replied, never loosing sight of the approaching vampire. She then started walking towards it.

"Want some help?" Angel asked, but he already knew her answer.

"No, I got it." She said giving him a wink.

Gunn watched as she approached the couple. The girl noticed her first and asked, "Do you need something?"

Buffy ignored her question and focused only on her opponent. She adopted her best hurt voice and said, "I can't believe you! You leave me home with the baby and I find you here with some other girl!"

The vampire looked at Buffy like she was insane, but the girl quickly moved away saying, "I didn't know. I'm sorry." She then turned and ran away.

The vampire growled and showed his true face, "You are going to pay for that."

Buffy just smiled, "Promises, Promises." She then grabbed him and tossed him into a nearby ally.

Angel and Gunn walked to the mouth of the ally just in time to see the vamp throw the first punch. Buffy quickly ducked, but twisted around in time to catch his arm and throw him into a nearby wall. He turned back towards her just in time for her to kick him in the face. Finally, he regained his senses and charged straight at her. Buffy quickly pulled a stake from her pocket and used his own momentum to drive it into his chest.

As the dust began to settle, Buffy turned towards her audience, tapping the stake on her leg, "Any questions?"

Gunn looked back and forth between Angel and Buffy in stunned silence for a moment, before a smile spread across his face, "No Ma'am."

Buffy laughed and moved into Angel's arms, "Good, let's go. The quicker we finish up, the quicker we can get back."

"No complaints here," Angel said and with that the three of them continued down the street to finish their patrol.

Chapter 4

Once Gunn had gotten over his shock, Buffy and Angel gave him the 'Slayer Speech'. He seemed to skip right over the part where she was the one girl in the world, chosen to fight the forces of evil, and instead went straight to the part where a vampire and the vampire slayer were dating. He seemed to find this fact highly amusing and almost doubled over with laughter. Angel and Buffy just shared and amused smile and waited for him to calm down. Eventually, they began to patrol once again, but after and hour of nothing decided to call it a night. Gunn decided to stay out for a while, so Buffy and Angel sad goodbye and headed back to the office.

"So how did you test go yesterday?" Angel asked, as they walked hand in hand down the street.

"It was OK. I think I did pretty good. I guess that is was a good thing that you left early," she sighed, "but I still didn't like it."

Angel wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, "Yeah well, I would much rather have been with you, than here by myself, but..."

"I know, I know. Grades. But anyway, now I am out on Christmas vacation so no more school talk." Buffy instructed.

"Ok, new subject," Angel said as they reached the office, "What do you want for Christmas?"

Buffy turned around to look at him, leaning her back against the office door, "Whatever, it doesn't matter to me, Baby," she said as she looked into his eyes, "I already have everything that I ever wanted."

"Me too," Angel whispered as he leaned towards her. The kiss was meant to be gentle, but became passionate almost immediately. Buffy reached behind her to open the door and began walking backwards, pulling Angel along with her. He used his foot to shut the door and then turned his full attention back to the woman in his arms. Realizing that he was quickly loosing control, Angel began moving to his bedroom, never loosing contact with Buffy. They were almost out of the main room when Cordelia's voice cut through to his lust ridden brain.

"Don't you two EVER do anything else?"

They broke apart slowly, both trying to calm down before they faced her. Angel finally looked up at her and said, "I thought you had already left."

"Obviously," Cordy laughed, "But, no, I haven't. I was waiting for you to get back and make me the food you promised."

"I did, didn't I," Angel said.

"Yes," she replied firmly.

Angel laughed and looked down at Buffy who was still leaning on his chest, "You hungry?"

"Actually, yeah, I am," she said.

~*~*~*~

Half an hour later, Buffy and Cordelia were finishing up their meal, while Angel explained how he hoped that everything would go at Wolfram & Hart's party.

"Buffy, I want you to be extra careful around these people. They are very dangerous."

"Angel...," Buffy stated, in a voice that clearly implied that she was unhappy.

"Baby," he interrupted, "I know that you can take care of yourself. I know that you handle dangerous situations all the time and I am really trying not to be so overprotective this time. Which, by the way, I hope you have noticed."

Even though she was trying to be firm, Buffy couldn't help but smile at his statement, "Yes, I have."

"Good, but that doesn't mean that I don't worry. I just want you to promise me that you will be careful. I can't lose you."

"All right," she said, "I will promise to be extra careful on one condition: you promise me the same thing. You, after all, are the decoy. These people know you and have gone after you before. I can't lose you, either, you know.

"I will," he returned.

During their whole exchange, Cordelia sat quietly, feeling like an intruder. Finally she decided it was time for her to be going, "OK guys, since you don't even know that I am here, I am going to go home."

"Bye," they replied in unison, but they never lost eye contact with each other.

Cordelia just laughed and left the office. Buffy and Angel continued to sit together in the kitchen for a while, until a huge yawn erupted from Buffy, "Oh man, where did that come from?" she laughed.

"You're tired. Come on," he said as he pulled her to her feet.

Together they made their way to his bedroom. Once they arrived, Buffy began to get ready to go to bed. Angel, who had only to get undressed, was finished almost before Buffy had even begun, so he sat back against the head of the bed and watched as she went about her task. The first thing that she did was to change out of her clothes and into a T-shirt that Angel quickly recognized as his own. 'I wonder when she got that,' he thought to himself. However, his curiosity was quickly overpowered by other emotions that welled up in him at the sight of her clad only in his shirt.

Buffy sat down on the edge of the bed to brush her hair. Suddenly she realized that Angel had become very quiet, so she turned to see what he was doing. Immediately, their eyes met and the emotion that she saw there was enough to make all thoughts of sleep disappear.

Slowly, she began to crawl up the bed towards him, "You know, suddenly, I'm wide awake."

"Oh, really?" he replied, trying his best to sound normal, but his voice was husky.

Finally reaching her destination, she straddled his lap, "Yeah, I may never get to sleep tonight," she said.

Angel leaned forward and began to kiss her neck. When he reached her ear, he whispered, "Maybe I can tire you out."

"You can try," she laughed.

Angel pulled away and arched an eyebrow at her, "Was that a challenge?"

"Think your up to it?"

Angel chuckled at her choice of words. "Oh definitely, and besides, I never back down from a challenge," he said before he captured her lips in a searing kiss.

Buffy eagerly returned it and knowing that it was going to be a long, but enjoyable night.

Chapter 5

Kate stalked into Angel Investigations and looked around for Angel. Wesley, Cordelia, and Gunn were quietly talking, not having noticed her arrival. When she didn't see Angel she quickly approached the group and said, "Where's Angel?"

Gunn turned to face her with a sour look, "Are you always this polite or are we just lucky?"

"Where is Angel?" she said again, as if Gunn hadn't spoken.

Cordelia sighed, she wasn't in the mood for this, "He's upstairs."

"What is he doing?" she replied impatiently.

"I really don't want to know the answer to that question, Kate." Cordelia answered, thinking about the looks she had seen between Buffy and Angel the night before.

Kate didn't seem to understand Cordelia's implications and continued, "Well, go and get him. I have to talk to him about tonight."

Cordelia gave her a blank look before replying, "Look, Cop Lady, I don't know about you, but naked Buffy, or Angel for that matter, is not something that I want to see. I am not going anywhere."

"Cordy, what you think we are?" Angel asked as he came down the stairs, already dressed in the tux he was wearing to the party.

"Horny," she answered immediately.

Angel winked ar her, "Not anymore."

"T.M.I.," was her only response.

Laughing, Angel turned to Kate, "What's up?"

Kate didn't respond immediately. She was still processing the little scene that had just occurred. When she had seen them together yesterday, she assumed that they were sleeping together, but now she had proof and the thought disgusted her. She knew that vampires had no moral, but the fact that Angel had apparently seduced this young girl was more than she could stand. She had run a check on this 'Buffy Summers' when she returned to the station the day before and found that she had a record that had started 4 years ago. Yesterday, Buffy had said that she had know Angel for four years and Kate knew that he had something to do with the trouble that she had gotten into. Kate swore to herself that there was no way that she was going to stand by while Angel ruined this girl's life.

"Kate?" Angel asked again.

"Oh, I brought you the invitations for the party tonight." She replied icily. "I still don't like turning this over to you."

"Kate, there is no other way." Angel said tiredly.

"I know that. That's the only reason that it's happening."

Cordelia was tired of Kate said, "Angel, where's Buffy?"

"She's upstairs getting dresses." Angel replied.

"I'm going to go talk to her," Cordy said as she headed up the stairs. She reached Angel's door and knocked.

"Angel! I told you to go downstairs. I'll never get ready if you stay up here." Buffy said from inside the room.

Laughing Cordelia replied, "He did, it's me."

"Oh hey, what's up?"

Cordy sighed, "Just seeing if you needed any help and getting away from Kate."

Buffy made a face at the name, "What's her problem?"

"Bug up her ass," Cordelia said seriously.

Buffy started laughing and Cordelia soon joined her. When they finally calmed down, Buffy asked, "How do I look?"

Cordelia took in her appearance and nodded, "Good."

"Let's go," Buffy said as she gathered her things. Together the two of them left the room and headed downstairs.

Angel was still talking to Kate, when he felt Buffy enter the room. As soon as he saw her, everything else faded into the background. She was wearing a very simple, but elegant black spaghetti strap dress. It reached all the way to her ankles, but had a split that reached the top of her thigh. Her hair was twisted into a french twist with wispy strands hanging around her face. The total effect was breathtaking.

When she noticed that Angel was no longer listening, Kate turned to see what he was looking at. She was also stunned as she saw Buffy and couldn't help but feel a bit plain compared to the beautiful younger girl.

"WOW," was the only thing that Angel managed to say. His thoughts however were going wild. 'Stop Angel you'll never get out of here!' he chastised himself.

Finally Angel regained his powers of speech, "God, Baby how am I supposed to pretend I don't know you if I cant take my eyes off of you?"

Buffy blushed at the complement, but tried to play it off, "You'll manage."

Just then, Wesley called him, but Buffy heard him whisper, "Yeah right," as he walked away.

Seeing her chance to talk to Buffy alone, Kate approached her and said, "What are you doing with here?"

"Excuse me?" Buffy asked, already feeling her temper rise.

Not noticing her growing anger, Kate continued, "What is a 20 year old girl doing mixed up in all this?"

"All what?"

"Vampires and demons," Kate said impatiently, "Do you know you could get yourself killed?"

"Listen, you don't know anything about me so why don't you just mind your own business," Buffy said. She turned to walk away, but stopped at Kate's next statement.

"I know about you. I know that you started getting in trouble after you met Angel."

"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked, genuinely confused.

"Since you met him, you burned down a gym, were wanted for attempted murder and numerous other things."

"That gym was full of vamps and I didn't even know Angel then," Buffy said. Finally tiring of the whole conversation, Buffy turned away from her again and said, "I don't have time for you."

"Angelus is dangerous," Kate said adamantly.

Stopping dead in her tracks, Buffy turned to look at her, "Oh I know Angelus is dangerous. I have first hand knowledge of that fact, but we're not talking about Angelus. We're talking about Angel."

"What's the difference?" Kate asked snottily.

"Everything," Buffy almost shouted. "Have you ever met Angelus?"

Kate snorted, "Not in the way you mean, but I don't think there is a differ..."

"I HAVE! So don't you stand there and tell me there is no difference. You don't know anything about me or Angel so why don't you do me a great big favor and stay the hell out of my business!"

Angel turned towards Buffy when she raised her voice. When he saw her, he immediately recognized the look on her face and quickly crossed the room to intervene.

"Buffy, you need to get going," he said. "I'll won't be far behind you."

Finally looking away from Kate, Buffy nodded at him. She slowly stepped away from Kate and took the invitation that Angel handed to her.

"Are you sure these are going to get us into the party?" she asked.

"Yeah, they will work," Kate said.

Ignoring Kate, Angel said, "Just be prepared either way."

Buffy was still not convinced, but she nodded. She turned towards the door, pulling Angel along with her.

"You be careful, ok?" he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him.

"I love you," she said, loud enough to ensure that everyone in the room heard her.

Angel smiled, "I love you, too," he replied as he kissed her gently. When the kiss ended, Buffy walked to the door. When she reached it, she turned back to Angel and said, "See you soon."

Angel watched as she exited the office and prayed to anyone listening that she would be safe.

Chapter 6

Buffy was shocked when she made it into the party with no problem. Once inside, she tried to blend in with everyone else, while taking in her surroundings. About thirty minutes after her arrival, she felt, rather than saw, Angel enter the building. Buffy sighed in relief as she watched him move through the crowd. After a little time had passed she began to move towards him, just to let him know that everything was going smoothly. Just as she was about to reach him, another man, who obviously knew Angel, started talking to him. Curious as to what he was saying, she moved closer.

"Angel, I'm so glad that you could make it tonight," the man said sarcastically.

"You know I never miss a good party, Lindsey," Angel replied.

The man, Lindsey, chuckled slightly, then said, "I don't know what it is you are looking for, but you won't find anything here."

Angel shrugged and picked up a glass of champagne, "I guess that it won't matter if I hang around for a while then."

Lindsey smirked and started moving away, "Be my guest."

Once he was gone, Buffy stepped into Angel's line of sight. He nodded slightly to show that he has seen her and knew she was all right. After that, they moved in opposite directions.

Buffy wondered through the large crowd, trying her best to 'mingle' and act like she belonged there. All the while, she was trying to decide on the best way to approach this situation. Finally, she decided that she would just listen to the conversations around her until something caught her attention. That, and, she would watch anyone who looked suspicious. Her definition of suspicious: anyone who was watching Angel. That theory covered about half of the rooms occupants.

Looking around, Buffy sighed, 'I suck at undercover.'

Not long after she made this decision, two men, having a conversation in hushed tones, caught her attention.

"I assure you that his presence here will not affect us.

"He is being watched by more than fifty security personnel. We are aware of every move he is making. Even if he somehow manages to get near the offices, he will be stopped."

"So you've said, but just for my personal comfort, check the main office again."

"Yes sir."

Buffy watched as the man quickly walked away. Stealthily, she followed him further into the building. Watching from around a corner, she saw him unlock the door to one of the offices and go inside. After a few moments, he emerged from the office, locked the door, and headed back towards the main room.

Once he was out of sight, Buffy emerged from her hiding place and approached the office. She was suddenly glad that Angel had given her a quick course in lock picking. Normally she would just break the lock, but that wasn't very conducive to secrecy.

When she made it into the office, Buffy quickly looked around for any surveillance equipment. Buffy laughed to herself and thought, 'Like I'd even know if I saw any.'

Finally deciding that no one was aware of her presence, she made her way to the large desk in the center of the room. Seeing that it was clear of papers, she opened the top drawer and began going through it. Finding nothing of importance, she moved on to the next one. She continued in this manner, until she reached the last drawer and found it to be locked. Tugging slightly, she managed to get it to pop open.

Eying the broken lock, she shrugged, 'Oh well.'

Inside the drawer, she found several files that were marked 'confidential'. She removed them and began to sorting through them. She didn't know exactly what she was suposed to be looking for, but she found several papers that she thought would be useful to the police. There wasn't anything super incriminating, but it might be enough to get them started.

Just as she was beginning to search through the last file, Buffy heard voices coming from the hallway.

~~~~~

Angel wondered around the main room, sampling the appetizers, and talking to people. Basically he was trying to draw as much attention to himself as possible. Seeing that there were at least five guards staying close to him, he decided that he was doing a good job.

On the outside, it seemed like he didn't have a care in the world, but he was really starting to get worried. It had been fifteen minutes since Buffy had followed someone into the back part of the building and she still hadn't returned.

Glancing the way that Buffy had gone, he saw that Holland Manners and two other men were walking that same direction. Thinking quickly, Angel walked into the middle of the very crowded dance floor. When he lost sight of all the guard that had been around him, he ducked out of the crowd and quickly followed the three men.

~~~~~

As the voices got closer, Buffy grabbed the papers that she had removed from the files and shoved them into her purse. She quickly replaced the files and shut the drawer. Then, she moved to the door and looked into the hallway. From the small crack she couldn't see much, but there were definitely several people coming in her direction. Taking a deep breath, she quietly closed the door, and began looking for a place to hide.

'Angel, come on!' she mentally screamed.

Before she could finish the thought, she heard her beloved's voice coming from outside the office.

~~~~~

"Holland, great party," Angel said loudly, startling all three men and causing them to turn around.

"Angelus," Manners replied without feeling, as he glanced at his associates.

"Well, there's a warm welcome for you," Angel said dryly.

Perking up suddenly, Manners asked, "What can we do for you? Is there something wrong with the party? Perhaps, you don't like the appetizers. Sorry, blood wasn't on the menu."

"No, no," Angel said with a smile, "I don't mind a little variety in my diet."

"I guess you take what you can get since you're off the human kill," Manners replied smartly.

"Lucky for you," Angel said with a smirk that would have done even his demon self proud.

Manners sighed, "Are we going to stand here and threaten each other now?"

"That wasn't a threat, just a comment," Angel replied.

The entire time he had been talking to Manners, Angel had been secretly watching Buffy sneak from the office and down the hall. Just as she exited the opposite end, he heard the security approach from him from behind.

"Sorry, Mr. Manners. We lost him," the man in charge said.

Giving them a dirty look, Manners replied, "No problem gentlemen. We were just having a little conversation. Now, if you could be so kind as to escort Angel back to the party. He seems to have lost his way.

"Yes sir," the man replied as he then grasped Angel by the arm.

"I'm sure that I will see you again real soon," Holland said with a smile.

"Count on it," Angel replied as he turned and walked away with the security people.

~~~~~

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief as she once again joined the main crowd of party-goers. She was very proud of the calm face she was able to present, acting as if she hadn't just had the scare of her life. She didn't even want to think about what would have happened if Angel hadn't made it in time. Looking back in the direction she had come from, she saw Angel being escorted back into the room by the security people.

Once he was alone, she signaled to him that she had gotten what they need. He once again nodded his understanding and motioned towards the door.

Understanding that he wanted her to leave first, she began moving towards the exit. Just as she reached it, someone grasped her by the arm.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

'I'm caught!" was the first thought that went through Buffy's mind, but she managed to remain calm. She turned around and found herself face to face with the man Angel had called Lindsey, "Yes, can I help you?"

"You can't leave just yet," he replied.

Acting confused, she asked, "I can't? Why not?"

Suddenly a smile crossed his face, "Because, it's early. The party is just getting started and I haven't gotten to dance with you yet."

Buffy sighed with relief and replied, "That's really nice of you, but I have to go. There's been an emergency and I really have to take care of it."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Lindsey said, as he let go of her arm. "Well, I hope that we will see one another again soon."

"I'm sure you will," Buffy replied and then practically ran out the door.

Lindsey stood just outside the doorway and watched her leave. Suddenly he felt someone bump into him. Turning slightly he found the smiling face of Angel, who had witnessed the entire episode.

"Struck out again, Lindsey?" Angel asked as he walked out the door.

Without reply Lindsey turned and walked back into the party, leaving a laughing Angel outside alone.

~~~~~~

Buffy entered the hotel and found that the Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn were still there, waiting for her and Angel to return.

Cordelia was the first to approach her, "Hey, how did it go? Did you have any problems?"

Buffy shook her head, "Nope, it was pretty much an in-and-out job."

"Where's Angel?" Gunn asked as Buffy and Cordelia reached one the sofas and sat down.

"He should be here soon. He was supposed to leave right behind me."

As if to prove her words true, the front door opened and Angel walked in, "Hey guys."

Buffy and Cordelia laugh out loud at the fact that as soon as the door was closed, Angel started to remove the tie and jacket of his tux. After giving the offending materials a dark look and throwing them over the back of a nearby chair, he sat down next to Buffy.

"Did you have any problems getting out?" she asked, once she had kissed him properly.

Angel chuckled and put his arm around her, "No, they weren't sorry to see me leave. A few of them followed me, but I managed to lose them.

"You sure do make those people nervous," Buffy commented.

Angel shrugged in response, "It's a talent. By the way, I saw that you made a new friend."

Buffy looked at him, confused, "I did?"

"Lindsey, on your way out." Angel clarified.

"Oh, him," was Buffy's only reply.

"What did he want?" Wesley asked, slightly alarmed.

Buffy laughed, "Calm down, Wes. It wasn't anything important, he just wanted to dance."

Gunn joined in her laughter, "Angel, man, was he hittin' on your woman?"

"No." "Yes." Buffy and Angel answered at the same time.

"I don't know, Buff," Cordelia said, "Lindsey is pretty cute."

When she saw the looks she was receiving from her friends, she tried to defend herself, "You know, in that affiliated with the enemy, sort of way."

Angel was just about to reply, when the door once again opened. This time it was Kate who entered.

"Let me see what you got from the office," she demanded.

Buffy rose from the sofa to retrieve her purse, but not before giving Kate a dirty look. She took the papers out and handed them over to the impatiently waiting cop. Then she returned her her more than comfortable position in Angel's arms.

Kate looked through the papers quickly and then said, "It's not much, but it's a start. Did you get anything else?"

"Yeah," Buffy replied sarcastically, "I almost got caught. That's all I was able to get my hands on. Take it or leave it."

Kate looked like she was going to reply, but turned around and left instead.

"No need to thank us!" Buffy called after her.

Cordelia mumbled, "That woman is such a bitch."

"Ok," Angel said, "Now that our great career in police work has come to an end, what are we going to do now?"

"Well, it's three days until Christmas, and I for one, still need to finish shopping," Cordelia said.

"Ooh, shopping," Buffy said happily, "that sounds like a fun idea."

Angel grimaced at the thought of the holiday crowds. Buffy noticed his reaction and decided to make his day a little worse.

"Angel, don't forget, we still have to go see my dad," she said.

"Buffy...." Angel whined.

"All right, I think that is the cue for the rest of us to go home," Cordelia said.

Jumping up quickly, Gunn said, "I agree."

The two of them, along with Wesley, grabbed their belongings and said their goodbyes. Once they were gone, Angel looked at Buffy.

"Are you really going to make me go with you?"

"Yes I am," she said happily.

"Why?" he asked, resuming his whining.

Turning serious, Buffy replied, "Because I need you there."

Sensing her change in mood, Angel left all joking aside and asked, "Baby, what happened?"

Buffy sighed and remained quiet for a moment. Finally she began, "It's nothing really. It's just that I have barely seen him in the last few years, but as soon as he found out that Mom was going to be out of town for the holidays, he just assumed that I would come to his house. I realize that it's kind of a logical assumption, but why would I give up spending the time with my friends, just to go and be with him and his new wife. Anyway, we had this big fight, and I finally agreed to meet him for dinner."

"Buffy, it's understandable for you to be uncomfortable, but maybe he is trying to change," Angel said, although he didn't necessarily believe it. Hank Summers was not his favorite man, due to the way he had abandoned Buffy over the years.

"Angel, that's really a sweet thing to say, but you don't believe it any more than I do. Anyway, so I am stuck with this dinner now, and I need you to be there to keep me from going off on him, when he starts his......junk," Buffy said, then she gave him a mischievous smile. "I'll make it worth your while."

Trying to act normal, Angel asked, "What did you have in mind?"

Leaning close to his ear, Buffy whispered, "You'll just have to wait and see." With that said, she jumped from her seat and ran up the stairs.

Following close behind her, Angel smiled. Life was good.

Chapter 7

Lindsey smiled as he approached his boss' office. Holland had called a requested and visit from him. 'He probably wants to thank me for a job well done with the 'Angel' situation last night', he thought. He walked through the door when the secretary told him that Mr. Manners was expecting him.

"Sir, you wanted to see me?" he said as he entered.

Holland looked up at him and motioned to a chair, "Yes, Lindsey, have a seat."

One he was seated, Holland began to speak, "We had a visit from the police this morning. They were asking some very interesting questions about some of our cases."

Suddenly feeling uneasy, Lindsey asked, "Do they have anything to go on?"

"Oh yes, they had some very good information. Whoever supplied it to them had to have gotten it from inside the office."

"Mr. Manners, Angel was watched from the moment he entered the building until he returned to his own office. There is no way that he was able to access any of our files," Lindsey replied adamantly.

"I agree," Holland sighed, "This leads me to believe that he an accomplice. The broken lock I found on my desk drawer this morning, also points to that conclusion."

"Your desk? Is there anything missing?"

"Yes, several papers are missing from the files. Coincidentally, they correspond with the questions the police were asking," Holland replied a bit sarcastically.

Lindsey was quiet for a moment, "None of his known associates were spotted at the party and there is no way they could have gotten in from the outside. The security was too tight."

"The key word there in *known* associates," Holland replied as he tossed a file across his desk.

"What's this?" Lindsey asked.

"Well, this morning when I discovered that my desk had been broken into, I had security check everyone at the party. They used the surveillance tapes from the main entrance. That woman was the only unknown face, so I had her checked out," Holland answered.

"Who is she?"

"Open the file"

Lindsey was shocked when he saw the face staring back at him. He had actually talked to her! Quickly he found the page that contained her biography.

"Buffy Summers," he read, "The slayer? This girl is the Sunnydale slayer?"

Holland would've chuckled at Lindsey's obvious shock if this hadn't been so important, "She doesn't look the part, does she?"

Looking back at the file, Lindsey merely shook his head.

~~~~~~~~

After sleeping for the entire morning, Buffy met Cordelia for their shopping trip. Several hours later they returned, carrying many bags of presents.

"Good Lord, did you two leave anything for the rest of LA?" Gunn asked as he helped Angel relieve them of their load.

"Why would we do that?" Buffy asked with a smile.

"I don't know, it was just a thought,"He replied.

"Well, after all of that work, I need food," Buffy said as she headed for the kitchen, followed by Angel.

Once they were in the kitchen, Angel watched as she immediately began to rummage through the refrigerator. After a minute, she seemed to make up her mind and began pulling out several items.

"Did you call and find out what time the rest of the Sunnydale group will be here?" he asked as Buffy made herself a sandwich.

"Yes, they will get here around sunset on Christmas eve....well, tomorrow. I can't believe Christmas eve is tomorrow."

"I-- can't believe I let you guys talk me into this. A Christmas party? With people I don't know?" Gunn said as he, Cordelia and Wesley entered the kitchen.

"It'll be fun and you'll get to know them. I'm sure you'll get along with everyone." Buffy said.

"Except Xander" Cordy said.

"Except Spike," Angel said at the same time.

Buffy sighed, "Ok! I'm sure you'll get along with ALMOST everyone."

"Why won't I get along with them?" Gunn asked, a little worried.

"Don't listen to them, everything will be f...." Buffy began, but was cut off by a sarcastic voice.

"Well, isn't this cozy."

Everyone quickly turned around to face the intruder. Angel smiled, "Lindsey! So good to see you again."

Ignoring him, Lindsey looked at Buffy, "I told you I'd see you again soon."

"So you did," she replied and continued to eat her sandwich.

Annoyed by her uncaring response, he continued, "Of course I didn't know at the time that you had such bad taste in friends."

Cordelia snorted, "Whatever!"

Buffy merely leaned against Angel and said, "Bored now."

Angel chuckled and placed an arm around her waist, "What do you want Lindsey?"

"You know Angel," he said, ignoring Angel's question, "I'm surprised you would involve your girlfriend in such 'dangerous' business."

"She can hold her own, besides, we were just looking for a good party."

"Oh well if partying was you plan, what was that emergency?" Lindsey inquired, looking at Buffy.

"It was life or death. I had to leave before I died of boredom." she said innocently.

Everyone laughed and Angel asked again, "What do you want Lindsey?"

"We just wanted to let you know that we know you were responsible for the brake in. Also to give you a warning. It would be terrible if something happened to someone you care about." he answered, shooting a meaning glance at Buffy.

"You won't touch her!" Angel said viciously and took a step towards the man threatening his love. His over protective instincts were going into overload.

Buffy quickly jumped in-between the two men. After making sure Angel wasn't going to do anything, she turned to face Lindsey.

"As you can see, Angel doesn't deal well with threats," she said as she continued to move closer to him. When she was only a breath away, she continued, "And neither do I."

Lindsey quickly stepped away from her, no longer questioning that she was the slayer. Every instinct in his body was telling him that this girl could hurt him. Bad.

Trying to regain some of his composure, he replied, "Just so we have an understanding." With that said, he turned and left the building.

Once he was gone, Gunn began to laugh loudly.

"That was fun! Girl, you had him peeing in his pants," he said to Buffy.

She smiled in return and looked at the rest of her friends, "You know, I don't think we'll have anymore problems with them."

"No, not for a while. The police will probably have them tied up with questions. They'll have to keep a low profile."

"Good," Cordelia said, "That means we get to have an uninterrupted Christmas!"

"Let's hope things work out that way," Wesley replied.

Buffy clapped her hands together, "It will be great! We're all going to be together and we're going to have a great time. I will not allow anyone to say otherwise!"

"Yes, ma'm," Angel said and gave her a quick kiss.

Buffy's happy mood faltered when she glanced at her watch. "We need to get ready," she said to Angel.

"Already?" Angel asked nervously.

Cordelia laughed at his response, "Is meeting Buffy's dad that bad?"

"Yes," Buffy and Angel replied at the same time.

Chapter 8

Buffy and Angel entered the restaurant and looked around. They were supposed to meet Hank Summers and his wife at nine o'clock, but since they were early, he had yet to arrive.

"He isn't here, yet," Buffy said, turning to Angel. "He probably forgot."

Angel laughed, "Baby, we're early. He didn't forget."

Buffy had been thinking up reasons not to meet her father since leaving the hotel. She had tried everything from not liking French food to the fact that Angel would have to eat real food. Angel calmly pointed out that she had never tried French food and that he was quite capable of eating food, it just didn't taste like much.

Not that he was all that excited to be here either, but he knew that Buffy and her father had to work out their differences. If they didn't, then it would be a blemish on her Christmas and he didn't want that. He had too much planned.

Buffy sighed, "Just be logical, then. I guess we can find out where the table is and sit down."

Angel smiled warmly at her and held out his arm, which she grasped tightly. Together they walked to the Matre'd. "Reservation for Summers," Buffy told him.

They were shown to a table for four near the back of the restaurant. There weren't too many other people around, Buffy observed. That would be good, in case of 'fireworks.'

Once they were alone, Angel stood up and moved his chair closer to Buffy's. Once he was seated again, he placed his arm on the back of her chair and smiled.

"What was that about?" she asked, though she was happy about his nearness.

"This way, we are both across from them. You know, united front. Besides, I just want to be close to you."

She gave him a brightly, "Thank you for coming."

"Anything for you," he replied.

He moved even closer to her and lowered his head. Taking his cue, Buffy tilted her head to fully accept his kiss. They stayed that way for a few moments before Buffy pulled away and giggled.

"This would be a great way for Dad to find us. It would make a great first impression."

Angel smiled in return, "I guess it wouldn't be the best idea."

"Hold that thought, though."

"Oh, that's a promise," Angel smirked.

Buffy looked up and spotted her father and step-mother as the entered the restaurant. Taking a deep breath she said, "He's here."

As they reached the table, both Buffy and Angel stood up to meet them.

"Dad, Missy, it's good to see you," Buffy said as she gave them both a hug.

"Hi Honey," Hank replied.

Stepping back to Angels side, she said, "Dad, Missy, this is my boyfriend, Angel. Angel, my dad, Hank Summers and his wife Missy.

Shaking Hank's hand, Angel said, "Nice to meet you."

Buffy almost giggled at the look on her dad's face. She could almost see him doing the age calculations in his head. 'If he only knew,' she thought.

Once they were all seated, Missy said, "Buffy, it's good to see you again. How have you been?"

Buffy looked at her step-mother. She really wasn't that bad. In fact, Buffy kind of liked her. The 42 year old woman wasn't what Buffy had been expecting when she found out that her dad was getting remarried. When she heard the name 'Missy' she had been expecting a 25 year old bimbo. Then again, who was she to judge other people by their names.

"I've been doing good. I just finished my finals a few days ago. It's nice to have break from school."

The waiter's arrival stopped any further conversation. Buffy looked at her menu and realized that it was written completely in French. This was bad, she sucked at French.

Noting her dilemma, Angel leaned close to her and asked, "Want me to do it for you?"

Giving a relieved sigh, Buffy said, "Yes, please," and placed her menu back on the table.

Once the waiter was gone, Hank zeroed in on Angel.

"So, Angel, tell us about yourself," he said conversationally.

Angel cleared his throat, "Well, I live here in LA and I own a detective agency."

Buffy laughed, "No, honey, he means how old are you."

Hank blushed a little, "No, well....I was wondering."

Angel laughed, this was a question that they were prepared for. They had discussed it on the way to the restaurant. There was no way that they could come up with an age that would be believable and not give her dad a reason to be angry, so the decided on the truth. Or actually, the 'sort of truth. They were going to tell him the age that he had been when he was changed.

"Twenty-eight," he answered.

Hank's eyes widened at that, but to his credit, he didn't say anything about it. "Oh, so how long have the two of you been dating?"

Buffy looked her father directly in the eyes as she replied, "Four years."

Hank nearly choked on his wine, "Four years?"

"Yes, since I moved to Sunnydale," she replied calmly, making it clear that she wasn't going to hide her relationship from him.

An uncomfortable silence fell on their group. Missy finally broke it by commenting on the weather. It was a lame topic, but Buffy was thankful to her anyway. They exchange small talk for a little while and finally the food arrived.

It suddenly occurred to Buffy that she didn't know what Angel had ordered for her. When her plate was placed in front of her, she looked at it and then up at Angel.

"What did you get me?"

Angel winked at her, "You'll like it."

"If you say so," she replied, "but if it's nasty I'm taking your food."

Hank and Missy ate in relative silence as the watched Angel and Buffy laugh and joke while they ate. About half way through her food, Buffy decided that she and Angel should switch plates. Angel gave an exaggerated sigh, but went along with her plan.

As he watched the two of them, Hank became sad. He realized for the first time that his daughter was a grown woman who was very much in love and if anything he had witnessed was true, she was very much loved in return.

When everyone was finished eating, Hank asked, "Buffy, can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

When she looked at Angel to see if he minded being left alone with Missy, he replied, "Go, it's fine."

She stood and followed her father to an empty table that was a short distance from their own. Once they were seated, he fidgeted a little, but didn't say anything. Finally, Buffy broke the silence.

"Dad, what's up?"

Hank smiled, "I just realized how much I messed up."

"What?" Buffy asked, confused.

"I was watching you," he answered. "You and Angel, and I realized that you are all grown up and I don't know anything about you. I mean, you're my daughter and I wouldn't have been able to order something for you to eat. I don't know what you like to eat, I didn't know you were dating *anyone*, especially not someone for four years,.....I hardly know anything about you."

Buffy was shocked by her father's admission and didn't know how to reply. He saved her by continuing to speak.

"Is it too late? Can I actually be a father to you?"

At that Buffy smiled, "No, it's not to late. But, it's going to take time. I've changed a lot in the last few years and so have you. We'll just have to take it slow."

Hank smiled and enveloped her in a hug, "Thank you."

"Your welcome," she smiled. Glancing back at their table she said, "I think we need to head back, they look a little uncomfortable."

"Ok," he replied as they began walking. "Are you sure I can't change your mind about Christmas?"

"I love you, Dad, but I want to be with Angel and my friends. We have this big party planned."

"Ok, you know I had to try," he replied.

As soon as they reached the table, Missy stood up and grasped Buffy's arm, "Let's go powder our noses."

Buffy immediately gave Angel a look that said, 'What are you up to?'

When he simply grinned at her in return, she follow Missy away from the table. Once they were inside the bathroom, Buffy asked, "What's he doing?"

"Oh don't worry, Buffy," she replied, "He just wants to clear the air with your father. You know, state his intentions."

That caused Buffy to laugh. 'I hope he doesn't declare *all* his intentions,' she thought.

They talked until Missy decided it was safe to return. When they reached the table, both men stood up and began to gather all of their things. Together, the four of them walked out of the restaurant to Hanks car.

Buffy hugged them both, wishing them a Merry Christmas. Angel said goodbye to Missy and shook hands with Hank. Then he two of them climbed into the car, leaving Buffy and Angel standing outside.

As they pulled away, Hank rolled down the window and told Angel, "Take care of her for me."

Not missing a beat, Angel replied, "Always."

Once the car was out of sight, they started walking towards Angel's car.

"So what did you and my Dad talk about?" she asked.

Angel laughed, "Nothing much, just...stuff. So did you enjoy the evening?"

Seeing that he wasn't going to answer her question, Buffy gave up and answered his, "Yes I did, actually."

"I'm glad, now let's go home," he said as they reached the car.

Deciding that she liked the sound that, she nodded and repeated, "Let's go home."

Chapter 9

"Tonight was fun," Buffy commented to Angel, as they lounged together in his bedroom.

They had just come upstairs, after partying with all of their friends for Christmas, or Giving Day, and Willow had named it, since she was Jewish. They all had lots of fun spending time together and exchanging gifts. Earlier in the week that had decided to draw names to see who they were going to have to buy a gift for, that way everyone got a nice gift without everyone going broke. All of the couples were going to exchange gifts privately. After lots of partying , they had finally called it a night, and everyone had gone to their own room.

"Yes, it was," Angel replied as he pulled her closer to his side. "We should get everyone together more often, not until the holidays."

"At least everybody got along, even you and Xander," she said with a smile.

Angel laughed, "Yeah well, that was your early Christmas present."

Without warning, Buffy jumped out off his arms and crossed the room to her suitcase, "Speaking of Christmas presents, I think this one has your name on it."

Angel sat up and accepted the gift that she handed to him. It was small, flat, and rectangular. It resembled a framed 8X10 photo.

"Please tell me this is a picture of you in skimpy clothing," Angel joked as he began to tear into the paper. He soon found that it was a picture frame, but it held no photo. Instead there was a piece of paper inside it.

Giving her a confused look, he asked, "Buffy, what?"

"Just read it," she said, looking a little nervous.

Angel looked at her for a little longer, but then began to read the letter aloud,

"Dear Ms. Summers, I am pleased to tell you that your transfer from UCSD to UCLA had been approved for the Spring 2001 semester..." As he trailed off, he looked up at Buffy with a bright look in his eyes.

"Surprise! I'm moving to LA," Buffy said lightly.

Angel gave her and dazzling smile and pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly and she sank into the comfort that she always found around him. Finally he pulled away slightly.

"Buffy, what about..."

"I know, what about the hellmouth?" she interrupted. "It's dead. All of the demons that were stupid enough to try and fight us, we've already beaten. The rest have pretty much given up. Besides, I'm only a couple hours away, I can commute. I've already talked to the guys, they will keep an eye on things. Anyway, Spike likes doing the patrols. It gives him an excuse to pound on something."

"Ok," he smiled, "I just have one question. On such short notice, where are you going to live?"

Buffy replied, "Well, I thought about that. I guess I could move in with Dad and Missy. I mean Dad's feeling so guilty he couldn't say no."

"That's true," Angel said solemnly.

"Then again," Buffy continued, "I might could get a spot in the dorms. Wait no, I've got it, I check the want ads for 'roommate wanted'. Maybe I can find some cute guy....AHH"

Suddenly, she found herself flat on her back on the bed with a very serious looking vampire towering above her.

"I don't think so," was all he said as he continued to loom over her.

"Which idea don't you like?" she asked innocently.

"Any of them," he growled in return.

Wrapping her arms around him, and pulling him closer to her, Buffy asked, "Well what do you suggest?"

"I suggest that you get all ideas of staying anywhere but here out of your mind," he said.

"Oh honey, I thought you'd never ask," Buffy replied in a high pitched, sing song voice.

Finally, they could hold the facade no longer and they both broke into giggles, unable to keep the game going any longer. As their laughter quieted, Angel couldn't resist the temptation that her lips were providing and slowly moved to taste them with his own. After a few minutes, Buffy finally pulled away, determined that she was going to talk to him before he made her loose control of her thinking process.

"So you like your present," she asked.

"Definitely," he replied, "and you know what? It works well with your gift."

"Huh? How's that?" she questioned.

Slowly removing himself from his position on top of her, Angel leaned over to the bed side table and pulled something from a drawer. Buffy looked on curiously, taking in his fidgety behavior, but she couldn't see what he was holding. Slowly , she sat up, in an attempt to see him better.

Finally, he said, "Close your eyes."

Buffy was confused, but she did as he asked. She didn't know what he was doing, but she could feel him shifting around on the bed. Finally he began o speak.

"We've been together for a while now. I'd love to say that they have all been happy times, but we both know that wouldn't be true. What I can say, is that no matter what I have always loved you. That has never changes and it never will. So, I wanted to do something for you to show you how much you mean to me."

At his words, she felt her heart rate triple. His words were touching her so deeply and all she wanted to do was open her eyes and look at him. Suddenly she felt him place something into her hands.

"You can open them," he whispered.

As her eyes opened, she found herself looking at the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. There was a large, pear shape diamond in the center, with a small cluster of emeralds on either side. The setting was centered on a thing band made of white gold.

Gathering all of his nerves, Angel finally asked, "Buffy I love you, will you marry me?"

Slowly, she raised tear-filled eyes to meet his, and whispered,"Yes."

A smile spread across Angels face, as he removed the ring from it's box and gently placed it on Buffy's finger. They both simply stared at it for a moment, and them she flung herself into his waiting arms.

With Buffy now sitting on his lap, their lips met in a dazzling kiss, that left both of their heads spinning. Buffy broke the kiss first and leaned her head against his shoulder then once again looked down at the ring that was now on her hand.

Suddenly she had a thought and looked up at Angel, "Is this was you were talking to Dad about last the other night?"

"Yes," Angel replied shyly.

"Oh, Angel's old fashioned, can't do anything with out Daddy's permission." Buffy joked happily.

"Yeah well," Angel said and Buffy decided that, if he could, he would definitely be blushing.

Deciding to let him off the hook, she said, "It's ok, I think it's sweet. Besides, now I don't have to tell him."

Angel laughed, "Anything to help you, my love."

"Hey, did you tell Mom, too?" she asked hopefully.

"No, that is something you will have to do yourself," Angel said, laughing even harder. "She would probably stake me on site."

"That's true and we can't have that," Buffy replied, before placing a kiss on his lips.

The kiss was meant to be quick, but soon turned into something else. Before either of them realized it, they were once again laying on the bed, wrapped around one another.

Looking deep into his eyes, Buffy said, "I love you, Angel."

"I love you," Angel returned.

"Always," they said together.

Soon, they were both overcome by their passion, once again. Throughout the night, they shared that passion, and also their love and hopes for the future. They knew that there would always be problems in their life, but it would be just that--*their* life.

A life that they would spend together.

THE END!