Buffy stood silently outside Angel's door, nervously shuffling from one foot to the other

Buffy stood silently outside Angel's door, nervously shuffling from one foot to the other. She had been waiting for this moment all day and now that she was here, she couldn't believe that she was having this much trouble simply knocking on the door.

After leaving his apartment that morning, she had made her way to school. Once her first class had started, she quickly received a note, reminding her that she had promised to go shopping with her friend Jennifer. Deciding that she needed something to keep her occupied, Buffy kept the plans.

Once the shopping trip was over, she had gone home to change cloths. Now wearing tight fitting pants and a dark shirt, she was here at his door, just standing there. All of the excitement had fled, leaving only nervousness. Finally, exasperated with her own stupidity, Buffy raised her hand and knocked on the door.

After a moment, she heard Angel's voice, "Come in."

Buffy entered the apartment quietly, not exactly sure how she was supposed to act. Angel was sitting across the room in a large recliner. Because he was leaning down, tying his shoes, she couldn't see his face.

This caused her stomach to flip nervously once again, because one of her main causes for worry was how Angel would act towards her. She knew that she had pretty much blackmailed him into helping her, and even though they had talked, she still wasn't sure how he felt about all of this. Fear for her safety wasn't an issue, for some reason, she wasn't scared of him. Maybe she should have been, after the things he had told her, but she wasn't afraid. There was no doubt in her mind that he not the person that had done those horrible things and the man that he was now, would never do anything to hurt her.

Her worry stemmed from his own guilt, which was clear in his eyes for anyone to see. She was scared that he felt obliged to help her, and that wasn't what she wanted. It was true that she *needed* his help, but really, she wanted his friendship. The friendship of someone who could understand her.

Looking up from his seat, Angel quickly took in her strained appearance. Seeing the self assured girl, who had barged into his home that morning, demanding his help, looking so out of place, caused him to smile.

In an attempt to put her somewhat at ease, he said, "Hey, how are you?"

Hearing his friendly question and easy tone of voice, Buffy relaxed slightly. "Hey, I'm fine." she replied quietly.

"So, are you ready for this? You know you don't have to go through with it. You can wait for them to find you," he told her seriously.

Buffy quickly shook her head, "No, I want to do it. I have to do it, and I want you to help me. I'm just a little, you know... So, what are we going to do tonight?"

"All right, if you're sure," Angel said, as he stood up and began to gather his things. "I figured would just patrol the city some. We can make a few rounds on the streets and then we'll go to a couple of cemeteries. If there is no action, I'll show you a few moves. Have you ever had self-defense classes?"

Buffy nodded, "I've had a few lessons during gym at school."

"We'll start from there," he replied, "and then we'll just see what happens."

"Cool," Buffy replied, looking and feeling a little more at ease, as she sat down in the chair that he had vacated.

Angel smiled as he made his way around his apartment, glad to see her looking more relaxed. He was still surprised that she wasn't at all afraid of him, especially after everything that he had told her that morning. It was a strange feeling, to have her around and knowing everything about him. It had been a long time since that had happened.

Picking up a cross and a stake, he turned and held them out towards her, "Tools of the trade."

She stared at him for a moment, then stood and took the objects from his hand, "I guess I need those, huh?"

Angel shook his head slightly, "Hopefully not. Like I said, I mostly just want to show you some things, so if there is any action, I'll take care of it. That's for, 'just in case'."

Buffy smiled, "Gotcha, learning experience."

"Are you ready to go?" Angel asked as he pulled on his coat.

"I guess," Buffy replied, yet sounding unconvinced.

At her words, he turned and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You'll be fine. Remember, tonight is just for learning. I'll take care of you."

A real smile crossed her face for the first time that night, she said, "I know, I have no doubts about that. It's just that I've never done anything like this before, fighting I mean."

"Well, I've never taught anyone to fight before, so I guess we'll learn together," Angel said with a slight chuckle.

Buffy looked at the floor for a moment and when she once again met his eyes, she seemed to have gone through some kind of transformation. Gone was the insecurity and in it's place was the determination of a girl that was ready to face her destiny, no matter what it cost her.

"Ok, let's go," she said.

They left Angel's apartment and made their way into the busy streets of LA. As they walked, he began to ask a Buffy a few questions regarding her slayer senses, trying to see how many had developed. She had mentioned being able to feel the vampires, and she had known what he was, so he was wondering what else she could do. If all of those things had developed with no training, then she would grow to be a powerful slayer, indeed.

Finding no activity around the usual places, Angel said. "I guess we can head for the the closest cemetery and see if there are any new fledglings are going to rise."

"That's fine with me," Buffy said with a shrug, "So, tell me some things I need to know about fighting vamps. For instance, what is a fledgling?"

"I guess that's as good a place as any to start. There are a few different types of vampires, some more powerful than others."

Buffy shot him a confused look, "Different types? Like different breeds or something?"

"No, not really. They are all the same *kind* of vampire, they are made same way, but...," Angel paused, trying to find a way to explain. After a pause, he started again, "Do you understand how vampires are made?"

"Not completely, I know that you have to be bitten, but I don't know what happens after that," Buffy admitted. "Most of what I know, I learned from movies and well...you see my point?"

"Yes. There has to be a blood exchange," he explained. "The victim is drained, almost to the point of death, and then they are forced to drink the vampire's blood."

"Ok," she said slowly.

Angel nodded and continued, "So, the amount of blood that they consume, determines how strong a vampire they will become."

"Oh, ok, I get that part," she said, "It's like, the more blood they get, the more vampire is inside of them.

Angel continued, "Going back to your question about fledglings, a fledgling is a vampire is less than a year old. They are usually easy to kill, once you've learned how to beat them. They pretty much have a one track mind--feeding. They usually don't have very much control, especially if you catch them the night they rise. They will be confused and going completely on instinct. They strike at the neck first, every time. Look for it and you've got them beat."

Buffy laughed slightly. "Why don't we catch them all as they come out then?" she joked.

"If only it was that simple," Angel returned.

"Yeah. Ok, so what's next?" she asked.

"I guess I'll start with the strongest, the Masters," he said, "They are usually the oldest and they lead the clans. They control everything, and nothing happens without their approval. They are very dangerous."

"Like how strong?" Buffy wondered.

"Very strong," was Angel's reply.

She was silent for a moment, before asking, "So who's the big man around here?"

"Well, there hasn't been one for a while, but I've been hearing rumors that Lothos is back in town."

"Will, I have to face him?"

"Don't worry, it will be a while if at all."

"OK, so what's next on the evolutionary scale of vampires?" Buffy asked, trying not to think about having to fight this guy Lothos.

"The next type that you have to look out for are the Childer. They are the same as the masters, just younger, so the Masters controls them. If they live long enough, then they can become that powerful, but they can only take over a clan after the death of the current Master. They usually maintain their personality and knowledge from when they were human, only there is no humanity left in them."

"The only other thing you will have to deal with are Minions. They are what you usually be dealing with, because that is what most of the vampires that are made, since the Masters don't want too many others around to challenge them. Minions do all the guarding and basic work for the clan. They retain some of they human traits, but nothing special, they are usually just for extra muscle. As they age, they become stronger, but they're not very smart."

"So, where do you fit into that little line?" she asked teasingly, although from his description, she was able to guess that he had been a Childer or possibly even a Master.

He smirked at her question, "None of the above."

"I guess they don't have a 'vampire with a soul' category," she said with an easy air.

"No, they really don't like me. I am pretty much shunned," he replied without regret.

Their conversation ceased as they entered the Hollywood Cemetery. Upon entering, Angel showed Buffy how to search for the fresh graves and other signs of vampires. When they didn't find anything, they decided to check out a different cemetery.

After visiting more and finding no action, Angel decided that it was be safe to start teaching Buffy some of the things that she would need to know for fighting. Starting with her knowledge of defense, he began to show her how to protect herself from an attack. From there, he moved into the very basics of attack.

By the time she had mastered the techniques she was worn out. Angel decided that she had done enough for one night. They both sat down so that she could rest and catch her breath.

After a few moments of silence, Angel said, "I talked to a few people today, about a place where we can do your training."

"Really?" she asked, "Did you find anything?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. They told me about a few warehouses that I am going to check out."

Looking at him strangely, Buffy said, "Warehouses?"

"They will be easier to renovate. The bottom floor is usually used for storage, so they are large and open, we can use that for your training. Also, a lot of them have offices in the upper levels that I can turn into an apartment."

"You're going to move?" she asked somewhat shocked.

"Yeah, there's no use in keeping my apartment. I'll be there most of the time anyway," he said as if it was no big deal.

"Why are you helping me? It's going to cause you so much trouble," she blurted, finally asking the question that had been on her mind all night. "I mean I know that I kind of forced you, but I mean we both know that you could have said no. This can't be easy for you, and really, you don't know anything about me, so there is no reason for you to...."

"Buffy," Angel interrupted.

Confused at his interruption, she simply asked, "What?"

"Your babbling," he smiled. He couldn't help it, she was just so cute. However, the look she gave him told him that he should answer her, so he continued. "It's no trouble."

"Why?" she asked again, not willing to give up that easy.

"Atonement," he said seriously. "This way I can give something back to the world that I took so much from."

"Oh," she said and then grew silent.

Deciding that he needed to lighten things up, Angel added, "And maybe I like you."

Buffy's head shot up to look at him. "Really?" she said shyly.

Angel smiled at her, "Yeah, I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Well, you are looking out for me, so I guess I'll be all right," she said trying to throw the subject somewhere else before she started to blush.

It didn't work though, because as soon as she looked up, their eyes locked and she felt all the blood rush to her face. The stare was very intense and they both knew that they should look away, but neither of them could seem to do it. In one another's eyes, they could see the truth--they were the same. As they grasped at that realization, the first bonds of true friendship grew between them, both finding what they had been searching for.

Finally Angel cleared his throat and said, "It's getting late, and you should be getting home."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Buffy looked down at her watch, "I guess you're right."

"You want me to walk you home?" Angel asked, surprising both of them.

Flashing him a brilliant smile, she said, "Yeah, that would be nice."

Angel nodded and offered her a hand in getting up. Once they were both standing, they turned and began walking towards her house. They didn't talk, both content with being together and enjoying their newfound friendship.