Chapter two
"Buffy? You're coming in a little late, aren't ya?", Willow Rosenberg asked when she saw her roommate walk into the dorm room they shared. Willow had known Buffy since starting college. Willow was from Sunnydale, a small town south of Los Angeles, and was paired with Buffy as roommates. The two had become best friends instantly and roomed together for two years. Buffy spun around to stare at the redhead. "Willow! Hi. Uh, I, I thought you'd be sleeping," she said. Willow cocked an eye brow at her friend. Willow knew that Buffy had changed. Buffy had fallen in with a bad group and, even though she was still Buffy, she wasn't. She was sorta…different. More rebellious. She went out in the morning and didn't come back until late at night. Her school work was slipping and she was skipping classes. She also worried Willow to death.
"I had paper due tomorrow and it took longer than I thought it would," Willow replied. Buffy nodded nervously. She hated getting caught. Especially by Willow. Buffy hated being given the Third Degree. "Cool. So, uh, going to bed now? I'm tired and I am gonna, ya know, do that," Buffy said. Willow watched as Buffy went over to her closet and pulled out a tank top and sweat pants. "Buffy, why are you doing this?", Willow asked suddenly. Buffy turned around to look at her friend. "Excuse me?" she said. Willow's eyes widened. She hadn't meant to say that question out loud. Sure, she's thought it, but never actually came out and asked it. "Uh, just, ya know, why are you doing this?", Willow asked again, now wishing she had never started this. "Doing what?" Willow sighed and resisted the impulse to roll her eyes. "You know what, Buffy. This. Being rebellious. Skipping classes. Staying out all night. What happened to you? To the girl I met my first day here?" Buffy put down her clothes and sat next to Willow on her bed. "Will, I don't know. I don't know why I am doing all of this. Ya know, it just happened. It's not like I meant for it to. But I like it," Buffy said.
Willow looked into her best friends eyes. "But, Buffy, this sort of behavior, it's dangerous. You're in league with the most dangerous gang in LA. Your grades are slipping and all of us are worried about you. And your mom and dad called asking why your grades are slipping." Buffy looked up at her friend with a hint of anger on her face. "And I suggest you told them," she said, more of a statement than a question.. Willow nodded. That was what did Buffy in. "My God Willow! Do you never lie? You have to tell them that I'm in a gang? For God's sakes, I makeup all of the work! It may not even be worth a C, but at least I turn them in. Why did you have to go and tell them?", she yelled. Willow stared at Buffy, shocked by why she even had to ask that question. "Buffy," she said softly, "I just told them that you were going through something and it was making your grades slip. I didn't tell them anything about the Initiative or anything." The anger melted from Buffy's face. "Oh, God, Will. I'm sorry. I should've jumped to conclusions like that. Really, Willow, I'm sorry," Buffy said. Willow smiled and shook her head. "It's okay. Forget about it. I'm gonna go to bed now. Try not to be loud when you come back in."
Willow got off Buffy's bed and climbed into her own, turning off her bedside lamp before pulling the covers up to her shoulders. Buffy just sat on her bed, staring at the floor. She knew it wasn't okay between her and Willow. It hadn't been "okay" between them for a long time. Buffy knew she was scared Willow and the rest of her college friends. Hell, she scared herself sometimes. Sometimes she even wanted out of the Initiative. But when she was in it, she felt a type of power; like she was in charge for once in her life. It was strange and it was confusing. And Buffy honestly didn't know what she wanted to do. She rose of her bed and, carrying her night clothes, went across the hall to the dorm bathroom. When she came back to her room, Willow was fast asleep. Buffy climbed into her bed and, after a few moments of staring at the cieling, fell asleep. Meanwhile, Willow, who was still wide awake unknown to Buffy, thought of Buffy's answer to why she was acting the way she was. She didn't know why. How could she not know?, Willow thought. I would know why. Wouldn't I? The thoughts plagued Willow all night, allowing her no sleep at all.
"Alright, so tomorrow, Chapters 10 through 18, read thoroughly and questions answered completely. Class dismissed," Professor Maggie Walsh said to the now leaving students. Buffy gathered her books and rose from her seat, following close behind Willow. "Oh, Miss Summers? May I speak with you a moment?", Professor Walsh asked as Buffy walked past her desk. Buffy threw a glance to Willow. Professor Walsh smiled. "Oh, don't worry. You aren't in any trouble. Just want to ask you something. No need to worry. Miss Rosenberg, if you will excuse us?" Willow looked at her best friend a second time before waving good-bye and walking out the door. Buffy turned to Professor Walsh and smiled nervously. "Please, take a seat," the older woman said. Buffy sat down in the seat across from the professor. "Buffy, this past month I've noticed that your grades have been slipping. Immensely, actually. And I'm not exactly interested in the reason why. But I do want to see you improve. That's why, at my insistence and your parents, I have hired a tutor for you."
Buffy looked at the professor as if she had grown another head. "A tutor?", she echoed. "Yes. I expect you to with him on a daily basis after classes. I also expect your grades to pick back up. Are we clear?" Buffy nodded and smiled. Professor Walsh returned it. "Alright then. The tutor will be in the library after your classes tomorrow. I expect you to be there. See you tomorrow, Miss Summers." Buffy nodded once again and, with a fake smile plastered on her face, rose from her seat and walked out of the classroom. After she had left, the three men from the Alibi Room emerged from an adjoining classroom. "Thank you for your assistance, Miss Walsh," the black man said, smiling. "No problem, gentlemen," she replied. The tall dark haired man turned to the black man. "Gunn, call Wesley and tell him that it's all set up," he said. Gunn nodded and pulled a cellphone out of his jacket pocket, walking away from the group as he dialed. "Excuse me, I don't mean to meddle, but you never informed me of the whole reason for this," Professor Walsh said. The two remaining men glanced at each other, then back at her. "We have reason to believe that Miss Summers can help us with a problem," the dark haired man said.
Gunn came back towards them, sliding the cell phone back into his pocket. "Yo, Angel. Wes says we're good to go. All we have to do is wait for the call from Cordelia," he said. the dark haired man—Angel—nodded. "Oh right. Get the 'okay' from Miss Ice Bitch Queen," the blond man said with a chuckle. Angel glared at him. "That's my sister you're talking about, Spike." Angel turned back to Professor Walsh. "Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Walsh. Your help is appreciated." The three men turned, but the voice of Maggie Walsh stopped them. "I trust Buffy will not be harmed in any of this?", she asked. Angel looked back at her. "Not if I can help it," he answered. And he meant it. He hated seeing innocents get caught in the crossfire. And from what he heard, this Buffy girl was the innocent; just one who's a little lost. Maggie nodded and the men left the classroom.
"A tutor?", Xander Harris asked the next day at lunch. Buffy nodded. Xander Harris was one of Buffy's best friends. She met him the same day she had met Willow. He had followed her to L.A. since they were best friends. Xander, whose real name was Alexander, didn't attend college but instead chose to work odd jobs until he found a good career. Or a career he was good at. Which right now, seemed to be construction. But he still came to the campus everyday for lunch or free periods. "A tutor. She's assigning me a damn tutor. What am I? Back in high school?," Buffy asked. Xander shook his head, his long black hair falling around his eyes. Willow looked away from her boyfriend, Oz, and looked at one of her best friends. "Well, Buff, maybe it'll help. With your grades, ya know? You could bring it up," she said. Buffy just glared at her. Willow winced and sat further back in her seat, cuddling up to Oz. Oz was actually called Daniel Osbourne, but everyone called him Oz. he was short, but good looking, and had won Willow's heart. He had spikey hair that was a different color basically every week. Today it was purple. He was also the lead guitarist in a band called "Dingoes Ate my Baby."
Oz turned his head to look at the blonde. "Willow's right. You should maybe see this tutor. Your grades have been slipping a lot," he said, his face blank. Oz was one of those guys who always had an expressionless face. It was always hard to read it. But he was right. Buffy's grades were slipping a lot. And they all knew why. Being in a gang didn't really leave a lot of time for school work. Buffy sighed. "Okay, so maybe I could use a little boost in my grades. But, all I can say is that Riley will not like this one bit." Xander scrunched up his face. "Riley," he said in a disgusted voice. He didn't like Finn. He had met the guy and hated him on first sight. Buffy glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?", she demanded.
Xander shrugged. "Nothing. Except that I don't like him and you could do better." Buffy sighed and rolled her hazel eyes. "Come on, Buff, I mean it. The guy is scum. He's into all the bad mojo that goes on in the city and you associating with him makes people think you're in on it too. Plus, what kind of a name is Finn anyway?", he said, a tone of desperation in his voice. Buffy smiled. She knew her friends hated Riley. They always had since they heard he was the leader of the Initiative. Actually Buffy didn't know what was so bad about them. She hadn't seen anything really awful. Sure, there were rumors, but who actually had proof? "Okay, I know you guys hate Riley, but I don't. You guys just don't know him. If you did, you would see that he isn't bad at all. And besides, don't you think I would have seen them do something illegal by now?", she asked. The blonde girl who sat next to Xander—Anya—finally looked up. "Not if they didn't want you to know," she replied. "Some men don't want their women to know about their secret lives. For all we know, Riley could be out copulating with a dozen women even as we speak." Buffy just stared at her. Anya Emerson was Xander's long time girlfriend. She was short, blond, with brown eyes. She worked in a magic shop with Rupert Giles as her employer, a father figure to all of them. Anya was also a little strange. She talked about sex as if it was a friend of hers and wasn't the least bit embarrassed to talk about her and Xander's sex life in public.
"Thank you, Anya," Buffy said sarcastically. "Look, you guys can think whatever you want. But I happen to think he is a good guy." Xander leaned in toward her. "But, Buff, you can do better than him," he said, his voice soft. Buffy laughed. "Yeah? Let's see. In high school there was Owen, who only liked me because he thought I had a hint of 'danger', then there was Cameron, who was just a pervert and heard I was 'fast and easy', then Scott, who dumped me after a week, then last there was Parker, who only wanted to get into my pants and succeeded. Riley is the longest relationship I've ever had!", she said, her voice a tad bit too high. Anya shrugged. "Hmm. Maybe your right. You can't do any better," she said simply. "ANYA!", was her reply from Xander, Willow and Oz. "What?", she asked, looking at each of them. Buffy sighed. "That proves my point." Willow looked at her friend sympathetically. "Hey all," a voice from behind them said. They turned to see Faith. Buffy smiled. She knew that her friends accepted Faith and liked her. Sure she was a bad girl, but they thought she was sweet.
"Hey, Faith. Come to chat with the college kids?", Willow asked, smiling at the brunette. Faith smiled. They may not be my friends but at least they are trying to be, she thought. Faith had met the "Scooby Gang", as she called them, when she went to see Buffy at her dorm room. They had all been there for a get together party and Buffy had invited Faith. She had been uncomfortable at first but when the karaoke started and everyone had to sing, Faith had eased into it and had a great time. They had all told her she was welcome with them anytime and Faith jumped at every chance she got. "Yeah, I guess so," she replied. Xander scooted over with Anya, who was less than pleased about being moved, and patted the bench. "Pull up a chair, Faith. Got any biker jokes? 'A biker named Satan walks into a bar with a cat on his head'…and?" he said. Faith sat down and stared at Xander, a small smile on her face. She had liked Xander from the moment he started to sing "Honey, I'm Home" by Shania Twain at the party. He had said that he had a thing for female country and pop singers. But he had been hilarious.
"Xander? Shut up," she said laughing. "Faith, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see," Buffy said. Faith grinned. "Got bored. Not a lot to do in that cramped little apartment of mine. So what's the topic of discussion?." Anya raised her head off Xander's shoulder. "Buffy's poor taste in men," Anya said tactfully. Buffy glared at her. "Thanks, An." Faith turned to Buffy. "Not satisfied with Finn?," she asked, amused that a girl might not think Finn isn't so hot after all. Before Buffy could answer, Xander interrupted. "We just think she could do better." Faith nodded. "Yeah, B., you could do a hell of a lot better," she said. Buffy smirked at Xander. "See Xand? Faith agrees with m—excuse me? Faith what did you just say?", Buffy asked, realizing what the brunette had said. Faith grinned. "I said I agree with them. You could do better then Riley. You've got what it takes, B. All you have to do, is turn on your charm," she said. Buffy just gawked at her. Gangster girl Faith, who had a different guy in her bed every night, was actually saying that Buffy could do better than Riley Finn. Faith's grin spread. "Come on, B., don't look so shocked. You know you could have any guy you want. You've got the looks, the brains, and everything. Okay, so past guys might not have been so good, but all you have to do is find a good guy," Faith said. Good guy?, Faith thought. Since when are there any good guys? All guys are beasts. At least all the ones I've known. Buffy looked at Faith for a few moments before looking away into the face of Willow.
"See, Buffy, Faith thinks so too," her best friend said, smiling weakly. Buffy just shook her head. "Well, I'll believe it when I see it," she said, standing up and grabbing her jacket. "I have to go and meet that tutor person." Faith looked up. "Tutor?", she asked. Buffy nodded. "Yep. Because of my bad grades, Walsh hired a tutor and I have to meet with him everyday after classes," Buffy replied. Faith's expression grew panicked. "Finn won't like that, B." Buffy nodded again. "I know, Faith. I know." And with that she said her good byes and walked off. Faith stared after her retreating figure. Finn was not gonna like this one bit. And what Finn didn't like ended. Some times in really bad ways. Faith was worried now. Buffy was pushing Finn. She was doing things he wouldn't like and it was making him angry. And Faith had seen Riley angry. She'd also seen what happens to the people who make him angry. She didn't want Buffy to be one of them. "Faith," Oz said. Faith looked up at him. "Huh?" Oz smiled. "I asked why you got so worried about Riley not liking Buffy having a tutor." At that statement, Faith froze. What would she tell them? The truth? That he brutalized the last woman who did something he didn't like? What would they do then? "Uh, Ri just has a…bad temper. He doesn't like it when people do things he doesn't say they can do," she said, trying not to give any obvious hints to the real reason. "So, in other words, you're saying he'll beat Buffy if she see this tutor," Anya said. Faith's eyes grew large while the rest of the gang finally caught on. "Oh my God," Willow whispered, clutching Oz's arm. Oz just stared at something only he see, but everyone could see the panic on his face. Anya just shrugged and laid her head on Xander's shoulder again. Xander looked at Faith. "Have you told Buffy this?," he demanded. Faith shook her head slowly. "No. She's never done anything to really make Finn mad so there was no reason to. Listen, I'll tell you all the story, but you'll be the ones to confront B. about it," Faith said, and told the tale of Mia Valentine, and how she met her untimely end.
Buffy rarely went to the campus library, and whenever she did go, she was always amazed at how large it was. The library was an entire building on its own with three floors full of books. There was a group of tables on the first floor, where students sat to study. It was also where she was to meet her tutor. Buffy strode over to the tables, which were basically empty. There were only two people there; men. Probably one of them is the tutor, she thought. She saw one of the men turn around and cringed. He wore thick glasses and had unkept hair. A book geek, Buffy thought. That's gotta be him. All tutors are. Buffy walked slower towards the table and stopped in her tracks when the book geek rose from his seat, gathered his books and walked right past her. "Okay, I know I'm not late, so maybe that wasn't him," Buffy muttered to herself. "So that leaves the other guy." She began to walk again, her jacket draped across her arms. As she neared the table she could see that the man, whose back was to her, was talking quietly into a cell phone. Buffy stopped in front of the table, being quiet so as not to interrupt him.
"I know, Cordy. Well I don't really care about that, at least it'll be done with. No, not yet. I will. Love ya too, little sister. Tell Doyle I said hi. Right. See you then. Bye," he said, closing the cell phone and placing it in his jacket pocket. Buffy cleared her throat and the man turned around. Damn, Buffy thought. This guy is…I don't think there is a word for how hot he is. The man was tall and broad shouldered. He had short spikey brown hair and eyes to match. His face was fine structured and, the only word Buffy could think of, angelic. She had never seen a man quite as handsome before in her life.
Angel wasn't doing any better. When they told me she was good looking, I didn't expect a goddess, he thought as his eyes roamed over her body. He had never gotten a good look at her during the time he'd been near her. At the Alibi, all he had seen was her back and during the Psychology class, only Spike and Gunn had seen her. They had said she was pretty but the sight of her shocked him. Buffy Summers didn't look like a gang member. She wasn't dressed like she was that night at the Alibi. She wore tight jeans, platform sandals which showed off her pink toe nails, and a light blue tank top which fit her curves just right. Her long blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back and her hazel eyes…well, they were a beauty all in themselves.
Buffy finally realized she was staring, blinked and held out her hand. "Hi. You must be the tutor Professor Walsh hired," she said, a bright smile on her face. Her smile made Angel's heart melt. He took her hand and they shook. "Yeah. And your Buffy Summers?," he asked. Buffy nodded. "Nice to meet you. I'm Angel O'Brian." Buffy smiled at his name. Wasn't she just thinking that his face looked angelic? Now his name is Angel? Well, the name fits him, she thought. "Angel? It's a pretty name," she said. he grinned in return and Buffy's pulse quickened. "Thanks. So is Buffy." The blonde blushed. They stood there for a few moments longer in silence. "Uh, shouldn't you be like, ya know, tutoring?", she asked finally. Angel looked at her then nodded. "Yeah. Of course. That's what Professor Walsh hired me for. To tutor you. And help you learn things." 'Help you learn things'? Nice one, O'Brian. Blow your cover a whole 60 seconds into the plan. They sat down. "So, uh, what would you like to start with, Ms. Summers?" Buffy shook her head. "Buffy, Mr. O'Brian. Just call me Buffy. Ms. Summers is my father. Uh, MOTHER!", she said, covering her mistake. Great, Summers. Make him think you're crazy. Just stop staring into his eyes and you make a complete ass out of yourself.
Angel smiled at her. "Okay, Buffy. I'll call you that as long as you call me Angel. That way we're even." Buffy smiled. "Okay. Deal. So, um, maybe we should start with Psycholooney? I mean, Psychology?," she said, blushing at another one of her mistakes. Angel grinned again. "Well, I'm not sure about Psycholooney, but Psychology I can help you on." Buffy laughed unaware that outside the library, someone was listening in through the wire that was hidden under Angel's silk shirt.
Spike smirked at Buffy's laugh. "Will you listen to this, mate? He's flirting with her! He's known her less than a minute and he's flirtin'!" Gunn smiled and looked at his other partner. "Right. And you wouldn't be? The girl's a hottie. What sane man wouldn't flirt with her?", he asked, changing the volume on the tape recorder. "Well, Peaches certainly shouldn't. After all, there's the whole Darla situation and he's always a man of work," Spike said, glaring as he heard his partner make the blonde laugh again. "Yeah, but you have Drusilla. You can't get with Buffy. You know how jealous Dru gets," Gunn said. Spike shrugged but knew his other partner was right. Drusilla Mallory was the love of Spike's life. She also got very jealous when she even heard another girl's name. "Well, you can't have her either, old chap. You've got your dear Winifred. Brainy lil' thing," Spike said. a grin spread over the black man's face at the mention of his girlfriend. Winifred Berkle, who everyone just called Fred, had been Gunn's girlfriend for over a year now. They had met at a Taco Bell and hit it off. He later discovered that Fred had a strong love for Tacos and it was the way to her heart.
Spike often teased him about his "patheticness". It was obvious that he loved the girl and whenever her name was mentioned, he always made, what Spike and Angel called, "googly eyes". But he didn't care how much they teases him. He was in love and that was what mattered. Spike sighed irritably. "Bloody hell, stop with the googly eyes. It makes me want to heave. Knock it off, *Charles*," Spike said, and grinned when Gunn glared at him for using his first name. "Can it, *William*," Gunn threw back, receiving a glare also. Neither of them enjoyed their first name. And while Gunn used his last name, Spike chose a nickname, since his last name was Connely. "Alright, let's both can it and see if this bit won't cough up something we can use," Spike said and settled back into the seat of the Blazer.
"You're not so bad in Psychology. I don't really get why your grade is so low," Angel said, closing the book in front of him. Buffy frowned. "It's not really the 'not-knowing' event, but more of the 'not-enough-time- to-do-it' event," she said, now wanting to go into detail. Angel nodded. That wasn't really anything he could use. "Any particular reason why?", he asked, trying not to seem as if he was pushing. Buffy shrugged. "Just some of the people I hang out with stay out pretty late and I'm usually knocked out by the time I get home." Angel nodded again. "Yeah. You shouldn't stay out on weekends," he said. "And I probably sound like your mother." Buffy laughed. "A little. Well, I guess our hour is up. So, I'll see you tomorrow, I guess?" Angel nodded and smiled. "Yeah, you would. If tomorrow wasn't Saturday." Buffy blushed again. "Oh, right. Saturday. Yeah. So, I'll see Monday, then." Angel smiled and nodded. Buffy returned the smile and rose from her seat, slipping her jacket on. Angel rose also and helped her finish putting on her jacket. "Thank you," she said, a little surprised by his chivalry. "No problem."
Buffy turned around to thank him again. The words froze in her mouth when she looked into his eyes. She was memorized by them. She saw something in them that she couldn't quite place, but she knew she liked it. she felt her pulse quicken again. Why does being near him do this to me? "Thanks again," she mustered out. Angel nodded. "See you, Monday, Buffy." Buffy nodded and turned on her heel, walking out of the library. Angel just stood, watching her leave. The ringing of his phone made him look away.
He pulled his phone out and flipped it open. "Yeah?", he asked, realizing it had been lcose to four minutes since Buffy had left. "Angel? Get your ass out here. Finn showed and it looks like he's about to rough up the Summers girl," Gunn said. Angel jogged to the door. "Where are they?", he asked. "In front of the campus sign." Angel shut off the phone and ran out the door and towards the large sign on campus. He spotted Finn and Buffy immediately. He watched as Finn talked to Buffy, then roughly grabbed her shoulders. Angel was close enough to hear the conversation. "Riley, I told you, I was with my tutor," Buffy said, struggling against his grip. "Did I ever say you could have a tutor? No, I don't remember saying that," he said, his voice harsh. "Since when do you have to approve what I do?", Buffy asked, terror on her face. She hadn't ever seen Riley like this. "I own you, Buffy. You only do what I say. No more tutor. Screw the promise you made to your parents. You belong to me. You do what I say. Be at the Alibi tonight or I will find you, Buffy. And you don't want that. Trust me."
Riley released her shoulders and wiped a tear from her cheek, smiling as she drew back. "Don't shrink away from my touch, either. See you tonight, baby." Riley turned and began to walk away, but turned to look at her one last time. "Remember to be there, Buff. You don't want me to hunt you down," he said and walked away. Buffy stood staring after him, trembling. Oh, my God. Riley just threatened to beat me. Oh God. Breathe, Buffy, breathe. But no matter what she told herself, the tears still came. She jumped as she felt someone touched her shoulder. She spun around to see Angel. "Buffy, are you okay? Did he hurt you?," he asked, searching her eyes. "Buffy?", he asked again when he got not reply. This time Buffy leaned into his arms and buried her face against his chest, crying. Angel embraced her, whispering words of comfort. "Shh. It's okay. It's okay. Just cry. He won't hurt you again," he whispered. Buffy shook her head against his chest. "He's never been like that," she whispered. Angel stroked her hair and back trying to calm her.
After a few moments, Buffy pulled away from his embrace and looked up at him, smiling softly. "Sorry, I ruined your shirt," she said. Angel shook his head and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "I've got others. What happened, Buffy? I know who that was: Riley Finn. But what was he doing/ Did he hurt you?" Buffy shook her head. "No, I think he threatened to, though. I'm not really sure. He's not like that, Angel. He wouldn't hurt me." "Well, he seemed like he would," Angel said and waved his arm in the air. Buffy turned around to see two men running across the street towards them. She looked at Angel with big eyes. He smiled and reassured her. "They're friends of mine," he said, looping some hair behind her ear. "Yo, Angel. We saw the whole thing. You okay, Chica?", Gunn asked, not letting the truth show. Buffy nodded. "Buffy, this is Charles Gunn and William Connely. They're friends of mine. This is Buffy Summers," Angel said. "You sure you're alright, bit? Everyone knows Riley Finn. He could've hurt you," Spike said. Buffy nodded and smiled. "Yeah. Thank you." Angel turned to her. "Do you need a lift home? I think it would be safer than you walking," he said. Buffy hesitated. I don't wanna get Angel hurt. I'm the one who made Riley mad. But I would feel a lot safer if he drove me, she debated. She nodded her head and Angel told her to go to his car, the black Plymouth Belvedere that was parked in front of the Blazer where Gunn and Spike had come from only moments before. Buffy thanked him and walked across the street. As soon as she was out of earshot, Angel turned to his partners.
"This is getting out of control. We have to get this done with. Unless we want another Mia Valentine on our hands," Angel said, running a hand through his hair. "Did you get anything useful?" Gunn raised his eyebrows. "You were the one talking to her. You should know," he said. Spike smirked. "Peaches was probably too busy making googly eyes Goldilocks. It's obvious you two are crazy about each other," he said. Angel glared at him. "Shut up, Spike. I'll meet you two at Cordy's. Right now I just want to get Buffy home," Angel said, turning and starting across the street. A mischievous grin spread across Spike's face. "Hers or yours?", he asked. Angel turned around, still walking backwards, and flipped him off. He turned back around and jogged across the street. Spike and Gunn watched as he hopped inside the Plymouth, said a few words to Buffy, and drove away. Once they were down the road, Spike and Gunn looked at each other. "Oh yeah. He's fallen hard," Gunn said. The two men laughed and walked to the Blazer.
Outside Buffy's dorm room, Angel stood with Buffy. "Thanks for driving me home, Angel. I really appreciate it," Buffy said, looking up at the man shyly. Angel shrugged. "No problem. Buffy, if you don't mind me asking, how did you get involved with someone like Riley Finn?", he asked, not even bothering with the wire. Buffy looked at the floor. She didn't really want him to know why. That she was alone and hurt; that she had wanted to someone to keep her warm on a cold winter's night. But Riley had never kept her warm. How could he when he was cold? Buffy had always felt that Riley had no warmth in him. He never had the light in his eyes that other men had. The sex they had was nothing. She never felt anything when she was with him. Buffy wasn't sure what to tell Angel. It wasn't that she feared he would judge her. It was that she feared he would never want to see her again. She already like this guy. Very much.
Buffy looked back up at him and smiled weakly. "Would you believe me if I told you I don't know?", she asked. To her surprise, Angel nodded. "I would. I get it. Are you sure you'll be okay?", he asked. Buffy laughed. That must have been the thousandth time he's asked me that, she thought. This guy is so sweet. She nodded. "My roommate is inside. Riley won't try anything with Willow here," she said. Angel nodded. Buffy turned to the door, her hand on the knob. Before she could turn it, she turned back around to face Angel. "I really want to thank you. Uh, why don't you and your friends come to a club with me and my friends tonight? Ya know, as a thank you?" Angel froze. This was certainly something he didn't expect. Was she asking him out? No, it was with friends. No a *date* date, buy a date of some sort. "Well, uh, I'd love to. I'm not sure about everyone else though. I'll talk to them, but I'm sure they'll go. What's the club?" Buffy smiled. Caritas. It's a little out of the box, but it's a fun place to go. See you there," she said. with those words, she reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek. She smiled at him, pulled open her door and walked inside, turning to give him another smile before shutting the door. Oh, God. I'm falling in love, she thought. Angel looked at the closed the door a few moments more before turning away. Oh yeah. I'm falling head over heels. And fast.
Buffy leaned against the door, not even noticing the Scooby Gang, plus Giles and Faith, sitting in the room. She finally turned around when Giles cleared his throat. "Oh, hi…everybody. Why is everybody here? Giles, shouldn't you and Anya be at the store?," she asked, shrugging off her jacket and laying it over a chair. Giles shook his head. "No, I got Henry to cover for us," he said, looking at the girl he had come to love as a daughter. Buffy nodded. "Okay then. Um, what is everybody doing here?" Giles rose from his seat on the chair beside Willow's bed. "We came to speak with you," he said. Buffy swallowed hard. Whenever the father figure wanted to "speak with you", it was never good. Rupert Giles was the "father" of the Scooby Gang "family". Originally from England, Giles, as his "children" affectionately called him, first started working as the librarian at Hemery High School, where Buffy and Oz attended school. He grew attached to them and after being fired from his position, bought the magic shop, hired Anya, and still stayed attached to Buffy and Oz. Then he met Willow and Xander, and their "family" was created.
Giles was in his mid-forties, tall and was, obviously, British. He was often called "the old British fuddy duddy" by the others because of how the only thing he ever wore was tweed suits, he was always cleaning his glasses, could always be found with his nose in a book, and always used words like "amenable" and "indecorous". "Speak English, not whatever they speak in, uh…", Buffy had once said to him, to which he replied with a smile, "England?" They could get annoying at times, but he loved them all. And right now one of them were in danger. "About what?", Buffy asked. "About your boyfriend. Again," Oz said, who had his arm around Willow, running his hand up and her arm. "Oh. You don't have to worry about him," Buffy said, looking down and holding where Riley had grabbed her arms. "Yeah, you do, B.", Faith said, shifting on Buffy's bed. She was obviously uncomfortable. And who could blame me? After all, I'm telling them all about something I hoped I wouldn't have to, she thought. Buffy looked at her quizzically. Xander cleared his throat.
"Buff, there's some stuff you should know. Finn isn't exactly a good guy," he said. Buffy nodded. "I know. I found that out today," Buffy said softly. Willow eyes grew panicked. "What? Buffy did something happen?", she asked. Buffy nodded again. "He threatened me. And he grabbed my arms pretty hard. He didn't hit me or anything. But, like I said, he threatened to." Faith stood up. "B., I would steer clear of Ri for awhile. Don't come to the Alibi," the brunette said. Buffy laughed. "Even if he told me if I wasn't there he'd hunt me down and make me regret it?", she asked. Faith stared at her. "Yes. Especially if he said that. Just don't go anywhere alone." Buffy nodded. "Not a problem." She looked around at all her friends. "Are we still on for Caritas tonight?," she asked, changing the subject. Her friends let it change, knowing Buffy would stay away from Riley Finn. They nodded. "Faith, you wanna come? It'll be just like the first time you came to party with us," Buffy said, noticing how Faith obviously felt left out. The brunette smiled. "Sure, B. I've got a feeling Finn ain't too happy with me, either." Buffy smiled. "Hey, guys? I hope you don't mind, but I invited Angel and his friends," Buffy said. Xander looked up. "Angel? Who's Angel," he asked. "He's my tutor. He helped me calm down after the thing with Riley and he drove me home. so as a thank you I invited him and whoever else he wanted to come to Caritas with us. That's okay, right?" "Of course, it is Buff. The more the merrier. But isn't inviting him to Caritas a little weird for a thank you?", Willow asked, a slight smile on her face. I think Buffy has a crush, she thought. Buffy shrugged.
"I don't know," she said, blushing. She knew Willow knew that Buffy had a slight crush on the tutor. And she was just glad Willow didn't come out and say it. Oz looked up when a thought came to mind. "Buffy, did you tell this Angel guy what kind of a club Caritas is?," he asked. When they saw the look on Buffy's face, they laughed. This would be a very interesting night.
"Buffy? You're coming in a little late, aren't ya?", Willow Rosenberg asked when she saw her roommate walk into the dorm room they shared. Willow had known Buffy since starting college. Willow was from Sunnydale, a small town south of Los Angeles, and was paired with Buffy as roommates. The two had become best friends instantly and roomed together for two years. Buffy spun around to stare at the redhead. "Willow! Hi. Uh, I, I thought you'd be sleeping," she said. Willow cocked an eye brow at her friend. Willow knew that Buffy had changed. Buffy had fallen in with a bad group and, even though she was still Buffy, she wasn't. She was sorta…different. More rebellious. She went out in the morning and didn't come back until late at night. Her school work was slipping and she was skipping classes. She also worried Willow to death.
"I had paper due tomorrow and it took longer than I thought it would," Willow replied. Buffy nodded nervously. She hated getting caught. Especially by Willow. Buffy hated being given the Third Degree. "Cool. So, uh, going to bed now? I'm tired and I am gonna, ya know, do that," Buffy said. Willow watched as Buffy went over to her closet and pulled out a tank top and sweat pants. "Buffy, why are you doing this?", Willow asked suddenly. Buffy turned around to look at her friend. "Excuse me?" she said. Willow's eyes widened. She hadn't meant to say that question out loud. Sure, she's thought it, but never actually came out and asked it. "Uh, just, ya know, why are you doing this?", Willow asked again, now wishing she had never started this. "Doing what?" Willow sighed and resisted the impulse to roll her eyes. "You know what, Buffy. This. Being rebellious. Skipping classes. Staying out all night. What happened to you? To the girl I met my first day here?" Buffy put down her clothes and sat next to Willow on her bed. "Will, I don't know. I don't know why I am doing all of this. Ya know, it just happened. It's not like I meant for it to. But I like it," Buffy said.
Willow looked into her best friends eyes. "But, Buffy, this sort of behavior, it's dangerous. You're in league with the most dangerous gang in LA. Your grades are slipping and all of us are worried about you. And your mom and dad called asking why your grades are slipping." Buffy looked up at her friend with a hint of anger on her face. "And I suggest you told them," she said, more of a statement than a question.. Willow nodded. That was what did Buffy in. "My God Willow! Do you never lie? You have to tell them that I'm in a gang? For God's sakes, I makeup all of the work! It may not even be worth a C, but at least I turn them in. Why did you have to go and tell them?", she yelled. Willow stared at Buffy, shocked by why she even had to ask that question. "Buffy," she said softly, "I just told them that you were going through something and it was making your grades slip. I didn't tell them anything about the Initiative or anything." The anger melted from Buffy's face. "Oh, God, Will. I'm sorry. I should've jumped to conclusions like that. Really, Willow, I'm sorry," Buffy said. Willow smiled and shook her head. "It's okay. Forget about it. I'm gonna go to bed now. Try not to be loud when you come back in."
Willow got off Buffy's bed and climbed into her own, turning off her bedside lamp before pulling the covers up to her shoulders. Buffy just sat on her bed, staring at the floor. She knew it wasn't okay between her and Willow. It hadn't been "okay" between them for a long time. Buffy knew she was scared Willow and the rest of her college friends. Hell, she scared herself sometimes. Sometimes she even wanted out of the Initiative. But when she was in it, she felt a type of power; like she was in charge for once in her life. It was strange and it was confusing. And Buffy honestly didn't know what she wanted to do. She rose of her bed and, carrying her night clothes, went across the hall to the dorm bathroom. When she came back to her room, Willow was fast asleep. Buffy climbed into her bed and, after a few moments of staring at the cieling, fell asleep. Meanwhile, Willow, who was still wide awake unknown to Buffy, thought of Buffy's answer to why she was acting the way she was. She didn't know why. How could she not know?, Willow thought. I would know why. Wouldn't I? The thoughts plagued Willow all night, allowing her no sleep at all.
"Alright, so tomorrow, Chapters 10 through 18, read thoroughly and questions answered completely. Class dismissed," Professor Maggie Walsh said to the now leaving students. Buffy gathered her books and rose from her seat, following close behind Willow. "Oh, Miss Summers? May I speak with you a moment?", Professor Walsh asked as Buffy walked past her desk. Buffy threw a glance to Willow. Professor Walsh smiled. "Oh, don't worry. You aren't in any trouble. Just want to ask you something. No need to worry. Miss Rosenberg, if you will excuse us?" Willow looked at her best friend a second time before waving good-bye and walking out the door. Buffy turned to Professor Walsh and smiled nervously. "Please, take a seat," the older woman said. Buffy sat down in the seat across from the professor. "Buffy, this past month I've noticed that your grades have been slipping. Immensely, actually. And I'm not exactly interested in the reason why. But I do want to see you improve. That's why, at my insistence and your parents, I have hired a tutor for you."
Buffy looked at the professor as if she had grown another head. "A tutor?", she echoed. "Yes. I expect you to with him on a daily basis after classes. I also expect your grades to pick back up. Are we clear?" Buffy nodded and smiled. Professor Walsh returned it. "Alright then. The tutor will be in the library after your classes tomorrow. I expect you to be there. See you tomorrow, Miss Summers." Buffy nodded once again and, with a fake smile plastered on her face, rose from her seat and walked out of the classroom. After she had left, the three men from the Alibi Room emerged from an adjoining classroom. "Thank you for your assistance, Miss Walsh," the black man said, smiling. "No problem, gentlemen," she replied. The tall dark haired man turned to the black man. "Gunn, call Wesley and tell him that it's all set up," he said. Gunn nodded and pulled a cellphone out of his jacket pocket, walking away from the group as he dialed. "Excuse me, I don't mean to meddle, but you never informed me of the whole reason for this," Professor Walsh said. The two remaining men glanced at each other, then back at her. "We have reason to believe that Miss Summers can help us with a problem," the dark haired man said.
Gunn came back towards them, sliding the cell phone back into his pocket. "Yo, Angel. Wes says we're good to go. All we have to do is wait for the call from Cordelia," he said. the dark haired man—Angel—nodded. "Oh right. Get the 'okay' from Miss Ice Bitch Queen," the blond man said with a chuckle. Angel glared at him. "That's my sister you're talking about, Spike." Angel turned back to Professor Walsh. "Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Walsh. Your help is appreciated." The three men turned, but the voice of Maggie Walsh stopped them. "I trust Buffy will not be harmed in any of this?", she asked. Angel looked back at her. "Not if I can help it," he answered. And he meant it. He hated seeing innocents get caught in the crossfire. And from what he heard, this Buffy girl was the innocent; just one who's a little lost. Maggie nodded and the men left the classroom.
"A tutor?", Xander Harris asked the next day at lunch. Buffy nodded. Xander Harris was one of Buffy's best friends. She met him the same day she had met Willow. He had followed her to L.A. since they were best friends. Xander, whose real name was Alexander, didn't attend college but instead chose to work odd jobs until he found a good career. Or a career he was good at. Which right now, seemed to be construction. But he still came to the campus everyday for lunch or free periods. "A tutor. She's assigning me a damn tutor. What am I? Back in high school?," Buffy asked. Xander shook his head, his long black hair falling around his eyes. Willow looked away from her boyfriend, Oz, and looked at one of her best friends. "Well, Buff, maybe it'll help. With your grades, ya know? You could bring it up," she said. Buffy just glared at her. Willow winced and sat further back in her seat, cuddling up to Oz. Oz was actually called Daniel Osbourne, but everyone called him Oz. he was short, but good looking, and had won Willow's heart. He had spikey hair that was a different color basically every week. Today it was purple. He was also the lead guitarist in a band called "Dingoes Ate my Baby."
Oz turned his head to look at the blonde. "Willow's right. You should maybe see this tutor. Your grades have been slipping a lot," he said, his face blank. Oz was one of those guys who always had an expressionless face. It was always hard to read it. But he was right. Buffy's grades were slipping a lot. And they all knew why. Being in a gang didn't really leave a lot of time for school work. Buffy sighed. "Okay, so maybe I could use a little boost in my grades. But, all I can say is that Riley will not like this one bit." Xander scrunched up his face. "Riley," he said in a disgusted voice. He didn't like Finn. He had met the guy and hated him on first sight. Buffy glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?", she demanded.
Xander shrugged. "Nothing. Except that I don't like him and you could do better." Buffy sighed and rolled her hazel eyes. "Come on, Buff, I mean it. The guy is scum. He's into all the bad mojo that goes on in the city and you associating with him makes people think you're in on it too. Plus, what kind of a name is Finn anyway?", he said, a tone of desperation in his voice. Buffy smiled. She knew her friends hated Riley. They always had since they heard he was the leader of the Initiative. Actually Buffy didn't know what was so bad about them. She hadn't seen anything really awful. Sure, there were rumors, but who actually had proof? "Okay, I know you guys hate Riley, but I don't. You guys just don't know him. If you did, you would see that he isn't bad at all. And besides, don't you think I would have seen them do something illegal by now?", she asked. The blonde girl who sat next to Xander—Anya—finally looked up. "Not if they didn't want you to know," she replied. "Some men don't want their women to know about their secret lives. For all we know, Riley could be out copulating with a dozen women even as we speak." Buffy just stared at her. Anya Emerson was Xander's long time girlfriend. She was short, blond, with brown eyes. She worked in a magic shop with Rupert Giles as her employer, a father figure to all of them. Anya was also a little strange. She talked about sex as if it was a friend of hers and wasn't the least bit embarrassed to talk about her and Xander's sex life in public.
"Thank you, Anya," Buffy said sarcastically. "Look, you guys can think whatever you want. But I happen to think he is a good guy." Xander leaned in toward her. "But, Buff, you can do better than him," he said, his voice soft. Buffy laughed. "Yeah? Let's see. In high school there was Owen, who only liked me because he thought I had a hint of 'danger', then there was Cameron, who was just a pervert and heard I was 'fast and easy', then Scott, who dumped me after a week, then last there was Parker, who only wanted to get into my pants and succeeded. Riley is the longest relationship I've ever had!", she said, her voice a tad bit too high. Anya shrugged. "Hmm. Maybe your right. You can't do any better," she said simply. "ANYA!", was her reply from Xander, Willow and Oz. "What?", she asked, looking at each of them. Buffy sighed. "That proves my point." Willow looked at her friend sympathetically. "Hey all," a voice from behind them said. They turned to see Faith. Buffy smiled. She knew that her friends accepted Faith and liked her. Sure she was a bad girl, but they thought she was sweet.
"Hey, Faith. Come to chat with the college kids?", Willow asked, smiling at the brunette. Faith smiled. They may not be my friends but at least they are trying to be, she thought. Faith had met the "Scooby Gang", as she called them, when she went to see Buffy at her dorm room. They had all been there for a get together party and Buffy had invited Faith. She had been uncomfortable at first but when the karaoke started and everyone had to sing, Faith had eased into it and had a great time. They had all told her she was welcome with them anytime and Faith jumped at every chance she got. "Yeah, I guess so," she replied. Xander scooted over with Anya, who was less than pleased about being moved, and patted the bench. "Pull up a chair, Faith. Got any biker jokes? 'A biker named Satan walks into a bar with a cat on his head'…and?" he said. Faith sat down and stared at Xander, a small smile on her face. She had liked Xander from the moment he started to sing "Honey, I'm Home" by Shania Twain at the party. He had said that he had a thing for female country and pop singers. But he had been hilarious.
"Xander? Shut up," she said laughing. "Faith, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see," Buffy said. Faith grinned. "Got bored. Not a lot to do in that cramped little apartment of mine. So what's the topic of discussion?." Anya raised her head off Xander's shoulder. "Buffy's poor taste in men," Anya said tactfully. Buffy glared at her. "Thanks, An." Faith turned to Buffy. "Not satisfied with Finn?," she asked, amused that a girl might not think Finn isn't so hot after all. Before Buffy could answer, Xander interrupted. "We just think she could do better." Faith nodded. "Yeah, B., you could do a hell of a lot better," she said. Buffy smirked at Xander. "See Xand? Faith agrees with m—excuse me? Faith what did you just say?", Buffy asked, realizing what the brunette had said. Faith grinned. "I said I agree with them. You could do better then Riley. You've got what it takes, B. All you have to do, is turn on your charm," she said. Buffy just gawked at her. Gangster girl Faith, who had a different guy in her bed every night, was actually saying that Buffy could do better than Riley Finn. Faith's grin spread. "Come on, B., don't look so shocked. You know you could have any guy you want. You've got the looks, the brains, and everything. Okay, so past guys might not have been so good, but all you have to do is find a good guy," Faith said. Good guy?, Faith thought. Since when are there any good guys? All guys are beasts. At least all the ones I've known. Buffy looked at Faith for a few moments before looking away into the face of Willow.
"See, Buffy, Faith thinks so too," her best friend said, smiling weakly. Buffy just shook her head. "Well, I'll believe it when I see it," she said, standing up and grabbing her jacket. "I have to go and meet that tutor person." Faith looked up. "Tutor?", she asked. Buffy nodded. "Yep. Because of my bad grades, Walsh hired a tutor and I have to meet with him everyday after classes," Buffy replied. Faith's expression grew panicked. "Finn won't like that, B." Buffy nodded again. "I know, Faith. I know." And with that she said her good byes and walked off. Faith stared after her retreating figure. Finn was not gonna like this one bit. And what Finn didn't like ended. Some times in really bad ways. Faith was worried now. Buffy was pushing Finn. She was doing things he wouldn't like and it was making him angry. And Faith had seen Riley angry. She'd also seen what happens to the people who make him angry. She didn't want Buffy to be one of them. "Faith," Oz said. Faith looked up at him. "Huh?" Oz smiled. "I asked why you got so worried about Riley not liking Buffy having a tutor." At that statement, Faith froze. What would she tell them? The truth? That he brutalized the last woman who did something he didn't like? What would they do then? "Uh, Ri just has a…bad temper. He doesn't like it when people do things he doesn't say they can do," she said, trying not to give any obvious hints to the real reason. "So, in other words, you're saying he'll beat Buffy if she see this tutor," Anya said. Faith's eyes grew large while the rest of the gang finally caught on. "Oh my God," Willow whispered, clutching Oz's arm. Oz just stared at something only he see, but everyone could see the panic on his face. Anya just shrugged and laid her head on Xander's shoulder again. Xander looked at Faith. "Have you told Buffy this?," he demanded. Faith shook her head slowly. "No. She's never done anything to really make Finn mad so there was no reason to. Listen, I'll tell you all the story, but you'll be the ones to confront B. about it," Faith said, and told the tale of Mia Valentine, and how she met her untimely end.
Buffy rarely went to the campus library, and whenever she did go, she was always amazed at how large it was. The library was an entire building on its own with three floors full of books. There was a group of tables on the first floor, where students sat to study. It was also where she was to meet her tutor. Buffy strode over to the tables, which were basically empty. There were only two people there; men. Probably one of them is the tutor, she thought. She saw one of the men turn around and cringed. He wore thick glasses and had unkept hair. A book geek, Buffy thought. That's gotta be him. All tutors are. Buffy walked slower towards the table and stopped in her tracks when the book geek rose from his seat, gathered his books and walked right past her. "Okay, I know I'm not late, so maybe that wasn't him," Buffy muttered to herself. "So that leaves the other guy." She began to walk again, her jacket draped across her arms. As she neared the table she could see that the man, whose back was to her, was talking quietly into a cell phone. Buffy stopped in front of the table, being quiet so as not to interrupt him.
"I know, Cordy. Well I don't really care about that, at least it'll be done with. No, not yet. I will. Love ya too, little sister. Tell Doyle I said hi. Right. See you then. Bye," he said, closing the cell phone and placing it in his jacket pocket. Buffy cleared her throat and the man turned around. Damn, Buffy thought. This guy is…I don't think there is a word for how hot he is. The man was tall and broad shouldered. He had short spikey brown hair and eyes to match. His face was fine structured and, the only word Buffy could think of, angelic. She had never seen a man quite as handsome before in her life.
Angel wasn't doing any better. When they told me she was good looking, I didn't expect a goddess, he thought as his eyes roamed over her body. He had never gotten a good look at her during the time he'd been near her. At the Alibi, all he had seen was her back and during the Psychology class, only Spike and Gunn had seen her. They had said she was pretty but the sight of her shocked him. Buffy Summers didn't look like a gang member. She wasn't dressed like she was that night at the Alibi. She wore tight jeans, platform sandals which showed off her pink toe nails, and a light blue tank top which fit her curves just right. Her long blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back and her hazel eyes…well, they were a beauty all in themselves.
Buffy finally realized she was staring, blinked and held out her hand. "Hi. You must be the tutor Professor Walsh hired," she said, a bright smile on her face. Her smile made Angel's heart melt. He took her hand and they shook. "Yeah. And your Buffy Summers?," he asked. Buffy nodded. "Nice to meet you. I'm Angel O'Brian." Buffy smiled at his name. Wasn't she just thinking that his face looked angelic? Now his name is Angel? Well, the name fits him, she thought. "Angel? It's a pretty name," she said. he grinned in return and Buffy's pulse quickened. "Thanks. So is Buffy." The blonde blushed. They stood there for a few moments longer in silence. "Uh, shouldn't you be like, ya know, tutoring?", she asked finally. Angel looked at her then nodded. "Yeah. Of course. That's what Professor Walsh hired me for. To tutor you. And help you learn things." 'Help you learn things'? Nice one, O'Brian. Blow your cover a whole 60 seconds into the plan. They sat down. "So, uh, what would you like to start with, Ms. Summers?" Buffy shook her head. "Buffy, Mr. O'Brian. Just call me Buffy. Ms. Summers is my father. Uh, MOTHER!", she said, covering her mistake. Great, Summers. Make him think you're crazy. Just stop staring into his eyes and you make a complete ass out of yourself.
Angel smiled at her. "Okay, Buffy. I'll call you that as long as you call me Angel. That way we're even." Buffy smiled. "Okay. Deal. So, um, maybe we should start with Psycholooney? I mean, Psychology?," she said, blushing at another one of her mistakes. Angel grinned again. "Well, I'm not sure about Psycholooney, but Psychology I can help you on." Buffy laughed unaware that outside the library, someone was listening in through the wire that was hidden under Angel's silk shirt.
Spike smirked at Buffy's laugh. "Will you listen to this, mate? He's flirting with her! He's known her less than a minute and he's flirtin'!" Gunn smiled and looked at his other partner. "Right. And you wouldn't be? The girl's a hottie. What sane man wouldn't flirt with her?", he asked, changing the volume on the tape recorder. "Well, Peaches certainly shouldn't. After all, there's the whole Darla situation and he's always a man of work," Spike said, glaring as he heard his partner make the blonde laugh again. "Yeah, but you have Drusilla. You can't get with Buffy. You know how jealous Dru gets," Gunn said. Spike shrugged but knew his other partner was right. Drusilla Mallory was the love of Spike's life. She also got very jealous when she even heard another girl's name. "Well, you can't have her either, old chap. You've got your dear Winifred. Brainy lil' thing," Spike said. a grin spread over the black man's face at the mention of his girlfriend. Winifred Berkle, who everyone just called Fred, had been Gunn's girlfriend for over a year now. They had met at a Taco Bell and hit it off. He later discovered that Fred had a strong love for Tacos and it was the way to her heart.
Spike often teased him about his "patheticness". It was obvious that he loved the girl and whenever her name was mentioned, he always made, what Spike and Angel called, "googly eyes". But he didn't care how much they teases him. He was in love and that was what mattered. Spike sighed irritably. "Bloody hell, stop with the googly eyes. It makes me want to heave. Knock it off, *Charles*," Spike said, and grinned when Gunn glared at him for using his first name. "Can it, *William*," Gunn threw back, receiving a glare also. Neither of them enjoyed their first name. And while Gunn used his last name, Spike chose a nickname, since his last name was Connely. "Alright, let's both can it and see if this bit won't cough up something we can use," Spike said and settled back into the seat of the Blazer.
"You're not so bad in Psychology. I don't really get why your grade is so low," Angel said, closing the book in front of him. Buffy frowned. "It's not really the 'not-knowing' event, but more of the 'not-enough-time- to-do-it' event," she said, now wanting to go into detail. Angel nodded. That wasn't really anything he could use. "Any particular reason why?", he asked, trying not to seem as if he was pushing. Buffy shrugged. "Just some of the people I hang out with stay out pretty late and I'm usually knocked out by the time I get home." Angel nodded again. "Yeah. You shouldn't stay out on weekends," he said. "And I probably sound like your mother." Buffy laughed. "A little. Well, I guess our hour is up. So, I'll see you tomorrow, I guess?" Angel nodded and smiled. "Yeah, you would. If tomorrow wasn't Saturday." Buffy blushed again. "Oh, right. Saturday. Yeah. So, I'll see Monday, then." Angel smiled and nodded. Buffy returned the smile and rose from her seat, slipping her jacket on. Angel rose also and helped her finish putting on her jacket. "Thank you," she said, a little surprised by his chivalry. "No problem."
Buffy turned around to thank him again. The words froze in her mouth when she looked into his eyes. She was memorized by them. She saw something in them that she couldn't quite place, but she knew she liked it. she felt her pulse quicken again. Why does being near him do this to me? "Thanks again," she mustered out. Angel nodded. "See you, Monday, Buffy." Buffy nodded and turned on her heel, walking out of the library. Angel just stood, watching her leave. The ringing of his phone made him look away.
He pulled his phone out and flipped it open. "Yeah?", he asked, realizing it had been lcose to four minutes since Buffy had left. "Angel? Get your ass out here. Finn showed and it looks like he's about to rough up the Summers girl," Gunn said. Angel jogged to the door. "Where are they?", he asked. "In front of the campus sign." Angel shut off the phone and ran out the door and towards the large sign on campus. He spotted Finn and Buffy immediately. He watched as Finn talked to Buffy, then roughly grabbed her shoulders. Angel was close enough to hear the conversation. "Riley, I told you, I was with my tutor," Buffy said, struggling against his grip. "Did I ever say you could have a tutor? No, I don't remember saying that," he said, his voice harsh. "Since when do you have to approve what I do?", Buffy asked, terror on her face. She hadn't ever seen Riley like this. "I own you, Buffy. You only do what I say. No more tutor. Screw the promise you made to your parents. You belong to me. You do what I say. Be at the Alibi tonight or I will find you, Buffy. And you don't want that. Trust me."
Riley released her shoulders and wiped a tear from her cheek, smiling as she drew back. "Don't shrink away from my touch, either. See you tonight, baby." Riley turned and began to walk away, but turned to look at her one last time. "Remember to be there, Buff. You don't want me to hunt you down," he said and walked away. Buffy stood staring after him, trembling. Oh, my God. Riley just threatened to beat me. Oh God. Breathe, Buffy, breathe. But no matter what she told herself, the tears still came. She jumped as she felt someone touched her shoulder. She spun around to see Angel. "Buffy, are you okay? Did he hurt you?," he asked, searching her eyes. "Buffy?", he asked again when he got not reply. This time Buffy leaned into his arms and buried her face against his chest, crying. Angel embraced her, whispering words of comfort. "Shh. It's okay. It's okay. Just cry. He won't hurt you again," he whispered. Buffy shook her head against his chest. "He's never been like that," she whispered. Angel stroked her hair and back trying to calm her.
After a few moments, Buffy pulled away from his embrace and looked up at him, smiling softly. "Sorry, I ruined your shirt," she said. Angel shook his head and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "I've got others. What happened, Buffy? I know who that was: Riley Finn. But what was he doing/ Did he hurt you?" Buffy shook her head. "No, I think he threatened to, though. I'm not really sure. He's not like that, Angel. He wouldn't hurt me." "Well, he seemed like he would," Angel said and waved his arm in the air. Buffy turned around to see two men running across the street towards them. She looked at Angel with big eyes. He smiled and reassured her. "They're friends of mine," he said, looping some hair behind her ear. "Yo, Angel. We saw the whole thing. You okay, Chica?", Gunn asked, not letting the truth show. Buffy nodded. "Buffy, this is Charles Gunn and William Connely. They're friends of mine. This is Buffy Summers," Angel said. "You sure you're alright, bit? Everyone knows Riley Finn. He could've hurt you," Spike said. Buffy nodded and smiled. "Yeah. Thank you." Angel turned to her. "Do you need a lift home? I think it would be safer than you walking," he said. Buffy hesitated. I don't wanna get Angel hurt. I'm the one who made Riley mad. But I would feel a lot safer if he drove me, she debated. She nodded her head and Angel told her to go to his car, the black Plymouth Belvedere that was parked in front of the Blazer where Gunn and Spike had come from only moments before. Buffy thanked him and walked across the street. As soon as she was out of earshot, Angel turned to his partners.
"This is getting out of control. We have to get this done with. Unless we want another Mia Valentine on our hands," Angel said, running a hand through his hair. "Did you get anything useful?" Gunn raised his eyebrows. "You were the one talking to her. You should know," he said. Spike smirked. "Peaches was probably too busy making googly eyes Goldilocks. It's obvious you two are crazy about each other," he said. Angel glared at him. "Shut up, Spike. I'll meet you two at Cordy's. Right now I just want to get Buffy home," Angel said, turning and starting across the street. A mischievous grin spread across Spike's face. "Hers or yours?", he asked. Angel turned around, still walking backwards, and flipped him off. He turned back around and jogged across the street. Spike and Gunn watched as he hopped inside the Plymouth, said a few words to Buffy, and drove away. Once they were down the road, Spike and Gunn looked at each other. "Oh yeah. He's fallen hard," Gunn said. The two men laughed and walked to the Blazer.
Outside Buffy's dorm room, Angel stood with Buffy. "Thanks for driving me home, Angel. I really appreciate it," Buffy said, looking up at the man shyly. Angel shrugged. "No problem. Buffy, if you don't mind me asking, how did you get involved with someone like Riley Finn?", he asked, not even bothering with the wire. Buffy looked at the floor. She didn't really want him to know why. That she was alone and hurt; that she had wanted to someone to keep her warm on a cold winter's night. But Riley had never kept her warm. How could he when he was cold? Buffy had always felt that Riley had no warmth in him. He never had the light in his eyes that other men had. The sex they had was nothing. She never felt anything when she was with him. Buffy wasn't sure what to tell Angel. It wasn't that she feared he would judge her. It was that she feared he would never want to see her again. She already like this guy. Very much.
Buffy looked back up at him and smiled weakly. "Would you believe me if I told you I don't know?", she asked. To her surprise, Angel nodded. "I would. I get it. Are you sure you'll be okay?", he asked. Buffy laughed. That must have been the thousandth time he's asked me that, she thought. This guy is so sweet. She nodded. "My roommate is inside. Riley won't try anything with Willow here," she said. Angel nodded. Buffy turned to the door, her hand on the knob. Before she could turn it, she turned back around to face Angel. "I really want to thank you. Uh, why don't you and your friends come to a club with me and my friends tonight? Ya know, as a thank you?" Angel froze. This was certainly something he didn't expect. Was she asking him out? No, it was with friends. No a *date* date, buy a date of some sort. "Well, uh, I'd love to. I'm not sure about everyone else though. I'll talk to them, but I'm sure they'll go. What's the club?" Buffy smiled. Caritas. It's a little out of the box, but it's a fun place to go. See you there," she said. with those words, she reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek. She smiled at him, pulled open her door and walked inside, turning to give him another smile before shutting the door. Oh, God. I'm falling in love, she thought. Angel looked at the closed the door a few moments more before turning away. Oh yeah. I'm falling head over heels. And fast.
Buffy leaned against the door, not even noticing the Scooby Gang, plus Giles and Faith, sitting in the room. She finally turned around when Giles cleared his throat. "Oh, hi…everybody. Why is everybody here? Giles, shouldn't you and Anya be at the store?," she asked, shrugging off her jacket and laying it over a chair. Giles shook his head. "No, I got Henry to cover for us," he said, looking at the girl he had come to love as a daughter. Buffy nodded. "Okay then. Um, what is everybody doing here?" Giles rose from his seat on the chair beside Willow's bed. "We came to speak with you," he said. Buffy swallowed hard. Whenever the father figure wanted to "speak with you", it was never good. Rupert Giles was the "father" of the Scooby Gang "family". Originally from England, Giles, as his "children" affectionately called him, first started working as the librarian at Hemery High School, where Buffy and Oz attended school. He grew attached to them and after being fired from his position, bought the magic shop, hired Anya, and still stayed attached to Buffy and Oz. Then he met Willow and Xander, and their "family" was created.
Giles was in his mid-forties, tall and was, obviously, British. He was often called "the old British fuddy duddy" by the others because of how the only thing he ever wore was tweed suits, he was always cleaning his glasses, could always be found with his nose in a book, and always used words like "amenable" and "indecorous". "Speak English, not whatever they speak in, uh…", Buffy had once said to him, to which he replied with a smile, "England?" They could get annoying at times, but he loved them all. And right now one of them were in danger. "About what?", Buffy asked. "About your boyfriend. Again," Oz said, who had his arm around Willow, running his hand up and her arm. "Oh. You don't have to worry about him," Buffy said, looking down and holding where Riley had grabbed her arms. "Yeah, you do, B.", Faith said, shifting on Buffy's bed. She was obviously uncomfortable. And who could blame me? After all, I'm telling them all about something I hoped I wouldn't have to, she thought. Buffy looked at her quizzically. Xander cleared his throat.
"Buff, there's some stuff you should know. Finn isn't exactly a good guy," he said. Buffy nodded. "I know. I found that out today," Buffy said softly. Willow eyes grew panicked. "What? Buffy did something happen?", she asked. Buffy nodded again. "He threatened me. And he grabbed my arms pretty hard. He didn't hit me or anything. But, like I said, he threatened to." Faith stood up. "B., I would steer clear of Ri for awhile. Don't come to the Alibi," the brunette said. Buffy laughed. "Even if he told me if I wasn't there he'd hunt me down and make me regret it?", she asked. Faith stared at her. "Yes. Especially if he said that. Just don't go anywhere alone." Buffy nodded. "Not a problem." She looked around at all her friends. "Are we still on for Caritas tonight?," she asked, changing the subject. Her friends let it change, knowing Buffy would stay away from Riley Finn. They nodded. "Faith, you wanna come? It'll be just like the first time you came to party with us," Buffy said, noticing how Faith obviously felt left out. The brunette smiled. "Sure, B. I've got a feeling Finn ain't too happy with me, either." Buffy smiled. "Hey, guys? I hope you don't mind, but I invited Angel and his friends," Buffy said. Xander looked up. "Angel? Who's Angel," he asked. "He's my tutor. He helped me calm down after the thing with Riley and he drove me home. so as a thank you I invited him and whoever else he wanted to come to Caritas with us. That's okay, right?" "Of course, it is Buff. The more the merrier. But isn't inviting him to Caritas a little weird for a thank you?", Willow asked, a slight smile on her face. I think Buffy has a crush, she thought. Buffy shrugged.
"I don't know," she said, blushing. She knew Willow knew that Buffy had a slight crush on the tutor. And she was just glad Willow didn't come out and say it. Oz looked up when a thought came to mind. "Buffy, did you tell this Angel guy what kind of a club Caritas is?," he asked. When they saw the look on Buffy's face, they laughed. This would be a very interesting night.