Title: Devastating Past
Author: Valerie
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it
Rating: R
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?
*********
12.
"Aura! Aura, you have to come see him!" Harmony was completely excited. She ran into Willow as she made her way toward her friend but ignored it.
"What are you talking about Harmony?" Aura exclaimed, raising an eyebrow.
"You know Angel, right?" The moment his name came out of her mouth, five of her friends were listening too, plus Buffy and Willow, who were standing nearby.
"Angel? Jeez, I'm not sure. Are you talking about the hunk that scored from the opposite side of the court, wearing only a t-shirt which made his abs look absolutely irresistible? No, I don't know him." Aura replied sarcastically "What about Angel?"
"I saw him, just a minute ago. He's working at the garage."
"Wow, that's absolutely fabulous Harmony." An other girl said, looking bored.
"Oh, but I didn't tell you the best part." Harmony grinned.
"what is it?"
"Well...he's working...on a Mercedes Benz, covered in grease, in leather pants, and...shirtless! He's got a tattoo on the right shoulder!" Harmony almost shouted, making every other girl gasp, both from her voice and from the news.
"Let's go see the hottie!" Aura suggested. They all followed Harmony away from school.
"So Buffy...what do you say, you and me go meet Angel at the garage? 'Cause you'll get to see him shirtless, and I'll get to see Harmony and the Harmonettes madly jealous." Willow asked Buffy a moment later.
"Why would they be jealous?" The slayer replied, already knowing the answer. But she loved it so much to hear it...
"Because Angel's crazy about you and every single time you guys talk you're all" She started mimicking them "Buffy, you're so great! Can I drive you home with my hot sport bike? I would love to, and I hope you'll kiss me goodbye this time Angel. Oh Buffy, I want it so much, but your mom always come at the wrong time! Really, you want me Angel? Oh yeah, totally, I wish I could grab you and kiss you and make love to you right in the middle of the class Buffy." Both girls laughed as they followed the path Harmony and the other girls took.
*****
"Hi Angel!" Harmony chirped when they reached the place she was talking about. Angel was indeed very much shirtless, he was working on the engine of a white convertible. He frowned when he saw the girls (all 7 of them) around him, smiling brightly at him or staring at his bare chest.
*Fuck* "Er...hi. Do you need...something?" He asked them, wishing they weren't there just for him.
"Can we ask you a few questions?" Harmony continued, moving very much next to him much to his annoyance.
*Fuck, fuck* "What about?" He tried to be polite, he really tried.
"Oh, you know...Cars, bikes...your bike...you."
*Fuck, fuck, fuck* "Why?" He returned his attention on the engine after he picked a screw-driver the right size.
"Because you are fairly new in Sunnydale, and we noticed you didn't make any friends."
"I made friends." He disagreed, still not tearing his gaze from his work.
"Really? You mean cool people and not those losers?"
"What losers?"
"Buffy Summers, Xander Harris, Willow Rosenberg. Well, at least you know Cordelia. She might be dating the moron, but she still has a fashion sense."
"They're not losers." He simply replied.
"Hey Harm, he does hang a little with Hogan and Percy now that he's in the team. He had lunch with them today." Aura told Harmony.
*What are they? Spies?* He thought, wishing they would just leave him alone.
"That's great. But Angel, you need to hang a little more with us. Maybe we could go on a date sometime, I'd introduce you to the cool persons at school." Harmony replied, moving even closer next to Angel. At that, he couldn't help but glare at her.
*Is this the same girl I turned down weeks ago? Damn, I thought I had been rude on that one, why is she still trying?*
Suddenly, Harmony and Aura, who had been standing next to him, were pushed away. Angel looked up and grinned when he saw Buffy and her best friend.
"Hey sweetheart!" Buffy greeted, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a peck on the cheek...actually more on the corner of his lips. But it was enough to make the others believe she had kissed him full on the lips. She beamed when he also wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her close to his body.
"Hi Buffy." They exchanged an amused smile at their game, there was no need to look at the girls to understand they were really mad.
"Could you NOT put your hands on my butt Angel? I don't want any grease or oil stain on my pants. It was already hard enough to clean all that stuff you put on my face last Sunday." Buffy warned him playfully.
"Aaaww, I'm sorry about that baby. I just can't help touching you." He apologized, caressing her nose with his own. When they started staring into each other's eyes, Willow figured it was the good time to enjoy herself, too.
"Hey Harmony. What are you doing here? You car is broken or something?" She exclaimed, and Buffy and Angel looked at Harmony too.
"Er...no...I just meant to say hi to Angel. He seemed lonely." She answered nervously, still shocked.
"That's so sweet of you Harmony!" Buffy replied with a big smile, the one that said "I'm in that guy's arms and you're not." She started playing with Angel's hair behind his head with one hand, as her other hand traveled downstairs and rested on his butt, making sure Harmony and the others saw her. Angel was stunned by her move, but he was far too glad she was in his arms and had her small hand on his ass to say anything.
"Yeah, well I'm like that. Er...so...you guys are dating?" She asked, frowning. To illustrate her question, Angel moved his head down towards Buffy's neck and shoulder, and Buffy figured he would stay here and make everyone think he was kissing her. However, much to her surprise and her delight, he didn't pretend to do it. He did.
*Oh god! Oh god he's kissing my neck! He's kissing my neck! Wait...no, he's not kissing anymore...he's licking! Oh shit, that feels so good!* When Angel moved his lips to the sensitive spot behind her ear, she couldn't help the moaning that came out of her mouth, and she felt Angel smile against her skin.
"What do you think Harm?" Willow answered her question with a huge grin. Harmony made a weird noise of disgust hearing Buffy moaning and stormed away, followed by her friends. Willow waited for an other minute, trying to control her urge to do a little victory dance. "Er...guys? You can stop the PDA now, they're gone."
"Oh...y-y-yeah...right." Buffy stuttered, turning red from what happened. They might have been a little carried away with the fake-not-so-fake kissing.
"Thank you so much for that guys. You saved my life." Angel told them with a half smile that would have sent Buffy over the edge if she hadn't already passed the damn edge when she touched his bare chest.
"Oh, don't get false ideas. I did it mostly to see Harmony and her group's reaction and Buffy...well, she seemed to have enjoyed herself." Willow replied, grinning like an idiot and receiving a glare from Buffy. "Alright, I'm off, guys. See ya soon." She ran away, leaving Buffy and Angel alone. Very, very much alone.
"So...how about I show you how an engine work as you asked me last Sunday, huh?" Suggested Angel as he returned his attention on his work.
"Sure." She replied, moving closer to him to get a better view. *No staring Summers, ok? Don't stare at his chest. His hands. His abs. His back. His tattoo. His lips. His butt. Holy shit his butt looks so good with leather. Although I bet it looks even better in boxers...or without the boxers...No! Bad, bad, bad Buffy!*
"Come here. You'll do it and I'll help ya." He grabbed her gently by the hip with one hand and moved her at his former place, as he took a step back so that he was standing right behind her. He softly pressed himself against her so that he could have a look over her shoulder and slipped his arms around her waist so that he could control her gestures with his hands. Then he started explaining briefly what everything was, showing her what tools were used and what were their names. After a few minutes, he gave her the screw-driver he had been working with before she arrived and told her what to do with it, guiding her movements with his hands. "You're doing great." He whispered in her ear, making her shiver from the extreme closeness of his body and his face against her ear.
"Thanks...but it's easy with you doing everything. You're just using my fingers to keep from getting grease on yours." She teased him.
"You complaining?" He asked in a mock-hurt tone as he was slowly loosening his grasp on her body.
"Nope, no complaining here!" She exclaimed, pressing her body back against his and making him smile.
"I'm moving in my new apartment next Thursday, you know?" He informed her as they resumed their work.
"Oh, that's too bad, you won't get to catch naked blond girls in your bed anymore." She teased him, referring to his misadventure with Joey.
"You're sure about that?" He replied in a velvet voice that made her insides melt. He would have preferred to say *You're wrong, 'cause YOU'll be naked in my bed*, but somehow he doubted she would have liked it. "Anyway, you're doing something on Friday night?"
"I don't know...why?" She asked, full of hope.
"I was thinking...that maybe you could come over...to help me move in. I've got plenty of boxes full of my stuff at the Evans, and you could...help me unpack them at my apartment. I'll carry the heavy stuff as a manly guy and you'll tell me where to put it. I suck at decorating, so I could do with a little help from a girl. And then we could watch a movie on TV, or talk or...whatever."
"Why don't you ask your sister if you need help decorating?" After she asked, she felt her breath caught in her throat as he rested his chin on her shoulder and gently caressed her hands and forearms.
"Because I want to do it with you." He simply answered, both forgetting about the dark leaking engine of the white convertible. Buffy turned around in his arms, putting her hands on his sides. They stared in each other's eyes for a long time, and when they finally closed their eyes and let their lips brush...
"Buffy!" A voice a little too familiar to Buffy was heard from across the street. Buffy and Angel both sighed in frustration and opened their eyes.
"Giles. How NICE to see you." Buffy stressed sarcastically on the 'nice' as she distangled herself from Angel.
"Buffy, Willow told me you would be there. I was waiting for you." He informed her softly. It wasn't the first time she had forgotten about training, he was getting used to the situation.
"Er...why?"
"The library. Remember? Work? Duty?" He tried to make her remember.
"Oh! Right! God, I totally forgot about that! Sorry. Bad Buffy. It won't happen again. See, I'm sorry." She hit herself softly on the head, to illustrate her point.
"You work at the library?" Angel asked, surprised.
"Er...well, homework. Mom's orders, she wants to be sure that I work." Buffy lied. She felt guilty about it, but she hadn't any choice.
Angel made a face. "That's tough. I'm sorry for ya."
"Thanks." She smiled sweetly at him. That's when Giles cleared his throat to remember her that he was there. "Oh, sorry. Giles, this is Angel. He arrived in Sunnydale a few weeks ago. Angel, this is Rupert Giles, the school librarian and the gang's grown-up friend." She introduced them. "Not in a weird way." She added with a frown.
"Nice to meet you Mr. Giles." Angel said, shaking his hand. *Jeez, I'm getting polite with the school staff. What's wrong with me?*
"Likewise. Hum...Buffy? Can we go now?" The watcher asked, no pleaded, his slayer.
"Ok" She agreed with a sigh. She turned to Angel. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow." She said as she took a step toward him. He took her hands silently, then gave her his trademark half smile.
"You never answered me about Friday night. Will you be there?"
Buffy thought about it for a second. *Oh no, I've got to help mom at the gallery and then patrol. Oh please no, I can't miss it.* "I want to. So much."
"I'm sensing a but here. I don't like buts. Please don't say but." He almost whined, frowning. He wanted so badly to be just with her for an evening. Just the two of them with no one around so they could finally kiss. And do other stuff.
"Er...however?" She tried, smiling slightly.
"Nah, that's a fancy but." He disagreed her, shaking his head.
"Look, Angel, I swear I want to spend Friday night helping you move, but I gotta ask before I say yes."
"Ask who? Your mom? Come on, it's Friday night, it's not like you've got work to do." Buffy knew Giles was listening to their conversation, so she couldn't say she was free. She wasn't. Her only hope was to convince both her watcher and her mom to let her go. And she suspected that the British guy would be a piece of cake compared to her mother. And that says something. How was she supposed to convince her mother to let her spend the evening alone with the guy she had asked her not to be friend with?
"I'll do all I can. I promise." She told him with a sad smile. He nodded, looking really disappointed. *God, he looks so crushed! I'm a bad bad person. No, my watcher and mother from hell are bad! I'm innocent. It's not my fault if...Oh god he's brooding all over again because of me! Kill me now!*
"Ok. Bye."
"Bye." They looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds, before Buffy let his hands go and left with Giles.
*****
"Buffy, I" Giles started as they reached the library.
"Don't." She told him firmly.
"I just"
"Don't you dare pull out all that crap about me dating being wrong, or you'll have broken bones by the end of training." She warned her watcher, trying to control her frustrations and anger.
"Listen to me for a second. I'm not going to tell you how wrong you dating is, because you already know that. And I trust you with your decisions. Well...most of your decisions. I only want you to be careful with boys. If you are in a serious relationship with a boy...this Angel person for instance, you're going to feel guilty about lying to him. But even if you want to tell him, he certainly won't want to learn the truth."
"I know. You're right." She nodded sadly. Then suddenly she looked up at him and smiled innocently. "Hey, are you really sure I gotta patrol on Friday night?" Giles rolled his eyes. She was way too stubborn for him.
"Buffy, you're already going to miss patrol on Saturday because of that sleep-over with your friends." He reminded her of his agreement to give her the week-end off.
"Please? Please, please, please, please? I like him soooooo much Giles, he's so sweet and caring and holy god have you seen his body?" Giles looked at her strangely, so she tried to cover what she said. "Which I mean was that...he is strong. He's not weak, so it's good if there's trouble. But there won't be trouble, he won't be in danger, because we'll be at his apartment. Giles, I'm just going to help him move in. Please? I'll double my patrols the next week. Please, please? Giles? My dear watcher?" She pleaded with puppy eyes which she knew got to him.
"Fine. You are free on Friday. But you know evil is always lurking in a corner, you have to be alert."
"Yeah, I know. Thank you so much, I love you!" She exclaimed, smiling brightly. *Now there's only my mom left.* The smile vanished instantly from her face.
*********
Author: Valerie
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it
Rating: R
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?
*********
12.
"Aura! Aura, you have to come see him!" Harmony was completely excited. She ran into Willow as she made her way toward her friend but ignored it.
"What are you talking about Harmony?" Aura exclaimed, raising an eyebrow.
"You know Angel, right?" The moment his name came out of her mouth, five of her friends were listening too, plus Buffy and Willow, who were standing nearby.
"Angel? Jeez, I'm not sure. Are you talking about the hunk that scored from the opposite side of the court, wearing only a t-shirt which made his abs look absolutely irresistible? No, I don't know him." Aura replied sarcastically "What about Angel?"
"I saw him, just a minute ago. He's working at the garage."
"Wow, that's absolutely fabulous Harmony." An other girl said, looking bored.
"Oh, but I didn't tell you the best part." Harmony grinned.
"what is it?"
"Well...he's working...on a Mercedes Benz, covered in grease, in leather pants, and...shirtless! He's got a tattoo on the right shoulder!" Harmony almost shouted, making every other girl gasp, both from her voice and from the news.
"Let's go see the hottie!" Aura suggested. They all followed Harmony away from school.
"So Buffy...what do you say, you and me go meet Angel at the garage? 'Cause you'll get to see him shirtless, and I'll get to see Harmony and the Harmonettes madly jealous." Willow asked Buffy a moment later.
"Why would they be jealous?" The slayer replied, already knowing the answer. But she loved it so much to hear it...
"Because Angel's crazy about you and every single time you guys talk you're all" She started mimicking them "Buffy, you're so great! Can I drive you home with my hot sport bike? I would love to, and I hope you'll kiss me goodbye this time Angel. Oh Buffy, I want it so much, but your mom always come at the wrong time! Really, you want me Angel? Oh yeah, totally, I wish I could grab you and kiss you and make love to you right in the middle of the class Buffy." Both girls laughed as they followed the path Harmony and the other girls took.
*****
"Hi Angel!" Harmony chirped when they reached the place she was talking about. Angel was indeed very much shirtless, he was working on the engine of a white convertible. He frowned when he saw the girls (all 7 of them) around him, smiling brightly at him or staring at his bare chest.
*Fuck* "Er...hi. Do you need...something?" He asked them, wishing they weren't there just for him.
"Can we ask you a few questions?" Harmony continued, moving very much next to him much to his annoyance.
*Fuck, fuck* "What about?" He tried to be polite, he really tried.
"Oh, you know...Cars, bikes...your bike...you."
*Fuck, fuck, fuck* "Why?" He returned his attention on the engine after he picked a screw-driver the right size.
"Because you are fairly new in Sunnydale, and we noticed you didn't make any friends."
"I made friends." He disagreed, still not tearing his gaze from his work.
"Really? You mean cool people and not those losers?"
"What losers?"
"Buffy Summers, Xander Harris, Willow Rosenberg. Well, at least you know Cordelia. She might be dating the moron, but she still has a fashion sense."
"They're not losers." He simply replied.
"Hey Harm, he does hang a little with Hogan and Percy now that he's in the team. He had lunch with them today." Aura told Harmony.
*What are they? Spies?* He thought, wishing they would just leave him alone.
"That's great. But Angel, you need to hang a little more with us. Maybe we could go on a date sometime, I'd introduce you to the cool persons at school." Harmony replied, moving even closer next to Angel. At that, he couldn't help but glare at her.
*Is this the same girl I turned down weeks ago? Damn, I thought I had been rude on that one, why is she still trying?*
Suddenly, Harmony and Aura, who had been standing next to him, were pushed away. Angel looked up and grinned when he saw Buffy and her best friend.
"Hey sweetheart!" Buffy greeted, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a peck on the cheek...actually more on the corner of his lips. But it was enough to make the others believe she had kissed him full on the lips. She beamed when he also wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her close to his body.
"Hi Buffy." They exchanged an amused smile at their game, there was no need to look at the girls to understand they were really mad.
"Could you NOT put your hands on my butt Angel? I don't want any grease or oil stain on my pants. It was already hard enough to clean all that stuff you put on my face last Sunday." Buffy warned him playfully.
"Aaaww, I'm sorry about that baby. I just can't help touching you." He apologized, caressing her nose with his own. When they started staring into each other's eyes, Willow figured it was the good time to enjoy herself, too.
"Hey Harmony. What are you doing here? You car is broken or something?" She exclaimed, and Buffy and Angel looked at Harmony too.
"Er...no...I just meant to say hi to Angel. He seemed lonely." She answered nervously, still shocked.
"That's so sweet of you Harmony!" Buffy replied with a big smile, the one that said "I'm in that guy's arms and you're not." She started playing with Angel's hair behind his head with one hand, as her other hand traveled downstairs and rested on his butt, making sure Harmony and the others saw her. Angel was stunned by her move, but he was far too glad she was in his arms and had her small hand on his ass to say anything.
"Yeah, well I'm like that. Er...so...you guys are dating?" She asked, frowning. To illustrate her question, Angel moved his head down towards Buffy's neck and shoulder, and Buffy figured he would stay here and make everyone think he was kissing her. However, much to her surprise and her delight, he didn't pretend to do it. He did.
*Oh god! Oh god he's kissing my neck! He's kissing my neck! Wait...no, he's not kissing anymore...he's licking! Oh shit, that feels so good!* When Angel moved his lips to the sensitive spot behind her ear, she couldn't help the moaning that came out of her mouth, and she felt Angel smile against her skin.
"What do you think Harm?" Willow answered her question with a huge grin. Harmony made a weird noise of disgust hearing Buffy moaning and stormed away, followed by her friends. Willow waited for an other minute, trying to control her urge to do a little victory dance. "Er...guys? You can stop the PDA now, they're gone."
"Oh...y-y-yeah...right." Buffy stuttered, turning red from what happened. They might have been a little carried away with the fake-not-so-fake kissing.
"Thank you so much for that guys. You saved my life." Angel told them with a half smile that would have sent Buffy over the edge if she hadn't already passed the damn edge when she touched his bare chest.
"Oh, don't get false ideas. I did it mostly to see Harmony and her group's reaction and Buffy...well, she seemed to have enjoyed herself." Willow replied, grinning like an idiot and receiving a glare from Buffy. "Alright, I'm off, guys. See ya soon." She ran away, leaving Buffy and Angel alone. Very, very much alone.
"So...how about I show you how an engine work as you asked me last Sunday, huh?" Suggested Angel as he returned his attention on his work.
"Sure." She replied, moving closer to him to get a better view. *No staring Summers, ok? Don't stare at his chest. His hands. His abs. His back. His tattoo. His lips. His butt. Holy shit his butt looks so good with leather. Although I bet it looks even better in boxers...or without the boxers...No! Bad, bad, bad Buffy!*
"Come here. You'll do it and I'll help ya." He grabbed her gently by the hip with one hand and moved her at his former place, as he took a step back so that he was standing right behind her. He softly pressed himself against her so that he could have a look over her shoulder and slipped his arms around her waist so that he could control her gestures with his hands. Then he started explaining briefly what everything was, showing her what tools were used and what were their names. After a few minutes, he gave her the screw-driver he had been working with before she arrived and told her what to do with it, guiding her movements with his hands. "You're doing great." He whispered in her ear, making her shiver from the extreme closeness of his body and his face against her ear.
"Thanks...but it's easy with you doing everything. You're just using my fingers to keep from getting grease on yours." She teased him.
"You complaining?" He asked in a mock-hurt tone as he was slowly loosening his grasp on her body.
"Nope, no complaining here!" She exclaimed, pressing her body back against his and making him smile.
"I'm moving in my new apartment next Thursday, you know?" He informed her as they resumed their work.
"Oh, that's too bad, you won't get to catch naked blond girls in your bed anymore." She teased him, referring to his misadventure with Joey.
"You're sure about that?" He replied in a velvet voice that made her insides melt. He would have preferred to say *You're wrong, 'cause YOU'll be naked in my bed*, but somehow he doubted she would have liked it. "Anyway, you're doing something on Friday night?"
"I don't know...why?" She asked, full of hope.
"I was thinking...that maybe you could come over...to help me move in. I've got plenty of boxes full of my stuff at the Evans, and you could...help me unpack them at my apartment. I'll carry the heavy stuff as a manly guy and you'll tell me where to put it. I suck at decorating, so I could do with a little help from a girl. And then we could watch a movie on TV, or talk or...whatever."
"Why don't you ask your sister if you need help decorating?" After she asked, she felt her breath caught in her throat as he rested his chin on her shoulder and gently caressed her hands and forearms.
"Because I want to do it with you." He simply answered, both forgetting about the dark leaking engine of the white convertible. Buffy turned around in his arms, putting her hands on his sides. They stared in each other's eyes for a long time, and when they finally closed their eyes and let their lips brush...
"Buffy!" A voice a little too familiar to Buffy was heard from across the street. Buffy and Angel both sighed in frustration and opened their eyes.
"Giles. How NICE to see you." Buffy stressed sarcastically on the 'nice' as she distangled herself from Angel.
"Buffy, Willow told me you would be there. I was waiting for you." He informed her softly. It wasn't the first time she had forgotten about training, he was getting used to the situation.
"Er...why?"
"The library. Remember? Work? Duty?" He tried to make her remember.
"Oh! Right! God, I totally forgot about that! Sorry. Bad Buffy. It won't happen again. See, I'm sorry." She hit herself softly on the head, to illustrate her point.
"You work at the library?" Angel asked, surprised.
"Er...well, homework. Mom's orders, she wants to be sure that I work." Buffy lied. She felt guilty about it, but she hadn't any choice.
Angel made a face. "That's tough. I'm sorry for ya."
"Thanks." She smiled sweetly at him. That's when Giles cleared his throat to remember her that he was there. "Oh, sorry. Giles, this is Angel. He arrived in Sunnydale a few weeks ago. Angel, this is Rupert Giles, the school librarian and the gang's grown-up friend." She introduced them. "Not in a weird way." She added with a frown.
"Nice to meet you Mr. Giles." Angel said, shaking his hand. *Jeez, I'm getting polite with the school staff. What's wrong with me?*
"Likewise. Hum...Buffy? Can we go now?" The watcher asked, no pleaded, his slayer.
"Ok" She agreed with a sigh. She turned to Angel. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow." She said as she took a step toward him. He took her hands silently, then gave her his trademark half smile.
"You never answered me about Friday night. Will you be there?"
Buffy thought about it for a second. *Oh no, I've got to help mom at the gallery and then patrol. Oh please no, I can't miss it.* "I want to. So much."
"I'm sensing a but here. I don't like buts. Please don't say but." He almost whined, frowning. He wanted so badly to be just with her for an evening. Just the two of them with no one around so they could finally kiss. And do other stuff.
"Er...however?" She tried, smiling slightly.
"Nah, that's a fancy but." He disagreed her, shaking his head.
"Look, Angel, I swear I want to spend Friday night helping you move, but I gotta ask before I say yes."
"Ask who? Your mom? Come on, it's Friday night, it's not like you've got work to do." Buffy knew Giles was listening to their conversation, so she couldn't say she was free. She wasn't. Her only hope was to convince both her watcher and her mom to let her go. And she suspected that the British guy would be a piece of cake compared to her mother. And that says something. How was she supposed to convince her mother to let her spend the evening alone with the guy she had asked her not to be friend with?
"I'll do all I can. I promise." She told him with a sad smile. He nodded, looking really disappointed. *God, he looks so crushed! I'm a bad bad person. No, my watcher and mother from hell are bad! I'm innocent. It's not my fault if...Oh god he's brooding all over again because of me! Kill me now!*
"Ok. Bye."
"Bye." They looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds, before Buffy let his hands go and left with Giles.
*****
"Buffy, I" Giles started as they reached the library.
"Don't." She told him firmly.
"I just"
"Don't you dare pull out all that crap about me dating being wrong, or you'll have broken bones by the end of training." She warned her watcher, trying to control her frustrations and anger.
"Listen to me for a second. I'm not going to tell you how wrong you dating is, because you already know that. And I trust you with your decisions. Well...most of your decisions. I only want you to be careful with boys. If you are in a serious relationship with a boy...this Angel person for instance, you're going to feel guilty about lying to him. But even if you want to tell him, he certainly won't want to learn the truth."
"I know. You're right." She nodded sadly. Then suddenly she looked up at him and smiled innocently. "Hey, are you really sure I gotta patrol on Friday night?" Giles rolled his eyes. She was way too stubborn for him.
"Buffy, you're already going to miss patrol on Saturday because of that sleep-over with your friends." He reminded her of his agreement to give her the week-end off.
"Please? Please, please, please, please? I like him soooooo much Giles, he's so sweet and caring and holy god have you seen his body?" Giles looked at her strangely, so she tried to cover what she said. "Which I mean was that...he is strong. He's not weak, so it's good if there's trouble. But there won't be trouble, he won't be in danger, because we'll be at his apartment. Giles, I'm just going to help him move in. Please? I'll double my patrols the next week. Please, please? Giles? My dear watcher?" She pleaded with puppy eyes which she knew got to him.
"Fine. You are free on Friday. But you know evil is always lurking in a corner, you have to be alert."
"Yeah, I know. Thank you so much, I love you!" She exclaimed, smiling brightly. *Now there's only my mom left.* The smile vanished instantly from her face.
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