Chapter Four
The sun shined brightly in the Summer's living room as Buffy descended the stairs. She gripped the railing for support and nursed her sore body. The sound of the doorbell hastened her pace as she walked to the front entryway.
"Angel." She breathed, as she opened the door. He stood there perplexed as the sun warmed his body. "What are you crazy!" Buffy screeched as she pulled Angel into the shade of the house. "You could have died!"
"Buffy." Angel whispered and gathered her into a passionate kiss.
"Hi." Buffy said breathlessly as she pulled apart from Angel.
"Hi." Angel smiled, his hand resting gently on Buffy's cheek. "I, ah, I'm sorry Buffy. I shouldn't have done that."
"It's okay." Buffy said firmly. "I, how did you, I mean weren't you just?"
"Standing in the sunlight." Angel smiled, placing Buffy's hand over his beating heart.
"You're human." Buffy said confused.
"I, uh, um, Hello?" Fred stammered, trying not to interrupt the moment.
"Uh, Fred." Angel said, taking Fred's hand and leading her in. "Buffy, this is Fred."
"Nice to meet you." Buffy said, shaking Fred's hand. "Faith told me all about you."
"All good, I hope." Gunn said as he entered the living room, carrying a trunk full of weapons. "Got somewhere I can put this down?"
"Uh, o-over there." Buffy said, pointing to her own weapons chest.
"Thanks." Gunn said, struggling under the weight of the case.
"No problem." Buffy stammered, growing more confused.
"Hello Buffy." Wesley said from the doorway. "It's nice to see you again."
"Wow, look at you, Wes." Buffy said, taking in her ex-Watcher's new appearance. "Faith said you changed."
"How is Faith?" Wesley asked, genuine concern in her voice.
"She's." Buffy paused. "She's out back with Dawn. She's not dealing well."
"Yes." Wesley said. "Dawn called, said things here were bad."
"That's why you're here." Buffy said, turning her face back to Angel. "But how are you, you know, human?"
"Long story." Angel said.
"Big prophecy." Gunn added.
"Oh." Buffy lowered her eyes.
"Okay, well, you've met Fred." Angel said, motioning to Fred. "This is Charles Gunn." He added, pulling Gunn aside. "Wes, you know."
"Hey." Connor said, entering the house with Lorne behind him.
"Buffy, this is my son, Connor." Angel said.
"Right." Buffy said, moving to Connor. "Of course, I mean, you have your father's good looks."
Connor reddened at that. "Yea." He mumbled and moved to put his bags down.
"And this is Lorne." Angel said, presenting Lorne to Buffy.
"And this is the infamous Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Lorne said, all smiles. "You're much prettier than I imagined."
Buffy blushed and smiled. "Thank you."
"Demon! A Demon!" Vi yelled as she entered the living room. "In the house! A Demon!"
"Nothing new about that." Clem said from behind her. "Oh. You weren't talking about me."
"Everyone." Buffy said, motioning to the gang from LA. "This is Vi, she's one of the potentials. And this Clem, he's a friend."
"Hey." Gunn offered, shaking Vi's hand.
"Hi." Fred added, smiling. "Hi." She said again, this time to Clem.
"What's with the party?" Clem asked, eyeing the strangers.
"Reinforcements." Wesley answered flatly. "I'd like to speak with Faith."
"Of course." Buffy said, taking the bags from Wes's hands. "Vi, can you take Wesley out back, please?"
"Sure." Vi said, escorting Wesley to the back door.
"Where's everyone else?" Angel asked, noticing the absence of Xander and Willow.
"Willow's upstairs nursing last night's patrol." Buffy said. "We were hit pretty hard. Xander's at the hardware store getting supplies. Giles went to the Magick Shop near April Fool's to get supplies. Anya's in the kitchen."
"Anya?" Angel asked.
"Yea, she's a." Buffy started.
"No, I remember her." Angel said. "Xander's girlfriend."
"Ex." Anya said from the doorway.
"Anya, this is everyone." Buffy said, introducing the MoG to Anya.
"More guests." Anya said.
Buffy smiled. "Yea."
"So that's it, huh?" Angel said.
"It?" Buffy asked.
"Yea, Giles, Willow, Xander, Anya." Angel clarified. "No one, else."
"Else?" Buffy asked.
"Riley?" Angel prodded.
"No." Buffy smiled. "Riley's off with his Super Wife."
"I see." Angel said, trying to hide a smile.
"And Spike's in the basement." Anya blurted out. "Which reminds me, Buffy, Spike said he was going to need more blood."
"Spike's here." Angel practically growled.
"But Buffy's not sleeping with him anymore." Anya blurted again.
"Sleeping." Angel said stunned. "With Spike?"
"It's a long story." Buffy said.
"Ha." Angel chuckled. "I guess we both have stories to share."
The sun shined brightly in the Summer's living room as Buffy descended the stairs. She gripped the railing for support and nursed her sore body. The sound of the doorbell hastened her pace as she walked to the front entryway.
"Angel." She breathed, as she opened the door. He stood there perplexed as the sun warmed his body. "What are you crazy!" Buffy screeched as she pulled Angel into the shade of the house. "You could have died!"
"Buffy." Angel whispered and gathered her into a passionate kiss.
"Hi." Buffy said breathlessly as she pulled apart from Angel.
"Hi." Angel smiled, his hand resting gently on Buffy's cheek. "I, ah, I'm sorry Buffy. I shouldn't have done that."
"It's okay." Buffy said firmly. "I, how did you, I mean weren't you just?"
"Standing in the sunlight." Angel smiled, placing Buffy's hand over his beating heart.
"You're human." Buffy said confused.
"I, uh, um, Hello?" Fred stammered, trying not to interrupt the moment.
"Uh, Fred." Angel said, taking Fred's hand and leading her in. "Buffy, this is Fred."
"Nice to meet you." Buffy said, shaking Fred's hand. "Faith told me all about you."
"All good, I hope." Gunn said as he entered the living room, carrying a trunk full of weapons. "Got somewhere I can put this down?"
"Uh, o-over there." Buffy said, pointing to her own weapons chest.
"Thanks." Gunn said, struggling under the weight of the case.
"No problem." Buffy stammered, growing more confused.
"Hello Buffy." Wesley said from the doorway. "It's nice to see you again."
"Wow, look at you, Wes." Buffy said, taking in her ex-Watcher's new appearance. "Faith said you changed."
"How is Faith?" Wesley asked, genuine concern in her voice.
"She's." Buffy paused. "She's out back with Dawn. She's not dealing well."
"Yes." Wesley said. "Dawn called, said things here were bad."
"That's why you're here." Buffy said, turning her face back to Angel. "But how are you, you know, human?"
"Long story." Angel said.
"Big prophecy." Gunn added.
"Oh." Buffy lowered her eyes.
"Okay, well, you've met Fred." Angel said, motioning to Fred. "This is Charles Gunn." He added, pulling Gunn aside. "Wes, you know."
"Hey." Connor said, entering the house with Lorne behind him.
"Buffy, this is my son, Connor." Angel said.
"Right." Buffy said, moving to Connor. "Of course, I mean, you have your father's good looks."
Connor reddened at that. "Yea." He mumbled and moved to put his bags down.
"And this is Lorne." Angel said, presenting Lorne to Buffy.
"And this is the infamous Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Lorne said, all smiles. "You're much prettier than I imagined."
Buffy blushed and smiled. "Thank you."
"Demon! A Demon!" Vi yelled as she entered the living room. "In the house! A Demon!"
"Nothing new about that." Clem said from behind her. "Oh. You weren't talking about me."
"Everyone." Buffy said, motioning to the gang from LA. "This is Vi, she's one of the potentials. And this Clem, he's a friend."
"Hey." Gunn offered, shaking Vi's hand.
"Hi." Fred added, smiling. "Hi." She said again, this time to Clem.
"What's with the party?" Clem asked, eyeing the strangers.
"Reinforcements." Wesley answered flatly. "I'd like to speak with Faith."
"Of course." Buffy said, taking the bags from Wes's hands. "Vi, can you take Wesley out back, please?"
"Sure." Vi said, escorting Wesley to the back door.
"Where's everyone else?" Angel asked, noticing the absence of Xander and Willow.
"Willow's upstairs nursing last night's patrol." Buffy said. "We were hit pretty hard. Xander's at the hardware store getting supplies. Giles went to the Magick Shop near April Fool's to get supplies. Anya's in the kitchen."
"Anya?" Angel asked.
"Yea, she's a." Buffy started.
"No, I remember her." Angel said. "Xander's girlfriend."
"Ex." Anya said from the doorway.
"Anya, this is everyone." Buffy said, introducing the MoG to Anya.
"More guests." Anya said.
Buffy smiled. "Yea."
"So that's it, huh?" Angel said.
"It?" Buffy asked.
"Yea, Giles, Willow, Xander, Anya." Angel clarified. "No one, else."
"Else?" Buffy asked.
"Riley?" Angel prodded.
"No." Buffy smiled. "Riley's off with his Super Wife."
"I see." Angel said, trying to hide a smile.
"And Spike's in the basement." Anya blurted out. "Which reminds me, Buffy, Spike said he was going to need more blood."
"Spike's here." Angel practically growled.
"But Buffy's not sleeping with him anymore." Anya blurted again.
"Sleeping." Angel said stunned. "With Spike?"
"It's a long story." Buffy said.
"Ha." Angel chuckled. "I guess we both have stories to share."
