Someone told me that Indian people don't actually have a language that's termed 'Indian' so sorry if I offended anyone, I didn't mean to. PS thanks to Jelly Baby who told me that. Oh and thanks for reviews in general, I love you guys!
Part Two
~ No I don't take for granted where I am now, because I know it's all connected somehow ~
Buffy and Angel had spent every moment together since school finished. Eventually dusk had approached, and Buffy had taken him home, knowing she was duty-bound to patrol, or Giles would flip. Besides she needed time to get ready before meeting Angel again at the Bronze later that night. After picking out the perfect outfit, a black miniskirt and a tight red silk tank-top with battling Chinese dragons depicted on the front she got ready to leave. Heading out the house she managed to argue a curfew on half-past twelve out of her mother, but the time was only a formality. Buffy would just sneak through her window like she normally did after late night patrols. Quickly shutting the door behind her, she glanced at the time, and making a quick decision decided to cut through Restfield.
A few short minutes later and Buffy was regretting her decision immensely, For the past minute there had been soft footprints following her through the cemetery. Tensing she decided to have it out with the hell spawn, it would just annoy her all night if she didn't. She span round and kicked it straight in the stomach. It landed on the ground with a heavy oomph just as she realised exactly what it was she was kicking. "Angel!" Rushing to his side she quickly helped him up. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't sneak up on me in graveyards… you should stomp. Or yodel." Smirking at her he gave her a soft kiss.
"I'll remember that." Looking around at the darkness around them his dark eyes pierced hers. "Where'd you learn to kick like that anyway?"
"Uh…" Giles is going to kill me… The moment was shattered by a gun shot ringing in their ears. Spinning to face the direction of their attacker, Buffy was met by a tall demon. Unusually this demon was wearing a black on black suit, which concentrated sharply with his porcelain pale skin which was wrinkled and folded, the scars of demon hood. Buffy thought wryly, but chose to concentrate on the colt .45 that was staring her in the face instead of commenting. Seeing the demon's shoulder tense slightly, Buffy pushed Angel out of the way of the next bullet before the demon had even pulled the trigger.
"A gun? Does this mean your evil demon powers are too pathetic to use?" Buffy shot scathingly flipping up and kicking the gun out of the demon's hand in one smooth movement.
"No. I like variety." The demon replied, giving a strange sort of half-smile that revealed horrid decayed and disfigured teeth. Buffy spun around to deliver a whip-kick to his leg while her fist slammed against his face… which wasn't there any more. Whipping around to find her opponent, she found him leaning against a tree a few feet away.
"Uh. That's not good." She told herself, and tried to gear herself up for another attempt. The demon just laughed at her.
"Don't you remember me? Your good friend Apoch?" her confused expression seemed to inspire even more mirth in him and he was gone before she could do anything more. This time no matter how hard she looked she couldn't find him anywhere.
Sighing she turned back to Angel, to find him still crouched on the ground, one hand clasped around his side. "Angel?"
"I think I got shot." He replied. "Are you okay?" his voice was full of beautiful, understanding concern.
"We have to get you to the hospital!" She yelled at him, unable to process the fact that when kneeling in dirt in a cemetery with a bullet wound he asked how *she* was.
"Um. Okay." Angel replied and winced as he tried to stand up. "Hospital sounds nice." Buffy quickly, came to his aid, pulling one of his arms over her shoulders, and carefully helping him walk while trying not to hurt his side. For a moment they walked together in silence, and Buffy was starting to wonder if he was in denial over the demon he'd just seen or if he was trying to work out how to ask her about it without sounding nuts. "So, I guess I found out how you know how to kick." How to phrase it, Buffy groaned inwardly. At least he'd asked about it though, she couldn't have stood it if he had been your standard denial person, and she'd had to hid her calling from him.
"Actually, it was Giles, the Librarian who taught me how to kick." She said lightly, and managed to coerce a slightly confused smile out of Angel. "You might want to not say anything until I've finished – because it will definitely sound like I'm crazy. But please trust me?" The heartfelt look she sent Angel was enough to make him nod in agreement.
And so Buffy began: she told him about Merrick, Giles and the Watchers Council, her eighteenth birthday, and being the Slayer, and why she had burnt down several school buildings, she told him about the Scooby Gang, as well as Kendra and Jenny. She told him all about Willow's forays into magic, and how Giles had been a demon making rebel when he was young, and about Xander's demon magnetism. She kept talking until they arrived at the hospital and Angel still hadn't said one word. As the nurses rushed around Angel and removed the bullet from his side in the ER, and washed the wound before bandaging it in clean white bandages, angel still said nothing. When they were finally allowed to leave at almost two in the morning Buffy was close to tears. All she could think was that she had lost the one man she had ever truly loved. As the glass ER doors swung shut behind them Buffy turned to face Angel ready for one last attempt to convince him she wasn't crazy. Angel's arms sweeping her up in a hug met her.
"I love you. And I believe you." At Angel's words she let go and started pouring out streams of silent tears, peppering his face with kisses she recited "I love you." Over and over again.
Buffy sat at the library the next day, grinning like a thousand-watt light bulb and squirming torturously on Angel's lap. Even Giles' scolding couldn't have brought her down from the high she was running on. "Buffy, I can't believe, you just let him know about this!" He raged, pacing in front of them, the rate he was going Buffy was willing to bet he'd meet Asia sometime soon, with the hole he was wearing in floorboards. "Do the words 'secret identity' mean nothing to you? Willow and Xander was quite bad enough, and Cordelia couldn't be helped. But you seem to have advertised it in the newspaper to attract boys!" Angel scowled at this, and Buffy grinned even louder at the idea of Angel being jealous. When Giles caught her grin she looked down, trying to rearrange her facial expression into something resembling remorse. She had limited success. "I don't know why I'm bothering. You couldn't care less could you?" Buffy attempted to disagree but found herself unable too.
"Sorry Giles. I'm just happy."
"You do seem to be rather glowing. If he makes you happy, all the best… but Buffy - "
"I know." Buffy cut him off quickly. She didn't want to hear about the danger Angel might be in now.
"Tell me about this demon that shot Liam." He sat down across the table from them and Buffy leaned forward to explain, Angel just watched every movement she made, in silent adoration.
"He wasn't über-ugly. Kind of pale and wrinkly like vamps. But I know he wasn't a vamp… he had expensive taste though, I swear that was an Armani suit…" Buffy's eyes glossed over for a second and then shook herself back to attention. "He could vanish and then appear again somewhere else, I suppose that's why I didn't see him coming. Oh and he said his name… it was Epok or something…"
"Apoch." Angel supplied. Breaking from his silent reverie "He said his name was Apoch, and he was surprised Buffy didn't know him. The sound of the bell broke the thoughtful silence, and shouldering their books Buffy and Angel headed off toward Chemistry.
The opportunity to discuss the night before further was spoilt by a surprise test by their entirely evil Chemistry teacher. Buffy slogged through the questions before her slowly feeling more and more deeply that it was unfair that Slayers had to take part in the education system. Well the test part anyway. If she hadn't gone to school she would never have met Angel. Sneaking a peek at her boyfriend sitting next to her she watched him scribbling away. Well he knew the answers, maybe she could get him to tutor her later… the thought brought lots more, much less innocent Angel thoughts into her mind. Those were good too. Finding her view suddenly blocked, she looked up to ascertain what the obstruction was, and found herself face to face with Apoch.
