Buffy was on Angel's laptop signing up for classes at UC Sunnydale online
when she heard the voice of the AOL postmaster say, "You've got mail." A
pop-up window, asking if she would like to read the e-mail now, appeared on
the screen. Just as she was about to click the "Read It Later" button,
Darla's name caught her eye. She knew she shouldn't read it. It was Angel's
mail and she trusted him. She didn't need to go snooping behind his back,
but then again, it was Darla. Against her better judgment, she clicked
"Read Now."
Hey Baby, It's been a while since we've really had a chance to talk. How are you? How is your innocent little girlfriend? Fuck her yet? Didn't think so. Don't worry, I can tell she'd be a bad lay anyway. It's just a matter of time until you get over your little phase and realize that you will never be as happy with anyone else as you were with me. We had some great times didn't we? Do you remember that Lakers' game? How could you forget? We spent the entire game teasing each other. Afterwards, we ended up fucking behind that hotdog stand. We had lots of dates like that, but that one had to be the most frustrating. I know I wasn't the only one who enjoyed it. You had a great time. Until then, I didn't think you were capable of some of those things you did to me, but I should have known. You are capable of many things. Now that we're on the subject, I had a great fuck last night. Do you remember Riley Finn? He graduated a year before us and joined the military. Wow! That boy knows how to use his dick, but don't worry, he's nothing compared to you. How long is it going to take you to realize that you need me? I really wish I could talk longer, but I have community service hours to finish up. Can you believe that I'm still on probation from stealing that mini-skirt from Macy's? Call me when you read this. There is a Lakers' game on Tuesday. It's still not too late to get tickets.
Love, Darla
XOXOXOXO
Buffy quickly closed the e-mail. She knew that Darla was a whore and Angel wasn't going to call her, but she couldn't stop thinking that she had disappointed him in bed. She also felt guilty for reading his mail. She knew she'd tell him she read it, but she was afraid of his reaction. She'd heard about his temper, but she'd never actually seen it. Angel had never gotten mad at her, or at least he'd always kept his cool around her. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door open. She left the room to greet him with a kiss and tell him what she'd just read.
"Hey," he said as he placed a kiss on her lips.
"We should talk."
"That's never a good way to start a conversation."
She took his hand and led him to the kitchen table. She laced her fingers with his. "If two people want a lasting relationship they should be honest right?"
He nodded.
"Honest relationships last. Unlike relationships that are made up of lies."
"Where are you going with this?" he interrupted.
She took a deep breath. "I was on your computer signing up for classes and you got an e-mail from Darla. I.uh. I kind of read it," she stuttered.
Angel looked down at their entangled fingers.
"Are you angry?" Buffy asked when he didn't respond.
"Angry? No, I'm not angry. I'm upset, but I'm not angry. I'm confused as hell. I thought you trusted me."
"I do."
"Then why'd you go behind my back?"
"I trust you, but I don't trust her."
"About every few months, I'll get an e-mail from Darla. They're either about her latest accomplishment in bed or her newest big plan to get me back. They don't work, Buffy. Most of the time, I don't even read them."
"You don't?"
"Next time, if you want to know something, just ask. I'll tell you everything. I may not want to tell you, but if it's what you need to hear."
"Okay."
He smiled. "Why don't I make dinner, then we'll go to The Bronze?"
"That sounds good."
He got up and walked over to the stove.
"Hey, Angel?"
"Yeah?"
"Am I a 'bad lay'?" She looked down, hoping he wouldn't see her blushing.
Angel almost choked at the question. "You're great. If I didn't know better, I wouldn't have thought you were a virgin." He smiled.
Buffy, Angel, Cordelia, Willow and Xander all sat around a small table at the Bronze.
"After tonight, I will have fucked every member of The Dingos Ate My Baby," Willow said as she sipped a Vodka and orange juice.
"Thanks for the information, Will," Buffy said from her perch on Angel's lap.
"Which one do you have left?" Xander asked.
"Oz, the lead guitarist. We have a date after the band finishes their gig."
"You're kidding, right?" Cordelia asked.
"No. Why?"
"Oz is a virgin and a strict Catholic."
"Then I'll just have to deflower him, won't I? Besides, Angel's a Catholic and he's not a virgin. I can testify to that."
Buffy choked on her Sprite. "You slept with Willow?" she asked Angel.
"Don't act so surprised, Buffy. Besides you, he's slept with every girl at this table and probably half the girls on that dance floor," Willow said.
"Oh." Buffy felt her face redden and she took a sip of her Sprite.
"I don't think I'd call myself a Catholic," Angel said, changing the subject.
"You wear that cross," Cordelia said.
"It was my grandmother's. It's the only thing I have left of my family."
Buffy brought her hand up to her chest. She could feel the cross underneath her shirt.
"Time for me to go work my stuff," Willow said as the band finished their act.
Cordelia turned toward Xander. "That reminds me, I have a date Saturday night and my mom has a bingo game, so I need you to take care of Tiffany."
"I can't." He knew he was picking a fight.
"And why not?" She asked, irritated.
"Because I'm busy Saturday night."
"Well, make yourself not busy."
"Why doesn't your mom just cancel her bingo game?"
"Because Tiffany isn't my mom's baby. You act like you don't like spending time with our daughter!"
"Your daughter is only two months old. Don't you think that's a little young to be without her mother?"
"My daughter? What are you saying? That I fooled around with myself and got myself knocked up? Maybe I need a break! Why don't you try being the one who has to wake up every three hours to a screaming child for once?"
Angel said a silent "thank you" to the DJ who decided to play a slow song. "Let's dance," he said as he pulled Buffy onto the dance floor.
"I wanted to see how that was going to play out," she said as soon as they were out of Xander and Cordelia's hearing range.
"I can tell you," he said. "Cordelia's going to tell Xander when to pick Tiffany up and storm off. Xander's going to get drunk off his ass and find some girl to screw. On Saturday, he won't show up and Cordelia will either cancel her date or drop Tiffany off at my house. Most likely, it'll be the latter."
"Why don't you just say 'no'?"
"Because if I do, I'll have to listen to Cordy bitch about it for the next month."
"Xander's a prick."
Angel raised an eyebrow.
"I feel bad for Cordelia. I mean, she's only eighteen and has all this responsibility. It's like Xander doesn't even care. He could as least watch Tiffany for about an hour so she can take a break. He just runs from everything that requires work."
"He's not that bad. I mean, yeah, he's not the most responsible guy, but when you really need him, he'll pull through."
" I would never 'really need' Xander for anything."
"Could we talk about something else?" Angel felt his anger rising. He loved Buffy, but he wasn't just going to stand there while she talked crap about his best friend.
"Do you think they're done fighting?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah, it doesn't take Cordelia that long to get mad and storm off." He took her hand and they walked back to their table.
Angel was right. Xander was sitting at the table with a tall blonde, with big breasts, on his lap. Cordelia was nowhere to be found.
"Hey, you guys back?"
"Yeah, and you found a friend," Buffy said as she folded a napkin on the table.
"Oh sorry. This is uh-"
"Catherine," the blonde interrupted him. "Angel! Hi!" she squealed.
"Hi," he said, even though he had no idea who she was.
"You remember me, right? We met at that Greenday concert in LA. Afterward, you took me to your apartment."
"Yeah, I remember," he lied, before she could say anymore in front of Buffy.
Catherine jumped off Xander's lap and sat in a chair next to Angel. Xander shot Angel a warning look.
"That was great, wasn't it?"
"It was alright. I don't really like punk music."
"Actually, I wasn't talking about the concert."
"Oh. It was good, I guess." Angel felt awkward with Buffy sitting right next to him.
"Excuse me. I need to use the bathroom." Buffy stood up and walked off.
"Why didn't you ever call me? I know I gave you my number," she continued as if Buffy was never there.
"I forgot to take it out of my pocket and I washed my pants. I tried to make out the number, but I kept calling some Chinese guy who didn't speak much English." Angel used the same excuse that Xander told all his one- night stands. "I felt really bad about," he finished.
"Oh. Well why don't you give me your number. I promise I wont forget about it."
Xander walked off, in search of a new date.
"Um.sure." Angel scribbled a fake phone number on a napkin and handed it to her.
She slipped it into her purse. "If you still feel bad about losing my number, I'm sure we could find a way for you to make it up to me."
"Actually, I'm here with my girlfriend."
"Oh," she said and looked out to the dance floor to avoid eye contact. "Isn't that your girlfriend?" She pointed out to the dance floor.
Angel's eyes followed her finger. Buffy was dancing in the middle of a group of drunken guys. She was grinding her hips into one of them as she combed her hand through his hair and slowly made her way toward another guy dressed in blue. She placed her hands on his chest and ran her palms up. She slid her hands over his shoulders and wrapped her arms around his neck. He grabbed her ass and Angel was out of his seat in a second. He marched onto the dance floor and grabbed Buffy's hand.
"Come on, we're going home."
"I'm not ready to leave yet," she said as she yanked her hand back.
This time he grabbed her forearm and pulled her away from the guys, who already had started looking for someone else to dance with anyway. She looked over her shoulder. "Call me," she said to the guys, which just made Angel tighten his grip on her arm. "Let go of me," she said through clenched teeth. Angel ignored her and walked toward the exit. He let her go once they were outside.
"What the hell was that?" he yelled, not caring about the scene he was making.
"I was just having a good time."
"Yeah, if your definition of 'a good time' consists of fucking a bunch of guys on the dance floor!"
"So you're allowed to flirt with some girl in front of me, but I can't dance with a few guys? That makes sense!"
"There's a difference between dancing and screwing and that was a lot more than a few guys!"
"That still doesn't give you a reason to flirt with that girl."
"I wasn't flirting, I was trying to be nice. Buffy, I haven't been to a Greenday concert in three years. I don't have any idea who she is, but I thought it would be a little rude to tell her I don't remember sleeping with her," he said, trying to calm down.
"No, 'cause then she'd realize that you're a major player! You could've at least acknowledged that I was there. Maybe even introduced me."
"You're right, I should have introduced you, but the thought didn't cross my mind. I was too busy trying to get her off my back."
"Please, Angel! Like I didn't see you give her your number!"
"That was a fake!"
"A fake number? How gullible do you think I am?"
"You want to know what I think? I think you have some big trust issues that you need to get figured out. First you read my e-mail, then this. Maybe you're just insecure. I love you. Why would I want to ruin everything we have going?"
Just then his cell phone rang.
"That's probably her. 'Oh Angel, you left me here all by myself. Please come back and I promise you won't regret it," she mimicked. "Go ahead, Angel. Invite her back to your apartment!"
He looked at his phone. "I have to take this call. It's my boss. I'll be right back. We're not finished." He answered the phone and walked off.
"Hey, Angel. It's Rick. Sorry to bother you, but we're taking the kids on a field trip on Tuesday and we need some chaperones."
"Sure, Rick. I'll do it." Angel knew that agreeing would get himself off the phone faster than if he declined.
"Alright. Thanks, man. I'll see you on Monday."
Angel hung up and walked over to where he left Buffy. She wasn't there. "Shit," he mumbled under his breath and went to go look for her.
Angel had left messages at both his apartment and Buffy's house. He looked everywhere. He even called Cordelia and Willow, who wasn't happy to have him interrupt her date. He knew Buffy wouldn't be found unless she wanted to be. He ended up driving out to the beach where they had their first kiss. He figured he should cool down and he wanted to go somewhere to think. He must've had the same idea as Buffy because when he got there, he found her sitting on a pile of rocks watching the water. He sat down next to her, but didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to apologize and tell her how she was right. He didn't want her walking all over him like that. Maybe when she read his e-mail he'd let her off too easy, but he didn't want to start another fight either. They sat in silence for about ten minutes until he noticed the goosebumps on her arms. He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She tightened it around herself and leaned her head against him.
"I never thought I'd be the jealous type." She said it as if she was talking to herself.
"We both were jealous tonight. I said some things I didn't mean." He wrapped an arm around her.
"I know. Me too."
"I shouldn't have led Catherine on like I did, but that still didn't give you a reason to dance with those guys."
"I guess.I guess I wanted to make you understand my jealously."
"Do you want to go home?"
Buffy looked down to her lap. "Actually, I think I'm going to go to my house tonight."
Angel was hurt, but he tried to hide it. "That's probably a good idea. I'll drive you."
It was three in the morning when Angel was woken up by someone knocking on his door. "Coming," he called as he forced himself out of bed and pulled on a pair of pants. He opened the door and found Buffy standing on the other side in her pajamas.
"I changed my mind."
He grinned and motioned her inside.
Hey Baby, It's been a while since we've really had a chance to talk. How are you? How is your innocent little girlfriend? Fuck her yet? Didn't think so. Don't worry, I can tell she'd be a bad lay anyway. It's just a matter of time until you get over your little phase and realize that you will never be as happy with anyone else as you were with me. We had some great times didn't we? Do you remember that Lakers' game? How could you forget? We spent the entire game teasing each other. Afterwards, we ended up fucking behind that hotdog stand. We had lots of dates like that, but that one had to be the most frustrating. I know I wasn't the only one who enjoyed it. You had a great time. Until then, I didn't think you were capable of some of those things you did to me, but I should have known. You are capable of many things. Now that we're on the subject, I had a great fuck last night. Do you remember Riley Finn? He graduated a year before us and joined the military. Wow! That boy knows how to use his dick, but don't worry, he's nothing compared to you. How long is it going to take you to realize that you need me? I really wish I could talk longer, but I have community service hours to finish up. Can you believe that I'm still on probation from stealing that mini-skirt from Macy's? Call me when you read this. There is a Lakers' game on Tuesday. It's still not too late to get tickets.
Love, Darla
XOXOXOXO
Buffy quickly closed the e-mail. She knew that Darla was a whore and Angel wasn't going to call her, but she couldn't stop thinking that she had disappointed him in bed. She also felt guilty for reading his mail. She knew she'd tell him she read it, but she was afraid of his reaction. She'd heard about his temper, but she'd never actually seen it. Angel had never gotten mad at her, or at least he'd always kept his cool around her. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door open. She left the room to greet him with a kiss and tell him what she'd just read.
"Hey," he said as he placed a kiss on her lips.
"We should talk."
"That's never a good way to start a conversation."
She took his hand and led him to the kitchen table. She laced her fingers with his. "If two people want a lasting relationship they should be honest right?"
He nodded.
"Honest relationships last. Unlike relationships that are made up of lies."
"Where are you going with this?" he interrupted.
She took a deep breath. "I was on your computer signing up for classes and you got an e-mail from Darla. I.uh. I kind of read it," she stuttered.
Angel looked down at their entangled fingers.
"Are you angry?" Buffy asked when he didn't respond.
"Angry? No, I'm not angry. I'm upset, but I'm not angry. I'm confused as hell. I thought you trusted me."
"I do."
"Then why'd you go behind my back?"
"I trust you, but I don't trust her."
"About every few months, I'll get an e-mail from Darla. They're either about her latest accomplishment in bed or her newest big plan to get me back. They don't work, Buffy. Most of the time, I don't even read them."
"You don't?"
"Next time, if you want to know something, just ask. I'll tell you everything. I may not want to tell you, but if it's what you need to hear."
"Okay."
He smiled. "Why don't I make dinner, then we'll go to The Bronze?"
"That sounds good."
He got up and walked over to the stove.
"Hey, Angel?"
"Yeah?"
"Am I a 'bad lay'?" She looked down, hoping he wouldn't see her blushing.
Angel almost choked at the question. "You're great. If I didn't know better, I wouldn't have thought you were a virgin." He smiled.
Buffy, Angel, Cordelia, Willow and Xander all sat around a small table at the Bronze.
"After tonight, I will have fucked every member of The Dingos Ate My Baby," Willow said as she sipped a Vodka and orange juice.
"Thanks for the information, Will," Buffy said from her perch on Angel's lap.
"Which one do you have left?" Xander asked.
"Oz, the lead guitarist. We have a date after the band finishes their gig."
"You're kidding, right?" Cordelia asked.
"No. Why?"
"Oz is a virgin and a strict Catholic."
"Then I'll just have to deflower him, won't I? Besides, Angel's a Catholic and he's not a virgin. I can testify to that."
Buffy choked on her Sprite. "You slept with Willow?" she asked Angel.
"Don't act so surprised, Buffy. Besides you, he's slept with every girl at this table and probably half the girls on that dance floor," Willow said.
"Oh." Buffy felt her face redden and she took a sip of her Sprite.
"I don't think I'd call myself a Catholic," Angel said, changing the subject.
"You wear that cross," Cordelia said.
"It was my grandmother's. It's the only thing I have left of my family."
Buffy brought her hand up to her chest. She could feel the cross underneath her shirt.
"Time for me to go work my stuff," Willow said as the band finished their act.
Cordelia turned toward Xander. "That reminds me, I have a date Saturday night and my mom has a bingo game, so I need you to take care of Tiffany."
"I can't." He knew he was picking a fight.
"And why not?" She asked, irritated.
"Because I'm busy Saturday night."
"Well, make yourself not busy."
"Why doesn't your mom just cancel her bingo game?"
"Because Tiffany isn't my mom's baby. You act like you don't like spending time with our daughter!"
"Your daughter is only two months old. Don't you think that's a little young to be without her mother?"
"My daughter? What are you saying? That I fooled around with myself and got myself knocked up? Maybe I need a break! Why don't you try being the one who has to wake up every three hours to a screaming child for once?"
Angel said a silent "thank you" to the DJ who decided to play a slow song. "Let's dance," he said as he pulled Buffy onto the dance floor.
"I wanted to see how that was going to play out," she said as soon as they were out of Xander and Cordelia's hearing range.
"I can tell you," he said. "Cordelia's going to tell Xander when to pick Tiffany up and storm off. Xander's going to get drunk off his ass and find some girl to screw. On Saturday, he won't show up and Cordelia will either cancel her date or drop Tiffany off at my house. Most likely, it'll be the latter."
"Why don't you just say 'no'?"
"Because if I do, I'll have to listen to Cordy bitch about it for the next month."
"Xander's a prick."
Angel raised an eyebrow.
"I feel bad for Cordelia. I mean, she's only eighteen and has all this responsibility. It's like Xander doesn't even care. He could as least watch Tiffany for about an hour so she can take a break. He just runs from everything that requires work."
"He's not that bad. I mean, yeah, he's not the most responsible guy, but when you really need him, he'll pull through."
" I would never 'really need' Xander for anything."
"Could we talk about something else?" Angel felt his anger rising. He loved Buffy, but he wasn't just going to stand there while she talked crap about his best friend.
"Do you think they're done fighting?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah, it doesn't take Cordelia that long to get mad and storm off." He took her hand and they walked back to their table.
Angel was right. Xander was sitting at the table with a tall blonde, with big breasts, on his lap. Cordelia was nowhere to be found.
"Hey, you guys back?"
"Yeah, and you found a friend," Buffy said as she folded a napkin on the table.
"Oh sorry. This is uh-"
"Catherine," the blonde interrupted him. "Angel! Hi!" she squealed.
"Hi," he said, even though he had no idea who she was.
"You remember me, right? We met at that Greenday concert in LA. Afterward, you took me to your apartment."
"Yeah, I remember," he lied, before she could say anymore in front of Buffy.
Catherine jumped off Xander's lap and sat in a chair next to Angel. Xander shot Angel a warning look.
"That was great, wasn't it?"
"It was alright. I don't really like punk music."
"Actually, I wasn't talking about the concert."
"Oh. It was good, I guess." Angel felt awkward with Buffy sitting right next to him.
"Excuse me. I need to use the bathroom." Buffy stood up and walked off.
"Why didn't you ever call me? I know I gave you my number," she continued as if Buffy was never there.
"I forgot to take it out of my pocket and I washed my pants. I tried to make out the number, but I kept calling some Chinese guy who didn't speak much English." Angel used the same excuse that Xander told all his one- night stands. "I felt really bad about," he finished.
"Oh. Well why don't you give me your number. I promise I wont forget about it."
Xander walked off, in search of a new date.
"Um.sure." Angel scribbled a fake phone number on a napkin and handed it to her.
She slipped it into her purse. "If you still feel bad about losing my number, I'm sure we could find a way for you to make it up to me."
"Actually, I'm here with my girlfriend."
"Oh," she said and looked out to the dance floor to avoid eye contact. "Isn't that your girlfriend?" She pointed out to the dance floor.
Angel's eyes followed her finger. Buffy was dancing in the middle of a group of drunken guys. She was grinding her hips into one of them as she combed her hand through his hair and slowly made her way toward another guy dressed in blue. She placed her hands on his chest and ran her palms up. She slid her hands over his shoulders and wrapped her arms around his neck. He grabbed her ass and Angel was out of his seat in a second. He marched onto the dance floor and grabbed Buffy's hand.
"Come on, we're going home."
"I'm not ready to leave yet," she said as she yanked her hand back.
This time he grabbed her forearm and pulled her away from the guys, who already had started looking for someone else to dance with anyway. She looked over her shoulder. "Call me," she said to the guys, which just made Angel tighten his grip on her arm. "Let go of me," she said through clenched teeth. Angel ignored her and walked toward the exit. He let her go once they were outside.
"What the hell was that?" he yelled, not caring about the scene he was making.
"I was just having a good time."
"Yeah, if your definition of 'a good time' consists of fucking a bunch of guys on the dance floor!"
"So you're allowed to flirt with some girl in front of me, but I can't dance with a few guys? That makes sense!"
"There's a difference between dancing and screwing and that was a lot more than a few guys!"
"That still doesn't give you a reason to flirt with that girl."
"I wasn't flirting, I was trying to be nice. Buffy, I haven't been to a Greenday concert in three years. I don't have any idea who she is, but I thought it would be a little rude to tell her I don't remember sleeping with her," he said, trying to calm down.
"No, 'cause then she'd realize that you're a major player! You could've at least acknowledged that I was there. Maybe even introduced me."
"You're right, I should have introduced you, but the thought didn't cross my mind. I was too busy trying to get her off my back."
"Please, Angel! Like I didn't see you give her your number!"
"That was a fake!"
"A fake number? How gullible do you think I am?"
"You want to know what I think? I think you have some big trust issues that you need to get figured out. First you read my e-mail, then this. Maybe you're just insecure. I love you. Why would I want to ruin everything we have going?"
Just then his cell phone rang.
"That's probably her. 'Oh Angel, you left me here all by myself. Please come back and I promise you won't regret it," she mimicked. "Go ahead, Angel. Invite her back to your apartment!"
He looked at his phone. "I have to take this call. It's my boss. I'll be right back. We're not finished." He answered the phone and walked off.
"Hey, Angel. It's Rick. Sorry to bother you, but we're taking the kids on a field trip on Tuesday and we need some chaperones."
"Sure, Rick. I'll do it." Angel knew that agreeing would get himself off the phone faster than if he declined.
"Alright. Thanks, man. I'll see you on Monday."
Angel hung up and walked over to where he left Buffy. She wasn't there. "Shit," he mumbled under his breath and went to go look for her.
Angel had left messages at both his apartment and Buffy's house. He looked everywhere. He even called Cordelia and Willow, who wasn't happy to have him interrupt her date. He knew Buffy wouldn't be found unless she wanted to be. He ended up driving out to the beach where they had their first kiss. He figured he should cool down and he wanted to go somewhere to think. He must've had the same idea as Buffy because when he got there, he found her sitting on a pile of rocks watching the water. He sat down next to her, but didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to apologize and tell her how she was right. He didn't want her walking all over him like that. Maybe when she read his e-mail he'd let her off too easy, but he didn't want to start another fight either. They sat in silence for about ten minutes until he noticed the goosebumps on her arms. He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She tightened it around herself and leaned her head against him.
"I never thought I'd be the jealous type." She said it as if she was talking to herself.
"We both were jealous tonight. I said some things I didn't mean." He wrapped an arm around her.
"I know. Me too."
"I shouldn't have led Catherine on like I did, but that still didn't give you a reason to dance with those guys."
"I guess.I guess I wanted to make you understand my jealously."
"Do you want to go home?"
Buffy looked down to her lap. "Actually, I think I'm going to go to my house tonight."
Angel was hurt, but he tried to hide it. "That's probably a good idea. I'll drive you."
It was three in the morning when Angel was woken up by someone knocking on his door. "Coming," he called as he forced himself out of bed and pulled on a pair of pants. He opened the door and found Buffy standing on the other side in her pajamas.
"I changed my mind."
He grinned and motioned her inside.