Angel was woken up by a loud knock on his door. He reached for the digital
clock on his nightstand, knocking over a beer bottle in the process. 3:37
AM. He groaned and rolled over, trying to go back to sleep. The second
knock was even louder than the first. "Coming," he called and forced
himself out of bed. He grabbed the wrinkled black pants off the floor and
pulled them on. When he got to the door, he unlocked it and cracked it
open. "Buffy?" It had been two weeks since he'd promised to stay out of her
life and he had. She was the last person he'd expected.
Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen from crying. She had a cut across her cheek. "Can I stay here for a little while? I'll understand if you don't want me to."
"Absolutely," he said and opened the door wider to let her inside.
She walked straight into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and barying her face into his chest, seeking comfort. She sucked in a breath, inhaling his familiar aftershave.
He was confused be her actions. After all, the last he saw her, she told him to leave her alone. He hugged her back and she let out a hiss of pain. Angel instantly pulled out of her arms. He started to unbutton her red jean jacket, trying to find where she was hurt.
She held the jacket closed, knowing all she had underneath was a bra. Xander was asleep when she had left, not wanting to wake him, she had just slipped on undergarments, pants and a jacket before leaving.
Angel lightly touched her face. "You don't have to hide from me," he said softly.
She released the jacket, exposing the tops of her bruised breasts and stomach.
"Jesus," he whispered under his breath and lightly ran his fingers over one of the bruises.
Buffy closed her jacket. "Can I use your shower?"
"Of course. The towel on the rack is clean."
"Thanks."
"Buffy, do you need any help? I mean, you're not in the greatest condition and I don't want you hurt, well at least not anymore that you already are." He tried to correct his question, knowing that it came out completely different than how he meant for it to sound.
"I'll be fine."
When Buffy emerged from the bathroom, Angel was laying on his bed staring at the ceiling. "Can I borrow some clothes, mine are kind of beat up," she said, holding the towel tightly around herself.
Angel got off the bed and walked over to his dresser where he pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.
"You kept Mr. Gordo," she said, when she saw the pig on his dresser as she sat down on the bed.
"He makes good company." He handed her the clothes. "They're a little big."
Buffy took the clothes and stared at him expectantly.
"Sorry." Angel turned around to face the wall while she changed.
"You can turn around now," she said after she'd finished.
Angel sat down on the bed next to her. "Tell me what happened."
Buffy shook her head and looked away. All she wanted was for Angel to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, not deal with the reality of what had happened.
Angel knew she wasn't in any state to argue. "Okay. You should get some sleep. You can tell me in the morning."
He helped her lie down and pulled the sheet up to her neck. "I'll be on the couch if you need anything," he said and started to walk out.
"Angel?"
"Yeah?" He turned around.
"Stay with me?"
He gave her a sad smile. "Sure." He walked around to his side of the bed, stripped off his pants and lay down in his boxers. He gently wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her wet hair.
"Thanks for letting me stay here. I know you're pretty disgusted with me right now."
"Buffy, I'm not disgusted with you. Don't ever think that," he said, propping himself up on his elbow to look at her.
"How can you forgive me after everything I did to you?"
"I don't care about that anymore. All that matters to me right now is that you're okay. Go to sleep. We can talk about this in the morning." He watched her close her eyes and press her head against his chest before allowing himself to drift asleep.
The next day, both of them slept far into the afternoon. Angel was the first to wake up, but he lay in bed reading until she woke up. "What are you reading?" She asked, her eyes still closed.
"Dante. How's my girl?"
"She hurts." She opened her eyes.
"I bet. You want some breakfast?" he asked, closing his book and sitting up.
"Isn't is more like lunch?"
"It's whatever you want it to be." He brushed a strand of wavy hair out of her face.
"I'm craving some high calorie comfort food. You have any ice cream?"
"Do you want Vanilla, Chocolate or Neapolitan?"
"All of the above."
Angel stood up and pulled on a pair of pants to be polite. "I'll be right back," he said, walking into the kitchen.
"Bring beer too," she called after him.
"I'm not giving you beer."
"Why not?"
"What happened the last time you drank?"
She looked down sheepishly. "I slept with Xander."
"Exactly."
When Angel returned with the ice cream, Buffy was leafing though The Inferno. "I'm out of Chocolate, but I found Cookie Dough Fudge Mint Chip."
"Even better," she smiled, smiling. He dropped the cartons of ice cream on the bed and sat down next to her. He handed her a spoon.
She sat up and opened the carton of Vanilla ice cream.
"Are you going to tell me what happened?" He asked, turning serious.
"I knew you were going to bring this up. I need you to promise me that if I tell you, you wont go out and do anything crazy."
"I promise."
"Good." She took a deep breath. "Xander was drunk and we were. um."
"Screwing?"
She nodded. "He started to get violent and it hurt." She chewed on her bottom lip, nervously.
"Did you tell him to stop?" he asked.
"Yeah."
Angel swallowed the ice cream in his mouth. "Did he?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
She shook her head. "No. He told be I was being a baby and to shut up. He said he'd teach me to toughen up by 'fucking me up the ass'."
"Did he?"
"Do what he said he would? No."
Angel let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"I just shut up and let him finish."
"Son of a bitch," Angel growled under his breath.
"You said you wouldn't do anything stupid."
"He raped you!"
"I was the one who lead him on in the first place," she said, not wanting to believe it.
"If you told him to stop and he didn't, he raped you." "Angel, you promised you wouldn't do anything."
"I won't," he replied, staring at the spoon he held in his hand.
"Good. Can we just stay in bed and eat ice cream all day?" she said, changing the subject.
"Yeah, we can do that." He wrapped an arm around her and continued staring at the spoon.
Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen from crying. She had a cut across her cheek. "Can I stay here for a little while? I'll understand if you don't want me to."
"Absolutely," he said and opened the door wider to let her inside.
She walked straight into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and barying her face into his chest, seeking comfort. She sucked in a breath, inhaling his familiar aftershave.
He was confused be her actions. After all, the last he saw her, she told him to leave her alone. He hugged her back and she let out a hiss of pain. Angel instantly pulled out of her arms. He started to unbutton her red jean jacket, trying to find where she was hurt.
She held the jacket closed, knowing all she had underneath was a bra. Xander was asleep when she had left, not wanting to wake him, she had just slipped on undergarments, pants and a jacket before leaving.
Angel lightly touched her face. "You don't have to hide from me," he said softly.
She released the jacket, exposing the tops of her bruised breasts and stomach.
"Jesus," he whispered under his breath and lightly ran his fingers over one of the bruises.
Buffy closed her jacket. "Can I use your shower?"
"Of course. The towel on the rack is clean."
"Thanks."
"Buffy, do you need any help? I mean, you're not in the greatest condition and I don't want you hurt, well at least not anymore that you already are." He tried to correct his question, knowing that it came out completely different than how he meant for it to sound.
"I'll be fine."
When Buffy emerged from the bathroom, Angel was laying on his bed staring at the ceiling. "Can I borrow some clothes, mine are kind of beat up," she said, holding the towel tightly around herself.
Angel got off the bed and walked over to his dresser where he pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.
"You kept Mr. Gordo," she said, when she saw the pig on his dresser as she sat down on the bed.
"He makes good company." He handed her the clothes. "They're a little big."
Buffy took the clothes and stared at him expectantly.
"Sorry." Angel turned around to face the wall while she changed.
"You can turn around now," she said after she'd finished.
Angel sat down on the bed next to her. "Tell me what happened."
Buffy shook her head and looked away. All she wanted was for Angel to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, not deal with the reality of what had happened.
Angel knew she wasn't in any state to argue. "Okay. You should get some sleep. You can tell me in the morning."
He helped her lie down and pulled the sheet up to her neck. "I'll be on the couch if you need anything," he said and started to walk out.
"Angel?"
"Yeah?" He turned around.
"Stay with me?"
He gave her a sad smile. "Sure." He walked around to his side of the bed, stripped off his pants and lay down in his boxers. He gently wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her wet hair.
"Thanks for letting me stay here. I know you're pretty disgusted with me right now."
"Buffy, I'm not disgusted with you. Don't ever think that," he said, propping himself up on his elbow to look at her.
"How can you forgive me after everything I did to you?"
"I don't care about that anymore. All that matters to me right now is that you're okay. Go to sleep. We can talk about this in the morning." He watched her close her eyes and press her head against his chest before allowing himself to drift asleep.
The next day, both of them slept far into the afternoon. Angel was the first to wake up, but he lay in bed reading until she woke up. "What are you reading?" She asked, her eyes still closed.
"Dante. How's my girl?"
"She hurts." She opened her eyes.
"I bet. You want some breakfast?" he asked, closing his book and sitting up.
"Isn't is more like lunch?"
"It's whatever you want it to be." He brushed a strand of wavy hair out of her face.
"I'm craving some high calorie comfort food. You have any ice cream?"
"Do you want Vanilla, Chocolate or Neapolitan?"
"All of the above."
Angel stood up and pulled on a pair of pants to be polite. "I'll be right back," he said, walking into the kitchen.
"Bring beer too," she called after him.
"I'm not giving you beer."
"Why not?"
"What happened the last time you drank?"
She looked down sheepishly. "I slept with Xander."
"Exactly."
When Angel returned with the ice cream, Buffy was leafing though The Inferno. "I'm out of Chocolate, but I found Cookie Dough Fudge Mint Chip."
"Even better," she smiled, smiling. He dropped the cartons of ice cream on the bed and sat down next to her. He handed her a spoon.
She sat up and opened the carton of Vanilla ice cream.
"Are you going to tell me what happened?" He asked, turning serious.
"I knew you were going to bring this up. I need you to promise me that if I tell you, you wont go out and do anything crazy."
"I promise."
"Good." She took a deep breath. "Xander was drunk and we were. um."
"Screwing?"
She nodded. "He started to get violent and it hurt." She chewed on her bottom lip, nervously.
"Did you tell him to stop?" he asked.
"Yeah."
Angel swallowed the ice cream in his mouth. "Did he?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
She shook her head. "No. He told be I was being a baby and to shut up. He said he'd teach me to toughen up by 'fucking me up the ass'."
"Did he?"
"Do what he said he would? No."
Angel let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"I just shut up and let him finish."
"Son of a bitch," Angel growled under his breath.
"You said you wouldn't do anything stupid."
"He raped you!"
"I was the one who lead him on in the first place," she said, not wanting to believe it.
"If you told him to stop and he didn't, he raped you." "Angel, you promised you wouldn't do anything."
"I won't," he replied, staring at the spoon he held in his hand.
"Good. Can we just stay in bed and eat ice cream all day?" she said, changing the subject.
"Yeah, we can do that." He wrapped an arm around her and continued staring at the spoon.