"Well that went well!" moaned Spike as the party finally wound down and they managed to escape. "Only about ninety-six percent of the guests totally adored you and asked us excitedly when we were getting hitched, Oh bloody hell!"

"Spike, I hate to say I told you so, but."

"You told me so, yeah I know. You woman, me man. You right, me wrong."

"At least you admit it. Actually that may be the least of your problems right now."

"It is?"

"Yeah, a little warning that your supposedly peculiar, woman-hating brother is actually really nice, funny and charming would have been appreciated, to say nothing of the fact that the man is a menace!"

"Huh? How can he be a nice menace? That's a parawotsit. What did he do? Goose you and look down your dress as he kissed babies and told jokes?!

Buffy rolled her eyes at his silliness, "Paradox Spike."

"Oh yeah. What then?"

"Hello? Were we looking at the same guy, y' know tall, dark and indecently gorgeous? A menace to girlie hormones?"

Spike sat down on her bed and started howling with laughter, he laughed so hard he was almost sick.

Buffy just glared until the choking and squawking had eased, then she demanded "What's so funny?!"

"You, Buffy Summers, confirmed bachelorette, fussiest woman on earth, has finally fallen for none other than her fiancées brother - and as if that wasn't enough of a problem, the man doesn't seem to realise that women exist! Oh God, the irony!" He relapsed into hysteria again.

For sheer insensitivity the guy was right up there in the top ten all time greats Buffy decided. "Ugh! Go away, you're not helping."

"Sorry love, when this whole charade is over maybe we'll be able to sort something out for you both!" Spike staggered to his feet and headed for the door still sniggering. Buffy opened it and gladly shooed him through. She loved Spike but sometimes he sorely tried her patience; particularly when he was right.

She scooped her nightie from under the pillow and took a few steps towards the en-suite bathroom before she recalled that her dress was practically un- removable without help, she hurried across the room intending to grab Spike before he got too far away but cannoned out of her doorway to collide with a vast expanse of hard masculine muscle.

She raised her head to look at whomever she had just tried to trample and cringed, of course it had to be Angel. He smiled down at her pleasantly and peeled her off his broad chest before propping her upright again.

Buffy managed to urge her mouth into forming some words, "Damn shoes," she said by way of explanation, raising a dainty foot with wickedly high-heeled shoes attached. "Sorry to collide with you like that but these shoes kinda have a mind of their own."

Angel chuckled as he took in the ridiculous little shoe and Buffy's stomach went squishy at the sound, oh God, he was temptation itself. "No harm done, where were you off to in such a rush? Anything I can help you with?" He asked mildly before mentally kicking himself for the stupidity of the question- she's probably racing for her lover's bed dumbass!

The smarter part of Buffy's brain said 'absolutely not' but a much bigger part simply wasn't tuned in. "Well I meant to ask Spike to help undo my dress but I forgot so I was just going after him to ask him to unpick the knots because I'm stuck in it without help, but if you could just undo the first few rows I can manage the rest."

Angel glanced about him as if Spike were hiding nearby to see what he'd do, "Uh sure," he mumbled as she turned her back on him. He stared dazedly at the mass of pink ribbons with enticing bits of bare golden flesh peeking through, "Uh, and the knots are where exactly?"

Buffy teetered on her high heels as she squirmed her body trying to dig the ends of the ribbons from down the bottom end of the fastenings, just above her pert little bottom. Then she nearly pitched over again. Angel's hands shot out and wrapped around her slender waist, his warm fingers splayed out over her ribcage. Buffy laughed shakily, "I think you'd better just try to manage please?"

"Okay." Angel's hands were shaking as he fished down the back of her dress seeking the ends of the ribbons, his suspicions about her not wearing panties were quickly confirmed and he struggled painfully to control his lust for her, eventually he managed to unpick a few rows of lacing and the rest began to sag apart. He nobly resisted the temptation to just let go of the ends to see what would happen and instead ushered her into her bedroom again, "If I let go I think you're gonna loose the lot, so if you hold onto the front then I'll let go and run away!"

Buffy laughed as she got a secure grasp on the bodice, "I might at that," not that I'd really mind came the thought. Bad Buffy she added mentally, you don't even know this guy; after all he could kick puppies in his spare time for all you know! Instead she spoke up, "Thanks for that Angel, I got it now."

"No problem, anytime you need a ladies maid just holler, I'm right next door. I'm letting go now, so, Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Buffy echoed just before he closed the door. Her dress slithered unnoticed to the floor and pooled around her feet. Next door? Oh Help, she wasn't going to sleep a wink knowing her was just the other side of that wall.

"Next door!" muttered Angel as he reached his bedroom and began to unbutton his shirt with still trembling fingers, "why does she have to be next door! Anywhere but there!"