Ooh and another update, decent sized too; I dunno what's got into me, it probably won't last though!

Thank you all very much for the kind reviews.

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Faith leaned against the kitchen table absently picking at the fringing on the tablecloth as Spike practically climbed inside the refrigerator, clattering dishes and occasionally munching or slurping at something. A heap of choice leftovers from the ball was rapidly growing to towering heights on the corner of the table.

Eventually the refrigerator door slammed and Spike emerged with chocolate syrup smeared on his chin. "Okay, I think I got enough for all of us to share."

Faith shook her head as he began haphazardly cramming what he could into a picnic hamper. "Tell me again how us running off for a picnic on a rainy November day will not look suspicious and what it will achieve."

Spike grunted something around a large mouthful of soda bread that sounded like "mom avoidance."

Faith raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, I didn't catch that around the half a loaf in your mouth."

She watched amusedly as Spike chewed rapidly before they both nearly jumped out of their skin as the door swung open. "Good Morning you two! Up nice and early I see."

Spike shuffled carefully in front of the half-packed hamper and grinned charmingly while trying not to drool bread chunks.

Faith smiled weakly, "Morning."

"What are you up to in the kitchen at this hour? Scavenging eh?"

"Yeah, we uh, got hungry." Mumbled Faith, frantically willing Spike to either swallow and talk or just choke; anything was better than silently bulging cheeks and a gormless scared rabbit look.

"Now dear, I don't think you want quite that much, unless you're feeding an army that is. I'll just pick out the nicest bits for you and Faith and pack them up properly, then maybe you two could go and eat in the library, it's about the only room downstairs untouched by the party I'm afraid. Did you both have a nice time last night?"

Faith nodded feeling her cheeks faintly touched with heat, good thing she didn't embarrass too noticeably or too easily, oh but if this woman knew what she'd been doing, or rather who she'd been doing last night! She gulped, "Uh, sure, lovely. Thanks a lot for inviting me."

Spike choked quietly before finally managing to swallow his now unpleasantly gooey mouthful of bread, "We were thinking of sharing the food with Buffy and Angel and yes last night was great."

"Oh alright then, here, this should do for the four of you." She passed the now neatly re-packed hamper to Spike.

"I'd better go and check to see if your Aunts are ready to go into town, we're off to get some goodies for next weekend."

"Next weekend?" mumbled Spike.

His mom clucked in exasperation, "Honestly! It's your Grandparent's sixtieth wedding anniversary. We're having a special dinner party." With that she bustled out again.

Faith raised an eyebrow, "Do your folks ever do anything but party?"

"I don't think so but I'll let you know." Grunted Spike, hefting the hamper and heading for the door.

"I think I love your family." Faith told him as they headed back upstairs

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Angel raised his head in annoyance as some idiot pounded on his bedroom door. He and Buffy had been innocently snuggled up together dozing very comfortably and half listening to music for the last hour since Spike had been driven out.

He couldn't help but grin as Buffy grunted, stuffed her head under a pillow and muttered something distinctly unladylike. He tweaked the pillow teasingly and said "How did Spike ever get away with waking you up at 5:26 in the morning without being annihilated?"

"He was lucky. But if that's him again his luck has officially run out and I will tell him not to come in because I have you chained to the bedposts as I screw you into the mattress. Failing that I'll just go out and kick him downstairs."

Angel dropped the pillow edge and gulped, the woman would be the death of him. Dangerous wasn't the word for her, more like deadly. He cleared his throat and mustered a chuckle, "Then I kind of hope it's him as that would be pretty funny to hear."

The knocking continued and Buffy tugged the bed covers up over her already pillow-covered head.

"Alright! What?" Angel called.

"Its me. Can I come in?"

Angel shook his head, he had to give his brother some credit, he was learning. Well, sort of.

Buffy growled audibly under her smothering layers of pillow and duvet before slowly withdrawing her head to glare at the closed door. "Go away Spike!"

"But I need to talk to you." He whined.

"But we don't need to talk to you! We're quite happy in here screwing each other into the mattress and having fun with our whips and chains."

There was a long silence from the other side of the door.

Angel masked his snort of laughter behind his hand as Buffy, apparently satisfied that Spike was gone snuggled down comfortably again.

The knocking began again, "I don't believe you Buffy! You wouldn't have whips and chains."

"Oh wouldn't I?!"

"No!"

"Come and see then if you're so confident!"

There was a long silence.

'Gotcha' thought Angel.

Then footsteps were faintly heard.

Buffy snorted and nuzzled against Angel, believing she had won that round and Spike was in retreat.

Then Angel sat up causing her head to slide off his chest, Buffy whimpered in protest but Angel ignored her, straining his ears at the voices murmuring outside the room. "I thinks its Dad," he muttered frantically as a sharp rap on the door was heard.

Buffy made an 'eep' noise and slithered out of sight under the covers, clambering on top of Angel in an effort to disguise the fact there was a second smaller person concealed under the covers.

She pulled a face as her borrowed shirt embarrassingly rode up to her middle and the tiny amount of hair growing up to his belly button tickled her hip. This hiding bit was getting to be a habit. An unwelcome habit.

She heard the door snick open and tried to flatten herself as much as possible while trying not to breathe too much. It wasn't easy and her head was in Angel's armpit. Mmm Romantic.

"Morning son."

"Morning Dad."

Buffy cringed, oh gods, what could Angel's dad want unless he'd rumbled them.

"I couldn't help but notice you weren't there for most of the party last night. Was there anything the matter?"

"Huh, no. I'm good, great in fact." Angel said as he used his well- developed poker face to fine advantage.

"You sure? I just thought I'd check because matter of fact I thought you were looking just a fraction too fond of Spike's girl on Friday night."

Oh god, Oh god, Oh god! Buffy gritted her teeth. Oh what a nightmare!

Angel was speechless, was he really so pathetically transparent? Admittedly yeah it was his dad, but he hadn't expected anyone, not even his closest family to spot his admittedly monster crush on Buffy. "Uhhh." He scrambled for an explanation but finding none settled for a faint shrug.

"Now I know you wouldn't do anything to jeopardize your brother's happiness but I just thought I'd see if I could make it easier on you if I'm right about your feelings. If I'm just being a crazy old man I'll leave you in peace"

Angel gulped, he'd just been given an out but he couldn't take it. Damn but he wished he'd had some time to plan out their story with Spike now. Well here goes big fib numero uno he thought. "I uh, well actually I was talking to Spike yesterday and he's not sure if she is the girl for him."

He looked at his Dad's surprised and slightly sceptical face and nodded. "Yeah, but that's honestly what I thought too when I first met her. I thought right away she wasn't his type in any way; in fact I initially had Faith pegged as the fiancée. I think Buffy and Spike probably would have been better staying as the great friends they were."

"But they got engaged." His dad pointed out reasonably, though a slightly doubtful look had crossed his face.

"Yeah, but apparently they weren't really intending to."

"Really?"

"Uh huh, apparently they were talking about it, and not necessarily in a lets-do-it kind of way, But mom's friend heard them and jumped to conclusions and started offering congratulations a mile a minute and before they knew it they were getting steamrollered and swept up in all the celebrations, there wasn't really a good moment for them to talk things over and decide that maybe it wasn't right. I swear I wouldn't make a move on Buffy if I thought they were truly happy, in fact I'd do my best that they never even knew how I felt."

"I know."

Buffy was melting, how adorable Angel was. Even though he was kind of twisting the truth she could tell he was speaking from the heart when he was talking about being noble if he had to so she and Spike could be happy.

Then his dad was speaking again. "So what will you do?"

"Uh, talk to Buffy and Spike I guess. Subtly of course, just to see where I stand."

"Well, I'll leave you to plan your speeches." His dad chuckled. "If Spike doesn't marry her perhaps you could do it, she's a very nice girl and I'd be happy to have her married to either of my boys."

Buffy winced, here was this nice guy saying such lovely things and she, Spike and Angel were all fibbing like mad to him. Way to feel crappy. Her conscience nudged her to sit up and confess but she wasn't that honest or that dumb. Spike had nearly had a fit when she'd done it; their poor dad would probably keel over with the shock of it.

"Well she's certainly worth moving across the country for." Angel said with a sly smile.

His dad paused on his way to the door. "Really?"

"If she prefers me, then yeah; I'll be coming back to California to stay for good."

His dad smiled happily, "Your mom would be over the moon and I would be too for that matter, and if it helps, what you've said about them not being sure of each other makes sense now. They put on a good show but they looked, oh I don't know, not wrong together exactly, just not a perfect fit.

Angel nodded, Oh boy did he ever feel bad now, some Spike strangulation was definitely on the cards for later as he was the one that had really created most of this mess. "Thanks dad."

"Alright Angel, I hope you all three get what you want." His dad grinned; mock saluted and closed the door behind him.

Angel listened to the faint echo of his steps die away before he peeled back the duvet slightly to look at Buffy who sprawled on his chest looking miserable.

"Buffy?"

"We're evil."

"I know, but on the bright side it wasn't all lies."

"Mmph, just oodles of misshapen truths."

"Something like that, I just can't believe dad saw how I felt about you right away. I thought I hid it pretty well."

"Hmpff, I'm only surprised he didn't spot me looking like a cartoon when I first saw you, with my eyes boinging out of their sockets, jaw on the floor, tongue rolling out like a red carpet. Then when you started talking to me I practically fainted and ignored Spike for a good hour until I remembered I was supposed to be engaged to him and not lusting after you."

Angel snorted at the image; "Well I wanted to kill Spike for marrying a woman I suddenly wanted desperately within about a second of meeting her, so there's brotherly love for you."

Buffy grinned, "Then I went and discovered your charm and wit and I was a total goner. Miss Bachelorette of the century fell hard."

"Aaw, you're making me blush." Teased Angel tucking back loose strands of hair and planting a tiny kiss on her forehead. He was secretly very pleased though. She definitely liked him as much as he liked her. Perhaps even loved him. Perhaps.

His mushy train of thought was abruptly terminated as Buffy sat up, astride his waist and started wriggling her borrowed shirt back into place as it was largely tucked up around her hips and the buttons were somewhere under her left armpit instead of down the front. Suddenly her total lack of underwear was foremost in his brain.

She sighed with satisfaction with the restoration of comfort and then grinned at his dazed expression and leant forward to rub noses with him. "Hey, you okay?"

"Um yes." He mumbled, gazing into her eyes lovingly as his hands took on a life of their own and travelled up the sides of her satiny thighs.

Buffy couldn't help but smile as she took in his rapt expression just before she kissed him. Perhaps Faith's cheeky gesture hadn't been totally wasted. Perhaps.

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Heh, yes I am evil!