A/N : Okay, so this isn't the world's most ionteresting chapter but it's necessary to get everything and everyone where I want them for the next part of the story. Thanx to those who reviewed; fashiongrrl, B/S Rox, SweetBitter, theoneandonlygurl, SpIkEs AnGeL, SouthernRain, lilpuff. Now with the prophecy all figured out, does Angel really need to be in SunnyD...?

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 13 - Long Distance

"I hope they're okay" Buffy said mostly to herself as she looked out of the window into the dark night.

"They will be, luv" Spike told her as he looked out over her shoulder, "Don't fret"

Buffy nodded that she knew he was right, but she wouldn't be happy til her friends were home safe. She barely heard the phone ring, her attention fixed almost completely on the empty street beyond the glass. The pair of arms that slid around her waist gave her some comfort, until their owner spoke.

"I'm sorry if I surprised you last night" Angel whispered and Buffy physically jumped from his grasp.

"What the hell are you doing?" she snapped, trying not to be too loud and have Spike come running.

"Buffy, come on, you can't seriously tell me you're in love with that boy" Angel jerked his thumb back toward the hall where Spike was talking on the phone, "I know you still love me"

Buffy looked at her feet and sighed before looking back up at her one time love.

"Angel, I do love you, okay? I do, but no more than I love any of my other friends" she confessed, "I love Xander and Willow and Cordelia and I love you, but I am in love with Spike and I always will be"

"But seriously..." Angel began to protest - the girl would not hear a word of it.

"No Angel, let it go" she told him sternly, "I refuse to keep on having this same conversation with you" she told him, looking him directly in the eye. He looked away and glanced toward the hall, toward Spike, before looking back at Buffy. She knew what was happening inside his head, despite his soul, there was a demon inside of him too.

"If you so much as look at him wrong" Buffy told him, her tone cold as steel, "I swear to God, I'll earn my title of Slayer"

As Angel looked back at her, his face was full of shock at her words, and almost disbelief, until he caught her eyes, the totally serious and angry look in them. There was no disbelief left in him now.

"Buffy!" Spike called to her for the second time, though she had no idea he'd tried to get her attention before. Leaving Angel standing alone in the dining room, she walked through to where Spike held the phone in his hand.

"What's up?" she asked him and he passed the phone to her.

"It's Red" he smiled, "apparently she tried to call your house but got no answer..don't even want to know why" he shuddered violently as rather nasty images of his Uncle and Buffy's mother slipped through his head. He stood beside his girlfriend as she spoke to her friend.

"Hey Wills, how are you?" she asked and Willow told her just how wonderful everything was and how great it was to have Xander with her.

"We seriously need to have a girls-only talk when I get home" she told her best friend, blushing despite the fact no-one could see her.

"Really?" Buffy giggled, trying to ignore the look Spike gave her, he could only imagine what those two were gossiping about. He walked into the next room to find Angel still there.

"So, I s'pose you can sod off now we've solved your prophecy for you" the bleached blond sneered at the vampire, just as Giles came through from the kitchen with a tray of cups and coffee.

"Spike, must you be so rude!" he snapped.

"He's right, I guess" Angel sighed, "I mean, it's obviously planned for Doyle to come work with me in LA but that'll wait until after your wedding" he shrugged "I have no other reason to be here" he added, staring longingly into the hallway.

Spike couldn't help the smirk that spread across his lips then. Buffy had quite clearly given the poofter his marching orders now, he wouldn't be trying anything on with her again.

As Angel made for the front door, Giles called to him.

"You're leaving immediately?" he asked, "Don't you want to say goodbye to Buffy?"

The vampire paused with his hand on the door knob, then turned back to glance at the Slayer in the hallway. She had her back to him as she talked on the phone, winding the cord around her fingers and giggling.

"No, not this time" Angel sighed, as he opened the door. He turned back just once to glance at Spike then Giles, speaking to them in turn "Take care of her...I'll see you soon"

It was a moment later that Buffy hung up the phone and excitedly told Spike and Giles what a great time Willow and Xander were having on vacation. It seemed strange to think they'd been gone ten days and would be back in one more week, just in time for the wedding of Spike's parents.

"Buffy" Giles managed to interrupt her rambling a she stopped briefly to draw breath, "Angel has gone back to LA"

"That's good" she nodded once as she moved to stand beside Spike, "We don't need him to be here" as she smiled at her boyfriend and he grinned back, Giles looked confused.

"Did something happen that I missed?" the Watcher asked them as they kissed briefly.

"Don't know what you mean, Dad" Spike smirked as Buffy held back a giggle. What had happened was not important anymore, it would soon be forgotten.

A key in the door alerted the three to the presence of Cordelia and Doyle. They were laughing as they came into the house, hand in hand, but Buffy was not so quick to smile when she saw them.

"Oh my God" she gasped, rushing at her friends, worried when she saw that the back of Cordy's hand was grazed and part of Doyle's jacket was ripped, "What happened to you guys?"

"Oh, vampire" Cordelia rolled her eyes like it was no big deal, "but we're fine, and there is something kind of more important to tell"

Buffy thought she knew what it was, her suspicions confirmed as she notice Cordelia's other hand was firmly grasped within Doyles.

"Whatever you had planned for tomorrow night" the Irishman told Buffy, Spike and Giles, "It better not include us two, cos I'm taking my princess here out on a date"

"Nice one, mate" Spike grinned, "Didn't I tell you..." he stopped abruptly and Buffy looked at him with a questioning gaze.

"Didn't you tell him, what?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

"He told me precisely what I told him" Doyle explained, not at all ashamed to admit he and his cousin had a serious man-to-man the other day, "I knew he and you were perfect for each other" he said to Buffy, "and he reckoned me and this beautiful woman here were the same way" he smiled at the girl whose hand he held and Cordelia uncharacteristically blushed.

"Well, it does seem to have been quite an eventful evening, doesn't it?" Giles commented as Buffy glanced toward the clock.

"My God, is it really so late?" she said wide eyed as she took in the time, "Mom's gonna freak if I don't get home soon"

"Pretty sure she's too busy to notice, luv" Spike smirked, and Buffy would have laughed if she wasn't too busy being disgusted at the very idea of her mother doing things like that with Spike's Uncle Johnny.

"Where's your man Angel?" Doyle asked, suddenly noticing the vamp wasn't around.

"Gone back to LA" Spike happily reported, "He said there was no point him hanging around, since you wouldn't want to join him in LA til after Mum and Dad get hitched"

"He left without saying goodbye?" Cordelia complained, "That's just rude"

"Well, it's not like you won't see him again" her 'boyfriend' told her, "I mean, it couldn't have worked out much more perfectly if we planned it, what with you living in LA and me coming to work with Angel there soon"

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that" Cordy grinned, "It'll be so great"

Everyone turned to look as the front door opened and Jessica entered with her parents. Buffy and Cordelia decided they really should be going, making sure they kissed their men soundly before they left. Thankfully no embarrassment was caused next door, as the girls met Johnny on the front porch in the opposite way to how he had met them earlier that night.

"You girls have fun tonight?" he asked with a nervous grin.

"It was cool" Buffy nodded, "Yourself?"

"Just fine, thanks" he nodded back, as he shuffled away and Cordelia laughed.

"Whats so funny?" her blonde friend asked as they went into the house.

"His shoes were on the wrong feet" she explained, "I wonder why he took them off?" she asked as if she didn't know and both girls weren't sure whether to laugh of shudder with disgust at the very idea.

"So, are you really glad that Angel's gone?" Cordelia just had to know, and Buffy sighed as they went into the house and upstairs to her room.

"Y'know, I really am" she admitted, "It was all big with the complex when he was here, for a while at least. Now it's clear, but it's better not having him around, he'd only get broody and weird seeing me with Spike everyday...I may not be in love with Angel anymore, but I don't want to hurt him like that"

Cordelia was about to answer when Joyce came practically floating out of her room in nothing but a robe.

"Oh, hi girls" she stammered, when she saw them there, "I was just gonna, uh, take a bath"

Pushing back the grimace that wanted to be on her face so badly, Buffy smiled instead.

"Okay Mom, we're gonna head to bed"

"See you in the morning" Cordelia added as the two girl hurried into Buffy's room, not sure whether to laugh or puke at the idea of adults and their bedroom activities.

"So" Buffy said, wanting to talk about anything so long as it was not her mother and Spike's Uncle, "you and Doyle are in love, huh?" she teased her friend.

"I don't know" Cordelia blushed, "I like him a lot, I maybe love him, he's just so sweet and hot and everything of the good, y'know?"

"Maybe it runs in the family" Buffy shrugged, "I mean, he and Spike are cousins after all"

"Yeah" Cordelia nodded as they both got ready for bed, "but they're also both related to Giles..."

The girls looked at each other for a second before shuddering in unison.

"Speaking of, wedding is fast approaching now" Buffy pointed out, "and just a week to go til Xander and Willow get home"

"It'll be great to see them again" Cordelia nodded, "and they can meet Doyle"

"Yeah, I think it's all going to work out just fine" Buffy smiled as she climbed into bed, "What could possibly go wrong?"

To Be Continued...

[Next Update will be 'Oh Brother!' - Chapter 13]