Disclaimer: See past chapters no one belongs to me.

Author's note: This chapter takes place in the second season.

Chapter 11

It was the last night of a boring summer in Sunnydale and Faith, Buffy and Dawn had just arrived home after spending the summer with the father in LA. Buffy couldn't believe what a whirlwind the past 3 months had been for her and her family. The adjustment had been a major one not just for Buffy and Dawn but also for Faith. Joyce had wanted to spend every waking moment with her daughters, like she was afraid that missing one moment would mean she would lose them. All the quality mom time made it difficult for the girls to get much done in the way of slaying. Buffy normally had to sneak out of her window to go patrolling at night but now there was always a chance that her mom would come to check on them. Faith was having a hard time adjusting to the family thing and she stilled called both her mom and dad Hank and Joyce because she still wasn't comfortable with them and her sisters. She had made up with Dominick and was still living with him, until she got comfortable with her family. She would stay with her mom and sisters on the weekends, and had gone to stay with Hank in LA because she wanted to get to know her father and he was really cool but he tried to make up for everything by buying the girls stuff, he was still trying to make up for his and Joyce's divorce to Buffy and Dawn, and trying to make up the kidnapping to Faith. It was fine for them to go there during the summer since slayage was dramatically lower. Faith and Xander had began to date at the end of the school year much to Willow's chagrin because she still had a biggest crush on Xander but she was dealing. Buffy was still semi-seeing Angel, if you could count him showing up every couple of weeks with a new cryptic message and then vanishing again.

As soon as Faith and Buffy had gotten back to Sunnydale they had unpacked, listening to their parents argue about how badly their father had spoiled them, but as soon as the sun had dipped below the horizon, Faith and Buffy were crawling out of the bedroom window to go patrol. Willow and Xander had agreed to take over patrol with Dominick and Giles' help, while Buffy and Faith were in LA with their father. Since their friends didn't know Buffy and Faith were back in town, chances were that they were patrolling now. Both girls had missed their friends while they were with their father and hoped to run into them. Faith and Buffy were walking through Restfield Cemetery when they saw Willow and Xander on the other side of the cemetery walking towards them.

" Hey!" Buffy shouted to her friends. As soon as she shouted that to them a vampire popped up behind Willow and Xander. Buffy and Faith took off at a dead run and Buffy reached them first.

" Move!" She shouted. Xander and Willow jumped out of the way as a tiny blonde whirlwind rushed past them. At the last second Buffy jumped up, thrusting her feet out in front off her, planting both of them right in the center of the vampire's chest, feeling a few ribs crack with the impact. The vamp growled at her as he lost his balance. Buffy used those few moments to pull a stake from the waistband of her jeans, thrusting it into the vampire's chest. The vampire's eyes opened wide as he exploded into a cloud of dust. Buffy turned around to face her shocked friends, a satisfied grin on her face.

" Miss me?" She asked her grin spreading wider.

" Hey Buff." Willow replied returning Buffy's smile.

" Yeah, umm it was a good thing you were here." Xander said, his eyes roaming the cemetery looking for Faith, knowing she must be nearby if Buffy was here. Buffy now noticed that instead of carrying stakes and crosses, Willow and Xander were carrying ice cream cones.

" Yeah guess it was, cause you know ice cream not exactly the best defense." Buffy scolded them playfully, Willow's cheeks reddened a little and Xander just gave her a sheepish grin.

" But Buff, it's cold and tasty." Xander remarked.

" Yep, and 'sides that's the first vampire we've seen all summer." Willow told Buffy. Suddenly someone or something jumped out from behind a headstone and grabbed Xander around the waist. He jumped and spun around coming face to face with Faith, who was smirking and chuckling. Buffy and Willow also joined her in giggles.

" Don't do that!" Xander demanded.

" Oh come on X, the look on your face was priceless, wish I had a camera to capture that moment." Faith said wrapping her arms tighter around Xander's waist. Xander mock-glared at her but he was smiling. He pulled her tighter to him, placing his lips over hers. Buffy and Willow just looked at each other, rolling their eyes in unison.

" Get a room." Buffy said between mock-coughs causing Willow to giggle uncontrollably, and Faith and Xander to stop kissing, both turning to the giggling girls scowling at them.

" So not funny, B." Faith said shooting her sister a mock-glare but then she too caught the infectious giggling. Soon the four friends were giggling uncontrollably and gasping for air. "Okay, I'm gonna walk Xander home and then go to Dominick's let him know I got home safely. See ya two in the morning." Faith threaded her fingers through Xander's and began to pull him through the cemetery waving a little at Buffy and Willow. Buffy and Willow waved back and watched as they walked away.

" That is so weird and what do you think they are gonna go do now, not like I want to know because well eww." Willow babbled on to Buffy.

" What's weird? And thanks Will I really wanted to go to that scary visual place." Buff exclaimed in mock anger causing Willow to hang her head sheepishly.

" Xander and Faith, I just think its weird." Willow said softly shrugging her shoulders.

" Yeah I guess so." Buffy said without much conviction in her voice, she knew Willow was hurt over Xander's denial or rather blindness to how much Willow really liked him and she just agreed to try and comfort her friend.

" So Buff, how was your summer?" Willow asked quickly changing the subject.

" It was good, lots of quality dad time and lots of shopping. No evil undead beasties to slay, all in all it was pretty yawn worthy." Buffy said rolling her eyes.

" Well, didn't you see any of your old friends from Hemery?" Willow asked.

" Don't really have any left, most of them stopped hanging out with me when I got called they thought I was bizarro girl." Buffy mumbled shaking her head. Buffy really didn't like to think or talk about her supposed friends in LA, because it still hurt sometimes.

" So umm are you gonna see Angel tonight?" Willow asked noticing her friends discomfort.

" I don't know Will, I mean we were away from each other all summer what if he found someone new or..."Buffy said softly, her words trailing off biting her lip in thought.

" Buffy, come on who is he going to find in Sunnydale?" Willow asked and Buffy just gave her a pointed look, "Right another vampire since Sunnydale is full of them, but he's different, I'm not sure he would go after another vampire chick, I mean cause he is all soulful and well other vampires just aren't, and I think you should go see him cause I bet he spent all summer skulking around in the dark thinking about you." Buffy just shrugged half-heartedly and the two girls walked through the graveyard in silence. Willow wasn't lying about the lack of action, on any other night Buffy probably would of run into at least 3 or 4 more vamps before delivering Willow safely to her doorstep, but not tonight. After walking Willow home Buffy went to her own house, climbing up the tree outside of her window, then on to the porch roof and then in to her bedroom. When she turned around after shutting her window she came face to face with Angel and let out an extremely girlish squeal.

" ANGEL! What the hell are you doing?! Here? In my bedroom here?" Buffy exclaimed shoving Angel's chest playfully. Before Angel had a chance to answer there was a knock on Buffy's bedroom door.

" Buffy, honey, what's wrong? I heard screaming." Joyce asked through the bedroom door. Buffy thought quickly and shoved Angel into the closet, just in case her mom decided to come in the room.

" Oh, it was n-nothing mom, umm I just saw a spider, but I squished it." Buffy stammered nervously.

" Alright honey, its late try to get some sleep." Joyce said walking back to her own bedroom and Buffy sighed with relief, pulling Angel out of the closet.

" Spider?" Angel asked an amused smirk on his face, and Buffy just rolled her eyes.

" What just cause I'm the Slayer I can't have other fears. And don't try to change the subject mister, you still haven't told me what you were doing lurking in my bedroom." Buffy said in an impatient whisper, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot.

" I heard you were back in town and I wanted to see you." Angel said, glancing at the floor. Buffy's expression softened and she dropped her hands by her side. Angel didn't know what to do, he had been alive for 243 years and never before had he felt this way about a woman, and it was kind of scary.

" And you couldn't have just seen me tomorrow morning?" Buffy asked and Angel gave her a pointed stare, " Oh right cause of the vampire thing, but you know you just can't sneak in my window whenever you want, I mean seriously I think I'm going to get bars on my windows or- or something..."She was babbling again and she knew it, but she wasn't prepared for Angel to be in her bedroom. Angel put a finger over her lips, silencing her, as he brought his own lips closer to hers, brushing them softly with his.

" I missed you." He said pulling her flush against him, resting his head atop her's.

" I missed you too." Buffy said, pulling away from him so she could look at him, capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. This time Buffy opened her mouth slightly and moaned as Angel's tongue probed hers, putting her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair. Angel pulled Buffy closer to him as he felt his passion growing, he wanted her so badly and he didn't know if he would be able to stop himself from taking her this time. Buffy felt tingles running up and down her spine as the kissing between her and Angel grew deeper and became more passionate, she knew she really needed to pull away from him before their make out session went farther than either one of them intended it to.

" Angel, we have to stop meeting like this." Buffy murmured softly, stopping their kissing but still resting comfortably in Angel's arms.

" Huh?" Angel asked confused by what exactly Buffy was saying, sometimes she could be the most confusing person.

" I mean you show up or I show up and we make with the smoochies and then you do the whole cryptic creature of the night deal and disappear for a while, all I'm saying is we should do normal couple things." Buffy said.

" Yeah but we will never be a normal couple." Angel said softly causing Buffy to pull herself away from him.

" Right, cause you will always be a vampire but can't vampires do normal things like say go to the movies, or out for coffee or even to the Bronze."

" Are you saying you want to go out on a date?" Angel asked.

" What? No, I never said date, who said date?" Buffy asked flustered and Angel chuckled.

" So what you wanna go out for coffee and then what? I mean I'm 243 and you are 16 do you really think a relationship would work between us?" Angel asked he didn't want to upset her but he wanted to think logically about this.

" You know what Angel, just forget it okay? You think I'm just some swoony little schoolgirl with a crush, I get it but you know what its a little bit late to be reading me the warning label." Buffy said angrily turning away from Angel picking up her stuffed pig Mr. Gordo up and playing with his ears absent-mindedly.

" Buffy," Angel said reaching out his hand to place it on her shoulder, but he just let it drop. "Don't do this."
"What Angel, don't do what? You care to explain that to me, no you know what I don't wanna know, just go away." She said softly a harsh edge to her voice. Angel just nodded slowly and climbed out of her window glancing at her one last time but she had her back to him. Buffy listened to Angel go and then went to her dresser pulling on her pajamas and sliding under the covers. Her head was still spinning from Angel's kissing and the passion she felt between them. She didn't understand why Angel was so confusing, when they were kissing she felt closer to him than she had with anyone ever before, but then it stopped and he became so distant. She just wanted him to open up to her, just to let her, let her get close. She felt a tear slip down her cheek because it was so horrible for her to feel so close to someone and not have them feel the same way back. She brushed the tears off of her face and rolled over closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.