Part Nine

I awake in the early afternoon with a sense of rest. I have slept all my exhaustion away.

Yay.

I get up and pull on a pair of sweats that are on the dresser. I pad to the bathroom and hear everyone busying around down there. I groan and do my necessary toiletries. I attempt to pull my mussed hair in a ponytail and walk down stairs. It's past one and everyone is dressed and busy. I actually find the kitchen and look through it.

Yuck.

Health food.

Where's the fatty sausage and eggs? These people have no sense of taste.

"You're still here?" An annoying voice asks from behind me.

"Unfortunately for you." I mumble, looking at her.

"God, you look like death." She smirks.

"Terrific." I say.

God do I care what she thinks?

Let me count the ways.

Hmmm…

None.

"When do you leave?" She keeps firing questions.

Angel won't really care if I kill her…right?

I mean, I can make him forget her…

Bad Buffy!

"I DON'T know." I say.

"God, take a Midol." She remarks.

"Then give me some, cause I know you must like inject it into you like friggen morphine. Little tip, doesn't look like it working." I mock whispered.

She glared.

I smirked and went to look for something to eat.

I settled for some strawberry pop tarts.

I walked out and sat on one of the red plush couches. The black man came up to me.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey back." I answered

I looked at him for a moment and blushed.

"Sorry, I don't know your name.' I said sheepishly.

"No big. It's Gunn. Charles Gunn." He answered.

"Gunn, like bang-bang?" I asked, holding my hand like a gun.

He laughed, "Yeah, Gunn like bang-bang."

"So…you're Buffy." He finally said.

"Wait, let me guess. You thought I'd be taller, more muscles?" I ask.

Everyone says that about me.

So what if I'm short and un-muscle-y?

He laughs, "Yeah."

I roll my eyes and see Angel come down the stairs.

"He's just getting up?" I ask quietly.

Gunn shrugged "Don't know."

"A man of many words." I mused.

He shook his head and smiled, "You are something else…"

"That's me…" I said.

"So, Cordy don't like you." He said.

"I don't like her." I said.

"Why?"

"Cause. She was a bitch in high school, she's a bitch now." I said.

"You should hear her sing."

I almost chocked on my pop tart, "She sings?!"

I coughed as I sputtered out those words. Gunn clapped his hand on my back, laughing.

Everyone was looking at us.

Guess that was kinda loud…

Angel looked at me with a strange expression.

I tried to smile, but I couldn't. Every time I looked at him, I could feel his lips on mine.

It was unnerving.

Also a big turn on.

I need to get laid.

I sound like Xander, ew.

I nibbled on the last of my pop tart and got up.

"Getting kind of skinny for a warrior." I heard Cordelia remark.

I turned to face her and put my hands on my hips, "What the hell do you want now?"

"I was just saying, you don't look the a Slayer. But, wait, you aren't one, are you." She sighed.

"You think you're stronger than me?" I asked, a smile growing on my face.

"Actually, yeah." She smirked.

"Let's go." I said, beckoning her with my hands.

"You wanna be little Miss- Higher-Power? Come on then, kick my ass." I taunted.

"Buffy, stop it." Angel growled, standing beside her.

I fumed, "Just like you to take her side. Stay out of it, Angel. She thinks she can take me down, I say bring it on, bitch."

Cordelia stepped foreword, "I can kick your ass any day."

"Sure, prove it." I said, getting into my fighting stance.

"Cool, cat fight." Gunn hooted.

I smirked at him, and turned back, barely missing Cordelia's jab to my face. She tried it again and I moved sideways, missing it.

I laugh at her attempts to beat me.

"That all you got?" I asked.

I was too busy gloating that she hit me, square in the face.

"Uh oh." Gunn said.

I reeled and threw a punch at her stomach, making her double over. I dropped to the ground, sweeping my feet under hers and she falls to the ground with a cry. I straddled her and held my hand over her neck.

"Get off her." Angel growled.

I made the mistake of looking up and Cordelia flipped me over. She somehow had gotten hold on a stake and held it over my heart.

"I wonder if you'll turn to dust. I'd dance on your ashes." She hissed.

"Nothing I haven't heard before. You wanna kill me? Do it." I hissed back.

She started to press down when she was ripped off me. Angel was standing over me, furious, his eyes glowing.

I glared back at him and climbed to my feet.

"Guess I won." Cordelia gloated.

"No, you didn't kill me."

"I could have."

"But you didn't. Big mistake, sweetheart."

I started to laugh as I climbed the stairs.

Angel was behind me.

"What were you doing?" He growls.

"Training." I say with a laugh.

Yeah right.

I'd be dead if I had to train with her, I slit my own wrists.

Or be killed by the disease of utter stupidity I'd catch from being around her too much.

Heh.

I crack myself up.

*

I left that afternoon. Of course, I didn't tell anyone. I kind of climbed out the window and jumped from the roof. I landed on my feet.

Hey!

Maybe I'm part cat too.

I wonder what else they threw inside me.

Maybe a bird.

It'd be cool to fly.

But…let's not find out.

Breaking bones, NOT on the agenda today.

I walk to Wesley's, and its actually refreshing. The sky is a soft blue and there are large puffy clouds in the sky which is unusual for LA, because all you see is smog most of the time. I ring Wes's bell and he answers. He's on the phone, and he motions me to be quiet.

"No, I don't know where she went. She probably left, although I can't blame her; with you acting like a fool and Cordelia taunting her."

He paused and I just knew that was Angel calling him.

"I don't personally care if you think I'm lying. If she's gone without telling you, maybe you should take that as a subtle hint. She probably does not want to be around people like you."

Another pause.

"Yes, people like you. You're not the man she nor I knew you to be and you have NOT changed for the better." Wesley retorted.

He hung up on Angel and I laughed.

"He's not too happy, is he?" I asked, lounging on his couch.

"Not particularly." He smiled.

"Cordelia tried to stake me." I said.

"Again? God, that women must have some sort of aspiration for death."

"Well, she was never the sharpest tool in the shed." I shrugged.

Hehe. I'm evil.

Wesley shook his head, smiling.

"She actually grew up a bit the first two years but Angel helped her become a 'high-power'" He said using finger quotations, "She used that as an excuse to make her seem more powerful than she was. She became quite the bitch too."

I burst out laughing at how casually he had said that.

He smiled at my amusement.

I know we have to call Giles and tell him and those bastards of the Council everything.

But, I don't want too.

Because that would make everything true.

And I don't want it to be true.

Not now.

Not ever.