A/N : Hey! I said I'd update this a couple of days after 'Trouble With Boys' and 'Oh Brother!' and I have kept that promise, but only just! Thanx to everyone who reviewed chapter 3; RoboShiflo, SpIkEs AnGeL, SouthernRain, ms trick, Jenny, tinkerbell42, SweetBitter - you guys are the best and you made me smile. Those who asked questions, if I answer it'll spoil the surprise, so you'll just have to wait and see! This is the final 'preparation' chapter, next will be the actual 'wild' night! :-)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 4 - A Tangled Web

Today was the day. Buffy had it all planned out. With a few sneaky shopping trips and help from Willow, the daughter of Lady Joyce soon had all the clothes and things she needed for her highly secret wild night out. She'd settled on Friday since she was usually out on Friday's anyway, either at Cordy's or with Angel or something, so her mother wouldn't suspect when she told her little white lie and went out.

'Just one more little lie' Elizabeth Summers told herself, as she studied her high class self in the mirror, trying to picture how great she was going to look that night in comparison to the boring that literally emanated off her as she looked now. She was wrong though, about only having to tell one more lie...

The doorbell rang just as Buffy was coming down the main staircase. The maid opened the door to reveal Angel on the other side.

"Hey sweetheart" the young man smiled as Buffy came forward and told the maid to go away in the politest way she could.

"Angel, hi" she said somewhere nervously, making no move to invite him into the house.

"Are you okay?" he asked noticing her strange behaviour even in those first few seconds of seeing her. Something was obviously on her mind.

"Yeah, I'm great" she laughed almost madly, "I'm fine, Finey McFine"

"Okay..." Angel stretched out the word before deciding to let it go and say what he'd come to say "so, are we going out tonight?"

"Oh, well" Buffy floundered "actually, tonight...I have to study" she said suddenly and there was second of disappointment on Angel's face before he smiled again.

"Oh well, I can help with that..." he started only to be interrupted by his girlfriend.

"No, no, no" she cut him off frantically thinking of a way out "thanks, but...I'm going over to Cordy's" she said quickly "we're kind of having a study-slumber party type of thing"

For a breath-holding moment, Buffy thought he might guess she was lying. She was relieved when he sighed a little and relented.

"Oh, okay"

Buffy let out her breath, thank God she'd got out of that.

"What are you doing now?" Angel asked, leaning against the door frame and Buffy inwardly cringed. If she went out with him now she couldn't use the excuse of going out with him later, plus she needed to talk to Willow and get ready yet...

"Right now? Er..." she frantically tried to think, and then she spotted her brother coming down the stairs.

"Xander!" she yelled, beckoning him to come to her.

"What?" the brunette boy asked his crazy sister as he wondered over to the door, nodding slightly at Angel to acknowledge his presence.

"Xander needs my help with...something" Buffy told her boyfriend "right, Xan?" she looked upon her brother with pleading eyes, but he didn't notice.

"Sis, are you okay?" he asked, wondering why she wanted to get out of a date with the guy she was supposedly in love with.

"Of course, I was just telling Angel that I can't go out with him right now because you need me to be here" Buffy made a second attempt and thankfully Xander understood - undoubtedly a twin thing, since it would usually take much more than two attempts for Xander to understand such subtle hints

"Oh, yeah, right" he nodded suddenly "sorry Angel" he glanced at the confused man in the doorway.

"No big" the taller man shrugged "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked Buffy.

"Sure, tomorrow, great" she smiled big and nodded, pleased to have gotten out of her mess "Bye" she added, practically closing the door in his face, turning to lean her back on it, closing her eyes and breathing a huge sigh of relief.

"What was that all about?" a voice asked and she opened her eyes, realising her brother as still standing there.

"Nothing" she snapped "I just really didn't feel like going out with him right now" she started to walk quickly away.

"You sure you're feeling okay Buffy?" Xander called after.

"Me?" she turned and backed down the corridor, hand over her chest "Sure, I'm fine" she smiled, her heart racing beneath her fingers. 'That was too close' she thought as she made her way to meet Willow, but it didn't matter, everything was sorted out now and tonight was her night, what else could go wrong?

"And Angel bought it?" Willow was stunned, first that her friend could lie the way she had and second that she could fool her boyfriend who seemed to know her so

well.

"Yeah, totally" Buffy smiled with confidence, despite the fact she'd been panicking when the actual lying was taking place. She opened her mouth to continue speaking when her cellphone rang into life.

Checking the screen she noticed it was Cordelia and she answered with a sigh.

"Hi Cordy, did you want something?"

"Hey Lizzy" the girl used Buffy's more common nickname "Well, me and the girls are having a slumber party type thing at my house tonight and you just have to come?"

Buffy sighed inwardly and closed her eyes as she did something she was getting a lot of practice in lately - she lied.

"I'm sorry, I can't, tons of homework" she said quickly and calmly as possible. She opened an eye to glance at Willow who was somewhat shocked by the further telling of non-truths by her always honest best friend.

"It's Friday night Lizzy, let it go" Cordelia complained "Besides you can spend the whole weekend doing homework if you really have to"

"I really should do it today Cordy" Buffy protested "I really do have a lot to get through"

"Oh, fine, your loss" the brunette huffed, hanging up without so much as a goodbye.

"I doubt it" Buffy smiled as she hung up too, and went back to her more important plans with Willow. Nothing was going to stop her going out tonight and having the time of her life.

They sent a couple of hours going over 'the plan' before Willow realised the time and hurried to find her mother and help with the housework.

"We'll meet in my room at five" Buffy reminded the red-head, you can help me get ready and then it's showtime"

Willow let out a nervous giggle as she left the store room and Buffy, as was customary, waited five minutes and then left herself, heading for her room to dream about the fun she would have in just a few hours time. She met her mother on the landing.

"Honey, are you seeing Liam tonight?" Lady Joyce asked her daughter.

"Er, yes Mom" Buffy's smile covered the lie easily "why'd you ask?" she checked, if her mother suspected anything...

"No reason" the older woman shrugged and smiled "just curious about what my little girl is up to" she smiled more, putting a hand to her daughters cheek.

"I'm not a little girl anymore Mom" Buffy snapped, pulling away a little, smelling the usual alcohol on her mothers breath "and really, I'm not up to anything" she added, backing up towards her room.

"Oh sweetheart" Joyce laughed softly, "you'll always be my little girl"

Buffy winced as her mother disappeared down the corridor. The girl sighed as Xander walked up beside her.

"Did you know Mom's been at the vodka again?" she said, turning to him.

"Yeah, I know" he nodded, sadly, before changing the subject completely "hey, did I just hear you say you were seeing Angel tonight? I thought you didn't want to see him today?"

Buffy thought fast and replied, lamely;

"Oh, well, I changed my mind"

Xander looked at her for a second, as if he were checking her expression for some give-away that she were lying. Finding none, he just shrugged.

"It's allowed, I guess" he started to follow down the corridor where his Mom had gone before "Good job I'm staying in tonight if Mom's getting off her head" he called back over his shoulder.

"Yeah" Buffy agreed "Well, I'll see you later"

Xander paused by the door and turned back to glance at his twin sister as she reached for the handle of her bedroom door too.

"Have fun tonight Buff"

"Don't worry, I will" she smiled, 'if only he knew' she thought.

The young man took a deep breath before going into the room where his mother sat, as predicted, in her favourite chair with a glass in her hand.

"Another date with the O'Connor's boy" Joyce smiled, sipping at her drink as her son came into the room "looks like things could really go far with those two"

"What do you mean Mom?" Xander asked, sitting down opposite the woman as she leant back her head and closed her eyes.

"They've been dating on and off for over a year, Alexander" she said slowly "They would make a very good marriage there, bringing our two families closer together"

"You wouldn't want them to get married if they weren't in love though, would you?" the young man checked, he was seriously starting to wonder about his twin sisters relationship with Liam 'Angel' O'Connor.

"Of course they're in love, Alexander!" his mother snapped, her eyes flying open and her precious vodka almost leaving it's glass as her arm jolted "What young girl wouldn't be in love with Liam O'Connor?" she smiled "What young man wouldn't love my daughter?" she added, re-closing her eyes and relaxing again.

"You're right Mom, of course" Xander nodded, pointlessly, but he wasn't convinced.

Buffy waited in her room for just over ten minutes before Willow arrived, as planned, with the smuggled items that the blonde girl needed for her night out.

"Oh, I'm never going to be able to keep up with all these lies, Wills" the girl complained as she removed her hated clothes and the red-head unpacked the bags.

"How many did you tell?" Willow asked with a frown.

"Too many!" her friend exclaimed, before counting each one off on her fingers "Angel thinks I'm going to Cordy's, Cordy thinks I'm staying home to study, and my Mom and Xander think I'm going out with Angel!"

"You lied to Xander?" Willow stood up suddenly with a more shocked expression on her face than Buffy had ever seen.

"I had to" the blonde protested, before adding "why does it matter?" even though she knew very well why it mattered so much to her best friend. It was obvious to Buffy that Willow had a crush on Xander, she had for years.

"Well, I don't know" the red-head played with her hands and fidgeted uncomfortably, re-seating herself on the edge of the bed as Buffy fought to remove the blouse she despised so much "I just thought you trusted him, I mean he's your twin brother and..."

"Will, I do trust him" Buffy assured her "but I can't take the risk. I know he wouldn't approve of this"

"Is all this really worth it Buffy?" Willow wondered aloud, although she was pretty certain she already knew the answer to that.

"Oh God, yes" came the expected reply "it has to be" she told the girl in the mirror, before glancing over at the clothes, jewellery and make-up that lay across her bed "Now, help me get ready"

About an hour later...

"Do I look okay?" the blonde asked, now unrecognisable as Miss Elizabeth Summers, daughter of Lady Joyce of Sunnydale, in her short black leather skirt, silky red top with the plunging neckline, knee high boots and her hair and make-up completely different to it's usual state.

"Buffy, you look awesome" Willow grinned as Buffy did the same, taking herself in in the full length mirror.

"I wish you could come with me" she frowned as she turned to her best friend, suddenly nervous and wishing the girl beside her was coming too.

"No, no, no" Willow shook her head and waved her hands in front of her to emphasise the strength of her negative response "Really not my scene"

"Not mine either" Buffy giggled, adjusting her outfit a little "but I have a good feeling about tonight"

"One question" Willow said slowly, almost afraid to ask and ruin her friends fun "if your family thinks you're going out with Angel how are you gonna get out in those clothes? And without him coming to pick you up?"

"Simple" Buffy smiled "long coat covers the clothes, Mum won't notice the hair since she was already half cut an hour ago, and I'll say we're meeting at the restaurant because Angel is running late" she explained "I can take the car and the driver can drop me outside of Luigi's and I'll send him home and then it's only a little way to the night clubs from there" she grinned in triumph and Willow couldn't help but smile too.

"You have this all planned, don't you?" she giggled.

"Yep" Buffy nodded "every last detail...more or less" she picked up her bag, hugged her best friend and headed for the door.

"Have fun Buffy" the red-head called behind her.

"Oh, I intend to" the blonde replied, closing the door behind her and speaking softly to herself as she made her way toward the stairs "Just this once, I plan to have the time of my life"

To Be Continued...