Disclaimer: Do I look like a gay-straight bastard (with control issues and a bad haircut) that ruins everything? The answer is no...I do not.

Dedication: The standard =P.....And extra thanks to Liz...without her I'd have no idea where to start this...and I didn't..so..yeah =P

Distribution: Prolly on Liz's site when it's finished--this is her story after all =P

Summary: Now...I haven't done this and had a real one in a really long time.....and I'm not about to start up again now =).

AN: Thanks for reviewing.

AN 2: * means thoughts since italics don't work.





Soft, blue spotlights painted spirals on the floor. Buffy watched them play over the pale faces below as she shrugged off her leather jacket and made her way through the crowd to her favorite couch. She gasped as someone tugged on her purple, cotton-encased arm. "Fred?"

"All hyenas are German, you know," Fred's southern drawl reached her ears.

"Oh really," Buffy watched Fred walk away.

She shook her head and circled the room. She paused to watch a group of dark-haired teenagers play pool. The smoke, from what she hoped were cigarettes, filled the club. The rowdy truck drivers were getting wasted near a group of computer technicians from the building across the street, who were nursing beers and probably wondering why they never got dates. She laughed soundlessly at the thought of getting to break up a drunken fight. Arms enclosed around her waist, causing Buffy to jump slightly and her lips to curve into a smile. "I wondered where you were," she barely noticed the lights dim further.

"You should have known I'd be here..."

"Mmhmm," she snuggled deeper into his arms.

His lips brushed against her earlobe and she could feel his grin at her shiver. "What're you so happy about?"

"The effect I have on you."

She led him to the dance floor. The club patrons watched as the pair, who were usually either threatening each other or arguing, danced. She pressed her back against his chest and slowly moved her hips against him, slightly surprised when he moved with her. The feeling of pressure, of being crushed against him was enough to push away the slight feeling of deja vu she had. She moaned softly and turned around in his arms.

Her lips collided with his and she wove her fingers through his short, spiked hair and pulled him closer.

He ran his hands down her back and played with the hem of her shirt before lifting her slightly so she could feel how much he wanted her despite the crowd. She sighed and melted into his arms. He pulled back.

"Angelus," she whined and tried to pull him back down.

"Not here."

"Where?"

He pulled her out towards the door.

The night air felt oddly cold against her slightly damp skin and she shivered. He noticed and took off his leather jacket. "You look cold."

She accepted it, "Just a little."

He pulled her closer to him and stared down at her.

"Well, what *do* we have here?"

Buffy and Angelus turned to see the kids that had tried to assault Spike and Ryan the other night. This time they were accompanied by a tall man with a big nose and greasy blond hair.

"Riley," Angel gritted through his teeth as if the man's name were a fouler word than it already was.

"Angelus," he tried to smirk but failed miserably.

"So, are you here for a reason or did your mother just ask you to babysit the junior rodents so you wouldn't molest Bessy?"

"Who's Bessy?"

"His cow," Buffy's brow furrowed in confusion.

"An English person has a cow?"

"Funny...there's this terrible rumor going around that your boys were bothering my brother and his."

"No, not bothering. Informing."

"Informing," Riley inquired and gave Angelus a look.

"Yeah, and we had a few words. Like 'good' and 'you should have done more to 'em'."

"Well, I suppose threatening *them* won't cause any reaction. So, I'll just hurt your girl," Riley sighed and took the gun from his brother's pocket. "Sorry to have to do this to something so pretty," he gave her an appreciative once-over.

Angelus pushed Buffy behind him before the sound of the gun firing registered. The image of birds scattering from trees like in the cartoons flashed through her mind. *What's he doing?*

Buffy sat up with a start, panted and sighed in relief when she recognized her room. She wiped beads of sweat from her forehead. Her mind replayed the dream. "That moron," she muttered. "Even in dreams he's annoying."

Willow came running in. "What's going on?"

"What're you doing here?"

"I stayed over remember? And these walls are really thin if I can hear you, so you might not want to have Angelus over."

"Why would I do that," Buffy felt the blush creepy across her face.

"I heard you call out."

"Oh...I had a nightmare about him."

Willow smiled. "What happened?"

"He kissed me," she glared.

"Yeah...sounds awful," she agreed and tried to hide her smirk.

"Go away," Buffy threw her pillow and missed.

"Right then, g'night," she ran out.

****

Angelus had had enough. He'd been moping because of *her* for far too long.

"You need to forget the bitch," Paul, the group's brains, informed him.

"You know what? You're right! I need to forget the bitch," he slurred and tried to stand.

Paul took in his drunken slouch, bloodshot eyes, and sallow skin, "You look like shit man," he commented in an ever-tactful voice.

"No wonder we're friends."

"Well, who else isn't afraid to tell you the truth," Paul defended.

"Paul, my boy, you're right! I can't let some prick tease get me down...or up," he laughed at his innuendo.

"That wasn't funny," Paul's dark eyes stared at him.

"Yeah well...says you."

****

Piper spent most of her time at her own house, a few miles from the sisters. She was the only member of the group that didn't physically participate in the violence, but that didn't mean her hands were clean. When they had destroyed Cordelia Chase, the bitch at their school, she'd been the mastermind. The beauty queen hadn't known what was heading her way when she walked onto the stage of the school's auditorium and was suddenly covered in maple syrup from carefully fixed hair to overpriced shoes. Of course, the big surprise had come when the principal informed her that she was out of the running for prom queen because of a "scandal" involving her and the entire soccer team. The team had been all too willing to help demolish her reputation.

She chuckled at the memory and pushed a lock of red hair behind her ear. Now, they wanted her to find a brilliant way to ruin Angelus. Of course, he had no shame so the scandal idea was out.

She walked over to the fridge and searched for a can of Dr. Pepper. She had a long night ahead of her.



****

He watched the "plotter" from behind the rose bushes in her yard. Of all the people to be in a gang, he thought and shook his head. He couldn't make out the details of her face but he knew her dark blue eyes, porcelain complexion and naturally red mouth from memory. To him she was prettier than the Piper on "Charmed" but that was just because he had a thing for redheads.

He knew he should be watching the blonde right now instead but he could always catch her at the club. After all, wasn't the girl that plotted more important at the moment than the one that enforced?

***

TBC.......Reviews are great. They keep my creative wheels from rusting over...and Liz wouldn't have to do so much work.

Liz: Please people, please give reviews!! Stacie worked so hard...and I'm losing lots of sleep {it's worth it though...well, kinda.}

She really said that :\..so..you should all listen :)