**

CHAPTER SIX

Buffy and Angel sat nestled together, hands roaming freely, passionately kissing. Grass and hay covered them, getting in their clothing and creases, but neither cared. Both were just glad to be in each other's company.

Buffy couldn't remember a time when she felt like this. A thousand hours with William couldn't even compare to a minute with Angel. She was set to marry William, but with the new development in her relationship with Angel… she'd have to fix that. Things looked grim, she'd admit that, but she'd find a way. No way was she going to get married to William the Bloody now.

Angel wasn't feeling much different. He wondered why they had wasted so much time…dancing with each other. Like a sword fight, thrusting and parrying but never hitting anything. Angel was glad they finally connected. He loved the feeling of her in his arms, how right it felt, how…true.

"Liam!" a voice yelled, sounding more than irritated. "LIAM!" the voice cried, the annoyance increasing.

Angel and Buffy untangled themselves quickly, standing a few feet away from each other as the owner of the voice came into view. Rupert Giles was distressed.

Liam was scheduled to fight Riley and he had not shown up. Giles was quite worried. The usually responsible Liam was missing; no one had seen him since early this morning. Although Giles rationalized that Liam was almost a grown man and could take care of himself, the young man was almost a son to him and he couldn't help but worry.

So he had set off to look for him, searching through the village as quickly as possible. Riley still had to be evaluated, and Giles was missing a fighter. He came to a clearing in the woods, and Giles could almost laugh at the scene before him. If he wasn't so furious, that is.

"Liam!" Giles yelled at the young man, a sheepish grin covering Liam's face.

"Hi Giles," Liam said, his grin expanding. Buffy shifted over to Angel, halfway hiding her body behind his. Giles eyes widened at the sight of the girl, it being so uncharacteristic of Liam. Not the fact he had a girl, because even Giles had told him to slow down and date a little less. The fact that he had neglected his duties for her. What was happening?, Giles wondered.

"Liam," Giles said, readying himself to discipline the young man. The girl stepped out from behind him, causing Rupert's eyes to widen. The figure cast her eyes downward, but Giles could tell immediately who it was. The Princess Elizabeth of Buffonia was with a lowly peasant!

"Princess," Giles bowed, somewhat taken aback by the whole scene. He knew Liam and the princess had a relationship, but he didn't know exactly what that relationship was. He had watched them years ago, Elizabeth still but a young girl, and they seemed the best of friends. Now, several years later, both had matured, and it seemed their relationship had changed. This was bad on many levels, thought Giles.

So many levels.

They could never be together, Giles rationalized; it would be too hard. It should be stopped immediately, before the relationship could progress any further. He didn't know it was a lost cause. But even more importantly, was the destiny of one Elizabeth of Buffonia.

Besides the fact he was a lowly peasant, the Slayer could not have a boyfriend. The Slayer had to be alone.

Always alone.

Liam couldn't be around when Elizabeth was officially called for her sacred duty. It had to be just him and Elizabeth, together as she was introduced to her calling. Giles saw a perfect opportunity present itself; the princess was right here in front of him.

"Liam! Go to my chambers! Riley is waiting. Princess, please come with us," he said, an element of false sternness coloring his voice.

Buffy glanced worriedly at her Angel, who in turn, smiled back at her. "Don't worry about him. He's faking it. He's not mad, he just making himself sound like a commander," he whispered to her so Giles couldn't hear. Buffy sighed in relief, and gently squeezed their entwined hands. Angel brought her hand up to kiss it, which he did gently.

Giles harrumphed from in front of them, all to aware of the scene behind him.

This relationship would have to be fixed. Later, Giles vowed. Now he had a fighter to evaluate.

"Quickly," he told the lagging pair, the exasperation clear in his voice. Elizabeth and Liam picked up their pace so they were side by side with Giles. Liam attempted contact.

"Giles," he said probingly, wondering if the old man truly was mad. Giles turned to Liam, his face a cold mask, but his eyes betrayed him. In them, there was the familiar element of warmth, not anger. "Later," Giles said plainly, ending the conversation. The obligatory explanation would have to wait, Liam guessed. Oh well, he thought, he wasn't too happy about having to explain himself to begin with, and if a potentially embarrassing conversation could be put off for a while, so be it.

The group reached the cottage soon after, their quickened pace causing them to cover more distance. Buffy was surprised that Giles could walk that fast and not be out of breath, not be puffing and panting as she was. Giles hair was graying, betraying his age. She had known Giles since she was a young child; he was good friend of her mother, Queen Joyce. He would often come around to the castle, but Buffy had hardly talked to him. She respected the old man, knew his story, but she really didn't know him.

Giles stopped them just outside the door and prevented them from entering. "We all have much to talk about," he said, eyeing the pair, "but later. Liam you are to fight Riley, while myself and the Princess watch. And Princess-" he paused until he was sure he had her complete attention, "for now, you're not a Princess. You're just a normal peasant girl, invited by Liam. Riley mustn't know about you."

Elizabeth nodded quickly, showing her understanding. "For now, your name isn't Elizabeth. It's…" he paused, trying to think up a name. Liam interrupted, "Buffy. Call her Buffy," he said, eliciting a grin from Elizabeth.

Buffy smiled widely at Giles look of confusion. "Okay, if that's is the name you want..." he said, perplexed, "that's certainly an interesting choice…" He should his head, deciding to not think about it.

Liam laughed silently. Buffy was certainly an interesting name; he knew that when he chose it for Elizabeth. S he had also questioned the name, until Liam explained its origin. Elizabeth was the Princess of Buffonia. Buffonia- Buffy. She looked at him strangely, not really liking the name in the beginning. That when she started talking up to calling him 'Angel.'

Buffy remembered the lovingly called 'naming fiasco' quite well. 'Angel' came about, not only because she thought it was true, but because of the added bonus of making him mad. Hey, she thought, he named me something as ridiculous as 'Buffy.' Payback. She grinned even wider.

Liam opened the door of the cottage, holding it open for Giles and Buffy, before he closed it and entered himself. Riley was sitting like the lumbering oaf he was. There was no excess of brainpower in Riley's case, thought Liam smugly. He was jus a bully; he couldn't even read. Not that it mattered, really. Liam could read and write in several languages, but none of that mattered when it came to the military. It was just fight, kill, and destroy in the Royal Buffonian Army.

Buffy gasped at the young man already inside the room. It was the one whom she knocked over the market! Said young man quickly got up to his feet and stood at attention, waiting for Giles to speak.

Riley was stunned. He stood out of reflex, overwhelmed by the girl before him. It was the blonde… goddess from the market! He puffed out his chest, in an attempt to look manlier.

The two fighters each took up their swords and bowed to each other, and Buffy laughed at both's extreme reluctance to do so. Pure contempt was written over each of their faces as they exchanged blows, neither winning nor losing for a long time. Giles noted every thrust and swing in his mind, making his evaluation.

Suddenly, Liam lunged towards Riley, catching him off guard. He disarmed him quickly, throwing Riley's sword across the room, just as Giles had taught him to do. Giles rose from his seat while Buffy clapped politely from her chair.

"Thank you, Riley, Liam. That was most enlightening. I'll have your evaluation by the end of the week," he told Riley, who moved to exit the cottage, but not before casting one last glance at the girl from the market.

She was standing a little to close to Liam for Riley's comfort. To his dismay, the pair leaned in closer together and kissed gently. Fires of fury burned in Riley's eyes, his anger increasing with every passing second.

Buffy and Liam were content kissing one another, but broke it off quickly because of their surroundings. They were in the boy's master's house, after all. There were better places to continue those types of activities. "Angel," Buffy whispered, "Let's get out of here." Angel fervently agreed, and the pair tried to escape unnoticed; Giles was dismissing Riley.

But Giles was no fool; he could see them out of the corner of his eye. No way was he going to let them go, with all the stuff they had to talk about.

"Oh, Buffy, Liam? Stay here. I do believe we have to have a conversation," he said pleasantly. Regardless of his tone, the statement had its desired affect. The pair froze near the doorway, a pang of dread filling both their stomachs. They did not want to have a 'conversation' with Giles.

Riley's ears perked up at the name of the girl. It sounded so… interesting. Exotic.

Buffy.

He liked the sound it made when it rolled off the tongue. Buffy, he said again in his mind, Buffy.

Riley looked at Liam and Buffy, his jealousy rising. He wanted the girl. He vowed that this was one contest that Liam would not win.

**

END CHAPTER SIX

A/N- Bit of a long chapter for me. I tried to bash Riley as much as possible w/o sounding like a pure bashing fic. Yes, donna has Season 4 issues. No, donna does not need anger management about Riley. I swear! The lamp broke on its own!! It did! Don't look at me like that. It did.

Yes, yes. Denial girl. ::resigned sigh::. Anyway, review!!!!!!! REVIEW, REVIEW, AND REVIEW!!!!!!!!

Next chapter- The dreaded 'conversation' and Buffy is introduced to her calling.