Hey guys! I can't believe I have a hundred reviews for this… it's just. Well unimaginable. So consider this me sending out huge virtual hugs and thank-yous 'cos you really cheered me up. That doesn't mean I don't want to hear from you anymore though! So this is my present, A really long part… I almost split it into two, but I thought you guys deserved a long one.

Weasy

Part Twelve

//When happiness reigns supreme there will always be someone waiting to shove a spanner in the works…//

Bliss reined for a week and Buffy was curled up in Angel's arms on the sofa on his day off daydreaming about marrying him someday. Kat was with them, as she often was now, getting to know her brother again after their period of disillusionment. Angel was locked in a battle of chess with Giles while the television played re-runs of 'Friends' quietly in the background. As the volume on the television was suddenly cranked up and 'Farewell to the Past' filled her ears, Buffy turned to Kat who was gesticulating at the TV with the remote.

"You're on TV!" she squealed. Buffy blushed as she saw the familiar white opening scene of every Gap ad give way to herself and Lindsey practicing basic pas de deux. Checking her execution of the moves and critiqued her technique… full plies that led into a glissade… and then whipped into a pirouette in arabesque falling back to arabesque in fourth and pas de chat. As the piano section of the track kicked in the movements became faster and looser spinning in circles around each other. After twenty seconds of breakneck dance they slowed gracefully ending with a rond de jambe they collapsed onto each other panting for breath. The scene then cut to Buffy, Lindsey and Willow in the midst of their pillow fight in the coffee room.

"Didn't know that was part of the shoot." Giles remarked as he watched the cushions fly.

"Me neither." Buffy shrugged. "I guess there must've been a camera in there."

"A hidden camera?" Angel replied darkly, as the ad finished Gap live flashing across the screen.

She punched him in the gut. "It was the coffee room, for everyone - not a changing room, someone probably just left it their by mistake and they used it 'cos… why not. I don't mind - it works well."

"Umm," Giles agreed. "The fast movements against the slower sound it brings a sort of calmness, and yet urgency." He shook his head. "Who's this music by?"

"Einaudi – of course!" Kat cut in before Buffy could reply. "Buff's been going on about him for *days*."

Sticking out her tongue in response, "Well he's good. Besides you should be glad I like some classical music."

"Oh god yes!" Giles cheered. "It's better than that awful noise you usually torment me with."

"What was it Miss Calender said to you?" Buffy teased, "That you need to read something published after 1066?"

Before Giles could reply Angel shut Buffy up with a kiss, and Giles was promptly forced to clean his glasses.

Kat eyed him suspiciously. "Is *that* why you always do that? So you don't can't see what we're doing?"

"Uh, well…"

Kat rolled her eyes and curling her legs up under her grabbed the latest Vogue as she settled into the couch. Flicking through the first few pages she suddenly stopped double checking at the page as she skim read it, before laughing out loud with delight. Finally distracted from each other Buffy turned in Angel's lap to cock her head at Kat in curiosity.

"It's an interview with Lindsey." Kat explained… "Listen to this:

'Vogue: The last thing we saw you in was a Gap ad, what was your favourite part of that job?

Lindsey: Oh definitely working with Buffy, she's a lot of fun to be around." Buffy opened her mouth to say something in response but Kat just motioned for her to be quiet.

"'Vogue: So, are the rumours we've heard about you two hitting it off romantically - true?

Lindsey: It's true that I asked her out-'" This time it was Angel that moved to object but Buffy pressed a finger against his lips and moved forward to hear the rest. "'-But she said no. I suspect she has a yen for someone else anyway, though she denied it.'" Kat wiggled an eyebrow at Buffy and she laughed.

"It was you Angel." Buffy told her, pressing a light kiss to his lips before turning back to Kat. "What else does it say?"

"Uhm… there some stuff about the launch party… ohh! 'I met a girl there I hadn't seen in years, and I hope to see her again soon.' And when they ask him if it's a possible romance he says 'lets not jinx it.'" She sat up excitedly. "That's gotta be good right?"

"Kat… Please tell me you're not that girl." Angel sighed. "You know what Lindsey's like."

"I'm not a baby, Angel."

"Just… be careful okay? I don't want you to get hurt."

That night Angel was half-heartedly trying to clean his suite in a vague attempt to stop himself from running across the house and jumping in Buffy's bed. The suite itself was large, and situated at the eastern corner of the house with a sitting area leading into a separate sleeping area with an ensuite bathroom, and logically the sprawling rooms should have been a mess given his general laziness. But he'd hired a fleet of cleaners ages ago and all that was really left to do was to straighten some magazines Buffy had left on the coffee table before departing for bed. Which brought him straight back to Buffy. Collapsing on the sofa in defeat he stared out the windows and forced himself to try and recall the names of the star constellations he could see.

Hearing the tiniest creak behind him, his ears virtually pricked up in anticipation. Could it be…? Casually, moving his position so he could see the door behind him he was met by… "Spike!" He yelled, chucking a cushion at his intruder.

"Hey! What's that about mate?" He stepped back, full puppy-dog eyes in effect. "A man comes with an honest question and gets mistreated. I've got half a mind to leave."

"Go ahead." Angel shot back spinning back to face the windows again. Spike ignored him, and instead seated himself next to Angel on the couch.

"See, the thing is, you know Dru Whetherspoon…"

Angel finally turned back to him, one eyebrow raised, unable to comprehend what he was planning. "Yes…" He finally answered.

"And you know me…"

Angel stared at him.

"So I was thinking you could fix us up."

"Spike. She's married."

"Yeah, but…"

"Just shut up Spike."

"But-"

"Nuh-uh. Leave." Glaring at Spike with as much evil as he could muster… and given his present frustrations there was plenty of it, Spike finally backed out of the room.

Going back to his preoccupation Angel found he couldn't look at the stars in quite the same way and got up, running a hand through his hair decided he may as well have a shower before he went to bed.

He hadn't gone three steps before he heard the now familiar creak of the door. Not even turning to see who it was, he growled out "Go away." And moved to the bathroom.

He was frozen in his tracks by the tiny, "Okay," that greeted his request. Spinning around he was met by the blonde goddess his thoughts had been stuck on, turning to leave, practically sprinting across the room to reach her before she could leave he grabbed her elbow to spin her around.

"No. Don't… I mean. I thought you were Spike."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh."

"Not that you look like him or anything he was just here a moment ago and… okay. Will you please take the spade away from me before I dig and even bigger hole?"

She smiled at him, and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear toed the floor with one socked foot. Taking a moment to breathe in her appearance Angel almost lost his control, her hair was slightly mused and she wore one of his shirts and some socks… given the way that the shirt was flitting around her he suspected she wore little else. An odd tug of masculine pride filled him at the sight of her in his shirt, a mark of his possessiveness. "Why are you here?" He finally asked. "Are you okay? Do you need anything maybe? Or-"

"No." She finally cut him off. "Uhm… I was asleep… and then I woke up." Distractedly she started to walk around the room, running her fingers along the back of the couch then along a bookshelf. "Obviously." She muttered. Seeing the curtains still open she played with the fabric under her fingers. "Your curtains are open, heat loss… you should close them."

Surprised by her muddled behaviour, Angel moved to her side, slipping his hand over hers and moving her away from the curtains so the window framed them. "Baby, are you okay?" He asked again, quickly flicking his eyes over her to search for any visual cause of her distress.

"Confused." She finally answered, hooded eyes moving up to meet his, she pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"Why are you confused?" He tried again, determined not to be distracted until he found out what was wrong.

"It's, just… uhm. It's been a week since the first day there was nothing about us in the papers. And since then there's only been one tiny side-column and… and that means I have to leave. Go back with Mom to Sunnyhell."

"Don't you want to?" He finally asked voice guarded with hope.

"No." She smiled half-heartedly. "But I haven't got a lot of choice." Her eyes had began roaming around the room again, anything not to look at Angel.

"You don't… I mean. You could stay." He brought her eyes to his, with a finger under her chin. "If you wanted."

"I have to finish school, Angel." She reminded him.

"You could go with Kat, when she goes back next week." He suggested already an image of them living together forming in his mind.

"Hemery kicked me out remember?" she argued.

"And I'm their star pupil… I'm sure I could arrange something."

Her pacing stopped. "You really want me to live here?"

"More than anything." He met her lips in a soft sweet kiss. Coming up for air a flicker of doubt struck through him. "If you're sure, that there isn't anything you'd want to do instead."

She shook her head. "I never think about the future."

He cocked his head in surprise, "Not ever?"

"Angel, when I look into the future all I see is you. All I want is you." Voice cracking with feeling, Angel could do nothing but sweep his beloved up in a thousand kisses. With one hand in her hair and the other skimming the skin on her back over the shirt, he was lost in the feel of her, taste of her, smell of her wrapped around him in a luxurious package of pleasure so amazing he couldn't deny himself of it. When the silk of the shirt suddenly feel loose around his hand, he didn't notice at first letting it drop to the floor his hands instead roaming the satin smooth skin underneath. When reason finally made itself heard he pulled away panting heavily, and nuzzling the skin at her neck managed to form a sentence.

"Ionuin, We don't have to…"

"I want to."

When Buffy woke up the next morning Angel was smiling at her, feeling the silk of the sheets slip over her flesh she was reminded of the night before and blushed slightly. Angel was having none of that, and seized her lips in a bruising good morning kiss.

"How are you?" he whispered.

"Lil' bit sore." She shrugged. "but happy."

"Good." Running his hand over the curve of her hip he contemplated the advantages of morning sex, but eventually forwent it, anxious not to hurt Buffy given how new she was to such carnal delights. "Breakfast in bed?"

"Sounds yummy."

Getting up he pulled on his pants from where they'd been dropped on the floor the night before, Buffy propped herself up on her elbows and watched him dress bowled over by the grace of his every movement. "I'll get breakfast, you ring Kat and cancel all our plans for the day."

"And why should I do that? Shopping was sounding good."

"I'm sure I'll find some other way to entertain you." He replied a smirking at her from across the bed. Buffy collapsed back onto the pillows in defeat. Dropping a kiss to her forehead Angel left her to her own devices.

When he returned moments later Buffy was again dressed in one of his shirts sitting cross-legged on the bed and reading his battered first edition copy of 'Les Liasons Dangereuses'.

Gently setting the tray down on the bed, Angel nodded to the book. "I didn't know you could read French."

Buffy squinted at the pages for a moment more before dropping it back on the bed. "Well… I was trying. I guess French 101 missed some things out."

Laughing he offered her a plate stacked with toast. But her attention he gone, instead she was staring at the breakfast table, following her line of sight he noted the paper, but he'd glanced at that before throwing it on the tray this morning, nothing special there. "Buffy?"

One of her hands uncurled and picked up the paper, shaking it out as her horror struck eyes took it in. She shot of the bed. The unbalance knocked the jug of coffee over and it spilled over the bed and over the newspaper, quickly grabbing 'Les Liasons' and propping it on the bedside table out of harms way he grabbed the paper, and there it was. Peaking out through the running ink was a photograph, of himself and Buffy the night before by the window. The picture had been taken just at that moment when he had asked Buffy if she was sure, when she was naked and he not. The text had run and he couldn't tell what it might have read but the banner was still just about readable. To say it was crude was an understatement.

"Oh god…" he whispered.

Buffy stopped pacing by the bed and suddenly headed for the door. "I have to leave." She finally whispered.

"No." Jumping off the bed himself, he ran to follow her.

Spinning back to face him, she held up a hand to keep him away. "No! Please. Just let me go." Her voice cracked with emotion, a single tear crept down her cheek.

"Buffy. It's just a newspaper, it doesn't matter what they think." He tried, desperate to pull her into his arms but unable to guess what she might do.

"Yes it does! Because people believe what they think! And now where ever I go and whatever I do people are going to think I'm some… some whore who slept with you because you're famous."

Unable to reply, Angel watched her leave. A few moments later he slunk over to one of the front windows and watched as Buffy and her mother hugged Gunn and Giles goodbye, before climbing into the Buick. She saw him before she got into the car and she paused, eyes caught with his before turning away and leaving him forever. Angel bit back tears.

Before he could compose himself completely Kat bounded over to him, blinking away the sleep in her eyes she stared out the window next to him, and checked over the empty driveway. Frowning in confusion she touched Angel's shoulder lightly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He growled, turning away.

"Ahuh." She replied disbelieving, and casually inspected her nails. "How come Buffy called me from your extension this morning then."

Angel glared daggers at her, and for a moment Kat seriously considered backing off for fear of being murdered in her sleep given Angel's current mood, if she continued her line of questioning. "What happened?" She finally asked.

In response Angel just shoved the now tattered remains of the paper into her hands. Wrinkling her nose at it's battered state Kat scanned the first page until she noted the picture. "Ah." Opening the window she chucked the paper outside before turning back to Angel who had sunk to the floor, head in his hands. "Where's Buffy?"

"She left."

"So go and get her!"

He gave her a questioning look.

"For God's sake Angel, if I ever loved anyone half as much as you and Buffy love each other I wouldn't let some stupid newspaper get in the way. And if the guy wouldn't listen to reason, I'd tell him I loved him until he did understand." Pulling him to his feet she poked him in the stomach. "You guys are meant to be! What the hell are you doing moping here, when you should be demanding her back."

"I can't… not now. She was so upset… and it's all my fault."

//"At times like these continuing one's life seems impossible and eating the entire contents of one's fridge seems inevitable." – Bridget Jones//

Okay, not the most cheerful thank-you present, but there's still one more part!

Again a thousand thank-yous. If you want to get in touch with me please feel free to email me at halfevilkids@yahoo.co.uk or leave a review at ff.net.

Weasy