Author's Notes: Here's chapter 5! Okay, you may notice that there is a new pairing. It is Spike/Cordelia. I know, a little wild. But I kind of like it, and it really works in the story. Let me know what you guys think of this chapter. Thanks to Tara for helping me settle the Connor/Angel dilemma XD

Chapter 5: Teamwork

The next day, Buffy and Co were feeling pretty depressed. They had spent the night sleeping on the wet sand because no one had enough energy to start rebuilding the shelter. So then they had woken up this morning wet, dirty, and cranky, and had been sitting around for the last two hours arguing.

"You're the carpenter, why don't you bloody start!" Spike said from where he was lounging against a tree near Cordelia. Ever since the accident during the storm Spike had hardly left her side, and it didn't seem that Cordy minded that much. Her leg was doing okay; she couldn't stand up or move on her own, but the splint Willow had made seemed to be holding it together for the time being. But Buffy had a strong suspicion that the aspiring actress was in real pain and didn't want to admit it in front of Spike, whom she seemed quite fond of.

"Because I built the last shelter. Why don't you get up off your pale ass for a change?" Xander shot back.

"Whoa, chill out," Angel said nervously. "Arguing isn't helping. Why don't we all just get up and work together? Then it will go much faster."

Buffy stood up to support Angel. "That's a good idea." Connor, Dawn, and Giles also stood up.

Buffy stared at the others. "Come on guys. We need to work together."

Xander and Anya stood up grudgingly. Not to be outdone by Xander, Spike quickly joined them. Willow and Tara were off on a banana run, although they had been gone for a while, and Buffy had a strong suspicion that wasn't all they were doing. And Cordelia obviously couldn't help.

"All right, why don't you girls go get some materials for the roof, while we start on the frame," Xander said, switching into carpenter mode.

Dawn nodded, and headed off with Buffy and Anya. Meanwhile the guys started gathering logs for the base. Everyone was moving a little slow, but with a diet of bananas and coconuts for the past 3 days, how much could really be expected?

The three girls moved slowly through the woods, stopping to grab stuff that looked suitable for the shelter roof. "So Buffy, are you and Angel...like, you know," Dawn teased.

Buffy blushed. "Well so what if we are? You've been off 24/7 doing God knows what with his son."

Dawn squealed. "You are! That's so adorable. It's kind of romantic actually. 11 strangers stranded together, everyone falling in love..."

Buffy stopped. "Hold on a minute. Who said anything about love? We've only known each other for 72 hours!"

Dawn shrugged. "Whatever. But there's me and Connor, you and Angel, Willow and Tara-"

"Banana run my ass," Anya muttered.

"And now it looks like Spike and Cordy have a possible thing. Anya, what about you and Xander?" Dawn asked innocently.

Anya smiled slightly. "Well, he's sort of handsome. And the whole carpenter thing is very sexy. Let's hurry back in time to watch them get all sweaty," Anya said excitedly. Buffy and Dawn's thoughts immediately drifted to Angel and Connor dripping with sweat, and they began to move a little faster.

Meanwhile, things weren't going so well back at the beach. Just like the girls, the guys's conversation had switched to the romance on the island. It had all started when Spike had mentioned Connor's relationship with Dawn.

"So Connor, how's things with the little bit?" Spike asked. He smirked. "Had a little rendevous in the cave last night?"

Connor blushed. "That's none of your business."

Angel immediately stopped working and stared at his son, horrified. "Connor, you didn't! You've only known her for 72 hours! And my chances with Buffy will be gone if you get her sister pregnant out here!"

At that, Connor turned an even deeper shade of red. "Dad! We didn't. I would never. I respect Dawn," he said, glaring at Spike.

Angel relaxed slightly. "Good."

"What was that about your chances with Buffy? You know, I saw you guys sneak off to make out last night," Connor teased.

Now it was Angel's turn to blush. "Well at least we're not underage!" Spike chuckled. But it was actually bothering him quite a bit that Angel was with Buffy. He had come to like the girl, and it was no secret that she was beautiful. He glanced over at Cordelia. He would just have to settle for the next best thing. He smiled at her, and she waved back. Xander witnessed the little exchange and snorted.

"You really think you have a chance with her, Blondie?" Xander said to Spike.

Spike smirked. "More of a chance than you have with Miss Cannibals-are-Going-to-Eat-Us." Xander glared at Spike.

Giles raised an eyebrow, amused by the younger people. "Can we please continue this fine discussion later? We have a shelter to build."

Everyone reluctantly shut up, and got back to work. But they still continued to glare at each other when no one else was looking.

Willow giggled. "We really should get back now."

She and Tara were lying in the grass near the banana trees, kissing. Tara smiled. "Why? They probably don't even miss us." Willow noticed that the blonde girl didn't stutter when they were alone.

"Baby, I want to stay just as much as you do, but we don't want them to come looking for us." Willow stood up slowly.

Tara joined her reluctantly. "Okay." They began to gather some bananas. "I wonder if they started on the new shelter yet."

Willow laughed. "Knowing them, they're probably arguing again. It's kind of weird, you know. All of us being stranded out her together. Maybe it was destiny."

Tara smiled shyly. "It gave us the chance to get to know each other."

Willow grinned back. "And for that, I am grateful that we're trapped out here." Then they continued gathering bananas, enjoying each other's company.

When the girls got back to the beach, the shelter was coming along really well. The frame was mostly up, and the guys seemed to be getting along pretty well, which was a small miracle. "Looking good guys," Buffy said, admiring the sweat dripping off Angel's forehead.

"Almost done actually," Xander said, pounding one of the supports into the sand.

"We have the roof stuff," Dawn said, depositing her materials on the sand.

"Bananas, anyone?" Willow called. She and Tara were just arriving back.

Buffy frowned slightly. She turned to Dawn. "When we get home, I am never eating another banana ever again." Dawn nodded in agreement.

That night the group admired their new shelter. It was even better than the last one. Buffy felt a sense of pride. They had all come together to accomplish a lot in one day.

"Want to go for a walk?" Angel whispered in her ear.

Buffy smiled, remembering how their "walk" had been last night. She took his hand and they wandered off into the trees. Once they were hidden from the group, he kissed her passionately. She welcomed the kiss, enjoying the feel of his body so close to hers.

"Mmmmm..." she moaned softly. "This feels so good."

"I know," Angel muttered. They kissed some more.

"Having you here...it makes this whole shipwrecked thing not so bad," Buffy said, with a slight smile.

Angel smiled back. "I definitely agree." They sat down in the sand, still in each other's arms. It was a beautiful night, with a cool breeze blowing in from the ocean.

"You know, I realized that I don't know much about you," Buffy said.

Angel raised an eyebrow. "About as much as I know about you."

"Well let me tell you about me then. Then it's your turn," Buffy said. She paused a moment before beginning. "My name is Buffy Anne Summers. I'm 21 years old. I have a sister Dawn who is 16 and currently making out with your son." They both chuckled. "I attended Sunnydale High School for four years, in my lovely hometown which consists of not much more than one Starbucks and a movie theater. And a lot of cemeteries for some reason." She looked down slightly. " My dad walked out when we were little, and my mom died a year ago. So it's just been me and Dawn." She laughed. "I even resorted to flipping burgers at the Doublemeat Palace for a while just to make ends meet. But now I have a job at the high school as a counselor."

Angel smiled at her. "That sounds nice. Getting to help kids."

She smiled. "It is. And it's nice to be near Dawn. Although I'm sure she would tell you otherwise." She looked at him. "So tell me about yourself."

"Well, I was raised by my parents in LA. Until I was 18. Then they both died in a car accident."

Buffy looked at him, surprised. "I had no idea."

Angel nodded sadly. "After that I was pretty lost. I kind of wandered around for a while, staying with friends, working minimum wage jobs. Then everything changed one day when Connor walked in the door to the homeless shelter I was working at."

"He was 12 at the time. His biological parents were abusive, and he had run away to prevent himself from being put in foster care. I connected with him, and I tried to help him out. Let him stay with me, tried to take care of him. Eventually I decided to adopt him."

Buffy smiled. "That's so nice. I mean, I kind of figured out that he wasn't your son biologically, because you would have to be like, mid-thirties. How old are you, anyway?"

"24. After that, things got a lot better. We got a decent apartment, and I got a job working for a private investigator. His name was Wesley Windham Pryce. He was quite the man. But he died on the job 2 years after I started there. He left the business to me."

"Wow," Buffy said. "That definitely beats my life story."

Angel laughed. "If you were there, you would see it wasn't all that interesting."

Buffy paused. "Have you ever...been involved?"

Angel sighed. "Yes. When I was 18 I met a girl named Darla. We both thought it was love. She was all that held me down during the time after the accident when I was lost. But when I adopted Connor, she got jealous, and skipped town. Since then I've been single. Until now."

She grinned at him. "Same goes for me. I dated a guy named Riley during my first year of college. He was a TA, and we had some good times. But I never loved him. Eventually he figured that out and left, a few months before my mom died."

He pulled her close. "Maybe this can be a new beginning for both of us."

She relaxed against his shoulder. "Who knows. Maybe we can have it all. White picket fence, chubby little children, a dog."

He kissed the top of her head. "Let's get off this island first. I haven't found a white picket fence manufacturing company in the jungle yet." They stared at each other for a minute before cracking up.