Author's Notes: Glad you guys are enjoying the story. Let me quickly take this time to clear a few things up. The chapter beforehand was a prologue (or a literary exposition, whatever you want to call it lol). This chapter begins the story and is placed about 3 years after the prologue. Fear not my lovely readers, there will be gradual flashbacks of things that happened in the past (including the first meeting) in between chapters. Now since that's cleared up, onwards with the story!
Big gracious THANK YOUS to my super awesome reviewers: Korella May, Imzadi (BTW: hugs for the heads up on DK's spelling), Urangel, Piper- Envy2365, Snoopy, AngelRose03, Biscuit, and Skye-lark913!
"Oh, I-I-I don't know that w-we should be in here" Fred stuttered in a nervous hush, entering the empty office of her mother.
"Trust me sweetheart," Angelus told the trembling Texan, taking her tiny hand into his much larger one as he lead her into the darkened room. He snuck glances back and forth ensuring that it was indeed vacant, "This will be fun".
Once the pair slid quietly inside, Angelus gently close the door behind them leaving a soft click in the room's stillness.
"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Fred looked up apprehensively at Angelus, "We could go back to my house where it's not dark and we won't get in trouble. There are lots of fun things we can do there like Chinese checkers or how about Scrabble? Everybody loves scrabble..."
"Fred.", Angelus stated her name firmly as a parent would to their misbehaving child, in turn stopping the panicky babble in its tracks.
He gazed smolderingly into the pale eyes of the petite girl, instantly making all inhibitions that once filled Fred dissolve into a puddle of mush.
Angelus smiled to himself inside. Even when he died a hundred years from now, he knew if there was one thing he'd always be held in high esteem for was the way he could make any girl succumb to his will with just one of his trademark glances....well almost any girl.
Truth be told, he was getting reasonably irritated by the girl's incessant chattering and child-like mannerisms.
He honestly doubted if it was really worth bedding her if he had to put up with that annoying Texas accent for another second. No lay was worth his sanity. Yet he had to admit, the southern twang carried by her voice was cute at the beginning, but like everything about her, wore thin quickly.
He shook off the thought of just deserting the poor girl alone in the office, leaving her sprawled naked on her mother's expensive mahogany desk in a pool of her own heat, left wondering when her prince charming will return. Nah, he couldn't do that to the lovely craftsmanship of the desk he thought to himself, despite the hours of hilarious banter it would provide for casual parties.
"So whatcha wanna do?" Fred quivered still anxiously looking around as if something would pop up in the room to the catch the duo.
Angelus gave a devilish smile, "I was hoping you'd tell me."
Fred looked like a scared puppy against the towering manly frame of Angelus.
"Tell me Fred," Angelus cooed silkily into her ear, carefully brushing a stray piece of frizzy hair behind it, "Do you like ice cream?"
Fred looked slightly startled and surprise by his odd choice of questioning.
She just nodded slowly not quite sure what to say in this predicament, but the words quickly came to her. "I once ate a whole pint of rocky road. Boy, was my mom mad at me. She just kept yelling about how I was exploiting food as a substitute for the suppressed emotions I-
"Oh god, please stop" Angelus bit out forcefully cutting through Fred's meaningless ramble. There was only a certain level of punishment a man could take before he completely snaps and with Winifred Burkle that moment seemed to be coming sooner and sooner.
Fred shut up immediately at the harshness of his voice and the irritated look on his face. A scared demeanor crossed her features.
Angelus saw that and instantly softened his expression. If he was going to be getting the job done with Fred he couldn't use force or at least for now he couldn't. He needed her to feel comfortable with him.
Gently, he caressed the side of her arm in slow smooth motions till he felt her loosen up. "Well you know how on a hot summer day when you have a nice delicious ice cream cone that you just can't wait to...eat"
Fred blushed a bright a fiery red at his words unable to respond.
"And then it starts to melt down. You can't let it get everywhere so you have to lick up the smooth creamy-"
Fred gave a little hiccup at the uninhibited rawness of Angelus's words. She had never experience anything like this before. Being sheltered her entire life by her psychiatrist mother, she was lucky if she could even spend ten minutes alone with a boy in privacy. Now she had been with Angelus for what seemed like hours, experiencing too much too quickly. Her whole face was as red as a tomato and her wild curly hair was even more disheveled that usual.
Angelus scanned Fred's tousled appearance. He knew the young girl was giving in to the new alien sensations that were rushing into her at once.
"Just relax" he whispered before carefully leaning in grazing his lips against hers. Fred gave a little soft mew at the warm touch.
As not to overwhelm her with more than her little demeanor could handle, he gradually intensified the kiss, periodically letting his tongue give brief strokes to hers.
Angelus slowly pulled back from the kiss as Fred let out another mew in protest. Her swollen lips were trembling, longing achingly for the feel that befell upon them.
"Did you enjoy that, Fred?" he breathed huskily.
Fred simply nodded her head up and down vigorously hoping he'd continue with his ministrations.
"You want to know what could make this even better?"
She shook her head.
Angelus leaned in once again. Fred was ready opening her mouth ready for his, so it surprised her that this time he stopped just inches from her.
"Why'd ya stop?" Fred looked up at Angelus's face, her eyes urgently pleading for him to once again adjoin his lips onto hers.
Angelus feigned a look of deep thought before speaking, "Well sweetie, I just realized I did something for you and it wouldn't be fair if you didn't do anything for me would it?"
Fred paused; thinking about his words she then shook her head slowly.
"After all you wouldn't want to be selfish now. You want give as much as you get, right?"
Fred nodded.
"Good" Angelus smiled, "Now open up"
"As you can see Manchester Prep carries a vast curriculum. Our goal is to help develop Faith into a outstanding young woman", Buffy paused for emphasis and then gave a warm smile to the two ladies seated across from her, "We know the importance that is placed on females to be independent while remaining her social graces in our modern society. That is why Manchester will make sure that the future of tomorrow is educated firmly with the skills needed to turn into respectable figures today"
"That sounds wonderful, dear. Did you hear that Faith? Social Graces. If there is one thing I keep telling my Faith is that she needs to be more sociable."
"Yeah....whatever" Faith mumbled looking around at the grand elegance of the capacious room. She found herself to be paying more attention to the delicate Victorian study oozing the posh sophistication only upper Manhattan could offer, ignoring the monotonous conversation of faux giggles between her mother and class president Buffy Summers.
Both her mother and Buffy were dresses to kill, in black suits straight out of the runway, their fine hair delicately brushed and pinned up; not a single hair out of place. She imagined that they looked right out of a glossy picture from one of her father's high society living magazine or possible an issue of GQ. She was also aware how much she stood out like a sore thumb in her worn out cargo pants and faded tee.
"So Faith, your mother tells me that you are very anxious to begin your first semester here at Manchester" Buffy beamed a friendly smile over to the dark haired girl. Faith shifted uncomfortable against the silky cushion of the love seat at the sudden presence of Buffy's attention.
"I guess" Faith looked down, avoiding direct eye contact with the sugary blonde instead choosing to look at her twiddling thumbs.
"Do you have in mind any of the elective courses you plan on taking? I heard you enjoy cultural arts"
Faith moved on from her thumbs to toying with the few loose threads straying from hem of her shirt. "Then you heard wrong" she caustically muttered still trying to look like she was focused with the threads that were now really coming loose. Cheap fabric.
"Faith!" Mrs. Wilkins scolded her daughter as she blushed with embarrassment, "I'm so sorry Buffy. I have to apologize for my daughter. You see she's just upset about being taken out of St. Catherine's so abruptly and than having to have to move away from her father...", she tried to explain.
"It's alright Mrs. Wilkins. I understand transition is a hard thing and certainly not the easiest thing to go through especially during adolescence" Buffy gave a sympathetic look to Faith , "It's hard enough being a teen in a familiar environment, I couldn't possibly imagine how scared Faith must be, but I will be more than happy to show her around and help her adjust to Manchester. I'm sure she'll get familiar with it in no time. We have an extremely welcoming and didactic coed atmosphere."
"Coed?", Faith's head popped up instantly at the word, her voice taking a tone of interest for the first time since her arrival, "So you mean there's going to be boys?"
"Well of course."
"And it's not like they're split up in different campuses or anything, right?"
"Absolutely not, we at Manchester prep encourage the unity and working together with as many diverse people as possible. We know how necessary it is for the opposite sexes to cooperate in the future and we'd like to prepare our student for it as much as we can."
"Cool", Faith eyes perked up, suddenly seeing things in a different light. Manchester didn't seem quite so bad anymore.
Mrs. Wilkins frowned over the exchange between the two girls, "I actually believe that was one of the dissuading factors about this school" she mentioned matter of factly.
Buffy and Faith turned to look at Mrs. Wilkins who was seated plainly on the loveseat, a look of pride which came from her last words plastered on her face.
Buffy simply gave another warm smile, "I can assure you Mrs. Wilkins most of the boys at our school are respectable gentlemen. There are a few exceptions, however."
"You stepbrother for instance?", Mrs. Wilkins tactlessly questioned.
Buffy tried to stifle a laugh at the mention of Angelus, "I am very aware of my stepbrother, Angelus, and his... notorious reputation around our circle. Believe me, people like that don't get very far in life nor are they warmly received by most societies Faith and I shall be affiliated with."
"That is such a relief dear, I simply can't imagine how such a wild and unruly rascal can come from such a prestigious upbringing. And your poor mother! My heart goes out to Joyce, I don't know how she deals with that boy." Mrs. Wilkins shook her head disapprovingly.
"I'm sure she feels the same way, but I promise you have nothing to worry about." Buffy reassured Mrs. Wilkins who still looked hesitant.
As if right on cue, after the last word left Buffy's lips, the unmistakable sound of the large foyer door slamming resonated through the house followed by a familiar obnoxious masculine voice "Buffy! I'm home!"
"Speak of the devil"