Chapter 3

The sound of voices woke Buffy early and she got out of the bed and looked outside through her balcony window. She saw Angel talking to the security guards. He was dressed and ready to go back to LA. He was telling the men to guard the house and she had the awful feeling that he would be keeping her here too.

She dressed in record time and went down the stairs. It was really important to stop him before he started to make further plans. For the past two years she had avoided him, now he was unavoidable. It was so frustrating.

As she started to walk to the front door, she saw the dinning-room door open and she went in.

"Excellent you are up! I wanted to talk to you before I left." Angel walked into the room and glanced at her before sitting. "The new guards have arrived for the day. The media is still camping outside, so don't leave the house."

"I don't want to go out today, but I can't stay here and hide. I owe my father..."

"You don't owe anything to him!" he interrupted her coldly. "From now on you make your own decisions. As for going out just wait a couple of days. I'll make a statement, and soon everything will be over."

Buffy took a deep breath and looked directly at him. "Okay, I'll stay in today. Tomorrow, though, I have to start looking for a place to live."

"You don't have to do that," he rasped. "You can stay in this house and you know that perfectly well!"

"I'm not staying here with you..." she began angrily and he interrupted her again, glancing at her sarcastically.

"I don't remember suggesting it. I have a 'lover' already, as you pointed out. For the time being I stay in my apartment. All you have to do is think straight and eat more."

"I have nothing to think about," Buffy snapped.

"I want to marry you, last night I gave you all the explanations you need. Until you make up your mind you'll stay here and I'll stay in L.A."

"I see," Buffy remarked. "You're offering the house as a grace and favor residence."

"Until I lose my patience or you're out of favor," he growled. "Meanwhile you're safe."

"What do you mean...safe?" Buffy raged. "You know I don't have any money to support this house. And I'm not letting you keep Jenny and me..."

"I've taken over all bills for this house for the simple reason that is 'my house'. Jenny will be paid as usual, by me. I'm prepared to keep you too. I can afford you easily."

Buffy jumped to storm out of the room, but he was on his feet and at her side before she could take one step.

"Sit down and eat," he order her sternly. "And stop this nonsense." He was standing looking down at her. "I intend to marry you Buffy, I fought for I wanted all my life and it wasn't easy, but it gets easier with practice, and believe me, I had a lot of it. Now I have everything I wanted but you."

"But why, Angel you're a successful man and believe me everyone knows it, it's like you're...you look like you're trying to prove something."

"Only to myself," he assured her softly. He moved towards the door and looked at her. "I know you don't want to marry me, that's plain obvious, now tell me Buffy, what are you planning to do? You have no qualifications. You never went to College. You're untrained in spite of your intelligence. What can you do other than grace a rich man's house?"

I hit Buffy hard, because it was almost true. Her father had discouraged all her job ideas and she loved him so much to contradict him.

"Do you own my car too?" she snapped as he was leaving. It annoyed him, because he turned with a very angry look on his face.

"I do not own your car! Nor your clothes or jewelry. The only reason I own anything at all is because your father wanted a deal."

"And I was part of it."

"Honey without you, there would have been no deal at all, buying things is easy. All you need in money. Buying people on the other way can be tricky." He looked at her exasperated. "Look I want to marry you and I'm willing to wait...for a time."

"Meanwhile, I have a home to live and no bills to pay." Buffy replied angrily.

"True, but as I said before, only for a time."

"Ok, then I'll make my own deal, if I can trust you to play fair."

"My reputation is well respected," she knew it was true. "What kind of deal do you have in mind, apart from your beautiful body?"

She gave him a hard look, two can play the same game. "You think I've been living my life protected from the real world, and you despise me for it, but still you want to marry me and keep me that way. Don't you? But you also said I owe nothing to my father and that I that I can make my own decisions. Am I right?"

If it hadn't been so important to her, she'd probably have backed down by the vicious look of his face.

"Go on." He slowly walked towards her, her resolve diminishing, she only had a couple of minutes to come with a very good idea.

"I want to be independent, I'm going to sell my car and my jewelry and rent a small apartment, stop growling Angel, I'm not quite finished. This is your house and you can move in, Jenny will stay here don't worry a..." Angel interrupted her forcefully.

"Buffy this is your house, listen carefully you are not going to move out." He growled.

"As I was saying, I'm going to need a job to support myself, so this is the deal, you are going to give a job in your company, if I can't manage on my own, I'll marry you immediately, but in the other hand if I'm successful, you'll set me free."

"Buffy, you don't have the skills to work in an office."

"I have some skills, sort of. I did a business course once and I got good grades. My dad never found out. He thought I was just going out..." her voice trailed at the speculative look.

"Deceiving daddy I see."

"Even though my skills are rusty I know more than you think."

"Ok, you have rusty office skills and no experience, only in deceiving daddy that is, but that hardly qualifies you for working with me."

"I don't want to work with you!" She knew if she'll work with him, he'll pester her every day. "There are other departments..."

"A deal is a deal, Buffy, if you fail you'll have to marry me."

"I said I would, didn't I? I have word, you know."