Chapter 6

Buffy groaned and rolled over on the bed. She felt her brain was hammering loudly, it sounded like bells. So this is what one called a hangover! She tried to think clearly. She remember drinking and dancing half the night in the Bronze. How had she got home? That was right, it was coming back to her now: Riley had brought her home.

"Oh, my God, my head...my stomach," Buffy groaned. Never again, her first and last hangover, she vowed. Then she realized the ringing she kept hearing was actually the telephone.

Reaching out her hand, she felt around the bedside table and knocked the receiver off; she groped a bit more and finally her hand closed around it. Slowly she lifted the receiver, and even more slowly forced her eyes open. She blinked in the bright sunlight filling the room. Faintly she could hear a voice calling.

"Buffy."

Dragging herself half up the bed, she rested on one elbow. "Yes," was all she could get out.

"So you are there. I was beginning to wonder if you had stayed out all night." Angel voice vibrated in her ear.

She had not, but he probably had, she thought with sudden clarity. "Do you know what time is it?" Buffy groaned. "It's only seven o'clock, for God's sake!"

Angel's lazy, amused chuckle rang in her ear. "How can you possible be still asleep on such a lovely day?"

"What do you want Angel?" She asked.

"You of course! but until that happy day arrives...you'll join me for dinner."

"No, I will not have dinner with you!"

"I'm really very nice when you get to know me!"

Buffy steeled herself against the dark, husky tones, which even down the phone had the effect to make her toes curl. "Yes, I remember reading about just how nice you are, I just have to ask Cordelia, for her opinion don't you think?"

"Now wait a minute, Cordelia...never mind...I'll pick you up at eight-thirty."

"No you don't."

"You're having dinner with me tonight. Or is it Riley the only one you go out with."

So he knew about her date. So what, she knew about all his women too.

"Angel I do not want to go out with you."

"Be ready and waiting, I don't want to have to force you."

Several hours later when the doorbell rang. She went to open the front door, pausing to glance at her reflection in the hall mirror. She was dressed in a simple black halter-neck dress, plain but sophisticated, she hoped.

The bell rang again. "Impatient bastard," she muttered, opening the door.

"I heard that, Buffy!" Angel looking dark, dangerous and incredibly attractive in a formal black suit, stared down at her, a cynical smile twisting his firm lips.

Inexplicably Buffy felt the color rise in her face. "Sorry," she mumbled, and immediately wanted to take the apology back. As she saw his eyes dance with a cynical delight.

And before she could say a word he hauled her into his arms and his mouth swooped down over hers.

She was too stunned to move. And after the first touch of his lips, so soft, so gentle, she found she didn't want to. He coaxed a response from her that she was helpless to deny.

A long moment later Angel lifted his head and stared down into her flushed, bemused face. "That is how I meant to greet you."

Angel moved and waited until she was outside, and then slid a strong arm around her waist. The light of mockery dancing in his dark eyes, he bent his head and murmured, "There, that wasn't so painful. Admit it Buffy," and he dropped a swift kiss on the top of her head.

The masculine scent of him assailed her nostrils and the heat from his hard body seemed to engulf her. His fingers apparently idly kneaded her waist, but tightened perceptibly when she tried to move away.

"Lighten up Buffy. I am simply escorting you to the car. You look none too steady on those ridiculously high heels."

Buffy had worn the shoes in the faint hope that Angel would not tower over her quite so much, no to give him the excuse to hold her. "They are not ridiculous, and I can walk by myself," she snapped back.

Suddenly it started to rain and they ran from the cover of the house to where Angel had parked his car, her haste to get out of the rain resulted a rather undignified struggle to access into the vehicle, which caused Angel to laugh out loud.

"Gracious as ever, I see." He continued to laugh at her obvious scowl. "Hungry?" He enquired as he steered the Mercedes smoothly down the road.

"Not really, Where are we going?"

"Wesley's place."

"Wesley's?"

"Why, don't you like him?"

"Of course I like Wesley. I'm just surprised, I had no idea you two where that close."

"You don't know many things about me, funny considering I know everything about you."

Buffy ignored the morose tone, and simply asked. "Is it far?"

"Not much. It looks like we're having a big storm coming."

Buffy shuddered and Angel turned to look at her. "I know how much you dislike storms, I promise to bring you back...Fuck!" Angel's sudden curse was flowed by a swift movement as he braked abruptly. As Buffy's eyes had been on him and not on the road she did not see the cat run into their way and was unprepared for the jolting halt which jerked her forward in her seat.

Angel's reaction was immediate. Still keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he flung the other in front of her, taking the full force of her forward movement and preventing her from hurting herself on the control panel. For a moment they stay like that, Buffy frozen, unable to move, then as she sat back in her seat again with a small, gasping sight, Angel guided the car to the side of the road.

"Are you all right?" He asked, his voice rough with concern.

"Yes, thanks to you." Her voice shook as she answered him.

"You're very white. Are you sure you weren't hurt?"

She shook her head. He was lighting a cigarette, his hands faintly unsteady as if reaction had set in with him too, but when he spoke his voice was rigidly controlled with a note of cold anger in it.

"It's your own fault. Why the hell didn't you fasten your seat-belt?"

"I didn't think," she said miserably.

"Do you ever?" He sighed, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Well, fasten it now, for God's sake."

He watched silently as she did so, then with a concern that she found insulting checked that the belt was secure before he was prepared to drive again.

Wesley's house was beautiful, as an architect he had designed it himself. And by the look of the house Buffy was certain he was a genius.

"Hello Buffy. I've been dying to meet you ever since Wesley said Angel had employed you. I'm sorry it took this long."

"Fred darling," Wesley reproved gently, "you're talking too much."

"I know!" Fred gave her husband's shoulder an affectionate pat and grinned at Buffy. "I always do."

"Hello gorgeous." Angel said seductively as he kissed Fred cheek.

"You're an impossible flirt!" Fred replied giving Angel a playful smile.

Buffy was taken aback, by the obvious deep affection between Fred and Angel.

"Buffy, would you like a drink?" Asked Fred.

"Yes, thank you." Buffy knew she sounded quiet and to judge from the hasty, questioning look he shot her, Angel thought so too, but thought it was from the earlier shock.

They had almost finished their meal when another guest arrived, Buffy looked up and saw Cordelia Chase. It wasn't difficult to understand why Angel liked her, she was driven by the same force. The will to succeed at all costs.

"Sweetheart!"

"Cordelia? I'd no idea you'll be here tonight." Angel looked at her surprised.

"I wasn't going to." She said glancing at Fred.

"Cordelia, why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Asked a bemused Fred. "Can I get you a drink?"

"If you don't mind. I can't stay long though. I only came to see Angel." Cordelia stated.

"How did you knew I was here?" asked Angel.

"I have my ways. I just had to tell you in person that I can make it tomorrow night after all. I was afraid you might have made other arrangements." She said looking at Buffy.

She had to admit that Cordelia was more glamorous and feminine than she had believed. Tonight she was dressed for Angel and looked it. There wasn't much doubt that all this was to remind Angel where he belonged.

"I haven't. I was about to ask Buffy."

"I heard about your father. What a scandal! I know the whole affair was quiet up, But..."

"Perhaps you could be quiet, Cordelia?" Angel suggested in a deceptively quiet voice. "Buffy is still grieving the loss of her father."

"I'm sorry," Cordelia murmured without remorse. "Angel told me he's looking after you, out of respect to your father."

Buffy saw red, he'd been discussing her with his lover!

"Angel is helping me get back to my feet. That's all."

Cordelia eyes were narrowed. "I never known him to be so friendly before, but then, you're a little vulnerable looking."

"That because of the great difference in our ages." Buffy said sweetly.

Angel simply smiled sarcastically, but Cordelia stiffened for an attack, hearing well the sharpness behind the sweetness. After that she ignored Buffy and concentrate all her energy on Angel.

Fred gave Buffy an apologetic smile. "You must forgive my sister, she is rather impertinent."

"Cordelia is your sister?" Asked Buffy surprised.

"Shocking isn't it." Wesley confessed. "They are completely different."

"My sister is not a bad person, she's just too...possessive." Fred said glancing towards her sister, who appeared to be engrossed with Angel, but all Buffy noticed was Angel's expression as he was looking at Cordelia...he was looking her like she was the most beautiful woman in the room. Fred oblivious to Buffy's grim thoughts added. "But you know family's got to stick together..."

Seeing them together like that was too much for Buffy, it hurt her a lot. Mistaking her hurtful look Fred quickly apologize. "I'm so stupid! Please Buffy forgive me, here I am talking about family when you're still grieving your father, the only family you had..."

Wesley intervened before his wife could do any more damage. "Hey, Fred didn't mean to upset you!" he sounded concerned. "We're so sorry. Have some wine and forget about it."

But as he raised the bottle to pour the wine Angel's hand was firmly over the top of Buffy's glass.

"She had enough," Angel said quietly.

Buffy was about to tell Wesley, that she'd had enough. When Angel interfered. Buffy was so furious, now apart from everything else he was going to make her decisions for her.

Rebelliously she pulled her glass from under his restraining hand and held her out to Wesley, glaring insolently at Angel as she did so. For a second their eyes locked at she felt alarmed at what she saw there, a cold fury that blazed in the chocolate depths.

"I would like some more wine, please," Buffy said firmly. Making sure that her voice remained steady and clear.

When her glass was full she raised it to her lips, praying that no one would see the way her hand was shaking, she took a long drink, and then wished she hadn't, with last night's hangover still fresh in her mind the room started to spin, she closed her eyes only to open them immediately when it made it worse. She looked at Angel, terrified that he might have seen her reaction, but he remained turned away from her, his attention concentrated once more in Cordelia.

Carefully Buffy set her glass down, but her control was not as complete as she had wished and it crashed against her plate, the noise drawing Angel's eyes to her quickly, a dark frown creasing the space between his eyebrows.

She tried to meet his dark eyes with a look that was both challenging and triumphant, but her smile faded before the frozen dislike that was printed on his face. Nervously she dropped her gaze to her plate, picking up her fork and pushing the food aimlessly round on it.

"It doesn't suit you," Angel said softly, so softly that only her could hear him.

"What doesn't?" Buffy muttered angrily, deliberately not looking at him.

"This woman of the world act." The dangerous note in his voice should have warned her, but she was past caring what he thought and her head came up sharply.

"It isn't an act!"

He raised a surprised and cynically questioning eyebrow and smiled, and she didn't like that smile, not one little bit.

"I see," he said dryly. "Forgive me, but I had a different impression of you. In that case," he went on, with a deceivingly silky intonation, "I hope this wine is to your taste. There's a good brandy to go with the coffee too, you should enjoy that."

Mentally Buffy quailed at the thought, but she had no intention on letting him see how she was feeling.

"I'm sure I will. Cheers!" She said carelessly.

For a moment she thought she had goaded Angel too far, when she saw his handsome features darken with fury, and when Angel moved forward she shrank back in her chair as if she was afraid he might strike her.

But he only pushed back his chair with a savage movement and stood up, thrusting his clenched fists into the pockets of his jacket as if he didn't trust himself not to use them, but amazingly he simply forced a smile to his hard mouth, and only Buffy recognized that I did not reach his eyes.

Cordelia looked at Buffy with triumph shinning in her eyes, she turned smiling sweetly at Angel. "I'm sorry but I have to leave you. I'm working in a new line of lingerie and have tons of work to do. Call me later and I'll give you a private display of my new lingerie." Cordelia drawled seductively.

Fred stood up and interrupted her sister, "We'll have coffee in the next time you're thinking of dropping by, call me first. If everyone else's ready we'll go in."

As the others left the room Buffy lingered at the table, not too sure whether her legs, which now felt like jelly, would support her if she stood up. She couldn't bear the thought of showing Angel he had been right when he'd said she'd had enough to drink. She hadn't drink that much, but her previous night was taking it's toll.

She looked down at her glass, still half full of wine, and the thought of swallowing any more of the wine disgusted her. Carefully, testing her legs, she got up and emptied the wine into a convenient plant pot before making her way to the garden, the empty glass dangling nonchalantly from fingers that were not quite as steady as she could have wished.

The glass patio doors were wide open, the sky was heavy with dark clouds. Remembering how Angel had predicted a storm, Buffy shuddered, thunder was something she couldn't cope with.

Angel was leaning across the back of one of the chairs, but he straightened up as Buffy came in, his eyes going to the empty wine glass in her hand, his expression darkening visibly. She didn't care what he thought. But all the same she felt a quiver of apprehension as she saw the way the muscles in his jaw tightened.

As she place her glass down she noticed another one, containing a generous amount of brandy, standing on a tray. As the others already had glasses in their hands she could only assume that the brandy was for her, she really disliked brandy and due to her current situation, she decided her best policy was simply ignore it and turned away.

"No brandy, Buffy?" Angel's voice was cool, his dark eyes, watchful eyes missing noting of her reaction. The taunted tone lit the spark of anger inside her once more, making her forget her earlier decision.

"Oh, is this mine?" She asked casually. "Thanks." Holding the glass gently as if afraid it might explode in her face, she moved to lean in the wood railing.

"This is life", sighed Wesley contentedly, leaning back in his chair and stretching his legs in front of him. "Peace and quiet, not a sound to be herd outside."

"It'll be noisy if this storm comes," Fred pointed out.

Buffy was lifting her brandy glass to her lips as Fred spoke, intending only to pretend to drink hopping to find the perfect time to dispose the brandy as she had done with the wine. But the talk of the storm agitated her so that, without thinking, she swallowed far more than she'd planned. The brandy burned the back of her throat and she choked, her eyes watering painfully.

"Are you all right, Buffy?" Angel asked tenderly.

She was beginning to feel harassed; she wished he would stop watching her all the time.

"Fine, thank you." She managed to say a little hoarsely.

"Take it steady, you're not used to it."

His advise was reasonable, but she felt resentful.

"If I want your advise I'll ask for it!" she snapped, without noticing Fred and Wesley astonished glances. Angel sighed in exasperation.

"For God's sake, will you grow up," he said irritability, his words fueled Buffy's anger. They were glaring at each other now, oblivious of anyone else.

"Don't talk to me like that!" Buffy shouted furiously. "You don't..."

"Buffy..." Angel began quietly, but if he said anything more she didn't hear it, the room had suddenly begun to sway alarmingly. Hastily she got to her feet, but that only made things so much worse. Through a blur she saw Angel expression change, saw the quick movement out of his chair. But he was too late Buffy started to fall, she knocked the back of her head with the wood rail.

Tbc...