Thank you for all the reviews! I can't take credit for the song at the beginning - it was written by Savage Garden. For all the people reading this, I have a dilemna. Do I keep Riley as a nice guy, or do I give him a bad guy part in the fic? Read and you will see what I mean. Please leave your answers in reviews, and the next chapter will be up as soon as you give me an opinion! I have two different plot bunnies hopping through my head, so tell me and one of them will be allowed to escape!
Angel strained to listen to the snippets of conversation weaving their way through the window towards his perch in a tree near Buffy's dorm room. He knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but when he'd climbed up the tree after following her back from a pretty tough battle with a Fyarl demon – purely to make sure she got back safely and was okay, of course – he saw her talking to Riley and he was so annoyed that he stuck around, mostly to keep him from storming in there and ripping Riley to shreds. And from the look of their conversation, Buffy seemed upset - tense. So he stayed to try and find out what the boy had done to annoy her – after all, any excuse to go after him… Sadly, he could hardly hear what was going on. However, when Riley stood up to leave, Angel saw him pull Buffy into and embrace, and, disgusted, Angel dropped silently from his perch to the ground below and stalked off. That 'boy' would never touch Buffy again soon, once Angel put his plan into action. Now to figure out what that plan was…
Buffy pushed Riley away. "Riley, I'm glad you're not taking this badly. And I do want to be friends, it's just it's a little soon, you know? I'm not trying to push you away – well, literally I just did, I know, but I mean emotionally. I just want some time, ok?"
"Sure Buffy. I understand. Take all the time you need. Just remember, I'm here for you, okay? If you change your mind, great. But if not, I'm here as a friend."
"Thanks Riley."
Buffy leaned against the closed door and sighed. She'd hated doing that to Riley – she did genuinely care about him, possibly even loved him. But it was like comparing puppy love to a bone-deep, heart wrenching, eternal, I-would-die-for-you kind of love. The problem was, she knew that she'd never feel that way about anyone else. Angel didn't know, but she knew the significance of the scar on her neck. He'd downplayed it when she asked him why it hadn't healed, but she researched it in some of Giles' books. He had marked her as his. Even near death, with her pounding him into drinking, he'd known that she wasn't just prey. He had marked her as his mate, and vampires mated for life. All the Slayer lore she had read indicated the same thing, as well. While it was rare, the few Slayers that did take partners tended to only ever have the one, and in most cases had reacted very badly to the loss of the partner, with one ending in the Slayer committing suicide, most ending in prolonged depression often leading to an even earlier death, and one particularly memorable case ending with the Slayer killing her Watcher and three other people before she killed herself. So Buffy knew that, with the loss of her mate, she wouldn't ever get the "sunshine and picnics and children" that he had left her for. Ironic, really. She just wished she hadn't hurt Riley. He was a sweet guy, who liked her. And in another world, where she was just Buffy, no supernatural attachments, it probably would have worked. Just her luck she had to be in this one.
Angel surveyed the mansion on Crawford Street. He still had his apartment, although after what had happened there, especially Angelus' comments to Buffy, he hadn't gone back. But the mansion, on the other hand… Well, it could do with some work, but that wouldn't take long, especially if he called in a couple of favours. He was going to place himself firmly back into Buffy's life, and hopefully her heart, and he would start here. When he had found out he had his soul permanently, courtesy of the Powers, he hadn't told Buffy. How would he? "I know I left you because I couldn't give you children and sunlight and picnics, but now we can screw so that makes it okay?" Or "I know that I tore up your heart, but hey, I just found out I can have sex with you again?" Then he found out about Riley, and he couldn't tell her when she was there because he thought she had found someone who could give her the picnics and the sunlight. But now that he knew the truth, he was grateful to the Powers for giving him a reason to live – well, not live – again. And he would get his mate back. He just needed the right… persuasion.
See what I mean? Now, doI keep Riley as a nice, supportive character, or do I make him cause problems? I'm not sure! Press the little review button to let me know your thoughts...