Summary: Buffy and Angel's little talk in her bedroom is sweeter and fluffier when it goes my way.

Episode Rewritten: 'When She Was Bad', season two's premiere.

Author's Notes: I rewrote just the Buffy/Angel scenes of the episode, which means: the bedroom talk, the meeting on the Bronze and the mating dance with Xander (which was cool, but would be way cooler if it had been with Angel).

Spoilers: To 'Welcome To The Hellmouth'.

Rewriting The Love Story

Task #8 – Baby Steps Towards Love.

Buffy bolted awake, taken from peaceful slumber by a disturbing nightmare where the Master was trying to kill her. It didn't matter that Angel was watching her, and that she could feel him.

All right. And Giles and Willow were in love.

Okay, ewwwwwwww!

"Can I stay?" The vampire that plagued her dreams asked shyly. Buffy stared at him, tears filling her eyes.

"Oh, Angel!" She sobbed, hiding her face in her hands. Between one of her heartbeats, and the other, he was sitting next to her, and she was safely nestled in his embrace.

"What's wrong?" His voice was soft.

"He… He was strangling me! And they… They did nothing to stop him! They just sat there having a snack… I tried to suffocate him, but his face was a mask! And Giles was him… Him!"

"Who was Giles?" Angel's question was merely above a whisper. She looked at him; her eyes were silver gray and huge with betrayal.

"The Master! Giles was the Master!" She broke down in a fit of hysterical sobs, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. Angel awkwardly caressed her hair.

"It was a nightmare. Just that", he tried to soothe her, and skillfully changed the subject. "How did your summer go?"

"Slayer-free. I went to Los Angeles, stayed with my dad, saw my old fake friends… But, mostly…"

"I missed you", Angel blurted. Buffy widened her eyes and snuggled closer to him.

"I missed you too", she whispered. Their lips met on a sweet, gentle kiss but, before it grew passionate, Angel broke it.

"I better go", he whispered gently, lying her on her back. He was about to leave, when she asked:

"Come to the Bronze with me tomorrow night".

"Okay", he agreed and left. She snuggled deeper under her cover, a smile curving her lips.


The other night, Xander smiled widely when he saw Buffy walking in. She looked sexy on a short brown dress and high-heeled boots. His smile turned into a frown when he recognized with whom Buffy had come to the nightclub.

Willow smiled and, sighing romantically, waved at Buffy and Angel.

"What are you doing here, Dead Boy?" Xander asked harshly. Buffy glared at him.

"Angel is my date for tonight. Oh!" She exclaimed as she heard 'Sugar Water' starting to play. "I love this music!" She clapped happily and smiled at Angel. "You want to dance?" He half-smiled and nodded.

Xander fumed as Buffy led Angel to the dance floor.

"This must be a nightmare. Yes, that's it! I'll rub my eyes and I'll wake up. Ouch!" He yelped and glared at Willow, rubbing the sore spot where she had pinched him. "What was that?"

The redhead grinned, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

"You're awake. I pinched you, it hurt, you're awake".

"Yes, I must be. After all, he would never be in my dreams".

"Don't be a baby".


Later, Buffy and Angel walked together, hand-in-hand, after a blissful night of dancing and kissing. She stopped in front of her house and pulled him close to her. Angel pulled her into his coat, and she wrapped her arms around his trim waist.

"Come patrolling with me", she whispered.

"Are you sure?" He whispered back.

"If I'm asking you to come with me, of course I'm sure", she replied. He laughed, a throaty laugh that made Buffy's knees go wobbly.

"You remember I said I pictured you taller, with more muscles?" He asked.

"Yes. Why are you recalling this?"

"Well, because I come to like your style, Elizabeth Anne Summers", he kissed her softly. "I like your style very much".

"That's good, Angel", she whispered, laying her forehead in his. "Because I come to like your style as well. A little too cryptic, but good anyway".

They kissed.


The next night, Buffy knocked on Angel's door. He opened it, and she threw herself at him.

"Hey, hey", he said softly. "What's wrong?"

"I need your help", she whispered. "The Master's minions kidnapped Willow, Giles, Ms. Calendar and Cordelia. Please, Angel?" She pouted.

Angel leaned and kissed that pouty, lonely lip.

"Sure. That's what boyfriends do, right?"

Buffy looked up at him, with stars in her eyes.

"Boyfriend?" She asked. He looked down shyly, and she made him look at him. "I like that".

"So do I", he said, kissing her forehead.

THE END

Next In 'Rewriting The Love Story': 9 – Angel's Aspects: Angel is the one who gets the demon's aspect. But the aspect pleases Buffy. A whole lot.