Chapter 17

Buffy woke up in the morning and looked at Spike, who was still sound asleep. She smiled at how adorable he looked and placed a kiss on his forehead. She then got out of bed and headed downstairs. She walked into the kitchen to see that Angel was there drinking a cup of coffee. He looked up at her and gave her a small smile. She smiled back as she sat down across from him. They were both quiet, until Angel spoke up. "How are you doing?" Buffy shrugged at his question.

"I'm good, could have been worse." Angel agreed and felt angry again when he thought about what could have happened to her.

"I'll kill him for this." He stated in a low tone and Buffy looked at him with concern.

"No, you won't. That's not you, Angel. I'm sure Lindsey will get what's coming to him. What's the deal with you two anyway?" She wondered and Angel took a deep breath before he answered her.

"He blamed me for taking his girlfriend. Darla was with him for a few months, when he started to hit her. We were friends and she came to me for help. I promised that I would protect her and she told me that she would leave him. I wanted to go with her, but she said she could do it herself. She came back to me hours after that, with bruises and cuts on her face. The bastard beat on her when she tried to end things with him. Lindsey must have caught us together. He has always had something against me. I swear, I had no idea he would come after you. I'm so sorry, Buffy." He finished in a quiet voice and Buffy placed her hand over his.

"It wasn't your fault, Angel. You couldn't have known." Angel nodded and had tears in his eyes as he gave her hand a squeeze.

"I love you, kid." He said and Buffy gave him a smile.

"I love you, too." She replied as she hugged him. "You're the best guy I know, Angel. I couldn't have asked for a better brother." She whispered and that made Angel hold on to her tighter. His little sister was his whole world. He couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her. They pulled apart after a few seconds and Buffy gave him another smile. "So, are you and Darla dating? You never mentioned her before." She said changing the subject and Angel smiled as he wiped his eyes.

"Yeah, we've been seeing each other for a few weeks now. Who knew the whole thing with Lindsey would have brought us closer." Buffy shrugged and was happy that her brother found someone.

"You should bring her by some time. I'm sure mom would love to meet her and I would love to meet the girl that's crazy enough to date you." She said in a teasing tone and Angel ruffled her hair.

"If there's hope for you, then there's hope for anyone." He stated and she smacked him lightly on the arm. "I would love to bring her here though. She has been saying that she wanted to meet my family. She saw your picture in my room and she thinks you're very pretty." Buffy smiled at that.

"I like her already." Angel rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you do, but you'll end up liking her even more after you meet." He told her and Buffy agreed.

"I bet I will." They were both quiet after that. Spike then walked into the kitchen, wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

"Hey, it's no fun for a bloke to wake up alone." He said when he noticed Angel there. "Not that we did anything, just sleeping." Spike commented and Buffy laughed at the look on his face.

"It's okay, Will. He gets it." Spike sighed in relief and Angel smiled.

"I'm just surprised you survived in the same bed with this one." Angel said as he pointed at Buffy. "She's a kicker." Buffy smacked him on the head.

"I'm so not, buddy. You have me confused with someone else." Spike smiled at the banter between the two siblings.

"Now that you mention it. I do wonder how I ended up on the floor in the middle of the night." Spike stated in a teasing tone and Buffy turned her gaze on him.

"Great, so now you're both ganging up on me. I'm really feeling the love right now." She said with a pout and both men rolled their eyes. Angel then stood up.

"I'll be heading back to school soon. I think I could at least spare a few days though, just to make sure that everything's okay. I have to pick up some stuff, be back in a couple of hours." He said as he placed a kiss on the top of Buffy's head. "Be careful, alright?" He told her.

"You know me." She replied.

"Yeah, that's what worries me." Angel commented as Buffy rolled her eyes this time. He walked over to Spike and patted him on the back. "It was nice to meet you, man. Take care of her." He stated and Spike nodded.

"You don't have to worry about that." Angel saw the look in Spike's eyes and knew that his sister was in good hands. He gave Buffy one more smile before he walked away. Spike then walked over to Buffy and sat down next to her. "Your brother seems like a decent bloke." He said and Buffy smiled.

"Yeah, he's the best." Spike could tell how close Buffy was with Angel. He always wanted a brother or sister of his own. He was very lonely being an only child. All he had was his little cousin in England, but it wasn't the same. He doesn't even get to see her much. He lost his parents in a car accident years ago and felt even more alone when he had to move to a strange place to live with his uncle. He looked at Buffy, who was sitting next to him and drinking her coffee. He then had a smile on his face as he realized that moving to Sunnydale was the best thing that ever happened to him. He wouldn't change it for the world.