Buffy woke with a pounding feeling in her head. She got up and looked
into the mirror. There were two small welts on her face, barely visible to
the naked eyes, but to Angel, it was plenty visible. She heard a knock on
her window. "Great." She mumbled. She quickly covered her face with her
hair and went over to see Angel at the window. She opened the window and
let him in. "Shhhh." She told him.
"What's with the 'shhhh'ing?" He asked at a whisper.
"My dad's home."
"So?" He asked sitting on her bed.
Buffy went to the door and locked it. She turned around and faced him. "When I got home my dad said some bull shit about us not seeing each other anymore." She told him.
"Why?" He asked.
"He just doesn't like you." She said sitting next to him on the bed pouting.
"Buffy, it's more then that. What's wrong?" He said moving her hair from her face.
Buffy winced and pulled away.
"Buffy what's wrong?" He said, then he noticed the two welts on her face. "Did he do this to you?" He asked angrily.
Buffy winced at his tone but didn't say anything. She didn't have to, he knew the answer already.
"Come on." He said grabbing her hand. "You're coming to my house, and then we're going to the hospital to get that check out, then to the police." He said moving toward the window.
"No Angel. I don't need to go to the hospital, I'm fine. And I won't go to the police." She said stopping him and pulling her hand from his.
"Why not?"
"Why not what?" She asked.
"Why wont you go to the hospital and police station?" He asked.
"I hate hospitals, you know that. Plus slayer healing will have this taken care of by sunset. I wont go to the police because there isn't anything they can do." She said moving around her room, trying to keep herself busy.
"Of course there's something they can do." He argued.
"Like what Angel? Arrest him? My dad has more then enough money for bail." She said.
"What about the courts. They can change the arrangement. You wont ever have to stay with your father again." He said.
"Angel, think! Don't you think my mother and I have thought of that already?" She asked. "We tried all that, but my dad has to much pull in this damn city. All the charges we threw his way, he got rid of." She said standing right in front of him.
"Buffy you can't just stay here." He said.
"I can't just leave either." She said. "Listen don't worry. Next year, I'll be 17, at which point I won't have to come back to stay with my dad. I'll legally be able to make my own decisions." She said. "I can survive the rest of the summer with him." She took his face into her hands and looked him in the eyes. " I'll be fine. I'm the slayer after all." She said with a smile.
"Buffy this isn't cute." He said pulling away. "I don't want you to get hurt. Especially because of me."
"Angel, this isn't your fault." She said. "I defied my father, not you."
"Yeah but you did it because of me."
"I did it because I hate when he tries to run my life." She said.
Angel sat on the bed and looked at Buffy. "I don't want anything to happen to you." He said softly.
Buffy sat down next to him, taking his hands in hers. "Nothing will happen to me. I can handle Hank." She said. "Maybe you should go. I'll go over there once Hank's asleep." She said.
"Okay." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and a hug, then got up. "I'll talk to you later." He said. "Love you."
"Love you too." She said sweetly as he climbed out of her window.
Later that Night
Buffy heard Hank go to his room and shut the door. It had been a long day cooped up with Hank. After Angel left, she went and took a shower that is when he made it clear that she was not to go outside. After breakfast, she went upstairs and read a magazine, wrote a card to Willow, and one to her mother. How she was going to send them was another problem. Being locked up in her own, wait no, her 'fathers' home, was too much to deal with. She decided that if she could sneak out to see Angel later, she would ask him to mail them for her.
Buffy waited a while until she was positive Hank had fallen asleep and then locked her door and climbed out the window. She snuck out and went to Angel's, window. He had left it opened for her. Buffy smiled and climbed in. "Angel?" She called as she entered his room.
"Hey." He said as he entered his room from the shower. He was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, and beads of water were dripping down his chest. Buffy checked out his body for a moment and looked up at him. "Hey." She said as she sat down on the bed.
"You okay?" He asked as he went to his dresser and pulled out a pair of boxers and a wife beater.
"Peachy. Hank had me held up in the house all day, and tomorrow I get to go to work with him, if I'm all healed up." She said in a fake cheery voice.
"Why do you have to go to work with him tomorrow?" He asked pulling his wife beater over his head.
"Because he says that if he leaves me here alone he knows I'll see you." She said flopping backwards onto the bed.
"Sorry." He said flopping down next to her.
"For what?" She asked lifting her head to look at him.
"Your dad is doing this because of me Buffy, don't you think I should be sorry?" He said looking at her honestly confused.
"No I don't think there's anything to be sorry for." She said sitting up all the way. "Angel, it's not your fault my dad is being an ass hole about this." She said.
Angel pulled Buffy on top of him and kissed her head. "I love you, you know that right?"
Buffy nodded against his chest. "Yeah. I know." She whispered. She looked up at him. "Can you do me a favor?" She asked.
"Sure, what is it?"
"Can you mail something out for me?"
"Sure where is it?" He asked.
"In my back pocket."
Angel reached over, grabbed the papers from her back pocket, and placed them on the nightstand next to his bed. "No problem. I will mail them out tomorrow afternoon. Who they for?"
"One's for Willow and the gang and the other's for my mom." She said yawning.
"Oh. Tired" He asked as he ran his hands through her hair.
"Yeah." She started to get up. "I should go." She said as she climbed off him.
"Why?"
"I'm beat Angel."
Angel climbed out of bed. "Then stay here" Buffy looked at him "Oh yeah. Sorry."
"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow." She said kissing him on the cheek before heading out the room.
The Next Morning
Buffy woke up at the sound of pounding on her door. "Buffy! Wake up!" Hank yelled from behind the door. Buffy rose from her bed and opened the door ready for him to do something.
"Why was the door locked?" Hank asked angrily.
"Because I didn't feel like being beat in my sleep." She snapped. Hank raised his hand to hit her and Buffy blocked it.
Hank just looked at her in total shock. "How dare you?"
"How dare I what, defend myself?" She shot back. "I suggest you stop hitting me." She said seriously.
"Our what? What are you going to do to me little girl?" He said mockingly.
"You'd be surprised what I could do. I've taken on guys, much larger and stronger then you'll ever be." She said as she shoved him back into the hall and slammed her door in his face.
Buffy turned around and grabbed her bag, shoving clothes into it, along with some slaying gear and her money. She turned around and climbed out the window, taking one last look at her childhood home.
"What's with the 'shhhh'ing?" He asked at a whisper.
"My dad's home."
"So?" He asked sitting on her bed.
Buffy went to the door and locked it. She turned around and faced him. "When I got home my dad said some bull shit about us not seeing each other anymore." She told him.
"Why?" He asked.
"He just doesn't like you." She said sitting next to him on the bed pouting.
"Buffy, it's more then that. What's wrong?" He said moving her hair from her face.
Buffy winced and pulled away.
"Buffy what's wrong?" He said, then he noticed the two welts on her face. "Did he do this to you?" He asked angrily.
Buffy winced at his tone but didn't say anything. She didn't have to, he knew the answer already.
"Come on." He said grabbing her hand. "You're coming to my house, and then we're going to the hospital to get that check out, then to the police." He said moving toward the window.
"No Angel. I don't need to go to the hospital, I'm fine. And I won't go to the police." She said stopping him and pulling her hand from his.
"Why not?"
"Why not what?" She asked.
"Why wont you go to the hospital and police station?" He asked.
"I hate hospitals, you know that. Plus slayer healing will have this taken care of by sunset. I wont go to the police because there isn't anything they can do." She said moving around her room, trying to keep herself busy.
"Of course there's something they can do." He argued.
"Like what Angel? Arrest him? My dad has more then enough money for bail." She said.
"What about the courts. They can change the arrangement. You wont ever have to stay with your father again." He said.
"Angel, think! Don't you think my mother and I have thought of that already?" She asked. "We tried all that, but my dad has to much pull in this damn city. All the charges we threw his way, he got rid of." She said standing right in front of him.
"Buffy you can't just stay here." He said.
"I can't just leave either." She said. "Listen don't worry. Next year, I'll be 17, at which point I won't have to come back to stay with my dad. I'll legally be able to make my own decisions." She said. "I can survive the rest of the summer with him." She took his face into her hands and looked him in the eyes. " I'll be fine. I'm the slayer after all." She said with a smile.
"Buffy this isn't cute." He said pulling away. "I don't want you to get hurt. Especially because of me."
"Angel, this isn't your fault." She said. "I defied my father, not you."
"Yeah but you did it because of me."
"I did it because I hate when he tries to run my life." She said.
Angel sat on the bed and looked at Buffy. "I don't want anything to happen to you." He said softly.
Buffy sat down next to him, taking his hands in hers. "Nothing will happen to me. I can handle Hank." She said. "Maybe you should go. I'll go over there once Hank's asleep." She said.
"Okay." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and a hug, then got up. "I'll talk to you later." He said. "Love you."
"Love you too." She said sweetly as he climbed out of her window.
Later that Night
Buffy heard Hank go to his room and shut the door. It had been a long day cooped up with Hank. After Angel left, she went and took a shower that is when he made it clear that she was not to go outside. After breakfast, she went upstairs and read a magazine, wrote a card to Willow, and one to her mother. How she was going to send them was another problem. Being locked up in her own, wait no, her 'fathers' home, was too much to deal with. She decided that if she could sneak out to see Angel later, she would ask him to mail them for her.
Buffy waited a while until she was positive Hank had fallen asleep and then locked her door and climbed out the window. She snuck out and went to Angel's, window. He had left it opened for her. Buffy smiled and climbed in. "Angel?" She called as she entered his room.
"Hey." He said as he entered his room from the shower. He was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, and beads of water were dripping down his chest. Buffy checked out his body for a moment and looked up at him. "Hey." She said as she sat down on the bed.
"You okay?" He asked as he went to his dresser and pulled out a pair of boxers and a wife beater.
"Peachy. Hank had me held up in the house all day, and tomorrow I get to go to work with him, if I'm all healed up." She said in a fake cheery voice.
"Why do you have to go to work with him tomorrow?" He asked pulling his wife beater over his head.
"Because he says that if he leaves me here alone he knows I'll see you." She said flopping backwards onto the bed.
"Sorry." He said flopping down next to her.
"For what?" She asked lifting her head to look at him.
"Your dad is doing this because of me Buffy, don't you think I should be sorry?" He said looking at her honestly confused.
"No I don't think there's anything to be sorry for." She said sitting up all the way. "Angel, it's not your fault my dad is being an ass hole about this." She said.
Angel pulled Buffy on top of him and kissed her head. "I love you, you know that right?"
Buffy nodded against his chest. "Yeah. I know." She whispered. She looked up at him. "Can you do me a favor?" She asked.
"Sure, what is it?"
"Can you mail something out for me?"
"Sure where is it?" He asked.
"In my back pocket."
Angel reached over, grabbed the papers from her back pocket, and placed them on the nightstand next to his bed. "No problem. I will mail them out tomorrow afternoon. Who they for?"
"One's for Willow and the gang and the other's for my mom." She said yawning.
"Oh. Tired" He asked as he ran his hands through her hair.
"Yeah." She started to get up. "I should go." She said as she climbed off him.
"Why?"
"I'm beat Angel."
Angel climbed out of bed. "Then stay here" Buffy looked at him "Oh yeah. Sorry."
"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow." She said kissing him on the cheek before heading out the room.
The Next Morning
Buffy woke up at the sound of pounding on her door. "Buffy! Wake up!" Hank yelled from behind the door. Buffy rose from her bed and opened the door ready for him to do something.
"Why was the door locked?" Hank asked angrily.
"Because I didn't feel like being beat in my sleep." She snapped. Hank raised his hand to hit her and Buffy blocked it.
Hank just looked at her in total shock. "How dare you?"
"How dare I what, defend myself?" She shot back. "I suggest you stop hitting me." She said seriously.
"Our what? What are you going to do to me little girl?" He said mockingly.
"You'd be surprised what I could do. I've taken on guys, much larger and stronger then you'll ever be." She said as she shoved him back into the hall and slammed her door in his face.
Buffy turned around and grabbed her bag, shoving clothes into it, along with some slaying gear and her money. She turned around and climbed out the window, taking one last look at her childhood home.