They had been reading for almost half an hour when Cordelia and Xander walked into the room yelling at each other. "I can't believe you and I thought we could spend a whole day together Xander Harris."
Xander sighed and stopped in the middle of the room, "Maybe we thought that because we actually used to date it would be easier to be nice to each other but nope, you still have that controlling attitude."
Cordelia shook her head, "Oh no way you are putting today on me."
"You started it."
Cordelia was gripping her purse like her life depended on it, "You threw that first spoonfull!"
Angel and Wesley were enticed by the argument but Angel finally stood and interrupted, "Guys! Calm down. What happened?"
Xander was quick to answer first, "Cordelia got us kicked out of a resteraunt."
Cordelia slugged him with her purse, "No, you got us kicked out of the resteraunt."
Xander turned to face her again, "You're the one who started yelling."
Cordelia nodded, "Yeah, but you're the immature one who yelled food fight before retaliating."
Before Xander could say his come back Wesley stood and closed his book, "Please calm down children."
Xander and Cordelia glared at each other for a few seconds before sighing and turning towards Angel and Wesley. After another couple of seconds that felt like hours had passed Xander finally spoke, "What are you guys doing?"
Wesley answered him, "Research."
Cordelia looked around the hotel, "Where is everybody?"
Angel answered her, "Buffy thought it was best that Conner and Dawn go shopping, Fred and Gunn are out on a date and we thought you two were spending the day together."
"Where's buffy?"
Wesley pointed to the kitchen, "She's cooking."
Xander shook his head and kicked the air, "Why would you let her do that? Oh god I hope she doesn't make a thanksgiving Dinner. I hope you guys don't have a lot of food to cook." He glared at Angel now, "How did you manage to piss her off this time?"
Angel tried to look insulted but instead went speechless. Wesley answered for him, "There was a small argument about Buffyworld."
Xander shook his head and started walking toward the kitchen, "Oh no, you two better hope she didn't choose to try and incorporate everything you have stocked int he kitchen."
In seconds he was gone and Cordelia sighed, "You know when we were dating I used to be so jealous of how fast he would run to Buffy's side and lengths he would go to just to make her smile but now..." After seeing the looks on both guys faces she sighed, "...I'm still jealous."
She shook her head and Wesley sat back down, "I wouldn't worry about it. The buffy and Xander relationship is only one of friendship, believe me I know."
Angel looked curious now, "How do you know?"
Wesley shrugged, "I just know."
Cordelia looked a little inquisitive now, "You wouldn't happen to want more then a friendship with buffy would you?"
Wesley slammed his book shut, "Cordelia please!"
Cordelia threw her hands up and justified her statement, "Well, you two have been auwfully close. The second she showed up you two were chatty and secretive."
Wesley was already annoyed, "You're highly underestimating the watcher/slayer relationship."
Angel started getting a little squirmy from being jealous as he realized Cordy had been right. Wesley and his slayer were getting a little close and now he was suddenly very interested int he rest of this conversation. Cordelia also defenitely didn't believe him, "Yeah right. Giles was always her actual watcher Wesley, and plus it's not like you two were ever close."
Wesley stared Cordelia in the eye now, "Sometimes people grow up Cordelia, you should try it sometime. Also Giles hasn't been in her life for a while."
Cordelia didn't have time to be insulted because they were interrupted by Xander pushing Buffy out of the kitchen. "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO COOK?"
Buffy sighed and pushed Xander away, "I was bored."
Xander still looked annoyed, "You were about to cook fries, maccaroni and cheese only to add to the already made concoction of your on the stove. You Buffy Summers are good at a lot of things but you have to face the fact that you miss, do not know how to cook in proportion!"
"I do so know how to cook in proportion."
Xander grabbed Buffy by the shoulders, "Are you kidding? You admitted to always cooking for too many people last week. Normally you don't even like to cook. Now what set you off?"
Buffy glared at Angel who was avoiding her gaze, "Nothing set me off. I guess it was just my immature ways."
Angel eyed her again, "I did not mean to call you immature but now that you mention it, you are acting a little..."
Xander sighed, "Don't finish that sentence."
Wesley shook his head, "You are now screwed."
Even Cordelia added her piece, "Should think before you talk."
Before Angel could process their statements buffy turned fully to face him obviously mad, "Oh no, I am so not acting immature. How could you even..."
Xander stepped in front of her, "No Buffy, you are not going to say something you are going to whine about later. You are going to walk away with me and pre-occupy yourself by calling Giles. He has to talk to you about Willow and he thinks he knows what's going on with the dead girls."
Buffy glared at Angel for a few more seconds before walking to the lobby desk for the phone. Xander turned around to face Angel when Buffy was out of sight, "Do you know which apology you're going to use this time?"
Angel shook his head and watched Xander walk away towards Buffy. Wesley looked over to him, "Well I'd answer his question if you want to talk to her again."
-At The Lobby Desk-
Buffy had dialed the number and was waiting for Giles to answer. It took three rings until the slayer ehard a farmiliar voice, "Hello."
"Giles, hey. It's Buffy."
Giles sounded pleased, "Hello. I've been waiting for your call."
Buffy shrugged, "There's a lot going on here."
"I would think so. Xander filled me in earlier. I may have a solution but I don't know all the facts yet."
Buffy threw herself up on the desk, "Wesley and I might have found one too but it's far-fetched."
Giles hid his envy, "That's great."
"So what did you find?"
Giles stuttered, "N...Not a lot. I...Uh...think it's best to wait until I know the facts. My urgency is Willow though."
Buffy was instantly worried, "What's wrong? Did something happen to her?"
"No, nothing like that. Earlier today she saw the hellmouth opening."
Buffy shook her head, "You've got to be kidding me. Upon everything else we have going on I have to deal with the Hellmouth."
Giles tried to calm her down, "Buffy, you're strong, I know you can handle it. Are you almost finished in L.A?"
Buffy nodded and sighed, "Yeah. We just have to talk to Drusilla and pending her answers we go home tomorrow or in a few weeks. I'm starting to think we should just take Dru to Sunnydale with us."
"Good plan."
Buffy got tot he real question now, "So, is Willow coming home now?"
"Yes actually. I take it I get a plane ticket to Sunnydale then?"
Buffy nodded, "You'd be right. Tell her I love her, I look forward to seeing her and I'll fill you in on all the details when I can."
Giles agreed, "Alright buffy. I'll talk to you later."
"Goodbye Giles."
Both phone lines clicked and Buffy stood like a statue. Xander looked a little worried, "Buffy, you okay?"
Buffy stared at him with a scary cold face, "Every single night I see another potential die..." Her voice got louder as she continued, "...Drusilla is messing with my mind..." Angel, Wesley and Cordelia started to make their way towards the freaking Buffy, "...My best friend is coming home and we don't know how to act around her, Spike is apparently insane in a basement, The hellmouth is going to open yet again and the worst part is we have absolutely nothing! This world is so going to end."
Xander grabbed her shoulder, "Listen to me Buffy, It's not going to end. There's a lot to handle sure but we have been through so much more then this."
Buffy sounded just as stern and loud as before, "Not all at once Xander. You know I hate to ask for any kind of help or admit that I'm not strong enough but I can't do this alone."
Xander actually smiled behind Buffy at Angel, "You're not alone this time Buffy, You never were. I just need you to calm down and we'll work this out."
Buffy nodded and slowly her tension decreased. She turned around to face Angel and didn't give anyone a chance to comment on her breakdown, "The hellmouth is going to open. Willow felt it."
Cordelia sighed, "Jesus."
Buffy didn't let her go on and continued to stare at Angel. She rolled both her hand sinto tight fists to show she obviously didn't like what she was about to do. "Willow's on her way back to Sunnydale so we have to be there in the next three days."
Angel understodo what she was asking but Wesley didn't, "What about Drusilla?"
Buffy finished speaking to Angel, "I wouldn't ask if I didn't need to but could you come back to Sunnydale with me...with us? I need your help and I'll never be able to get Dru to come back by myself."
Cordelia was already on the 'NO' side, "Are you kidding? We can't just pick up and go. I mean we have lives here and we have reasons to stay."
Wesley shook his head and couldn't believe Cordelia's insensetivity but he understood her jealousy as he smiled and spoke up, "I'm in."
Buffy nodded but she wasn't curious about Wesley because she knew whatever Angel said everyone would follow. Angel was having trouble dealing with the hurt he was feeling from the fact that he didn't know why it was so hard for Buffy to ask him for help. He always told her and made it obvious he was there for her even if they weren't together but it was suddenly becoming painfully clear how much he had hurt her the day he left. He didn't mean to make it seem like he never wanted to see her again, he didn't mean to make it seem like he wanted out of her life forever and he defenitely didn't mean to make the love of his life think that he wouldn't help her in the worst of times.
Despite his confused feelings for both woman he needed Buffy to believe that just because they weren't together, it didn't mean she couldn't depend on him so he finally spoke the answer buffy was hoping for, "Of course I'll go."
Cordelia stood in shick, "Are you kidding?"
Angel turned away from Buffy to talk to Cordelia while the slayer turned to face anywhere but at the developing romance of Cordelia and Angel, "Cordy, I understand that you don't want to go back but the world could end a few ways and that's what really matters."
Cordelia fell for the guilt trip, "Fine, but our trip is as short as posisble."
Buffy felt a pinch of pain because she actually believed that's the only reason Angel was coming to help her; the world was going to end, not because he promised he'd always be there, not because he promised she could always ask him for help and not because of their obvious history. It was at that moment Buffy thought he had made his choice. She didn't much feel like hanging around the 'happy couple' so she focussed on something else.
Buffy moved her attention to being a slayer like she always did when she hated this reality, "You guys should research. I'll be in the training room thinking up an approach plan for tonight.
Angel looked over to the slayer, "You want some company, I'm not in the mood for reading."
Buffy threw up her hand instantly, "No." She calmed down a little, "I like to work out by myself." She turned towards Xander, "You tell me when Dawn get's back, I need to talk to her."
Xander nodded, "You got it Buffster."
Buffy fake smiled, "Good. Now, get ready to go back home, we leave tonight."
Xander put a hand on her shoulder and bent into whisper in her ear, "Calm down, it will never last." He then walked away, making his way upstairs to the room he had slept in. Buffy then stared at Wesley, Angel and Cordelia, "You guys should get ready too. Don't page Gunn and Fred yet, they deserve some couple fun. After you're ready then research as much as you can. once we hit the road all research waits until we get home. Understand?"
Nods went around and Wesley smiled, "I'll be back then."
Buffy nodded, "Then, I'll be in the training room."
Buffy then walked off in her own direction leaving Angel to stare awkwardly at Cordelia and then suddenly turn his gaze towards the path Buffy use to exit the conversation. Cordelia sighed, "Looks like we've got some reading to do."
Angel couldn't leave buffy so obviously upset so he tried to be as nice to Cordelia as posisble, "Why don't you go home and get packed, I'll do the same and we'll meet back here."
Cordelia knew what he was going to do but she played stupid, "Sounds like a plan."
They watched each other until Cordelia was out of the building and then suddenly Angel's smile turned into a look of confusion. He took off in the same direction buffy did knowing they were in for one of the big soap opera talks.
A/N - This is it guys, the next chapter begins with the Emotional, soap opera, teary eyed oh my god I need a kleenex conversation between buffy and Angel. God I love writing those! You might not need a kleenex or cry but you get the point. Anyway I hope you like the next chapter!