Summary: It's 1968 and Angel has found a moment of perfect happiness. Just what it means for Buffy remains to be seen. Not happy with the title, so this may change. Will take place at the beginning of Buffy/Season 2, but will deviate from original story line. Almost totally AU. Buffy/Angelus

Disclaimers: Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon own it all. I'm just doing this for fun, and hopefully entertainment

Thanks to all of youwho reviewed, your positive input helps to inspire!

The Bronze was in full swing when Buffy and Angelus entered for the second time, only now they were together. Angelus held her hand as they made their way through the throng of people. Buffy was both comforted and discomfited with this physical connection. He had been right, she did feel something. She had been feeling it for days, even before they had met. But she was also conscious of how quickly this was happening. Too quickly. This wasn't like her and with the little she knew of Angel, she was very sure it wasn't like him. Her thoughts kept coming back to all she had lost in the matter of a day and what she had possibly gained. Was this destiny? After all, the life of a slayer was very short. Perhaps whatever powers that guided her destiny had brought them together? Naw, why too metaphysical and deep for a sixteen year old girl. So, not metaphysical, just physical. She was at that age when her hormones were going absolutely whack and he was just the kind of guy to take that to the nth degree. Now, what his excuse was? She couldn't even hazard a guess.

He had to smile at her. She was looking at him and practically telegraphing all her thoughts and doubts. All the demons knew he was having his own. But he was also sure that whatever had brought them together on the Hellmouth was taking both of them in the direction they had to go and he knew he could convince her of it. Destiny was the key word here, and they were destined to be together. Just as she was destined to help him totally fuck Spike and Dru.

"She's a redhead, right?" Angelus asked.

"Yeah, and she's wearing a blue sweater with a cute little white cat on it."

With his height, he caught sight of Willow's head bobbing up and down in rhythm to the music. "I see her." He led Buffy to her two friends.

Willow's mouth gaped as the beautiful man - no boy here - stopped in front of her and gave her the sexiest smile she had ever seen in her short time on earth. When she saw Buffy step out from behind him, her mind clicked and she gave them both the best Willow smile she had. Still holding hands, as Willow took note of, Buffy stepped closer to talk to her best friend.

Xander also took note of the man with Buffy. He didn't like him. When Angelus finally let go of her hand, his arm went around her waist and he held her a bit too closely as far as Xander was concerned. Who was this guy? And what business did he have being so tall and so good looking? And old! The guy was old. Had to be in his 20s. He continued to frown, lost in his jealousy.

Angelus had sensed his animosity almost immediately and his first instinct was to reach over with his one unoccupied hand and snap his neck. But he could tell his slayer had no reaction to the boy. He'd let it ride for now. If the boy became a hindrance to his cause, well in Sunnydale the death of a teenage boy was to be expected.

"Xander! Hello…earth to Xander." Buffy was impatient to leave and was having a hard enough time concentrating with Angel so close to her, rubbing small circles on her back.

With a start, Xander finally responded. "Yeah, what? Who's he?"

Willow frowned. "Jeez Xander, rude much? Have you heard a word that Buffy's said?" She looked back at the couple before her, then looking right at Angelus. "You must be the hero, right?" She had this sweet, shy smile on her face.

It had been awhile since Angelus had spent this much time around so many humans. And this one was a delectable morsel. So open, so trusting, so innocent. In the old days, a perfect candidate for pure corruption and breakage. It almost made his mouth water. Then he felt the warmth of Buffy beneath his cold hand. The erratic beat of her heart, the shallowness of her breath, each time he moved a bit closer. No, he didn't need that sort of complication right now. He needed to focus all his energy on Buffy. And on Spike and Drusilla.

"Hero, huh?" He smiled down at Buffy as he pulled her just a bit closer. She looked up at him and pulled out of his embrace. She was in front of her friends, she didn't want to have to explain something to them she couldn't explain to herself. Angelus chuckled at her and let her have her way, this time.

She felt her face getting hot and knew she was blushing. Willow was so going to pay for that. "I just told Will how you save mom, she filled in the rest." Looking hard at Willow, "Right?"

"Well, yeah. I mean you saved Mrs. Summers. That seems pretty hero-like to me."

"So anyway, Xand. Are you listening? Can you come over to Giles tomorrow and help with some research?" Buffy was so not in the mood for his jealousy.

He finally roused himself. "Yeah, sure. What time?"

Willow spoke up. "Oh, I know. Let's make it around one and I'll raid my parents 'fridge. We have all sorts of sugary goodness. They feel they have to make up to me for being gone so much of the time, so they substitute their presence with tons of junk food." She looked over at Angelus. "Do you have any favorites? I could, you know, swing by the store or something. Like if you'd prefer something more adultish. Brie, um…bridge mix?" Willow knew the rambling had begun, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. He made her uncomfortable and uncomfortable made her nervous and nervous made her ramble.

Angelus graced her with a priceless smile. "Thanks for the thought Willow, but I'm on a high protein, high iron liquid diet. I'm not even sure I can make it over quite so early. But I appreciate the consideration." He rubbed Buffy's back, sending shivers to every part of her body. "Shall we be going?"

Xander finally spoke up. "You have to leave? Where are you going? Together. And does your mom know about it?"

She lookedover at Willowand rolled her eyes. "Yes. We have some people to talk to about a demon; I'll tell you about it tomorrow. And Xander, just what is your defect?"

"Oh Buffy, you know Xander." Willow spoke up. "He's just playing at that big brotherly, overly-protective thing. You two, go do whatever it is you have to do and we'll see you tomorrow. Big research, snack food type day. Yea research snacks!" She gave them both a goofy smile with a double thumbs upand cursed her inability to quit before she even started.

Buffy gave her a quizzical look and leaned over to give her a hug. "Now you get home and rest, 'kay? Okay then. Tomorrow. Yea research snacks." With two thumbs up to Willow, she looked at Angel again.

As she and Angelus turned, they had to stop themselves before walking right into Cordelia.

"Research group at Giles tomorrow?" She looked over at Xander. "I'll pick you both up at Willow's; 12:45, do not keep me waiting." With that she turned and calmly walked back to her table.

"Friend of yours?" Angelus asked with a raised eyebrow.

Looking at Cordelia's departing back, she answered. "It sort of depends on the alignment of the planets and the incoming tides. We still haven't figured it out though."

Angelus chuckled as he pulled her away from her friends. "Let's get out of here. Willie's bar is waiting for us."

After their visit to Willie's, Buffy felt a little more relaxed than after her first car ride with Angel. She felt, what was it? At home? Yeah, at home with him. It was as if she had known him for years. The fact that he was a soulless demon willing to eviscerate anything that stood in the way of them being together, well she had to figure this one out. She had never considered herself one of those women who would stand by her man no matter what. But here she was, not turning this obviously obsessed vampire into dust. On the contrary, she was reveling in every minute of his company. He couldn't have come at a time when she was most in need of devotion. After all, she had seen Oprah, she knew about the subconscious. She was vulnerable after the problems with her mom and the fact that she was all but homeless. But she was also aware enough of herself to know that there was more to this than a devoted-slash-obsessed potential boyfriend. She had never felt such an attraction. Such a pull. Even though she could count their time together in hours, she felt such a familiarity, such a feeling of comfort. She had to stop trying to figure it out, it was making her head hurt. He was here and didn't seem to be going anywhere. She had time.

Now, back to the problem at hand. Willie really had been a font of information, a regular spewingfountain, telling them where Spike and Drusilla were holed up. And also sharing the fact that the whole demon community was in an uproar, literally as well as figuratively, at the thought of Acathla being awakened.

"We like this dimension, a lot. And now that crazy bitch and her peroxide slave want to ruin everything. Hey, if you and the slayer can fix this you'll have quite a lot of demons forever in your debt." A few of the patrons in the bar echoed this sentiment.

So now, driving with a million thoughts running through both their heads, Angelus spoke up. "Well, well, well. Seems Spike, m'boy, is going to have one hell of a time finding lackeys to help him and Dru in this endeavor. This is rich! We know where they are, as soon as we find out how far they have gotten, we can burn the bastards out." He smiled and looked over at her. "Revenge Buff. It can be so sweet. And it will be."

"What do you mean, how far they've gotten?"

"It's a process, a ritual. I'm sure your watcher has made progress in that area already. Or at least you will, by tomorrow."

"Do you know something that you're not telling us?" She asked suspiciously.

"Buff, Buff, Buff. I'll do all in my power to protect you. That's something you can count on. But this raising of demons, well you've been on the Hellmouth long enough to know it's all ritual and blood. It's always blood. We just need to know what Dru knows. She's crazy, but she's the brains behind Spike. He just does her will."

"Is he stupid or something?"

"No, just obsessed. It makes a man do things very out of character." Thinking more about himself than Will. "Although, Will was always a bitch for love."

"Will? Are you still talking about Spike?"

Angelus chuckled. "He used to go by the name of William the Bloody, slayer of slayers. He killed a couple of your kind. His claim to fame, as it were."

"And just how do you know so much about the two of them?" She eyed him warily.

Angelus said nothing, just stopped his car in front of a very large house, a mansion really.

"Where are we?" She had a feeling he wouldn't harm her, but she was nervous just the same.

"My place. We need to talk." He got out of the car and stood, waiting for her to get out as well. "You need to know who I am Buffy, who I was." She nodded and let him lead her up the walkway and stairs. She did need to know. Angel was going to be in her life for a very long time, she felt it. And she had to know what she was getting herself into.