A/N: YAY! I did it. (I'm just going to ignore the fact that this chappie is at least a week and a half late.) I rushed it, so I hope it's not complete crap. Now I lose all computer access. :( But I promise to finish this when I get back. Thanks to everyone for your patience!
Thanks you, spk, Mony19, pinkyblue-ice, kim, and Moonjava, for the reviews!
Disclaimer: I am the evil genius, Joss, and I control the characters of BtVS! Muhahahahaha! … Or I'm just a demented teen sitting at home with illusions of grandeur. I still get to borrow the characters to play with them , though … hehehe …
Rating: PG-13. Swearing, angst, violence. You have been warned …
Pairings: B/S eventually. W/T, X/A.
Distribution: Yeah, sure, take it. Tell me first, though.
Reviews: Much appreciated. Much loved.
Previously: Buffy gets yet another creepy message ...
" 'I'm watching you'?" Xander read incredulously from the back of the photo. "God, how corny can this guy be?"
"Corny or not," Buffy snapped, pacing around worriedly, "He obviously knows where I am and he knows about you guys."
"How'd he get this picture?" Willow wondered aloud, motioning to the photo and note she had somehow found the courage to pick up and drop into a plastic bag.
None of the gang had an answer for her, and even Spike stayed silent.
The tension was evident until Buffy abruptly broke through the silence, proclaiming, "I should leave."
"What?" Dawn protested. "But you just got back!"
"If I'm gone, you'll all be safe from this," Buffy reasoned. "I'm bringing trouble by staying."
"B-but if th-that were t-true," Tara ventured, "Then he wouldn't have bothered with t-the group picture, would he? H-he would have just targeted you."
"Glinda has a point, y'know," Spike spoke up, supporting the shy woman. "It looks like he mos'ly out to get you, but he's not so fond of any 'f us. He's not jus' hurtin' us to 'urt you."
Buffy glanced again at the picture with her friends' eyes gouged out.
"Besides," Willow said, "we're not just going to let you go through this alone. We're your best friends, and we stick together. Right?"
"I'm all with the stick-age," Xander supported with a grin.
Despite the gravity of the situation, Buffy smiled at her friends' antics. Then she sobered once again. "So what can we do now?"
"Go to the police," Anya supplied.
The seasoned Sunnydale residents let out bitter snorts of laughter (the Sunnydale branch of law enforcement wasn't exactly known for its effectiveness) before realizing she was serious.
"The Sunnydale police?" Dawn squeaked out.
The gang exchanged helpless looks when the realized that that seemed to be their best option at the moment.
oOoOo
"Angel!"
"Peaches!"
The disbelieving cries were heard simultaneously as both blondes seemed to recognize the officer they faced.
After some debate, the group had agreed to all go to the local police station. Now, Buffy and Spike were in the forefront, while the rest of the gang stood together with confused looks on their faces.
"Spike. For the love of all that's holy, never call me Pea --" the man that was Angel/Peaches began irritably. His eyes then widened to gigantic proportions when he saw the motley group. "Wait. Spike? In Sunnydale? Liz? You two know each other? And there're … um, other … people with you?"
Buffy was staring at the man with an odd look. Spike was curious, yet ready to burst into laughter. Everyone else was scrambling for answers.
"Is he a fairy-thing or a fruit?" Xander whispered loudly.
"Xander!" Willow shushed. Then she continued thoughtfully, "Angels aren't types of fairies. Technically, they're --"
Tara laid a gentle hand on her girlfriend's arm, and Willow suddenly stopped herself and blushed. "Oh, right. Not relevant. I'll just be quiet now."
"You dated Buffy!" Anya suddenly burst out, staring at Angel.
The others gave her an odd look.
"What!" she protested, "He did!"
Angel craned his head around to see who spoke. "Oh. Hi, Anya. Nice to see y --"
His greeting was shortened, though, when Buffy broke out of her trance-like state, marched up to him, and punched him squarely in the nose. "That was for leaving!" she declared. Then she stalked out of the building.
Most of the group started to go after her, but Anya stopped them. "Give her a couple minutes," she said, suddenly serious.
They exchanged glances, but agreed with her.
Angel held his freely bleeding nose, exclaiming 'ow!' when Spike cuffed sharply him in the back of the head.
"Wha' did you do to her?" Spike scowled.
"Nothing!" Angel protested. "We met and dated for a while in L.A., but that was about two or three years ago."
"Then what?" Although the blonde was slightly shorter than Angel, he was no less intimidating. Especially when he was angry.
"Erm …" Angel looked uncomfortable. "We broke up."
"Actually," Anya cut in, "he just disappeared one day. No note or anything. Buffy was depressed about it for a while before she realized she could do better than a jerk like you."
Angel managed to look sorry and offended at the same time.
"I'm going to go after her," Anya told the group.
Xander squeezed her hand reassuringly, and then let go. Willow looked as if she were about to protest or join Anya, but thought better of it.
oOoOo
Anya stepped outside the police department and found her friend around the corner.
"Hey, Buffy," she hugged the blonde, "it'll be ok …"
"Buffy sniffled a little. "Thanks, Ahn. I guess I just didn't ever expect to see him again."
"I know. And I remember how awful that time was for you, with him being the first person you actually fell in love with. It'll get better, though." Anya could be sympathetic when she really wanted to be.
Buffy smiled a little. "Thanks," she repeated, hugging her friend back.
"If it makes you feel any better, your friends are probably torturing him in there right now."
The two laughed at the not-too-farfetched thought.
oOoOo
Meanwhile, Angel received another, meaner, hit in the head. Then he got a lecture.
"I have no idea who you are, really," Dawn began, "but how could you just leave Buffy like that! God! Don't you have a sense of …"
"Who's she, again?" Angel whispered to Spike, glancing fearfully at the ranting brunette teenager.
"Dawn, Buffy's sister," the blonde took pity on the officer. "Don' let her looks fool you; you wouldn' want ta cross her."
Angel nodded.
Dawn eventually had to stop for a breath, so Spike put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "'S alright, Bit. Think we've beat up Peaches here enough for now," he said with a maliciously amused light in his eyes. "Let 'im finish his side of the story."
Angel gulped as the remaining gang stood together and glared at him.
"I was getting in too deep with some of my, um, dealings in L.A.," he protested by way of explanation. "I had to get out and get some place new."
"Don't you work for the law?" Xander pointed out.
Spike laughed outright at that. "Tha' doesn' mean anything to him. The only person Peaches looks out for is 'imself."
"Stop calling me that!" Angel growled. "And you don't know what you're talking about!"
"Spike, how do you two know each other?" Willow interjected, trying to stop the inevitable fight.
The two continued their glaring contest, but Spike answered Willow's question.
"Met 'im down in L.A. one summer," Spike explained. "'Bout three years ago."
Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Wait. You knew Buffy all this time, and you never told me?" he directed at Angel. Yet another cuff to the poor man's head. "Bloody wanker!"
"How was I supposed to know she was the girl you were looking for? There're plenty of blondes in L.A. and you told me her name was Buffy!"
"Her name is Buffy, you brainless twit! And I showed you a picture!" Spike countered.
"Oh." Angel paused for a moment. "Well, in my defense, I knew her as Liz. And was I sober when I saw the picture?"
Spike rolled his eyes.
"As fascinating as this all is," Xander interrupted, "we need a little more explanation, if you please. Especially from tall, dark, and forehead over there."
Spike and Dawn snickered. Angel decided it would be safer to ignore the remark.
"Yeah, mate, you still haven't told us exactly why you skipped out on Buffy and wha' you're doing here in Sunnyhell."
Angel sighed. "When I was a teen, I ran with a mean crowd – almost a gang. When I got older, I finally wised up and managed to get out of it, and into law enforcement, but I got roped back into helping with littler things. I didn't wake up until what they were doing had completely crossed the line of illegal, so I sabotaged as much as I could --"
"And now you're here hiding?" Dawn guessed.
"Something like that," came the cryptic reply.
"That was still a completely shitty --"
"Dawn, language!"
Dawn continued, " -- thing that you did to my sister."
"And I feel bad about it now." Angel agreed, still holding his nose and his head.
"Well, good, 'cause she needs your help with something," Dawn continued.
Angel looked curious.
Willow took up the story. "See, this is what's been happening …."
Umm ... reviews are pretty!
le faye