Disclaimer: All Characters belong to J.W, and the plot is model after Jane Austin's novel Pride and Prejudice

Thank you everyone for your lovely reviews, it encouraged me to try to get this chapter out sooner.

I would like to thank Christine for being my wonderful beta, whose constant helping me with the kinks of the story!

A Retreat to the Beach

Chapter Eleven

Buffy had always felt an affinity with the vast nature the ocean which held so many possibilities; Loving how one moment it could be filled with violent and turbulent waves that radiated power, while in the next moment be so calm and peaceful that the beholder felt nothing but serenity. For that reason, Buffy, an avid surfer, happily accepted her invitation to Oz's beach house with little resistance. Though she was quite shocked at what she found when she and Willow drove up to the beach house.

Knowing that Oz had exceptional tastes, considering how The Bronze and the Crawford mansion were designed, Buffy was at a loss to see that the house looked more like an abstract piece of modern art, an alien compound completely disconnected with the majestic surroundings around it. The inside wasn't much better. 'Cold best describes it all', thought Buffy as she took in the pale silver colored rooms filled with expensive futuristic-like furniture which screamed 'look but don't touch'. The few pieces of furniture available for sitting caused such discomfort and pain that Buffy preferred to stand. The only redeeming quality of the house was the lovely king-size feather beds found in each bedroom.

Dinner that night was horrible in Buffy's opinion. Though the food tasted delicious, the portions were so small that Buffy was left hungry for the rest of the night. 'Guess the chef is used to thinking all women eat as little as the Osborne sisters.' The company was limited, consisting of only the three Osborne siblings and Willow. Angel and Lindsey had business to attend to so would be arriving the next day, while Gunn couldn't come because of an emergency. Though Buffy enjoyed spending time with Willow and Oz, Oz's sisters were another matter. While giving the appearance of welcoming hostesses, Darla and Drusilla's lack of warmth and sincerity in their tone and manner negated the display. Though conversation flowed fairly well, the Osborne sisters seemed unable to stop themselves from making snide remarks hidden in seemly innocent comments. Both pairs of sisters learned much about each other's family.

Believing that Oz's sisters only wanted to be friendly and welcoming, Willow revealed much about the Summers' family. Their father had originally been come from the prestigious and noble Giles' family in England. But because he decided to be a musician, he was disowned by his father. Luckily for Giles his maternal grandfather had left him a small inheritance which he used to start a new life in America. He dropped his surname and started going by his mother's maiden name of Summers. After being a wanderer for a few years he met and fell in love with their mother Joyce Bennet.

Joyce's own family history was a bit more sordid. Mr. Bennet had abandoned the family early on, leaving their Grandma Bennet to support her daughters by being a Showgirl in Las Vegas. Life improved for the Bennet family during Joyce and her sister Jenny's teen years as Grandma Bennet married Alex Harris, owner of Harris Constructions. Though the two were deeply in love, the marriage was seen to be quite scandalous since Grandma Bennet was quite pregnant with their Uncle Xander at the time of the wedding and Alex was a good fifteen years younger than their grandmother.

Buffy couldn't believe all that Willow was revealing. Though most of their friends and acquaintances were aware of their family's background, it wasn't necessarily talked about so directly. She could see shock, dismay, and disgust flash upon the Osborne sisters' faces. Buffy was happy to note that Oz seemed amazed and delighted by their family's colorful background. Oz simply remarked how his family seemed dull in comparison. His sisters were immediately offended by the comment, and began spilling facts about the wonder of their family.

"How can you speak about your family like that?" said Drusilla as she gave her brother a scathing look. "Why our Grandfather Bingley owned a chain of hotels and casinos along the east coast that were revered for their elegance and style and serving only the most elite in society."

Darla added with a tone of admiration, "Yes that's quite right. Plus our own dear father was an amazing man. He was a genius in business, acquiring failing businesses and turning them into profitable enterprises. Daddy had quite a gift, so do you, Daniel, if only you would use it. You really should have followed in daddy's steps."

This seemed to be an old argument between the siblings as Oz's entire countenance change from amused to burdened and restrained. "Darla we've been through this before, as much as I loved dad, I'm not blind to the fact that he was an amoral corporate-raider who destroyed quite a few lives to achieve what he did."

"Let's not forget little brother that though daddy's methods could be considered questionable at times. If not for him and the inheritance you got from him, you could have never started your record label," snapped Darla. Unlike Oz, Darla revered their father and considered his exploits as grand success stories that enhance the Osborne family's wealth and standing in society. She was shattered when her father left his business empire to a disinterested Oz, who had it dismantled and sold away.

Oz had wanted to give the family business to Darla, unfortunately though Old Mr. Osborne loved his daughters, he was quite the sexist, believing women incapable of handling business. Because of this he made sure it was impossible for ownership of his business to be passed to his daughters, stipulating in his will that if his son was unable to run the business, the business should simply be sold away from the family. With out a male Osborne in control of the company, Old Mr. Osborne believed the company would flounder, so he wanted his family disconnected from the business before that could ever happen. Not wanting to believe her father lacked faith in her, Darla blamed Oz for being in the way of her dreams. Oz's guilt over being in the way of Darla's dreams, leads him to often relent to Darla's ways.

After Oz acknowledged Darla's pervious statement about how he started his own business, conversation was moved on to safer topics. Buffy, however, nearly had a fit keeping in her laughter when she discovered that the entire beach house was designed by Darla.

Saturday Morning

Early the next day before the sun had even risen, Buffy awoke to go surfing. Not expecting anyone else to be awake, she was surprised to hear movement coming from the kitchen. Assuming it was the chef making breakfast, Buffy was stunned to find Angel sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. What surprised her the most was how the always put together Angel looked quite disheveled with his tie hanging precariously around his neck over a rumpled unbuttoned shirt and his face lined by day-old stubble. None of it took away from his attractiveness. Buffy couldn't help thinking, 'Even when he looks dead tired the man is gorgeous, I just want to kiss him awake to see the fire in his eyes come alive. Wait where did that come from?' Shaking her head to clear her thoughts she decided to make her presence known.

"Good Morning, Angel, it's nice to see you. Did you just arrive?" asked Buffy as she made her way to the coffee machine to pour her self a cup trying to ignore the butterflies she felt as she caught a whiff of Angel's cologne. Heading toward the table, she sat down across from Angel and began pouring milk and sugar into her coffee. Noticing Angel hadn't answered her yet, Buffy looked up to find Angel staring intently at her. "Umm…Angel are you okay? Is there something on my face?"

"What?" said Angel still a bit dazed. He had been sitting there thinking how he would handle being so close to Buffy for the weekend when she had suddenly appeared before him like a mirage clad in a skin tight black wetsuit, which showed off her impressively tone and lithe body. Realizing Buffy was really before him and not an illusion, Angel shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Sorry, my mind's not fully functional at the moment, haven't had any sleep yet. Lindsey and I got here about half an hour ago, he went directly to bed, but I couldn't sleep yet."

"Well that coffee's not going to help you. Here let me make you a cup of chamomile tea that will help you sleep," Buffy said as she got up to search the cabinets for tea bags.

Startled by the offer, Angel got up to stop Buffy. "Really thank you Buffy, but there's no need to go to any trouble for me, I'll be fine."

"What trouble?" said Buffy as she rummaged the cabinets, "Ah ha, here's the tea bag. Now let's see is the kettle still warm? Yes it is, great. Pour hot water into this cup here. Hope you don't mind the giant smiley face on it, now I put the tea bag in, and viola the tea's done. See Angel no trouble at all." Turning to hand Angel the cup, Buffy was surprised by how close he stood to her. "Oh. Umm here you go." As she passed the cup to Angel their hands accidentally touched and a gasp escaped Buffy's lips at the pleasant sensation felt by the touch, embarrassed Buffy quickly returned to her sit to finish her coffee.

Just as surprised as Buffy by the emotions stirred by the touch, Angel took a sip of tea to calm his nerves. "Thank you Buffy it's wonderful. So what are you doing up so early? I would think you would want to sleep in during your vacation?"

Laughing Buffy responded, "Usually I would be, but I've always enjoyed catching the early waves when I don't have to share the ocean with others. How 'bout you, do you surf?"

"No," said Angel solemnly, "it's never interested me much. So you're going to surf now by yourself alone? That doesn't sound too safe; perhaps I should go with you?"

Bristling at Angel's tone Buffy said, "Thank you for the offer, but I can take care of myself."

"There's no need to be snippy, I was just worried about your safety," Angel muttered, not understanding why Buffy wasn't being more cautious in such a dangerous sport.

Realizing how sharp that came out, Buffy took a breath to calm down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound harsh. But really there's no need to worry Angel. I've been surfing for years and this is one of the safest areas to surf because it has one of the best lifeguard unit in California. Lifeguards are usually out an hour before sunrise, so there's nothing to worry about." Finishing up the rest of her coffee Buffy got up. "I should get going."

"Let me walk you to the door," said Angel as he made to get up too, but was stopped by Buffy.

"No, there's no need. You should go get some sleep; you don't want to be tired during your vacation now do you? I'll be back in a few hours. Bye, Angel."

"Have fun." After hearing the door close, Angel got up to look out the kitchen window. He watched as Buffy carried her board down to the beach. He stood there until he noted that several other people were out also. Happy to see Buffy wouldn't be completely alone, Angel went to bed.

Hours Later

"Angel! Thank God you're finally awake; I've been bored out of my mind!"

Turning toward the voice, Angel found Darla walking toward him with a glass of scotch in her hand. Raising his eyebrow Angel said, "Don't you think it's a bit early to be drinking? It's not even noon yet."

"Nonsense, I'm just moistening my lips," Darla said as she took Angel's arm and lead them to the living room. "Anyway I needed this after spending the morning with the two pairs of love birds. It's been excruciating." In the living room, Angel could see Oz and Willow sitting at one side having fun looking at Oz's PEZ Dispenser collection, while by the window Drusilla could be seen reading softly to Lindsey while his head rested in her lap.

In a sarcastic tone Angel said, "Yeah, it must have been really painful."

Ignoring, or not noting Angel's tone, Darla agreed. "Yes, it was. You're lucky to have missed all the sugary cutesy ways they were talking to one another with. I thought I would become diabetic with all the sugar floating around." Pulling Angel in the room, Darla addressed the room. "Angel's awake; can we head out to lunch now?"

After everyone greeted Angel, Oz said, "Darla, you know we still have to wait for Buffy. Plus what's the rush? We just ate an hour ago."

"Oh right…Buffy, I forgot," Darla said in a less than convincing voice. "I'm just going a bit stir crazy with nothing to do and I figured since Angel hadn't eaten yet we could all go out and try the new restaurant that just open up downtown. Didn't you say you wanted to try the place, Angel?" Angel just shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"Angel can grab a snack from the kitchen, Darla," said Oz. "Why don't you take a short walk on the beach, by the time you come back Buffy will probably be here."

Darla rejected the idea outright. "Oz you must be kidding me. You know how much I detest walking in the sand. Sand always ends up getting everywhere. It's just so messy and uncomfortable."

"Then a beach house seems like an odd place to vacation in for you," called out an amused voice from the doorway. Everyone turned to the door and was met with quite a sight. Standing before them was a very messy Buffy. Still quite wet, sand stuck to all parts of her body, hair a tangled mess, and there seemed to be pieces of seaweed here and there, yet Buffy glowed with exultation from her morning activities.

Willow got up to greet her sister. "Well it looks like you had fun, you're a complete mess."

"I must be a sight," laughed Buffy as she touched her hair. "I was getting out of the water when a little body suddenly came crashing at me and we both went down. Turns out it was little Emily, Mrs. Johnson's granddaughter who stayed with her this past summer, you remember her Willow don't you?"

"How could I forget? Every time she visited the center, Emily shadowed you everywhere. She must have been overjoyed to see you." Buffy just nodded her head in agreement.

Oz had gotten up too and asked, "Is Emily the little girl with pale blond hair and big bright blue eyes?" After Buffy said it was, Oz chuckling continued to say, "I remember seeing her once when I came to pick up Willow for lunch. The girl was so adorable following you around mimicking your gestures and I think she was wearing a similar outfit to yours that day, Buffy. I think she even stated she wanted to be just like you when she grew up."

Buffy lightly blushed and just waved away the comment, "Em's a sweet girl, completely misguided to think I'm a great role-model."

"I doubt that," interjected Angel, "you seem like a great role-model for kids." Surprised at the sudden compliment from Angel, Buffy, not sure what to say just gave a smile, which in turn brought a slight smile to Angel's face.

Not liking what she was seeing, Darla interrupted the moment. "As nice as this little conversation is, I really want to get to the restaurant, so Buffy could you start getting cleaned up?"

"Darla! That's rude," Oz angrily said and gave his sister a sharp look.

"No its ok," said Buffy, "she's right I'm holding everyone back, I'm sorry. I'll go change now. Willow will you come with me, I think I'll need help with my hair." After Willow agreed, Buffy said, "Sorry again, I'll try to hurry." As the two sisters left the room, they could hear Oz saying to take as much time as they need, that there was no need to hurry.

As soon Darla was sure the sisters were out of hearing range she began to criticize Buffy. "I can't believe that woman, she makes us wait for her, and then she comes in here dripping and covered in sand. Doesn't she care about how she appears to others?"

"I know," said Drusilla, "And did you see her hair? Looked like a bird's nest." The two Osborne sisters snickered, while the guys just felt uncomfortable.

Oz ashamed by his sisters' behavior told them to stop. "Buffy is my guest and she deserves to be treated with respect. As my sisters I expect better from you." Drusilla gave a weak apology, while Darla just rolled her eyes at her brother's guilt tactics. "I don't get your fixation on appearances, personally I think it's great that Buffy knows how to have fun without caring about getting dirty; you might try it then you might not be so bored."

"Oh please," snapped Darla as she drank the rest of her drink and made a move to refill it. "What's so fun about being dirty? And I so don't see the appeal of surfing; Buffy's so reckless about it too. Remember how there was a news report a month ago about those two surfers that drowned from the strong currents, yet did you see Buffy acting cautiously? No, instead she headed out before the sun was even out and proceeded to surf all alone without a care about her safety. Seems to me it shows a certain conceited independence. Don't you agree Angel?"

Angel couldn't help but agree to the safety issue Darla mentioned. "I was shocked that Buffy went surfing alone, but she told me she's quite the experienced surfer and the area has a dedicated lifeguard unit that goes out early on patrols. Plus there were other surfers out at the time, so there wasn't much danger. As to her independent nature I can't help but disagree with you Darla. I find it quite refreshing." Darla glared at Angel since he usually agreed with her.

"You know what, the four of you should go to the restaurant first while I wait for the girls?" said Oz thinking it best that Darla was not around Buffy and Willow.

"That's a great idea," said Lindsey as he jumped up quickly from his resting place and took his wife's hand to pull her to stand. "Angel you don't mind taking Darla in your car right? Me and Dru would enjoy a nice drive alone." Before Angel could even agree or disagree with the suggestion, Lindsey and Drusilla were out the door. Darla was miffed at the slight, while Oz just laughed at his brother-in-law's antics.

Angel's Car

"My poor darling, you are going down the same old destructive path," Darla said quite matter of fact.

Turning to give Darla a bewildered look before returning his eyes to the road Angel said, "Excuse me? I have no idea what you mean."

"You're falling for Buffy."

"You're delusional."

"Really?" said Darla as her eyebrow rose in disbelief. "You maybe able to lie to the others, but not me, my darling, we've been lovers too long and your patterns are becoming very predictable."

Laughing Angel asked, "And how am I predictable?"

Looking straight at Angel, Darla just said, "Well, dear, whenever you become interested in a girl for a so-called "real" relationship, you start to distance yourself from your bed buddies. We've been staying under the same roof for months, yet you haven't come to my room since you meet Buffy."

"Is that a hint of longing in your voice? Have you been missing me?" Angel said with a slight mocking tone, though he was a bit nervous at how accurately Darla could read him.

Scoffing Darla said, "Now who's the delusional one here. I just hate to see you fall for another leech that's just after your money. You never listen to my warnings."

"You're right there, I do seem to catch more than my share of gold-diggers," sighed Angel as he made a sharper than necessary turn in the car.

"Hey be careful!" Darla yelled as she slammed into the car door. "And what do you expect with the girls you pick, Angel? Rarely were any of them your social or economic equal, the imbalance in standings were too daunting. You should start treating your so-called "real" relationships like your physical ones, as business arrangements."

Angel just shook his head. He had had this argument with Darla many times. It was one of the reasons why their relationship never worked. "Unlike you, Darla I still believe in love. The only reason I will ever marry is because I'm deeply in love with the woman."

"Hey I never said I don't believe in love, I just don't believe in love for myself. I'm not blind to the devotion my sister and her husband have to one another. Of course it didn't hurt that both of them come from the same social circles and both came into the marriage equally wealth. Can you say the same if you get involve with Buffy? You will always wonder if she's really with you because of you or for your money."

"From all that I know and have seen of Buffy, she doesn't seem like the type," Angel said with conviction.

In a deceptively soft voice Darla said, "I suppose, though that's what you thought of Kendall also." She enjoyed the flinch that flashed across Angel's face. "Of course you might be right about Buffy, but what about her family?"

"What about the Summers' Family?" questioned Angel.

"Well you must have noticed how their mother Joyce seems to be intent on marrying off her daughters. But who could really blame her? With five grown daughters still at home, it must be a strain on the family finances."

"I suppose, but I know their family shop is quite prosperous."

Not relenting until she had made her point, Darla continued on, "But you know as well as I do how fickle the nature of the art business can be. In such an unstable field, with five daughters to put through school, money must be a big issue with the Summers' family." Seeing she was making cracks in Angel's resolve she continued telling Angel all she had learned the night before about the Summers family, twisting the facts to portray the family in the most negative light. By the time they made it to the restaurant, Darla gleefully believed that she had put a stop to any thoughts Angel had about starting a relationship with Buffy, while Angel was silently contemplating everything he learned.

Monday Evening

Coming home hours ago, Willow and Buffy had regaled their family with their adventures at the beach. Joyce was happy to hear how well Willow and Oz's relationship seemed to be developing, Faith and Dawn thought it sad that Buffy didn't meet anyone special, while Giles and Kendra were just happy to see the two had had a good time. The whole house was asleep at the moment, except for the figure staring out one of the second-story windows.

Buffy could not sleep. Her mind was still on all the events that transpired at the beach house. The weekend was just as relaxing as she hoped for, yet at the same time it hadn't been. For three glorious mornings Buffy had been able to see the sunrise while floating in the middle of the ocean, which brought her such a sense of peace that she felt connected to nature itself. Out of the water, the trip hadn't been the best.

Though Buffy enjoyed witnessing the deepening of Willow and Oz's feelings toward one another, it was no fun being the third wheel, or in this trip's case the seventh. Oz's sisters were usually paired off with Lindsey and Angel, so Buffy tended to be left alone. Buffy didn't really mind this as she couldn't stand the Osborne sisters, who just oozed with insincerity and spite which was hidden under a polite façade. Drusilla was not that bad when she was away from her sister and in the company of her husband, though the couple were quite eccentric when together. For the most part the pair spent the weekend visiting fortune tellers and palm readers. Buffy greatly dislike anytime she had to spend in Darla's company and the feeling seemed to be mutual. Darla seemed to hate Buffy, always barely civil and verging on hostile towards her; she was especially bad when in Angel's company.

Angel. That man confused Buffy greatly. She couldn't deny the man was devastatingly handsome, and on a physical level she was attracted to him. Yet Buffy couldn't get over her opinion that the man was an arrogant snob. Every time Buffy talked with the man, he seemed to just aggravate her with his condescending tone. Angel seemed to either stay silent like a mute, or like to give the impression of authority figure on the current subject of discussion. Though Buffy did admire the informed and passionate way Angel spoke when he cared about a topic, like when he talked about his younger sister Cordelia or his family vineyard in Napa.

Of course Buffy didn't get to talk much with Angel herself during the weekend, and that was the thing that bothered her. Buffy had been flattered when Angel said she made a great role model for kids, yet at lunch and afterwards he kept to himself. He avoided initiating conversations with Buffy, though he always seemed to be around when Buffy entered discussions with others. The only time the two really spent any time together was Sunday afternoon when Angel came across Buffy playing with Emily on the beach.

The chatter of voices could be heard throughout the beach as people ran about filled with activity. In the middle of the chaos, two blond heads could be seen trying to build a sandcastle, though they had little success in their endeavor as they continued to giggle and laugh with each other.

"Silly girl, stop distracting me or I'll mess it up again," scolded Buffy, though her tone was negated by her giggles as she tried to put up a tower.

Emily made a move to grab the shove out of Buffy's hand. "Buf-fy," she whined, "I want to put up the tower, please?"

"Em, no," Buffy said focusing on the castle and ignoring Emily's pout. "You tried to put the tower up five times and each time you did another part of the castle fell over. Why don't you dig a moat while I work on this?" But Emily just stood silently with a confused face. The poor girl was only six and had no idea what a moat was, but was too afraid to ask because she didn't want Buffy to think she was a baby or stupid. "Is something wrong Emily?" ask Buffy when she finally noticed the lack of movement in her companion.

"Well of course there is, how can she dig the moat when you have the only shovel," said a voice behind them. Buffy looked behind her, shocked to find Angel, especially when he pop down and began introducing himself to Emily. "Hello, I'm Angel, and you must be Miss Emily. I've heard many wonderful things about you."

"You have?" Emily said a bit star-struck as Angel nodded.

In a tone of awe Angel said, "Buffy here has been telling everyone around her about how special you are. Is it true you can do five cartwheels in a row?"

"Yes I can. And I can do handstands and splits too," said Emily no longer shy. "Mommy says when I'm older she'll put me in gymnastics. Mr. Angel do you like gymnastics too?"

"Why indeed I do, unfortunately I can't do gymnastics at all, though my younger sister, Cordelia, was in gymnastics since she was as big as you. I use to go to all her meets and tournaments; she was quite good and could have gone to the Olympics."

"Wow really the Olympics?" Emily was awed. Turning to Buffy she said, "Do you think someday I could be in the Olympics for gymnastics?"

Shaking herself out of the stupor she had entered at the sight of Angel befriending Emily, Buffy said, "Honey, you can do anything you set your mind to. Now come on lets get back to working on the sandcastle. Umm…Angel would you like to join us?"

Emily interrupted before Angel could respond. "Oh yes Mr. Angel please stay Can you help me with the moat?"

"Sure Miss Emily, I'll be happy to help you. We'll build a big moat to protect the castle from its enemies."

Buffy turned away from the window to return to bed as she thought how different Angel acted during that afternoon. Though most of the interaction the two had was through Emily, the three of them had an amazing time playing around with each other. Angel was great with Emily, one moment charming her by treating her like a little lady, the next kidding around with her like a buddy. He even went as far as pretending to have a tea party with Emily at one point. Buffy's heart just lunged at the sight it was so sweet.

For those few hours Buffy saw another side to Angel. Afterwards, when Buffy went back to the house after bring Emily home, he was back to normal. Angel kept his distance from her; Buffy even overheard him say he just spent the afternoon at the beach with no mention of her or Emily at all. Since Angel seemed to not want anyone to know about the afternoon, Buffy didn't tell any one either, though she was quite tempted to tell Darla to make her jealous.

It seemed that though Angel and Darla were once lovers they weren't anymore. For the entire weekend Darla spent her time making sexual overtures toward Angel which he gently rebuffed. Rather than get discouraged, it just drove Darla to work harder. Once late at night, Buffy saw Darla in a slinky see-through nightgown trying to get into Angel's room, but the door was locked. Buffy nearly laughed out-loud at the sight, it took everything in her to hold it in until she got into her room.

As Buffy finally dose off her last thoughts were that, though Angel was a puzzle, at least he was good with children.