Closing Time by AngelSummers

Disclaimer: lyrics belong to Barry Manilow and solely to B. M. (not Bob Marley, if that's what you were thinking but if you were WHAT THE FUCK! STONER! Just Kidding…kind of)

Author's Note: For all of you who haven't caught on yet, Buffy and Angel are already kind of together. Re-reading is your friend.

Author's Note 2: This chapter is for all my fans that have been waiting for an update. I've been working on this thing all night just for you guys….seriously all night (like 5 and half hours but it was worth it). So hope you enjoy, there's a little bit of everything in here (even some blood spill! YAY!)

Oh and Kayleigh I would love to have the fic hosted somewhere else…just send me a link to where it goes. Thanks.

Chapter 10: Reckless Abandon

What could he be thinking? What was going through his mind? Did he suspect something? If he did, would he call her out on it?

Buffy scrambled for words in her mind; anything that would pull Riley's thoughts away from what he had just seen. "Riley, honey, what are you doing home? If I had known you'd be home I wouldn't have gone out."

Riley ignored Buffy and looked straight at Angel, who was standing silently beside Buffy who had been watching silently. Riley slowly stood from his chair.

"I think you should leave, O'Connor".

Buffy pleaded, laying a gentle hand on her husband's arm, "Riley, please—"

Roughly pushing her hand off, Riley got closer to Angel, now standing face to face with Angel. "It's time you leave." Riley repeated, muscles tensing.

Angel stood a little straighter and tilted his head up at the slightly taller man, "I'm not leaving her, not with you like this. She's coming with me."

"You think I'm just going to let you take my wife with you?"

"I wasn't counting on it." Angel replied, glaring at man before him.

Riley grabbed Angel's coat collar and dragged him closer. "She's not going any where."

Buffy, deciding it was a good time to intervene, broke in with, "Alright, boys, while this whole display of testosterone might be exciting on a TV show, I say it's about time we all just go to bed. We're just tired cranky. and So say you're goodnights so we can leave and let—"

Angel's head snapped back as Riley's fist connected with his jaw. Angel tenderly touched his jaw and sent a quick look to Buffy who carried a shocked expression.

"I was really hoping you'd do that."

And with that, Angel's fist shot out and smashed into Riley's nose. As he fell backward with the impact, Angel stepped up to the fallen man and knelt beside him.

"You sorry son of bitch, you don't deserve that woman over there. She should mean the whole fucking world to you and yet she doesn't, you're to busy worrying that she'll leave you. Well, here's some news boy-o, she will if you give her half the chance," ruffling Riley's hairs slightly Angel stood up and looked towards Buffy.

"Come on, I'll take you to Willow's."

Buffy looked at her husband on the floor holding his broken and bleeding nose and felt nothing but pity. No matter what Riley might have done to her in the past she couldn't leave things like this.

"I'll be out in a second."

Angel paused, debating whether to concede to her plea, and then silently left the apartment. As the door clicked shut, Buffy went and grabbed a wash cloth from the kitchen. Kneeling by her husband, she tenderly touched his nose with the wash cloth. As her fingers graced his cheek he turned his head and pushed her hand away, ripping the cloth from her hands and holding it against his nose.

"Riley—"

"Just don't…don't touch me. I'm going to sleep."

Riley stood up, tenderly holding his broken nose and walked towards their bedroom. Stopping in the hallway leading to their room, he tilted his head backwards slightly and said, "You don't know what kind of force you're dealing with; you don't know the kind of power I have. Choose carefully, little girl. You're not prepared for the consequences." And with that he turned away and strode to their room.

Buffy jumped as the door slammed closed a second later. Slowly she turned to the apartment door and was about to open it when she heard a crunch. Looking down, she saw the contours of a silver picture frame. Picking it up, she turned it over and stared at the. She was sitting between his legs, his long arms wrapped around her waist as they smiled picture of her and Riley. It had been taken three years ago, about a month after they started dating at the camera.

She remembered that day so clearly. That was the day Riley asked her to marry him. He had been so nervous and it made her nervous in turn. When he had finally fumbled out the right words, she had smiled and stroked his face to calm him down and told him that she would. That was the day her whole life changed.

Buffy put the shattered frame back on the end table, she walked away.

"What are we doing here?"

Angel looked over at her and replied simply, "Do you really want him to know where you are tonight?"

"He's my husband Angel. You think he doesn't have a right to be angry? Look what we've done. Look what we're doing—"

"What do you want me to say? Do you want me to apologize, say how sorry I am; make it all better? I can't apologize. I won't say sorry. Not for loving you."

She looked away from him and scrambled out of the car, slamming the door in her wake. Angel jumped out after her and ran to catch up.

Grabbing her arm, he spun her towards him, forcing her to face him. "Buffy—"

She looked him in the eye and without a hint of emotion in her voice, she said, "Just give me your keys."

Reaching into his pocket, Angel grabbed his keys. As he laid them in her hand, he reached out to hold the other but she turned from him before he could and he was left to watch as she walked away from him.

Angel hurried after the swiftly closing door, barely catching before it slammed into his face.

"What the fuck were you thinking, Angel? Why'd you have to act like such a jackass, huh? How would you react if you saw you're "perfect" little Cordy in the same position? How would you feel if you saw her with another man?"

"I don't know, Buffy. I don't know how I would react. But I sure as hell wouldn't threaten someone I cared about. I could never hurt someone I loved, Buffy. I could never hurt you."

By the end of Angel's speech, Buffy couldn't take looking into the emotion-filled depths of his eyes. She looked everywhere else, needing to break the bond Angel so desperately wanted her to reconnect with. Her eyes darted around the room, looking at the pictures filled with smiling faces and better days. Her eyes paused on the picture of Angel's wedding day, on Cordelia's triumphant look. A wave of jealousy washed over Buffy. Cordy may have had Angel's hand in marriage, but Buffy had his heart. She couldn't take all the emotions anymore. She did the only thing she knew to do. She ran.

Angel watched quietly as Buffy observed the photo of him on his wedding day. He watched as tears filled her eyes and watched as she walked away. All the while wondering what she could be thinking, what could make his girl cry at a moment when she seemed to hate him so much. He'd never seen her that dead.

As Angel followed, he thought back on everything that had gone on that night. No matter how much he mused over it all, no matter how many perspectives he tried to see it in. He couldn't feel sorry for Riley. Maybe it was the raging jealousy that he felt every time he saw them together or maybe it was the intense need to protect her that he had had since he met her. No matter what the reason he had no sympathy the bastard. The click of the bathroom door locking brought him out of his musings.

He gave her a resigned sigh and leaned his head against the door. "It's going to be a long night."

Angel sat with his back against the bathroom door, "Buffy."

"Go away." Came the girlish reply.

"Buffy, can we just talk."

"I thought we were talking."

"I meant face to face. You're witty retorts don't count as a conversation."

"Why not? Isn't a conversation just words said between two or more people."

"Damnit." He whispered to himself. He totally set himself up for that one. He groaned as he banged his head back into the door, "Yeah. Technically."

"Well, you see, we are having a conversation."

"Lively conversation we're having here…OW!"

"I heard that…Angel?...Are you okay?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe if someone hadn't had a sudden urge to slam a door on someone else's head I wouldn't be dealing with a concussion here."

"Yeah, well, you deserved it."

"How did I deserve this concussion? What great heroic deed did I do to have this honor bestowed upon me?"

"Well, I thought that all that hair gel would absorb the impact. Kind of like a helmet…but spikey-er."

"Spikey-er?"

"Yeah, you know, the whole electrocuted look you've been trying to pull off since you hit puberty."

"Oh give me a break, you know you love it."

"Oh yeah, cuz I love getting spikes drilled through my hand every time I go to ruffle your hair. I swear it's as hard as concrete."

"Oh please, I don't use that much. Do you remember that Billy Idol look alike that we saw at the Bronze that one time. Now that guy was a freak. Didn't he try to hit on you once?"

"Yeah, that accent of his was hot. I almost went out with him too but he tried to make me do some kinky shit in the alleyway."

"HE DID WHAT! Why the fuck didn't you tell me."

"Oh please, Angel, I was totally pining after you and your unattainabilityness. Wow, is that a word?"

"Did you really think his accent was sexy?"

"Yeah but no where near as sexy as your hair."

"Damn straight...Buffy—"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm checking out your hair gel supply. You're running a little low, aren't you? Only two crates?"

"Wait a second, what happened to the other one?"

Buffy's laughter echoed off the walls of the bathroom, causing Angel to grin impulsively. It was hard to think they had been fighting not an hour before. An hour before he thought he had almost lost her. He stood up as he heard the click of the bathroom door opening. She stood there with a puffy eyed grin, "So where are the crates?"

Smiling at her, Angel moved a step closer as she molded herself against him, "They're in the hallway closet."

Her laugh was muffled against his chest as she said, "I knew it."

She shifted in his arms to look him in the eye, "Angel I can't take hurting people but I can't stand loosing you more."

"You're never going to loose me. I'm never going to leave you. I can't live without you, Buffy"

"You don't live without me, you don't have to loose me. For tonight just let me forget."

"Well you came and you gave without taking
but I sent you away, oh Mandy"

"GAWH! Fucking god damn alarm." Angel fumbled half-hazardly for the switch to turn the blasted mechanism off but couldn't seem to stop the noise.

"Well you kissed me and stopped me from shaking
I need you today, oh Mandy"

Opening his eyes, Angel realized by the light show in front of him that it wasn't the alarm going off but his cell phone ringing. Hitting the answer key, Angel grumbled, "Hello?"

"Hey."

"Cordy? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Sorry. Did I wake you?"

"No, I'm always up at 3:00 am."

"Sorry I wanted to talk to my husband."

"No I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. So how's New York?"

"Same, same. I just wanted to let you know that I should be back in a couple of days."

"What time are you getting in? I'll come pick you up."

"I'm not sure right now. I'll let you know."

"Alright."

"So I just wanted to check in on—"

"Cordy, darlin', is that room service? I could go for a latte."

"Ang—"

"Listen Cordy, I have to get up early so I'm going to go. Night."

Angel clicked his phone off and set it back on his dresser. She was cheating on him.

5:00 am, another hour gone by. Another hour he let his thoughts play over and over again in his head. Angel couldn't wipe the soft Texan drawl out of his head, 'Cordy, darling…I could go for a latte?'

What kind of man drinks a latte? He couldn't say he hadn't suspected she had her own affairs. Their marriage had been a fraud for over a year. How could he blame her for trying to find someone who wanted to give her the world? For trying to find someone who could love her.

Angel looked over from his perch on the kitchen counter towards the bedroom where Buffy slept. He could see the faint outline of her small body burrowed in the mountain of pillows; her blonde hair standing out against the black of the room.

Her dream induced murmurings reached his ears in the silent house, "Don't warn the tadpoles."

Frog fear. Wasn't that Willow's thing? As she shifted in her sleep, Angel wondered how he had wasted so much time with thoughts of Cordelia. Hours lost that he could be spending with Buffy. Cordy had her lover to go to, he had the love of his life.

Angel jumped off the counter and trudged into his bedroom. Peeling off his constraining shirt, Angel gently slid into bed next to Buffy. She shifted closer to him and pulled his arm around her waist as she whispered, "My brood boy."

How could a man asked for anything more. Smiling as she started to snore, he kissed the top of her head and snuggled closer to her.

THE END………Just kidding.