"Mahal"
By: Lynn
DISCLAIMERS: Making it short...NOT MINE!
SUMMARY: AU; Just another story where everybody's human and Angel, Oz, and Xander are the new students in school.
DISTRIBUTION: Are you kidding me! I NEED someone to host my fics. Just e-mail me if you want them. Previous Parts found at: http/
E-MAIL:
BETA READER: Ashley Russo (last parts un-beta¡¦ed)

Part 12

"Bless you," Angel said to his little sister after she sneezed multiple of times. He was walking upstairs to his room Jessica miserably trudging behind.

After blowing her nose, Jessica let out a frustrated yell, angry that she was still congested.

"Are you sure you wanna talk to me while I'm like this," she questioned as she did a belly flop onto his queen sized bed, slipped under his thick comforter, and snuggled into the light green covered pillows.

He took a seat next to her, leaning back on his headboard.

"I need all the help I can get right now."

"Alright," she sat up against the headboard and gently slapped his thigh, "Talk away Big Brother!"

"Well... Um… There's this... someone, and he's with this great, attractive woman. But there's this other woman who's just... amazing and beautiful and he just can't stop thinking about her."

Jessica raised both her eyebrows, "So why don't you just tell Nina and Buffy how you feel," she advised with a shrug of her shoulders.

"How'd you know I was talking about them and me?" He was actually surprised that Jessica "cracked his code."

As a response, she rolled her eyes and said, "I'm sick, not dumb." She emphasized the end of her sentence with a sniffle.

Angel sighed, "I don't know what to do. I really like Nina. We have a great time together."

Jessica inwardly cringed, 'Damn it, I can't believe I'm gonna say this.' "Then be with Nina."

"But," Angel continued, as if he hadn't heard his sister's suggestion, "Buffy's always on my mind. I find myself shying away from Nina because Buffy's the only thing I think about."

Jessica nodded her head and pursed lips, "Then Buffy it is."

"But I really care about Nina. I mean she made me a vase!"

In a slightly annoyed tone, she repeated, "Then go with Nina."

"But Buffy... She's everything I've ever wanted. We just click, you know?"

"Dear God! Buffy! Go with Buffy!"

Ignoring how agitated Jessica sounded, Angel rambled on," But Nina-"

"Okay Angel," Jessica said in a calmer tone, cutting him off before he could say anything more, "I'm gonna stop you right there. 'Cause if you don't I'm gonna get REALLY mad at you and then sneeze in your face."

Angel looked down at her "innocent" face incredulously, but he knew that she was crazy enough to do it, if provoked enough. He settled back against the headboard again and his face morphed into broody mode.

"Do you like Nina," he asked out of nowhere.

"She's nice. I just wouldn't want to be alone in a room with her."

"Why not?"

Jessica slightly squirmed, suddenly a wee bit uncomfortable under Angel's questioning gaze, "I just think... that... she's kinda... she's annoying. I mean, she's not as bad as the Kendalls but... the girl was talking about bodily functions for crying out loud!"

"So you don't like her?"

"Now I didn't say that! I said I can't be alone with her."

"Same thing."

"Nah uh!... Look, you know, don't break up with a girl because I or anybody else don't like her. If you care for her that much then stay with her. Otherwise..." Jessica reached over to grab the black cordless on the bureau. She tossed him the phone and gave him one last smile before making herself comfortable at the foot of the bed and turning on his tv.

Angel stared at the phone in his hand, coming up with a decision. Dialing the number, he hit Jessica with a pillow when it started ringing, signaling her to turn down the volume of the tv.

"Hey Nina, it's me. We need to talk."

The next night, the Bronze was packed and the music of Dingoes Ate my Baby rocked the club.

Buffy sat with a giddy Willow, fiddling with her plastic cup as they both watched Oz's band finish up their set.

As everyone around her loosened up and threw their cares away, Buffy was lost in her own thoughts. She thought back to the conversation she had with Xander last night.

After practically forcing it out of her, Xander finally got Buffy to confess why she was brooding in front of his house.

/"Daddy issues," Xander prodded.

"No," she simply answered.

"Mama issues?"

"Xander," she stopped walking to yell at her friend, "It has nothing to do with my parents or any of my family or my grades! Okay?"

The brunette held up his hands in surrender. As they started walking again, Xander continued, "Boy problems," when Buffy didn't respond, he figured that was it, "Finally, we're getting somewhere! It's boy problems! So what boy has got you all twisted?"

"No one," Buffy lied, but Xander saw right through it.

"Let's see," he tried to figure it out on his own, "You were in front of my house, all sad. It must be someone that lives there. Am I getting warm?" Seeing that she was trying to avoid his gaze, he was very much in fact really warm. "Ooh!...," he put his arm around her shoulders and waggled his eyebrows, dropping his voice an octave to sound seductive, "Is it me?"

"Xander...," she warned, looking at him with a smirk. She was thankful she was walking with Xander. His goofy humor brightened up her mood a little.

"Okay, fine, not me," he suddenly wore a grimace on his face, "It's not Jessica is it?" Buffy smacked his arm, appalled that he suggested that, "Hey I'm not judging!"

"No! Ew Xander!"

"I hope it's not Connor, 'cause that would be weird."

"It's not Connor."

"Okay, so it's not me, Connor, or Jessica. So process of elimination leaves Oz and Angel. I'm gonna do a quick Eenie Meanie Minee Mo in my head and choose... Angel! Am I right? Is it Angel?"

She bit her lip and silently nodded, confirming his guess.

"Oh... Did he say something hurtful to you," he was worried that Angel had gone back to old, short-lived habits. Those few months were horrible.

"No, not really."

"Then what is it?" Xander noticed the tentative look on her face and softly assured her, "Buffy, whatever you tell me will stay between us," he put his right hand over his heart, "I promise."

Trusting her friend, she relented with a sigh and told the whole saga that lead up to the moment Xander found her in the jeep.

"Buffy," he stopped them in their tracks, holding her shoulders so they could make eye contact, "Believe me when I say that my brother would never do or say anything to intentionally hurt you." 'Not anymore that is,' he silently added to himself. He didn't want to be the one to tell her about a phase that Angel went through a couple years ago. That was Angel's job.

Embracing him in a friendly hug, Buffy whispered to her friend, "Thank you Xander."/

Buffy was suddenly jolted from her flashback when she heard Willow chirp loudly over the music, "Hey Angel!"

"Hey Willow," his deep voice followed. Their eyes met and they exchanged soft smiles, "Hi Buffy."

"Hey," she greeted.

Angel started to fidget uncomfortably and Buffy eyed him with a worried glance, "Angel?" He looked up at her, "Are you okay?"

"Um... Yeah. Fine... Actually, can we um," he crooked his thumb to the back room with all the couches.

She nodded, "Yeah, sure," she followed him, wondering what he wanted to talk about.

When they sat on the unoccupied, dark orange couch, Angel angled him self so he can look into her greenish-blue eyes.

"Buffy I...," he cut himself off to take a breath of courage, and then continued, "I've always had feelings for you, but lately, it's been getting stronger. I just wanted to know if there's any chance you might... feel the same way?"

Searching her face for any reaction, all he found was a blank expression devoid of any emotion. Assuming that her silence was a no, he felt his heart rip in two.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn'tve said anything. I-" Just when he was bout to get up, Buffy finally reacted and grabbed his face and kissed him on the lips, stopping his apology.

When they separated, Buffy smiled, gazed into his beautiful, brown eyes and said, "There's more than a chance, it's a guarantee."

He beamed and replied, "Good to know." He leaned in to kiss her again, but Buffy avoided contact and questioned with a frown, "What about Nina?"

He caressed her cheek and told her, "I called her last night and told her how I felt, and after she threatened to shove the vase she made me up somewhere not pretty, she told me that she understood. Besides the threat, she took it pretty well."

Buffy licked her lips and grinned, "So you're available for the taking now?"

"Yup. Better take advantage of me while I'm still on the rebound," he joked and leaned in once more to kiss her and shut out the world around them.

TBC…