The next week it was Buffy's eighteenth birthday party and her friends were planning a surprise party for her. Angel was praying for an invite to it, though he couldn't be too obvious about it. "So do I get an invite to this party?"

Cordelia thought about it for a moment. "Only if you promise to behave" He lifted his right hand. "Scout's honour." Cordelia suddenly grinned. "Fine. You're in charge of food"

Angel looked at her, indignant. "But I only wanted an invite!" Cordelia shrugged her shoulders. "Tough. You wanna come, you can help."

When Angel told Cordelia they'd need lots of cookie dough fudge mint chip, she'd asked how he'd known that was Buffy's favourite ice cream. He'd managed to convince her, after a while, that she'd told him. In fact he'd discovered it when they'd spent the night watching movies at her house. When she'd asked him to go and get some ice cream from the freezer, the only flavour in there was cookie dough fudge mint chip. There were three pint cartons of it. Cordelia had wanted to invite Tom but when she'd questioned Buffy further and suggested inviting Tom down for the weekend of her birthday, Buffy had panicked and said they'd broken up. Shame. Angel had wanted to use the excuse of 'Tom came down for one night to surprise me' to give Buffy another love bite…or at least one where people could see it…

The party was held at the Bronze and when Buffy walked in, thinking she was just going for a night out with her friends, she was shocked to discover the party. Angel whispered to her that he'd give her the present he'd gotten the next day, so as not to arouse suspicions. However he couldn't stop himself from asking her to dance. Seeing her dance with that Riley Finn did it. "What are you doing?"

He dipped her slightly. "Dancing with you" She rolled her eyes. "I can see that. Why?" Angel spoke gruffly. "Saving you from Finn"

Buffy pulled back slightly and raised her eyebrows. "Are you jealous?" Angel tried to look indignant. "Of him. Please." Buffy grinned triumphantly. "You are! You're jealous!"

"Yeah, fine. I admit it. I'm jealous. You can laugh at me now" Buffy smiled up at him, almost shyly. "That's so sweet. I don't wanna laugh at you."

He smiled down at her, leaning in closer. "Really? Sweet?" Buffy nodded. "Really. Now you might wanna move a bit further away from me, and look like you hate me, or tease me or something. I think people are starting to get suspicious."

He whispered something in her ear, then the two of them started having a mock argument in quiet voices, not to attract too much attention, but to attract enough to show they were still supposed enemies. Cordy eventually came over and prised the two apart, scolding Angel for upsetting Buffy.

The next morning Buffy was on a high. She got to dance with Angel, she got Angel to admit he was jealous, she got presents and she was going to the ice show with her father that night. Every year her and her dad went to the ice show. And when she got downstairs she saw a huge bouquet of flowers with a note attached. She went to open it and immediately her face fell. It was from her father. He couldn't make it to the ice show. She threw the flowers in the bin and left for school, early so she wouldn't have to walk with the others.

When she saw the others at school she apologised for not walking with them, saying she had to get to school early to do some work in the library. After second period she went to her locker with Willow and spotted a piece of paper sticking out of the side. She opened it and her eyes widened:

Buffy,

Hope you had a good party, love. I'll be seeing you soon sweetheart

Pete x

Tears flooded her eyes and she quickly made an excuse to Willow and hurried off. Willow, who was looking in her locker at the time, hadn't noticed Buffy's tears. But Angel had. He saw Buffy disappear into the library behind the stacks and followed her.

He found her sitting on her floor, her head in her hands, crying. He sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms, whispering soothing words to her. "You wanna tell me what's going on?"

She didn't say anything for a few minutes, just curled into his chest further, burying her face in his neck. Eventually she moved away slightly, bringing her knees up to her chest.

"This morning…I was so happy…but I got up and…m-my d-dad had sent me some flowers and a n-note saying h-he couldn't take m-me to the ice s-show tonight. W-we go every year for m-my birthday."

She wiped away her tears angrily. "That's w-why I came to sc-school early. Then I g-got to m-my locker just now a-and there was a-a…letter…"

Fresh tears sprung out of her eyes and Angel gently prised the letter from her fingers reading it, anger boiling up inside of him. How dare Pete come back here! How dare he threaten Buffy again?

Cordelia walked into the library when she heard voices in the stacks. Buffy and Angel. She assumed they'd be arguing but moved closer for a better look. She knelt down and looked through the books to the side of the stacks they were on. They were crouching on the floor, and Buffy was crying. "Buffy, I won't let him hurt you ever again."

She saw Buffy start shaking her head. "You can't promise that." Angel took her hand in his. "I can. I promise you. I'll kill him before I let him go near you."

He held her close to him again and Cordelia had to bite back a gasp. Angel comforting Buffy? Buffy letting Angel hug her! Was she in backwards world! She saw the two of them get up and she quickly rose and hurried out of the library before she could spot them, then went to find Willow and tell her what she'd seen…

Before Buffy could leave the library Angel stopped her, telling her to sit down at the table. He sat next to her and got a small jewellery box out of his pocket. She opened and saw a beautiful silver ring. "For your birthday. I was going to give it to you yesterday but..."

Buffy smiled, overwhelmed. "It's beautiful." Angel looked down at the ring, embarrassed to look her in the face. "It's a Claddagh ring. The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty, and the heart…well, you know. Wear it with the heart pointing towards you, it means you belong to someone." He looked at her then, his face showing something she'd hardly ever seen there before.

He held out his hand, showing he was wearing one too. "Like this"

She smiled at him dazzlingly and slipped on the ring. It was a perfect fit. She lent forward and kissed him softly, her fingers entwining with his. "Thank you. I love it"

That night Buffy was lying in bed, trying desperately to get to sleep, when she heard a soft knock on her bedroom window. She smiled. Angel. He often climbed up the tree next to her window at night to see her. She quickly climbed out of bed and opened the window, letting him in. "I didn't wake you did I?"

He took in her dishevelled appearance but she denied it immediately. "No. I couldn't sleep" Angel looked at her, worried. "How are you feeling?"

"Better I guess. Just a bit scared." She sat back on the bed, looking down at her hands.

"He knew I had a party Angel. He's been watching me. He could be watching me right now" Angel knelt down in front of her. "I told you Buffy. I won't let anything happen to you. Ever."

She smiled at him and lay down on the bed, tugging him down with her. "Lie with me for a while." He wrapped his arms around her, nestling his face in her hair and drinking in her scent. She smelled of shampoo, and faintly of the perfume he had bought her. She let out a small noise akin to a sigh and snuggled closer to his warm body. Her final thought as she drifted off to sleep, was how much she loved him.