A few days later, most of them were sitting in the canteen, glaring at the food the dinner ladies had dared to serve them.

Buffy frowned at her tray. "What's that green blob?"

Angel shook his head emphatically. "I'm trying really hard not to think about that right now…"

They poked it and shuddered with disgust when it wobbled. They were sure it wasn't supposed to have the consistency of jelly. Buffy was sat in Angel's lap, Willow was sat in Oz's lap, and Cordelia and Xander were messing around with the food. Faith and Spike were probably making out in a storage cupboard somewhere. A shadow fell over the table as Principal Snyder came and stood next to them, watching them.

"Are we having a chair shortage?" Willow was confused. "I didn't read anything about a – oh…"

She slid off Oz's knee, then Snyder looked pointedly at Buffy, who sighed and did the same. "These public displays of affection are not acceptable in my school. This isn't an orgy, people. It's a classroom." Buffy gave him an innocent look. "Yeah. Where they teach lunch."

Snyder glared at her for a moment. "Just give me a reason to kick you out, Summers. Just give me a reason"

He walked off and Cordelia spoke up. "How about because you're a tiny, impotent Nazi, with a bug up his butt the size of an emu?" Buffy nodded in agreement. "Sums it up." Cordelia looked at her. "Don't you think?"

Angel and Buffy stood on the street outside their houses, kissing tenderly. He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her even closer, his mouth closing over hers again, when a voice interrupted them. "Come on Angel! She's coming round in an hour anyway."

She rolled her eyes and walked into her house. Angel loosened his grip on Buffy but didn't let go completely. "You're still coming round?"

"Uh-huh." She pressed a hand to the back of his neck, urging him down to her lips again. He obliged, getting lost in the kiss. He knew now, with certainty, that he loved her. At first he wasn't sure. He'd never been in love before, so how could he possibly know? But he knew now. He knew that when he was with her, everything seemed to make sense. He knew that if anything ever happened to her, he wouldn't know what to do. And he knew that when they were apart, all he could think about was being back with her. Yeah, he loved her.

He placed a final soft kiss on her lips and reluctantly untangled himself from her. She gave him a shaky smile, then left to go to her house, trying not to fall over from the passion he stirred in her. She sat down watching TV for a while, then noticed the clock and ran upstairs. She only had five minutes before she had to be next door, and she wanted to make herself presentable.

A few minutes later she heard the door open downstairs and assumed it was Angel. She shouted down that she wouldn't be long, and she heard him walk up the stairs. He was so impatient! She turned towards the door and opened her mouth to tell him as much, to see Pete standing there. Her eyes opened wide with fear and her eyes darted around the room, searching for a possible escape route. "Hello lover."

"Pete."

He took a step towards her and she moved backwards until her back hit the wall. "I saw you with Angel, Buffy. That's not allowed. You know that's not allowed. You're mine."

Buffy shook her head. "I'm not yours Pete. You beat me, you could have killed me! And you expect me to go back to you!" Pete moved even closer. "You know why I did it, baby. You hurt me, you wanted to break up with me! You just make me so mad sometimes that I have to hit you. I don't like doing it but –" Buffy's eyes narrowed in anger. "If you didn't like doing it when you wouldn't do it!"

He was right in front of her now, and she was shaking with fear, but trying desperately not to show it. "You don't deserve me. But Angel does. He's never hit me."

Pete hit her then with the back of his hand, causing a slow trickle of blood to drip from the side of her mouth. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her up slightly, his eyes gleaming furiously. "Don't ever talk about Angel again. You don't belong with Angel, you belong with me!"