Title: Unwilling Bride
Author: Neamh1
Disclaimer: Not mine
AN: Sorry for the delay with this chapter, there's really no excuse i just got behind with everything. Any way, here it is, hope you all enjoy it!
When they got back to the house, Angelus took her inside and straight up to her room with Molly and a few other maids fussing behind him.
"Molly, get a bath ready; I also need some food and clean clothes for Buffy. Hurry, then leave us alone." He said as Buffy started to stir in his arms.
"Right away Sir. I'll bring some band aids for your cuts, should I call the doctor?" Molly asked but Angelus shook his head. Molly and the servants left the room just as Buffy came to.
"Angelus?" she said slightly confused until everything came back to her. "Oh God." she started to cry.
"Shh, it's alright now; you're safe."
"I thought you'd gone and that I was alone with them. I thought they were going to kill me and I was so scared; I had nothing to defend myself with and no one knew where I was." she said so fast that he had trouble keeping up.
"I knew where you were and I came back. I promise Buffy I'll never let anyone hurt you again. I'm so sorry that I didn't take care of you; I promised your father that I would and I left you for them. It's all my fault but I'll never let you down again, do you hear me?" he asked sternly and she looked into his eyes seeing the determination there. She nodded her head and he placed her on the bed gently.
"Molly is preparing you a bath, we've got to get you out of these clothes before Will gets back here with the sheriff and his men."
"Angelus, you're bleeding." she said reaching out and touching his arm, he winced at her touch and she pulled back.
"I'll be fine, let's get you cleaned up first."
"No, we need to clean your wounds before they get infected." she said but he would have none of it.
Molly knocked on the door then to tell them that Buffy's bath was ready and Angelus carried her into the bathroom then left while Molly helped her disrobe and bathe.
When Buffy returned to her bedroom she was dressed in a clean navy satin dress. The dark color made her skin look pale and a dark bruise was forming on her left cheek, she also had some small fingerprint bruises above her chest. She was carrying a small box and instructed Angelus to sit on her bed and take off his shirt so she could take a look at his wounds.
He didn't like the idea of someone else dressing his wounds, he usually did it himself but Buffy was as stubborn as he had been about her bath and wouldn't give him the box to do it himself.
She winced when he removed his shirt and she saw the extent of his wounds. He had only fought briefly with Clay but he had a large gash across his chest and several small cuts on his arms. She could make out the tell tale signs of a bruise forming at the side of his mouth where Clay had punched him. She took care cleaning his cuts and bandaging them up even though he insisted they didn't need the bandages.
"Look, I don't care what you say, I'm putting bandages on the cuts and that's the end of it." she replied to him and batted his hand out of the way. After that he didn't fight anymore as she finished up the last of the cuts, her hand lingering on the last one, the large cut across his chest. Angelus took her hand from his chest and held it in his, they didn't say anything; they just sat with each other holding hands until Molly knocked with food for the both of them on trays. They ate in silence in her room and after, Angelus insisted that she get some rest before the sheriff arrived.
"I don't want to be alone," she pleaded when he went to get up from the bed.
"I'll stay with you; I'm not going anywhere." he replied and made himself comfy again.
"Angelus?" she said in a small voice.
"Hmm?"
"Could you hold me?"
He moved slowly up against her back and just as slowly wrapped his arms around her not wanting to startle her after everything that had happened. She was asleep in his arms within minutes and so he laid his head on her pillow and breathing in her scent, he allowed himself the comfort of her body as he drifted off.
Buffy and Angelus had been sleeping for around an hour when they were disturbed by a knock on the door. Angelus got up to answer it and found Will on the other side of the door.
"Sorry mate but the sheriff is downstairs and he wants to speak with you and Buffy about what happened." Will said, surprised to find Angelus in Buffy's room still and looking as though he'd just been woken from a deep sleep.
"Alright, tell him we'll be right down." Angelus answered and closed the door as Will headed back downstairs.
"What is it?" Buffy asked as Angelus rubbed his face with both hands to try and wake himself up.
"The sheriff is downstairs and wants to speak with us both; do you feel up to it? I could ask him to come back tomorrow if you-"
"No it's fine, better to get this over and done with." she said and pulled herself up from the bed, she straightened her clothing and took a quick look at herself in the mirror before they headed downstairs together.
Walking into the parlor, they came upon the sheriff and William drinking coffee as they talked over William's account of what had happened. When the sheriff heard them enter, he placed his cup down and walked over to Buffy taking her hand in his. "Buffy, I'm so sorry to hear about this. Are you all right? I can see they've given you a nasty bruise." he said and
reached up to touch the side of her cheek that was bruised.
Buffy smiled at the sheriff but turned her face away from his touch before answering, "Yes. Can we please get this over with Riley; I've had a long day."
"Of course, come and sit down and tell me everything." The sheriff said leading her to the sofa and sitting next to her.
Neither of them noticed the dark look that had come over Angelus when the sheriff took hold of Buffy's hand. Angelus stood still in the doorway, trying to cool down his temper before he did something he might regret.
"Breathe, have a cup of coffee and sit down; she's still your wife, remember?" Will whispered in Angelus' ear then led him over to the opposite sofa and poured his friend a cup of coffee. He found it quite amusing the way Angelus was reacting to the sheriff's behavior towards Elizabeth. It was true that the sheriff seemed not to care for personal boundaries, especially where someone else's wife was concerned, but it could be simply that they had known each other since they were children and had grown up together. Either way he didn't think Angelus cared.
Angelus only half listened as Buffy recounted her story to the sheriff. He was too busy noticing how his eyes kept drifting over her body and the small flirting comments he made every now and again. She had just been attacked by three men and he was flirting with her! Not to mention the fact that she was a married woman!
"And you are Angelus O'Connor?" Riley said turning his attention to Angelus when Buffy had finished her story.
"Lord O'Connor, yes." Angelus replied tersely causing Buffy to raise an eyebrow at his behavior.
"Would you like to give me your account of what happened?" Riley asked.
"I was leaving the city today to head for my office; I saddled my horse about half an hour before dawn and rode away from the grounds. Just before the city outskirts I heard a horse coming up behind me and I saw Buffy. I stopped and as we spoke, I told her to come home; then I left."
"So you just left her, in the middle of the road alone?" Riley asked annoyed with the man for leaving Buffy so vulnerable.
Angelus bristled but he knew that he had been wrong to leave her there and there was nothing he could say to defend himself. "Yes. I rode on a short distance further, around the corner and realized what I'd done so I turned around and headed back to check that she had started to head home."
"How cavalier of you." Riley said under his breath as he jotted down Angelus words.
At the remark Angelus jumped to his feet followed shortly by Riley, "Have you got a problem with me, sheriff?"
"You're damn right I have! Leaving a defenseless woman alone in the road like that, what kind of man are you?"
"Okay that's enough!" Buffy shouted and pushed her way between the two men who were practically face to face. "The point is that he came back Riley, and since you are wearing that uniform could you please keep your personal comments to yourself." Riley lowered his head and took another step back in apology while Angelus smirked. "And you need to control your temper," Buffy said turning on Angelus. "Now please will you both sit back down and lets get this over with."
"Here, here." said Will raising his cup of coffee in salute to Buffy.
Everyone took their seats again and Angelus quickly finished his story, eager to get the sheriff out of their house.
"Well looks like I have everything I need here. The lad you shot in the leg is being treated right now but he's lost a lot of blood. It doesn't look good and if he does come through it, then he'll have a nice long prison sentence in front of him anyway. Are you sure that you're all right, Buffy?" Riley asked one last time before he was going to leave.
"I'll take care of her." Angelus answered but Riley paid him no mind.
"I'm sorry about everything that's happened lately, my brother told me about your Pa, I can't believe I wasn't here for you when it happened. How have you been coping?"
"I'm alright now, but I miss him terribly." she replied, a tear in her eye.
"I take it that you are a friend of Mr. Summers?" Riley asked Angelus.
"A good friend to Hank and a husband to Buffy." Angelus took great satisfaction in the words, even more so when Riley looked totally shocked and turned back to Buffy.
"You got married, when?"
"Yesterday, it was small ceremony here. I would have invited you but I didn't realize you had gotten back from your trip."
"I got back the day before yesterday." Riley replied solemnly. I'd best get going anyway, my congratulations to you both, Buffy would you mind walking an old friend to the door?" Riley asked and helped her up from the sofa.
"I think it's best if she doesn't." Angelus said.
"It's all right. I'll walk with you." Buffy said. She wasn't going to let Angelus dictate where she could and couldn't walk just because he didn't like someone.
When they reached the outside porch Riley turned to her, "Buffy how long have you known this man? Are you all right here with him; should I be worried?" He asked hoping that she might ask him to take her away from Angelus.
"Yes I'm fine. I haven't known Angelus long, but we are husband and wife now. My father trusted him and I trust him, I'm perfectly safe, but thank you for your concern, Riley."
"You know that if you ever need anything I'm here for you right? I just wish that you had said yes to me before I left Buffy. We could be married now if you had." He said and took a step closer to her reaching out for her hand, she stepped back before he could touch her; things were bad enough as they were, she didn't want to give Angelus any reason to charge out here and start pounding on a sheriff.
"I'm sorry Riley but I just don't have those feelings for you." she said.
"And you do for him?" he asked in anger, shocking her and making her step back. He was always so collected and calm that his sudden outburst scared her. "You've known him three weeks Buffy and he treats you like his property! I saw the way he was in there, ordering you around and trying to take charge of you. I should arrest him for the murder of those men and have him out of our lives for good." Riley said.
"Riley no!" She said in a panic, knowing that no one would question Sheriff Finn if he were to take any man into his custody. "You're a good man and that would be breaking the law. I know you'd never do something like that," she said trying to convince them both.
Taking a deep breath and a step back, he looked at her hard, "You're right. That's not me; I'm sorry. I'd better go, good day." he said and quickly left the porch and mounted his horse. Without looking back he rode away to rejoin his men in the city.
Suddenly Buffy didn't feel like sleeping, she didn't even feel like going back inside the house, she just wanted to walk outside in the fresh air. Taking a cloak from the stand inside the doorway she closed the front door quietly and walked around the gardens of the estate thinking. She had known Riley for a long time, since they were in their teens and he had always let her know that one-day he intended to marry her. She had never felt the same way about him but he always
said that one day she would and she would make him the happiest man alive. A year before her father became seriously ill, Riley had come to the house and told her that he was going away on business, that he was need in a small town in Dakota to help the sheriff over there and that he didn't know when he'd be back. He told her that if she agreed to marry him he wouldn't go. He said that he loved her and that he would do anything for her, but she turned him down and he had left quietly. After that she had heard nothing from him. She had occasionally seen his brother in town but he would only tell her that Riley was fine. She cared for Riley but not in the way that he wanted her to and sometimes he scared her when she made her feelings known to him like she had today. He rarely lost his temper with her and when he did he terrified her. She wondered what he was capable of when driven to the limits.
She been walking through the garden maze for half an hour when she heard rushed footsteps and William came around the corner almost knocking her over.
"There you are. Angelus has the whole household searching for you," he panted with his hands on his knees.
"What on earth for?"
"He's a little wired since you almost got killed cause he left you alone." he said pointedly, "And since you never came back after speaking with Riley and your cloak was gone he panicked. He's sent someone into the city to se if you went with Riley. It took all my skills to persuade him not to go himself. He kept accusing Riley of kidnapping you. We've been searching
for the past fifteen minutes, I volunteered for the gardens."
"And it took you that long to find me, the gardens are hardly very large." she said disbelieving.
"No, but I can't find my way out of this bloody maze, let alone around it. I keep going in circles." William said and Buffy couldn't help but laugh. As a child this was where she used to come when she wanted to be alone because no one could veer find their way around it but her, she'd spent so much time here that she knew every turn.
"Come one, it's this way." she said and led William from the maze. As they reached the exit, Angelus rounded the corner of the house shouting her name.
"Found her." Will shouted back in triumph.
"More like you stumbled upon me." Buffy replied sarcastically.
"Don't split hairs," he replied just before Angelus grabbed hold of Buffy crushing her to his chest. "Are you alright, what happened?" he asked pulling away but holding her at arms length.
"Nothing, I just needed some fresh air so I decided to take a walk." she replied as though it was nothing.
"And you didn't think to tell anyone where you were going?" he asked, his concern turning to anger when he realized that he been worrying for nothing because she was too inconsiderate to tell anyone where she would be.
"I was only in the gardens Angelus, it's not like I went for a ride or something."
"You can't just wonder off without telling someone where you are going! We thought something had happened to you when you didn't come back. I have all the staff looking for you."
"I'm sorry. Maybe I should just stay in my room and never come out; would that make you happy.
"Yes, please do." he replied, dropping his hands from her arms.
William stared between the two not believing that they were about to start arguing again. He rolled his eyes at them and went into the house to tell the staff that Buffy had been found.
"Fine. I will, and don't think for one second that you're welcome in there," she said as she stormed away toward the house and left Angelus staring after her.
He didn't want to be in her room with her, in her bed, in her arms...did he?
TBC...
