Buffy, Richard and Tom stood on the deck. Richard gave her a drink and she looked at it, considering it before downing it in one. She was tired of trying to be mature. She wanted to drink, so she'd drink…

Buffy stumbled against the dresser and apologised before managing to crawl up the stairs into a room. She was relieved to see a bed there and crawled on to it, lying down. "Okay. Nice bed. Just need to stop spinning…"

Willow and Angel sped to the frat house in his car, her clinging on to the seat for dear life as Angel muttered curses under his breath. How could she be so stupid? Surely she knew the dangers for teenage girls. Anything could happen. He knew what college guys could be like, they could be dangerous. They pulled up outside the frat house and noticed, worriedly, that although people were leaving the party in droves, Cordelia's car was still there.

Suddenly someone walked up behind them. They spun around to see Xander there. Angel spoke up, confused. "Hey."

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?"

Willow wrung her hands, nervously. "A girl told me about things that happen at Zeta Kappa parties, we're worried about Buffy."

Xander gestured to the car. "I think she's still inside somewhere with Cordelia. We need to get in there."

Buffy was blissfully unconscious on the bed, and Cordelia was sitting beside it, also passed out. Richard walked in and traced a finger down the front of Buffy's body. Suddenly Tom grabbed him and pushed him against the wall.

"Get away from her!"

Richard looked indignant as he glanced at the sleeping Buffy. "I wasn't doing anything!"

Tom gave him a disbelieving look. "I saw what you were doing."

Richard sighed, defeated. "I was just having a little fun." He looked over at Buffy, admiring the way her dress had ridden up slightly.

"Well she's not here for your fun. Not yet. Not until the ritual." Richard sighed and looked down, ashamed.

"The ritual. I'm sorry."

"Bring the other on to the bed, we need to prepare them." Richard did so and Tom slowly began to pull Buffy's dress up. Just as it was above her stomach, Angel, Willow and Xander burst in. Angel snarled angrily at Tom, then dragged him away from Buffy, throwing him across the room. He pulled Buffy's dress back down and cupped her cheek with one hand as Xander took care of Richard. The move woke her slightly and she looked up at him, her eyes barely open. "Angel?"

Tom got up and began to move forward. Angel took him by the throat and pressed him back into the wall. "Sick son of a bitch. Are there any others?" He didn't answer and Angel shook him. "Are there any others?!" There was a small moan as Cordelia woke up. Buffy sat up slowly, collapsing slightly into Willow's arms.

"She's down in the basement."

Angel turned to Willow and Xander. "Stay here, take care of them." He looked back at Tom. "Show me."

When Angel had left Willow got out her phone and rang for the police and an ambulance. The Zeta Kappas wouldn't get away with it. Not this time. Angel got down into the basement and saw two guys looming over a terrified girl, chained to the wall and wearing a ragged cloth dress. He guessed that Tom was their leader, so he cleared his throat getting their attention. The pair looked over at him, angry, when he lifted Tom slightly off the ground by the throat.

"Let the girl go." They hesitated and Angel squeezed harder. The guys hurriedly unchained her, pushing her in Angel's direction. He let go of Tom, who crumpled to the floor, took hold of the girl's waist and rushed upstairs with her, locking the basement as he went. She was a crying wreck and could barely stand, probably due to drugs the guys had pumped into her system. "Ssh, it's all over now."

She clutched him to her. "Thank you. I was so scared." They heard sirens and Angel told her to stay sitting downstairs while he went to fetch the others. Buffy and Cordelia were still disorientated. Xander and Willow helped her downstairs while Angel scooped Buffy into his arms and carried her, cradling her close to his body. She half-heartedly protested, but he wouldn't let her go.

When the paramedics arrived they checked over the three girls, saying they were going to be fine and could go home. The police took statements from them all, then Xander and Willow took Cordelia and the other girl, whose name was Callie, home. Angel helped Buffy into his car but didn't drive off straight away. "What the hell were you thinking Buffy?"

She didn't answer him, just crossed her arms and looked out of the window. "You could have been hurt, they were going to –"

She looked at him and cut him off. "Yes, I know what they were going to do! But I just wanted to act like a real girl, I wanted to go and have fun."

He glared at her angrily. "So having fun for you means getting raped?!"

"You think if I knew they were going to do that I'd go there?! I just…Tom seemed nice, okay? And unlike some people, he seemed interested in me, and like he was prepared to do something about it."

There was no mistaking her meaning and he shook his head slowly. "Don't blame this on me Buffy, I was trying to do the right thing!"

She laughed softly and looked out the window again. "Just take me home." He started the car and drove to her house. But before she could get out, he laid a hand on her knee.

"You have no idea how scared I was Buffy, when Willow said you'd gone there. There's always been stories about the Zeta Kappas, I thought…I didn't know what to think."

She placed her hand on top of his and squeezed gently. "Thank you." She removed his hand, got up and walked shakily into her house. She knew her mom would kill her when she found out what had happened, and that'd be nothing compared to what Spike would do. Why did she always pick the bad guys? Her eyes filled with tears as she realised what had almost happened. The tears kept coming until she was standing on her front step sobbing, fighting to get her keys out of her bag.

Angel ached to jump out of the car and go and take her in his arms. He could tell she was crying. His hand was on the door handle and he was on the verge on opening it when her front door opened and Joyce stood there. Buffy threw herself into her mom's arms, and Angel drove off. He wasn't needed. Not now.