Chapter Fifteen

Buffy walked with Angel out of the warehouse and to the safety of her car.
"Want to tell me what the hell that was back there?" Buffy asked as Angel leaned against the car door.

"What do you think?" Angel said as he rested the back of his head on the roof of Buffy's car.

"What I think," Buffy said as she crossed her arms and leaned to one side, "Is that a Demon tricked me into believing you wanted to meet me for a sparring match, and instead, I ended up being the main course of a ritual sacrifice!"

"Nice to see your perception of things hasn't altered," Angel said, raising his head back up.

"But that guy stunk to high hell," Buffy replied, as Angel folded his arms. "How did he appear to me as you, if he smells like that?"
"Ever hear of glamour's," Angel said, looking at Buffy.

"Yeah, Willow's used them before. They can be used to alter what one actually sees."
"Well, that's what he used. He was pretty good at it, if he could conceal the smell."
"But why was he after me?"
"The Demon goes after women who are feeling lonely, or feel they have no one left."
"Okay, I understand that part, but why did he project himself as you?"

"Well," Angel looked to Buffy, "I was able to find out that he picked his victims by chance. He just walks around, looking for women who are missing someone they loved. He would use the glamour, and lure them in, by making them think the person they most wanted to see was there."
Buffy blinked. The person they most wanted to see. Buffy felt her heart sink and rise like a bad elevator ride.

"Buffy, are you okay?" Angel watched as color drained from Buffy's face.

"You said this Demon projected an image of the person they loved and missed most?"
"Yeah, " Angel nodded. Buffy took a few steps, and leaned beside Angel.

"But I had just talked to Xander on the phone, about how I missed Brian because he was so sick," Buffy said, as she looked to Angel. "That's when you showed up. Or the fake you showed up."

"Buffy that Demon picks up what's in your soul, that's why he wanted to sacrifice you," Angel said, in an attempt to comfort Buffy. "He wanted the weakest souls to feed the Demon's power."

"My soul is not weak!" Buffy snapped as she confronted Angel.

"No disrespect Buffy," Angel said as he raised his hands, "But it had to have been weak, to attract that Demon."

Buffy stared at Angel's face and searched for the answer to her growing problem.

If I attracted that Demon, Buffy thought as she looked to the sky, Then I must still love Angel, more than I was really aware of. Buffy took a deep breath.

Looking back at Angel, Buffy said, "Wait a minute."

"What?"
"The Demon, as you, said that he had come here because of a client. But, if that was all a ploy to reel me in for the kill," Buffy tilted her head at Angel. "How did it know you were following it?"

Angel looked at Buffy. He was able to read me too, Angel thought as he continued to keep his arms crossed. Which means-­

"You were missing me too," Buffy said, finishing Angel's thought.

"No, I wasn't." Angel lied.

"Liar," Buffy said pointing at Angel. "You were missing me, and that Demon picked up on it, and he lured you here, just like he lured me."

Angel remained stone faced.

"He must have told you about his plans, some how hoping to kill you in the process."
"And when he realized you were the Slayer," Angel picked up the thought, "He hoped to sweeten the deal."
"God!" Buffy said as she placed a hand on her head. "How could we be so mental!"

"We?" Angel tried to correct.

"Look it doesn't matter," Buffy said, dismissing the air. "Let's just get you back to your hotel room."
"I didn't book a room," he said as Buffy unlocked the doors.

"You don't have a place to stay?"
Angel stayed silent. "Well," Buffy breathed. "I promised Brian I would bring you over after the so called "fight" we were going to."

"We were going to a fight?" Angel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah," Buffy said, as she began to spin her ring. "The fake you challenged me to a sparing match. And since Brian has absolutely no idea that I am a Slayer, I told him you and I were going to see a martial arts match."

Buffy looked at Angel's clothes, and then her own.

They were both cut and bruised, and Buffy's pink top was torn, exposing her shoulder. Angel's coat had a few tears, and his face looked beat.

"And considering, how we just survived one, I guess that's pretty accurate."

"But I don't think Brian thought you would be in the fight, right?"
Buffy looked at Angel and shrugged her shoulders. "I'll just tell him a real fight broke out and we were collateral damage."
"Does getting the wind knocked out of you count?" Angel smiled weakly, as he got into the car.

"Get in," Buffy smiled back, starting the car. Angel closed the door, and Buffy drove the two of them in the direction of home.

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Buffy pulled into the driveway, and killed the engine. The whole drive here, Buffy and Angel had been strangely quiet. Buffy didn't know what to do. She just kept her hands on the wheel, and stared in front of her.

Angel also stared in front him, not quite sure how things were about to play out. He glanced at the house and surrounding area.

"Nice place," Angel said, hoping to ease the ever increasing tension.

"Huh? Oh," Buffy said as she looked to Angel and back at the house. "Thank you. Brian's friend Jake, usually stays here but he let Brian and I use it for awhile."
"Where is Jake now?" Wondered Angel.

"Costa Rica," Buffy said. "He took advantage of an expedition that was going down there. He's a photographer." Buffy explained as Angel continued to stay still.

"Are we going to go in?" Angel asked as the silence over powered them again.

"Oh, yeah," Buffy said as she turned and unlocked the doors. Carefully, they each exited the vehicle and Buffy chirped the alarm.

When they made it to the door, Buffy turned to Angel saying, "Look, I just want to say, this is going to be very, very, awkward, and I hope that nothing goes wrong."
Angel smiled and raised his hand. "I'll be on my best behavior, Scout's Honor."
"Wrong hand," Buffy smirked turning the key, as Angel shrugged his shoulders, and led him inside.

Once in, Buffy took their coats and hung them in the coat closet by the door. Quietly, Buffy led Angel through the living room, to the stairs that led up to the bedrooms.

Angel smiled to himself as he briefly imagined Buffy leading him to bed.

Stopping at a door, Buffy raised her hand to stop Angel. 'Wait here," she whispered. Softly, Buffy tapped on the door.

"Brian? Honey?" she said, as she turned the knob. "You awake? Stay here," She told Angel, as she turned around and walked in.

Brian was where she had left him, leaning against a wall of pillows, his head leaning to one side, eyes closed. Angel watched through the slightly closed door, as Buffy gingerly sat on the bed, and brushed Brian's face.

"Brian, honey," Buffy said as she turned Brian's face to towards her. "I'm home."
Brian shifted towards Buffy. "Hey, how was the fight?" Brian asked as he opened his eyes. "What happened?" Brian noticed the cuts on Buffy's forehead, and sat up straighter.

"It's nothing," Buffy tried to play it off. "Just a real fight that broke out at the end of the match, and Angel and I tried to get away before it got worse. But, as you can tell, we didn't exactly make it out of there with out scratch."
"Is Angel here?" Brian asked, remembering what he had asked of Buffy.

"Yeah," Buffy said as she motioned towards the door. "He's over there. Come on in, Angel. It's okay."

Angel pushed open the door and for the first time, in over two centuries, he could feel his heart begin to race. His nerves were shaking. Meeting Brian, was worse than talking to a girl's father. Buffy's husband was about to meet Buffy's first love. And true love, if you asked him.

But as he stood above Buffy, by the bed, Brian made the first gesture of peace.

"Nice to finally meet you, Angel," Brian said extending his hand. Angel took it, and returning the gesture, couldn't help but think, kinda has that farm-boy look, Riley did.

"Boy," Brian said, as he noticed Angel's clothes, "They sure did do a number on you."
"Oh, yeah," Angel said looking at his shirt. "Well, I was just trying to protect Buffy."
Buffy smiled to herself. Thanks for letting him think I'm helpless.

"Buffy dear," Brian said, looking to his wife. "Would you go help our guest get cleaned up?" Buffy's eyes went wide. What did he just say?

"Huh," was all that came out.

"In the bathroom, is the medical kit," Brian pointed to the bathroom, on his right, "Angel here has a pretty nasty looking cut."
Buffy turned to look at Angel, and the light in the bedroom, illuminated the severity of Angel's injuries.

"Angel!" Buffy exclaimed as she leaped up and touched the cut on Angel's forehead.

"Ow!" Angel cried as he flinched.

"Come on," Buffy said as she took Angel into a small hall that led to the bathroom. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Once inside, Buffy pushed the door closed, but left it cracked.
"Take off your shirt," Buffy replied as she opened the medicine cabinet. Angel did as he was told, and unbuttoned his torn shirt. Laying it on the towel rack, Buffy grabbed the alcohol and cotton swabs.

Buffy's eyes grew wide as she saw a shirtless Angel for the first time in years. Oh, boy, she thought as she swallowed, this is going to be harder than I thought.

Angel did not let it show, but inside, he was smiling. She's nervous, he thought as he watched Buffy shake her head to snap out of her daze. "You okay," Angel asked as Buffy took the cap off the bottle.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Buffy said, her voice temporarily cracked.

Angel shook his head, as Buffy spun him around, checking for more wounds.

Checking Angel's back for injuries, she saw the Gryphon tattoo that graced his shoulder. Buffy reached up to touch the winged bird. "You still have it," she said, softly tracing the Gryphon's outstretched wing, flashing back on the night she had first seen it.
He had saved her life then, too.

"Was it supposed to have gone somewhere?" Angel inquired.

"No," Buffy answered. "I just thought that what, with you being human and all, that you would have gotten rid of it."
Angel hung his head. "First, that tattoo, has a deeper meaning deeper than I care to go into now, or ever." He turned his head to face Buffy. "Second, I think it would be a tad more painful to remove it now." Angel flashed that smile of his, as he looked into Buffy's eyes.

Buffy sat Angel down on the toilet lid, and poured alcohol on a cotton swab.

"Let's clean these wounds, shall we?" Buffy's hand began to shake, as she carefully inched closer to Angel's jaw. Buffy placed the Alcohol swab on the cut, and Angel flinched.

"Ow! Damn it!" Angel cried out as he grabbed his sore jaw.

"Oh, Angel, I didn't mean to!" Buffy said as she jumped back.

"It's okay, Buffy," Angel said as he took Buffy's hands. "I'm just not used to the feel of human pain."
"Poor Angel," Buffy whispered, as she leaned over and kissed the tender wound.

Buffy pulled away, and Angel saw the look in her eyes change. Her eyes, were a dark green, and reflected the same thing Angel was thinking. Oh this can't be good, he thought. Brian's in the other room. He could come in here and if he catches me, my death will be swift and sure. Yet, Angel couldn't resist as he slipped a hand through Buffy's hair and pulled her closer.

Buffy didn't resist either, as she and Angel locked lips. It was soft and sensual, and very different from the one, that she had shared with Angel back in his hotel room. This one was filled was passion and left over excitement from the night's fight. Buffy's arm wrapped around Angel, and his found her waist. The kiss became more passionate as the seconds passed.

"Buffy? Is everything okay in there?" Brian's voice called as his voice came closer to the bathroom.

End Chapter

Left ya hanging didn't I?

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