Chapter Twenty

Angel was standing by his desk, going over the latest case he had taken, and silently reprimanding himself. That little, well, maybe not so little, experience he and Buffy shared in his bedroom, was so not the right to have done. But god, she felt good, Angel thought slamming the file down in frustration. And Xander didn't help with his little remarks.

Angel sat down, placing his head in his hands. He was a little worried about, if anything, Xander speaking to Brian about what he believed happened. Granted, Buffy had practically threatened them within an inch of their lives, but Xander had a nasty habit of sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

Angel suspected that Brain had become very tight with Buffy and the Scoobies, and why shouldn't they have? After all, Brian was now a part of Buffy's life. God! I hope I didn't just screw things up! Angel's usual brooding, was interrupted by the phone ringing.

"Hello, Angel Investigations," He answered.

"Hello, Angel?" asked the voice on the other end.

"Brian?" Angel's eyes became wide when he heard his lover's husband's voice.

"Yeah," Brian replied, cheerfully. "I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go hang out?"
"H-Hang out?" Angel choked, as visions of Brian hanging him by his privates, flashed through his mind. I am a dead man, all over again.

"Hey you know, hang out?" Brian explained, "Play pool, shoot hoops, you know, stuff like that."
"Oh, you mean hang out," Angel said as he sunk into his chair and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah," Brian chuckled, "What did you think I meant?"
"Nothing, nothing," Angel answered quickly, "It's just been a long day. A bad day."
"Then, it sounds a saved your neck in the nick of time!"
"Uh, yeah," Angel said as he rubbed his throat, looked up and mouthed 'thank you'.

"Well, why don't you meet me at O'Hare's in about, oh what, fifteen minutes?" Brain asked Angel, who leaned on his desk.

"Sure, O'Hare's, in fifteen minutes." Angel responded, as he searched his drawers for a bottle of aspirin.

"Good," Brian told Angel, sounding very happy he accepted the invite, "See ya then! I can't wait to hang with my girl's old lover!"

Angel lurched forward suddenly, the aspirin he just took, lodging in his throat.
"Yeah, see you there," Angel managed to breath out, as Brian ended the call. Angel set the phone down in the cradle, and hit his chest, dislodging the pill. Angel leaned against his chair, sighing as he said, "I've got to start thinking with the right head!"

888

O'Hare's was a jumpin' little bar, that seemed to attract every lawyer, accountant, and pretty much anybody in a three piece suit, to it's doors. Angel felt very out of place in his blue jeans, and red t-shirt. Walking through the sea of tweed and polyester, Angel headed for the back, where the pool tables were kept.

Glancing around the room, Angel found Brian standing beside a table, with two beers in his hands.

"Glad you made it," Brian said as they shook hands.

"I feel under dressed," Angel said taking note of Brian's tan suit.

"Don't worry about it," Brian said handing Angel a beer. "This is just the lunch rush, they're dressed more casually, after five,"
"That helps," Angel joked as he took a drink, then looked at the bottle, thinking as he sniffed, Good, this isn't drugged.

"You play?" Brian held up a cue stick.

"It's been a while," Angel admitted, neglecting to mention the 150 years it had actually been, since he held a cue.

"Well, it'll come back to ya once you've played a round," Brian said, tossing Angel a cue.

"You want me to break?"
"Sure," Angel told Brian as he walked over to the end of the table. Carefully positioning the cue, Brian made the first shot. Balls rolled in all directions and Angel winced hoping that Brian would not use his for the same purpose.

"You're turn," Brian pointed to Angel. Angel moved to the edge and placed his cue close to the ball, and pushed. The cue made contact, but missed any game balls.

"You hit it a little too hard," Brian instructed, "You need to loosen up a bit."

"Sorry," Angel apologized. "I'm just not a people person."
Brian chuckled, as he took another shot. The cue ball made contact with a solid yellow, sinking into one of the pockets.

"Look's like you're striped," Brian looked to Angel. "You're next."

Angel gulped as he walked over to take his shot. Moving the cue lightly, Angel took aim of a blue striped ball, near the corner. Angel drew his hand back and Brian said, "I wanted to thank you."
"For what," Angel asked as he moved forward to take his shot.

"For taking such good care of Buffy this morning." Angel's cue hit the ball and caused it to bounce off the table.

"Boy, you haven't played in awhile," Brian said as he placed the ball back on the table.

Angel shrugged and kept quiet. One wrong word now, and his brief existence as a human, in this world, would be over. Brian took another shot, and pocketed the orange ball.

Angel's curiosity got the better him however, when he asked Brian, "What did Buffy say happened to her?"
"Oh, nothing much," Brian said taking another shot, which missed. "Darn, just that she and Xander had a misunderstanding and she stormed out, eventually getting herself drunk, and almost starting a fight." So that's how she explained her arms, Angel thought lining up his shot.
"And this is where I came in?" Angel tried to verify Buffy's story, as he took a shot.

"Yeah , she said she didn't remember much, just that she woke up in your bedroom. Hey! You got one!" Brian said as Angel knocked a green striped ball in a pocket.
"Yeah, I did," Angel looked triumphant as Brian lined up his next shot.
"You seemed worried that something else happened," Brian took aim, as he said, "You were a total gentleman. It's not like you took her to your room and ripped her clothes off, or anything."

Angel's face lost color, but Brain missed it, more interested making sure his ball hit's mark. Brian looked up and saw Angel's face resuming it's lost color.

"You okay, man," Brian asked as Angel cleared his throat.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said leaning over the table, "it must be the tobacco."

"Yeah," Brian said leaning on his cue, "it tends to get a tad smoky in here."

Angel took a breath and made his shot, sinking two balls.
"You're holding out," Brian said, impressed with Angel's performance.

"Maybe," Angel said beginning to loosen up, "I think I am beginning to get the hang of this game again."

"Good," Brian said as he lined up his next shot. "Then it will make it all the more rewarding when I beat you at this game."
Angel snickered, as a smirk reminiscent of Angelus crossed his face, "Yeah, we'll see about that."
"Oh, really," Brian said, hitting a ball, "care to make a wager?"
"How much?"
"Fifty." Brian replied.

"Done," Angel accepted the wager, and took aim at his target. He struck the cue ball, and it bounced off the sides, around a ball and hit the ball closest to Angel.

Brian squinted his eyes in mock hatred.
"You have been holding out!"

Angel said nothing, just gave Brian a look of 'I know", before sinking another ball.

The afternoon passed, as Angel and Brian continued to play round after round of pool. Finally, after both men had had their fill, thanks in part to Angel's, "robbery" as Brian called it, of his beer funds, they put away their cues and headed out of the bar.

888

The next afternoon, Buffy parked her Mercedes out front of Angel's office building, and walked inside.

She walked up the stairs to Angel's office, and opened the door. She could hear voices in the other room, which told her he was with a client. So, she took a seat beside the door and tapped her feet, waiting for the client, or clients, to leave.

A moment later, Buffy watched a beautiful brunette, walk into the lobby, Angel following behind.

"Thank you very much for your time," said the Brunette, her voice sounding like Cordelia's.

"It's no problem," Angel said, shaking the woman's hand, "And I'll call you as soon as I know anything."

The brunette nodded her thanks again, and exited the office lobby.

Angel turned to go back into his office, and noticed his next client.
"Buffy?"
"Can we talk?" she said, standing.

"Sure," Angel motioned towards his office, escorting Buffy inside. As soon as Angel closed the door, Buffy began to talk.

"I need a job."
Angel stood straighter at the frankness in her tone.
"Okay," he said, sitting down at his desk. "Why do you want a job?"
"Because of Brian."
Angel closed the file on his new case and looked at Buffy. "What's wrong with Brian?"

"Nothing, well, Something," she corrected, "But it's really nothing. I think."
"Okay, Buffy," Angel said reaching for her across the desk. "First of all, take a breath."
"Huh?"
"You're babbling."
"Oh, sorry."
"Second," Angel stood taking the file to his file cabinet. "Tell me what is wrong with Brian."

Buffy watched Angel as he walked across the room, the images of him in a towel the other day, still fresh in her mind.
"Uh, H-He's on a new medication." Buffy stumbled as she watched Angel place the file in the drawer and walk back to his desk.
"What else?" Angel asked as he leaned against the corner of his desk, folding his arms.

"He's going to have to stay overnight two days a week."
"That still doesn't tell me why you want a job."
"So that I don't go insane!" Buffy stood and walked to stand behind her chair. "I don't want to sleep at home alone, or at the hospital while he's going through treatment." Buffy clasped the back of the chair. "Slaying at night is one thing, but I have nothing to do during the day, and slaying alone just won't cut it!"

Angel watched the fear take over Buffy's body, as she spoke.
"Did the doctors, or Brian tell you what the medication was for?"
Buffy looked down the chair's back as she answered, "They told us it was a new experimental drug. They think it can stop the growths." Buffy looked at Angel holding back tears. Angel looked at her and gave her a comforting smile.

"I'm scared, Angel," Buffy said wiping the tears from her eyes. "They have never used this before, what if it doesn't work?"
Angel pushed off the desk and walked over to give Buffy a hug. Wrapping his arms, around her shoulders, he calmed her down.

"Everything's going to be okay, Buffy," he told her, resting his cheek on her head, "It'll be alright."

"I hope so," she cried into Angel's shoulder.

"So," Angel said pushing Buffy back, and changing the subject. "When do you want to start?"
Buffy cracked a smile, as she looked into his adoring brown eyes.
"How about now?" Angel smiled at her response, and walked over to his file cabinet. He pulled out the file on the woman who had just come to see him.

"Her name's Janet," he said handing Buffy the file. "She says that her boyfriend came home one night, complaining that he was stabbed with a barbeque fork."

"A barbeque fork? Now where have I heard that before?" She looked up from the file at Angel with a smirk.

Angel caught on, and replied, "Yeah, well, let's see if we can get through this with out you wanting to stake me."
"As long as no more dead ex-girlfriends show up, then that shouldn't be a problem."
"What? You're married now, how's that fair?"
"Because," Buffy said with a wide grin, looking at Angel as she laid the file down on the desk, "I'm the Slayer."

End Chapter.

A/N: Sorry it has taken me so long to get this out! Life has had me put this on puase, but it's here now!

To Mack: Thanks agian for hearing me babble in the middle of the night!! Your input was greatly appreciated!! LOL

As for the rest you; PLEASE! Read & Review!!!! I Must have your feedback!!!