Chapter 8

A/N:Sorry bout the long wait, I've been working on a story (non-fanfci related) and my computer broke and I lost the chapter but here it is and this is different from how I first wrote it so if it's a little off blame my computer. =) So hope you enjoy. PLease R&R.

"Darla."

"Angelus."

"His names Angel now, in case you didn't get the memo." Getting over the shock of seeing Darla.

"Buffy..."

Ignoring him she continued to provoke Darla. "And if you don't mind we're talking, well fighting actually." When no one said anything for a good 30 seconds, Angel decided it was his turn.

"What do you want Darla?"

"You, of course darling. Oh and her dead." Pulling a gun from behind her back she aimed it a Buffy heart.

"This is between me and you Darla this has nothing to do with her."

"It has everything to do with her. Once she's out of the way my sweet boy will return to me and we'll rule together." She could see the wheels turning in Angel's head. Could he get to her before she pulled the trigger? Could Buffy dodge it?

"That'll never happen and you know it Darla."

"It will happen, with her out of the way her friends will be just like any other victims and we can torture them together, after I remove your soul of course." Darla smiled imagining the possibilities.

Bitch! Darla had placed herself in the perfect position. She was close enough to Buffy that she couldn't doge the bullet and Angel was too far away to get to her or Darla in time.

Buffy continued to listen to Darla's insane fantasies and Angel's attempt to talk her down, which was not working in case you were wondering. Buffy switched her weight to her left foot, when the plan hit her. If Angel could just distract Darla a little longer, she could hopefully inch left enough that she would have a chance of jumping out of the way when the time came. But it all depended on Darla. If she suspected that the inching was anything but nerves for having a gun pointed at her then she was dead, really dead. Like more dead than she'd ever been.

"Killing her won't help you, Darla."

"Sure it will. With her out of the way along with her pesky friends they'll be no one to stop us from finally being together. Don't you remember how much fun we use to have? All the fear and power."Darla moaned at the memories.

"I'll never be happy with her dead. You'll never get Angelus back." Angel glanced at Buffy seeing she was unusually quiet. She looked ok, nervous but ok. She kept fidgeting.

Darla started laughing, all too pleased with how things were going. "Don't you see my darling boy? I already have him." Darla's laughter was the perfect, well only distraction Angel was going to get so he jumped at her both of them tumbling to the ground, only after she fired the gun.

Fear raced through his blood as the sound ricocheted off the walls. Working to restrain Darla wasn't going well so he settled for trying to knock her out instead. Finally rolling close enough to a table he grabbed the lamp resting there and smashed it. The lamp shattered upon impact, but succeeded in knocking Darla out.

Quickly jumping up he looked over to where Buffy was relieved to see that she was alive and conscious. Walking over to her he saw that she was holding her right arm protectively. Kneeling beside her on the floor he gently took her arm into his grasp. Examining it for a few minutes he determined it was nothing but a deep graze. She would be fine as along as they patched it up and made sure it didn't get infected.

Standing he helped her up and started leading her over to the bed.

She hissed in pain. "Wait."

"What?" He looked down quickly at where he was touching her. He was certain that he made sure he wasn't touching any new or old injuries.

She nodded to Darla's unmoving form. "You need to restrain her." Buffy would have preferred just staking her right then and there but Angel might have something against that.

Angel nodded and motioned for her to continue to the bed before going over to his closet. After rummaging through it he pulled out 2 pairs of cuffs. He walked over to Darla and and cuffed her feet first then he sat her up so he could cuff her hands behind her. Then he swept her into his arms and walked towards the door. Turning around he met Buffy's eyes. "I'll be right back."

Buffy reached over to his nightstand and opened the only drawer. Inside was first-aid stuff, a book she'd never heard of, and a dagger she was sure was his preference over a stake. After all no vampire would want a stake close to them while they were sleeping should an enemy be there. Pulling out the bandages and such she would need, she closed the drawer.

Angel walked down the hall to the last room on the left and kicked the door open. It was one of the rooms that was designed for such an occasion as his now human sire walking in with a gun and pointing it at his ex-girlfriend's heart as they fought. The room had chains hanging from the ceiling and besides from a lamp in the far corner of the room it was barely furnished. It was a dark dusty room. Uncuffing Darla's hands he lifted her arms so he could lock her in the chains hanging from the ceiling. Satisfied that she wouldn't be able to break free when she woke he left her there closing the door to the room.

Buffy was trying to clean the wound and disinfect it herself but she wasn't having much luck and the bandage she was currently holding in her mouth fell to the floor to rest with two other bandages. Buffy groaned and reached for the last one on the bed.

This was the sight that greeted Angel when he walked back in. Smiling slightly at her frustration he walked over picking up the three bandages on the floor and placed them back on the bed before sitting down next to her and taking over.

Buffy didn't say anything afraid to ruin whatever fragile truce they had fallen into. She was glad when he took the supplies from her so that he could fix her up but at the same time she hated feeling weak. Slayer thing, she decided. She was far too used to feeling superior.

"Done." Angel said as he packed up and put the remaining supplies in his nightstand drawer.

"Thanks."

Angel merely nodded, not bothering to look at her.

"Darla secure?" She was just trying to break the silence. Where at one time it wouldn't have bothered her at all, now it was a great deal uncomfortable.

"Yeah. She won't be getting free."

"Good. Good." Buffy had hoped he would continue to talk after that but he didn't. Just as Buffy was about to say something again there was a loud noise. Buffy flinched and glared at Angel who was just picking up the gun off the floor.

Angel looked up at Buffy when he heard the noise. Seeing her glare at him it was obvious she thought he was the cause of the loud sound. "Not me. Safety's on." He held up the gun for her inspection to prove he was telling her the truth.

Buffy look at the gun but it looked exactly the same to her. She was the slayer not a murder, how was she suppose to know how a gun worked? Either way she nodded at Angel to show that believed him. "Darla?" she asked. Could she have woken up and escaped? Angel said she was secure.

"No." Angel concentrated for a moment on hearing what was going on in the hotel before looking at Buffy again. "The others are downstairs. They all came in late deciding that it was a good idea to leave us alone for a while." Lately, Angel wouldn't have noticed either way if his employees had come in or taken the day off. He no longer payed them any attention and when he did it was purely to stop them from fussing over him and his attitude.

Buffy had been wondering where they were since it was a Wednesday and 11 AM. "We should go down there. Explain to them what happened."

"Sure." On any other day Angel wouldn't have bothered to fill in his team but he didn't seem many other options.

Buffy carefully stood from the bed and made her way downstairs following Angel.

The closer they got to the stairs the louder the group became. Buffy could make out Cordelia and Wesley fighting, but she didn't hear the other guy. What was his name? Greg? Gunn, that was it.

"What if he lost his soul, huh? Then we really have Angelus on our hands and not just a moody Angel."

Wesley sighed and shared a glance with Gunn. "I'm sure Angel still has his soul. I sincerely doubt that Buffy gave him perfect happiness after fighting with him." Although Wesley did doubt Angels soul was gone he couldn't deny that with vampires fighting was often foreplay and he would only guess that it was the same for Slayers.

"How do you know? They could have done it right here!"

"I agree with Wes. What are the chances they hooked up? I mean they're exes, they're obviously not on the best of terms, and she was hurt." Gunn was barely able to get a word in edge wise so he grabbed the chance when he saw Wes was clearly tired of arguing with the stubborn girl.

Angel turned the corner to the stair case with Buffy not far behind. Seeing that Cordelia was about to start again he quickly said, "I didn't sleep with Buffy."

Everyone turned to look at him. Wes looked a tad bit sheepish for being caught talking about such a personal thing. While Gunn look relieved to see an end to Cordelia needless ranting. And Cordelia while relieved at his words wasn't happy to see Buffy still at the hotel and on better terms with Angel.

"Thanks. Glad to know I'm so undesirable that it's not even a possibility." Buffy muttered behind. He was sure he was the only one who heard her but he still felt guilty that she thought that. He was about to turn around and tell her otherwise but she walked around him before he could. Knowing that this was his only chance to set it straight he caught her arm before she could get too far. "It's a possibility." Without chancing a second look at her he walked down the steps to the lobby.

Buffy stayed where she was, surprised. When he continued down the stairs she longly looked after him. She missed this feeling. The feeling that she was wanted and not just needed.