Previously: When the vampire turned, it was none other than Zoe.

'Good to know fine phantom' She laughed. She didn't have the bumpy look going on, but she did have the teeth. And the costume was dark and gothic. She must have watched too many vampire flicks Lorne decided.

'Can I have a Seabreeze Zoe Darling before I go on?' he queried.

Zoe handed him one already made. 'Knew you'd be early' She smiled as he helped himself. He nodded this thanks and took a sip. It was heaven.

If he got drinks like these all night, he was going to be very, very happy.

Chapter 56

We were just about to leave the store and head down to the lcub where Lorne was performing. I noticed that Xander had been keeping a close eye on Angelina; he could have the hots for another slayer perhaps? I had been aware of the fact that Xander had liked Buffy for some time. I wasn't going to say anything about it though I really, really wanted to. Did he not see the green phantom Lorne kiss her a mere hour ago?

The sky was darkening, but it wasn't just that. I stuck my head the door and sniffed the air.

"It's going to rain soon. If we don't hurry up my eyeliner will run" I grumbled.

"Oh relax Pet" Buffy grinned. "That's what you always say to me and now I'm saying it to you"

"Since when do I say that?" I didn't recall saying that, but Buffy just laughed and walked over to Xander to tell him to stop staring.

He quickly averted his eyes when Angelina began to walk towards the table where I was sitting.

"Hey. Mind if I join?" she pulled out a chair.

"Your choice. Do you wanna sit at a table with big bad me?" I mentally kicked myself for how lame that sounded.

Angelina laughed, "You're not the only scary looking thing at the table. Have you seen my eyes?" she pointed at them.

I hadn't noticed before, but they were now a brilliant blue instead of her usual brown. I thought she had just been referring to the eyeliner she was wearing. Her eyes were unusual to see at first, but they did suit her once you got used to them.

"Don't forget the eyeliner you got there love" I warned her as she was about to wipe it off.

She caught herself mid-wipe "Thanks. I seem to do that a lot"

"Everyone ready?" Willow called. She was bouncing up and down in the doorway. She wanted to leave.

There was a lot of nodding and we then all filed out the store door into the night, Willow locking up the store behind us.

"Damn, I forgot it!" Robin cried.

"Forgot what?" Faith asked him. Everyone else turned and watched the conversation between the two, except for me who wanted to get going. The quicker we got to this place, the quicker I got to drink myself silly. That was what I did every Halloween. Actually that was generally what I did normally.

"My belt, I forgot it" Robin was referring to his wrld title belt and he wasn't going to leave without it. He said it helped hide the bandages he still had to wear.

Faith and everyone else tried to reason with him that it would make him late, but he had logic on his side.

"It takes twenty minutes to get to the store from our place. I'll run back and meet you guys there" he persisted.

It was Angelina who stopped the bickering and saved me from having to hit the guy over the head and carry him.

"I'll go with him…" she glanced at Willow "We'll be quick and we'll meet you there"

"Ah. Are you sure that's such a great idea?" Xander was trying his best to keep Angelina with the group. He had promised Lorne. It didn't work.

"Relax. A slayer and a high school principal with badass skills. What could go wrong?" Robin joked. "It's Halloween. There's never anything scary on Halloween except for sugar crazy kids"

"Well be quick ok?" Willow pleaded. She would hate to see Lorne if Angelina didn't show. Angelina and Robin both nodded.

"We'll be there before Lorne even gets to his first chorus" She promised and then both of them turned around and headed towards Xander's apartment where Robin was staying.

"Guess we keep going then" Buffy shrugged.

"Guess so" I draped my arm over her shoulders and pulled her in towards me for a hug. I was mindful of her halo as I rested my chin on the top of her head as we hugged. It was the first real contact we'd had since Angelus.

I was going to stake him for that. Then I was going to make up for it with Buffy. And we weren't going to move out of bed for the day… or two.

We kept walking, slowly making our way towards the little karaoke bar not too far away. I could hear the beginnings of 'Eye of The Tiger' before anyone else could. But that was just because my vampire hearing was so much better than a mortal's. Buffy was the next to hear it; she was a slayer, so it made sense. Then everyone else.

We turned around a corner and there it was. Zoe's in its finest. People were streaming in from all directions. Most because they were there to enjoy a drink or two, but some were going in just to avoid the light spatter of rain that had just started.

"Shall we?" Faith enquired and received nods as an answer. We headed into the club, still without Angelina or Robin having caught up to us.

~**~

Robin was fastening the clips on the back of his belt.

They had reached the apartment within record time and were now going to leave. That is, if Robin managed to get the bloody thing on.

"Wanna hand?" Angelina had been admiring the place. It was simple, not as bright as her place, but it was nice and had all the necessary things. Xander's waffle maker probably being one of them. After looking around she had found Robin struggling with this giant gold belt that read 'World Champion'.

"A hand would be great" Robin admitted as Angelina took the back of the belt and clipped it for him.

"All done!" She said with satisfaction. It had taken her two seconds to clip the studs on the belt; it had taken Robin ten minutes to get nowhere near close.

"Thanks" Robin stretched making sure the belt didn't stop him from moving.

"You're welcome" Angelina smiled as they both strode out of the room towards the front door.

Robin locked the door behind them and they began the walk to Zoe's. it hadn't been raining when they had arrived at the apartment and Xander didn't own an umbrella, claiming that he was going to 'get wet and dirty anyway', so they had to take shelter close to the sides of buildings; running whenever they came to an alley entrance.

"I'm thinking of asking Faith to move in with me" Robin stated to make conversation. They had been laughing about how girly Angelina seemed in the rain; she always ducked for cover as quick as possible. She stated it was only because of her makeup and she didn't want it to run.

"That's great news! Have you decided when?" Angelina asked.

Robin held up two keys to a new apartment "I was thinking some time tonight. You know, stress free environment. No demon slaying to be done tonight" Angelina nodded

"Makes sense" Angelina nodded.

"You don't think it's too soon though, do you?" Robin asked and hoped for an honest opinion. Angelina shrugged.

"How long have you known her?"

"Months"

"And how long since you've been going out?"

Robin thought about that one "Since we destroyed Sunnydale? I think"

"Then I think it's just the right time" Angelina smiled warmly, glad for her friend. Everyone deserved a little happiness; even the occasionally bad person. As they had been talking, they came to another alleyway entrance.

"Ready, set, go!" Robin laughed as Angelina made a dash for the dry pavement on the other side.

When she reached the other side she began to laugh again.

"I tell ya, rain will be the death of me," she panted. She had sprinted as fast as her heels had allowed her. It was harder in the rain too. Heels for her were hard anyway. She was always feeling as though she was going to fall.

When she didn't get a reply and couldn't feel the presence of another person beside her, she turned to discover Robin had completely disappeared.

"C'mon Robin! We're more than halfway there. You can hide inside the club!" she called. No answer. "It's always the principals you gotta watch out for" She grumbled under her breath.

She glanced in front of her, expecting Robin to be standing there watching her with amusement. He wasn't. He wasn't behind her, he wasn't in front of her. That only left the alleyway.

She began to walk back to the entrance and on the way, heard the sound of garbage bins being knocked to the ground and a man's small cry f pain. Angelina ran to the corner and saw Robin lying in a heap of garbage surrounded by the fallen bins, in roughly the centre of the alley.

"Robin!" she screamed as she ran to the man. She felt for a pulse. He was alive, but out cold. What could have done this?

"He was easier than I thought" a voice sounded from behind her and she whirled around to face it. Angelina gasped.

"Something also tells me that it won't be the rain that kills you" the man flashed a sadistic, toothy grin.

"Angel" Angelina gasped as she struggled to get to her feet quickly.

"The name's Angelus" he grasped her by the throat and threw her into the brick wall. She bounced to the ground but was still able to get back up and fight.

"Surprise" He began to approach her.

"I'm not good with surprises" she retorted as she stood.

"Aw. That's a shame" Angelus feigned sadness, then shrugged. "Well lets see how long you last then" he began to come at her again.

Angelina ran up the wall and flipped behind the vampire. She punched him in the face as he turned, but was unable to get a clear shot at his nose. If she had broken it, it would have bided her some time to get Robin to safety.

Time. that was what she needed. Ducking under Angelus' arm, she kicked the vamp in the back and sent him stumbling forward a few paces, before he swung his leg round and kicked her in the gut. Now it was she who went stumbling backward.

She needed a plan to bide her some time and she knew one way to get it, but it would probably cost her, her life. She wasn't willing to die just yet.

Angelus advanced again and threw a punch towards her throat, which she blocked and retaliated with a kick to the groin. It was low, but she needed it.

She was able to move further into the alley, towards the darker end. It wasn't ideal, as she wouldn't get the upper hand, but she could think of nothing else.

Grabbing her stake out of her right boot, she adopted a fighting stance.

"You know Buffy couldn't kill me with one of those…" he gestured to the stake, then straightened and held his arms wide open. "She needed a sword. Couldn't get close enough to plunge it through my heart, you see. So what makes you think you can?"

Angelina took a quick glance around the alleyway. It was all so familiar, why?

Then it hit her. This was her dream; her nightmare.

She would die here this very night and at Angelus' hands no less.

The graffiti, the buildings, the garbage bins, it was all the same as her dream. And she now knew who her killer was. Angelus stood there snickering at her, possibly knowing what she was calculating.

"You know I'll catch you before you even take two steps" he told her. She knew he would too. She'd seen it so many times. She would run, and then she would die. So maybe she would take a different approach?

Angelina threw her stake towards the side of the alleyway and looked at Angelus. He seemed confused.

'Who said I was going to run?"

Angelus was at a loss for words right now. He just remained still with the confused look on his face.

"What you said is probably true. I couldn't kill you with a stake…" Angelina stated as Angelus slowly lowered his arms; his face still in game face, but not confused. Just curious.

"Which is why I propose a deal. A trade if you will"

"You're in position to be throwing deals about anywhere" Angelus took a step forward.

"Maybe. But I can end my own life just as easily as you can" Angelina pointed out. She had a feeling Angelus would want to turn a slayer and she wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. Not when there was a massive piece of sharp steel behind her. All she had to do was jump backwards and she would impale herself and die.

Angelus took her words into consideration "What are your terms?" he asked whilst taking yet another step forward.

Angelina noticed but didn't flinch. "My life…" she gestured to Robin "For his"

Angelus placed his hand on his chin as if he was thinking this one through, but in one swift movement was right in front of Angelina, who still hadn't moved, he grabbed her arm and spun her round, making her fall to the ground.

He then straddled her and admired his prey; and amazingly, she didn't try to throw him off either. The rain had caused her makeup to run, which he knew she didn't normally wear, her hair was all ratty because of slaying and probably because it was the way she had wanted it for tonight and the clothing. Oh the clothing! The rain had caused the clothing to stick to her and because of the style of clothing she was wearing, there was very, very little to the imagination.

She would make a good vampire. And if his assumptions were right, she'd be able to walk in the sun.

He traced her collarbone with his index finger and ran it all the way down the middle of her chest, til it came to rest in between both breasts.

"Deals can be fun," he breathed.

~**~

Gasp!

Oh no!

I had to bring Angelus back. It wasn't fair if I didn't.

Hope you enjoyed it!

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