TITLE: RAGING MOON

DISCLAIMER: I ONLY OWN THE STORY AND THE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS I MAKE UP.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

THIS CHAPTER GOES OUT TO:

ba2006; Kay8abc; BloodyPassion; Neoearthqueen30; dkwr07; TragicCure; SMGbest; bangel'stheonlywaytogo; Nana25; Esmerelda007 & agrove. If I forgot to mention anyone please forgive me.

THANK YOU TO EACH AND EVERYONE ONE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO SEND REVIEWS & FEEDBACK & TO EVERYONE READING. HOPE YOU ENJOY!

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

WOLFRAM AND HART

Angelus felt rested and full of energy the next morning. After he and Buffy had returned home the previous night they had made love first in the shower then again on their bed which lasted well into the night.

When he got to the office he had clients waiting for him and he was pleased to have a full day ahead of him. Harmony was also in a better mood which meant he was bombarded with lots of paper work that he had to sign and he once again thought of hiring another assistant. He made a call to Wesley and asked him to start interviewing potential candidates.

When Angelus looked at his watch for the first time that day he saw that it was nearly three o'clock and his last meeting was coming in the next ten minutes. He didn't have his diary in front of him to see who the next appointment was so he kept working on his current case.

A few minutes later he heard Harmony saying she was heading out to the ladies room. The door to his office swung open and he wondered what Harmony could possibly have forgotten.

"Halo Lover." Darla purred from the door.

Angelus' head reared up at the sound. What the hell was Darla doing there? Harmony knew better than to allow her back into the building. He had given her strict orders and knew she would not slip up on something like this. This no doubt was one of Darla's plans again.

Angelus felt his anger start up again. "What are you doing here Darla?" He asked angrily

"Oh aren't we in a bad mood today. I know how to make it better." Darla said seductively as she moved over to him. Darla was so happy to see that her timing was perfect. Just as she had arrived Harmony had stepped out to the ladies room and Darla slipped past her desk.

Darla moved closer to Angelus and placed her hands gently on his shoulders. He was still seated and had to look up at her.

Angelus was not very happy with seeing Darla in his office. He made a mental note to let the security know not to let her in again. He remained seated for fear of what he might do to her. Angelus always prided himself that he could control his temper but after what happened yesterday he no longer did.

Darla's advances had once been a source of pleasure to him but he despised it now. She obviously had a reason for being here and he knew it could not be good.

"What do you want Darla?"

"You're all that I want. All that I've ever wanted. Surely you must know that…" She lightly started rubbing her fingers through his hair. He had enjoyed it when they were together and Darla would use anything she could to get him back.

"I love games but how about we stop for a bit lover? This fiasco has tired me out and frankly I believe your getting tired of you current bedmate. Enough is enough now. You know she will never replace me…" Darla purred as she lowered herself into his lap. Angelus grabbed his chairs handles in a desperate attempt to keep his anger in check. He had never laid a hand on a women and he wouldn't start now.

"Don't fool yourself lover, you know you will never be happy with her. She can never measure up to what I was, what I still am." Darla saw the look in his eyes and she didn't like it. Angelus was a strong willed person and when he was determined to do something he always followed it through.

"Oh my god…" came a soft voice from the door.

Both Darla and Angelus looked over in surprise.

Buffy stood in the door with her hand over her mouth and her eyes tearing up. Darla was in Angelus lap the once second and the next she was pushed off him and landed on the floor.

"Buffy wait!"

Darla deliberately smiled in Buffy's direction and she saw the younger woman rush out of the office. Angelus went after her but she had a gap on him and Darla hoped that he would be too late. Picking herself up off the floor Darla winched as she saw the heel of her shoe was broken. "Damn. Looks like Angelus owes me a new pair of shoes."

She decided to wait in his chair while he finished with his little 'toy'.

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Buffy could hardly see where she was going. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to leap from her chest. By some miracle she made it out of the lobby and into the parking lot without running into anyone or falling over her own feet. She heard Angelus call after her but she ignored it. She just had to get to her car before he got to her.

Once in the safety of her car she locked the doors and turned on the ignition. A sudden hard collision at her door made her aware that Angelus had finally caught up to her.

"Buffy wait please. This is not what it looks like!" He pleaded urgently at her door but he could see that she would not listen.

"Please Buffy just open the door and let me explain." Buffy shook her head and the slammed the car into gear and sped off. He tried running after her but there was no catching her.

"Fuck!" He roared after her but knew better than to chase after her. Buffy would be long gone by the time he got to his car. Stalking back into the building he phoned Gunn and told him to meet him at his office. Angelus was sure Darla was still in his office and he was going to have her escorted from the building by the security team.

Just as he thought, Darla was waiting for him in his office. His anger flared to new heights at seeing her sitting there so smugly. She had planned this and had enjoyed every second of it. The coat she had been wearing was now open, revealing a red lace bra with matching panties and garter belts, she was trying to seduce him.

He didn't utter a single word and he stalked over to her and took her roughly by her upper arm.

"Hey! Angelus, what the hell are you doing?" Darla asked him in horror. When he didn't reply she felt dread snake up her spine. She had never seen Angelus this angry before in her life. His office door was suddenly filled by three large men.

"Angelus, stop this! What is wrong with you?" She pleaded but he still ignored her. Then he shoved her over to the men and one caught her before she tumbled to the floor.

"Stay the hell away from me and Buffy. Don't ever set you foot in this building again. If I so much as see you anywhere near her or me I will make your live a living hell. Stay the hell out of my life. I never want to see you again." Angelus then turned and slammed the door in her face.

Darla was shocked into silence and didn't put up any resistance as she was dragged out of the building half naked. How had this happened? She was so sure things would go smoothly if her plan was executed correctly. After all she had been through, after all they had been through together he had her thrown from his building without even batting an eyelash.

Things couldn't end between them like this. She had been sure that he would run back to her as soon as Buffy was out of the picture. How could he treat her like this? Was it possible that he chose Buffy over her? Silent tears rolled down her cheeks and she became aware that someone was speaking to her.

"You have to leave the property miss. You are not allowed to ever enter these premises again and if you do you will be arrested." He then handed her over to another set of guards then turned and left as she was thrown from Angelus life.

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Angelus rushed out of his office and sprinted down to the underground parking area to get to his car. Buffy had left nearly twenty minutes ago and he had wasted enough time. He had to get to her. She had been in a terrible state and he was worried about her, not to mention that he didn't want her driving when she was that upset.

As he was rushing through the busy streets of L.A. Angelus just hoped Buffy had gone home and wasn't somewhere all by herself. He knew what that must have looked like to her. Buffy loved him dearly and something like that would break her heart.

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Buffy tried to wipe the tears from her eyes but they just kept falling making it difficult for her to see. She had no idea how she made it to the Hyperion without crashing but was glad she did. She parked her car in the garage and didn't even bother to remove the keys from the ignition.

She was too upset to think clearly. Closing their bedroom door behind her she sagged against it and slipped to the ground slowly. Placing her head in her hands she forced herself to calm down. After a few minutes she stood up and went to the bathroom to wash her face.

She had to think rationally. Maybe Angelus had a good explanation. Yeah right, he definitely had a good reason why there was a woman sitting in his lap rubbing herself against him while kissing her neck.

The door to their room swung open. "Buffy?" Angelus called out.

She didn't want to answer but she had no-where do hide. And she really wanted to hear what he had to say. She turned and faced him just as he entered the bathroom.

"Baby please, listen to me. I can explain." Angelus pleaded.

"I'm listening." She answered in a flat tone that surprised him. It was obvious that she had just washed the tears from her face but her eyes were still puffy and red from crying. He hated himself for causing her this pain. It was his fault that she was crying and upset.

When he didn't say anything for a few moments Buffy decided to talk first "Who was that woman Angelus?"

Angelus sighed and rubbed his hand through his already disheveled hair. "Her name is Darla. We dated for a few years but I ended it after I walked in on her and my best friend screwing each other. It happened nearly five years ago and she turned up a few weeks ago. She wanted me to represent her in the divorce case between her and Jake.

I didn't know she was in my office I swear. She must have slipped past Harmony when she was out and then she was in my office. I swear that nothing happened." Angelus finished

"Why do I get the feeling that you're not telling me everything?" Buffy could not help but get a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as Angelus told her what happened. It was obvious he was leaving something out and she wanted to know what it was.

Once again Angelus sighed and tried to approach her but she stepped back. He stopped his advance and looked at her with pleading in his eyes. Angelus knew he had to tell Buffy everything. He had known it would have come to this sooner or later but he could not help but dreading to tell her.

"Please sit with me on the bed then I will tell you everything."

"Did you sleep with her?" Buffy demanded

"No Buffy I swear I didn't sleep with her."

"Then just tell me what happened. I think I deserve to know." She was on the verge of tears again but kept them at bay.

"Darla came to see me a few weeks ago. She was filling for divorce from Jake and she wanted me to represent her. She invited me to dinner at her hotel that night and I accepted. When I got there the restaurant was fully booked and we went to her room. She came on to me and I…I…" he trailed off.

"And you what Angelus?" Buffy asked him, her voice raised but shaking

"She, she kissed me and I kissed her back for only a second out of shock then I pushed her away. Buffy I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you but I didn't want to risk losing you. You have to understand that."

Buffy was so shocked she could not breathe. Angelus had kissed another woman. In short he had cheated on her with his ex. Buffy could not describe the pain she felt at that moment. Her chest felt ripped open and she was sure her heart was bleeding.

"I can't believe this…" Angelus jumped towards her and took her hand in his. He was on the verge of tears himself. How could he have let this happen?

"All this time. Everything that happened and you didn't tell me. You didn't trust me enough to tell me what happened. I can't believe…"

"Buffy please you have to believe me. I never meant for this to happen. I wanted to tell you but I was scared."

Buffy remained silent after that. Her tears fell freely and she made no move to hide them or wipe them away. "I need to be alone. I'll stay in the guest room tonight." She went to get up and Angelus tried to take her in his arms but she moved out of his grasp and held her hands up, "Please… just please don't touch me."

"Buffy…"

She moved around him again but his hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Stay, I'll take the guest room." She didn't even nod her head at him just stood with her back to him as he gathered some clothes and moved out of the room.

Before he closed the door he looked at her once more, "I'm really sorry. I love you." Then he closed the door and left. Buffy was shaking so badly by then she could hardly keep herself upright. She moved over to the bed and lied down.

Buffy didn't sleep, she just lied on the bed and stared into space. A hollowness that she had felt once before crept into her soul. Her mind was racing with thoughts but she had trouble grasping one thing and focusing on it.

All she could really concentrate on was that Angelus had kissed another woman and kept it from her. He had lied to her, he didn't trust her or have enough confidence in them to tell her what had happened.

An itching feeling on her chest made itself know. Thinking nothing of it at first Buffy ignored it. When it became too much to bare, Buffy pulled her shirt to the side and stared dumbstruck at the sight before her. She rushed over to a mirror not knowing what to do or think.

Her scar was resurfacing again. Where there was once a flawless skin was now the large angry welts of her scar. Buffy pulled her shirt back quickly, not wanting to look at the ugly scar.

The bedside clock read 2:18am yet it felt as if only a few minutes had passed since Angelus had left the room. A thought came to her and she sprung from the bed and took a quick shower. She then grabbed a bag from the closet and stuffed some clothes and toiletries into it without seeing what she was packing.

Opening the door to her room she glanced around the hall, it was deadly silent and everyone was fast asleep, just like she hoped. She moved silently through the Hyperion down to the garage and got into her car. Luckily for her the garage was underground and no one would wake up when she opened the door, leaving her to make a silent getaway.

She drove out of the garage and glanced back longingly. She couldn't stay under the same roof as Angelus right now. It was too painful and she needed time to clear her head. Buffy loved Angelus with all her heart but he had caused her so much pain in just one night and she didn't know how to deal with it.

Nearly an hour later she glanced at her watch again. It was still early but the person she intended to call was always up early so she didn't have to worry about waking her up.

"Hello this is Faith." Was the greeting Buffy received once she had dialed the familiar number.

"Faith? It's Buffy…"

"B? Oh my god, I can't believe it! How are you? It's about time you phoned me back. I left you a message nearly a week ago B. Wait are you driving?" Faith asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm on my way to Sunnydale actually…"

"Great! You'll be staying with me then. When do you get here? We'll have to go to the supermarket coz my cupboards are empty." Faith replied with joy. She hadn't see Buffy in a while and the short talks on the phone didn't help much when you were missing your best friend.

Buffy smiled although she knew Faith couldn't see it. Thank goodness for Faith, she was a reliable friend and Buffy knew she could always count on her whenever she needed help.

"Thanks Faith, I'll see you in an hour or two."

The two said their goodbyes and Buffy felt much better knowing she had somewhere to stay. Faith had always been a very good friend to Buffy. When Faith had moved to Sunnydale a few years ago she and Buffy became fast friends. People didn't really like Faith all that much but Buffy loved her honest and blunt nature. You always knew where you stood with her and that couldn't be said about lots of people.

Two hours later Buffy pulled up in front of Faith's apartment. Faith was waiting on the curb and didn't even try to conceal the smirk on her face.

"Nice wheels B. When you said Angelus got a car I thought it was going to be a small sedan" Faith said as she looked over Buffy's car with approval. Buffy just smiled at her and hugged her in greeting. "B, what's wrong?" Faith was immediately worried when she say the unshed tears in Buffy's eyes. She gathered Buffy in a hug and tried to soothe her.

Buffy couldn't help but start crying again as soon as the words left Faiths mouth. She tried speaking but her throat was constricted and all that came out was another sob.

"Come on, let's get you inside then you can tell me all about it." The two women walked into Faith's apartment and after she made Buffy and herself a warm cup of cocoa they settled on the coach and Buffy told Faith everything that happened. To say that Faith was surprised was an understatement.

"Don't worry B. You can stay for as long as you want." Buffy thanked her and they sat and chatted for awhile before they unloaded her bags. Faith had to work in a few hours so she took a shower and told Buffy that she would be back around 5pm.

They made plans to go to the supermarket the next day and Buffy was grateful for the little time alone. She needed to think things over so she crawled into Faith's spare bed. Buffy's first instinct was to call Angelus but she forced herself to shut her phone off.

No matter how hard it was for her now she just needed to separate herself form everything and work things through in her own time. She fell asleep two hours later with her tears drying on the pillow.

END CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

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