Chapter three

A few minutes after Angel left her office, Buffy still lay where he threw her. Then Willow walked in and worried about her best friend.

"Buffy are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

Buffy put her hands on her head and slowly slid down the wall, saying, "Oh my god!" over and over again.

"What happened with Angelo? Did he hurt you?"

Buffy didn't know how to answer, so she just shook her head and broke down into tears. Willow held her warmly. "Why don't you talk to him? Make him know how you feel." she suggested.

"I don't know how I feel. I can't describe it and it's terrible!" she sobbed. Willow didn't know how to console her friend, so she ran after Angel and pulled him aside.

"Hey, it's the little redhead!" he said, then his face darkened.

"What do want, Consigliera?"

"What happened in there?" she questioned.

"Nothing. At least nothing you need to know. It was just business, and I'm afraid I can't reveal that information to you right now." he answered, shaking his head.

"Business, eh? Buffy is the strongest person I know so I don't think business would push any tears. Yes, I know all about your little secret. She's my best friend. How couldn't I know?" Willow said sternly.

"All it was was business. If she can't handle it, than that's just too bad for her. She thinks that I don't play fair, maybe I don't, but like you said, she's strong." he said.

He sighed. "Just between you and me, though, I thought that kiss was pretty amazing! All wet n' rough!" he said dreamily.

"You kissed her?" She exclaimed, shocked.

"Well, to be more precise, I tugged on her wrist, pushed her onto the wall and shoved my tongue into her mouth... and you know what? She played along! Then she let go of my lips and I threw her away." he grinned.

"You are one arrogant son of a bitch, aren't you!" she cursed.

"I try, I try." he paused for a moment, then continued, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make a phone call. My men were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago."

Messina, Sicily, Italy

2002

Angelo walked down the beach. He was bored. He would have much rather been partying with his friends in New York, or maybe even at one of those cheesy frat parties with his fellow Yale boys in Boston. He wanted to get drunk, make out with some cute girl, get laid. In stead of enjoying his summer off university, he was stuck walking alone at some beach in Sicily, while his father finished off some business with some families.

There was something he was longing for. Something he hadn't foreseen before. And she was sitting all alone on the sand staring at the blue sea water.

"Buffy?" he reached out to touch her shoulder. She jumped.

"Angelo! What are you doing here?" she stuttered.

"I was just waiting for my father to finish dealing with some old farts. There's not much to do here, you know." he complained.

"I hear you, my parents have been out like forever socializing, and I have been sitting here for awhile now." she agreed.

Realizing she wasn't picking a fight with him, she asked, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"To tell you the truth, I've been asking myself the exact same question." he replied.

"Angel? Remember my first day of high school, at St. Michael's?" she asked tentatively. He nodded, a small grin forming on his face.

"Why did you kiss me?" He didn't answer. For a long time, no one said anything.

Breaking the silence, he commented, "This place is really beautiful. And surprisingly I just realized that...you are too...and I know how tacky this sounds but I really don't know how to say it any other way! Sure I have lots of experience but I've never meant it!" When he said this she looked up at him, dumbfounded.

"I don't know why I spent all my time fooling around with hot dumb chicks, when the most beautiful girl was right in front of my eyes my whole life!"

"Angel I... I don't know what to say! I mean... you have no idea how many times I've dreamed of you saying those words to me!" she responded.

"Is it wrong of me to want to kiss my enemy so badly?" he wondered.

"If you had a chance to, would you?" She looked up pleadingly at his dark brown eyes, when suddenly he bent down and gently brushed his lips against hers for a brief moment. His heart was pounding and he hoped she didn't hear it. Likewise, her heart was racing and she prayed he didn't notice. They were both extremely nervous, yet they felt so comfortable in each other's grasp.

"Believe it or not, that was my first real kiss ever...and it was amazing! I guess I was just waiting for you to notice me." she said, wonderstruck.

"Eighteen and still so pure. Even better!" he said.

"Well, you could also count that time when you harassed me on my first day of high school!" she smirked.

"You know you wanted it, I didn't say anything, but I felt your lips move with mine!" he revealed, still holding her in his arms.

"It's getting dark. I should get back now." she said, unwillingly.

"Alright." he said calmly, before pulling her back for one last tender kiss, this time it lasted much longer. As he plunged his fingers in her hair, she moaned, and he thought of all the good things possible.

"I'll see you around then." she let go and turned away to leave, looking proud.

"And Buffy?" he called. "If anyone found out about this..."

"I know." She smiled warmly at him and walked away.

"Angelo Vitale kissed me!" she muttered to herself, as she sauntered to her monster Sicilian cottage.

Currently, Angel was leaning against the doorframe of Buffy's room, with a schemingly confidant smirk on his face.

Oblivious to his presence, she walked over from her dresser to a mirror, in only a panty and a bra, where she brought all her hair in front to brush it.

"You've grown your hair even longer now," he said. She turned around, startled. "Seems like you've filled in a bit too!" he motioned to her breasts.

"And who gave you permission to come into my room?" she questioned.

"I did." He hesitated for a moment, then said, "I just came to apologize for earlier today. See, I'm not actually sorry for it, but I just want you to forgive me... And then we could maybe have some make-up sex." She snorted in disgust.

"You wanna' fuck with me that's fine. There. I'm letting you have it your way." she spat out. Then she turned around and continued to brush her hair, handling her hair much rougher this time. "Asshole!" she muttered under her breath.

"Actually baby, no, I do not want to fuck with you. I have no time to waste on little things like that. However, I know you are going to try to find your way around me. I will say though, that I kind of do wanna fuck you." he smiled cockily. She couldn't help but blush.

"Anyways, I'm gonna' leave you to your beautifying. I've got places to go, people to kill." he said. "I'll be back later, since I'm staying here." He waved and walked away. Buffy looked at herself in the mirror and sighed.

"Come little brother! You wanted easy chicks? Let me show you how it's done." Angel told Spike, who plastered a lecherous grin. "Cugino! Venire!" he called.

Buffy was walking on the busy streets of LA when the sight of Angelo intensely making out with some girl caught her attention. She watched him carry her out of a bar and into his Ferrari and strip her naked in the back seats. And her heart dropped. She turned around to find an amused Spike and a disheveled Wes watching their Godfather "loosen up". She entered the bar and decided to go up to them.

"What's up with him?" she asked the two, motioning one shot to the bartender.

"Well, Fluffy, that's what happens when *Peaches* doesn't know what to do with himself, which is all the time." Spike replied.

"What's going on? He was never like that!" she stated.

"He was always like that, except he used to enjoy it." Spike corrected. "Why would you care anyway?"

"I don't! I'm just wondering!" she stuttered.

"Before, he used to be a cocky bastard. Now he's a heartless cocky bastard." Wes explained. His cousin sniggered at the comment.

"The man we used to know has been long gone, ever since our father died. He really is heartless. He's never happy. He drinks too much. When he's drunk he isn't even a happy drunk like he used to be, he picks fights and gets kicked out of bars. He doesn't even tease our sister anymore! Yes he's a strong and tough leader, but he's a bit too tough. He doesn't take shit from no one! -Which is a good thing I guess, but -" Spike looked down and drowned himself in his whiskey and his thoughts.

It pained Buffy to see how they missed him so much, despite her hatred for them and their family. She supposed it was because she could relate. She, too, missed him in her own little way. She quickly gulped down a shot of her vodka and closed her eyes tight, letting a tear roll down her cheek.