Timeline

Chapter 2


Buffy stepped out of the hot shower and wrapped a towel around herself, flicking her wet hair over her shoulders. It felt good to finally get the ubervamps dust off of her . She sat on the end of her bed and stretched her arms ."TSSSKKKK " Still sore and the wound to her abdomen still itched. "Damn First" she said as she stood at her mirror to take a look. She was already healing and the wound was ,for the most part closed.She threw the towel on the bed and laid there , the bed felt so good, she hadn't slept properly in months yet alone in anything that resembled a bed.Buffy laid there and drifted off to sleep.


Faith stood at the top of the stairs and watched the Angel investigations crew go about their usual business.She had learned from Wesley ."Watching can teach you alot about a group of individuals whether they are human or demon" he had told her. Boy was she taking in alot of info on this group. Wesley and Fred had something , but Gunn was with Fred , lots of angst there. Cordy, well theres a girl with issues, still her usual sarchastic streak but with an edge of humanity that was way beyond that of a normal human ..... hey she's not human, Woah ! I never saw that coming! Big guy .... all that pent up..... he seriously needs to get laid.How much guilt can one man/vamp carry. He thinks B wont take him back. He was the one that gave us the amulet, he thinks she wont forgive him for Spike. OMG he knew B was with Spike. Damn that musta stung.
Willow came and stood near Faith.
"Funny how they seem to work. Could you imagine a more awkward group of misfits"
"People probably thought the same about us Will"
They smiled and watched the group for a few minutes
"Best make our prescence known I guess . Looks like they are working on a case . Maybe a wicca and a slayer could lend a hand"? Will said as a half question
"Coming"
Willow and Faith joined the group and sat up at the desk. Angel was flipping through some print offs that Cordy had done from her pc.
"Hi girls , settled in"? he asked
"Ya cool crib boss" faith said as she span to see Xander coming down the stairs." How's your room Patch" she teased
" It's great nothing a interior designer couldn't fix" he mocked. Years had passed and he still hadn't got over that.
"I think it has class , very retro. Kinda suits the owner" Buffy said as she came and stood by Angel
Xander tutted and went and sat next to Cordy.
"What do you guys do about food? The question aimed at all non liquid dieters here" Buffy quipped
"We mostly order out though Wesley and Angel have been known to knock out a few good home cooked meals" Fred said . She smiled at Angel and walked to the beck of the office.She returned with a handful of menu's
"Take your pick, I would recommend the mexican , they do great taco's and enchilada's." she sat back down on the lobby stairs and went back to her page in a compendium the size of a suitcase.
"I dont think we can afford take out for thirty hungry people. Care to point me in the direction of an all night store."
Angel got up and grabbed his car keys. It wasn't long past sundown but it was safe for him.
" The amount we will need to get I think you could use another pair of strong arms.I could do with a break too "
They smiled at each other and headed for the door.
"Why dont they just get laid already" Gunn said as he watched them leave
The lobby doors hadn't quite shut and Angel shouted back " Why can't you be less crass"
Typical Angel, Buffy thought, Years old and still stuck in the fifties... the eighteen fifties. This made her laugh. God I haven't dont that in months.
Angel drove and they both sat in the car in silence. Buffy fidgeted which in turn made Angel more anxious.My god he thought , when did I get so nervous around Buffy. He tried to make idle conversation but when he went to speak , nothing came out , his mouth was a gawping hole which he shut quickly.
Buffy had been watching the stores go by and had noticed his discomfort. She thought about breaking the silence but just like Angel, didn't quite know how or what to say. God , dont we make a right pair!
Finally they got to the store.They parked up and went inside. Buffy picked up a basket and headed for the fruit n veg.Angel headed to the meat section. Could they have looked anymore cagey. The owner looked at them and then up to the security mirror hanging where Angel was . Buffy watched his reactions. She had always thought the average joes reactions where funny. They try to make rational out of the irrational and because they cannot concieve of the thought of monsters , blame the mirrors. Which as it turned out , was right , after the guy had tried to move in several different spots to get a better view he gave up, shrugged and went back to his game on the portable tv under the shops counter. Buffy laughed and picked out the best fruit she could find.Angel had got six packs of best steaks and had also got some bacon. He went to the rear of the shop and picked out eggs and some juice. Buffy had got a sack of potatoes and some pancakes and syrup. They met at the counter and picked up enough popcorn to run a cinema for days if not weeks.
Angel laughed as he fondly remembered how Buffy had once told him it was the staple diet of slayers and teenage girls. She had made him get a microwave and stashes of popcorn for her to have at the mansion.
"Whats so funny"
"Popcorn"
She remembered and laughed too.
"Do you think the microwaves still there?" They laughed and the owner of the store stopped pricing up and looked at the two of them. They were oblivious .
"Four hundred and eighty two dollars " the store keeper said .
Angel handed a thick bundle of notes to the guy, not taking his eyes of Buffy once. She was still smiling and she had found that her hand had crept to his .The store keeper handed Angel the change and said thanks, not that it registered.
Angel let her hand go and grabbed up the heavier items. Buffy threw the sack of potatoes onto her shoulder. She winced at the discomfort but shook it off and made her way out to the car.
"Do you want to go for a drive to the beach" Angel asked " I'm sure we wont be missed for a while yet"
"Maybe tomorrow night Angel , right now I cant think straight I am so hungry"
Angel felt a streak of disappointment hit him but he understood. Buffy had just had the fight of her life...... again and so he thought it best to take it slow. At least to some degree , he knew she still felt the same. All he wanted to know was , is she done baking or was she on the cooling rack waiting........


They got the groceries into the lobby and the rest of the slayers and crew were there waiting. A few of them came and grabbed some bags and disappeared into the hotels kitchen. It had been a while since it had been used and had a thin coat of dust everywhere. Angel started to clean up and Kennedy helped him out. She was intrigued to say the least. Here was a vamp, liquid diet, yet he could cook and aparently was very good at it.
Buffy came into the kitchen and leapt up onto the surface , sitting just off to Angels right. She picked a piece of mango up and slid it into her mouth. She went to get a second piece and to her shock , got it slapped away.
"Hey!"
"No picking. You will ruin your appetite. This is for breakfast anyway.Got to keep you slayers at your physical peaks."
"And a vampire saying that isn't at all weird" she mocked
"Buffy ,if you want to help you can put the last of the fries in. The first lot are done. they can go out into the dining hall ."
" I thought you were keeping us at our physical peeks , not turning us into junk food fatties"
"I figured you all need to replenish your calories and its just this once. By the way are there any vegetarians"?
"Three , and they will eat fries "
" Covered , I have done a vegetable chilli and got some cheese. I have done some baked potatoes in the other oven , they wont be long. Can you get everyone seated"
" What did your last slave die of"?
" Hunger"
Buffy didn't know whether to laugh or not, Angelus had done so much in his past ,and Angel had change alot, would he joke about that?
"Buffy , I was joking!
Can he read minds now , she wondered.
She rounded everyone up and they made their way into the dining room. It was an impressive room , not at all what they all expected. The large table was carved with a huge chandelier above it. They all sat down leaving two seats at one end for Buffy and Angel. Faith thought it was weird to leave a space for him but Cordy had said he often ate food now . Not out of need but to give himself a more human guise . I think he enjoyed the taste and sensation she had said .
Buffy and Angel brought out the huge platters of steaks and fries and put them in the centre of the table. The girls all dived in. Angel thought it was as if they had never been fed before.
"I think we should do more " he said , more to the room than to anyone in specific.He headed out the door.
Buffy sat at the head of the table and grabbed herself a steak and some fries. She watched as Angel headed out the door. She had never tasted a more tender or juicy steak before and had to hand it to the guy , he could cook. Cordy got up and slid into the kitchen unnoticed by all except Buffy. Faith watched her leave the table and carried on ploughing through her mountain of fries.
Buffy walked into the kitchen to see Angel and Cordy deep in conversation. Cordy was very stressed at something Angel had said and seemed to be almost in tears. She saw Cordy pick up a knife and hold it to Angels back. At this point Buffy flew over the counter and put Cordy into a neck hold and bent her hands back til she dropped the knife.
"Stop Buffy Stop "
"Typical , what the demon in you cant keep itself under control , even though your in a hotel packed with slayers"
"Its not like that Buff, Cordys good , she was telling me about a vision"
Buffy dropped her to the floor and gave some sort of polite apology
"I am sorry Cordy , guess I'm still wired from the hellmouth deal. So whats the vision? Can I help?"
"Yeah , I could do with some back up on this one, someone who isn't male and has a little more power "
" O k whats the deal"?
" Augnoust demon, standard slayage only we have to bless the ground it dies on and it only shows up when it has mated and the young are due to hatch. It lays between one hundred to six hundred eggs at a time and it has three females at one time.Luckily they dont spread the eggs to far, but they do it in heavily populated area's as they need to feed on human babies within an hour of hatching."
"So why are we still here, lock and load."
They loaded weapons into the back of the car and headed of towards the districts . Buffy checked in with Willow briefly and Willow had agreed to go along as she thought she would be able to use her ablilities as well as do the blessings .
She sat in the back of the car silent as Buffy was upfront with Angel
"I am really sorry about earlier"
"You haven't changed have you , you still slay first ask questions later.Not that thats a bad thing. I dont think Cordy see's it like that though."
"She never had a high opinion of me, so I doubt I'm on her best buddies list now I have done that.Still have to admire the girl , she has balls to go through all that."
"She really did . I thought I was going to lose her at one stage. Thats when she accepted the demon "
"Been there , done that , only I didn't know , Spike found that out.Only found it out when he hit me after he had the chip in his brain. Damn side affect of dying and coming back .You got feelings for her"
"I have , I am fond of Cordy, she has grown as a person and there is a side to her that I doubt the friends and people she knew in Sunnydale have seen"
"Is my being here a problem , I mean , will I be treading on her toes"
"No Buffy No " Angel reached for Buffys hand which she withdrew, habit had forced her to do it , a mechanism that stopped Angel from being able to hurt her again.
"Cordy is special and will be in my life but as a guide to me , a friend and of course I care about her. She has taught me that it is ok to care about people , that I can do that, and not risk my soul. I dont love Cordy the way I love you"
Buffy swallowed hard. When did he get so open.
"So you do still love me" She had to ask.
"Of course Buffy, I always will. Didn't you get that from the conversation in the graveyard and from the time we had together in Sunnydale"?
"I just thought our time would pass and we would move on , or at least you would.You have had over two hundred years to perfect that . Why does it have to be hard"
"I could help you guys "Willow said quietly , not really wanting to butt into the conversation , but feeling like she should.
"How" Buffy asked.
Angel was curious but felt Buffy was the best one to ask as Willow was her best friend.
"I can bind Angels soul. So that he wont lose it should you two get groiny, as Cordy puts it."
"Do you think you can. Not that I doubt you or your magicks , but just the divine intervention and the curse its kind of strict".
"I can definately do it, I'll do some research and get Wesley to help. I cant see a problem though. Best to be sure though . I dont really want to come face to face with Angelus again so I'll play safe."
Angel was smiling inside, He couldn't wait til they had this job out the way and to get back to the hotel so he could be alone with Buffy.
"We're here" he said as he pulled up to the park entrance. He could smell the demons already. They smelt musty like old socks and wet wood, with a hint of ammonia and stale beer. His bad ,the stale beer was from the empty bottles laying under the tree's.Obviously a few youths had gathered there a short while ago and had been partying , leaving the evidence behind.
"I'll go this way with Will " Buffy said as she pulled out a stake and her newly aquired sythe.
"Nice " Angel said admiring her new tool of the trade
"Its slicey and dicey with a hint of dusty " Buffy said twirling it like a baton , making sure he got a good look at the thing from all angles.
"Remind me to not see it up close and personal. I'll go over towards the back yards and see if its there . Meet you in five " He told them as he dashed off in the direction he had pointed at.