******

Xander looked around the corner of the hallway suspiciously before slowly stepping out into the deserted path. He was slowly but surely making his way to his and Spike's dorm. It would be a lie if he said that the thing with Riley wasn't giving him major wiggins. He even started holding pepper spray, courtesy of Willow who was selling them to the gang for a dollar. It was a good buy considering the recent events. It was scary to think that he was actually after two of his best friends, Riley might even be after him.

The brown haired man slowly looked around before quickly walking to his door. The only good thing that came out of this was that Xander felt like he was in some cool spy movie. When Xander reached his door, he slowly looked to both sides of him.

"I know you are out there Riley, why don't you come out here and face me like a man." Xander threatened, inwardly praying that Riley was stalking someone else today.

"If you say so." A low voice made Xander jumped out of his skin. Not thinking, Xander grabbed his pepper spray, spinning around he sprayed the first thing that came into his sight. Spike. Fortunately for Xander, the only thing that he sprayed was Spike's new black shirt.

"Bloody hell, you wanker." Spike growled, looking down at his ruined shirt.

"Sorry, I was just...um..." Xander looked up, trying to think of something that wouldn't embarrass himself completely. He really couldn't think of anything.

"Acting like a dumb ass macho man?" Spike filled in.

"I would prefer a very manly wannabe." The joker forced a goofy smile although his heart was still hammering in his chest.

"Well, if something were to happen then you are supposed to aim for the eyes, smart guy." Spike teased, opening up their dorm door and walking inside. Xander stared at him dumbfounded.

"I knew that." He defended, closing the door behind him.

******

"I still don't like the idea of you being out by yourself, Buffy. When we first moved here we were worried about gangs but this maniac is singling you out." Giles muttered, pushing his glasses further up his nose and looking down at his plate. His appetite was gone the moment his daughter mentioned Riley Finn. Buffy decided to bring Angel with her and break the news to her father over dinner. She needed Angel's emotional strength since she had no idea what her father's reaction might be.

"I personally see to it that Buffy is with someone at all times. I even have a couple friends looking out for her when I'm not there." Angel assured Giles, who had become like a father to him over the years.

"I very much appreciate that, Angel but I fear that someone could not be with her at all times." Giles sighed.

"I can also take care of myself." Buffy defended. "Remember my kickboxing lessons. Those came in handy when I was almost mugged."

"What? You were almost mugged?" Giles's looked at his daughter in a mixture of concern and anger. When did this happen and why hadn't she told him about it?

"Whoops, how about a subject change?" Buffy inwardly kicked herself. She needed to control her mouth. Giles shook his head, letting the subject drop for the moment, he would talk to his daughter later.

"Did you try contact authorities? Police could surely help if someone is handling a weapon and threatening to hurt someone." Buffy's father asked, looking to Angel because he seemed to be in control of everything that involved Buffy's protection.

"We did, unfortunately they don't have enough evidence to put Riley away for long enough. The only thing that even says Riley has a gun is my friend's word." Angel pushed his plate away, not interested in eating anymore. All this talk about Riley and guns was making him sick to his stomach.

"And do you trust this friend enough to know he is not lying?" Giles questioned further.

"I trust him with my life." Angel answered honestly.

"Very well." Giles replied, satisfied with Angel's answer. He was amazed at how he had grown over the years. When Giles first saw Angel he was reminded of a jock, someone that would crush his daughter's heart whenever he had a chance but he was proven wrong over and over again.

"Plus, I got pepper spray." Buffy chimed in, she didn't like that they were talking about her as if she wasn't there. She hated feeling defenseless but it felt good to tell her father everything that has been going on the last couple of weeks. "Willow sold me some for three dollars."

"Three dollars? I only had to pay one." Angel looked at his girlfriend quizzically.

"What? My own friend ripped my off." Buffy looked outraged. "I want a refund." She pouted and Angel chuckled, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. The blonde beamed at him in response. Giles felt like he was intruding on a sacred moment, it would take a fool to see that this couple was very much in love and for the first time Giles was okay with that.

"I see I have become a third wheel in my own house." Giles smiled gently and the couple grinned at each other. Buffy winced when she looked at the clock on the wall.

"Damn, we are late. We better get going." Buffy said to her boyfriend, sitting up.

"Late? Where are you going at this hour?" Giles asked, he couldn't help that some of his fatherly instincts were still strong, especially now.

"Bronze." Buffy answered shortly with a winning smile.

"Thank you for dinner, it was lovely." Angel shook hands with Giles.

"I am trusting you to take care of my daughter." Giles looked sternly at the dark haired man. Angel nodded wordlessly before moving away so Buffy could say good-bye.

"Bye dad, I will call you tomorrow." Buffy kissed her father on cheek.

"Alright and for God's sake, Buffy, do be careful." Giles forced a smile as he watched the couple leave, inwardly feeling dread in his stomach.

*****

"Girl's night out, huh?" Faith asked as Willow, Buffy, Cordelia, and herself all walked to Espresso Pump for some late night coffee and brownies.

"Oh, come on, we haven't had one of these since...last week. That's seven days, I feel like I'm going through withdrawal." Willow tried to get everyone into the spirit since she had been hyped to go for girl's only day for a week. She loved these days, they shopped and gossiped and talked about their boyfriends, it was just like high school.

"Sometimes you really freak me out." Cordelia frowned at Willow.

"Oh come on, its not that bad. I mean, now we could flirt with guys without having our boyfriends beat them up. It's fun." Willow beamed.

"Red, when was the last time you flirted with a guy that wasn't Oz?" Faith asked, raising an eyebrow at the redhead.

"I've done countless times. I'm a rebel." Willow stated proudly, although she couldn't remember the last time she flirted with a guy.

"I see right through your lie." Buffy grinned but it fell quickly. "Who am I to be talking? I'm having major Angel missage."

"You girls are pathetic. You can't go one day before running back to your boyfriend." Faith rolled her eyes. "We are women, the men should be missing us. It should be just a couple more minutes before Spike calls on my cell."

"You are right." Cordy took a deep dramatic breath. "Why am I missing Xander anyway? He doesn't even know I have a cell."

"I don't have a cell phone." Willow muttered, feeling a bit left out.

"Don't worry, we will strike against the ones that have modern technology." Buffy smiled at Willow, for she didn't have a cellular phone either.

"Hello ladies." A deep voice sounded from behind them. Faith rolled her eyes and turned around.

"Sorry, but we already have boyfriends and we don't date lose-" Faith stopped when she was staring right down a barrel of a gun.

******

Willow made a frightened sound as she clutched Cordelia's arm, stumbling a couple steps back. Buffy took a small step closer to Faith, giving her backup. Faith's eyes stayed on the barrel of the gun before ticking to Riley. Riley glared at her, then at Buffy.

"Riley." Buffy breathed out in anger and panic. She was torn between screaming for help and punching Riley in his ugly face.

"You better get that gun out of my face, Cornboy." Faith threatened. Buffy was amazed at how calm she looked, but she also looked extremely pissed. The brunette's jaw was clenched and her hands were tightened into fists.

"You are not in the position to make threats, slut." Riley sneered. Faith glared at the sandy blonde before biting her tongue before the next insult slipped out of her lips. Riley's gaze ticked over to Cordelia and Willow who were slowly but surely backing away from them.

"In the alley. Now." Riley snapped, his voice dangerously calm as he gestured to the alley behind them. Buffy inwardly cursed that they had to walk near all these buildings. The Espresso Pump was only three blocks away, for God's sake!

Cordelia licked her dry lips, her hand slowly moving up to her purse. Willow looked at her, alarmed and curious.

"Hell no." Faith stated. Cordelia wondered what it would take to make Faith shut up. Riley pressed the gun hard into Faith's forehead, his hand steady and his eyes cold. Faith seemed to freeze, not daring to breathe. Buffy's breath caught in her throat as the night of her mother's murder flashed behind her eyelids.

"I said, now." Riley snapped. Willow was the first to hurry into the alley, worried for everyone's safety. Cordelia followed, holding her hand steady near her purse. She need to reach her cellphone and then her pepper spray. Since all of Riley's attention seemed to be focused on Faith and Buffy then maybe she could reach them. Buffy slowly walked into the alley, inwardly wishing for Angel or the police. Riley pushed Faith inside the darkness of the cramped space.

Faith sprawled away from Riley to land at Buffy's feet. The blonde helped her friend up before turning back to Riley. Cordelia and Willow were standing closely behind them. Cordelia's hand was almost all the way in her purse but it was hard to concentrate when Willow was squeezing her other so tight.

"Do you think you will get away with this? If you kill one of us then the others will tell the police. You'll be in jail for the rest of your pathetic life." Faith spat. Buffy was amazed at how much she talked back to a person with a gun. Faith was not that smart.

"Then I guess I will have to kill all of you." Riley smiled.

"As if! I didn't do anything to you." Cordy snapped. How the hell did she get brought into this mess? Riley looked at Cordelia for a long time, she was halfway behind Faith so he couldn't see what she was doing. Cordy was busy groping inside her purse for her cellphone.

Willow looked at Riley who was staring hard at Cordelia, leaning to see what her other hand was doing. "You suck!" Willow shouted, quickly averting Riley's attention to her.

"It's the feisty redhead from the mall. Where is your boyfriend now?" Riley chuckled.

"Right behind you." Willow grinned, looking past Riley. He quickly spun around to see no one there. Buffy took the opportunity to jump on his back, wrapping her arms tight around his neck. Riley yelled in frustration, trying to get the angry blonde off his back.

"Run!" Buffy cried out, desperately trying to hold on. The other three women didn't need to be told twice. They ran out of the alley, Cordelia finally grabbing her cellphone and quickly dialing redial, which was Xander's dorm.

"Help!" Willow screamed out into the empty street. How can no one be out on a night like this?!

"Shut up, Red!" Faith snapped, grabbing Willow's arm and ducking behind the counter of a closed outside cafe. Cordelia quickly joined them, holding her phone to her ear.

"Who are you calling?" Faith asked, her voice ragged and out of breath from running as fast as she could.

"Xander." Cordy answered.

"Xander? What the fuck is Xander going to do!? Call the police, damnit!" Faith snapped.

"Shush, I'm on the phone. Besides, all the men are at the dorm playing poker." Cordy shooed Faith with a wave of her hand. Willow spared a glance over the counter to see an empty street. She fingered her pepper spray nervously, inwardly giving herself a pep talk.

"That was...wow. Scary. I've never been so scared in my life. I mean, he had a gun. A real gun, not the fake ones you see in the movies, a real one! One with real bullets that could kill you." Willow babbled.

"I think we went through this gun talk before." Faith sighed, looking at the street also.

"Where is B?" Faith said, quickly realizing that they were missing a member of their group.

"She is not still in the alley with Riley...right?" Willow's voice was high and nervous.

******

Xander looked at his cards, grinning smugly. "Those women probably won't be able to stand a night without us, men."

"I think Willow is independent." Oz said and threw his cards down on the table with grimace. "I fold."

Angel copied Oz's movements, wincing, he had lost some money on that round. Spike chuckled and threw a couple more dollars into the jackpot.

"Look's like it is you and me, Xand." Spike raised his eyebrows twice.

"Let's see what you got." Xander said, his voice quivering. He had about twenty dollars riding on this round. It was even worse because he was bluffing and had a horrible hand. Spike leaned over, putting a royal flush down on the table but frowned when two cards slipped out of his sleeve and on to the ground. Angel and Oz quickly grabbed their money, that they lost, back from Spike.

"Cheater." Xander excused and grabbed the pile while Spike creatively cursed. He had become an expert at cheating. He pointed and laughed at the blonde when he put down his cards, to reveal a two pair.

"I had nothing and you just lost all your money." Xander sung, dancing around the room. Angel laughed at Xander's horrible dancing, grabbing more of his money back from Spike.

"Bugger off!" Spike snapped, grabbing for his winnings.

"Phone." Oz called out before clearing his voice and picking up Xander's green phone.

"Xander and Spike's apartment." He said politely. He nodded as he listened to Cordelia.

"Uh huh...yeah...where?...alright...sure...yeah." Oz said calmly before hanging up the phone. He stared at it for a moment before turning to his friends.

"That was Cordelia." Oz said.

"See! I told you she would call every half hour." Xander said, triumphantly. "What did she say?"

"Well, it seems that Riley is after our girlfriends with a gun, a couple of blocks near the Espresso Cup, at that one cafe." Oz stated, his voice emotionless and his demeanor calm. Everyone seemed quiet for a moment before racing to the door.

*****

Buffy tightened her hold around Riley's neck, choking him. She held on tight, his arms were waving everywhere and the gun fired. Buffy instinctively held her head down but the bullet embedded itself in the wall. Riley gasped for air and slammed himself back against the wall. Buffy gasped, the air knocked out of her, her hold on him loosening. Riley took the opportunity to grab her by the hair and flip her over his shoulder.

Buffy rolled when she hit the ground, slamming into the opposite wall of the cramped alley. Stars blurred her vision from hitting the ground too hard. She sucked in deep breaths but it was whooshed from her lungs when Riley kicked her head in the side. Buffy curled her legs up to her chest and concentrated on breathing normally.

Riley stepped out of the alley, looking around for the other three girls. If they got away, he was fucked and on the next flight to Mexico. They would rat on him in an instant but it would all be worth it if he got to kill just one. He turned back to Buffy with a grin on his face. His features were twisted from rage and hate.

"Well, it is just you and me, Buff. Just like old times." He chuckled, pointing the gun at her. Buffy ignored the weapon pointed at her and forced herself into a sitting position. She felt for her pepper spray in her back pocket but it wasn't there. It must have fallen out when she was thrown. Her eyes searched wildly for it and saw it on the other side of the alley. She would never reach it without getting a bullet stuck in her head.

"You are pathetic, you know that." Buffy spat. "You were nothing but a scared little boy trying to be a men. You pushed women around because you liked the power." Buffy stood up on her feet. "But you're nothing but an ugly piece of shit."

Riley's jaw tightened and his finger tightened around the trigger before he calmed himself. "I know what you're doing. You are just trying to go out the easy way but I want to enjoy this for as long as possible."

Buffy closed her eyes, trying to control her fast breathing. At that instant, she knew that she was never going to see Angel again. That thought hit her like a slap in the face and she had to fight the tears that threatened to spill. She would not let Riley see her cry.

"Gods, this is going to be better then killing your mother." Riley laughed. Buffy's eyes snapped open. All the fear and sadness was gone, replaced by hate.

"What did you just say?" Buffy bit out, her hands balled into fists.

"Hey, Fishboy!" Faith yelled, outside the alley. Riley quickly turned, firing the gun. Faith let out a yell of surprise and dived behind the counter again. Buffy quickly slammed her foot into Riley's groin. Riley bent over in pain, his eyes rolling back into his head.

"You bitch!" He spat.

"You wanna see a bitch?" Buffy yelled, the anger consuming her. She grabbed the bent over Riley by the hair and smashed his nose into her knee. He fell back, now holding his bleeding nose. Buffy smirked in satisfaction of causing him pain but couldn't enjoy the moment for a second later since Willow grabbed her and pulled her behind the counter.

"Damn, nice kick, B. I didn't think you had it in you." Faith chuckled softly.

"I thought I was gone for a second there." Buffy admitted. "Thanks."

"No prob." Faith grinned at her.

"Hello? This is not some reunion here! We got some Mr. Crazy with a gun after us still." Cordy snapped.

"Buffy!" A shout came from a block down and Buffy instantly recognized the voice.

"Angel!" Buffy yelled, standing up from behind the counter but was quickly greeted by a gun shot. She screamed, instantly ducking.

"Nice job, smart girl!" Cordelia snapped, covering her head.

"The guys are here, we could make it to them." Faith said, slowly looking around the empty street. Riley was no where to be seen but if he fired at Buffy then he must be close.

"Or die trying." Willow gulped.

"I don't care. As long as I see Angel, I will die happy." Buffy muttered.

"I'm not going to get shot because you got the hots for my bro." Cordelia said, tactlessly.

"Lets go!" Faith hissed, grabbing Buffy's arm and dragging her out as they ran down the street, towards the sound of their boyfriend. Willow and Cordelia had no choice but to follow.

"Angel!" Buffy shouted again, running as fast as her legs could take her. Her call was answered by another shout from her boyfriend.

Willow screamed as she was tackled to the ground. The three women turned around to see Riley straddling Willow and trying to restrain her.

"Get off of her!" Cordy shouted but Riley pushed her away. Willow squirmed as Riley grabbed one of her wrists.

"Oz! Someone! Help!" She screamed, flipping the top off the pepper spray with her free hand. She sprayed it right into his eyes. Riley screamed, throwing himself off of her, holding his eyes in pain. Cordelia grabbed Willow's arm pulling her off the ground and running away from Riley who was still on the pavement.

"Oz!" Willow gasped in relief when she saw her boyfriend round the corner. She threw herself into his arms, holding him tight.

"Where is he?" Spike demanded, pulling Faith behind him.

"He ruined my coat." Cordelia pouted as Xander pulled her into his arms.

"Are you alright?" Angel asked, his voice tight from worry and pain.

"Now that you're here, I am." Buffy forced a shaky smile and Angel touched her cheek tenderly before looking down the street. Riley was no where to be seen.

"Why does he keep doing that?" Willow asked, clutching Oz's hand.

"Because he is a fucking coward!" Spike yelled out, walking forward, looking into the alleys.

"Yeah! What a scaredy cat." Xander joined in. "Why don't you go first, honey?" He smiled at his girlfriend, pushing Cordelia forward. Cordy rolled her eyes.

A shot fired in the air and everyone ducked. When everyone realized no one was hurt, they turned towards the source. Riley pointed the gun at them, grinning. His eyes were red and puffy, his nose was bleeding, the blood covering his lips and down his chin.

"You bitches give me so much damn trouble." Riley shook his head. He pointed the gun at Buffy. "And you," He smiled at the blonde while Angel glared, pushing Buffy behind him. "you keep amazing me. You are fearless one-second and then you cowering the next."

"I can't wait until I am finally able to kill you." The insane man laughed.

"You will never get the chance." Angel promised. "I'm going to rip you into *fucking* pieces." He growled. Riley smiled.

"Oh. Right, the new boyfriend." Riley pointed the gun at Angel. "Well, if I have to go through you first, then so be it."

Buffy gasped, quickly stepping out from behind Angel. He couldn't be killed for her. Angel pushed her back behind him.

"No!" She yelled, struggling against him but she was too late.

A shot fired and Buffy screamed.

*****

Buffy was sitting on an ambulance gurney, watching the cops, onlookers, and paramedics without emotion. She couldn't believe that so much could happen in only the span of a couple hours. She felt emotionally drained and empty. Why did things in her life have to be so complicated? Why couldn't she be just a normal girl without any problems or worries? No one answered her but she wasn't expecting anyone to.

She watched as the paramedics rolled the body near her and she shuddered violently, pulling the blanket that the police gave her tighter around her. She could the bloodstain seeping through the white sheet that the paramedics put over the body. Buffy blinked back tears, looking away.

She looked up to see Faith and Spike making out in front of the crowd and the television cameras. She frowned at them and looked to see Oz and Willow holding each other tightly while Xander and Cordelia who were arguing. Everyone seemed to have someone to cope with but her.

Buffy quickly looked down again, biting her lip tightly. She wished for nothing more than to Angel to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be fine. She stared at the ground, the bright lights of the media were hurting her eyes. Someone just died! Didn't they care?

A coffee cup and a hand came into her line of view and she looked up to see who it belonged to. Buffy accepted the coffee with a smile as Angel sat down next to her.

"Rough night, huh?" He asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"You were there." Buffy answered, leaning against him.

******

A shot fired and Buffy screamed.

She grabbed on to Angel, tears stinging her eyes. Oh God. He just got shot, she knew he did. He was going to be hurt and he was going to die and it was going to be all her fault.

"Angel." She gasped, standing in front of him, checking for wounds but she didn't find any. He didn't get shot, there wasn't even a scratch on him. Buffy sagged against him in relief, sobbing.

"Oh my God!" Cordelia screamed. "I'm will be scarred for the rest of my life!"

Buffy turned around to see what Cordelia was screaming about but Angel held her head against his chest.

"Don't look." He whispered. Fear gripped her. Was one of the others hurt?

"Angel! My man! How the hell you keep getting yourself into this shit?" A loud voice called out from behind Buffy. Buffy turned in Angel's arm to see Gunn and Penn and a couple of other men behind them. Buffy assumed they were members of Gunn's gang. Buffy also looked at the ground in front of the gang members to see Riley on the floor, surrounded by a pool of blood.

Willow let out a loud sigh of relief, looking away from the gruesome scene while Oz stroked her back. Faith held a hand to her chest while Spike raised his eyebrows.

"Jesus, that scared the shit out of me." Faith admitted, taking deep breaths.

"Bloody hell, Gunn, not that I'm not thankful but what the fuck are you doing here?" Spike asked.

"One of my boys was in an alley a block away, taking care of business, until he heard some gun shots. I knew that one of you had to be a part of this somehow." Gunn chuckled. Penn walked over to check the body, kicking it with his foot.

"Well, he is dead now." Penn stated, wiping at blood on his new expensive shoes.

"I think that's what happens when you get shot in the head." Xander muttered, trying to absorb all the things that just happened. Gunn pushed his revolver back into the waistband of his pants.

"You owe me, Angie." Gunn said looking at Angel, who was too wrapped up in trying to calm a hysterical Buffy to care what Gunn was saying.

Gunn's gang looked up when they heard sirens in the background. Penn looked at his roommate.

"Five O, we gotta run." Penn got into his car, followed by the rest of Gunn's gang.

"Shit." Gunn looked down at the dead body of Riley Finn. "I ain't have nothing to do with this, ya hear?" Gunn grabbed his gun and threw it to Xander who caught it but dropped it on the ground quickly. Another shot rang out and hit the wall.

"Woah, guns, I don't do guns." Xander said, looking down at the weapon.

"Let's go!" Penn yelled from the car at Gunn when the sirens got louder.

"You need a murder weapon." Gunn explained.

"Murder? I didn't murder anybody!" Xander exclaimed, his eyes wide with panic.

"It was self defense, you will be the hero, besides your finger prints are already on it." The black man laughed before getting into car and driving off. He didn't have time to deal with cops when he already had a record like he did.

"Hear that, everyone? I am the hero, here." Xander said proudly. Cordelia rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Are you alright?" Angel asked, grabbing Buffy's face with his hands, wiping away tears with his thumbs. Buffy nodded but then shook her head.

"When I heard a gun shot, I thought that he shot you. I thought I was going to loose you, I was so scared." Buffy tried to regain her composure.

"Shh, I'm fine. Riley is dead, you never have to worry about him anymore." Angel promised before pulling her into his arms, holding her tightly and kissing her forehead. He was terrified when Oz said that Riley was after her. He was so afraid that he wouldn't make it there in time. Buffy memorized the feeling of his arms around her, sighing against his shirt. Blocking everything out but her boyfriend.

*****

"I can't believe that Xander is the hero in this story." Angel said, trying to lighten the mood. Buffy snapped out of her memories of the previous hour.

"Huh?" She asked.

"Xander. I can't believe we had to tell the cops that Xander was the one who shot him." Angel shook his head, chuckling. "The day I see Xander shoot someone is the day when the world gets sucked into Hell."

"Don't jinx us." Buffy muttered, yawning.

"You are tired, go to sleep." Angel ordered. Buffy closed her eyes, leaning against him. She wished she could go to sleep, she could only imagine the nightmares she was going to have. She would have to spend every night in Angel's bed until they went away, but that wasn't all too bad of a deal.

"Buffy!" A worried voice yelled from among the chaos around her. Buffy quickly broke from Angel's arms to run into her father's embrace.

"Oh, good heavens, are you quite alright? You look terrible." Giles muttered, hugging his daughter close to her before letting her go.

"Thanks." Buffy smiled dryly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Everyone is fine."

"Well, that is a relief." Giles sighed, taking off his glasses to clean them on his shirt.

"Did the police call you?" Buffy asked.

"Actually, I saw Faith and Spike groping, would be a loose term, on the television and I knew that you must have something to do with what ever had happened." Giles chuckled.

"So, what bloody chap is dead?" Giles asked. Buffy nodded, looking down for a second, reminded of how it easily could have been Angel who was killed if Gunn arrived one second later.

Giles was glad that no one was hurt and he was glad that Riley was. That bastard deserved everything that came to him, even death. Angel stood up off the gurney and Giles's attention was drawn to him.

"Hello, Angel." Giles said, shaking his hand. "I'm very proud of you, taking care of my daughter when I cannot."

Angel nodded. "Though it was Xander that shot Riley." Angle couldn't but chuckle when he said that. He was amazed at how he kept a straight face when the police asked him that.

"Xander?" Giles looked dumbfounded and Buffy half smiled. "That strange acting boy?"

"The one and only." Angel answered, wrapping an arm around Buffy.

"Oh my." Giles said, his British-ness coming out more and more.

"Well, I am sure that it has been a long night, come on, Buffy. I will take you home." Giles said and Buffy didn't argue. It has been a while since she had slept in her own bed, though she was sad that Angel couldn't come with her.

"Night baby, try and get some sleep." Angel kissed her gently before pushing her towards her father. Angel watched him go and turned to Spike behind him.

"Well, I would say that this was the bloody best night of my life. The villain is dead, I got fame and the girl. I love America." Spike laughed.

*****

"It was uber creepy." Cordelia sighed, shaking her head. She was standing outside in some grassy field for some weird reason. Why did Xander always drag her into these stupid things?

"Cordelia, now is not the time for this." Xander said, his posture was tense and he was bouncing on his toes slightly. His eyes darted around madly.

"Like, who would ever want to kill Buffy? Well, Faith I could understand, but Buffy? She is so...tiny." Cordy looked confused and disgusted. She concentrated on her nails for a second before turning her attention back to her boyfriend.

"Cordelia, sweetie, can you please step back. I think that we might be in a little trouble here." Xander looked around nervously, his knees slightly bent and his arms held forward.

"Can you please listen to me?" Cordy asked, annoyed. She rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. How come he never listened to her when she needed to vent.

"Cordelia Chase!" Xander yelled, he stood all the way up and threw his arms in frustration. At that moment, a figure flew out from in front of Xander and tackled him to the ground. Cordelia looked down at the two men with a roll of her eyes.

Spike quickly got off Xander, grinning like an idiot.

"You should pay attention, Harris. This is called football." The blonde jogged off, back to his team.

Xander coughed, looking up at his girlfriend who raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you *always* get tackled?" She asked. No one else was getting tackled. "You should really pay more attention. I thought you were more athletic than this."

"Get up, Harris! We have to score some major goals, here!" Willow called, yelling like a furious coach.

"That's touchdowns, sweetheart." Oz corrected his team mate. Willow blushed but nodded.

******

The whole gang was playing football, it was the weekend and almost a month until school was out. Only a week after the incident with Riley. They would sit in the back of the room and recall everything, trying to find out more interesting clues that would have helped why Riley was a complete nutcase. Although he was dead, Buffy had nightmares for days. Willow even complained about every noise in their dorm room, saying that Riley's ghost was haunting her, trying to get back at her because of the pepper spray.

"Come on, team! Buffy, you need to cover Willow! It's called defense, learn it!" Angel scowled to his teammates. Angel's team was made up of Spike, Faith, and his girlfriend...who was glaring at him right now. Angel winced, this game took control of him.

"Excuse me?" Buffy asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"I mean...good job, baby." Angel wisely choose to complement her instead. Buffy beamed happily while Faith rolled her eyes.

"How come I have to cover Cordelia? She don't do anything." Faith pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Just tackle her anyway." Angel shrugged. Faith grinned, rubbing her hands together.

"Now you are talking, Angie."

"The key person was have to look out for is Willow. That red head has got some major power behind that skinny body." Spike rubbed his chest in remembrance. Buffy laughed.

"You're just angry because she tackled you." Buffy grinned. "I really need to buy a camera."

"You are the one that let her tackle me!" Spike pointed a finger at the blonde, his voice accusing and angry.

"So I was the one supposed to be tackled?" Buffy demanded. "Willow was running at me like a freight train!"

"That is how the damn game is played!" Spike growled.

"That's it!" Buffy threw her sports cap on the ground, stepping back from the huddle. "Come on, William. Right here, right now! I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"You asked for it, blondie!" Spike took a step forward towards her but ended up on the ground after being tackled by Angel. Faith looked at her boyfriend wrestling on the ground with Angel and looked at Buffy who was smiling with amusement.

"What are you smiling about? That was my boyfriend." Faith snapped and dove towards the blonde, knocking her to the ground also.

*****

The other team, Willow, Oz, Xander, and Cordelia, stared at the other team, wrestling and screaming with each other. Oz raised an eyebrow while Xander laughed at Spike and Angel.

"Maybe we should break them up?" Willow suggested.

"And miss this quality action? Hell no!" Xander sat down, enjoying the fight. Willow and Cordelia walked towards Faith and Buffy and grabbed their hair. Willow pulled Buffy off of Faith and on to the ground.

"Stay." Willow instructed as if she was talking to a dog. Buffy touched her skull gingerly, Willow surely ripped out some of her hair. Oz tried to break Angel and Spike apart but only got a punch in the stomach.

"Okay, ow." Oz said, his face showing no emotion but he stepped back. "Why don't we give it a few more minutes?"

"Angel." Buffy whispered in a sing song voice. Although Spike and Angel were screaming at eachother, Angel paused to look at Buffy. She smiled at him and held her arms out. Angel looked towards Spike and then back to his girlfriend.

"Truce?" He asked his bleach blonde friend.

"Damn straight." Spike grinned, his lip split but he looked happy. "Hadn't had a good fight like that in years, thanks Peaches."

Angel chuckled before helping his girlfriend up, wrapping an arm around her waist, and catching her lips in a kiss. Buffy smiled against him, wrapping her arms around his neck, bringing him closer. Her fingers played with the hem of his shirt, pulling at it, flustered. Angel pulled away from her grinning.

"I wish we weren't in a public place." Buffy whined, running a finger through her tosseled hair. Angel leaned in closed, his breath tickling her ear.

"Later." He promised. Buffy shivered.

"Interesting." Oz muttered. How come Buffy just called his name and Angel came, but he had to get punched in the stomach? "Huh."

"Come on, bunnies, we have a game to win." Faith yelled at them, waving them back to the huddle.

"You can try and beat us." Willow challenged her.

"Wanna put your money where your mouth is, Red?" Faith grinned at her, raising her eyebrows.

"Ten bucks." Willow smiled happily. She had never gambled before, it was pretty exciting. She bounced on her heels, begging Faith to make the bet higher. Her silent prayer was answered.

"Twenty."

"Fifty."

"Deal." Faith shook the redhead's hand while a small smile playing on her lips. That redhead was going to win her a lot of money. How could they loose with Spike and Angel on their team. Willow was going to go down.

*****

"Alright, I got money rising on this game, team. We are going to go out there and kick their ass!" Willow pounded her fist into her palm. "Cordelia, Faith will mostly tackle you this time, so you need to be prepared. If she starts running at you, then you turn away at the last possible second." She instructed.

"Okay, I could do that." Cordy nodded but then frowned. "Hey! Wait, she is going to tackle me?"

Willow ignored her and turned to Xander. "Spike will hand off the ball to Angel and then go long, you need to follow him and intercept. I won't except anything else. If you don't get the ball, I'm kicking your ass off this team!"

"You are really scaring me, Will." Xander said slowly, his hand raised in surrender. Willow turned to her boyfriend and smiled sweetly.

"Now, Oz, I *need* you to tackle Angel before he gets the ball in his hands. He was the football captain, remember? Be careful." Willow looked at the other team, whispering plans.

"Wait? How come his ass doesn't get kicked off the team?" Xander mocked hurt.

"Shut up, Xander." Cordelia said, bored.

"I got Buffy." Willow grinned. They all clapped and the huddle broke, this was it. Willow's team needed this touchdown to win. Spike had the ball.

"Set, hut!" He called, throwing the ball to Angel. Spike ran out far, dodging Willow as she moved past him. Willow looked towards Buffy who started running the same way Spike had. She made a wild dive, knocking her friend to the ground. They air slammed out of both of them but Willow smiled. Her job was done. She turned around to see Faith flying to the ground.

Cordelia quickly side stepped Faith as she charged and Faith tackled the air. Faith hit the ground with a groan while Cordelia smiled victoriously.

"Try and tackle me, huh?"

Angel looked at Cordelia who was doing a victory dance, then to his girlfriend who was on the ground. Damnit. He looked towards Spike who was jumping up and down and waving his hands. He was right at the touch down line. Angel pulled back and threw the football to Spike. As soon as the ball left his fingertips, Oz hit him hard around the chest and they both went down. Spike had to catch this to win.

"No!" Willow screamed as she watched the ball fly in the air.

Spike had his arms stretched out in the air, jumping to catch the football. Xander jumped in front of him, catching the ball before Spike had a chance. Spike fell hard on his back, coughing as the wind was knocked out of him.

Xander looked at the ball in his hands. "Holy shit." He exclaimed. This was the first time ever he caught a football.

"Run, you idiot!" Willow yelled to see Angel and Faith recovering and running after Xander. Xander screamed before running to the other side of the field. He narrowly missed being tripped by Faith, he was almost to the end of the field.

"Hurry, Xander!" Cordelia screamed, jumping up and down.

Just as Xander reached the touchdown line, he was tackled by Angel. They fell hard to the ground, rolling on their backs. Everyone ran up to them, to see if Xander scored. They held their breath as Angel and Xander got to their feet. The ball was past the line.

"Touchdown!" Willow yelled, throwing her hands up in the air. Xander stared at the ball in disbelief.

"I scored a touchdown?" He muttered, puzzled. "I mean, I scored a touchdown!"

"Yay! My boyfriend is not a loser!" Cordelia shouted, jumping into Xander's arms. Willow held her hand towards Faith.

"My fifty dollars, please." She grinned happily. Faith glared at her before digging into her pocket.

"Damnit! God, bloody damnit." Spike yelled, slamming his fist onto the ground.

Angel and Buffy watched the reactions with amusement. A small smile played on Buffy's lips as she leaned her head on Angel's shoulder. Angel looked down at her, smiling also.

"Fun year?" He asked.

"One of the best." Buffy laughed. Her laugh quickly turned into a squeal when Angel picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Buffy demanded, her giggles escaping.

"Remember what I promised?" Angel raised his eyebrows, looking back at her.

Buffy grinned.

"Hell yeah."

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