Part 17

Same day, 7.00 p.m.

If Cordelia hadn't told him about what had happened in Buffy's apartment two days ago, Doyle would've grinned seeing Angel and his former, and judging his friend's expression also, his present love-interest standing there when he opened the door. But because he knew, his face was compassionate when it fell on the tiny blond, "Buffy," he said gently and smiled, then nodded at Angel. "What can we do for you?"

"We need to talk to your fiancée," Angel announced and nodded as well, when Doyle stepped back to invite them in. They went past him and Doyle was surprised to see Buffy smile slightly. He had seen rape-victims before and they usually looked frightened or subdued, some of them even angry, but the blond was calm, and if it hadn't been for the colorful bruise on her cheek nobody would've guessed what had occurred not even 48 hours ago.

Okay, so was "only" an attempted rape, but Doyle learned quickly that for some women that didn't make a difference. The violation of their individual space and the feeling of complete helplessness also left those who had escaped rape at the last possible moment shaken and scarred. Why it seemed so different for Buffy, he could only guess. She must be incredibly strong or it could have been Angel's company; probably it was a combination of both. Or, she just didn't show her feelings, let others only see a pretty surface, not wanting them to detect what was underneath.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the appearance of his soon-to-be wife who just came from the bedroom, concentrating on inserting an earring. They were due for a dinner with Cordelia's boss in an hour and she'd been particularly careful in choosing the right dress. A moment before she would've ran right into Angel's chest she became aware of the company and stopped with a startled gasp, put a hand over her chest, "Oh my God," she closed her eyes for a moment, then looked at Angel, "*What* are you doing here? You almost gave me a heart attack."

She took a deep breath, ignored Angel's amused grin and shifted her attention towards Buffy, "How are you?" she asked immediately.

"I'm okay," the blond replied and Cordelia's concern settled a little. She'd expected some bright 'I'm fine', but Buffy's quiet reaction gave her the feeling that the blond meant what she said. "A bit shaken still," Buffy added, smiling at Angel when he took her hand, "but so far okay."

"That's good," Cordelia gave her a friendly smile, then looked back and forth between her two visitors, "So why are you here?"

"What?" Angel raised a brow, "No tantrum today?"

Doyle snickered and his fiancée shot him a nasty look, before she turned back to Angel, "Just tell me why you're here. I have an important date in an hour. My boss throws a birthday party for his wife and has invited us. I can't be late." She sighed, then amended, "*We* can't be late."

Buffy pulled slightly at Angel's hand, when she replied, "Oh, well, if you're busy... We can talk about this tomorrow," she suggested.

Codelia's gaze again went back and forward between her guests, and after a moment of considering the situation, she sighed, "No. I'd rather hear the bad news now."

"Bad news?" Buffy asked a bit breathless. "Who said it was bad news?"

"Buffy," the brunette sounded as if the blonde's question had been an insult to her intelligence, "I've known you almost twenty years. Don't you think I can notice a guilty expression when I see one?"

The blond was about to reply again when she felt Angel squeeze the hand he was still holding. When she turned to look at him she saw him shaking his head slightly, signaling her to let the explaining to him. "May we sit down for a minute?" he asked.

"Sit down, huh?" Doyle grinned. "That bad?"

Cordelia glared at him again, but couldn't shake off the feeling that his comment was - as so often - right on the money. Doyle was rarely wrong, and if nothing else, the way Buffy and Angel were looking at each other was more than just slightly suspicious. "Okay, then," she said with an exaggerated sigh, "spill it. Ruin my evening."

Angel smiled slightly, "Ruin your evening? I wouldn't dare." His smile widened into a grin when he saw her narrowing her eyes. "Never mind," he continued, "The reason we came was that I told Buffy about the investigation." He said it calmly, almost casually, and then glancing shortly at Doyle, whose eyes had widened in surprise and understanding, he shifted his attention back to Cordelia.

It was almost funny to see the myriad of emotions crossing the brunette's face in a matter of seconds. There was surprise, disbelief, anger, and many more Angel wasn't able to name. In the end she just stared at him as if he'd suddenly grown a second head. "You're sure you are alright?" she asked, her voice a bit shaky, the disbelief clearly audible. "I mean just to make sure. You didn't recently split your personality and thought, what the heck, I'm undercover for the Internal Department and in my other life I choose to do whatever I want?" Now her voice was soft, too soft, and Angel could already anticipate the explosion of anger that was about to erupt any minute.

"Cordelia-" Buffy tried to intervene and explain but she was cut off when the assistant DA jumped to her feet and began to pace the room, her hands waving frantically through the air.

"I don't believe it. Who else knows about this? Riley, because he was your pal once, or Darla, because you and her hit the sack together all those years ago, or... hey, why not Drusilla, because she was your rookie and if I'm guessing right, Spike is probably bonking her this very moment," she raged, her strides getting more agitated by the minute.

"Cordy, darling-" Doyle tried to soothe her but the dark glare she shot him made him shut up instantly. He knew her well enough to see that now was not the time to discuss things. Or to try to calm the waves. The hurricane was in full force and nothing would stop it now.

She stopped suddenly, straightened, her hands firmly planted at her hips, she took two menacing steps in Angel's direction, who to Doyle's utter surprise was sitting calmly, seemingly not caring for the storm that was about to come upon him. Like a very old, strong tree, Doyle mused. Completely unconcerned about the upcoming danger. But, even the strongest tree could be felled if the storm was furious enough.

"I should fire you," she hissed, "Fire you right now. It's inexcusable." Almost audibly her head snapped around and her eyes focused on Buffy for a moment, "I hope you know this has nothing to do with you personally," she said a little calmer. "I'm your friend and I never thought you were involved in any of this, but," her eyes narrowed again when they came back to rest on Angel, "this is a matter of trust and obedience. You knew exactly what your job was. You knew what you were meant to do and... what not."

She took a deep breath and combed a hand through her hair, "Unfortunately, you're already in too deep to replace you. Besides there's nobody equally qualified for the job. With enough inside knowledge, enough experience, and still distant enough to be objective. Or at least that's what I thought. It seems at least in point three I was wrong," she ended her rant. Then noticing the smug look on Angel's face, she sighed, "And I suppose you already knew."

"Of course I did," he grinned, "but I also knew you had to get some steam out of your system."

"You're very sure of yourself," a warning entered Cordelia's voice. A warning that she would only tolerate so much.

"In this case, I was," Angel replied, winking at her, making her laugh against her own will. "Cordelia," his voice was suddenly serious, almost pleading, "I couldn't keep it from Buffy. She needed to know what was going on. I refuse to start anything on a lie."

"I can understand that," she replied after a minute, "A lie can be... wait a moment," she stared at her visitors, "You refuse to start what? What is going on here?" Then her eyes suddenly widened and now a grin appeared on her face, "My, my, this is even more serious than I thought yesterday," she stated, exchanging a short glance with her future husband.

Angel felt suddenly uncomfortable with her excitement. Sure, he and Buffy had spent a weekend together. But it had been unusual circumstances that led to it and they'd spent the time as friends only. Yes, there was still a strong sexual attraction. Angel wasn't oblivious to it, and he also didn't want to deny it. But they hadn't once discussed any future plans or what her plans were. She was, after all, still married to Riley. And although he knew there were no feelings from her side and that she was glad it would be over soon, there was no guarantee she would jump into the next relationship, giving up the independence she just gained. "Cordelia, you're jumping to conclusions here," he said and now there was a warning in his voice.

Of course the brunette ignored it, too happy with her friends and feeling too smug at the moment. She was the one amongst her friends who'd always insisted Buffy and Angel would get together again, who'd all but ignored Riley's existence, and who was now feeling better than ever. She could hardly wait to call Willow, Xander and Faith to tell them the good news. Besides, underneath all her tough behavior, the heart of a romantic was beating strongly, a side of her only very few people were allowed to see. "I still see what I see," she replied, her gaze darting back and forth between Buffy and Angel.

"We had one dinner together," the blond tried to calm down her friend's excitement. At the moment Buffy felt a bit cornered. There was no denying of her feelings for Angel, and she felt comfortable in his presence, was grateful for the understanding that had helped her to get through the weekend, but besides a toe curling kiss at her car, Angel had behaved like a friend, and for all she knew it could be all he intended to be. Plus, she had absolutely no urge to have all her friends interfere with her love life. She could almost hear Willow's excited babble, and Xander's oh so funny remarks or Faith's smug grin.

"So you had dinner together already," Cordelia raised a knowing brow at the couple. "And why didn't you tell me?" she demanded, feeling slightly hurt by the lack of confidence by her friend.

"Cordy, leave them alone," Doyle said, giving Buffy and Angel a compassionate glance. He of all people knew exactly how persistent his fiancée could be. "It's none of your business."

The look she gave him when she turned around was so funny he had a hard time not laughing. She stared at him with utter disbelief, "Not my business?" She could have asked referring to her own hair or to her bank account. The remark seemed absolutely ridiculous to her. "Of course this is my business. Buffy is my friend. Angel works for me. Whatever happens to them is absolutely my business."

Angel decided that now was not the time to discuss the matter, "Anyways," he said, looking at Cordelia, "Wasn't there a dinner you had to attend?"

"A dinner?" she stared at him, completely at loss for a moment, then panic entered her eyes. "The dinner! Christ almighty. We need to be there on time." Like a bullet she shot up from the chair she'd been sitting on, "I need to finish my makeup." She was almost out of the room, when she turned, "We have to talk about this tomorrow. With my bossy," she told Angel. "Be at my office at two, both of you."

"Yes, sir," the dark-haired man joked when the door slammed behind her. He heard Buffy chuckle, and gave her a warm smile. It was so good to feel her relax and think about things other than Riley for a moment. "Sorry," he said after a moment, shifting his eyes towards Doyle.

"No worries," his friend grinned when they all walked to the door, "I understand you had to tell her. Besides," he winked at them, "doesn't she look great when she's all worked up. Of course I'd never tell her, but she is even more beautiful this way."

Buffy grinned back, "Yes, but you better never tell her."

"Never," Angel agreed and the three laughed.

They shook hands at the door and Doyle gave the blond a warm smile, "Take care of yourself," he said. Then his eyes were on Angel for a moment, "But I guess I don't have to worry."

Buffy followed his eyes and smiled too, "No, I don't think so."

Part 18

Monday, August 28th, 9.00 a.m., Los Angeles

Riley couldn't remember when he ever dreaded entering his precinct the way he did now. He had been numb the whole weekend, couldn't even remember most of it. His only hour of awareness, when he woke up with a heavy head and an even heavier heart beside a woman whose name he still couldn't remember, had been drowned in two bottles of Scottish Whisky.

But with Monday morning where there was no opportunity to escape into a alcohol oblivion, the memories were back in full force. There was no way of denying it anymore. He'd gone into a jealous rage and tried to rape his wife.

There was a feeling of disgust inside of him, but it was also mixed with the dread that everyone would know, that she would've told her friends, namely Xander and Willow and of course that bitch Cordelia Chase. Riley hadn't even contemplated the idea that Buffy might have reported him for what he'd done. But now, entering the place where the good guys were trying to get the bad guys, he was hit front with it and he could feel cold sweat forming on his forehead, some of it even trickling down between his shoulder blades. God, what was he going to do if she'd reported him?

It wasn't that he didn't feel sorry for what he'd done. Because he did. He felt sorry and disgusted with himself, knowing what he'd almost done, remembering the fear and panic in her eyes when he'd thrown her to the ground, his large body pinning her down. But there was already so much he felt sorry for in his life, this was just one thing more on his overloaded conscience.

The thought, however, of being reported for attempted rape, being prosecuted and probably convicted in the end made his throat close up and his gut knot in fear. The consequence would be that he would lose his job and that was something that he wouldn't be able to deal with.

Not really caring where he was going he bumped right into another body and startled he was looking at the last person he wanted to face today.

"Buffy," he almost whispered.

"Ri - Riley."

He saw a shudder running over her body, but she controlled it after only a second. They stared at each other, neither of them able to move, although all they both wanted was to run for cover. But somehow they seemed frozen in shock at the unexpected closeness after what had happened barely more than 48 hours ago.

Then suddenly she seemed to shake herself out of whatever had been holding her in place and wanted to hurry away, when he reached for her and held onto her arm, "Wait," he said.

She turned slowly and the look in her eyes took his breath away. On the surface they were cool and controlled, but underneath he could see pure hatred. "Let go," she hissed.

"Buffy, please," he said, ignoring her command, "I just want to talk to you."

"But I don't want to talk," she replied, shifting to get her arm free. "And I said, let go."

Again, he ignored her, "I just want to say how sorry I am, I-"

He couldn't finish his sentence since a hand came down on his shoulder and his body was propelled backward with great force. He slammed against the wall, the force of the impact pressing the air from his lungs so that he had trouble drawing a breath.

"She said, let go," came Angel's angry and biting voice and Riley's head jerked up.

He stared at the other man, whose body was trembling with rage. The blond tried to form words, but he still couldn't make his voice work. So he just held up his hands in surrender.

"Stay away from her," Angel warned, "Do you understand? Stay away or our next encounter won't be just a free flight through a room."

"I just... tried to say I'm sorry," Riley finally managed, straightening against the wall. "And I am sorry."

"Nobody cares if you're sorry," Angel hissed advancing the other man again.

The blond looked at his former friend and with sudden understanding he could feel the anger boiling up in him as well, "Oh, I see, she called you. Her white knight in shining armor."  He should've known that she would run to her beloved, he thought bitingly.

"You better shut up," Angel warned again, "You should be glad I'm a cop. Because if I wasn't, I would end this here and now."

"Oh really," Riley mocked, his guilt instantly forgotten, overruled by well known jealousy, "Did she call you to finish what I didn't give her?" he asked, "She was hot you know, but honestly, she isn't as tempting as she was before. That's the reason she had to call you for what she couldn't get from me."

It all happened the same moment. Buffy gasped in shock while Angel - with an outcry of rage - hurled himself on Riley. The same moment Xander, Spike, Drusilla and Faith entered the precinct and seeing what was happening they launched themselves between the two enraged men and separated them by sheer force.

"WHOA," Xander said when Riley swung his fist and missed the dark-haired man's face only by an inch. "Take his other arm," he hissed at Faith, while Spike tried to hold Angel back. The blond had known Angel for a while but never before had he seen such an expression of rage in the other man's eyes.

"Angel."

Buffy's soft, pleading voice finally managed to cut through the red haze that was still swimming in front of Angel's eyes at Riley's words and he had to take several calming breaths to think clearly again. For a moment he really lost it and all he wanted was kill the bastard who had done this to Buffy and was now mocking her with it.

Running a shaky hand through his hair he focused on Buffy, "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I lost it for a second."

She smiled a bit crookedly, "I noticed. But Angel, he isn't worth it."

"I know," he replied and turned his head towards Spike who was still holding his arm. "I'm okay now," he told his friend with a nod.

"You sure?" the blond asked not quite convinced. He had still problems recognizing his friend in the raging maniac he'd seen only minutes ago."What happened?"

Angel glanced quickly at the spot where Riley had been standing just before, but his former friend was gone. Xander and Faith had led him quickly away to avoid any further confrontation. "It's not important."

Spike raised a brow at that, and so Buffy said, "He wanted to apologize, I think, but he touched me and I didn't... want it. So Angel pulled him away from me and then..." she shrugged, "the situation escalated from there."

"So I saw." Spike sighed, "You almost lost it there my friend," he told Angel with a serious face. "I wouldn't have liked to arrest you for the murder of filth."

The dark-haired man closed his eyes for a moment, "Sorry. He... he said things..." His hands were still shaky and he was grateful when Buffy took one of them. "I can't believe that's the person I once knew." He swallowed hard and shook his head as if he had to clear his mind.

Seeing Angel's distress Buffy gave Spike a quick sign and with a nod and a last look at his friend he walked away while Buffy was already pulling the other man into the women's bathroom.

Angel was following her without resistance and only when the door closed behind them he blinked, "It seems we end up in here a lot," he murmured.

Buffy smiled at his words, "Last time you had to hold me, today it's my turn," she said and slung her arms around his waist holding him close.

His arms came around her after only a short hesitation, "You shouldn't have to do this," he whispered against her ear, "What he said to you..." his voice trailed off, the pain clearly audible.

"Shhhh," she soothed, stroking his back, feeling a thrill of pleasure holding him, being held by him, despite the horrible scene with Riley before. "It's okay. I was surprised, that's all. He can't really hurt me anymore."

He raised his hand and took her chin between thumb and forefinger so that she had to look at him, "You sure?"

"Yes," she replied honestly and smiled. "You can only be hurt by people who mean something to you."

He was watching her face intently and finally he nodded, obviously satisfied with what he was seeing there. "How was your night?" he asked softly, the back of his fingers caressing her cheek, where the bruise Riley had caused was hidden under makeup.

"Okay," she told him. "After you left, I drank the tea you made for me, then I went to sleep. I'm alright, really."

"Good," he said, then bent down and kissed her forehead. "Will you be alright for the day?" he wanted to know, concern in his eyes.

"Yes," she assured him, touching his cheek with one hand. The emotions whirling through her this moment were so strong, so overwhelming. She felt so close to him, not just physically, but in every possible way. Remembering that they were still in the women's bathroom of the police station, she cleared her throat and straightened. "What are you going to do today?" she asked to change the subject.

Angel straightened as well. He pulled back and Buffy stifled a moan at the sudden loss of his warmth. "Well, there's still our date with Cordelia. She called me this morning, insisting again that you'd come with me."

"Oh?" Buffy raised a brow.

"Yeah. Spike and I complained we weren't enough people to do the job, so they agreed we'd get some help." He suddenly grinned, "Seems my indiscretion brought you a new job."

Her eyes rounded, "What?"

"Yeah," was all he replied, an apologetic look in his eyes. "I should've kept my mouth shut. I'm sorry, I know how it feels to spy on friends and-"

Her fingers on his lips stopped him, "No need to apologize. It was the right thing to do. I'm glad you trusted me with it." She suddenly rolled her eyes, "Although, maybe I should amend that. The idea of Cordelia being my boss now..."

As a reply he grinned, "Pretty scary, huh? But we can suffer together." He reached for the door-handle, "How about we go tell Giles?"

She nodded, "Yeah, that'd be good."

*****

His eyes drifted to the lieutenant's office from time to time, what the hell were they doing with Giles, Riley thought. Ten minutes after he'd been pulled away from Angel, the dark-haired man and Buffy had entered Giles' office. That had been half an hour ago.

Were they telling him about what had happened in Buffy's apartment Friday night? Would they report him now? God, he should've known that she'd call Angel the moment he was out of the door. His former so-called friend was back for a week and he and Buffy were already attached at the hip. The way Angel had come to her rescue, the way Angel had looked at him, with murder in his eyes. Angel had been ready to kill him, for a moment Riley had seen it in the other man's eyes, the cold determination, that made him shiver even now.

Angel wasn't a violent person, he was usually the type who would try to talk and discuss things through, try to persuade people. Riley had often mocked him for being too soft, for still being a virgin when they'd started college all those years ago. He had felt good because as far as girls were concerned, Riley had the advantage.

But to Riley's amazement, Angel didn't care. He showed no intention to get even with his friend and when they'd left college and entered the Police Academy, Angel had only had two girlfriends, while Riley hadn't been quite as selective and in his senior year had developed a special taste for freshmen. There had been Darla then and Riley thought about the nice brunette Angel met for a while, but nothing more.

Where girls were concerned Angel was downright boring. Riley had never been able to understand why he hadn't used his position as quarterback of the college football team. The girls were throwing themselves at Angel, but he wouldn't even look. Riley once asked, and his friend had shrugged and told him that he wasn't interested in casual sex.

And then they met Buffy. They had been on an assignment and Buffy had worked at the same case. The attraction between Angel and her had been immediate and strong. The air crackled between them, and they weren't able to look anywhere but at each other. Within a week they were a couple, inseparable and deeply in love. So deep that neither of them noticed that Riley had been falling in love with her as well.

He'd known from the first moment that she was the one. The woman you met once in a lifetime, but she didn't look at him, not even once. Her eyes were on Angel, and only on Angel. Riley would never forget the pain slicing through him when Angel showed him the engagement ring he'd bought for Buffy and Riley knew that it was the end of his dreams, knew without a doubt that she would accept Angel's proposal.

Then Mike had died and everything changed. Riley had seen his opportunity in holding Buffy's hand when it was certain it had been Angel's weapon. She'd cried in his arms for days and then after an especially horrible day for her they ended up in bed. Two weeks later Buffy accepted his proposal and after another two weeks they were married. Riley didn't ask why, he didn't want to know. All he knew was that the woman of his dreams was finally his and that Angel was out of their lives, for what Riley believed had been for good.

Of course his luck never stayed for long, and now Angel was back, his wife was divorcing him and if he was guessing right they were destroying his career right this moment.

No, he thought, and pressed thumb and forefinger against his eyes, rubbing them roughly. They weren't destroying his career. He did that all by himself. Not just 48 hours ago when he'd lot it and tried to rape his wife, but two years ago when an accident had ended all his dreams forever.

But even knowing that, he found himself hoping they were talking about a completely different subject in Giles' office.

Part 19

Same day, 4.00 p.m.

"So we're getting the help we need after all," Spike said from his spot beside Angel. They were sitting in Angel's car again, where more empty cans and stuff were littering the floor. Angel sighed inwardly, that was obviously the price he had to pay to avoid Spike's smoking. "Although I guess the lovely Miss Chase didn't really like the way you got it."

Angel shot him a sideways glance, "No, not really. Brent Harley and her boss, Tim Philips, were cool though. Brent checked Buffy's account and stuff and had her already taken off his list. And Tim," now he had to grin, "just told Cordelia that this would take care of the problem very neatly. You should've seen her face."

Spike laughed out loud, "Too bad I wasn't there. But hey, I got to watch our beloved Darla instead." When he saw Angel turn his head and raise a questioning brow, he shook his head, "Nothing happened. She just did her job. Really boring. Which reminds me, the deal isn't fair, you know. You get to work with the lovely Buffy while I'll spend tomorrow with Alexander Harris. What kind of mother calls her son Alexander anyway?"

"You wouldn't want to know," Angel replied thinking about Xander's mother who was an alcoholic and his father who'd died ten years ago from liver cirrhosis. It was almost a miracle that Xander had managed to stay clean. "Xander's alright. Gets on your nerves sometimes, but he's a good guy. Actually right after Buffy he was the next off my private list. He just isn't the type to betray a friend or colleague."

"But you see the problem, don't you," Spike asked, "I mean you and," he wiggled his brows, "Buffy. And then there's me and... well, Xander. Why do you get Buffy and I don't get Dru?"

"Speaking of Dru-" Angel began but was cut off when his friend raised a hand.

"Stop right there. I'm not talking about Dru. She might have been your rookie once, but she isn't any of your business now. This is private, okay!"

It wasn't a request, it was a warning, Angel realized and was more than a bit surprised, "Oh?" he said, one of his brows coming up.

"Yeah, oh," Spike replied gruffly. "God, I don't need this," he exclaimed. "Why can't I just have some nice uncomplicated fling? But, no. Of course Spike has to meet...," he paused, exhaled a long breath and ran a hand through his short hair. "This is downright freaking you know."

His friend chuckled slightly, but there was a world of knowledge in his eyes, "I know," he said simply. "Does she know?"

"Well," the blond hesitated for a moment, and then said, "We didn't actually talk about it. But hell, I never thought I'd fall like this. Head over heels. Last time... it was slowly, but surely, but this," he shook his head as if he was still not able to understand what was happening with him. There was annoyance in his eyes, when he added, "I avoided it. Not ever again, I vowed and then it hits me and there's absolutely nothing I can do."

Angel had to smile at the honest despair in his friend's voice. "Dru's a great girl. She's a great cop. But she's sweet and vulnerable so don't hurt her. She tends to..." he began, then stopped, started again, "While she was working with me, there was a guy. She got pregnant and he left her. Treated her badly. She lost the baby and it almost destroyed her. So be careful," he paused again, "I wouldn't usually tell you this, but..." he shrugged.

"I understand and I'll do my best," Spike promised, his heart going out to the girl she'd been years ago. Thinking about her lost and lonely made him want to kill the guy who'd done this to her and in that very moment he suddenly understood what he'd seen on Angel's face this morning when he'd been on the brink of breaking Riley's neck. He wasn't sure if Angel would have gone through with it, but he knew that his friend had been close to the edge.

"So Darla didn't do anything special?" Angel asked, changing the subject.

"No," with a sigh Spike shook his head. "She and that Kate-girl went to investigate, then to dinner, then they were observing a guy. So I was observing the observing team. It was so interesting, I almost fell asleep."

His partner chuckled, "Poor boy. I wish-"

He stopped when the door of the house they'd been observing suddenly opened and Riley Finn stepped out in the open. He was on his own, his hands buried in the pockets of his trousers, he was ducking his head and walked towards his car. After a moment the door opened again and a short kind of man appeared in the doorway.

"Riley," he called and the blond stopped, then turned.

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure about this?" the short man asked.

Riley's eyes narrowed, "Are you doubting my decisions?"

"N-no," the short one replied hastily, obviously afraid.

"Good," the blonde's stance relaxed and he was fumbling in his pocket for his car keys. "Don't forget, I'm the boss in this."

"O-okay, Riley," the other man stuttered, then stepped back and closed the door. Riley's face stayed on the door for a moment. Finally he shrugged and went for his car, got in it and drove away.

Angel sighed and started the ignition, while Spike fastened his seat belt, "Ain't that day fun," the blond said on a grimace, "I get to watch Darla and Riley on one day. Tomorrow I'm going to work with Xander. I'm some lucky guy."

*****

"Oh my God." With wide eyes, filled with shame and shock SimoneChambers stared at the pictures on her desk. There were six of them and all showed her and Riley Finn in an unmistakable situation. Her breath came in shallow gasps and her mouth was suddenly dry, so that it was impossible to swallow the lump in her throat.

She didn't dare to look up, didn't dare to look into the pair of accusing blue eyes, the eyes she loved so much. Didn't want to see the blame in them, didn't want to see them looking at her without love and warmth. But she knew she had to and so she slowly raised her head, her watery eyes on the man in front of her. "Mike, please," she whispered, "I can explain-"

"Explain, huh?" he shouted, the anger spilling over. "What do you want to explain? There's nothing, do you hear me, nothing to explain. The pictures tell the story very clearly. What I want to know, Simone," he said, the pain almost consuming him, "is when you decided to make a fool of me. God, I was such a fool," he said again, and turned away from her in disgust, a hand combing wearily through his hair. He was 25 years old, but if someone had told him he was hundred, he would've believed it today. He hadn't thought of anything when he'd discovered the plain envelope on his desk. He hadn't even thought of anything after he'd opened it and looked at the pictures. He had almost laughed thinking it was some weirdo who wanted to make a bad joke, until he'd recognized the face of the woman. And although he hadn't liked seeing the woman he loved in bed with another man, and had liked it even less when he'd realized the man was Riley Finn, he already knew that Simone had had a life before him.

She hadn't been a virgin when they'd met, but hell, neither was he, so there was nothing he could blame her for. Simone was a beautiful young woman and how could he blame a man that he wanted her too. For Mike she was the fulfillment of his dreams - or so he'd thought, until he'd seen the engagement ring she wore on the picture. The ring, he'd sold his Harley for. The ring he'd given her only four weeks ago.

"Mike," he heard her standing up and hesitantly stepping towards him. Instantly his body went rigid and she stopped. "Can't we talk about this?" she pleaded. "I need to explain why-"

"No," he said sharply. "I don't want to hear it, Simone. Or do you want to tell me it happened before we met?"

"No," she whispered, wringing her hands, feeling cold allover. "It happened only a few days ago," she told him, feeling utterly miserable.

"Well," he turned back to her, his face carefully blank, "at least you're honest. I have to give you that. Although I'm not sure if I care at all." He went for the door, when her panicked voice stopped him cold.

"Mike, he blackmailed me," she cried, sinking down to the floor, her body racking with terrible sobs, "He blackmailed me," she whispered again, curling into a ball.

Mike stared at her, and then slowly closed the door he'd just opened. Closing his eyes for a moment he swallowed pain and pride and kneeled down beside her.

*****

Same day, 6.00 p.m.

Willow Rosenberg was a person who was usually content with her life. She'd grown up in suburban L.A. A single child of Jewish parents she'd always been bright, had breezed through high school and college, a promising career before her. Her parents had bragged about her intelligence and already seen her as a doctor of kinds, when, to her parents' horror, she'd suddenly and unexpectedly decided to join the LAPD.

Unexpectedly for her parents at least, who had no idea that she was dating a non-Jewish boy who was extremely bright as well but whose family background was by far not the same as Willow's.

His father had raised Oz after his mother had died when he was still little. His father was a good guy, but he was busy with his job that demanded for him to leave his home quite frequently and so Oz was more alone than anything else.

He and Willow had met at college where they'd both joined a computer club. But quickly catching on that they were already in another league, they had decided to form their own advanced club with two members - Oz and Willow. And soon it was Oz and Willow all the time, not only at the computer, but everywhere else.

They hadn't told Willow's parents, not because they didn't want to, more because it never came up. Mr. and Mrs. Rosenberg never asked and Willow never told and so when she announced she was going to marry her long time boyfriend they almost fainted. In the end they accepted it, but although they weren't living far away Willow and Oz saw them barely and as the redhead realized this very moment, they didn't even know they would be grandparents soon.

Willow smiled and patted her still flat abdomen while she sighed in contentment, sipping at her green tea. She was sitting on the sofa in her living room, her feet on the table, the radio blaring in the background. It couldn't get much better in life.

Yet, today Willow was not a happy woman.

The reason was Buffy of course, or rather her absence.

It was Willow's day off and she had used it to see her doctor, then for shopping and she had even found the sexiest teddy she would use in the near future to seduce her husband. A wicked little smile played on her lips at the thought.

But she felt still itchy. And the reason was Buffy. Buffy hadn't called. Not once. Not the whole weekend. Willow had expected her to call on Friday, but then she'd assumed it might have been late. But Saturday and Sunday had gone by and still nothing.

On Sunday afternoon Willow had finally called Faith but she hadn't heard anything either and the redhead began to worry. What if anything had gone wrong Friday night? Faith had only laughed at that and told her not to worry, but Willow couldn't shake off the feeling that something might have gone wrong. She tried Cordelia's office in the afternoon after she got home, but the brunette was in court and not expected to be in the rest of the day.

So there she sat, with her legs propped on the table, the tea in her hand and was staring at the phone as if she could make it ring by her will alone. Of course it didn't ring. That would have been too much luck, Willow guessed and she had the feeling that this wasn't going to be her lucky day.

She looked at her watch and sighed. Oz wouldn't be home before nine. He was with a client tonight, checking the computer-system of a building company. Recently they had more problems with virus alerts and now they'd hired Oz to find out what was wrong. The job was demanding, had long working hours but it couldn't be helped because it paid very well and they needed the money, especially now that they were expecting their first child.Willow had decided to work at the precinct as long as possible but there would be a point when she would have to stop and she hadn't decided yet if she wanted to continue working after the baby was born. If she didn't go back to work they would need every penny. Oz' business was still young. It was running well so far, but you never knew.

Irritated with the way her thoughts were going she glanced at her watch again, then at the phone. It still wasn't ringing. Darn. Buffy still hadn't called and curiosity was killing her. She could almost hear Oz telling her that she would get all the news tomorrow at work, but that was still more than 12 hours away. An eternity if you were a concerned friend who had been doing her best to get two lost hearts back together.

She should have called Buffy herself. The only problem was that she wasn't quite sure how the blond had taken the setup she and Faith had arranged at the Splash Friday night. And Willow wasn't looking forward to Buffy yelling angrily through the phone at the redhead for sticking her nose into things that weren't her business. On the other hand she had to face her friend sooner or later and maybe it would be easier on the phone. Especially if it hadn't worked out the way Willow hoped.

With a slight frown on her forehead she finally reached for the phone.

*****

Angel sighed with relief when Riley finally pulled his car from the road and into the driveway of a neat little white suburban house. It had been a long drive from one end of L.A. to the other. The blond had stopped from time to time to get a smoke, some booze, then he'd driven to a fast food restaurant and returned five minutes later with a huge bag, emptying it while he was driving.

"I wonder why he came here?" Spike said almost to himself, but Angel had just wanted to ask the same question. "I can't picture him around here."

"You'd be surprised," his partner, replied, "We grew up only five minutes from here."

The blond raised a brow, "You're a suburban boy, huh? Well, well, who would've guessed? Angel Reardon growing up in some neat little house with a neat little family."

A bit irritated by his friend's comment Angel asked, "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing," Spike held up his hands in defense. "It wasn't meant as an insult. You just don't look like the neat-little-house-type. Maybe because we met in Manhattan and I thought you fit in perfectly. But then, the part of London I'm from isn't inner city either. Ever heard of Esher?"

"No," the other man said, his eyes on Riley who was just climbing out of the car, stuffing the cigarettes in his back pocket and then taking two bottles of what seemed to be Whisky out of the car. "Seems he's got a date," he said, his attention suddenly on the little red sports car that was standing right in front of Riley's. He was sure he had seen it before, but somehow he wasn't able to make the connection. From the intent look on Spike's face his friend was thinking the same.

They got their answer when the door of the house suddenly opened and a woman stepped outside, then nervously glanced around before she held out her arms for Riley and he went right in to them. They hugged, then she stepped back, pulled him with her and the door closed behind them.

Angel and Spike both leaned back in their seats and some seconds ticked by before they turned their heads and looked at each other, one with a question in his eyes, the other with dawning understanding. A moment later Angel muttered a curse under his breath, jerked out his cell phone and dialed Cordelia Chase's number.

Go to Part 20