Distribution: Anyone who has permission for any of my other stories may have this too. Others, ask and I will most likely give permission.
Feedback: Please!!!
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Joss, the WB, Mutant Enemy, (the evil)FOX, and whoever else came up with them. Angel's last name was made up by me in a different story and I'm just gonna keep using it. Other characters and places belong to Wendy Riche(I think), Bob Guza(I think he's still the head writer), ABC, and whoever else wishes to claim them. If they belonged to me the shows would be drastically different. Please don't sue, I'm only a high-schooler without a job anyways.
Rating: Same as the TV shows.
Spoilers: Nothing Buffy. Nothing really on GH either since I've changed so much. [But I am using the current teen storyline as one center of my story.] For those of you who watch GH, I've changed it majorly to fit my needs. Sonny and Brenda are still together, he never left her at the alter and they are married as planned. Carly never existed. The fire never happened, so Liz and Lucky are still the perfect couple. Emily has Juan and all the problems that go with him. Nikolas doesn't really have anyone, and as a result, kinda falls for Buffy. He does not have a crush on Liz. Robin and Jason are still together and on the show. Buffy is Robin's cousin on her mom's side. Angel is one of Sonny's bodyguards who also works with him in the organization and gets assigned to Buffy after Sonny finds out why she's in town. I think those are the main characters you need to know, I'll let you know if I'm gonna majorly use others.
Author's Notes: Yes, I've taken up another one of Ryan's challenges. Here's what I'm working with...
Ok this is a crossover challenge between General Hospital and Buffy kinda......buffy is a normal girl and she lives in port charles who somehow has bad guys after her..........Angel is one of Sonny Corinthos body gaurds who is protecting buffy...basically they fallin love and hav lots of fluff

Part 1

It was early one Saturday morning when a blond girl with rumpled clothing made her way up the elevator of the Harbor View Towers.

When she got off of the elevator on the Penthouse floor, she looked around in concern. There were two penthouses on this floor that she could see, and each of them had a man in a suit standing stiffly at the door. The suits made her nervous. She only hoped she had made the right choice in coming here.

The last time Robin had written to her she had said she was living in PH #5 with her boyfriend, Jason. The girl walked up to the door of the penthouse and the guard addressed her.

"Are you lost ma'am?" He knew he had never seen her before.

"No, um, my cousin Robin Scorpio said she lives here with her boyfriend."

"Robin didn't say anything about you coming." He said suspiciously.

"Well, she doesn't know. I got into some trouble at home and, well, she had always said to come here if I needed anything."

"Name?"

"Buffy Summers." The girl replied.

The guard made eye contact with the one standing at PH #4 as if to say 'keep an eye on her,' then opened the door to the PH and went in. He came out a moment later and gestured for her to go in.

Buffy nodded at him gratefully and walked in to the PH.

Robin flew over to her. "Buffy!" She said as she drew the girl into a hug. "It's been too long!!"

"It sure has, Robin." Buffy said as she warmly returned the hug. "Sorry about never coming to visit, but the adults wouldn't let me."

"Yeah, I heard all about it from them. Something about not wanting you around a mobster."

"Yeah, well, they were overprotective. I guess that's understandable though, they lost their best friends when my parents died, and I know they had promised them to take good care of me." Buffy said sarcastically.

"You okay?"

"No, no I'm not okay. Let's just say they're not very good parents." Buffy started as Robin motioned for them to sit down. They sat together on the couch and Buffy continued, "They never gave me the attention I wanted, so I started acting out just to get it. And this time I really got myself into trouble, and you said that, you know, I could come here if I ever needed anything, and I just thought that..."

"I'm glad you came, Buffy. Really I am. What kind of trouble are you in?"

"Can I ask you something first?"

"Of course." Robin replied.

"Your boyfriend, Jason, he's basically the right hand man of the kingpin my rents were talking about, right?" Robin didn't reply but Buffy pressed on. "And the head of the whole East Coast, he's Sonny Corinthos, isn't he?"

Robin looked at her strangely for a moment, then said carefully, "Why?"

"Cause the trouble I'm in concerns a man named Sonny Corinthos."

**

Twenty minutes later Robin and Buffy were ushered into PH #4 by the guard who had let Buffy into Jason's penthouse and by the guard who stood at the door of Sonny's. Both guards now stood at the door to Sonny's place.

Robin and Buffy walked into the elaborately furnished penthouse to see three men waiting for them. Robin walked over to the blond one and gave him a quick kiss.

"Jason, this is my cousin Buffy Summers. Buffy, Jason Morgan. That's Sonny Corinthos, and that is..." She looked curiously at the man in his late twenties who stood next to Sonny.

"Angel O'Conner." Sonny filled in for her. "He just got back. He's been helping me with some stuff out in Chicago."

"Chicago?" Buffy asked uncertainly, taking a step back. "Are you sure....um...."

"He's worked for me for a long time Miss Summers." Sonny replied before she could even finish her question. He knew what she was going to imply. "I trust him, and Jason, with whatever you have to tell me."

Buffy nodded quickly. "Of course, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that...."

"What seems to be the trouble that you came to me for?" Sonny again cut her off to save her embarrassment.

"Um, well, it's kinda a long and boring story."

Sonny smiled at her and gestured her and Robin over to sit down. They sat on the long curved couch, Buffy grabbing a pillow and putting it in her lap as she sat next to Robin. Jason sat on Robin's other said and put an arm lazily around her. Sonny sat a little ways down from Buffy so that he could see her better, and Angel remained standing behind the couch, turning so he could watch and listen.

Robin smiled at her cousin encouragingly and Buffy began the sad story of her life.

"Well, my parents worked for the WSB, just like Robin's did. They were killed when I was 10 and some friends of my parents took me in. They didn't ever really give me much attention though. I think they just wanted all the inheritance I got from my parents. So when I was 16 or so, I started really acting out, trying to get their attention. Failing school, starting fights, drinking, smoking, staying out all night. I fell in with a really bad crowd that hung in the worst parts of Chicago." She looked at Angel briefly as she mentioned the city he had been in, then turned her attention back to Sonny. "One day when we were hanging at a bar some street pharmacists, well, they came up to the five of us and asked if we wanted to buy some stuff. Me and Jean wouldn't, but the three guys all got some grass. A few days later they got Jean to join them, and I was kinda left on my own. For some reason I just didn't want to get into drugs."

"Cause you're a smart girl." Robin said gently, squeezing her hand.

Buffy smiled at her, unable to believe that Robin could still think that after all she had said. But she pressed on. "They started hanging out with these dealers more and more. I'd see them getting into limos or coming out of back rooms in bars. I just started ignoring them. Then one day as I was coming out of a bar with some guy, four guys jumped us. They were all after him, barely gave me a second look. But I knew them. Two of them were guys who used to be my friends, the other two were the dealers who had started them on this path. They started talking to him about how he had betrayed some guy named Lachlan. That he had let down their organization by feeding information to Sonny. That Sonny's guys were breathing down their necks and were almost ready to take them over."

Both Sonny and Angel had leaned closer to her as she was talking, very interested in what she was saying.

"Who was this guy you were with?" Angel interrupted her.

Buffy looked up at him, seeing him for the first time. She had been so distracted when she first came into the penthouse, she had barely looked at anything but Sonny. Now she looked at the young man who was facing. He was tall, with dark hair and eyes. In contrast his skin was pale, as if he never got outside. He was dressed in a dark suit, just as Sonny was, and she could tell that underneath it he had a very muscular build. But it was his face that caught her attention. He was probably the most handsome man she had ever seen.

"Miss Summers?" Angel said softly.

Buffy realized that she was staring and quickly looked down. "Um...his name was Mark. He was probably about your height, but skinny, black hair, blue eyes, very tan. He had an accent too, it was, um..." Buffy tried to place it.

"Italian?" Angel supplied.

"Yeah, Italian, that was it. He spoke pretty good English though."

"You know him?" Sonny turned to Angel.

"I did. He was killed two days ago. That's one of the reasons I came back, cause without him I'm not sure we can pull this off. We don't even know who to trust now; about half of the Chicago guys are on our payroll, but it must be one of them who turned him in to Lachlan. And Mark was Lachlan's number two man, so someone had a lot of guts and a lot of info to get Lachlan to turn on him. Do you know anything else?" Angel turned back to Buffy.

"Just that whoever turned him in had a really weird name."

"You know who it is?"

"Well, the one guy told Mark that Vaquero was on to him and had told Lachlan everything that he had done." Buffy told them.

"Damnit!" That came from Jason. Angel went silent.

"That's bad?"

"No, but it's no help. We have no clue who Vaquero is." Jason told her.

Buffy looked at him curiously and Sonny told her, "Vaquero is Spanish, it means "cowboy." It's a code for someone in the organization, but no one's been able to figure out who it is. But it's gotta be someone pretty high up, which means we might just have to call off our whole operation."

"How did you get away?" Angel asked suddenly, looking back at Buffy. "If these guys killed Mark, why would they let you go? Especially since you know who they are."

"Well, when they attacked him, I started backing away. I guess they figured they'd get me when they were done with him. I was pretty drunk, I guess they figured I couldn't get away or anything. But as soon as I say Tray pull out a gun I started to run. I wasn't that far away when it went off, and then I ran ever faster. They started to follow me but I lost them pretty easily. "

"How could you do that?" Angel looked slightly suspicious of her.

"Because she grew up with WSB parents just like I did." Robin cut in. "I learned pretty early how to lose people tailing me, following me, or whatever."

"Yeah, me too." Buffy replied. "My parents also got me into marital arts and self defense classes. They wanted to make sure that even if something happened to them I'd be okay. And the people who took me in let me keep taking those classes, as well as gymnastics. So I'm in really good shape and all. And I know how to lose people who are trying to follow me. I had to do it once more on the way here. When my bus was in Albany I spotted people at the station who were trying to follow me. I got away by switching trains at the last minute, getting them stuck on a different one going to Buffalo. "

Angel and Sonny seemed to accept this explanation. They locked eyes for a moment, then Sonny motioned to Jason to come with them. "Excuse us for a moment, ladies." Sonny said as the three headed down a hallway.

Buffy looked at Robin in confusion. "They try to keep their women out of things as much as possible. The less we know, the easier it is on us if the cops come around asking questions. Plus it's safer if the other guys know that we don't know anything." Robin said.

Buffy nodded her head in understanding and was just about to comment as the door to the penthouse opened.

Both girls turned to see who it was. "Oh, hey Brenda." Robin called as the brunette came in the door with several shopping bags.

Buffy looked at her in confusion for a moment. She looked so familiar....Brenda...."Brenda Barrett? The model?" She asked as things clicked.

"Yeah. Brenda Corinthos now, though." Brenda said as she set down the bags and approached the couch.

"Congratulations." Buffy replied politely. Brenda smiled at her.

"Brenda, this is my cousin, Buffy Summers. She's in a little bit of trouble and it concerns Sonny. I'm sure he'll fill you in when he can." Robin said as Brenda took a seat.

"Yup, I'm sure he will." Brenda replied as she put her feet up on the table. Just then the guys came back into the room.

"Miss Summers..." Sonny started off, then saw his wife. "Oh, hey Bren." He gave her a quick kiss before continuing. "Thank you so much for the information you've given us. We weren't sure before this just how much of the drug traffic was coming from Lachlan, but it seems if he has dealers recruiting kids for the business that he must have a huge drug empire. We're pretty sure it extends even into our city, despite my efforts to keep drugs and prostitution out of Port Charles. But I want you to know that you're safe here. You're under my protection now, and even Lachlan will think twice before going against me, no matter how badly he wants you."

Buffy smiled at him and stood to face him. "Thank you, Mr. Corinthos. I'm most grateful."

"You're welcome. And please, call me Sonny."

She nodded and smiled softly at him. "Then call me Buffy."

He nodded.

Jason spoke up then. "While you're here, you're going to stay at the other penthouse with Robin and I. You'll be safe there. And you're going to have a guard on you at all times, just like everybody else in this room does."

"Except for me." Angel spoke up then, turning to Sonny as he started to speak, "And no, I still don't want one. I never could get used to them. Hell, I was one for a few years."

"Yeah, one of the best." Brenda said, remembering in his early days when he had been her personal guard. "Maybe you should be Buffy's guard." Brenda suggested, partly because she saw how Buffy was looking at him.

"Actually, Sonny suggested that too." Angel said, almost too quickly. "It also makes sense since the people who might be coming after her will be from Lachlan's organization, and since I was a spy there for almost a year I know quite a few of them on sight. So I'd know if they were after her."

Buffy's eyes had fallen to her lap and both Robin and Brenda looked at her with knowing smiles.

"Would that be all right with you Miss S....Buffy?" Sonny corrected himself.

"Yeah, that's okay." Buffy said softly. "I've had guards before, I know how it works."

The men nodded. "Well then, Jason and I have a few things left to discuss...."

"Of course." Robin said as she and Brenda stood up beside Buffy. "Why don't the three of us go out and get something to eat? We can show you around the city."

"That sounds good, I haven't had a decent meal in a while." Buffy said, following the others around the couch to the door.

Brenda stuck her head out the door, saying, "Johnny, can you have the car ready for the three of us ladies?"

"Of course, Mrs. Corinthos." Buffy heard one of the guards at the door say. Robin was facing Jason, giving him a kiss before they left. "See you later?"

"Of course." Jason replied.

Robin then gave Sonny a quick hug.

Brenda came back in long enough to kiss Sonny goodbye and grab her purse.

Buffy thanked both Sonny and Jason for their help and shook hands with them. She then followed Robin and Brenda out the door, noticing that one of the men at the door was leading them. She felt Angel behind her, his hand lightly brushing the small of her back. She felt a shock run through her at his touch. His hand quickly moved away, and she knew he'd felt it too. But he said not a word as the five of them got into the elevator and headed towards the limo.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The limo dropped Brenda, Robin, and Buffy off at Kelly's Diner about 10 minutes later. Angel went in first, placing himself at a table near the door. The girls came in a minute later, the other guards waiting outside to keep an eye on things.

They passed a table where a teenage girl and two teenage boys sat in a deep and private discussion about something. They went silent as the three girls came near.

"Hey Nikolas!" Robin said as he stood up to greet her. "Hey, Lucky, Emily." Both teens rose to greet the women, Emily giving Brenda a quick hug as she greeted them.

"Buffy, these are some of my friends, who are about your age." Robin introduced them. "This is Nikolas Cassadine, that's Lucky Spencer, and this is Emily Quartermaine. Guys, this is my cousin, Buffy Summers. She's in town for a while visiting." All of them had been warned to say nothing about the real reason Buffy had come.

"Hi Buffy." The guys said at almost the same time while Emily said, "Welcome to Port Charles."

"Thanks." Buffy said, and was about to say something else when a waitress about their age walked over with a tray of four sodas. She set them down on the table, taking the last seat herself.

"That's Elizabeth Webber." Brenda supplied, introducing Buffy.

"Hi." Buffy said slowly, feeling slightly overwhelmed at all the new faces.

The teens all just sat there for a moment, bathed in an uneasy silence. It was obvious to Buffy that they had interrupted something very private. Robin must have realized it too, because she said, "Well, we'll leave you guys to talk. Just wanted to say hi."

"It was nice meeting you all." Buffy said quietly.

A chorus of "See you later's" and "Nice to meet you too, Buffy" echoed around the table as Buffy, Brenda, and Robin headed over to another table.

They ordered from another waitress and got their drinks. When Buffy looked back towards the four teenager's table, she noticed them whispering, their head close together. They looked way to serious for a group of kids on summer vacation. Although so did she, she realized. Maybe they had problems too.

Hours later, the three women returned to their penthouses. They had spent the morning showing Buffy around Port Charles. They also carried many shopping bags full of clothing, shoes, and accessories since Buffy had brought nothing with her.

Brenda mentioned something about a double date her and Robin had with their guys for lunch, and Robin replied that she'd just have to cancel it.

"You'll do no such thing." Buffy said as they stood in the hallway of their floor. "Go ahead, have fun. I wanna find a gym and get a good workout in anyways."

"Are you sure?" Robin asked, uneasy about leaving her cousin and friend alone.

"Sure am. I'll be fine, don't worry." Buffy replied. "I've got a guard to protect me, and if I get lost I'm sure he knows..."

"Sonny's got a car for you hon." Brenda cut her off. "You can't get lost. Just tell the driver where you want to go."

"A car? Just for me? Wow." Buffy couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, just for you. It's cause of Mark that you're in this trouble, and since Mark was one of his guys he feels responsible. Plus he's just got a thing about damsels in distress." Brenda grinned.

"Does he now?" Buffy asked with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah. His one weakness." Robin laughed.

All three were still laughing a minute later when Sonny and Jason exited Sonny's penthouse.

"What's so funny ladies?"

"Oh, nothing baby." Brenda got herself under control, walking over to stand by him.

"You ladies ready for lun..." He trailed off on seeing Buffy. Sonny was about to backpedal when Buffy said, "Yes, they are. I'm just gonna change and then go to the gym for a workout. Have fun guys!"

They took a moment to place the shopping bags in the guest room of Jason's penthouse, then hugged Buffy goodbye.

As the four walked off, guards trailing them, Buffy found herself alone in the hallway with Angel.

"So, um, you know where there's a gym around here?" She asked him.

"Yeah, there's one about five minutes away. Shall I have the car ready, Miss Summers?" He asked.

"Sure, that'll be fine, Mr...um..." She trailed off, unable to remember his last name.

"Just call me Angel." He said, looking into her eyes.

"Angel, right." She felt her heartbeat accelerate. "And call me Buffy. I'll just change and be out in a minute."

Angel nodded and pulled a phone from his pocket, calling for the car.

Buffy closed the door behind her and went up to change. She appeared about five minutes later in sweatpants, a tee-shirt, tennies, and her hair pulled up into a high ponytail.

"Ready?" He asked, looking her over.

She nodded and he locked the door behind her, following her into the elevator.

They said nothing on the way down, although the air cracked with the electricity between them. When they reached the limo Angel opened the door for her and offered his hand.

Buffy's face took on a look of shock for a moment, it was a long time since she'd been treated like a lady. But then she smiled, taking his hand for leverage as she got into the sleek black limo. She once again felt the shock of his touch and released his hand as quickly as was possible. He looked at her a second longer, and there was a look in his eyes that she couldn't place. Just as quickly it was gone and he closed the door, getting in front next to the driver. She felt as wave of disappointment go through her.

'What am I thinking?' Buffy's thoughts raced as the car began to move. 'I've known him for a few hours, seen him only for a few minutes, and I'm already going nuts about him? What is going on with me?' Brenda or Robin could have told her easily, but Buffy had so little experience with positive emotions that the notion that she was falling in love was completely beyond her. Her thoughts continued to race until she felt the car stop.

The door was opened and a hand offered to her. She took it, again feeling the shock, and stepped out of the limo and into the bright afternoon sunlight. Angel released her hand then, but continued to stare at her for several seconds. Finally, he smiled, "Aren't you going in?"

"Huh?" Buffy was still lost in his eyes. When they lightened in amusement, she tore herself away. "Oh, right. I wasn't sure if you wanted to check it out first or not." She lied.

"Nah, you weren't planning on going here, so no one could have overheard plans and be lying in wait. I'm gonna stick close to you inside though, just in case."

Buffy nodded, understanding. No one would have dared to go after her when she was with Brenda and Robin, cause they'd know that they would have to answer to Sonny. But now that she was alone, if she was spotted no one would know she was under Sonny's protection. Unless she had some of his muscle by her side, that is.

Buffy walked into the gym with Angel close on her heels. Many of the patrons looked up at her curiously as people knew the regulars at the gym, but then they noticed the limo just pulling away and the man in the suit behind her. They quickly went back to their own business.

Buffy's expression didn't change in the slightest, but her smile on the inside grew a little wider.

"Is there anything I can help you with ma'am?" A trainer came up to her nervously.

"Actually, yeah. I'm new here and I'm wondering if you can give me a little tour, kinda show me where all the different stuff is." Although it was a rather large place, Buffy knew her request was well out of the ordinary. Most people would just look around to find what they wanted.

"Of course, ma'am. If you could tell me what you're interested in..."

Standing a few feet behind her and carefully scanning the place for anything out of the ordinary, Angel could barely contain a chuckle. He knew she was getting a thrill out of being treated like she was so important. He had seen it in her face when he handed her in and out of the limo, and he heard it now in her beautiful voice. It didn't surprise him much though, most people reacted this way at first. And after hearing her story of how she had grown up, he realized it must be really different for her to get this kind of treatment.

Buffy grinned on the inside as the trainer glanced back at Angel nervously as he followed them around the gym. The woman explained where things were, pointing out all the different machines and equipment proudly.

When they were back near the front door, Buffy thanked her. "Oh, and one more thing. I didn't notice a training ring anywhere. Do you have one?"

The trainer looked at the slip of a girl skeptically but answered her respectfully. "Yes, we do. It's in the back corner there." She pointed. "It's occupied now, but there's always people waiting around looking for opponents."

Buffy nodded and thanked her again. As the woman left she felt Angel come up behind her, chuckling softly. "Nice shock tactic." He said softly.

She turned to face him. "You think I was kidding?"

He looked her over, head to toe. Underneath her baggy pants and tee shirt that came to her elbows she looked pretty skinny. "Weren't you?"

"No way. I told you I took self defense classes and was trained in martial arts."

"What, as a white belt?" He asked, naming the lowest belt of tae quan do.

She didn't reply, but spun angrily on her heel and marched over towards the ring. He looked at her for a second, then hurried to keep up. When he got there, he found the two fighters just leaving the ring. The next person to mount into the ring was a tall, muscular man who was probably in his early thirties.

Angel looked at him, wondering who would dare to take on someone as built as this man was.

He was shocked out of his mind when Buffy rose up to answer the man's request for a sparring partner.

The man was obviously just as shocked as Angel was, for he looked at Buffy, almost laughing. "Why not find someone your own size, little lady?"

"Because people my own size no longer challenge me. They're too easy to beat." She shot back in a split second.

"I just don't want you to get hurt." The man said, a little nicer this time.

"I won't. Trust me. I'd worry about myself if I were you."

That said, a loud undercurrent went through the crowd that was rapidly gathering around the ring.

The man had no choice but to accept the challenge. He took his shirt off, leaving him with only tight black shorts on as he stepped into the ring.

Buffy walked over to Angel and removed her tee shirt and baggy pants, revealing a sports bra and gray spandex shorts. She handed them to him, and he put them over his arm.

"Buffy, don't do this. You're gonna get yourself hurt, and...." His eyes pleaded with her, at the same time devouring the sight of her body. She had more muscle than he had thought. A lot more.

She put a hand on his arm, stopping him dead. "I'll be fine."

"I'm sorry I teased you about the white belt thing, you don't have to..."

"Yes, I do." Buffy said as she walked up into the ring.

Twelve minutes and four pins later, Buffy exited the ring to the cheers of the now huge crowd that had assembled. Her opponent still lay on the floor of the ring, trying to catch his breath after having been flipped, for the second time in five minutes, over Buffy's shoulder and unto his back.

She walked up to Angel and took her tee shirt, using it as a towel to wipe sweat off of her face. She looked up at him with a huge smile on her face.

"You sure know how to make a guy feel stupid. And I don't just mean your opponent." He said with a small chuckle. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"Catholic school." She glibly quoted a line from one of the Lethal Weapons.

He looked at her oddly as they walked away. "Seriously? I told you I've been talking lessons since I was little. I'm about as strong as I can be at my size, but I also know how to use another person's momentum and moves against them." Buffy told him as she sat down to pull her long pants back on.

He only shook his head. "You so don't need a body guard. God, you're probably a better fighter than I am."

"I don't know, I've never seen you fight." She reminded him. "But even if I am, I don't have the cell phone," she lowered her voice, "the gun, or the years of training to see things before they happen. Sure, I can tell when someone's following me, but it usually takes me a while. And I can't do it without fail, as I'm sure all of Sonny's guards can. Plus I may have a lot of guys after me in the near future and I can't fight them all at once."

He looked at her in admiration. She was trying to keep from hurting his feelings by not saying she didn't need him, even though they both knew she didn't. He handed her into the limo again, and this time climbed in beside her, still wanting to talk with her. He didn't miss the flash of happiness in her eyes as he did so.

"What belt are you anyways?"

"In what?"

"You mean you've learned more than one form?" Angel asked in amazement.

"Well, let's see. I'm a double black belt in tae kuan do, I'm a black belt in tae chi twan, and I'm a brown belt in a third form....can't remember what it's called right now. I've taken classes in kickboxing, street fighting, and self defense. I'm a level 8 gymnast. And all of that together gives me a huge advantage in that I can adapt to almost any moves." She said as she pulled a pack of cigarettes from her purse and pulled one out. She put it in her mouth and had the lighter halfway to her mouth before Angel grabbed it from her.

He put it into his pocket without comment, then continued as if nothing had happened. "You've taken all those different things? You've got black or brown belts in three forms and you're what? 20? 21?"

"21." She confirmed, for some reason not minding that he knew how old she was. She reluctantly put her lighter away after realizing he didn't want her to smoke. She could have pushed the issue and won but decided not to.

"Well, what about you?"

"I'm a single black belt in tae kuan do, a brown belt in tae chi twan, and I've taken street fighting too. I'm 28 though, I've had a little more time to take the classes and stuff. I've never known anyone so young who was so skilled." He said with admiration and a trace of jealousy.

"Well, when I was little, I wanted so much to be like my parents. They were both martial arts experts. They used to say how much it helped them in their WSB work. So I took all the classes they said they had taken, and I was a really quick learner they said. When they died, it was kinda like I was doing it for them, so I worked twice as hard. Then when I was 16 and started getting into trouble, I was sent to even more classes because they wanted to occupy my time and martial arts are supposed to be good for teaching discipline. And since I'd need the skills to stay alive on the streets I worked really hard at it."

He had been watching her the whole time she spoke with unhidden interest. "You're so different from anyone I've ever met." He said softly.

She looked down at her lap nervously, not knowing what to say. She somehow got the impression that this was wrong. He was supposed to be her guard. What was starting to happen could be dangerous, she realized instinctively. But she also found that she didn't care.

"Am I now?" Buffy quipped back with a small smile.

He only nodded, reaching up a hand to stroke her cheek. Her eyes closed at his caress, and when she opened them again they were staring into the chocolatey depths of his own eyes.

Buffy looked at him uncertainly for a moment, and just as she could feel he was about to kiss her the car stopped suddenly.

He looked down for a moment, and when he looked back up his eyes were normal again. The fire she had seen in them was gone. 'No, not gone.' She corrected herself a second later. 'Just hidden.'

He moved to open the limo door and then offered his hand to her as she got out. They held hands a second longer than was necessary, quickly breaking apart as a limo pulled up behind them. Sonny got out and reached in for Brenda, then Jason got out and offered a hand to Robin. The six looked at each other a began to laugh. "Great timing, huh?"

"Did you have a good workout?" Robin asked her cousin.

"Yeah, it was great." Buffy looked at Angel, indicating with her eyes that he shouldn't say anything about her performance.

Brenda saw the look that passed between the two and took it to mean something different.

So when everyone else started back up towards their homes, she lagged behind a little, drawing Angel to her. "You like her, don't you?" She asked her former bodyguard and close friend.

"Yeah." He admitted softly. "I like her a lot."

"Just don't get one of you killed." Brenda admonished softly, knowing how bad it could be for him to fall for the one he was supposed to protect.

"I won't."

Ahead of them, Sonny and Jason walked in quite conversation, not hearing their comments.

And ahead of the guys, Robin walked with her arm linked through Buffy's.

"He's pretty cute, huh?" Robin asked.

"Angel?" Buffy asked. Robin gave her a 'duh, who else?' look and Buffy continued, "Hot is the word I would use." They both giggled.

Then they entered the elevator and there was no further opportunity to talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, for those of you who don't watch GH and need backstory, here's the deal: The four teenagers went to a rave one Friday night because Emily's boyfriend Juan dragged her to it. The other three went to make sure she didn't get hurt. While they were there Emily and Juan had a fight, and being the jerk that he is he went off with another girl. Some guy slipped something into Emily's drink. Emily, already kind-of drunk and wasted, caught Juan kissing her and in retaliation drank even more and picked up some guy. His name was Ted. She left the party with him. Elizabeth, Lucky, and Nikolas tried to follow her but couldn't. They started searching all the hotels and everything. Lucky finally found her the next morning, naked and passed out in a bed with Ted. Ted was dead of an OD and Emily was holding the needle. They knew Emily hadn't killed him, so they stashed the body and pretended like nothing had happened. Emily went to a clinic and found out that she hadn't been raped, so they wondered how she ended up naked in the bed. They decided that someone was setting her up because they knew she was a Quartermaine and had lots of money. Then a girl called Emily saying "I know what you did last Friday night." She was going to blackmail them. They paid the five thousand she asked for and assumed it was over but then she called again demanding another ten. Meanwhile, Lucky and Nikolas wondered why no one was missing Ted so they investigated and discovered that he was an undercover cop who was trying to bust up a drug ring. They realized he must have taken Emily away from the party because he saw her get drugged and was worried. They knew that someone else killed him and now know they're in way over their heads. And for those who asked, the WSB is the World Security Bureau, which is exactly what it sounds like. They're kinda like the American FBI, only they're in charge of the whole world. Robin's parents were both WSB agents and were killed when she was quite young.

Part 3

Across town at Kelly's Diner, the four teenagers were assembled once again.

"You got another call from the blackmailer?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah, she said the ten thousand should be left in the same alley as the first drop we made. At eleven tonight." Emily said softly.

"You get the money?" Lucky asked.

"Yeah, I got it. No questions asked. Not that anyone would dare since the estate is mine now." Nikolas answered his brother's question.

"I still don't like this, it's not safe." Emily tried again to persuade the guys from staking out the drop point.

"But it's the only way we're ever gonna catch this girl." Lucky replied.

"Yeah, and once we do we can see what she actually knows." Nikolas added.

"But it's so dangerous." Elizabeth seconded her best friends worry. "If you'd just let me go to Sonny, I'm sure he..."

Emily nodded in agreement but the boys both said no.

"The last thing we need is Sonny in on this." Lucky said, taking his girlfriend's hand. "Especially since we found out that Ted was an undercover cop."

"But you know he'd help us. He might even know what's going on with the drugs and all." Elizabeth continued to argue.

"No way. We're gonna catch her tonight and that's gonna be it." Lucky said.

They arranged to meet again at ten thirty that night. The boys could stake out positions and the girls make the drop.

Around ten that same night, Buffy tiptoed softly down the hallway and past Robin and Jason's bedroom. She couldn't sleep and decided that she needed some air.

She opened the door softly, almost screaming as she ran into Angel. She had foolishly hoped that the guards weren't there at night.

"What are you doing?" He asked her crossly.

"Going out for a walk. I'm not a prisoner, am I?"

"No, but it's not safe at night." Angel argued.

"Not even for me?" Buffy countered with a dangerous look in her eyes.

"You've got a point there. But I'm coming with you." It was a command, not a question.

"Okay, fine." Buffy said. "But can you walk next to me and not trailing me. Just act like a friend rather than a bodyguard. Cause a guard is gonna draw even more attention. It's kinda like saying, 'Hey everyone! Look at me! I'm important enough to need a bodyguard, which means I'm worth tons of money to the right people.'" She had loved the feeling it gave her this afternoon, but having had a few hours to think about it she decided she didn't like having a guard at all. It just meant that she was important enough to kill, not a good feeling.

Angel had to concede her point, even though Brenda's comment about his feelings getting one of them killed was still ringing in his head.

They rode down the elevator in silence and walked out into the night. Buffy turned down street after street as they walked, paying little attention to where she was going. She was totally absorbed in conversation with Angel. They talked about anything and everything that came to mind; martial arts, their childhoods, their families, friends, Chicago, and finally, Angel started talking about Port Charles. He had lived there for many years, most of them working with Sonny, before he had spent last year in Chicago.

There was something about Angel that just made Buffy feel totally safe, like she knew she could tell him anything. She was revealing things to him that she hadn't told her friends back in Chicago, things she had never told anyone except for her diary.

Angel also was baring his soul, telling Buffy everything about himself, and not feeling at all self-conscious about it.

They continued trading comments until Buffy asked the question, "Have you ever been in love?"

He stopped dead in his tracks and looked at her. "Yes, I have." He answered. "You?"

"I'm not sure." Buffy said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, all I remember of love is from before my parents died. And that was over ten years ago. Half a lifetime for me. After that, I don't think anyone in my life ever really loved me. So I'm not sure what it feels like." She confessed softly.

"Well, love is the most incredible feeling in the world. It's when you see someone and just think about how incredible they are. And the more you're with them, the less you can imagine a life without them. I can't really describe it, cause it's just a feeling." Angel said as he tipped her chin up to make her look him in the eye. "It's a feeling I'm having right now." He whispered.

Buffy looked up, caught in the spell of his eyes. She brought one hand up to rest on his chest. "I think I'm having that feeling too." She said softly.

In the instant she said that, his eyes lit up even more than they had been before. He leaned down, and she knew he was going to kiss her. She did nothing to stop him.

Angel kissed Buffy softly, trying to explain with his kiss what he couldn't put in words. The kiss was soft and gentle, but also full of passion.

Buffy was shocked down to her core as he kissed her. She'd come to think of kissing as meaning nothing, just something a guy did when he wanted more. Or something he did for the heck of it. But Angel's kiss was soft and gentle, and it sparked something within her that no other kiss ever had. It sparked a feeling within her. She realized that kissing actually meant something. And so she deepened the kiss.

Angel felt her deepen the kiss and let out a soft moan. He pulled her closer to him, drinking in her scent.

And suddenly he froze, his hand moving from her back to his side and the hilt of his weapon.

Buffy instantly pulled back from him, tilting her head as she listened for what had startled him.

She suddenly heard it too, voices coming from down the next street. Angel gestured her behind him as he pulled out his gun. He lead the way to the next street, trying to hear who it was.

"I think that's one of the girls Robin introduced me to today." Buffy whispered behind him.

He nodded that he had heard her and put the gun away, but continued to walk forward carefully.

Suddenly, two girls walked around the corner and almost ran into them. One of them gave out a little scream, the other moved to bolt.

"Wait...it's okay." Angel called out.

"Emily, right?" Buffy called quickly. Both girls froze in fear. "I'm Buffy, remember. Robin introduced us today at Kelly's. And you're Elizabeth, right?" She turned to the other girl.

"Yeah, hi Buffy." Elizabeth said shakily. Emily was still frozen in shock.

"What are you girls doing out here this late at night?" Angel asked them.

"Just....just going for a walk."

"In this neighborhood?" Angel asked suspiciously.

"We must have taken a wrong turn." Elizabeth answered again, Emily still had that deer in the headlights thing going.

"Well, let me walk you home."

"No, no...we, we have.." Emily finally spoke, trying to figure out a way to get by Angel and Buffy.

Nikolas and Lucky had already gone to hide near the drop point, leaving the girls to make the drop on their own.

Suddenly Buffy's instincts took over and she asked softly, "Are you in some kind of trouble Emily?" The girl was acting so scared, and she had seen these girls and two boys talking way too seriously at Kelley's. She knew something was up.

Emily's eyes widened, but she nodded fractionally.

"We need to do something, it'll only take us a moment. Then we'll be back here, okay?" Elizabeth said to Buffy.

Buffy looked to Angel and they both nodded. The girls took off down the alley, but returned a moment later as promised. "Just get me home." Emily whispered.

"Quartermaine mansion, right?" Angel asked.

"No! No, not tonight. Um, the...the..."

"My art studio. It's on Wharf Street down by the docks." Elizabeth interrupted. "That's where Nikolas and Lucky are meeting us to tell us what...." She said to Emily, trailing off as it occurred to her that Buffy and Angel were hearing more than they should.

"You, you won't say anything? Will you?" Emily whispered.

"Of course not." Buffy said. "We don't exactly know enough to say."

"But if you need help with anything, just ask." Angel told them. "If we can't help I'll just ask Sonny. He's told me about you two, you know he'll do anything for either of you."

"He will? Cause I wanted to talk to him, but..." Elizabeth began softly.

Buffy looked at both girls sympathetically. Whatever they were going through had to be huge. She knew how they felt. She also knew how much Sonny had helped her and hoped that the girls would take Angel up on his offer. She knew that they had no reason to trust her or Angel, but she also knew that when people are desperate enough, they'll turn to anyone who might be able to help. The fact that the girls had said anything to them was proof of that.

They walked the girls home in silence, making sure they were in the studio before turning to head back towards Harbor View Towers.

Part 4

"No way, man. I've still got cops all over me and for once I actually don't know what's going on." Sonny said into his phone early the next morning. "If I knew who killed the cop it'd be one thing, but when I don't know I can't even make up alibies about it." Sonny listened to the person on the other end, shaking his head the whole time. "I know we didn't have anyone at those parties, maybe we should have, but someone has to know something. Find out." And with that he slammed down the phone.

Meanwhile, just across the hall, the someones who knew something were approaching Jason's penthouse.

"I still don't like this." Lucky was saying.

"Well, she figured out that I was in trouble just by looking at me." Emily said softly. "They said they wouldn't say anything, but who knows."

"Besides, we lost the money again last night. Someone grabbed it from right under your noses, which means they're probably not the amateurs we thought they are." Elizabeth added.

"And the guy was one of Sonny's guards, right?" Nikolas asked. "So despite what Buffy said he may tell Sonny."

With that in mind, the four teens approached the door, noting that Angel was the only one standing there.

"Can I help you?" He asked professionally, saying nothing to the girls about the other night.

"Yeah, is Buffy in there?" Elizabeth asked.

"Just a moment." Angel said as he opened the door and went in. He came out a moment later, "Go right in." He held the door for the four of them and was about to close it when Emily turned back to him.

"Can you come in and talk to us too? You're probably as curious as she was about what was going on last night." Emily said to Angel.

He looked her over and then nodded, pulling out his cell and calling for another guard to take the door while he was inside.

Buffy had already gestured for the gang to take seats in the living room, and smiled when Angel joined them. He took a seat next to her and she felt her heart flutter.

They waited for one of the group who had come to explain what was going on.

About half an hour later, the gang of six was announced by Sonny's guard. "Angel, Buffy, Emily, Elizabeth, Lucky and Nikolas are all here, sir. They say it's very important." Sonny excused himself to whoever he was on the phone with, wondering briefly how Angel and Buffy had gotten to know the four teenagers in such a short time.

"Show them in Johnny." He said

Johnny nodded and held the door as the six young people entered the penthouse.

"So, what's up?" Sonny asked when the group was seated.

"I'm in trouble." Emily whispered without fanfare.

"We all are." Elizabeth said, taking Emily's hand.

"Then you came to the right place." Sonny said.

"That's what Buffy said. She said you helped her when she was in trouble and that we could trust you too." Nikolas said as he glanced over at the blond. Despite everything, Emily smiled a little. It was so obvious that Nikolas had a crush on the new girl.

Slowly, carefully, the four teens began to outline what had happened to them. They told Sonny about the party, the drugs Emily was slipped, and how she left with a guy. Sonny's face remained neutral and nonjudgmental.

Then they explained how she had woken up next to him without clothes and him without a pulse and all. Sonny looked at them in shock, unable to believe that Emily had killed him, even by accident.

They explained what they had done with the body and Sonny looked at them in disbelief. "You did what?"

"We put him in a storage freezer under Wyndemere." Nikolas repeated, naming the huge house his family owned on the island just outside town.

"But then we thought it was kinda strange that no one was looking for him after over a week and a half, so Lucky and Nikolas did some digging." Elizabeth said.

"And it turns out," Lucky said slowly, "that the guy was an undercover. So we know he got Emily out of the party because he saw her get drugged and was only trying to help. So someone killed him and framed her."

Sonny stared at him in shock. "You four are the ones...that....Ted Williams. That's who you're talking about, right?"

"Yeah, Ted, how did you...." Emily trailed off.

"The cops have been all over me on this one. They think it was me or some of my guys because he was trying to bust up a huge drug ring. They still don't believe me that my hands are clean of anything drug-related, except the disappearances of the dealers." Sonny added the last as an afterthought.

"Do...do you know anything about the drug ring though? Any idea who might have killed him?"

Sonny looked over at Buffy and she nodded, telling him he could tell them anything about her that he needed to.

"I've got a few ideas. We've been having problems with Chicago lately, we think they're behind Moreno's suddenly huge drug empire. I have lots of contacts there, but the most important one was killed recently. Buffy was with him when he was killed, that's why she's here. She's under my protection." The four looked over at her in shock. No wonder she had picked up so easily on Emily being in trouble, she certainly knew all the signs.

"Now, if someone in Chicago found out that there were undercovers trying to bust their operation, this would be just like them to set things up to throw blame on some young girl. They've done it before. They're probably going nuts at the fact that he was never found and you're not under arrest." Sonny said thoughtfully.

"This could cause some serious shakeups in the organization, couldn't it?" Angel asked him.

"Yeah, it could. Cause they're gonna be going crazy about all this."

"They already are." Lucky said.

"What?"

"We're being blackmailed." Lucky replied, explaining what had been going on with all that.

"Well, that doesn't sound like the head guy's doing. It's probably just a few of the little timers having fun with you guys. I'll see what I can do about it." He said, effectively dismissing them. "And guys, don't tell anyone anything about what I said. And please let me handle it." Everyone nodded.

The teens all got up then and headed toward the doors, separating at the elevator after the four thanked Buffy and Angel for all they had done.

Buffy was then very surprised as Angel followed her into the penthouse. "Can we talk?"

"Sure, what's on your mind?" Buffy replied as she sat on the couch.

Angel sat on the coffee table so that he was facing her, saying, "You."

She didn't say anything and after an awkward pause he went on. "And that's the trouble. I'm supposed to be your guard, that's all. And the way I'm feeling now, it's not good. It could get one of us, probably you, dead."

"But Angel, you won't be my guard for much longer. As soon as this whole thing is over I won't need a guard."

"And that's the other problem. I'm just like Sonny and Jason. If you started going out with me when this is all over, then you'd still need a guard. Look at Robin and Brenda. They've both been kidnapped and shot at over the years because of what Sonny and Jason do. Jason and Sonny have each suffered numerous gunshot wounds. Sonny was once injected with heroin and almost died. Sonny and Brenda were trapped in the catacombs for days because someone decided to blow them up. Sonny's first wife was killed by a car bomb. A local club, Luke's, was firebombed once, there was also a drive-by there a few years ago where an innocent bystander was shot in the neck and almost died, and..."

Buffy pressed her lips over his, effectively silencing him. They kissed a moment before he pulled away. "What was that for?"

She didn't answer, but said instead. "And yet Robin and Brenda are still with their guys. They don't care about the business, they understand when the guys can't tell them things, and they take it all in stride when they're shot at. Cause all they care about is being with the one they love."

"I don't want you in danger." Angel said stubbornly. He'd only known her for a day and already he cared about her so much. It was so strange.

"But that's not your choice. Don't make decisions for me, Angel." Buffy said just as stubbornly. "If I want to take the risk because I think you're worth it then why shouldn't I?"

"But, Buffy..." His protests were weakening under her words. He so much wanted to let her talk him out of it.

"No buts. How about this....the day you can kick my butt in sparring you can start running my life." Buffy grinned at him.

He grinned back then, taking her hands in his. "Deal." He replied.

"But Angel....really? Really?" Buffy had started to argue again, assuming he would say no, and then suddenly had to change her tune.

"Yes, really. I just don't have the strength to argue against something I want so much." He said, making her heart melt.

He leaned in to kiss her then, sliding from the coffee table down to the floor so that he knelt between her open legs. They kissed hungrily then, the fire igniting between them yet again.

Buffy felt his hands come to her waist, sliding her off the couch so that she sat on his lap, straddling him. She pressed herself as close to him as possible.

They were so into their kiss that they didn't hear the door to the penthouse open.

Brenda and Robin stopped in the doorway, staring at the scene they had walked in on. They looked at each other, unable to keep huge smiles from coming to their faces. They had seen from the first how much the two liked each other, but they didn't think they would have moved this fast.

They looked from each other back to the two lovers and Brenda loudly cleared her throat.

Buffy and Angel practically leapt apart at the sound, both turning towards the door in shock. Buffy turned beat red with embarrassment, Angel quickly stood up and stepped away from her. Neither of them knew what to say.

Finally, Brenda broke the silence by saying with tact, "So, Buffy, we were coming to ask you if you'd mind being a fifth wheel at dinner tonight, but I see that's no longer a problem."

"Yeah, I'll just go tell Sonny to make the reservation for six instead of five, okay?" Robin said as she began to leave.

"That'd be great Robin. Are you sure he won't mind?" Buffy asked, her face still red.

"Of course not. He's been trying to get Angel a girl and have him join us on dates for years now." Brenda quipped as Robin left.

"I just never found the right girl." Angel smiled then. "Where are we going, anyways?"

"The No Name." Brenda said.

"I should have known. It's perfect." Angel said.

"Why?" Buffy wondered.

"Because it's a rather exclusive club. If you didn't know it was there you'd never find it, and if by some act of God you did find it you'd never get past the doorman." Brenda explained.

"So it's perfectly safe, no matter how many guys are after me." Buffy said bluntly.

"Exactly." Brenda said, surprised at Buffy's comment.

"Good food?"

"Great food. And of course, there's dancing." Robin said as she came back in.

Buffy looked at Angel and grinned. "Sounds like fun. What do I wear?"

"You can borrow one of my gowns." Brenda told her. "You're about my size. And I've got one that will look just awesome on you." The model's mind was already spinning with possibilities.

Buffy looked very excited. She had never really dressed up or anything like that, or even gone to a fancy restaurant.

"Oh, and Angel, Sonny and Jason needed to talk to you about some stuff. I said I'd send you over." Angel nodded and Brenda continued. "Robin, you take Buffy upstairs and you guys can start getting ready. I'll go get my stuff and bring it over."

The girls headed up the stairs and Brenda and Angel went out the door. Brenda returned a few minutes later, going upstairs to find Robin working on getting Buffy's hair up into a twist. She pulled two gowns out of a dressing bag, holding one up so Buffy could see it. "What do you think?"

"I...it....it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Buffy looked at the blue dress in awe.

"I thought so when I got it. I wore it to the Nurses Ball, that's a big charity function, a few years ago. And it'll look even better on you with your coloring and all."

Buffy squealed as she held the dress, unable to believe her luck. She had come to Port Charles to find her cousin and escape some murdering thugs. She had found some great friends, other people who had the potential to become friends, rich and powerful people to protect her, and the man of her dreams.

Buffy couldn't remember her life ever going this well.

**

Sonny, Jason, and Angel watched in awe as the three women paraded down the stairs.

Each one walked up to their date and posed in front of them like models, spinning for the full effect of just how fabulous they looked.

Both Sonny and Jason looked at their women admiringly, but it was Angel who was truly blown away. Unlike the others, he'd never seen his lover dressed up like this before.

Buffy wore a gown of sky blue. It had little straps that came over her shoulders and kept the loose fitting top from falling off. It left her stomach and lower back bare, then cascaded down to her ankles with a huge slit up the one leg. It had a few strips of material that connected the top to the bottom, drawing the whole look together. {for those of you GH watchers, this is Brenda's Nurses Ball gown from 1997. It's kinda hard to describe, but I'm sure if you were watching then you know exactly what I mean cause that dress was very unforgettable. Her hair was done up in a fancy French twist and Brenda had done her make-up as only a model can. She wore very high shoes to make up for how short she was compared to Angel.

Angel just stared at her in awe while the other four watched with grins. They also noticed that Buffy was just as awestruck by the sight of Angel in a tux.

"You look incredible." Angel finally managed to speak, taking her hand and kissing it gently.

"So do you." Buffy said, unable to tear her eyes away from him.

They stood that way for a moment until finally Sonny interrupted with "We should get going."

They both nodded and Angel offered Buffy his arm as they headed down to the limo.

**

Buffy managed to keep her face neutral as the couples entered the No Name, but inside she was knocked for a loop. The place was nothing like what she had expected.

It was nice and superfancy, soft music played throughout, and the tables and chairs were very elegant and richly dressed up. Men in tuxes and women in expensive gowns and furs mingled about.

She had expected something out of a gangster film, some cheap dive, but this place looked like something you'd see in Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

"It's beautiful. I love it!" Buffy whispered to Angel as they were being seated at the largest table in the place.

"We come here every Friday night." Robin informed her. "We just love it so much!"

"Can I start you with anything to drink, Mr. Corinthos?" A waitress came over almost immediately.

"Yes, could you get me a Manhattan on the rocks, please." Sonny replied.

"Mrs. Corinthos?"

"Just a glass of red wine, Susan." Brenda smiled at their usual waitress.

"Mr. Morgan?"

"Martini, please." Jason ordered his usual.

"Miss Scorpio?"

"White wine, please." Robin replied.

The waitress then turned to Buffy. "Miss?"

"Buffy Summers." Buffy replied with a smile. "I'll have white wine too, please."

"A very good choice Miss Summers."

"And you, sir?" The waitress looked at Angel flirtatiously and Buffy wanted to slap her.

"Angel O'Conner. I'll just have an old fashioned."

"Of course, Mr. O'Conner." Susan replied. "Is there anything else?"

"That should be good for now Suz, thanks." Sonny said as he caught the look in Buffy's eyes. He was just about to say something to her when Brenda grabbed his arm. "We have to dance." She said, already standing up.

~It's not the pale moon that excites me~
~That thrills and delights me~

Sonny looked at her strangely for a moment, then heard a song in the background and abruptly stood up. "We'll be back." He said. Buffy looked at Robin in confusion and she explained. "It's one of their songs. The first time they were here on a date, it's what they danced to."

~Oh no, it's just the nearness of you~

"Shall we make it our song too?" Angel asked as he stood up, offering a hand.

"Why not?" Buffy replied with a flirty smile as she took his hand and let him lead her to the dance floor.

~It's not your sweet conversation~
~That brings this sensation~
~Oh no, it's just the nearness of you~

Angel held Buffy tightly in his arms, her heels making it so that they danced nearly cheek to cheek. His hands were firmly around her back, hers were at the nape of his neck, playing with his hair.

~When you're in my arms~
~And I feel you so close to me~
~All my wildest dreams come true~

Buffy pulled back just enough to look him in the eye and they quickly closed the few inches that separated their lips. They stayed that way, liplocked and swaying gently, until the song ended.

~I need no soft lights to enchant me~
~If you only grant me the right~
~To hold you ever so tight~
~And to feel in the night~
~The nearness of you~

When the song ended, they kissed a moment longer before heading back towards the table. Sonny and Brenda were already seated, and both they and Robin and Jason were grinning at the pair.

"What?" Buffy said innocently, causing everyone to laugh. She was saved hearing their retorts as Susan came back with their drinks and took their orders.

Buffy momentarily questioned the fact that the menus had no prices on them, but Sonny told her to order whatever she wanted, it didn't matter.

As the waitress left, Robin explained, "If you're well know enough to be invited to come here, you can afford anything they have anyways, so it really doesn't matter to anyone what the prices are. They're all fair though."

Buffy nodded in amazement, still trying to process the world she'd stumbled into. She stopped worrying about it a moment later when Brenda told a joke about something and everyone laughed. For the rest of the night she was caught up in the conversations which had nothing at all to do with business.

*

Much later, after the meals and desserts were finished and cleared away, the couples started dancing again.

Angel was swaying with Buffy, relishing the feeling of her in his arms, when he was tapped twice on the left shoulder. Recognizing the traditional signal meaning that someone else wanted to cut in, Angel turned around to find out who dared.

He was greeted by the grinning face of Sonny, who said formally, "May I cut in?"

Angel smiled and looked at Buffy, who looked surprised but happy. She nodded and Angel released her, taking Brenda into his arms and waltzing her away as Sonny gracefully worked on teaching Buffy a few basic steps. She picked them up very quickly and soon they were twirling around the dance floor.

"Do you trust me?" Sonny asked as the number was nearing it's end.

"Yes, why?" Buffy said to him.

"Dip?" He asked her with a daring look.

She could only nod as the music reached it's peak. He quickly released her one hand, twirling her out and away from him. She had seen this done so many times in the movies that she needed no prompting. She spun herself back in, letting both her arm and his wrap around her. She felt his other arm come up to support her back as she arched gracefully, much more flexible than he had assumed. He kept lowering her, the tips of her hair grazing the ground before he pulled her back up.

"You're a pretty good dancer." Sonny said as he bowed over her hand teasingly.

"Well, I'm learning from the best." She smiled, looking over to see Angel taking Robin into his arms and Brenda moving to Jason. "And it looks like you're stuck with me again."

"Works for me." Sonny grinned as a tango started up. "Ready for some new steps?"

She said she was and they started to move again, Buffy doing her best to follow his lead.

Angel watched Buffy and Sonny tangoing with slight jealousy. He knew they were just friends and all, but it just bugged him to see her having fun in someone else's arms.

He moved effortlessly with Robin, they were both good dancers and had no problems even though they had never danced with each other before. But about halfway through the dance, Robin noticed that his mind was elsewhere. "We can go cut in if you want." She said good-naturedly.

"You don't mind?" He said as they moved closer to the pair.

"Nah, I haven't gotten to dance with Sonny yet anyways, and the four of us always switch off partners when we come here."

The moved over till they were next to Sonny and Buffy, following their slow steps exactly.

"I want my girl back." Angel said teasingly to Sonny.

Sonny just grinned and said, "Then twist Robin out."

Angel barely had time to make the move with Robin before Sonny had done the same with Buffy, lining her up to face Angel. He released her hands and took Robin's in one simple move. They danced away, falling into a familiar rhythm, laughing the whole time.

Angel took Buffy back into his arms, leading her in the steps as she continued to get the hang of it.

"Are you having fun?" Angel asked her.

"More now that I'm back with you." Buffy smiled as they continued to dance.

They didn't let anyone cut in for the rest of the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy woke up late the next morning feeling blissfully happy. She pulled on a jean skirt and a top, quickly brushing her hair into a ponytail as she headed downstairs to get something to eat.

Buffy jogged quickly down the stairs deep in thought as she remembered the night before, barely recognizing a presence near the bottom step before she ran smack into it.

She heard a masculine grunt and quickly spoke, "Oh Jason, I'm so sorry, I..."

"I'm not Jason and that's okay." Angel's voice drifted to her ears.

"Angel, what are you doing in here? I just assumed it was Jason because, well, he lives here and all and..." She trailed off as he bent down to give her a sweet kiss on the lips.

"Good morning to you too." He whispered in her ear as he broke away.

"Good morning." She answered him sheepishly, her pulse loud in her ears.

"I was just coming up to wake you. Sonny would like to see both of us. The four musketeers are over there right now, apparently Sonny's got some information."

"Already? Wow, that was quick. He must have some really good people." Buffy said as they headed towards the door.

When they walked into Sonny's, Emily, Elizabeth, Lucky, Nikolas, and Jason were already there. They quickly joined them over by the couches.

"Sorry I slept so late. What's up?" Buffy questioned as she grabbed one of the pastries that was sitting on a large plate on the table.

"Well, I got word that Chicago's kingpin himself is in Port Charles. He's also hired assassins and the whole deal." Sonny began to say.

"So I've got a huge pricetag on my head?" Buffy asked as she looked over at Angel worriedly.

He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Nikolas looked crushed as he noticed the look that passed between them. Why could he never get the girl?

"Well, yes you do." Jason said gently. "But you're not the only one they're after. Emily is also a target, since the seem to think she knows something about their operation judging by the fact that she's not in jail right now. Angel is a target because they've finally realized that he was a spy the whole year he was in their operation, and Sonny is also a target just for being who he is."

"In other words, it ain't gonna be pretty." Lucky concluded grimly.

"No, no it's not." Sonny agreed. "But we've got a plan. It's gonna count on all of you trusting me, trusting each other, and working together. I'm gonna say right now that this is gonna be very dangerous and I absolutely hate bringing you kids into it even though really you did a fine job of getting yourselves in pretty deep, but I've got no choice because they know Emily and Buffy so this plan won't work without them. And am I right that any plan Emily is in will have to include the rest of you?" He addressed his question to Elizabeth, Lucky, and Nikolas.

Nikolas glanced at the other two, who both nodded. "Yes, you are." He answered for all of them.

"Okay, that's what I figured. So, here's what we're gonna have to do." Sonny said, hating that he had to outline a battle strategy that would put six people in their teens or twenties into a game where they would be battling some of the best the Chicago mob had to offer. But he had a feeling that they'd be in this whether he organized it or not, so at least this way he knew they had a very good chance of succeeding.

Nearly an hour later the door of Sonny's penthouse opened and the six young people stepped out into the hallway. Sonny had remained to work out a last minute detail with Jason and Robin.

The group quickly parted company at the elevator, the four teens moving off quickly because they would need time to go over things with each other on what exactly they were going to do. Sonny had laid the basics of the plan, letting them fill in the details themselves so that it would be more realistic.

"I still don't like this plan." Angel said as him and Buffy entered Jason's penthouse so that they could get ready. Angel carried a bag over his shoulder with some things Sonny had supplied.

"But it's so perfect. It'll be so easy to trap them and all because they'll never suspect a bunch of kids as being able to do this. We have access Sonny's regular suits could never have, and he understands that." Buffy argued.

"It puts you right in the line of fire." Angel argued, stroking her cheek lovingly. "If anything happens to you..."

"Angel, nothing's gonna happen." Buffy replied as she took his other hand in her own, drawing him over to the couch and seating herself on his lap.

"But Buffy, you're the bait in this plan. And I really don't like that."

"I've been the bait before." She said softly, recalling a time she had been used to trap and almost kill her parents. "This time, it's by my own choice. And I'm more than capable of defending myself now." She added as she snuggled up against him.

"But I'll be right there with you. You'll never be alone." Angel promised as he drew her closer, pulling her lips to his in a crushing kiss. They lost themselves in the intensity of the kiss, pressing up against each other as much as was humanly possible. Angel's hands started to wander under the back of her top and Buffy groaned with pleasure. Her hands traced the muscular curves of his arms, trailing over to his back, feeling him through his tight black tee-shirt.

Angel's mouth wandered from her own, trailing kisses over her face and down her neck. He began nibbling on her earlobe and she moaned, hands gripping him tightly. Angel's own hands came around and began to journey up her frontside, causing Buffy to freeze and draw back slightly. Angel, to his credit, immediately stopped and dropped his hands back to her waist.

"I'm sorry." He whispered against her neck, still fighting for control. "I shouldn't have..."

"It's okay." Buffy whispered. "We're just moving too fast. I..."

"You what?" He asked as she trailed off, refusing to look him in the eyes.

"I've never done this before." She said very softly. Buffy had been about to say those three little words for the first time in her life, but suddenly chickened out. Her face turned bright red when she realized that what had just slipped out was probably worse.

"You...." He trailed off, surprise evident in his face, which she finally looked up to see.

"Nope. Despite as wild as I was for the past five years, it was the one thing that still really meant something to me. I didn't want to make love to someone till I was actually in love."

"I know how you feel." He said, almost too softly for her to hear.Now it was her turn to be shocked. "You mean that..."

"That I've never done this before either." He looked her in the eyes. "My sister, when she was 17, she slept with her boyfriend. Bastard got her pregnant and didn't care at all. He had just wanted a quick tumble. " Angel said bitterly. "It almost destroyed her. Of course, no one knows that I've never....Living the kind of life I do, they just assume....but anyways, I could never be with someone like that if I didn't love them. "

"But you were going to..."

"I love you." Angel whispered. Her eyes went wide with awe and her whole face changed. < picture in "Surprise" when Angel tells her the same thing. That's exactly the look I mean. >

"Maybe it's way too soon and you think it's wrong or something, but I just..."

"I love you too." Buffy whispered, silencing his babbling. "And it is too soon, that's what my head says anyway. But my heart, well, I never believed in love at first sight, but now I do. I guess it's just the right time."

"'For there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.'"

"Exactly." Buffy whispered. "My favorite was always 'A time to love,' maybe because I was so convinced that time would never find me. I was so sure no one would ever love me for who I was. And then I met you, and it was like I'd known you all my life."

"I had the same feeling." Angel said.

"And I want to....it's just that we're moving so fast. I guess I'm scared." Buffy confessed.

"It's okay, Buffy. I am a little too. And besides, everything should be perfect. Considering we've only got about fifteen minutes until Brenda gets here to help get me ready, we would have had to stop anyway. I'll wait forever if that's what you want." He said as he played with a strand of her hair.

Her heart melted at his words, but she also realized that he was right. They'd wasted part of the time they had to get ready. Buffy quickly grabbed the bag with one hand and Angel's wrist with the other, dragging him into the bathroom to get him ready.

When Brenda arrived and let herself in she heard giggling coming from the bathroom on the first floor. Not wanting to interrupt something again, she called out, "Angel? You ready?"

"He's ready. Just doesn't like his new look." Buffy called back in a voice tinted with laughter.

"Go on out." Brenda heard Buffy say more softly. "I've gotta do my own hair now."

Angel walked slowly over towards Brenda and it was all she could do not to fall on the floor laughing. Part of the plan entailed Buffy being the bait, but leaving her alone would be too dangerous. Angel trusted no one to play her guy but himself; the problem with that was that everyone in the other organization knew what he looked like. Hence, his disguise, which Brenda could not stop laughing at.

His usual business suit and tie had been traded for a basketball jersey and ripped up jeans. His hair was streaked with dark green and purple lines and slicked back. Gold chains dangled from his neck and he wore several huge rings.

He glared at her menacingly until she managed to stop laughing.

"You've gotta admit it's a good disguise. If I saw you on the street I don't think I'd recognize you." Brenda said at last.

He said nothing, just sat down on the couch and pouted cutely as Brenda opened up her make up bag.

"You're sure I have to do this?" He asked as she began pulling out shadows and brushes.

"Yes, I am. We have to make sure that no one can recognize you. Hence, changing the shape of your face and making your eyes look larger and a few other things." Brenda grinned as she began to apply make-up.

About fifteen minutes later, she finally held up a mirror so that Angel could see himself. Although he hated how the gunk felt on this face, he had to admit she'd done a good job. It didn't look like he was wearing make-up, yet he was pretty sure that not even his own mother would recognize him. He was just about to comment when Brenda got another fit of the giggles. He was about to reprimand her when he noticed that it didn't seem to be directed at him. He turned around towards the bathroom door and couldn't help himself. He too burst out laughing.

But instead of taking offense to it as Angel had, Buffy was loving every minute of this. She wore raggy cut-off shorts and a white halter top. A fake tatoo showed in her clevage. Her hair was piled up on her head in a huge mess, and parts of it were purple and pink. Her lips were a very, very dark red. Her face looked slightly different because of make-up, but not much. She'd done exactly what Sonny had asked; made it look like she'd tried to disguise herself but made sure that people would still know who she was."

"We just have to hope none of Lachlan's guys saw me with Sonny last night, or this is all gonna be for nothing." She said in an obviously fake accent.

Angel laughed harder while Brenda replied, "They didn't. Sonny and Jason knew every single person in that place, there weren't any out-of-towners there so don't worry."

"Great. Are we ready to go then?" She asked.

"Almost, there's just one more thing." Angel said in an accent of his own, sounding much more real. But that was the point. It was supposed to be obvious that she was really Buffy. Angel, on the other hand, had to successfully be someone else.

"What?" Buffy questioned.

"Do you know how to use this?" He asked, pulling a small pistol from the bag Sonny had supplied.

"Yeah, I do. I'm a pretty decent marksman." Buffy said as she took it and dropped the gun into her handbag.

"Good luck." Brenda said, surprising them both as she pulled first Angel and then Buffy into a hug. "If there's anything else I can do...."

"Pray." Angel told her.

Brenda only nodded, a tear falling down her face. These were the times she hated having gotten involved with Sonny.

Buffy pulled her into another hug. "We'll be fine. So will Robin and Emily, don't worry." Although Brenda was worried about all of them, Buffy knew that those two were her closest friends.

Brenda smiled at her then, saying, "I know you will. Now just go before you're late."

Angel and Buffy left the penthouse, closing the door behind them quietly.

Brenda stood silently for a moment, then looked up towards the heavens. "God, please watch over them and everyone else today. And, um..." Brenda stuttered. She'd never really known how to pray. Then she got a better idea. "Stone? I know you're there. I feel you sometimes, looking out for me. I know Sonny and Robin do to. Please be their guardian angel for the day, huh buddy? And watch over Jason, Emily, and Lucky too, you remember them, right? Well, I'm sure you remember Jason. You're probably watching him really closely. But he treats Robin great, so don't worry. And if you don't mind, watch over Robin's newer friends too. Elizabeth, Nikolas, Buffy, and Angel. They're all gonna need so much help today, Stone. Please be with them. Protect them, won't you?"

Brenda would have continued to talk to Stone, but she figured he had gotten her point by now. Besides, she could have sworn she heard him say yes.

**

Buffy and Angel strolled through one of the worse parts of town with seeming carelessness. They went into a bar with one of the worst reputations in town, hanging around just long enough to make sure Buffy was seen by everyone there.

Then they left and weren't surprised at all several minutes later when three men began tailing them. Angel recognized two of them as being part of Lachlan's organization. Perfect.

Buffy and Angel walked without hurry towards Kelly's, knowing that their shadows were tailing them. When they were about five minutes away, they ducked quickly into an alley. It was the only place on their entire trip when they would be out of sight of their followers.

Angel quickly hit a button on his phone, saying only one word into it. "Countdown." He had the phone back in his pocket before the men turned into the alley.

When they arrived at Kelly's five minutes later, they went inside and sat down. Emily, Lucky, and Nikolas were already at a table in the middle of the room. Elizabeth was behind the counter where Angel knew Jason was hiding, just in case.

As soon as they were seated, Elizabeth came over to them. "Can I get you anything?"

"Just coffee, please." Angel said loudly enough for the table of teens to hear as well, a signal that meant everything was going according to plan. Elizabeth nodded and went to get it, returning just as the three men following Buffy and Angel were sitting down.

She then went over to bring the men water glasses, one of which held a small bug that Sonny had given her. It was hooked up so that Jason, hiding behind the counter, could hear what was being said via a small earpiece.

Elizabeth then went back behind the counter, momentarily making eye contact with Jason so he'd know the bug was planted. Just then, the phone rang.

"Right on time Brenda." Angel whispered under his breath. Buffy only nodded.

Elizabeth answered and quickly put a panicked look on her face. "Emily? It's for you."

Emily glanced at the boys with faked worry, quickly going up to take the phone. She spoke into it, just loudly enough for the three men to overhear.

"What do you want?" She asked, sounding afraid.

"Is everything going according to plan?" Brenda asked on the other end of the line.

"Yes. I thought this was going to end after last night." Emily replied.

"So you guys are all right?"

"So far."

"Do you need time to say other things? Or do they look convinced?" Brenda asked.

"Just a moment." Emily said, whispering something to Elizabeth, knowing that Jason would hear. Jason then tapped Elizabeth's leg once, meaning that they were buying it. They were also confused as heck.

Elizabeth whispered back to Emily who proceeded to return the phone to her ear. "No, I've got it. Same place and time?"

"Be careful little sister. I love you." Brenda replied as they both hung up.Emily then grabbed Elizabeth's hand and practically dragged her back to the table, where the four proceeded to have a very serious looking conversation that the three men couldn't hear.

But both Buffy and Angel could make out what the men were saying.

"We come here to get the girl and we find something even better." One said.

"Yeah, Vaquero's gonna be so pissed when he finds out the Quartermaine girl's got friends in on this with her."

"But I didn't think Mindy was supposed to call for another hour or so."

"Well, better that she did now. Those kids sure look like they're plotting. They've gotta know something about Vaquero and Lachlan's organization or they wouldn't be out of jail after we set the girl up."

"Okay, when they leave, you two follow them. They all need to be eliminated." Said the one who appeared to be the leader. "I'll stick with Summers and her new boy toy. Wait till they get out of the public eye then take him out. Might have a little fun with her though, heard she likes it rough."

Seeing the look on his face, Buffy quickly put a restraining hand on Angel's arm, leaning closer to him. "Don't. You'll give us away." She whispered.

"Buffy..."

"I don't care what he says. It's not true anyway, just some stupid rumor this one guy started when I turned him down." She said with a sight grimace at the memory. She didn't mention that he'd tried to beat her. Tried being the operative word of course, as he was the one who had ended up nearly dead. "Besides, this is exactly what we wanted. Split them up, then capture them one at a time. Easier, less chance one will have time to get away or call. Then just turn them over to Sonny."

"Yeah, and if I'm right these guys who're gonna end up in Sonny's hands are way, way up there in Chicago's organization.

"Even better." She whispered, leaning in to start kissing him. "And now for the fun part of the plan." She whispered in his ear as she began to nibble on it. They then proceeded to make out in public, right there in the restaurant.

After several minutes of this, Elizabeth came over. "Excuse me? But I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Go get a room or something." She said very rudely.

"We can be here if we want." Buffy stood up, playing up the confrontation.

"No, you can't. I'm just going to have to call the..."

"Coppers? Don't even try it." Angel stood up and spoke in a dangerous voice.

Buffy barely suppressed a giggle. That tone of voice mixed with his faked Irish accent were making her giddy. He sounded so sexy!

"Sir, if you don't..." Elizabeth played it up even more, glancing desperately at Lucky.

"If I don't leave, you'll what?" Angel asked, stepping close to her and running a hand up and down her arm. "You'll force me?" He emphasized the middle word.

"Leave her alone!" Lucky immediately jumped to his feet, pulling Elizabeth away and towards the teen's table. Nikolas stood and drew her back behind him protectively, moving Emily there as well. Lucky faced off with Angel. "Get out!"

"Protecting your girlfriend. Cute. But overrated." Angel said as he tossed a punch at Lucky's face. Lucky's face spun sideways as he faked the impact. He retorted immediately, aiming a punch at Angel's face and then a knee into his stomach, both of which were well acted by both parties involved. Buffy let out little shrieks as he was hit. Angel ended up doubled over, breathing with faked pain.

"Get him out of here." Lucky spat in Buffy's direction.

"You'll be sorry you did that. You have no idea who he is..."

"Just get him out." Nikolas spoke up.

Putting an arm around Angel and fake crying very prettily, Buffy led Angel out the door. She then helped him around the side of Kelly's and out into the back, knowing that Jason and a few other guards would be waiting in the alley. They both heard a man's footsteps following them. And since he thought Angel was injured, he was being way too cocky.

As he turned into the alley, the man stopped short. Buffy stood in the center of the alley all alone. "Hey! Where's your...."

"Boy toy?" Angel asked as he came out of hiding and decked the man. "Did you miss me?"

"Not really Angelus." The man replied as he pulled out a gun and took aim.

'He recognized him in the restaurant! Even through that disguise!' Buffy thought frantically. They had totally underestimated the man. But there was one really good thing to consider.

He had turned his back on her, obviously underestimating her as well.

Buffy flew at him, aiming a flying kick at the back of his head. She hit him full on, but he had already pulled the trigger on his silencer-equipted weapon. It had been aimed right at Angel's heart. The gun went off and she saw Angel fall.

Furious, she continued to beat on the man, barely aware of what she was doing. "You....hurt....my....boyfriend." She punctuated each word with a kick to the stomach as the man lay on the ground.

She suddenly heard footsteps behind her and whirled around, kicking the unfortunate person's feet out from under them before bothering to check who it was. She just wanted to make sure whoever it was couldn't hurt Angel.

The voice she heard cry out as it fell was very familiar, as were the blue eyes she stared down into. "Jason? Oh God, I'm so sorry, I thought...."

"It's okay Buffy. Sorry we couldn't get out here sooner, but we..." Jason said as Buffy offered a hand to help him up.

"He'll be okay." Jason's apology was cut off by the other guard who was over looking at Angel.

Buffy immediately ran over to him, Jason on her heels.

"The guy was aiming right at his heart. At that range there's no way he could have missed." Buffy said in wonder.

"But he did. The bullet went clean through his side here. He should see a doctor though, check on the internal organs."

"I'll get him to a hospital!" Buffy said.

"No, he can't go there." Jason told her. "They're required to report all gunshot wounds and we really don't want to be explaining all this to the cops."

"But he..."

"Buffy." Angel's voice spoke up softly, washed with pain.

"I'm here love." She whispered, taking his head into her lap.

"It's okay. Call Sonny and get me back to the penthouse. He'll get me a doctor." Angel said.

"But Angel..."

"It'll be okay." He whispered, looking into her eyes in silent supplication.

She nodded. "Okay." Buffy then turned to Jason. "Go. I know you wanna make sure Emily doesn't get hurt. See the rest of this plan through, I'll take care of Angel."

Jason looked at her steadily for a moment as if judging her ability to handle things, and obviously decided that she was capable. "Call for a car. It's waiting not to far away."

She nodded, turning back to Angel to take the phone from his side.

"And Buffy?"

She looked back up, phone in hand.

"Nice moves back there." Jason said to her.

"Thanks." Buffy said with a grim smile as she began to dial Sonny's cell number.

"Jason?" She heard a moment later.

"No Sonny, it's Buffy."

"What's wrong?" Sonny asked. Buffy should not have been calling.

"Well, we got the one guy. He's unconscious in the alley behind Kelly's. Jason and the other guard are going after the teens and the two guards that went after them. But Angel's been shot Sonny." She sounded rather calm, considering.

"Is he all right?"

"Yeah, the bullet went through his side. But he needs a doctor to check for internal damage, and Jason said we can't go to a hospital, so..." Buffy was becoming slightly more upset.

"I'll call the car right now. It'll be there in under a minute. By the time you get back to the penthouses, they'll be a doctor waiting in mine. Brenda will be there too. Hang in there honey."

"Okay." Buffy said softly as she disconnected the call.

"Angel..." She whispered as she stroked his hair gently.

"What happened?" He sounded confused.

"What do you mean, what happened? You were shot. And I don't know how he missed kil..."

"No, I mean, who saved me?"

"What?" Buffy thought he was delusional or something.

"Just before the gun went off, a felt a presence right next to me. It pushed me to the side, Buffy. I'd be dead if it hadn't."

"You're sure?" She asked in wonder.

"Yeah." Although marred with pain, his eyes were clear. He knew exactly what he was saying, she realized in shock.

Buffy was about to question him further when she heard the squeal of tires and a limo pulled up to the alley, followed by another car. The car contained many men, who loaded the unconscious assassin into the car and drove off. The other contained only two men, who helped get Angel into the back of the limo and carefully settled him in with his head and shoulder pillowed on Buffy's lap. They quickly headed home.

Part 8

Buffy never left Angel's side, in fact she and another man helped him up to the penthouse. It was supposed to be the two men supporting him, but Buffy wouldn't hear of it.

Johnny quickly opened the door for them and they went into Sonny's penthouse. Brenda was there instantly.

"Quickly. We've gotta get him hidden." She said softly, leading them down the hallway towards what Buffy had thought was the kitchen.

"Bren? Where are we g...."

"Right here." Brenda said as she moved a panel on the wall of the hallway which opened up to reveal a secret room. "Best place in town to hide out, no one knows about it but Sonny, Robin, Jason, and myself. And two of Sonny's doctors, of course. So don't tell anyone."

"But why does he need to be here?" Buffy asked even as she helped move Angel into the room and settle him down on the queen-sized bed.

"Because the cops love to just drop in on Sonny for no reasons. It can happen any day at any hour. And if they decide to go upstairs, the last thing we need them seeing is a recovering gunshot victim. Brings up some questions we'd rather not have to face." Brenda said.

Buffy nodded in understanding, sitting on the bed beside Angel and carefully beginning to remove his shirt. He let out a moan when she peeled it back from around his wound, as the shirt had gotten stuck in it as Buffy applied pressure to the wound.

Her blood-covered hands jerked back, letting the shirt fall where it was. "Sorry." She whispered.

Just then, a man Buffy didn't know walked in. He had a whole cart of equipment.

"Dan, thank God you're here." Brenda said as he came quickly over to the bed. The first thing he did was to give Angel a shot, whereupon his moaning almost immediately ceased. "Now let's see how bad this is."

Buffy backed away from the bed, letting the doctor do his work. She was terrified.

"Buffy, let's give Dan some room. Why don't we get you cleaned up?" Brenda asked gently.

Buffy could only nod, the shock finally settling in. Brenda put an arm around her and carefully lead her out of the room, letting the panel close behind them. They headed into the kitchen where Brenda started the water running and moved Buffy's hands under the flow.

Just then, they heard the penthouse door open. "Brenda?" A voice called.

"Robin! We're in the kitchen." Brenda called out.

Robin came into the kitchen, rushing over to Buffy when she saw the blood that covered her. She was about to reach out to her, but drew back at the last minute.

"It's okay Robin, it's not my blood. I don't have an open wound." Buffy said as she drew her cousin to her tightly.

The hugged, pulling back only because Buffy needed to get cleaned up. Robin went back to her place to get Buffy some clean clothes and Brenda continued to wash Angel's blood from her tanned skin.

About twenty minutes later, Dan exited the secret room. He found Brenda and Robin in the living room, one sitting on either side of the now cleaned up girl who had been with Angel when he was shot. The girl was near hysterics.

As Dan walked around so that he was facing them, the girl immediately stood up.

"Is Angel okay?"

"He will be, miss." Dan replied. "None of his internal organs were damaged by the bullet, which went clean through his side."

"Can I see him?"

"Of course, but he's still sleeping. Should be for an hour or so."

Buffy nodded her head and ran in to be with Angel.

Dan then turned to Brenda and began explaining how to care for Angel over the next week.

**

When Angel awoke over an hour later, the first thing he saw was Buffy's face. He noticed as an afterthought that her hair was still purple and pink. She had changed however, and was wearing simply jeans and a tee-shirt.

"Buffy..."

"Angel? You're awake. Thank God." Buffy said as she leaned closer to him. She was sitting on the side of the bed.

"I feel like I've been hit by a truck." He groaned.

"I got the license plate, don't worry." She responded with a small bit of humor.

He shifted slightly in bed and immediately moaned in pain. Buffy saw it flash in his eyes.

"Here, the doctor left some pain pills...." Buffy trailed off as she reached for the glass of water and the pill container beside his bed. She carefully gave him two pills, helping him hold his head up so he could drink the water to swallow them.

As she moved her hand away from the back of his head he caught it in his own hand. "Stay?"

"Of course. I'm right here." Buffy said as she bent over and kissed him softly.

She smiled as he drifted off to sleep again. "I love you."

When Angel woke up a few hours later, his head was much clearer. Buffy still sat next to him, watching him intently. "Buffy? You're still here."

"We haven't been able to get her to move." Sonny's voice came from across the room. "She wouldn't even have anything for dinner."

"I'm not hungry." Buffy insisted, running a hand over Angel's cheek. He turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand.

"Go eat. Sonny will stay with me." He whispered.

"But Angel...."

"I'm gonna be fine. Go." He repeated.

Buffy decided to listen to him. First she bent down to give him a kiss, which he returned. Buffy realized as an afterthought that Sonny was watching them and pulled away before things could get to serious. "I'll be back in a few."

"I love you." He replied as she moved the panel and left, swinging it shut behind her.

**

By the next afternoon, Angel was feeling a good deal better. "So how did things end up going?" He asked Sonny. Jason, Robin, Brenda, and Buffy were all in the room with him.

"Well, Lucky and Elizabeth split up from Emily and Nikolas as planned. One guard followed each pair and it was pretty easy for our guys to take them out. We've got all three in a secure location for now, and we're gonna make them talk." Sonny informed Angel. Everyone else already knew what had happened.

"And two of the guys we caught are pretty high up in Lachlan's organization, so they know pretty much everything about it. We'll have no problem taking them down now. Thanks to you and the kids." Jason added.

"There's one weird thing though. The one that went after you and Buffy, he was certain he killed you Angel. Said he shot from point blank range and was aiming right for your heart. Says there's no way he could have missed from that range." Sonny said as an afterthought.

"Do you believe in guardian angels?" Angel responded.

"Why?" Robin asked.

"Because I think I've got one. Right before the gun went off, I felt a presence next to me. It moved me out of the way. Saved my life." Angel responded.

Brenda gasped in shock and all eyes turned to her.

"What is it?" Buffy asked.

Brenda turned to the girl and her boyfriend. "Remember when you guys were leaving to start this whole thing? Angel told me to pray for you guys."

"Yeah." Angel said. "You mean you really think...."

"Well, I didn't pray to God. I never really got that whole concept. Instead, I kinda talked to a friend of mine. Asked him to be all of your's guardian angel for the day. I actually thought I heard him answer me but knew I was just dreaming it. Maybe I wasn't."

"Who did you ask?" Sonny asked. He thought he knew, but....

"Stone." Both Brenda and Robin said at the same time.

"How did you know..." Brenda turned to Robin.

"I thought I felt him, yesterday, when I met up with Emily and Elizabeth. I had to meet them and lead them to the guards because they were hiding in a different location than the girls had been told. Jason figured I was the best person to get them because it wouldn't look suspicious. And the whole time I was walking with them, I felt like there was someone walking right next to me. Not one of the girls, but someone else. It felt like Stone." There were tears in Robin's eyes.

"Who's Stone?" Both Buffy and Angel asked at the same time.

Robin looked nervously at Jason for a moment, but he only smiled in reassurance. He accepted her past, including her past love.

"Stone was my first love." Robin said softly, a tear falling down her cheek.

"The one who had..." Buffy trailed off.

"The one who had AIDS, yes." Robin answered. "The one who died of AIDS and the reason I'm HIV+."

"You..." Angel trailed off in shock.

"Yeah, me." Robin said. "When Stone and I started sleeping together, he had been tested and was negative. We thought we were safe." She remanised. "Anyway, he started getting really sick. They did a bunch of tests and found out he had AIDS. It was so advanced by that time....they, um, they figured out he had gotten it from an old girlfriend who had been into drugs and stuff. She shared needles and all."

Jason took Robin's hand comfortingly and she took a moment to smile at him through her tears. Then she continued, "A few weeks before Stone died, he said he wanted me tested. It came back that I was HIV+. For those last few weeks, I never left his side. I think, by the end, he accepted that it wasn't his fault. We um, we scattered his ashes off this bridge. And the next day, his spirit came to me. He told me that he'd always be there for me."

"And sometimes, we'll talk to him. Sonny, Robin, myself, we talk to him when we need someone to really listen. Or just when we want to tell him stuff we know he'd be happy about." Brenda took up the story. "When I asked him for help yesterday, I asked him to watch over all of you and protect you."

"And you guys probably remind Stone a lot of me and him." Robin added softly. "He wants to make sure you get all the things we never had."

"Thank you Stone." Angel said softly to the air.

Buffy echoed his sentiment, adding, "How can I ever repay you for saving him?"

As two words echoed in Buffy's head, she looked around the room in shock.

Five pairs of eyes meet hers in astonishment. Apparently, everyone had heard him this time.

"Be happy."

"We will be." Buffy answered softly, looking at Angel with total love in her eyes.

"We certainly will." Angel echoed, taking Buffy's hand in his.

~Three weeks later~

Angel had recovered very nicely, and was more or less back to normal. It was a Friday night and him and Buffy had once again accompanied Sonny and Jason and their girls to the No Name. This time however, Elizabeth, Emily, Lucky, and Nikolas were there too. It was sort of a celebration. Lachlan's organization had finally been taken down. Sonny now owned the whole East Coast as well as most of the Midwest. Without Lachlan's support, Moreno and Sorrel's reign in Port Charles as drug lords had ended and Sonny again had total control of his town. And it never would have happened without the six young people and their daring plan.

Everyone was out on the dance floor, switching partners back and forth and having a grand old time. Except for Buffy and Angel. Oh, they were having a grand time all right, but they refused to be split apart. They danced with each other the entire night, everything from waltzing to mamboing to straight out dirty dancing. Other times they just clung to each other, swaying softly to whatever song happened to be on.

It was as if they were the only people in the world.

~Have you ever loved somebody~
~So much it makes you cry?~

Buffy looked deeply into Angel's eyes as a song by Brandy came on. She lifted herself up onto her tiptoes, kissing him softly on the mouth.

~Have you ever needed something so bad~
~You can't sleep at night?~

When they drew apart a moment later, they both knew something had changed. "Let's get out of here." Buffy whispered in his ear.

~Have you ever tried to find the words~
~But they don't come out right?~

"Buffy?" He questioned. Angel needed to be sure of what she meant.

~Have you ever?~

"Take me back to your place." Buffy responded, kissing him again.

~Have you ever?~

Angel only nodded, quickly finding Sonny and telling him that he and Buffy were leaving. Sonny saw the look in the younger man's eyes and could only grin in response.

One of Sonny's limos pulled up outside the No Name the instant Buffy and Angel emerged into the night and he handed her into it, climbing in after her.

They made out the entire way home.

Upon reaching his house, Angel and Buffy quickly went inside. He locked the door behind them, moving over to the radio as he turned on a few soft lights.

Buffy looked at him nervously. Now that they were actually here she was at a loss as to how to proceed. He solved the problem for her.

"Dance?" He held out a hand. Buffy nodded gratefully and moved into his arms. They swayed to the music for a moment, just relaxing in each other's company. Angel's hands ran slowly over her back, relishing the feel of it through her green silk dress.

After several minutes like this, Buffy slowly lifted her head from it's place on his shoulder. She looked deeply into his chocolate eyes. "I love you."

"I love you." Angel echoed as one hand moved up to cup her face. She tilted her head into his hand. It gave her goosebumps yet at the same time ignited a fire within her.

Angel bent down to kiss her. The kiss was unlike any she had ever experienced before, and she knew it was only the beginning. Her hands came up to his shoulders, pushing off his suitjacket. He let it slide down his arms, then pulled back slightly to give her better access to the buttons on the front of his shirt. Buffy undid them slowly, sliding that shirt off him to join the pile on the floor. She looked at his well-sculpted body with wonder.

Angel pulled her to him again, sweeping her up into his arms as he continued to trail kisses all over her face and neck. "You're sure?" He questioned. A moment longer and there would be no going back.

"I'm sure." Buffy replied, looking up at him, eyes blazing with trust as well as something more. He had begun to kindle a fire within her, and now there was only one way to get rid of it.

Angel carried her into his bedroom, never breaking their kiss.He laid her gently down on the bed and then laid down beside her.

Buffy drew him into her arms as she felt his hands move to the zipper on the back of her gown. She knew this was going to be the best night of her life.

Her new life. With the man she loved.

And for the rest of the night, they proved just how much they loved each other.

Ah, yes. Another story come to an end. Feedback, pretty please? I love it almost as much as I love Angel in leather pants. Oh, and now that I'm done with this you should start receiving my S3 rewrites on a more regular basis. I'll be getting another one out by the end of the week.

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