SUMMARY: Buffy and Angel were high school sweethearts, but they meet up again at their 10 year reunion.

FEEDBACK: A necessity if you want me to write more. COUPLES: B/A, B/Other, A/C DISCLAIMER: Not mine, but I wish they were.

1

"Congratulations to the Class of 1992. You've all proved more or less adequate. This is a time for celebration, so sit still and be quiet." Principal Snyder paused, glaring at a student seated in the last row of assigned seats. "I saw that gesture. You see me after graduation."

Willow Rosenberg cast a sidelong glance at her best friend, who sat to her right. "What crawled up Snyder's butt and died?" she asked.

Buffy Summers shrugged her shoulders. "A giant bug the size of an emu?" She immediately shut up when the short man looked in their direction. "Thank god I'm almost out of here. That man has had it in for me since the day I moved here. I'd love nothing more than to tell him where he can go."

"Buffy!" Willow hissed. "You can't do that, it's our graduation day. It's supposed to be a happy day."

"It will be once I tell the little troll what I really think of him."

"Please don't." Willow knew what would happen if Buffy confronted the principal. In their four years at Sunnydale High, Willow had been a spectator in her best friend's war of words with Principal Snyder more times than she could count.

She laughed softly. "I love getting you all riled up, Wills. Your face turns a bright shade of red that perfectly matches your hair. It's way too funny. Anyway, Angel already made me promise not to do anything that might jeopardize me graduating. I'm just happy to *be* graduating."

"Yeah, if it wasn't for him you wouldn't even be sitting here right now."

Buffy narrowed her eyes, smirking at her friend. "Gee, thanks, Will."

"You brought it up. Don't get snippy with me, you're starting to sound like Cordelia."

"Don't even say that! Ew! But you did have a point before. Poor Angel, all those countless hours he spent helping me study when he could have been doing something else," she mused.

Willow scoffed at her friend's musings. "As if he would have been doing something else besides being with you. It must have been pure torture for him, spending all that time with you. And I highly doubt studying was the only thing being done all those nights alone in your room."

"I'll have you know my virtue is still intact." Buffy grinned devilishly. 'Until tonight, that is.'

***

Xander Harris shook his head as he stared at his diploma in awe. "I can't believe it. I actually survived high school."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Angel Brennan agreed. "I know what you mean."

"Oh, gimme a break, Angel. Like you ever had a reason to worry about not surviving these past four years. You were the freaking salutatorian, for heaven's sake. Whereas I graduated third from the bottom."

Angel frowned. "Actually, I was thinking about the last four years have been leading up to today. And here we are; it's finally happening."

"Why do I have the feeling you aren't talking about high school and graduation anymore?" Xander commented, noting the change in his friend's tone of voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Angel innocently replied.

"Puh-lease. Don't play dumb; I'm your best friend and I know you way better than that. I mean, come on, Angel. Four long years leading up to today…I'm not completely stupid. Anyone who knows you knows what you are really talking about."

"Okay, Xand, I bite. What am I really talking about? Since you know me so well."

He smiled knowingly, ready to show his best friend how well he really knew him. "Buffy. Pure and simple."

"Maybe you *do* know me too well."

"I do. Tonight's the big night for you two. I know how excited you must be."

Angel nodded. He and Xander had been best friends since they were in grade school, and told each other everything; they'd always been more like brothers than friends. "Excited, nervous and terrified all at the same time. This night has been nearly four years in the making and now that it's here…"

"I gotcha. It'll be nerve-wracking until you finally do it. Just remember, it's Buffy. Buff, the Buffster, the girl you love. She's probably feeling the exactly same things you are," Xander told him.

"I don't like this. How the hell did you get to be so damn smart?"

"It had to happen sometime. Experience, buddy. Trust me, the first time is always scary. But it gets better."

He sighed heavily. "I hope so. All I know is I promised Buffy the perfect evening and I'm not about to let her down."

***

"Angel, why did you bring me here?" Buffy wanted to know as her boyfriend practically dragged her down the stairs of the abandoned mansion.

"I want you to see something," he informed her.

She exhaled loudly, exasperated. "This place gives me the creeps, I hope you know that. It reminds me of a murder scene."

"It's not that bad. You're exaggerating."

"Sure I am. You've heard all the stories about this place. You can't tell me being here doesn't freak you out a little bit."

Angel shook his head in amusement at his girlfriend. "Buffy, do you honestly believe a pack of vampires used to live here and tried to suck the world into a hell dimension? It's complete nonsense and you know it."

'He has a point. I hate it when he has a point,' Buffy thought. "Fine, whatever. But why are we here? I thought tonight was going to happen at a hotel, not the old mansion on Crawford Street."

"This is just a pit stop," Angel said. They reached the bottom of the dilapidated stairs, finding themselves in a garden patio. The setting sun cast a shadow on the fountain in the middle of the garden, where they sat down on a stone bench with their backs to it.

"What's the deal, Angel? It is going to be dark soon and I don't want to be stuck here after dark. It's scary enough during the daytime."

"I love this place," he began. "Ever since I was a kid and my family drove by this place, I've always wanted to live here."

Buffy glanced around, wondering what it was that her boyfriend loved so much about the old mansion. "Yeah, it's a beauty. A real fixer-upper."

"No. There's something romantic about it. Did you know that the original owner had it built for his true love back in 1899? They were married, but she died on their wedding night. He never got over her death; he holed himself up in this house and became a recluse. Nobody even knew his name, and nobody has lived here since he died in 1943. It's tragic."

After listening to Angel's story, Buffy couldn't say anything sarcastic about the mansion. The story did sound tragic. "Sounds like it."

"It deserves a happy family; a husband and wife who love one another and children running around. And I want to be the one to provide all that."

"That's a mighty tall order," Buffy commented.

"I know that. But that's why I brought you here, because you're the one I want that with. I love you."

Buffy beamed. "I love you, too."

Reaching into his pants pocket, Angel pulled out a gold ring with a small diamond in the center of it. "And that is why I picked here and now to do this. Will you marry me, Buffy?" he asked.

It took several seconds for her to compose herself after his proposal. "You want to marry me?"

"Yes. I know this is probably the last thing you expected-"

"You got that right," she interrupted.

"I've been thinking long and hard about this for months; since your birthday, actually. Today is the beginning of the rest of our lives. We graduated from high school this afternoon, and tonight we are going to make love for the first time. What better day to begin this new chapter of our lives together than today?"

Buffy swallowed hard. "This is all so sudden."

"I don't think so," Angel disagreed, shaking his head. "We've been seeing each other for almost four years now. That's a long time. And you told me you didn't want to make love until you were out of high school and in a serious, committed relationship with a man who loves you. Well, here I am, a man who loves you more than anything on earth, asking you to be my wife. How much more of a commitment do you need?"

"Angel, we're still so young."

"We're eighteen, Buffy. My parents got engaged on their high school graduation day."

"Is that why you're doing this? Because your parents did it?" she questioned.

He gaped at her. "No. What would give you that idea? I'm proposing to you because I love you."

Buffy looked down. "I'm sorry, Angel, but I just can't say yes."

Her words cut his heart in two. The girl he loved was rejecting his marriage proposal. "You are turning me down?"

"I'm not ready to get married yet," she told him honestly.

"Or do you just not want to marry me?" he demanded.

"That's not it at all, Angel. There is still so much I haven't experienced in the world."

"I'd never hold you back from doing anything you want to do. And I'm not saying we have to get married right away. In a few years. When we're out of college."

Closing her eyes, Buffy held back the tears she felt coming. "I don't know if I'll be ready then. Or ever. And I don't want to make you wait forever for me. It's not that I don't love you, because you're the only person I've ever truly loved."

"Sure. You're saying no because you love me," Angel spat, placing the ring back in his pocket.

"I do love you!" Buffy reiterated.

"Than you have a funny way of showing it." He stood up and walked to the stairs.

She watched him get up. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"Home."

Buffy jumped up to follow him. "What about tonight? You and me."

"I can't make love to someone who doesn't want to be with me as much as I want to be with her. Goodbye, Buffy. I hope you find someone who can make you happy," Angel stated, heading up the stairs without a look back.

"Angel! Angel!" she shouted. When he didn't reply, she fell to her knees and sobbed.

***

2

TEN YEARS LATER

Buffy entered her kitchen after a hard day at work. She sighed at the heavenly scent of roasting chicken and mashed potatoes, her stomach growling in the process. "Mmm…dinner smells great," she complimented the chef.

From his place behind the stove, Griffin Montgomery frowned. "You're late. I thought you were going to be home at five."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, making her way to her husband's side to place a kiss on his cheek. "I must have lost track of time at the library doing research for my new article. But it's sweet of you to start dinner, Griffin."

"It's almost finished. You know, Buffy, it would be nice to come home to my wife making dinner once in a while. All you ever seem to do is work anymore," Griffin complained. "It's not like you need to work, I make plenty of money to support the both of us."

Buffy sighed. She was tired of having the same argument with her husband day in and day out. "I like my work. It keeps me busy and it makes me happy."

"What about me?"

"You make me happy, too. Look, we've discussed this already. The only way I will quit my job is if I get pregnant. And since you don't want a baby, you're going to have to live with me working," Buffy argued.

Agitated, Griffin threw the spoon he was holding into the sink, the sound reverberating through the otherwise silent room. "Every time I make a comment about you working you throw the baby issue in my face!" he shouted. "I don't want children, is that such a crime?"

'It is if I want them.' "I don't want to fight about this again, Griffin. I thought we agreed that I wouldn't bring up the baby issue if you don't rag on me about my job."

"Fine. Then drop the subject."

"Only if you do."

"Consider it done." Griffin took a deep breath. If there was one thing he'd learned about his wife during their six years of marriage was that she was as stubborn as the day is long. "By the way, you have mail from Sunnydale. I was under the impression you don't talk to anyone from there anymore."

The hint of suspicion in his voice didn't go unnoticed by Buffy as she sifted through the mail, finding the letter her husband advised her of. "I don't. I can't remember the last time I spoke to any of my old high school friends."

"Maybe one of them hunted you down."

Buffy opened the envelope and pulled the letter out. She read over the contents. 'The Alumni Association of Sunnydale High Class of 1992 cordially invites you to the ten year reunion being held on June twenty-first in the high school gymnasium. The festivities begin at five with dinner, dancing and reminiscing. RSVP by June first to Amy Madison at 555-4134.'

Griffin stared at his wife, gauging her reaction to the letter she was reading. "Buffy? What does it say?"

"It's an invitation to my ten year high school reunion."

"Oh. When is it?"

"A month from tomorrow."

He nodded as he dished out their dinner. "That's nice. You'll be sending your regrets, right?"

"Regrets? Why would I do that?"

"Because Sunnydale is a thousand miles away, too far to fly for a single night. Besides, you don't have anything in common with those Sunnydale people anymore."

Buffy just looked at him with shock on her face. "Those so-called 'Sunnydale people' were my friends. Willow, Xander…"

"And Angel?"

'Oh no, here we go again,' she said to herself. "Don't start that again, Griffin. This is my high school reunion. I haven't seen my friends since I left California. I have a right to see them, even if one of those friends happens to be an ex-boyfriend I have not spoken to in ten years. And I'm going whether you want me to or not."

***

It was two in the morning and Buffy couldn't sleep. She'd been tossing and turning for two hours while her husband slept peacefully to her left, snoring softly. With an aggravated sigh, she silently crawled out of bed, put a robe on over her pajamas and left the room. She made her way down the hall in the dark, finding the entranceway to the attic, where she climbed the stairs to the top.

'Now where did I put that book?' Buffy wondered. 'Which box did I put it in?'

She sifted through the boxes of stuff she'd brought with her after her last trip to Sunnydale. After ten minutes of searching, Buffy found what she was looking for. With a satisfied smile, she pulled out her old photo album, filled with pictures taken during her four years at Sunnydale High. A trip down memory lane was exactly what she needed.

The first few pages were pictures of herself and her mother; they brought a smile to her face and sad tears to her green eyes. She began to miss her mother all over again. Then, as she flipped the pages, her tears evaporated and laughs came frequently as she looked at the photos of herself, Willow and Xander.

'How could I have gone six years without talking to them?' It was a rhetorical question, because Buffy knew the answer to it: Griffin. When they'd gotten married and moved to Kansas, he had insisted on beginning a new life as far away from her old friends as possible.

When she flipped another page, Buffy's smile disappeared and she bit her lip instead. She brought her finger to the picture and traced the face of the handsome young man standing next to her. A flood of memories swept her away.

//Here's a photo I've been looking for
It's a picture of the boy next door
And I loved him more than words can say
Never knew it 'til he went away

Faded pictures in my scrapbook
Just thought I'd take one more look
And recall when we were all
In the neighborhood\\

"My Angel," she whispered, continuing to look at all the photos taken of the two of them. She remembered how her mother loved to take pictures of her and Angel. Buffy had often wondered during her teen years if her mother secretly envied her relationship with Angel because she had never married.

"It's been so long since I've seen you," Buffy said to her Senior Prom portrait. "I wonder if you've changed over the last decade. Griffin never understood what you meant to me; what you still mean to me. And to this day, he still doesn't and I don't think he ever will. I can't wait to see you again, Angel. Only one more month until I can tell you how sorry I am for hurting you the way I did all those years ago."

//And all those friends
Where did they go, I don't know
All those friends we used to know
In the neighborhood

Faded pictures in my scrapbook
Just thought I'd take one more look
And recall when we were all
In the neighborhood\\

***

3

Knocking at the glass door leading to the garden interrupted Angel's reading. Stretching his tired body, he got up from the couch and made his way to the door. Seeing the woman standing on the other side, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

"Mom," Angel greeted with surprise as he opened the door for his mother. "What are you doing here?"

"Can't a mother come visit her only son?" Margaret Brennan asked, smiling deviously at her youngest child.

He smirked at his mother's reply. "Not without an ulterior motive. But come on in anyway. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's good if you made it a personal visit. I hope it's not another blind date you're trying to set me up on."

"Don't mind if I do. And no, it's not another blind date." She entered the house, taking a few steps into the sitting room so her son could close the door. As soon as he turned to face her, Mrs. Brennan thrust the envelope she held in her hand toward him.

"What's this?" he asked.

"I'm assuming it's an invitation to your high school reunion."

Angel cocked his right eyebrow up. "What makes you think that?"

"There are a great many reasons. First of all, it was in the paper. Secondly, you *did* graduate ten years ago. Third, this is the time of year when all the Sunnydale reunions take place. And fourth, Amy Madison asked me in the supermarket the other day if she'd sent the invitation to the right place," she answered. "It looks like she didn't because I found it in the pile of mail your father left on the kitchen table last night."

"That's nice. You can rip it up, throw it in the garbage, burn it, whatever. I'm not going." Making his way around his mother, Angel sat back down on the couch and picked up the book he had been reading .

Mrs. Brennan sighed at her son's reaction to the invitation. "You know, maybe it's time you put the past behind you, Angel."

"I'm trying to. Which is exactly why I don't want to go to this stupid reunion."

"Seeing Buffy one last time might help you finally get over her," she suggested. She knew that after ten years, her son still pined for his high school sweetheart.

"I *am* over her," he insisted. "I'm not pining away for a woman who turned down my marriage proposal ten years ago. We just weren't meant to be. I've accepted that."

She shook her head, placing the unopened invitation on the table in front of the couch. "If you want to wallow in your own self-pity for another ten years, I'm not going to stop you. You have an opportunity to move forward. Don't run away from it like you did before."

"Mom-"

"Just think about it at least. That's all I ask. You might surprise yourself." Mrs. Brennan bent down to kiss her twenty-eight year old son on the cheek. "I'll see you Sunday afternoon for the family dinner. Remember what I said, Angel."

After his mother left, he stared at the envelope, knowing that it contained the key to his future.

***

Blowing the dust off the cover of his high school yearbook, Angel settled down in bed for the night, his twelve year old black Lab Brandy laying to his left. Seeing the pictures from various school events brought a smile to his face. He'd loved his four years at Sunnydale High, and not just because he had found love. After years of being an outcast, Angel had finally been accepted by his classmates and made lifelong friends there. But he couldn't - no matter how hard he tried - forget that he met the love of his life before he'd even begun his freshman year.

//As I sit in this smoky room
The night about to end
I pass my time with strangers
But this bottle's my only friend

Remember when we used to park
On Butler Street out in the dark
Remember when we lost the keys
And you lost more than that in my backseat, baby
Remember when we used to talk
About busting out - we'd break their hearts
Together - forever

Never say goodbye, never say goodbye
You and me and my old friends
Hoping it would never end
Never say goodbye, never say goodbye
Holdin' on - we got to try
Holdin' on to never say goodbye\\

Buffy had moved on with her life, he knew that. She got married to somebody else, probably had two or three children by now while he remained the same single man he'd been when she broke his heart. He never married, dated infrequently and focused on his career rather than his love life.

When his older sister Alexis faxed him Buffy's wedding announcement six years ago, the twenty-one year old's life changed forever. He went into a tailspin, finally letting it sink in that the three years he'd spent waiting for Buffy to change her mind and return to him were a waste. Things were done that he regretted, but Angel knew he couldn't turn back the hands of time; from those mistakes he grew up.

For two years he dated a fellow teacher at Sunnydale High named Drusilla Martin, but it ended when she wanted to marry and he didn't. She accused him of living in the past and that the ghost of Buffy would never stop haunting him. Since their breakup three years earlier, Angel had gone on a few casual dates, not ready to be in another serious relationship. In the back of his mind, he knew that Buffy Summers had ruined him for other women.

//Remember days of skipping school
Racing cars and being cool
With a six pack and the radio
We didn't need no place to go

Remember at the prom that night
You and me we had a fight
But the band they played our favorite song
And I held you in my arms so strong

We danced so close
We danced so slow
And I swore I'd never let you go
Together - forever
Never say goodbye, never say goodbye
You and me and my old friends
Hoping it would never end
Never say goodbye, never say goodbye
Holdin' on - we got to try
Holdin' on to never say goodbye\\

He scanned through the pictures of his fellow graduates. There were friends and foes, people he still cared about and others he wished he could forget. When he reached the SENIOR FAVORITES section, Angel frowned at the inscription Willow had written next to FAVORITE COUPLE.

"Buffy and Angel Forever," he read aloud. They'd won the award for FAVORITE COUPLE, yet they broke up a week after the results were made public.

At the sound of Buffy's name, Brandy whimpered. Angel patted the dog's head, recalling that it was Buffy who had named the dog when Angel's family brought her home.

"I know, Brandy. I miss her, too."

//I guess you'd say we used to talk
About busting out
We'd break their hearts
Together - forever
Never say goodbye, never say goodbye
You and me and my old friends
Hoping it would never end
Never say goodbye, never say goodbye
Holdin' on - we got to try
Holdin' on to never say goodbye\\

Reaching over for the cordless phone sitting on the bedside table, Angel picked up the receiver and dialed. When a familiar voice answered, he took a tentative breath. "Hi, Amy. This is Angel Brennan…I'm good, how are you?…Great. Look, I'm sorry for calling so late, but I just got the invitation to the reunion. Put me down for a 'yes.' I'll be there."

***

4

Buffy shifted her weight nervously while she waited for her husband to finish getting ready in the bathroom of their hotel room. She was both nervous and excited at the same time; it was due to the fact she hadn't seen any of her old Sunnydale friends in nearly six years, longer in some cases. She wondered what her friends would say to her. Would they be upset because she hadn't kept in touch? Or would they understand her reasons for severing all ties to the tiny town?

But it wasn't just seeing her friends that made her nervous. The thought of seeing Angel, her high school sweetheart and lost love, made her tremble with fear. Though she wasn't sure if he'd even be there, she was afraid of what he thought of her. Did he still hate her for turning down his marriage proposal all those years ago? Or did he know why she refused? Was he married? Did he have children? How had he spent the last ten years of his life? Most importantly, did he still think about her as often as she thought about him? Did Angel wonder "what if?"?

She was so lost in her thoughts that Buffy didn't hear Griffin leave the bathroom. It wasn't until he placed his hands on her shoulders did Buffy realize she wasn't alone anymore.

"Do you need to get in the bathroom before we leave?" he wanted to know.

Buffy shook her head. "No, I think I'm okay. Do I look alright for the reunion?"

He looked her over, noticing that his wife had purchased a brand-new outfit especially for the occasion. She wore a simple blue dress with a conservative neckline and a hem that reached just above her knees. Her blonde hair had been loosely curled, the tendrils framing her face. "You look fine for tonight."

"Fine?" 'Fine?' she thought. 'What about ravishing? Drop dead gorgeous? I'd even settle for a "You're not leaving this room looking like that" comment I used to get from Mom all the time.' "I look fine? Great, now I need to change."

"You don't need to change, Buffy. Every guy you went to high school with is going to be jealous of me when I walk in with you on my arm. How's that?" Griffin questioned.

She smiled. "Much better. Thank you, Griffin, for coming with me. I know how much you hate these things."

"I think I can survive one night with a bunch of people I don't know. Promise me that if I get bored we can leave, though."

"Alright. But you have to promise me you'll at least give it a chance. You can't make me leave after five minutes. I haven't seen some of these people in close to ten years."

He nodded his head in agreement. "Agreed."

"Great. Let's go."

***

Checking his reflection in the rearview mirror, Angel let out the deep breath he'd been holding for what seemed like an eternity. 'This is it,' he said to himself. 'I can finally put the past behind me. After tonight I will be able to say goodbye to Buffy Summers and hello to the rest of my life.'

He stepped out of his car and made his way into the building. Even though he entered it every weekday morning, tonight it felt different to him. It was special. When he reached the entrance to the gymnasium, Angel inhaled heavily before approaching the table to sign in.

"Hi, I'm-"

"Angel Brennan. Our salutatorian," the woman replied. "Amy Madison. Well, Amy Madison-Weber these days."

"I haven't changed all that much, have I?" he joked. "Pretty sad, isn't it?"

Amy grinned. "It must be magic. But seriously, you look great, Angel. I'm actually surprised no one's been able to steal your heart yet." She filled out his name tag.

"Haven't met the right girl."

"You never know, you might run into her tonight. A certain blonde-haired woman who has yet to arrive may strike your fancy," teased Amy, handing him the sticker she'd written his name on.

"I doubt it. I'm into brunettes these days. Nice seeing you again, Amy." Angel placed the name tag on the left side of his shirt and walked into the gymnasium.

"You never know," she whispered even though she knew he'd never hear her.

He couldn't help but be impressed with the decorations that had been set up. A giant banner hung across the far wall reading WELCOME CLASS OF 1992, streamers hung from the ceiling and posters of various bands that were popular during their four years at Sunnydale High were scattered along the walls as well. He was even shocked to see candid shots of his classmates up there as well.

"Angel? Is that you?" a voice asked from a few feet away.

He glanced to his right, seeing a smiling redhead looking directly at him. He'd recognize her face anywhere. "Oh my god, Willow Rosenberg."

The two embraced, not having seen one another in close to a decade. "I can't believe it. You look wonderful," she complimented.

"You, too. Is Oz here with you?" Angel asked.

Willow shook her head. "No. Oz and I broke up during our freshman year at UC Sunnydale. I'm with Tara McClay now." She pointed to a blonde girl standing a few feet away.

Angel didn't know how to respond, he was shocked at what his old friend had told him. Granted, he had known about her and Oz, but forgot all about it until just then. "You're…well, a…"

"A lesbian. You can say it, it's okay."

"Sorry. I just never would have thought…"

"Neither did I until Oz left. But I'm happy with the way the way my life is. And Oz and I still keep in touch. How about you? Married yet?"

He shook his head. "Hardly. I'm not much for the dating scene. Me, I'm perfectly happy to be at home with my dog and a good book."

"It is nice to know some things never change," she commented with a laugh. "Look, I don't want to bring up anything unpleasant, but have you seen Buffy tonight?"

"It isn't unpleasant, Willow. And no, I haven't seen her. According to Amy Madison she hasn't arrived. If she even does."

Willow smiled knowingly. "Oh I see. You already checked it out."

"No, Amy volunteered any Buffy-related information. I didn't come here tonight to see Buffy Summers or whatever name she's going by these days."

"Just Buffy Summers. She never took Griffin's last name. Much to his chagrin."

"Good to know."

Willow took in a breath before beginning to speak again. "It hurt her, too, you know. The breakup did. I'm not pointing fingers, but Buffy was never really the same after you left Sunnydale that summer. She changed, so much so that I hardly recognized her anymore. Since she married Griffin and moved to Kansas we haven't spoken. That was almost six years ago."

"What happened?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure exactly. After college started she went out with this guy named Parker a few times, but it ended badly. Buffy never gave me the details, though I can only assume he hurt her in some way. Not physically, but, well, you know…Personally, I think the only reason she went out with him was the way he looked. Tall, dark hair, dark eyes…seeing a pattern?

"Anyway, a few months after her 'thing' with Parker ended, Buffy began dating Griffin Montgomery. He was the polar-opposite of Parker - and you - in looks. A tad bit taller, blonde hair and blue eyes. When they started seeing one another was really when she changed. She stopped hanging out with myself and Xander and spent almost all of her time with Griffin and his friends. I never really liked him all that much and neither did Xander. Something about him just rubbed me the wrong way. By senior year we weren't even talking anymore and the next thing I knew, they were engaged to be married."

"October of 1995," Angel added. "My sister sent me a copy of the engagement announcement."

"How did you handle the news?"

Angel frowned, looking down at the floor. "Not well I'm afraid. But the past is the past. You can't change it, no matter how much you want to."

Willow sensed something had happened to him and wanted to know what. But the expression on his face told her not to pry; he was obviously still struggling with whatever it was inside of himself. "That it is. Are you going to say anything to her if she's here tonight?"

"I don't know. I haven't decided yet."

"Well, you'd better decide quickly because she just walked in," she informed him.

Angel turned around to see his high school sweetheart walk in on the arm of a tall, blonde-haired man. Seeing her again brought him back to an afternoon fourteen years ago; the day he first laid eyes on her.

***

5

July 7, 1988

"Angel, what are you doing out here?" sixteen-year-old Alexis Brennan asked her younger brother, who had been sitting on the front steps for forty-five minutes.

"Nothing," he answered.

She lifted her eyebrows, unconvinced by his simple answer. "Nothing? Yeah right, I doubt that. What's really going on?"

"I was reading."

Alexis noticed the book he'd been reading was discarded to his left. "'Was' being the operative word apparently. Are you gonna tell me the truth or do I have to beat it out of you?"

Then she saw it. Or *her*. Across the street, a pretty blonde girl Angel's age stepped out of the house and sat on the front porch. She sat with a sad look on her face, watching the movers as they carried boxes and furniture inside. From her place on the opposite side of the street Alexis could tell the girl didn't want to be there.

"Never mind. I see what's going on. Go over there and say hi, Angel," she suggested.

The fourteen-year-old vehemently shook his head. "No! No, I can't."

"Why not? The poor girl looks lonely over there. Introduce yourself, she won't bite."

Angel had always been insanely shy, even as a child. Alexis knew meeting new people came difficult to him, but someday he'd have to take some initiative. Their parents weren't concerned; they figured he would come out of his shell once he began high school. But Alexis doubted it. Her brother would never change.

"Nuh-huh. I can't, Lexie, I just can't."

She sighed. "You are socially retarded, Angel. Do you know that?"

"Just go over there and find out her name for me. Please," he begged. "I'll do the dishes for you tonight and I promise not to ask you for another favor ever again."

"Ever?"

"Okay, not *ever* again. Find out what her name is and how old she is. That's it. Then I'll go over there later."

Alexis rolled her eyes at him. "I don't know what the big deal is, she's just a girl like every other girl you know. What's the difference between her and Willow?"

"Willow is Willow, and this girl's…not. She's new and…and pretty. Will you do it, Alexis?" he asked, pleading in his voice.

"Only if you march your butt over there sometime before dinner and talk to her. This is the last time I'm going to be your social director. Come high school you're on your own, little brother."

Angel's face brightened. "I'll do it. I promise I will. Thank you thank you thank you!" He jumped up from his spot on the porch and ran into the house.

"What a loser," Alexis mumbled under her breath as she headed down the driveway. 'Why do I always let him sucker me into this kind of stuff? Did I have bad karma in last life or something?'

From her seat on the front porch, the girl watched as Alexis walked toward her. She inwardly sighed, happy to find out that there was someone her own age in the neighborhood. Even though she'd seen Angel sitting across the street, she did not want to interrupt his reading by introducing herself.

"Hi," Alexis greeted, flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder. "I'm Alexis Brennan. I live across the street."

The girl smiled. "Buffy Summers. My mom and I just moved her yesterday. It's nice to meet you."

"Same here. I thought I'd come over and say hello; you know, be the unofficial welcome wagon. Where did you move here from?"

"Los Angeles. My mother is opening up an art gallery in town, so we had to move here," answered Buffy.

Alexis smiled at her. Buffy seemed nice; perfect for her younger brother. 'Maybe Buffy is what Angel needs to get him out of his shell,' she thought. "Sunnydale's not half bad for a small town. There's not a lot to do around here as you'll soon discover. You're in high school, right?"

"Yeah. I'm going to be a freshman."

'I knew it!' "Really? So is my brother."

"The boy who was reading on your front porch a little while ago?"

"Uh-huh. Angel's a bookworm. If he's not sleeping, he's reading," Alexis informed the new girl. "I'm certain he'll come over and say hi when he's done with his chores."

"I'd like that a lot." Buffy had to admit to herself she found Alexis' brother cute when she first laid eyes on him. She'd loved the way his dark hair fell across his face. "What grade are you going into?"

"My junior year. As much as I hate to do this, I should get back before my mother wonders why the laundry isn't folded yet. We will have to get together sometime this week and hang out. Once you get settled in, of course."

Buffy grinned at the invitation. "Sure, anytime. Thank you for stopping over, Alexis."

"Anytime. Oh, and call me Lexie, everyone else does."

***

Biting his lip and closing his eyes, Angel pressed the doorbell of the Summers residence. His sister had pushed him out the door after giving him all the information he'd requested about Buffy, then she proceeded to lock all the doors and refused to let him back inside until he'd talked to her. He'd never hated his sister more than he did at that moment.

A woman who didn't look much older than thirty years old answered the door. "Hello," she said.

"H-Hi," he stuttered. "I came over to say hi. To B-Buffy." 'Smooth, Angel. Real smooth.'

She opened the door for him. "Come on in. I'm sure my daughter will be thrilled to have a visitor. Have a seat, um…what is your name?"

"Angel. Angel Brennan. I live right across the street."

"Okay. I'll get her for you, Angel." Buffy's mother climbed up the first three steps of the staircase and called for her daughter. "Buffy! Somebody is here to see you!"

Thirty seconds later she bounded down the stairs to the first floor. "Who is it?" she wanted to know.

"An Angel Brennan. He said he lives across the street."

"Cool. Thanks, Mom." Buffy entered the living room, seeing the dark-haired boy from across the street sitting on her living room couch. "Hi, Angel. I'm Buffy. Your sister said you were going to stop by and say hello."

If it were possible, Angel thought Buffy looked even prettier up close. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back and fanned her face like a halo. And her eyes were the loveliest shade of greed he'd ever seen. Despite being barely five feet tall there was something larger than life about her.

"Yeah. Is that your mom? She looks really young."

"She is. She's only thirty-one. Mom had me when she was still in high school."

"Wow." Sensing an uncomfortable silence coming on, Angel did his best to avoid it. "My sister tells me you're from Los Angeles."

"Yes. I didn't want to move here. It's never easy being the new kid in school. I hate the fact that I don't know anyone or anything around here." Buffy took an instant liking to the tall, lanky boy who lived across the street from her.

"You know me. And I know everything there is to know about Sunnydale. I can show you the sites," he offered. 'Where the heck did that come from? I *never* do that. Way to scare her off, Angel.'

Her entire face lit up at his offer. "You'd do that? Wow, thank you so much. Maybe you can introduce me to some of your friends, too. The only two people I've met since I moved here are you and your sister."

"Are you busy tomorrow afternoon?" he asked.

Buffy shook her head. "Nope. I need to get out of this house, I am sick and tired of unpacking boxes. And I know my mom won't mind getting rid of me for a few hours. I think she's sick of hearing me complain about it. So you've got yourself a date."

'A date? Wait until I tell Lexie this one. I have a date with the new girl!' "Great. See you at eleven?"

"Works for me."

When Angel returned home ten minutes later, he knew something important had just happened. Buffy Summers had stolen his heart.

Go to Part 6