16

Buffy pulled her car into the driveway, parking it behind her husband's. With it only being a little past four-thirty, it surprised her to find him home already. Griffin didn't usually return home from work until five or six.

"Griffin!" she called, placing her purse on the kitchen table after stepping through the back door.

No answer. Furrowing her brow, Buffy called his name again, this time walking toward their bedroom. "Griffin? Where are you?"

"Your office," came his voice.

Shaking her head and laughing softly, Buffy opened the door to her office, located across the hall from their bedroom. She found Griffin sitting behind her desk with an unhappy expression on his face. "You're home awfully early today. Slow day at work?"

"Something like that."

"This is great. We can have an early dinner, maybe go see a movie or something," Buffy suggested.

After the incident at the reunion Griffin dedicated himself to starting their marriage over again. He courted Buffy just as he had back in college by taking her out to dinners, movies, or simply spending romantic evenings at home. Though still stinging from his treatment of her, Buffy did her best to try to be the woman he married six years earlier. But every time they made love, she found herself unable to keep her thoughts from wandering toward the other man she loved.

Griffin stood up, gripping a piece of paper in his hand. "I don't see that happening tonight."

"Is something bothering you?" she wanted to know.

"You could say that. Would you care to explain what you're doing with this?" He held up the paper for her to see.

Buffy sucked in a shocked breath. She immediately recognized the handwriting as her own. '4525 Crawford Street. Oh god, how did he find that?' "I can explain."

"I certainly hope so. I'm assuming the name Angel written underneath the phone number is that of your ex-boyfriend. Am I right?"

"Yes, but-"

"But what?" Griffin demanded.

She swallowed the lump that had formed in the back of her throat. "It's not what you think, Griffin."

"It isn't? Then why do you have his address and phone number? Are you having an affair with him?"

"Are you out of your mind?" she asked. "I've only seen him once since we graduated from high school. Not to mention that he lives fifteen hundred miles away. You're being paranoid again."

"Why do you have it, then? Are you keeping in touch with him?"

"No."

Griffin approached her, leaving less than a foot of space between them. "You're lying. I found this buried on the bottom of a pile of papers in your desk drawer. If you weren't keeping in touch you would have thrown it out. Now tell me the truth!"

"What gives you the right to go through my desk? Those are my personal papers."

"I am your husband and this is my house," he stated simply.

"And what am I, a tenant?" Buffy shot back. "What's yours is yours and what's mine is yours? Don't I have any privacy?"

He crumpled the paper and threw it across the room in a fit of anger. "There is no need for privacy, you should tell me everything."

"Did you fall into a time warp or something? We are not living in the eighteen hundreds. I don't have to report to you my every move."

"Just tell me what you're keeping from me," requested Griffin.

"I'm not keeping anything from you." Aggravated, Buffy turned away from him and tried to leave the room.

Blazing with anger, Griffin reached out and grabbed her arm, wrenching her body around to face him. "You fucked him," he accused.

Her heart pounding, Buffy struggled to keep her cool. "What are you talking about?"

"The night of the reunion," he started. "After I left, you spent the night with him. And you finally gave him what he wanted for years. Go ahead, deny it."

"Why should I? You are going to believe what you want to no matter what I say." She didn't see the point in denying it or admitting to it. The damage was already done.

"You did," he sneered.

"And it was good, too. He was everything you aren't and so much more. In fact, we did it three times that night; he took me against his bedroom door and twice in his bed. And we didn't stop until we were spent!" she shouted. "All those years of unresolved sexual tension finally combusted. Are you happy now that you know, Griffin?"

"Yeah right." He recognized her spiteful tone. 'She's just trying to get to me. Buffy would never admit to sleeping with that man.'

"Do you want more details? Want to know what Angel did that you would never have the balls to do yourself?"

Griffin didn't want to hear it, having reached his breaking point. "Shut the hell up!" Lifting his right arm, he struck her left cheek.

"I can't believe you hit me," Buffy said, touching her fingers to the sensitive skin of her bruised cheek. "You promised me you wouldn't do it again."

"And I *will* do it again if you open your mouth one more time," he threatened.

"What the hell has gotten into you lately? You aren't acting like the man I married," she said, holding back the tears she felt burning her eyes. "You've changed so much."

Griffin narrowed his eyes. "You don't like it, Buffy? Leave. Go back to your fuck toy in Sunnydale. Or maybe you have one around here and I just haven't figured it out yet."

Desperate to get away from his cheating wife, he breezed past her and left the house, slamming the back door behind him.

"You want me gone, Griffin? You got it."

***

Angel was stepping out of the shower when he heard the pounding on his back garden door. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he padded barefoot through the main room to find out who it was. "Coming!" he called. 'Who the hell could it be? It's ten o'clock on a Monday night,' Angel thought.

He pulled back the curtains and turned on the light he'd had installed over the door. When he saw the tiny figure standing on the patio, Angel frowned. "Buffy," he greeted after opening the door. She was the last person he expected to see on his doorstep.

Buffy held her suitcases in her hands. "Can I come in, Angel?"

Stepping aside, Angel allowed her to enter. "What are you doing here?" he asked hotly. "Shouldn't you be at home with your husband?"

"I left him. Griffin and I are over."

***

17

Angel brought his thumb and pointer finger to the bridge of his nose, rubbing it. As soon as Buffy walked through the door, he developed a pounding headache. "What did you say?"

She put her bags down on the carpeted floor. "I'm leaving my husband."

"Really. Well, congratulations. How long is this going to last? Longer than the last time, I hope. A few days? A week? Maybe even a month?"

His tone cut her like a knife. "I mean it this time. It's not just a few days, it's forever."

"Forever? Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it."

"Angel, I packed up as much of my stuff as I could fit in these two suitcases," Buffy explained. "I bought a one-way plane ticket from Wichita to Sunnydale and I left Griffin a note saying that it was over. Why don't you believe me?"

Angel lifted his eyebrows. "Your track record of late hasn't been all that convincing. Allow me to prove it to you." He walked over to the fireplace and picked up a wooden box that rested on the shelf above. "I got this letter in the mail a few weeks ago, perhaps you'll recognize it. 'My dearest Angel. What I am about to write is the hardest thing I have ever written. I love you; I have for half of my life. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm married. And I love my husband, too. Maybe not in the same way I love you, but it's still a deeply-rooted love. I can't turn my back on my marriage, no matter how much trouble it is in. I owe it to my husband to give it a second chance.'"

He looked up at her. "Shall I continue? There's more."

Buffy shook her head. "No, you don't have to. I know what I wrote, it haunts me every day. You think I wanted to write that letter? I didn't. I wanted to stay with you."

"Then why didn't you?" he demanded between gritted teeth.

"It's complicated."

He sat down on the couch. "So tell me. It is ten o'clock on a Monday night. I don't have anywhere else to be."

"Don't you want to get dressed?" She pointed to the white towel wrapped around his lean waist and the droplets of water dripping down his chest.

"You've seen me in less as I recall," he responded shortly.

"I'm sorry, I really am," she apologized. "And you have every reason in the world to be angry with me. I wouldn't blame you for hating me, Angel. Not one bit."

Angel sighed, chewing on his lower lip. "I've told you this before, Buffy. I don't hate you. But the choices you've made recently have confused the hell out of me. Considering it's my life you are screwing with, I think I deserve an explanation. Are you going to give me one?"

Nodding, Buffy sat down on the reclining chair to the right of the couch. "Yes. I-I left you that night so I could face my husband alone. You would have tried to stop me or tried to go with me. Don't deny it, I know you too well. Ending my marriage to Griffin was something I needed to do all on my own. So I took a bus back to Wichita and walked into my house with every intention of telling Griffin it was over."

"What changed your mind?"

"I looked into my husband's eyes and I saw the hurt in them. He would never have cheated on me like I had on him. I behaved irrationally and he didn't deserve that. Okay, so maybe he did, but that doesn't make it right. He apologized, swore up and down that he acted like a child and would never let it happen again. We tried to start our marriage over again with a clean slate. I owed it to him for all the good years we had together."

"The four years with me meant nothing, right?" he questioned.

"You don't understand. Griffin's my husband; you're not." 'Nice argument, Buffy. Why don't you just take a chainsaw to his heart.'

"But I wanted to be!" Angel yelled. "You make it sound like I left you. You said no when I proposed to you."

"You did leave me! You took off without letting me explain why I said no. I spent three days in my bedroom crying because you walked away, and by the time I was ready to face the world you had left town. I walked over to your house and your mother told me you drove off to parts unknown. Angel, I never wanted things to end like that; god, I never wanted things to end with you at all! I loved you, I wanted to spend my life with you. God help me, I still do."

Angel stood up. "You have a very funny way of showing it, Buffy."

"I know that; I know how much I must have hurt you by saying no all those years ago, and then when I left after the reunion. And I have apologized for that over and over again. It'll haunt me for the rest of my life. What more do you want from me?" she wanted to know.

"I don't know. I was all ready to leave that chapter of my life behind me but you showed up at my door tonight. You keep running in and out of my life and I can't keep track of what you want anymore. One minute you want to be with me, the next minute you don't. Actually, I do know what I want from you. I want you to make up your mind," Angel stated. "You have to choose between your husband and me."

"I made up my mind, I know who I want to be with. And it's you."

"Until you remember your husband tomorrow morning."

Buffy shook her head. She knew it wouldn't be easy to make Angel believe her, given the events of the past few weeks. "I left Griffin. He lied to me. You never did that."

"What did he lie about?"

"Remember how I told you he'd never hit me before the night of the reunion? Well, he promised it would never happen again. He kept his word until this afternoon when he slapped me again. He found your phone number and address in my desk and flew off the handle. I refuse to be anyone's punching bag."

"Oh. So you came running to me for protection?"

"Dammit, Angel, I love you!"

"I love you, too. But that doesn't give you the right to treat me like you have been."

"I made a huge mistake and it hurt you, I get that. But I want to be with you. If I could turn back the clock to the day you proposed to me, I'd say yes. I was young and foolish. I didn't know what a good thing I had until it was gone."

Angel took a deep breath. "I want to be with you. Unfortunately, I can't be right now."

"Why not?"

"I'll let you stay here, but nothing will happen between us while you are still married. When you divorce Griffin, I will be here, ready and willing to give our relationship a second chance. But only if you're legally divorced," Angel told her.

"I'm not divorcing him."

"Buffy-"

"I am asking Griffin for an annulment. That way the marriage will never have existed and I'll be free to marry the man I love. I want to marry you in front of our family and friends, and in the eyes of God. And it will happen, come hell or high water."

***

18

Sitting at the kitchen table reading the morning paper, Angel heard the spare bedroom door open at ten o'clock. He'd been up for three hours already, a habit he found hard to break over the summer months. Throughout his entire life Angel had been an early riser.

Buffy trudged into the room after fixing her hair and brushing her teeth. "Morning," she greeted with an exaggerated yawn.

"Morning." He eyed her choice of bedtime apparel: a white tank top and plaid green boxer shorts. She'd worn the same thing when they were in high school. 'At least it's not something out of the Victoria's Secret catalog.' "How did you sleep?"

"Okay, I guess. Comfy bed, but I'd forgotten how sticky the air gets in California at night. You should really invest in an air conditioner."

"I'll put it on the top of my to-do list," Angel replied sarcastically, putting a spoonful of cereal in his mouth. "Do you want something to eat?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Sure. What do you have?"

"Cereal, eggs, toast and I think there might be some frozen hash brown patties in the freezer, but they are probably freezer burnt. The last time I remember eating one was back in 2000."

"I think I'll stay away from them, then." Buffy walked over to the refrigerator, laughing at what she found inside. "Eggs, cheese, milk and a bottle of red wine…when was the last time you went grocery shopping?"

"Awhile. I wasn't exactly expecting company or else I would have stocked up on the five basic food groups."

"I didn't mean it like that," she responded defensively.

"I know, and I didn't mean for that to come out the way it did. Let's just say it's been quite some time since I did any grocery shopping. I'm more of a fast food kind of guy."

She prepared herself a bowl of Cocoa Krispies. "What you need around here is a woman's touch. Someone to make you good meals. Healthy meals."

"Dru tried and failed. Believe me, she tried."

"Who's Dru?"

"My ex-girlfriend. We met in graduate school and both got jobs working at Sunnydale High. We broke up a few years ago."

Buffy nodded in understanding. "Oh. Are those her clothes in the closet?" She recalled the nightgown she'd worn the night of the reunion and assumed it belonged to his ex.

"Yeah. She and I broke up about six months before I moved in here, but she stayed in that room for a few weeks while her house was being remodeled. We kinda started seeing each other again but it didn't work out. I never got around to giving her back her clothes after it happened, and she never asked for them back," Angel explained.

"Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

"Mutual parting of ways. We just wanted different things out of life. Drusilla wanted to settle down and get married and I didn't want to. I couldn't see her as the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. In all honesty, it was because she wasn't you."

Buffy didn't know what to say. After listening to him speak, she suddenly felt an enormous amount of guilt over marrying Griffin. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I wish I had never-"

The sound of pounding at the door interrupted her before she could finish. Angel narrowed his eyes at the disruption; he wasn't expecting company. Everyone he knew was at work except for his parents, and they rarely ever visited so early in the day. "Wait right here, Buffy. I'll be back in a minute."

He got up to answer the door. Just as he had the night before, Angel pulled back the curtains to see who stood on the other side. "You've got to be kidding me," he mumbled. With a heavy sigh he opened the glass door. "What the hell do *you* want?"

Looking as if he hadn't slept all night, Griffin Montgomery darkened his blue eyes. "Where's my wife, Brennan?"

"I don't know. Did you misplace her? Leave her someplace after a fit of rage?" Angel retorted. "That seems to be your M.O.."

"Go to hell. Where is she?"

"You expect me to know? Buffy's your wife, not mine. It's not my problem you can't keep track of her."

Griffin shook with anger. He was in no mood to play games with his wife's ex-boyfriend. "She left me, okay? Now tell me where the hell she is, dammit!"

"After the way you treated her, I don't blame her one bit for leaving you. Let me guess, you lost your temper yet again and used her to get your aggressions out," Angel taunted. "A wife is not a punching bag."

He ignored Angel's remark. "I've called all of her friends and no one has seen or heard from Buffy. Angel, you're my last hope or I wouldn't even be here."

"How did you even get this address? It's not listed."

"She had it written down. Now stop fucking with me and bring her to me," Griffin ordered.

"Well, gee, since you put it so nicely…no! Even if I did know where she was, I wouldn't tell you if my life depended on it," he said with a smirk. "I've seen the way you treat her, and I wouldn't wish that on anybody. Now get off my property before I call the police."

"Do you mind if I take a look around first?" Griffin requested, taking a step through the partially opened door.

Angel opened the door a few inches wider, then slammed it against the other man's face as he tried to walk through. Griffin stumbled backward and held his hands to his bleeding nose. "Gee, I guess I do mind."

"I think you broke my nose! I'm pressing charges," the injured man threatened.

"Go ahead, I'll press my own," Angel countered. "Trespassing, forced entry and I'm sure there are a few others I'm forgetting. That assault charge will be thrown out faster than you can even exhale. I also have friends on the force who'll make the charges against you stick like super glue. Take my advice, get out of Sunnydale before they find you."

"Can you at least give Buffy a message for me?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Maybe. What's the message?"

"I'm staying at the Sunnydale Motel, room 403. Have her meet me at three o'clock in my room so we can talk."

"No. The only place you'll be meeting her is in a public area, if she were even to agree to it. God only knows what you'll do to her if you are alone."

Griffin rolled his eyes. "Fine. There's a park across the street from the motel. She and I can meet there. Is that public enough for you?"

"It's perfect. Now leave."

"Will you give her the message?"

"If I talk to her. Maybe."

Angel slammed the door shut and closed the curtains to keep the man from looking inside. When he returned to the kitchen he found Buffy standing by the sink with her head in her hands. "He's gone," he told her.

She looked up, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "I should have known he'd find me. Thank you for not telling him I'm here. The last thing I want to do is see him right now."

"He wants to meet with you today at three."

"I know. I heard everything you two said."

Angel placed his palm under her chin, lifting her head so that she looked him in the eye. He wanted so badly to kiss her and make all her pain go away, but knew it would only complicate things; he had to remind himself that their relationship would have to be strictly platonic until her annulment was finalized. "You don't have to see him if you don't feel up to it."

Buffy shook her head. "I may not be ready now, but by three o'clock I'll have plenty to say to him." She sniffled. "How hard did you slam that door? I heard his nose crack from all the way back here."

"Hard enough to make him bleed," he replied with a satisfied smile. "But I don't think it's broken."

"Too bad. It would have served the bastard right. And I would have loved to see it."

***

19

"Okay…Right…Got it. Are you sure about this? Is that even legal?" Angel asked over the phone. "All right, I'll tell her. Thanks, Spike. See you later this week. Bye."

Once he'd hung up the phone, Buffy looked at Angel with suspicion in her eyes. "Your lawyer's name is Spike? Where did you find him?"

"Spike is his nickname. His real name is William Roberts," he informed her. "And he's an old friend from college. We dormed together freshman year and have been good friends ever since."

She nodded. "Oh. Well, what did he have to say? And is what legal?"

"First of all, you have a consultation with him tomorrow at noon. He'll go over everything you need to know about getting your marriage annulled. Also, he doesn't advise that you see Griffin this afternoon; he thinks it'll be easier on you if you let him deal with it."

Buffy shook her head in disagreement. "I need to do this. I have to face Griffin sooner or later. And I'd rather it be sooner."

"That's what I figured. Spike understands that he can't stop you from going, but if you are going to see him you might as well use it to your advantage. He suggested that you keep a tape recorder in your purse and record your meeting."

She scrunched up her nose. "Is that legal?"

Angel smiled at her question, given that he had asked the same thing. "According to him, it is. You can use it as a bargaining chip if he says something incriminating. In case he wants to contest the annulment or something of that nature."

"Do you think he will contest it?"

"I wish I knew, Buffy. But Spike doesn't think he will. A divorce means alimony and given the circumstances…"

"But what about the fact that I cheated on him?" she questioned. "He could use that against me."

"Griffin doesn't have to know about that. He can make accusations, but as long as he can't prove it, it's your word against his. The battered wife versus the abusive husband. Spike guarantees you the annulment; Griffin won't have any choice but to give it to you."

She exhaled the breath she'd been holding. "Are you coming with me to the park?"

He shook his head. "No. Me being there will only complicate things for you. Besides, I've got some grocery shopping to do."

***

By the time three-ten rolled around, Griffin had just about given up hope that Buffy would show for their meeting. He'd been sitting on the park bench for twenty minutes waiting for her, and she was ten minutes late. It crossed his mind that Angel didn't give her the message, but didn't see him as the type to do such a thing.

"Didn't expect me to show up, did you?" a voice from behind him asked.

He turned around and saw his wife standing a foot away. Her face wore an unreadable expression, and he knew he had his work cut out for him if he was going to convince her to return home with him. "I wasn't sure, to be completely honest."

"Well, I had my doubts about coming." Buffy made her way around to the side of the bench and sat down next to him. "But it's something I knew I had to do."

"Let me say what I have to say," Griffin began. "Buffy, I am so sorry for what I did. Hurting you was the last thing I ever wanted to do. You're my entire life and I love you more than anything in the world. And I screwed up big time."

"You certainly got that right."

Griffin took her hand and grasped it tightly. "I want to make it up to you."

"It's too late for that."

"No, no it can't be. I made one little mistake and you want to throw away all our years together?"

Buffy gaped at her husband, unable to believe what he'd just said. "One little mistake? We've been over this before, Griffin. Hitting me isn't simply a little mistake. How can I ever be able to trust you? Now I know that I can't. I let it go once, but never again. It's over."

"Whatever happened to second chances?" he demanded.

"I gave you one and you messed it up. I won't give you a second second chance; some things cannot be forgiven."

'No. This can't be happening.' "I'll do anything if you'll take me back. You can work, talk to any of your old high school and college friends, I'll even let you have a baby if it's that important to you."

Something inside of Buffy snapped with his last statement. "You'll let me? You'll *let* me? Excuse me, but whose life is this? You don't get to decide when I have a child. I do. And as of right now, you are the last man on earth I would want to raise a child with."

"Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"Yeah you did," she said with a smirk. "Nothing you can say or do or even promise me will convince me to take you back."

"What exactly do you plan on doing?" Griffin wanted to know.

"I have a consultation with a lawyer tomorrow. I want an annulment. The marriage is over. I want nothing more to do with you. As far as I'm concerned, this marriage never happened."

He shook his head. "You can't mean that."

"I can and I do. The next time we talk will be through our lawyers." Buffy stood up to leave. "You'll be hearing from mine shortly."

Griffin grabbed her forcefully. "It won't happen, Buffy. If you think I'll let you walk away from me, you are sadly mistaken."

"You don't have a choice in the matter. You either agree to the annulment or I sue for divorce. Considering that you slapped me twice, I have enough evidence to get a hefty settlement. Give it up, Griffin, it's over."

"What are you going to do now? Shack up with your ex-boyfriend slash lover?" he shouted angrily.

"What I do with my personal life from this point on is none of your business. Angel is a good friend, he cares about me and what I want. And that's more than I can say for you," she shot back.

"How can you throw away nine happy years?"

She yanked herself from his grasp. "How can you live with yourself after treating me the way you have? Just give me the annulment. If you ever loved me you'll let me be happy."

"Is this what you want, or what Angel wants?"

"It's what I want. Will you do it?"

"I'll give it consideration. That's the best I can do right now," he answered. "But you should know I'm not ready for this to be over. We can work through this."

Buffy pulled a piece of paper out of her purse and handed it to him. "No, we can't. This is my attorney's phone number. His name is William Roberts. Call him when you have an answer; don't call me or go near Angel. He might actually break your nose next time. And I wouldn't put it past him."

***

20

"Dinner was great, Angel," Buffy complimented later that evening. "I can't get over what a good cook you are."

He shrugged his shoulders as he washed a plate in the sink. "I'm not a good cook, I'm just really good at following the directions on the back of the box."

Buffy laughed, taking the plate out of his hand so she could dry it. Their hands touched, and she felt a surge of electricity shoot through her body. Quickly, she moved her hand away. "Well, you're better off than I am. The only thing I excel at is making reservations."

"I think you're being too hard on yourself," Angel admonished. "Didn't you tell me that Griffin wanted you home to make dinner every night?"

"He did want me home, but that doesn't mean I was any good at it. I can make simple things, like spaghetti, and chicken, and macaroni and cheese. Other than that, it's take-out or dine in."

He handed her a glass to dry. "Still love Chinese food?"

"Oh yeah. Orange chicken, mixed vegetables, rice…you're making me hungry again! It has been so long since I've had a good Chinese dinner. Griffin can't stand it, though, so we never went out for it. The best place in Sunnydale for Chinese was-"

"Tai Pei," Angel interrupted.

"Yep. *Please* tell me it's still around."

"And still going strong. They relocated near the high school last year, so I stop by at least once a week during my free period."

Tossing the towel on the counter, Buffy turned around and leaned her back against it, resting her elbows on the Formica tiles. "You as a teacher. It's a shock and yet it's not."

"How so?"

"I don't know. Back in high school you were so smart; hell, you're the only reason I even graduated. When we first started hanging out after I moved here, I pictured you as a brainy professor-type. But that was before I got to know you. I suppose I figured you'd end up as a doctor and not a teacher."

"A brainy professor-type?" Angel laughed with raised eyebrows. "Thanks, I think."

"You know what I mean. Although I'm sure your female students are happy you chose teaching as your profession."

He didn't quite know how to take her last statement. "Meaning…?"

"Come on, Angel. You can't honestly tell me you don't know how good-looking you are. I'm willing to bet that a lot of your female students purposely stay after school for additional help. Am I right?"

"Well, I do offer review classes."

"And what's the ratio of girls to boys? Truthfully."

After thinking for several moments, Angel replied, "Two to one."

"I knew it. Those girls only stay after so you can be their eye candy. Take it from a girl who used to do the same thing when she was their age."

"What teacher did you gawk at back then? And why didn't I know about it?" he questioned playfully.

She had to smile at his naïveté. "It was you, silly. Remember the day Larry Munson gave you that black eye because I told him we were going to Homecoming together? I didn't really need help on my Math homework. I just waned to be near you. And I would do it again in a heartbeat."

"I never knew that."

"You do now. And now that you know about all those female students of yours, do I have to beat them off with a stick if they try anything smart?"

Angel chuckled. "I think we've still got plenty of time before we need to worry about that happening."

"Oh." Her tone didn't hide her disappointment. 'I guess it will be quite a while before Angel lets me back into his life.'

He could sense what was going through Buffy's mind. "School doesn't start for another two months. The only girls you need to be worried about are the ones on the softball team I coach. But they are absolutely no threat. You are the only girl I have eyes for. Or designs on."

***

At five minutes to ten, Buffy and Angel sat on his couch, relaxing and watching television. "I don't get it," she started. "How can you watch this stuff?"

"It's entertainment."

"Still…it's not reality-based. And it's not like you don't know what happens to these characters in the future. Clark becomes Superman and falls in love with Lois Lane. Lana ends up with a kid that isn't Clark's, Lex becomes a supervillain, and who cares what happens to Chloe and Whitney. Do I even need to mention that the woman who plays Clark's mother played Lana in one of the Superman movies? And don't you find it the least bit humorous that Bo Duke is Clark's father?"

Angel sighed. "Buffy, it's a television show. The reason I like it so much is because I know what happens to them. I know Clark and Lana won't end up together. I don't like those shows where you fall in love with a couple and you wait seven years for them to finally get together, only to have them end up on separate shows with no chance in hell of ever being truly happy. Why should I waste my energy?"

"Are you done with your rant?"

"Yes."

"Good. No offense, but you need a life."

Before Angel had a chance to respond, the telephone rang. Reaching over, he picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Hello, Peaches."

Groaning at the voice he recognized, Angel shook his head. "Hi, Spike. What's going on? Are you at Willie's Bar and had your car keys stolen again?"

"Very funny, mate. That only happened once, thank you very much. This is a business call for your girl. Is she still there?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, hold on." Angel passed the phone to Buffy. "It's for you. It's Spike, so I assume it has something to do with the annulment."

She put the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi, Buffy. This is Spike Roberts, your attorney. Sorry for calling so late; I hope I didn't interrupt anything important."

"Not at all. Is something wrong?"

"Quite the contrary. I am calling with very good news, in fact. I just got off the phone with Griffin Montgomery. It seems your meeting this afternoon went exceptionally well. He agreed to the annulment," Spike told her. "He called me half an hour ago."

Her green eyes opened as wide as saucers. "You're kidding."

"I'm not. With his full cooperation, your marriage should be dissolved by the end of September at the latest. Congratulations, Buffy. We'll go over more of the details when we meet tomorrow. I just had to call and tell you."

"Thank you so much."

"You're welcome."

They said their goodbyes and Buffy turned off the phone. She saw Angel's expectant look and grinned at him. "Griffin agreed to the annulment."

"That's great news. I'm happy for you."

The two embraced over the unexpected news; they were one step closer to being together. "Thank you, Angel," Buffy whispered in his ear.

"What for?"

"For being here. For giving me the strength to leave an unhappy marriage. And for loving me."

They faced each other and stared in one anothers' eyes for several seconds before moving their heads closer together. Their lips met in a soft kiss that surprised both of them, but neither pulled away from it. Both of them wanted it, both of them needed it. They'd been dancing around it since Buffy arrived on his doorstep, though they did nothing about it. Now they couldn't stop fate from following its course.

Buffy wound her arms around his back, feeling the muscles contract as their kiss deepened. Her body was pressed against his, her soft one contrasting to his hard one. While their tongues danced with frenzy, their hands roamed, seeking out new treasures to discover. They throbbed for one another; Buffy ached for his touch in a way she had for no other. Even in high school, her desire for him hadn't been this strong.

Angel did his best to ignore the tiny voice in his head that told him to stop. All he wanted to do was kiss her, touch her, feel her as if it were for the first and last time. He wanted to love her, to take her in every room of the mansion, to make love to her the way he had planned to ten years earlier. But it had to be perfect; and groping like teenagers on his living room couch wasn't the perfection he craved. The night of the reunion had been frantic and rushed. Their "true" first time would begin as something much more romantic.

"Buffy, stop," he said, pulling her hands from under his shirt. "We can't do this. Not right now."

She gazed at him with confusion written all over her face. "What are you talking about? I want you and it's fairly obvious you want me. What's the big problem?"

"You're still married."

"Not for long."

"I can't be with you like that until you're not married anymore. I'm sorry," Angel apologized. "This - us - has to be platonic until Griffin is out of the picture forever."

Buffy groaned in frustration; she'd never met anyone as stubborn as Angel Brennan. "Angel, that could be months from now. Do you really want to wait that long? I know I don't. How about we compromise. After I sign the first set of papers for the annulment, we celebrate by making love. Can you agree to that? As a sign of faith that I have every intention of leaving Griffin."

Even though his better judgement told him to say no, Angel's hormones took over. "Okay. But no sooner."

"Can we at least make out a little until then?"

He laughed at her suggestion. "I don't know…I seem to have a hard time keeping my hands off of you."

"No complaints here," she said, pushing his head towards hers for another kiss.

Go to Part 21