DISCLAIMER: I own none of the characters, unless I feel really peachy and decide to add one of my own.
TIMELINE: S5 of BtVS and S2 of A:TS
SPOILERS: "Family" and  "Guise Will Be Guise"
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is my first try at a challenge fic, so if it sucks, I'm sorry.  The whole challenge is at the bottom of this page.
FEEDBACK: If good, wanted, if bad, not wanted.  So, please, oh please, can I have some nice feedback???  I really like to read it. *g*
RATING: G (maybe PG just in case)

Part 1

"I think that Dawn should go stay with your father," Giles requested setting his glasses down the coffee table.

"Can't," Buffy replied. "Dad's in Spain with his secretary, on a business trip."

"Erm, yes," Giles murmured, rubbing his head. "Dawn is quite fond of Angel, is she not?"

"Yes…" Buffy answered slowly. "Giles…"

"Send her to him," Giles said holding up his hand to silence her. "He'll keep her safe, protect her."

"Giles," Buffy kept protesting.

"I'm sorry, Buffy," Giles answered. "I think that it would be safer for Dawn to go to LA."

"I'm going to LA?"

Buffy and Giles turned to see Dawn leaning against the doorway with a questioning look on her face.

"Yeah," Buffy answered with a fake smile on her face. "You'll be staying with Angel for a while."

"Angel?" Dawn's eyes lit up, Angel was nice.

"Yes," Giles answered. "You leave tonight.  Is that alright?"

"Okay…" Dawn raised an eyebrow as she turned and slowly made her way up the stairs.

*********

"So…" Dawn said as they drove down the road to LA. "Why am I going to LA?  It's defiantly not some social call, is it?"

"It's because Mom's sick," Buffy answered, without looking up from her latest issue of Cosmo. "Maybe if we both gave her some time to herself she'd get better."

"And where are you going?" Dawn asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Riley's."

Dawn shuddered.  Riley was probably a demon or something.  He was creepy.  At least should be getting away from Fish-Boy.  She giggled silently, "Fish-Boy" it suited him well, he sure looked like one.

"What are you laughing about?" Buffy asked, turning around in her seat to look at Dawn.

Dawn shrugged, "Nothing."

Buffy shook her head and turned back around; Dawn smiled slyly as she settled back in her seat, another giggle accidentally coming out of her throat.

*********

"Angel?" Giles' voice rang through the hotel.

"Angel's not here right - Oh, hi," Cordelia's voice came out from a room.

"Hi, Cordy," Buffy said looking at her surroundings.  Angel had some money.  This place was nice. "We have a favor we need to ask Angel."

"Angel's not here right now," Cordelia replied icily.  She smirked, "He's actually helping people."

Buffy rolled her eyes at Cordelia and looked around for Dawn, who, once again, wasn't there.

"Dawn?" No answer. "Dawn?" Again no answer. "Dawn?!"

"What?" Dawn's voice came from above, sounding annoyed.

"What are you doing?" Buffy's voice came in the same tone.

"Checking out Angel's digs, of course," she replied, rolling her eyes as she came down the stairs to stand with her sister.

"Hey, Dawn," Cordelia greeted warmly.

"Hey, Cordy," Dawn smiled brightly. "How's business?"

"Pretty good," she answered.  Cringing at the thought, "Despite the fact that - never mind, I'll tell ya later."

"Okay."

The door slammed behind them and they all turned to see Angel and another man came in.  Angel glanced at the visitors as he passed them, "Hey, Dawn," was all he said as he entered the room Cordelia had come out of.

"Hi," she answered brightly.

Angel came back out, his arms folded. Dawn and Cordelia could feel the tension radiating off Buffy and Angel.

"You know what?" asked Cordelia. "Dawn and I are just gonna go shopping while you people scream and pull each other's hair out, okay?"

Grabbing her purse with one hand and Dawn's arm with the other, they quickly made there way out of the building.

"What do you need Buffy?" Angel's monotonous voice came.

"It's about Dawn."

Angel raised an eyebrow, "What about her?"

"A demon's after her.  A powerful one."

"Why?"

"Well," Giles stepped in, explaining the whole story to Angel. (A.N. I really didn't feel like explaining the whole thing cause I'm not real sure on the whole story yet about Dawn)

"And so you need me to keep her safe?"

Buffy nodded, "But, Angel, please don't tell her the real reason why she's here.  She'd wig out on us."

Angel smiled at the word "wig", he hadn't heard that in a long time.  That was something the "Old Buffy" would say, he frowned, not this "New and Improved Buffy" that he really wasn't found of.

"Alright," Angel agreed, somewhat reluctantly.

"Thank you so much, Angel," Buffy said, somewhat relieved of the tension she had.  She gave him a quick hug before pulling back quickly.  Turning she fled the building, with Giles and Angel looking worriedly behind her.

"You're welcome," came the soft reply.

Part 2

"Do you really think that was a good idea, Giles?" Buffy questioned when they were back on the highway.

"It seemed the only logical way," Giles replied looking at the distressed Slayer. "Dawn and Angel get along nicely and he can protect her."

"I know," Buffy sighed. "I guess your right."

*********

"Hey, Angel," Dawn's voice came cutting through the silence in the hotel.

Angel looked up to see Dawn coming in with several shopping bags, with a grinning Cordelia right behind.

"Hi, Dawn."

Dawn set down the bags and came bounding over to the couch that Angel was sitting on, "So… how's everything?"

"Good."

"Gee… not talkable today, are we?"

"What did you give her, Cordy?" Angel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A mocha from Starbucks and a 20 oz. Mountain Dew," she answered with a slight grin.

Angel groaned, "Don't tell me she's gonna be like this all night?"

"I am!" Dawn's voice came from upstairs.

It was Cordelia's turn to groan, "Sorry, Angel."

"It's okay."

"Maybe if she watches you brooding, she'll get unhyper!"

"Funny, Cordelia."

"I thought so!" Dawn's voice said again, this time on the main floor again.

This was going to be an interesting night.

*********

"My head hurts," Dawn whined.

"That's what happens when Cordelia gives you to much caffeine."

"Thanks, Cordy."

Cordelia just smiled as she tried to organize the papers on the counter.

"Oh, by the way," Cordelia said, looking up from her organizing. "You start school at Hemery on Tuesday."

Dawn gazed up from the sofa and replied, "Fine.  Peachy.  Can I go back to bed?"

"No, Dawn," Angel told her. "Sleeping more gets you more tired."

"Isn't it the other way around?" Dawn raised an eyebrow.

"Nope," Cordelia said. "Angel would know.  Trust me.  Darla's been in his dreams, so he sleeps a lot and then he's way tired."

"Who's Darla?"

"Nobody," Angel answered while Cordelia said at the same time, "His sire."

"He has dreams about his sire?"

"Oh, yes… steamy ones…" Cordelia answered.

"Steamy?"

"Can we drop it?" Angel was getting annoyed.

"Fine, fine," Cordelia replied with a slight smirk. "But don't start pretending everything's Darla again."

Angel growled.

*********

School started for Dawn.  All the teacher's kept glaring at her, though, every time she said she was Buffy's little sister.  It was probably cause Buffy had burnt down the school gym, like, 5 years ago.  The new gym was nice though, and she had no intentions of burning it down, in case they were worried or something.  Hemery was nice, especially the gym, which Buffy had personally burnt down, of course.  A lot of people thought she was cool cause her sister had burnt it down, mostly the boys.  Figures.

*********

"Honey, I'm home!" came Dawn's gleeful voice as she entered the hotel.

"Hey, Dawn," Cordelia replied. "Buffy called in case you wanna call her back."

Dawn shrugged, "I'll call her.  Rub it in that I'm staying with Angel and she's not.  Did you know how good of an actress that girl is?  I swear, I hear her every night crying about Angel and then she's perfectly fine the next morning, hanging all over Riley," Dawn shuddered at the name, "She's seems so great, huh?  Ha!  Live with her.  She's like totally missing Angel."

Cordelia was astonished that she had heard this. Buffy's little show last time at the police station had completely erased all doubt that she loved Angel.  

Dawn headed into the office to use the phone as Angel slowly retreated back into the confines of his room, ready to brood some more after what he had just heard come out of Dawn's mouth.

*********

"What?" Riley angrily asked. "You left her with Angel?  As in the one that beat me up?  But he's such a jerk."

Buffy looked up silently.  She didn't say anything.  After hearing Riley rant and rave about this for an hour, she didn't know if she could go any longer without beating him to a bloody pulp.

"Why do you trust him?  He's a vampire!"

"With a soul!  And you if you can't get that through your thick skull, Riley, you must be dumber than Dawn thought!"

Riley was taken back at her sudden outrage.  She never yelled at him.

"She's going to be staying with Angel until I get rid of this Glory chick, okay?  And if I have to get Faith to help me, I will!  Okay?  JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Riley stood there to stunned to speak.

"Oh," Buffy's voice was calmer as she looked at him straight in the eyes. "We are so over as of now.  You can leave now."

Riley nodded dumbly as he walked robot like to the door and leaving.

Buffy stretched her neck and groaned as she walked up the stairs, "Now is the time for a hot bath.  With bubbles!" she smiled.  And maybe tomorrow she'd go see Angel.  What a pleasant thought.

Part 3

Buffy leaned back in the worn seat of Xander's car as they sped down the highway.

"So, Buff, you left Dawn with Dead-Boy, huh?  How'd Riley take it?"

"Not very well," Buffy replied. "Anyway, not like it matters, I broke up with him."

"Really."

"Yeah," Buffy answered, taking out a nail file and started to file her nails. "He was totally dissing Angel.  That's a 'no-no' in my book."

"I see."

*********

As Dawn came into the main floor of the Hyperion Hotel, or that's what Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley called it, the phone rang.

"'Lo?"

"Is Angel there?" the voice, a woman's, on the other line said.

"He's not here right now, can I take a message?" Dawn inquired.

"Yeah, tell him Kate," so her name was Kate, huh?  Wait till Buffy heard about this. "Called and that I'd like to get together on Friday.  He knows my number, tell him to call me."

"'Kay," Dawn wrote this down. "I'll have him cal you A.S.A.P"

"Thanks," with that she hung up.

Dawn smirked, wait till Buffy heard about this, that Kate chick was going down.

*********

Buffy walked through the doors of the hotel confidently, Xander following behind meekly.

"Man, Angel has a nice place."

"Thanks."

Buffy to Angel with a small smile on her face, "Hey, Angel.  Dawn here?"

"Yeah.  She's in her room.  3rd floor, room 312.  Elevator's over there."

"Thanks," Buffy flashed him a smile. "Xander stay."

"Okay," Xander said plopping down on the couch. "Woof."

Angel watched with a slight smirk as Buffy disappeared down the hallway to the elevator.

"So… Angel," Xander said, trying to start a conversation. "Nice place.  How'd you find it?"

"Stayed here during the 50's," Angel answered, turning to look at Xander. "A paranoia demon lived here before I killed it."

Xander winced, he did not need to know that.

"How's Dawn?"

"Good."

"Still brooding?"

Angel glared at him, causing Xander to throw his hands up in defense and say, "Just wondering, geeze."

Angel turned away from Xander and started to watch for Buffy.

*********

"So… tell me," Buffy said, as she sat down heavily on the sofa in Dawn's room, which was huge. "How's it here?"

"Good," came Dawn's cryptic answer. "Cordy has a lot of 'information'."

"'Information'?"

"Oh, yeah…" Dawn started. "Supposedly Angel's been having dreams about Darla, who was brought back from the dead last spring by some demon law firm.  And the dreams are supposed to be steamy."

"Steamy?" Buffy raised an eyebrow.  How dare Darla touch Angel.  When she got Angel, she was gonna kill Darla for touching her Angel.

"Yeah," Dawn replied nonchalantly. "Then this chick called, I think her name was Kate, or something.  She wanted Angel to call her about getting together on Friday."

Buffy's blood was boiling now.

"I'm glad Angel's getting out," Dawn said, picking out the outfit she was wearing the next day at school. "He broods way to much.  At least you have Riley."

"I broke up with Riley."

Dawn was curious now, "You broke up with Riley?"

"Yeah," Buffy cocked her head to one side and sighed. "He was dissing Angel and I got fed up with it.  You were right, he is an idiot."

Dawn smiled in triumph.  Wait till Angel heard about that. "I'm glad you agree with me."

"So did Xander."

"Xander?"

"Yeah, he's downstairs."

"Really?!"

"Yes…"

"Eek!"

Dawn burst out of the room and Buffy could hear her feet pounding down three flight of stairs.  That was weird, "Okay…"

*********

Dawn paused to straighten her hair and clothes, then proceeded into the foyer.  She walked in and she sighed, there was Xander, all perfect and cute and stuff.

"Hey, Xander," Dawn casually walked over and sat down next to him.

"Hey, Dawn," Xander replied, giving her a quirky smile. "How's it going staying with Dead-Boy?"

"Pretty good," Dawn returned the smile. "He gave me a really big hotel suite to stay in.  It's huge!  But Angel has the presidential sweet, it's not fair."

"That's because of I'm older," Angel started.

"Yeah, way older," Xander muttered.

Angel scowled at him and continued, "And I need lots of space to do stuff."

"Like brood," Xander muttered again, causing Dawn to erupt into a fit of giggles.

Angel rolled his eyes and turned to see Buffy casually stroll down the stairs.  He smiled, but turned back around to sit next to Dawn.

"Hey, Angel?" Dawn questioned, looking at him.

"Yeah."

"Will you please, pretty please, take me to the movies?"

"Sure."

Angel could tell Dawn was prepared to say something more, but said instead, "Really?  You are so much easier to convince than Buffy."

Angel smirked and looked at Buffy who rolled her eyes and sat on the sofa across from them.

"Where's Cordy?" Buffy asked, flipping her hair back, watching Angel's eyes, which followed her every move.

"In the back."

"Thanks," now she was gonna find out about this whole Darla deal and then she'd deal with Darla.  Oh… the possibilities.

Part 4

"Cordy?" Buffy poked her head into the office.

Cordelia looked up and rolled her eyes, "Yes, Buffy?"

Buffy entered and gingerly sat down on the sofa, "What can you tell me about Darla?"

Cordelia raised an eyebrow and answered, "She's back and human.  She wants Angel.  End of story."

"Do give the long version, Cordy."

"Why do you even care?  Last I heard you weren't exactly in love with Angel, now were you?"

Buffy's nails dug into the leather of the recliner as she answered coolly, "I care because I do love him, Cordelia, it's just, I was having emotional problems which no one knew about, not even Giles," she got up and started to pace the small space. "I finally broke it off with Riley when he finally got on my nerves."

"Took him long enough," Cordelia muttered.

Buffy smiled slightly, "How can Darla be back?"

"Oh, Wolfram and Hart brought her back in this box type thing," Cordelia reluctantly explained. "They needed her to get to Angel so they could turn him evil to work for them.  I mean, c'mon, if you had the Scourge of Europe and you were some bad ass evil law firm, you'd be infamous with all the stuff that he could do for you."

Buffy thought about it, Cordelia was right.  But still, they want to bring Angelus back?!  I don't think so!

"Anyway," Cordelia leaned back into her chair. "Darla's been coming into his room at night and filling his mind with dreams of his past, and trust me, Angel looks like he's enjoying them, ya'know?  Pretty weird, huh?"

"Well, Cordy," Buffy stated. "When you spend like 150 years with someone, I think they'd know what you enjoy, dontcha think?"

Cordelia shrugged, "Yeah, well, we haven't seen Darla in a while though, so I guess that's good."

"Why haven't you seen her?"

Cordelia's eyes focused on something outside and Buffy turned to look straight a Dawn.

"Because of her," Cordelia answered the obvious. "She has some strange power that Darla doesn't like to be around and since Angel and Dawn live in the same building, I guess the building just isn't comfortable for Darla anymore."

Buffy sighed and looked at her watch, "Well, I gotta get back to Sunnydale.  Ya'know vamps to stake, demons to kill," Buffy plastered a fake smile.

"You know Angel never really believes those smiles right?" Cordelia picked up her pen and started to write. "I mean, you guys see into each other's soul's, Riley couldn't, considering both of you aren't meant for each other."

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Cordy."

"That's what I'm here for."

Buffy laughed and shook her head, walking out of the back room.

*********

"Have you guys ever seen Dracula?" Xander was gushing out his story about being Dracula's spell on him.

"Did some damage with him in Europe," Angel answered without hesitation, getting some odd stares.  Angel shrugged, "Well, I did.  Should have seen the Slayer in Italy.  She was fast and quick, Spike tried to kill her at least twice.  But she was too damn good."

"Was she better than me?"

Angel's eyes traveled over to Buffy who had just come out of Cordelia's office, "No.  Dracula ended up killing her.  You survived."

"Yeah, but I got this nifty souvenir," Buffy said pulling back the collar of her shirt to show him the scar.

Angel looked at that scar, right over his.  Dracula had drank from Buffy.  Nobody but nobody drank from Buffy except him.  He knew Dracula would pay him a visit soon, he probably wanted to see his old pal "The Scourge of Europe" anyway.

Buffy pulled her collar back up and saw Angel's reaction.  Rage.  Uh-oh.  Angel was very mad at Dracula.

"Hey," she said softly placing a warm hand on his cheek.

Angel looked up at her, her eyes filled with concern.

"I'm fine," he said, moving away from her.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Buffy shrugged and check her watch again, "Xand?  We gotta go.  I have classes tomorrow and Giles said I need some more training."

Xander nodded and stifled a yawn.  He slowly got off the couch, for the first time noticing that Dawn's hand was on his leg.  She must have put it there by accident, he thought as he followed Buffy out the door.

*********

"Yo, Angel?  You okay?"

Dawn's voice filtered through his thoughts as he looked up from his drawing.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?" Dawn raised an eyebrow and her eyes were directed to the floor.

Angel looked down at the ground and saw what she meant.  There was pieces of notebook paper scattered all over the floor of his room, all of them a picture of Buffy.

"Angel?" Dawn's voice asked again. "You're sure your okay?"

Angel nodded and dropped the notebook down on the table beside his chair.  Picking up the pieces of paper, he sifted through them, each of them looking almost exactly like the next, except there would be a different smile there, happier or sadder eyes there.

Dawn sighed and walked away from the open door of Angel's room.  She rolled her eyes, Darla was obsessed with Angel and Angel was obsessing over Buffy.  Great love triangle there, especially when Buffy wanted to tear Darla's heart out with an ice pick or something.

Part 5

Buffy yawned as she opened the door.  She set her keys on the table by the door and began the trudge up the stairs.  She was tired and having a hard time not falling on the floor and sleeping.  Seeing that her mother wasn't home, she went into her room and opened a drawer.  She rummaged around for a bit, not finding what she wanted.  She sighed and closed the drawer, her finger coming in contact with something cold.  Picking it up from off the dresser she looked at it.

"Angel," she whispered brokenly.

Turning the Claddagh ring around in her fingers, she looked at it closely.  Written inside the band were the words "Forever".  Buffy closed her eyes for fear of tears.  She had saw at Angel's place that he still wore his.  It seems that he had given it to her mother, but her mother hadn't given it to her.  

What a bitch, she thought hatefully.

She slipped the ring back on its right finger and made her way to her bedroom.

*********

Dawn's eyes shot open.  Something was wrong, she could feel and she didn't like it.  Getting up and putting her hair in a quick ponytail, she walked out of her room and straight to Angel's.

Grabbing the door handle, she turned it, but it wouldn't open.  Shaking her head in disbelief, Dawn focused on the door handle and willed it open.  She walked in to find Darla on top of Angel, naked as the day she was born, and pulling down the comforter that covered Angel.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Dawn voice cut through the silence in Angel's room.

Darla smiled slyly and continued what she was doing.

"I don't think so!" Dawn's hand shot out and Darla was thrown across the room by a strange force.  Darla gasped and passed out with the force.

"I swear," Dawn said rolling her eyes. "'Take advantage of Angel and I'll hafta call Buffy' is what I keep saying and does anyone listen to me?  No."

She walked over to Darla and pulled a sheet off one the chairs and threw it on her.

She waved a hand over Angel's handsome features and his eyes opened.  He squinted at Dawn who was hovering over him.

"Dawn?" he asked.

"Yeah, hi," Dawn said tiredly. "Darla was in your room and I threw her across the room was my awesomely new powers that I have."

Angel raised an eyebrow, "Powers."

"Yeah," Dawn exclaimed excited. "Watch!"

She willed the door to open and Darla flew out of the room.

"Cool, huh?"

"Yeah…" Angel was taken aback about the whole thing.  Buffy needed to know about this.

*********

The annoying ringing of the phone woke up Buffy from her pleasant dream.

"I am so gonna kill whoever's calling," she muttered as she picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Buffy.  It's Angel."

I take that back, Buffy thought before answering, "Hey.  What's up?"

"It's about Dawn."

Panic gripped Buffy, "Did Glory get her?"

"No," Angel's voice soothed her nerves. "It's just, maybe you should just come down to LA and see for yourself."

Buffy didn't have to think twice, "Yeah, sure, I'll come down.  I'll be there at one, okay?"

"Sure."

Buffy hung up the phone and bounded to the bathroom, she had to get ready.

*********

"Yeah, Will, just tell all my teacher's that I'm sick," Buffy explained to Willow over the phone. "Yes, I'm gonna go see Dawn.  Angel said something was up."

"Are you sure it's just about Dawn, not even a tiny bit about Angel?" Willow was trying to pry.

Buffy smiled before answering, "Well.  Maybe a little bit about Angel."

Buffy finished putting on her eyeliner when she heard Willow take a sharp intake of breath.

"What?!" Buffy exclaimed.

"You will not believe this!" Willow said happily.  Buffy waited for her to answer. "I had all the text for Angel's curse translated after he got out of Hell and they just sent it back to me.  It seems that there's no happiness clause."

"None?  Zero?  Zilch?" Buffy asked, sitting down on the bed.

"Uh-huh."

"I love you so much, Will!  I gotta go, I'll see ya later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

Buffy quickly hung up the phone.  Grabbing her purse she rushed downstairs and grabbed her mom's keys, praying that her mother wasn't gonna get home anytime soon.

*********

"Angel?"

Buffy looked around the Hyperion as she walked in.  Nobody answered.  She walked up the stairs, looking for Angel's room.  Pausing at one of the rooms, she opened the door and stepped in.

Angel was lying on his back sleeping.  Buffy smiled softly.  He was always so handsome when he was sleeping.

Especially shirtless, her smile grew at her comment.

She walked over, taking off her shoes and climbing in next to Angel.  She laid her head on his chest and instinctively he pulled her closer.

Content with the situation, she closed her eyes and was soon asleep.

Part 6

Angel's yes opened reverently opened his eyes.  First feeling a warm body pressed to his.  Angel groaned inwardly, Darla again?  He was sure Dawn had gotten rid of her.  Looking down, he saw Buffy, sleeping peacefully in his arms.  He smiled, she was perfect.  He settled back into the mattress, letting Buffy sleep.

"Angel?" murmured Buffy softly as she slowly became awake.

"Hey," he said, tracing her cheek with his fingertip.

"Hi," she smiled up at him.

Without thinking, Angel reached down and brought her lips to his in a searing kiss.  Buffy responded immediately to the well-known kiss.  Buffy ended the kiss, they needed to talk.

"What's this I hear about Darla," Buffy asked, propping herself up on her elbow and looking at him.

"She's back."

"How bout the 'where she's in your room and you look like your enjoying it' part?" Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"Um, yeah," Angel looked away. "She knows what I like, Buffy.  She has this type of potion or something that puts me to sleep while she does that.  I don't know exactly.  But Dawn caught her naked trying to have sex with me while I was sleeping."

"That girl is defiantly weird," Buffy muttered.

Angel chuckled, "She thinks I love her."

"Do you?"

Angel gazed at her with hurt in his eyes, "It's not obvious enough?"

"So that's a 'no'?" Buffy looked up at him, smiling innocently.

"Yeah…"

Buffy kissed him once on the mouth before saying, "I miss you."

Angel kissed her back, "I miss you."

"Missed you more," Buffy snuggled against him.

Angel watched as Buffy feel asleep once again in his embrace.

*********

Darla leisurely made her way into the hotel, seeing that no one was around to see her.  She smiled wickedly as she made her way up the stairs to Angel's room.  This time that little brat would not get in her way.  She was going to get Angelus back, one way or another.

Slowly opening the door, Darla licked her lips.  Moving farther into his room, Darla started to remove her clothing until she came upon the bed.

"Well, I'll be," she muttered.

Buffy and Angel, while still in their clothing, were intimately entwined in the middle of the bed.  Darla put her shedded clothing back on and yelled, "Rise and shine!"

Buffy and Angel stirred, making Buffy give Darla a venomous look.  Angel's look was nonchalant as he nuzzled Buffy's neck with his nose.

"Angel, stop!" Buffy said, half-heartedly shoving his head away.

"Gee, I don't see why I should do anything to make him revert back to Angelus," Darla paced the room as she started to talk. "Seeing that you'll get my darling boy back for me."

"Or not," Buffy replied, rolling her eyes. "Because, you see, Willow sent that curse to get translated and there is no 'happiness clause'.  So, sorry."

Angel smirked, kissing the crown of Buffy's head.

Getting out of the bed to Angel's great disbelief, Buffy quickly went over to Darla and punched her.

"That's for touching my Angel," Buffy's voice was filled with venom.

"Your Angel?" Darla retorted with a laugh. "I made him and spent 150 years with him."

"I gave him his moment of happiness," Buffy replied, roundhousing Darla.

Recovering, Darla shot back, "You're that only… girl he had slept with in about 100 years, dear."

"I beg to differ," Angel interrupted. "Remember China, Darla?  Boxer Rebellion?"

"That was only once or twice we slept together."

"I had my soul," Angel got out of bed to stand next to Buffy. "It only took one moment of happiness to lose my soul."

Buffy approached Darla, ready to kick her ass.  Darla looked Buffy over and fled.

"Well, that was easy," Buffy replied smirking.

"So, my soul is mine?" Angel's smooth voice asked beside her ear.

"Uh-huh," Buffy replied, leaning back into him, closing her eyes.

"Should we celebrate?" Angel's hands slid around her waist.

Buffy bit her lip before answering, "Like how?"

"I don't know," Angel kissed Buffy's neck. "Dinner, maybe a kiss.  Or we could stay here."

"I'll take the latter, " Buffy turned her head to kiss Angel's lips.

Reality intruded a tiny bit when Angel said, "What about Riley?"

"Dumped him," Buffy's simple answer satisfied Angel.  She turned around, detaching Angel's hands from her waist and pushing him onto the bed. "How bout we celebrate now?"

Angel's answer was pulling her down on the bed with him.

*********

Dawn dumped her bag on the couch as she started to make her way up to her room.  But something wasn't right.  She stopped.  Darla had been her.  Bypassing her room, she opened Angel's door and peered in.  Grimacing, she closed the door softly as to not disturb her sister and Angel.  She did not need to see that.  She needed to talk to Cordelia, just in case Angel decided that his "other half" needed to pay them a visit.

*********

"Cordy?"

"Yes, Dawn?"

"Is it bad when Buffy and Angel are in the same bed without any clothes on?" Dawn asked, leaning back onto the wall.

"Yes…" Cordelia came to realization and panicked. "They went at it?  Ohmigod, our world is coming to an end.  Hand me a stake, Dawn."

"I don't think that'll be necessary, Cordy."

Dawn and Cordelia turned to Buffy, dressed in one of Angel's shirts.

"His soul is his," Buffy walked over and poured herself a cup of coffee. "He'll be down soon.  Please don't stake him."

Dawn and Cordy looked at each other dumbly as they plopped onto the couch.  Buffy rolled her eyes she heated up a blood bag and poured it into a cup for Angel.

Buffy set her coffee on the coffee table and opened the paper to the obituaries.  She skimmed down the causes of death, looking for any "different" causes of death.  Finding none, she looked up to see Angel coming down the stairs in a pair of pajama pants.  She smirked.

"Here," Buffy said, handing Angel his cup of blood when he came to her.

"Thanks," he muttered, bending down to kiss her and take the cup.

"Welcome," she replied, giggling against his lips.

Dawn rolled her eyes, those two were the President and Vice-President of PDAers.

Part 7

"Buffy?" Dawn's voice called, breaking the silence.

Buffy and Angel pulled away slightly to look at her.  They both raised their eyebrows as Dawn came toward them.

"Don't you two ever stop?" Dawn asked exasperated.

"Let me think about…" Buffy pretended to ponder it and said, "No," grinning devilishly she added, "He's just to touchable."

Angel grinned at her words, kissing her forehead.

Dawn rolled her eyes, "Anyway… they're having a 'Parent/Teacher Night' next Wednesday and since mom obviously can't come, could you please come?  But try to keep the PDA's down."

"We'll come," Buffy answered before adding, "But I don't know about keeping the PDA's down."

*********

Dawn cringed as she sat in the backseat of Angel's black convertible.  They would not stop touching.  Buffy was hanging all over Angel as he was trying to drive.  Dawn was sure they were gonna get in an accident.  She'd love to see the police report on that one, she mused.

They arrived at Hemery without any signs of injury.  Buffy and Angel followed Dawn into the school leisurely.

"So, Dawn," Buffy said, wanting to know about the new gym. "What'd they name the new gym after?"

"You?"

"Me?" Buffy smiled. "Did I have that much of a lasting impression?  Go me."

Dawn shook her head at the comment as they continued down the hall to her homeroom.  Before opening the door she turned to look at the couple behind her, who were innocently holding hands.

Innocently my foot, Dawn thought with a smirk.

Opening the door, Dawn stepped in with Buffy and Angel in tow.

"Mr. Jones?" Dawn looked around the room.

"Mr. Jones…" Buffy softly remarked. "He hated me if I remember."

"Who could possibly hate you?" Angel asked as his arms around her waist and he softly kissed her lips. "You're to perfect."

"Thanks," Buffy replied softly kissing him back.

"Summers?!" a male voice broke through the air.

Both Dawn and Buffy turned to look at the bald, tall, middle-aged man as he strode in.  Buffy sighed dramatically as he looked her over, Angel obviously tense at the action.

"Have you seen the new gym?" Mr. Jones sneered. "Please don't burn this one down.  I'm sure we'd like to keep this one."

Buffy rolled her eyes and replied, "Yeah, whatever."

Mr. Jones sat down at his desk and took out a folder, "Since you're obviously here for Dawn, I shall put this short and sweet: her record is much smaller than yours is.  I'm sure other teachers would love to see you again."

Buffy glared at the old teacher, wanting to pummel him into the ground, but thought better of it and smiled sweetly instead, "Of course."

Dawn took that as a sign and quickly sauntered out of the room, Buffy following with Angel in tow.

"I hate that teacher!" Buffy fumed. "Ever since I told him that he was way to old for!"

Dawn had to stifle her laughter before Angel raised an eyebrow and remarked, "I'm 247 and you're 19, and he's to old for you?"

"Well…" Buffy thought about it before stopping and wrapping her arms around Angel's neck. "You see, Mr. Jones looks old and act old.  But you on the other hand, look young and don't act like an old fart."

'Gee, that makes me feel all better," Angel teased lightly, kissing Buffy softly on the lips.

"How bout I make it up to you tonight?" Buffy asked suggestively. "After a certain sister goes to bed."

"Hello!" Dawn said wide-eyed as she started to walk away from the couple. "Children are listening!"

"Yeah, we know, "Buffy giggled. "That's why we wait until you go to bed."

"Thank god," Dawn muttered.  Looking at her sister and the vampire, who were kissing lightly, she loudly asked so they could hear her, "Can we go home now?  Cause obviously you people want to."

Buffy and Angel only smiled.

*********

Buffy and Angel lay intimately entwined under the sheets after making love.

"Love you," Buffy murmured, softly kissing him.

"And I love you," he kissed her softly back.

"I don't want this to ever end," Buffy said, looking up at Angel, who was looking intently down at her.

"Neither do I."

"I have to go back to Sunnydale and kill Glory then have Thanksgiving dinner and then come to see you.  My life is never boring."

"Sound like a plan to me," Angel kissed the crown of her head.

"Good."

Go to Part 8