"And don't put in too many ice cubes this time!"

By the time Cordelia had finished her lunch, Xander had made a solemn vow to never again take advantage of anyone's generosity. < Well...at least not for a month... > "Here honey..." he smiles through gritted teeth. "Here's your juice."

"Bout time- wait...did you just call me honey?" Cordy sits up in bed to grab the drink from him.

"Huh? Well...yeah, I guess I did," his eyes glance over her with a sweet glint, hoping his term of endearment could possibly change her irritated mood.

"Aww...that's really sweet, Xand," she shyly smiles, leaning over to give him a quick kiss before he turns to leave. "Hey wait- this has four ice cubes in it! I only wanted two!" she shouts, resorting back to her typical Queen C fashion. A frustrated Xander walks back over to her bed and reaches in a hand to remove two of the ice cubes.

"Well don't do that! You think I'm gonna drink it now that your hand's been in it?!" Silently wondering how Angel was able to put up with this kind of abuse yesterday, Xander simply tilts his head to the side, giving his girlfriend a silly grin and laugh. "You know what...you can get your own damn drink, *honey*..." He inches his face closer to her's as he casually slips a hand down the back of her shirt, releasing the ice cubes he held. "I quit!"

"Xander Harris!!" As she flails around in bed to remove the ice from her skin, she continues shouting after him. "You get back here you little toad! Uggh! Why I even gave you the time of day is beyond me!!"

Ignoring her latest round of complaints, Xander slowly found his way into Buffy and Angel's room, spotting Angel sitting on the bed, appearing to be drawing something.

"Oh- Xander," Angel looks up from his sketch, shifting a bit on the bed. "You startled me..."

"Didn't think that was possible." He walks over to him, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Are Buffy and the others back yet?"

"Nah...probably stopped to get some lunch or something."

"Gee..." he sighs in the sarcastic voice he'd been picking up from both his girlfriend and Xander, "I can't imagine they'd still be hungry after that *wonderful* breakfast you made them."

"And how would you know? You didn't even taste any of it!"

"No, but listening to everyone else's complaining was enough to give me a taste," he grins, picking up his pencil again.

"Ha freakin' ha! So what're you drawing?" Angel turns the pad around to show him the almost completed scene he was drawing from memory. "Hey?that's pretty good. Needs a little color though...oceans always look better when they're blue."

"Hello? Where's everyone?" As the sound of Buffy's voice wafted down the hall, Angel left Xander staring at his sketchpad as he went to greet her.

"Hey," he leans in to give her a gentle kiss. As their embrace becomes more heated, Willow and Oz cleared their throats from behind Buffy. "Hey guys..." Angel finally acknowledges them, taking a few of the bags Oz was carrying and placing them onto the kitchen table. "Did you get everything for tonight?"

"Yep," Willow answers him. "Buffy even got the special thingy made up at this store on the pier. It's really shiny. Xand's really gonna like it-"

"Xand's gonna like what?" The four turn to see their friend coming down the hall, headed straight for the bag-covered kitchen table. As he goes to peek into one of the bags, Buffy quickly slaps away his hand.

"We were just saying how you're gonna like picking up dinner for us tonight," the slayer quickly covers, hoping he hadn't heard all of their conversation.

"Hey- I thought maybe I'd make dinner for us tonight. I'm kinda getting into the whole cooking deal...thought I'd try my hand at some seafood tonight. Sound good?" he asks, immediately noticing everyone's apprehension.

"Uh...well..." Will tries refusing his offer as gently as possible, not wanting to be the one to crush his hopes.

"You're cooking sucks!!!" Hearing Cordelia's tactful shout as the brunette comes trodding into the kitchen, blanket wrapped around her, Willow can only nod her head in agreement along with the others.

"Well look who finally decided to crawl from her lair..." Xander grins, taking in his girlfriend's disheveled state. "The creature from the black lagoon."

"Oh, drop dead you scum," she groans, brushing straight past him to take a seat on one of the stools.

"I take it you two are still fighting?" Buffy asks as she takes a seat on Angel's lap, feeling bad that she had left him alone to deal with the bickering couple for the afternoon.

"It's what we do best," Xander answers.

"Speak for yourself!" Cordy snaps back. "I never knew there was anything that you could do best!"

"You know, I've got half a mind to-"

"Oh that's good! Maybe in another 18 years you'll develop the other half!"

"Hold it!" Buffy hops up from Angel's lap to step between them, stretching her arms out to keep them from striking distance. "Cordelia, why don't you just go back to bed and try and get some more sleep, and Xand, you can-"

"I'm not going back to bed!" Cordy cuts her off. "I've been stuck in there for the whole day!"

"Fine- go curl up on the couch or something with Will and Oz. Xand, you can go grab us dinner now. Everybody happy?"

"Does it matter?" Xander retorts. "I haven't been happy since I had my big moment stolen at the prom. And then after being stuck here with the Angel of Death and Miss Sunshine," he throws a stare at Cordy, already sprawled out on one of the couches in the living room, "I can't imagine a better vacation or a faster road to suicide!"

"Just go get dinner, Xander," Angel cuts in, not really appreciating the tone his voice was taking as he argued with Buffy. "Maybe the walk will help you blow off some steam, huh?" Only slightly surprised by Angel's overprotective defense of Buffy, Xander heads for the door, turning back around with a sly glint in his eyes as he turns the knob. "Say Angel- why don't you grab a *video* for everyone to watch," he suggests, noticing the vampire's immediate angry glare.

"Good idea, Xand," Willow smiles, looking for the vcr. "Hey wait..."

"Where's my vcr?" Cordy lifts her head from the stack of pillows she was resting against. "You heard me- what happened to my vcr??"

"Xander!" Angel yelled, letting out a low growl as he saw him quickly shut the door behind him, racing off to the pier, thanking god that the sun hadn't set yet, preventing Angel from pursuing him. < That should fix him. Let's see how much *he* likes the wrath of Queen C... >

******

By the time Xander returned with dinner, the sun was just beginning to set and he blinked a few times as he approached the front door. < I just hope Angel's not too mad... > But as he went to turn the doorknob, he found it to be locked. "Guys..." he shouted, still fumbling with the knob. "Hello? I've got food..." he tried coaxing them out, but received no answer.

He decided to try his luck at the back door, balancing the paper bags he held in both hands as he tries the knob, only to find it locked as well. Fed up, he drops the bags to the ground, beginning to pound on the door. "Guys!! Come on! Lemme in!"

"Xander?" he hears Angel's voice call. "Hold on- I?m coming." Picking up the bags, Xander grabs the doorknob just as Angel opens it and pushes straight past him.

"Ahhh..." Angel jumps back a bit, not having a chance to pull away from the door as Xander, as well as a bright glare of remaining sunlight struck his face. "Xander...be careful."

"After leaving me to stand outside all that time I oughta toss you straight out into it, Deadboy!" he snaps, tossing the bags onto the kitchen table. "Why's it so dark in here anyway? Where is everyone?"

"Asleep," Angel answers, still rubbing a hand across his streaked forehead.

"Asleep? It's only seven!"

"Well...we finished watching the movie, and-"

"And you're still alive...er, umm...well, as alive as you can be? Cordelia didn't kill you?"

"Once I explained what happened?she said she'd deal with you later." Seeing Xander's shocked face turn even paler, he continued. "Everyone was just really tired and-"

"And decided to turn in before I even got home? Typical! Just typical!!"

"Xander-"

"You know what, I don't wanna hear it, especially from you! This whole week has been pick-on-Xander week, and I'm sick of it! First the prom, than I get sick, then I get attacked-"

"Excuse me? Who was the one who jumped on *my* back first?"

"Whatever! Then Cordelia turns me into her personal french maid..."

"Thank god she didn't make you actually wear the outfit..." Angel mumbles under his breath though Xander clearly heard it.

"Okay- I may have to take everyone else's crap, but I'm not taking anymore of yours!" WIthout another word, Xander charges Angel, spearing him to the ground and rolling with him into the living room. The two are so caught up in picking up where they left off the last time they met in battle that the sudden burst of light in the room takes them both by surprise.

"Here's that quality time thing again..." Oz grins, trying to hold his laughter at the familiar sight of Angel and Xander entangled on the floor. As Xander looks up, he finally notices the balloons and decorations that filled the living room.

From the ceiling hung a long banner reading "We Love You Xander" in bold letters and Cordelia was standing in a fit of giggles holding what appeared to be, upon closer inspection, a small plaque with his name on it.

"What's goin' on?" he asks, removing his hands from Angel's leg as he adjusts his position a bit.

"A surprise party..." Willow answers, still standing in disbelief at the sight before her.

"For you..." says Buffy, eyeing her lover laying with an amused smile on his face from underneath Xander.

"Surprise..." Angel adds, trying to crawl out from under the guest of honor. Xander makes no attempt to move as his eyes dart from each one of his friends to the beautiful scene they'd created for him.

"Oh...boy...do I...look...stupid..."

"I've been telling you that for years..." Cordy replies, still laughing at her boyfriend's jaw dropped wide open to the floor. "You're just now realizing it?"

******

After pulling a very shocked Xander off of Angel, the friends gathered around to give him the small but thoughtful gift Buffy had picked up for him on the pier. "You guys did all this for me?" he smiles, running his hand over the plaque's small inscription- The Scoobies' Funniest Friend. "Wow guys...I- I really don't deserve this."

"You're telling me-" Cordy agrees. "You've done nothing but whine, complain, and annoy all of us for as long as I can remember. Plus, you got *me* sick, which is a severe offense in itself! But..." her face breaks out into an earnest smile as she wraps her arms around his neck. "You're still a great friend...and a great boyfriend," she reaches up to give him a quick kiss. "And you'll always be our favorite clown, so we just had to throw you a party."

"Aww..." Xander sighs, capturing her lips in another kiss.

"And besides- we've gotta have a little more fun and excitement before we head back to the ever so pleasant hellmouth tonight. So come on- someone go grab the food. I'm starving!"

"I'll get it," Buffy and Angel offer simultaneously, grinning as they reach for each other heading into the kitchen together. "This was a really great idea you came up with," Angel smiles, more intent on grabbing her instead of everyone's food. "I think Xander's really surprised."

"Try more like stunned," she laughs. "Especially after he tried choking you to the ground again right in the middle of his own surprise party. What is it about you getting beat up all the time, huh? I mean, what kind of guy am I dating when he gets attacked by Xander all the time?" she teases, leaning back into his embrace.

"*Sneak-attacked*," he defends, turning her around in his arms.

"Excuses, excuses..." She grins playfully as she pulls him in for a kiss. Being so caught up in one another, they never hear Cordelia walk in until she's standing right beside them.

"Please! There's *no* excuse for the two of you!" she blurts out, grabbing the few bags they'd brought back from the pier. "Just don't get any ideas with my kitchen table, okay!"

"Cordelia..." Buffy grabs hold of Angel's hand as they stroll past the brunette. "It's way past noon so we're not breaking any of your *rules* so just let us enjoy, ok?"

"You two can enjoy all you want! But why should we be forced to listen to it?!" she calls down the hall to them, letting out a frustrated growl as she watches their door slam shut behind them.

"Willow...turn up the music, will ya?" she pleads, putting down everyone's food and rolling her eyes as she can already hear Buffy's giggles. < Thank god we're leaving in a few hours. It'll be nice to get some sleep without having to put up with *that*! >

******

By around eleven-thirty, everyone had agreed that they'd better start back for Sunnydale if they wanted to get enough sleep for school the next morning. "Why are they even making us go to classes tomorrow?" Xander complains, helping the others to clean up from the party. "I mean, don't they realize that after prom weekend we all need a few extra days to recover?"

"Just another attempt by the dreaded school board to ruin our young lives..." Oz smiles.

"Well, I don't know about recovering from prom weekend," says Cordelia, "but I'm definitely gonna need some time to recover from having a room right next to Buffy and Angel. Is someone gonna go in there and tell them we're ready to go?"

"Maybe we should just leave them here," Xander raises his eyebrows at the thought, but his ensuing smile soon fades as he realizes just what repercussions he'd have to deal with from both the slayer and her vampire counterpart once they got hold of him. "I'm sure as hell not going in there to get them."

"And we've still gotta pack," Willow announces for herself and Oz, already knowing Cordelia would volunteer one of them to approach the couple.

"Fine, fine! I always get stuck doing the dirty work!" she pouts as she cautiously heads down the hall. "And I don't see anyone throwing *me* any parties or giving *me* any plaques for what I put up with!" Letting out a huge sigh, she turns the knob, already averting her eyes to the side.

"Alright you two- stop whatever you're doing, and..." Hearing only silence as she enters the room fully, Cordelia breathes a sigh of relief until she decides to raise her eyes to the bed, spotting nothing but a huge Buffy and Angel sized lump completely concealed under the covers. "Oh god! Would you two stop!" Still hearing nothing, she begins thinking that maybe the couple had already made a run for it and left their pillows in their place. Knowing full well that she'd probably regret doing so, she approaches the bed, intent on lifting the covers until she hears Angel's muffled voice.

"Cordelia...what are you doing in here?"

"Gee, I'd ask you two the same thing, but my totally scarred for life mind has already got a pretty good idea."

"We were sleeping," Buffy lets out a tired yawn, not really caring whether she believed her or not.

"Uh-huh. Well that's not what it looks like from up here," she eyes the tangled lump suspiciously, quickly turning away her eyes as she sees Angel's arm reach out to lift the covers off of them.

"Cordelia- it's okay," Angel says, pulling aside the covers to show that the two weren't completely naked. "We started to get dressed, but we kind of-"

"Got distracted?" Cordy smirks, raising an eyebrow at them, Angel clad only in a pair of black boxers and Buffy covered only by her own undergarments and Angel's arms.

"No...we fell asleep," Buffy corrects her, snuggling back down onto her lover.

"Like that?!" the brunette raises another eye at their position. Buffy was sprawled out completely on top of Angel, her head resting soundly across his chest, arms folded underneath of his and her legs straddling his waist, while Angel's arms enveloped her, one wrapped around her back while the other was gently resting behind her head. "How can anyone sleep like that?"

"We always sleep like this," Buffy smiles, placing a soft kiss across Angel's chest, thoroughly enjoying the fact that she was really getting to the high-strung brunette.

"Yet another example of how you two are the freakiest of the bunch!" Cordy yells, lifting her arms in defeat. "Whatever- just finish getting dressed 'cause we're leaving in a few minutes."

Waiting until Cordelia is fully out of hearing distance, Buffy raises her head from its comfy spot, turning to face Angel. "How fun was that?" she beams. "I always love messing with her."

"Mmm..." he agrees, his own smile radiating as he reluctantly pulls himself out of bed.

"Do you think they'd mind if we took just a little while longer getting dressed..." she reaches over, grabbing him around the waist before he can finish getting dressed. "Like say...another few hours..." Angel can't help but laugh as he lays back down with her on the bed. "What is it?" Buffy asks, laughing herself.

"Nothing honey, but when you want to, you know, you get this look on your face and it's just really adorable," Angel says with a smile.

"Oh yeah? Well when you get, uh...let's say, 'happy' you start to give this classic snare," Buffy retaliates.

"Probably not as bad as the one you give when I-"

"What?! Shut up," Buffy says as she playfully slaps Angel's bare chest.

"Well I just thought you'd like to know," Angel laughs at her reaction.

"So exactly how is this snare I give?" Buffy says with a smirk.

"Well I could show you but..." Angel is cut off as she pulls him flush against her and starts to kiss him tenderly.

"Buffy...as much as I want to, we really should get dressed." Seeing her initial pout, he reaches up to place another gentle kiss on her lips. "Come on...you don't want Cordelia coming back in here, do you?"

"Not without you being dressed first," she says, crawling out of bed herself to gather her things together. "I don't know if you noticed the stares she was giving you while she was in here, but I sure did."

"Buffy...she's dating Xander," he argues.

"Try telling *her* that!"

******

Within another hour, the friends are only ten minutes away from Sunnydale, and Buffy was counting every minute until she and Angel were dropped off at her house. For the entire ride back in Oz's van, she'd been forced to watch Cordelia and Xander groping alongside of her without the slightest care. Normally this wouldn't have bothered her. < God knows they've seen Angel and I do more than that... > But after listening to the two of them fighting for the entire weekend, almost coming to blows on several occasions, it took all of her slayer strength to restrain from slapping the hell out of both of them.

"Would you just look at the two of them," she whispers to Angel. "Happy as ever making with the major smoochies as if everything was just peachy this weekend. I bet by third period tomorrow they'll be at each other's throats again, and guess who'll have to break up their fight?"

"I'm sure you'll be able to handle it," he shushes her with a kiss to her forehead.

"First stop guys," Oz calls from the front seat, jumping out to open the doors for them. "Been fun, man," he nods his head, patting Angel on the shoulder. "Maybe our next group trip will be skiing."

"That's a good idea. It'd be easier to ditch Xander in the mountains," he shares a small chuckle with him. After exchanging their goodbyes with the others, he and Buffy walk up to her front door, surprised to find Joyce waiting for them.

"Mom-" Buffy gasps, returning the hug her mother offered as she walked with them into the house. "I thought you weren't going to be home until tomorrow afternoon?"

"I wasn't. But I managed to move a few things around, got everything straightened out for the gallery, and here I am. I was just so anxious to hear about the prom and your weekend." She turns, pulling Angel into a quick hug. "How'd you enjoy it, Angel?"

"It was amazing, Joyce. The prom was really enjoyable."

"What about your weekend at the beach?"

"Let's just say it was...interesting."

"To say the least," Buffy adds, nudging him softly. "Oooo- and look..." she reaches into her duffel bag to retrieve her small golden umbrella. "I even got an award!"

"Wow..." Joyce smiles, reaching in to take a closer look. "Where are you going to put it, honey?"

"Well, why don't you start looking for a place while I say goodnight to Angel," she hints, grateful that her mother was quick to pick up on it and began scurrying into the dining room.

"Goodnight, Joyce," Angel calls out to her giving her a small wave.

"Goodnight, Angel," she smiles back, turning back around as she suddenly remembers the invitation she wanted to offer him for next week. "Oh- Angel! I almost forgot- Buffy's father will be arriving in town next week for her graduation. I was hoping you'd join us all for dinner one night?"

"That sounds great, thank you," he accepts, beaming from ear to ear as Buffy walks along with him onto her front porch.

"I always hate saying goodnight," she gives a faint smile, pulling herself to him.

"Me too...but you need your sleep for school tomorrow."

"I guess..."

"Hey-" he tilts her chin up for her to face him. "Patrol tomorrow night?"

"As usual," she sighs.

"How about before patrol I take you to see a movie?"

"A movie?"

"Or the mall. I could take you shopping. Maybe Willow and Oz would like to go too. But not Xander and Cordelia...please. I think I've had enough of them these past two days to last me a good few years."

"Okay...who are you, and what the hell did you do with my broody boyfriend?" she steps back in mock horror. "Where's all this coming from? I mean, I know you're always sweet and romantic, but this is crossing the line into sheer giddiness." Matching her huge smile with one of his own, he cups the side of her face with one hand, bringing her just inches from his own.

"This weekend really helped me to see things a lot more clearly...and not just how annoying Xander can really be." Sharing a small laugh with him, she smiles as he continues. "Buffy...from the moment I saw you, you captured my heart. But I think now I'm just starting to realize just how incredible that is...how incredible our relationship, our bond, really is. Just to be with you...just loving you...I can't even put it into words, but I'm not taking anything for granted. I want to take advantage of everything."

"So no more talk about leaving me 'for my own good'?" she quotes him, using the words that he knew would come back to haunt him.

"No...I swear it," he whispers, shaking his head softly as he leans down to capture her lips. "Sleep sweet..." he whispers, sharing one final kiss before turning to leave. "Love you..." he calls back to her, smiling into the darkness, sure that she would see it.

"I love you." Watching as he walks back to the mansion, never shifting her gaze, even once he was out of sight, Buffy's taken by surprise when she feels a hand come to rest on her shoulder.

"Geez mom! Eavesdrop much?"

"I didn't hear much..." she grins, wrapping an arm around her daughter's shoulder. "Nothing I don't always like hearing from the two of you anyway. So the weekend really went well, huh?" she asks, walking back into the house with Buffy.

"It went great...and I think Angel's finally realizing what just about everyone's already known."

"That's good to hear."

"Now we've only got one more problem," Buffy sighs, slumping down on the couch, curling up next to Joyce.

"And what's that?"

"Do you think dad's gonna like him?"

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