Disclaimer: They aren't mine, as much as I'd like them.
Spoilers: Everything in season 3.
Authors note: Everything in season 3 happened, except Angel is now human after he returned from hell, and Faith isn't bad. She's on vacation in LA, fighting. Or something. The Scoobies are finally accepting Angel back to the group, and he and Buffy are dating seriously. And doing other things every chance they get. Angel's got a job at the school as a history teacher. He and Buffy sneak off all the time to smooch. (Yeah!)
Summary: What would Earshot have been like if Angel was with the group? And Buffy could read his thoughts, too.
Rating: Talk about sex, but nothing horrible. PG-13?

As Buffy walked through the hall, she couldn't help but to smile at the new twist in her life. She could hear people's thoughts. Their thoughts.

Buffy's so beautiful… Buffy turned a little, and did a little show for him. This was so cool…as the boy's thoughts continued, she frowned. Oh ew! Mind-in-the-gutter-boy!

*****

"Is this the thing?" Buffy asked hopefully, thrilled. This would be so cool. "Cause if it is, it's way better than a tail. I have a hard enough time finding jeans that fit."

*****

Buffy nearly skipped down the hall on her way back from class. This was soo cool! Buffy's sudden knowledge and all had thrilled her teacher. And now, Buffy mused, it was time to find Angel.

*****

Stupid moron of a Hitler-like demon…

Buffy stifled a giggle as she saw Angel glaring at Snyder's back.

First time I've missed my demon… oh, Buffy. Well, that's good.

Buffy smiled as Angel turned around. "Hi Angel." She said brightly. "You really hate him, don't you?"

Angel looked at her curiously. "Snyder? Yeah, he's an asshole." And a few other things… but I don't really wanna think about that right now.

Buffy giggled again, drawing a curious look from Angel. "Are you okay?" he questioned, pulling her into his office. He closed the door behind them, giving them privacy. The low murmur of voices that had been in the back of Buffy's mind was cut off.

Leaving her with Angel's thoughts alone. She smiled. "How are you today?"

"Fine. You?" Better now that you're here. Gives me a happy, as Xander would say. God, I've been around them too long. Thinking like that little…

She grinned. She really loved this man. "I'm having an interesting day. Wanna know why?"

"Sure." I bet Xander did some stupid-ass thing…

Buffy started giggling again. "Oh, I love this."

"Buffy?" Angel questioned. I wonder if she's sick. She's kinda… giggly. Or did I just do something wrong?

Buffy laughed again. "You know that whole "aspect of the demon" thing?"

Angel nodded, confused. She must have got it… I wonder what it is…

"I did."

"Did what?"

"Get the aspect of the demon."

Obviously not a body part like she expected… wait, how did she…?

Buffy giggled again. "No, it's not."

"Not what?"

"A body part."

"Huh?" What the hell is she talking about?

"That's what you just thought."

"How did you…?" Huh? Angel frowned at her. She's seriously… different today.

"I can read minds." Buffy answered, grinning. "Even yours."

Read minds… wait. She can read my mind? What?! How did this happen? Damn it, I'm confused.

"Yep." She grinned at him. "I've always wondered what went through that gorgeous head of yours when we were kissing."

Why do I have a feeling this isn't all it's cracked up to be? Wait. Kissing? Well, that's not exactly bad.

Buffy giggled again. "Kissing." She stood up, moving in front of him, and pushed him back so he was leaning against the desk. I always wondered what it'd be like to screw in the school…Buffy quirked an eyebrow. "You did, huh? Well. If we weren't going to meet Giles in fifteen minutes, I'd say we could try it."

Wait. She can hear that? Angel sighed. "I'm confused now, baby." And a little embarrassed, but…

She pressed a little closer to him, and he sat on the edge of the desk, pulling her closer to him. Fine. If you can hear my thoughts, I'll think to you. So there. And if that doesn't work, I'll switch to Gaelic or some language you don't understand.

"Oh, that's so cool." Buffy gushed, grinning like an idiot. She moved so her mouth was inches from his. "I wonder what you're thinking when I do this…?"

Slowly, she ran her hands over his chest, and lowered his lips onto his, kissing him in the way he always said he was gonna die by.Oh god, I'm gonna die.

Buffy laughed.

*****

"She can hear our thoughts? Our every impulse and fantasy?"

"Every one." Buffy answered cheerfully.

"I don't see what this has to do with me." Cordelia said after she thought it.

"Well I think it's great. I mean, you enjoy your other slayer powers." Willow said brightly.

"Yeah, it'll be fun. And did you see Nancy Doyle's face in English class today?" Buffy had to smile.

"Yeah," Willow's thoughts took over. She's hardly even human anymore. How can I be her friend now? She doesn't even need me!

"No, I do need you." Buffy said quickly, worried her friend actually believed that.

"Okay. What are you talking about? `Cause you are soo creepy right now." Cordelia said, tossing her hair a little.

"I.. I think there must be some… ah, precedence for occurrences such as this. I'll, um, research it. Wesley, could you please, um give me a hand?"

Wesley nodded. "Of course. Where do you think we should start?"I am my thoughts. If they exist in her, then Buffy contains everything that is me, she becomes me. I cease to exist. "Hm."Buffy looked at Oz curiously. Deep thoughts. No big surprise there. Xander looked at her nervously, then looked away. What am I gonna do? I think about sex all the time. Sex. Help! 4 times 5 is 30. 5 times 6 is 32. Naked girls. Naked women. Naked Buffy. Oh, stop me!

"God, Xander, is that all you think about?"

"Actually? `Bye!"

The group watched as Xander bolted from the room.

Wesley faced them again. "Xander has just illustrated something. Chances are, you're all going to be thinking whatever you least want Buffy to hear. It's a question of course of mental discipline."

"He's right," Giles said from the book stacks.

Look at Cordelia… No, don't look at Cordelia. She's a student. Oh. I am bad. I'm a bad, bad, man. Wesley finally noticed Buffy looking at him with a smirk on her face. "Excuse me."

"What's it like, Buffy?" Willow asked.

"I don't know," Buffy said after a moment. "It's sorta weird, but… please don't for a second think I don't need you because I do, and I wanna share this with you. It's like… all these doors are opening to all these little worlds and I can just walk right inside.'

No one else exists, either. Buffy is all of us. We think, therefore she is. Buffy glanced at Oz again, then back at Willow.

She knows so much. She knows what Oz is thinking. I never knew that. Before long, she'll know him better than I do.

"No, don't think that."

"I can't help it Buffy. I, I'm sorry, I just can't." She stood up and hurried from the library.

"Ah, if you don't need me, I'm gonna follow the redhead." Oz hurried to follow his girlfriend.

Buffy followed them with her gaze and sighed sadly. "I guess I won't be writing that book, `Winning Friends Through Telepathy'."

It'll just take some getting used to, Buffy. Angel's thoughts were sudden to her, and Buffy realized she hadn't heard him in a while. But he hadn't moved from the corner he'd been in.Buffy glanced at him. "I know. It's just…"

"Huh?" Cordelia looked at her. What is she talking about now? "What are you talking about now?" Actually, who cares. I wonder when I can go. "Whatever. Can I go?"

"Excuse me, but can you hear me thinking in here?" Wesley asked, peeking out of the office. "Because I can go out in the hall."

Buffy sighed and stood up, gathering her things. "You know what? You stay. I'm getting a headache. I'll go."

Giles and Wesley just stared after her. Angel followed her out, and after a moment, Cordelia left too.

*****

Angel followed Buffy quickly. "Buffy, wait," he called. Oh, baby, are you okay?

Buffy stopped and looked at him, nodding a little. She looked distressed. "I just… I just…"

"Are you okay?" he murmured out loud, not actually touching her because of the fact that they were in school, but it was comforting nonetheless. Buff?

She smiled a little at him, but she looked around curiously and a little worried. She kept looking around the hall at all the people. "I can hear them all," she murmured. "It's kinda weird. I mean… whoa, yuck." She said suddenly, staring at one of the guys in the hall. She hurriedly remembered that Angel was right next to her and looked away. "The guys at this school are sickos."

Angel smirked. Looking at you, I can't imagine why. "I hadn't noticed."

Buffy smiled a little, but she was still upset about her friends' behavior. "Come on. I wanna get lunch."

*****

Angel stayed behind her in the lunch line. He was worried about her though. She looked really pale, and kept looking around. Behind him in line, he heard the boy who wrote in the paper sighing impatiently. He gently nudged Buffy so she'd move on. She was spacing out in line for mashed potatoes. Buffy, come on, let's go outside.

She looked at him for a moment, then turned and started moving towards the back of the lunchroom so they could go outside, like normal. At the center of the lunchroom, she stopped again.

"Buffy?" Angel questioned worriedly. What's wrong? She doesn't look good at all… well, as not good as she usually looks. Not that she looks bad now, but… Later, Angel.

She looked around in confusion for a moment, suddenly finding it hard to breath. The voices… there were too many. She couldn't hear her own thoughts. Everything was too oppressive.

Then, everything quieted.This time tomorrow, I'll kill you all.

She dropped her lunch tray.

The people in the lunchroom burst into applause. Buffy didn't notice. She whirled around, looking for the voice. "Angel?" she questioned, then the voices came again. Loud. She couldn't think. She covered her ears, trying to block it out. Everything… so dizzy… need Angel… the voices… Angel… help…

Unable to take it anymore, she fell to the floor in a dead faint, barely missing the bowl of mashed potatoes that she'd dropped. Angel immediately knelt by her, concern for her overriding his worries about Snyder finding out about their relationship. "Buffy," he called, shaking her gently. The crowd in the cafeteria watched in confusion, and a few of the nicer people with concern.

"I'll get Mr. Snyder." A student offered.

"No, get Mr. Giles." Angel said quickly. He cradled Buffy's head in his lap, automatically checking for her pulse. He was relieved to find one, in all honesty. She wasn't the type to faint.

The student ran off to do as Angel ordered. Angel carefully lifted Buffy up in his arms and made his way past the other students, carrying her to the shaded area they normally ate lunch at, and hopefully she wouldn't hear the thoughts at.

He gently laid her down on the grass, setting her bag beneath her head. Then he knelt next to her, checking to make sure she was all right.

*****

I think she's waking up.

Her eyes are opening.

Come on, baby, wake up.

Buffy's eyes fluttered open confused. She glanced at all of the faces around her for a moment. Then she sighed. Great. Now she'd have to take care of another psycho loony when she felt like crap.

*****

"There. You look better already." Oh dear, poor baby…

"Thanks mom." Buffy was propped up in bed, Angel on one side, her mom scurrying about at the end of the bed.

Joyce looked at her uneasily for a moment. "I, um, I'm just gonna get you another pillow." No, I'm not gonna think about that…

"I'm fine, mom."

"But, you need another blanket." Yes, a blanket is good. We didn't use a blank- damn it.

"Uh, mom, I'm fine."

"How about some soup? Chicken and stars?" Yes, that's good too. Soup. And for Angel too. I'll do that and she won't… damn it!

"Mom, please just come sit with me."

"I've, ah, I've ah, I've got laundry." No, I won't think of it, I won't, I won't, oh damn. Sex with Giles, lots of it, oh god, no!

"Why are you…?" Buffy bolted up in bed, staring at her mother. "You had sex with Giles? You had sex with Giles?"

"It was the candy," Joyce whimpered. "We were teenagers." The police car…hand-no! Don't think about it! But the police car… he was a stevedore in the sack… on the hood of a police car. No! Stop, Joyce!

"On the hood of a police car?"

"I'll be downstairs. You feel better." Both times… No! Stop! Run!

"Twice?!"

Buffy stared after her mother. Angel had to fight back a laugh. He knew Buffy wouldn't appreciate it. Oh god, that was too good to be true. Except, not to Buffy.

"You got that right, buddy." She snarled at him. "My mother had sex with Giles. My Watcher. Someone I know. Someone I knew before she did! And they'd never even gone on a date before! Giles! And my mom! This isn't funny, Angel! Angel!"

*****

As Angel reentered the library, he couldn't look at Giles. "What'd you find?" he asked the general group. He glanced at Giles and quickly looked away, forcing himself to be serious.

Wesley and Giles looked at each other, then at him. Giles smiled. "Angel, you still have your vampire strength, right?"

*****

She'd gotten worse. Joyce sat next to the bed, watching Buffy worriedly. Buffy whimpered in her sleep, tossing and turning a little.

Joyce stood and moved to the window. Where was Angel?

****

"I can't stand this." Joyce said softly. "I keep, wondering if I'm hurting her with my thoughts."

"No," Giles reassured her. "Not anymore. She can't pick one thought out of the din."

Then downstairs they heard the door open and voices. Angel was there.

*****

She whimpered in her sleep, a pathetic sounding noise that made Angel's heart ache. Carefully, he lifted her up, then grabbed the glass with the glowing cure in it. He tilted her head back and spilled some of it down her throat. She made a small noise, and he lowered her against the pillows again, placing a soft kiss against her forehead.

Then she started thrashing and crying out.

"Giles!"

*****

Angel sat beside her bed, holding her hand in his. Slowly, she opened her eyes. "Angel?" she murmured, her voice groggy from sleep.

"Are you okay honey?" Joyce questioned worriedly. "Can you here thoughts?"

Buffy shook her head after a moment. "No… did you find the killer?"

*****

"We lose."

"We still have a couple minutes." Buffy said breathlessly as she and Angel came in.

"Buffy!"

"Can you hear thoughts?" Xander questioned. Buffy shook her head grimly. "Just when I wasn't thinking about sex."

"Okay, here's the new plan. We're gonna have Snyder evacuate the school. I just hope the killer's not waiting outside."

Then Cordelia found the letter. The gang split up to find Jonathan.

*****

Willow went to the library.

Cordelia ran through the meeting place inside the halls.

Xander went to the cafeteria and got sidetracked by Jell-O.

Oz checked some of the empty classrooms.

Angel checked the rest of them and the halls.

Buffy found him in the tower.

*****

Xander crept through the kitchen until he found the Jell-O. He grabbed a dish of it and started to lift it to his mouth. He froze with the stuff halfway there.

The cook stood at the stove, dumping rat poison into the food.

Xander dropped the dish and ran off. The cook grabbed a big butcher's knife and started after him.

Xander ran into a boy carrying a lunch tray and made him drop it. "Rat poison! Rat poison." He flipped a table over and then another. He started to go to another, but tripped over a chair. The cook ran after him, her knife raised. She started to bring it down on him, but someone caught her arm. Angel pushed her arm back, trying to get the knife from her without doing anything too bad, to her or to him.

"Vermin," the woman whimpered. "You're all vermin! You come in here and you eat, and you eat filth!"

"I don't see this as being settled with logic." Buffy said dryly as she entered the scene.

Angel wrestled the knife free from the woman's hand, and when she went to attack, Buffy took over and managed to knock the woman down and unconscious.

"I think I'll pack a lunch for the rest of the year." Xander said dryly.

*****

Buffy and Angel held hands as they walked across the campus, talking with Giles. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better after your experiences."

"Yeah, I'm feeling much better." Buffy said cheerfully.

"Excellent. Feel up to some training?"

"Sure," Buffy said, nudging Angel so he'd listen. "We can work out after school. You know, if you're not too busy having sex with my mother."

Author's Note: I love this episode, I just wanted to write it with human Angel. It's a one time thing, and it's not going to be part of a series or anything. Lemme know what you think!

goredwings@usa.net!

Send feedback to Zetta Zofia

Back to the Fanfiction Archive