Buffy and Angel walked through the cemetery. They'd come across two vampires in the hour since they began patrolling.

"I'm getting pooped," she said. "The vamps are out in full force tonight. Must be the weather."

"Yeah. Must be."

She glanced at him. His handsome face wore a mask of sadness. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Buffy stopped walking, and Angel stopped as well. "I am worried about it. If we're going to make us work, we have to be honest with each other. Please tell me what's on your mind."

Angel sat down on the grass, leaning against a gravestone. "I want so badly to tell you everything, Buffy. But talking about my mother is hard for me."

"Look, I'm sorry about what my mother said. She didn't know, Angel. And whenever you're ready to tell me about her, I'll be here to listen. Forever, remember?" She sat down next to him, holding his arm as a show of comfort, support and love.

"How did I get so lucky?"

"We're both lucky, I guess." She leaned over, kissing him softly.

"Aren't we supposed to be patrolling?" he asked when the kiss ended.

"We're taking a break. A pooped Slayer is a careless Slayer. Let that be lesson number one," Buffy told him.

Angel smiled. "Lessons now? Do I have to take notes, too?"

"No, let's leave that to Giles." She stared for a moment into the darkness. "Giles! What are we going to tell him? About us."

"The truth. I thought we didn't care what people thought about us. As long as we love each other, nobody else matters," reminded Angel.

"You're right. But I'm freaked now; we have to tell Giles. It never occurred to me, but what if he tells the Council and you lose your job?"

"Don't worry so much. If the Council fires me, then I can do something else."

Buffy looked at him. "You told me being a Watcher was all you ever wanted to do. Because of your mom." She realized she'd made a mistake in mentioning Angel's mother. "Oops. Sorry."

"It's okay, Buffy. You don't have to tiptoe around the subject. I think I'm ready to tell you about her, but now here, not now. Maybe tomorrow. And as for my being a Watcher, you're right. It is all I ever wanted to do. But if it comes down to choosing between you and the Watcher's Council, I'll choose you without a second thought. The Council means a lot to me, but you mean so much more. You're my true love, Buffy. Nothing will ever change that."

"You'd do that for me? Give up everything you ever worked for?"

Angel touched his forehead to hers. "Nothing else matters to me anymore except you."

Buffy hugged him close to her, leaning her head into the juncture where his shoulder and neck met, kissing his warm skin. "I love you so much. I never thought it was possible to love someone like this."

"Me either."

********

For the second night in a row, Buffy slept soundly. When she awakened Sunday morning she felt refreshed and relaxed, almost as if she were a new person. Her alarm clock read ten-fourteen, so Buffy climbed out of bed, stretching. She walked downstairs to the kitchen, expecting to find her mother sitting at the table. Instead, she found a note.

Buffy,

Had some errands to run. I'll be back by noon, I promise. Mr. Giles called at nine this morning to ask about patrol last night. Please call him back, he sounded anxious.

Love,
Mom

Buffy sighed. Calling Giles was the last thing she wanted to do. Patrolling hadn't exactly gone as usual. She and Angel spent more time kissing then slaying. Picking up the phone, Buffy dialed Giles' number.

"Hello?" he answered, on the third ring.

"Hi, Giles. Mom left me a note saying you called. What's up?"

"Did you just wake up?" he wanted to know.

"Yeah. I was a little tired."

Giles cleared his throat. "Was it a late night last night? Did patrol go well?"

"Uh-huh. Got four vamps in all. We had loads of fun."

"We? Willow went with you?"

Buffy didn't know whether or not to tell him the truth or not. If she told Giles that Angel went with her, he might find it a bit odd. They only patrolled together during the week. Or so he thought. "No. Me and the vamps 'we', not Willow and me 'we.'"

"Very well. Patrol was fruitful, though?"

"Yep. Told you, got four vamps."

"How was Prom, then? I know how excite Xander and Willow were about it. Did you have a good time?" Giles asked.

"I had a great time, Giles." 'Thanks to Angel.'

"I'm glad to hear it. I only called to see how patrol went last night. Unless something unforseen should occur, I'll see you in school tomorrow, Buffy."

"'Bye, Giles." Buffy hung up the phone. "Thank God that's over."

********

At two o'clock, Buffy was sitting on the couch next to Angel in his apartment, holding the picture of him and his mother. "I can't get over how cute you were," she said.

"Were?"

"Okay, so you're still cute. I love that little blue baseball cap. Do you still have it?"

He shook his head. "After we moved, most of my stuff stayed in San Francisco. I have very few things from my childhood."

"That must have been hard, leaving everything behind."

"I don't remember it really well. My mother's Watcher, Mr. Kensington -- I always called him Geoffrey -- thought it would be better if we moved away from the bad memories. Mom died on a Thursday night and we were in L.A. by Friday afternoon."

Buffy snuggled closer to Angel. "I'm sorry. Have you ever been back there?"

"In 1996, before I left for England to begin my Watcher studies, I visited her grave. Left her a dozen roses and told her how much I missed her. I haven't been back since," Angel said.

"What was her name?"

"Carolyn Reilly."

"She had a beautiful name. She was a beautiful woman, Angel. And she loved you, I can tell just by looking at the expression on her face in this picture."

He managed a smile. "I loved her, too. I only wish there was more I could remember about her."

"You were young." She rested her head on his shoulder. "There is one more thing I'm curious about."

"What's that?"

"I'm not sure if you even know the answer to it."

"Try me."

"Well, why did she name you Angel? It's such an unusual name," Buffy commented. Like Buffy is such a normal name, too.

Angel exhaled deeply. "My mother had been patrolling with her Watcher when she was seven and a half months pregnant. They were attacked by a vampire, but before Mr. Kensington could stake him, the vamp kicked my mother in the stomach. She went into premature labor and gave birth to me the next day. The doctor's weren't sure if I would make it; being the early seventies, the hospital didn't have much in the way of neo-natal technology. She named me Angel so that if I lived or died, she'd always have an angel with her."

"I wish I could have met her, she sounds like a great woman."

"From what I've heard, she was."

Buffy wrapped her arms around Angel, giving him a long, loving kiss. "We'll visit her someday soon. You and me."

"You mean it? You'd go with me, Buffy?"

"Yes I would. I want to thank her for giving me you."

Part Eighteen

"How was your weekend? Anything interesting happen?" Cordelia asked Monday morning at lunch.

The gang sat at a round table next to the window facing the library. Through the library's window, Buffy could see Giles and Angel sorting through a pile of books. She licked her lips, imagining her lips on his, her hands in his hair, his hands running up and down her back. Buffy shook off the image. 'Not here. I can't be thinking about that here,' she scolded herself.

"My weekend was great, Cordy. How was yours?" Buffy knew what Cordelia was really asking, but wouldn't give out the details unless asked outright.

"Who cares about my weekend. I wanna hear what it was like to wake up next to Angel."

Buffy shrugged. "It was nice, I guess."

"Nice?" repeated the brunette. "Please, Angel is a total hunk, you shared a bed with him and all you can say was that it was nice?"

Xander raised his hand. "Hello, Xander's still sitting at the table. Do you really have to remind us that History Boy is good-looking? Because I think we already covered that awhile ago."

"Shut up, Xander," Cordelia and Willow said in unison.

"Come on," pleaded Cordelia. "I want details."

"Fine. When I woke up Saturday morning, I was in his arms and he was watching me sleep."

Cordelia widened her brown eyes. "Did anything happen? Did you two...?"

"No! Nothing like that happened."

"You might want to tell them the news, Buffy," Willow suggested.

Buffy glanced into the library window again. Angel looked out at the same time. She smiled. "Angel and I decided that we belong together."

"That's great. Congratulations!" Cordelia gave her friend a hug.

"It's about time," said Xander. "How'd you two crazy kids finally come to that conclusion? Because we've known for quite some time now."

"I had a long talk with my mother and she convinced me to tell him how I feel. So I went to his apartment and told him. I said I loved him and he said the same thing. And things just went on from there."

"Were there smoochies?" Xander wanted to know.

"Maybe. Okay, so there were lots of smoochies. At his apartment and on patrol."

"You guys were making out in public while you supposed to be patrolling?"

"You guys make it sound so bad. And we weren't in public. We were in the cemetery," explained Buffy.

Willow had a question. "What does Giles have to say?"

Buffy shrugged. "Angel and I haven't told him. We're kind of afraid of what he'll say."

"Why would Giles be upset about it?" Xander asked. "Angel's just your History tutor." He didn't know that Angel was a Watcher. Buffy never had a reason to tell him.

"Because Angel's a Watcher-in-training sent here to observe me and train with Giles. And Watchers aren't supposed to have any kind of feelings for Slayers. They're supposed to be detached."

Xander nodded his head in understanding. "Ah. I can see why Giles would have a problem with you two being a couple. Are you guys gonna tell him, though?"

"Eventually. But not right away. Yeah, it's going to be hard to keep it from Giles...he's always there. He will totally flip out, I just know it."

********

Throughout their tutoring session, Buffy and Angel had a hard time keeping their hands off of each other. They held hands under the table, brushed their legs against each other, stole glances at each other when Giles wasn't looking. He walked in and out of his office every five minutes.

"Is he ever gonna leave?" Buffy muttered under her breath. "We can't even get five minutes alone together without Giles walking into the room."

Angel grasped her hand. "Buffy, we'll be patrolling tonight. Alone. Giles won't be there."

"I don't want to wait that long. God, it took all my self-control to keep from kissing you when I walked in here. Even now it's hard," said Buffy.

"I know exactly what you mean. But we should get back to work before he starts getting suspicious."

"Probably a good idea." Buffy turned the page in her History book. "Be tutor and tutoree Angel and Buffy. Got it. Let's move on to the Nixon administration. Lots of fun there."

Angel gave her a small smile. "Maybe it'll get my mind off how much I want to kiss you right now."

"Save that thought for later."

Half an hour later, their History lesson ended. Buffy walked to the locker room to change into her workout clothes. Giles came out of his office once again and approached Angel, who stood at the table packing up the History books.

"Angel, a problem has arisen that requires my immediate attention. I won't be able to partake in Buffy's training session today. You've sat through enough of them, and I feel I can trust you to take my place," Giles informed the young man.

"You want me to train Buffy today?"

"I feel you can handle it. Can I trust you, Angel?" Giles asked with a raised eyebrow.

Angel was offended. "I would hope you wouldn't have to ask me such a question."

"I know your feelings for Buffy run deeply. I want to be sure you won't let them get in the way."

A little late for that. "Not to worry, Giles. Everything is under control."

"Very well. I don't know when I'll be back. Be careful, Angel. Buffy is a difficult adversary. She's strong and powerful."

Angel nodded. "I'm stronger than most humans; I inherited my mother's strength. Giles, I'll be able to hold my own."

"Good luck and I shall see you later." The elder Watcher exited the library.

Five minutes after Giles left, Buffy returned. She looked around, but didn't see her Watcher in the room. "Where's Giles?" she wanted to know.

"He had to leave. Some kind of emergency came up and he had to go," answered Angel.

"What about my training?"

"I'm doing it today. Giles thinks I'm ready to work on training with you."

Buffy grinned. Alone at last. "I hope you can handle it. I may just kick your ass."

Angel lifted his gray sweater over his head and placed it on the table behind him. He wore nothing underneath, and stood bare chested in front of Buffy. "Don't hold back. I have a lot of my mother's strength, I can take it."

Buffy headed over to the cage where Giles keeps the weapons. She pulled out two swords, one for her and one for Angel. "Ready to fight?" she asked, tossing him one.

"Ready, willing and able. Hit me with your best shot."

She swung at him, narrowly missing his head. Angel blocked the next swing with a blow of his own. This went on for ten minutes before they dropped their weapons in favor of punches and kicks. Buffy eased her punches so as not to hurt Angel. He, however, opted to do just the opposite. He unleashed all of his strength, proving that he could take anything she threw at him. With one roundhouse kick, Angel knocked Buffy to the ground flat on her back.

"Ow," she complained. "That hurt."

"Sorry. Here, let me help you up." Angel held out his hand, intending to assist Buffy in standing.

When she gripped his arm, Buffy pulled him, forcing him to fall on top of her. "This feels a lot better."

"Buffy, you could be hurt."

"So kiss me and make it all better."

"Buffy..."

She wrapped her arms around his neck when Angel tried to stand up. Buffy used all of her strength to hold him in place. He couldn't get out of her grasp. Fearing he may be putting unnecessary pressure on her possibly injured body, Angel applied all of his body weight onto his arms, keeping his upper body off Buffy.

The kiss went from fun-loving to dangerously passionate in a short period of time. Their tongues dueled inside each others' mouths, and Buffy ran her hands across the warm, damp skin of Angel's bare back, trying to memorize each ridge. Her legs tangled around his, lifting his one pant leg over his calf.

Giles entered the library, staring in shock at Buffy and Angel's heated embrace on the floor. When he could form a sentence, he exclaimed, "What the hell is going on here?"

Part Nineteen

They disentangled their limbs and climbed quickly to their feet. Buffy straightened her hair while Angel fixed his pant leg. "Giles, this isn't what it looks like," Buffy said.

"Really?"

"I--I can explain," Angel began with a stammer.

"Let me guess. You were training and your lips fell on top of Buffy's?" Giles asked, matter-of-factly.

Angel gazed at the floor. There was no way he and Buffy could get out of this predicament without telling the Watcher the truth. She held his right hand in her left, placing her right hand on top of them. "Angel and I love each other very much and we belong together."

"Really?" he repeated. "When did this come about? Because last time I saw you two together you barely looked at one another. Now all of a sudden you're all over each other?"

"It happened this weekend, after Prom," Buffy said to Giles.

"I was under the impression you went alone, Buffy. Did you have a sudden revelation during the Electric Slide?"

"Willow asked me to go as a favor," Angel informed him. "She wanted Buffy to have a good time, so I went intending to be her date. Nothing more than that. Things just went on from there."

Giles nodded. "That explains why I was unable to get a hold of you Friday night. This -- this thing you two have decided upon is not a wise idea."

Buffy didn't get it. She expected Giles to be upset at first, but figured he'd get over his anger quickly. "Because of the Council? They are half a world away! And Angel and I don't care what they think; what anyone thinks. We're in love."

"Buffy, you being in a relationship with Angel is a mistake."

She threw her arms out in front of her. "Why? You've never had a problem with me dating before. You were always okay with Kevin and Scott and Owen."

Giles shook his head. "No I wasn't. A Slayer in a romantic relationship is dangerous. To both parties."

"What's so dangerous about me being with Angel? He knows who I am, what I am, he can hold his own in a fight and he can protect me if I need protecting."

The Watcher exhaled his breath angrily. "Buffy, go change out of your workout clothes. I need to speak with Angel alone."

"No. Anything you say to Angel you can say to me, too."

"Now!" Giles shouted.

Glancing once at Angel before walking away, Buffy stormed out of the library.

"Giles, look--"

"No, I don't want to hear it," Giles interrupted. "But I do want to know what in bloody hell you were thinking. And for God's sake, put your shirt back on."

Angel did as Giles requested. "Buffy already told you, we love each other."

"Buffy is a naive, vulnerable, impressionable young woman. You are older and wiser, Angel. You should know better."

"I'm not going to hurt her. I love her more than I've ever loved anyone else."

"You know what the Council will say," reminded Angel.

Angel shrugged. "So tell them. And while you're at it, why don't you tell them you love her, too. I know you do, she's like a daughter to you." He was beginning to lose his temper with Giles' threats.

"Yes, I love her, but I don't go making out with her on the library floor for everyone to watch, either! I hoped you would show better judgment than that."

"I refuse to apologize for loving her; it was beyond my control. You make it seem as though I planned it. Like I saw her and said, 'She's really pretty. I think I'll fall in love with her.' Love isn't brains, it's blood. And part of being in love is losing control. I may not have much experience in matters of the heart, but I know that much."

Giles frowned. "I suppose nothing I say will stop you from continuing on with Buffy. The repercussions of this decision are yours to deal with. Angel, you should have thought more about this before jumping into whatever you're jumping into with Buffy."

"I've thought about it for a month now. Any doubt I had flew out the window when Buffy said she loves me. And there is nothing you can say or do to change my mind. I'm old enough to make my own decisions, Giles, I don't need your blessing. If you'll excuse me, I have to go find Buffy."

After Angel left, Giles entered his office, pulled out his address book and dialed the long-distance number he searched for. He waited anxiously until it was the answered on the other end.

"Hello, this is Rupert Giles...I am fine, how are you?...I'm glad to hear it. I'm sorry to bother you, I know how busy you are. But there is a problem here that I believe you can help me with. It's in regards to Angel. I desperately need your help."

********

"Will, it was horrible," Buffy said on the phone with Willow before dinner. "Giles totally lost it. He yelled at me and said that me and Angel are a bad idea."

"Maybe he just needs some time. It must have been a big shock to him, seeing you two making out on the floor."

"I guess so. But he could've been more understanding. He acted like we were driven by our hormones or something like that. We aren't, though. Angel and I love and respect each other."

"I know that, Buffy. I can see where he's coming from, though. He walked into the library and found you two getting hot and heavy on the floor. Maybe he thought you were going to...to sleep together if he hadn't come in when he did." Willow was trying to see things from Giles' perspective.

"No way! I'm not ready for that yet."

"Then let me ask you this: when Giles walked in, how far had you gone with Angel?"

Buffy sighed. She knew what Willow was getting at. "We were on the floor. I guess at least second base, pushing third. But that still doesn't give Giles the right to say that stuff about us."

"He's only looking out for you. He could think you're still on the rebound from Kevin."

"No. Giles said me and Angel were dangerous if we are a couple. God, I wish he could see things the way I do. I'm over Kevin, I love Angel. Why can't he see that?"

"Buffy! Dinner!" Mrs. Summers called from the kitchen.

"I have to eat dinner now. See you tomorrow, Willow. 'Bye." Buffy hung up the phone and headed for the kitchen. She sat down in her usual chair.

"How was school today, Buffy?" Mrs. Summers asked.

Buffy shrugged. "Okay, I guess." She didn't feel like telling her mother about the incident in the library.

"What's wrong? Something's bothering you, I can tell."

"It's nothing. I just had a bad day."

"Did something happen with your friends? With Angel?"

She shook her head. "No. Everything's fine with them."

"Then what is it?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Can we eat, please? I'm hungry and I have to patrol tonight," Buffy said.

"Is Angel going with you?"

"No. I'm stopping by his place after I'm done. I may be home a little later than usual."

Mrs. Summers eyed her daughter. "I hope you're not planning on doing anything irrational."

"Mom, don't worry. Angel and I are taking things slowly. I'm not ready for that big of a step," Buffy reassured her mother.

"Alright, I believe you and I trust you. I'll extend your curfew to eleven, but not a minute later."

Buffy smiled. "Thanks. I just really need to talk to him."

********

"I still don't get why Giles flipped out. Yeah, I understand it, you're a Watcher and I'm a Slayer. But we love each other. He should be happy for us," Buffy said. She felt tears running down her cheeks.

"You don't have to cry over it. He'll come around. Right now he's in shock over what he saw," Angel tried to comfort her. He pulled her face to his chest, letting her cry.

She sniffled. "Is he going to tell the Council?"

He caressed her cheek with his fingers. "I don't know. Personally, I don't care. I love you. And I don't think he could say anything. It would be hypocritical of him to do so. Giles thinks of you like a daughter, so in a way, he loves you, only different from the way I do. Telling the Council and having them investigate would jeopardize his job, not just mine."

Buffy leaned her head up, kissing his neck, working her way up to his lips. Unlike the last time, Angel didn't try to stop her. He kissed her with the same ferocity, plundering her mouth with his tongue. She moaned with pleasure when his hands roamed under her shirt, moving up and down her back, and when his lips trailed from her mouth to her ears and then to her throat. He moved his hands, putting them on her upper arms, pushing to her lay flat on the couch cushions.

With Angel on top of her, Buffy took the opportunity to remove his sweater, leaving him as clothed as he had been earlier. She raked her nails across his skin, moving her hands up and down gently. "Oh God, don't stop. Please, I love you, don't stop," she whispered as he nibbled on her earlobe.

A knock on the door caused Angel to stop his ministrations. "Don't answer it," Buffy told him.

"I have to. It might be important." He climbed off of her and pulled his sweater back on. He opened the door, surprised to see a tall, salt-and-pepper haired man standing on the other side. "Geoffrey."

Geoffrey Kensington smirked at Angel. "Hello, Angel. Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Part Twenty

Angel stared at the man. Geoffrey Kensington was the last person he expected to see standing at his doorstep. "Oh." He motioned for his mother's Watcher to enter, knowing better than to invite anyone into his apartment after sunset.

Geoffrey entered. He stood just inside the apartment, leaving just enough room for Angel to close the door. Taking a look at the rest of the room, he found a pretty young girl sitting on the couch, smiling shyly. "Hello there. You must be Buffy Summers. I'm Geoffrey Kensington," he said with a slight British accent.

"Hi. Nice to meet you." 'I think.'

"It's not that I'm not happy to see you, Geoffrey, but why are you here?" asked Angel.

Geoffrey looked from Angel to Buffy and back again. "Oh dear. Am I interrupting something?"

Buffy shook her head. She could tell that Geoffrey wanted to speak to Angel in private. "No, I was just about to leave anyway." Standing up, she walked over to the door where Angel stood. "I will see you tomorrow, okay?" Feeling he might be too embarrassed to kiss her front of Geoffrey, she gave his arm a squeeze and left the apartment.

"Have a seat," Angel invited.

Geoffrey did so. "Your shirt is on inside out, son," he informed.

Angel fixed his shirt, slightly embarrassed. "I pose the question again. Why are you here?"

"It occurs to me that you have been living in Sunnydale for months now and I have never seen your apartment."

Angel narrowed his eyes. "You drove two hours from L.A. just to see my apartment? Why don't I believe you?"

"To be truthful, that isn't why I came. Earlier today, I received a phone call from Rupert Giles. He was concerned."

"Giles called you? What exactly did he tell you?"

"Simply that you are treading some dangerous water with the Slayer. Buffy." Geoffrey laughed. "I will say this, son, you certainly have great taste in women. She's quite a looker."

"So he sent you here to read me the warning label attached to her? You don't have to bother, Geoffrey, I know what I'm getting myself into."

Geoffrey shook his head. "No, I don't believe you do. You couldn't possibly fathom how dangerous this is for you."

Angel, who had been pacing the living room, stopped in his tracks. "I love her; she loves me. How is that dangerous? Because she's the Slayer? I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

He shook his head again. "Being in love with the Slayer will only lead you to heartache. I don't want you to go through that kind of loss."

"Like you did with my mother?" shot Angel.

"Excuse me?"

"Please. I know you were in love with my mother. That's why you took me away from San Francisco so soon after her death. Geoffrey, you couldn't stand the memories. How certain places would make you think of her, every time you'd walk by the cemetery you'd think about how you found her body there. You couldn't stand to be plagued by the memories of how you lose the one you loved."

"Angel, Rupert and I are only looking out for you best interests. Neither of us want you to get hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt."

"You may think so now, but what will happen when Buffy falls at the hand of her foe? A demon or vampire takes her away, what will you do, son? Give up on life as well? Have you even thought about it?" posed Geoffrey.

"I refuse to let anything happen to Buffy. I love her more than anything else. I'll protect her in any way I can."

Geoffrey smiled ever so slightly. "Had you said that about any other girl but the Slayer I would be happy for you and wish you both the best of luck. However, with this girl, I cannot stand by and let you make what very well be the biggest mistake of your life."

"Shouldn't that be my decision?"

"Son, sit down please." Angel sat on the black leather reclining chair across from Geoffrey. "I have never wanted anything except for you to be happy. Carolyn would have wanted me to give you the joyful, safe, normal upbringing she couldn't give you. And by taking you to Los Angeles, I thought I was doing that.

"But you were always a melancholy child, Angel. Nothing I did for you changed that. I raised you as best I could, bought you all the things you wanted, sent you to the best schools and universities in L.A.. Yet nothing made you happy. Carolyn took a piece of your heart with her when she died."

"I hoped that someday you would meet a young lady who could lead you out of this withdrawn, almost anti-social state you lived in. Four years of high school and six years of university gave me the highest hopes that you'd meet her. I even believed that Brittany MacKenzie might have been her."

Angel raised his eyes. "I went out with Brittany once, only because you asked me to."

"You looked happy that night."

"I fake it really well. She bothered me. All she talked about was shopping. She was insipidly boring."

"Yes, I can see how you might find that rather dull. You wanted a girl with whom you could have an intellectual conversation?"

Angel shook his head. "I wanted heat and passion. I wanted to look at her and just know that she was the one. And one look at Buffy told me she was the one."

"It was love at first sight then?"

"As cliched as it sounds, yes."

Geoffrey glanced at his hands. "As I said before, had this Buffy been any other girl, I would wish you well. But you are putting yourself at risk, son."

"You're repeating yourself, Geoffrey. Give me a valid reason as to why I shouldn't be allowed to follow my heart," demanded Angel.

"Want me to spell it out for you? Fine, I will. You'll be an easy target. Vampires and demons will see you as the Slayer's weakness. And they prey on weaknesses. They will do whatever it takes to make the Slayer powerless, and targeting you will do so. Using you as bait will possibly kill you both.

"Another reason is that you will be setting yourself up for a fall. Slayers are not notoriously known for living long lives. Angel, no matter how much you try to protect her, there will be something out there stronger than the both of you. What will you do when she dies? You're still a young man with your whole life ahead of you. Attaching your heart to a girl who will not live past her twenty-third birthday is not healthy. I don't want to see you broken hearted for the rest of your life. You deserve what every normal man deserves: a wife, a job, a home and children to fill it."

"What makes you think I want any of that? If I can't have that with the woman I love, I don't want it."

Geoffrey stood up. "I am only looking out for your best interests, son."

"Son," Angel scoffed. "For years I honestly believed you were my real father. You know, the one who got my mother pregnant. And that you never wanted to acknowledge me as your son because of your position. Then, years later, I realized you weren't my real father; that you only took care of me after Mom died so you'd have a piece of her to hold on to. You were only a few years older than I am right now and you gave up your livelihood to raise a Slayer's child and keep him safe. How can you have done what you did and not understand why I'm doing what I'm doing?"

"It's not the same thing."

"Isn't it? We've both been in love with the Slayer, even though it could cost us our positions with the Watcher's Council. The only difference I can see is that you raised her child after her death."

He sighed. "Angel, you cannot compare your relationship with Buffy to mine with Carolyn. Two different circumstances."

"Like the fact that Buffy loves me back?" Angel shot at Geoffrey.

"I didn't come here to argue with you, son. You needed someone to show you the path you're taking and where it will lead you. I've done that, but if you don't heed my advice, I'm sorry for wasting your time." He moved toward the door. "Good luck with Buffy. I have a feeling you'll need it."

Geoffrey exited the apartment, closing the door behind him. Once outside, he said, "I wish I could tell you the truth, Angel, but it'll hurt you too much."

********

"Did you explain to him the dangers of his relationship with Buffy?" Giles asked when Geoffrey returned to the apartment.

"I did my best to convince him that he is putting himself at risk, but he is too blinded by love to listen to me. Angel didn't want to hear it. I gave him my most logical arguments."

Giles paced a straight line in front of his couch. "Geoffrey, if you had seen what I saw this afternoon, you'd have been terrified. I'm worried that this will get them both killed. I cannot begrudge either of them from finding love; just the opposite. Had they found love with other people, I'd be happy for them. But together, they have no idea what they are getting themselves into."

Geoffrey nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean. I am glad that Angel found someone to make him happy. But why did it have to be the Slayer?"

"Did you tell him the real reason it's dangerous?" Giles wanted to know.

"No. And I'm hoping I'll never have to. He would never understand and it will hurt him too much. It is better to keep it between us and the Council. Angel doesn't need to know the truth."