�Why?� I asked, pouting a bit like a little girl. �I don�t want to. He never knew where I was before, why should now be any different? It�s probably a load off his chest. He�s probably already spread a story about how I�m not really his daughter, to save his reputation or something. He�s low and immoral like that, you know? He doesn't exactly care about people.�
But Angel would not be dissuaded. He handed me his cell phone from where he sat in the seat across from me. �Just make the call, Buffy, and then we can check in to the hotel of your choice.� His smile showed that he was just teasing me, but at the same time I knew that he�d let me choose the place that we selected as our �temporary place of residence� during our stay in Miami, if I made the call.
I took the phone with a dramatic sigh. �Fine,� I started dialing the number to my father�s place. �But don�t expect me to be nice!� I warned, pointing a finger at Angel.
He held up his hands to form a barrier, �I don�t ask for the impossible.�
I rolled my eyes. �Very funny.� I waited and listened as it rang once�twice�
�Is he picking up?� Angel asked.
I looked at him as if he had slapped me, and asked him sarcastically, �don�t you think I�d be talking if he�d picked up?�
Angel cocked an eyebrow, but before either of us could say anything else, I was pushed to awareness by the sound of Willow picking up the phone.
�Hello?� she answered, sounding tired.
�Willow!� I said, thrilled that I could talk to her before my father. I needed a bit of a pep talk from a girl who would understand.
�Buffy!� she exclaimed. �Oh my God! Where the Hell are you? Your father�s been worried sick! Oh...Well, actually that�s not true, he�s just pissed off right now. But he went through the routine that he goes through when he�s pissed off. He took a bottle of Vodka, a mixed tape, and a hair dryer into the bathroom with him and had a bath.�
�A hair dryer?� I asked; confused. �What for?�
�Well, he has this theory that if he�s reached the end of the tape, and his problems haven�t improved considerably, he can hook up the hair dryer, and drop it into the water with him. But to be perfectly honest, he never makes it past Barry Mannilow singing �Mandy� before he passes out from the alcohol consumption, and that song�s still on the first side of the tape, so I�m guessing he�s still alive.� She explained it all, sounding like she was waking up gradually as she spoke. �So where are you? I couldn�t believe you ran off with Angel. I was so happy when you told your dad off.�
�I know. I know,� I smiled faintly at the memory. �We�ve been driving all night. I can�t tell you where we are, because I don�t know how �Stalkerish� my father is. There�s always the chance that he has the phone wires tapped.�
�Okay, but are you okay?� she asked sounding extremely concerned.
�I�m fine,� I assured her. �Really. Angel�s taken care of me.�
�I don�t want to sound rude or anything, but I just have to ask,� she said in a hushed tone, �but Buffy what the Hell are you doing?�
I couldn�t help laughing slightly. I sighed, �I honestly have no clue, Will. I have no clue. To be honest, I'm just going with the flow right now. Know what I mean?�
�Kinda.I think I did that once. But then I woke up in a hospital after swallowing too much water. That expression's a lot more painful when you're in the water on a raft with friends at a third grade birthday part, Buffy." I could tell she was frowing about the memory. He mind jumped to another point, and her voice changed with the subject. "But what are you doing, Buffy? Are you ever going to come back to Devil�s Gorge?� she asked.
�I don�t know,� I looked at the window. �Probably eventually, but right now I just need to figure some things out. Angel says it�s completely fine, so I guess that�s what I�ll do.�
�Buffy, I�d like to think we�re friends, so�I want to let you know something that isn�t rumor.� She spoke in a serious tone.
�We are friends, Will,� I assured her. �You can tell me anything. You know that.�
�It�s about Angel,� she added after a moment. �And it�s pretty bad.�
My throat tightened as a small spark of fear was injected into my blood from those few words. I looked at Angel, and my heart sped up. �What is it?� I finally got the words out of my dry throat as it closed back up again like a chinese finger trap.
She hesitated, and then explained, �you�ve heard all about what he�s done. About just leaving women after being their worlds�But what no one talks about is the other stuff.�
�What �other stuff�, Will?� I asked, starting to get a little impatient. �Just tell me.� I glanced at Angel, and he gave me a reassuring smile.
�It�s what broke him and Miss. Chase up. Initially, anyways,� Willow continued. �Apparently when Angel finds something that he�s actually interested in, he�ll go to any length to keep it.�
�What did he do?� I asked her firmly, emphasizing each word. Then I noticed the bewildered look on Angel�s face. I put the phone back from my ear and covered quickly, �my dad took a hair dryer and a Barry Mannilow tape into the bathroom, and we don�t know if he�s still alive.�
�Buffy?� Willow asked.
�Yeah. I�m here. Just tell me what's going on, Will,� I glanced out the window, at the floor; anywhere but at Angel.
�Well, the story is that�Angel�He has a temper. You don�t want to get him mad. He�When he found out what Cordelia was doing�Cheating on him and all. He kind of lost it.� She could barely get it out, and I could tell her voice was shaking.
�'Lost it� how?� I asked, getting more and more concerned with each passing moment of suspense.
�Buffy, they never found the body!� she finally spit out, sounding frantic and upset as she spoke. "They never found the body." she said it again.
My eyes widened in horror. �What?� I managed to squeak out as my voice went completely.
�It�s�It�s just story. But this one isn�t changed like every other rumor around here. Buffy...No one really..They don't..." she sighed and continued, "Buffy, no one really talks about murders and such in Devil�s Gorge. They leave it as suspicion, and no one buts into anyone�s business regarding deaths. There�s a lot of foul play here. People do things�Strange things. The horses are really just some sort of a cover. Buffy, be careful, okay? I don�t want to see anything happen to you. This is important. Angel is dangerous, okay?� She was starting to sound panicked.
�Calm down, Will,� I said, finally getting my voice and my brain back. �I�m fine. Tell my father that there�s nothing wrong, and that I�ll be back soon. I just need to figure a few things out for myself. There�s�Things I need to know,� as I spoke, I looked over at Angel.
He was looking out the window, and his face was so stern and serious. He looked so angry for some reason. I wondered if he knew we were talking about him. Would he kill me if I got too close to the truth? Would he kill me anyways? My mind was starting to race.
�Buffy-� Willow began, but I stopped her.
�Will, I�m fine. I really have to go now. I�ll call later, okay?� I didn�t give her a chance to respond. I just hung up the phone.
I looked down at it for a long moment, and then I looked to Angel again. �A-Angel?� I stuttered slightly. I tried to calm my nerves. Surely Angel wasn�t a mad psycho killer! That was crazy! Just because he�s done some bad things, the people in Devil�s Gorge think they can make up anything about him, and everyone will believe it because he�d lied so much before. I�m not going to believe it�
But still�
Angel looked at me then with a bright smile on his face. �Did you talk to your dad?� he asked.
�I talked to Willow,� I answered. �She�ll tell my dad. Apparently he�s going through this fake depression. Started this morning around 2 with a bottle of Bacardi or something. I�m sure he�ll be fine though.�
He moved slowly to my side of the back, and slid closer. �Good,� he slid an arm around my shoulders. It took all of self control to keep form screaming and jumping out the door to the pavement we were driving over through Miami.
I relaxed to some degree, trying to reassure myself once again that what Willow had said was just a lie from the people in Devil�s Gorge. But still, I was nervous. However, I found I was able to relieve some of the tension in my limbs, and relax against Angel�s side.
�So, where do you want to stay?� he asked me with a smile. �Four Seasons? Beverly Wilshire? The Spade? Or do you want to go to a resort? Or we can stay in a casino. There�s Presidential Suites everywhere in Miami. Just choose a place.�
I could only think, that if he was indeed a psycho, he was an amazing actor. But then I thought, Angel�s never been mean to me before. He�s been nothing like what people have said before. Why should I start doubting him now?
It�s just a story.
I smiled up at him, relaxing finally and said, �I don�t care. Let�s just flip a coin.�
He laughed, �do you have a coin with a hundred sides?�
�Let�s just go to the place that looks the most exciting.� I leaned my head against his chest and shut my eyes. �I�m tired. You decide. Take me some place magical, Angel.�
He kissed the top of my head and said, �Princess Palace, it is.�
~~
The Princess Palace was indeed as it was named. It was the most breath-taking place I had ever been to in my life, and that was definitely saying a lot after the world traveling I�d done in my years.
�Oh wow!� I breathed a gasp of awe as the limo pulled up in front of the lobby. �Angel, it�s gorgeous!� I whispered, a hand flying to my mouth in surprise.
The building itself, was made of a white marble, and every window had thick, blue drapes pulled back with gold ties and long tassles. The front doors to the lobby were thick glass of about an inch and a half. There were beautiful fountains on either side of the front doors.
The very tired chauffer came around to the door of the back of the limo, and opened it for us. Angel got out first, and then offered me his hand. I was suddenly so self-conscious. I smoothed a hand over my hair, and under my eyes to smooth away any make-up that had been smudged after the night before.
I took a deep breath and accepted the hand that he offered me. When I stepped out of the limo, my dress fell back into place as if it hadn�t been wrinkling all night. It looked flawless, and I considered sending a fruit basket to the designer friend of Willow�s.
�Is it magical enough for you?� Angel asked me, holding out one hand to the building, and holding my hand in the other.
I smiled, �it�s perfect.�
We entered the lobby, and I was once again struck by the beauty of it all. The ceiling was at least two hundred feet high. It was a glass ceiling, and the blue sky and clouds looking like a painting. The grand staircase in the center of the huge lobby, was white marble like the rest of the building, with gold on the banister, and a plush, white carpet on the steps. That same carpet was all over the hotel, and it felt like you were walking on air when you stepped on it. It was perfect, like everything else.
�Wait here?� Angel asked, kissing my hand and causing me to blush. �I�ll be right back. I�m just going to get us in.� He led me to a small seating area, where the Victorian-style chairs were white with gold embroidery in the pads. I would have sat, had I not been sitting for the last nine hours.
I could only nod in response. I watched Angel go to the lobby desks and start talking to the well-dressed, middle-aged man that was there. His hair was cut short and neat, and his teeth were an alarmingly bright shade of white. I wondered if he used bleach on them.
Very few words were exchanged between the man and Angel. As far as I could tell, once Angel said his name, and showed his identification, the man was blushing with compliments and offers. A gold key was passed to Angel, and the man clapped his hands, bringing three assistants to his side.
�Please go prepare the Princess Suite on the top floor,� he said to them, and then they were gone as quick as they came.
Angel came back over to me and smiled, �shall we, Princess?�
I smiled and accepted the arm he was offering me.
As Angel led me towards the elevators, I found again that I was being watched closely by all of the guests and the staff in the lobby. But for a different reason this time. This time, it was because I was with Angel, not because I was Hank Summers� daughter. I loved the feeling of being associated with Angel�Not Hank.
The golden elevators opened, and we stepped in. The man controlling the elevator greeted Angel nervously, and then nodded his head politely at me and said, �ma�am.�
As the elevator began to move, Angel said to me, �I have arranged for some clothing to be sent to the room in your size. I�m sure you�re dying to get out of those shoes,� he smiled broadly at me.
�Thank you,� I sighed dramatically. �You have no idea what my feet are going through right now.�
Angel chuckled softly and continued, �but after you have a nap and food, I�ll take you shopping for some clothing of your own choice. I want you to be happy when you�re with me, Buffy. There�s nothing that I won�t give you, if you just ask.�
I smiled softly as I saw the sincerity creeping into his eyes. �I know,� I spoke softly. �Thank you.�
The bell of the elevator chimed, letting us know that we had arrived. �Princess Suite,� the elevator man said in a French accent that I hadn�t noticed before.
�Thank you,� Angel said, handing him a fifty dollar bill.
I smiled at the man, and then Angel led me off the elevator to the paradise that awaited me�And there is no way to describe the beauty that awaited me.