Part 4

 

Angel looked up at the sky worriedly. “Sunrise is coming.”

Buffy frowned. “Damnit! Mom is going to kill me! You know what? Never mind sunrise! Sunrise, be damned! I *don’t* care if she finds my bed empty.” Buffy paused for breath and noticed Angel’s raised eyebrows. Suddenly sheepish, Buffy blushed, “Of course, you’d be a big pile of dust…”

“You have no shame,” Angel commented wryly.

“Hey! I’ve never actually *cared* about a vampire walking into the sunrise before now!” Buffy snapped haughtily.

Angel chuckled and pulled Buffy against him. “That’s not what I meant. It was your use of the word damn. A proper lady would never curse.”

Buffy smirked and resisted shivering at his nearness. “I told you, I’m not a proper lady.” She looked up at the sky and sighed. “You’d better get inside.” Buffy rested her forehead against his, willing time to go just a little slower. “I could walk you to your room.”

Angel wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I would be delighted if the lady walked me home.”

Buffy giggled. “I’m going to be in so much trouble when I don’t get up to have breakfast with Mom tomorrow.”

Angel tightened his grip on her shoulders, and led her through a series of passageways and elevators, until Buffy was thoroughly confused. Finally, he stopped at a stateroom that Buffy thought looked awfully familiar. “Hey!” she exclaimed, “isn’t that my room?”

Angel nodded. “Do you really think you would have found your way back here after you dropped me off?”

Buffy thought about all the long hallways that Angel had led her down, and the lack of stewards around at this time of night. She didn’t bother asking how he knew where *her* stateroom was. It didn’t surprise that he knew where she slept. “You’re right.”

“Of course I’m right,” Angel answered with a half smile.

Buffy noticed that the smile didn’t reach his eyes, and she wished that she could make all the pain that he undoubtedly suffered go away. She caressed the side of his face gently. “We have to say good-bye now.”

Angel gulped. “I know.”

“Can I meet you somewhere tonight?” Buffy asked with wide eyes.

“I’ll find you.”

“I’ll miss you,” Buffy whispered, knowing that she was being incredibly daring, but not caring.

Angel grasped her hand. “I’ll miss you more.”

“Can I…” Buffy gulped nervously, “have a good-night kiss?”

Angel leaned down, and stopped inches from her lips. “You don’t have to ask,” he said right before meeting her mouth in a passionate embrace.

Of course, things just hadn’t been going all that well for Buffy today. The kiss was amazing, and since every kiss that Buffy had with Angel was amazing, that wasn’t too much of a surprise. It was the other factor that was a little less amazing.

“Bu… Buffy?”

Angel pulled back, eyes wide with surprise. Buffy stared at him in panic, not sure what to do. Slowly she turned her head around to face the person that had so rudely interrupted them. “Giles.”

Giles brandished a cross, which he hugged to his chest. He pulled out at stake and advanced on Angel. “What did you do to her, you beast?” he hissed.

Angel looked at Buffy helplessly. “Giles… stop!” she cried.

Giles shook his head. “No! It isn’t you.”

Buffy moved as quick as she could in between her watcher and her boyfriend. “It’s me, Giles. He didn’t turn me.”

“He didn’t?” Giles asked hopefully, squinting at Buffy. “No, that isn’t true. You’re just trying to trick me.”

“I’m not! Look, if I was a vampire, I would have already killed you.” Buffy protested.

Giles faltered. “Then, why are you protecting him?”

“Because he isn’t evil! He has a soul. Angel’s a good vampire.”

Giles advanced in two quick steps and held the cross up to Angel’s face. Angel hissed in surprise and dove backwards. Giles looked at his vampire face in disgust. “Funny, all I see is the monster.”

Buffy took a deep angry breath and slapped Giles across the face as hard as she could. Before he could recover, she grabbed the cross from his hand and held it up in front of his face. “See? It’s not burning me. He didn’t do anything to me. Angel wouldn’t hurt me.”

Giles looked at the cross in Buffy’s hand with wide eyes. She was surprised when he lunged at her and held her tight. “You’re all right,” he mumbled.

“I thought we already covered this…” Buffy wheezed out, from being squeezed so hard. Giles flushed in embarrassment and took a step back.

“But how? Why?”

“Do you trust me, Giles?”

“Buffy, that isn’t fair.”

“*Do* you trust me?” Buffy asked again.

“I don’t know if I trust you when it comes to this vampire,” Giles admitted.

Buffy gave a small smile. “I asked for an honest answer.”

Giles sighed. “Buffy, you know that I—”

Buffy held up her hand. “It’s okay. I understand.” Buffy turned around to find Angel leaning against the wall of the ship, back in his human face. She leaned down so that she was level with his eyes. Tenderly she stroked the burned mark that the cross had left. Angel closed his eyes and grasped her hand in his.

Giles watched the two in amazement. There was complete trust between the two of them. Complete trust between a vampire and a slayer. It was ludicrous to just think about it, and, yet, here it was. There was something different about this vampire. Something that Giles couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Are you okay?” Buffy whispered so that only Angel could hear.

Angel opened his eyes and kissed the tips of Buffy’s fingers. He looked at her intently, “ It really doesn’t bother you?”

Buffy shrugged, “What doesn’t bother me?”

“Me being what I am. A monster.”

Buffy gave him a horrified expression. “You’re not a monster,” she said firmly, caressing his face.

“You don’t know that,” Angel whispered. “You don’t know what I’ve done. You don’t know what I feel.”

Buffy’s eyes softened. “No. I don’t know what you’ve done. But your punishment certainly isn’t fair. You’re the handsomest, gentlest, sweetest man I know. It doesn’t bother me, because I can see your soul.”

“Thank you,” Angel said with a half smile.

Buffy pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Anytime.” She knew that his doubts were still there, but she had quelled them for the time being, and that was the important thing.

Giles watched the exchange between vampire and slayer. And he knew. He could see it in the vampire’s eyes. He watched as Buffy helped him up, and the way that he looked at her like she was the second coming. “You have a soul,” Giles said to him in awe.

Buffy grinned. “Figured that out about a mile down the road. Geez, keep up, would you?”

Angel gave Buffy an amused glance. “Gypsy curse,” he said in way of an answer.

Giles nodded. “Ahh.”

Buffy turned to Angel. “Now, he’s going to be up all night researching it,” she paused and frowned. “Or maybe not, because it’s technically morning, so he can’t really stay up all night…”

Angel leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Good-night.”

Buffy watched his back disappear down the hall and she gave a little sad sigh. With an inward frown, she slowly turned her attention back to her watcher. “So, on a scale from one to ten, how mad at me are you?”

Giles took off his glasses and regarded her seriously. “I’m very disappointed, Buffy. Do you have the slightest idea how worried about you I was? I came back to my room to find you gone, and, according to your friends, you were out to kill one of the cruelest vampires ever. And then, once you realized that Angel had a soul, you returned here, rather than coming to see me.”

Buffy looked down. “I’m sorry.”

“As well you should be. What would I have told your mother if you had turned up dead? How would I have gone on, knowing what I had left my slayer to?”

Buffy bit her lip. “Angel would *never* hurt me.”

“Buffy, I know that you lo… have strong feelings for him, but you mustn’t forget that Angelus is a vampire, and is indeed very capable of hurting you.” Giles said kindly.

Buffy looked him straight in the eyes. “No. I’ve only known him two days… and yet… I feel like I would know him anywhere. He wouldn’t hurt me, Giles.”

“Be that as it may, it doesn’t change the fact that what you went out to do tonight was showing very poor judgment on your part. What if he had been evil, Buffy?”

“I know! Fine! It was stupid, but I couldn’t help it. I’m sorry for feeling all these stupid emotions. When I thought that he had been using me, I felt this incredible rage, but when I actually found him and tried to kill him… I couldn’t do it. And I don’t know why.”

Giles smiled sympathetically. “It’s called growing up.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “I hate it when you tell me that.”

“Get some rest,” Giles replied with another sad smile.

Buffy sighed. “And *please* don’t be mad in the morning.”

Giles gave a small wave as Buffy disappeared behind her stateroom door. He stared at her closed door for a long time. “I was never mad,” he finally whispered before turning away.

Wednesday April 12, 1912

Buffy groaned and rolled over. She could feel it getting closer. Louder. Moaning, she covered her face in her hands. No. She wouldn’t do it. She wouldn’t. Louder. Closer. Banging…

“WHAT???”

“Buffy, dear, you promised to keep me company for breakfast this morning.”

Buffy buried her head in a pillow. It was a dream. This was all a dream. A terrible nightmare. One that would be over as soon as she closed her eyes and…. BAM!

The banging started again.

“Buffy! Are you ill?”

Buffy opened her eyes. Apparently her mother wasn’t going to be persuaded out of their mother/daughter breakfast this morning. “I’m coming,” Buffy grumbled bitterly under her breath. She could swear that she had only fallen asleep ten minutes ago. Checking her wristwatch, Buffy realized that she was wrong. She had only fallen asleep five minutes ago.

Every bone in her body protesting the movement, Buffy hauled herself out of bed. “I’ll be there in a few minutes, Mother!” Dressing quickly—as slayers sometimes needed to do in emergencies—Buffy soon had her hair and dress done, and she hoped with all her might that her lack of sleep was covered up by those super slayer powers.

 When she opened the door to her room, she found her mother standing impatiently on the other end. Joyce smiled at her warmly, and Buffy thanked god that she didn’t say anything about the way that she looked. Joyce gave her daughter the once over from head to toe, and deciding that she looked presentable, turned and sauntered down the hall.

Buffy leaned her head against the door of her room and took a deep breath. Her body was calling out for sleep and she inwardly cursed herself for staying out with Angel as long as she had. Of course, she didn’t curse all that much, because, after all, time spent with Angel was time well spent. And then there were those dreams that she had in that brief five minutes of sleeping time.

During breakfast, Buffy’s mom spent a lot of time exclaiming about the wonderfullness that was the ‘Titanic.’ Buffy wasn’t paying all that much attention, as she was trying to keep from falling asleep in her eggs, but she thought that she nodded at all the right times, and her mother didn’t seem to notice her lack of awareness.

Buffy closed her eyes and let her mind wander to a certain dark, mysterious, vampire. He said that he would find her. She supposed that meant that he would find her later tonight after the sun went down. Buffy instantly regretted not asking what his room number was. Waiting until dark seemed like an awfully long time suddenly.

“And the captain says that the ‘Titanic’ is breaking all kinds of speed records…” Joyce cried excitedly.

Buffy yawned, disinterested. “Mmm, seems kind of dangerous at this time of year, considering all the ice bergs that are out in the sea.”

The slayer’s mother leaned over and patted her daughter’s hand reassuringly. “Nothing to worry about, sweetie. This ship is unsinkable.”

Buffy yawned again. ‘Whatever,’ she thought, ‘*anything* is possible in this world. And the saddest part is… a sinking ship is the least of my worries.’ “I’m sure that it is very sturdy.”

Joyce gave Buffy a weird look. “Is everything all right?”

Buffy looked around nervously. ‘Is it that obvious?’ “Never been better.”

Mrs. Summers frowned and looked closer at Buffy. Buffy widened her eyes and tried to look as innocent as possible. Finally, her mother shrugged and went back to her food. “I have to say that this is the best omelet that I have ever tried. Would you like some, Buffy?”

Across the room, a stranger was watching mother and daughter closely. He was so entranced that he jumped when a waitress asked if he would like some more coffee, since his was cold. Always a gentleman, the man smiled and politely asked for another one. The waitress had barely turned away when the stranger turned his attention back to the blonde girl. He found himself entranced by her, nothing in this world had ever held his attention like this before.

He was disappointed when the girl got up, kissed her mother on the cheek, and left the room. Though he was sad to see her go, the man used this to his advantage. He approached the table with grace and smiled stunningly down at the mother.

“I was wondering,” he said, “if this seat was taken.”



“So, I finally got myself into bed, closed my eyes, and fell into a deep sleep, when the my door started banging.”

“You’re *door* banged?” Xander muttered.

Buffy nodded. “I swear it! I was lying there, minding my own business when BOOM! The door banged.”

Willow suppressed a yawn. “Maybe the ship is haunted,” she suggested half-heartedly.

Buffy made a face. “And then I found my mother on the other side.”

Xander leaned back in his chair. “Family breakfast?”

“Of the *worst* kind.” Buffy pouted.

Willow looked at Buffy in sympathy. “But, hey! You got Angel. So, not all bad.”

Xander shot up straight, despite his heavy lethargy. “Buffy, Angel’s a vampire. I thought we already covered this.” Willow punched him on the arm. Xander frowned. “Ow.”

Buffy sighed and closed her eyes. “Yeah, Angel…”

Willow brightened considerably. “Happy thoughts?”

“The best,” Buffy admitted with a sly grin.

Xander rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t anyone ever listen to me?”

“No,” both girls replied at the same time.

Xander sighed and shrunk down in his chair again. The three of them were sitting out on the deck, since it was the only time that Willow and Xander were getting off all day. The only problem was the nighttime activities from the night before had taken a lot out of all three of them. Still, despite the circumstances, Buffy felt wonderful knowing that she had people that knew about her secret and still wanted to be friends with her.

“You know what the worst part it though?” Buffy asked. Two pairs of eyes looked at her questioningly. “I won’t even get to see him again until tonight! And so far, the only times I’ve seen him have been late at night. I don’t know if my body will let me stay up that late.”

“You’re right. That *is* awful,” Xander said with false-sympathy.

Willow gave her friend a sad look. “I’m sorry, Buffy.”

Buffy shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Really, it is. You have no idea what a relief it was not to have to kill him.”

“Incredible relief,” Xander muttered.

Willow rolled her eyes. “Ignore him.”

Buffy gave Xander a hurt look. “I’m trying.”

Xander sighed, feeling bad about hurting Buffy. He still didn’t like Angel, but he had to admit that Buffy had feelings for the vampire… no matter how sick and twisted it was. “I have an idea,” he said.

“Xander,” Willow said warningly.

Xander held up his hands. “Hey! Even *I* can see how much Buffy cares about him.” Buffy looked at Xander, suddenly hopeful. “You want to figure out where Angel is wholed up right?” Buffy nodded. “Well, Willow and I start working again in about 10 minutes, I bet with a little inquiring around to some of the female staff we can find out where he is.”

Willow looked at him strangely. “Why would they know where he was?”

Xander rolled his eyes. “Please! I’ve seen this guy! Any women within a 50 mile radius would be crazy not to notice him. And that was *with* the ugly vampire teeth.”

Buffy gave him an amused smile. “That’s good, Xand. Really.”

Xander’s eyes widened and he blushed. “No! Not that I…” he sighed. “Never mind.”

Willow looked wistfully off into space. “It’s true. He *is* a honey.”

Buffy gave her a sharp look. “And you know this how?”

Willow blushed. “Buffy, I would never! Don’t think that I… I would never do that to you!”

Buffy laughed. “I know, I know. Just curious, is all.”

“Well, I’m on the staff and some of the other… staff pointed him out to me.”

Xander nodded. “I knew it!”

“They better stay away from *my* guy,” Buffy grumbled.

Willow snorted. “I wouldn’t put it past some of the people on this ship to do anything they can to keep *you* away from him.”

Buffy sighed. “I can’t believe this. I’m in love with a vampire. A vampire that just happens to look like an angel.”

Willow gave her a supportive pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. You have slayer strength.”

“Yeah!” Xander exclaimed, “you can beat anyone that dares look at him to a bloody pulp.”

“I wonder what his last name is….” Buffy said dreamily, clearly not having heard anything that her friends had said.

Xander rolled his eyes. “Earth to Buffy, we have a situation!”

Willow glared at him. “I think it’s sweet.”

“You’re right. It’s adorable. Two sworn enemies making googly eyes at each other. Just great.”

“Do you think that vampires can get married? I mean, they’d have to go in a church and everything, but… if it’s for the greater good of all….”

This time even Willow had to roll her eyes. “See you later, Buffy,” she said.

Buffy finally focused on her. “You’re leaving?”

“Yep,” Xander said as he stood and stretched. “We must go sweat blood.”

“Work,” Willow supplied.

Buffy grinned. “Like Angel research work?”

Xander groaned. “Angel, Angel, Angel. That’s all you talk about.”

“I’ll check back here as soon as I get a break,” Willow offered with a pointed glance at Xander.

Xander sighed. “Yeah, me too,” he mumbled.

Buffy leaned back and stretched leisurely. “Have fun.”

“Of course! I love looking after other people!” Xander snorted.

“Mmm,” Buffy muttered, already half-asleep.

“Our job sucks!” Xander whispered to Willow as they walked away. “Not only do we have to wait on people hand and foot, but we also get to do research for the slayer’s demony boyfriend. Doesn’t seem fair if you ask me.”

“No one did,” Willow pointed out.

Buffy groaned and rolled over as her friend’s chatter faded from her ears. She hoped that Willow and Xander came back quickly. It was strange, but she had a deep longing to see Angel again. Buffy smiled, thinking about him. It was amazing how fast she had fallen in love, and how deep.

Suddenly, she felt a shadow cover her body, and she rolled over, wondering where the sun had went. When the shadow didn’t move she moaned tiredly and opened her eyes to see who her intruder was. Her bleary eyes focused on a handsome stranger standing over her.

The man was tall, she noted. Taller than Angel. Blonde hair and blue eyes accompanied a rugged face. The stranger gave her a huge silly grin and stuck out his hand. “Hi,” he said, “I was just hanging around here, all bored, when I noticed this girl sitting all alone. And then, I thought I’d go over and talk to her. You know, so we could be bored together. But now I’m thinking that I just interrupted some pretty important lying in the sun and sleeping time.”

Buffy yawned, tiredly. He definitely was taking up her sleeping time. But she smiled at his cute attempt to make conversation. She took the proffered hand, and looked at the man curiously. “Buffy Summers. It’s nice to meet you.”

The man blushed. “I’m sorry. I guess I forget about the whole “introducing” aspect. I’m Riley. Riley Finn.”

 

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