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Ch. 2: ‘Cause You Know Where I’ll Be Found


Buffy had been in Sunnydale for nearly two months, and everything was going great, except her relationship with Angel.

Buffy and Angel had appeared like the perfect couple the first month, but things began to change; and not in a good way. Angel had become fiercely overprotective of Buffy, and soon lost his shy, gentle demeanor. He talked back to the teachers constantly, and was starting fights for no reason other than to hit someone. Everyone in the group noticed, but Cordelia seemed to be the only one who didn’t care.

His loud and rude behavior wasn’t what was upsetting Buffy most, though. Despite his overprotectiveness, he began constantly blowing Buffy off, saying he had more important things to do. This deeply upset Buffy, but even more so when she realized that Cordy was blowing Xander off on the same nights.

When she told this to Xander, he was in denial until he was blown off yet again-as was Buffy. They were both devastated, and were fearing the worst. When they enlisted Willow and Fred’s help to find out what was going on, the girls were more than a little reluctant.

“Buffy, how can you be sure of anything? I mean, maybe his grandma Meg really did die. It happens.”

Buffy rolled her eyes and flopped back onto her bed. “Yeah, but not three times!”

Xander sighed heavily. “She has a point, Wills.”

Fred looked around at the group nervously. “Umm...also, this is way to coincidental. I mean, the laws of Chance and Probability would never allow for this to happen on accident. I hate to oppose you on this, Willow, but I think Buffy and Xander are right. I think something is going on between Angel and Cordy.”

Buffy looked around at the small group of friends gathered in her room, silent tears pouring down her face. “So,” she sniffed, “what do we do?”

Willow turned her sympathetic gaze to her friend. “Well, we could always follow them, I guess.”

“Or ask around at the Bronze. Maybe someone saw them there,” added Fred.

Buffy pinched the bridge of her nose. “Maybe we should ambush them at the Bronze.”

Xander looked up slowly. “When?”

Buffy smiled wryly. “Now. Tonight. That’s the whole reason we’re sitting here, isn’t it? We were blown off.”


The forlorn group nodded slowly as they all stood. When they exited Buffy’s room, Joyce ambushed them.

“Where are you guys going? I need someone to watch Dawn while I’m at the gallery!”

Through the wall, a muffled, “No you don’t!” was heard.

Buffy inhaled deeply. “We have business to take care of at the Bronze. Just....take her to Janice’s or something.”

“Buffy, I...” she trailed off when she saw the haunted, pained look in her daughter’s eyes that she herself had worn so often. “Alright. But next weekend you spend with Dawn. Deal?”

Buffy gave her mom a watery smile. “Deal.” With a quick look over her shoulder she signaled her friends, and they continued their somber march forward.

*****

When Xander pulled up to the Bronze, everyone hesitated. It wasn’t until Buffy gave a shaky, “Okay. This is it,” that everyone started to move. One by one they exited the car and hesitated for the last time before entering the club.

Neither Angel nor Cordelia were spotted on the preliminary sweep of the ground floor. It wasn’t until Fred looked up to the balcony and gasped at what she saw that everyone realized their theory was correct.

Buffy slowly followed the path of Fred’s finger, and dropped to her knees when what she was seeing finally sank in. “No,” she breathed. “No, no, NO!” Her screams went unheard by most; the throbbing bass was effectively cancelling out most other sound.

Willow looked at her two best friends, now both broken, and nearly collapsed herself. With a deep sigh she hauled Buffy up off of the floor. “Come on.”

Buffy nodded in silence as they began to ascend the stairs. She was in the lead, with the others following close behind. She was less than three feet away from the oblivious couple, and they still continued their frenzied make out session. Buffy was mildly surprised that they were still fully clothed.

“How could you,” Buffy snarled angrily.

Angel was startled by the sound of a familiar voice and pulled back. He turned to look at Buffy, his tongue still lazily lolling halfway out of his mouth. “Buffy?”

“Yeah. Buffy. Your GIRLFRIEND! What are you doing you lunkhead?!”

“Buffy, calm down. This isn’t what it looks like.”


“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down. And how could this not be what it looks like?! Are you telling me I didn’t just see you shoving your tongue down Cordelia’s throat?”

Cordelia and Xander had both been silent during Buffy’s righteous rant, but it was soon decided that now would be as good of a time as any to intervene.

“Cordelia, what happened? I thought you chose me over your ‘popular’ friends, and then we catch you and Angel making out like...like...well, I guess you are hormonal teenagers, but that’s not the point!”

Cordelia rolled her eyes and huffed. “Harris, I’m sorry. Well, not really. But the truth is, Angel is hot and rich, with parents I wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen around.”

Xander was fuming. “I thought you’d changed. You think I LIKE listening to the symphony of screams on a daily basis? Do you think I like seeing my dad drunk into an oblivion before I leave for school? Why do you think I live in the basement? I’m sorry I’m not hot and rich like loverboy over her, but there’s nothing I can do about who and where I come from, Cordelia.”

Cordelia’s chin jutted out defiantly. “I know. And I also know that I choose Angel.”

Xander smirked. “That’s funny. I don’t recall Angel giving much input on this ordeal.”

Angel’s eyes darted around nervously. “What do you want me to say?”

Buffy let out a harsh laugh laced with tears. “How about something that remotely resembles the truth?” She paused and took a deep breath. She nervously looked back at her silent friends. Shakily she began to speak, so quietly she was barely heard. “Angel...I-I thought we were in love. You TOLD me you love me, and I reciprocated. You....you were my first. Liam...” She sniffed quickly and chuckled. “But apparently that wasn’t important. Or, maybe it was all you really wanted from me in the first place. Knew I was from LA, and that I had a bit of a past. Maybe you thought I had some experience in the area, and that I could satisfy your little boy urges. Was that it? Angel, was it for the sex?”

Willow, Fred, Xander, and Cordelia were all stunned at Buffy’s numerous revelations. Angel looked down at the floor briefly. When his eyes returned to Buffy’s heartbroken face, he smirked and sighed. “Wow, Buffy. You really have a lot to learn about men, kiddo. But I guess you proved that when we–”

“Don’t,” Buffy gritted out. “Just...don’t.” She wiped her nose with her sleeve. “I’m...we’re done. Go and be happy with Cordelia, since that’s what you obviously want. I can live without you. I did for most of my life. The question is, can you live without me? I was the one who brought you out of your shell. I made you who you are. Remember that, since you since to be so happy with your personality transplant.” She hesitated, and then stepped forward so she was face to face with Angel. “I never want to see you or talk to you. Ever. Again.” She began to walk away before she turned on her heel and slapped Angel across the face with every ounce of strength she possessed. Then she smiled, so sickly sweet Harmony wouldn’t have been able to bear it. When she stalked by Cordelia, she shoulder checked her roughly into the balcony rail. Buffy stopped at the stairs and turned around once more. “Xander, Fred, Willow, let’s get out of here. Let’s go home.”

Fred looked around nervously before linking her arm with Willow’s and beginning down the stairs after Buffy.

Xander soon followed. He, too, paused at the top of the stairs. He threw a wilting look over his shoulder and gave the couple the finger with a demonic smile on his face before hurrying after the girls. He had only descended three steps before he stopped again. Looking straight ahead, he called to Angel, “If you ever go near her again.... If you ever hurt her more than you already have; I will castrate you with a butter knife.” With a sad yet satisfied smile, Xander followed his friends, and with them, began taking steps toward a happier, better life.


TBC in chapter 3....



A/N: I KNOW already! You’re still waiting for Ch. 4 of ‘Feelings’. Well too bad. My muse deserted that set and has been pounding this story into my head with an inflatable squeaky hammer. I hope you noticed, but I kinda made Angel seem more like Angelus in this chapter, and he’ll probably stay that way for awhile. But fear not, gentle readers! Spike enters the picture next chapter. Yay! R&R.





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