Author's Chapter Notes:
I'll miss the next update--I'll be out of town and don't have the chpater done enough for sure to have someone update for me...hope you'll read when I do update :-)
Chapter Four

When, around a quarter after seven, the doorbell rang, Buffy and Joyce just looked at each other before Buffy got up to answer the door. She knew that should could just ignore it, but she also knew that Angel wouldn't give up if she did that; as a matter of fact, she'd tried it the week previous and he'd just rang it for about five minutes straight before calling her from his cell phone and then ringing the bell again when she didn't answer her phone.

Buffy, opened the door with a smile on her face, in case it was someone else. But it wasn't.

"Angel, can you just go home? We have somebody over tonight and it's rude for me to be leaving the table in the middle of dinner just to tell you to go home." Buffy didn't even sound angry with him anymore, she just couldn't expend that much energy on him, day after day.

Angel didn't seem to notice her indifference, though, and continued on with his normal routine, "You know, if you'd just say you'll do something with me tomorrow. If not, I think I might just stick around for a while." He thought that maybe if there was something more than his insistence compelling her to go out with him—like a need to get back to their guest—that she just might finally agree to a date with him.

But no one ever accused him of being the brightest guy in school, "Angel, I'm going to close the door now and if you so much as ring that doorbell after I do, then my mother's going to call the police….and I'm sure that's not something you want to explain to your father." When he didn't answer her right away, "Is it?"

"No…" he admitted sheepishly before seeming to regain his confidence, "But don't think this is over, I'll see you tomorrow." If she'd cared anymore, she would have already had him arrested for stalking, but she didn't really feel like going through all that entailed and so far all he'd really done was be annoying. And she wasn't sure there was anything illegal about being an maddening idiot.

"Sure, do whatever you want tomorrow, just leave me alone tonight, okay?" Buffy didn't want him to think she'd given in though, "But you know what my answer'll be tomorrow, so if you want to skip asking, feel free."

Buffy closed the door before he could tell her anything else and turned around to go back into the dining room, noticing that Giles and her mother were both looking toward the front door.

"So, you guys heard that?" She wasn't sure why she cared so much, her mother already knew about Angel and his ploy, but Giles didn't and for some reason that worried her.

"Just about all of it." Her mother replied, giving her a slight smile to let her know everything was okay.

"Giles?" Buffy wasn't sure why, but she wanted to hear him answer as well.

"Yes, I, um, heard it as well, not on purpose of course," he didn't want to sound like he'd been eavesdropping on a teenage girl's conversation, "but it's just sound carries so well in this house."

"I guess I should explain then, so you don't think it was something it wasn't…"Buffy went on to explain the events of the summer to Giles, how Angel pestered her every night for a date and how she turned him down every time. She emphasized how she wasn't at all interested and hadn't encouraged him in the least and in the end was very grateful when Giles believed her and didn't think she was trying to cheat on William.

"Buffy, dear," he assured her, "I know that you would never cheat on my son, the two of you love each other too much."


The rest of the dinner had been uneventful, talk stayed mostly on Joyce's work at the gallery and the two adults avoided talk of William, Giles knowing instinctively that, that was what had upset Buffy.

When her mother returned from the kitchen with dessert Buffy decided she'd broach the subject they'd all been avoiding, "So Giles, have you heard anything from William?" suddenly not so sure of herself she added, "I mean, I know Patrick's rules, but I though, you know with you being his dad and all you might have, I don't know heard something?"

"No, dear, I haven't heard anything." Giles took pity on the obviously lovesick girl, "If I had heard anything you know I would have told you and if William had any say in what I was told, you know he would have included a message for you." Giles smiled at her to let her know he wasn't upset with her for asking.

"Yeah, I figured. I was just wondering, though.

*(*(*(**)*)*)*




July 31

Joyce looked up as Buffy came bouncing in the back door, happier than she'd seen her in months, "And what do I owe this good mood of yours to?" She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

"I just got my schedule for school in the mail!" Joyce was confused as to why a reminder that school was starting soon would make her daughter so happy.

"Oh…and that's a good thing?"

"Of course it is. It means school's starting soon." At her mother's puzzled expression, she sighed, "And, silly, that means William's coming back soon!"

Before Joyce had a chance to respond, Buffy had hopped off the stool she'd sat on and was on her way back out the door, "Where're you going?"

"I'm gonna go check with Giles, see if he has Will's schedule yet so I can see if we have any classes together." And she was out the door.


Joyce wasn't the least bit surprised when, 15 minutes later, she got a call from a confused sounding Rupert Giles wondering if Buffy was alright, "Not that I'm not happy that she's happy; it's just…"

"She hasn't been this happy all summer?" Joyce finished.

"Exactly," he replied with a sigh, glad that the girl's mother understood where he was coming from.

"I take it you gave her some good news then?" Although it was possible that he told her the two teens had no classes together and her daughter was still as hyper as she had been when she left.

"Quite, they have, apparently, every other class together."

"Good lord!" Joyce knew she'd have to brace herself for her daughter's return.






TBC.......Please Review


and I hope anyone reading my fic Silently Broken is enjoying it as well





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