The Marriage Deal

New fan fiction challenge : The marriage deal .

The deadline : open

Timeline: up to you

Rating : up to you ( PG, PG-13, NC-17...)

The Idea :

* This is an AU fic.

* Angel has to have a wife to receive very fat inherence.

* Buffy have one sister in jail, one in depression, her parents just died and she have no money.

* The deal has been made.

The cast:

Buffy - 20 year collage student, have two sisters. " I really don't want to do it, but my sister - Faith has some issues with being adopted and killed her abusing boyfriend three weeks ago and Dawn been moping since our parents been gone. I have no money and no education and Angel seems like a decent guy and a lawyer ( I really need one right now for Faith). So I think I will take this "deal" , it's only three years. What deal? I really don't like thinking about it..."

Faith - 22 year old , adopted at the age of eleven by Buffy parents, in jail at the moment. " I really didn't meant to off the guy, but it was him or me this time and I really didn't want to die, Buffy thinks that i do the things that I do because of some adoption drama, right... I went from a dump to a house with a dog and where everyone just so damn nice, ha... maybe that it... the niceness of them all, specially B... Anyway, I think B did something stupid, cause now I got that hunky lawyer, that B married to ... and she didn't looks married to me, like... no glow or something... when B happy she got the glow thing going on..."

Dawn - 15 year old, the younger sister, honor student a few month ago, now failing most classes. " I really thought that i've got it all, till my parent died and left me to Buffy, i've though that next stop going to be foster care, i mean I love my sis and all, but she don't really have what it takes to take care of me ... That Angel guy, I don't trust him, Buffy not that kind of girl to get married in a week and now that Faith getting out of jail, I just sure that there is something not to great smelling here. They don't touch much and lets face it, if I had a husband that look like that - I would be touching every chance i've got. But it's not to bad - I've got a new home and lot's of clothe and I think a lot more money and Buffy not to sad... We just have to wait and see what will happen next"

Angel - 30 year old, lawyer, his uncle died and he about to become multi millionaire, provided of cause that he will gets married and stayed married for three years - all before his 31 birthday. " Did you ever heard that money only bring trouble, they right.. I'm a part of a big practice and I know plenty about wills, but can honestly say my uncle outdone himself with his and now I need a wife for three years, someone that I can trust and someone who don't cling to me after... That bring a big X on all my former lovers / girlfriend and then I meet her... She perfect ... So .. we wrote a contract, she gets to be a very wealthy woman and I get a wife in name only for three years. Simple, right ... Only now I have those felling and I think how soft she is and how good she smells and she has that tiny tattoo .... So... it's a marriage deal for three years with no felling involved, none at all..."

TITLE: The Marriage Deal

AUTHOR: Michelle

RATING: PG-13 (for now)

DISCLAIMER: Not mine, never will be. If they were, the characters would be a heck of a lot happier, and so would the fans.

COUPLES: B/A

SUMMARY: Buffy is forced into marriage to Angel. Answer to Victoria’s challenge.

1

"I had a really good time tonight, Buffy," Riley Finn told her as he made the right-hand turn onto Revello Drive. "It was a lot of fun. Did you have fun?"

Buffy Summers, who had been staring out the car window looking at the passing houses, sighed. "Yeah, fun. Definitely." She didn’t want to hurt his feelings by saying she didn’t, which would have been the truth. It was their first date and destined to be their last.

"Are you busy tomorrow night?" he wanted to know. "We could go to the Bronze again."

‘Again. Wasn’t tonight humiliating enough?’ While Riley was a perfectly nice guy, Buffy didn’t think she could handle one more date with him, especially at the Bronze, where only an hour earlier he had started break dancing in the middle of the dance floor. "I don’t think so. I promised my little sister we’d do the ‘girls night out’ thing tomorrow. Sorry."

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "That’s okay. Maybe some other time." Riley caught sight of the flashing lights ahead of them. "What’s going on up there?"

Buffy turned her attention to the road, and saw four police cars and an ambulance. "I have no idea. But it’s really close to my house." As they approached 1630 Revello Drive, Buffy tensed up. "Oh god, it *is* my house. Riley, stop the car!"

"But, Buffy–"

She didn’t hear him. The instant his car stopped moving, Buffy jumped out, running to her house. When she reached the front lawn, she found a crowd of people standing there, watching the police officers as they entered and exited the Summers’ home.

"This is what happens when teenagers are left to their own devices," one of her neighbors commented.

Filled with both fear and anger, Buffy ran up the walkway to the front porch. Just as she was about to enter, a police officer grabbed her upper arm. "You can’t go in there, Miss. This is a crime scene," he told her.

"This is my home!"

"I’m sorry, but–"

Buffy wrenched out of his grasp when she saw her fifteen year old sister step outside, holding her arms to her stomach. "Dawn!" She sprinted up the steps to the young girl, embracing her tightly. "Are you all right?"

Dawn Summers nodded. "Yeah. God, Buffy, I was so scared! I thought…" She couldn’t finish the sentence, and started crying instead.

"Shh, it’ll be okay, Dawnie. What happened?"

"It…it was Faith," she managed to choke out. "She and Parker had a fight, a bad one this time. Worse than the other ones. He-he hit her and then he grabbed a knife." She stopped, shaking her head. "I don’t know what happened after that. Faith made me go upstairs, and the next thing I remember, the cops were here. I’m sorry, Buffy."

"No, you did the right thing. Where’s Faith?"

Dawn lifted her head up and gazed into her sister’s eyes. "They took her away. They put her in handcuffs, and I saw Parker on the kitchen floor with a white sheet over him. I think he’s dead."

Holding her sister tight, Buffy felt her heart break. The three of them had been through so much in the past year, Faith being arrested for murder wasn’t going to be easy on Dawn, or her. "You said the police took Faith?"

"Uh-huh. Right before you got here. Buffy, we have to help her. She has to come home."

"I’m going to do my best to bring her home, I promise. Everything will be fine. You have my word on it," she promised her younger sister. And she hoped it would be.

***

(3 weeks later)

"I don’t like him, B. He keeps telling me that it would be a lot easier if I just plead guilty; I might only serve twenty years instead of life in prison," Faith Summers said to her sister. "I’ve told him at least thirty times that I will *not* take the rap for this. It was self-defense."

"I understand where you’re coming from. But Kenneth is your lawyer and he’s doing his job," Buffy tried to reason.

Faith ran her hands through her shoulder-length brown hair, sighing loudly. "So you, too. You think I should give in and spend the better part of my life behind bars with a cellmate named Big Bertha who wants to make me her cuddle monkey? No way. Not on your life, B."

"That’s not what I want at all. It’s just that Kenneth is looking out for your best interests."

"Do you have any idea how wrong this is? I should be out doing…god, doing anything besides sitting here right now. Parker got what he deserved, and I’d do it again if I had to. He was going to kill me, and I get thrown in jail for defending myself! Is that fair?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, it isn’t; I never said it was. But you also have to work with your lawyer to help him convince a jury that you’re innocent. And I am not telling you to give up. You’re a fighter, Faith, you’ll get through this just fine."

"You’re right, I will get through this." She shook her head, preparing to tell her sister what she wanted her to do. "Without Kenneth. I want a lawyer who’s looking out for my best interests, not because he wants this case over and done with. He’s a public defender, he couldn’t care less whether I did it or not, or why I did. I need a lawyer who does."

"We can’t afford a criminal lawyer," Buffy said. ‘Maybe before we could have, but not now…’ "I’m sorry."

Grasping her sister’s hand in hers, Faith stared into her green eyes. "This is my life we’re talking about, B. Contrary to popular belief, I want to get married and have children, if only to prove I’m *not* like them. And I can’t do that if I’m spending my best years in jail for offing a guy who deserved what I did to him. Please, Buffy," she pleaded.

The twenty year old sighed, feeling guilty for not being able to help Faith; it made her feel like she was being a bad sister. Given all Faith had lived through the first eleven years of her life, didn’t she deserve a second chance? ‘She only did what she had to do. Fate dealt her a crappy card, I have to do what I can,’ Buffy thought. "Okay, I’ll see what I can do. I’m not going to guarantee anything, but I will do my best."

"Thanks. I know you’ll do it. You can do anything when you set your mind to it."

Buffy smiled, hiding what she was really thinking. It was going to be hard – if not impossible – to get an attorney to represent Faith with little or no pay. But she was determined to find a way to keep her family together…no matter what the cost.

***

2

It felt like he’d been staring at the piece of paper on his desk for hours, when in fact, it had only been twenty minutes. Twenty long, agonizing minutes of planning and wondering, decisions and answers, changing his mind over and over again until he came up with a new answer he disliked even more. For probably the first time in his life, he found himself in a quarry.

Angel McKenzie didn’t shock easily, not as a habit. Being one of the top defense attorneys in Southern California, he was expected to remain non-plussed by any course of events, no matter what the twist. And in thirty years of life, nothing had ever shocked him more than his uncle’s will. Even two weeks later, he was still amazed. And screwed.

‘I, Rupert Giles, in the event of my death, bequeath the bulk of my estate to my nephew Angelus McKenzie on his thirty-first birthday. However, the sum of two hundred million dollars will be given to him only on the day of his wedding. If he is not married by the age of thirty-one, and married for three years following, he shall receive nothing except the law firm of Giles and Pryce. The money will be taken away and distributed among other family members if said marriage lasts less than three years.’

After having read the will at least a million times, Angel shook his head. "This is complete bullshit," he stated, not caring that he was alone in his office and nobody could hear him. "Why? What the hell did I ever do to Uncle Rupert?"

He just didn’t know. Granted, his uncle Rupert Giles had always been rather peculiar, but Angel never thought anything of it. He had been Rupert’s favorite nephew, giving him a job at his prestigious law firm the day after he graduated from law school. But the codicil in the will, that was over the top, even for Rupert. His uncle was always on his back about settling down with the right girl and getting married, but Angel had laughed every single time.

"Why bother looking for Miss Right when I’m having so much fun with Miss Wrong?" Angel quipped each and every time. "I don’t want to settle down."

"You will someday, Angelus."

"It’s Angel. Nobody calls me ‘Angelus’ anymore, Uncle Rupert," he corrected. "And I refuse to get married. Ever."

Picking up his pen and grabbing a blank sheet of paper, Angel began to think. "This must be some form of cruel and unusual punishment to make me get married. After what I went through with my parents, how could Uncle Rupert make me suffer through that?" he wondered aloud.

A list of potential brides ran through the lawyer’s mind. ‘Darla…no, she’s married already. Drusilla was *way* too much of a nutcase for my liking. I can’t imagine spending three years with her. Serena? No, she’d cling the second I tell her about the money. This is going to be next to impossible! There is not a single woman I know whom I could trust enough to marry for three years.

‘I don’t *want* a wife, but I *need* one. I need someone who won’t get too emotionally attached, because as soon as the three years is up, I’m gone. Sure, I’ll give her a little something for her troubles, but that’s it. The last thing I’m looking for is a lifetime commitment; it will be a marriage in name only. Sex just complicates things.’

His intercom buzzed as he was putting away his papers, coming up with no possible matches for his search. "Yeah, Jenny?" he asked his secretary through the speaker.

"There’s a Miss Summers here to see you. She said she doesn’t have an appointment," his secretary told him.

‘Miss Summers?’ Angel thought, knitting his eyebrows together. ‘I don’t know anyone with that last name. Unless…no, I don’t think that was Andrea’s last name. Besides, we only met last night and we never got around to last names; she couldn’t possibly know where to find me.’ "Send her in."

Thirty seconds later, Jenny opened his office door and showed in a young woman Angel had never seen before. He would have remembered her, that’s for sure. The woman’s blonde hair fell slightly past her shoulders and her striking green eyes bore a look of unequivicated sadness. When he set eyes on her, she took his breath away with her beauty. Not an easy feat.

"Thank you, Jenny." She nodded and closed the door behind her, leaving Angel alone with the young woman. "Please, have a seat, Miss Summers. I’m Angel McKenzie."

She sat down. "I know who you are, that’s why I’m here. I won’t beat around the bush. You’re a great lawyer, and I need one right now. You spoke at one of my law classes last year and you were the first person who came to mind."

"I’m flattered, Miss Summers. What kind of help do you need?"

"You can call me Buffy. Anyway, I don’t need a lawyer personally, but my sister does. She was arrested three weeks ago on murder charges. A public defender is working on her case and he wants her to plea bargain."

Angel smirked, knowing exactly what Buffy was getting at. "Your sister doesn’t want to plea bargain, I take it."

"It was self-defense. She had been going out with him for years, and I saw the way he treated her. He hit her, he punched her, he verbally abused her; Faith didn’t have an easy childhood, so she just sort of took it from him. Her parents neglected her and she was adopted by my family eleven years ago. I’m not saying that’s why she did it; Parker was going to kill her and Faith was only trying to defend herself. And she deserves a lawyer who wants what she wants.

"I spoke to my professor yesterday afternoon and he recommended that I see you, Mr. McKenzie. I just couldn’t remember your name or I would have called earlier, I’m sorry. And I’m also sorry for not having made an appointment," Buffy said. "I’m sure you’re very busy."

"It’s okay, Buffy. Really, it is. What’s the name of her attorney?" Angel wanted to know.

"Kenneth Shaw."

He shook his head. "I know him. He’s an arrogant little bastard. I can’t stand him."

Buffy almost laughed. "That’s what Faith said."

Before he had a chance to reply, his office door burst open and a tall brunette waltzed in. "Angel, I need–" She stopped suddenly when she saw Buffy sitting in the chair across from Angel’s desk. "I didn’t realize you were with a client or else I would have knocked."

"Don’t worry about it, this is just a preliminary meeting. Lilah, this is Buffy Summers. Buffy, this is an associate of mine, Lilah Morgan."

"Nice to meet you," the blonde greeted.

Lilah gazed at her with a look of disdain. "Likewise. I only came to ask if you had the Turner/Barker case file. It looks like they’re in trouble again," she said to Angel.

"Yeah. Just ask Jenny and she’ll get it for you. It’s downstairs in my private filing cabinet," Angel informed her.

She sighed heavily. She wanted to be alone with him, but Angel wasn’t cooperating. "Thanks. I’ll see you later." Turning on her heel, Lilah stormed out of the room without so much as a goodbye to Buffy.

Buffy couldn’t help raising her eyebrows. "Is it just me, or did it get really cold in here?"

"She’s like that with everyone, don’t take it personally. Where were we? Right, Kenneth Shaw. I’ll give his office a call after you leave and have him messenger over the file on your sister’s case."

"You’ll take the case?" she asked incredulously.

"Based on what you’ve told me, it’s open and shut. Yes, I’ll take it."

She stood up, her face clouding over with a look Angel couldn’t identify. But he could tell it wasn’t happiness. "Your help means more to me than you can possibly know. But there is one problem. Your fee."

"What about it?" Angel wanted to know.

"I can’t afford to pay it; that’s why Faith had been assigned a public defender. My parents died at the beginning of the summer and they didn’t leave us with much more than the house and enough money to pay for their burials. I had to drop out of UC Sunnydale to get a job to support my fifteen year old sister. Between me and Faith, we’re barely making enough to get by."

He could only nod his head in understanding. "I see."

"But Faith needs a good lawyer, the best, and that’s you. I’d be willing to work off the fee here. I can work as a secretary a few hours a day, or down in the mailroom, or…god, I’ll even clean toilets. You have my word that you’ll get your money, though," Buffy swore.

Angel looked at her, and came up with an idea. ‘She’ll be perfect. I help her and she helps me. Buffy looks like she’s only in her twenties, so I won’t be asking *too* much. She’s smart and beautiful…this could work out perfectly.’

"Don’t worry about the money, Buffy. I don’t want it."

"You don’t?" Buffy couldn’t believe it.

"There’s something else I want. Or, should I say, need. I know this is going to sound strange, but please listen. My uncle died a few weeks ago and in his will, he left me a significant sum of money. But it’s contingent on the fact that I marry by the time I turn thirty-one. Unfortunately, I have three months until my birthday, and there are no potential brides waiting in the wings. That’s where you would come in."

It took her a second to digest what Angel told her. "You want me to marry you so you can get your uncle’s money?"

"Yes. I think of it as a fair trade. You get what you want and I get what I want. It would be for three years, at the end of which we will file for divorce and go our separate ways. I am not asking for a lifetime of servitude, just three years of marriage in name only. You and your sister will move into my uncle’s home and I will see to it that you are taken care of well-after the marriage ends."

She didn’t know what to say. The proposal he had just given her blew her away. "Could I think it over?" she asked. There was no way Buffy could make such a decision in a minute. She’d do anything for Faith, but could she marry a stranger? It wasn’t something she could decide on the spot. It required a lot of thought.

"Go right ahead. My intentions are one hundred percent honorable, Buffy. I wouldn’t ask you to do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing. As I said, it would be a marriage in name only," Angel reminded her. "You think it over. In the meantime, I’ll get started on your sister’s case."

They said their goodbyes and Angel walked her to the elevator. As the doors closed between them, he smiled broadly. ‘I’ll be married by the end of week, I just know it. No strings attached, either; things couldn’t be more perfect.’

***

3

The next twenty-four hours were spent weighing her options. Buffy was conflicted; she didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t as if she had a whole lot of choices: marry Angel McKenzie so he’d represent her sister or let Faith spend the rest of her life in prison. She didn’t like either option, but it was a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.

Sitting at the kitchen table with a piece of paper and a pen, Buffy weighed the pros and cons of agreeing to Angel’s proposal. ‘Okay, on the upside, Faith will have the best attorney in Southern California. He will be able to get her off, I’m sure of it. Although, if he loses the case, I’ll be trapped in a marriage with a man who let my sister go to jail. Pro: he is very nice-looking. It isn’t like he’s hideous to look at and I’d be embarrassed to be seen in public with him. Con: Looks can be deceiving. Angel could be a serial killer.

‘Pro: It’s only three years. I won’t have to actually *do* anything with him. Name-only marriage. Con: It’s for three years. Can I live with a guy I hardly know for three years and act like his wife? Is it even possible? Pro: A stable home life for Dawn. Ever since Mom and Dad died, she hasn’t been herself, and Lord knows I’m not the world’s greatest provider for this family. Con: Angel could end up being a total ass and say Dawn can’t stay with us.’

She sighed, distressed with the decision she had to make for the sake of keeping her family together. "What am I going to do?" she asked aloud.

Unbeknownst to her, Dawn had walked into the kitchen. "What did you say, Buffy?" she wanted to know.

Seeing her sister standing across the room, Buffy folded the paper in half and shoved it in her purse. "Nothing. How did you sleep?"

Dawn shrugged her shoulders. "The same as usual. No better, no worse. How ‘bout you?"

"Same. I’m going to visit Faith this afternoon, Dawnie. Do you want to come with me?" Buffy asked.

"No thanks." In the three weeks that had passed sine Faith’s arrest, Dawn had yet to visit her. She hated thinking about her sister dressed in an orange jumpsuit, their only means of contact being a ten minute conversation through a telephone, looking at one another through a piece of plastic.

"Are you sure? I know how much she wants to see you."

"I said no. I don’t want to go to the stupid jail to visit her! Now get off my back about it!" Dawn shouted. "I’m going to school. See you later." Grabbing her backpack off the table, she walked out the back door.

Buffy stared after her for a minute. Even though Dawn would never admit it, the whole ‘Faith going to jail’ ordeal was tearing her apart inside. And she hated seeing her once-outgoing, smart sister becoming withdrawn and despondent. She would do anything to give Dawn her perfect life back.

That was when Buffy made her decision.

***

"Can I help you?" the tall redhead behind the desk asked Buffy when she approached Angel’s office.

"Yes. I’m here to see Angel McKenzie. I was here yesterday, don’t you remember me?" Buffy was in no mood to play games.

Jenny smirked. "A lot of people come and go from Mr. McKenzie’s office. It’s nearly impossible to keep track of all of them."

"I’m sure. Can you tell him Buffy Summers is here to see him?"

"Sorry, he’s in the middle of a meeting. I really shouldn’t interrupt him, especially since you don’t have an appointment. Perhaps if you have a seat, I can announce your presence when his meeting is over," Jenny told her snidely.

Buffy fumed. There was nothing she wanted more than to slap the smug smile off the secretary’s face. "I think if you tell him I’m here, he’ll let me in. Are you going to call him, or am I going to have to do it?"

Jenny let out an angry breath. "Fine. Wait just a minute." She stood up and made her way to her boss’ door, knocking lightly. When she heard him invite her in, she opened the door. "That Buffy Summers girl is here to see you again. Without an appointment *again.* Should I tell her to go away?"

"No, I’ll see her right now. Please send her in," Angel ordered his secretary. He was eager to talk with the blonde.

Lilah lifted a single eyebrow after Jenny closed the door. "Buffy Summers? That little blonde girl from yesterday? Isn’t she a bit young for you, Angel? I always thought you liked mature women, not high school cheerleaders."

"She’s a client, Lilah. I’m defending her sister in a murder trial."

"How old is Buffy? Seventeen?"

"Twenty, not that it’s any of your business. I think we’re done here, so you can leave now. I need to speak to my client in private."

Lilah didn’t take kindly to being ordered out of the room. "Are we meeting for lunch? Maybe a little dessert after your meeting?"

"I don’t think so. I have to go down to the Sunnydale Holding Facility to meet with Buffy’s sister. After that, I’ll probably grab a bite on the way back to the office. Goodbye, Lilah," Angel said.

"Goodbye," the tall, brown-haired lawyer replied shortly.

As she walked out of the office, she bumped into Buffy, who was on her way in, without even bothering to apologize. "She doesn’t get friendlier with time, does she?" Buffy asked.

"Unfortunately, no. If she wasn’t such a brilliant lawyer, I would have fired her the second this firm became mine." Angel motioned to the empty chair vacated by Lilah. "Sit down."

"I’d prefer to stand, thank you. I-I came to a decision, Angel."

He’d been waiting on pins and needles since she had left the previous afternoon. His entire future lay in the hands of the beautiful girl standing four feet away from him. "And…?"

"Three years, you said?"

Angel nodded. "Yes. No more, no less."

"Have you ever been convicted of a crime I should be aware of? Rape, assault, abuse against women?" Buffy questioned.

"Who’s the lawyer here?" Angel asked, his tone of voice light.

"I spent a year studying to be a lawyer; I want some info if I’m going to go through with this marriage. Now answer my question."

Her forwardness impressed him. This was no dumb blonde he was getting involved with. That made it more exciting. "I have a perfectly clean record, except for a few speeding tickets. There are no skeletons in my closet, Buffy. What you see is what you get."

She extended her right arm in his direction. "Then it looks like we’ve got a deal, Angel McKenzie. You have yourself a wife."

"I’ll have the contract drawn up this afternoon while we’re meeting with Faith." He took her hand and shook it, ignoring the electricity making its way through his body at the touch of her skin.

***

4

"Hey, Summers!" the female guard called. "Your lawyer’s here to see you."

Faith couldn’t help but sigh heavily at the announcement as she stood up from her bed. She had come to dread her meetings with Kenneth Shaw; it was always the same conversation day after day. It seemed no matter how many times she told him she wouldn’t plea bargain, he never let it sink in. "Oh joy. The thrill of my day," the girl commented sarcastically.

The guard led Faith down the hall to one of the conference rooms. "He’s in there."

"Thanks for the tour. Pardon me if I don’t take pictures."

"Quit mouthing off, Summers. You may be staying here for a very long time." She held the door open for Faith to step inside. "And don’t even think about trying anything funny. I’ll be right outside the whole time."

Faith rolled her eyes. "Lucky me." When the door closed behind her, she took a look around, expecting to see Kenneth sitting at the table in the middle of the room. Who she found instead was a far cry from the average-looking public defender. The dark-haired man in the room was not only well-dressed, but extremely good-looking. "Are you lost or something?" she demanded.

Angel glanced up from his papers. "Depends. Are you Faith Summers?"

"Yeah. Who the hell are you?"

"Then I’m not lost. My name is Angel McKenzie. I’m your new lawyer."

Faith looked him up and down. "What happened to Kenneth? Did he get run over by a bus, God willing?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Faith, but he’s alive and kicking. Your sister Buffy hired me yesterday to take over your case. I hope that’s okay with you; she explained that you and Mr. Shaw didn’t see eye to eye on your defense."

"What defense? Please, Kenneth just wanted me out of his hair. The guy was a prick."

He laughed. "I won’t disagree with you there."

‘Thank you, B,’ Faith thought to herself. ‘This one’s a definite improvement over Kenneth Shaw.’ "So…what’s your plan for getting me out of here, Mr. McKenzie?"

"It’s Angel, just call me that. Before we decide on an official game plan, I need to know what really happened that night between you and Parker."

"Haven’t you read the case file? It’s all in there," Faith informed him, pointing to the manila folder sitting on the table in front of him.

Angel smiled, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest. "I want to hear it from you." He motioned toward the tape recorder, which captured their every word. "Humor me."

"Fine. We were at my house watching a movie in the living room with Dawn. Buffy wasn’t there, she’d gone out on a date that night. Everything was fine, we were laughing and talking. I remember making a comment to my sister about how the guy in the movie was really hot. You know, I couldn’t even tell you what movie we were watching, it seems like a lifetime ago. Well anyway, Parker got angry because of what I said. He pushed me off the couch and I hit my head on the coffee table when I fell. Then he got up and went into the kitchen, calling me all sorts of names I can’t even repeat. When he came back, he had a knife in his hand.

"I told Dawn to go upstairs, I was so afraid of him hurting her. After she was gone, he basically attacked me. Slapped me once and came at me with the knife. The look in his eyes told me he wasn’t about to give up without killing me. It was either me or him, and there was no way in hell I was gonna let him win, not without fighting back. Parker and I wrestled for the knife, and before I knew it, he was lying on the kitchen floor. I stabbed him in the gut. That’s the it of it."

"Had Parker ever been abusive towards you before that night?" the lawyer questioned.

Faith narrowed her brown eyes. "What do you mean by abusive?"

"Did he ever hit you? Push you? Hurt you in any way?"

"A few times, yeah. Look, I did what I had to do. He was going to kill me."

"I know that, Faith. Was Parker the jealous type? Did he get upset if he saw you talking to another guy?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, kinda. But I got used to it after awhile. We were together for three years, I learned the hard way not to piss him off."

***

"What was Faith like when she first came to live with your family?" Angel asked.

Buffy and Angel sat across from each other in a quiet corner table inside the Expresso Pump nearly two hours later. Following his meeting with Faith, they decided to get a cup of coffee together. Both agreed they needed to get to know each other, given the circumstances.

"I really wish I could remember it, but it was so long ago. It was eleven years ago, and I was only nine at that time. But I do recall her being very quiet, at least at first. Looking back, I can understand why she was so withdrawn. She’d been taken away from her family and was forced to live with complete strangers," Buffy told him. "I would have behaved the same way if I were in her shoes."

"Do you know what her childhood was like with her biological parents?"

Buffy shook her head. "Faith never liked to talk about them. I only know what I overheard my parents saying. Her mother died when she was seven and her father liked to drink. A lot."

"Did he abuse her? Physically? Sexually? Mentally?"

"I don’t know, Angel. I’m sorry." She felt so useless when he asked questions about Faith’s childhood before she moved in with the Summers family.

"It’s okay. Did Parker abuse her?"

She took a sip of her coffee before answering. "Yes, he did. Parker Abrams was a possessive asshole who liked to release his aggressions by punching my sister."

"I see. Buffy, I may need you to testify to that in court. Will you do it if it comes to that?"

"I’ll do anything to keep Faith from spending her life in prison."

"Good. What do you say we change the subject?" Angel suggested. "Why don’t you tell me about yourself. Obviously, I’m going to need to know something about my soon-to-be wife."

"There’s not a lot to tell. I was born on January nineteenth, 1981. I have an older adopted sister named Faith, who is twenty-two, and a fifteen year old sister named Dawn. My parents died in a car accident a few months ago, so I had to drop out of college, where I was studying law. My life isn’t all that exciting."

Angel smirked. "It doesn’t sound too bad. Don’t take it the wrong way, I do sympathize considering what happened to your parents. Any boyfriends I should know about?"

She shook her head. "Hardly. Dated a few guys back in high school, but nothing really serious. The last time I went out on a date, it was the night Faith was arrested. And needless to say, I won’t be going out with him again. What about you?" Buffy wanted to know.

"Thirty years old, my birthday is February twelfth. I’m an only child, my parents divorced when I was seven years old, and I was really devastated by it. They sent me off to school in England and I went on to Harvard. After I graduated from law school, my uncle Rupert hired me to work as an associate in his law firm. He died a couple weeks ago and left the place to me, as well as that stipulation in his will. As for girlfriends, I’m not seeing anyone, at least not seriously."

"Can I ask, why me?" posed Buffy. "Why a complete stranger you had known ten minutes rather than an ex-girlfriend?"

"I would never trust any of them, and I wanted to be able to trust my partner. Also, I didn’t want someone who would cling to me, and all of my exes would have done just that. Buffy, I don’t want to come across as a chauvinist pig, but I have slept with a lot of women in my life and I can’t imagine spending three years with any of them.

"It’s not that you’re not attractive, you are," Angel continued. "I want to make this very clear. I do *not* want to sleep with you. I just want you to act like my wife in public, but not in private. And I don’t expect you to perform the usual wifely duties."

Buffy folded her hands. "Good, we’re in agreement in that respect. Because I have no intention of sleeping with you. Although we do have one minor problem."

"What’s that?"

"We’ll have to explain this whirlwind courtship and make it sound plausible," she said. "Any ideas?"

"Old family friends?" Angel suggested.

She shook her head. "It won’t fly with Dawn and Faith. They know all of Mom and Dad’s friends, and their children. We need something more convincing than that."

"High school friends? College friends?"

"Try explaining the ten year age difference if we’re high school friends," she pointed out.

"Fine, how about this?" he began after a lengthy pause. "We met the day you came into my office, and since we started working closely on Faith’s case, sparks flew. We’re together all the time and we ended up falling in love. At first sight, of course. And we’re getting married."

She loved the idea; it could work. "You’re a genius. We might be able to pull that one off."

"Might? No, we’ll definitely pull it off. So, when do I get to meet Dawn? Since she is going to be my sister-in-law shortly."

"Are you busy for dinner tomorrow night?"

"I can clear my schedule."

"You do that. Come by the house at six o’clock for a home cooked meal prepared by yours truly," Buffy invited. "It’ll be the perfect time to spring the news on Dawn."

Angel grinned at the thought of a home cooked dinner. "I’ll be there. With bells on."

***

5

"Why does Faith’s lawyer have to come over for dinner? Shouldn’t he be sitting in his office working on how to get her off?" Dawn complained the following evening.

"Even lawyers need to eat, Dawnie. Come on, he’s a perfectly nice guy, you’ll really like him," Buffy promised. She took the rolls out of the oven and placed them in the center of the kitchen table.

"Well, I don’t see why I have to get all dressed up for it," she huffed.

Buffy shook her head out of aggravation. "Because I said so. Angel is a guest in our home, we should look our best."

"You have a crush on this Angel guy, don’t you?" the fifteen year old asked.

At that exact moment the doorbell rang, allowing Buffy to dodge answering her sister’s question. "Stir the spaghetti while I’m getting the door."

Ignoring Dawn’s grumbling, Buffy made her way to the front door, checking her hair in the mirror before opening in. Unbeknownst to her, Dawn had peeked her head into the hallway and saw her. ‘What was that about?’ the girl asked herself. ‘Buffy rarely worries about her appearance.’ Shrugging her shoulders, she went back to preparing the dinner.

When she opened the door, Buffy was pleasantly surprised to see a dapper-looking Angel on the other side. ‘He looks good even without a suit and tie on,’ she noted. He had on a pair of black pants and a black shirt, a while tank top visible beneath the unbuttoned top buttons of his shirt. "Hi, Angel," Buffy greeted. "Come on in."

"I suddenly feel very underdressed," Angel commented when he saw Buffy in a dark blue sundress. He couldn’t help but notice how it hugged her in all the right places. ‘Stop it, Angel,’ he chastised himself. ‘This is a business arrangement.’

"You look fine." ‘More than fine…’ "Dinner’s almost ready."

Angel nodded and handed her a bottle of red wine. "This is for you."

"That was thoughtful, but you really didn’t have to. Especially since no one in this house is of legal age to drink."

"I find it hard to believe that you don’t drink. Not even a little?"

"Not often. But I might make an exception tonight." An awkward moment of silence fell upon them. "Let’s go into the kitchen so we can eat while the rolls are still warm."

Following her into the other room, Angel made a mental note of the layout of the rooms. He knew it would be crucial to Faith’s defense. "Nice house," he said.

"Thank you. I grew up here; I just wish I could afford to keep it."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Pretty soon you won’t have to worry about it, Buffy. All your money problems will be solved."

"Lucky me." When she entered the kitchen, she couldn’t find her sister. "Dawn? Where are you?"

A second later, the back door opened and Dawn entered. "Hey."

"What are you doing out there?" she wanted to know. "I told you to watch the spaghetti."

Dawn gave her sister a funny look. "I was putting the sauce jar in the recycling bin, thank you very much. No need to have a cow about it."

"I was just wondering where you were." Buffy took a step to the right so she wasn’t standing directly in front of Angel. "Dawnie, this is Angel McKenzie, Faith’s lawyer."

The girl checked him out. He was obviously still young, but definitely older than her sisters. It didn’t escape her attention that Angel was handsome. ‘No wonder Buffy checked her appearance before she answered the door. This guy’s a total hottie!’ "Hi," she said simply.

"Nice to finally meet you, Dawn."

"Is the spaghetti done?" Buffy asked her sister.

"Yeah, I strained it when you were letting him in. Everything’s on the table."

Buffy turned to their guest. "I hope you like spaghetti, Angel."

He smiled at her. "It’s fine. I love Italian food."

As they sat down, Dawn couldn’t help but wonder if something was going on between her sister and the handsome lawyer. It wasn’t anything they said, but a feeling she had. Something just wasn’t right.

Once they’d begun eating, Angel decided to start up a conversation with his future sister-in-law. "What grade are you in, Dawn?"

"Tenth."

"Oh. Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?" he questioned.

She put a forkful of spaghetti in her mouth after Angel asked his question, and waited until she’d swallowed it before answering. "I don’t know yet. But I know I’m not gonna be a lawyer. I hate lawyers."

Angel chuckled. "Don’t blame you at all. You probably had to be around a lot of them lately, haven’t you?"

"Too many. What’s up with the third degree?" Dawn demanded. "Aren’t you supposed to save that for my sister’s trial? Shouldn’t you be more worried about her than me?"

"I’m sorry," he apologized. Angel knew that he wasn’t good with children, he didn’t spend too much time in the presence of them. "I only wanted to get to know you a little better. Dawn, I am not a lawyer every minute of every day."

"What are you now, Mr. McKenzie? A lawyer or a man?"

He didn’t quite know how to answer the girl’s question. Luckily, he did not have to. "Stop behaving like a brat, Dawn," Buffy ordered.

"You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not my mother!" Dawn shouted. Without another word, she stood up and stalked out of the room.

***

"I apologize for my sister’s behavior, Angel," Buffy said to him an hour later as they sat on the porch swing in front of the house.

"You don’t have to apologize. Dawn’s going through a hard time right now; I mean, her sister is in jail for murder, that’s not an easy thing to go through at that age."

Buffy sighed. "She’s not normally like that. Before my parents died, Dawn was a honor student, and now…she’s barely passing. I don’t know what to do. She needs a real family, not a sister who has to be her mother and her father as well."

"We’re going to be her family. Speaking of families, I have something for you." Angel reached into the pocket of his pants, pulling out a ring. "This is for you."

Taking it from him, Buffy stared at the diamond ring in a platinum setting. "It’s beautiful. Why is it mine?" she wanted to know.

"If we’re going to make this look somewhat real, you need an engagement ring." He took it out of her hand and placed it on her finger. "Will you marry me, Buffy?"

It wasn’t exactly the marriage proposal she’d dreamt about her entire life, but she could live with it, considering it wouldn’t be a real marriage anyway. "Yes, I will."

He flashed her a genuinely relieved smile. "Whew! Now that the hard part’s over, we have to set a date. What day is good for you?"

"Soon. In fact, the sooner the better, because the quicker this marriage starts, the quicker it’ll be over, right?" she asked.

***

Buffy knocked on Dawn’s bedroom door after Angel left. "Dawn? Can I come in?"

"Yeah, I guess."

She opened the door and stepped inside, seeing her sister lying on her stomach on the bed, watching television. Walking over to the TV, Buffy turned it off. "We need to talk," she said, sitting down next to her.

"If you came in here to give me a lecture, you can save it. I know I shouldn’t have been so mean to him, it’s not his fault my life totally sucks," Dawn stated. "If you want me to call him up and apologize, I will."

"Angel understands you’ve been under a lot of stress. He’s Faith’s lawyer, you’re going to be spending a lot of time with him the next few weeks."

"Don’t remind me."

Buffy pushed the long hair out of her sister’s face. "What do you think of him?"

"I don’t know. He’s okay, I guess."

Taking a deep breath, she prepared to break the news of her engagement . "Dawn, there’s something we need to talk about. I…Angel asked me to marry him."

"What?!" screeched the teenager.

"And I said yes. We’re gonna get married this weekend."

Dawn sat up and gaped at her sister. "Are you crazy? You hardly know him, Buffy." ‘This has got to be a joke. Buffy would never marry a guy she’s only known a week.’

"I *must* be crazy." She held out her hand for her sister to see the diamond engagement ring Angel gave her. "He asked when we were sitting outside."

"How? Why? When did all this happen?" Dawn couldn’t take her eyes off the ring. It was the biggest diamond she’d ever seen.

"We’ve been spending a lot of time together and one thing just led to another," Buffy lied.

Dawn narrowed her eyes. "Are you pregnant? Is that why you’re marrying him?"

"No, I’m not pregnant," she laughed. "Believe me, I’m not." ‘Unless it was the Immaculate Conception.’

"Have you at least slept with him? ‘Cause he’s a total babe, Buffy."

"I won’t even dignify that with an answer."

A realization hit Dawn. "Where are we going to live? Is Angel going to move in here?" she asked.

She shook her head. "No, Dawn. Angel’s uncle died a few weeks ago and left him a big house on the other side of town. I’m selling this house and we’re going to move there."

"You can’t sell this house! This was Mom and Dad’s house; we grew up here. Buffy, no," argued Dawn.

"We have to. I wish we could stay here, but there’s not enough room for everyone; and there’s plenty of room at Angel’s house."

Dawn sulked. "Fine. Do what you have to do."

"It’s not like we’re leaving tomorrow, Dawn. It’s going to take awhile to sell this house and move all of our stuff out. I know it’s going to be hard, but it’s for the best."

"I know," Dawn replied with a frown. "I’m happy for you. Do you love him, Buffy? Enough to be with him forever?"

She nodded. "Yes, I do love him." There was nothing Buffy hated more than to lie to her sister.

"Then I’m okay with it."

***

6

Angel knocked on the partly opened door of one of his associates. "Are you busy?"

"Not at all. Come on in, Angel," Lindsey McDonald invited, piling his paperwork on the right side of his desk. "Anything I can do for you?"

"Yeah. Do you have that contract I asked you to draw up the other day?"

He nodded, pulling a folder out of the top drawer of his desk, handing it to his boss. "Right here. Pre-nuptial agreement; the couple has to be married for three years for her to get four million in the event of a divorce. She gets nothing if the marriage is dissolved before the three years is up. That’s it, right?"

"Perfect." Angel read the document over before saying another word. "Any possible loopholes?"

"None whatsoever," Lindsey answered. "It’s one hundred percent ironclad. Is it for a big client or something?"

"Or something. It’s for me."

The handsome younger lawyer raised his eyebrows at Angel’s admission. "For you? Since when are you getting married?"

"As of last night when I proposed to her."

"You popped the question? Diamond ring and everything? You’ve got to be kidding me. The eternal bachelor finally met his match?" He simply couldn’t believe it. Angel always told them he would never get married after living through his parents’ divorce.

"In a manner of speaking. Yes, I popped the proverbial question and gave her a diamond ring. And surprisingly enough, the girl said yes," Angel informed him.

Lindsey shook his head in shock. Never in a million years did he think Angel would ever get married. "Does she know about the pre-nup?"

"Yes, she does."

"Wow." He saw Lilah Morgan walk past his office. "Hey, Lilah! Come in here! Angel’s got big news!" he called.

Angel sighed, knowing how uncomfortable he was going to feel when she was told. The two had had a brief fling several months back. "Lindsey, please…"

Lilah stepped into the office, annoyance written all over her face. "You bellowed, Lindsey? This had better be important, I have research to do for a case I’m working on."

"Oh, it’s important. Our very own Angel here is getting married."

She didn’t say anything right away. Like Lindsey, the news came as a complete shock. "Well," she said after a lengthy pause. "That was rather unexpected. I wasn’t aware you were even seeing anyone." ‘Not since our night on the desk in his office.’

"It happened really fast. Love at first sight, that old cliché."

"Must not be such a cliché if it happened to you," Lilah retorted, sweetness dripping from her voice. "When did you have time to go out and meet anyone? You’ve been married to that Summers case all week."

Lindsey gazed at the groom-to-be. "Who is the lucky girl?"

"Buffy Summers."

The female lawyer almost burst out laughing. "The sister? The bleach-blonde cheerleader? You must be joking."

Angel shook his head. "I’m serious, Lilah. Buffy and I are getting married on Saturday morning."

"No wonder you put the rush on the pre-nuptial agreement," Lindsey commented. "You have only known her a week."

"Not even," Lilah corrected. "And it doesn’t sound like you trust your little cheerleader too much if you’ve had a pre-nup drawn up."

He was trying his best to hold in his anger, but Angel knew it was useless. "I trust her. And I didn’t ask for your permission to get married, Lilah, but I appreciate your concern. It’s touching." Angel headed for the door, but turned around before exiting. "Oh, by the way, the ‘cheerleader’ has a name. Call her by it from now on."

***

Waiting patiently in her seat for Faith to arrive, Buffy twisted her engagement ring around her finger. She’d never seen something so beautiful, and wondered what kind of a ring Angel would have bought for the woman he really loved. It shimmered in the dim light of the visitor’s room of the Sunnydale Holding Facility.

She picked up the phone when her sister sat down across from her. "Hi, Faith," Buffy greeted. "How’s it going?"

"Right as rain, whatever that means," Faith replied. "Itching to get the hell out of here. How are things back at the old homestead? Surviving without me?"

"Barely. We need you home soon."

Faith nodded. "That new lawyer you hired for me is doing his best, I’m sure. Where did you find him, Gorgeous Hunks R Us?" she joked, trying to keep the atmosphere light.

Buffy laughed. "He was a guest lecturer in one of my classes last year. I asked my professor where I could get in contact with him. Do you really think he’s a hunk?"

"Hell yeah. If that conference room wasn’t hooked up with a camera in the corner, I would have jumped him in a heartbeat." She paused for a moment, noticing for the first time the ring her sister wore. "B, where in the world did you get that rock?"

She glanced down at the ring she wore. "It’s…it’s a long story I’d rather not get into right now."

Faith just glared at her. "Come on, don’t leave me in suspense here. It’ll drive me nuts until you tell me, and considering all I’m doing all day is sitting in a small, cold cell all by myself, I need some happy thoughts. If some guy gave you a ring, I want details."

"Okay," the blonde relented. "The ring is from Angel."

"Hunky lawyer Angel?"

Buffy nodded. "One in the same."

"Why did he give you a diamond ring the size of Rhode Island?"

"Because he asked me to marry him last night. And I accepted," she told her sister.

The brunette prisoner couldn’t speak for nearly a minute; she needed to let it all sink in. "Let me get this straight, B. You’ve known this guy four days and you are accepting marriage proposals from him? Something’s wrong here." ‘Very wrong,’ she thought. ‘Usually when Buffy is happy, she gets this glow around her. She’s glow-free. Something is definitely not right.’

"Everything is fine. I’ll explain it some other time."

"No, you’ll explain it right now. Buffy, I’ve known you half my life; you aren’t the type of girl who marries a man she’s known less than a week. God, you refused to even sleep with a guy you’d dated for six months. You’re the last of the true romantics. Now, what the hell is going on? And don’t lie to me, either."

The younger sister sighed. "If I tell you, you have to promise not to say anything to anyone. Especially to Dawn."

"Who am I going to tell? Please. Spill it."

"Okay." Buffy took a deep breath. "I asked Angel to represent you; you needed the best lawyer money could buy. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough to pay him. I told him that and offered to work off the fee by helping out at his office. He had a better idea. I marry him for three years and we call it even.

"It’s not as bad as it sounds. See, he needs to get married by February in order to get his inheritance. And it all worked out. Angel gets a wife for three years and you get the best lawyer in Southern California defending you. It’s a win-win situation."

Faith closed her eyes and shook her head. "I can’t believe you would prostitute yourself to that man just to get me a good lawyer. What would Mom and Dad think?" she asked.

"I’m not prostituting myself to anyone, Faith," Buffy argued. "This is a business arrangement. And Angel has already made it clear that it will be a marriage in name only. No exchanging of bodily fluids required."

She smirked. "Too bad. If I was in your position, I’d screw him the first chance I got. But seriously, B, think about it. What do you really know about this guy? Sure, he’s gorgeous and he’s loaded, but he’s gotta have a dark side. There’s a beast in every man."

"Angel’s a nice guy. Besides, it’s too late to turn back now. What’s done is done; I am marrying him this weekend. Tomorrow morning to be exact."

"I think it’s a mistake. You’re setting yourself up for a major fall," Faith warned. ‘Angel’s a hottie and B’s pretty…no exchange of bodily fluids. I doubt that. He’s going to totally screw her over and she is going to be so hurt.’

"This is my life, Faith. I’m doing what I have to do to keep my family together. And I am not setting myself up for a fall. I know exactly what I’m getting myself into," Buffy reiterated. "Trust me."

Faith shrugged. ‘She always was the most stubborn one out of all of us.’ "Fine." But not for one second did she believe Buffy’s words. Her sister’s life was about to change drastically. Nothing would ever be the same for the Summers girls.

***

7

Dawn knocked on her older sister’s bedroom door at eleven-thirty Saturday morning. "Are you dressed, Buffy?" she asked.

"Yeah, come in. I actually need your opinion anyway." Dawn opened the door and saw Buffy sitting in front of her vanity mirror. "Okay, should I wear my hair up or down, Dawnie?"

The fifteen year old gazed at her sister. She wore a white button-down shirt and a long skirt with pale blue flowers on it. ‘She doesn’t look like someone who’s getting married in an hour,’ she said to herself. ‘Aren’t brides supposed to be all jittery and stuff? Buffy looks like she’s going out to the Bronze with Willow and Cordy, not getting married to a hunky lawyer she’s in love with.’ "Down. It looks pretty when it’s down. With some curls at the ends."

Buffy smiled in the mirror. "That’s what I was thinking." She spied her sister’s outfit – black pants and a red turtleneck. "Are you wearing that?"

"I didn’t exactly have time to go out and buy myself a nice outfit. It *was* sorta short notice and all."

"Sorry," the bride apologized. "You look great. You don’t need to get dressed up, we’re just having a quick ceremony down at City Hall."

Dawn sat down on her sister’s bed. "I don’t like this. Something isn’t right about this and I don’t know what."

"What do you mean?"

"I just don’t know. It’s going down so quickly; you just met this Angel guy a week ago and all of a sudden, you’re marrying him. That *so* isn’t like you, Buffy. And don’t you want Faith to be there? You two have always been more than just sisters, and now you’re running off to get married without her? No way. I want to know what’s really going on."

Buffy shook her head. "You wouldn’t understand."

"I’m not a little kid anymore! I think I’d be able to understand it."

"Fine. Do you want to know why Angel and I are getting married now? Because Faith wanted us to. We were going to wait until she got out of prison, but she told us not to wait for her," Buffy lied to her younger sister. "She did not want us to hold off in case things didn’t work out in her favor. We’re gonna save the big church wedding for her."

"Why weren’t your friends invited?"

She shrugged. "Just family. We don’t want to make a big deal out of it right now. Today is just a ceremony to make it legal. It’s about our families becoming one; it’s small and private, no big deal."

***

"Dawn, why don’t you go inside and have seat," Angel suggested. "Your sister and I have to talk about some things in private before the ceremony."

She rolled her brown eyes. "Yeah, whatever. See you inside." Turning on her heel, the teenager walked inside the room where the ceremony was to be held.

Pulling out a manila folder from inside his suit coat, Angel motioned for Buffy to sit down on the bench next to him. "Are you sure about this? There’s no going back now, Buffy."

"I know, and I’m sure. It’s not like this is a lifetime commitment; it’s only three years. I think I can handle it," Buffy told him.

He nodded. "Good. Then before we do this…you know, make it legal, I need you to sign these papers." He handed her the papers he had Lindsey draw up.

"What is it? Am I signing away my firstborn?" she joked.

Angel laughed. "No, nothing like that. It’s just your standard pre-marital agreement stating the terms of the marriage. If the marriage is dissolved before the three years ends, you get nothing. After three years, you’ll receive four million dollars."

She nearly choked. "Four million dollars? Are you crazy?"

"I sure as hell hope not. Uncle Rupert left me a lot more than that and you deserve your fair share of it."

"Why? I thought I was only doing this so you’ll represent Faith."

"That’s part of it. But see, three years is a long time, especially to someone your age. So I thought I’d make it worth your time and trouble," Angel explained.

"Ah…I see. It’s like a pre-nup. Don’t trust me to stick to our agreement?"

He smiled at her. ‘She is so beautiful,’ he thought. ‘So soft, so innocent looking. How am I supposed to go three years without even so much as kissing those lips of hers? Or touching her. Ugh! Why am I thinking about this? It’s a business arrangement.’ "I trust you, Buffy. But this piece of paper ensures our future. I don’t want you to think you’re doing this for nothing."

"I know why I’m doing it. For my sister. Give me a pen so I can sign it," Buffy ordered.

***

An hour later, the three of them pulled up to a large, white Victorian home in the nicer section of Sunnydale. "Welcome to your new home, ladies," Angel announced.

From the backseat, Dawn’s eyes widened. "This is your house? Nice place." She was impressed.

He glanced at her in the rearview mirror, smiling at her reaction. "It’s your house, too, Dawn. At least until you move out. I just recently moved in; it was my uncle Rupert’s until he died. He left it to me and I couldn’t bear to sell it. I figured it was the perfect place to start a family in…and then I met your sister. It was destiny."

"Sure, whatever." Dawn climbed out of the car and headed for the front door.

Buffy sighed and shook her head as she and her new husband got out of the car, making their way to retrieve the girls’ suitcases from the trunk. "You’re laying it on kinda thick with the destiny stuff, aren’t you?" she commented.

"Dawn’s buying it, isn’t she?"

"Well, you got me there," she said, laughing. "But if you keep it up, she’s gonna know something is amiss. She’s already starting to ask questions."

"All right. I don’t know what to say to kids. Teenagers especially. I’m kinda new at this."

"So am I, so we’ll just have to wing it. It’s not like I’ve ever been in love before," Buffy divulged. "If we succeed at this, maybe I should think about being an actress."

Angel took her bags. "I’ll take those. Call me old-fashioned, but I believe the husband should carry the bags and open doors for his wife."

Buffy smirked. "And here I thought chivalry was dead. You know, I envy the woman you end up truly marrying. She is going to be very lucky. And spoiled."

"Nah. This is it for me. You are the only woman I will ever marry."

Even though she questioned Angel’s comment, she never had a chance to act upon it. They reached the front door and Angel unlocked it, allowing Dawn to enter. Buffy was about to walk in when her sister stopped her.

"What do you think you’re doing?" the teenager demanded.

"What does it look like I’m doing?"

"You can’t! It’s tradition for the groom to carry the bride over the threshold. And you can’t break tradition."

Angel walked in and put the bags down in the front hall. "Your sister has a point, Buffy. It *is* tradition."

"Fine." She took a deep breath and felt herself being swept up into Angel’s strong arms. Something about being in his embrace felt comfortable; it felt right to her. And Buffy couldn’t explain it. Nor did she want to.

Once he put his wife back on her feet, Angel turned to Dawn. "Would you like to see your bedroom?"

"Sure."

He led her up the stairs to the second floor and turned left at the top. At the end of a long hallway, he opened a door. "This is yours."

Dawn looked inside. It was a standard bedroom containing a bed, dresser, desk and a mirror, but twice as big as her old room. "It’s nice. I like it."

"You can decorate it any way you’d like," Angel told her. "You also have your own private bathroom and a balcony overlooking the backyard."

"Cool. Where’s yours and Buffy’s room?" Dawn asked.

"At the other end of the hall."

She smiled knowingly. "Convenient. That way I don’t hear you two going at it like bunnies every night?"

"We figured you’d want your privacy. I’ll leave you alone to start settling in." He started to leave. "By the way, I’m taking the two of you out for dinner tonight. Be ready at six."

After he’d left, closing the door behind him, Dawn scowled. ‘I don’t like him.’

***

8

"I hope you enjoyed dinner, ladies," Angel said to the two women walking behind him when they waltzed back inside the house at seven-thirty. He’d taken Buffy and Dawn to dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant to celebrate the wedding.

"It was very nice," Buffy replied. It was the first time any man had ever taken her to a really nice restaurant. ‘I could get used to it.’ "Wasn’t it kinda expensive, though?"

"Don’t worry about it."

Buffy noticed her sister heading up the stairs. "Dawn, where are you going?"

"To my room. I’m gonna finish unpacking before I try to go to sleep. Do me a favor and try not to be too loud when the two of you are having sex tonight. Some of us have virgin ears," she stated, walking away before either of them had a chance to reply.

All Angel could do was raise his eyebrows at his sister-in-law. Winning her over wasn’t going to be easy. "I’m sensing some hostility. Your sister hates me."

"She doesn’t hate you, trust me. I think she’s afraid you’re going to order her around and lay down all kinds of rules. You know, act like her father."

"Well then, she doesn’t have anything to worry about," Angel told her. "I’m not good at following rules, much less making them. I’ll leave all that up to you."

"I appreciate it. Dawn just needs a little time to warm up to the idea of you being around."

He looked around, an uncomfortable silence filling the air around them. "Would you like the grand tour? This is your home and I just realized that you don’t even know where anything is yet." The two of them spent most of the afternoon packing Buffy’s and Dawn’s things from their old house, bringing it to the new one.

Buffy chuckled. "I think that would be a good idea. Especially if I’m going to be living here for the next three years."

***

Angel opened the last door on the left, on the opposite end of the hall from Dawn’s room. "This is your room. I hope you like it."

She took a step inside and found herself filled with awe. If she had to guess, she would say it was the master bedroom. To her left was a king-sized bed with a flowered comforter and a bedside table draped in a matching cloth. On the other wall was a walk-in closet and armoire, followed by an expensive-looking vanity table. To her right was another large dresser and a loveseat. Directly in front of Buffy was a sliding glass door with a private balcony, much like the one in Dawn’s room.

"You can see almost all of Sunnydale from the balcony," Angel informed her.

"This room is beautiful, Angel. And so big." She frowned slightly. "Uh-oh, though. Two of us, one bed. That doesn’t exactly work."

He smiled at her naiveté. "I’ve got it covered. That door on the right is to the bathroom, which we share. On the other side of the bathroom is the door leading to my room. It’s right across the hall. In case Dawn wonders where I am or why I’m not in here, you can tell her I’m in the bathroom. Easy access, also."

Buffy blushed in embarrassment. "Pardon Buffy’s little outburst there. Looks like you have all the bases covered."

"I try. Do you need any help unpacking?"

She shook her head. "I’m good. The only problem is that I don’t have nearly enough clothes to fill that massive closet over there. And the dresser."

"Guess we’ll have to increase your wardrobe, then."

He turned to leave, but Buffy stopped him. "Can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"You said outside earlier that I’m the only woman you’ll ever marry. What did you mean by that?" She had a fear of not being able to get out of the marriage when the three years was up.

"Exactly what I said out there. Look, I never had any intention of *ever* getting married; I was perfectly happy being single and going out with a different woman every night. My parents’ divorce was very traumatic for me; I saw what it did to them and I didn’t want to go through that myself in the future. Divorces can get really nasty, particularly when there’s a child involved. After living through a bitter custody battle, I decided I would never get married, nor would I put a child through what I went through.

"Unfortunately, my uncle had other plans for me. He didn’t like my lifestyle and as punishment, he added the codicil to his will. He was a hopeless romantic and Uncle Rupert once told me that nothing would make him happier than for me to fall in love, settle down and raise a family. But I don’t think this is what he had in mind."

"Somehow, I think you’re right."

Angel looked her dead in the eyes. "Don’t worry, Buffy. I have no designs on keeping you here longer than the three years we agreed upon. Even I’m not that evil."

"That’s a relief."

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, I’ll let you get to unpacking your things."

"Good idea. I might be here for days getting organized."

***

Several hours later, Angel heard the bathroom door close on Buffy’s side, signaling that she was finished in there. If there was one thing he didn’t think he would be able to get used to, it was having to share a bathroom. Rather than brush his teeth, he knocked on Buffy’s door instead.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Feel free."

He entered, finding his wife climbing into bed. The size of it dwarfed her, making Buffy look like a fragile porcelain doll. But she looked perfect there, as if she belonged nowhere else. "Are you settling in okay?"

"Yep," she replied with a nod of her head. "Almost done unpacking; I should have it all finished by tomorrow afternoon."

"Are you comfortable?" Angel was concerned she didn’t like her bed, or her room. Or the situation.

"I’m fine, so you can stop worrying about me. I love this bed, by the way. It’s like I’m laying on a cloud."

For the first time since Angel had entered, Buffy really looked at him. He was wearing only a pair of black sweatpants and white socks. She needed to take a deep breath and blink hard at the sight of his bare chest. ‘He definitely works out,’ she thought. ‘Guys aren’t born with a body like that. God, what am I doing? He’s good-looking and is built like a god, so what? It’s not like I want to jump him or anything. Okay, get a grip, Buffy. He’s your sister’s lawyer.’ But a voice in her head reminded her that he was also her husband.

Angel noticed her stare. "What’s wrong? Do I have something on me?" he asked worriedly.

"No. You don’t have anything on you." ‘Shit!’ "I mean, there’s nothing on you, don’t worry. I was just thinking."

"About anything in particular?" Buffy shook her head. "Not really. What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?"

"I’m going to visit with Faith and work on her story. The preliminary hearing is Tuesday morning. That’s when we find out if it’s going to trial."

"Do you think it will?"

He shrugged his broad shoulders. "Don’t know. We have a pretty good case for self-defense, but it’s up to the judge. It could go either way, but I’m hoping that yours and Dawn’s written statements will sway him in our favor. After I get back from the meeting, I have to go to the office and get started on the paperwork for the judge. So I may not be home until after dinner. How about you?"

"I was going to hang out with Willow and Cordy tomorrow."

"Who?"

"My best friends, Willow Rosenberg and Cordelia Chase. We always go out for lunch every Sunday afternoon. It has become tradition."

He smiled. "Do you need money?"

"I’ve still got money left over from my paycheck at the café. I should have enough. But I appreciate the offer," Buffy said.

"Yeah, about your job, I meant to ask you about that. Were you planning on keeping it?" Angel wanted to know.

"I make decent money there. I need to work to pay the bills."

"Not anymore you don’t. I make more than enough to support both you and Dawn. There is no reason for you to work."

Buffy sighed. "I don’t want you throwing your money out the window when I make more than enough to get by. I’d feel bad if I quit and took your money. What would I do all day long?"

"You could go back to school. Get your degree and go on to law school like you wanted to," he suggested.

"You’re joking, right?" Buffy asked incredulously.

"I kid you not. There is no reason why you can’t go back to school now. You’re living in a house that is paid for and you have a husband who is financially secure enough to take care of you. Do it, Buffy," Angel urged. "It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Buffy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. "Are you totally sure it’s okay?"

"I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise."

She nodded, thinking it over. "Okay, then. I guess I’m going back to school in January. Thank you, Angel."

"You don’t need to thank me. Good night, Buffy."

"Night."

Hesitating before leaving her room, Angel debated whether or not to give her a kiss on the cheek before leaving. Thinking it might make her uncomfortable, or confuse her, he turned and walked into the bathroom to prepare for bed.

***

9

At twelve-thirty the next afternoon, Angel walked into the Sunnydale Holding Facility and made his way to the sign-in area. "I’m Angel McKenzie, I am here to see my client. Faith Summers," he told the female guard behind the desk.

The guard handed him a clipboard. "Sign here."

"I know the routine." He signed his name in the provided space.

"Good." She took the clipboard back and buzzed him through. "Conference Room Two is open. Wait there until I bring her in."

Angel found the room without much trouble and sat himself down on one of the two chairs, spreading the contents of his briefcase in front of him. He scanned what he had written already while waiting for his client to arrive. There were only a few more things he needed to go over with her before preliminary hearings began on Tuesday.

"Well, doesn’t this just brighten my whole day," Faith commented when she found her lawyer waiting for her. "A visit from my fearless lawyer. What brings you here on a Sunday afternoon?"

"Hello to you, too, Faith," Angel said. "I came by to go over your case again. Hope I’m not interrupting anything particularly interesting."

Faith rolled her brown eyes. "Please. A couple of fellow inmates and I were about to embark on an exciting game of Old Maid. Rather ironic, huh? What’s up?"

"The preliminary hearing is the day after tomorrow. It’s there that the judge decides if there’s enough evidence to bring your case to trial. There is a slim possibility Judge Wellings may ask you to speak, so I want you to tell me everything all over again. Everything, Faith. I don’t want any surprises in there Tuesday. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," she replied, saluting.

He sighed heavily. ‘I just *love* sarcastic women,’ Angel thought. ‘I thank god Buffy isn’t like Faith. She seem more like the quiet type. But then again, I have three years to find out exactly what type she is.’ "How long had you been dating Parker Abrams?"

"Close to three years."

"Would you say you two had a good relationship? A loving relationship?"

"You mean was the sex good? I wouldn’t have stayed with him through all that shit if it wasn’t," Faith answered.

Angel shook his head, chuckling at her bluntness. "That wasn’t what I meant. Was Parker a good boyfriend? Loving and attentive?"

"Sure, when he wasn’t using me as his personal punching bag."

"You have to *just* answer the question," the lawyer chastised. "Don’t volunteer any other information that might incriminate or come back to haunt you later on. No added commentary. It’ll only make you look guilty in the eyes of the judge. Or jury, if it comes to that."

"Fine. You asked if Parker was a good boyfriend? Yeah, at first he was. For the first couple of months it was great."

Angel scribbled in his notes. "At first, you said. When did it start to change?"

"About six months after we started going out, Parker started getting really possessive. I couldn’t go out without him asking where I was going and who I was going with. Then he told me I couldn’t spend time with specific friends because he didn’t like them. It got to the point where I had been cut off from every one of my friends; I’d have to sit at home and wait for him to call. It made me jealous of Buffy because I’d see her go out and have fun with her friends and I’d wish it were me."

"You said Parker had been abusive towards you," Angel began. "When did that start?"

Faith wrapped her arms around her body, as if trying to shield herself from the memories. "It began with him grabbing my arm and twisting it until I’d do what he said. But he didn’t start hitting me until later on."

"Do you remember the first time?"

"Like it was yesterday. Parker and I had been together for about eight months, and I got sick of sitting at home, so I went out with Buffy and some of her friends. We were at the Bronze; I was having the best time I’d had in months. I was dancing with some guy I had never seen before when I felt someone grab my arm and pull me away from the dance floor. It was Parker. He yanked me into the alley next to the club and slapped me, calling me a slut and a whore and a bunch of other things I can’t remember."

"Why didn’t you break up with him after the first incident?"

"I did. B convinced me that anyone who truly loved me wouldn’t hit me. So I told Parker the next day that it was over. A few days later he showed up at my front door with a dozen roses and swore up and down that he was a changed man. Stupid me, I believed him. That’s how it went until a few weeks ago," explained Faith.

Angel nodded in understanding. "I see. Why did you keep taking him back if he always broke his promises about changing?" he questioned.

"Because I loved him, and in his own twisted way, Parker loved me, too."

"Did he ever abuse you in any other way? Verbally? Sexually?"

"He’d hit me, punch me, kick me, call me names I don’t care to repeat. But did he ever force something on me that I didn’t want? He wouldn’t have even tried. He didn’t have the balls for it. And Parker also knew I wouldn’t stand for it. I’d only take so much, and he knew just how far to push me."

They went over the night of the murder once again, Faith telling him every detail of what had happened. Her story never wavered from her original telling, and Angel knew they had a strong case for dismissal. It was self-defense, no doubt about it. He hoped Judge Wellings thought so, too.

"I think I have everything we’ll need for Tuesday," he informed his client. "Rest up tomorrow; I want you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when we go to court."

"Got it." She smiled. "I’ve been meaning to ask you how the wedding was."

Angel packed his things neatly into his briefcase. "It was nice."

"I see. You know, I’d ask how the wedding night went, but I already know the answer to that one."

He lifted his eyebrows. "Do you now? What do you mean by that, Faith?"

"Buffy told me all about your little arrangement. Lawyers never cease to amaze me, you know that? Defending me in exchange for marrying my sister…you guys reach new lows every day."

"There’s more to it than that."

"Yeah, I know all about that, too. Your inheritance only kicks in if you’re married for three years. And Buffy’s the lucky girl. Or should I say unlucky? Buffy’s young, and not nearly as experienced as you’d think when it comes to love. I’m gonna tell you something right now, Mr. McKenzie. I don’t care if you pull off a miracle on Tuesday and get me off, but if you hurt Buffy even one iota, I *will* kill you," Faith threatened. "Family sticks together."

***

"You *what*?!" Cordelia exclaimed.

Buffy took a sip of her milkshake and nodded her head. "You heard me. I got married yesterday."

"But how?" Willow asked running a hand through her red hair. "You aren’t even dating anyone. How can you be married? The last date you went on was with Riley, and that was the night Faith was arrested. I thought you couldn’t stand him."

"I didn’t marry Riley, Will. Yuck." She showed her two best friends her wedding and engagement rings. "You’re looking at the new Mrs. Angel McKenzie."

"Faith’s lawyer?" the redhead asked incredulously. "You married her lawyer?"

"Yep."

Cordelia, who usually didn’t surprise easily, found herself in a state of shock. "Buffy, you’ve only known this guy a week. What do you really know about him?"

"You sound like Faith and Dawn now. Please. I know him well-enough to trust him with my life." ‘For the next two years and three hundred sixty-four days of it at least.’

Willow shook her head. "I can’t believe you’re married. And after knowing the guy less than a week. It’s unreal."

"Tell me about it," added Cordelia. "You dated guys for three months who you wouldn’t even let get past second base with you, and here you are, a married woman."

"Thanks for the recap, Cordy," Buffy retorted.

"How did he propose?"

With a fake, dreamy sigh, the blonde newlywed began. "We’d been spending a lot of time together because of Faith. Angel and I visited her one afternoon at the jail, went out afterward and got to talking. We clicked right away. So I invited him over for dinner the next night. We were sitting on the front porch talking when he pulled out the ring. He said he’d fallen in love with me when I walked into his office Monday afternoon and couldn’t live without me. When he asked me to marry him, I said yes."

"Wow."

Brown-haired Cordelia wasn’t nearly as impressed. She knew Buffy too well to believe she would marry some guy in less than five days. "Why so quickly? What’s with the rush?"

Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "We just did it; we didn’t see any point in waiting."

"Not even for Faith?" she pointed out.

"We had her blessing. Look, neither one of us wanted a big wedding. Something small and simple, that’s it. What’s wrong with that?"

"Absolutely nothing, Buffy," Willow reassured her. "I’m happy for you."

The blonde turned to Cordelia. "What about you, Cordy? Are you happy for me?"

"If you’re happy, I’m happy," she responded, nodding her head. "You landed Sunnydale’s most eligible bachelor. I’m actually envious. When do we get to meet him?"

"I’ll have to check his schedule. He’s been really busy working on Faith’s case."

"How’s that going? Is she handling it okay?" Willow asked.

Buffy frowned. "I think she’s holding a lot of her emotions in, but that’s Faith for you. She doesn’t like to show fear. Although in this case, I wish she would."

"What does Angel say about it?"

"He’s cautiously optimistic. But he told me yesterday that he thinks they have a good chance of getting the case dismissed on Tuesday. That’s when the preliminary hearing takes place," Buffy told them. "Angel’s with Faith right now, putting the finishing touches on her statement. Then he’ll be at the office until…well, I don’t know when he’ll be back. He told me not to wait up."

Cordelia couldn’t stop herself from laughing. "So much for a romantic honeymoon."

"I could care less about that. I just want my sister home. And if it means giving up my honeymoon, so be it." ‘Oh, I wish I could tell you guys the truth. But it’s better for everyone if you just think I’m happily married.’

***

10

Monday morning rolled around and Buffy was awakened by the sound of the front door opening – and then shutting – at nine-thirty. She groaned when she saw the time. ‘I swear, if that’s Dawn leaving for school this late she is in *so* much trouble.’

After stretching her tired limbs, she climbed out of bed and threw on a robe on top of her nightgown. Hearing the noise of a vacuum cleaner running downstairs, she headed for the first floor to see who was down there. She half-expected it to be Angel, but then decided against it, knowing he left earlier for his office to work on Faith’s case.

The last person she expected to find was a Hispanic woman in her mid-fifties pushing a vacuum cleaner around the living room. "Excuse me!" Buffy called. The lady didn’t hear her, so she tapped the woman on the shoulder. "Excuse me!"

The woman turned around and looked at Buffy, then smiled and shut off the vacuum cleaner. "Hola, Señora."

"Who are you?" Buffy asked.

"I am Emilia, the housekeeper. Did I wake you, Señora?"

‘Housekeeper?’ "That’s okay. I just didn’t know you were coming."

Emilia nodded in understanding. "Perhaps Señor McKenzie forgot. He does that occasionally. You must be the new Señora McKenzie. Señor told me he had married."

"Yes, that’s me. I’m Buffy; you don’t have to call me Señora. How many days a week do you come by to clean?" she wanted to know. ‘I have a housekeeper. I, Buffy Summers, have a housekeeper. This is so cool!’

"Just during the week. I have worked for Señor Giles for a long time and Señor McKenzie kept me on. He es un hombre muy simpatico. Y muy guapo."

"So I’ve noticed," Buffy laughed. ‘Thank God I took Spanish in high school.’ "Well, I won’t keep you any longer, Emilia. I’ll stay out of your way."

"You aren’t in my way, Señora Buffy."

***

"I had the documents for the Summers case messengered to Judge Wellings’ office this morning when I came in," Jenny told Angel after he had settled into his office at ten in the morning. Even though he had left the house an hour earlier, Angel usually didn’t arrive at the office until later in the morning. Like most mornings, he stopped by the Expresso Pump for a cup of coffee and a bagel.

Angel nodded. "Thank you. What’s on the agenda for today?" he asked.

Jenny saw her boss smile at her and she melted. For as long as she’d worked for him, Angel McKenzie’s smile never failed to make her knees weak. But she knew he didn’t think of her as anything more than a secretary. "You’re free most of the day. I cleared your schedule because I figured you’d want to work on your statements for the preliminary hearing tomorrow morning."

"You know me too well, Jenny. Just hold all my calls until mid-afternoon and if anyone comes by, tell them I’m in a meeting with an important client.

"Does that include Lilah Morgan?" Jenny teased. She saw the way the female lawyer looked at her boss, and found it amusing the way Lilah always threw herself at him. And she couldn’t resist teasing Angel about it once a day.

He smirked at her implication. "*Especially* Lilah Morgan. I don’t care if the Queen of England calls, tell her I’m busy."

"Got it."

After Jenny left the room, Angel swiveled in his chair and stared out the window, looking into downtown Sunnydale. But his gaze never fixed on any particular object or building; his mind was focused on something else.

// "Do you, Angelus Richard McKenzie, take Buffy Anne Summers to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?" the Justice of the Peace asked.

Angel put the ring on his bride’s finger. "I do."

"And do you, Buffy Anne Summers, take Angelus Richard McKenzie to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?"

She glanced down and fingered the ring Angel had placed on her finger. ‘This is it, Buff. Just remember, it’s only three years,’ she told herself. "I do."

Angel noted her hesitation and squeezed her hand in reassurance after she’d put his wedding ring on. He completely understood her fear; after all, Buffy was only twenty years old, still a child compared to him. ‘Don’t worry,’ he told her with his eyes. She smiled at him in response.

"With the power vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Taking a deep breath, he bent his head down to kiss his new wife. He saw her close her eyes as his lips descended upon hers, and he did the same, his arms automatically wrapping around her. Their lips touched in a sweet, gentle kiss; a kiss that made Angel’s heart pound in his chest like a freight train. In his thirty years he had kissed plenty of women, but none of them felt the way Buffy did. Her lips were soft and tender, and it took every ounce of willpower he had inside of him to keep from pushing his tongue between her lips to fully taste her. It was then that he realized it would be a long three years. \\

‘How am I supposed to do this? The whole purpose of marrying Buffy was so I could get my rightful inheritance and have a wife in name-only for three short years. I thought this would be easy; I’d be married, but I could still go out and have fun. But why is it every time I think about being with another woman I feel like I’m betraying Buffy? What the hell is wrong with me?’ Angel wondered.

With a vigorous shake of his head, he discarded the thoughts of his pretty bride out of his mind. He needed to concentrate on her sister’s murder case; he would worry about his growing feelings for Buffy later. One thing he knew for sure was that if he didn’t get Faith off the hook the next day, Buffy would never forgive him.

So he worked on his statement in his head, trying to figure out what sounded right in Faith’s defense, taking notes when he thought of something he wanted to use. One thing he didn’t want to do was come off as just an arrogant defense attorney. He knew from experience that juries didn’t respond to fast-talking lawyers, and neither did judges; he’d lost a few cases that way. And if he could prove Faith was the victim more than Parker Abrams was, there would be a good chance he’d never have to face a jury.

"Tell me, where can I find a good lawyer?" a voice asked, shattering Angel’s concentration.

He looked up, seeing his best friend standing in his office, the door closed behind him. "Oh my god, Spike. What the hell are you doing here? I told my secretary not to let anybody in."

The bleached-blonde man smiled with amusement. "That’s a nice way to greet your best mate from boarding school," Spike commented in his thick British accent. "Your cute little secretary is bound and gagged at her desk, but she’s not complaining, believe me. And here I thought you’d be happy to see me."

"I am. But I’m surprised to see you. What are you doing in Sunnydale?" Angel wanted to know.

"Europe got boring. So did the girl I was with. Then I realized it’s been a bloody long time since I stopped by to pay a visit to my best friend. Hence, here I am."

"Well, I hope you didn’t hop on a plane to Sunnydale for excitement. Because you’ll be sorely disappointed."

Spike shrugged his shoulders. "I don’t mind kicking back and relaxing for awhile. Besides, I’ve heard about California girls, so I thought I’d find out for myself."

The dark-haired lawyer laughed. "You’ll never change, will you, Spike?"

"Not if I can help it." His eyes caught sight of the gold wedding band on Angel’s left hand. "That isn’t what I think it is, is it?" he demanded, pointing to it.

He looked down at what his best friend was pointing at. "Actually, it is."

"You have got to be kidding me! You did *not* get married."

"I did. This past weekend."

Spike couldn’t believe it, and he shook his head in disbelief. "No, not you. What happened to getting with a different girl every night of the week? No strings attached, remember? Don’t tell me you’re settling down into married life."

"It’s not like that, Spike. It’s a business arrangement, not a real marriage. No need to get all worked up about it," Angel told him. ‘Hey, if Buffy can tell her sister, I can tell my best friend.’

"What do you mean, ‘a business arrangement’?"

"Exactly the way it sounds. I didn’t marry Buffy for love, I married her for money."

His eyes widened. "Buffy? You married a girl named Buffy?" He laughed. "Only you, McKenzie. So, is she ugly but completely loaded?"

"It’s the opposite. Buffy is a very pretty, smart, nice girl. And no, she’s not loaded; she doesn’t have any money at all. Remember when I told you my uncle Rupert died?" His best friend nodded. "Well, he left me everything. However, the only way I get it is if I am married for three years. I met Buffy and she agreed to marry me so I could get my inheritance. Simple as that."

"Three years, huh?" Spike remarked. "Was your uncle trying to punish you?"

"Probably, knowing him. He hated that I was thirty and unmarried. So what better way to torment me than by making me get married. He knew how I felt about marriage after my parents got divorced. I just think about it this way, I marry for three years and I get more money than I know what to do with. And when the three years is up, I get divorced and I get my money."

"Sounds like you’ve got it all planned out. What does the little missus have to say about it?"

Angel softly sighed, thinking about Buffy. "Nothing. When it’s over she gets four million dollars for her troubles."

"And what if she gets clingy and refuses to let you divorce her?"

"She won’t. It’s a marriage in name-only. She knows it and I know. And I completely trust her."

"Three years? That’s a long time to be married to a pretty chippy and not be able to touch her," he commented to his best friend. "You won’t make it."

"Three years isn’t *that* long. I’ll be able to make it. I have no desire to touch her." ‘Yeah, right,’ a voice in Angel’s head stated. ‘You want to touch her so badly you can taste it.’

***

11

"Are you positive you don’t want to come to the preliminary hearing today?" Buffy asked Dawn Tuesday morning while the teenager was getting ready for school. "Faith could really use all the support she can get."

"I already told you, I don’t want to go. Spending the day in a boring courtroom isn’t my idea of fun. Sorry."

The older sister frowned. "Okay. But Faith is going to be very disappointed."

"She’ll get over it, I’m sure," Dawn replied sarcastically. "Besides, she’s going to have you and Angel there rooting her on."

"Dawn, what is your problem? You’ve been acting like a spoiled brat lately and I’d like to know why. Frankly, I’m sick of it."

She threw on her jacket. "You have to ask why? My life has turned completely upside down in the past six months. First Mom and Dad die, then Faith gets sent to jail, now I’m living in this new house with my sister and the husband she’s only known for a week. Does that explain my attitude?"

Buffy sighed; Dawn did have a point.. "I really wish I could get into this with you now, but I don’t have the time. I have to be at the courthouse in half an hour. But when I get home tonight, I think we’re going to have to sit down and talk about some things."

Dawn exhaled heavily. ‘Lucky me,’ she thought. ‘A lecture.’ "Fine, whatever. Can I go? I’m gonna be late for school."

"Sure."

"Tell Faith I said good luck," she said before leaving her bedroom.

Sagging her shoulders, Buffy slumped down on Dawn’s bed. Trying to be her mother was harder than she thought, and she doubted she could handle having children of her own when the time came. ‘Faith, I could *so* use your help right now.’

A knock at the door broke her out of her thoughts; she looked up and found Angel standing in the doorway with an expectant look on his handsome face. "Hey," Buffy greeted.

He took a step inside. "After Dawn walked off in a huff, I thought I’d find you in here. What happened between you two?"

"Nothing you want to know about. I tried to convince her to come to the hearing with me but she adamantly refused. Needless to say, a family meeting is in order for tonight."

"Oh" was all he could think to say.

"Will you be there? I’m going to need moral support. And probably a lawyer."

Angel smiled at his wife. "Sure I’ll be there. I doubt I will be much help, but I can show support. I can play the loving, supportive husband."

"That’s all I need. What time are you leaving for the courthouse?" Buffy wanted to know.

"In a couple minutes. Are you ready to go?"

She nodded. "I think so. And in case I don’t say it later, thank you for everything."

"Don’t thank me yet."

***

When Faith was led into the courtroom five minutes before her trial was to begin, she knew the coming half-hour would determine the course of the rest of her life. ‘This is it, I guess,’ she thought. ‘I either go home or spend what will probably be the better part of my life in jail.’ Though she tried to hide it, Faith was a bundle of nerves.

She saw Buffy sitting in the first row behind Angel, a sympathetic smile playing upon her pretty face. Faith smiled back, knowing just how much her adopted sister had sacrificed for her. As she sat down, she felt Buffy’s hand on her shoulder, and she placed hers over it. "Everything is going to work out today, Faith. I can feel it."

"I hope you’re right, B. You have no idea how much I want to come home today," Faith said.

"You will. Angel will work his magic."

The defendant nodded. "One can hope. Is Dawn here?"

She noticed the smile dim from Buffy’s face. "No. She…she had a test in her English class and couldn’t get out of it. But she told me to wish you good luck."

"You never were a very good liar, even when we were kids. Dawn didn’t want to come, did she?"

"I’m sorry," Buffy apologized.

"It’s okay. If I were her, I wouldn’t want to come either."

From his seat to Faith’s left, Angel listened to the two sisters as they talked. He’d never seen them together, but he could see now why Buffy agreed to the terms of his deal – Faith was more than just her sister. They were best friends. And he knew it was up to him to keep their close-knit family together. A family he was proud to be a part of, if only for three years.

The bailiff came into the room, standing tall. "All rise. This court is now in session. The honorable Judge Daniel Wellings presiding."

The people in the room rose from their seats when Judge Wellings entered, taking his seat. "Please be seated," he told everyone. He sifted through his papers. "The People of the State of California versus Faith Summers. The defendant is charged with the second degree murder of Parker Abrams. We are here today to determine if this case will be brought to trial. I will hear remarks first from the People."

Assistant District Attorney Alexis Baxter stood behind the Prosecutor’s table. "A man is dead. Parker Abrams, a twenty-four year old man from a modest Mid-West family died four weeks ago at the hand of his supposedly loving girlfriend. Faith Summers claims it was self-defense, but it wasn’t, not by a longshot. She knew exactly what she was doing when she shoved that knife into her boyfriend’s chest. She did not aim to hurt, she aimed to kill."

Angel had warned her that they would attack her character and say she had killed Parker purposely, and Faith did her best to keep her emotions to herself, despite her anger. The prosecutor was accusing her of killing her boyfriend in cold blood; it took all of her strength to keep from shouting out the truth. But she knew her brother-in-law would tell the real story.

Judge Wellings nodded his head after Alexis Baxter finished her argument. "Mr. McKenzie, I’d like to hear from you now."

Straightening his papers in front of him, Angel got out of his chair. "The prosecution has painted Parker Abrams as the innocent victim here. A loving, kind boyfriend; a pillar of the community. That was his public persona, but in private he was a very different man. Faith Summers knew him best; she knew what he was like when the doors to the public were closed. For close to three years she lived in fear of what he would do to her if she disobeyed him.

"Parker Abrams hit her. He punched her. He called her names no woman should ever be called. Faith would become so frightened that she’d break up with him, but Parker was also a master manipulator, swearing he would never do it again if she took him back. But he could never hide his true nature for too long and soon he was back to his old tricks.

"The night of October fifteenth started out innocently enough. Faith and Parker sat in the living room of her home watching a movie with her fifteen year old sister Dawn. Faith stated that she found the actor in the movie attractive, and that simple comment sent Parker Abrams into a fit of rage. He jumped from his place on the couch and pushed Faith off, causing her to hit her head on the coffee table. After verbally abusing her, he disappeared into the kitchen, returning moments later with a sharp knife.

"Concerned for her sister’s safety, Faith sent Dawn to her bedroom until her boyfriend calmed down. But he never did. He began attacking her with the knife, and Faith knew she was in a life-or-death situation; the man she loved was going to kill her. So she did what she had to do to protect herself. Did Faith Summers intend to kill Parker Abrams? No. She made split-second decision any one of us would have made. Faith Summers chose life."

When Angel sat back down again, Buffy put her hand on his shoulder, whispering in his ear. "You sounded great. Very convincing."

"Thanks. Let’s hope the judge thinks so."

Judge Wellings cleared his throat. "I have gone over the evidence, read the statements written by the defendant’s sisters and friends, as well as the documents sent to me by A.D.A. Baxter and Mr. McKenzie. It is clear to me, and to this court, that Miss Summers acted out of self-defense the night of October fifteenth. There will be no further investigation and this case is dismissed." He pounded the gavel.

"Angel?" Faith asked.

He stood once more. "You’re free, Faith. You can go home now."

A giant smile spread across her lips, her brown eyes dancing with glee. "You mean it? No more jail?"

"No more jail."

Without warning she jumped out of her seat and threw her arms around him. "You are amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She turned to her sister, who had made her way over to the defense table. "B, I’m free!"

"I know. Congratulations." Buffy wrapped her arms around Faith. "So, what do you want to do to celebrate?"

"I say we all hit the Bronze tonight. Big celebration party," suggested the brunette.

"You got it." Buffy looked at her husband, who was busy putting his papers back in his suitcase. "Angel, I really appreciate what you did in court today."

He tried his best to remain professional. "I was just doing my job. Like we agreed."

"That doesn’t mean I can’t thank you properly." In a surprise move, Buffy reached up to give him a hug. In their innocent embrace, Angel could smell her shampoo, the scent of vanilla invading his nostrils. He sighed softly and then felt her give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Faith wants to celebrate tonight, so after dinner we’re gonna hit the Bronze. Care to come with us and make our first public appearance as husband and wife?" Buffy invited.

Angel’s head was still reeling from being so close to her. ‘Good god, what is wrong with me?’ he asked himself. "I have to file the paperwork for the case, but after that I’m free for the day. Looks like I’ll be there."

"Great. When I get back to your house – I mean, our house," Buffy corrected herself, "I’ll invite the whole gang. And you should invite that friend you were telling me about yesterday."

He nodded. "Spike. Yeah, I’ll do that."

"See you later."

On their way out, Faith raised an eyebrow at her sister. "Well, it’s easy to see who wears the pants in your marriage."

"Shut up, Faith," her sister retorted.

***

12

"I want to go with you!" complained Dawn at seven-thirty when Buffy was getting dressed for the celebration party. "It’s not fair that I can’t go."

Buffy shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Oh well. I already told you it’s for adults only. No kids allowed."

"I’m not a kid."

"Dawn, you are too young to be going to clubs. You’re only fifteen." She slipped her feet into her black pumps, which perfectly matched the simple black dress she wore.

Dawn placed her hands on her hips in annoyance. "You were fifteen when you started hanging out at the Bronze with Willow and Cordelia. And so was Faith. What’s the big deal if I go? It’s supposed to be a celebration party for my own sister and I can’t even go."

"First of all, Faith and I were sixteen, almost seventeen, when we started going to the Bronze. Secondly, you’re grounded. And third, you didn’t even have the decency to go to Faith’s hearing today, but now you want to celebrate her freedom? I don’t think so. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about my promise to have a family meeting tonight. We won’t be that late, so you can expect it."

"You’re treating me like a child."

"You *are* a child. Get over it."

Angel entered the room from the bathroom. He wore a pair of black trousers and a midnight blue shirt, his brown hair styled in his trademark spikes. "Am I interrupting a sister moment?"

Buffy shook her head. "Nope. Dawn and I were just finished. Weren’t we?" she asked her younger sister.

"Apparently so. Try to have fun without me." Turning on her heel, the teenager stalked out of the room.

Angel couldn’t help raising his eyebrows at his sister-in-law’s exit. "Okay, once more with tension."

She laughed at his comment. "You sound just like Xander."

"Xander?" he questioned.

"A good friend of mine. He’ll be there tonight. Don’t worry, you two will get along famously. I’m sure of it."

"Are you almost ready?" he wanted to know. "We have to pick up Faith in ten minutes."

She put the finishing touches on her makeup. "Just about. I still need to fix my hair real quick."

"You look fine to me."

Buffy smiled sincerely. "You’re sweet. A terrible liar, but sweet nonetheless."

***

The couple glanced at each other before entering the club. Faith had already gone inside, leaving Buffy and Angel standing in the alley. "Ready to meet my friends?"

"Yep," Angel answered.

"Great. Prepare to act couple-y." Reaching out, Buffy took his hand in hers and he opened the door for her. ‘Wow, Angel really *is* a gentleman,’ she thought. ‘Nobody’s ever held a door open for me except my father.’

Angel’s eardrums were assaulted the moment he set foot in the club. It had been a long time since he’d been to one. Generally, he tended to frequent restaurant bars to meet women. He wasn’t prepared for the younger, more laid back atmosphere of the Bronze.

His wife noticed his reaction. "Culture shock?" she asked.

"Slightly. I didn’t exactly hang out in clubs back in England."

"What did you do for fun?"

Angel shook his head and smirked. "Buffy, you don’t want to know. Maybe when you’re older I’ll tell you."

She sneered. "Real funny. Look, there’s the gang."

He followed her lead to a group of people in their early twenties. The only person he recognized was Faith, who sat flanked by two young women – a redhead and brunette – and a man. Angel assumed he was the Xander person Buffy mentioned earlier. Suddenly, he felt out of place as they approached the table.

"Hey, guys," greeted Buffy. "Sorry we’re late."

"No problem," Xander answered. "Who’s your date?"

Plastering a fake, happy smile on her face, Buffy touched Angel’s arm. "He’s not just my date, Xand. I want you to meet Angel McKenzie. My husband."

"Husband?" Xander asked, confusion written all over his face. "Since when are you married, Buff?"

"Since this past weekend. Angel, this is Xander Harris, Cordelia Chase and Willow Rosenberg," she introduced, pointing to each one of her friends individually. "You already know Faith."

Cordelia openly checked out her friend’s husband. "Hello, salty goodness." Underneath the table, Willow kicked her. "Sorry."

Willow stretched out her arm toward him. "Nice to meet you, Angel. Buffy’s told us quite a bit about you Sunday."

He flashed her his famous half-smile. "All good, I hope."

"Well, we haven’t gotten all of the gory details out of her yet," Cordelia told him. "But we tell each other everything, so it’s only a matter of time."

"Good to know."

"Um, question for all," Xander began. "Why wasn’t I informed of the Buffster’s new marital status?"

Faith condescendingly patted him on the head. "Aww…poor Xander feeling a little left out? Don’t worry, I wasn’t even there for it and I’m her sister. They wanted a quick wedding."

Buffy shot daggers at her sister. ‘If she tells them the truth, that’s it for me. I’ll never live it down.’ She decided it was time to get out of the conversation. "Angel, what do you say you and I share our first official dance as husband and wife?"

He sensed what she was up to. "Sounds like a great idea."

Taking her hand in his, Angel excused them and they made their way to the dance floor. A slow song had just begun playing while the band took a break between sets. "We need to make this look as real as possible," Buffy told him.

With one hand on the small of her back and the other one clutching her left hand, Angel agreed. "I think we can manage that."

// So lately, been wondering

Who will be there to take my place

When I’m gone you’ll need love to light the shadows on your face

If a great wave shall fall and fall upon us all

Then between the sand and stone, could you make it on your own?

If I could, then I would

I’ll go wherever you will go

Way up high, or down low

I’ll go wherever you will go \\

"I promise not to step on your feet," he whispered in her ear. "At least not purposely."

Buffy laughed; a soft, quiet laugh that warmed his heart. "Not much of a dancer, are you?"

"I’ve go two left feet. I pretty much try to avoid dancing if at all possible. I’m what you’d call a spaz on the dance floor. Don’t say I didn’t warn you."

"I’ll take it under advisement, counselor."

// And maybe, I’ll find out

A way to make it back someday

To watch you, to guide you, through the darkest of your days

If a great wave shall fall and fall upon us all

Then I hope there’s someone out there who can bring me back to you

If I could, then I would

I’ll go wherever you will go

Way up high, or down low

I’ll go wherever you will go \\

"Aren’t they so darn cute together?" Willow asked the group as they watched Buffy and Angel sway in sync to the music. "Look how in love they look."

Xander rolled his eyes. "Yeah. So cute they make me want to throw up. Gimme a barf bag and make it quick."

"You don’t have a romantic bone in your body, do you, Xander?"

"No, he doesn’t," Cordelia answered for him, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "At least not in the year we were dating."

"Hey, I take offense to that!" an offended Xander complained. "I am very romantic, thank you very much. Just ask Anya."

Cordelia made a face. "I’ll pass, thank you. I don’t need all the intimate details of your active sex life."

"At least I have one," he shot back.

Perfectly happy to be a spectator in Cordelia and Xander’s war of words, Faith turned her attention to her sister and her husband. They looked like a married couple who could only see each other; as if they were the only two people in the room. She seriously wondered how much of it was acting and how much was their true feelings surfacing. ‘Marriage deal my ass!’ she thought. ‘One of them is going to crack, I just wonder who’ll be the first.’

From a darkened corner of the Bronze, Spike watched his best friend dance with the tiny blonde. Since he didn’t know where Buffy’s friends were sitting, he contented himself with the show on the dance floor. The show Angel was putting on; only Spike couldn’t tell if he was faking the look in his brown eyes.

// Run away with my heart

Run away with my hope

Run away with my love

I know now, just quite how

My life and love might still go on

In your heart, in your mind, I’ll stay with you for all of time

If I could, then I would

I’ll go wherever you will go

Way up high, or down low

I’ll go wherever you will go

If I could turn back time

I’ll go wherever you will go

If I could make you mine

I’ll go wherever you will go

I’ll go wherever you will go \\

"What you did today, Angel…I can never thank you enough for it. Having Faith home where she belongs means more to me than anything in this world," Buffy said. "I wish I could show you my appreciation."

"Don’t worry about it. You being here is thanks enough."

She looked into his dark eyes. "But there must be something you want."

‘Don’t, McKenzie,’ he told himself. ‘Don’t even go there.’ "Buffy, I have everything I’ve ever wanted."

***

"Buffy, this is William Lords, my best friend since elementary school," Angel introduced when he found Spike standing off by himself a short while later.

"You can call me Spike, everyone else does," Spike informed her, kissing the back of her hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Buffy."

She nodded and smiled. Something about the way he looked at her left Buffy feeling unnerved. "Nice to meet you, too, Spike. How long will you be in Sunnydale?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I’m not quite sure yet, I haven’t given it much thought." ‘Maybe indefinitely now that I’ve seen you, pet.’

"I see. Well, I’ll leave you two alone. I’m gonna see if I can drag Faith out on the dance floor." Buffy patted Angel on the arm and walked back to her friends.

With a raised eyebrow, Spike watched her walk away. "She’s a stiffener, that one."

"Spike, you’re sick."

"What? She’s over eighteen, isn’t she? I think I’m allowed to be…shall we say, aroused by her."

Angel groaned. One thing Spike had always lacked was tact. "Buffy may be twenty years old, but she’s also my wife. Show a little more judgment."

"What? It ain’t like you’ve got all these fuzzy bunny feelings for her. You’re just using her." He paused. "Aren’t you?"

"We have a business arrangement."

The two of them gazed at the dance floor, where Buffy and Faith were dancing. Spike smiled with appreciation at the two sisters. "You are married to a girl with a body like that and you aren’t even gonna take her out for a test-drive? I find that impossible to believe. Especially given your colorful history with women."

"Believe it."

Spike nodded, unconvinced by Angel’s words. "Uh-huh." ‘Looks like I’ll be staying in Sunnydale longer than anticipated. Someone needs to keep an eye on Angel. And his pretty little wife.’

***

13

Faith found herself impressed when she, Buffy and Angel pulled into the driveway of the McKenzie home. She whistled with appreciation. "Very nice place you got here, B. Maybe I should run out and marry myself a millionaire."

"I’m not a millionaire," Angel corrected her.

"Not yet. But in about three years when you’re done using my sister, you will be."

Buffy, seated in the front seat, sighed heavily. "He’s not using me. We have a deal, that’s it. One from which we both benefit."

"Yeah, whatever."

As he stepped out of the car, Angel thought, ‘Now I see where Dawn gets her sparkling personality from. It’s a good thing Faith is staying at the old house, I’d kill her if we had to live together. Personality clash.’ Once again, he thanked God Buffy wasn’t like her two sisters.

"What’s with the family meeting?" Faith wanted to know. "It’s obviously not to welcome me home from jail."

"It’s about Dawn. She’s been acting out of sorts and it is beginning to grate on my nerves. I figure if we double-team her – plus Angel – we should be able to get through to her," Buffy informed her, entering the front door, which was being held open by Angel. "Thank you."

He smiled. "You’re welcome."

Faith looked from her sister to her new husband. ‘Uh-huh…’ "What a gentleman."

"I try."

Once she’d put her purse down, Buffy stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Dawn! We’re home, come down here!"

Ten seconds later, Dawn’s bedroom door opened. "Buffy, I’m ready for bed. Can’t we do this tomorrow?"

"No way. Get your butt down here."

Slamming her bedroom door, Dawn stomped down the stairs, finding Buffy and Faith sitting on the couch and Angel on the loveseat. "What’s *he* doing here?" she demanded. "He’s not family."

"Angel is my husband. That makes him family. Now sit down because we need to talk to you," Buffy said sternly.

Sulking, Dawn plopped down on the reclining chair. "Make it quick, I’m tired."

"That’s too damn bad, Dawn. You have a choice, either you talk to us tonight or you can talk to a counselor. It’s your decision."

"Fine. Let’s get started."

"Good. Explain your pissy attitude. I’d like to know why you’ve been acting like a royal bitch these past few weeks."

Dawn narrowed her eyes. "Why do you think? It’s all her fault," she said, pointing to Faith.

"What did I do? What is it my fault?"

"Because if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be in this fucking mess! You just *had* to stay with Parker when he treated you like shit, didn’t you? You let him hit you and call you names, and you didn’t even bat an eyelash. You just sat there and took it. For three years! How many times did Mom and Dad tell you that you deserved better? Or Buffy? We all told you, but did you ever listen? No!" Dawn shouted.

Buffy was about to interrupt when Faith stopped her. The brunette wanted to hear what else her sister had to say. She felt that after four weeks in jail, she could handle just about anything. Even the wrath of her angry fifteen year old sister.

"So you kept seeing that jerk even though none of us liked him. Mom was always afraid he’d end up killing you. Well, wouldn’t she be proud to find out that you offed him before he could do it to you. Faith, why would you stay with someone like that? Parker scared the hell out of us, every night when you went out with him we were afraid you wouldn’t come home.

"And do you know how much everyone at school made fun of me because you killed him? I became the butt of everyone’s jokes and it’s all your fault. They’d call you a heartless murderer, no matter how many times I told them Parker got what he deserved. I lost all my friends. Thanks a lot."

Faith raised her eyebrows. "Are you done? Because I have something to say."

"No, I’m not done," Dawn said, shaking her head. "Since I seem to be on a roll here tonight, I’d like to state for the record that it’s also your fault I’m stuck here."

Buffy was genuinely confused. "Stuck where?"

"Here, in this house! If it wasn’t for Faith getting arrested, I wouldn’t be here. You never would have met the lawyer and married him so damn quickly. What was the big hurry, Buffy? Why did you *have* to marry that guy five days after you met him? That’s not normal behavior, especially for you."

"You have every reason to be upset about that, Dawn. I uprooted your life, and I’m sorry about that. But Angel and I are in love with each other. He’s my husband," the blonde tried to reason.

Wide-eyed, Dawn stared at her biological sister. "Husband? You two don’t even act like you’re married most of the time. Aren’t people in love supposed to touch each other? You two don’t kiss or hug or even look at each other. If I had a husband who looked like Angel, I’d be touching him every chance I got. The only good thing I can see is that you aren’t as sad as you were before, Buffy."

"Angel’s done a lot for this family."

"Yeah, I know that. And I’m glad he’s a great lawyer who got Faith out of jail, but I don’t know. Something isn’t right," mused Dawn.

Closing her eyes, Buffy exhaled the breath she’d been holding in. "What do you want me to do? I’ve done everything I can to make this transition easier for you. You have a nice home and a family who loves you. What else do you want?"

"I want things the way they used to be!" Dawn exploded. "I want Mom and Dad back."

She shook her head. "I’m sorry. I wish I could, believe me. Do you think things have been easy for me? It’s been hell for me, too. You know, Dawn, the world doesn’t revolve around you; I had to make huge sacrifices after Mom and Dad died. I had to quit school and give up my dreams of being a lawyer; I suddenly had to support an entire family by working as a waitress at a coffee shop. And on top of all that, I have to be your mother."

"Well, you’re not doing such a great job at it," Dawn commented.

"Dawn, stop that," Faith warned.

Buffy waved her hand. "No, it’s okay. I admit it, I’m not a good mother. But it isn’t like I asked for this job. And you know what? I’m doing the best I can. I never thought you’d be so ungrateful to me for trying to give you a stable home life."

"I’m not ungrateful–"

"It certainly sounds like it to me. I’m your legal guardian, Dawn, but if you find someone else who wants to take over that responsibility, you can go live with them. Maybe Faith wants to do it."

Dawn couldn’t believe her sister said that to her. "I don’t want to live with Faith. I want to live with you."

"Then we need to make a few ground rules. The first being that your bitchy attitude ends here. I’m sick and tired of it. Second, you are to treat Angel with respect. He has given up his home to us because he wants to take care of me and my family. Third, your grades had better improve. I know you are capable of A’s, not the D’s and F’s you’ve been getting lately. Four, you are grounded until I see your next report card. You will be able to go out on Saturdays only. No phone, no internet. Understood?"

She nodded. There was no point in arguing. "Understood. Can I go now?"

"Go ahead."

Biting her lip, Dawn went back upstairs. "Well, that was definitely interesting," Faith laugh. "I couldn’t even get a word in edgewise. It’s good to be home."

"I’m going upstairs," announced Buffy. "Angel, could you drive Faith home?"

"Sure."

Once her sister was sufficiently out of hearing distance, Faith turned to her brother-in-law. "Welcome to our dysfunctional family."

***

Half an hour later, Angel returned home from bringing Faith to her house. Inside his bedroom, he threw his shirt on the bed and thought about how relaxing a long hot shower sounded. It had been a long, eventful day, and all he wanted to do was feel the spray of hot water on his aching muscles. Kicking off his shoes, he opened the bathroom door.

What he found on the other side was the last thing he expected. With her back to him stood Buffy, drying her wet, naked body off with a fluffy white towel. For an unknown reason, Angel couldn’t peel his eyes away. She turned around, drying her face and unaware of his presence, giving him a full frontal view of her body.

His breath caught in his throat and he knew that he should look away, but he could not bring himself to do it. He caught sight of a tiny tattoo on the front of her right hip – an angel. Angel did his best to keep his eyes on the angel rather than her more private areas.

"Oh my god!" Buffy exclaimed, quickly covering herself from his gaze with her towel. "Angel, what are you doing in here?"

"I-I didn’t realize you were in here, I just got back," Angel told her, turning his eyes to the ceiling. "I’m sorry."

She was shaking, but not from being cold. "Could you leave me alone? This is kind of a private thing."

"Yeah, yeah. Of course." Walking out of the bathroom, Angel shook his head in disbelief. And he knew that when he went to sleep later on, his dreams would be of Buffy’s curvaceous body…and the tiny angel tattoo.

***

14

// The wind whistled outside, knocking tree branches against Angel’s bedroom window. He found the sound soothing; he always loved a good storm, even as a child. Growing up, Angel would sit in front of the window watching the lightening as it lit up the otherwise black sky.

A knock at the bathroom door disrupted his musings. "Come on in," he invited, tearing his eyes away from the brewing storm outside.

The door opened and Buffy entered, wearing a worn yellow robe. "Hope I’m not interrupting you."

"Nope. Just looking outside," Angel told her, shaking his head. "What’s going on?"

She glanced down. "Nothing. Forget I came in here." She turned to leave.

He reached out to touch her. "What is it, Buffy? Is it because of what happened earlier? Look, I’m really sorry about walking in on you like that. I guess I’m not used to sharing a bathroom with someone. I didn’t set out to embarrass you."

"I’m not embarrassed, Angel. It’s just that…well, you’ve seen all there is to see of me. Now I want to see you."

Angel stood in shock; he couldn’t move. "You want to *what*?" He wasn’t sure if he’d heard her correctly.

Buffy took a few steps closer to him. "It’s only fair," she said, her voice becoming seductively low. "Come on, it isn’t like we’re breaking any laws. We *are* married, after all."

"You want me to get undressed?"

"What? You don’t want to? Are you ashamed?" she teased.

Once again he shook his head. "Not at all."

Buffy smiled knowingly. "Oh I get it. You don’t want to be alone. That’s okay, I don’t have anything to hide anymore." She brought her hands to the belt of her robe and untied it. Then she let the garment fall the ground. "Better?"

"I…" Angel did his best to keep from staring at her, but he couldn’t. And he didn’t know what it was about Buffy Summers that made him act like a teenager with raging hormones. She affected him the way no other woman before had ever done.

She could see where his gaze was locked: on her tattoo. "I see you noticed my tattoo. Do you like it?"

"It…it’s very nice," he stuttered.

"I thought so. It’s an angel, I got it right after my parents died. They never would have let me get one when they were alive, so I got one as a tribute to them a week after the accident. Faith has one, too." Buffy took his hand, outstretched his pointer finger and placed it on the tattoo.

His finger took on a life of its own and traced the ink outline along her hip. It was all he could do to keep from looking at the rest of her body. "Did it hurt?"

"A little. This is fate, Angel. I have a tattoo of an angel and a husband with the same name. Someone up there is telling us this is meant to be. And I’m a firm believer in fate and destiny."

In one swift motion, she had Angel backed up against the wall, a wicked smile across her innocent face. She placed her finger on his lips, running it down his jaw to his neck, then across his firm chest and stopping when she reached his boxer shorts. With a hand on either side of his waist, Buffy pulled off the only garment her husband wore. Once he stood naked before her, she looked him up and down with appreciation.

"Exactly the way I pictured you," she commented. "But it seems like a waste, you know? For the two of us to be here like this and not give in. I mean, think about it. We’re both young and relatively good-looking, why shouldn’t we make the most of it? Obviously we are attracted to one another, if this is any indication. Why should our marriage be in name only? It isn’t right. Three years from now, do you want to look back in regret on what you and I could have shared? I know I don’t."

"I don’t either," agreed Angel. "But we shouldn’t."

"Why not? Don’t you want me?"

His heartbeat quickened. "More than you’ll ever know." He bent his head down, taking her lips in a passionate kiss and pushed her body flush against his. Buffy’s arms wrapped around his neck, and she began to lead him to his bed. \\

With a grunt, Angel awoke, unconsciously moving his arm to the left side of the bed to feel for Buffy. What he found was the cold mattress instead, and it left him disappointed. ‘It was just a dream,’ he thought. ‘A very nice dream. But I can’t see Buffy doing any of those things. It’s so not like her.’ Sitting up in bed, Angel rubbed his eyes, and then found the bed sheets tented around his waist. ‘Just great.’

Climbing out of bed, he put his sweatpants on and went downstairs for something to drink. He poured himself a glass of milk, then took a seat at the kitchen table to do some thinking. ‘What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I having these fantasies about Buffy? I can’t be having feelings for her, can I?’

"What are you doing up?" a voice asked him.

Angel looked up from his drink, seeing Dawn standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "Dawn, I didn’t see you there. I was just thinking. I didn’t wake you, did I?"

"No, I was thirsty and I saw you sitting there. What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?"

"Nah. I had a strange dream. Needed to think."

Dawn got herself a glass of water and sat down across from him. "And so rather than waking up Buffy, you decided to come down here and think alone?"

"Something like that."

An awkward silence followed. "Angel, I guess I owe you an apology for the way I’ve been acting. I have been really mean to you and you don’t deserve it," Dawn apologized.

"You’ve been going through a rough time of it lately. I understand that."

Dawn shrugged her shoulders. "That’s no excuse. You’ve been so nice to us and given us a lot, especially Faith. And I can see how happy you make Buffy. Her entire face lights up when you come in the room."

"It does?"

"Totally. Buffy did something so unexpected when she married you and it threw me."

Angel narrowed his eyes. "Why’s that?"

"Buffy’s the last person in the world to run off and marry some guy she’s only known for a week. We all figured Faith would be the one to do that, but never Buffy. I guess you could call her a hopeless romantic. Saving herself for Mr. Right but always meeting Mr. Wrong. Well, until she found you," Dawn said. "Even if you two don’t always act like you’re married all the time."

"I wasn’t aware I came as a shock to everyone."

"That’s okay. We like you. So far."

He laughed. "I hope you continue to like me. Although I want to warn you, I don’t know how to deal with teenagers. As you can probably tell."

"Yeah, I’ve noticed. But that’s okay. Just keep making Buffy happy. Angel, do you love her? Really, truly love her with all your heart?" she wanted to know.

"What’s not to love about her?"

"I don’t know. Faith says you two are perfect for each other. And I think she’s right for once."

***

15

The next month passed by without incident. Following the accidental run-in in the bathroom, things between Angel and Buffy were uncomfortable for a few days. Neither knew quite what to say to the other, and it took several days before they could talk openly about it.

// "Buffy, I’m really, really sorry about what happened Tuesday night," apologized Angel the following Friday at breakfast. "It was an accident."

She managed a half-smile. "Yeah, I know. I never thought you did it intentionally."

"Good. Do you think we can chalk it up to me not having shared a bathroom with a woman in a long time? I promise to knock next time."

"It’s a deal. Although I have to admit, it did make me a little uncomfortable knowing you’ve seen me naked," Buffy said.

"I guess telling you that you’re not the first woman I’ve seen naked isn’t going to win me any points, is it?" he tried to joke.

Buffy shook her head. "Not really the way to go."

"Okay. Then, if it helps, the only thing I got a good look at was your tattoo. An angel, I like it." \\

***

Jenny sighed with exasperation when Buffy walked up to her desk. She didn’t like the young blonde or her attitude. ‘What does she want?’ "Can I help you?" she asked with a put-out tone of voice.

"I’m here to see Angel," Buffy told her.

"Sorry. He’s not to be disturbed; a big meeting in half an hour and he needs to be ready for it," she said, smirking with satisfaction. "Which means no unannounced visitors. But I’ll be sure to tell him you stopped by, Miss Summers."

Buffy put on her best fake smile. "Angel already knows I’m coming; I called him earlier. You can check with him if you don’t believe me."

With a scowl, the secretary stood up and headed to her boss’ office door, knocking on it. "Mr. McKenzie?" she called, opening the door a crack.

"Yeah, Jenny?"

"Miss Summers is here to see you. Should I tell her to go?" ‘Please say yes.’

"No, let her in. I’m expecting her," Angel informed her.

Dejected, Jenny turned back to Buffy. "You can go in, Miss Summers."

"Thank you." Before entering Angel’s office, Buffy turned around. "By the way, Jenny, I would prefer it if you called me by my married name. Mrs. Angel McKenzie." Leaving the stunned secretary standing behind her desk, she went inside.

Angel stood when she entered. "Hey. I thought we were supposed to have lunch at noon," he reminded her. "It’s almost one-thirty."

"Sorry. Course registration took a little longer than I anticipated. I grabbed something to eat at the Student Union." Buffy handed him a paper bag. "And I felt bad about stiffing you, so I brought you a sandwich."

"Thank you."

She sat down on the leather couch, Angel taking a seat next to her, opening his lunch. Buffy had bought him a BLT sandwich on white toast with french fries. "Your secretary has a major attitude problem. Would you please fire her?"

"Buffy!" he exclaimed after swallowing a bite of his sandwich. "I can’t just fire her. Jenny’s worked for me since I started here."

"Then tell her to stop being so rude to me when I come in here. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she’s jealous of me. You know, because I’m your wife. I think she’s got a thing for you."

Placing his hand on her knee, Angel smiled at her. "Would you feel better if I talked to her? Tell her to back off?"

"You’d do that?"

"Sure."

"I appreciate it, Angel. Thanks."

He took another bite of his sandwich. "Did you get all the classes you wanted?"

Buffy nodded. "Yep. Trigonometry, Shakespeare and Astronomy for my Gen Ed requirements. Constitutional Law and Tax Law for my Legal Studies requirements. This semester is going to be a blast. Goodbye social life."

"Doesn’t sound all that bad. Constitutional Law is on the difficult side, though."

"That’s why I’m married to a lawyer. So you can help me with all that hard stuff. Right?" she joked.

Angel laughed. "If you need help, I’ll be glad to get you through it. But don’t expect me to give you all the answers."

"I would never ask you to do that. Although there is one thing I want to ask you," Buffy said.

He knit his eyebrows together. "What’s that?"

"Well, I kinda want to invite a few friends over on Friday night. Not a big party or anything, just Willow, Cordelia and Anya. We do this sleepover thing every month and it’s my turn to host it," she told him. "I missed it last month because of Faith. Is it okay with you?"

"Go ahead. Let me guess, you want me out of the house?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, not at all. It’s your house, after all; you can stay. In fact, if you want to join us, I’ll even invite Xander and Oz."

"That’s okay. I think I can find a way to keep myself busy for a night. Maybe I will take Dawn to the movies or something," Angel suggested. "Seeing as she and I are getting along these days."

"She’s gonna stay with Faith this weekend."

"Oh. Okay."

She eyed him carefully. "Are you sure you’re okay with turning your house over to a bunch of twenty year olds?"

"It’s fine by me. You deserve a night with your girlfriends."

Throwing her arms around him, Buffy gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You’re the best husband ever. You know, you’re more like the big brother I never had and always wanted."

‘She thinks of me as an older brother?’ Angel thought. ‘That’s good, isn’t it? Then why do I feel disappointed?’

"Mr. McKenzie, Lilah Morgan and Lindsey McDonald are here for your meeting," Jenny said over the intercom on his desk.

Pulling out of their embrace, Angel went to his desk. "Send them in, Jenny." He took a deep breath. "I hate to do this considering you just go here, but this is an important meeting, Buffy."

She got up. "It’s okay. Should I expect you for dinner?"

"Yep, I’ll be home. I might be a little late, though. I have to stop at the mall for some quick Christmas shopping. That reminds me, do you need any money for your shopping?" Angel wanted to know.

"No, I think I’m good. I saved up a lot from working at the café my last two weeks there. But thanks for the offer." She grabbed her purse. "See you later."

"Bye." He watched as Buffy left his office, just as Lilah and Lindsey were walking in. "Hi, guys."

Lindsey’s gaze followed Buffy. "Whew," he whistled. "That is one good-looking girl, Angel. Too damn bad you’re already married. I’d tell you to go for it."

"Newsflash, genius," Lilah began with a sigh. "That *is* his wife."

"Nice," the other lawyer commented. "How old is she again?"

Angel rolled his eyes. "She’ll be twenty-one next month, Lindsey. Can we kindly change the subject? We have important things to discuss."

***

"Unless there’s something else we need to go over, I say we call it a day," Angel announced three hours later.

Lindsey closed his notepad. "I think we’ve gone over everything." He glanced at his watch. "Well, I have to get ready for my date tonight. See you both tomorrow."

Once Lindsey closed the office door behind him, Lilah placed her belongings on the chair he’d vacated and sat herself down on the corner of Angel’s desk. "Finally, alone at last."

"Lilah, I don’t have time for this," Angel stated. "I have errands to run before I go home."

She raised her perfect-plucked eyebrows. "Aren’t we becoming domesticated."

"Shut up."

"You know, there was once a time when you and I couldn’t keep our hands off each other. You took me on the floor, on that couch and even right here on this desk. Remember?"

Angel began packing his briefcase. "Yes, I remember. But I’m not looking to relive ancient history with you. I’m married now."

"You’re married. But are you happy? Because it’s been my experience that happily married men have pictures of their wives on their desks. Where are all the pictures of the missus?" Lilah taunted.

"Get out, Lilah."

"Just making an observation, no need to jump down my throat."

"I mean it. I’m going to be late."

"What’s this errand you have to run?" she wanted to know. "Does Buffy need you to pick up some fresh vegetables for dinner tonight?"

Angel narrowed his eyes. "Look, Lilah, it’s over between us. What we had was a momentary physical attraction, that’s it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get to the jewelry store before it closes."

***

16

"What time are your friends getting here?" Angel asked Buffy Friday evening after dinner. She stood by the kitchen counter in her pajamas, pouring a bag of potato chips into a large tupperware bowl.

"In about ten or fifteen minutes. Cordelia’s driving and I think they’re stopping at the video store to pick up a movie." Buffy surveyed his outfit: blue jeans, a black dress shirt and his leather duster. "Are you going somewhere?"

Angel nodded. "Yeah. I’m meeting Spike at Willy’s Pub for a few beers. I didn’t want to be in the way tonight."

"I’m sorry. I feel bad for making it seem like I’m kicking you out of your own home. You don’t have to go."

"No, it’s okay. I haven’t seen Spike since he got back from his L.A. excursion last week. Now’s as good a time as any to catch up with him. Have fun, I should be back around ten or so."

Plagued with guilt, Buffy watched as he exited through the back door. ‘Way to make him feel unwanted, Buffy,’ she chastised herself. ‘Angel’s been nothing but nice and you practically kicked him out on his ass. Guess you’re out of the running for Wife of the Year.’

***

From his seat at the bar, Angel took a sip of Guiness Stout. "How was L.A.?" he questioned his best friend, who sat to his left.

Spike shrugged his shoulders. "You know L.A.. It never changes. Still the same smoggy place it was last time I was there. I did, however, run into an old friend of yours."

"Who?"

"Darla Baker. Or whatever name she goes by these days."

Sighing, Angel stared into his mug of beer. "I think it’s Darla Baker-Chandler now. Since the wedding."

"Like it matters. We bumped into each other at this quaint little tavern. She sends her love."

He scoffed. "I’m sure she does."

"Well well. Sounds like Darla really did a number on you. What, did she break your heart into a million tiny pieces?"

"Something like that."

"What’s the matter, Peaches? Did she dump you? You are far too used to being the dumper than the dumpee," commented Spike.

Angel rolled his eyes. "Do we really need to discuss this, Spike? Darla’s ancient history. So she dumped me, who cares? I like to think I’ve rebounded nicely."

Spike was about to reply when a shapely brunette in a red dress moved between their stools, facing Angel. "Hi."

"Hi," he replied casually. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"No," the woman said, flashing him a seductive smile. "I was sitting over there and I saw you. Thought I would come over and introduce myself. I’m Paige."

He returned the smile. "Nice to meet you, Paige."

"Do you have a name?"

"Angelus."

She raised an eyebrow curiously. "That’s an interesting name."

"I think so." He turned back to his drink in an attempt to get rid of her.

"So, Angelus," Paige began, not taking the hint, "can I buy you a drink?"

Angel lifted his three-quarters full glass. "I’ve already got one. But thanks anyway."

"How about another one?"

"No thank you. Look, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, Paige, but I’m not interested. Thing is, I’m married." Angel showed her his wedding band.

Paige stared long and hard at the gold ring on his left hand. "Oh, I see. Well then, it was nice meeting you." Without another word, she walked back to her table.

"Do you have any idea what you just did?" asked Spike incredulously. "That woman was offering herself to you on a silver platter. And you flat-out rejected her. I remember a time when you would have jumped at the chance to land in bed with a girl like that."

"I wasn’t interested."

"Not interested? Are you bloody insane?! And what exactly was with that ‘I’m married’ crap? You aren’t…housebroken, are you?"

Angel shook his head at his best friend. "Give it a rest, Spike."

"No, that’s it. You’ve got feelings for the girl, don’t you? The little chippy got to you. Hello, Peaches, it’s a marriage of convenience, or have you forgotten?"

"No, I haven’t forgotten, but I appreciate the reminder. What I do with my personal life is my business."

Spike gazed closely at the expression Angel’s face. "Bleedin’ Christ, you love her," he stated.

"No I don’t."

"Like hell you don’t."

"What do you want me to say? That I love her? I do. But I love her like a sister, that’s it."

Spike wasn’t so easily convinced. "Yeah, you love her like a sister. If you were both characters in a bloody V.C. Andrews novel. And if you truly believe you love her like a sister, then you’re in serious denial."

***

"You have to be making that up!" Angel heard Buffy exclaim when he quietly walked through the back door two hours later. "There is no way that can be true."

"I kid you not. He honestly licked my lips when he kissed me," Cordelia said. "It was *the* most disgusting thing any guy has ever done to me. And that’s saying a lot."

"Ew!" Willow scrunched her nose. "Oz would never do that."

Anya grinned devilishly. "Xander would totally do that. And has. You wouldn’t believe what that man is capable of."

Cordelia started gagging. "Unfortunately, I dated him for almost a year in high school, I know what Xander is capable of. And I’d rather forget it if it’s all the same to you."

"Whatever. What about Angel, Buffy? He’s quite a tasty treat," Anya said.

Angel was about to enter the room when he heard his name. Curious as to what Buffy would say in reply, he stood out of their line of sight and listened.

"What about him, Anya?"

"The guy’s a hottie, he’s got the body of a god and he’s wealthier than sin. On top of all that, he’s your husband. He pledged his entire being – need I say body – to you for eternity. It’s been over a month and you haven’t given us any of the gory details. So spill it."

Buffy shrugged. "There isn’t anything to spill. Angel’s a great guy. End of story."

"Please, there’s more to it than that."

"Yeah, Buff," agreed Cordelia. "He must be pretty amazing."

‘What harm will a few little white lies cause?’ the blonde asked herself. ‘None of them would know if I’m not telling the truth.’ "He is amazing. The best. At everything."

"At everything?" Anya repeated. "Who are you comparing him to? Your imaginary friend?"

"Anya…" Willow began.

She glared at the redhead. "What? It’s not like it’s a big secret that Buffy was still a virgin when she married Angel." The brown-haired girl paused. "You were, weren’t you?"

"Yes, I was. So what?"

"Is he good in bed?"

Buffy chose her words carefully. "Let’s just say he’s not gifted only as a trial lawyer."

In the kitchen, Angel suppressed a laugh by covering his mouth with his hand. ‘Well, it’s good to know Buffy thinks highly of me. But I can’t believe she’s still…’

Willow’s eyes widened. "Wow. Are you glad you waited?"

After a lengthy pause, Buffy nodded her head. "You know what, I am. I wanted to share it with the man I love." ‘And I will. Someday.’

"And you did," her best friend concluded.

"Does anyone need another Pepsi?" the hostess asked, eager to change the subject. It was making her feel uncomfortable.

"I do," Cordelia answered.

"Yeah, me, too," Anya replied. "But you can’t leave without answering at least one more question for me."

Buffy sighed. "Fine, but this is the last one. Then we drop the subject of my sex life."

"Agreed. All I want to know is what Angel wears to bed."

"Boxers," she replied without a moment’s hesitation.

Laughing at her friends’ preoccupation with her sex life, Buffy grabbed the empty soda cans and headed into the kitchen. Placing them on the counter, she jumped when she saw something moving out of the corner of her eye. When she saw it was her husband, she sighed with relief. "God, Angel, you scared me half to death."

He smiled apologetically, making all of her anger disappear. "I’m sorry."

"It’s okay."

"How’s the party going?" Angel wanted to know.

"Peachy. Anya wants to know everything about our marriage. Particularly our sex life," she told him.

He laughed softly. "So I heard."

Buffy paled. "How much did you hear, exactly?" ‘Oh lord, what if he heard me talking about his "gifts"? I’ll be humiliated!’

"Not much; I just got home," he lied. Angel didn’t want to embarrass her by saying he’d heard everything she’d said about him to her friends.

"Oh, good." Letting out a nervous breath, she opened the refrigerator and took out four cans of Pepsi. "I should get back out there. What are you going to do for the rest of the night?"

"I’ve got a case to go over, I’ll probably work on it for a little while. Just gonna make myself a sandwich and go upstairs."

"Have fun."

"You, too." As she was about to leave the room, Angel called out to her. "Hey, Buffy?"

She turned around. "Yeah?"

"You were wrong about something out there."

"What’s that?"

He smirked. "I don’t wear boxers to bed. Most nights I don’t wear anything at all," he admitted.

"Oh…"

"Don’t worry about it. Your secret’s safe with me."

***

17

The first rays of sun awoke Angel from his peaceful slumber at six-thirty the next morning. With a tired yawn, he sat up in bed, wondering why he had woken in the first place. The house was as quiet as a mouse, not a sound coming from the first floor where Buffy and her friends were sleeping. It wasn’t until he glanced at the window that he realized whey he was awake: he had fallen asleep while reading the case file and had forgotten to close the blinds. Sighing, Angel climbed out of bed.

He took full advantage of being alone upstairs and headed straight for the bathroom to take a shower. Although he and Buffy had worked out a schedule for the bathroom – so as neither one of them would accidentally walk in on the other – Angel had all-but-forgotten what it felt like to take hot shower. One thing he didn’t like about his new wife was her tendency to use all the hot water.

Emerging form the bathroom twenty minutes later dressed in blue jeans and a gray sweatshirt, Angel walked downstairs. The sight that awaited him brought a smile to his handsome face. All four girls lay in sleeping bags on the floor, a bowl of popcorn sat between Willow and Cordelia, and a bowl of potato chips to the right of Anya, who snored softly. His gaze rested on Buffy, sleeping parallel to the television. Her sleeping bag slipped to her waist, and he could see the fine hairs on her arm stand on end. Running his right hand over her arm, Angel covered her from the chilly air and went into the kitchen to fix his breakfast.

***

"Mmm…" Buffy groaned an hour later, rousing form a blissful dream. She had dreamt that she ran into Keanu Reeves at the mall and spent the rest of the day in his hotel room with him, sating their undeniable attraction. ‘What time is it?’ she wondered. Sitting up, she squinted her eyes and checked the time on the VCR. ‘Seven fifty-six. Too damn early to get up.’

She tried to fall back to sleep but was awakened once again when she heard one of the cupboard doors close. ‘Who could be up this early?’ Looking around, Buffy found all of her friends still sleeping soundly on the floor. ‘Must be Angel.’ Pulling herself out of the sleeping bag, she adjusted her pajamas and made her way into the kitchen.

"Morning," she greeted groggily when she saw Angel sitting at the table reading the morning newspaper.

Angel looked up, surprised to hear her voice. "Hey, good morning. I didn’t wake you, did I? I tried to be as quiet as possible."

"The cupboard door closing woke me up, but don’t worry about it. I think I’m the only one out there who heard you."

"That’s good."

She opened the refrigerator door, took out a carton of orange juice and began pouring herself a glass. "What are you doing up so early? It’s not even eight in the morning on a Saturday."

"Couldn’t sleep, I guess. I’ve actually been up for over an hour. Last night I must have fallen asleep while reading a file, and when I woke up the sun was shining right in my face. Rather than try to go back to sleep, I got up and took a shower."

"I see. Got any plans for today?" Buffy wanted to know.

He shook his head. "Nothing really exciting. Probably work on the case Lilah, Lindsey and I took on."

"Is it big?"

"It could be. We’re defending the CEO of a New York-based company for the kidnapping and assault of a twenty-five year old prostitute. It happened in San Francisco, so I want to get as much office work done on the case before Lilah and I go there to gather evidence from the crime scene. We leave December twenty-seventh. I think I mentioned that to you a few days ago."

"You did, but it’s still early yet for me to start recalling anything of importance. It sounds like an interesting case, though."

"There’s no shortage of those, as I’m sure you’ll find out when you start practicing law. Although it’s not exactly Ally McBeal."

Buffy smiled at him. "Yeah, I gathered that much. So tell me, what did you and Spike do last night? Pick up women, perhaps?" she joked.

"I’m a married man, I take offense to that," Angel stated in a teasing tone. "Like I told you last night, we just went to Willy’s. Did some catching up, nothing worth gossiping about. I should mention that Spike left with some woman named Paige. He picked her up after I told her I wasn’t interested."

"At least one of you two is getting some. Why weren’t you interested in her?"

"I told her I’m married."

"In name only, remember?" she reminded him.

Angel nodded. "I know, I know." ‘As if you’d let me forget, even for a minute.’ "But it’s a good enough excuse to use when I want to get rid of an unwanted suitor."

She gazed down at her wedding band and engagement ring. "Yeah, I know." Buffy paused, collecting her thoughts. "How do you feel about making it real?"

"What do you mean?"

"I got to thinking last night. We’ve never shown any true emotions towards each other since we got married. I think maybe we need to start."

"How, exactly?" His curiosity got the better of him.

She shrugged. "I didn’t really give it *that* much thought, but we should at least start slow, and make it convincing. A kiss here, a touch there. Just do what married couples do, except without the love and the sex."

"I can handle that. Can you?"

"Yeah, I can." ‘Kissing and touching Angel…such a rough gig. Where did that come from?’ Buffy wondered. "And telling each other stuff like a real husband and wife would. That doesn’t seem too difficult. I already know what you wear to bed." ‘Or don’t wear.’

Closing his eyes, Angel laughed. "I can’t believe I told you that. You didn’t tell your friends, did you?"

"Nope. Remember what you said about it being our little secret? I’ll take it to the grave."

***

"Are you sure you’re okay with this?" Buffy questioned Angel Sunday afternoon. They sat facing one another on the living room couch. "It won’t be uncomfortable at all for you?"

Angel gently placed his hand on her leg. "Buffy, don’t worry about me. We’ll be safe as houses. Unless you’re uncomfortable with it."

"Not at all. It’s for the good of the cause." From outside, they heard the slamming of a car door. "That’s Dawn. Ready?"

"Ready."

As they listened to the jiggling of the doorknob, Buffy and Angel’s lips moved closer and closer until they finally touched. While his hands played with the long strands of Buffy’s flaxen hair, her right hand lay flat against the back of Angel’s neck and her left one held him about his right arm. Without either one of them realizing it, the kiss grew in intensity, and Buffy felt her mouth open wide enough for her husband’s tongue to slip inside.

When Dawn entered the house, she caught sight of her sister and brother-in-law making out on the couch. She could almost feel the heat they were generating from across the room. "Check out the lust bunnies," she muttered before heading upstairs to her bedroom.

It took close to a minute for the embrace to end. Both were left breathless, and shocked by how passionate their kiss became. "Is she gone?" Buffy whispered, out of breath.

Angel couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from her emerald ones. "Yeah, I think so. Do you think she fell for it?"

"Pretty sure." She took a deep breath. "That certainly got a little out of control."

"A little." ‘A lot,’ his body told him. Glancing down at himself, Angel was embarrassed and promptly moved to the other side of the couch. "It was a nice kiss, though."

"Definitely one of the best I’ve ever had." ‘Why did he move away so quickly?’

"It ranks up there."

Buffy nodded her head. "But that’s all it was, right? Just a fake kiss that got slightly out of control?" ‘Sure, Buff. Like you weren’t thrilled when you felt his tongue in your mouth. Who are you trying to kid?’

"Right. I guess I got caught up in the moment."

"We both did. But it makes it more realistic. And that’s what we were aiming for."

"Yeah…realism." ‘A little *too* real.’

***

18

Before anyone realized it, Christmas Day was upon them. Come Christmas morning, Buffy woke up to the sun shining and the birds chirping. Her alarm clock read nine-thirty, and she stretched her tired limbs. She had only gone to bed at two forty-five, having stayed up late to wrap Angel and Dawn’s presents. With a groan, she climbed out of bed and threw a robe on over her pajamas.

As she descended the stairs, she was accosted by the smell of bacon and eggs. Buffy inhaled the scent, following its path to the kitchen. Inside she found Angel standing in front of the stove with a spatula in his hand. "Good morning," she greeted, yawning.

"Merry Christmas," replied Angel, giving his wife a cheerful smile. "I was wondering when you’d wake up."

"What are you doing up so early? Don’t you ever sleep?"

He smirked. "Lawyers never sleep. Truth be told, I finally conked out around three in the morning. I’ve lived on a lot less than six hours of sleep, especially when I was in college."

"You big party animal," she teased. "So, what’s cooking for breakfast? Aside from that delicious-smelling bacon."

He flipped the eggs. "Dawn told me about the Summers Christmas morning tradition of omelets, bacon, pancakes and toast. I thought I’d try to keep things traditional for the two of you. You know, given the circumstances."

Buffy shook her head in wonder. "Has anyone told you how amazing you are? I can’t think of any fake husbands who’d do that."

Feeling slightly hurt by her words, Angel couldn’t look her in the eye. "Yeah, I’m real amazing."

"Is something wrong?" Buffy noticed the change in his tone. She was afraid she’d said something wrong.

"No, everything’s fine. Just sit down at the table, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes," he told her.

Buffy looked toward the doorway. "Do you want me to wake Dawn? She can be a real bear when it comes time to get up."

"I already woke her. She’s getting ready now."

***

"You have to open mine first," Dawn told her sister, handing the blonde a gift-wrapped box. "I hope you like it, Faith helped me pick it out."

Buffy took the box, shaking it. It was light in weight. The contents hit the sides of the box. "It isn’t a sweater, is it? Remember the one you bought me last year? It wouldn’t have fit a Barbie doll."

Dawn laughed. "It’s not a sweater, Buffy, I promise. And I know for a fact you don’t have one of these. I sifted through your closet before Faith took me shopping last week."

"Why am I suddenly frightened?"

"Just open it," the fifteen year old sighed. "Angel, tell Buffy she’s being a big baby."

"You’re being a big baby, Buffy," Angel repeated.

She swatted her husband on the upper arm. "Shut up. Don’t encourage her." With extreme curiosity, Buffy unwrapped her gift. When she opened the box, seeing its contents, her green eyes were wide with shock. "I don’t believe you actually bought this."

Dawn grinned. "Believe it."

"What is it?" Angel asked.

Laughing, Buffy lifted her gift from the box. Dawn had given her a black negligee that, if she had it on, would conceal nothing. He nodded with appreciation. "I like it."

"You would!" Buffy accused.

"What’s the big deal?" Dawn wanted to know. "It isn’t like you’ll be wearing it for very long. You put it on, Angel looks at it on you and five minutes later it’s on the floor."

"Not even five minutes," he said with a smirk.

Buffy glared at him. "You’re not helping, Angel."

"I’m just putting my two cents in."

"Save it. She doesn’t need your encouragement. And as for you," she continued, turning her attention to her younger sister. "Who let you buy this?"

"I told you. Faith was with me. We went into Victoria’s Secret, I picked it out and she paid for it."

Shaking her head, she put the nightgown back in the box. "Okay, who’s next?"

"Open something from me," Angel suggested. He took a small box from the pile and placed it in front of her.

Buffy eyed it suspiciously. "Faith didn’t buy this with you, did she?" After the last gift, she was afraid to open anything else.

"No," he answered with a shake of his head. "I don’t need anyone’s help when I do my Christmas shopping. Especially for you."

"That’s a relief. I think." She ripped off the wrapping paper, finding a velvet box, obviously from a jewelry store. "Good lord."

"Open it," prodded Angel.

Carefully, Buffy opened the box, gasping when she saw the gold necklace sitting inside. On a long gold chain hung a heart-shaped opal with two hands on either side and a crown on top of it. "Angel, you didn’t."

"I did."

Dawn ran over to see it. "Wow. That’s really beautiful. And expensive, too, I bet."

"Well, it definitely set me back, but the look on your face makes it worth it," Angel told Buffy. "It’s a claddagh necklace. The crown represents loyalty, the hands friendship and the heart love. It’s really symbolic to the Irish."

"I don’t know what to say."

"You don’t have to say anything. May I put it on you?" he asked.

"Of course you can."

With great care, Angel removed the delicate chain from the box and placed it around Buffy’s neck. His fingers fiddled with the tiny, complicated clasp but after ten seconds, he prevailed. However, he let them run lightly across the soft skin of her neck. "All done."

Buffy stood up and walked to the mirror hanging on the wall near the front door. "It looks–"

"Perfect," Angel finished, coming up behind her. He met her eyes in the mirror. "It’s absolutely perfect."

***

"Sorry I had to miss Christmas morning with you guys," Faith apologized. "You know I would have been there if I could. I needed to work that double shift today to pay the utilities on this house."

Buffy cradled the phone between her ear and right shoulder while she slid into her robe. She had just gotten out of the shower ten minutes earlier. "It’s okay. The three Summers girls will just have to do Christmas later this week. Angel leaves for San Francisco the day after tomorrow, so we can do it then."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Tell me, did you like Dawn’s present?"

"I hear you helped her pick it out."

"No, no. She picked it out, I went up to the counter and paid for it. The salesgirls were giving Dawnie weird looks."

Buffy chuckled. "Gee, I wonder why. It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the fact that she’s a fifteen year old girl shopping at Victoria’s Secret."

"Hey, if it were up to me, we’d have been shopping at Frederick’s of Hollywood. You’re not ready for that yet, B."

"Faith, where am I supposed to wear that thing?"

"I’m sure Angel wouldn’t mind if you modeled it for him," Faith teased. "Go on, put it on and walk into his room. See if you can get a rise out of him."

She shook her head. "Yeah right. I *so* don’t think so."

"So, what did Pretty Boy get you for your first Christmas as a married couple?" she wanted to know.

"A gift certificate to Maria’s Massage Parlor, a couple nice blouses, a painting of a beach sunset, and a few other little things. Oh my god, Faith, he gave me a gold necklace with an opal in it. And he even said it wasn’t cheap."

Faith whistled. "Sounds nice. What’s the big deal? He bought you some nice, expensive jewelry."

"It doesn’t strike you as weird at all?"

"Should it?"

"He bought me an expensive necklace. Isn’t that something you do when you’re *really* married to someone? It’s not a gift you buy for someone you are pretending to be married to."

She sighed with exasperation. "The guy bought you a nice necklace and you’re making it out to be the crime of the century."

"That’s not it. I mean, what if that’s his way of saying he wants more? Maybe Angel’s buying me nice things so I’ll stay after the three years is up."

"A guy like that doesn’t need to buy a wife. Well, present company excluded, considering you two have a business arrangement. You’re paranoid, you know that?"

"No, I’m not!" Buffy argued.

"Then ask him. Grow a pair, Buffy."

Fifteen minutes later, the two hung up. Buffy knew she needed to talk to Angel, but was unsure of how to bring it up without possibly hurting his feelings . That was the last thing she wanted to do, especially considering how nice he’d been to her. Taking a tentative breath, she knocked on his bedroom door.

"Come on in, Buffy," Angel replied.

She entered, finding him seated at the small oak desk on the other side of the room. "Am I interrupting you?"

Angel shook his head, standing up. "It’s nothing that can’t wait. What can I do for you?"

"I came to give this back." Buffy handed him the box containing the claddagh necklace.

He stared at it, dumbfounded. "What’s wrong with it? Don’t you like it? I thought you did."

"I do. I love it, Angel. It’s the most beautiful necklace I’ve ever seen. And that’s why I’m giving it back, because it’s so beautiful. I can’t keep it, it’s not right," she told him.

"I don’t get it."

"Angel, I don’t want to owe you anything when it comes time for this marriage to end. And I’m afraid I won’t be able to give this back." ‘I can’t do it; I can’t tell him the truth.’

He handed it back to her. "You don’t have to give it back. The necklace is yours. When I saw it, I immediately thought of you. Buffy, you deserve beautiful things. You’ll meet someone someday who’ll buy them for you, but for now, it’s my privilege. Please, keep it; wear it next Monday night at the New Year’s Eve party. I don’t want anything in return. You have my word on that."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Trust me." ‘But she doesn’t trust me. I know it. I have to make her see that she can trust me with her life.’

***

19

The man standing behind the front desk smiled at Angel and Lilah as they approached him. "Good afternoon and welcome to the Marriot. How may I help you?" he asked them.

Angel placed his suitcase on the ground near his feet. "I have reservations under the name McKenzie. Angelus McKenzie."

The man typed in Angel’s last name on his computer screen. "Ah, yes. Adjoining rooms with a single bed each. Rooms 326 and 327. How will you be paying, with check or credit card?"

"Credit card." Angel handed him his VISA card. He knew the rooms weren’t inexpensive, but his client had promised to fully compensate him for the cost regardless of the outcome of the trial.

"Very well, you are all set. Roberto will show you to your rooms," the man told Angel, giving him a set of keys. Lilah held out her hand to retrieve her set. "Yours is Room 327. If you’d like to, I can buy you a drink after my shift is over. I get off at four o’clock."

Lilah made a face. "Not on your best day."

As they were waiting for the elevator, Angel turned to his former lover. "He certainly seemed interested. You heard him, he gets off at four."

"Well, he’s not getting off with me tonight. Lower middle class men make my skin crawl."

He shook his head. "It’s your loss."

***

It had been a long, hard day of fact-finding and evidence-gathering, and by the time the two of them returned to the hotel, Angel was exhausted. By quarter after ten, he had already showered, called home to see how things were back in Sunnydale and was fast asleep. It had been years since he’d fallen asleep before midnight, and it felt good to do so.

Only a few feet away in the next room, Lilah was wide awake. She’d been awaiting the perfect opportunity for months – the opportunity to once again make love to Angel. Of all the men she had been with since high school, Angel McKenzie was the only one to affect her in such a way. He embodied everything she wanted in a partner: handsome, successful, intelligent, and most importantly, rich.

She was determined to make him hers. Lilah didn’t want just any man, she wanted the male equivalent of herself. She and Angel had been lovers months earlier, and she was eager to rekindle the fire they’d started on his office desk back in June. The only problem she could see was the existence of Angel’s wife. But Lilah knew getting rid of Buffy wouldn’t be difficult; how could a twenty year old college student compare to her?

Dropping her robe on the floor, Lilah listened at the door adjoining hers and Angel’s rooms. Not a sound could be heard from his side. With a sly grin, she opened the door and found nothing but darkness. ‘He’s sleeping already? Interesting.’ Directing her eyes to the left of the door, Lilah saw her intended under the covers of the bed, sleeping peacefully.

"Your mother knew what she was doing when she named you Angel," she whispered.

Carefully, she climbed onto the bed and pulled the covers from his body. Her eyes widened with surprise when she discovered that he had nothing else on. ‘Well, well, well…’ she mused. ‘I never expected this. Makes it so much easier this way.’ Straddling his waist, Lilah placed her hands on either side of his arms and brought her lips to his. Within a few seconds he was responding to her.

Angel moaned as the kiss deepened, his hands finding the slender waist of the woman kissing him. "Buffy…" he groaned when he felt a small hand traveling below his waist. "I need you, I need to be with you. Please don’t make me wait any longer…"

"It’s not Buffy, my Angel," Lilah informed him. "Guess again."

His brown eyes shot open, staring directly into the eyes of Lilah Morgan. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Giving you something it sounds like your precious little wife hasn’t been giving you. You were moaning like a man who hasn’t been touched in months. What’s the matter, isn’t Buffy allowing you conjugal visits?"

"Get out, Lilah!" Angel demanded, pushing her off him and onto the floor. "You and I are over. I’m married to Buffy now."

"Oh, please. I can do things your cheerleader couldn’t even do on her best day and you know it. Maybe she could use a few pointers, she obviously isn’t turning you on."

Angered over what she was saying about his wife, Angel jumped out of bed, grabbed Lilah by the arm and dragged her out of his room. "You aren’t a part of my sex life anymore; you don’t have the slightest idea as to what turns me on."

"Oh, I think I do," she replied, gazing down at his hardness. "Hey, do whatever you want, Angel. Go ahead, finish yourself off. I don’t want to anymore. Maybe you can picture your wife and moan her name like you were when I was getting you that way." Turning on her heel, Lilah slammed her door shut.

Sighing, Angel closed his side of the door and locked it, making sure he wouldn’t be bothered by her again that night. Looking down at himself, he shook his head. ‘Was I really calling for Buffy?’

***

Buffy twirled in front of the mirror with her younger sister looking on. It was New Year’s Eve and she was getting ready for Angel’s firm’s party. "Well, Dawnie, how do I look?"

"Like a princess going to a ball. Angel’s gonna flip out when he sees you in that dress. It looks great on you," Dawn complimented.

"Yeah, Cordy’s got great taste in clothes, I have to hand it to her for picking this one out. But the idea was for me to look elegant, not make Angel ‘flip out’."

She laughed. "It will, though. And with your new haircut, you look so pretty. And a lot older. You could be twenty-five for all they know. Hey, maybe Angel will love it so much you two will…you know, make me an aunt in nine months or so." Dawn wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Buffy shook her head. "This coming from you, who was so upset about me getting married in the first place? Now you want little nieces and nephews running around the house? Don’t get your hopes up."

A knock sounded at the bathroom door. "Is it safe to come in?" Angel asked. He’d gotten home from San Francisco two hours earlier, and Dawn had refused to let him see his wife; she said it was a surprise.

"No!" Dawn exclaimed. "Stay out, she’s not ready yet! Go wait downstairs. You can’t see her yet."

"Okay, I’ll wait downstairs. But we have to leave in a couple minutes," he told them. ‘What is this, a wedding? What’s the big deal, it’s just a party. I’ll never understand women when it comes to parties and dressing up. They all make it out to be such a big deal.’ Without another word, he went back into his room, grabbed his suit coat and headed for the first floor.

"I think you’re ready. You have to make an entrance," the fifteen year old said.

Buffy quickly ran her hand through her hair. "I guess this is as good as it gets. I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille."

Dawn gave her sister a funny look. "Huh?"

"Forget it. Let’s go."

The younger Summers sister ran ahead of Buffy to the top of the stairs. "Here she is. Prepare yourself for Cinderella," she told her brother-in-law.

Rolling his eyes, Angel stuffed his hands in his pants pockets. As soon as Buffy stepped into view, he stopped breathing. Never in his thirty years had he seen anything – or anyone – so breathtaking. Her dress was dark red and fell to the ground, held up by spaghetti straps, accentuating her sensual curves. On her feet were sandals of the same color. But the biggest surprise was her hair; it was cut approximately six inches since when he’d last seen her, falling above her shoulders and darkened to a dirty blonde. She looked older than her twenty years.

"Well, aren’t you going to say anything?" Buffy questioned when she reached the last step. Angel had not yet said a word to her.

"W-What?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all. You just…you look amazing. Words can’t even begin to describe how beautiful you look. I’ll be the envy of every man there. Are you ready to go?" ‘One man goes near her and I’ll rip his head off,’ Angel swore to himself.

She nodded. "Yep. Let’s go party until 2002."

***

20

"Wow," Buffy muttered as she and Angel walked through the doors of the restaurant where the party was being held.

"Impressive, isn’t it?" he asked, whispering in her ear. "The firm never goes halfway on its parties. Or so I’ve heard. They rented out the entire place."

She nodded her head. There were streamers hanging from the ceiling and a floral arrangement on every table which included a lit candle floating in a glass of water. The people inside were dressed in their best suits and dresses. "Very impressive. I don’t stick out like a sore thumb at all."

Angel placed a protective arm around her. "You don’t stick out like a sore thumb, I promise."

"People are going to look at me."

"If they’re looking, it’s because of how beautiful you look tonight." He glanced around the room until he found the person he was searching for. "Come on, I want to introduce you to Wesley."

He took her hand in his, leading her across the room to where Wesley stood, engrossed in a conversation with one of the firm’s lawyers and his wife. Wesley politely excused himself upon seeing Angel motioning to him. "Angel, it’s so nice to see you here. I know how much you despise these parties," he greeted in his upper-class British accent.

"Always a pleasure to see you, too. I want you to meet my wife, Buffy Summers. Buffy, this is Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, the firm’s Senior Partner," Angel introduced.

Buffy held out her hand to the older man. "Very nice to meet you, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce."

Wesley kissed the back of it. "The pleasure is all mine, Buffy. You may call me Wesley. I had heard rumblings that our consummate bachelor had finally taken a wife. Though I had no idea she was so lovely. Welcome to our family."

"Thank you, Mr. – Wesley."

"Buffy is studying law as an undergraduate at UC Sunnydale," Angel told his boss.

Wesley lifted his eyebrows. "Why would such a pretty young thing want to be a lawyer? Especially when you’re married to one."

"I have always wanted to be one for as long as I can remember. And ever since Angel defended my sister, my interest has just increased."

"Well, when you have finished your work, you can consider yourself employed. I would love to have you as a member of our family here at this firm."

"Thank you so much. I might just take you up on your offer."

Angel cleared his throat. "I simply wanted to introduce the two of you. Now if you don’t mind, Wesley, I am going to drag my wife onto the dance floor," Angel stated.

"Very well. I would, however, like to steal her for a dance later in the evening."

Angel turned to Buffy. "Is that okay with you?"

"It’s fine. I’d like that very much. Until then, Wesley."

Wesley grabbed the younger lawyer’s upper arm in a firm grip. "She is a fine choice, Angel. Your uncle Rupert would be so proud of you."

"I’m sure he would. Excuse me."

"He seems like a really nice man," Buffy said as Angel led her to the middle of the dance floor.

"Yes, he is. Wesley has been all-but-retired from practicing law in the last few months. He still takes a few cases here and there, but he prefers to let us younger people do most of the work."

Buffy narrowed her eyes. "Is there a touch of bitterness I’m detecting in your voice?"

"No. When my uncle died, Wesley went into self-imposed solitude. They were best friends throughout college, law school and then they opened this place together. I think Wesley took Uncle Rupert’s death harder than I did."

"They were like brothers."

"That they were." Finding the perfect spot, Angel pulled Buffy into his arms, feeling her rest her head against his shoulder.

// Don’t think I can’t feel that there’s something wrong

You’ve been the sweetest part of my life for so long

I look into you eyes, there’s a distant light

And you and I know there’ll be a storm tonight

This is getting serious

Are you thinking about you or us?

Don’t say what you’re about to say

Look back before you leave my life

Be sure before you close that door

Before you roll those dice

Baby, think twice \\

"So, you don’t like these parties?" Buffy asked, lifting her head. "Why?"

"I’m not one for big company get-togethers," he admitted. "It is one thing to work with them, it’s something completely different to socialize with them when I’m not at the office."

"You ‘socialized’ with Lilah," she reminded him. Angel had told her about his brief sexual relationship with the female lawyer.

He shook his head. "That was a mistake for which I’m still paying. Look, these people aren’t my friends, they’re my co-workers. You won’t find me hanging out with them at a bar on a Friday night."

// Baby, think twice for the sake of our love, for the memory

For the fire and the faith that was you and me

Babe, I know it ain’t easy when the soul cries out for higher ground

‘Cuz when you’re halfway up, you’re always halfway down

But, baby, this is serious

Are you thinking about you or us?

Don’t say what you’re about to say

Look back before you leave my life

Be sure before you close that door

Before you roll those dice

Baby, think twice \\

From the edge of the dance floor, Lindsey watched Angel as he held his wife to him, his cheek resting on her head with his eyes closed. He’d never seen such a serene, beautiful sight. "Check out the lovebirds," he said to the woman standing to his right.

With a look of disdain, Lilah sipped her champagne. "Give me a break. She probably fell asleep because it’s past her bedtime and he’s holding her upright."

"Do you have even a single romantic bone in your body?" he asked.

"When it suits me. But not toward those two. If you don’t mind, I have to say hello to someone before I lose what’s left of my lunch over the saccharine sweetness of the McKenzies."

// Baby, this is serious

Are you thinking about you or us?

Don’t say what you’re about to say

Look back before you leave my life

Be sure before you close that door

Before you roll those dice

Don’t do what you’re about to do

My everything depends on you

Whatever it takes, I’ll sacrifice

Before you roll those dice

Baby, think twice \\

***

Buffy stood before the mirror in the ladies room, applying more lipstick. She didn’t hear the door open, or see the reflection of the woman standing behind her in the mirror.

"You might want to put on a bit more blush while you’re at it," a voice from behind her said.

She looked up, seeing Lilah’s reflection. "Thanks for the tip. But I don’t think I need any. You, on the other hand…" Buffy let the sentence trail off.

"I prefer the natural look. You’ll discover that once you get out of your teens, the obsession with makeup ends."

"I am out of my teens," Buffy stated.

Lilah smirked. "By the way, I love the haircut, Buffy. Are you trying to go for the older look? You had to know Angel’s love affair with the high school cheerleader look wouldn’t last forever."

"It was time for a change. Maybe you should think about one. But then again, the bitchy she-devil look really works for you." Buffy put her lipstick back in her purse and smiled innocently at the older woman when she turned around.

"You think you have Angel wrapped around your little finger, don’t you?" she shot. "Well, guess again, little girl. Suffice it to say, you were the last person on your husband’s mind this past week."

Buffy narrowed her eyes into tiny slits. "What are you talking about?" ‘What kind of game is she playing now?’

"If you really want to know, I rode Angel to town like he was my prize horse. And not a word of complaint was muttered by him. And you weren’t brought up once." ‘That ought to get her.’

Not even a second passed before Buffy’s hand connected with Lilah’s cheek. The sound of the slap echoed throughout the otherwise empty room. "Go to hell, bitch. Stay away from me and my husband."

Buffy stalked out of the room, grabbing a glass of champagne from a tray being held by one of the waiters. She swallowed it all at once, then took another one. By the time Angel found her, Buffy was on her third glass.

"What are you doing?" he wanted to know.

"Having a little something to drink," she told him. "Is something wrong with that?"

"Not unless you consider the fact that you aren’t twenty-one yet. How many have you had so far?"

She shrugged. "Just three. Did you sleep with Lilah when you two were in San Francisco this week?"

"Where would you get an idea like that?"

"Did you? Yes or no?"

Angel shook his head. "No I didn’t. She came into my room but nothing happened between us. You have my word on that."

"She told me you did. It’s not like you took a vow of celibacy when we got married. Why didn’t you?"

"I had no desire to. Besides, it would ruin our facade of having the happy marriage. Why would I sleep with Lilah Morgan when I’m married to you?"

"I don’t know. Is there something I don’t know?"

‘Like what? That my feelings for you are changing into something I can’t describe?’ he thought. "Nope. Nothing."

***

Angel held his drunk wife securely against him as they ascended the stairs of their home at two-thirty in the morning. "That was a fun party. Is there gonna be another one next year just like it?" Buffy asked, slurring her words.

"Yes, except next year I’m not letting you anywhere near the alcohol," he said underneath his breath.

She giggled. "I heard that."

Dawn walked out into the hall, awakened by the commotion. "What is going on out here?" she questioned, still half-asleep.

"Your sister got a little drunk at the party tonight," Angel informed her. "Sorry we woke you up."

"A little drunk? Angel, she’s plastered!"

He nodded. "I know. I’m putting her to bed. Happy New Year, Dawn."

"Same to you." She turned around and went back into her room.

"Come on, Buffy," Angel prodded. "Time to go to bed. You’re going to wake up with one hell of a hangover in the morning." He opened her bedroom door. "Can you stand on your own?"

"Sure I can." Angel let go of her, and almost immediately Buffy’s knees buckled under her.

He caught her. "Sure you can. Let’s get you to bed."

"Are you gonna take advantage of me?" Buffy wanted to know, staring into his chocolate eyes.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because it would be wrong," he answered. As he stared back into her eyes, he felt a rush go through him, and before he knew what was happening, their lips were fused together.

Buffy’s arms were wrapped around him, her fingers tickling his back. Her right hand moved to pull his shirt from his pants while the other one tangled itself in his hair. It didn’t take long – even in her drunken state – to unbutton his shirt and throw it to the ground. The palm of her hand ran up and down his bare back, scalding his skin with her touch.

"Angel," she moaned when his lips found the sensitive area under her neck. "Take me. Make love to me tonight, I need you to."

He stopped and looked at her. "You’re drunk, Buffy."

"I know what I want. I’m not *that* drunk. Don’t you want me?"

"You know I do. I have for the longest time." ‘I tried to deny it, but I can’t anymore. I can’t lie to myself any more than I can lie to Spike. Even he saw it.’

"Then do it. Make me your wife for real."

And he did. He fiercely kissed her, pulling the zipper of her dress down, pushing the straps off her shoulders. Buffy started backing up, taking him with her until they both fell onto the bed, Angel landing on top of her. He moved his lips from hers, down to her neck and then to her shoulders, pushing her dress down to her waist. Her hips thrust against his, causing a blood rush to his groin. It was as if she knew exactly what to do to drive him crazy.

While Angel moved lower across her stomach, Buffy’s hands reached around his waist and squeezed the firm globes of his ass. "Buffy," he mumbled, delving his the tip of his tongue into her belly button. He felt her hands slip from him and her body went pliant. "Buffy?" Angel asked, lifting his head to see what had happened.

The sight he found surprised him. Laying beneath him was Buffy, passed out drunk. He sighed with disappointment. He had been so close. "I can’t do it," he whispered to himself. "I can’t take advantage of Buffy when she’s like this." ‘No matter how much I want to make love to her.’

Dejected, Angel slipped the remainder of her dress off, placed her clad in only a strapless bra and panties under the blankets and covered her up. Giving her a kiss on the cheek, Angel picked up his shirt and went into his bedroom.

***

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