Covert Operations

Co-written by: Jen and Heidi

Balover214@yahoo.com and h_lenhart@yahoo.com

Our Site: https://www.angelfire.com/tv2/bau
Disclaimer: Joss owns everything!!!! We borrowed the term FInCom (Federal Intelligence Commission) from Suzanne Brockmann. Also, the song "What's Your Fantasy?" is by Ludacris
Spoilers: Nothing…completely AU. Everyone is human!!
Synopsis: A royal family is in trouble, and it’s up to Liam and his team of Navy SEALs to save the day.
Distribution: You want this story??? You can take it; just let us know where it’s going!!
Author’s Note: This fic came from our love of contemporary romance novels. We realized how perfect Buffy and Angel would be in a similar story, so here it is!!
Feedback: PLEASE!!! Good or bad, we want to know what you think!!
Rating: PG-13 (for now)

~ ~ ~
Prologue

The phone rang on the desk in Wesley Wyndham-Pryce’s empty office. The notorious leader of a militant action group was always on the move, never in one place long enough to get caught. And there were plenty of people who wanted see him at the opposite end of the barrel of their gun.

On the third ring, he picked up the receiver. “Yeah.”

“Boss, the guy says it’s very important.” His right-hand man, Charles, answered. “It has to do with the King.”

“Put him through.” Wesley ordered, tersely. The guy had balls to call him here, especially with situations the way they were.

“Mr. Wyndham-Pryce? Sorry to bother you, but circumstances have arisen.”

“Can you explain to me why that’s my problem?”

“No, no, sir. It’s not your problem, except for the fact that the weapons are being moved as we speak. Since his wife died, sir, O’Malley is getting antsy. Keeps thinking that he’s being watched. He’s ordered that all the government’s weapons moved to secured locations across the country. Your men won’t be able to get to them undetected, unless we can stop it.”

“I can see why you would be so concerned. Double-crossing me isn’t something that people normally walk away from.”

“But, sir-“

“It’ll be taken care of. Don’t mess things up for yourself. You don’t want to get on my bad side.” With that, Wesley hung up the phone. Well, that certainly did change things. Apparently Thomas O’Malley thought he was smart or something. Unfortunately, he wasn’t smart enough.

Picking up the phone again, he waited until Charles answered again. “Winchester, you know the situation?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Take care of this little problem. We need those weapons before the job can get done. Go.”

“Yes, sir.” Charles grinned, as he picked up his trademark automatic weapon and headed out the door.

~ ~ ~

His Highness Thomas O’Malley and his children had just parked their car at the lake that afternoon. They had had a tough week, especially with the loss of Joyce, his wife of 25 years. She died tragically of a brain tumor only four days previously. Dawn and Connor, his 14-year-old twins, were shaken up the most by her death. So, Thomas decided to take them out to the boat and talk about everything that has happened.

His oldest son, Sean, who would be 24 in another month, was coping with her death in a different way. Today, he was having lunch with his girlfriend Cordelia, instead of joining his family on their trip. He was becoming more distant to them, but not with his girl. For some reason, they remained close. Thomas wasn’t one to argue against a good thing, though. If she would be the one to help him deal with his mother’s death, then so be it.

Getting out of the car, he motioned for his children to follow him over to the docks.

~ ~ ~

In the trees along the other side of the lake, a tall man dressed completely in black set up his rifle, complete with a long-range scope. The happy family was walking along with not a care in the world. Too bad they didn’t realize they were sitting ducks to a man with his ‘talents.’ Connecting his silencer to the barrel, the lone gunman took aim and prepared to shoot.

~ ~ ~

Dawn and Connor were standing side by side as they watched their father untie the ropes holding their not-overly-extravagant yacht to the wooden dock. Suddenly, Thomas heard a whizzing sound buzz by his ear. Lifting his head to see if his children saw anything, he saw the blank stare of Dawn’s eyes as she fell over into the water. Blood poured out of her small form, blending in with the warm liquid surrounding her. Just as he was about to react, Thomas saw a similar look cross Connor’s face as well, when he fell to the ground, blood seeping from the hole in the side of his head. Letting out a painful scream as he looked at the bleeding bodies of his children, Thomas’s world went blank, the pain never registering in his system as a bullet pierced his right ear.

~ ~ ~

Part 1

“If I get one more call!” Buffy growled low in her throat as the telephone on her desk rang continuously. “Ms. Summers…”

“You know you can ignore them, right?” Willow asked, as she placed a cup of steaming coffee on the blonde’s desk. “If you ignore them, maybe they’ll go away.”

“No, I have no comment at this time,” she yelled into the phone, then covered the receiver with her palm to talk to her best friend and assistant. “I don’t think I can be that lucky.” Buffy quickly returned back to the conversation on the phone while Willow found a chair and sat in front of the desk.

The redhead watched the spectra of emotions crossed her co-worker and friend’s face, as Buffy gripped the phone in her hands so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She let her mind wander for a moment while the conversation continued only to be jarred back into reality when she heard the phone being slammed down.

“Sorry…”Buffy apologized weakly and took a deep sigh of pleasure when silence filled the room.

“Does he know yet?”

“Sean??” Buffy asked.

“No the other guy that you bow to in servitude?” Willow chortled sarcastically.

“I’m his PR director, thank you very much,” Buffy attempted to make her reason her sound more glamorous but she could hide nothing from the irrefutable fact that she was there only because the Prince forced her to come along.

Smiling wryly at her friend, “Buffy you are a slave except for the whole whips and chains aspect of serfdom!”

“No he saves those tools for Cordelia,” Buffy laughed. “But to answer your question, no. Sean doesn’t know yet. He doesn’t want to be disturbed and personally, I don’t want to walk in on them together.”

“So when are you going to?”

“I called in a few extra bodyguards to protect him and when they arrive then I will. But for now, with him being here in America, I would believe that he would be safe.”

“But…” Willow started to say but was interrupted when another person entered Buffy’s little office room.

“ELIZABETH!!” Prince Sean O’Malley bellowed as he sauntered into the small office with Cordelia Chase, a wealthy businessman’s daughter, draped on his arm. “Quentin will be driving us to the Chez Louis, so we’ll be gone for awhile. Don’t wait up!” He winked at her as she turned and nearly dragged his girlfriend out of the room.

“NO! Wait!! You can’t go now! Your bodyguards haven’t gotten out of their meeting yet!” Buffy rushed out after the tall prince.

“In case you have forgotten, Elizabeth, I am the Prince! I don’t have to wait for anything.” He walked right out the front door and stood impatiently next to the limousine. Quentin strolled slowly over to the door and opened it in a sweeping gesture.

When Buffy caught up with Sean and Cordelia, she noticed the odd behavior of the driver. He wore dark, mirrored sunglasses and a nice tuxedo, as usual, but his mannerisms were uncharacteristic of his typically haughty attitude. Playing the overdramatic servant as he opened the Prince’s door, Quentin faced the back of the limo with the tall image of the building across the street reflected in his shades. Looking towards the ever-British driver, Buffy noticed a brief flash of glinting silver shining in the corner of the sunglasses.

Her heart slammed in her chest as the images of Sean’s perished family members played in her mind. Panicked, she knew that he was next on the conscription list, and without a moment’s hesitation, she dove toward him, ramming into his back just as she heard two gunshots fired in a row.

Pushing him roughly to the ground, she covered the Prince’s body with her own. A piece of asphalt cut her arm as the bullet ricocheted off the corner of the sidewalk, a mere foot from herself and the Prince. The second shot found its wake in the side of the building right where the prince’s head was just a few seconds earlier.

Fishing her cell phone out of her suit coat pocket, she immediately dialed 911 and reported the situation to the receptionist on the other end. With great force, she attempted to remain calm even though the adrenaline ran wildly through her veins causing all her muscles to tense and prepare for battle.

~ ~ ~

Dodging the live ammunition of this training mission, Liam “Angel” McDaniel huddled in the brush with the rest of his seven-man SEAL team. Looking at the three familiar faces next to him – Brad “Spike” Cruor, Xander “Daisy” Harris, and Charles “Weed” Gunn – and the three new trainees for his squad, Liam signaled the go-ahead and took the lead as he raced across the tarmac for the makeshift shelter on the other side of the airstrip. Noting the time on his watch, Dennis, a newbie in the division, motioned for them to hurry. They only had thirty seconds to diffuse the bomb and save the ten hostages before the terrorists destroyed the plane and all who were on board. Brad shook his head, an expression showing his confidence in their abilities.

Fifteen seconds later, the mission was successfully complete, and the men were making their way to the showers.

“Hey, man! How many of those blasted training ops do we have to go through anyway?” Steve, another newbie, asked.

“Well, the powers that be like to keep us on our toes. Besides, techniques and warfare change all the time, Bro. Everyone from the top down go through training every so often.” Gunn answered, holding back a laugh at the wide eyes of the younger man next to him.

“Don’t worry, mate. You get used to it after awhile.” Brad filled in. And he would know, having been on active duty with the SEALs for eight years, going back to when he and Liam made it in.

“It’s paperwork time, guys. After that, it’s time for some fun. A round at the pub on me!” Liam announced, as the team raced to the main office, still on an adrenaline high, as they prepared for a night of drinking and female entertainment.

~ ~ ~

Charles Winchester (to much of his utter embarrassment, his parents were devoted followers of M*A*S*H) headed back to his truck with a smile on his face. He loved the feel of the kill, the power coursing through his veins.

When he made it back to the compound, Charles strode into Wesley’s office without even bothering to knock. A devious smirk graced his countenance as he saw the expression on his employer’s face. The only sound heard in the room for a few seconds was the deep, drawn out grunt that emanated from Wesley’s throat. Charles watched as the man’s eyes landed on him, humor hidden behind the hard exterior. Zipping his fly, Wesley motioned Lilah, his secretary, out from under his desk and to leave the room. She jumped up, quickly fixing her hair, as she tried to look somewhat presentable leaving his office.

“So, is it done?” Wesley’s voice rasped, bringing Charles out of his reverie of imagining that sexy little secretary having her sweet mouth and tongue caressing his cock.

Snapping back to business, the gunman answered, “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Wesley played with some papers on the desk and then looked back at Charles. “I received a very disturbing phone call earlier this afternoon. It seems that the job is not entirely completed. Darla didn’t kill the heir.”

“The Prince lives?” Winchester questioned, unable to believe that one of the greatest assassins in the business missed her target.

“So it seems,” Wesley scratched his stubbly chin. “I’m sending you to Chicago to take care of this little mistake and I hope, for you sake, that you don’t repeat Darla’s pathetic performance.”

“No, sir. That won’t be a problem, sir.”

As his sharpshooter was about to leave the room, the boss had just one last order. “Oh and Winchester? Show our inept Darla what happens when she disappoints me.”

An evil smile crept across his face as Wesley’s command sank into his brain. “It would be an honor, sir.”

~ ~ ~

Part 2

“What is taking them so long?” Prince Sean complained loudly as he paced back and forth in front of the long mahogany table. “My life just flashed before my eyes, and these Americans are taking there bloody sweet time in doing something about this,” he pointed wildly at whoever was in his eyesight.

This day had been entirely too traumatic for him considering that after a few minutes of having his PR director personally peeling him from the dirty asphalt, she broke the news that his father and sister, Dawn, had been assassinated by a lone gunman who had yet to be detained. His younger brother, Connor, had been shot along with the others of his family, but he had survived the attack and is now in a hospital on the other side of the world, in a coma due to a bullet wound in his head.

With the death of his father, he had become the official monarch to the crown of New Pagua, and he was in no way prepared for the responsibility.

From the other side of the table, Buffy watched him closely as he paced. Her body was still humming from their encounter earlier today and she was barely able to sit still instead of pacing the room with the prince. As she watched him, suddenly a flood of sympathy ran through her entire body for she knew that her old friend’s life would never be the same again.

The Summers were one of the few aristocratic families in that small country and due to their economic and social status, they were very close to New Pagua’s ruling dynasty. Buffy was just under a year younger that Sean and had basically grown up with him. Almost every major moment of her life was witnessed by at least one member of the royal family. The first time she ever had the opportunity to hold a baby was when Dawn was brought home from the hospital.

Dawn was the younger sister that she never had and now she would never see her alive again.

Shaking her head, her attention turned back to Sean. Buffy and the prince were on and off friends for as long as she could remember. It mostly depended upon the Prince’s mood for the hour or whether he could use that friendship to his advantage in some way or another. For thirteen years, this is how their relationship played out but when Buffy returned from college at the age of 19 after not seeing him for five years, things changed slightly. For the first time, she looked at him in an entirely new light that had never dawned on her before.

It was hard to picture herself those few years ago, especially after the events of today, but the hardest detail to even conceive was that for the first time, Buffy had found herself ‘in love’ with Sean, but it happened. She wanted him; she wanted to be Sean’s lover. She wanted give him her virginity. He was the tall, dark, and handsome type described rather thoroughly in most of the romance novels that she had read, and was the figment of every girl’s fantasy. The fact that he was a prince, heir to a throne, was an additive perk.

Sean had beautiful thick, brown hair that was always neatly trimmed, and spiked slightly in the front as was the style of these days. She could swear that he wore more hairspray and used more gel than she did, but he was royalty and he knew that he had to look presentable all the time, so she could understand. His mahogany brown eyes had the power to look right through a person, if he would ever focus fully on them instead of looking back and forth. He had a straight, aristocratic nose, stubborn chin and a sensual mouth. Though he wasn’t very broad shouldered or muscular, Sean wasn’t scrawny either, plus he was tall… very tall compared to Buffy’s 5’ 4” stature, standing a good 6 feet with no shoes on.

But as visually appealing as he looked, it didn’t take long to find out who her childhood friend had grown to become. He was a whiny, self-centered brat who was used to having everything he wanted. Unfortunately, she was never very fond of people like that and never thought of him more than a friend or prince since that discovery. If any non-platonic feelings were held for him, they were quickly crushed when he began to date her arch-rival from years before, Cordelia Chase. It was then that she gave up her virginity to Parker at a party one of her friends was having.

Hearing the sound of smashing glass, Buffy was promptly thrown from her reverie to see the bloodied hand of Sean hanging above a broken wine glass. His deep sound of pain reverberated around the large room as he wrapped his hand in a white handkerchief in the attempt to cover the scratches.

Sitting next to her friend, Willow shook her hand and walked into the bathroom to retrieve the first-aid kit so she could bandage the Prince’s meager wounds.

~ ~ ~

About 20 minutes after Willow bandaged Sean’s hands, several different heads of state, FBI, CIA, other federal agencies, some officers from the Chicago PD and one Navy officer from Great Lakes Naval Base arrived to assess the current situation.

“Does anyone know exactly what happened this morning?” Admiral Francis Doyle asked with his heavy New England accent mixed with an Irish brogue that he had gotten from his immigrant parents.

“Some one tried to shoot my bloody head off, that’s what happened!!” Sean screamed.

“Your highness, I know that you are slightly on edge at the moment, but we need you to stay calm and work with us to find out who shot at you earlier. Look, is there anyone you can think of that would hold a grudge against you or your family?” said one of the officers sitting at the table.

Sighing and shaking his head, “The royal family of New Pagua has prided itself in keeping peace for the past century or so. Our tiny country has no reason to be the target of terrorist actions.”

The room filled with silence as they all thought of possible leads to who could have done this. Breaking the silence was a young officer of the Federal Intelligence Committee, named Riley Finn, spoke his question. “Has there been an increase of terrorist action by any particular group in the recent past?”

Lindsey McDonald, the representative from the CIA, opened up a manila folder that sat on the table in front of him. Reading a few figures from the sheets he said, “Well, there have been a few, like the Angels of Death, but only one that seems to fall under this pattern. There is a militant action group based in Northern Ireland under the command of one Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. For the past 5 years, American, Irish and British authorities have been after him, but he has eluded all of our efforts. The man has been harder to catch than Osama bin Laden.”

“I can’t believe we have yet to find that bastard. All you need to do if find a rather gaunt man with a turban wearing a dialysis machine wherever he goes, I didn’t think that would be all that difficult to find,” the admiral grumbled. “Any one of my SEALs teams could have him captured and brought to the United States within a few hours.” Admiral Doyle gloated.

“The point is that he is out there somewhere, and I truly think there is a probable link between him and these attacks,” Lindsey continued.

“What efforts have been taken so far to catch him?” Sean asked the CIA agent.

“Basically everything from espionage to seek-and-destroy, none have been fruitful so far…”

“Well, has there been anything or anyone to attempt to bring him out and draw his attack?” Riley interrupted Lindsey. “Because this would be a perfect situation to try that strategy.”

“Officer Finn, are you saying what I think you are saying?” the New Pagua ambassador to the US spoke up.

“I say we use him as bait.”

“Wait a minute sir, you are talking about an heir to a throne,” Sean yelled as she shot up from his chair. “I cannot have you risk my life with this potential disaster. I am the remaining O’Malley heir; my life is important. Without me to take the throne, New Pagua will be thrown into chaos.” Willow tried to grab the cuff to Buffy’s sleeve to pull her down towards her chair but the blonde refused to move.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness, we won’t allow any danger to come to you,” Riley assured him.

“Think about this Sean,” Buffy pleaded softly from the opposite side of the table.

“Elizabeth, you’re my friend, you are supposed to back me up on this one.”

“I am thinking about this and I think it is probably our best option at the moment besides the usual ‘duck and cover’ routine,” she shot back at him.

“So basically you want me to stand out in the open and hope that someone shoots and kills me so that they can catch the people that did it? No, I won’t do it!” Sean bit fiercely.

“Maybe not you, maybe someone who looks a lot like you and can be taught on how to act like you to take your place for a few weeks,” the admiral spoke candidly as he caught on to what the FInCom agent suggested. As he stared into Sean’s face, the older man actually saw another who looked much the same way as the prince did. A man that Admiral Doyle had know for a few years now since he met the young sailor when he joined the navy there. A man that he knew would be the best person for the job.

“Do you have someone in mind, Admiral?” Buffy asked.

Nodding his head, “I have the perfect one in mind. I just need a telephone.”

“And how do you know this man?” Sean asked.

“He is a SEAL, a lieutenant too,” Doyle supplied for the group. “He will get the job done.”

Yet again that term ‘SEAL’ came up in conversation. Buffy’s curiosity was piqued, and she knew she would definitely ask him about the word and its meaning before the day was over. “Excuse me, sir,” Buffy turned toward the admiral and spoke her question. “Why would your government help out in this situation?”

“Well, it would probably give us a prime opportunity to finally catch this bastard. Also the United States government is know for sticking its nose in other people’s business…this would just be another way to do it.”

Lindsey quickly reached behind him and brought a phone to the desk to push it towards the admiral. Dialing quickly a few numbers, the phone rang until someone picked up on the other end. “Yes this is Admiral Francis Doyle, I need you to track down a sailor for me… Yes, find me Lt. Liam McDaniel and tell him that whatever leave he had was over. And Private, I needed him here yesterday.”

Placing the phone back on the receiver, the admiral turned towards the others at the table, “He’ll be here in half an hour.”

~ ~ ~

For the first time in nearly two years, the members of Alpha squad had one entire night to relax and enjoy each other’s company and quite possibly the company of some long-legged, big-breasted Playboy bunny.

Dozens of drinks were ordered around as each of the boys had their own spiritual experiences with the half-naked strippers dancing swinging themselves around brass poles and dancing erotically on top of the runway.

Liam sat there slowly nursing his fifth beer as he watched his friends whoop and holler at the dancers and carefully place large quantity bills in the barely there g-strings that the girls were wearing. “Where’s Faith?” he yelled loudly to Spike over the sounds inside the bar.

“Probably in the bloody back… Maybe I should go and see if she’s here,” Spike smiled deviously as he got up from the runway and snuck back to see his on and off plaything was working tonight.

The dark haired commander turned his attention back from his retreating friend to the stripper who was crawling on the runway top straight towards him, giving him an unobstructed view of her rather voluptuous chest. With sure fingers, the blonde haired woman traced his face and down his throat to feel the skin of his chest able to be seen through his unbuttoned shirt.

It seemed it had been forever since Liam had sex and his body most definitely was not helpful in hiding that fact. A low groan escaped his lips as he watched the young woman position her body to kneel in front of his as she traced her hands up her body and arched her hips in time with the blaring music.

Totally lost in her actions, Liam almost didn’t notice the fact that his pager vibrated forcefully on his side. He quickly reached down and removed the little black box on his belt buckle and turned it to see who it was.

“Gunn, got your cell on you??” he asked loudly while reading the numbers on the front. Not even daring to take his eyes off the girls in front of him, Gunn reached deep inside his pocket, grabbed his phone and tossed it to his lieutenant.

Getting up, Liam moved into the far corner of the club, escaping the rowdiness of the patrons and to gain a little privacy. He talked maybe a few seconds before muttering incoherently under his breath and marching roughly back to the table, where he slammed the phone into the African-American’s chest.

“What’s wrong, Man?” Xander asked as he watched Liam’s swift attitude change.

“There went my night. I have to meet a chopper in fifteen minutes. Guess the Admiral needs me,” he informed them.

Gunn reached down to the side of his belt and pulled his pager out to read that he received no similar call. “They didn’t alert the rest of the team yet. What’s going down?”

“I don’t know.” Looking down at his watch, Liam muttered a few more curses. “Look, I got to run, guys. Keep your pagers on. I might need you later.”

“Aye,” Xander and Gunn said at the same time as Liam basically sprinted from the bar and made his way towards the pre-arranged meeting spot at a baseball field 2 blocks from the bar.

~ ~ ~

Part 3

“What a day!” Buffy wearily sighed as she shuffled into her bedroom after the meeting. It was only 5 o’clock and already it felt to be much later than that. Unbuttoning her business suit jacket, she slid it off her shoulders and threw it on the small loveseat at the other end of the room. Removing her heels, the blonde crashed down onto her bed and laying there as still as possible.

After the meeting was finished, Buffy cornered Admiral Doyle to ask a few questions as to what the plan was from here on out.

//”Admiral Doyle… Excuse me, sir,” Buffy said as she stepped in front of Doyle to ask him so more questions.

“Yes, Ms. Summers,” he answered her rather noncommittally.

“Please, call me Buffy, Admiral,” she retorted quickly, correcting his formality.

“Buffy, what can I help you with?”

“I was just curious… What exactly is a SEAL??” she wondered.

“The SEALs are the best of the best of the United States Special Forces. They are our most powerful weapon against those who would threaten our country and its citizens by performing their missions with stealth and precision. Every single SEAL is incredibly competent in the sea, air and land, hence their name.” he informed her with pride glowing in his eyes. “Lt. McDaniel will do his task well. You won’t have to worry about a thing. He will follow everything that you tell him to do.”

“Wait a minute, follow every thing that I tell him to do. I’m a little confused here, sir,” she shook her head.

“Buffy, how long have you knowing Prince Sean?” he asked.

Answering him quickly, she retorted, “Most of my life.”

“Good, we need you to teach Lt. McDaniel everything he needs to know about the Prince, so that he will be able to mimic his every move. Plus you being his PR director, I would hope you would agree to this charge.”

Shaking her head, “Are you sure about this, sir?”

“Do you think you can you do it?” he inquired plainly.

Lost in her thoughts, Buffy didn’t know what to say. Sean was most definitely not the easiest character to handle and now she had to transform an entire stranger into him. It would not be just difficult; it would be next to impossible!

“Ms. Summers, can you do this?”

“How long do I have to teach him?”

“Three days.”

“THREE DAYS!!!!” Buffy raised her voice forcefully. “But, sir…”

“I know you can do it, Buffy,” he assured her with confidence. “And Liam is a pretty good mimic.”

Sighing, “I’ll try my best.”

“Just think about this Buffy,” he said with a smile on his face. “If you succeed, we don’t have to kill you.”

“WHAT?!”//

Buffy knew now that he was joking but still, her heart had never felt like it stopped beating before. Then, of course, her heart stopped again when he said that Lt. Liam McDaniel would be here a little after 6, which just gave her enough time to run to her room, hop into the shower and wipe some of the exhaustion out from her body.

Buffy sat up from her bed after laying there for a few minutes and made her way towards the small coffee maker on the small table. Pouring some of the hotel provided coffee, she turned on the machine right before grabbing the small radio, walking with it into the bathroom.

Without much difficulty she found a station that played a different variety of music and turned away to turn on the shower faucets full blast, filling the entire room with a thick cloud of steam.

No joy and rapture could compare to the feel of the scalding water falling on her worn body, slowly stirring it back to some semblance of life. “Ahhhh,” she moaned blissfully as she grabbed her bottle of Vanilla scented body wash and began to lather up her body.

Buffy heard the music from the small radio and soon she felt herself singing to the music, or probably more accurate, speaking with the music to the best of her ability.

“Whipped cream with cherries and strawberries on top
Lick it don't stop, keep the door locked while the boat rock
We go-bots and robots so they gotta wait till the show stop
or how 'bout on the beach with black sand
lick up your thigh then call me the Pac Man
Table top or just give me a lap dance”

She recognized it from earlier before when they first arrived to Chicago and someone drove down the street with it blaring out of their closed car windows. The lyrics made her laugh and the beat caught her attention; she couldn’t help not to like it.

“I wanna, li-li-li-lick you from yo' head to yo' toes
And I wanna, move from the bed down to the down to the to the flo'
Then I wanna, ahh ahh - you make it so good I don't wanna leave
But I gotta, kn-kn-kn-know what-what's your fan-ta-ta-sy”

Quickly she turned off the faucet and stepped out of the shower, searching for her towel in the dense fog. She found it on the countertop and pulled it around her body to walk out of the bathroom and find a new set of clothes to put on. Buffy marched from the room, with the radio still blaring its music and her still singing to it.

Basically dancing into the room, she moved quickly towards her bed to where her robe laid upon the top.

“I wanna, li-li-li-lick you from yo' head to yo' toes
And I wanna, move from the bed down to the down to the to the flo'
Then I wanna, ahh ahh - you make it so good I don't wanna leave
But I gotta, kn-kn-kn-know what-what's your fan-ta-ta-sy”

While singing, she threw down her towel and stood naked inside the room, dancing to the music.

“I’ve got one for you,” a deep, sultry voice wafted from across the room, piercing through to her ears.

Her heart hammered inside her chest as she grabbed the closest thing next to her, a pillow, to cover her body before turning around to confront the uninvited person into her hotel room. “What are you doing in here?!!” she demanded as she turned to face him.

“Enjoying the view,” he said bluntly and moved out from the shadows so Buffy could get a good look at him. “The only thing you are missing now is some candlelight, a bottle of Dom, and-“

“Holy Shit,” she swore quietly as she watched the man from across the room. He looked like Sean, but then he didn’t. As he walked forward, all breath caught in her throat as she watched his muscles move gracefully under the confines of his wrinkled clothing.

Buffy felt herself taken aback by the presence of this man. He may share some resemblance to Sean, but there was no way could Sean seem this imposing, this strong, this breathtaking. The similarity to the prince was completely uncanny besides the fact that this man looked to be older, possibly an older brother… a much more gorgeous older brother!

“Who are you??” she breathed heavily.

He replied nothing as he stood in front of her, towering over her with his broad chest and shoulders and impressive height. “You must be Buffy Summers,” he said, not answering her question.

Shaking her head and breaking from her reverie, she stepped back from him. “Lt. McDaniel?” she took a stab at his identity.

“That’s me, sweetheart.” he retorted with a heart-melting smile.

“You’re early,” she told him.

“So you noticed. Glad you decided to dress for this special occasion.”

“Oh no,” she rebuffed him nervously. “Normally I meet complete strangers in even less of a wardrobe.”

He could only smile at her comment and the way she looked absolutely beautiful, standing there, covering herself up with a pillow while her hair was dripping wet from her shower. Her vanilla scent floated in his direction and he wanted to drown in it.

“How did you get in here?” she asked.

“One of the government guys downstairs told me that I should talk to you first,” Liam informed her. “And your door was unlocked so I decided to come on in.”

“You couldn’t hear that I was in the shower?”

He cocked an eyebrow at her comment. “Over your music, I heard nothing and I am just as shocked as you when you came out and decided to put on a little show.”

“I know we should continue this riveting conversation, but could you please excuse me for a moment while I get some clothes on?”

“I’m not complaining about the view.”

“But I am,” she said, clutching the pillow closer to her body. “Please excuse me.”

Liam just stood there as if he didn’t hear her and looked deeply into her large, hazel eyes.

“Lieutenant, I don’t want to be forced to remove you physically from here, it could get rough,” she commented with a little ice with her voice.

“Is that a promise?” he asked with another smile on his face.

“Ok, that’s it… LEAVE!!!” she commanded.

He tentatively stepped back from her. “Aye, aye,” he surrendered, mock saluting her. “See you in a minute.”

Buffy stood completely still as he turned his back and watched as he left the room. She was completely silent and she could hear his voice softly continue on from where she left off in the song.

“What about up in the candy sto' that chocolate chocolate make it melt
Whips and chains, handcuffs, smack a little booty up with my belt
Scream help play my game; dracula man I'll get my fangs…”

He shut the door to her room as he left and only then, did Buffy’s face turn red with embarrassment. Totally ashamed, she picked up her robe and threw it around her body and sat back down on her bed. She grabbed the pillow that she was using before and clutched it again to her chest.

~ ~ ~

From outside the room, Liam moved away from the door and from inside he could hear the suddenly the sound of something, probably a pillow, being thrown into the door. He could not help from imagining her now without the pillow covering her.

A smile graced his face one more time.

~ ~ ~

Part 4

Liam stood outside Buffy’s room alone for only a few minutes before a few more people decided to grace him with their presence. Out of all the faces, he knew only a few by name, the rest by reputation. The last person he saw walk into the room was Admiral Doyle, whom he hadn’t seen for a few years when he was trained at Great Lakes Naval Base.

“Sir,” Liam greeted rather formally, as he stood at attention, saluting the older man.

“Oh cut the bullshit, lieutenant,” the Admiral swore with a large smile that lit his face and extended a hand out to Liam, which the younger sailor accepted with a firm handshake. “How’s life treating you?”

“I have no complaints,” he responded truthfully. “Sir, I am curious. Why was my ass dragged half-way across the country without the rest of my team along for the ride?”

“The Angels of Death have come into light again in the past couple of hours,” Doyle said gravely. “It was believed that their centers of operation were obliterated by the SAS because they have remained quiet until yesterday when it is believed that they have assassinated almost the whole royal family of New Pagua in Europe and attempted to assassinate the crown prince here in the United States.”

“Why didn’t the Navy arm my team and send them into the field instead of hauling my ass here alone?”

“The government wants to try a new route to wean out the perpetrators of these acts by placing a man in the center of action and bringing the terrorists to us. This would be where you come in.” Liam remained quiet while the Admiral took a deep breath to continue. “The US needs you to impersonate the crown prince for an undisclosed amount of time in the hopes that the terrorists will try to make attempt on the prince’s life one more time.”

No words came out of Liam’s mouth, so the Admiral took the opportunity to continue the lieutenant’s instructions. Handing him a manila folder with sheets of data, he continued. “You will find a recent picture of the crowned prince and some other bits of information that may be useful in this mission.”

“Holy shit,” Liam swore under his breath as he looked at the picture for the first time. He could have sworn he was looking at a picture of himself if he would by chance be found temporarily insane and decide to wear what looked like the white suite Elvis wore in his shows at Las Vegas.

“Confounding, isn’t it?” Doyle asked rhetorically. “We need your help, Lieutenant. This mission is entirely voluntary so I cannot order you to comply to these wishes but I would hope that you would consider this.”

Liam remained silent, deep in thought over what he read in that folder and what his superior asked of him.

“Would it help your decision to know you would be working side by side with Ms. Summers? Beautiful woman, she is.”

At that, Liam cocked an eyebrow.

“She needs as much protection as you are going to need. She has already been injured by the attack this morning on the prince but she is strong, and wouldn’t let that stop her.”

Understanding flooded Liam’s head, as he now knew what that gash on her arm was from. He noticed it when he saw her minutes before, but said nothing. He was too caught up in other parts of her body to even consider that.

“Sir, I…” he started to say but was cut off when he turned his head and saw Buffy’s door open slowly to walk out towards the rest of the crowd. “You’ve found your man.”

~ ~ ~

Buffy emerged dressed very professionally in her lavender silk skirt and jacket with a satin cream blouse underneath. She had her blonde hair tucked up in a French roll. To the casual observer, the PR director looked in complete control. Only she knew her nerves were frayed and she was on edge and shaky. Her encounter with Liam McDaniel was disconcerting, and strangely erotic, but as much as she may have enjoyed their little moment together, Buffy Summers knew she had a job to do. And not even Lt. Tall, Dark, and Absolutely Sexy was going to get in the way of that objective.

Straightening her appearance and her jacket, Buffy strolled into the conference room down the hall, where the rest of the security committee and various agents waited for her to arrive. Across the room, she saw Liam McDaniel, looking rather smug as he took in her crisp, businesslike suit. Noticing the raised brow on his face, she shot him a dirty look before heading over to the table to await the start of the meeting.

“Okay, gentlemen, let’s get down to business.” Admiral Doyle announced, getting everyone’s attention. “Due to the schedule for Prince Sean and the limit the government has put on our operation, Ms. Summers and Lt. McDaniel have exactly three days to prepare for the impersonation. If this cannot be done…well, that’s not really an option here. These bastards need to be caught.” The officer paused, clearing his throat, before continuing. “Although I am heading up this operation, Riley Finn, the head of the FInCom team, will be in charge of security.”

“Thank you, sir.” Agent Finn replied, smiling politely at the older man and standing up from his chair to indicate that all eyes and ears should be honed on to what he has to say. “As the Admiral just stated, I am the head of the FInCom team. The Federal Intelligence Commission will be in complete control as to the safety of Lt. McDaniel. With all possible situations that could occur during this mission, I believe that the lieutenant will be out of harm's way with two of our agents on watch all the time, rotating shifts every few hours so that each is rested to their full potential. I believe…”

“Wait,” Liam raised his voice and interrupted the agent’s comments. “Did I hear you right? Only two agents on guard?? You’ve got to be kidding me! These assassins are serious. The men that we are going to be facing are not just a rag-tag team of young boys with toy guns; they are trained professionals that will stop at nothing to perform their duties to the utmost of their abilities in any means necessary. I’m sorry, Agent Finn, but I believe that you are underestimating their abilities. If I am going to be forced to wear a large target on my body all the time, I would at least hope that there would be some sort of protection that is more comprehensive than that.” Turning his head, the lieutenant looked at his commanding officer. “Sir, I think we need the rest of my team here. Maybe they could teach these Finks how to properly guard someone.”

“Okay, that’s enough, Lieutenant. The Federal Intelligence Commission is completely prepared for a mission such as this. It is our job to protect you, just as we have done for presidents of the past. We are more than perfectly capable to handle this situation…”

“Look what happened to Kennedy,” Liam muttered loudly.

Ignoring him, Finn continued, “We aren’t even remotely worried about protecting your sorry ass, so sit down and let me finish this briefing, soldier.” With a stern look at the agent and a short glance over at his superior officer, McDaniel took a seat in the large chair behind him.

~ ~ ~

As the meeting came to a close and people started to leave the room, Riley walked over to Buffy.

“Hello, Ms. Summers. It’s a pleasure to be working with you.” He leered, placing a hand low on her back, dangerously traveling slightly south in Buffy’s mind.

Buffy shrugged him off and attempted a polite smile. “Thank you, Agent Finn.”

“So, do you want to join me for dinner tonight?” He said, replacing his hand on her back again, as he guided her to the door.

“As nice as that would be-“

“Sorry, Agent. But Ms. Summers and I have to spend long, incredibly sweaty hours together to work on this project, and I’m afraid she won’t have time to spare on your invitation.” Liam said icily, as he stood in front of Riley with the muscles in his body tightening in irritation and possessiveness.

“Well, as interesting as your opinion is, soldier, I think your work can wait until the lady has had her dinner.” The Agent took a step closer to the man questioning his feelings for the blonde.

“Excuse me, but-“

“Okay that’s ENOUGH!!” Buffy yelled, stepping in between the two men. “I don’t know what this testosterone display is supposed to accomplish, but we have THREE DAYS to get this job done. And personally, I don’t have time for either one of you, so you can pack it in and zip it up, cause this pissing contest is over.” She looked down with a pointed glare to emphasize her words. Riley stared at her with an open mouth, completely in shock that such a small, innocent woman could imply something like that. Liam, on the other hand, had a huge grin on his face, as he was awed by this blonde’s humor and wit. Noticing that her point was made, Buffy turned and headed out the door, leaving them to stare at her ass, which she swayed overdramatically in her exit.

~ ~ ~

“Sir, may I speak with you a second?” Liam asked, as he approached the Admiral in the hallway.

“Of course, Lieutenant. Is something wrong?”

“Not exactly, sir. I was just wondering when my team was going to be joining us. I think it’s necessary for them to be here early on, so they can get acquainted with the situation.”

“Well, son, they aren’t coming. The FInCom guys have everything covered. Besides, the more attention brought to this matter, the worse things will be for us. The President was a little hesitant in his acceptance of this mission. He won’t allow us to use any more SEALs here.”

“But sir, these guys are my team. We know each other’s thoughts and movements better than anyone else. And personally, sir, I don’t trust Agent Finn. He seems to have other matters in mind over the protection of my ass.” Noticing the tone he had just used with the high-ranking officer, Liam added, “ Sir.”

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant, but my hands are tied. Unless the committee sees sufficient evidence that the security team can’t get their job done with their own staff, I’m afraid there’s nothing that can be done.” Doyle patted Liam on his shoulder and walked away down the hall.

~ ~ ~

Later that night, after the briefing and his discussion with the Admiral, Liam called his executive officer, with a plan in mind.

“Hey, Spike, how are ya, man?”

“Angel? What’s going on, Peaches? We’ve been sitting here, wasting oxygen, wondering why the hell we’re still on leave when you’re gone.”

“Well, that just changed. Get the guys and get on a flight to Chicago. Don’t tell anyone where you are going…this is completely undercover. Got it?”

“Yeah, man. Not a problem.”

“Good. I’ll explain everything tomorrow, but right now I have to meet a girl about a gun.”

“Really, Angel? I thought you were on a mission? Planning on getting that gun her own personal wax, I see?” Both men laughed at that.

“Just get your collective hides down here. I’ll page you with a location to meet me as soon as I can find a way to get rid of the security, which shouldn’t take much trouble. It’ll be somewhere near here, in the downtown area, so don’t go far. See ya later, buddy.”

“Sure thing, man. Good luck with the girl.”

~ ~ ~

Part 5

“So what’s first on our schedule?” Liam asked nonchalantly as he propped his crossed ankles on the table inside Buffy’s hotel room. He slouched comfortably on the love seat waiting for her instructions.

“First things first… feet off the table, Your Highness,” Buffy started but then was interrupted when Liam abruptly threw his feet to the ground and sat upright.

“Your Highness???” he asked with shock in his voice.

“That is what you will have to answer to, better get used to it now.”

“Even by you?”

Nodding her head tiredly. “Even by me.” Buffy felt sleep pulling at her but she refused to succumb to the temptation to lean towards the table top or even Liam, rest her head there and take a few minutes or hours of rest. The bags under her eyes felt like they weighed at least a hundred pounds each as she attempted to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

“Buffy, when we are alone you don’t have to use procedure with me. In fact I would hope for our relationship to sprint way past formalities.”

She chose to ignore his previous statement, moved across the room towards her desk. With her back towards Liam, she leaned over reaching for her date book.

Looking over at her as she leaned across the table, he strayed his eye away from her shapely legs and round bottom, even though he really, really wanted to stare. This woman deserved more than to be treated like some two-bit mistress of the night. She was much too special for that.

Plus she was exhausted; any person could have noticed that about her. She needed rest and if he would be forced to carry her firefighter-style to get her to the bed, then so be it. Thinking to himself, ‘Maybe then I will slip under the covers and…”

“I think tomorrow morning you have an appointment with the tailor to revise and prepare your wardrobe at…” she stood upright, broking Liam out of his reverie, as she turned towards him and breezed through her book to find the time. “Nine o’clock in the morning.” Buffy yawned one time before she threw herself down on the chair next to him.

“I think we should first—“ she yawned again, “start with basic history of Sean’s family. So…” Buffy began to name one after another of the members of the O’Malley royal family while he listened intently to not only her words but also the smooth sound of her sleep roughened voice. She had an amazing voice, which just added to the fact that she was a gorgeous woman, one of the most attractive that he had ever laid eyes upon.

“Liam, are you getting this?” she asked as she saw his eyes glaze over in a daydream-like state.

“Yeah, no problem.”

Yawning, she retorted, “Why don’t you relay back to me, what I just said?”

“Why don’t you get some sleep, Buffy?” he said quickly changing the subject. “I’m sure that we can do this tomorrow morning after the tailor appointment. You look worn-out and judging from the frenzy of the past few hours, you have full right to be.”

“I can’t do that, Your Highness,” she shook her head. “There are only a few days to prepare for your transformation and we are going to need every minute.”

“Buffy,” he said with concern in his voice and placed a gentle hand on the back of her neck and rubbed her skin in soft circles.

She couldn’t help it, his hand felt completely wonderful massaging the back of her neck and she leaned her head forward giving Liam more area to rub. Buffy had to suppress the soft moan that almost escaped her lips as she sat there with her eyes closed and her entire body focusing on his touch. “Liam, you can’t do this.”

“Can’t do what?” he whispered in her ear, leaning in closer to her warm body.

“What if someone…” she started to whisper back but then stopped and stood up sharply when the door to her room burst open. “Sean, what are you doing here?”

“Just checking out the progress between you and my double,” the prince stated as he sauntered into the room, walking straight over to Buffy, completely ignoring the man next to her. “Haven’t discovered too many difficulties, I hope?”

“Everything is running smoothly,” she answered him then stepped to the side to introduce the two men. “Crown Prince Sean O’Malley meet Lt. Liam McDaniel, US Navy SEAL,” she pointed towards Liam. “Liam, this is Sean.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Liam responded and offered his hand out to the prince.

Reluctantly, Sean took the sailor’s hand and quickly dropped it and rubbed his palm on the material of his pants as soon as his hand was at his side. “Pleasure is mine,” he stated haughtily in return then turned back around to Buffy as if Liam didn’t exist.

“Not tomorrow night, but the night after, is Cordelia’s and my 8 month anniversary, and I’ll need you to order some flowers for me to give to her. Plus, could you make some dinner reservations for two at Spaggio at 7:30…”

“Sir, are you sure that you want to be seen in public this early?” she asked.

“Just do as I ask, Ms. Summers,” he answered her in his most commanding of voices.

Shaking her head in submission, “Yes, sir.”

“Good,” he said sharply. “Well, I guess I will let you get back to working with the commoner. Have fun. Also, get some sleep, you look like hell.”

“Excuse me?” Liam asked angrily.

“I will bid you ado,” Sean stated ignoring the sailor, turned and strode out of the room.

Alone in the room once more, Buffy let out a loud sigh as she hung her head low and looked towards the floor. She just wanted to take a nap, but she knew that she couldn’t.

“Buffy, are you going to be ok?” Liam asked as he stepped closer to her, all his anger released as he saw this beautiful woman standing in front of him. Gently, he placed a finger under her chin and raised her face so that she would stare straight into his eyes.

She stood there transfixed for what seemed like an eternity but was actually only a few seconds, before she turned her head and shuffled towards the couch on the opposite side of the room. Liam promptly followed her and sat down next to her.

“On days like this, I wonder why I didn’t choose another profession,” she told him truthfully.

“Are you going to make the reservation for him?” Liam asked.

“If I don’t, I’ll probably get in trouble with Mein Fuhrer over there,” she tiredly pointed towards the door. “If he wants to put his life into jeopardy, I’m not going to be able to tell him otherwise.”

“How about you make the appointment and instead of using it for his pleasure, why don’t we use it to show how well I can play the part?? I’ll take that Cordelia woman on the date and if she is fooled, then I congratulate you with a job well done.”

“I don’t know if you would want to do that.”

“How hard can it be?” he asked with a smile on his face.

“Not all that difficult in all actuality, but that would mean that you would have to spend an evening with a woman who is not the brightest crayon in the box?”

“That bad, huh?”

“Well, let me put it this way, I swear her motto is ‘The wheel is moving but the hamster is dead.’”

Laughter erupted from him, “Ouch.”

“You have a nice laugh,” Buffy commented quickly letting the words slip from her mouth before she could stop them. “Uh… Just contribute that little statement to the exhaustion.”

Liam felt as if he had never smiled as brightly after her outburst, but with her last sentence, his smile faded. “You should probably get some rest then.”

“I just need a good pot of coffee and I should be alright,” she answered him as she laid her head back and rested on the back of the couch.

“What you need is sleep.”

“But…” she protested but then couldn’t finish her statement because the pull to sleep completely overwhelmed her and she felt herself shot into unconsciousness. All tension drained from her body as her body leaned to rest on his shoulder.

Liam stared down at the woman next to him, utterly surprised that she had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder in the middle of her sentence. For the briefest of moments, he considered a few inventive ways he could wake her up, very, very slowly.

Instead, he gently took her into his arms, where she snuggled in, mumbling something about needed more sugar in her coffee. “Light on the cream too,” she muttered.

“Right away,” he whispered softly and kissed her forehead before she stopped talking all together.

Liam moved silently and stealthily into the bedroom, placing her carefully on the bed. He tenderly removed her heels and the pins in her hair, feeling the silky strands flow through his calloused fingers.

Taking a moment, he stared at the half-dressed, golden goddess in the bed. Though he longed to join her, feeling the pull of something deeper than simple lust, Liam knew that she needed her sleep, not a night of hot, mind-blowing sex. Ignoring the impulse, he decided it was time to get to work on his plan for the rest of his squad.

Liam looked back one more time at Buffy’s sleeping body before he slipped silently out of her room to get a hold of Spike and the rest of his SEAL team.

~ ~ ~

“So, Peaches, did you have fun finding your gun, or were you polishing it as well?” Spike asked as Liam strode into the small hotel room that he requested his friends meet at.

“Very funny, Spike,” Liam commented as he looked around the room. Gunn was busy reading a newspaper, and Xander was stealthily reading over his shoulder with Spike waiting for reasons as to why he was there.

“I know you all took a few weeks of shore leave but I can guarantee that after a day, you will be requested to come back to duty.”

“Oh yeah, to help protect your sorry ass,” Gunn commented not moving his eyes from the paper.

“In a few days, I will show the feds that I can do this job. After that, I’m going to need you guys to help me show Doyle that the FInCom agents can’t get the job done/”

“A little mishap, maybe?” Xander asked.

“Not exactly. All we need to do is get me out when they aren’t watching, prove that the two guys they have watching me aren’t enough. And what I need from you is a little distraction, something small but just enough to get their attention.”

“Piece of cake,” Gunn commented.

“Can you believe this?” Xander inquired as he pointed towards a particular article on the inside of the paper.

“Something interesting on the home front?” Spike sounded intrigued.

“Let’s see…” He said, trying to find the good part of the article. Spotting it, Xander read, ‘A body of a young woman was found by a few joggers as it lay washed up on the beach of Lake Michigan yesterday evening. Investigators have described her as a blonde, petite woman of approximately 30 years of age and she being the apparent victim of a homicide. No suspects have been made.’ And they even have pictures!”

Gunn placed the paper out in front of all the guys, displaying the article. “Looks like a professional hit to me.”

Liam leaned in close and examined the picture of the young woman on the page. Her pale hair mostly covered it, but through keen eyes, a small hole in the center of the forehead was visible. “My God, she looks like Buffy,” he whispered to himself.

“Who’s Buffy?” Spike asked his friend.

“She works for the man that I was commissioned to impersonate. She actually saved his life.”

“Let me guess, knocked him over in a routine assassination?” Xander asked.

Nodding his head, Liam turned his attention back to the paper.

“Could this woman have been killed because she was believed to be this Buffy woman?” Gunn wondered.

“And they probably would want to get rid of her due to her association with his royal HIND-ASS,” Liam agreed with Gunn.

“She is probably going to need a knight in shining armor, Peaches,” Spike stated. “She is a target now.”

“I better go,” Liam said quickly as he stood up and walked towards the door.

“See you soon,” Xander yelled at Liam’s back as he left. “This is going to be fun.”

~ ~ ~

Liam made it back to Buffy’s room in record time. When she was not within his sight, he feared for her. But as he stepped into her room and saw that she was still sound asleep with the covers around her small body, he heaved a sigh of relief.

She looked completely peaceful lying there but Liam knew no such thing. His mind was turning in the possibilities, none of which were all that good.

But now was not the time for her to know.

Quietly he pulled a chair next to her bed and sat down so that he could watch her sleep. After a few hours, sleep overcame him.

~ ~ ~

Part 6

Almost to the exact minute, Liam quickly shot awake at quarter till nine that morning. His body had been primed with an internal alarm clock that he could quickly use during missions in which he had limited times of rest and had to wake at the drop of a hat and be fully alert. The SEALs trained him for basically everything, but it in no way prepared him for dealing with Buffy Summers.

As her name popped up in his mind, his eyes shot open, only to see Buffy still lying peacefully in her bed. As he looked down at her, he didn’t know exactly what to do. He felt that she would probably want to be woken up right now and start her day, but another part of him just wanted to let her sleep. She deserved the rest even if she may not think so. He turned around to leave only to stop and walk back towards her.

“Buffy,” he whispered as he gently nudged her shoulder to rouse her from sleep. “Buffy, come on baby, if I don’t at least try to wake you up, you’ll probably be mad at me. Open your eyes…”

Lazily, Buffy’s eyes slowly opened, but Liam could tell from her glazed look that she was nowhere near awake. She held them open a crack only to have them start to close once again.

“Buffy…” he said more forcefully but still quiet.

“Could you just wake me in a few hours when you leave? I would love you forever, my angel.” Then Buffy’s eyes closed tightly and Liam knew that no matter how hard he would try, she was not waking up for a while.

‘My angel?’ he thought to himself. ‘What in the world?!’

“I’ll wake you in a few hours,” he said then stood up to move from her bedside.

Then, silently he turned to walk out the door only to stop momentarily when he heard the soft sound of a snore come from the bed. He stopped in his tracks and smiled to himself.

Laughing softly, he continued on his way out the door to get ready for the day.

~ ~ ~

A few hours later, Buffy unhurriedly began to open her eyes when she felt a warm ray of sunshine pierce through the shade and shine on her face. Groggily, she stretched her body, filled her lungs with warm air, and then snuggled deeper into the soft bed one more time.

If it wasn’t for that small beam of light, she probably would have fallen back asleep, but since it wasn’t going to go away, Buffy knew it was probably time to get up. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and turned to look at the radio clock that was resting on the end table next to the bed.

“Good, it’s only 12:30, plenty of time to sleep,” she mumbled then let her eyes shut again.

A few seconds later her eyes shot open as she quickly sat up in bed. “12:30!!!!” she screeched and tossed the blankets from her body. “Dammit!!”

Buffy promptly climbed out of bed and looked at herself as she stared into the mirror. She looked completely bedraggled; especially since one of her thigh high pantyhose legs had slunk down and was now below her knee. Her hair was sticking out in all different directions and her clothes were rumpled.

Looking around the room, she noticed that Liam was no longer there and she whispered a curse to herself. “He leaves early and doesn’t even think to wake me up! Doesn’t he understand all the work that we have to do?!!”

She sprinted into the bathroom and shed her clothes to hop in the shower but before stepping inside she swore, “When I find you, Lieutenant, I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!”

~ ~ ~

‘Finally,’ Liam thought to himself once the tailor left his room after 3 hours of fitting for a new wardrobe. It didn’t help that he hated every single outfit that he had tried on. He was a plain t-shirt and jeans or khakis kind of man, and everything that tried on were suits and collared shirts that he thought only some guy from Harvard would be caught wearing.

Nothing against schools like Harvard, considering he went to Notre Dame and worked hard to make it through that school, he was just tired of seeing people wear things like that everyday. He hated wearing his dress whites, which he was forced to wear every so often for formal dinners and meetings with his superior officers.

In general this morning went horribly for Liam. First, he had to wake up to see a beautiful woman, who made it impossible for him to keep his hands to himself, and yet refused to touch for fear of losing control. Then had to deal with a rather pushy tailor, who kept insisting on putting him in hideous suits that even Boy George wouldn’t be caught in.

To work out his frustrations, he knew he needed to run. And run he did. For the next hour or so, he made his way to the fitness room in the basement of the hotel and balanced his time between aerobic workouts and weight training.

Liam had run about eight miles before checking the clock, seeing that it was way past noon and hoping that Buffy had woken up by now. He pulled his sweat-damped, white beater from his body and wiped the moisture from his forehead before walking out of the room. He decided to walk through the hotel with his shirt around his neck and his bare chest open to the air.

He made his way back to his room and tossed his shirt across the room so that it would rest on top of one of the fabric-covered chairs. With the door closed, he turned to pull one of the large bath towels from the shelf in the closet, tossed it to the bed and then began to peel his shorts from his body.

As soon as he had the shorts down past his knees, he halted his actions suddenly as he heard his door open and slam shut when someone entered his room.

“Liam, I have a bone…” Buffy started to rant but then shut her mouth as soon as she saw his state of dress, or rather, undress. “Oh ah…oops.” Her eyes grew as wide as saucers as they traveled the length of his back towards his firm ass and well-defined, muscular thighs. Liam refused to move as he felt her stare penetrate him.

“Good morning, Buffy,” he greeted not turning around but finally bending lower to retrieve the towel on the bed next to him.

Her eyes followed him as he bent over and she felt her cheeks grow hot and her mouth begin to water at the sight that was before her. Only when Liam kicked his shorts from his legs and wrapped the towel around his body did Buffy blink and he turn around.

“Is there something you wanted?” he asked with a smirk on his face. He looked at her as the color began to leave her cheeks. She looked amazing this morning, well rested and alert. Plus, this was the first time that he saw her in an outfit that wasn’t a boxy business suit. Clad in a pair of tight black stretch pants and a pale pink blouse, she looked incredible.

Shaking her head in the hopes from removing his naked body from her memory, she responded to him with a firm voice, “It’s funny how you mention ‘morning,’ Lieutenant. Did you, by chance, have the opportunity to look at the time on the clock recently?” She was pissed.

“Sometime after 12:30?” he asked innocently.

“And you got up sometime around 9 o’clock to meet the tailor, and you didn’t even think to wake me up!!”

Growing defensive, he responded, “Buffy, I tried and I’m sorry, but you weren’t listening to me. You wouldn’t get up no matter what I did.”

“Then you should have tried harder!!!!” her voice raised. “I know you could really give a flying fuck as to what you have to learn to do this, but at least you can give me the consideration that’s SUPPOSED to come with my job!!!”

“Buffy, it is no big deal. All you have to do is find me videotapes of Sean and his actions and I can learn more quickly from that. It is that simple.”

“Nothing is that simple!” she shouted. “We have wasted valuable time that we desperately need for your education. Don’t you understand this, or are you too ignorant?”

“Ignorant, huh?? Well, excuse me if my diminutive experience of higher education doesn’t meet your requirements of dragging your ass out of bed in the morning! I thought I was being courteous when I let you sleep.”

“Well, don’t!!!”

“Fine!” he raised his voice back, “We’ll have everything go by the book from now on, Ms. Summers. Forget about being nice.” Promptly he turned on his heel and stormed into the bathroom.

Buffy stood in the middle of the room, shocked at their conversation, especially, what she had said to him. She knew that she was a moderately difficult person to wake from her sleep, but the stress on her shoulders got to her. Also it didn’t help that she walked in on him as he was in the buff and her embarrassment climbed to incredible heights.

“Oh my God,” she swore to herself and rubbed her face as she felt tears begin to sting her eyes. Her anger was completely unwarranted and now how was she going to apologize to him.

Her thoughts were broken up momentarily as she heard the water begin to run in the shower and she knew then that now was the appropriate time to make an exit. As she exited his room, her mind flew with a plan to figure out how to say how sorry she was for losing her temper with him.

Liam had found some way to get under her tough skin and Buffy knew that if she would let their argument fester for too long, it would eat her alive on the inside. She thought that it was embarrassing when she walked in on him with his shorts around his ankles, but now her embarrassment was worse because it was her fault that she didn’t wake up and yet she blamed it on him.

“Great… Now what am I going to do?” she asked herself inaudibly as she walked from his door. Whatever it was, she had to do it well or she might have just destroyed every chance that she had in having him cooperate.

~ ~ ~

Part 7

The steaming, hot water felt great on Liam’s aching body, as he stood under the showerhead. Ignorant?? He thought, as years of pain and emotional abuse came flooding back in waves. All the times before when he was called a disgrace or a stupid child, when his friends betrayed him, repeated themselves in his mind. Liam could almost feel his self-esteem dropping, but why should he be surprised? How could a beautiful, smart, successful woman like Buffy Summers ever see him as anything more than a street rat. A commoner, as the Prince so delicately put it. His ranking in the Navy, his fancy uniform, and the nice apartment back in California can’t change the man deep down. Ignorant, huh?? As the tears burned behind his eyes, Liam’s anger rose. He wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of crying. He had gotten over the pain years ago, and refused to lower himself to that level again. He refused to become just like his father.

Shutting the water off, Liam roughly pulled the towel down from the glass door of the stall. The rage felt good, running through his blood. He wasn’t a violent person by nature, never hurt an innocent, yet the sensation was similar to what he’d experience before a mission. It helped him to get his mind focused on what was important. He wasn’t in Chicago to pick up women. He was here to get the bad guy. And right now, there was nothing more he needed than the reassurance of that.

~ ~ ~

Buffy was pacing back and forth in her suite, trying to figure out what to do to rectify the situation with Liam. How could she call him ignorant?? She was a PR director, for crying out loud!! She knew better than to piss off the person she was working for. Or with in this case.

Maybe she could apologize in private? No, that was ridiculous!! She insulted him loud enough for the FInCom guys outside to hear her…and probably the rest of the floor. No, that just wouldn’t work.

Maybe she could get him something?? Yeah, right!! Just buy off the guy! That’ll smooth things over real well. Liam was nothing like Sean, who would forgive her anything if she gave him a nice fountain pen or kissed his feet. Not literally, of course, but she always had some colossal task to accomplish to get back in his good graces. Somehow she figured the Lieutenant would take a lot more persuasion.

While her mid was running over the possibilities, Buffy glanced at the clock on the wall. DAMMIT!!! She was going to be late for her session with Liam!! Grabbing her black suit jacket, she rushed out the door and raced (as gracefully as she could) down to the conference room.

~ ~ ~

Liam was standing completely still against the wall, when the blonde PR director stepped into the large conference room. Today she was supposed to teach him Sean’s various mannerisms and his other random habits. Walking over to the table, Buffy gestured form Liam to take a seat in the head chair. Laid out in front of it were a collection of books, files and videotapes.

When Lt. McDaniel reached the seat, he looked between her and the books with an almost indignant stare.

“If you’ll please be seated, Your Highness, we can get started.” She said, as politely as possible, picking up a book and turning to the first page.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Summers, but whether you believe it or not, I can read.” The look of shock on her face just made him more puzzled and more angry. How dare she mock him?

“Oh, my God!! You thought…? I mean, you figured I…my goodness!!”

“Look, Buffy, don’t play games with me, alright? If you would’ve taken just a moment to glance at my file, I’m sure you would’ve realized that I graduated with honors from the University of Notre Dame. Fortunately, they did teach me how to read and write as well as the next barbarian.”

“Liam, no, I…” She paused, taking a deep breath. “Look, I’m really sorry about what I said to you yesterday. I don’t think you’re stupid. It’s just that I was…upset about sleeping so late, and I acted rashly. It was my fault, not yours. Entirely my fault. I’m really, really, really sorry.” She watched in silence, as she awaited his reply. The Lieutenant just stood there, no expression on his handsome face, no change in his posture. Buffy was sure she was in for it.

Liam briefly looked over his shoulder, noticing the other two people, FInCom agents, in the room. “Will you excuse us, please?” He addressed them, returning his gaze to the blonde’s face. Once he heard the door shut, Liam’s posture relaxed slightly, and he slowly moved around the table to stand right in front of her. Looking intensely at her, he noticed the shine of tears in her eyes, her worried countenance, and the quiver of her chin. Tenderly, he cupped the side of her face and brought her eyes to look at his. The first thing she saw there was admiration and lust. She shivered almost imperceptibly. Except he felt it, sending desire knifing through his body.

“I’m sorry, too. But you could have told those guys to go away before you did that.”

She briefly leaned into his touch before pulling away. “I know. I just figured that since I insulted you loud enough for the world to hear, I should apologize publicly as well.” Buffy finally relaxed, letting out the breath she didn’t know she was holding, as Liam gave her a little half smile.

“Thank you.”

“But what do you have to be sorry for?” She seemed puzzled.

“For being angry with you. For misjudging you. I thought you were just like everyone else.”

“What do you mean ‘everyone else’?” She questioned, more confused but now because of who he was referring to.

“It doesn’t matter.” He answered, breaking eye contact. “So, what do you have to teach me, Ms. Summers?”

~ ~ ~

When their time was up for the evening, Liam stood up and watched as Buffy packed up.

“Do you wanna go get something to eat?” He asked, trying to find a way to get close to this fascinating woman, as well as to protect her.

“What?” She was actually surprised that he would even want to spend time with her after her outburst the day before.

“You know, food? We could order out, or I could send for room service.”

“How about going to the dining room?” She said, smiling.

“I’d like that.” He replied, placing her slender hand in the crook of his arm, as he lead her downstairs.

~ ~ ~

Once the couple was seated in the dining room, the TV across the room broke to a special bulletin.

//The Chicago Police Department has finally released the identity of the murdered woman found floating in Lake Michigan last week. She was 31 year old Darla McKane, a former high school teacher. She was reported missing about three years ago, when her sister was unable to contact her. We will bring you any more news on this case as it develops.//

“Hmm…”

“Is something wrong?” Buffy asked, as she noticed Liam’s serious demeanor.

“I’m not sure.” He said, dropping his napkin back on the table. “Can we do this another time? I have to talk to Admiral Doyle.”

“Sure, okay. Are you sure that everything’s alright? You seem…tense.”

“I certainly hope so.”

~ ~ ~

Part 8

“Come in!” Doyle called after Liam forcefully rapped twice on the door of the Admiral’s suite.

“Sir,” The Lieutenant stood stiffly, saluting the half-dressed, high-ranking officer, who saluted back and then continued to button up his dress shirt.

“What’s going on, Lieutenant?”

“Have you watched the news this evening, sir?”

“Not yet. Why?” Doyle continued dressing, adding a tie with anchors on it over the crisp white shirt.

“Does the name Darla McKane mean anything to you?”

“Darla McKane?” The Admiral rubbed his chin in thought.

“Yes, sir.” Liam affirmed. “Why does that sound familiar?”

“Probably because she is the second person on the International Most Wanted List.”

“Who’s first, sir?”

“Wesley Wyndham-Pryce.” Doyle shook his head. “So, what was Ms. McKane doing on the news?”

“She was the blonde whose body was found in Lake Michigan last week.”

“Ah. Seems like she pissed of someone. Probably Wesley.”

“Do you think she was behind the assassination attempt on the Prince?”

“I’m not sure.” Doyle paused to dab on a little cologne. When he was finished, he turned to Liam. “Look, Lieutenant, can we continue this discussion tomorrow?”

“Hot date, sir?” The younger man asked, smiling.

“Is there any other kind?” The Admiral had a cocky grin on his face, as he put on his jacket.

“No, sir. Have a good time, Admiral.” Liam said, as he walked out of the suite and into the hallway. Speaking of a hot date…

~ ~ ~

When she returned to her suite, Buffy leaned against the door and sighed. Despite her reservations, the tingling sensations plaguing her nervous system and the almost constant state of butterflies in her stomach were becoming more pleasant, more welcome. There was just something about Lt. Liam McDaniel that drove her crazy, that got under her skin, and messed with her well-organized life.

Shrugging out of her suit jacket and kicking off her heels, she sank onto the couch and remembered their encounter during that afternoon’s training session.

//It was the tenth time through this video of Prince Sean at a formal state dinner. By now, Liam was growing obviously bored, and took to mocking the scenes and adding his own random comments. Although it bothered her that he wasn’t paying attention, Buffy had to admit that it was funny.

“Notice the way he darts his eyes between the two men.” Buffy had said, pointing out the Prince’s nasty habits of half-listening and never maintaining eye contact.

“Yeah, check Sean’s ‘fish-out-of-water’ look. I think the phrase is keep your royal mouth shut while chewing. And you know the bald guy’s just thinking ‘You like seafood too, huh?’”

The comments were juvenile and ridiculous, yet Buffy couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Liam didn’t notice, and continued to mock the Prince. “Can you please pass the Grey Poupon?” He laughed heartily. “No, wait!! Could you please pass the jelly?!!!” He added with a thick, Southern accent.

As funny as it was, Buffy was starting to get frustrated. They only had one day left before Liam’s big date with Cordelia. There was no time for jokes. “Please, Your Highness, this is serious!”

“Yeah…it is…” His words were broken up by laughter. “I mean…those poor people were expecting Polaner’s All Fruit instead!!!” His husky laughter died in his throat when she stood in front of him, her hands on her hips and a scowl on her pretty face. She was breathtaking.

“Dammit, Liam!! Is everything a joke to you?” she said , dropping her clenched hands to her sides in a gesture of resignation.

He took a second, just to look at her, before standing up only a few inches in front of her. He gently took both of her hands into his, rubbing his thumbs over the knuckles. Liam could feel her momentarily tense up and almost immediately relax, refusing to show her apprehension. “No, Buffy,” He said quietly, turning her hands over to trace the lines on the inside of her palm. “Not everything is a joke.”

Buffy took an unsteady breath, as his words sank in. The feelings coursing through her were frightening and exciting all at once. She was no virgin, not by a long stretch, but this soldier was making her feel things she only dreamed about, like sizzling passion and mind-numbing lust. “I think I would really like to see whatever that something is, since it’s obvious that working with me isn’t on your list.” She said, attempting to be forceful, but failing in an equally quiet and slightly trembling voice.

“Are you sure you want to see that?” He asked, giving her all opportunities to stop the rushing lust that was beginning to make his blood boil. He just hoped she did it soon, because her breathy little sighs were driving him crazy.

“Yes.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Liam tightened his grip on her hands, pulling her flush up against his hard body. Claiming her lips with his, he kissed her fiercely, letting her feel how serious he was. His hands tangled in her silky hair, tilting her head for a better angle, as his tongue swept past her lips and deep into her mouth. Buffy flattened her palms against his firm chest, feeling his heat. Then she grabbed his shirt, clutching it in her fists, as she tried to get even closer to him. Tongues dueled, as temperatures rose, both of them completely lost to the sensation of the other. Liam slid his hands down her back and moved them up under her pink blouse, feeling the softness of the skin on her lower back. At that moment he realized that he could just lower her down to the large conference table and end the excruciating pain as his arousal strained against the material of his pants. But her strangled moan brought him back to reality.

Liam broke the kiss and took a couple of steps back. Buffy was completely dazed, holding the back of her hand to her mouth, as she tried to slow her erratic breathing. Her wide eyes turned to him then, and he felt an additional burst of lust and guilt. He couldn’t do this. He was there on a mission, following orders. By the book.

“I’m sorry.” He said, before he turned and started to walk out of the room, not waiting for a reply. He had to. Otherwise, he would have pushed her back to the table and pounded her into the hard surface until both of them were completely incapable of moving. Then he stopped and watched her pack up, obviously still flustered.

“Do you wanna go get something to eat?” //

It was probably one of, if not the, most intense moments of her life. With the exception of the apology, it would have come straight from her fantasies. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It was obvious that he couldn’t have been too sorry, right? He did have his hand under her shirt, even if it was only on her back. That had to mean something, didn’t it?

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Since Buffy wasn’t expecting anyone and figured it was maid service, she didn’t bother putting her jacket or shoes back on. She opened it to find a smiling Lieutenant McDaniel standing there, clad in loose-fitting black jeans and a tight red T-shirt. He looked delicious.

“Hey,” he greeted, a cute half-smile on his face. He was pleased to see her looking more laid back, more relaxed, than she had been.

“Liam, I…what are you doing here?” Buffy asked, perplexed.

“Well, you said we could have dinner some other time.” He answered, holding up a small picnic basket. “Is now not a good time?”

Buffy was stunned. He had been somewhat distant after their kiss earlier, and now he was being really romantic, bringing a picnic-styled dinner to her hotel suite. Her heart swelled a little more as she stepped aside and let him into the room. “Now’s great.”

As Liam went to work, laying out their spread on the floor of the living room area, Buffy just watched him. How the muscles played in his back and arms when he reached for something or leaned over. How his eyes, even with such a menial task, were focused and intense. Just looking at his large, powerful hands gave her chills. She was falling for this man. It was so obvious and completely terrifying. He was a Navy SEAL. There was no possibility for a future with him, and yet, her heart didn’t seem to care. It was handing itself over on a silver platter to the tall, dark soldier.

“…so do you want it?”

Oh, my God!! Did she do something, say something to make him think…Oh, God. “What?” She said, her voice shaking slightly.

Liam noticed the dazed look on her face, and it reminded him of the kiss. It was stupid, he knew, but holding her felt so right. She fit against him so perfectly, and the sounds she made…well, let’s just say hard wasn’t nearly the term to describe his state right now, and all he did was think about it.

“The beer?” He stated, holding up a six-pack of Budweiser. "I brought some, but I wasn’t sure if you wanted it or would prefer something more caffeinated.”

“Oh.” Buffy was thinking more along the lines of chocolate syrup drizzled on his sculpted chest, as they made love on the floor in front of the electric fireplace. She cleared her throat and looked away. “Beer is fine.”

“Okay, I think we’re set here, if you want to join me.”

Buffy approached the ‘blanket’(which was obviously a tablecloth he borrowed from the dining room), laden with fried chicken, pasta salad, potato salad, and fruit, along with napkins, plates and utensils. He even brought some candles and placed them on the coffee table that sat five feet away. It looked great.

“You really didn’t have to do this.” She said, sitting down across from him.

“I know. But I thought it would make up for my stupidity earlier.” Though he was talking about his joking, Buffy automatically assumed he was referring to their kiss, and immediately grew silent. She picked up a bottle of beer and took a long pull, hoping it would help her to relax and stop being ridiculous. She knew there was no relationship here, but a small part of her had jumped for joy when he kissed her.

After about five minutes of silent eating, Liam looked at Buffy, curious as to what was obviously bothering her. She was fidgeting with the napkin in her lap, looking everywhere else but at him. Reaching over, he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilted her gaze to his. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

She squirmed out of his hold, and picked up her napkin again. “Nothing important.” She said, almost imperceptibly.

“If something’s bothering you, then it’s important to me.” He stated, taking her hand in his. Immediately she pulled away and stood up.

“Stop it, Liam, just stop.”

“What?”

“Don’t you dare pretend to be a nice guy!! You just sit there, acting like a sweet man, interested in spending time with me, when you are just doing this to make up for kissing me today!! Well, you can drop the act. It’s not necessary.”

This time, it was Liam’s turn to be shocked, as he stood up as well. “You think this is about the kiss?”

“Isn’t it?” She asked, stepping back a step and crossing her arms over her chest.

“Of course not.”

“Then why did you apologize?” Her voice dropped.

Liam had the audacity to laugh right then. Buffy had to refrain from slapping him, which was difficult because she really wanted to. Noticing the murderous look on her face, he grew silent. “I apologized for losing my control. It doesn’t happen often. In fact, that might be the first time, but I shouldn’t have been so…forceful.”

“That’s all?”

“Yeah, baby, that’s all.”

“So, you liked kissing me?” She said, a sly smile on her face. She knew she was baiting him, but she really wanted a repeat performance. Badly.

“Yeah.” A little too much, he thought to himself. This woman was dangerous, and she didn’t know it. Which made her all the more trouble.

They stood there looking at each other for a few minutes before Buffy started to feel awkward for the millionth time that day. He didn’t kiss her again, which wasn’t good, but he was still in her hotel room, looking at her with unhidden passion in his eyes. She took her seat and decided to break the ice.

“So, what is it like, being a SEAL?”

He smiled, and then joined her back on the floor. “No better job on the planet.”

“That’s all?” She feigned surprise for his lack of words.

“No, but it’s kinda hard to explain to civilians.”

Buffy looked at him with pleading eyes, and he knew that he had to try to at least give her something. If he didn’t have anything more to say and she kept on looking at him like that, he would have no control over his actions with her. And he refused to lose control twice in one day.

“Well, every day is an adventure. There is not one continent that I have not seen or set foot upon during my time as a SEAL. I’ve seen the brilliant white tundra’s of Antarctica, the hot, humid jungles of the Amazon, beautiful beaches off Australia and New Zealand, frigid, icy waters off of Russia… I’ve been to it all. And I don’t regret a day of the hard work and dedication it took to get where I am right now.”

“Sounds great!!” She said, her eyes twinkling in interest.

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a pleasure cruise. I may see beautiful places, but it’s not a vacation. It’s a dangerous, often painful, job. There’s nothing pretty about it.”

“Oh.”

There was a heavy silence as memories bombarded his mind. All of the times he came within seconds of certain death. All of the men he killed, just to save his own life or the life of his squad. Always by the book. Even the death.

“So, how long did you have to train for this?” Her question broke his nightmarish thoughts.

“Well, basically, we never stop training, but we all have to go through BUD/S, Basic Underwater Demolition/ SEALs training. It lasts for 25 weeks, one of which being pure unadulterated work, known as ‘Hell Week.’”

“‘Hell Week?’ I’m not sure I want to know.”

“Seven days of grueling physical and mental tests that pushes you passed the body’s normal limits. During this week, the instructors only allow about 4-5 hours of total sleep, and that only starts on Wednesday.” He told her, straight-faced, serious.

“FOUR HOURS?! Tell me you are joking! If I get only four hours of sleep in one night you don’t want to be around me the next day or I might just kill you.”

“It wasn’t a cake walk, by any stretch.”

There was another pause, as Buffy began to realize just what kind of man Liam McDaniel was. It was obvious he lived and breathed his job. Just one more wall between them.

“Your parents must be really proud of you.”

Silence filled the room as Liam attempted to find words to say. “I guess so…”

“You guess so?! My God, if my son went through all of that… I, make that any mother, wouldn’t be able hug him enough.”

“My mother died when I was five. I barely remember what she looked like,” he retorted stoically, obviously not wanting to say too much.

“I’m sorry, Liam,” Buffy said sympathetically as she placed her hand on top of his.

Liam looked deep into her bright hazel eyes, feeling himself being lost in their depth. “Thanks,” he said with a small smile.

Returning his smile, she changed the subject quickly. “So, are you ready for tomorrow night?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he shrugged. “Won’t be all that difficult in my opinion, just taking one woman out to dinner.”

“I wouldn’t start making assumptions yet,” Buffy smiled and shook her head.

“Why’s that? It can’t be that bad.”

“Wait ‘til you actually meet Cordelia Chase. Then, we’ll talk.”

Part 9

Buffy saw to a few administrative situations before heading back to Liam’s room to check up on his preparation for the evening. Physically she was away from him, but her mind kept on returning to the scorching kiss that they shared. At least two times the person that she was speaking to had to ask if she was feeling alright because her mind would suddenly wander to her memory and she would stop listening to them.

Repeatedly she checked the watch on her wrist to make sure she had time to visit Liam before the outing with Cordelia. An hour or so before the limousine was coming to pick up ‘the couple’ for their fancy dinner, Buffy went to see Doyle to see if he needed to some message relayed to the lieutenant.

Rapping quietly on the Admiral’s hotel room, Buffy heard a rough “Come in” from inside before letting herself into the room.

“Ah, Miss Summers, just the person I wanted to see,” Doyle greeted in a friendly manner when he saw his guest walk through his door. “I wanted to ask you if you were highly informed about the relationship between the Prince and this Chase woman.”

“Open book,” she said shortly with a grin on her face.

“Oh good, I was afraid that Angel would have to go in there, having to wing some moments that he would not have been specifically briefed on.”

“Angel?” Buffy wondered aloud.

“Liam’s code name.”

“May I ask why?”

“Long story, you’ll have to ask him.” Doyle’s explanation was short and Buffy knew not to push the officer into saying anything.

“What do you need me to do tonight?” she asked breaking the brief silence.

Turning his back from her, he moved over towards a few electronic devices lying upon the small table next to him. Buffy watched him as he picked up a small, what looked like a piece of plastic, turned back around and handed it to Buffy.

Taking it in her palm, she looked down at what he gave her. “What is it?”

“It’s an earcom. With that on him, you can hear everything that is discussed and he can hear everything you say back to him without being too loud that others will be able to pick up the sound.” Doyle paused briefly to allow Buffy to examine the comm. “You will be wearing a head set that has been set up in the conference room and will be able to help Angel through some sticky bits of information that would help him convince everyone that he is the Prince.”

“Is he supposed to have one of these things?”

“This device is just standard equipment for operatives on missions. It keeps us in contact with him at all times and to answer your question, it is better to have the earcom then not to have it.”

Buffy nodded her head and closed her fist around the device. “Be careful with that thing, it’s worth tens of thousands of dollars,” he informed her.

“That much?!” she sounded appalled.

“Where do you think all the money goes when you pay your income taxes?”

“Aaaaah,” Buffy sighed in understanding. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful with it.”

“Well, you better get going. Their dinner reservations are in less than an hour.”

Buffy turned to walk out but Doyle spoke quickly stopping her in her tracks. “I’ll meet you in the conference as soon as you get the ear piece to Liam and help you set up all the equipment on your end.”

“Thanks,” Buffy said before making her way to Liam’s room.

~ ~ ~

Buffy stood momentarily before Liam’s door straightening out her outfit that had been rumpled over the day’s wear. Knocking softly, she cracked the door open only to hear his voice as he talked on the phone.

“Yeah, that should be fine. I’ll be ready…” she heard his voice waft towards her.

“Liam?” she called out to him gently.

“Gotta go, Doyle. Talk to you later,” Liam sputtered quickly before returning the phone to its receiver. “Buffy, come on in…” he invited her to step away from the door that she was still holding.

Buffy stepped forward only to stop dead in her tracks when she saw Liam in him impeccably tailored black suit that seemed to cling to all the right places. She couldn’t breath when she saw how amazingly gorgeous he looked in those clothes. This could be a problem. The Prince would have never looked this good.

Oh My God.

“Buffy, you alright?” Liam asked with one eyebrow raised on his forehead. A faint smile clung to his lips as he watched her standing there, looking completely breathtaking, with her mouth open staring at him, like she wanted to devour him. Not that he mind that sentiment, it just made him smile.

“You look good,” she finally said as she brought her eyes to meet his. “Doyle wanted me to give this to you.” Reaching her hand out and handed him the earpiece.

“Who will be on the other end?”

“Yours truly,” she said openly. “Doyle said that it would be wise to have someone who is close to the prince be right there with you just in case you find yourself in a bind during your conversation. I will promise you that it won’t be an intelligent conversation, but she might bring up something personal that we have yet to brief you on.”

“Thanks,” Liam said, taking the piece from her hand, making sure he took his time to brush her fingers with his own. Promptly he placed it inside his ear so that it was not visible at all.

“Who were you talking on the phone to?”

“Doyle just called me to make sure that I would get the device from you. But as you can see, no problems there,” Liam said smoothly even though the feeling crawling up Buffy’s back was telling her that he wasn’t telling her the truth. But she knew now was not the time to call him on that she kept her thoughts to herself.

“So are you ready for tonight?”

“Like I said before, how hard can it be?”

~ ~ ~

Standing in the elevator on the way down to the lobby, Liam suddenly heard the earpiece come to life and he heard Buffy’s lilting voice on the other end. “Liam? Can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear.”

“Good because if it didn’t work, you would probably run into a big hunk of metal lying on the ground that was just thrown out the window when you head outside.”

Liam laughed at her words, thinking that she probably could do that if she really wanted to. “So do you know where I’m supposed to meet Cordelia?”

“Call her Cordy, that’s what Sean calls her.”

“Thanks.”

“You should see her…” Buffy was cut off as soon as she heard the sound of the elevator doors opening and Liam grunt.

As soon as the doors opened, a woman who Liam had seen in one of the pictures he had to study launched herself into his arms and brought his head down to meet her lips in a kiss. She forced her tongue quickly down his throat and suddenly he felt the urge to gag.

“Sean, baby, I missed you!” Cordelia greeted Liam dramatically when she pulled back to look into his eyes.

“And I introduce you to one Miss Cordelia Chase…” he heard Buffy whisper in his ear.

Still holding the brunette in his arms, Liam retorted back to Cordelia in his perfect imitation of Sean’s unique accent, “I missed you, too.”

“So where are you taking me tonight?” Cordy asked.

“Chez Luis, and after that, wherever you would like to go.”

“Good comment. She likes it when Sean lets her wear the pants in decision making,” Buffy commented.

Cordy looped her arm in his, then lead him away from the elevator to the outside where they climbed into the back of a waiting limousine. She quickly leaned up against him, not taking her hand off of him for one second.

“Just a little FYI for you, Cordy recently auditioned for a position in one of the lesser name soap operas. You might want to ask her about how it went,” Buffy suggested.

“So, Cordy, how did your audition go?” Liam asked.

“Oh it went wonderful!!!” Cordy screeched in excitement making the earpiece squeal with the sound. “The night before I practiced how I would introduce my lines in front of the mirror and I took my own breath away with how well I was doing.”

“What did you read from?”

“I looked over the script for the play ‘Singing in the Rain’ and I read a few lines from Lina LaMont’s part specifically from the scene where she threatens the movie company with a lawsuit. I just had to do that scene. It was such a travesty that the company was going to claim that another person did all her talking and singing.”

“It wasn’t her voice in the movie though.” Liam asked.

“That doesn’t matter,” she said in defense. “It was she that you saw on the screen not some no name Charleston dancer. She should have gotten the credit no matter what. Her appearance was the most important part not the talking and singing.”

“Are you sure you can handle this highly intelligent conversation?” Buffy asked and Liam knew that she was laughing.

“Help…” Liam whispered, only to hear Buffy laugh harder.

“Did you say something?” Cordy asked as she stroked Liam’s thigh.

“We’re here,” Liam said quickly and basically jumped from the back of the limousine to get away from her.

“Remember to get her side of the door,” Buffy warned.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he said stoically then went around the other side to open Cordy’s door for her.

The hostess quickly seated them and Liam quickly put up the menu so that he wouldn’t have to talk to her for a second. But she didn’t take the hint and placed her hand on top of the menu and pulled it down so they could continue their conversation.

“So as I was saying, I could just tell that I totally enraptured them in my audition. I know I’ll get the part. The judges didn’t allow me to finish all what I was going to say, but I know they saw raw, incredible talent from just the few words I said that they really didn’t need to see any more.

“Plus, I had them rolling on the floor with a joke. I think they were utterly enthused with the many layers that I have.”

“Layers like an onion, be cautious she has been known to make even the most steady men break down into tears from listening for too long,” Buffy commented.

“Do you want to hear the joke?” she asked.

“No, I think the waiter…”

Ignoring his interruption, Cordy continued, “Why did the chicken cross the road?”

“To get to the other side?” he answered.

“No, silly,” she laughed and stroked his arm that was lying on the table. “To get to the 50 percent off sale at Nordstrom’s.”

It took awhile for Liam to actually choke out a laugh, but successfully he did so. “That was perfect!”

Cordy continued to laugh for a good five minutes before she finally began to quiet down. Pulling her purse from under her chair, she said, “Excuse me for a second, Sean, for I must powder my nose.”

Liam watched her back as she left and as soon as was no longer in sight, he groaned, “I’m in hell,” he said quietly making sure he didn’t make any scene in the restaurant. He talked softly so that no one would hear him besides the woman on the opposite end of the earpiece.

“So I guess you are enjoying yourself?” Buffy asked innocently.

“I won’t make too many complaints at this time, just wait till I see you next. I might just make your mind explode with all the details.”

“You sound like you are having a little bit of difficulty over there. Was it you or me that said that this was going to be a cake walk?”

“I never thought you would be a person to say, ‘I told you so.’”

“Layers, it’s all about the layers,” she laughed.

“She’s coming back, I’ll talk to you later.”

“You be a good boy over there and I want to enjoy the rest of the night,” Buffy said in her sweetest voice.

He growled at her and he heard her laugh again.

For the rest of the evening, Liam could count on one hand how many words he had said that night. Cordelia monopolized the entire conversation while Liam held a firm grip on the handle of his butter knife, ever few seconds feeling the urge to jam it into his thigh. The only thing keeping him partially sane was the sound of Buffy’s voice in his ear when she wanted to say some snide comment that made him crack the only smiles that were true the entire night.

“Oh My God, I’m so full it is not even funny!!” Cordelia groaned and leaned back in her chair. Liam looked down at her plate and noticed the only thing that the woman ate was the parsley garnish on the side for decoration; he on the other hand ate his entire meal so quickly so that they could leave right away.

“You barely ate a thing,” Liam commented.

“Appearance is everything, one bite of lettuce goes straight to my hips. I have to keep this radiant body or my career has no chance of starting.”

Liam bit his lip from making any sort of comment and watched the waiter as he left the check on the table. Pulling out enough cash for the bill and the tip, Liam praised the brief silence that they were experiencing at the moment.

“So where are you taking me now?” Cordy asked.

‘How about a cliff where I can push you off…’ “I don’t care, where would you like to go?”

“How about your hotel room?” Cordy lowered her voice and attempted to purr.

Liam nodded his head and waited patiently for the waiter to pick up the money. He held up her coat and helped her into the sleeves right before they headed out of the restaurant towards the hotel.

They climbed into the limousine one more time with Cordelia still talking incessantly. “Sean, which way is the driver taking us?” she asked him when she looked out the window and noticed that the way the driver was going was not the way to the hotel. That question broke through his slight catatonia.

~ ~ ~

Suddenly, Buffy could hear nothing in her headset. She couldn’t even hear Liam breathing.

“Liam, are you there??” Buffy asked in her headset. No response came to her. “Liam!” she cried louder then heard only static on his end of the connection.

“What’s going on, Buffy?” Doyle asked from behind her.

“Something’s wrong…”

~ ~ ~

“I don’t know…” he muttered then yelled, “Hey!!! Where are we going!?”

The glass barrier between the passengers and the driver slowly came down only to show the barrel of a gun pointing at Liam. “Excuse me for the weapon, but I find it necessary,” the driver apologized roughly.

“You can have me, just let her go,” Liam offered with conviction.

“Now, why would I do that???”

“If you have any hint of humanity in you, you will let her go.”

Slowly, the limo came to a decelerated speed. “Get Out!!!” the voice commanded.

Cordy remained firmly in her seat, only to have Liam reach across her body to open her door and push her gently out the door. One of her shoes fell off into the limo as she rolled across the rain-covered road.

She suffered only minor scrapes and bruises before she got up off the ground and began to run towards the sidewalk. Her hair hung limply around her face, she looked up to see the street sign, knowing that Sean’s hotel room was only a few blocks away in the other direction from the way the car sped off to. Limping on one shoe, she hobbled her way to the hotel.

Once inside and out of the rain, she ran literally straight into Willow.

“Willow!!!” she screeched.

“My Gosh. What the heck happened to you???”

“THEY TRIED TO KILL ME!!!!!”

Willow pulled out her cell phone and called up to Buffy’s room to have her come downstairs as quickly as possible.

Buffy’s legs carried her more quickly than they have ever done in her life. As soon as she saw a rain soaked Cordelia and no Liam, a horrible pain centered in the pit of her stomach. “Cordy, what happened?!”

“THEY TRIED TO KILL ME!!!”

“Where’s Sean?” she asked.

“THEY TRIED TO KILL ME!!!!” Cordy repeated. “And what’s worse, is that I lost one of my four thousand dollar snake skin shoes!”

“Cordy, I’m going to ask you again… Where’s Sean?!” Buffy basically screamed.

TBC…

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