Title: Wolf Pack
Chapter Title: The Cafe
Author: Baby Blues
E-mail: purely_blissful@hotmail.com
Rated: NC-17
Disclaimer: Not mine, but the story is.
Summary: Buffy and Angelus take a break from their day to have some lunch in which they learn a few more things about each other's pasts.
Dedication: To Mic, who had to walk all the way down the stairs just to call Tin. Sorry, babe. Lol
Exerpt:
~Angelus: So, what's your story with Spike?
~Buffy: Why do you want to know?
~Angelus: Call me curious.
~Buffy: . . . How 'bout jealous?
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"George, I can't. I'm sorry. My wife and I are driving to UCLA tomorrow for our daughter's graduation," Henry explained as he looked up and waved at the two new strangers who had just walked through the door.
"Well, who's going to do it now? I've called everyone I know, and they're either busy or unavailable for one thing or another," George Johnson said gruffly through the phone, "I'm telling you, they just don't want to put up with those damn kids."
'No kidding there,' Henry thought silently and watched as the pair lightly argued about getting either ham or steak. He smiled at the sight. 'Ah, young love.'
"Ask around," George continued to grumble on the phone, "Call me if you find someone able to put up with a class of juniors."
Henry smiled. "You got it," he said and hung up the phone with a sigh. He looked at the couple and gave them a friendly hello. His wife had called him ten minutes earlier saying something about the two foreigners that were making their way down the street, and telling him to be nice for they were a wonderful twosome.
"What can I do for ya today?" he asked brightly.
"Five pounds of ham and ten pounds of steak," Angelus answered.
Henry quirked an eyebrow. "That's a whole lotta meat for two very fit people," he commented wittily as he set off to work.
Angelus chuckled. "That's exactly what your wife said, but in different wordings," he replied.
Henry smirked at the mention of his wife. For twenty-five years he had to put up with her and vise versa . . . yet here they were, still standing tall and proud . . . still in love and together. And these two would make a lovely pair, just as Carol said on the phone. And from the way the stood together and stole glances of each other, he knew how in love they were.
"Henry Matthews," he introduced himself, taking a liking on them both instantly. Carol was right, he was as much of a romantic as her.
"Angelus O'Connor, and my fiancé, Buffy Summers-Giles."
"It's a pleasure," Henry said, beaming at the thought that these two would soon marry. "Is it possible that one of the two of you or maybe your family members are free tomorrow? I have a job opening available, and it needs to be filled by seven tomorrow morning."
Buffy perked up from the thought. A job? She slightly rejoiced at the thought of actually doing something other than staying in at the mansion and doing nothing in particular. Being cooped up in the immense building wasn't exactly all hugs and puppies. Especially when Angelus was around.
"What kind of job?" she asked.
"A substitute for the high school. Biology to be exact," Henry answered, sizing up the girl and immediately concluding she was either too young or too frail to handle a bunch of sixteen and seventeen year olds. Plus, the girl was too pretty, the young men would be jumping like a bunch of hooligans before she even stepped completely in the room.
Buffy smiled. "It's your lucky day. I happen to have nothing great going on tomorrow," she said excitedly as the butcher wrapped the fresh steak in paper.
Henry frowned. "Aren't ya a bit young?"
"I graduated high school at sixteen and graduated from Icatha College just this year," she explained. "I have a degree in zoology. I was going to be a trainee at the Pennsylvania Zoo, but things came up. But it works perfectly."
"I'll take it up with the advisor, but I won't guarantee a thing," he said, but smiled at her barely concealed excitement. He packed the rest of the meat and handed them to Angelus before the young man paid.
"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you kids. Don't get into trouble now."
Buffy smiled. "Who? Us?" she said before the pair walked out the door with a new added bounce to her step.
"You're not the teacher type," Angelus stated firmly as they walked to the car he had parked at the end of the street.
"Then what type am I?" Buffy asked expectantly.
"My type."
She rolled her eyes and helped him place their groceries in the trunk of the car. "What else are we getting?" she asked, silently rejoicing when he took her hand in his as they walked off to another street.
"Candy."
"Candy? What for?"
Angelus smirked. "I have a sweet tooth that can only be satisfied by numerous amount of sugar. If it doesn't, I get irritated and can't go to sleep."
Buffy quirked a brow. "You've been lacking candy for a while now, huh?"
"Why do you ask?" he asked, amused.
"Cause you've been irritated for sometime now."
Angelus shook his head and sighed dramatically. "No, that's not it . . . It's just 'cause my mate keeps me half awake at night. Leaves me all tired and irritated in the morning," he whispered huskily in her ear, causing her to blush at the amused looks they were getting from the townspeople.
"You're a pain," she said, glaring at him lightly.
He just chuckled.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"So, what's your story with Spike," Angelus brought up bluntly.
"Why do you wanna know?" Buffy smirked.
"Call me curious," Angelus shrugged, sounding a little too casual about the topic.
"How 'bout jealous?" she asked wickedly and took a sip of her hot chocolate.
"Yeah, that too," Angelus said, deciding not to hide his immense jealousy when it came to the bleached blond ass.
His face suddenly hardened and his eyes darkened.
They sat in comfort at a café right after practically raiding the Chocolate Shop of all its sweets. Buffy had laughed as she watched Angelus slowly turn into an excited young boy as he prowled the isles for chocolates after chocolates of various kinds. It was an adorable memory, especially when he smiled, not those quirky grins he often gave, but a real genuine smile that she'd never seen before.
Buffy sighed and took a deep breath as she let the heat of the cup warm her hands. "He was my best friend," she stated simply as she looked around to study the café so she wouldn't have to look into his eyes. It was small and intimate espresso shop with two tables out front with a pair of dark blue umbrellas towering over it.
"That's all you're gonna tell me," he stated rather than asked as he studied her. Not only was he getting angry that Spike had suddenly become a sore subject for her to talk about, but it hurt to know that the Billy Idol wannabe had meant a lot to her . . . and still might do.
Buffy gazed at his eyes and found a mixture of emotions running through them like an orchestra playing continues melodies of tranquility and turbulence. "I really don't know what you want to know," she said softly, taking another sip of her drink.
"Did you love him?" Angelus asked, unconsciously clenching and unclenching his jaws at the thought of her feelings towards the man he loved to loath.
"I did," she nodded, not noticing the hostile look on Angelus' face. "At some level . . . I loved him deeply. He knew me and I knew him, he accepted me, and I did the same to him. For a long time, he was mine . . . and I was his."
"Do you still love him?" he asked, not intending to choke on the words just as he did.
Buffy stared at him. "Do you love me?" she asked instead, surprising him more than herself.
He was silent as he searched her eyes, looking for any sort of hint on what kind of answer she wanted. He loved her. He never knew it was possible, but at some point in time, he fell hard for her. But he didn't want to scare her away. They had only known each other for a couple of months . . . but what if she loved him back?
But it was too late to answer. Just as he opened his mouth to say 'Yes,' she had stood up from her seat and began her walk home, silent tears streaming down her cheek.
She had misunderstood his silence for a silent 'No,' and her heart constricted in utter pain at the fact that he didn't love her at all. She was a fool to believe anything else. He was Angelus. A werewolf who had met many different women, and who had bedded just as much . . . why would he fall in love with a small town girl who was too innocent for her own good?
And she walked on . . . her heart breaking with each step.
Continue to Chapter 17: The Teacher
Back to Chapter 15: The Conversations