Chapter Seventeen

Full Disclosure

“Then Xander appeared wearing the tiniest the little swim trunks you could possibly imagine.” Cordelia said as everyone laughed at the image.

“Cordy I don’t think that’s something I want to know.” Angel said as he got up and walked over to the fireplace stoking it.

Dawn giggled, “I would’ve liked to have seen that.”

“Believe me Dawn it was quite a sight.” Cordy said laughing the image still clear in her mind as if it was yesterday.

All of a sudden the doors were thrown open and everyone jumped as they slammed against the wall. Angel spun around to see a deadpanned Buffy dragging a bloody Kate behind her, followed by an embarrassed Willow and a blond girl that he didn’t know.

“Holy Shit!” Cordelia said as she stood up.

“Good Lord!” Wesley stood up warily watching the Slayer drag her victim in by her feet.

Spike looked from the bloody woman to Buffy then to Angel’s infuriated face. “Always a thing for the blondes eh mate?”

Angel kept his eyes on his mate, “Shut up!” He sneered at him.

“Buffy what happened?” Dawn asked as she tried to step closer to her sister, only to be stopped by Spike.

Buffy didn’t stop or acknowledge anyone her only thought was to get answers from her lying lover. She stomped up to him and dropped Kate’s feet. She looked at him condemning him with her eyes, all the hurt and anger she felt staring him down.

Angel stared back at her angry too. He looked down at Kate who was just starting to wake up and was shaken; the evidence of the bloody beating Buffy had given her almost seemed unreal to him. He was shocked to witness the extent of her anger and pain, and that she could so easily hurt another human being this badly. He hadn’t let himself believe just how far she had fallen but here it was, the consequences of his actions and her usual Buffy lashing out.

Kate groggily opened her eyes moaning. She looked around the room, she was lying on a hard cold stone floor and there were people around her, Cordelia and Wesley she recognized but the others she didn’t know; a young girl, a blonde and a redhead, and some blonde guy with striking blue eyes. She looked up and saw the blonde monster that attacked her and then she saw her lover. “Angel? Where…where am I?”

He looked back at Buffy who stood stone still waiting for something, he guessed answers, but he had is own questions that he wanted answered first. He took a step closer to her and spoke harshly sneering at her. “Jesus Buffy what the hell are you doing?”

“Angel?” Kate asked again.

Annoyed that he had to now deal with a beaten cop who also happened to be his scorned ex-lover, he sighed heavily and leaned down to help her up. This was trouble plain and simple, trouble that he didn’t need right now.

Buffy’s face was beet red as she watched him help Kate up. Once again she was being pushed aside for another woman. Is this how he would always treat her, the supposed love of his life?

“Explain!” She demanded in a deceptively quiet tone.

Ignoring her demand, Angel helped Kate over to the couch. He sat her down and picked up her face, carefully turning it side to side to see the extent of her bruises. Her entire face was swollen it was a miracle that she could even see because her eyes were slits and nothing more. He cursed under his breath, definitely not good.

Buffy watched his hands as they touched Kate’s face she saw the closeness of their bodies and the image of them making love played in her mind. She was blinded by rage and jealously so she didn’t notice how detached Angel was in his assessment of the other woman’s wounds, to Buffy it looked like Kate was someone special to him, and it enraged her even more. “EXPLAIN!” Her voice screeched out.

Cordelia inched closer to get a good look at Kate and when she saw the damage that Buffy had inflicted her respect toward the slayer went up another notch and she whistled her appreciation. “Nice work Buffy.”

“Cordelia shut up!” Angel sneered at the brunette.

He got up and faced Buffy. “What the hell did you do?”

Buffy was stunned he was blaming her again! “What did I do? I don’t believe this! You’re asking me what I did when the real question is what did you do?”

“Me! You’re the one that practically killed a cop!” He yelled as he gestured toward Kate.

“A cop?” Dawn asked confused looking at Cordelia.

“Yeah she’s our local snoopy police officer and she’s also…”

Angel’s head quickly spun around to Cordelia, his eyes promising brutal retribution if she didn’t obey him, “SHUT UP!” He sneered at her.

Cordelia shrunk under that gaze closing her mouth immediately.

“No don’t shut up Cordy, she‘s also what?” Buffy turned to the brunette waiting for her answer.

Cordelia felt like a rabbit stuck in a whole. “Ah…she’s ah…”

“Save it…” Buffy dismissed the cheerleader and turned her cold gaze to Angel “…I already know. “

“Who is she?” Dawn asked Spike who just shrugged. He knew what was going on but he didn’t want to get involved in this and he knew for sure that it was no place for Niblet either. The shit was going to hit the fan here and it was no place for innocent ears.

He stood up and took her arm. “Come on Dawn let’s go get something to eat.” He dragged her out of the room toward the kitchen.

Dawn struggled in his grasp looking back over her shoulder at the two people who stood staring death at each other. “But I want to know what’s going on!” She whined.

Spike just dragged her away. “No you don’t.” He told her.

“I think I’ll come too I’m suddenly starving.” Cordelia said as she quickly followed them out of the room.

Wesley looked at Willow and Tara who nodded their head.

“Come on Kate how about some ice for your face.” Wesley said as he took her arm and Willow and Tara took the other as they left the room.

Once again the estranged lovers were left alone staring at each other. The tension in the air was thick and heavy, thoughts of betrayal and passion seeping out from both.

Buffy stared at his handsome face and started to crack, the rage and jealousy faded and the hurt and pain filled her. She felt like she was going to snap into a million shattered pieces. She couldn’t believe that she had actually let herself believe him again. She was so stupid she should have known that she couldn’t trust him. “You lied to me.” Her eyes condemned him as they silently filled with tears.

He watched as her emotions did a complete 180 from rage to hurt. He sensed that she was on the verge of breaking and he calmed his own anger and lowered his voice, trying to calm her down. “No I didn’t lie, she’s not my girlfriend.”

“Well she seems to think she is.”

He took a step closer to her he knew that she didn’t believe him. “Buffy she’s not my girlfriend I swear.”

How could he stand there and lie to her face! Her anger returned and she screamed at him. “Then what is she your fuck buddy?”

Now he got mad again, wasn’t she calling the kettle black? He took a menacing step closer. “Just like Finn was your fuck buddy. Come on Buffy don’t be a hypocrite!”

She coldly laughed at him. “I’m a hypocrite! Oh this is just fucking priceless! You sent me packing so I could fuck normal guys remember?”

He growled he didn’t like being reminded of that foolishness. “Yeah and what was I supposed to do jack off the rest of my life! I have needs too you know!”

She was wildly shaking her head. “You lied! I asked you if there was someone else and you said no!” Tears threatened to spill out of her green orbs but she held on to her anger she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of hurting her again.

“THERE IS NO ONE ELSE! Yes I slept with Kate a few times but then I ended it before I came here!”

She threw her hands up in the air and started to pace. “Yeah, like I’m going to believe that! What was the plan Angel? You come back here make all nicey-nice with me so you can redeem your soul then go back to LA and fuck her guilt free?”

He snarled and roughly grabbed her by the shoulders spinning her around. The demon came to the surface with his anger and his face shifted, he picked her up to bring her eye level. “There was no plan Buff! I came back here because I love you! I told Kate we were over. I can’t help it if she followed me here!”

“Bullshit! You came back here out of guilt and nothing more! You don’t love me if you did you wouldn’t have slept with her!”

“Like you slept with Riley? What was that! Didn’t you just tell me how he took you in a graveyard the other night!”

“This isn’t about me! You knew about Riley! You were the one that pushed me away! This is about you lying to me again! This is about how you always seem to think that you know what’s best for me! Protect Buffy she’s just a stupid little girl that doesn’t know any better!”

She pushed him away. “Well guess what Angel I do know what’s best for me…and you’re not it!” She ran away and out of the mansion.

Angel quickly grabbed his jacket and ran after her. There was no way she was walking away from this one. They were finishing this tonight once and for all. He didn’t care if he had to tie her up for a month to do it.

In the kitchen Dawn’s ear was pressed up against the door.

“It’s not nice to eavesdrop Dawn.” Cordelia said as Wesley looked at her like the hypocrite she was. “What?” she said all innocently.

Dawn stepped away and huffed. “They’re gone. Buffy ran out and Angel followed her hot on her trail.”

“Don’t worry Dawnie they’ll work things out.” Willow said and Tara nodding her agreement even though she wasn’t too certain about that.

Spike snorted, but then fell silent under Willow’s stern gaze.

Kate sat in a chair with an ice pack on her swollen face. She was embarrassed and pissed off. “What kind of demon was that?” She asked irritably.

Removing the ice pack she opened her eyes and shrunk slightly in her chair seeing six pairs of irritated eyes gazing at her.

“She’s not a demon lady.” Dawn said. “She’s my sister.”

“She’s the Slayer.” Tara said.

Spike eyed Kate coldly, “…and Angelus’ mate.”

Kate turned confused eyes to the quite blonde. “What the hell is a Slayer?” Then swung her gaze to Spike, “…and what do you mean mate?”

Cordelia huffed and got up walking over to pour some coffee. “You just couldn’t leave it alone could you Kate? You had to follow us here and start trouble. You’re lucky Buffy didn’t kill you.”

“What a minute I didn’t start trouble she did!”

Cordelia snorted at her. “Kate you’re so full of it. Buffy didn’t even know you existed until you showed up and told her!”

Willow sat forward in her chair, “So you weren’t lying, you really are Angel’s girlfriend. And you told Buffy that?” Willow was floored over that someone could be that stupid.

Cordelia threw her hands up in the air. “See…I mean really how stupid could you be?”

“Apparently pretty stupid.” Spike said.

Kate swung around to him. “Who the hell are you?”

Spike just shrugged and Dawn answered. “He’s family.” She smiled warmly at him as he squeezed her hand.

Wesley walked up to her. “Kate you can’t stay here you have to go back to LA.”

She looked at him dumbly. “Why? He’s my boyfriend and I’m not letting him go that easy. Besides she attacked a police officer I might just want to press charges!”

Cordelia rolled her eyes at the woman’s stupidity.

Spike abruptly stood up and walked over to her. He leaned down putting his hands on the arms of the chair so they were eye to eye. He didn’t need to take a big whiff to smell Angelus on her and he shook his head in disgust. “Sweetheart you have no idea what you’re dealing with so I would listen to the bookworm and leave town.”

Kate being the harden cop didn’t back down under his cold gaze. “You can’t intimidate me bleach boy.”

Spike smiled his face was one of pure innocence. “I bet I can.” His features shifted revealing his true face and Kate jumped back in her seat shocked as she stared into his empty golden eyes.

“Spike.” Willow’s low warning was heard and heeded as his yellow gaze swung to the red head. “You people never let me have any fun.” He complained and Willow gave him her ‘resolve face’.

Sighing his disappointment he turned back to Kate.

“See the facts are like this, Buffy is not a demon she’s a Vampire Slayer and she’s Angelus’ mate. You can’t get in between that, it’s just the way it is. Now if my suspicions are correct, Angelus has come out to play and reclaim his mate.” He lifted his hand to grab a piece of her hair. He lifted it up to his face smelling it. “Believe me you don’t want to be in the way of a master vampire trying to retrieve his mate. It could get very unpleasant, at least for you that is.”

“Spike’s right Kate this is no place for you. Angel already told you this. I suggest you go back to LA and forget about him.” Wesley said.

“Yeah because Buffy won’t like it and she just might finish the job!” Dawn said proudly as Cordelia, Willow and Tara shook their heads in agreement.

Spike backed away his face shifting back to his human form.

“Kate I think it’s best that you leave now. Maybe Spike would be kind enough to give you a ride.” Wesley suggested as he turned to Spike.

“What am I a Johnny Cab?” He asked as Willow smacked him on the back of the head. “Ouch red!”

Kate abruptly stood up, there was no way she was riding back to LA with a vampire she didn’t know, but who was clearly as crazy as the rest of them. “That’s okay, I can make it back to my car.”

She walked toward the door and stopped turning around she faced Wesley. “Tell Angel…”

Tell Angel what she thought, he obviously cared more for that Buffy girl then he did for the fact that she practically killed Kate, so what the hell was there too say. “…um…never mind.” She left dejected without another word.

“Good riddance.” Cordelia snickered as she happily drank her tea.

Chapter Eighteen