A Soulless Slayer

Ch. 4 You're Leaving? Again?

"Wait. Your leaving? Again? You just got back?" Fred said more than a little hurt. 

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just..." Angel was at a lost for an explanation.

"It's Buffy." Cordelia finished for him. "Because you still love her."

And that's when it got really awkward for everyone who wasn't Angel or Cordy.

"Cody it's not that." Angel quickly said covering himself.

"Oh please! Yes it is. Don't try and play stupid with me. You still love her." Cordy spat at him.

"I'm not playing stupid. I spent forever up in Sri Lanka trying to..."

"Trying to what? Bring her back? Contact her? What? What were you doing up there?"

"I was....was..." damn her being right.

"Exactly. Go. Have a good time with your true love. Screw you. Oh and on that point; if you come back Angelus I myself will stake you." Cordy yelled as she stormed off to her room. A few seconds later Angel was in his. He had a cup of blood and was packing. All his other luggage was stolen by a Sri Lankan.

"Well, the sun is going to be up in less than an hour so..." Fred said trying to get rid of the remaining awkward in the air.

"Which means our little Corn Muffin won't leave till tomorrow." Lorne filled in for the others even though it was unnecessary.

"I thought he said to stop calling him pastries," Wes said to keep the conversation going as they walked to their rooms.

"Well old habits die hard, besides, our little Crumb Cake is too delicious to stop." Lorne joked as they all separated to their waiting rooms.

~~~

"Hey, guys," Buffy said as she came back into the Magic Box. "Sorry, I ran out. I just needed a minute."

"Y - you've been gone for an hour, though," Tara said. She was told about Angel a while ago and was worried for her friend.

"Yeah sorry. The minute got away from me. But I brought everyone some caffeinated goodness!" Buffy said putting down the coffees on the counters. Everyone got up and went to drink up some energy. "Except for you Dawnie, you get a smoothie," Buffy said smiling handing Dawn her favorite flavor.

Dawn's smile faded. No matter how much she liked smoothies over coffee she still wanted one like everyone else had. "Great, thanks."

"Where is Spike? Did he leave?" Buffy always felt off and anxious but with Spike, she felt calm again.

"Oh yeah. I scared him off." Xander said in his cocky man voice while drinking his coffee.

"More like pissed him off," Willow explained to Buffy's raised eyebrow.

"What did you do this time?" Buffy said as they all went to their spots; Buffy kicked her feet up on the table, Tara and Willow sat close together, Anya was leaning behind the counter, and Dawn was leaning in front of the counter.

"I just commented how that with Angel coming we might also get a visit from... from Angelus," Xander said, suddenly thinking his joke wasn't that funny.

"After that Spike got all huffy and puffy and left before he well..." Willow said trying to help explain the story of what happened.

"Before he could blow the shop down," Tara said with a giggle finishing her girlfriend's joke.

"Xander, that's not what's going to happen. He probably just wants to make sure it's really me and I'm really alive and doing okay." Buffy said while playing with her coffee lid.

"Oh yeah? Why didn't he do that months ago when you came back? Some soul-mate he makes." Xander said letting his everlasting hatred of Angel clear.

"Well, men just aren't good at calling: after dates, after sex, dead or alive, soulless or not. Men are stupid." Anya said with ease while taking another sip.

"Tell me about it." Willow, Tara, Buffy and Dawn all said with a laugh.

"Hey!" Xander said feeling a bit hurt.

"Oh, not you honey. Even though you never did call." Anya said trying to calm her man.

"Last night I found a nest of vamps. It was late so I let them be. I think Spike and I will swing by see if they are still there or what. If we don't take them out, you wanna help me kill 'em tomorrow? During lunch?" Buffy said to everyone inviting them not only to a killer lunch but also inviting in a new topic.

"Sounds like a plan Buff. Hey that vampire last night, the overly aggressive one, you stake him of what?" Xander said going along with the new topic.

"What? I didn't oh. I won yeah. This morning I threw him out in the sunlight." Buffy said with a smile picking up a book to look at. So many lies. Better start keeping better track of them. Or, of course, I could tell them about me and Spike. Hmmm me and Spike.' She trailed off into a fantasy of her...and Spike... with a bed... and handcuffs... and no cloths...