Title: The Real World
Authors: Melody (Scully574@aol.com) & Erana (Erana4568@aol.com) Distribution: Not sure, E-Mail us and we’ll let you know! Spoilers: NONE! Disclaimer: Buffy characters belong to Joss, Dawson characters belong to Kevin, story borrows the setting of the MTV show The Real World. Feedback: Of Course! Authors Note: If you’ve never seen the show The Real World, it’s on MTV. A bunch of people are picked to live in a house together. Their every move is videotaped for public display. There’s also something called “confessions”. That’s when one person sits in a small room with the cameraman and talks about what’s going on. The others don’t hear it until the show actually airs. We tried to figure out what would happen if Buffy, Angel, Xander, Willow, Dawson, Joey, Jen, and Pacey lived together? We’re gonna try not to involve the shows too much, just the characters. In case you wanted to know, yes, Angel is a vampire (with a soul of course!). And, IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING...Kendra is watching Sunnydale while the foursome is gone. (Erana says the Buffy fans would want to know that!)(And please don’t E-Mail us telling us that Kendra is dead...this is our fanfic, we do what we want!) ~*~*~*~*~*~ Dawson unlocked the door and held it open for Joey. They walked into the four bedroom townhouse and looked around. “Wow, this place is amazing,” Dawson said, checking out the living room. “Hey Joey, they got a pool table in here!” Joey, who was checking out the kitchen, called out to him. “Dawson, come here.” Dawson followed the sound of her voice and wandered into the kitchen. “What’s up?” Joey was looking outside the back door. “Check that out.” Dawson followed her stare through the siding glass doors. There was a huge swimming pool with a hot tub next to it. Dawson opened the back door and walked outside. “God, Joey, how did we get so lucky?” “We?” Joey said following him. “I’m the lucky one. You should just be grateful I invited you along.” “Come on Joe, who else were you gonna take?” “I don’t know. I’d find someone.” “Yeah, sure.” Dawson looked over the fence to see the beach and the water. “Joey, welcome to Long Island.” ~*~*~*~*~*~ Dawson and Joey were in the living room watching the big screen television. “Dawson, you’d think with this huge television and thousands of movies to watch, we could see something other than E.T.” “But we’ve never seen it on a television this big Joey. It adds something different. And the Surround Sound speakers? I could stay here forever.” “Well don’t get too used to it, other people will be here too.” As if on cue, they heard somene at the front door. “Wonder who that is,” Dawson said. “It’s almost four in the morning.” “Dawson, what if it’s not someone that’s supposed to be here.” Dawson got up and walked towards the front door. It was locked, but someone was unlocking it. Joey was peaking out the living room entrance. “They got a key Joey, I’m sure it’s okay.” The door opened. The couple walked in, some luggage sat outside. “Hi there. I’m Dawson, my slightly scared friend over there is Joey. Come on in.” “I’m Buffy, this is Angel.” Joey walked into the entranceway. They said their hellos. Joey and Dawson helped them with their bags and escorted them into the living room. “So,” Joey started, “how did you get into this?” Buffy spoke. “The producers came up to me at the Bronze, a local club where we’re from. Sounded like fun. Where you guys from?” “Capeside. Small town in Mass. You?” “Sunnydale, California.” Dawson sat up. “I saw the car. You guys drove here? It’s kind of a long drive from California to New York, isn’t it?” Angel cleared his throat. “I don’t like to fly.” Joey smiled. “Me either.” Buffy stood up. “So, whats the bedroom situation here?” Dawson shook his head. “We were too busy watching t.v., we didn’t even go upstairs, or downstairs.” Angel looked curiously, “downstairs?” “Yeah. We were told there was a basement bedroom.” “Guess I’ll take that one.” Joey looked at him. “Without even seeing it?” There was an uncomfortable silence that Buffy broke. “Angel has a weird skin condition thing. He can’t take too much sunlight.” Angel looked at Buffy thankfully. Dawson walked with Angel to find the basement while Joey went upstairs with Buffy. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Dawson lead the way and Angel followed him down into the basement, yawning slightly as he stepped down. “So, anyway,” Dawson started, “you and that girl, you’re together right?” Angel raised an eyebrow. “Yeah,” he answered shortly. “How’d you know?” “I could just sorta tell,” Dawson replied with a shrug, flicking on the light switch and surveying the basement. “This should work out okay,” he told Angel. The baesment was entirely finished, but there were no windows to be found, which was rather lucky for Angel, in any case. “Looks fine,” Angel replied, and wouldn’t have said anything else except for the fact that Buffy had warned him that crypticism and brooding were not allowed for the next few months. Still, it was a rather hard habit to break. “Who was that girl you were with?” he asked after a few minutes of trying to think of something to say. He was rather out of practice when it came to having normal conversations. “Her?” Dawson said, turning around to look at him. “That’s Joey,” he added with a slight shrug. “Your girlfriend?” Angel wondered. Dawson shook his head. “No, we’ve been friends forever,” he said by way of explanation. “Pretty much girlfriend-less nowadays. Messy break-up.” Angel nodded, wandering around the basement to see the television installed and cable hooked up. He couldn’t help but look around for a nice dark and broodable corner, and was pleased when he saw one in the corner across from the television. “Kinda dark down here,” Dawson commented. Angel shrugged, not at all bothered by the darkness of the basement. “I guess,” he replied shortly. Dawson looked at Angel for a moment, thoughtfully, then continued to explore. ~*~*~*~*~*~ “So, are you and Dawson together?” “Together as in couple?” Buffy nodded. “Nah, well, maybe. It’s kind of complicated. You and Angel?” “We’re together, but it’s also complicated.” They walked around checking out the bedrooms. Buffy took the cream colored one that reminded her of home. Joey decided on the room opposite Buffy’s, with the view of the water. Joey helped Buffy bring her stuff upstairs and then they raided the fridge. “So, who else is coming?” Joey finished the Dorito she was eating. “Dawson’s friend Pacey and his ex-girlfriend Jen.” “Why would Pacey bring his ex-girlfriend?” “Not Pacey’s ex, Dawson’s.” “What?” Buffy managed to say in between bites of her cheesecake. “And you still invited her? Talk about major complication.” “Yeah. But the four of us always hang out, and they’re really the only people I talk to. What about you?” “My best friends Willow and Xander. Willow’s a lot like you, kinda shy and quiet. You two should get along great.” “And Xander? Who’s that?” “Another friend of mine. Angel and Xander hate each other, though, so I wasn’t going to invite him, but Willow has a crush on him. I figured maybe if he was away from his girlfriend he’d get a clue.” “Playing matchmaker?” “I like to get into trouble. Just ask Angel.” “Ask me what?” Angel and Dawson came out of the basement. “Nothing,” Buffy said innocently. “Basement work out okay?” she asked of Angel, raising an eyebrow pointedly. “Fine,” Angel replied shortly. He and Buffy stared at each other for awhile. “Why don’t we go finish watching TV?” Dawson suggested, looking towards Joey and realizing that Buffy and Angel obviously wanted to be alone. Joey nodded and the pair turned to leave towards the living room. Buffy glanced at Angel, then towards the camera-man in the corner, unobtrusive, but there just the same. She walked towards them and cleared her throat. “Can you, uh, go, for a little while?” she asked, wanting some privacy. The cameraman shook his head, firmly. “I’m not supposed to,” he answered. Buffy glared at him, her famous Slayer fury kicking in. “Look,” she said flatly, “We’ve been driving for two days, and we haven’t gotten to have any fun. Do you know what I mean?” “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m not allowed to leave,” he told her. Buffy’s eyes flashed dangerously, and she took a step forward. “Buffy,” Angel said quietly from behind her, but she ignored him, advancing on the cameraman. “Is this a porn channel?” she demanded. “I want to have some privacy with my boyfriend to do certain things. And I’m not into being video-taped. So go away!” The cameraman sighed and closed his eyes. “Fine,” he answered shortly. “But this can’t be a regular thing.” “We’ll get a hotel next time,” Buffy promised, pointing towards the door. The cameraman turned and left, and Buffy sighed as she sat down tiredly. “Geez! Talk about living under a microscope.” She rolled her eyes. “We’d better be careful.” Angel nodded. “You’re right,” he agreed quietly. “I’ll warn the others when they get here. And moving onto other topics, what are you going to do?” she wondered. “I mean, how do you plan on getting . . . you know . . . and keeping it . . . and what about when everyone eats? Maybe this was a bad idea.” “Relax,” Angel told her reassuringly. “I’ll manage.” “You’ll manage?” she repeated, obviously not at all comforted. “With cameras all around where are you going to go to . . . ya know, eat?” “I doubt they video-tape people people going to the bathroom,” Angel answered, and Buffy nodded in agreement. “Okay, and storage?” she asked, refusing to stop her interrogation until she knew Angel would be alright. “I have enough for two months with me,” he told her. “I’ll worry about getting more when the time comes.” “Well, that’s covered,” she said with a sigh. “But what about meals and stuff?” “I can eat,” he answered with a slight shrug. “It’s not exactly fun, but I can. Just as long as it’s not meat, I should be okay.” “So we’ll just say you’re a vegeterian,” Buffy told him, yawning slightly. Angel’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you tired?” he asked. “When did you do any driving?” Buffy glared at him. “Hey, I found hotel rooms with no sun,” she retorted, rolling her eyes. Then she looked around and smiled half-way. “Well, we’re alone, we have some privacy, I don’t see why we can’t have a little fun for a while,” she raised an eyebrow suggestively. Angel moved foward and they kissed passionately. And continued to do so until ten minutes before sunrise. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Joey rolled out of bed at ten that morning. She took a quick shower and walked downstairs to the kitchen. The rest of the house was asleep, except for the cameraman. “Don’t you guys ever sleep?” The cameraman laughed but continued rolling. “Oh, I get it. Can’t mingle with us common folk, huh?” She put on some coffee, not knowing if Angel or Buffy would want any. Considering Angel’s sunlight problem, she didn’t expect to see him for a while. The basement door opened and Dawson met up with Joey. “Good morning.” “Hey Dawson. Coffee?” He shook his head and sat down at the kitchen table. Joey decided to pour herself some coffee and sat down with Dawson. “So, have you done the confession thing yet?” Dawson rested his head on his arms. “No. Figured I’d wait till everyone was here. You?” “Probably do a brief one later. So how’s your roomate?” “Dead. That guy don’t make a sound when he’s sleeping.” “Lucky for you, huh?” “Yup.” Dawson got up and poured himself some orange juice. “When are Jen and Pacey getting here?” “Pacey said he had a twelve o’clock final. So after that they’ll be on their way. How come you didn’t want to room with Pacey?” “I’ve slept in the same room with Pacey before. I knew anything would be better than his snoring!” Buffy came downstairs and silently greeted Joey and Dawson. She got herself some coffee and sat down with the couple. “Sleep well everyone?” They both nodded. “So what are we talking about this morning while being invaded by nosy cameramen?” Joey spoke. “Confession. When the others were coming.” Buffy looked up at the huge Budweiser clock on the wall. “Xander and Willow had their last final yesterday. I gotta pick them up at the airport in a few hours. What are you guys doing later?” Dawson, back to his sleepy position on the table, grunted, “I don’t know.” Joey just shrugged. “I’ll probably hang out here today, check out the beach and stuff.” “So you’ll be here when I get back?” “Yeah. Angel will still be here, right?” “Angel isn’t going anywhere. He’s tired. Guess I’ll do a quick confession before I leave.” Buffy got up and walked back upstairs. “So Dawson, what are you doing today?” Dawson’s head perked up and gave Joey and evil grin. “I’ve got plans.” “Don’t give me that look Dawson, what’s going on in that head of yours?” “Okay, think about this. We’re here, in Sound Beach New York. We’ll eventually be on television for all to see. Wouldn’t this be the best opportunity to make a movie?” Joey rolled her eyes and sighed. “Dawson, we’re supposed to have fun this summer, not work.” “Come on Joey, if we get this movie going, then the whole world can watch us make it! Think about who watches this show. This could be the break I’ve been looking for!” “Okay, Dawson. We’ll talk about it later. Let’s get settled first, meet everyone else, and then we’ll talk about it.” Dawson didn’t notice the sarcasm in her voice. He was too excited about his ideas. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Buffy walked down the hallway to the “confessional” room, opened the door and stepped inside, turning on the lights and walking towards the chair as she wondered what to say. She pressed the red button and sat down, crossing and uncrossing her legs before clearing her throat. “Well,” she began, feeling slightly stupid sitting in a room talking to no-one, “it’s my first day here, and so far things have been okay. I like Joey, and Dawson seems alright, too. So . . . “ she trailed off, wondering what else she should say. “That’s really it. Not much has happened yet, but that’s probably a good thing. One thing I don’t like is the camera thing, but I did agree to this, so I guess I gotta live with it.” She sighed heavily. “Although it’s a little ridiculous. I mean I have to beg for ten minutes alone with my boyfriend? What sense does that make? Just because I agreed to do this thing doesn’t mean that I want someone watching my every movement, what is up with you people anyway, are you a bunch of voyeurs who managed to find some legal way to make money off your psychoness?” Buffy stopped suddenly and bit her lip, realizing that she was rambling and insulting her hosts at the same time. “Is there anyway to rewind this thing?” she wondered, then shook her head. “I’m guessing no. Do you have to air this? I’m guessing yes, right?” She rolled her eyes. “And I’m sitting here babbling to no one. Yeah, I’m not pathetic. I need to shut up now.” She stood, shut off the camera and walked out of the room. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Joey heard Buffy leave the confessional and decided it was time to get it over with. She entered the small room feeling slightly confined. She gathered her thoughts before turning on the camera. “Okay, well. Let’s see. First confession. So far, I guess everythings cool. Only cause Jen isn’t here yet. But I’ll hold my judgement for now and see how things go. Buffy seems pretty nice. I can see us getting along okay. Except for when she’s with Angel. I mean they’re a cute couple, but I think they’re gonna make me sick. Angel’s nice, when he talks. Dawson’s all hyped about making a movie now, abusing the fame this show’s gonna bring. Besides that, well, I guess there’s nothing else to say.” Joey stood up, shut off the camera, and left. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Buffy pulled up into the townhouse, Xander and Willow getting out before the car had even fully come to a stop. Buffy watched them walk into the house, the camera-man following them. She took a deep breath, unable to believe how nice it felt to be completely alone and unwatched. Then she shrugged and followed her friends into the house. Dawson looked up from his lunch as Xander and Willow came inside. “Hey,” he said, standing and shaking both of their hands. “I’m Dawson.” “Xander,” Xander said at the same time Willow replied with her name as well. They looked at each other and grinned before turning their attention back to Dawson and the girl behind him, who stood and introduced herself as well. “Now that that’s done,” Xander said, turning towards the fridge, “what’s there to eat in this joint?” “Not much,” Buffy answered, coming inside. “We definitely have to do some major shopping,” she added. “Mhmm,” Xander had already taken out the remains of the cheesecake Buffy had been eating the night before, and Willow rolled her eyes at Buffy, who grinned in return. “So, is this everyone?” Willow asked, sitting down across the table from Joey. “No,” Joey replied, “Pacey and Jen are on their way.” She took a sip from her soda and glanced towards Xander, who was still raiding the fridge before he hopped up onto the counter. “We have rooming set up yet?” Xander queried, looking towards Buffy for an answer. Buffy nodded. “Yeah, I’m in a room upstairs and so’s Joey, Angel’s in the basement with Dawson,” she supplied. Xander frowned. “Damn,” he muttered, “I was so hoping there’d be a spontaneous comb . . . “ His eyes widened as he stared at the cameraman. “Compaction!” he exclaimed. “A spontaneous compaction of the room thing.” Joey and Dawson looked at him strangely while Willow and Buffy both glared at him dangerously. Xander shrugged in apology and turned to go upstairs, making a hasty retreat. “He’s strange when he just gets off a plane,” Willow covered weakly, looking at Joey. Joey smiled back at her. “You want to stay in my room?” she offered. “It’s got a great ocean view.” “Sure,” Willow answered, “Let me just get my stuff from the back of the car. Buffy, can you, uh, help me?” It was obvious she wanted to have a private conversation and Buffy frowned, knowing she wouldn’t be able to have one as she followed Willow out. Willow turned around to say something to Buffy, but noticed the cameraman follow them out. She looked at Buffy, who just shrugged and whispered, “later.” They got Willow’s bags and brought them up to Joey’s room. Willow looked around the room, then drifted towards the window. Joey got the rest of the bags from the hallway as Buffy disappeared into the room Xander had selected. “So, nice view, huh?” “It’s really nice.” “So how was the flight?” “It wasn’t bad. Besides Xander snoring.” Joey laughed and placed the bags next to the spare bed. “So, did you want to share this room? I’ll understand if you wanted to room with Buffy. She just thought we’d get along.” “No, this room’s okay. Besides I think we’ll get along too. Who’s Buffy sharing a room with?” “Guess it’ll be her and Jen. They probably wont get along.” “Why not?” “Cause Jen’s a bitch, and Buffy’s nice.” “Don’t worry, Buffy doesn’t take too much from anybody.” Joey sat back down on her bed. Willow began putting some of her stuff in the dressers and Joey continued the conversation. “So tell me more about Angel.” “Angel? What about Angel?” “I don’t know, anything. Is he always this mysterious and quiet?” “Yeah, Angel’s quiet.” “It’s gotta be hard on him. Not going out in sunlight at all.” “You know about that?” Willow said nervously. “Buffy said it was a skin condition. I didn’t think it was a secret.” Willow laughed. “Yeah, skin condition. That’s Angel.” “Joey!” Dawson called from downstairs. “I’ll be down in a minute,” she yelled. “Guess I gotta go,” she said to Willow. “Oh, that’s okay. I still have to unpack. I’ll, um, see you later.” “Okay, I’ll be here.” Joey disappeared downstairs leaving Willow alone. ~*~*~*~*~*~ “We need to talk,” Buffy said angrily, slamming Xander’s door shut and whirling on him. Xander looked up from his packing in one of the empty rooms and frowned. “About?” he wondered. Buffy glared at him. “Look,” she said pointedly, trying to find a way to express her double meaning in camera-safe talk, “I know you have issues with Angel and me, but we’re going to be stuck here for god knows how long, and I’m not going to put up with it. I’m not going to let him put up with it. Do you understand me?” “Whatever you and your demon lo. . . demonstrator do is none of my business,” Xander retorted. Buffy grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her where she whispered quietly in his ear, “If you keep slipping up I swear to God I will stake you. We clear?” Xander pulled his arm away from the Slayer. “Fine,” he muttered. “I’m serious, Xander,” Buffy warned him again, more seriously and much more calmly. “For the first time in a long time, I’m away from, well, you know, and I plan on having fun during this little vacation, and you’re not about to get in my way, or Angel’s way. Understood?” Xander sighed. “I’m sorry. Okay?” he apologized. “I promise to be more careful from now on.” “Good,” Buffy answered, then she smiled slightly. “Sorry, too. But we need to remember we’re on camera even right now. You know what I mean.” “Yeah,” Xander admitted. “You’re right.” “Aren’t I always?” Buffy replied, grinning slightly. “Well, I’ll let you finish getting ready.” “Later,” Xander said with a slight wave as she left. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Joey came down the stairs and was greated by Jen. She hugged Joey, who took a step back. “You’re here, great.” Jen let go of the embrace and sat at the kitchen counter next to Dawson. “We just got here.” “Where’s Pacey?” “He’s out getting our stuff. So what’s the room situation?” Joey couldn’t help but smile. “You’ll be with Buffy. She’ll be down in a minute. And Pacey will be with Xander.” Jen looked at Dawson. “I feel weird coming out this late. Everyone already knows each other.” Xander came down the stairs with Buffy behind her. He spoke. “Don’t worry, I just got here too. Name’s Xander.” “Hey, Jen. Nice to meet you Xander.” Pacey came walking in with too many bags for him to carry. He dropped them all in the front hallway. “God Jen, what did you bring?” Pacey walked up to Joey and gave her a huge hug, picking her up off the floor. “I’ve missed you so much!” “Pacey, put me down!” She struggled, and he finally let her go. “How was your biology final?” “Easy, thanks to you.” Buffy interupted the welcome. “Hey, I’m Buffy.” “Hello,” Pacey said in his sexiest voice. Dawson stood up. “Relax Pace, her man’s downstairs.” “Oh, now what did you go and bring him for?” Buffy smiled. Willow came downstairs and the introductions were made again. “So,” Dawson said, “what are we doing for our first night all together?” Buffy spoke up. “Let me go wake up Angel and then we’ll talk about it.” Buffy disappeared downstairs and Joey spoke to Dawson. “Have you done your confession yet?” “Nope. You?” “Yeah, did it before.” “So what did you say?” “You’ll find out. Eventually.” Jen looked at Joey. “So what do you do in there anyway?” “It’s pretty easy,” Joey said. “You walk in, turn on the camera, spill your guts, turn the camera off. That’s it.” “Guess I’ll wait till after tonight. So what do you guys wanna do, go out and eat?” Everyone silently agreed. “Okay, where?” Joey spoke. “We’ll wait for Buffy and Angel.” ~*~*~*~*~*~ Buffy crept down the stairs silently, turning on the light and sitting down on the bed, unable to help herself from staring quietly at Angel for a few minutes. Then she forced herself to wake him, as gently as possible so as not to startle him. He groaned and turned away from her to continue sleeping. “Angel, come on, time to wakey, wakey and deal with all your lovely new room-mates in your lovely new place.” That didn’t do much to wake him. “G’way,” he muttered inaudibly, his eyes still firmly shut. Buffy knew she would have to resort to desperate measures. She leaned forward and kissed him. After a few seconds Angel responded, wrapping his hands around her head and bringing her lips down to his. Five minutes passed that way, until Buffy managed to pull herself away. “See? Now don’t you want to wake up?” “No,” he replied shortly, even though he was now wide awake. “Come on,” Buffy said, grabbing his hand and pulling him upwards while at the same time reaching for a shirt of his in the dresser. “You get to go eat dinner!” Angel groaned and laid back down on the bed, pulling the covers over his head. Buffy giggled and pulled the covers off him. “Let’s go,” she told him firmly. “Everyone’s waiting for us.” Angel accepted the shirt he’d held out for her, then raised an eyebrow. “We’re not going any place with mirro . . . “ Buffy clamped a hand over his mouth firmly, then kissed him again passionately. “I dont’ think so,” she replied, glancing at the camera-man in the corner as she physically pulled him out of the bed. “Need to go to the bathroom?” she asked pointedly. Angel shook his head, and ran his hand through his hair. “I’ll be up in a minute.” “Okay,” she said, kissing him one last time. She went up the stairs, and the cameraman followed her back into the kitchen. Dawson looked at Buffy, “is he up?” “Yeah, he should be up here in a minute.” “Good. I need to get a sweatshirt. It’s gonna be cold tonight.” Dawson went down into the basement, of course followed by a different cameraman. Angel was sitting on his bed putting on his shoes. “Hey Angel. Sleep well?” “Yeah, I guess.” Dawson noticed him drinking something. “Watcha drinking?” Angel looked at his glass, thought for a moment, and then said, “tomato juice. Buffy brought it down.” “Oh. Doesn’t smell too good, might want to make sure it’s still good.” Dawson grabbed his sweatshirt as Angel finished his drink. “You ready for this grand adventure?” Angel stood up and began to walk upstairs. “I suppose.” Dawson shrugged at the cameraman and followed him up the stairs. The group decided to walk towards town before deciding where to go for dinner. ~*~*~*~*~*~ They ended up at a small restaurant about four blocks away from the townhouse. While Xander, of course, ordered a huge amount of greasy food, the others ordered something relalatively light, considering they were stuffed from raiding the fridge of the house. Angel ordered the least, and looked slightly ill whenever he ate anything, and only did so whenever Buffy kicked him under the table. “So Jen,” Joey started, “how many guys did you blackmail into letting you copy off the finals?” Jen sighed. “Joey, can we just not?” she asked rhetorically. Joey rolled her eyes heavenward. “What, can’t take the truth?” she asked, ignoring Dawson’s glares and the others glances of surprise. Pacey intervened, however, “Actually,” he said, “the final wasn’t that hard. It helps when you’re always staying late for extra help.” He winked at Dawson, who rolled his eyes. Xander looked from Joey to Jen in surprise, before glancing towards his own group of friends. Buffy was staring at Angel pointedly, and Xander noted that right afterwards Angel actually ate something, although the vampire was beginning to look more green than white. Willow was just sitting quietly, looking at Xander with a thoughtful expression. “What?” Xander queried. “Nothing,” Willow replied with a sigh, glancing towards the others. “What final did you guys have?” she asked, trying to make the two groups talk to each other a little more than they were. “English,” Pacey answered, grinning. “My absolute favorite subject.” “Gee, wonder why?” Dawson joked. Joey rolled her eyes and stood. “I’m heading back,” she glanced towards Jen for a moment darkly before reaching for her coat. “I’ll walk back with you,” Angel offered, looking for any excuse he could find to get away from the dinner Buffy was forcing him to eat. Joey nodded her thanks and the two of them left together. The others left as well a few minutes later. While Joey and Angel were walking ahead of the group, Joey tried to start a conversation with Angel. “So, talk much?” Angel smiled at her but said nothing. So Joey continued. “Look, I know you don’t know me and I don’t know you and the whole situation is a little uncomfortable, but if you keep up this silent act nobody’s gonna have any fun.” “It’s not an act,” Angel said. “That’s just me.” “Well not anymore. I’ll make you talk if it kills me.” He smiled again. “You’re very persistant, aren’t you?” Now Joey smiled. “Yeah, so get used to it. I understand if being around new people is a little weird, trust me. I’m scared to death about what could happen. And that’s just because of the people I know. So you think you could make a conscious effort to get along with me? Please? Cause if you don’t I think I’m gonna have to go crazy and kill myself.” “Don’t do that,” he said quietly. “I get the feeling we’ll be able to help each other.” Joey opened her mouth in shock. “What was that? Two sentences in a row? Angel! I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship!” She grabbed his arm and the two walked home. Once the group got back to the house, they broke off into smaller groups. Joey and Willow went up to their room to talk. Buffy and Angel disappeared into the basement. Jen, Xander, and Pacey began a game of pool. Dawson went into confession. He tried to figure out what he was going to talk about. Finally he turned on the camera. He decided if he was going to be a director, he had to be easily comfortable in front of a camera. “I figured if Buffy and Joey could do this, so could I. Well let’s see. We just got back from dinner, which wasn’t too uncomfortable except for Joey starting in with Jen. In case you haven’t guessed yet, Jen’s my ex and Joey’s not happy with her. From what Pacey says, Joey’s gotten this thing for me. I don’t buy it, I mean Joey and I have been friends forever. But still, the tension between Jen and Joey is so amazingly strong. Joey seems to be getting along with everyone else. Her and Buffy hit it off, her and Angel were talking secretly the whole way home from dinner. Her and Willow share a room, and Willow seems nice, a little quiet though. But so is Angel. He’s kinda cool, I guess. Doesn’t talk, sleeps all day. Buffy, well Buffy’s pretty hot if you ask me. But by the time she finds out, she’ll be over a thousand miles away from me, and so will her boyfriend Angel. So I think I’ll be safe. Let’s see, I think that’s everyone. Oh yeah, Xander. Haven’t really talked to him, so we’ll talk about that next time. Anyway, I’m going swimming in the hottub, see if Jen will come with me. Bye!” He shut off the camera and left the confessional. He kidnapped Jen and dragged her to the hottub. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Xander’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the balls on the table, then evened the que-stick and took his shot. The balls spread over the table, none going in. “Oh, that was good,” Pacey muttered sarcastically. “So, what’s up with Jen?” Xander wondered, watching as Pacey got ready to take his turn. “She seems pretty much a babe.” Pacey nodded. “She’s busy pining after Dawson,” he explained nonchalantly as he took his own shot, getting three striped balls in and then walking around the table to position his next shot. “She broke up with him, but now she wants him back, but he’s not so sure. Basically they all have issues.” Pacey shrugged and took another shot, but missed that time, and leaned back as Xander went up to the pool table. “What about Buffy? How hung up is she on that guy of hers?” Xander rolled his eyes. “Very,” he muttered, frowning as he missed again. He stepped back once more. “Believe me, nothing’s ever gonna break up those two.” “You want her, huh?” Pacey guessed. “Not a big surprise, she’s pretty hot,” he said, getting more of his balls into the pockets. “Nah,” Xander answered. “Used to, but not really. I’ve kinda given up by now. Besides, I’m kinda involved with someone.” Pacey raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I was involved too, I mean, didn’t turn out well.” The rest of the striped balls in and then aiming for the eight ball. “Still, it was fun while it lasted.” “Yup, that’s pretty much where Cordy and I are headed,” Xander confirmed, embarrased by how seriously Pacey was winning. “So . . . “ Pacey trailed off to curse as the eight ball didn’t go in, and he stepped back as Xander stepped up. “What’s the deal with the pale guy?” “Angel?” Xander queried, then nodded, not needing to hear the answer. “Total lack in personality. Considers brooding an occupation.” He rolled his eyes, and managed to get one of his own balls into the pocket. “Of course Buff totally adores him. He’s her type.” Pacey nodded, and they didn’t say anything else as they became totally engrossed in their game. ~*~*~*~*~*~ “So, you totally regretting agreeing to come?” Buffy asked, interrupting Angel’s attempt to read for the third time. Angel looked up at her, and debated answering honestly or not. “No, not at all,” he replied, deciding to lie. Buffy rolled her eyes. “Mhmm,” she muttered, jumping onto the bed and taking the book from his hand, looking at the page number before shutting it firmly. “But I’m glad you did come,” she continued, leaning against him. She started rubbing her hands across his chest but he gently held her wrists and removed them, nodding his head towards the camera man in the corner. She groaned and rolled over onto her side. “This is really going to get irritating, isn’t it?” she said with a sigh. “Probably,” he agreed. She muttered something intelligible under her breath and then propped herself up on her elbow. “You really need to be more social,” she told him, and that time it was his turn to sigh. “Buffy,” he told her flatly, “I’m sorry if I don’t find spending months with teenagers the highlight of my life.” “Well, I’m a teenager,” she reminded him. “And I’m just a little bit older than you,” he retorted, and she couldn’t help but giggle. “Point taken,” she agreed. Then she leaned close to whisper into his ear, “Think I could pull some Slayer tricks on the camera-man so he’ll go away?” “You did that yesterday,” he answered. “So, I can do it again now,” she replied. “And then we can actually have some fun.” “If I were you I’d save your threats for later,” he warned her. “Okay, okay, you’re right, as always.” She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again to look at him. “I talked to Giles before,” she said. “He assures me everything’s fine.” “Good,” Angel murmured. He glanced towards the camera-man again, and then grinned, suddenly feeling inspired as he stood, taking her hand in his and pulling her up with him. “Where are we going?” she wondered. “Somewhere camera-men can’t follow,” he answered, and pulled her into the bathroom before shutting the door firmly behind him.