Part 6

Rupert Giles was sitting at home staring at the prophecy in front of him. He had been examining it for weeks, and he was now sure that it was to do with Buffy and not Faith. Giles picked up the phone and dialled Angel's number, instead of Angel answering however her got Cordy and after listening to her babble on about herself for about an hour, he impatiently asked to speak to Angel.

That's when Cordy told him Angel was asleep and she wasn't going down there to wake him no matter what, in case she saw something that would mentally disturb her for life. Giles gave up and left a message for Angel to call him back as soon as possible, he hung up the phone and returned to his desk and studied the prophecy once more. An hour later and he was still sitting there staring, when his phone rang jolting him from his reverie.

"Hello?" Giles answered.

"Giles, it's Angel" Angel said trying to concentrate on the phone call and not Cordy and Doyle's latest argument.

"Thank God, you called back. I need to talk to you about that prophecy" Giles said urgently.

"What about it?" Angel asked concerned.

"I believe...in fact I am almost certain that the slayer it refers to is Buffy" Giles told him.

"Are you sure that your sure?" Angel said praying that Giles was wrong.

"Almost positive. Take care of her Angel, she's like a daughter to me" Giles replied.

"Always" Angel promised as he hung up the phone. He turned to his friends and said, "Shut up. Buffy might be in danger because of Giles' prophecy and we need to watch her all the time. Since I'm only good at night..."

"I'll watch her," Doyle volunteered.

"We'll both watch her, you know take turns and stuff" Cordy corrected him.

"Thanks" he told them. "I have to go tell Buffy about this prophecy thing or she'll kick my butt."

Cordy and Doyle exchanged looks as Angel headed downstairs to Buffy. "I've never seen him like this" Cordy told Doyle "Not even when he got back to Sunnyhell and found her gone."

"I think that means that if this prophecy comes to pass, Buffy won't be missin'. She'll be dead" Doyle replied.

"Then we have to make sure she's okay," Cordy said, as Doyle got back to work. Cordy took one last look towards Angel had gone and then followed Doyle's example.

When Angel arrived downstairs he found Buffy looking through all the kitchen cupboards. "Looking for something special?" Angel asked.

"Not really just deciding what to have for breakfast," Buffy replied.

"I'll make you something," Angel told her walking towards the kitchen.

"Nah, I'm not all that hungry" Buffy answered him. She grabbed and apple and said, "This will do." She sat down on the couch in the living room and Angel followed her. "So what's up?" she asked after he'd been staring at her for five minutes.

"Nothing" Angel mumbled. Then suddenly without warning he asked, "Marry me?"

"What?" Buffy yelled choking on the remainder of her apple.

"Let's make it official. Let's get married?" Angel told her.

"Oh My God. I'm gonna die or something, aren't I?" Buffy asked panicked.

"Why would you say that?"

"No offence sweetie, but you're kinda scared of commitment" Buffy told him.

"No I'm not" Angel replied.

"Yeah, you are" Buffy repeated.

"Prove it" Angel asked.

"Sure. There was the, I shouldn't date you... The, I got jealous when you dated someone else... The, I won't have coffee with you, until you have it with someone else and the major struggle I had to get you to even go out with me" Buffy replied.

"But..." Angel stammered. "Maybe sometimes I need to be motivated to come out with my feelings."

"So what is gonna happen?" she asked him.

"Giles called to tell me that he thinks that prophecy he found is about you and not Faith" Angel told her quietly. "I just don't want to lose you again."

"You won't," she told him. "I guess this means I'll be spending quality time with Cordy and Doyle?" she then asked.

"Only during the day, at night you get me all to yourself" Angel replied.

"Finally an upside" Buffy said kissing him.

Angel kissed her back and then told her, "Go get dressed, it's time for work and not play."

"Fine, but I get to play tonight" Buffy replied as she went to get dressed, resigned to her fate for the moment.

Angel watched her walk towards the bedroom and said, "You never did answer my question."

"What was that?" she asked as she threw on an old pair of jeans and a tank top.

As she came out of the bedroom he asked her again, "Will you marry me?"

Buffy looked at him in shock, "You're serious."

"Totally" Angel replied.

With barely a thought, Buffy ran over to him and threw herself into his arms. "Yes... yes... yes" she told him in between kisses.

Cordy chose that moment to come downstairs. "What's going on down here?" she asked suspiciously.

"We're getting married" Angel told her.

"Oh My God, Buffy's gonna die" Cordy said panicked.

"No, she's not" Angel replied.

"Then why..." Cordy started to ask.

"Cordy, shut up and try to be happy for us" Angel told her.

"Fine" she muttered, then she shot Buffy a look that seemed to say, I need details.

"I'll tell you later" Buffy mouthed back.

Cordy nodded in acknowledgment and then told Angel, "You have a call."

"Why didn't you say so?" Angel asked climbing into the lift with Cordy and pulling Buffy in with him.

"You and Buffy distracted me" Cordy explained, "By the way its Kate the cow."

"Oh great, just what I need" Angel muttered as the lift stopped and they all climbed out and he headed to his office to deal with the unwelcome interruption.

Angel sat down at his desk and picked up the phone. "Hello Kate" he said in his polite tone.

"Hi Angel. I need you to help with a case I have" Kate asked.

"Sure, I'll help. Come by the office later and we'll discuss it" Angel said suddenly distracted by the sound of laughter coming from the outer office.

"Okay, I'll drop by. See you soon" Kate, said.

"Bye" Angel muttered into the phone as he hung up and went into the outer office where he saw Doyle hugging Buffy.

"What's going on here?" Angel tried to ask severely, but couldn't help but smile.

"Cordy blabbed" Buffy replied smiling. She was having a major happy moment, "I gotta call everyone I know."

"Later" Cordy told her, "Now we have to celebrate."

"Celebrate what?" came a voice from the doorway.

Buffy turned around, "Wesley? What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk some sense into you about your sick, demented relationship with this monster" Wesley replied snobbishly.

"He is *not* a monster," Buffy yelled back in Angel's defence.

"You are being highly emotional, you need to be in control to slay effectively. Come back with me at once or I'll have to report this situation to the council" Wesley threatened.

"The council can kiss my ass. They already have a slayer, they don't need two" Buffy told him sticking to Angel's side.

Wesley went to walk out and said over his shoulder, "You haven't heard the last of this."

Buffy watched him leave and wondered if he would follow through with his threat and if he did, exactly what kind of trouble it was gonna cause.

Somewhere across town, in the darkness it waited, it knew the time was approaching for its emergence and the death of the chosen one. When the time came it would take pleasure in killing her and with her death would come the end of the world, for without her the world was doomed to hell. The chosen one must never be allowed to complete the second prophecy; if she did then evil would never prevail upon the earth. It laid in wait, knowing the chosen one would soon be there to destroy...

Kate arrived at Angel's office after she'd finished her shift. She walked in and Cordy looked up with a big smile on her face, until she saw whom it was.

"Oh it's you" Cordy said unenthusiastically.

"Hello Cordelia, where's Angel?" Kate asked civilly. She hated Cordy and made a mental note to herself that when she finally married Angel (boy is she delusional) to get rid of her.

"He's in his office" Cordy told her pulling a weird face.

Kate ignored her and barged past into Angel's office. "Hi Angel" she said trying to sound seductive but came off sounding like Big Bird.

"Kate" Angel answered in acknowledgment. "What did you need my help on?"

"Oh... it was nothing, we solved it" Kate replied almost forgetting the excuse she'd used in order to see him.

"Then why did you come?" Angel asked in confusion.

"I'd already told you that I'd be by... I didn't want to be rude" Kate replied.

"Well... umm... thanks. I have another appointment..." Angel began anxious to be rid of her before Buffy got home from school.

"Right... I'll see you 'round" Kate said quickly getting up.

"Yeah, bye" Angel replied dismissively.

Kate left the office feeling disheartened, Angel had seemed eager to get rid of her and she wondered why she was suddenly being treated like that, she resolved to find out the reason.

Meanwhile Buffy was at her psych class, she was so busy concentrating on what professor Walsh was saying that she hadn't noticed Riley staring at her. When the class was over he came up to her, "Hi Buffy."

"Hey Riley" Buffy replied as she gathered up her things and wished he would go away.

"So... are you coming to the party at Lowell House tonight?" Riley asked hoping that she was so that he could impress her with his party skills.

"I don't think so. Angel isn't really into partying" Buffy told him.

"Well... you could... umm... come alone" Riley suggested trying to convince her to come.

"Nah" Buffy said as she started to leave.

Riley was about to try again, when someone interrupted him at the door. "Buffy, are ya ready to go?"

"Totally" Buffy replied relieved that Doyle had somewhat come to her rescue.

"That's Angel?" Riley asked her in disbelief. He didn't want to think he'd lost out to a short, badly dressed Irish guy.

"No, that's Doyle... Angel is taller and dresses better" Buffy replied joining Doyle at the door and leaving.

Riley watched the object of his obsession leave and whispered to himself, "My God... how many guys is she dating?"

Doyle dropped Buffy off at the office and picked up Cordy. "Hi Buffy and Bye. Angel's in his office" Cordy said as she passed her.

"Bye Cor," Buffy answered going inside. She walked in Angel's office and found him sitting at his desk with a big smile on his face. "That better be for me or you're in trouble, Mister" Buffy warned jokingly.

This broke him out of his daydream. "Of course it was about you... who else am I obsessive enough over enough to have them occupy my thoughts" Angel replied beckoning to her.

Buffy threw herself willingly into his arms and was finally able to relax, all day she'd had a wiggy feeling, like something was gonna happen, but here in Angel's arms she felt safe... like she was home. She pulled away slightly and looked at him, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing..." Angel started and then saw the determined look she had and gave in. "...The first prophecy mentions another one."

"Why do I think that's not a good thing?" Buffy stated.

"It's a good prophecy, but whether it comes to pass is dependent on the outcome of the first one" Angel replied.

"Okay... so if I do survive, what is gonna happen to me next?" Buffy asked curiously.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you" Angel muttered into her neck.

"Try me" Buffy replied stubbornly.

Angel realised she wasn't going to give up, so he showed her the text.

Buffy looked at Angel in shock, "Does this mean..."

"Yeah" Angel answered.

"But you said..." Buffy began.

"I know I said... but..." Angel said unsure of what to tell her.

"Then how is that possible?" she asked.

Angel shrugged, "I really don't know, but I suggest we not think about it until the first one passes."

"Okay" Buffy agreed still uncertain.

Angel kissed her and whispered to her, "Let's go down stairs."

Buffy got off of Angel's knee, took his hand and led him downstairs, all the time praying that she'd be able to thwart one more prophecy.

Late the next afternoon while Buffy was at her classes with Cordy tagging along, Angel was showing Doyle something.

"Man, its beautiful" Doyle told him, "Buffy will love it."

"Are you sure?" Angel asked uncertainly.

"She'll love it, then she'll show it to 'Delia and I'll never have a moments peace again" Doyle replied.

Angel took another look at the ring he'd gotten Buffy. "If you're sure..." Angel started.

"Man, you know Buffy would love it no matter what it was, because it came from you" Doyle reassured him. Then changing the topic he asked, "So when is the big day?"

"As soon as possible... we don't want to waste a minute" Angel said.

"The prophecy?" Doyle asked.

"Yeah."

"You're really scared" Doyle couldn't believe it in all the time he'd known Angel he'd never been scared of anything.

Angel looked at him and said, "I'm terrified, I don't want to have to live without her."

"You won't have to... Buffy is the strongest slayer on record, she'll kick this prophesied demon's ass" Doyle told him confidently.

"I hope you're right" Angel whispered more to himself than to his friend.

Buffy and Cordy were sitting in the campus cafeteria between Buffy's classes. "Buff, I don't like wanna alarm you... but some disgusting stringy haired geek is staring at you" Cordy warned.

"I know, I'm trying to ignore him," Buffy told her.

"You actually know him?" Cordy asked pulling a face.

"Unfortunately... that's Riley my psych TA" Buffy replied, "He's been asking me out all year."

"Eewww" Cordy said in extreme freaked-out-ness.

"I totally agree" Buffy told her. Then she decided to change the topic and told Cordy about the second prophecy.

Across the cafeteria Riley Finn was sitting with his friends Forest and Graham, but he was not paying attention to them, instead he was staring at Buffy.

"Riley, get over it she is not interested in you" Graham told him wishing he'd had the sense to stay at the Frat house.

"I can't see why not... look at me," Riley boasted.

"Do I have to, I might go blind" Graham muttered to himself.

"Riley ignore her, she's not good enough for you" Forest said looking over to Buffy, there was something about her that creeped him out.

"I think she's perfect" Riley replied staring at Buffy.

Graham couldn't take it anymore; he got up and said "See ya back at the house."

This temporarily distracted Riley and when he looked back to Buffy's table she'd gone. He cheered up when he remembered he'd see her in class later.

Buffy and Cordy headed back early to the office, because Buffy had decided to skip her psych class (Riley's stalking had wigged her out). On the way back Cordy stopped to gas up the car, the second Cordy stopped the car Buffy recognised it as Pike's place of employment.

"Cordy, there's like another gas station a block away..." Buffy started.

"Buffy what's up with you? Honestly, I don't know why Angel would want to marry you" Cordy yelled as Pike approached the car.

Pike cringed at the news he heard. "Can I help you?" he asked coldly, choosing to ignore Buffy.

"Hi Pike" she said wondering how much of Cordy's yell he'd heard.

"Buffy" he acknowledged coldly.

"Fill 'er up" Cordy told him trying to break the tension.

Pike did as Cordy said and when he'd returned with the change, Buffy said, "See ya 'round Pike."

This time he ignored her and when they'd driven off Cordy asked her, "What's that story?"

"It's not important" Buffy replied sadly.