"So, she loves Soul Boy so much she's on a date with someone else five weeks later," Angelus said with a low growl when he spotted his Slayer at the Bronze. He had discarded the barely pubescent boy that had served as his meal in the darkened alleyway with little thought after seeing his Slayer with another. Did she not understand she was his? Had Soul Boy picked a whore, too? There would be a bittersweet irony there if he had, particularly since Soul Boy had killed Darla for his Slayer.

He lurked under the stairs, remaining in the shadows while Buffy and her companions settled at a table near the dance floor. The three boys went up to the bar and Angelus scowled as they talked and smiled while waiting to place their orders. So Buffy's little club liked her date, which was more than they ever did where Soul Boy was concerned. Willow had liked him, but she had never lost that tenseness around him as if she was never altogether certain he would not bite her. He was tempted to go talk to him, the date, and warn him away from his Slayer. Willow's wolf boyfriend probably would take a visit from Angelus in stride, but Xander would not. And Angelus was in no mood to cause a scene tonight. He was here to watch, curious as to just how far his Slayer would go on this date.

He turned his attentions to the table the group had chosen and the three girls sitting at it. The bitch and Willow were talking animatedly, but Buffy did not look all that excited about being there. She had a smile on her face and she was nodding as if listening, but her eyes gave away her lack of enthusiasm. She bobbed her head to the music, but Angelus could tell her heart was not in it. If Angelus spotted it from across a darkened club, he had no idea how it escaped the notice of her friends. So, why was she out on a date then? Perhaps this was an effort to get over him, like he would ever let his Slayer get over him or move on.

He cocked his head to the side as the dark haired friend tossed her head back with a laugh. God how he hated Cordelia, always hitting on Soul Boy and making snide comments to and about his Slayer, as if that cunt could hold a candle to his Slayer. The bitch thought she was all high and mighty and look at who she ended up dating, Xander Harris. Angelus had gotten a good laugh when he heard that. He wondered how it felt to be second best to Buffy yet again, because there was no doubt in Angelus' mind that Xander would love a piece of his Slayer.

He saw his Slayer scan the crowd periodically, but her eyes never found him and he wondered if it was intentional on her part. Did she want him to know she was aware of his presence but did not want to give him the satisfaction of making eye contact with him? He saw another vamp or two in the crowd, but was confident his Slayer was not hunting tonight. Why exactly he cared that she had a date Angelus could not say, but it made him rage inside. Soul Boy should not have been so easily replaced. Angelus felt a possessive growl begin deep in his chest when he saw the boy place her drink in front of her and she offered him a smile. It was not one of her best smiles, but it was still a smile she was bestowing on a man that was not her mate.

"See how much she loves you," he spat to Soul Boy as he watched his Slayer get up to dance with her date. He had not meant to say the words aloud and glared at a person walking by who dared look at him. While still in his human face, the demon was dreadfully close to the surface so Angelus was sure his eyes were a frightening yellow at that moment. The boy scampered off quickly and Angelus felt a rush from the smell of fear on the boy. It was a good thing the boy ran, too, because as his Slayer stepped closer to her date on the dance floor Angelus felt like killing them all.

Buffy was dressed rather conservatively tonight, so Angelus suspected she was not out to get laid. This was a good thing, because she would find herself underneath the body of a dead date, his spinal cord ripped out of his body through his skull if the boy dared touch her. Her blonde hair was pulled back with one of those elastic scrunchie things that were so popular and she wore black capri pants with a white cropped top that fell to her navel. The smile was still fake, the eyes still vacant, and Angelus got a perverse sense of pleasure knowing he was the cause.

Angelus slid his gaze from the couple on the dance floor to the two couples seated at the table. Willow and Cordelia were focused on Buffy while their dates were talking, neither seemed to pay Buffy or her date much attention. Willow had a look of apprehension and unease about her, Angelus wondered if she was aware that he was there. Had his Slayer told her best friend that Angelus was there watching them?

Angelus was out the door of the Bronze in a matter of seconds once he saw the boy place a hand against her bare back. It was either leave or kill him for laying a hand on his mate, but the Bronze was not the place for their confrontation so Angelus chose to leave. When it happened it would be just the two of them with no friends and no audience. Angelus would have it no other way. He paused at the door and looked over his shoulder, feeling her eyes at his back. His game face dropped into place and he ran his tongue over his fangs, offering her a wink before he strode out the door into the night.

A spot of violence would do him some good about now. He had some energy and anger to burn off. The bitch dared let another lay a hand on her. At least she did not dance with him like she had Harris a while ago, Angelus was not sure he could have stopped himself from killing every last person in the club if she had behaved like that again. How Soul Boy had tolerated that act of blatant defiance Angelus never understood.

"You were whipped is why," he cursed under his breath.

{And you're not?}

Angelus merely growled in response to Soul Boy's rebuttal. He was not whipped; no woman - human or vampire - had Angelus by the balls. He just was not sure the world would be better off without his Slayer in it yet.

A basketball game was letting out about the time he passed by the high school, so Angelus had his choice of dinner entrees just then. He bypassed two or three before settling on a boy who bore a striking resemblance to his Slayer's date for the evening.

"Excuse me," he said, approaching the student. He smelled of dandruff shampoo and deodorant soap, so this boy was apparently one of the players and not just a spectator. All the better, particularly since his locker was in a remote area of the school compared to the others he had briefly eyed.

"Yeah," the kid looked up from putting on his letterman's jacket in front of his locker.

"I was hoping you could show me the way to the library, I'm supposed to pick up my girlfriend there."

"You must be talking about Buffy."

"You know Buffy?" Angelus said with what he hoped was enthusiasm, though he really wanted to wipe the linoleum floor with the boy's face. Why did he assume Angelus was talking about Buffy?

"Well, no, not really, but she's the only girl that would be hanging out in the library on game night. If you ask me," he said, lowering his voice in a conspiratorial tone, "you need to keep an eye out on that librarian."

"Rupert," Angelus said with a low growl, though he was sort of amused that someone would think that way about ol' Rupert.

"I don't know what his first name is, but they spend a lot of time together, if you know what I mean."

"Why don't you tell me about it while you show me where the library is?" Angel prompted, wanting to get the boy into the quiet and empty library soon. What a nice little present this would be for Rupert in the morning.

"Hey, man, I don't mean anything, honestly, but you're older so she obviously goes for older guys," the boy said as he headed toward the library.

"I'm not worried about it," Angelus said sincerely as he was, in fact, not worried about Rupert. Angelus imagined the relationship his Slayer and her Watcher had probably did look questionable to some people, but he understood it. Angelus was more worried about the young man currently at the Bronze putting the moves on his mate.

Dispensing of this boy while not as satisfying as doing so to the actual date Angelus knew would drive his point home to his Slayer. The resemblance between her date and this boy would not be lost on her, or at least Willow if his Slayer was slow catching on. And if she did not get the hint that she was not to date another, Angelus would just start paying visits to the actual dates. Sooner or later, she would stop.

"Well, the library's right down there," the boy said, gesturing down the hallway.

"Hey, thanks," Angelus said, turning to look down the hallway. He turned back to face the boy. "I appreciate it," he said before moving to clasp the boy's shoulder with his hand.

"No problem," the boy said just as Angelus dropped his human disguise and moved in for the kill.

The boy screamed, it was really more of a squeal, and jerked against Angelus trying to fight him off. But Angelus was far stronger than the boy was and the boy's struggles merely bore his neck further to Angelus, allowing him to sink his fangs in deeper. He fed heartily, greedily, a wave of euphoria washing over him when he heard the snap of the boy's neck as he broke it. How he had missed this, that packeted blood that Soul Boy had lived on the past few years was atrocious. For years Soul Boy had lived off rats and other unmentionables, which were nowhere near as satisfying as the real thing, but it was at least fresh and warm, making him feel alive however briefly.

He lifted the now dead boy into his arms and carried him to the library, laying him to rest on one of the tables. Rupert might not be the first to find the body, Angelus was not sure when the custodian would come through to clean the library, but Rupert would most certainly be called when the body was discovered. Rupert would, in turn, call his Slayer upon the news and Angelus' message would still get delivered.

Just to be sure his Slayer and her Watcher would know without the shadow of a doubt it was him, Angelus found some paper and wrote "Thinking of you, Lover" in the boy's blood, securing it to the boy by driving a nearby pencil tip first into the boy's chest. Pleased with his handiwork and well fed, Angelus left Sunnydale High School to return to the factory.

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com