"So anyways Will, I have to come out of a Bielman spin at the end and then just throw myself at him. Then we kiss. It's a nightmare."
Willow's voice was suitably taken aback by this statement. "What do you mean it's a nightmare? I've seen pictures of Angelus. He's hot."
"I know! That's the nightmare!" Buffy flopped backwards onto the hotel room bed the phone at her ear. "Everyone knows Angelus is gay. I mean, it's all rumour, but people have asked him and he hasn't denied it."
"So how does anyone know then?" Willow asked reasonably, "It's not as though it's anyone's business."
Buffy sighed, "And have you ever met a guy who wasn't gay that was willing to let everyone think he was?" she asked her friend pointedly.
"I guess not," the redhead replied. "Other than having to practically striptease for the only guy around who doesn't care, how are things? I saw the whole citizenry thing on the news."
Buffy moaned, rolled onto her stomach and got tangled in the telephone cord. "It's awful. People are asking me to talk with an Irish accent, Riley is babbling to the media about the laws of God and man," as she spoke the skater tried to get untangled and wound up rolling onto the floor. "Ow!"
"Buffy, are you okay?" Willow asked her anxiously.
"Yes," came the sour reply. "I fell off the bed." Buffy was pouting and they both knew it. As Willow broke into giggles Buffy mock snarled into the phone, "Yeah, that's right, laugh it up."
"I will," she said between giggles, "The great and graceful skater falling off the bed during a phone call. It's funny."
"Hrgmph."
"Anyway, what was that about Riley and laws of God and man?" Willow inquired.
Buffy sighed again and said, "Oh you know how he is. Rules must be followed even if they're stupid."
"I don't know why you don't get a decent partner," Willow berated her friend. "I really don't think skating is worth the kind of aggravation you're putting yourself through." She took in a deep breath audibly over the line, and Buffy tensed, knowing what was coming. "Maybe if you'd just work alone again-"
"No!" Buffy shouted. Willow ignored the outburst and continued firmly.
"Buffy. Parker was a jerk. You can skate alone. You're good enough at it, you don't need a guy there to validate you." Willow's calm logical statement had no impact on Buffy who was shivering at the thought of being alone. On the ice or off. She couldn't do it. Willow gave up for the time being, but gave a parting shot on the topic. "Maybe you ought to go to a therapist for this," she advised her friend.
Buffy controlled herself, "I'm fine Willow. Besides, getting a new partner is really hard. Where would I even begin to look?"
The subject change was abetted. "Maybe you should ask Angelus," Willow said cheekily.
"Willow!" Buffy moaned, "If I partner him I'm going to be completely unable to do anything but throw myself at him within a month!" They chuckled together for a moment. "By the way, how's Xander and Anya's wedding going?"
"Ack!" was the reply and conversation moved on to gossip from back home.
*****
By the end of the week the furore over Buffy's nationality had essentially vanished with everybody of import having decided that it wasn't worth the bother of getting her thrown from the competition. It was as well because the competition had begun. Buffy and Riley appeared about halfway through the program. It was a perfect position for them. Some of the best skaters had already gone, that gave them a mark to shoot for, but not all of the favourites had appeared.
"I wish we had gone first," Riley complained in Buffy's ear as they circled the ice in preparation for their short program.
Buffy shot him a look but didn't say anything. She'd gotten into an argument over the fairness of figure skating judges and didn't want to deal with that just before a performance. Instead she simply put her hand in his and settled into her opening pose. Riley did the same and they waited for the music to start.
When it did, they began moving then stopped in confusion. Instead of the bluebird dance of Sleeping Beauty the speakers were blasting out the Dixie Chicks' "Sin Wagon". While Buffy had wanted to do their routine to that, Riley had insisted on something else. She glared up at the booth where the people in charge of the music were. A flash of blonde hair leaving the booth caught her eye, but then the Chicks stopped and she and Riley exchanged bemused glances getting into position again.
This time the right music came on but Riley was rattled. It became evident when he didn't simply double on the quads but fell. He got up and continued, but Riley was completely off that night. And that meant Buffy was off. They didn't do too badly all things considered but they were by no means in the top ten at the end of the competition.
While Riley took off for parts unknown Buffy stayed behind to watch the women's short programs. She was startled when Angelus sat down next to her and handed her a cup of hot chocolate. "It wasn't too bad," he offered.
"Yes it was," she said, her tone just short of a soft wail. "If only Riley wasn't so easy to throw off."
Angelus raised and eyebrow and seemed about to say something. Then he apparently thought better of it and they sat down to watch the other skaters. They left together, and Angelus suggested they go to a local coffee shop before heading back to the Olympic Village. When they were settled comfortably at a table he asked her, "Why don't you just skate in the singles competition? You're good enough to win gold there and you wouldn't have to put up with the Rileys of the world."
He was startled when she shuddered. "I just really love pairs," she replied. Her eyes slid away from his and Angelus put a hand under her chin and forced her to look him in the eye.
"That isn't all that's keeping you there though. Is it?" he asked. She shivered slightly again and he glanced around and pulled her after him. She protested for a moment, then went abruptly silent. They arrived back at the arena just after everything had been closed down for the evening and Buffy watched as Angelus expertly broke into the building. "Come on," he said and pulled her along until they were seated in the bleachers. "Now tell me why the hell you're letting all your talent go to waste with a right fool like Finn."
His dark eyes bore into hers and suddenly Buffy cracked. She began to cry and between sobs told him her story. Told him about the fall that had broken up both her partnership and her relationship. She told him about how, as she recovered from her injuries, Parker had told her again and again how she would never be as good as she was. The way he used to come to her competitions just to rattle her so that she would lose.
She told Angelus about the time he conned his way into the dressing room and tried to rape her after the first competition she won after the accident. That she had continued pairs skating because it meant that there was always someone just outside her dressing room to keep unwanted visitors out. She told him about how she just couldn't skate alone anymore for fear Parker would lunge out of the woodwork.
Through everything he held her, soothed her fears and let her know that Parker wasn't there. He wasn't going to be there, and that she was strong enough and good enough. Finally she felt the last of her pent up grief and terror fade away and she sat up, looking into the face of the man she was now fairly certain she was in love with. "Thank you."
"I just sat here," he replied with a tiny, sexy, half-smile floating around the edges of his mouth.
She gave him a watery smile back, "You didn't have to."
His hand came up and caressed the side of her face before gently cupping her cheek. Buffy found herself suddenly breathless at that touch. "You were in pain. How could I turn my back on that?" he said. He leaned closer and for a moment Buffy thought that they were going to kiss. Then she remembered that he was gay and that there would be no kissing.
She pulled sharply away and said, "Well I'd better be going. Giles and Riley are gonna be worried." He blinked at her, clearly startled by her mood swing and backed away.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.
"Count on it." Then she hurried away mentally smacking herself at every step for throwing herself at a guy who was completely uninterested.
Angelus watched her leave and dropped his head into his hands. He had thought that something was inhibiting her but he'd never have imagined it was something as serious as that. She wasn't simply a little nervous, she was suffering from a deep seated terror of abandonment combined with well hidden low self esteem. This Parker, whom Angelus wished to beat to a bloody pulp, had taken a talented girl and changed her into an insecure terrified woman.
That also must have been why she was so startled when he had been about to kiss her. He'd had a plan. Get her alone, kiss her, then explain about the masquerade of being gay he'd put on and sweep her off to his hotel room bed. Instead she'd leapt away from him when he got too close and run off terrified. That Parker had a lot to answer for.
With Buffy's experiences in mind, he headed back to the hotel with a new plan in the making to woo her. He was going to have to help her with her problems as well. He simply cared too much for her, now that he'd met her, not to do so. As the plan unfolded and settled in his mind he smiled happily and was still smiling as he bid Darla a polite goodnight and went into his room.
Darla glared after him smelling the faint scent of another woman's perfume on his jacket.
*****
The next day, as Angelus went onto the rink for his first program of the competition, his eyes searched through the stands for his small blonde bombshell. There she was, smiling at him, with both her skating partner and coach seated on either side. He smiled back, then made one more circuit of the ice before settling in the centre to start his routine.
He risked a glance up at her and nearly missed the opening bars when she smiled again and waved. He got himself back under control, starting the opening footwork sequence across the ice. He couldn't get his mind off the first time they had skated together only a week before. His imagination started to fill the empty space beside him with her small form and as he went into the spiral sequence his arms itched to reach out and wrap around the space where she ought to be.
He skated flawlessly and finished with his imaginary Buffy-shaped partner by his side. He came out of the self-induced trance to take his bows and got off the ice quickly. When the girls-who-clear-stuff-thrown-onto-the-ice came and deposited their haul, he was fidgeting anxiously, awaiting the judges' decisions and dreading the interviews with the media he knew were waiting between him and the dressing room.
Thankfully the marks came quickly allowing him to escape the mountain of teddy bears and flowers heaped around him. That and one indecent proposal written on a pair of red silk boxers. That one was brought to him by a deeply flushed young brunette who shoved the items in her hands at him and dashed off to whisper with her girlfriends.
He got to the changerooms and was only intercepted three times on the way by enthusiastic reporters. Darla was waiting for him when he got there, her face ecstatic. "Hah! You're in first place!" she clapped him on the back, "I knew Renaud wouldn't beat you!"
Angelus blinked at her, confused. "He hasn't even gone yet," he said.
"With two sixes, and the rest five-eights and five-nines? He's not going to beat that score except through a miracle," she replied, dismissing the Canadian. "Anyway, you'd better get to practising your long program this afternoon-"
He interrupted as he saw Buffy approaching him, "Sorry, I have to work with Buffy this afternoon. I'll fit in a practice somewhere, but . . ." he left the sentence hanging as he hurried to meet Buffy. He didn't notice the flash of pure hatred in Darla's eyes as she followed him.
"But what?" she demanded when she caught up. Angelus had completely forgotten the conversation he was in the middle of as he soaked up Buffy's enthusiasm over his performance.
He turned away from Buffy at Darla's question and said, "But what, what? Darla, have you met Buffy? Buffy this is my skating coach Darla Wells." As he spoke he wrapped an arm around Buffy's shoulder and smiled down at her. Darla seemed upset and got even more so when he said, "Don't worry, Buffy and I have plans, but I'll manage a couple run-throughs of my long program this evening."
She never got to say anything, because the media hounds descended upon them and by the time she could reprimand him for slacking off the two skaters had vanished leaving Darla fuming. She was going to have to find another way to get rid of the girl.
*****
They had spent the afternoon practising side by side jumps, matching the rotations on their spins, the partnering, everything but that closing kiss. Neither Buffy nor Angelus dared to broach the subject. Finally they took a break even though Buffy clearly wanted to keep skating. "Why don't you keep going without me?" Angelus suggested. "I just want to sit for a while, catch my breath."
Buffy bit her lip. It wasn't that she wasn't tired, it was just that she was enjoying the activity of figure skating more than she had since she started skating with Riley. The rink beckoned. "Okay," she said hesitantly, "You'll join me shortly right?"
"Sure," he smiled at her and settled in the stands. He continued to smile as she swept around the ice. The first part of his plan was working perfectly. She needed to remember that she was safe out there and that there was no reason not to be skating alone. After about a minute he was getting twitchy, wanting to be out there with her. This pairs thing was addictive.
Dressed in a bright red sweater and dark red leggings she stood out in brilliant contrast with the white surface beneath her. The ads on the boards of the rink and designs painted under the ice irritating distractions from her elegance and grace. He leaned forward, his his elbows settling on his knees as he watched her every move. She'd stopped working on their routine, and was improvising something out there. He watched as she frowned slightly, setting herself up into a beautiful quad loop. She landed almost perfectly but there was a telltale wobble as she did. Buffy bit her lip and started to breathe harder. Angelus caught sight of this and was on his feet and hurrying toward her almost before the sight registered.
He was halfway across the rink when her floating arabesque spiral sequence fell apart. She began to sway, her uplifted leg started to dip, and her face reflected panic. He arrived just in time to catch her as she toppled over. Angelus felt her begin to sob as he held her, each shuddering breath rocking her whole body. He could feel Buffy's heartbeat racing as she struggled to control the spasms of the panic attack which gripped her.
"Shhh. It's okay," he whispered to her, gently soothing her terrors.
"It's not! It's never gonna be okay again!" she cried. "I can't skate alone. I can't skate with Riley, where am I going to find someone to skate with. I can't stop, but I can't go on either!" Buffy clung to him as the last of her fear resettled into its usual place. When she finally had control of herself she pulled away heading for the changerooms.
Angelus followed and forced her onto the stands and sat her down. "First, that is ridiculous. You can skate perfectly well on your own. What you need to do is go to a therapist to deal with this phobia of yours," he said firmly.
She glared at him, which he took as a good sign of her recovery. "I don't have a phobia," she grumped.
"What do you call an irrational terror of being alone on the ice then?" he asked her reasonably.
Her hopeful look was so adorable he almost let her win the argument, "An irrational terror of being alone on the ice?" Instead he levelled a look at her. "Okay! I have a phobia. I know it's affecting my performance and that I'd be better off on my own as things stand now but I can't go to a shrink."
"Why? You don't trust them?" he asked her curiously. Her answer surprised him. Not that it should have.
"Unlike some people who shall remain nameless, part of my skating reputation is based on being a sweet, wholesome and innocent all-American girl," she said as though explaining things to a particularly dumb houseplant. "Certain male, nameless, people with dark spiky hair and really cute dark eyes can get away with a bad boy reputation and drug charges. If I go to a shrink the media frenzy will destroy my career."
Angelus wracked his brains for the person she was describing and came up blank. However he could see her point. "Okay, have you tried getting past this fear?" The way her eyes slid away from his was the only answer he needed. "Then we'll start right now."
The rest of the afternoon was spent on making Buffy skate alone. At first she expected to react the way she had when Xander and Willow had tried this with her, but Angelus made her feel safe just by being within shouting distance. By the end of the afternoon, she was skating completely alone with him hiding from her view entirely. She could pretend she was alone, and with the subconscious reassurance of his presence acted so goofy that he finally distracted her by cracking up at her chicken dance to Handel's water music.
He walked her back to her room at the Olympic Village and spent the evening working out the next steps of his plans while he rehearsed under Darla's watchful eye. Finally she tired of his mental drifting and demanded, "So I can safely assume all of your competition is dead?"
He jerked out of his reverie and the footwork sequence of his long program at the demand. "Hunh? What are you talking about?"
Darla stood at the side of the rink, arms crossed over her chest, every inch of her stylishly dressed body expressing disapproval. "What do I mean? You're skating as though you expected that there was going to be no one else skating over the next couple days." Darla levelled a look at him. "If I didn't know better I would say that you're in love with Buffy Summers. Since everyone knows that's impossible I damn well expect you to either buckle down and focus on your routine or get the hell out of this competition because if you keep this up Renaud is going to whip your ass."
He glanced at her, startled, and started to pay attention to her again. By the end of the evening, he had completely forgotten about Buffy and was entirely concentrated on his skating. Much to Darla's happiness. She went back to flirting with him over dinner, and thought she might have gotten to him if Rupert Giles hadn't been waiting for them with a wish to talk to Angelus.
"Mr. Giles. I've been skating all evening and I'm really tired-" Angelus began.
He was interrupted by the British coach. "I only wish a moment of your time," the man said smoothly, then turned to Darla, "Ms Wells, I would request you give us a little privacy?" he smiled cordially at the blonde, who smiled cordially back and made an exit that was just short of rude.
Angelus raised an eyebrow. "So what do you want to talk about that you need privacy for?" he asked the other.
"Buffy informed us tonight that after the Olympics she is returning to women's singles skating. I wanted to thank you for convincing her of something that will, most likely, be the best for her." Giles smiled at Angelus gratefully.
He shrugged, "I simply forced her to skate by herself this afternoon. It wasn't a serious phobia, she just needed someone to push her a little." He was surprised by the look of stunned surprise on the coach's face. "What?"
"You managed to convince her to skate alone in one afternoon?" Giles was stunned by the look of him. "Her friends, her mother, myself, even a professional psychologist have all tried to convince her at one time or another." A beat later, "Phobia?"
Angelus stared in return. "You didn't know she had a phobia of skating alone? When we started she got panic attacks every time she was alone on the ice for too long." His exhaustion was forgotten as he glared at Giles who was honestly surprised at the news. Then he looked chagrined.
"God. That's why she refused to dump Riley like the bloody idiot he is." Giles shook his head. "I can't believe I didn't see it." He sank down onto the bench in the hall, followed by Angelus. He looked so angry with himself the skater couldn't stay angry with him.
"She's good at hiding it. I wouldn't have known if she hadn't had an attack while we were rehearsing for that damned gala." Angelus was startled by the sudden shift in mood of the coach when Giles suddenly stopped looking tired and somewhat sad, and became businesslike and enthusiastic.
"That's actually brought me to the reason I wanted your coach elsewhere."
"What?"
Giles leaned forward, "Well, it's not done attempt to court one coach's skater on behalf of your own."
"What exactly are you asking me?" Angelus was rather hesitant to find out the answer to that question. The use of the word 'court' putting him very ill at ease with the coach. "If this is some sort of proposition-"
Giles' eyes went wide as he realised how odd what he had said sounded. "No! Oh my lord no! I'm not . . . That is to say . . ." he trailed off looking distinctly uncomfortable and Angelus realised that the other man thought that he thought that Giles was propositioning him.
"I didn't think you were," he said, noting the look of relief on Giles' face, "But are you asking for Buffy-"
"No no no no no. Buffy doesn't know I'm here, and even if she did we both know about your . . . uh . . . reputation. That is . . ." he trailed off momentarily then made the plunge. "I think you and Buffy ought to skate pairs together." This extraordinary statement left Angelus utterly speechless. Finally he spoke.
"You want me to skate pairs?" his voice reflecting the complete incredulity he felt at the request. "Where on God's green earth did you come up with this idea?"
Giles raised an eyebrow at him. "How about the fact that the two of you performed an inside edge death spiral with no more preparation than watching video tape of one another and improvised a footwork sequence on the spur of the moment as a pair?" he asked mockingly. The look on his face challenged the skater to deny the facts.
"Oh." There was a long pause while Angelus thought over this unusual proposition. "I thought you felt she was better off in women's than in pairs." He frowned at the coach, prompting for an explanation.
Giles obliged, "While it is true that I feel Buffy would be better off in singles than in pairs if her partner is Riley, she does love pairs skating. She loved it from the moment she and Parker Abrams first skated together," he sighed and faced forward. As Angelus watched his profile a small wry smile graced the coach's face. "When Riley keeps his mouth shut he's a fairly adept skater and partner for her and I've never seen her happier." He turned to look Angelus in the eye, "Except for last week when she was on the ice with you."
He was about to deny the statement when Giles cut him off before he could begin. "The two of you have a chemistry that I simply have never seen in any but the best pairs. Together you're a marvel to watch and I have been coaching Buffy for nearly her whole career as a skater. I know her, I've seen her with her partners. Pairs skating is her passion and you bring that out of her more than anyone I've ever seen."
Giles stood and started to pace before the skater, his agitation clear. "I've been encouraging her to get out of pairs before it became a chore, but you've made her love it again and I am willing to do virtually anything to get you to work with her." A thought occurred to Angelus and before he could control himself he was laughing hysterically. The other stared the question obvious.
"I was just thinking, sorry, of Darla's reaction if she ever heard this conversation." A couple final spasms of laughter and he was finished. When he looked up Giles was smiling at him openly.
"You see why I asked to speak privately."
He smiled back, completely at ease with the other man finally. "I do. I also have something of an answer for you. I've been thinking about this lately, but I'm Irish. I skate for Ireland. I know it's an odd way to express my patriotism but there it is. Unless you could convince her to change her nationality . . . I wouldn't even consider competing for anywhere but Ireland. Even if she did change I'm not certain I would want to give up my current career for pairs."
"Well," Giles looked somewhat disappointed, "I can't force you, but please think it over." They shook hands and the coach left. Darla, hiding behind her suite door gritted her teeth in fury.
*****
The next day was the final opportunity for Angelus and Buffy to practice for the first gala. It was that evening, and they had yet to do the complete routine including the final kiss. The kiss that had been haunting Buffy's dreams and nightmares for a week. She was circling the ice when he finally arrived. She had used the talisman of imagining his presence to let her work on her own and was fully warmed up when he stepped out and started his warmup with a triple toe loop.
"Show-off!" she shouted, amused. He grinned at her and crooked a finger doing the opening bits of his short program as temptation. She rolled her eyes but joined him anyway as they started working on their routine.
At the end of her first Bielman spin of the morning Angelus sidled up behind her and whispered in her ear, "Lookin' good." The sensual whisper screwed with her momentum and Buffy screeched to a halt as she forced herself to firmly suppress the naughty images he'd invoked with just two words and a pair of lusciously tight blue jeans.
"Don't do that," she said trying to sound irritable and not quite certain that she did.
He swept past her, "What?" he asked playfully.
"You're in a good mood," she observed.
"A beautiful woman, clear ice, a fun routine, how could life get any better?" his feet swept into a spread eagle which swung him around to her again. "But we'd best be getting to back work hunh?"
Rolling her eyes again she skated over to the tape player by the rink and reset it at the beginning and the two began their complete rehearsal only to be interrupted by the woman in charge of the costumes for the show. As per Buffy's request they were getting a chance to rehearse in costume and that broke up the practice again as they both left to change. Buffy sighed crankily over the skimpy red and black number she had to wear and then soaked the floor with drool when she saw what Angelus was in.
A dark red faux velvet shirt did little to cover his chest because it barely had any buttons at all. That meant she could see the smooth, hard, alabaster tinted muscles she had been rubbing against all week. His legs had clearly been poured into the black leather pants he wore. The muscles in his legs clearly defined by those slacks were gorgeous. Buffy felt weak in the knees as she saw him slowly circle the rink. Then he turned to her with a smile which vanished when he caught sight of her.
Arriving in front of her, she could see how dark his eyes were and that beautiful face was moving towards her looking as though he might . . . Buffy shook herself out of it. He was gay. Everyone knew he was gay dammit. No matter how gut-wrenchingly sexy he was, he was not going to be interested in her. Besides, she thought wryly, why would he want Buffy Summers when he could have the beautiful and (if rumour was any guide) talented Darla Wells.
"So why don't we see how these work when we're working," she said with a smile. "You look good by the way."
"You too," he replied, that odd almost lusty look on his face disappearing.
So she started the music again. This was it. They couldn't put off practising that kiss any longer. As they moved into the final moments Buffy steeled herself, leaned against the most handsome male skater on the Olympic circuit and pressed her mouth to his.
A spark caught and Buffy's lips slid open and allowed Angelus' tongue into her mouth. He took advantage and any thoughts about him being gay vanished from her mind. Something came up between them and Buffy wriggled to get Angelus' belt buckle out of the way so they could continue to kiss properly.
A thought hit her. That lump wasn't his belt buckle, was it?
She gasped and pushed away slightly. His eyes were dilated and she was pressed tightly against him. His eyes flicked away from her slightly then back, and she felt him pull away ever so slightly. Moving away more fully she glanced over he shoulder and saw Giles sitting in the stands. Her eyes went wide as everything came together in her mind.
"Oh my God," she said gesturing at the rampant bulge in the front of his pants. "You . . . and . . . I mean . . . Giles . . ." She stood there for several seconds longer then squeaked and ran for the changeroom. He stared after her.
Angelus had been impatiently circling the rink in his costume for the gala when he spotted Buffy entering the arena. She was dressed in a tiny dark red dress with black lace designs stitched into it and instead of the usual short flared skirt, it was a diagonally draped swathe of red and black fabric. She made such an erotic sight he had hurried over to her intent on telling her the truth about his ruse and that he loved her.
She had made them rehearse and he had no chance to tell her. Then the grand finale came and she had felt exactly how he felt about her. Rather more literally then he had wanted before the first date. Which, of course, meant that Giles arrived to watch right then. He had been trying to subtly tell her they should get out of their amorous clinch when she had blushed and run. Suddenly he realised what happened. His reputation that he was gay. She saw him glance at Giles. She thought that he wanted Giles . . .
Angelus cursed and rushed after her intent on making Buffy understand. Giles watched them go and wondered what was going on with those two.
Buffy was hiding in the dressing room too shocked to be depressed when Angelus found her. "Buffy!"
"Y'know, it's okay," she started rambling, "I mean, I'm sure Giles would be flattered and all, even though he has a girlfriend and stuff. I know you're interested in-"
"You," he said.
"Guys and- did you just say you were interested in me?" she stared at him. He was smiling at her, and he looked like those people in movies who say good kitty to the big tiger that's about to eat them and she really had to focus on the issue at hand didn't she?
"I'm not gay Buffy," he put a hand over her mouth to forestall her response. "Please, let me finish." He took his hand away and waited until he could be sure she wasn't about to start again before he resumed. "I pretend to be gay because it's easier to let my parents hurl insults at the camera then it is to respond and because gay men are easier to ward off than hysterical teenage girls."
"But you said-"
He gently cupped her face in his hand, "I said I was interested in you. I have been since I first saw you skate. I . . ." he trailed off looking uncertain.
"You what?" she asked softly. His eyes slid away from hers. "Y'know, I kept from flirting with you 'cause it looks really stupid to flirt with someone who not only isn't interested but would never be interested." He looked up at her with wide eyes.
"I think . . . I . . ." He seemed unable to say whatever it was he wanted to say. Buffy found it so cute, thought he was just so sexy she couldn't help herself and kissed him. When they came up for air he asked, "Does this mean you're my girl?"
She giggled, "What do you think?" When he growled at her she softened and said, "Yes."
******
The gala seemed almost an anti-climax. They went out and did their tango, gaining loud catcalls from the audience. With last minute practices to make up for lost time neither saw the other for more than brief intervals in the days leading up to the final competition. The pairs were set to go directly after the men's long programs so Buffy sat and watched the competition in the backstage TV monitor.
Angelus went third. He vanished backstage after his routine and Darla found herself hunting for him through the whole competition. When it came up that he'd won, he reappeared followed by Buffy Summers. Darla's eyes narrowed as the two exchanged a kiss of celebration. He came over and hugged her, and Darla made herself smile at him and sent him to collect his medal.
In the stands, a contingent of Irishmen and women were on the verge of starting a riot. She ignored them and focussed her gaze on the Summers girl. She was glazed over as she stared at Darla's skater. The blonde coach felt her stirrings of suspicion turn into a more solid feeling of jealous anger. It stayed hidden as she congratulated Angelus. It stayed that way until Finn and Summers' turn to skate came up.
Buffy stood at the edge of the ice at the World Championships. Behind her she could hear one of the Canadian couples cackling, "So?"
"So?"
"So?"
"So?"
Angelus came up beside her and turned to the Canadian pair, "Would you two shut up?" He turned to her, "How are you doing?"
She smiled back, "Good."
Over the announcer's voice covering the scores of the last pair came the voices of the two Canadians imitating eastern European grannies again.
"How do you like your coffee?"
"I like my coffee crisp."
Buffy decided to ignore them in favour of Angelus who was cheerfully nibbling up and down her neck. The scores came to a close. A nice mix of numbers, not too high, not too low.
"You like your coffee crisp?"
Angelus stared at the two loonies who defiantly stared back and continued with their routine. "I like my Coffee Crisp!" He just shook his head and started to ask her again.
"I'm fine honey."
"You don't know from jokes, you never did," completed the Canadian. Which sent Angelus stomping over to give a piece of his mind to the two.
Buffy chuckled and stepped out to the sound of the Canadians ignoring Angelus and continuing, "So?"
"So?"
"So?"
*****
Darla watched as the pair circled once, twice, three times around the rink, then Buffy pulled away from her partner to saunter over to Angelus.
Darla's eyes went wide, her face turning white as the two kissed. Her whole world narrowed to a wave of pure jealousy when she read the words on Angelus' lips that he spoke to the small blonde skater.
"I love you," he said to her.
A shriek erupted from Darla's throat and she launched herself across the floor. She picked up one of Angelus' skates from where they sat beside him. In slow motion she watched everyone turn around to see her as she brought the skate blade down onto the girl's neck. The force of the blow sent blood spattering everywhere, but Darla didn't notice as she continued to beat the younger woman with the skate.
"You bitch!" she shouted, punctuating her words with blows from her impromptu weapon. "How dare you take him away from me! He's mine! Do you hear me!? Mine!"
She never sensed the blow coming. Just felt the whole world turn black in between one blow and the next.
Angelus was horrified by the sight before him. Completely unaware of having quite possibly killed his coach he cradled Buffy's still, bloody form in his arms. "Buffy! Wake up!" he called to her. "Somebody get an ambulance! Please, don't die on me. Please love . . ." he trailed off, sobbing, unable to say anything more. When the paramedics came for her they had to struggle with him until he realised they were there to help.
As she was wheeled away he slipped into a daze, absently responding to the questions of both police and media with a skill borne of practice but with no real consciousness behind the responses. He was with the tiny skater in the ambulance on the way to the nearest hospital.
*****
A week later Buffy was in a coma, surrounded by friends and family. Angelus refused to leave her side for even a minute. "Why couldn't she have gone for me?" he whispered to the still form on the bed.
"Angelus, please, you need to get some rest," Buffy's mother laid her hand on his shoulder.
He shook his head silently at her. She sighed, but left him alone again. After a minute he began to talk to Buffy. He'd been doing it on and off ever since the doctors had said she was in a coma. "Did I ever tell you about how the gay thing got started? My parents are really Catholic and they decided that when I started to take figure skating that it was a sign I was gay. Y'know, because so many male dancers and skaters are? So they started telling everyone that.
"They wanted me to be a university professor. I got my degrees to make them happy. Not like you. I can tell. Whenever you talk about university I can see how much you like it." He smiled at her sadly. "I hated every minute because I was doing what my parents wanted. I changed my name because I knew it would make them disown me."
His voice was hoarse with the tears he refused to shed. Still he continued, "I wanted to shock them. I did. They told everyone that I was gay and on drugs and anything else they could think of." He picked up her hand and held it between his own. Lacing the fingers of one hand with hers, he clasped it close to him as a physical connection to her. Hoping she could feel it. "It still hurts though. I mean, they're my parents and they hate everything I do and stand for."
"Well then I'll just have to beat 'em up until they change their minds." Buffy smiled into his astonished face which rapidly transmuted to joy.
"Buffy!" he leaned forward about to pull her into a hug, when he remembered the bruising and stitches. He settled for running his hands through her hair, along her face, and back up again. "I was so scared. I'm sorry about Darla. If I'd just-"
"Shush. It wasn't your fault," she told him sternly. "Is my Mom here?"
He grinned, "And Willow, and Xander, and his fiancee Anya who is the strangest woman I have ever met in my life, and Giles and-" She was laughing at him. Their eyes caught and he leaned forward and kissed her. "I love you."
"I love you too." Then she bit her lip a little hesitantly.
"What?" he asked, alarmed by her expression, "What is it?"
"Did the doctor say if I was-"
He reassured her immediately, "You'll be fine. You'll be able to skate and everything."
"Will you be my partner? Skating-wise I mean? 'Cause we're already dating. At least I think we're dating. We are dating right? What's so funny?" she demanded. He was laughing. She was just so adorable, and beautiful, and his.
"I don't plan on ever leaving you for an instant. I will partner you, date you, and will you marry me?" That last bit wasn't supposed to come out yet.
She seemed equally surprised. "We've only known each other for three weeks." He was going to try to back out and started to stammer apologies and say that he had no notion of where the proposal came from. "Yes I'll marry you."
A cheer from the crowd gathered in the hall brought them out of the world in which only the two of them existed. Joyce stepped out of the crowd and hugged Angelus and her daughter. Then she said, "You do realise that I now have to act like a mother-in-law?" That remark ended the moment entirely and Buffy was joyfully welcomed back by her family and friends.
*****
A (very brief) Epilogue
A year later Buffy stood again at the edge of a rink, but this time she felt no apprehension. She let the mention of the pair before her wash over her. Then it was their turn. The announcer's voice came on over the PA, "Representing Ireland, Buffy and Liam MacKenzie! Gold Medalists!"
She took her husband's hand and the crossed the ice to the podium, the cheers of the crowd ringing in their ears.
The End
Willow's voice was suitably taken aback by this statement. "What do you mean it's a nightmare? I've seen pictures of Angelus. He's hot."
"I know! That's the nightmare!" Buffy flopped backwards onto the hotel room bed the phone at her ear. "Everyone knows Angelus is gay. I mean, it's all rumour, but people have asked him and he hasn't denied it."
"So how does anyone know then?" Willow asked reasonably, "It's not as though it's anyone's business."
Buffy sighed, "And have you ever met a guy who wasn't gay that was willing to let everyone think he was?" she asked her friend pointedly.
"I guess not," the redhead replied. "Other than having to practically striptease for the only guy around who doesn't care, how are things? I saw the whole citizenry thing on the news."
Buffy moaned, rolled onto her stomach and got tangled in the telephone cord. "It's awful. People are asking me to talk with an Irish accent, Riley is babbling to the media about the laws of God and man," as she spoke the skater tried to get untangled and wound up rolling onto the floor. "Ow!"
"Buffy, are you okay?" Willow asked her anxiously.
"Yes," came the sour reply. "I fell off the bed." Buffy was pouting and they both knew it. As Willow broke into giggles Buffy mock snarled into the phone, "Yeah, that's right, laugh it up."
"I will," she said between giggles, "The great and graceful skater falling off the bed during a phone call. It's funny."
"Hrgmph."
"Anyway, what was that about Riley and laws of God and man?" Willow inquired.
Buffy sighed again and said, "Oh you know how he is. Rules must be followed even if they're stupid."
"I don't know why you don't get a decent partner," Willow berated her friend. "I really don't think skating is worth the kind of aggravation you're putting yourself through." She took in a deep breath audibly over the line, and Buffy tensed, knowing what was coming. "Maybe if you'd just work alone again-"
"No!" Buffy shouted. Willow ignored the outburst and continued firmly.
"Buffy. Parker was a jerk. You can skate alone. You're good enough at it, you don't need a guy there to validate you." Willow's calm logical statement had no impact on Buffy who was shivering at the thought of being alone. On the ice or off. She couldn't do it. Willow gave up for the time being, but gave a parting shot on the topic. "Maybe you ought to go to a therapist for this," she advised her friend.
Buffy controlled herself, "I'm fine Willow. Besides, getting a new partner is really hard. Where would I even begin to look?"
The subject change was abetted. "Maybe you should ask Angelus," Willow said cheekily.
"Willow!" Buffy moaned, "If I partner him I'm going to be completely unable to do anything but throw myself at him within a month!" They chuckled together for a moment. "By the way, how's Xander and Anya's wedding going?"
"Ack!" was the reply and conversation moved on to gossip from back home.
*****
By the end of the week the furore over Buffy's nationality had essentially vanished with everybody of import having decided that it wasn't worth the bother of getting her thrown from the competition. It was as well because the competition had begun. Buffy and Riley appeared about halfway through the program. It was a perfect position for them. Some of the best skaters had already gone, that gave them a mark to shoot for, but not all of the favourites had appeared.
"I wish we had gone first," Riley complained in Buffy's ear as they circled the ice in preparation for their short program.
Buffy shot him a look but didn't say anything. She'd gotten into an argument over the fairness of figure skating judges and didn't want to deal with that just before a performance. Instead she simply put her hand in his and settled into her opening pose. Riley did the same and they waited for the music to start.
When it did, they began moving then stopped in confusion. Instead of the bluebird dance of Sleeping Beauty the speakers were blasting out the Dixie Chicks' "Sin Wagon". While Buffy had wanted to do their routine to that, Riley had insisted on something else. She glared up at the booth where the people in charge of the music were. A flash of blonde hair leaving the booth caught her eye, but then the Chicks stopped and she and Riley exchanged bemused glances getting into position again.
This time the right music came on but Riley was rattled. It became evident when he didn't simply double on the quads but fell. He got up and continued, but Riley was completely off that night. And that meant Buffy was off. They didn't do too badly all things considered but they were by no means in the top ten at the end of the competition.
While Riley took off for parts unknown Buffy stayed behind to watch the women's short programs. She was startled when Angelus sat down next to her and handed her a cup of hot chocolate. "It wasn't too bad," he offered.
"Yes it was," she said, her tone just short of a soft wail. "If only Riley wasn't so easy to throw off."
Angelus raised and eyebrow and seemed about to say something. Then he apparently thought better of it and they sat down to watch the other skaters. They left together, and Angelus suggested they go to a local coffee shop before heading back to the Olympic Village. When they were settled comfortably at a table he asked her, "Why don't you just skate in the singles competition? You're good enough to win gold there and you wouldn't have to put up with the Rileys of the world."
He was startled when she shuddered. "I just really love pairs," she replied. Her eyes slid away from his and Angelus put a hand under her chin and forced her to look him in the eye.
"That isn't all that's keeping you there though. Is it?" he asked. She shivered slightly again and he glanced around and pulled her after him. She protested for a moment, then went abruptly silent. They arrived back at the arena just after everything had been closed down for the evening and Buffy watched as Angelus expertly broke into the building. "Come on," he said and pulled her along until they were seated in the bleachers. "Now tell me why the hell you're letting all your talent go to waste with a right fool like Finn."
His dark eyes bore into hers and suddenly Buffy cracked. She began to cry and between sobs told him her story. Told him about the fall that had broken up both her partnership and her relationship. She told him about how, as she recovered from her injuries, Parker had told her again and again how she would never be as good as she was. The way he used to come to her competitions just to rattle her so that she would lose.
She told Angelus about the time he conned his way into the dressing room and tried to rape her after the first competition she won after the accident. That she had continued pairs skating because it meant that there was always someone just outside her dressing room to keep unwanted visitors out. She told him about how she just couldn't skate alone anymore for fear Parker would lunge out of the woodwork.
Through everything he held her, soothed her fears and let her know that Parker wasn't there. He wasn't going to be there, and that she was strong enough and good enough. Finally she felt the last of her pent up grief and terror fade away and she sat up, looking into the face of the man she was now fairly certain she was in love with. "Thank you."
"I just sat here," he replied with a tiny, sexy, half-smile floating around the edges of his mouth.
She gave him a watery smile back, "You didn't have to."
His hand came up and caressed the side of her face before gently cupping her cheek. Buffy found herself suddenly breathless at that touch. "You were in pain. How could I turn my back on that?" he said. He leaned closer and for a moment Buffy thought that they were going to kiss. Then she remembered that he was gay and that there would be no kissing.
She pulled sharply away and said, "Well I'd better be going. Giles and Riley are gonna be worried." He blinked at her, clearly startled by her mood swing and backed away.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.
"Count on it." Then she hurried away mentally smacking herself at every step for throwing herself at a guy who was completely uninterested.
Angelus watched her leave and dropped his head into his hands. He had thought that something was inhibiting her but he'd never have imagined it was something as serious as that. She wasn't simply a little nervous, she was suffering from a deep seated terror of abandonment combined with well hidden low self esteem. This Parker, whom Angelus wished to beat to a bloody pulp, had taken a talented girl and changed her into an insecure terrified woman.
That also must have been why she was so startled when he had been about to kiss her. He'd had a plan. Get her alone, kiss her, then explain about the masquerade of being gay he'd put on and sweep her off to his hotel room bed. Instead she'd leapt away from him when he got too close and run off terrified. That Parker had a lot to answer for.
With Buffy's experiences in mind, he headed back to the hotel with a new plan in the making to woo her. He was going to have to help her with her problems as well. He simply cared too much for her, now that he'd met her, not to do so. As the plan unfolded and settled in his mind he smiled happily and was still smiling as he bid Darla a polite goodnight and went into his room.
Darla glared after him smelling the faint scent of another woman's perfume on his jacket.
*****
The next day, as Angelus went onto the rink for his first program of the competition, his eyes searched through the stands for his small blonde bombshell. There she was, smiling at him, with both her skating partner and coach seated on either side. He smiled back, then made one more circuit of the ice before settling in the centre to start his routine.
He risked a glance up at her and nearly missed the opening bars when she smiled again and waved. He got himself back under control, starting the opening footwork sequence across the ice. He couldn't get his mind off the first time they had skated together only a week before. His imagination started to fill the empty space beside him with her small form and as he went into the spiral sequence his arms itched to reach out and wrap around the space where she ought to be.
He skated flawlessly and finished with his imaginary Buffy-shaped partner by his side. He came out of the self-induced trance to take his bows and got off the ice quickly. When the girls-who-clear-stuff-thrown-onto-the-ice came and deposited their haul, he was fidgeting anxiously, awaiting the judges' decisions and dreading the interviews with the media he knew were waiting between him and the dressing room.
Thankfully the marks came quickly allowing him to escape the mountain of teddy bears and flowers heaped around him. That and one indecent proposal written on a pair of red silk boxers. That one was brought to him by a deeply flushed young brunette who shoved the items in her hands at him and dashed off to whisper with her girlfriends.
He got to the changerooms and was only intercepted three times on the way by enthusiastic reporters. Darla was waiting for him when he got there, her face ecstatic. "Hah! You're in first place!" she clapped him on the back, "I knew Renaud wouldn't beat you!"
Angelus blinked at her, confused. "He hasn't even gone yet," he said.
"With two sixes, and the rest five-eights and five-nines? He's not going to beat that score except through a miracle," she replied, dismissing the Canadian. "Anyway, you'd better get to practising your long program this afternoon-"
He interrupted as he saw Buffy approaching him, "Sorry, I have to work with Buffy this afternoon. I'll fit in a practice somewhere, but . . ." he left the sentence hanging as he hurried to meet Buffy. He didn't notice the flash of pure hatred in Darla's eyes as she followed him.
"But what?" she demanded when she caught up. Angelus had completely forgotten the conversation he was in the middle of as he soaked up Buffy's enthusiasm over his performance.
He turned away from Buffy at Darla's question and said, "But what, what? Darla, have you met Buffy? Buffy this is my skating coach Darla Wells." As he spoke he wrapped an arm around Buffy's shoulder and smiled down at her. Darla seemed upset and got even more so when he said, "Don't worry, Buffy and I have plans, but I'll manage a couple run-throughs of my long program this evening."
She never got to say anything, because the media hounds descended upon them and by the time she could reprimand him for slacking off the two skaters had vanished leaving Darla fuming. She was going to have to find another way to get rid of the girl.
*****
They had spent the afternoon practising side by side jumps, matching the rotations on their spins, the partnering, everything but that closing kiss. Neither Buffy nor Angelus dared to broach the subject. Finally they took a break even though Buffy clearly wanted to keep skating. "Why don't you keep going without me?" Angelus suggested. "I just want to sit for a while, catch my breath."
Buffy bit her lip. It wasn't that she wasn't tired, it was just that she was enjoying the activity of figure skating more than she had since she started skating with Riley. The rink beckoned. "Okay," she said hesitantly, "You'll join me shortly right?"
"Sure," he smiled at her and settled in the stands. He continued to smile as she swept around the ice. The first part of his plan was working perfectly. She needed to remember that she was safe out there and that there was no reason not to be skating alone. After about a minute he was getting twitchy, wanting to be out there with her. This pairs thing was addictive.
Dressed in a bright red sweater and dark red leggings she stood out in brilliant contrast with the white surface beneath her. The ads on the boards of the rink and designs painted under the ice irritating distractions from her elegance and grace. He leaned forward, his his elbows settling on his knees as he watched her every move. She'd stopped working on their routine, and was improvising something out there. He watched as she frowned slightly, setting herself up into a beautiful quad loop. She landed almost perfectly but there was a telltale wobble as she did. Buffy bit her lip and started to breathe harder. Angelus caught sight of this and was on his feet and hurrying toward her almost before the sight registered.
He was halfway across the rink when her floating arabesque spiral sequence fell apart. She began to sway, her uplifted leg started to dip, and her face reflected panic. He arrived just in time to catch her as she toppled over. Angelus felt her begin to sob as he held her, each shuddering breath rocking her whole body. He could feel Buffy's heartbeat racing as she struggled to control the spasms of the panic attack which gripped her.
"Shhh. It's okay," he whispered to her, gently soothing her terrors.
"It's not! It's never gonna be okay again!" she cried. "I can't skate alone. I can't skate with Riley, where am I going to find someone to skate with. I can't stop, but I can't go on either!" Buffy clung to him as the last of her fear resettled into its usual place. When she finally had control of herself she pulled away heading for the changerooms.
Angelus followed and forced her onto the stands and sat her down. "First, that is ridiculous. You can skate perfectly well on your own. What you need to do is go to a therapist to deal with this phobia of yours," he said firmly.
She glared at him, which he took as a good sign of her recovery. "I don't have a phobia," she grumped.
"What do you call an irrational terror of being alone on the ice then?" he asked her reasonably.
Her hopeful look was so adorable he almost let her win the argument, "An irrational terror of being alone on the ice?" Instead he levelled a look at her. "Okay! I have a phobia. I know it's affecting my performance and that I'd be better off on my own as things stand now but I can't go to a shrink."
"Why? You don't trust them?" he asked her curiously. Her answer surprised him. Not that it should have.
"Unlike some people who shall remain nameless, part of my skating reputation is based on being a sweet, wholesome and innocent all-American girl," she said as though explaining things to a particularly dumb houseplant. "Certain male, nameless, people with dark spiky hair and really cute dark eyes can get away with a bad boy reputation and drug charges. If I go to a shrink the media frenzy will destroy my career."
Angelus wracked his brains for the person she was describing and came up blank. However he could see her point. "Okay, have you tried getting past this fear?" The way her eyes slid away from his was the only answer he needed. "Then we'll start right now."
The rest of the afternoon was spent on making Buffy skate alone. At first she expected to react the way she had when Xander and Willow had tried this with her, but Angelus made her feel safe just by being within shouting distance. By the end of the afternoon, she was skating completely alone with him hiding from her view entirely. She could pretend she was alone, and with the subconscious reassurance of his presence acted so goofy that he finally distracted her by cracking up at her chicken dance to Handel's water music.
He walked her back to her room at the Olympic Village and spent the evening working out the next steps of his plans while he rehearsed under Darla's watchful eye. Finally she tired of his mental drifting and demanded, "So I can safely assume all of your competition is dead?"
He jerked out of his reverie and the footwork sequence of his long program at the demand. "Hunh? What are you talking about?"
Darla stood at the side of the rink, arms crossed over her chest, every inch of her stylishly dressed body expressing disapproval. "What do I mean? You're skating as though you expected that there was going to be no one else skating over the next couple days." Darla levelled a look at him. "If I didn't know better I would say that you're in love with Buffy Summers. Since everyone knows that's impossible I damn well expect you to either buckle down and focus on your routine or get the hell out of this competition because if you keep this up Renaud is going to whip your ass."
He glanced at her, startled, and started to pay attention to her again. By the end of the evening, he had completely forgotten about Buffy and was entirely concentrated on his skating. Much to Darla's happiness. She went back to flirting with him over dinner, and thought she might have gotten to him if Rupert Giles hadn't been waiting for them with a wish to talk to Angelus.
"Mr. Giles. I've been skating all evening and I'm really tired-" Angelus began.
He was interrupted by the British coach. "I only wish a moment of your time," the man said smoothly, then turned to Darla, "Ms Wells, I would request you give us a little privacy?" he smiled cordially at the blonde, who smiled cordially back and made an exit that was just short of rude.
Angelus raised an eyebrow. "So what do you want to talk about that you need privacy for?" he asked the other.
"Buffy informed us tonight that after the Olympics she is returning to women's singles skating. I wanted to thank you for convincing her of something that will, most likely, be the best for her." Giles smiled at Angelus gratefully.
He shrugged, "I simply forced her to skate by herself this afternoon. It wasn't a serious phobia, she just needed someone to push her a little." He was surprised by the look of stunned surprise on the coach's face. "What?"
"You managed to convince her to skate alone in one afternoon?" Giles was stunned by the look of him. "Her friends, her mother, myself, even a professional psychologist have all tried to convince her at one time or another." A beat later, "Phobia?"
Angelus stared in return. "You didn't know she had a phobia of skating alone? When we started she got panic attacks every time she was alone on the ice for too long." His exhaustion was forgotten as he glared at Giles who was honestly surprised at the news. Then he looked chagrined.
"God. That's why she refused to dump Riley like the bloody idiot he is." Giles shook his head. "I can't believe I didn't see it." He sank down onto the bench in the hall, followed by Angelus. He looked so angry with himself the skater couldn't stay angry with him.
"She's good at hiding it. I wouldn't have known if she hadn't had an attack while we were rehearsing for that damned gala." Angelus was startled by the sudden shift in mood of the coach when Giles suddenly stopped looking tired and somewhat sad, and became businesslike and enthusiastic.
"That's actually brought me to the reason I wanted your coach elsewhere."
"What?"
Giles leaned forward, "Well, it's not done attempt to court one coach's skater on behalf of your own."
"What exactly are you asking me?" Angelus was rather hesitant to find out the answer to that question. The use of the word 'court' putting him very ill at ease with the coach. "If this is some sort of proposition-"
Giles' eyes went wide as he realised how odd what he had said sounded. "No! Oh my lord no! I'm not . . . That is to say . . ." he trailed off looking distinctly uncomfortable and Angelus realised that the other man thought that he thought that Giles was propositioning him.
"I didn't think you were," he said, noting the look of relief on Giles' face, "But are you asking for Buffy-"
"No no no no no. Buffy doesn't know I'm here, and even if she did we both know about your . . . uh . . . reputation. That is . . ." he trailed off momentarily then made the plunge. "I think you and Buffy ought to skate pairs together." This extraordinary statement left Angelus utterly speechless. Finally he spoke.
"You want me to skate pairs?" his voice reflecting the complete incredulity he felt at the request. "Where on God's green earth did you come up with this idea?"
Giles raised an eyebrow at him. "How about the fact that the two of you performed an inside edge death spiral with no more preparation than watching video tape of one another and improvised a footwork sequence on the spur of the moment as a pair?" he asked mockingly. The look on his face challenged the skater to deny the facts.
"Oh." There was a long pause while Angelus thought over this unusual proposition. "I thought you felt she was better off in women's than in pairs." He frowned at the coach, prompting for an explanation.
Giles obliged, "While it is true that I feel Buffy would be better off in singles than in pairs if her partner is Riley, she does love pairs skating. She loved it from the moment she and Parker Abrams first skated together," he sighed and faced forward. As Angelus watched his profile a small wry smile graced the coach's face. "When Riley keeps his mouth shut he's a fairly adept skater and partner for her and I've never seen her happier." He turned to look Angelus in the eye, "Except for last week when she was on the ice with you."
He was about to deny the statement when Giles cut him off before he could begin. "The two of you have a chemistry that I simply have never seen in any but the best pairs. Together you're a marvel to watch and I have been coaching Buffy for nearly her whole career as a skater. I know her, I've seen her with her partners. Pairs skating is her passion and you bring that out of her more than anyone I've ever seen."
Giles stood and started to pace before the skater, his agitation clear. "I've been encouraging her to get out of pairs before it became a chore, but you've made her love it again and I am willing to do virtually anything to get you to work with her." A thought occurred to Angelus and before he could control himself he was laughing hysterically. The other stared the question obvious.
"I was just thinking, sorry, of Darla's reaction if she ever heard this conversation." A couple final spasms of laughter and he was finished. When he looked up Giles was smiling at him openly.
"You see why I asked to speak privately."
He smiled back, completely at ease with the other man finally. "I do. I also have something of an answer for you. I've been thinking about this lately, but I'm Irish. I skate for Ireland. I know it's an odd way to express my patriotism but there it is. Unless you could convince her to change her nationality . . . I wouldn't even consider competing for anywhere but Ireland. Even if she did change I'm not certain I would want to give up my current career for pairs."
"Well," Giles looked somewhat disappointed, "I can't force you, but please think it over." They shook hands and the coach left. Darla, hiding behind her suite door gritted her teeth in fury.
*****
The next day was the final opportunity for Angelus and Buffy to practice for the first gala. It was that evening, and they had yet to do the complete routine including the final kiss. The kiss that had been haunting Buffy's dreams and nightmares for a week. She was circling the ice when he finally arrived. She had used the talisman of imagining his presence to let her work on her own and was fully warmed up when he stepped out and started his warmup with a triple toe loop.
"Show-off!" she shouted, amused. He grinned at her and crooked a finger doing the opening bits of his short program as temptation. She rolled her eyes but joined him anyway as they started working on their routine.
At the end of her first Bielman spin of the morning Angelus sidled up behind her and whispered in her ear, "Lookin' good." The sensual whisper screwed with her momentum and Buffy screeched to a halt as she forced herself to firmly suppress the naughty images he'd invoked with just two words and a pair of lusciously tight blue jeans.
"Don't do that," she said trying to sound irritable and not quite certain that she did.
He swept past her, "What?" he asked playfully.
"You're in a good mood," she observed.
"A beautiful woman, clear ice, a fun routine, how could life get any better?" his feet swept into a spread eagle which swung him around to her again. "But we'd best be getting to back work hunh?"
Rolling her eyes again she skated over to the tape player by the rink and reset it at the beginning and the two began their complete rehearsal only to be interrupted by the woman in charge of the costumes for the show. As per Buffy's request they were getting a chance to rehearse in costume and that broke up the practice again as they both left to change. Buffy sighed crankily over the skimpy red and black number she had to wear and then soaked the floor with drool when she saw what Angelus was in.
A dark red faux velvet shirt did little to cover his chest because it barely had any buttons at all. That meant she could see the smooth, hard, alabaster tinted muscles she had been rubbing against all week. His legs had clearly been poured into the black leather pants he wore. The muscles in his legs clearly defined by those slacks were gorgeous. Buffy felt weak in the knees as she saw him slowly circle the rink. Then he turned to her with a smile which vanished when he caught sight of her.
Arriving in front of her, she could see how dark his eyes were and that beautiful face was moving towards her looking as though he might . . . Buffy shook herself out of it. He was gay. Everyone knew he was gay dammit. No matter how gut-wrenchingly sexy he was, he was not going to be interested in her. Besides, she thought wryly, why would he want Buffy Summers when he could have the beautiful and (if rumour was any guide) talented Darla Wells.
"So why don't we see how these work when we're working," she said with a smile. "You look good by the way."
"You too," he replied, that odd almost lusty look on his face disappearing.
So she started the music again. This was it. They couldn't put off practising that kiss any longer. As they moved into the final moments Buffy steeled herself, leaned against the most handsome male skater on the Olympic circuit and pressed her mouth to his.
A spark caught and Buffy's lips slid open and allowed Angelus' tongue into her mouth. He took advantage and any thoughts about him being gay vanished from her mind. Something came up between them and Buffy wriggled to get Angelus' belt buckle out of the way so they could continue to kiss properly.
A thought hit her. That lump wasn't his belt buckle, was it?
She gasped and pushed away slightly. His eyes were dilated and she was pressed tightly against him. His eyes flicked away from her slightly then back, and she felt him pull away ever so slightly. Moving away more fully she glanced over he shoulder and saw Giles sitting in the stands. Her eyes went wide as everything came together in her mind.
"Oh my God," she said gesturing at the rampant bulge in the front of his pants. "You . . . and . . . I mean . . . Giles . . ." She stood there for several seconds longer then squeaked and ran for the changeroom. He stared after her.
Angelus had been impatiently circling the rink in his costume for the gala when he spotted Buffy entering the arena. She was dressed in a tiny dark red dress with black lace designs stitched into it and instead of the usual short flared skirt, it was a diagonally draped swathe of red and black fabric. She made such an erotic sight he had hurried over to her intent on telling her the truth about his ruse and that he loved her.
She had made them rehearse and he had no chance to tell her. Then the grand finale came and she had felt exactly how he felt about her. Rather more literally then he had wanted before the first date. Which, of course, meant that Giles arrived to watch right then. He had been trying to subtly tell her they should get out of their amorous clinch when she had blushed and run. Suddenly he realised what happened. His reputation that he was gay. She saw him glance at Giles. She thought that he wanted Giles . . .
Angelus cursed and rushed after her intent on making Buffy understand. Giles watched them go and wondered what was going on with those two.
Buffy was hiding in the dressing room too shocked to be depressed when Angelus found her. "Buffy!"
"Y'know, it's okay," she started rambling, "I mean, I'm sure Giles would be flattered and all, even though he has a girlfriend and stuff. I know you're interested in-"
"You," he said.
"Guys and- did you just say you were interested in me?" she stared at him. He was smiling at her, and he looked like those people in movies who say good kitty to the big tiger that's about to eat them and she really had to focus on the issue at hand didn't she?
"I'm not gay Buffy," he put a hand over her mouth to forestall her response. "Please, let me finish." He took his hand away and waited until he could be sure she wasn't about to start again before he resumed. "I pretend to be gay because it's easier to let my parents hurl insults at the camera then it is to respond and because gay men are easier to ward off than hysterical teenage girls."
"But you said-"
He gently cupped her face in his hand, "I said I was interested in you. I have been since I first saw you skate. I . . ." he trailed off looking uncertain.
"You what?" she asked softly. His eyes slid away from hers. "Y'know, I kept from flirting with you 'cause it looks really stupid to flirt with someone who not only isn't interested but would never be interested." He looked up at her with wide eyes.
"I think . . . I . . ." He seemed unable to say whatever it was he wanted to say. Buffy found it so cute, thought he was just so sexy she couldn't help herself and kissed him. When they came up for air he asked, "Does this mean you're my girl?"
She giggled, "What do you think?" When he growled at her she softened and said, "Yes."
******
The gala seemed almost an anti-climax. They went out and did their tango, gaining loud catcalls from the audience. With last minute practices to make up for lost time neither saw the other for more than brief intervals in the days leading up to the final competition. The pairs were set to go directly after the men's long programs so Buffy sat and watched the competition in the backstage TV monitor.
Angelus went third. He vanished backstage after his routine and Darla found herself hunting for him through the whole competition. When it came up that he'd won, he reappeared followed by Buffy Summers. Darla's eyes narrowed as the two exchanged a kiss of celebration. He came over and hugged her, and Darla made herself smile at him and sent him to collect his medal.
In the stands, a contingent of Irishmen and women were on the verge of starting a riot. She ignored them and focussed her gaze on the Summers girl. She was glazed over as she stared at Darla's skater. The blonde coach felt her stirrings of suspicion turn into a more solid feeling of jealous anger. It stayed hidden as she congratulated Angelus. It stayed that way until Finn and Summers' turn to skate came up.
Buffy stood at the edge of the ice at the World Championships. Behind her she could hear one of the Canadian couples cackling, "So?"
"So?"
"So?"
"So?"
Angelus came up beside her and turned to the Canadian pair, "Would you two shut up?" He turned to her, "How are you doing?"
She smiled back, "Good."
Over the announcer's voice covering the scores of the last pair came the voices of the two Canadians imitating eastern European grannies again.
"How do you like your coffee?"
"I like my coffee crisp."
Buffy decided to ignore them in favour of Angelus who was cheerfully nibbling up and down her neck. The scores came to a close. A nice mix of numbers, not too high, not too low.
"You like your coffee crisp?"
Angelus stared at the two loonies who defiantly stared back and continued with their routine. "I like my Coffee Crisp!" He just shook his head and started to ask her again.
"I'm fine honey."
"You don't know from jokes, you never did," completed the Canadian. Which sent Angelus stomping over to give a piece of his mind to the two.
Buffy chuckled and stepped out to the sound of the Canadians ignoring Angelus and continuing, "So?"
"So?"
"So?"
*****
Darla watched as the pair circled once, twice, three times around the rink, then Buffy pulled away from her partner to saunter over to Angelus.
Darla's eyes went wide, her face turning white as the two kissed. Her whole world narrowed to a wave of pure jealousy when she read the words on Angelus' lips that he spoke to the small blonde skater.
"I love you," he said to her.
A shriek erupted from Darla's throat and she launched herself across the floor. She picked up one of Angelus' skates from where they sat beside him. In slow motion she watched everyone turn around to see her as she brought the skate blade down onto the girl's neck. The force of the blow sent blood spattering everywhere, but Darla didn't notice as she continued to beat the younger woman with the skate.
"You bitch!" she shouted, punctuating her words with blows from her impromptu weapon. "How dare you take him away from me! He's mine! Do you hear me!? Mine!"
She never sensed the blow coming. Just felt the whole world turn black in between one blow and the next.
Angelus was horrified by the sight before him. Completely unaware of having quite possibly killed his coach he cradled Buffy's still, bloody form in his arms. "Buffy! Wake up!" he called to her. "Somebody get an ambulance! Please, don't die on me. Please love . . ." he trailed off, sobbing, unable to say anything more. When the paramedics came for her they had to struggle with him until he realised they were there to help.
As she was wheeled away he slipped into a daze, absently responding to the questions of both police and media with a skill borne of practice but with no real consciousness behind the responses. He was with the tiny skater in the ambulance on the way to the nearest hospital.
*****
A week later Buffy was in a coma, surrounded by friends and family. Angelus refused to leave her side for even a minute. "Why couldn't she have gone for me?" he whispered to the still form on the bed.
"Angelus, please, you need to get some rest," Buffy's mother laid her hand on his shoulder.
He shook his head silently at her. She sighed, but left him alone again. After a minute he began to talk to Buffy. He'd been doing it on and off ever since the doctors had said she was in a coma. "Did I ever tell you about how the gay thing got started? My parents are really Catholic and they decided that when I started to take figure skating that it was a sign I was gay. Y'know, because so many male dancers and skaters are? So they started telling everyone that.
"They wanted me to be a university professor. I got my degrees to make them happy. Not like you. I can tell. Whenever you talk about university I can see how much you like it." He smiled at her sadly. "I hated every minute because I was doing what my parents wanted. I changed my name because I knew it would make them disown me."
His voice was hoarse with the tears he refused to shed. Still he continued, "I wanted to shock them. I did. They told everyone that I was gay and on drugs and anything else they could think of." He picked up her hand and held it between his own. Lacing the fingers of one hand with hers, he clasped it close to him as a physical connection to her. Hoping she could feel it. "It still hurts though. I mean, they're my parents and they hate everything I do and stand for."
"Well then I'll just have to beat 'em up until they change their minds." Buffy smiled into his astonished face which rapidly transmuted to joy.
"Buffy!" he leaned forward about to pull her into a hug, when he remembered the bruising and stitches. He settled for running his hands through her hair, along her face, and back up again. "I was so scared. I'm sorry about Darla. If I'd just-"
"Shush. It wasn't your fault," she told him sternly. "Is my Mom here?"
He grinned, "And Willow, and Xander, and his fiancee Anya who is the strangest woman I have ever met in my life, and Giles and-" She was laughing at him. Their eyes caught and he leaned forward and kissed her. "I love you."
"I love you too." Then she bit her lip a little hesitantly.
"What?" he asked, alarmed by her expression, "What is it?"
"Did the doctor say if I was-"
He reassured her immediately, "You'll be fine. You'll be able to skate and everything."
"Will you be my partner? Skating-wise I mean? 'Cause we're already dating. At least I think we're dating. We are dating right? What's so funny?" she demanded. He was laughing. She was just so adorable, and beautiful, and his.
"I don't plan on ever leaving you for an instant. I will partner you, date you, and will you marry me?" That last bit wasn't supposed to come out yet.
She seemed equally surprised. "We've only known each other for three weeks." He was going to try to back out and started to stammer apologies and say that he had no notion of where the proposal came from. "Yes I'll marry you."
A cheer from the crowd gathered in the hall brought them out of the world in which only the two of them existed. Joyce stepped out of the crowd and hugged Angelus and her daughter. Then she said, "You do realise that I now have to act like a mother-in-law?" That remark ended the moment entirely and Buffy was joyfully welcomed back by her family and friends.
*****
A (very brief) Epilogue
A year later Buffy stood again at the edge of a rink, but this time she felt no apprehension. She let the mention of the pair before her wash over her. Then it was their turn. The announcer's voice came on over the PA, "Representing Ireland, Buffy and Liam MacKenzie! Gold Medalists!"
She took her husband's hand and the crossed the ice to the podium, the cheers of the crowd ringing in their ears.
The End