The Thin Line

Daala

Rating: PG-13
Distribution: Sure... just ask me first and tell me where it's going.
Disclaimer: Unless I suddenly changed gender, I am not Joss Whedon, therefore I don't own the characters in this story. I don't even own the idea, seeing as this is a point of view.
Authors Note: I got a few requests asking me to write this. This one is during "Passion" when Angel tells Joyce about him and Buffy. Let me tell ya, Angelus is a very hard character to write a POV for. Bear with me and please let me know what you think. And also thanks to AleXander for the transcripts of the seasons. It helped me a lot for the parts I couldn't remember... which was almost all of it! = ^ ) Also, if any of you want me to write more of these, please let me know. And thanks a whole bunch to Kuma for proofing my story and giving me ideas for a title.

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I wandered around Buffy's lawn for a while, deciding what would be my next torment. I had seen Buffy and Willow near the house several minutes before, but they had gone inside before I was able to catch up to them.

Buffy was obviously strong enough to hold out on the torment I was inflicting on her. Maybe it was time to move on to her close friends. I knew the gypsy woman had plans for me. She could be among my victims to hurt Buffy. I thought about how I could kill her. I could try draining her, but I didn't want to infect myself with gypsy blood. The easiest way would be to snap her neck...

My thoughts were interrupted as I heard the sound of a car and looked up to see Joyce sitting in the drivers seat of her Jeep. I smirked slightly and immediately wiped it off my face. I was going to have to pull an Angel act now.

She saw me approach her car as she stopped the engine. I leaned down a little so I could be face to face with her on the car window. "Mrs. Summers," I said innocently. "I need to talk to you."

I moved back a little so that she could get out of her car, groceries in her hand. "You're Angel," she said. It was not a question.

I pushed the door shut and smiled the dashing smile I knew ladies always loved. The perfect idea came into my head. I would get Buffy in trouble with her mother. I knew she wouldn't approve of her only daughter dating an older man. "Did Buffy tell you about us?"

"She told me she wants you to leave her alone," she stated firmly. Damn. She had told her herself. I wondered how much had she told her.

I shook my head. "I can't do that."

"You're scaring her," she replied. I had to fight the urge to smirk. Good, I was scaring her. That had been my aim all along. I continued my act.

"You have to help me," I pleaded and she started her way to the house. "Joyce..." I called after her and followed. "I need... I need to be with her. You can convince her. You have to convince her."

She stopped and I stood in front of her. She was getting tired of me. "Look," she said firmly. "I'm telling you to leave her alone." Now there was a joke if I'd ever heard one. I almost laughed in her face. Sure, Joyce, I'll leave her alone. I'll also stop feeding from humans and go back to drinking blood from a bag. Maybe even go out to get a much needed suntan, too.

"You have to talk to her for me, Joyce. Tell her I need her."

She made her way around me to the door. "Please, look. I... I just wanna get inside, okay?" she sounded a little nervous and she started rummaging through her purse for her house keys, holding her grocery bag in one hand. Her grip on the bag failed and it fell to the floor, a few of the items spilling out. I immediately crouched down and started picking up the oranges that had fallen out. Something Angel would've done.

"You don't understand, Joyce," I said in a desperately false tone. I noticed she had found her keys. "I'll die without Buffy. She'll die without me." The latter was kind of true, anyway. She would eventually die without her precious Soul-Boy to help her out.

"Are you threatening her?" she asked. Her voice held a protective tone. I wasn't really threatening. I was just stating an obvious fact.

"Please," I begged once again. "Why is she doing this to me?" Or rather, why I am doing this to her? There was a simple answer to that. She made me feel human. She loved me like no one had ever loved me before. And it was incredibly disgusting.

"I'm calling the police now," she replied. Forgetting about her groceries, she went back to the door and began fumbling with the keys, trying to find the right one. I walked over to stand beside her. I was running out of ideas fast and she was going inside. Not that it mattered, really. I had an all access pass to that house.

And then I remembered the reason I was back to being myself in first place. I wondered if she knew. I guess there was only one was to find out. I spoke slowly and deliberately in a low, husky voice. "I haven't been able to sleep since the night we made love."

That did it. I could tell that was one part she didn't know. She looked at me in surprise, the keys almost falling from her trembling hands. I had achieved my goal for the night.

"I need her, I know you understand," I told her in the same tone.

She quickly snapped out of her shock and opened the door. "Just leave us alone," she murmured as she stepped inside. I moved to follow, but an invisible barrier stopped me at the door. I looked up to see Buffy and Willow coming down the stairs. Willow was holding on to a book and was reading a Latin phrase from it: 'Hicce verbis consensus rescissus est.'

I recognized the words. Buffy and Willow were reversing my invitation to their house. No doubt they had given the spell to their friends as well.

"Sorry, Angel," Buffy told me as she came up to me. "Changed the locks." And with that, she slammed the door in my face.

I growled in frustration. There went my all access pass to her house. My scowl disappeared, replace by a satisfied smirk. No matter. For now, anyway. I had done my share of torment to Buffy for the hour. So I couldn't get into her house anymore... I would find another way to affect her.

Remembering the damn gypsy who had found the stupid curse again, I started making my way to the school. Dru had told me that she would try something tonight and I didn't want to take my chances. Maybe I could kill her and leave her for Buffy to find. Or maybe not. From what I had gathered, Buffy and the gypsy, Calendar, weren't on speaking terms. Sure, it would affect her, but it wouldn't be the same thing. It might be better to leave her at the Watcher's house. I'd decide what to do after I killed her.

As I left the porch, my vampire hearing picked up Joyce's stern voice: "Buffy, upstairs, now." And I allowed myself the satisfaction of a good laugh.

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