Buffy, living up to the stereotype of taking too long to get ready being a girl, was doing just that while Angel waited for the two girls to finish up. They were all meeting one another that night at The Bronze; Cordelia, Willow, Xander and Anya. Pike had decided to go and check some things out at the cemetary. Taking the stand as "substitute" slayer for the evening. He really didn't seem all that interested to go to a club. Not his kind of thing.

Angel flipped through a few pages of a TEEN magazine that had been left behind from one of Caela's little shopping spree's with Buffy and Cordelia on the couch. The page that had appeared when he opened it was titled, "IS HE THE ONE FOR YOU?" It was folded thoughtfully at the corner, marking the reader's spot. Angel studied the begining of the questions and answers. Who ever had filled it out hadn't finished it yet, only 5 of the 20 questions were marked up with highlighter.

1.) You make plans to go out and he ends up having to work, does he...

a) Call you and take a raincheck say- ing he is sorry.

b) Hope in his mind that you will under- stand when he talks to you about it tom- orrow.

c) Doesn't call at all hoping that you will read his mind and know what is happening.

Angel smiled at this, assuming that it was Buffy answering the quiz. He and Buffy always had date interruptions and crashes. There possibly wasn't a date that fully went through normally. Not even on the quietest of all nights for a slayer and a vampire.

Angel was interrupted by his "reading" by a knock at the door. Nothing harsh yet nothing soft either, just a pure and simple knock on the crafted wood. Angel set the magazine back down on the couch and stood to answer the door. "Hi. Can I help you?" He said as he looked at a muscular teen that was about the age of 16 in jeans and a white tee shirt. His pants contemplated the shape of his legs, as well as the tight shirt. His red tinted blond hair matched his awkwardly tan colored skin. Some freckles were almost sprinkled on his cheeks, just under his eyes and near his nose. If the boy would continue to grow with the few years left to his "growing years" in height he would possibly only reach the same height as Angel himself. But for now he was inferior to Angel's standing position. Angel waited for the boy to speak.

"Hello, Sir. I'm sorry to bother you at home and everything, like this, but uh...Well, you see my friends and I were tossing the football out on the street and this huge gush of wind came and took to ball over your house..." The boy was helping himself out with using his hands to illustrate his story and his dilema. "So, I uh, I was wondering if I could perhaps check in your back yard for the ball-Or you could do it for me it you feel uncomfortable with me coming on your property." Angel saw that the boy was obvious very shy and nervous at the moment, talking to Angel about his problem. Angel smiled at the boy.

"No, no. Thats fine. Come on in, and I'll walk you through the back yard. Please..." Angel stood aside of the door and gestured for the boy to come in. Angel knew from even before he opened the door that the boy was who he appeared to be. Human, that is. He did not smell of something else, except for a touch of beer on his clothing and not on his breath. Angel was a little confused about that. But this gave Angel the assumption that the boy did not drink. Whether he WISHED to drink was an entirly different thing.

The boy stepped in and waited for Angel to shut the door and lead him to the yard. His nervousness was already on the edge but worse when Caela came bouncing down the stairs.

"Angel, have ya seem me magazine?" She payed the boy no attention, she was too focused on putting her silver knot bracelet on. She stopped just infront of Angel, betweent he two men, still keeping her eyes on her

wrist."Uh...on the couch I think. Why? Are you taking it with us?" He looked a little amazed at her, jumping to the conclusion that she WAS bringing a magazine with her to the club.

"Ah, no. Isn't there a wonderfully nice hairstyle that I wish to try out for tonight?" She beemed up at him as she smiled at her conquest of the bracelet fitting nicely on her wrist.

"Oh." Angel sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets. Feeling that he had a while to wait since she was just NOW starting to fix her hair. That was ok, it wasn't even sundown yet, just near that time. Angel was just a hoping that they would get an ice cream cone on their way there. Angel watched as Caela picked up the magazine and started for the stairs. It was until she had passed his vision again heading for Buffy's room. "Wait!" He haulted her. She turned around, looking at him questionably.

"Hm?" She humed her question through a closed mouth.

"What are you wearing?" He pointed to the red leather pants that he so knew so well that belonged to Buffy Summers. She had worn them when he fed off her, in order to cure himself from a poisionus arrow that was shot by Faith, the Slayer that Caela was sent to replace.

"Oh, aren't they purfect, Angel? Buffy let me borrow 'dem for da night." She turned around for him, modeling them off.

"You're not wearing that to wear we are going, are you?" He

prayed."Oh, of course I am!" She thought that he was being silly and started to rush up the stairs once again.

"Caela, wait!" She turned around once again.

"Tue neti elpul tuper tet. Tiper pyil neti elpul upsilep tue wri pis eu." He smiled at her. HE knew that they had company, but he wasn't so sure that she realized it and tried to keep the embarasment of her from the poor boy.

Caela smiled at him and looked at him straight in the eye while she spoke, "Aye, I understand." She desended a few steps to near him a little more. Almost appearing as a threat. "Se Ti yusul Buffy hei uri?" She gave him an evil grin. She recieved no response. Even though Angel had been struggling with her fluent tongue of the language she knew that he got the gist. If not she had no fear in speaking to Buffy about what he was telling her to do. Buffy had gotten on his case about not letting her wear things that the average teenage girl was wearing and to let it go and let her act like a "normal girl." Buffy's favorite statement, "to have a normal life, with a normal boyfriend." Angel gave Caela a "I'm in the shit hole look" and replied. "Touche'" Then he looked relaxed as she smiled. He knew that she was not mad with him and that he was not upset with her. They liked this. Both of them surprizingly. Angel liked the idea that he had an excuse for treating someone that he felt so close to as a younger sister. And Caela like the idea of having a sense of family around her again. Friends were different. Over protetion was different as well. But Buffy did seem to have a last say in things since Buffy was the only other person who knew what Caela was going against, and that doesn't entirely mean vampires and the Hellmouth. It meant not being normal, and trying to live life to the fullest while you can.

The boy still stood at the side watching their little tiff pass by in a very odd language of which he had never heard before. He felt as if he were stuck in the Twilight Zone of Ireland, giving from Caela's accent, and Growing Pains. Angel looked to him and the boy smiled, helping the man before remember why he was in his house.

"Come, I'll show you to the yard."

He followed Angel to the yard. Trying to make conversation so as to feel more comfortable with one another while they searched the oversized and well in need of a mow yard. "So...Was that your sister?"

"Hm?" Angel was concentrating.

"I have two of them myself." He peering behind a bush.

"Oh. No. She's not my sister. Not really anways. She's just close that way. No parents. Moved from Ireland and we're incharge of her"

"Oh." He was digging for information. He seemed to be interested with the girl in the house who had not even noticed his presense. "So, hey, what language was that in there anyway? Because I have never heard anything like THAT before. It seemed to be more poetic and rythmatic than any other language I've heard." He stopped from searching and crossed his arms as Angel did the same and attempted to engage a polite conversation.

"Gaelic." Angel took a deep breath. "Listen, uh... I'm sorry whats your name? I don't think you told me."

"Orin." He offered his hand to Angel.

"Angel, nice to meet you." He took his hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you too." They released hands.

"Look, I don't mean to be rude but I am kind of in a hurry once the girls get ready we're going to The Bronze." Angel was just now realizing that the sun had finally gone down and the sky was diming rapidly of it's light.

"Oh. No problem. Hey, you know what, I can live without the ball for now, how about I come back tomorrow sometime and look again then?" He started to follow Angel back into the house, giving up for the night.

"Sure, that would be fine. Someone should be here, not sure who, but the house is never empty..." Angel mumbled, "trust me."

"Great. Then I thank you and I will be back tomorrow. Goodnight." Angel opened the door and let Orin out.

Caela, Angel and Buffy all made it on time, without the visit to te ice cream shop mind unfortunatly, to meet with everyone else. They all sat in the corner on a couch and two comfy old chairs. Buffy, Angel, Xander and Anya sat down on the couch while Caela and Willow took to the chairs. Caela seemed a bit overwhelmed but beamed with the sight of all the people about the same age group enjoying themselves in ways that she could relate to. Dancing. But the moves were frightening to think about. She had never seen such dance steps in her life. Just as Angel and Buffy were relaxing within one another's arms Caela began to seek for lessons from Angel.

"Angel, won't you live up to your promise and dance with me?" She gave him a smile that absolutly begged to be payed attention to. She was such a doll and Angel could not resist. He nodded and smiled to Buffy as he slipped out of her arms and stood, putting his hand out to Caela.

"Dance with me?" Caela smiled at the formality.

"Of course." She bowed her head as if she were a a noble woman and he a prince at a ball.

"Come on Princess." He mocked her and she laughed.

The song started without them, but that was fine with them, Angel still hadn't taught her the basics.

//Come stop your crying
It will be allright
Just take my hand, hold it tight.//

"Here," He took her right hand, "put your hand on my shoulder, where its comfortable. If I'm too tall feel free to hould on to my arm. Make yourself comfortable. Its no fun if you're not." He wanted her to know that dancing was not something that was a "must" There were rules of dancing as well. How far one should go, limits and boundries, substituted with the word of being comfortable.

She nodded with a "gotcha" smile.

He took her other hand in his, holding it as if she were glass and afraid to even put his fingerprints on it. Her skin was pale, yes, but only a shade lighter than his. Her hair was pinned back to a bunched pony tail and fell back lightly brushing her neck. Teasing the exposed skin. If Angel didn't look like her brother there would have been a lot of disoppointed boys that night at The Bronze. He started to move, she hesitantly followed him, looking at her feet every few seconds. "No, no." He moved their hands to her chind and used his fingers to move her chin up to face him. "If you want to keep a guy's attention, keep your eyes on him." He gave her a "goofy and yet very serious smile.

She smiled, with a touch of crimson to her cheeks as she was slightly embarased with his comment. Afterall, that was why people danced with a girl that was not related to her. She began to get the idea and the feel of the steps and mixed her body's motions with the song's rythem. Some she no longer looked like she was taking lessons anymore. She looked to be dancing, completly. Angel smiled at the fact that she learned so quickly, that way she didn't have to be worried about not knowing how and feeling embarased about it. They continued to dance through the rest of the song.

//I will protect you from all around you
I will be here
Don't you cry.

I'll be there for you always.
Just look over your shoulder.
Always and Always....For you.//

As the song ended the DJ put on a small beat that contained no words. It was assumed that he was giving everyone a few moments break. Angel and Caela seperated and then came the question that took Angel by surprise and added some well touched paint colors of red to his cheeks and ears.

"So, when ya going ta teach me de 'Mating Dance' as ya call it dat Buffy expressed wit' Xander at an attempt to make ya jealous?" She smiled at him. Although she was trying to make Angel laugh at the rememberance of that particular night that Buffy had really ticked him off she was in all serious mode. When they arrived she had seen how the other couples were dancing with one another. Rather primitivly, too. But she thought nothing of it when she asked Angel, a some what brotherly figure to her.

Angel hesitated with a little bit of astonishment hanging in his head. "I', uh, I-I can't teach you that." They started to walk back to the group. Angel took his seat back with Buffy as Caela continued to stand and protest that her lessons were cut short.

"Not fair! You promised me dat you would teach me how to dance." She noticed how she used 'you' instead of 'ya.' She beamed for a slit second and then returned to her huffing and puffing at Angel.

"Not that. Have another guy teach you those moves." Angel was trying very hard to keep his laughter in.

"Buffy, Angel refuses to teach me the dancing that yourself did with Xander. 'Tis not fair." She crossed her arms and stared down at the two of them. She knew that she must sound like a brat of some sort but this was something that she wanted to make sure Angel would keep to his word with. If he didn't keep it to something so simple as this then she quite possibly couldn't ask him to keep her identity and whereabouts safe in the heat of a battle. She was testing him. She knew, but he did not. It was not a fair game that she was playing either, but something told her that it was better to be played this way than rather him knowing and giving away the answers.

//Yeah yeah yeah
yeah yeah yeah
yeah yeah yeah//

Buffy held her lips between her teeth to keep from laughing at the mention of that particular dance style. She knew exactly why Angel refused to teach her that sort of dance, at least with him as the guinie pig. "I see nothing funny about this at all, at all." repeating themselves with this saying was just something that came naturally with the Irish. But everyone knew that it would take a lot of getting used to to not correct her that in America it is only used once in a sentence.

Buffy looked up from her giggles and at Caela. "Its just that...." Everyone around her gave her a funny look, "That...that the sort of dance that I did with Xander was....seductive, and it's not right for Angel to teach you that sort of dance and let alone do it with you." Caela was thinking this over in her mind.

"But how will I learn then, if not Angel as my teacher?" She leaned against her chair, waiting for an answer.

"Well, you could-" Willow was going to give her an option of just asking another guy right out of the room, no thougths, just action, that way she wouldn't waste the time of thinking about what she was doing, until someone interupted her.

"Excuse me, Caela, right?" A familiar boy peeked into the group's area. Angel perked up.

"Hello, Orin, right?" Angel stood up and shook hands with Orin who stood next to Caela.

"Yeah, nice to see you again." The men seperated from their formal greeting.

"Orin?" She even pronounced his name in an accent. A very thick one at that.

"Thats me. My football landed in your guy's yard, I saw you in the house." He was trying to jog her memory, hoping that she would remember

him."Aye...." She nodded her head, she was just trying to seem polite, she really had no idea who he was and was punching herself for it too. From where she stood, which was pretty damn close, he was the pick of the litter kind of guy. He skin was soft to the eye and his hair was evenly cut and she could smell him, it wasn't strong enough to be cologn, she figured it was his deoterant. Whichever it was, attracted her closer.

//I think I did it again
I made you believe we're more than just friends
Oh baby
It might seem like a crush
But it doesn't mean that I'm serious
'Cause to lose all my senses
That is just so typically me
Oh baby, baby

She put her hand out to shake his hand. He accepted it. Gently, and yet with the firmality of knowing that he could take care of himself and that he was no sheltered guy like the rest of the adolesents in Sunnydale that Caela had heard so much about. She gave him her best smile without even realizing it. She wasn't trying but she was getting his attention anyway.

//Oops!...I did it again.
I played with your heart,
got lost in the game
Oh baby, baby
Oops!..you think I'm in love
That I'm sent from above
I'm not that innocent.//

"Hi, nice to meet you." Orin said as he smiled at her in return.

She nodded in resonse.

"Hey, would you like to dance?" The rest of a song was playing and was perfect for what Caela was looking for. She eyed Buffy and smield with a little squeal and nodded to Orin. "Great."

She took her hand lightly. HIs thumb lightly rubbed the back of her hand as he led he to the middle of the dance floor, where he felt most comfortable. He took her immediatly in his arms and gently placed his hands on her waist brought their bodies closer than Caela had ever been to a man that she was attracted to before. She began to get the idea that she was to just move her feet with her hips, her hips with the movement of his and her torso with the beat of the song. With this knowledge she quickly took steps without contemplation of, "Am I doing this right?"

//You see my problem is this
I'm dreaming away
Wishing that heros, they truly exist
I cry, watching the days
Can't you see I'm a foor in so many ways
But to lose all my senses
That is just so typically me
Baby, oh

Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah//

The two stayed on the dance floor and switched their steps to the switch of mood of the next song. Angel and Buffy entered the dance floor and began to sway lightly together to the music next to the new pair. Orin was mezmorized with Caela's souling deep blue eyes. He knew there was a lot more to their story behind them than just that of Ireland.

Angel placed his chin atop Buffy's blonde head as she leaned herself against his chest. Angel's hand was wrapped around her waist possesively as well as lovingly as the other held her hand near his chest. Her eyes were closed while she listened to the words of the song they danced to.

//When the rain is blowin' in your face and the whole world is on your case I would offer you a warm embrace To make you feel my love

I'd go hungry,
I'd go black and blue,
I'd go crawling down the avenue
There ain't nothing I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love.//

Part Eight

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