After returning to the house they each took a shower, as the rest of the gang slowly woke up. Willow was walking up and down each of the hall ways giving a towel and washcloth to each person once they had waken up after she had taken a shower of her own. Finally, once Pike, the last person to wake up on the lower floor, woke up she turned on the stereo in the living room, allowing the music of Sarah McLaughlan flow through the house. Angel and Buffy had finished their showers coincidentally at the same time. Buffy had exited from the top shower while Angel out of the lower shower, fully dressed, excluding a sweater and jacket.

"What are we up to today?" Willow was the first person to wake. Even before Buffy had gone jogging with Angel she had woken up to read more about Caela. She had started to lay out cups and two bottles of orange juice, and a large boxes of donuts. Apparently Buffy and Angel had stopped on their way back and got an easy breakfast considering what they wanted to do for the day. Willow, lifting her head realized that the question had came from a too perky for the morning, Cordelia.

"Oh, I don't know exactly. Buffy just mentioned something about the Zoo. I think we're going to pick up Anya on the way." Pouring herself a cup of orange juice. "Do you want some?" Looking back to Cordelia.

"Yeah, thanks." Approaching the island, she gathered her prepared cup.

"Hey, Guys!" Buffy rounded the corner, brushing her wet hair.

"Hey!" The two responded.

"Ohh. OJ." Taking a glass from the island she turned around to exit the kitchen. "Thanks, Will." Nearing the doorway she grabbed the phone and completely exited the tile floored room.

"Riley, please just come. I know that you're angry with me, but-"

"I'm not angry with you. I'm just confused." Riley's side of the conversation could be slightly over heard on Buffy's end of the telephone.

"Then all the more reason why you should join us. Go to the Zoo with us. And if you don't like it after an hour or two then you and I can go off on our own, check out the birds." Reasoning mixed with pleading.

"Fine. But I won't last for very long. I'm a little worn out as it is." Immediately following his answer with a slight condition.

"Great. Thats okay, their won't be any problems. We'll pick you up between 8:30 and 9 o'clock. K?" Automatically getting excited over her triumph.

"Okay. See ya then."

"Bye." Almost too quickly hanging up, she turned the corner of the bathroom and into the hallway too fast and ran into a lurking Angel.

"Riley's coming?" Looking a little hurt.

"Angel, I have to spend time with him no matter what you and I are doing together. He already knows that you're competition, its no big deal, its just that I can't chose without spending time with the two of you. Not just one or the other."

"But I thought that-"

"Angel, I know this is going to hurt, but I love you, so much. You and I, we have this connection that can't be defined. And it scares me now that you're here and that you're human again. It changes everything. What we can do, what we can say to each other..."

"But?" Filling in her blank.

"But... I love him too." Looking straight into his hurting eyes.

"I know. And thats why I'm not giving you up without a fight." His identical words of Riley's rang in her ears as he bent down and kissed the top of her head and walked away.

"I know." Whispering under her breath and she walked back to her bedroom and finished getting dressed.

'Hey, Guys." Anya squeezed in the back seat between Xander and Caela of Angel's convertible. Buffy sat shot gun next to Angel. "Hey!" Everyone returned her greeting, as they continued.

"So, where does Riley live again?" Angel pulled back in line behind Pike's motorcycle as he watched Giles pull in the same line behind Angel as well.

"Um, take a left at the next stop and its the second house on the left." Buffy explained as she looked ahead of the rest of the cars. Pike seemed to know where he was going. Turning at exactly the right time he made it to the right turn and parked at the right house. "Thats it!" Announcing as to not miss it, Buffy ripped off her seat belt almost immediately and literally hopped out of the car. "You've got the rest of the directions right, Pike?" Buffy looked to Pike as she started up the walkway. Seeing him nod she turned back around and walked to the door.

Before she could even knock on the hard wood, Riley swung the door open and rushed at her, picking her up as he hugged her. "I've missed you." Kissing her hair.

"You have?" Laughing a little as he finally put her down. "You ready?" Without an answer he took her hand in his and walked to the garage and opened the door for her. "Wait a sec." Turning away from the car she ran back to the convertible. "You sure you know where you're going?" Looking a little uneasy to Angel.

"Buffy, I have lived here before, I think I can find my way around on the streets." Giggling slightly at her needless concern.

"Okay." Running back to Riley, she climbed into the car and placed her seat belt on.

"And they're meeting us where?" Riley and Buffy had just handed in their tickets and received their programs.

"Right here. They should have gotten here before us. They did leave before us." Buffy searched the crowds. "What time is it?" Looking back to her boyfriend.

"Ummm...10 o'clock."

"God I hate traffic." Complaining as she continued to scan the people and their identification.

"Buffy!"

Hearing her name she quickly looked for the source. Finally she noticed Xander and everyone else in trail. "Come on." Grabbing Riley's hand she almost dragged him from her speed to the rest of her friends. "Hey! Did you just get here?" Avoiding the fact that Angel was nearing Riley with every step as they continued to get closer to the group.

"Yeah, you?" Willow came up to the front.

"Yeah. Traffic." Using a simple word to tell a possibly long story.

"So..." Getting Angel's attention. "Which exhibit do you wish to visit first?" With the end of her question, Riley caught Angel eyeing her face with a "more than friends" look on his face. Uneasy with the thought he wrapped his right arm around her waist, givnig Angel a look of his own. His body was filled with jealousy, he wanted it made known that she was his and no one else's. Feeling a little insecure are to why Riley had suddenly did what he did she looked at him and then to Angel again, they were focused on one another. "Angel?" Hoping to break the sudden tension that she felt to be in the middle of between the two of them.

"Hm?" Looking at her, finally, confused.

"Which exhibit would you like to go to first?" Sounding a little frustrated with having to repeat herself for a dumb reason.

"Oh, uhhh... I want to see the panthers." Giving a sly smile in Riley's direction. "Lets go." Not knowing that the panther area wasn't entirely near by they had to not only take the bus, but they also had to walk half way there. Making stops to get drinks and some snacks Buffy was overwhelmed with thoughts of being a Ping-Pong ball. Being bounced back and forth in someone's possession. No, Angel never did touch her in a way that would make someone think that they were going out, but he did stand directly behind her at times. He made sure that he was always the one to open door for her, immediately walking after her with his hand set at the small of her back guiding her in. He never once held the door long enough for Riley to pass through with his gesture.

Poor Riley was being so neglected, and yet he kept to himself. He swore to Buffy that if he were to feel too out of place that he would let her know. But still, with everything shot at him he did not budge. For Angel knew what his limits were. These things that Angel was doing were small but in their own way big enough to fight over.

"I don't seem them, do you?" Riley leaned into Willow's ear as they all searched the cage of which the panthers were kept.

"No, Xander what about you?"

"What you guys can't see them?" Looking fascinated with her view Buffy overheard the three talking. "There right there." Buffy tried to point them out to her friends.

"Where?" Searching in the general direction, following her finger and her stare.

"Yeah, they're right there next to that small plant on the right." Angel helped them search for themselves the beautiful animal, of which so far only two people could see. "You see them now?" His eyes still fixed on the wondrous beast.

"No, I don't" Riley began to get a little frustrated by the fact that Angel, of all people, could see it and he couldn't.

"Here." Buffy moved down the line of her friends to where Riley stood. "Stand here." Moving his body in an exact spot, she stood directly below him, considering her height and took his hand. She used his pointing finger to a certain coordinate of which was even with his height and eyesight. "Now, you see it?" Riley searched. Nothing. All that was there was shrubbery.

"Yeah. I see it. Thanks." He was lying through his teeth, but he just wanted to go on with the sight seeing of the rest of the animals. "Lets go." Trying to sound like he was fine he raised his voice so everyone else could hear as well.

"Okay. What time is it anyway?" Looking around for anyone who answered first.

"Lunch time!" Xander gave a rounded off guess. "Come on." With Anya at his side he started as the lead of the group in search of food.

"Can I help you?" A young man stood behind the window taking orders from the customers.

"Yeah, I would like two cheese burgers and one fry. And one small drink please." Looking back and forth from the menu, Xander of course ordered first. "Thanks."

While Xander finished with his ordering process, Buffy and Riley stood together waiting for him to pass on the right to order to them with Angel closely behind them. Beep Beep. Beep Beep. Beep beep. Beep Beep. Riley's pager surprised everyone around them. Beep Beep. Beep Beep. Beep Beep. Buffy' s pager followed immediately. "I'll call and see what it is. They told me that I had the day off, they just might want some information or something. I'll be right back." Riley explained without worry in his tone.

"Okay." Buffy called just before he left her side.

"They? What does he still live with his parents?" Angel stepped up to fill in the space left by Riley's brief absence.

"No." Laughing with his slight sarcasm. "He works for the government. They know about the demonic forces. Except they don't call them demons. Hostile Sub Terrestrials. Or we like to call them, HSTs. Theres more to the story but not here. Its not safe." Looking around she implied the amount of listening ears around them.

"I understand. You'll tell me some time soon." Angel put it in his own words as he slid his arms around here waist from behind her, holding her body close to his.

"Angel..." She sounded a little sorry to even interrupt his fun, and yet a little shaky at the thought that what he was doing was wrong, She stepped out of his reached and turned around to face him the best she could.

"What?" He raised his voice slightly to her.

"You know what." Shooting daggers through her eyes.

"God, Buffy, I don't-"

"Hey!" Buffy and Angel were interrupted with Riley's ttention getter.

"Riley!?" Unsure of what he saw and what he made of it. "What did they say?" Giving herself some space between Angel and her.

"They said that they want to talk to you tomorrow. Nothing special, they just want to talk to you about loose hostile. " They're all loose. Should I be worried?" Being a little crude with her words.

"No, its just that-" Buffy realized what he was trying to avoid.

"You don't have to talk in code, Riley. He knows. About Adam." Slowly filling in the blanks that she herself was making as well.

"Oh. Great. How many other people know, Buffy?" Standing straight.

"What? Riley, Angel's a friend I tell him theses things, I need to tell someone about these types of things. I'm not like you. I don't know very many people that are in the same line of work." Being harshly honest she began to yell at his inconceterate notation.

"Its just that the word Top Secret needs to live up to its name or...well it's Hell to pay." Calming himself down, and yet still lecturing her.

"Actually, I've been to Hell, not even your worst dreams come close to how its like down there." Angel stepped in the conversation.

"Oh, really. Thats interesting and all but I really didn't ask for your butting in, thank you." Riley switched his attention from two different things in a matter f seconds.

"Hey, you don't have to get so up tight about this whole thing. You don't know what its like, being a..." Glancing to Buffy so as to give a point of what he meant without saying the word to blow her cover.

"Oh, and you do?" Riley stood tall in front of Riley as if presenting himself. If he were a pigeon he would have already puffed out his chest and feathers.

"I've seen what she's been through. How hard it is. What about you. You've only known her for what three months?" Angel did the same, presenting a challenge.

"Stop it!" Buffy couldn't take it any longer. They were not only holding up the line, but they were also creating a scene. Which not to mention was a bit embarrassing. "Calm down!" Finally the two "boys" gave her their attention. "God, I thought I would be able to handle this but I guess not." Thinking to herself for a split second. "Come here." Buffy took both of their hands and dragged them to a small spot next to a drinking fountain. Riley automatically took a step near her side. "No!" She pushed him away the bewildered blond.

"Buffy?" Riley gave a small whine.

"No, we are not together. I can't be together with either of you right now. Its not fair to you both and its not fair to me." She was on the verge of tears of having to shut them both out.

"What? Buffy this is unreasonable. You and I-"

"You and I? There is no you and I, Riley. Theres you and your possession. For both of you. This whole time I have been this ball in the court and you two have been passing it around like I'm your's. But I have feelings to."

"What? Thats not how it was." Riley tried to defend himself. "Oh, really." Buffy smiled sarcastically. "So, your telling that I'm wrong when I say that each time you put your hands around me you were just proving the fact that I belong to you and not Angel." Buffy watch as Riley looked to Angel and back at her.

"No. It- Well yes. But I can't stand the fact that he wants you back."

"I know, and thats why I'm ending this right now, until I figure things out, I don't want to hurt you two in the process." Buffy walked past the two, and back to a table where all of her friends had settled at. "Pike." Standing near his seat at the rounded table.

"Yeah?" Looking up from his half eaten meal.

"Can you take me home. I don't want to stay any longer. I've suddenly had my full of animal behavior." Buffy glanced in the direction of the two dumbstruck boys. she knew that Angel had heard her. Whether he was vampire or not, he could hear her.

"Of course." Grabbing his coat almost immediately, he began to follow her lead out of the park. "Is everything okay?"

Part Eight

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