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In the hours before dawn, Angel made preparations for the trip to Nevada, which consisted of making reservations at a hotel and packing the needed stakes and rations, while his girlfriend slept. Then around noon the next day, Buffy went out and did exactly what she promised she wouldn't, heading straight to Willow's house.
The timid Willow Rosenberg and the zany Xander Harris had been Buffy's closest friends ever since she moved to Sunnydale, so much that they had even nicknamed themselves the 'Slayerettes.' For as long as Buffy could remember, Xander had had the most enormous crush on her, at the same time that Willow was secretly in love with him. Buffy had thought this triangle would go on forever. Until three months back, when the most curious thing had happened.
Literally overnight, Xander had done a total turnaround, suddenly giving up his obsession with Buffy and focusing instead on Willow. It still perplexed the two girls (and even Xander himself) as to what had brought on this change, but they had long since given up trying to figure it out.
For now, Xander and Willow were just happy dating and hanging out with each other, which is what Buffy suspected they were doing right now. Upon reaching the front door of her girlfriend's house, Buffy rang the doorbell and waited for an answer. It was Willow who finally opened it, dressed in a pink bathrobe and looking flustered.
"I'm sorry," Buffy said upon seeing her friend's disheveled appearance. "Did I interrupt another kiss-fest?"
Willow blushed, running her fingers through her tangly auburn hair. "Let's just say you picked a rather inopportune time to come over," she said shyly, moving aside to let Buffy enter. "What did you want?"
Buffy, however, requested that Xander be present for this. Then, she filled her two friends in on the impending trip to Las Vegas, and Xander and Willow were all too eager to come along for the ride. Buffy soon left them to pack.
Unfortunately, Cordelia, who had left Buffy's house late last night, was nowhere to be found. Buffy assumed she was holed up somewhere with a new boyfriend of hers and gave up the search at that.
Sunset came around 8:30 at night, and Willow and Xander showed up shortly before this with their suitcases. Angel was slightly surprised to see them, but resigned himself to letting them come along rather than waste time raising an argument. The six of them were on their way within moments, either riding in Willow's or Buffy's cars, or on motorcycle.
It wasn't until they reached a rest stop that Buffy finally found time to have a private chat with Stefanie. The two of them sat on a short granite wall near a grove of trees, watching their friends wander around a moment.
Then, Buffy got straight to the point. "You love him, don't you?" she asked.
Stefanie looked down at her hands, which rested in her lap. "Yes," she admitted, glancing up at Buffy's worried expression. "And you don't have to say anything. I know it's wrong. In the end, I'm just going to lose him."
Buffy felt a pang in her heart. "I know what you must be feeling, Steffi. I've been there."
Stefanie felt a wave of anger at this. "How would you know what it's like?" she snapped. "You and Angel are together now! And at least you know he'll always be around! I don't even have that!"
Buffy paused, a tear escaping her right eye. "We didn't always have it that way, or that easy," she said quietly. She looked up, noticing that Stefanie was staring at her curiously. "Angel's still a vampire," she added. "The same characterisitics, the same instincts. Just because he has his soul back doesn't mean those things have diminished... It wasn't always easy for him to stay in control around me."
Stefanie's eyes widened. She couldn't really relate, having been able to ward off the demon possession that was present in others like her, Angel included. "Then how..."
Buffy gave a faint smile. "We're finding that the more often temptation is thrown at him, the easier it is for him to hold back... The point is, love hurts, no matter what form it comes in."
Stefanie nodded, looking around for Rhys. She saw him standing not too far away, the crow perched on his shoulder, and laughed when she saw he was feeding it pieces of bread. "How will I live without him?" she mused out loud, all too aware that it was a question that only she could answer...
After a long drive accompanied with frequent stops, the group of friends finally arrived at the hotel Angel had picked for them. It was a quaint building with an outdoor swimming pool and a gazebo in back. They checked in quickly, then went to their respective rooms, one double and two singles since Angel hadn't known Willow and Xander were coming. It took a while for the six of them to work out the sleeping arrangements, but Stefanie was left sharing the double with Buffy and Angel after a long debate.
Exhausted, Buffy climbed into one of the beds, soon in a deep sleep. Noting that dawn was approaching, Stefanie went to fussin with the blinds, while Angel spent the first few moments showering.
Stefanie soon gave up on her project with a sigh, going to sit on the other bed. She hugged her legs to her chest, head resting on her knees while she remained deep in thought. Then, as if in a trance, she stood and walked to the door. She had no plan of what to do, where to go, but she found herself outside Rhys' door, knocking lightly. He opened it seconds later, surprised to see her.
They both stood there for a long moment, then Stefanie asked, "Can I come in?"
Rhys paused, then opened the door all the way, arm held out in a gesture of welcome. He watched her enter, then automatically went to shut the curtains. "What can I do for you?" he asked, turning to look at her.
She bit her lip, feeling like a shy naive teenager instead of an experienced thirty-something vampire. Building up her courage, she replied, "You could tell me how you feel towards me. That would make it easier."
Rhys had suspected that she had feelings for him, but it was another thing entirely to hear her imply it. He took a step forward. "I think you're a very special girl, Stefanie," he started. "But..."
"But you aren't attracted to me," Stefanie finished, tears rising to her blue eyes. "I suspected as much." She half turned away in a feeble attempt to hide her sad expression, but Rhys naturally caught onto it anyway.
He was at her side in a second, touching her face and watching as she gazed back at him. In that moment, something just clicked into place. Overwhelmed by a flood of emotion, Rhys leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips.
Stefanie put one hand to the nape of his neck, pulling him closer for a deeper and more passionate kiss. Once started, it seemed impossible for either of them to let go, but they finally managed to.
In those few moments, everything changed and yet still remained the same between Stefanie and Rhys, only this time, the knowledge hurt both of them...