A/N: Thank you for your wonderful reviews and being patient with me. Actually I had this chapter finished few days ago but because of the ”technical glitch” ff.net had I couldn't send it to my wonderful beta Mac, who I would also like to thank, she's been a great help with this story. On top of that, I lost the ”improved” version of this because my computer decided to go crazy, thankfully it wasn't much new text but I couldn't get one part back to the way I was happy with it. But anyway, here's the next chapter.... Chapter 3 Buffy and the family were all occupying the large sitting room. She couldn't stop her mind from wandering back to Liam and the chaste kiss she had given him. If people considered a woman walking by herself a slut, did Liam think that of her from the kiss on the cheek? Sure he himself had asked it but maybe it had been a test. Don't panic. She needed to think of something else or soon she'd be going crazy. She jumped up to her feet, drawing everyone’s attention to herself. “Uhm... I think I'll go outside, try to catch some fresh air,” she explained herself and signed at the window that showed the backyard. “I'll come along with you, show you the beautiful grounds,” Cillian said immediately, then stopped to think and turned to his sister. “Deirdre, will you join us?” Cillian looked at her pleadingly, he really wished she would say yes since he wanted to spent more time with Buffy. “I think that is a good idea, a breath of fresh air can do no harm,” Deirdre answered and set her book aside before getting up from the settee. Buffy tried to signal with her eyes that it was a bad idea but Deirdre chose to ignore it. “We will return before supper,” she said to the others. “Have a wonderful time, and don't forget to show Buffy the garden,” Siobhan said with a warm smile. “We will not,” Cillian promised his mother and offered Buffy his arm. With hesitation she took it and the three left the room. The siblings showed Buffy every inch of the garden without Cillian letting go of her arm till Deirdre asked permission to talk with him. Deirdre looped her arm with Cillian's and guided him out of Buffy's hearing range. Buffy looked at the two, wondering what was going on but at the same time she was glad she had some alone time, especially since her arm was starting to cramp. Deirdre turned to her brother who was discreetly looking at Buffy from the corner of his eye. She let out a soft sigh. “Cillian, you are my brother and I hold you dear, and that is why I must say this about Buffy. She has someone in her own time, a suitor and a man who has captured her heart. I can see you hold great affection for her but it will only end poorly,” she said gently and Cillian nodded, letting out a frustrated sigh. “I can not help it, she is the sweetest creature I have met,” he answered. “But you do understand she will return to her own time when her mission is completed?” Deirdre reminded him. “Yes, I do know that. But we do not know what the mission is, we can not be certain what is the task she must complete, so maybe it is possible that there is a chance for a courtship,” Cillian said, his conflicted emotions evident on his face and voice. “Dear Cillian, we can not meddle with her life,” Deirdre said regretfully and again Cillian sighed, he understood what his sister meant but that didn't mean he was going to surrender to his fate. “We should return back to her. Maybe we should show her the riding horses,” he said and started walking back to Buffy. Deirdre sighed looking up to the heavens and followed her brother. She had a feeling that Cillian's feelings would not be returned and he would be left heartbroken, but what could she do, her brother was a man and old enough to decide for himself. Buffy spun around as she felt someone approaching. “Would you like to see the riding horses? They're magnificent animals,” Cillian suggested and she stared at him confused. “Horses?” Cillian smiled and nodded. “Yes, Deirdre and I were thinking it is a lovely day for a ride,” he clarified. “You do know how to ride a horse?” Deirdre asked and Buffy frowned. “Uhm... I used to. Back when I lived in LA I used to go riding when I had time but it's been years. Really many years,” she answered, her frown deepening. “Then I believe it is a good time to relearn it again,” Cillian said triumphantly and offered his arm to her. She looked at Deirdre asking for help but the woman wasn't looking at her. “I guess it is,” she said with a fake smile and let Cillian lead her to the stables with Deirdre following them. She just hoped she wouldn't have to use a sidesaddle but she had a sinking feeling she wasn't that lucky. xxx Sneaking out of the manor was a lot easier when she had gotten her own room and so Buffy used the opportunity to scan the area in the daylight. Despite not being able to patrol, she wanted to know her surroundings and be able to move around without getting lost. She was still somewhat embarrassed of having to rely on Liam's help while she wasn't even far from the manor. She stopped at a crossroad and looked around herself, considering her options. She knew Deirdre didn't like her walking by herself in town so she opted on the other road, she was sure she had plenty of time to sneak into town later since she didn't know when she'd get back home. She started walking down the road, looking around herself so she'd get the area memorized. She stopped as she heard a rider approaching and as she turned around, her breath caught in her throat. It was like from a cover of a cheesy romance novel her mother read, Liam riding on a black stallion towards her. At least she imagined the horse was a stallion because it perfectly fit the image he was presenting. This is not good, she thought to herself but couldn't make her feet move. “Okay, I'm definitely seeing him more now than I did when we were dating,” she muttered to herself and looked skywards with a glare before turning her eyes to Liam. “Got lost again?” Liam asked once he was near enough. Buffy folded her arms and glared at him. “No. Just scanning the area,” she answered defensively. “Too bad, I wouldn't have minded another kiss,” Liam said and she could feel the butterflies flapping their wings in her stomach. She rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the horse, he was safer to look at than Liam. “Shouldn't you have an escort with you, it's not proper for a lady to wander around by herself,”, Liam said and leaned forward in the saddle. She dared to look at him. “Maybe I'm not a lady,”, she said back and he shook his head. “No, you are one. Only not like any noble woman I've met,” he answered and a smile started to tuck at her lips, she barely managed to stop it from growing into a full blown smile. She turned her eyes to him, looking at him from under her eyelashes. “Well, I like being special,” she said casually under her breath, he could barely hear her. She looked at him skeptically. “You're not gonna rat me out, are you?” He looked at her with questioning eyes, not understanding what she was saying. As she noticed the look on his face, she offered him a apologetic smile. “I mean, you're not going to tell anyone I was here? Alone?” she clarified and as she saw the smirk rising to his lips, she quickly added: “And you're not getting any payment for it.” He looked at her with amusement. “No, I'm not going to ruin your reputation,” he answered but she still looked at him with a skeptical eye, he still had that look in his eyes like he wanted to. “Come for a ride with me and I'll convince you”, he said and her eyes narrowed, she was certain that was against the rules. “And what would it do to my reputation if people saw me riding with you?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “I know a place where no one will be looking.” “I bet you do,” she stated. “I give you my word that I will promise to behave myself,” he said but she was still not convinced, not that she believed he would go too far or that she couldn't handle herself but she didn't know if she had enough self-control to be alone with him in a place where no one would be seeing them. “Still don't think it's a good idea,” she said and tried to leave but Liam made the horse step to her path, stopping her and he leaned forward in the saddle, lifting her up to the horse's back. “Hey!” she protested and gently slapped his hard chest. “I thought you were supposed to be a gentleman!” Liam offered her a crooked grin. “I'm no gentleman, you should know that,” he answered and she swallowed thickly. He was too close. She could smell the soap he used and something that reminded her of Angel, and that was a bad combination. “Okay, you had your quick feel, now let me down,” she said and inwardly cursed of how breathy her voice sounded. Liam chuckled and shook his head. “No, I like you like this,” he answered and she shivered as his hot breath hit the back of her neck, this was not good. He really wasn't a gentleman like Cillian and others she had met, guess the stories about him were true. She felt a bang of jealousy and lust from the thought. There was no curse, he was human and oh so touchable, who would it hurt if she let the sex starved part of her loose. Mentally she shook her head, she couldn't no matter how bad she wanted to, if she couldn't slay then how would pursuing something with Liam affect things. She just had to keep her hormonal girl part in check, she did it with Angel so why couldn't she do it with Liam. She swallowed thickly as his arm wound around her waist and the horse jumped into trot. With his help she adjusted her position so she wouldn't fall off the horse and as she was pressed against his strong chest, she knew resisting Liam was going to be harder than keeping her hands off Angel because there was no curse, with Angel she knew the consequences but with Liam there was no danger of Angelus being released. When they reached their destination, Liam stopped the horse and effortlessly jumped down before turning to help her down. She was grateful for it since the dress was not making her moves very graceful. “Where are we?” she asked looking around herself, the area really was excluded like he promised and there was nothing but the small cabin. “It's an old hunting cabin. Plenty of privacy and not many people come around here, at least not the kind that would spread rumors in the circles you move in,” he answered and walked the horse to the water trough. He tied the reins to the pole next to it and patted the animal's neck. She watched him interact with the large animal, Angel had once said he wasn't a good man when he was alive but she could see he was, maybe he drank a little too much, didn't like responsibility and was a man-whore but that didn't make him a bad person, more like a frat boy. “So, you're into... I mean, you like riding,” she said, mentally kicking herself at the lameness of the question. Way to go, Buffy! He'll think you're a complete loser! “Yeah, I like it. It's one of the rare occasions when I feel free,” he answered and for a long while all she could do was stare, it was felt like he had shared something private of himself with her. “So you, too, need a little escapism from reality,” she said with a soft smile. He took a step closer to her and at the same time she took a step back, it was safest to keep some distance. He looked hurt by her reaction and she felt like kicking herself. “I have never forced myself on a woman against her will,” Liam said a little offended that she would be scared in his company. “I know,” she stated and slowly walked closer to him, showing him she wasn't afraid. “But I still think we should keep some distance,” she added. A crooked smile formed to his lips and he crossed the distance between them. “And why is that? Do you find me that irresistible, Miss Summers?” he questioned with a thick accent, the smirk never leaving his lips. “You really have a high impression of yourself, don't you. What makes you think I even like you?” she asked with a raised eyebrow and folded her arms in front of herself, she didn't let herself take a step back even though his whole presence was wrecking havoc on her senses. He chuckled throatily. “Don't taint your pretty lips with lies. You have spirit in you, if you didn't like me, you would have slapped me across the face from my forward behavior,” he answered and brushed a strand of hair from her face, waiting for the slap to come at any moment. She wanted to close her eyes and press her cheek to his palm but she held on to the last shred of self-control she had. “I think we should go back,” she said suddenly and took a step back. “If you wish, I can never deny a beautiful lady anything,” he said and returned to the horse. She rolled her eyes, that was a line if she ever heard one. He walked the stallion to her and held him steady. “Let me help you up,” he said but she shook her head. “No need,” she answered and easily climbed to the saddle, only then she realized it probably wasn't very proper especially since she was sitting astride. But for some reason when she was with Liam she forgot all about the codes she had been taught and just was herself. She turned her eyes to him, not sure what to expect but he didn't look shocked or scandalized, more like impressed. Without saying anything he placed his foot to the stirrup and hoisted himself to sit behind her. It took them a while to get back to the road where they had left and without asking her, he steered the horse towards the Collins estate. “Okay, you can drop me here,” she said and pulled the reins, stopping the horse. Liam understood what she was thinking, he didn't want to ruin her reputation either. But that didn't mean he wanted to depart from the petite body that had been pressed against him during the whole ride. He dropped down to the ground and helped her down from the saddle. “Okay, I'm going now. Thanks and see you later,” she said and tried to leave but stopped when she heard him talking. “You going to use the window again?” he asked with a smirk. She spun around to look at him with surprise. “You saw me?!” He chuckled at her shock. “Yes, I saw you. And I'm very impressed, I don't think I could do it as fast as you did and I have some experience in that area,” he answered, the innuendo clear in his husky voice. “I bet you have,” she muttered under her breath and tried to leave but he grabbed her arm, pulling her back to him. She faltered and fell against his strong chest. Stupid dress, she thought to herself and closed her eyes to calm down, for some reason she couldn't make herself pull away from him. “Uhm... I really have to go,” she said, her voice coming out as a whisper. “I am not stopping you,” he said against her ear. You need to leave. Now! she commanded herself but again her muscles didn't work. “I'm going,” she said determinately and opened her eyes before taking a step forward. His hand slid from her arm and as soon as his touch was gone, she was missing it. You can do it, she coaxed herself and took another step. “I'm going,” she repeated and quickly started walking down the road, not looking back because she was afraid if she saw him again she would run into his arms and not care about anything else. xxx Buffy was laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She had successfully snuck back inside, not using the window this time, and now she was trying to figure out how to get out of the mess she was in. There was a knock on the door and Deirdre's voice asking permission to enter the room. “Come in,” she said and Deirdre stepped inside. “I was wondering if you are feeling well, you have been staying in your room for a good while now,” she said and Buffy offered her a faint smile. “I'm okay. Just thinking,” she answered. “May I inquire what you have been thinking of?” Deirdre asked and stepped further into the room. Buffy let out a long sigh and turned her eyes to her new friend. “About why I'm here. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. How am I gonna get home?” she answered painfully and Deirdre looked at her with her face full of sympathy. “I can not answer that. The Powers did not tell us what the key to your return is, all they said was that you are supposed to fulfill a happening but the time has passed in your time,” she answered and laid a gentle hand to Buffy's arm. “Passed? Huh?” she questioned confused. “Why do they always have to be so damn cryptic?! I can't slay, I can't do anything that might change someone's life, so what am I supposed to do here?! I pretty much can't do anything,” she continued, her frustration clear in her voice. She was already breaking those rules by being with Liam. She realized he wasn't Angel and she could see the difference but she also could see that he was a good man and she was falling in love with him too. Could the situation be more complicated? Silence fell to the room. Deirdre didn't know what to say to make her feel better and Buffy just didn't feel like talking, she wanted to get home but at the same time she didn't want to leave because that meant leaving Liam too. To be continued…