Unsure

Kate was on her way out when she almost bumped into Angel.

"Wow! Looking great! Are you going somewhere?", he asked.

"Uh, well... Yes, I am." She didn't want to admit to being bored to death and about to hit the bars for company. But Angel had something else in mind.

"That's too bad. I thought you might help me with something, but if you're..."

"Oh, no. It's no big deal, really. So, what is it you need my help for?", she said quickly.

"I've been trying to find this one guy. He's human and it shouldn't be difficult, but it seems he has troubles with paying his debts..."

"Which means no one will tell a tall, dangerous looking stranger where to find him, right?"

"Well, yes. I guess that's it... Do you really think I look dangerous?" Her remark seemed to have hit a tender spot.

"Not when you make that face, no." She smiled, amused at his reaction. "But, why didn't you ask Cordelia to help you? It's not that I don't want to. I'd be glad to, really! It's just that I thought you were a team, but you don't seem to be working together much, lately."

"I know. They're all still a little wary of me and I don't want to push it. So... Are you gonna help or what?"

She couldn't help but to think he looked cute all unsure like that.

"Sure. If you want me to."

They had been following leads all night. Red herrings, mostly. Now, this one brought them to a tacky downtown movie theater.

Gunn would have said the place smelled funny. And he would be right, this time.

Angel was starting to regret his decision of asking Kate for help as some of the places they had been to were not exactly lady-like. But she had kept a straight face all along, seemingly unfazed.

Yet, when they stepped into the projection room, he came to fully regret his decision. The film being shown was a porn and there was a lot of action going on in it.

"Maybe you should wait outside.", he told her.

"I'm a big girl, Angel. And I'm not leaving after coming all the way down here." She wasn't about to acknowledge to him how uncomfortable that made her.

"Ok, then." Can this get any worse?, he thought.

And the answer, of course, was yes - as they finally found the guy they were looking for in some pretty embarrassing circumstances. That actually helped them get the information they needed, but both Angel and Kate were quite distraught when they left the theater.

They kept avoiding each other's glance, but Kate noticed Angel had buttoned up his coat while they were inside.

It all ran smoothly after that - so to speak. There was the usual amount of punching and kicking, but soon enough it was all set.

On their way home, it was still clear that the night's events hadn't been completely absorbed. They were both very self-conscious and kept any exchanges to a minimum.

Glancing at her, Angel could see her hard nipples showing through the light fabric of her dress. Was that a reaction to the cold night's air or was she thinking of what had happened? It didn't really matter for, whatever the reason was, it provoked a similar reaction in him.

Kate noticed that, too. And, as the car came to a stop in front of her building, she decided maybe it was time to be bold.

When he turned to say good-night, Kate leaned towards him and planted a kiss on his lips. It took him completely by surprise, but he reacted promptly, kissing her back. It didn't last long until he came to his senses, though.

"Kate, stop! We can't!", he said while breaking away.

She shot him a hurt look and left the car immediately.

He stayed there, grabbing the wheel, a tormented expression all over his face.

He had to tell her. He didn't want to, but he had to.

Following her inside, he found her just about to close her door. He tried to reach her, but the barrier was there again, in spite of the fact that he had been inside her apartment once.

"Kate, please! We need to talk! There are things... things you don't know about me. But now you have to know." He was pleading. Not only in words, but also his eyes begged her for a chance.

"Forget it, Angel. It's ok, really! I guess it was dumb of me to throw myself at you like that, but I thought... Well, you don't have a girlfriend that I know of and you seemed willing... But, of course, you don't have to do anything you don't feel like doing just to please me."

Oh, God! This is going to be harder than I figured!, he thought, wishing he could just forget it as she was saying.

"Kate, it's not what you're thinking. It's not that I don't want to. In fact, I couldn't be more willing, really... Come on, you know how attractive you are! But, if we started something, I might not be able to stop and..."

She stepped outside, looking deeply into his eyes, trying to find the truth in them.

Angel held her face in his hands, meeting her gaze with painful eyes. Now, it was his turn to kiss her.

It was very different from that first kiss... This one was soft, gentle... And there was a whole sense of vulnerability in it.

When they parted, Angel realized they had stepped inside. A silent invitation had been issued.