Disclaimer: Not mine
Pairing: B/A…duh
Rating: PG-13 – It’s fluff, with a touch of angst
Timeline: Takes place during season 5 of AtS. A scene I would like to see...
Summary: Déjà vu is totally what it used to be!


The cold blade sliced through his abdomen with a sick sound, and he looked down at his impaled state before glancing back up at the armor-clad demon. His stare was one of complete and utter fury.

“Angel!” Her sweet voice brought him back to earth and out of his murderous haze, and he groaned as the Chaklok demon lifted its foot to push Angel off its sword and onto the pavement of the dingy sewer floor.

His wonderful Buffy wasted no time, jumping over the demon as it charged at her and successfully throwing it off balance. She kicked it in the behind with enough Slayer force that when its head connected with the ground, its neck made a nice crunching noise that left Buffy feeling satisfied.

Though Angel clutched at his bloody wound with his right hand as he supported his weight with his left elbow, he cracked a smile at the sight of the fallen Chaklok.

“Heh.” His grin grew. “You know, if there was ever a time to say ‘kick its ass’...that was it.” He started chuckling at his own joke, but soon found that to be a particularly bad idea. “Ow...ow.” Buffy rushed down to the floor beside him and gently pressed her hand against his shirt-covered stomach. It came away slick with his blood, and he could see the fear in her eyes, even though she knew that this would likely be almost fully healed by tomorrow. The fear soon turned to anger.

“How could you be so stupid!!” She emphasized every couple of syllables with a nice smack to his arm.

“Ow,” he whined. “Mortal wound, here.” She gave him the evil eye before putting her hands under his arm to slowly help him onto his feet. They started walking towards the sewer’s exit with Buffy supporting him.

“You’re in no condition to operate heavy machinery. I’ll drive the Corvette.” When she kept a straight face throughout her entire statement, the fear he’d seen in her eyes mere moments ago quickly transferred to his own.

****

As they walked through the elevator doors into Wolfram and Hart’s lobby, Wesley’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of Angel walking so slowly with an arm slung around Buffy’s shoulders. “What happened?” The alarm in his voice made Angel smile again as he thought of how much these people cared about him.

“Captain Ireland here thought he’d take on the Chaklok all on his lonesome,” Buffy said, suppressing a smirk. Angel lamely rushed to his own defense.

“So did you!” He needed to secure his manly pride!

“Yeah, but I can kick your ass.” She grinned wickedly, and Angel couldn’t help but smile back before turning his attention back to Wesley.

“Hey, you know this is the fifth time I’ve been stabbed this week? I should really think about getting a health plan.”

****

Buffy left Angel standing in front of the sofa in his penthouse before quickly going off in search of materials to take care of that nasty wound of his. “Don’t move,” she had instructed.

She returned to the room a few minutes later carrying a metal bowl filled with water, along with a cloth and some bandages. She set them down on the table and stood in front of him again. Without looking at him, she brought her hands up to slowly slide the leather of his jacket off his shoulders. He watched her with tender eyes. When the jacket dropped onto the sofa behind him, Buffy began to work on the buttons of his black, silk shirt. She started from the bottom and worked her way up, concentrating intently on each.

“I was wondering about the next time I’d get your clothes off,” she joked, but she still avoided eye contact as she carefully pulled his shirt down his toned arms. A blush made its way into her cheeks and she wondered how, after all she had experienced relationship-wise, he could still make it all feel so new to her.

She liked that feeling.

Angel smiled sweetly at her embarrassment, and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her forehead, both of them closing their eyes when his lips remained there for longer than they had both anticipated.

When he moved away a bit, she was finally looking at him...really looking at him. Her eyes searched his for long moments, though she wasn’t completely sure of what she was looking for.

“Sit,” she said suddenly and quietly. He did as she told him and sat back, shirtless, on the sofa, wincing slightly as he did so. “Easy.” The corners of her mouth lifted as she began to clean the wound, gently wiping the scarlet blood off his stomach with the water-soaked cloth.

“What’re you smiling about?” His sparkling eyes waited for her reply and he moved his hand down over hers, stroking her knuckles with his thumb. She shivered.

“It’s just…” Her smile grew. “Déjà vu, I guess. The really, really good kind.”

Angel knew exactly what she meant. He remembered that night like the back of his hand, that first time she had invited him into her home and into her heart.

Before everything had gone so horribly wrong.

“Yeah. I should get stabbed more often, huh?” he teased. She didn’t smack him this time.

“As long as I’m here to take care of you.” It was supposed to be a light comment, but her desire and longing had unintentionally made its way into her voice. The tears that began to form in her eyes surprised her, and she wasn’t really certain if it was a result of sadness, or if it was a joy that hope brought forth.

Maybe a bit of both.

After she had finished dressing the stab wound, she wiped her hands off and sat next to him on the sofa, careful so as not to hurt him. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to lean into him, resting his head against hers. Buffy curled her arms around him, and though it caused Angel some pain, he was too engrossed in the feeling of having her in his arms to care.

“You know I love you, right?” Her voice was so small, sounded so young and innocent. She would always be innocent to him.

“Yeah,” he said, just as quietly. “I know.” He tightened his hold around her, and kissed her hair.

Long after she had fallen asleep in his arms, he whispered into the silence of the room...

“I’m not letting you go this time.”

She didn’t hear him, but this time it wasn’t just an empty proclamation.

It was a vow.


FINIS