Part Seven

Angel gently deposited Buffy on her bed and brushed her hair gently away from her face. Pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead he whispered softly, "Sweet dreams, Beloved," and turned to leave.

Seeming to sense his absence she stirred, reaching for him even before her eyes opened and murmuring sleepily, "Stay with me? I want to fall asleep in your arms."

Unable to resist what he wanted as badly as she, Angel lay down beside her and pulled her to him. Like a sleepy kitten she snuggled against him until she was half sprawled across his chest with one arm around his neck and the other around his waist and her slender legs were entwined with his long ones.

Even though they were both still dressed, a contented purr rumbled in his chest at the feel of her body wrapped around his, warming his cold skin. He felt her smile against his chest at the sound, then she whispered, "I love you," and was asleep almost before she had finished speaking.

Angel didn't sleep, he just lay awake watching her; awed by the trust she showed by lying with him this way. She was the Slayer, her every instinct should have been screaming at her to stay alert in the presence of a vampire and yet she felt safe enough to relax, the instincts of a hundred thousand Slayers silenced by her love for him. It was a gift that he knew he would never be able to take for granted a blessing he could not have dreamed of in the dark years after his soul had been restored. He was a monster, a creature of darkness and yet this beautiful soul knew the worst of him and still found something within him worthy of her love. In her eyes he found his redemption.

****

It was almost dawn when Angel finally left Buffy's side, escaping into the sewers just seconds before the sun rose over the horizon. He had been tempted to simply pull the blinds and remain where he was but the sound of Joyce beginning to stir had convinced him that it would not be a good idea. The last thing that Buffy needed was for her mother for find her asleep in a man's arms and her mother would probably draw the blinds which would not prove a good thing for him either.

The first time he had seen Buffy he had loved her and that love had given his life purpose bringing hope to his despair. Now he knew beyond doubt that, as he loved her, she loved him and the knowledge that they could be together filled him with joy. For the first time since childhood, he was happy and at peace. The guilt of his past remained and he would always feel the pain of what he had been but it was tempered by the knowledge that he was more than he had believed himself to be, for Buffy could never have given her heart to a monster. With her eyes as his mirror, he was a man once more.

***

Buffy smiled and stretched contentedly. She knew before she opened her eyes that Angel was gone, so attuned was she to his presence that she would be able to tell if he was present among a crowd of thousands, let alone in an empty room. The warmth of the sun on her face provided an explanation for his absence and she thought longingly of the night when she would see him again.

She rolled over and looked at the place beside her where he had been. The indentation left by his head was still clear on the pillow and in it rested a folded sheet of paper. Buffy sat up and pushed her hair away from her face with one hand as she reached for it with the other. Just for a moment the memory of the drawings that Angelus had left for her intruded then she forced the thought away and looked at what Angel had left for her.

It was a rose. Beautifully drawn, the simple pencil sketch was so perfect that Buffy was almost surprised by the fact that it had no scent. Beneath it was written in Angel's strong, flowing script,

I love you, A.

Smiling, she kissed the paper and then hugged it to her chest, her heart overflowing with love and happiness.

As she dressed to go to school she sang to herself and kept stopping whatever she was doing to go back and touch the little picture, savouring the sense of connection it gave her to Angel

****

Giles paced nervously in front of the computer classroom, waiting for Jenny to arrive. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see her walking towards him. Her eyes were a little red, as though she had been crying, but to Giles she had never looked more beautiful.

"Rupert…"

"Jenny…" They both spoke at once and then both fell silent, waiting for the other to continue. After an awkward pause they said together, "I'm sorry." And the both immediately fell silent once more.

They stood looking at once another in silence for a minute or so before the absurdity of their behaviour struck Jenny and she began to giggle.

For an instant Giles stared at her as though she had suddenly grown a second head (not as unlikely as it sounded, considering where they lived) and then he too began to laugh.

The ice between them broken, Jenny unlocked the door and the two of them talked quite naturally together until the bell rang to summon students to the first lessons of the day.

****

"Hey, Giles," said Buffy as she bounced cheerfully into the library at lunchtime, "I saw Jenny in the hall and she seemed happy, are the two of you…?"

"We're fine, thank you, Buffy. We, we…talked this morning."

He looked at her searchingly and she self-consciously touched her hair, "What?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, it's nothing," he said looking away but after a few moments his gaze was drawn back to her again. She didn't comment but her expression spoke volumes and he sighed and explained, "I…I was just-just wondering what had happened to change you so much. Two days ago you would have been saying how 'gross' it was for someone of my age to be in-in love and now… You've grown up overnight."

"Not overnight, Giles," she told him sadly, "definitely not overnight."

Giles wanted to question her further but the pain in her eyes made him hesitate, "You don't ever want to talk about this, do you?" he asked gently.

She shook her head.

"It'll help if we know what's coming so that we're prepared for it."

"I know, but it can wait. As long as Oz doesn't get bit, the next few weeks should be quiet, nothing more than the usual vamp hi-jinks but... We shouldn't get complacent - I can't predict what Spike and Drucilla might do, you know that, right? Without Angelus, everything they do will be different, if we're lucky they'll just leave town but…"

"But we can't be sure. I understand and I'll warn the others to be on their guard."

Buffy nodded, "I have to go meet them for lunch, I'll see you later."

She reached for her bag but his voice made her pause, "Will you… Are you going to tell Angel?"

"Some of it - probably most of it, I'm not very good at hiding things from him - but not everything. He'll only blame himself and he has too much guilt about things he couldn't have prevented without adding this."

She reached the door of the library and looked back, "One thing…you might want to start researching Ascensions in your spare time, the Mayor is planning on having one. We have months before it becomes a problem but we weren't getting anywhere and the extra time might help."

"The…mayor?"

"Uh-huh. Interesting guy, he's over a hundred years old." She informed him and, with a nod to Jenny who had just entered, slipped out of the room before he had a chance to say anything. The last thing she heard was Jenny's voice asking, "Who's over a hundred years old?"

****

Buffy sat in her English class that afternoon and briefly contemplated the weirdness of actually knowing the work before slipping into a happy daydream about Angel. Even when the teacher noticed and asked her a question it wasn't a problem because she remembered the last time that she had been in that position. Admittedly then she had been worrying about Angelus rather than daydreaming but she still hadn't been paying attention so now, even though she hadn't heard the question, she managed to give the right answer leaving him nonplussed.

Despite her daydreams the day seemed to drag by as Buffy counted the minutes until she could be with Angel once more. When at last the final bell rang she quickly made her way to the library, pausing only to tell Xander that he should tell Willow about his 'romance' with Cordelia before she found out on her own. Not waiting for him to stop spluttering and reply she dutifully reported to Giles for training and five minutes later she was on her way to Angel's with permission to skip training that night and for the rest of the weekend and to take the night off from Slaying. The unwonted generosity probably had something to do with the fact that Giles was kissing Jenny when she walked in on them but whatever the reason she wasn't about to argue.

Part Eight

Buffy knocked gently on the door of Angel's apartment, wondering if perhaps she should have waited 'til after sunset since he had got no sleep the day before and was probably tired. The speed with which he responded reassured her that she probably hadn't woken him, then the door opened and she forgot all about it as she launched herself into his arms. Reacting instinctively he caught her as she wrapped her arms and legs around him and their lips met in a long sweet kiss.

"Hi," Buffy said softly when the kiss ended, pressing her forehead against his, "I missed you." She smoothed her fingers over the bare skin of his shoulders, savouring the satin smooth texture of his skin over the resilient strength of his well-defined muscles. A purr rumbled in his throat at the feel of her hot little hands warming his cold skin and she felt as well as heard the vibration where her breasts were pressed against his bare chest.

Keeping one hand on her back to support her, Angel slid the other up until it tangled in her hair and caught her lips in a kiss that left her breathless. His tongue traced her lips and then demanded entry to the moist cavern of her mouth. She opened to him willingly as he filled her senses to the exclusion of all else. Nothing existed except the touch of his hands, the taste of his mouth and the scent of his skin.

Still kissing her he moved further into the apartment and kicked the door closed behind him before carrying her into the bedroom. He toppled the two of them to the bed, bracing himself carefully on his arms so that his weight didn't come down on her too hard.

Raising his head he looked down at her shining eyes and shuddered at the intensity of the feelings she inspired within him. "God, how do you do this to me?" he asked, drawing in an unneeded breath as he unknowingly echoed her thoughts, "I love you so much, when I'm with you it's like the rest of the world disappears."

"I know," she moaned, reaching for him, "It's the same for me." Then their lips met and there were no more words only their gasps and moans of pleasure as each strove to get ever closer to the other.

Buffy screamed in ecstasy as he entered her, his great size stretching her to the limits, filling her almost to the point of pain. He tried to move gently, to give her still largely untried body time to adjust but she would have none of it. Her hands clutched at his back and her body clenched around him with all the strength of her Slayer muscles, holding him as tight as a fist within her.

Angel grasped for the ragged edges of his control and missed. Acting purely on instinct he pulled back, driving into her so hard that a normal human would have been broken by it. Buffy arched to meet his thrusts, matching his strength with her own, urging him to move ever faster. The knot of tension within her tightened unbearable as she neared her release and, drawn by a compulsion she did not understand, she arched her neck, offering him access to her throat.

His gaze was drawn, almost hypnotically, to the pulse that beat rapidly beneath the silky smooth expanse of her skin and then flashed to face. Through a haze of passion she saw the disbelieving question in his eyes and in answer she reached up and pulled his head down until his face nestled against her throat.

Unable to resist the temptation of what she offered him so freely, Angel pressed a gentle kiss to her throat, his tongue darting out to gently caress her skin, before allowing the demon to emerge and tenderly biting down to tap into the life that flowed beneath it. He took only a mouthful but as her blood hit his tongue the power coursing through it was enough to send him over the edge into ecstasy. As he exploded within her, in the moment before his brain overloaded and shut down, he realised in awe that he could actually taste her love.

At the same moment, as she felt the slight prick of his fangs entering her neck, Buffy climaxed, her whole body convulsing as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her leaving her spent and blissfully happy.

Part Nine

They lay together in an exhausted tangle, Angel's large form covering Buffy like a blanket. He started to shift sideways but her arms tightened around him and she murmured protest, unwilling to lessen the connection between them so soon.

"I'm too heavy," he explained.

"No," she disagreed, "you're perfect."

He smiled down at her, then gathered her firmly against him and rolled over, reversing their positions so that she was on top. She giggled at the sudden movement and then snuggled against him with a contented sigh, her cheek pillowed against his chest.

"Aren't you supposed to be training," Angel asked at length, lazily stroking her soft blonde hair.

"Giles gave me the weekend off. I think he wanted some alone time with Jenny."

"Mmm…I know just how he feels."

Buffy propped her chin on her hand and looked at him mock-severely, "You want some alone time with Jenny? Should I be jealous?"

"Wretch!" he murmured affectionately, "You know what I meant."

She grinned at him for a moment, then her expression grew serious, "Thank you for the rose," she said softly, "it was beautiful."

"*You're* beautiful. I didn't want to leave you long enough to find a real one."

"It's better than a real one! MY rose won't wilt so I'll be able to treasure if forever – the only one like it in the world!"

Angel reached up and gently traced the outline of her face with his fingertips, his touch almost reverent. "I wish that I could have been there when you woke up this morning. I wanted to."

"I know." They smiled tenderly at one another and their lips met. There was no passion in the kiss it was, rather, a dedication. A promise of love as deep and true as any marriage ceremony.

Then Buffy laid her head down on Angel's chest once more and asked contentedly, "Do you think that we could stay here like this forever? I don't think I'll ever want to move." As if to refute her words, her stomach growled loudly and she blushed as Angel began to laugh. She savoured the precious sound for a moment before joining in. She didn't think that she would ever take anything about being with him for granted but especially not his laughter, she had heard it so seldom that in her mind it had become like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow – the ultimate prize.

"I'm sorry. The food in the cafeteria today looked like the remains of something I'd slay so I skipped lunch. I don't suppose that you've got anything to eat around here?"

"Only blood."

"Eww! I was thinking more along the lines of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!" she kissed his chest and sat up, looking around for her clothes. "Come on, we have to go to the store," she glanced at him seductively from under her lashes; "I seem to have worked up quite an appetite somehow."

Angel's arms came round her from behind and he gently kissed her neck where the mark from his bite was already almost gone before nibbling his way down to her shoulder and biting it gently with blunt teeth. She shivered at the delightful sensation but reluctantly pulled away saying in what she hoped was a firm tone, "Uh-uh, feed me first!"

He pressed a final kiss to her shoulder and then stood up to pull on his pants from where they had landed on the floor. Buffy shivered for a different reason than before and wondered how it was that a body that generated no heat could warm her so completely. Getting to her feet she too pulled on her trousers but instead of her camisole top she went to the wardrobe and pulled out one of Angel's shirts. The huge garment swallowed her and she was forced to roll the sleeve up more than half way before her hands became visible. Then she knotted the shirttails at her waist and turned to face Angel.

He swallowed, there was something terribly erotic about the sight of Buffy wearing his clothes; it was as though she was voluntarily branding herself as his. She wore his shirt, bore his mark on her neck and, primitive though he knew it to be, the sight filled him with a fierce satisfaction. She was his.

She closed the distance between them, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Can I stay with you this weekend?"

"I wish that you could…but what about your mother? Won't she be worried if you don't come home?"

"Mom's in New York until Tuesday. I'll find a note waiting for me when I get home, telling me about the great opportunity for the gallery that she couldn't pass up."

Angel frowned, "She went all the way across the country without telling you or leaving a way to contact her? And I thought that the two of you were going shopping for your birthday tomorrow?"

Buffy shrugged, "She left the number of the hotel for emergencies and we go next week instead, it's no big deal." His frown deepened and she kissed his chest gently, "It happened a long time ago, I'm fine." She frowned, "and it hasn't happened yet…this is going to get confusing. It's suddenly sinking in that I'm younger than I was two days ago – only I'm not, everyone just thinks I am."

He smiled at her confused rambling, and then a thoughtful gleam entered his eyes. "Could you wait a couple of hours before getting something to eat?" he asked.

"What? Um…yeah, I guess so. Why?"

"Would you like to spend the weekend with me in L.A? We could go out to dinner, see a show and just…forget the Hellmouth for a while."

With a squeal of delight Buffy went up on tiptoes to kiss him, her arms sliding up around his neck so that she could run her fingers through his hair. He wrapped his arms around her, lifted her up until her face was level with his and her feet were dangling inches above the floor, and deepened the kiss. When they finally parted she was breathless and he would have been had he needed to breathe. He rested his forehead against hers and asked teasingly, "Was that a yes?"

***

Angel walked Buffy home, despite her half-hearted protests that he didn't need to, and then left her to change and pack a bag for the weekend with instructions to 'wear something dressy'. He also took the opportunity to read the note that Joyce had left exactly where Buffy said she would. He had been stunned by the utter insensitivity the woman showed and he shuddered at the thought of what it must have done to an already hurting Buffy the last time she had come home to this. Joyce seemed to be blissfully unaware that she was telling her daughter that she meant less to her than business, a message that she received too often from her father as it was.

He arranged to pick Buffy up at seven after she swore that she could be ready in just under an hour. Then he returned to his apartment to feed and pack two bags of his own, one containing clothes and the other a cool box with a stout padlock into which he put several bags of blood. That done, he began making phone calls in an effort to ensure that the weekend was a close to perfect as he could make it.

He got a pleasant surprise when he called the hotel and, after pulling a few strings, he hung up with a satisfied expression on his face. As soon as he had confirmed the reservations he phoned Giles to explain the situation, check that it would be all right for them to leave and give him the number where they could be reached. Angel had expected him to be annoyed by Joyce's behaviour but he was surprised at how readily he gave his permission, even his blessing to their weekend away.

Giles seemed to sense this and when he had finished muttering about 'idiotic women who couldn't see how special their children were' he said, "It's all right, Angel, Buffy is no longer a child in any sense. Whatever happened to her it is clear that it forced her to grow up extremely fast, if she wants to be with you that is entirely her decision, although I will say that I can think of no one to whom I would rather entrust her than you."

"Thank you, Giles," he said huskily, "that…means a lot to me."

"Yes, well… have fun, I would tell you to take care of her but I know it's not necessary. I imagine that I'll see you on Monday; maybe you could train with Buffy for a while and spare me a few bruises."

The rueful note in his voice made Angel smile, "I'll be there," he promised, "bye, Giles."

He started to put the phone down but at the last second he heard Giles call his name, "I'm still here, what's up?"

"I-I was just…wondering, has Buffy spoken to you about…what happened in the-the other timeline? I get the feeling that it was terribly traumatic but she won't talk to me or any of the others about it."

"No, she hasn't and I don't want to push her before she's ready, I'm hoping that she'll tell me while we're away."

"Good luck, I think…she needs to talk about it, it must be very hard to carry memories that no one shares."

Part Ten

Giles' words lingered in Angel's mind as he finished his phone calls and changed his clothes. What would it be like, he wondered, to suddenly find that months of your life had never happened? To have memories that no one else shared even though they had been there? She had changed but her friends had not, creating an inevitable distance between them because she was suddenly more mature than they were. She had survived the fire and been tempered by it, changing forever from what she had once been. The bonds between her and the others were strong and he had no doubt that they would hold and adapt but things would never be the same again.

That thought led to another and he suddenly remembered what Buffy had said, 'I'm younger than I was two days ago'. He realised then that he didn't even know how old she was any more. To him she had just turned seventeen but there was no way for him to know how long ago that had been for her. Everyone was assuming that the timeline she had been living extended for only a few months but what if it had been longer?

The question continued to trouble him as backed the car he almost never used out of the underground garage and drove the short distance to Buffy's house.

There was a thoughtful frown on his face as he parked the car, walked up to the front door and raised his hand to knock. He looked up in surprise when it opened before he could touch it, then his gaze alighted upon Buffy and his mind went blank, unable to think of anything except the vision before him.

She was dressed in a sleeveless gown made of dark green silk that shimmered when the light touched it. The fitted bodice lovingly hugged every curve of her exquisite figure and the skirt flared out and fell to her ankles, swirling around her at the slightest movement. On her feet were delicate white sandals and a matching handbag hung at her side. She had left her hair loose and it framed her face in a glorious, soft cloud that made him long to touch it. Her usual cross was gone and round her neck hung a simple gold chain and from her ears hung two little gold stakes. The only other jewellery she wore was the ring that he had given her for her birthday, the heart pointing inwards to show the world that she was taken.

Realising that he was staring he cleared his throat and said huskily, "You look beautiful."

"So do you!" she told him dazedly, still reeling from the sheer physical impact of Angel in a tuxedo

"I do?" he asked with a smile and she blushed slightly as what she had said registered

"Uh…I meant handsome, you-you look great!"

They kissed gently but when it threatened to become more passionate, Angel forced himself to pull back. Spying the rather large bag she had left by the door he picked it up and held out his hand saying, "Are you ready?"

"Just let me get my coat." She hurried into the living room and returned a few seconds later, shrugging into a slightly battered leather jacket that in no way matched the rest of her outfit.

Angel's eyebrows rose slightly as he recognised it as the one that he had given her not long after they had first met but he didn't comment and they left the house hand in hand.

Buffy was delighted by the car, running her fingers over the shiny, black convertible and exclaiming incredulously about the fact that she could have known him for so long without ever knowing that he could drive, let alone owned a car.

Her comment reminded Angel of his earlier thoughts and, after opening the door for her and sliding in behind the wheel, rather than starting the engine he turned to look at her and asked quietly, "How old are you, Buffy?"

"That's a strange question when you were at my Birthday party two days ago!" she said with a laugh but the sound was forced and she had tensed, unable to meet his eyes.

He didn't speak and after a moment s he glanced over to find him watching her patiently, his eyes sympathetic and a little sad but, most of all, filled with love. She looked away again and her shoulders slumped as she said quietly, "Eighteen and a half." Her eyes filled with tears and she surreptitiously tried to wipe them away but then Angel's hand was on her shoulder, turning her towards him so that she could bury her face in the broad expanse of his chest.

Her tears evaporated as she felt his strong arms surrounding her and breathed in the clean scent that was uniquely his and with a contented sigh she shifted to get closer to him. Sadly, the car had not been designed for this sort of activity and she gave a little squeak as something dug painfully into her thigh. Reluctantly Angel released her and started the car as she righted herself. He drove with one hand on the wheel and the other entwined with one of hers.

Buffy leaned back in her seat and watched him instead of the passing scenery. Her eyes sparkled with pleasure in his company and he could feel them stroking his face, almost like a physical touch, making it hard for him to remember to keep his eyes on the road. He glanced over at her with a smile and took her hand in his, raising it to his lips, "I love you," he told her softly.

A warm glow spread though her at his words and gentle touch and she shifted in her seat so that she could rest her head against his shoulder, ignoring the awkwardness of the pose. She pressed a lingering kiss to the skin of his neck just below his ear and was delighted when he shivered with pleasure at her touch, "I love you, too."

As they left Sunnydale behind them and headed into the night, for one, too-brief moment in time, they were both completely happy and at peace. Each knew that there would be problems in the future – adjustments to be made, problems to be solved and, inevitably, battles to be fought upon their return but for now all thoughts of duty were forgotten and they were content simply to be together.

For two precious days they would make love and play like children in the night and then, when the sun rose, hold each other tight and have long, healing talks that lasted hours and left no secrets between them, before sleeping in each other arms. They were not the Slayer and her guardian vampire but simply Buffy and Angel, two people who shared a love deeper than any the world had ever known.

NOTES:
I'm sorry that this ended rather abruptly, I was originally going to write about Buffy & Angel's trip to L.A but I have run into a nasty case of writers block and am VERY unhappy with everything I've written after this point. Rather than have this be a story that is never finished I have decided to end it here and write a sequel if I ever get it figured out. I have a few ideas for the problems Buffy's friends have dealing with the changes in her but they are very fuzzy and aren't supposed to happen for at least another three chapters or so. If I write it as a sequel then I can skip over the bit in the middle but I don't recommend holding your breath waiting for it, it could be months before I write any more on this, I have seven other stories in the works.

Go to the sequel, How?

Send feedback to Angelic Vampyre

Back to the Fanfiction Archive