PLEASE REVIEW. JUST DROP A ONE LINER, I'LL BE SO GRATEFUL!
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“Boss, there’s someone here to see you.” Harmony’s voice sounded over the intercom. Angel set down the files he was looking at and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I’m very busy right now, Harmony. Do they have an appointment?” Angel, CEO of the LA branch of Wolfram and Hart, and vampire with a soul, was swamped with files to read and things to sign.
“Um, no, they don’t. But I really think you wanna see this person.”
“Harmony, you know that if they don’t have an appointment they can’t come in. Have them set up a time when I’m free.”
“But, boss…” Just then Harmony’s voice was cut off by a different one. “Jesus Christ! Who do I have to kill to be able to see my vampire ex-lover?”
Angel jumped up from his chair and sprinted towards the door to his office. He flung it open to see Buffy, one eyebrow raised, a half-smile pulling at her lips, leaning against Harmony’s desk. Angel couldn’t refrain from picking her up and twirling her around.
One junior associate looked at his boss and turned to his colleague beside him. “Isn’t that the original Vampire Slayer that won the battle against the First?”
“Yeah,” said his female colleague. “I heard they had a thing awhile back. I didn’t know it was true, though.”
A third woman had heard the two associates conversation. “Oh, it’s way true. And I heard that their thing isn’t quite over.” She raised her eyebrows and walked on.
Buffy laughed as Angel put her back on her feet. He led her into his office. He turned around and looked at her. With the specially tinted windows in his office, he finally managed to see her in the sunlight. She was beautiful.
Angel noticed that she had changed over seven months. She had gained some weight, he was happy to see. Years of carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders had left her too thin, too drawn. She was still tiny, but softer, more inviting. Healthier. Yes, Angel decided, she did look healthier. And younger. And happier. She looks so happy, Angel thought, and then he himself was joyous. He remembered the joke she had made on the intercom, and the way she had laughed just then. That reminded him of the old Buffy, when he had only just met her. Before she was the grown up. Before she had died, before she had a sister to take care of, before she had lost her mother, before she understood what kind of things she would have to sacrifice to carry out her duty as the one and only Slayer. Before he had left, his mind said, but he shook that thought away. The important thing was she was better. She was Buffy again. Finally.
“Angel, hon, you okay?” Buffy raised her eyebrows, still smiling, and looked at the man she hoped one day she could be with.
Angel shook his head. “I’m fine.” He smiled. “Let’s sit.” They went and sat down on the sofa that was in Angel’s office. “So, how are you? Is everything alright?”
Buffy smiled to herself. “Everything is great. And I’m… good. I’m really good.” She shook her head and laughed. “Finally. I mean, Xander’s the one who’s got it the hardest. After losing Anya…” Buffy looked away, as if she herself was starting to cry. Buffy sniffed. “I’m sorry.” Angel put a hand on her knee, and she looked at him, thanking him with her eyes. “That’s been hard. For all of us. But we’re getting through it. Slowly. Anyway, other than that, everyone’s great. I mean, Willow’s having a great time with her new girlfriend Kennedy…” Buffy grimaced and stuck out her tongue.
Angel laughed. “You’re not a fan, huh?” Buffy shook her head.
“I miss Tara. Tara was my favorite.” Buffy once again had to look away, and this time she couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. Angel pulled her into a hug. “We’ve lost so many people, haven’t we? Over the years…” She pulled away and Angel nodded.
“Yes. We have.” Angel cleared his throat, wanting to have the smiling Buffy of only moments earlier back. “I’m sorry I never got to meet Tara.”
Buffy nodded. “Me too. She was one of the finest people I’ve ever met. Just… genuinely nice. Wonderful. Dawn loved her.” Buffy lifted a shaking hand to her face and wiped away a stray tear.
“How is Dawn?” Angel asked, to change the subject.
The smile was back. “Fantastic. She’s in school in England, it’s her sophomore year. She has Willow grades with Cordelia popularity. She has a boyfriend. He’s this adorable senior.”
Angel looked at Buffy incredulously. “Little Dawnie has a boyfriend? He’s a senior? Don’t you think that’s a little old?”
Buffy threw her head back and laughed. “Need I remind you that when I was a sophomore, I was dating a 240 year old. I think we can back off the two year age difference.”
Angel huffed, he was still protective of his love’s baby sister. “What about Giles? And Faith?”
“Giles is rebuilding the Watcher’s Council. He just loves being Mr. Busy. He’s setting up the Council, he’s principal at our Slayer school...” Angel looked surprised. “I didn’t tell you about it?” Angel shook his head. “Well, after we activated all the Potentials, we figured there’d be a bunch of freaked out girls so… we started a school. You know, like in X-Men, where they have that school that everyone thinks is just a normal school but it’s really for mutants? That’s what our school’s like, except with slayers.”
“Oh.” Angel nodded, and then, confused, asked: “X-Men?”
Buffy rolled her eyes, smiling. “Duh! Work on your pop culture references, okay?”
Angel smiled. “Okay.”
“Oh yeah, Faith. Um, we had a lot of things to work through, but now we’re, well, not exactly friends, but we’re getting there. There’s mutual respect, at least. Faith’s in charge of training all the Slayers. She loves it, and they love her. She’s good. I’m happy for her.”
“Good.” Angel nodded. “And what about you? Are you training the slayers as well?”
Buffy shook her head. “Nah.”
Angel frowned. “Why not?”
“I don’t like it there. I feel like, I’ve been doing this for eight years. Now it’s time to give it a rest. Some Buffy time.” She looked at Angel, who was nodding. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop fighting. I’m a champion. After all I’ve been through… I can’t stop. Won’t ever be able to.”
“You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met, you know that?” Buffy smiled at Angel. An older, wiser, knowing smile.
Just then, someone opened the door. “Angelus, man… Buffy?” Spike flew over to where Buffy was sitting on the couch. He immediately pulled her into an embrace and kissed her square on the mouth. Buffy’s eyes were open, the surprise on her face was priceless.
She used her hands to try and push the vampire away, but he held fast. “Spike…” Buffy mumbled out, her words muffled. “I’m glad to see you, but…”
“Okay, that’s it,” Angel said, getting up and lifting Spike off of her. Spike had tears in his eyes when he sat down across from them.
“We miss you Spike.” Buffy smiled, and Angel felt a pang of jealousy. “Especially Dawn. She’s got this boyfriend, and she keeps asking me if I thought you would approve.”
“Nobody’s good enough for her.” Spike shook his head, even more miffed than Angel that Dawnie had romantic connections.
“That’s what I told her you’d say.” Buffy laughed. “You should visit. How are you faring down here?”
“I’m okay… the Big Poof won’t let me anywhere near you though. That’s why I didn’t visit.”
“My two exes working together. It’s kind of sweet.” Angel and Spike both looked at her like she was insane before realizing that she was kidding. “Relax, you two.” Buffy laughed, and stood up and stretched her legs. She turned back around addressed both of them. “How are things going here? At… Wolfram and Hart?” She said the last words worriedly, and Angel though he saw her flinch.
“Things are different. More complicated.” Angel didn’t want to worry Buffy by admitting he missed the black and white ethics of good and evil that he had enjoyed while helping the helpless back at the Hyperion.
“Things suck.” Spike stood up. “We’re not fighting evil here, more than half the time we’re stepping around it so as not to step on any toes. It’s a complete sell-out. Angelus thinks we can change the bleeding place. It’s impossible.” Buffy sighed as if that was what she had been expecting to hear.
“I have to admit, part of the reason I came to see you guys was to check on this place. Over the years, I’ve heard that some pretty nasty shit has been going on here, and then when I heard you took it over… I was worried.” She sighed.
“Things will work out, Buffy. I promise.” Angel stood to stand near here. Buffy mumbled something under her breath. “What?” Angel asked.
Buffy looked into his eyes and took a breath. “Cordy wouldn’t approve.”
Angel’s face became void of all emotion. “Cordelia is in a coma. Who knows what she would have approved of?”
“You know she wouldn’t have, Angel.”
“Why do you care?” Angel asked, turning to Buffy, suddenly angry. “You’ve never cared about her anyway.” His nostrils were flared, and his unnecessary breathing was heavy.
“Of course I care.” Buffy looked at Angel disgustedly, as if she’d never heard anything as offensive as what he just said. “I care.”
Angel sighed. “Of course you do. I’m sorry. I just… miss her.” Buffy nodded, and went over to Angel. She leaned into him and whispered soothingly in his ear. She kissed him lightly on the lips.
“It’s going to be okay,” she said.
Angel looked at her. “I know,” he said finally. He took her, and kissed her more passionately, as if to drink in her confidence about the future.
“As heart wrenching as this reunion is, why don’t you two step away from each other before I vomit?” Spike spoke up.
Angel and Buffy pulled away from each other. “Sorry,” they both mumbled simultaneously.
“Buffy,” Spike said, getting a thoughtfully mischievous look on his face. “When we turn human, which one of us will it be?”
Angel looked at his fledgling. “Spike!” But then he turned back to Buffy, a questioning look on his face.
Buffy just laughed, another tell-tale sign that she was so much more care free. A few months ago this kind of question would send her into a tailspin for days. “You know what, guys,” Buffy finally responded, “I’ve had to make decisions and sacrifices for a long time now. Every little thing had to be planned, no room for mistakes. Now, I’m ready to go with the flow. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now, I can enjoy not knowing.” Neither of the boys seemed very satisfied with this answer.
Spike harrumphed and walked out of the office, muttering something like: “It’ll be me…”
Buffy looked at Angel and smiled. She rolled her eyes. “It’ll be you…” She laughed, running over to him for another hug.
He laughed too, and tried to play it off like he hadn’t been nervous. “I know. I always knew…”
“Sure, you did.” Buffy reached up and kissed him on the lips. She pulled the sun glasses that were resting on the top of her head down over her eyes. “Anyways,” she said, pulling away from Angel and picking up her bag, “I should go.”
Angel frowned. “Now?”
“Yeah. I’ve got to visit Dad, so he can pretend he cares what his daughters are up to. And Willow wants me back home.”
“Willow wants you home? Did you talk to her this morning?” Angel asked.
“Didn’t I tell you? We have this mind communication thing going on now. It’s creepy, but cheaper than long distance.” Buffy smiled, and took a few steps before talking. “I’ll keep checking in. I’m thinking of traveling a little, so, as the saying goes, I’ll call you.” She took another breath. “I sure as hell hope you know what you’re doing here, Angel.” She smiled again. “Bye.” And then, for the first time, she left him, and he had never felt so good. Buffy is happy, he thought. His eyes seemed to twinkle, and, for the first time in his existence, he felt that there was a promise of a future. A good future.
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