Buffy and Angel do not belong to me, they were created by Joss Whedon and belong to him. I took the story Gone by Anya and wrote a sequel to it, but I switched Buffy and Willow's places so Buffy and Angel could be together. I hope Anya does not mind. No infringements are intended
All characters except those that have appeared on Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to me, as does the plot, so please don't copy. This is my first fanfic of any kind, any feedback is welcome. Thanks, and have fun.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part Three
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALONE
Rome enchanted her from the beginning. When they had first arrived, she had spent most of her time in the apartment. Buffy knew that Angel had gone out every once in a while, but she hadn’t paid attention. She was too caught up with her nightmares. At first, they had been dreams you’d expect a girl to have after being tortured and kinda. . . Well, killed. Then, a couple of days ago she had begun to have visions while she was awake. Even now, images threatened to overwhelm her.
But now wasn’t the time to think about all that. Now she was outside and it was beautiful and she could almost picture her and Angel as a normal couple. After all, to any normal pedestrian, the two vampires were just another romantic couple taking a stroll in a famous city, enjoying the sites and each other.
Angel was certainly into the romantic part of the night. Buffy wasn’t quite sure why, but he was being way more. . . Gentlemanly now than before. He was treating her like one of the ladies of his time, like she needed sheltering. He played the perfect guide, avoiding everything he thought might bore her and showed her all the secrets Rome had to offer a foreigner. Angel remained in almost constant contact with Buffy for the entire time. He saw the way some of the men were looking at her and after a while, it started to drive him mad with jealousy. So he staked his claim by placing an arm around her waist of shoulder, or simply holding her tiny hand in his huge one. Buffy didn’t really mind his protectiveness, though a part of her found it funny that he thought she needed protecting. Rather, his touch reassured her and reminded her that she wasn’t alone.
They spent the entire night out on the town. Angel showed Buffy a restaurant and some stores he’d found, but avoided crowded clubs, since the masses of flesh and blood would be too much on the new half-vampire. They watched two mimes perform for a crowd, Buffy laughing unconsciously with delight as one of the mimes pulled a sleepy, fat rabbit out of his hat, then proceeded to ‘lose’ it in his bag. Angel grinned at the sound. He’d begun to think she’d never laugh out loud again.
Towards the end of the night, Angel took Buffy for a stroll next to the river. She leaned intimately against him, noticing for the first time just how beautiful night could be. There was a mystery to it, as if no end of wonderful unexpected things could happen.
Angel bent his head to be closer to her ear, “ Tired?”
“Mmm,” Buffy replied, leaning her head against his chest, half closing her eyes. “ I guess I got used to lying around for the past two weeks.”
“ Tsk, tsk,” Angel murmured. “ Getting lazy, huh? Guess we’ll just have to get you used to going out again. Maybe I should make up a training schedule for you.”
“ Don’t you dare,” threatened Buffy. “ I don’t need a training schedule. I’m fine, really, not tired a bit, could go on forever, hey, if you want me to run the 800, no problem, could do it in my sleep-”
“ Thought you said you weren’t tired?” Angel said, just to interrupt her rambling. “ Why would you need to sleep?”
She glared up at him from the corner of her eye. “ Quiet, you insolent vampire. You know what I meant.”
Angel laughed and kissed the top her head. Suddenly, he spotted a vendor on the side of the street. “ Wait a second,” he said, slipping away from her. He walked over and regarded the old lady’s wares, which included numerous fresh flowers. After careful consideration, Angel pulled out a single red rose that he turned and presented to Buffy with a flourish and a bow. “ Milady,” he said gallantly. “A perfect rose for the perfect woman.” He tucked it behind her ear and kissed her cheek gently. The old vendor sighed at the romantic gesture as did some of the onlookers. Buffy flushed a rosy pink and ducked her head before raising her gaze to meet Angel’s.
“Thank you,” she replied in a whisper.
“ You’re welcome,” he whispered back, then took her arm and led her back to the apartment, where they just had time to draw the blinds shut against the rising sun and fall into their respective beds.
Angel lay in bed, staring into the impenetrable darkness. Outside, he could sense the sunlight, but even here, in the darkness, he could not sleep. He just couldn’t get Buffy out of his mind. The smell of her hair, the touch of her skin, the way her eyes had looked when he’d given her the rose. Angel shifted under the black satin sheets and closed his eyes, trying to will himself to sleep.
The door to his room opened with a squeak, and someone padded nearly silently into the room. Angel lay perfectly still, eyes closed, trying to sense just where the intruder was and wondering frantically if he’d already gotten to Buffy.
Suddenly, Angel felt a slim, bare arm slide across the skin on his chest and a small body curl up, slipping under the sheets. He relaxed slightly as he realized it was Buffy, not some assassin, but she froze like a deer caught in the headlights as soon as she felt the movement. Angel lay as still as possible and after a moment, felt her relax and settle down beside him, laying her head on his bare chest. Angel could feel the warmth of her body through the thin material of her nightshirt and it was all he could do to stop himself from wrapping her in his arms and telling her how much he loved her. But something inside of him told him she didn’t want him awake, merely needed to know he was near. After a few moments, Buffy’s heart beat slowed and she shivered in her sleep. Angel wrapped his arms around her and hugged her gently to him. He would give her everything she wanted. Even his silence.
It wasn’t a presence that woke Buffy, but an absence. Drowsily, she half-turned in her sleep, expecting Angel’s comforting shoulder to press against her chest. Instead, she nearly fell off the bed. Buffy jerked fully awake and lay still for a moment, then sat up and stared around the dark room. She could find no trace of the older vampire. Searchingly, she called his name. “ Angel?” her voice sounded pitiful and small to her ears.
A slow feeling of dread crept into her stomach and it felt like an invisible fist had suddenly grabbed her heart and begun to squeeze. Buffy ordered herself sharply.
shrieked some strange, traitorous part of her mind.
Buffy scrambled to her feet and wrenched open the door, nearly ripping it off it’s hinges. She flew through the living room, then the kitchen. Getting to her own room, she paused for a micro-second, wide eyes searching for any sign of Angel and failing that, a struggle. She could find none, but her eyes fell on the rose Angel had given her. She snatched it up, as if having it near her would bring him here. Buffy raced to her washroom, then to his private one, hoping against hope that he was somewhere, anywhere in the apartment. Finally, she ended up back where she started, standing in Angel’s room trying to catch her breath. Her knees shook violently and her mind screamed out like a mantra inside her head. Her fear was so intense, it felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest.
Suddenly, Buffy’s knees buckled and she collapsed on the floor. All her fears came crashing down on her as she thought of Angel dying. It was the last straw. The tears she had fought for so long overwhelmed her and she lay on the floor, sobbing and clutching the rose like a life line. Her other hand clawed at the carpet futily as her body was racked with sobs.
A distant part of her stared in confusion at the fragile girl lying helplessly on the hard floor. she asked.
But Buffy had come to count on Angel, to love him. She needed him. Earlier that night, she’d felt so lonely that she’d crawled into his bed, praying he wouldn’t wake, just to feel the touch of his skin. Now, Buffy wished he had woken up. Then perhaps they’d have stayed awake and talked. Perhaps he’d still be here, safe with her. . .
A fresh wave of tears hit Buffy and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block them out. She didn’t even notice the door opening.
|
|
|
|
Rave
Barbie Girl (Becca)
biscuit07
Filmtheory (Jim)
Malice (Jess)
MebbtheScribe (MichaelB)
Reset (Allie)
Shay (Marrisa)
somnambulist29 (Shea)
Stephanie Loss
Wendyness (Wendy)
Questions?Contact Us
|
|
All stories on this site have been archived with the authors' consent. Do not copy these stories for your own uses without the express consent of the author themselves. Buffy the Vampire Slayer TM and Angel TM are © UPN, WB, Fox and its related entities. All photos on the site are © UPN, Fox, Warner Bros, and/or their respective owners. No profits are being made by use of these images.
Powered with the assitance of eFiction.
|
|
|
