Ch. 4: Ambush
"I'm sorry! I'm really really sorry," Buffy called out, half-running, half-hopping across the hot, soft sand. People raised their heads and turned to stare as she ran down the beach, amused. After Sonia had gotten home from work, she was a teensy bit upset to learn that her daughter had gotten a date for this night, when Adam would be rejoining the family ("Buffy! A date?! Tonight?! Where're your priorities, your family values?! Who is this boy?...What d'you mean, 'you don't know'? Well, I absolutely forbid you to go on this date!...I don't give a damn if you've already made plans, you're not going! You can sulk in your room all night, for all I care!")
So Buffy had stormed up to her room in a rage, slamming her door as hard as she could, swearing under her breath. She'd really wanted to see Angel again. Even though they'd barely spent fifteen minutes together, he made her feel all warm and floaty inside. More than that, she pictured him waiting for her, hurt, thinking that she'd stood him up. It wasn't fair! Why couldn't she go?...Wait a minute, why couldn't she go?
"To hell with this," Buffy had said aloud, and bolted her room door shut. She'd taken a quick shower and had changed into her black bikini with the skirt wrap, and a tank top over the upper half of her bikini. She decided to leave her hair out since she was running out of time, and had grabbed her sunglasses and stuffed a towel in her bag before leaving. She'd opened up her window, and making sure no one was in sight, made the jump from her window to a nearby tree and had climbed down, then sprinted five blocks down the road to a bus stop. It amazed Buffy how easy it had been to sneak out; it actually felt like a long-forgotten habit she'd once had.
"Not a problem," Angel replied good-naturedly, waiting patiently. He'd set up a huge blue-and-white checkered blanket, under an enormous blue-and-white umbrella. A large wicker picnic basket was off to the side, next to a cooler. He took her hand and carefully helped her onto the blanket.
"Thanks," she smiled, her blonde hair billowing in the light breeze. She looked into his eyes and felt her knees go weak. 'Good thing I'm sitting,' she thought. "Wow, you match!" Angel laughed. Indeed, his white t-shirt and blue swimming trunks went with the blanket and umbrella.
"You know, for a minute there," Angel began, breaking the gaze and looking out to the sea instead, "I didn't think you were going to show."
"I almost didn't," Buffy admitted. To Angel's questioning look, she elaborated. "My mom, she didn't exactly like the idea of me going out on a date my first day of school."
"Glad she had a change of heart," he smiled.
"Oh, no, she didn't."
"What?"
"My mom said I had, what was it again? Oh yeah. No priorities, no sense of family values, and then she told me to go to my room."
"And yet you're here," he said wonderingly. "Not that I'm complaining, of course." She smiled.
"I snuck out."
"I figured that. ...So, do you want to go swimming?" Angel asked hesitantly.
"Sure," Buffy replied brightly. She'd only swum in pools before; taking a dip in the ocean would be nice. She pulled off her tank top, and watched out of the corner of her eye as he pulled off his shirt. "Oh boy," she muttered, and began to blush. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, she took her time undoing the skirt wrap. Normally, she felt very at ease around guys, no matter how hot they were, or how nice, or how sweet or kind or-
"Hey," she laughed, as Angel picked her up, walked over to the water's edge and waded into the water, until he was about waist-deep.
"Angel came by? Wow. Was there, I mean, was it having to do with kissing?"
"Willow, grow up. Not everything is about kissing."
"Yeah! Some stuff is about groping."
"Angel?" At the sound of his name, he dropped Buffy in the water, and she blinked, water rolling over her, soaking her. She looked up to see Angel determinedly trying to keep a straight face. A mischievous grin creeped over his face. She smiled sweetly and extended her hand. "The least you could do is help me up." He took hold of her hand, and she pulled with all of her strength.
"It's not really the kind of message you tell. It sort of involves finding the bodies of all your friends."
She shrieked as more water splashed onto her as Angel fell beside her. When his head broke through the surface of the water, she giggled. "Well, that was refreshing," she said, standing up, trying not to laugh at the expression on Angel's face.
"Glad you think so," Angel grinned, pulling her down into his lap.
"So, Slayer. ...At last we meet."
"We've met, Harmony, you halfwit."
"Man, atonement's a bitch."
"You know, I started it. The whole...having a soul. Before it was all the 'cool new thing'."
"Oh my God, are you twelve?"
"I'm gettin' the brush off for Captain Peroxide! It doesn't necessarily bring out the Champion in me!"
"Um." Buffy cleared her throat and swallowed. Where were these memories coming from? Everytime he was around her...
"Yeah, I second that 'um'," Angel replied feebly, attempting to make a joke. She reached a hand up and carefully brushed his hair out of his eyes. When she looked at him, she had this incredible feeling of familiarity, like they- like they had a history together. There was love, longing, pain. By the look on Angel's face, he felt the same way.
"Uh, wave," Buffy said matter-of-factly.
"Wh-what?"
"Wave. Coming. This way." She closed her eyes tightly as a rush of cold water enveloped them both.
She was on the docks, fighting the vampire. He was going to get away with the arm. She couldn't let that happen. She let out a gasp of surprise as he flipped her over the railing and into the dark waters below.
"Buffy!" Angel ran and dove in after her.
Angel coughed slightly, running a hand through his hair, which was completely matted to his head. Buffy soon surfaced, looking slightly confused. He lightly splashed some water at her.
"My hand slipped."
"I'm so sure." A second later, however, she was splashing water on him, and they were both laughing, having fun in the water, weird memories forgotten. A mother passing with her two younger daughters eyed the couple in distaste, while some other smiled indulgently.
"Okay, time -time out," Angel gasped a while later.
"You're not giving up, are you?"
"Never! ...Okay, well, yes," he grinned. "I don't know about you, but I feel hungry."
"Lead the way," Buffy smiled. Angle stood up and pulled her up, holding her close. Both of them were shivering slightly, since it had gotten darker and cooler. She leapt for her bag, taking out the towel and wrapping it around her shoulders. Angel began to take out things from the picnic basket: A couple paper plates and cups, plastic utensils, and several dishes of food. From the cooler, he took out a large bottle of Sprite.
"Help yourself," Angel said. Buffy took a bit of everything: some potato salad, some fried chicken, a bit of coleslaw, some pasta salad...
"Mmm, this is great," she exclaimed.
"Glad you think so."
"Did you make all this yourself?" Buffy asked, amazed.
"Uh huh."
"You're a really good cook!"
"Thanks." The next little while they ate silently, though the slurp of Sprite could be heard occasionally.
"That," Buffy began contentedly, "was the best meal I've ever eaten." Angel smiled at the compliment.
"Y'got room for dessert?"
"Always."
"I brought some ice-cream," he said, extracting a small container of Ben and Jerry's and two bowls. "Cookie dough fudge mint chip, it's-"
"My favourite," they said in unison. Buffy grinned, and eagerly took the bowl he gave her, which was filled to the top with ice-cream, her fingers lightly brushing his.
"I thought we had...you know."
"A date? So did I? But who am I kidding? Dates are things normal girls have. Girls who have time to think about nail polish and facials and stuff. You know what I think about? Ambush tactics. Beheading. Not exactly the stuff dreams are made of."
"Spike is going down. You can attack me, you can send assassins after me...that's just fine. But nobody messes with my boyfriend."
"G-good ice-cream," Buffy stammered slightly, taking a tentative bite.
"Yeah," Angel replied, lost in thought. He, too, wondered about the strange memories he had whenever he was around Buffy. "So...what do you want to do now?" He asked, once the ice-cream was gone. "Or do you have to go home now?"
"My mom thinks I'm all snuggled up in bed, so I've got time to spare. How about we just watch the sunset? Or, what's left of it, anyway." And so they sat, watching the last bit of the golden sun sink below the horizon, the sky turning darker with every passing moment. Angel hesitated slightly, but worked up the nerve to put his arm around her shoulders. She smiled and rested her head on his chest.
'This is perfect,' he thought inwardly.
'This is heaven,' Buffy though to herself. Which is why at first, she didn't hear it. But it persisted. "Angel, do you hear that?" She asked quietly, afraid to ruin the moment.
"Hmmm? What?"
"Never mind," she sighed uneasily. Angel studied her.
"Are you sure?"
"It's just...I have this feeling. Like something's there, in the darkness. Not a feeling. ..It's more like a-"
"Sixth sense? An instinct?" Angel asked quietly.
"Yeah. How did you-?"
"I feel it, too. Just-just stay here, Buffy." He slowly stood up. The more he walked, the stronger his feeling got.
"Lookit, it's a Happy Meal with legs," a sinister voice drawled. Angel's eyes rapidly adjusted to the dark, and he could make out four men, but their faces were horribly disfigured. And he could see fangs.
'This is not good,' he thought.
Back on the blanket, Buffy felt no safer knowing that Angel wasn't right beside her. The sense grew srtonger, and she knew that whatever was out there was coming up behind her.
'It's like I'm in some bad horror movie,' she thought, though strangely, she wasn't as afraid as she thought she would be. Slowly, she turned around, and came face to face with a creature she'd only seen in her worst nightmares. She did the only thing she could think of. She punched the thing in its face. It snarled. She screamed.
"Buffy!" Angel called out, and moved to go back towards her.
"I don't think so," the vampire said, and the four of them slowly began to circle Angel.
(To be continued...)
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