AUTHOR: Goddess Isa
EMAIL: goddessisa@aol.com
SUMMARY: This is part of a Xander/Cordelia series that takes place on Angel and you don't need to be reading the others to read this one, thank goodness 'cause the series is a mess. It's time for a road trip!!!!
SPOILER: Minor for ANGEL in general
DISTRIBUTION: Sandee, of course - My site - http://planetangelus.homestead.com - Crystal and Butterfly if they want it - A Soul's Redemption - Anyone else - sure, just email me & lmk where it's going - I like seeing my name in print =)
RATING: TV-PG
DISCLAIMER: Stupidhead Joss owns da characters. Probably. David Greenwalt has a hand in that as well.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm fanficing a lot lately. I love it. :) Feedback is always nice though, and I rarely get any
5/9/01
The drive to Sunnydale wasn't that hard, if Angel kept all the windows completely covered. It was nearly five p.m. when he arrived in the city, so he had to park in the McDonald's parking lot until sunset, then go buy her ring.
The one jewelry store without banker's hours in Sunnydale was Amanda's. The owner was Amanda herself, a crotchety old English woman who snarled at everyone who crossed her path.
However, when Angel flashed cash in front of her, she was extremely eager to help him pick out a ring. He wound up buying a tennis bracelet too, with his credit card, because he thought Buffy would look stunning in one.
He drove to her house on Revello Drive with butterflies in his stomach.
"Butterflies," he mumbled. "Nearly two-hundred and seventy and I still get butterflies." he shook his head free of nerves and pulled in the driveway.
The house was the same as he remembered it, and the closer he got to the door, the more he could hear Dawn yelling at Buffy about a sweater and a date.
He rang the doorbell and Dawn screamed. The sound of feet tearing up the stairs and Buffy screaming at her little sister came at Angel before the door finally opened.
Buffy's eyes widened, then her mouth formed an O. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I mean, what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," he smiled. "Can't a guy just come visit his ex girlfriend once in awhile?"
"A guy can. You can't," she left the door for a minute and went to the stairs. "Relax, Dawn! False alarm!"
"Is it Xander?" Dawn yelled. "I want to show him my dress."
"No, it's Angel," Buffy said quietly.
"Angel!" Dawn flew down the stairs and jumped at him, nearly knocking him down. She kissed his cheek and touched his hair and asked to try on his leather jacket.
"Down, girl," Buffy pulled her off of Angel. "You'll have to excuse her. She's going through that boy crazy stage."
"Buffy!" Dawn yelled. "I am not," she said defensively.
"It's okay," Angel laughed. "Buffy went through the same thing."
"I did not," Buffy glared at Angel, then looked at her little sister. "You'd better go upstairs and fix your lip gloss. It's smeared."
Dawn took off up the staircase and Buffy shouted after her, "GLOSS, Dawn, not lipstick."
"You're hard on her," Angel commented.
"I have to be," she looked him up and down, wondering what had brought on this sudden......humanity.
"You look great," she finally said. He did too, in his purple long-sleeved tee shirt and black jeans. "Almost--"
"Normal?" he guessed.
"I guess the whole leather duster thing is sort of exclusive to guys who live in crypts," she admitted. "This is nice."
"Thank you. You look beautiful, as always."
"Why are you here?" Buffy asked.
"Let's go into the living room," Angel suggested.
"Okay," Buffy led the way and they sat on the two couches, facing each other. Buffy was about to stand up and pace when Angel got down on one knee before her.
"Oh my God," she whispered.
"Buffy Summers, you make my life complete in the way no other woman ever could," he opened the ring box. "Will you marry me?"
Buffy gasped. Inside the box was a huge heart-shaped diamond ring. It was absolutely beautiful.
"Wow," she managed to say, her eyes fixated on the stone.
"Buffy?" Angel asked.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" she flew at him, showering him with hugs, kisses, more hugs. He slid the ring on her finger and it fit perfectly. They kissed and Buffy leaned against him, her heart racing.
Then she sat back.
"What is this?" she asked. "Is this a trick? Are you Angelus? What's going on?"
"Nothing's going on," Angel promised. "I'm just having the best year of my life. The business is thriving and Darla is dead again and you, you're going to marry me, it's all great."
"But why now?" Buffy crawled back to the couch, staying a few feet away from him. "Why would you wanna get married now?"
"I've wanted to marry you since the day I saw you," Angel admitted. "But I've only recently gotten the balls to do anything about situations I don't like."
"I guess you really did have an epiphany," Buffy said, staring at the ring. "I love you."
"I love you."
The doorbell rang and upstairs, Dawn screamed.
"First date," Buffy explained. "Bobby Kendall. He's a *sophomore*," she batted her eyelashes the way Angel imagined Dawn did.
"Want me to handle this?" Angel asked.
"Nah, I'll let him in, you do the interrogation," Buffy giggled and got up, tripping on her way to answer the door. Bobby rang the bell again and upstairs, Dawn freaked out.
"You're late," Buffy said as she opened the door.
Only it wasn't Bobby. It was Cordelia and Xander.
"Let me see the ring," Cordy grabbed Buffy's hand. "Oh God, it's beautiful. Angel, you have good taste."
"How did you guys know he was coming here to propose to me?" Buffy asked, giving Xander a hug and smacking Cordelia for trying to take the ring off her finger.
"I knew when he ran out of LA that fast that this was where he was headed," Cordy explained. "Angel's not the type to run unless he's being chased."
"Nice, Cordelia," Angel said. "Ignore her. And watch out for her camera. She's picture-crazy."
"I won four thousand dollars in a contest," she said proudly.
"Wow, Cordy, congratulations. What are you gonna do with it?"
"I paid An--" Xander clamped a hand over her mouth.
"She paid me back for her modeling pictures," he answered, shooting Cordy a Look. "I already spent most of it on video games instead of putting it back into my savings."
"I'll be down in a minute," Dawn yelled, annoyed.
"Oh, it wasn't Bobby," Buffy shouted. "It's Cordelia and Xander."
Again, Dawn flew down the stairs and hugged her friends, showing Xander her new dress and asking Cordy to get her an appointment with her hair stylist for highlights.
"No way," Buffy said flatly. "Mom never let you dye your hair and I'm not gonna let you, either."
"You're not fun," Dawn pouted. "OhmiGod, what is that on your finger?" she grabbed Buffy's hand. "BUFFY! This is an engagement ring."
"I know," she smiled and wrapped and arm around Angel.
"You're engaged," Dawn began dancing around and hugging everyone. "This is so cool. I'm gonna have a brother. A brother that's nearly three hundred years older than me, but still cool."
The doorbell rang for a third time and Dawn screamed. She ran up the stairs and Buffy ushered everyone into the living room so she could let Bobby in.
Only it wasn't Bobby, it was Spike.
"Here," he handed Buffy a bucket of chicken from KFC. "I came to congratulate the new couple."
"With *chicken*?" she asked.
"I figured you might be hungry after all that sex you've probably been having."
"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked, not even noticing that Xander came to take the bucket of chicken out of her hands.
"I'm talking about the poof and his epiphany thing. Word's all over the street nowadays, how he found good and all that riot. He's playin' for the bloody White Hats in a big way with morals and a soul and all that shit. Only this time, ain't no romp in the sack gonna take it away."
"Could you repeat all of that in English?" Cordy asked from the living room. "I'm very confused."
"He's saying my soul's permanent," Angel joined Buffy at the doorway. "How do you know this?"
"I told you, talk on the streets. I'm surprised that you don't know."
"How are we gonna test this?" Buffy asked.
Angel smirked. "Only one way to find out."
Buffy grabbed her jacket and her keys. "Dawn!" she shouted up the stairs. "I'm going out!"
"What about Bobby?" Dawn asked incredulously.
"Spike will let him in!" Buffy shouted before she and Angel dashed out of the house, slamming the door behind them.
Spike grinned. This was gonna be fun.
"Xander, gimme the phone," Cordy said.
He pulled their cellular out of his pocket and handed it to her. "What are you doing?"
"Ordering a pizza. We're gonna be here all night you know. And I'm starving."
"What about Spike?" Xander asked, giving the vampire an annoyed look.
"Let him get his own pizza."