This is how I hope things would unfold if Angel never had a loophole in his curse. The whole loophole thing seems kind of absurd if you think about it - if the gypsies wanted Angelus gone forever, they would have made sure there was no way he could come back (therefore no loophole). And wouldn't they have made sure Angel's soul was permanent so he would always suffer and be tormented by his sins? Yeah, so in this story there is no loophole in Angel's curse. Season 2 of BtVS stayed pretty much the same. Spike and Drusilla still stayed in Sunnydale and did all the same things as in the show, minus Angelus. Jenny was never killed by Angelus, and she and Giles are together. Spike and Drusilla planned on opening Acathla, but couldn't figure out how to do it. Drusilla still killed Kendra, activating Faith. This story picks up after "The Harsh Light of Day" and "In the Dark."
Enjoy!
Buffy paced the street outside the large building, brow furrowed, nervously chewing on her nail.
"What am I doing here?" she whispered to herself, angrily.
The ring. Right. After Buffy gave the Gem of Amarra to Oz to give to Angel, she heard from Cordelia that he had smashed it. Furious that he would throw away such a precious gift, Buffy hopped in her Jeep and sped to Los Angeles. Once she parked out front of the building that was home to Angel Investigations did she actually stop and think what the point of this road trip was.
She wanted to give Angel a piece of her mind. She was still angry and hurt that he had left her, but to throw away this gift? It was too much for Buffy. It called into question everything she had valued about their relationship.
Ex-relationship, Buffy reminded herself with a pang in her stomach.
She took a deep breath, opened the door, and marched up the stairs until she reached the door to the office. It only then occurred to her that there might not be anyone actually there this time of night.
Luckily there was, and the sight of a slightly confused Cordelia greeted Buffy.
"Buffy?" Cordelia asked, standing up from behind the desk. "What are you doing here?"
"Hey Cordy," Buffy replied, suddenly uneasy. "Is Angel here?"
"You couldn't have called?" Cordelia replied. Buffy just blinked at her. "Is this about the ring?" Cordy guessed from her blank stare.
"Yeah," Buffy replied.
Cordy sighed. "I told him he was an idiot for smashing it." She sighed again and nodded in the direction of the stairs. "He's downstairs."
"Thanks, Cordy," Buffy said, heading over to the elevator.
"Good luck."
Buffy gave her a grateful look as she opened the elevator door and stepped inside.
Angel looked up from the book he was reading when he heard the elevator descend into the apartment. He knew Cordelia was still upstairs working; maybe Doyle had a vision and called. Damn, Angel thought to himself. He was looking forward to a quiet night in after the whole Spike debacle.
As the elevator slowly descended, Angel caught the scent of the last person he ever expected. No…it can't be…
But it was. Buffy stepped out of the elevator and looked around the basement apartment. Angel immediately stood up from his spot on the couch and put his book down. "Buffy?" he asked. "What are you doing here?" She didn't answer him, but continued to look at the décor in the apartment. "Are you okay?" Angel asked after a moment.
Buffy finally laid her eyes on him. It was so good to see him again. So familiar, so comforting. It felt like coming home. She swallowed her feelings, ignored his question, and said, "City of Angels? Really? Not very creative, are we now."
She walked into the kitchen and ran her hand along the table as Angel watched her, not knowing why she was here, or what he should say.
Buffy composed her thoughts and asked him point blank. "Why'd you destroy the ring, Angel?"
Angel stared a moment before asking, "That's why you're here?" Buffy gave him a look that screamed, 'Well, duh!'
"How did you know?" Angel asked.
"Cordy and I talk," Buffy replied simply.
After a moment Angel answered, "I don't deserve it, Buffy."
Buffy sighed and threw her arms up in exasperation. "How many times have we argued about this?" she asked him. When he didn't answer she continued. "You're allowed to be happy, Angel. You don't have to wallow in self-pity. Let yourself live for once!" Angel looked like he was about to say something but Buffy cut him off. "You say you're not part of the human world, and you're miserable about it. So I give you something to make it easier. And you throw it away?"
"It was too dangerous, Buffy," Angel said, stepping into the kitchen so the table was between them. "A vampire that can't be killed? You know how many vamps would be after me, after the people I care about, to get that ring? And what if it fell into the wrong hands. Someone worse than Spike."
Buffy was silent, grudgingly seeing his point. "Well, I was thinking more about the sunlight thing," she said. She took a breath and continued, slightly hesitant. "And maybe, if you could go outside in the day, that you'd rethink this whole situation," she said, gesturing between them. At Angel's look, she clarified, "Us."
"Us?" Angel repeated. "What made you think that?"
Buffy sighed, getting frustrated. "You broke up with me for this whole laundry list of reasons, one of which was that you couldn't 'take me into the sunlight'" she said, using her fingers as sarcastic air-quotes. "I thought this could solve that problem," she finished, not looking him in the eye.
"Buffy, that wasn't the only reason I left you," Angel told her. She wouldn't meet his eyes, but he stared at her intently. It was just so, so good to see her again. To be in her presence.
"I know, I know, the whole kids thing and the living forever thing," Buffy said, waving her hand as if dismissing the statement. "That's bullshit, Angel, and you know it," she said, finally staring him in the eye.
"You're going to want a normal life someday, and I'm not going to stand in your way, or hold you back," Angel told her.
"Hold me back?" Buffy repeated incredulously. "Angel, if anything you push me forward! You train with me, you make me sharper, a better fighter! You're the perfect partner for a Slayer."
Angel looked torn. "Buffy, stop," he said. "I can't give you anything a normal man could. It's not fair to you."
"Oh what, like kids?" Buffy asked. "You seriously think a Slayer would be candidate for Mom of the Year? A Slayer, Angel," she repeated, with more emphasis. "She who is out all night, being attacked left and right, guaranteed to die young? Yeah, sounds like a great mother." Angel stayed silent. He could literally see her destroying his argument before his eyes. "What you can offer me, is you," Buffy said quietly. "That's all I want."
"Buffy…" Angel said. He didn't know what to say. He could feel his resolve weakening.
Buffy stepped around the table and started to walk closer to him. "I'm not gonna live long," she said. Angel snapped his eyes to her and opened his mouth to argue, but Buffy cut him off. "That's just the way it is. It's just not in the cards for me. And you can make the time I have left so happy and so good."
Angel was still silent, just staring at her. Buffy could see him about to break.
"We can be amazing together," she said softly. "Why are you giving up on that?"
The last straw in Angel's resolve broke and he closed his eyes and sighed. She was right. She'll never have a normal life. She will most likely die young. If he is her source of joy, who is he to deny her that?
Angel reached out and pushed her hair back from her face, tracing his hand down her cheek to her tan neck, and settling on her shoulder. Buffy stepped forward and after a beat wrapped her arms around his middle and burrowed into his chest. Angel smoothed his hand down her hair and wrapped his other arm around her tight. Holding her felt so good, so right. He placed a light kiss on top of her head and whispered, "I love you."
Buffy pulled back and looked up at him, "I love you. Please, we have to make this work."
Angel nodded and rested his forehead against hers. Buffy sniffled a bit, realizing that her eyes were getting watery. "Promise me," she whispered, centimeters from his lips. "Promise me you won't leave me."
"I promise," Angel whispered back. He inched closer and brushed his lips against hers, and almost groaned at the feeling. After months apart, feeling her warm, soft lips against his was heaven. They moved their lips against each other slowly, lazily, tasting and feeling. Buffy broke away for air and burrowed her face in Angel's shoulder, tightening her arms around his neck.
Angel tightened his grip around her body and dropped a kiss to her shoulder. Buffy mumbled something against him, and he chuckled a little. "What was that?" he asked, craning his neck to look down at her.
Buffy pulled back and looked up at him. "What do we do now?" she asked. "I have to stay in Sunnydale, you know school, Hellmouth, all that. And you have a mission here. What do we do?"
For once, Angel was the voice of reason in the relationship. "You do realize that we both have cars, and Sunnydale and LA are only about 2 hours apart. With traffic," he said with a small smile.
Buffy smiled, looking relived. She nodded and said, "Okay, long-distance thing. I can do that. You go there, I come here. That doesn't sound too bad. Just as long as I can see you. God, I've been so miserable since you left."
"Me too," Angel replied. "It's really sucked."
"I tried the normal boy thing," Buffy said before she could stop herself. "I really did try, and I thought it was gonna be okay, that it was good, but God, he turned out to be so horrible, and he wasn't you and I don't wanna settle for anyone not you…"
"Shhh," Angel said, stopping her ramble. He held her face in his hand as she clutched desperately around his neck. "It's okay, it's okay. I just want you to be happy…I'm gonna do everything I can to make you happy."
Buffy nodded at him, tears threatening to fall. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his again. As she slid her tongue between his lips, the air around them changed, and the passion that they so frequently experienced between them grew.
Buffy broke away for air, and Angel continued to kiss his way down her neck, stopping for a moment to suck at the scar he left her with. "Were you planning on staying the night?" he mumbled into her skin.
Buffy ran her fingers though the soft hair at the back of his head with one hand, and clutched at his back with the other one, loving the feeling of his muscles under his shirt. "Well now I am," she said breathlessly.
Angel pulled back and looked down at her, his eyes dark. "Good," he said with a smirk. He held her tiny hands in his own, and walked backwards, tugging her into his bedroom.
They had a lot of catching up to do.
