Disclaimer: Nope, not mine!! Joss' toys!
Author: BlackbAngeL
Rating: If you can watch the show, you can handle it.
Summary: Little piece of fluff in the "Apocalypse" series. Buffy's POV.
o o o o o o o
I wonder sometimes… How they are, what they're doing… Do they even think about us? About the world, and what it's become? We don't know how far the demons have gone, have spread their influence. Have they reached Europe yet?
My friends, people I loved and thought I could always count on, refused to follow me here.
I should have expected it, really. But it's still hard to accept… I wonder if Willow, had she been there with us, would have agreed with them. I hope she's okay, wherever she is.
Dawn didn't follow either, but of that I'm glad. I don't want her here, I don't want her to see the world we're living in now… I just wish I knew if she's safe, and alright. She thought I was being hysterical when I saw what was happening in L.A on the news. I probably was, I don't know, that whole day is kind of a blur in my memory. She let me go without a word, she knew nothing would convince me to stay in England and watch the world being destroyed, knowing that I could have been there to help.
Days, weeks, and months are passing, and we're still alive, fighting for a world that probably can't be saved. But, like Faith says, it's what we do, we can't just give up. That girl will never cease to amaze me… She's overly optimistic these days, and rather on the bubbly side; I don't know what happened to her, seriously, sometimes I wonder if she's not high on something… Maybe the lack of fresh air is finally getting to her. Not that I complain… It's kinda refreshing, actually, compared to the gloom and doom we seem to be surrounded by.
She says I'm being a drama-queen, and I should look at the bright side of the situation. I know she's right, it could be worse… We're all still alive and kicking, we're all getting along just fine (and 'that' is something I would never have expected), I got my Angel back… But for what price?
I should really stop thinking about that, and thank the heavens for what I've been gifted with. Really, who would mind taking cold showers, eating barely edible food, and sleeping on a dirty floor after beating demons into a bloody pulp, when you wake up in the arms of the love of your life?
God, and now, I'm getting mushy…
That Apocalypse does not do wonders on my sanity.
I'm standing alone on the roof again. Angel is rubbing off on me, really… He laughed when I pointed it out to him. But I can't help it, it's like I'm drawn here every night. Usually, we end up standing here together for long minutes, watching the world below.
We haven't seen the sun for weeks, and Los Angeles is dying a little more every day. People, animals, flowers… Everything disappears. No matter what Faith says, I know she noticed it too, even if we never talk about it. We don't want to face the fact that our world is slowly being taken over by evil, and voicing our thoughts aloud would only make the situation more real. More painful.
I can hear his footsteps behind me. He was out with one of the girls to get us some aid supplies… Lauren is still in a pretty bad shape, the last battle we faced was a rough one. I still have the bruises to prove it.
"Penny for your thoughts?" he says as I feel one of his arms coming around my waist, holding me against his chest.
I raise my head, stretching my neck to try and look at his face behind me. "Believe me, you don't wanna know what I was thinking about. It was depressing" I reply with a small smile, before dropping a small kiss on his jaw. "Found anything interesting?"
He bends his head to kiss my cheek, and tightens his hold on my body. "We found bandages and antiseptics in the hospital. Faith and Rona are patching Lauren up as we speak."
"Good."
I can feel him smile as he kisses the top of my head. "What?" I ask.
"Nothing" he replies, but I can hear his smile in his voice.
"Oh come on, what's so funny?" Did I mention he can be really annoying at times?
He chuckles, and I can feel his chest trembling against my back. "I have a surprise" he says. Now, things are getting interesting. What kind of surprise could he possibly find in that city?
"Really?" I ask, giving him my brightest grin. "For me?"
He pauses for a second. "No" he replies, "for Sylvia, of course"
"Ha ha… Very funny." Smartass. "Gimme" I say, holding my hand palm up in front of me.
He kisses my cheek again. "I don't know if you deserve it…"
"Angel!!!" He's pissing me off now.
He doesn't say anything, but finally holds out his other arm to circle my waist. I look down, and feel my next words getting stuck in my throat. He's holding a beautiful, white flower in his hand. Where on earth…
"It reminded me of you…" he just says.
Well, looks like I'm not the only one who gets mushy these days…
"Where did you…" I can't even finish my sentence.
"People were hiding in the hospital. An old woman gave it to me, 'for my sweetheart', before we left" I can hear him smile again. "I never thought there were still flowers out there…"
I can feel my eyes filling with tears. I feel ridiculous, it's just a flower, why do I react like that?
Well, that's simple. It's not just a flower. It's hope.
I take it in my hand, and trace its petals with my fingers. I don't what kind of flower it is, I was never really good at knowing the flowers' names. Lack of time, I guess…
I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful in my life.
I turn around and literally throw myself in his arms, before kissing him soundly on the mouth. He's holding me up a little, and we're almost face to face. I look into his eyes, and I can see everything he can't say in there.
"Thank you" I say.
He just gives me one of his lopsided grins I love so much. "You're very welcome."
"I love you."
His look softens even more, if possible, and he kisses me lightly. "I love you too."
Faith's voice suddenly rings up from the stairs behind us. "Hey Romeo, take Juliet down here with you, dinner's ready! Old potatoes and O pos on the menu tonight, ain't that great?"
We both laugh. What would we do without her?
He pulls away and takes my hand, leading me towards the door. I'm clutching my flower tightly in my hand.
Yeah, life's definitely still worth living.
o o o o o o o
So? What do you think?