A/N : Here you go. Just a one shot. I've had this written down forever, but never got round to posting it. I will get round to updating the others honest, but I've been studying, now I've found a tiny bit of time, I've discovered writers block. With any luck, I'll be able to update by the end of the week. Anyway, this might eventually have more to it, if enough people are interested, but not for a while yet. Hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, that would be the pleasure of Joss Whedon.
He saw her first, his only true love, from across a crowded walkway. She hadn't seen him yet, but was busy in her own thoughts, going about her business.
The years had been kind to her, and time had not dulled his memory of her perfect peach-smooth skin, her green eyes glittered for an instant as they caught the light. She'd pinned her hair back of her face, but he could see it was shorter than he'd last seen it, a few tendrils just brushed the top of her shoulders. While he watched her he wondered how her life had been since he'd walked out of it the last time, he wondered if she was cookies yet.
The crowd parted slightly, an avenue forming connecting the two former lovers, and she moved slightly closer, yet still didn't see him. Now she was closer he noticed the colour of her hair was different, darker. It was much closer to her natural caramel-brown colour, the faintest of lines were visible around her eyes too, however, the eyes themselves still held the same spark he'd once loved.
He wondered why she was here, so far from Sunnydale, so far from her home. She turned slightly and her eye line re-directed so they fell directly on him. She gasped a little in shock and stilled.
"Angel" He barely heard the whispered exclamation she uttered in her shock, recognizing him instantly. The noise of the crowd around them swallowed the noise of her shopping hitting the floor.
He swept to her side and enveloped her in a tight embrace.
"Hey" He whispered directly into her ear, "I missed you."
"Wh-wh-what are you doing here?" she stuttered, her shock at seeing him again after so long evident in her voice.
"I'm here on business Buffy, What about you? What's a typical Californian girl doing here in the middle of a New York winter? He laughed.
"I live here now Angel, I have for a while actually, since not long after I last saw you." Her shock lessened and her eyes softened into a friendly sparkle.
"Why? I thought you were needed in Sunnydale?" He dropped his voice to the quietest whisper he knew she could hear. "Y'know, being the slayer and all."
"Um, well, I guess I would be, if Sunnydale were still there. Didn't you hear?"
"Hear what? and what do you mean if Sunnydale were still there?" He was confused and it showed on his face, Buffy laughed at his puzzlement.
"That it's not there anymore. Sunnydale's gone, just a sinkhole in its place. It sank when I defeated the First. So, we came here, it seemed as good as anywhere else, plus Giles had friends out here, and Willow an Aunt, so, hence me being here – in good ole' New York." She finished with a smile on her face. Angel lost himself in her expression and her revelation. He couldn't fathom how he hadn't heard about a whole town just sinking. It must have been all over the news, so how had he missed it?
"Angel?" She queried when he didn't say anything "Are you ok?" He shook his head to clear his thoughts somewhere and looked her in the eye.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, Shall we.." He gestured to a coffee shop that looked quiet. She nodded at him then followed him over. "So tell me what happened" He implored once they were sat down and the waitress had taken their order.
"It's kinda a long story," She started. Buffy took a deep breath and began explaining. "Well Willow used this Scythe I'd found, it belonged to the first slayer or something. Anyway, she used that to activate all the potential slayers around the world, or any that were left anyway. So we were all fighting, and then Spike used the amulet you'd bought, and it kinda destroyed the hellmouth, I was lucky to get out." She looked wistful at the memory. "Technically Spike destroyed the hellmouth, but I like to take the credit." She laughed a little.
"Are you still.. Do you still see Spike?" He asked uncertain whether he wanted to hear the answer or not. She broke their eye contact and looked away, her expression changing completely. Angel's heart fell 10 meters.
"No, Spike, well, he was in Sunnydale, in the Hellmouth when it became a crater. I – I never saw him again". She all but whispered as her voice broke aver the painful memory. Angel was shocked, but instantly felt the loss of his wayward grand-childe.
"I'm sorry Buffy" He told her feeling her pain, he knew what was between her and Spike. He put a hand gently on her arm. Buffy shook her head a fraction, and used the back of a hand to wipe the newly formed tears from her eyes.
"It's okay Angel, Really. It was a long time ago." She smiled at him, as if trying to prove to him that she was fine.
They were interrupted momentarily as their waitress made her way over to them with two steaming hot drinks.
"So, what else has changed since I saw you last Buffy?" Angel asked, hoping that one thing hadn't changed.
"Well, Dawn's 23 now, she met a really great guy after we moved here, and they got married last year, in fact, she's just told me that she's expecting their first child. You should see her Angel, she's beautiful. And she's much taller than me!" Buffy laughed. "Willow found someone too," Buffy smiled at the thought "She was with One of the potentials for a while; 'till she became a slayer, and her head grew so quickly, that ended pretty fast after. But now, she's with a lovely girl called Katie, they're really happy, it's almost nauseating." Buffy laughed, and Angel joined her. It felt good for both of them to laugh together for a change, when so many of their memories together involved anguish, and heartbreak. "They've been together about 4 years now, its going good." She sighed; the next bit was going to be hard. She took a deep breath and bit the bullet. "Giles, Giles is..." A tear formed in her eye and slowly made its way down her cheek. "Giles died. Last year. He got cancer, and they didn't – didn't catch it in time. It was real quick." Her voice broke half way through and she had to look away again. A few more tears followed the first, but she wiped them away quickly. He reached over and hugged her tightly again.
2Oh Buffy," He spoke softly, comfortingly. "I'm sorry; I don't know what else to say." They stayed in that embrace for what seemed like hours before Buffy pulled away gently. When he was certain she was okay, he asked her another question.
"What about you Buffy? What's changed for you?" She smiled brilliantly at him,
"After willow activated all the potentials, I almost completely retired from slaying. It felt nice to be able to relax for a while and not to have to worry about this or that apocalypse." She Laughed. "It was nice to feel normal for a change." Angel felt his heart drop slightly again, he was once part of that un-normalcy Buffy continued, not noticing Angel's unease. "After we settled here, me and Dawn got our own apartment, just the two of us, it was nice to not have to share her with so many people any more. I got to know her again. Anyway, I went back to school part-time, and I am now a fully qualified counsellor."
"That's great Buffy." He was genuinely pleased for her, knowing she'd had to give up school and her ambitions when her mom got sick.
"Yeah, I've got my own business. It's good, I enjoy it. I guess I was just destined to help people in one way or another." She laughed again. He revelled in the sound of her laugh, it had been so long since he'd heard it.
"Good, I'm Happy for you. You didn't mention Xander at all though Buffy, What's wrong? Do you not see much of him anymore or something?" Angel was almost concerned for the boy he'd never really clicked with.
"When we lost Anya, in the battle with the First, it was hard for him, really hard," Buffy stated, a far off look in her eye. "but.." She didn't get a chance to finish her explanation as they were interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Buffy!" Angel looked around in annoyance at the interruption. Xander was walking over to them, clasping a little girls hand tightly.
"There you are Buff, We've been looking all over for you, we thought you'd run off, didn't we?" He addressed the child. Then he noticed who Buffy was sitting with.
"Angel." He greeted darkly, but only looking at Buffy.
"Hi Xand, I just ran into angel out in the mall, and we were just catching up, I was just telling him…"
"Xander," Angel interrupted "You're married then. And she's yours?" He enquired.
"Yes" Xander replied in a measured voice.
"So who's the- uh lucky lady, and how does she put up with you?" Angel laughed, slightly annoyed that Xander was intruding on his and Buffy's reunion.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Xander replied with a wry smile. He was enjoying himself.
"Well, I would, if she were here." Angel replied, unsure where this was headed.
"She's sitting right next to you," Xander replied matter-of-factly.
Angel's head spun to Buffy, "oh" For the first time he noticed the wedding ring on her finger.
"That's what I was just going to tell you Angel" She told him, looking straight back at him, an unreadable expression on her face. "We've been married for about three years now, and this is my daughter Gen. She's two and a half" She told him gently, pulling the child up onto her lap. "And I'm pregnant," She told both men, Xander not having known till then either. "About three months." She smiled at Xander, ecstatically happy. Xander's mouth was agape.
"Pregnant?" he asked her, she nodded happily and he reached over to her and pulled her sideways into a loose hug, so as not to hurt Gen.
Angel meanwhile was having trouble processing this new information. It meant that Buffy was definitely lost to him now. His heart had broken with the news. 'She's moved on.' He thought to himself. 'She turned into cookies while I wasn't there, and now she's happy. Without me." He turned away, wanting nothing more than to leave the happy young family to their joy, but he was blocked into the booth by Buffy sitting to his left. Buffy suddenly seemed to remember he was there. She turned to him and spoke his name quietly so he'd turn and face her.
When he faced her he saw a question in her eyes. She was checking he was ok kith it, that he was happy for her. He schooled his features into a smile and nodded imperceptibly at him. Once she'd got his ok she smiled once more at him.
"Why don't you come back to ours tonight, for supper, everyone's coming, it'll be nice, you can catch up with everyone. That's okay isn't it honey?" She turned to Xander to get his acceptance. Once he'd reassured her that, yes, it was fine; she turned back to Angel and smiled again. "Come on, Angel Come over. Here's our address. She scribbled it down on one of the napkins that had accompanied her long-forgotten drink. She folded it once and handed it to him.
"Tea's at eight." With that done she turned back to Xander, "We'd better get going" She told him. "Sorry Angel, I've got some things to get for tea. I'll see you late?" She enquired. He nodded at her.
She stood, carrying the little girl, and took Xander's hand as she lead him of into the crowds of the mall. Lost to Angel once more.