Note: Everything in Italics was text taken straight from show transcripts: "Fredless", "Carpe Noctem", and "Flooded".
Cordy comes hurrying out and Angel and Fred turn their heads to look at her.
Cordy, a bit breathless: "Angel, Willow's on the phone... She's alive! Buffy's alive!"
With that Cordy turns around and hurries back in.
Angel and Fred look at each other for a beat then Angel jumps up and runs into the hotel after Cordy.
Fred: "Buffy?"
Buffy looks slightly reassured. The phone rings.
BUFFY: (gets up) Who's calling me? Everybody I know lives here. (walks toward kitchen) I'll be back.
Buffy exits into the kitchen.
DAWN: (to Giles) I bet it's creditors. The hounding's begun. I read about it. So you think we'll starve?
GILES: I very much doubt it.
DAWN: No chance I'd have to quit school to work assembling cheap toys in a poorly-ventilated sweatshop?
GILES: Poorly-ventilated ... What have you been reading?
Buffy returns, walking quickly and purposefully toward the front.
GILES: Buffy, what is it?
She turns back to face them, pauses for a moment before speaking.
BUFFY: Angel.
GILES: Is he in trouble?
BUFFY: He knows that I'm ... (trails off. Shot of Dawn watching with concern) He, he needs to see me. I have to see him.
GILES: Yes, of course. You'll leave for L.A. tomorrow.
BUFFY: (shakes her head) Not L.A. And not here. Somewhere in the middle. There's a, a place.
GILES: I see. Well, we should get all these ... bills and things out of the way before-
BUFFY: I gotta go now.
She starts to leave, pauses and turns back again.
BUFFY: Um, thanks for taking care of this for me.
She exits, leaving Dawn and Giles staring at each other in dismay in the trashed living room.
Buffy pulled into to the parking lot of the place where she was supposed to meet Angel. It was a 24 hour roadside diner. 'Not the most romantic place in the world," Buffy thought. But they had both agreed to meet at a public place just in case the felt the temptation to do anything they might regret in the morning. Buffy pulled the car into a parking space near Angel. He was standing there leaning on his car and he watched her as she got out.
"Nice car," Angel commented, indicating the cherry red sports car Buffy had just gotten out of.
"Thanks, its Giles's," she said as Angel raised his eyebrows in surprises, "Mid-life crisis."
He smiles as they walk up to each other, embracing one another. Buffy looks up from where she had her head on his shoulder and she stared into his eyes. Slowly, their lips meet and they begin to kiss, passionately. Eventually, they break apart both with smiles on their faces.
"I missed you," Angel says.
"Me too."
"Do you want to go inside?" Angel asks indicating the diner.
"Yeah, we have a lot to talk about," Buffy says as she follows him into the diner.
"How many?" the waitress asks barely looking at them when she says it. She about 45 and it seems as though constantly working the grave-yard shift has worn her down after all these years.
"Two; something private," Angel states.
"This way," the waitress says as she grabs 2 menus and leads them to a secluded booth in the back.
They both sit down, dreading her return as she walks away.
They are both silent for a while, the space between them filling up with everything they want to say and can't or won't.
"So how have you been? How's the detective agency going and everything?"
"Good; we just found a new employee."
"That's good."
"Buffy," Angel says conveying all his concern and emotion in that single word.
"I was in heaven….I think I was in heaven and I wanna go back Angel I want to go back," Buffy sobs. Angel takes her hand from his side of the table to comfort her, "It's so hard, living; just living, I was so happy there. I felt warm, protected….loved."
"It'll be okay but you just have to keep on living. It'll get better. I promise."
"You can't tell them," Buffy says, regaining her composure, "No one can ever know. Especially my friends, they…they think they saved me from some hell dimension."
"I could have told them they were wrong. You're too good to go anywhere but heaven." Buffy smiles at his remark. It feels good to be close to him again.
"So what can I get you two?" the waitress asks as she comes over taking out her pad to take their order.
Angel and Buffy quickly stop holding hands and they open their menus.
"Coffee," Angel answers.
"Same," Buffy responds.
A few minutes later the waitress comes back with 2 cups of steaming hot coffee.
"Thanks," Buffy replies as she takes her cup and the waitress leaves.
"So who told you I was back?" Buffy asks.
"Willow called, how is she by the way? How's everyone?"
"There okay, I think. I mean we've been a little distant after everything but it's not the first time its happened I'm sure things will go back to normal. How about you; how's the fang gang?"
He smiles, "Good; business is a little slow and we're still having a little trouble getting Fred to come out of her room but other then that good."
"Fred?"
"New employee, we rescued her from a hell dimension."
"Oh was it really bad?"
"Actually, Cordy enjoyed it there. They made her queen." They laugh, "Buffy, I know right now you may not want to be back and I know this might sound a little selfish but….I'm really glad you are," he says, his voice full of sincerity as he stares deeply into her eyes.
She smiles and take another sip of coffee. She is content. Maybe she can't be with Angel, not now anyway but maybe someday but for now she was just going to have to move on. The hardest thing to do in this world is to live in it.
The jukebox begins playing "When You Say Nothing at All" by Alison Krauss and Union Station:
"It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word you can light up the dark
Try as I may I could never explain
What I hear when you don't say a thing"
Slowly they get up and stand where there is more room.
"The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all"
Angel takes Buffy's hand and she lays her head on his shoulder. Without saying a word they begin to slow dance. Both smiling.
"All day long I can hear people talking out loud
But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd
Old mr. webster could never define
What's being said between your heart and mine
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all"
Fred: "What time is it?"
Wes holds up his wrist to Cordy and she reads his watch.
Cordy: "Six twenty four, and for those of you who are playing the home game: that's exactly three minutes from the last time you asked."
Fred fumbles around with the strange contraption (looks like a hybrid between a suitcase, a crossbow and a sowing machine - or something like that).
Fred: "I'm sorry. I just - I have this theory that the more you are aware of time the more slowly it moves, which could make light speed travel possible, but only if you were to concentrate really..."
Cordy: "He'll be back when he's back."
Fred: "So - now that she's alive again, are they gonna get back together? Angel and that girl with the goofy name?"
Wes: "Well - Fred - that's a difficult question. I think it's fair to say - no. Not a chance, never, no way, not in a million years, and also 'nuh-uh.'"
Fred: "But you said he loved her. And of course she's gonna love him back, because he's so strong and handsome and he really listens when you talk. I-I mean, if you go for that sort of thing, why wouldn't it work?"
Cordy: "Let me break it down for you, Fred."
Cordy steps away from the reception counter and pretends to be Buffy.
Cordy: "Oh - Angel! I know that I'm a Slayer and you a vampire - and it would be impossible for us to be together - but!"
Gunn laughs at Cordy's act.
Wes stands up: "But!"
Cordy turns to look at him. Wes pulls his glasses off and lays them to the side.
Wes: "My gypsy curse sometimes prevent me from seeing the truth. Oh, Buffy!"
Cordy: "Yes, Angel?"
Wes: "Oh, I love you so much I almost forgot to brood!"
Fred watches wide-eyed. Gunn is laughing.
Cordy: "And just because I sent you to hell that one time doesn't mean that we can't just be friends."
Wes grabs a hold of Cordy's wrist.
Cordy: "Oh!"
Wes: "Or possibly more."
Cordy gasps: "Gasp! No! We mustn't."
Wes pulls Cordy close.
Wes: "Kiss me."
Cordy: "Bite me!"
Wes bends Cordy back over his arm and pretends to sink his fangs into her neck.
Angel off screen: "How about you both bite me."
Fred jumps up: "You're back!"
Cordy and Wes see Angel watching them and quickly scurry apart.
Gunn: "How'd it go?"
Angel: "I think those two pretty much summed it up. To be honest - I really don't wanna talk about it."
Cordy tugs her mini skirt back in place.
Cordy: "But... ah, Angel - we're your friends. (Gives him a big, friendly smile) and, and it-it's not healthy to repress stuff like this. You-you need to share your - pain, express those feelings of grief and longing or... The curiosity is gonna kill me!"
Angel quietly: "Oh, no. Wouldn't want that."
Fred: "Personally, I don't care at all what happened."
Cordy as she walks past Fred: "Shut up, Fred."
THE END
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