Right Here Waiting
This is a REPOST of my story. I noticed a TON of spelling errors and I also updated this story with a new chapter. For those of you who have read this story and enjoyed it before..I am so sorry for the 2 year hiatus from it. I just got back into writing and I hope you enjoy it. Feedback is always appreciated. Just don't bash too badly. Constructive criticism is always appreciated though.
Author: SlayaDevyn
Spoilers: yes...there are some...lol
Rating: T or pg-13...not sure
Summary: Okay...not a surprise...Buffy is done baking. (Gosh I love that metaphor..lol) This takes place a year after NFA. I'm changing NFA just a little so Buffy made a cameo. Not a big earth shattering one though. I'm going to do some back story on Angel and Buffy on what they've been doing...etc. I'm a hardcore B/A shipper. So there!
Rome, Italy
May 20, 2005
Ring
Dawn Summers picked up the telephone after just one ring. This is the phone call I've been waiting all day for.
"Hello?"
"Dawnie, hey it's me," Buffy said over the phone.
"So I take it you made it back to the States in one piece," Dawn said.
"Obviously. It was a bumpy flight, but nothing too terrible. Are you sure you're going to be okay there, ya know, for school. I can come back...I'm never too far away..." Buffy rambled.
"Look...I know you were anxious to get back to the States. You're done baking remember? It's time to move on Buffy. You've been distant and lonely. I'm glad you're going back. I'm just wondering why you won't tell me where you went. I know you like the U.S. better than you did Europe, anyhow," Dawn replied.
"I told you I didn't want anyone to know where I was going for very good reason. I hate it when you're right. Look...you have two weeks until summer school starts. I know you're looking forward to taking summer art courses. Make sure you be careful...and have fun with Andrew. Don't kill him, okay?" Buffy said.
"You got it sis. Take care...and let me know what happens," Dawn replied before she hung up. I think I know where she is headed.
As Buffy hung up her cell phone, she looked up at the huge sign in front of her that said: Welcome to LAX International Airport.
Here goes nothing she thought to herself as she hailed a cab to take her to her hotel as she tried to find her long lost love.
LA, U.S.
May 21, 2005
"Angel, wake up honey," Nina said as she nudged him slightly to rouse him from his slumber.
She was all dressed, ready for the day. Thank goodness we didn't do anything last night.
"Thanks for letting me stay last night. I was a little too drunk to go home. In case you don't remember, we crashed here at your place after we partied at that new club the Dam. We didn't do anything if that's what the frightened look on your face is for. Remember our little agreement?" Nina asked with a quite obvious disappointed look on her face.
"I remember... just disoriented after that wild night and lots of booze. I remember it all now," Angel replied. She's a nice girl, just not her.
"I'll just let myself out so you can get ready for the day. Talk to you later Angel," She said as she left.
Angel finally got out of bed and made his way to the shower. I need a shower then some blood. Angel thought to himself as he hopped in the shower. Nina staying over wasn't that unusual. They were friends and ONLY friends...and she seemed to be almost as okay with that as he was. She was one of his only friends left after that huge battle that took almost everything out of him.
FLASHBACK
"Let's go to work," Angel said as he slowly advanced the army of demons coming towards him.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Buffy said as she appeared with almost all the potential slayers in tow.
Angel spun around and looked at her. He was grateful that she came. He gave her a trademark half-smile and turned back around to begin battle.
Angel rammed his sword into the demons chest as it was the last one of the army to defeat. He looked around assessing the damage to his crew. He saw Gunn laying on the ground next to a dumpster. Looking around more, he saw some of the young ladies that came with Buffy lying on the ground wounded and dead.
Speaking of Buffy, where is she? He thought to himself.
"Looking for me?" Buffy said aloud from her place on the ground.
Angel spun around and saw her. She was wounded pretty bad, but was going to be fine.
"You okay?" He asked, giving out his hand to help her up.
"I'll live...just some minor cuts and bruises. Another stab wound to add to the list," She replied looking down at her abdomen.
"Thank you for coming Buffy,"
"Angel, I wouldn't have left you alone in this. We work better together than alone. Plus, I thought we could catch up a little before I had to go back to Rome,"
Angel finished dressing himself. That's the last time I saw her. He wasn't sure how she was, or if she missed him, or what she was up to. All he knew was that she was okay.
Outside Angel's apartment, 10 minutes ago.
"Damn, I hope this is the right address," Buffy said aloud as she looked down the hallway in search of Angel's loft. It was number 12. Well, here's 10. She said to herself. Then she heard someone coming out of a door two doors down.
"See you later, Angel," Some blonde haired woman said. So, he moved on huh? I'm too late. She's tall. Pretty too. What am I doing here? Buffy asked herself as she began to turn around and walk back to her hotel room.
Back at her hotel room, Buffy sat on her bed in shock. Well, at least now I know, she thought to herself. She sighed loudly and laid back down on her bed. She closed her eyes and drifted into a crappy sleep. Her last thought before she fell asleep was Maybe I took it the wrong way...
Angel hopped into his black Viper with the tinted windows. It's one of the few things I have left that I like from Wolfram and Hart. Angel lost a lot in that battle to end all battles. But now he's back to his true mission in life, the one that began five years ago with Doyle as his guide to the Powers. He lost his friends Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn, and Fred.
I'm pretty much back to square one, aren't I? He thought to himself. He did have one person to still count on as his new seer.
Buffy woke up 2 hours after she laid down. She hopped in the shower and decided to try to get to Angel again. I'm the slayer, I'm not going to let him get away this easy. She got dressed in a pink sleeveless boat-neck tee, a pair of black slacks, and black strappy sandals.
I know where he works. Maybe I'll just stop by. She went downstairs to the lobby of her hotel room and hailed a cab. "Here goes nothing," She whispered to herself as she got into the cab. "Sir, could you take me to LAPD please?"
At Angel's office
"Bloody poof, you know you have an appointment in 20 minutes?" Spike asked.
"Spike, I know, I set up my own appointments. Just because I don't have a secretary yet, doesn't mean that I forget things easily Spike. You know that...how long have we known each other?" Angel replied with a small smirk on his face.
He worked for the LAPD as a "Special Cases" lieutenant in the "Special Cases Unit". He arrived at work every day at noon. This allowed his coworkers to set up appointments with him about "weird" things they encountered on their routine patrols or specific calls. Every time one of his co-workers had a problem on the field, they'd just make an appointment with Lieutenant Angel and fill out a form while in his office about what they saw. It was all confidential. Not everyone in the department liked him or the cases he received.
His office was very nice. Almost as nice as his one at Wolfram and Hart. He had those "special" windows in his new office. He wasn't mandated to wear a uniform. He is considered undercover.
"Poof, you okay?" Spike asked.
"Yea, I feel a little off today," Angel replied. He was getting this feeling that something big was coming. "I'm just tired," Angel added.
"Nina keep you up all night last night?" Spike asked with a huge grin.
"What? Uh, no. We didn't do anything, not that it's your business," Angel replied.
"Right, and I'm the Queen of England,"
"We're past that stage Spike. I tried dating her, but it just didn't work. There are something's she's unwilling to accept about my line of work. Plus, she's really not my type," Angel stated.
"What? Slim, blonde, beautiful, is no longer your style?"
"You know what Spike just forget it," Angel said as he sat down in his nice comfy chair. "My love life, or lack there of, is none of our concern."
knock knock
"Am I interrupting anything?" Buffy said as she walked into his office.
"Buffy?" Angel said.
"The one and only," She smiled.
"Geez Buffy, how have you been, pet?" Spike asked.
"Great Spike, thank you for asking," She replied
Angel just stood there in shock.
"Well, poof and pet, I'll leave you guys alone," Spike said as he left his friend's office.
"Well...I didn't think it would be this awkward," Buffy stated as they just looked at each other.
"I'm sorry, I'm just surprised you're here," Angel said. "Have a seat,"
"Thank you. I won't take long. I know you're probably busy...but I wanted to stop by and tell you..."
She was cut off by the phone ringing.
"Excuse me, let me get that," Angel said nervously. "Lieutenant Angel. Uh-huh, yea. I know. So you want to reschedule for next week? Okay then. Bye,"
"Wow, you are a busy man," Buffy said.
"Not today. My one appointment scheduled for today wanted to cancel and reschedule for next week. It's been pretty slow around here since that big battle. Not too many "freaky" things to report. Plus, Spike hasn't gotten any visions for a week," Angel said.
"So, he's your new seer for the Powers?" Buffy asked.
"Oh, yea, right, I didn't tell you that did I?" Angel asked. "He has been ever since that epic battle ended. He gets them like Doyle and Cordelia did. However, they don't hurt him as much,"
"Well good. You are doing real good here Angel. Glad to see you've gone back to your old mission again," Buffy stated with a smile.
"Thank you. Now was there something you wanted to tell me?" Angel asked.
"Oh yea. Right, well, I'm moving back to the States. More specifically, LA," Buffy said hoping that Angel would like that.
"That's great Buffy. Where are you staying?" Angel asked.
"I'm at a hotel right now. On 5th and Pine, it's called Motel 8. I plan on staying there for a little while until I can find a place of my own,"
"So you're staying for good?"
"Yes, I am. I got tired of Rome. I missed the U.S. Dawnie is still there, though. She is taking art classes. She enjoys it there. Plus, she's got Andrew with her,"
"I see. Well this is a pleasant surprise Buffy,"
"I didn't mean to just drop in on you like this. I just wanted to see you. I wanted you to know I was here, in your city,"
"That's great. Welcome back. Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight, Buffy?"
"That would be great Angel. Pick me up at the hotel at around 8-ish?"
"Sounds good,"
"I have something else to tell you too. That'll have to wait until dinner though," She said smiling as she left his office. That's going to drive him crazy for the rest of the day.
This is great. Buffy is back. This time, I am not going to let her go.
Angel decided to do some paperwork to pass the time. He finished around five and decided to head home. That's another upside to my job. I can pretty much come and go as I please.
Angel showered and spiked his hair the way she liked it. He wore black slacks and a gray long sleeve shirt. He decided to go to the florist down the street after the sun went down and pick up some daisies. They were her favorite. He came back to his car, put the flowers in the passenger seat, and headed off to the motel.
Buffy was staring at herself in the mirror. I am done baking. I want Angel so badly, but what if he doesn't want me after all this time? She put those negative thoughts aside and decided to see how things went. She decided to wear a baby pink skirt that went to her knees, a white spaghetti strap shirt, and white strappy sandals. I hope he's not going anywhere too fancy She looked out her hotel window and saw his car in the parking lot. She turned to the mirror once more and thought: Here goes nothing.
As they pulled up to the restaurant, Buffy began to get nervous. Why am I nervous? I'm nervous because I'm afraid the love of my life won't take me back. Angel opened the car door for her and helped her out of the car.
"Thank you,"
"You are quite welcome. Did I tell you how beautiful you look this evening?" Angel said giving her his signature half smile.
"No, but thank you," Buffy said taking his arm as they walked into the casual restaurant. It wasn't fancy, but it wasn't low scale. It was a perfect mixture of great food, with a casual atmosphere.
Angel pulled out the chair for Buffy and allowed her to sit first. Then Angel sat next to her and was at a loss as to what to say. He couldn't believe this was happening. She was here, in his city, and things were great. There wasn't some apocalyptic battle a'brewin'. Just a lovely dining experience with the ONLY true love of his life.
"Angel? Are you okay?" Buffy asked worriedly.
"Yea, I was just thinking,"
"Uh-oh, should I be worried?" Buffy asked with a slight grin on her face.
"No," He said honestly. He picked up his menu and began to look at it.
"What's good here Angel?" Buffy asked after a few minutes of silence.
"I've only been here one other time. The house sirloin is good, I know for sure," Angel said.
The waitress came back and took their order. Now they were back to awkward silence.
"Angel, there's something I want to tell you. And I just want you to hear me out before you say anything, ok?" Buffy said nervously.
"Sure, Buffy, you can tell me anything,"
"Okay, here goes nothing. I moved back to the states because I missed it, yes. However, I am also done baking. I'm cookies now. I know I've had some experiences that you don't care to know about. I.E. The Immortal and Spike. But, I was going through a weird phase in my life. I didn't know what I wanted. Especially after...ya know...I came back. You were there...but not really. We met..and that was nice. However, you were in L.A. and you had your own life. I didn't want you to know all about my life. Spike was here. He was like a replacement for what I knew I couldn't have...ever again. And that's no excuse, I realize that now. I love you, Angel. You and you only. I think we can make it work...you and me. I've realized that I can't have normalcy. Normal just isn't in the cards for me. I want you. For you and I to be together. I've said it once, and I'll say it again, I'm cookies. What do you say?" Buffy took a deep breath and waited for the answer.
"Buffy..you don't owe me an explanation on anything. I don't know why you did what you did, but we cannot change it. It made you who you are today. So, I'm not mad about it. I wanted you to know that. I love you too Buffy. I have ever since I first saw you in L.A. at Hemery High. I hope you know that. Event though I left for good reason, I still love you. I always have. I think we could give it a shot, Buffy. You and me, together again," Angel said with a genuine smile on his face.
"Oh, Angel, this is great," Buffy said. She leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips.
"We still do have some of the same obstacles as we did before though," Angel said.
"The curse?"
"Yes, the curse. Plus, we need to get reacquainted with each other again," Angel said as the food came to their table.
"Not a problem," Buffy said as she bit into her steak.
They finished dinner, which Angel paid for. (Chivalry does not have to be dead here ppl).
They decided to go back to his loft to begin the long process of getting to know each other once again.
"Wow, Angel, your place is awesome," Buffy stated as she came inside.
"I like it," Angel said as he made his way over to the answering machine which was blinking with 3 messages.
"Message one. Angel, this is Nina. Just calling to see how you're doing. You wanna go hang out this Friday? Just let me know. Call me on my cell. Bye babe."
"Message two. Angel, this is Chief Gordon. Just to let you know...your vacation went through. Your vacation begins tomorrow. You don't have to come back until two weeks from tomorrow. Have fun. Isn't this the first vacation you've ever taken? Talk to you later."
"Message three. Angel, it's Spike. Let me know when you get home. No worries, no visions or anything. Just wanted to talk, call me and let me know how it went with the slayer,"
"I meant to ask you about that this afternoon," Buffy said. "Is she your girlfriend, Angel?"
"No, she's not. We tried awhile back. But there were just some things about me she couldn't accept. Plus...she is newly a werewolf. She has some stuff of her own to deal with," Angel said.
"Oh, okay. Because I saw her come out of your apartment this morning...and I was kinda curious,"
"You were spying on me?" Angel asked curiously.
"No, I was going to come to visit you this morning..and there she was. I ran off, not sure if I should come by again. But, I decided I needed to see you...and what better place than your office," Buffy said
"Oh. Well, it's over between us. It has been for quite awhile. My second message was in regards to you,"
"Oh really? How so?"
"When you left my office today, I decided to take two weeks vacation to help you find a place to live, help you find work, etc," Angel stated coming over to her and sliding his arms around her waist.
"Well aren't you sweet," Buffy said looking up and kissing him. The kiss wasn't meant to be powerful, however it was. It sent both of them into a world they hadn't been apart of for awhile.
Buffy was the first to pull back. "Wow, I've missed this Angel," Buffy said staring in his eyes and leaning against him.
"I know, baby," Angel said. He led them to the couch where they could continue their conversation. They began to get re-acquainted with each other. Filling each other in on the past year of their lives since they had last seen the other. Angel vented about the loss of all of his group and Buffy vented about how her and her group hardly ever saw each other. After about an hour of conversation they began to get tired. Angel also wanted to ask her a question
"I have an idea, Buffy," Angel said, hoping he didn't scare her with his next question. "Why don't you move in here. I have plenty of room here, and this time I can make it "girl-friendly," He said, smiling.
"That sounds great. It will save me a lot of money in the long run. When can I move in?"
"How about we start tomorrow after a good night's rest?" Angel said, hinting to them going to sleep.
"Sounds nice. But I don't have any clothes to change into,"
"You can wear a shirt of mine," Angel said pulling her into the bed room and giving her a short sleep white t-shirt.
"We can talk some more tomorrow, right sweetie?" Buffy asked, coming out of the bathroom.
"We sure can. Do you want to sleep in here with me, or would you like the guest room?" Angel asked.
"In here silly. We are back together aren't we?" Buffy asked.
"Yes, beloved, we are. I just wasn't sure how you wanted to take things,"
"I know everything I do with you is right, because I'm with you," Buffy said kissing his lips one last time for the night. "Goodnight, Angel,"
"Goodnight," Angel said. He slowly put his arms around her waist and held her as they slept.