Title: Reunion
Author: Stephanie Loss
E-mail: Lurking_Angel@yahoo.com
Spoiler Warning: Flooded and Carpe Noctem
Summary: Duh. It's the missing Buffy/Angel reunion.
Disclaimer: If I owned these characters, I would be spending my time writing episodes, not fanfiction and "Buffy" and "Angel" wouldn't be on different networks!!!
***
She had the benefit of leaving before the sun set, but he had every human emotion pushing him further along, trying to reach that secluded spot just a little bit sooner.
He had reached the place they had decided on. It was strange how the brain worked, he couldn't remember how they had come upon this strip of beach, but he could remember clearly the exact place she had froze, staring out over the ocean, then collapsed onto the beach crying. Confused, and not sure what to do, he crouched down beside her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She held onto his arms as if she would lose him if she were to let go. They stared over the ocean, and she cried.
His emotions were in the same swirling state as they had been then. She was back. She had been violently pulled out of the place she was supposed to be. He had lost her. He didn't want to face the possiblilty of losing her again, but did they really have a choice?
Angel moved across the beach, his unbeating heart lifting at every tiny footprint he saw ahead of him in the sand. She was here. She was alive. Everything was right in his world. Then, he saw her. Her figure silhouetted in the moonlight, her blonde hair slowly drifting against the black leather of a familiar jacket. He felt a wave of pride, possession when he saw she was wearing HIS leather jacket. She had kept that reminder of him. She had cared enough to save it, preserve it. She cared.
Once again, she was staring out over the water, feeling the moonbeams radiate onto her face. The breeze lifted her hair and the dream from so many years ago returned.
"How did you find me?"
She felt a pair of arms slide around her waist, feeling far to real for the memory of a dream.
"I would always find you. As long as I can feel you inside my heart, I will find you."
The slight change from the dialogue of her dream brought her back to the current day.
"Angel." She sighed as he held her tighter against his chest and laid his cheek on her head. "Is this a dream?"
"No."
"A nightmare?"
"This is real, Buffy." His words sank in to his rapid firing brain. "Oh, Buffy, I should have been there. I."
"Shush." She reprimanded as she turned in his arms. "I did what I had to do, I protected Dawn and saved the world." She forced some humor in her voice. "I wish there was a scoreboard. I can't remember how many apocalypses I've diverted."
"I should have stopped them from bringing you back."
"Oh."
One look into her eyes had been enough. It had to be the Powers That Be's idea of poetic justice. She had to send him to Hell, while she got sent to Heaven, only to be pulled back out by the friends that loved her, and thought they were helping her.
And he should have known. He should have been able to see the grim determination in Willow's eyes as she told him what had happened. But as Wesley pointed out later, Angel did have far larger concerns on his mind, like Buffy's death.
She was here, and that was almost worth everything to him. Almost, until he saw the torment in her eyes. She had been happy, contented, peaceful, and then it was all taken away.
She looked up at him, seeing the pain written across his own face. "I'm sorry I didn't call you."
"You had a lot of adjusting to you. I understand. I remember."
"Who finally called you?"
"Dawn. She didn't think it was fair, so she took matters into her own hands."
She sighed again, and put her head on his chest.
They spent a long moment, simply holding each other, being with the other, two halves of the same whole feeling safe and complete for the first time in a long while. He inclined his head to drop an innocent, small kiss on the top of her head right as she looked up. Their lips met without any conscious thought or effort.
And like everything that ever passed between them, it escalated. Each joining of their lips deepened and melted and flowed, until they both were holding the other to them as tightly as possible. Each touching of their lips moved their connected souls until their hands skimmed over the other's body, checking every curve and line, making sure that their lover hadn't changed, was still as perfect and right and amazing as the night they first made love.
And like every emotion that ever passed between the two, from love to despair to the pain they would feel while alone, but never let the other know, it was perfect. True love, true raw pure power.
It wasn't clear which one pulled away first. Together they were back to being almost one entity. Buffy and Angel. The Slayer and her Vampire. Two bodies hosting one half of the same soul. It doesn't matter which one broke away first. Buffy leaned her forehead against Angel's lips and tried to calm her beating hear, had to calm. other beating, throbbing things.
"Angel." Her voice sounded as shaky as her knees.
"Shush." He whispered into her forehead.
A long moment they spent together, arms holding their beloved as tightly as possible, both supporting the other. His lips pressed against her forehead, her fingertips tracing circles on his back.
Angel led Buffy to a log by the water. They watched the moon reflect on the waves, and they talked. As always, Angel drew the tightly kept secrets from Buffy's heart. She told him everything, how she thought that she was in Hell when Willow brought her back, how close she was to killing herself on the tower, how she thought she was missing something, some vital thing that made her who she was.
He talked, some of how he adjusted to life after Hell, and with that perfect, wonderful, solemn, caring face he told her how being pulled out of Heaven was soo much worse than leaving Hell.
And, finally, they just were. They held each other and just existed. The voices in their heads that clamored about duties and destinies quieted a little and the Vampire and Slayer could lay down all their burdens and recoup.
As dawn's perfume started to scent the air, Angel dropped a kiss on Buffy's forehead. He stood and brought Buffy up with him.
"I have to."
"Go. Yeah, I know. I need to get back to Dawn, and Giles, and everything there."
"Buffy, if you ever need to.. talk, or anything, you know where I am."
A small smile graced her lips; "You'll know if there's something wrong, won't you?" Her voice didn't quite hold the teasing she meant to put there.
"I didn't. You died and I didn't know."
Buffy put her hand on his cheek, "You were in a different dimension. These things happen." She reached while on her tiptoes, slightly sinking in the sand, to lay a gentle kiss on his lips.
Angel watched as she made the walk up the slight hill to the cars. From Heaven to her own personal Hell. She didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve anything but the best, and all she seemed to get was the worst. "Angel." She called as she turned, the wind wafted through her hair. "I still love you. I always will. Let me know when forever will work for you."
Then she disappeared over the hill.
Author: Stephanie Loss
E-mail: Lurking_Angel@yahoo.com
Spoiler Warning: Flooded and Carpe Noctem
Summary: Duh. It's the missing Buffy/Angel reunion.
Disclaimer: If I owned these characters, I would be spending my time writing episodes, not fanfiction and "Buffy" and "Angel" wouldn't be on different networks!!!
***
She had the benefit of leaving before the sun set, but he had every human emotion pushing him further along, trying to reach that secluded spot just a little bit sooner.
He had reached the place they had decided on. It was strange how the brain worked, he couldn't remember how they had come upon this strip of beach, but he could remember clearly the exact place she had froze, staring out over the ocean, then collapsed onto the beach crying. Confused, and not sure what to do, he crouched down beside her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She held onto his arms as if she would lose him if she were to let go. They stared over the ocean, and she cried.
His emotions were in the same swirling state as they had been then. She was back. She had been violently pulled out of the place she was supposed to be. He had lost her. He didn't want to face the possiblilty of losing her again, but did they really have a choice?
Angel moved across the beach, his unbeating heart lifting at every tiny footprint he saw ahead of him in the sand. She was here. She was alive. Everything was right in his world. Then, he saw her. Her figure silhouetted in the moonlight, her blonde hair slowly drifting against the black leather of a familiar jacket. He felt a wave of pride, possession when he saw she was wearing HIS leather jacket. She had kept that reminder of him. She had cared enough to save it, preserve it. She cared.
Once again, she was staring out over the water, feeling the moonbeams radiate onto her face. The breeze lifted her hair and the dream from so many years ago returned.
"How did you find me?"
She felt a pair of arms slide around her waist, feeling far to real for the memory of a dream.
"I would always find you. As long as I can feel you inside my heart, I will find you."
The slight change from the dialogue of her dream brought her back to the current day.
"Angel." She sighed as he held her tighter against his chest and laid his cheek on her head. "Is this a dream?"
"No."
"A nightmare?"
"This is real, Buffy." His words sank in to his rapid firing brain. "Oh, Buffy, I should have been there. I."
"Shush." She reprimanded as she turned in his arms. "I did what I had to do, I protected Dawn and saved the world." She forced some humor in her voice. "I wish there was a scoreboard. I can't remember how many apocalypses I've diverted."
"I should have stopped them from bringing you back."
"Oh."
One look into her eyes had been enough. It had to be the Powers That Be's idea of poetic justice. She had to send him to Hell, while she got sent to Heaven, only to be pulled back out by the friends that loved her, and thought they were helping her.
And he should have known. He should have been able to see the grim determination in Willow's eyes as she told him what had happened. But as Wesley pointed out later, Angel did have far larger concerns on his mind, like Buffy's death.
She was here, and that was almost worth everything to him. Almost, until he saw the torment in her eyes. She had been happy, contented, peaceful, and then it was all taken away.
She looked up at him, seeing the pain written across his own face. "I'm sorry I didn't call you."
"You had a lot of adjusting to you. I understand. I remember."
"Who finally called you?"
"Dawn. She didn't think it was fair, so she took matters into her own hands."
She sighed again, and put her head on his chest.
They spent a long moment, simply holding each other, being with the other, two halves of the same whole feeling safe and complete for the first time in a long while. He inclined his head to drop an innocent, small kiss on the top of her head right as she looked up. Their lips met without any conscious thought or effort.
And like everything that ever passed between them, it escalated. Each joining of their lips deepened and melted and flowed, until they both were holding the other to them as tightly as possible. Each touching of their lips moved their connected souls until their hands skimmed over the other's body, checking every curve and line, making sure that their lover hadn't changed, was still as perfect and right and amazing as the night they first made love.
And like every emotion that ever passed between the two, from love to despair to the pain they would feel while alone, but never let the other know, it was perfect. True love, true raw pure power.
It wasn't clear which one pulled away first. Together they were back to being almost one entity. Buffy and Angel. The Slayer and her Vampire. Two bodies hosting one half of the same soul. It doesn't matter which one broke away first. Buffy leaned her forehead against Angel's lips and tried to calm her beating hear, had to calm. other beating, throbbing things.
"Angel." Her voice sounded as shaky as her knees.
"Shush." He whispered into her forehead.
A long moment they spent together, arms holding their beloved as tightly as possible, both supporting the other. His lips pressed against her forehead, her fingertips tracing circles on his back.
Angel led Buffy to a log by the water. They watched the moon reflect on the waves, and they talked. As always, Angel drew the tightly kept secrets from Buffy's heart. She told him everything, how she thought that she was in Hell when Willow brought her back, how close she was to killing herself on the tower, how she thought she was missing something, some vital thing that made her who she was.
He talked, some of how he adjusted to life after Hell, and with that perfect, wonderful, solemn, caring face he told her how being pulled out of Heaven was soo much worse than leaving Hell.
And, finally, they just were. They held each other and just existed. The voices in their heads that clamored about duties and destinies quieted a little and the Vampire and Slayer could lay down all their burdens and recoup.
As dawn's perfume started to scent the air, Angel dropped a kiss on Buffy's forehead. He stood and brought Buffy up with him.
"I have to."
"Go. Yeah, I know. I need to get back to Dawn, and Giles, and everything there."
"Buffy, if you ever need to.. talk, or anything, you know where I am."
A small smile graced her lips; "You'll know if there's something wrong, won't you?" Her voice didn't quite hold the teasing she meant to put there.
"I didn't. You died and I didn't know."
Buffy put her hand on his cheek, "You were in a different dimension. These things happen." She reached while on her tiptoes, slightly sinking in the sand, to lay a gentle kiss on his lips.
Angel watched as she made the walk up the slight hill to the cars. From Heaven to her own personal Hell. She didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve anything but the best, and all she seemed to get was the worst. "Angel." She called as she turned, the wind wafted through her hair. "I still love you. I always will. Let me know when forever will work for you."
Then she disappeared over the hill.