Disclaimer- I do not own Buffy, Angel, or any of the other various
characters from either Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel which are owned by
all of those creative types such as Joss Whedon, WB, UPN, etc. etc.
Basically, I don't own crap. Believe me if I owned Angel or Spike, I would
not be writing stories. I would be in the Bahamas being waited on by two of
the sexiest men in America. DON'T SUE ME!
Chapter 1- Returning
She was exquisite. He had been monitoring her during the long years of their separation. It was not until lately, where it seemed that her relationship with Spike was becoming meaningful; something that might actually go somewhere that he felt compelled to find her. He stood in the darkness behind the tree in front of her house and watched her through the window. She was laughing about something with Dawn, her head tipped back, long hair flowing. Angel felt his stomach tighten as his desire for her made itself known. He hadn't truly seen her since that amazing day when he had been mortal. The day that he had lost himself in Buffy's love, making love to her more times then he could fathom. The day she couldn't remember ever happened.
He knew she had gone back to Riley after that day. The evil jealous part of him wondered if Riley had sensed him all over her body. It had killed him to know she was with someone else, but he had understood, loneliness is an overwhelming emotion. He had been dealing with it for over two hundred years. Although, he had never experienced it quite like the night he had heard that she was dead. He had collapsed into a pile on the floor crying like he would never stop, and suddenly he lost the ever present battle to contain Angelus. Angelus had swooped in, erasing the pain, replacing it with bloodthirst and the need to destroy everything that reminded him of her. Angelus had crept along the hallways of the hotel, coming upon Wes and Cordelia in the lobby. They couldn't see him, he had been too well hidden by the shadows. He contemplated what the best way to kill them would be. And suddenly, Angel was back. He couldn't destroy the memories of Buffy, they would be all he had left for eternity.
"Somehow knew you'd be back around. Just couldn't stand the fact that when the sires away, the childe will play, can ya mate?" Spike's voice interrupted his memories.
Angel swirled around to face him. The urge to smash the smug smile off of his lips, lips that had kissed his beloved was overwhelming. But instead he smiled at him. This stunned Spike for a moment, he had been expecting a fight, even welcoming it. If Angel beat the bloody hell out of him, then Angel would face Buffy's wrath, and Spike could be comforted in her arms.
"You don't think I know what game you are playing here? I don't doubt that you have grown to care for her, she is strong, confident and sexy as hell; but let's face it, you are really just doing this because you were always second to me when it came to Drusilla," Angel spat at him.
Spike flipped the comment away non-chalantly. "Think what you want, but I do love her. And you are welcome to Drusilla. At least I can actually make love with Buffy. Do you remember the little sound in the back of her throat that she makes when she is about to.."
The jealousy overcame Angel then, and he jumped at Spike. His vampy face emerging as he tried to beat the anger, resentment, and loneliness that he felt out of Spike's body. He was a little amazed when Spike didn't fight back though. It was then that he realized Spike's plan, and knew that he had fell directly into it. He stopped but it was too late, Buffy was already outside, her strong hands shoving him backwards into the large tree.
"Just what in the hell do you think that you are doing here? And why is it that everytime you decide to stroll back into town, I always catch you beating up my boyfriends?"
"BOYFRIEND?!?" Spike and Angel said at the same time. Angel got some comfort from that. Apparently nothing was official yet, but if Buffy considered Spike her boyfriend, then he may already be too late.
Buffy shook her head at them. "Do you prefer the term friend with benefits?! Either way, what I do in my personal life is none of your concern. You made that abundantly clear when you bailed. Spike, I know you well enough to know that you proably egged him on, so you are welcome to continue your childish boy fights alone. I'm going inside." Having said her part, Buffy stomped back towards the house. She slammed the door behind her for good measure before sagging against it. Dawn and Willow were both watching her, she knew they were but she just couldn't seem to care.
She slid down to the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees. It was amazing how much seeing him had shook her up. She had thought her feelings for Angel were long in the past. Even the dreams about an amazing day of him being mortal had finally ebbed away. Thank god for that. 'If I would have had one more dream of licking chocolate ice cream off of his chest, I might have lost it.' Buffy thought to herself. She finally looked up into Willow's eyes and whispered, "Why did he have to come back? Why couldn't he just stay away?"
Willow wrapped her arms around Buffy and laid her head on Buffy's blonde one. "I know Buff, I know. But hey, look at it this way, now you can get rid of Spike!" Buffy had to laugh at her friends suggestion. She had long ago accepted that Willow was never going to honestly accept any relationship between her and Spike. She looked at her younger sister, Dawn was standing with her hands in her pockets, struggling between looking like she couldn't care less and trying to find a way to comfort Buffy.
"So that is the Angel everyone tries not to talk about. Honestly Buff, like, what is that great about him. I mean, sure, he is pretty cute, but wasn't he a total jerkwad?" Dawn asked. Buffy was again forced to laugh, her sister had no idea how close she was to the truth. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."
Willow frowned a little. "Honestly though, why did he come back? Is it just because you and Spike are getting closer? I mean it isn't like this is a new thing."
"Maybe he just heard about it. Los Angeles isn't exactly a neighbor to Sunnyhell," Buffy reasoned. Willow shook her head. "Well, that would be true, if it was anyone else. He's been keeping tabs on you Buff. After you, ya know, left us, I called to tell him and he already knew. I haven't heard such anquish in someone's voice before, not even when I called Giles. He told me then that he had connections, ways to know what you were doing without interfering in your life. I meant to tell you but things were so different when you got back. It just kinda slipped my mind. You aren't mad are you?" Willow bit her lip in anxiety wondering if Buffy would hate her. She knew how much her best friend disliked having people checking in on her and running her life.
Buffy soothed Willow's worries. She knew the thoughts that were racing through her best friend's mind. "I understand Will. Things were pretty messed up when I got back. I know you would never keep things from me intentionally. I am not really even that mad at Angel. There have been times when things were really bad around here and suddenly there weren't as many vamps, or the demons weren't quite so willing to fight. And I would sense him. I knew he was near, helping me. And if he hadn't, well I might not have killed as many bad guys as I have!"
Chapter 1- Returning
She was exquisite. He had been monitoring her during the long years of their separation. It was not until lately, where it seemed that her relationship with Spike was becoming meaningful; something that might actually go somewhere that he felt compelled to find her. He stood in the darkness behind the tree in front of her house and watched her through the window. She was laughing about something with Dawn, her head tipped back, long hair flowing. Angel felt his stomach tighten as his desire for her made itself known. He hadn't truly seen her since that amazing day when he had been mortal. The day that he had lost himself in Buffy's love, making love to her more times then he could fathom. The day she couldn't remember ever happened.
He knew she had gone back to Riley after that day. The evil jealous part of him wondered if Riley had sensed him all over her body. It had killed him to know she was with someone else, but he had understood, loneliness is an overwhelming emotion. He had been dealing with it for over two hundred years. Although, he had never experienced it quite like the night he had heard that she was dead. He had collapsed into a pile on the floor crying like he would never stop, and suddenly he lost the ever present battle to contain Angelus. Angelus had swooped in, erasing the pain, replacing it with bloodthirst and the need to destroy everything that reminded him of her. Angelus had crept along the hallways of the hotel, coming upon Wes and Cordelia in the lobby. They couldn't see him, he had been too well hidden by the shadows. He contemplated what the best way to kill them would be. And suddenly, Angel was back. He couldn't destroy the memories of Buffy, they would be all he had left for eternity.
"Somehow knew you'd be back around. Just couldn't stand the fact that when the sires away, the childe will play, can ya mate?" Spike's voice interrupted his memories.
Angel swirled around to face him. The urge to smash the smug smile off of his lips, lips that had kissed his beloved was overwhelming. But instead he smiled at him. This stunned Spike for a moment, he had been expecting a fight, even welcoming it. If Angel beat the bloody hell out of him, then Angel would face Buffy's wrath, and Spike could be comforted in her arms.
"You don't think I know what game you are playing here? I don't doubt that you have grown to care for her, she is strong, confident and sexy as hell; but let's face it, you are really just doing this because you were always second to me when it came to Drusilla," Angel spat at him.
Spike flipped the comment away non-chalantly. "Think what you want, but I do love her. And you are welcome to Drusilla. At least I can actually make love with Buffy. Do you remember the little sound in the back of her throat that she makes when she is about to.."
The jealousy overcame Angel then, and he jumped at Spike. His vampy face emerging as he tried to beat the anger, resentment, and loneliness that he felt out of Spike's body. He was a little amazed when Spike didn't fight back though. It was then that he realized Spike's plan, and knew that he had fell directly into it. He stopped but it was too late, Buffy was already outside, her strong hands shoving him backwards into the large tree.
"Just what in the hell do you think that you are doing here? And why is it that everytime you decide to stroll back into town, I always catch you beating up my boyfriends?"
"BOYFRIEND?!?" Spike and Angel said at the same time. Angel got some comfort from that. Apparently nothing was official yet, but if Buffy considered Spike her boyfriend, then he may already be too late.
Buffy shook her head at them. "Do you prefer the term friend with benefits?! Either way, what I do in my personal life is none of your concern. You made that abundantly clear when you bailed. Spike, I know you well enough to know that you proably egged him on, so you are welcome to continue your childish boy fights alone. I'm going inside." Having said her part, Buffy stomped back towards the house. She slammed the door behind her for good measure before sagging against it. Dawn and Willow were both watching her, she knew they were but she just couldn't seem to care.
She slid down to the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees. It was amazing how much seeing him had shook her up. She had thought her feelings for Angel were long in the past. Even the dreams about an amazing day of him being mortal had finally ebbed away. Thank god for that. 'If I would have had one more dream of licking chocolate ice cream off of his chest, I might have lost it.' Buffy thought to herself. She finally looked up into Willow's eyes and whispered, "Why did he have to come back? Why couldn't he just stay away?"
Willow wrapped her arms around Buffy and laid her head on Buffy's blonde one. "I know Buff, I know. But hey, look at it this way, now you can get rid of Spike!" Buffy had to laugh at her friends suggestion. She had long ago accepted that Willow was never going to honestly accept any relationship between her and Spike. She looked at her younger sister, Dawn was standing with her hands in her pockets, struggling between looking like she couldn't care less and trying to find a way to comfort Buffy.
"So that is the Angel everyone tries not to talk about. Honestly Buff, like, what is that great about him. I mean, sure, he is pretty cute, but wasn't he a total jerkwad?" Dawn asked. Buffy was again forced to laugh, her sister had no idea how close she was to the truth. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."
Willow frowned a little. "Honestly though, why did he come back? Is it just because you and Spike are getting closer? I mean it isn't like this is a new thing."
"Maybe he just heard about it. Los Angeles isn't exactly a neighbor to Sunnyhell," Buffy reasoned. Willow shook her head. "Well, that would be true, if it was anyone else. He's been keeping tabs on you Buff. After you, ya know, left us, I called to tell him and he already knew. I haven't heard such anquish in someone's voice before, not even when I called Giles. He told me then that he had connections, ways to know what you were doing without interfering in your life. I meant to tell you but things were so different when you got back. It just kinda slipped my mind. You aren't mad are you?" Willow bit her lip in anxiety wondering if Buffy would hate her. She knew how much her best friend disliked having people checking in on her and running her life.
Buffy soothed Willow's worries. She knew the thoughts that were racing through her best friend's mind. "I understand Will. Things were pretty messed up when I got back. I know you would never keep things from me intentionally. I am not really even that mad at Angel. There have been times when things were really bad around here and suddenly there weren't as many vamps, or the demons weren't quite so willing to fight. And I would sense him. I knew he was near, helping me. And if he hadn't, well I might not have killed as many bad guys as I have!"