Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I offered Joss a whole $50, but he said no. How very sad.
Author's Note:This is a random one-shot that I wrote at work. It's set one year to the day after "Surprise" and "Innocence". It goes very much A/U after Buffy's conversation with Whistler in "Becoming Part 2"
Dedication and Thanks: This story is dedicated to my bestest buddy Wicked Willow. Thanks for helping me perfect this story. You rock, friend!
One year… that's how long it had been. It had been an entire year since Angel had lost his soul. Three hundred and sixty-five days had passed since Buffy had woken to find herself alone in Angel's bed. They had made love for the first and only time that night. Buffy hadn't been prepared for the fight to come. She hadn't been prepared for anything. But that was a year ago. It had been a very long, eventful 365 days, and, if the powers-that-be had their way, it was going to be an eventful 12 hours.
Buffy walked home from the cemetery. She was completely exhausted. Every night, she would dread going home. She hated the feeling of going home to an empty house. Angelus' idea of a Christmas present had been to murder her mother. Buffy had come home to find her mother's dead body on the front porch. As an added touch, Angelus had left Joyce holding a dozen long-stemmed, white roses.
Acathala's destruction had been the only good thing that had happened all year. Spike had taken a sledge hammer to the demon. Angelus had nearly staked Spike after that. Drusilla had been the one to stop that. But when she found out that Spike had dared help the scoobies rescue Giles, she had finished what Angelus started.
Their losses had been great. After being rescued, Giles had been miserable without Jenny. He hadturned to drinking. Eventually, he wouldn't wake up without taking a drink. When he was attacked by a pack of vampires, he hadn't even bothered to fight back. Oz fled town when the wolf inside him became harder to control. When Cordelia was threatened, Xander talked her into leaving the country with him. A month ago, Willow's magicks had backfired and killed her instead of the demon she trying to fight.
Buffy was completely alone. She thought back to what Whistler had said. "In the end you're all you've got." He was right. She was on her own. She had put her house up for sale. It had sold within a week. Now she lived in a small apartment. Actually, it had been Angel's apartment. It was small and dark. In a strange way, it was comforting. She unlocked the door and went inside.
All Buffy wanted to do was sleep. She didn't even bother to fix herself anything to eat. She went into the bathroom and took a quick shower. She dried her hair and put on pastel blue pajama bottoms and a matching spaghetti-strap top. She curled up beneath the covers. She glanced at the clock. It was nearly five o'clock in the morning. "Almost sunrise" she muttered. It didn't really matter. She had dropped out of school after her mom's murder. That allowed her to stay out until dawn and then sleep the day away. Buffy closed her eyes and drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep. In twelve hours, she would get up, eat something, exercise and then go fight vampires. Or so she thought; she had no idea the surprise that would be knocking on her door in less time than that.
Angelus was doing his very best to get drunk. It was mid-day, and he was bored. Drusilla had left him three weeks ago. She had told him that he spent too much time tormenting the slayer. Well, what the hell else was he supposed to do? Spike and the slayer had ruined everything. Of course, had Angelus known that Spike could walk; he might not have tried so hard to piss Spike off. Who was he kidding? He loved bugging the shit out of the bleached blond.
"Damn you, Slayer!" Angelus yelled at no one in particular; mostly because there was no one in room, or the entire mansion for that matter. He took a gulp from a bottle of vodka mixed with blood. "I'm going to find her weakness. And then I'm going to use that weakness to bring the bitch to her knees." He finished the bottle of blood and alcohol and then flopped down on the couch. He fell asleep for nearly three hours, and then he began to dream.
Buffy was walking alone in a cemetery. It was nearing 3:00am. She moved through the graveyard like it was her home. She wasn't wary or afraid. She was at peace. No… not quite. Something was missing. It was something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He continued to watch her.
Buffy sat down on a high gravestone. Suddenly, she looked weary to her very core. A solitary tear slipped down her cheek and landed on her right hand, just above her ring finger. She was wearing a ring, a claddagh. Angelus did a double take. It was the same claddagh that he had given her.
Why was she still wearing it? The thought hit him like a bolt of lightning, and he suddenly knew the answer. He was the missing piece. She was still in love with him. The question now was, was he in love with her? No, he couldn't be in love with her. She was the slayer. He was Angelus.
No, he was in love with her. Was a gypsy spell really that powerful? He wasn't Angelus anymore, not really. He was Angel, and she was Buffy. It was killing him inside to know that he had taken everything from her. He had done his best to kill her spirit, her will to fight. Now he saw her as she really was. She was a fighter, and a survivor. She was Buffy, and she was alone.
She needed him. Not Angelus, she needed Angel. She needed him to scoop her up in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be alright. She needed him to love her. She needed his touch, his kiss, his strength. She needed all of him. He would give her that. He stepped out of the shadows. "Buffy." The single word held all the love and passion that had lain dormant over the past year.
Buffy turned with a start. She hadn't expected him. In a way she had. She had expected Angelus. She hadn't expected Angel. Was it really Angel? It couldn't be. "Angel?" Her voice was full of fear. "Angel, is that you?"
He stepped forward slightly. "Yeah, it's me, Buffy… I think."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not really sure what's going on. One moment I'm Angelus and the next… There's only one thing that I am sure of."
"What's that?"
He stepped even closer. Nothing would hurt her again. There was no more curse to worry about. All he had to do was tell her. "I love you, Buffy."
Buffy smiled. He was real. He wasn't Angelus. He wasn't exactly Angel either. But he wasn't Angelus. "I love you too." She said as she stepped into his open arms.
He wrapped his arms around her. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent. He wanted to hang on to this moment forever. He didn't want to let Buffy go. He wanted to hide her away from the rest of the world and keep her all to himself. He kissed her. It was long, slow and deep. It didn't matter how long it was; he didn't need air.
He was wrong. He needed air, and he needed it now! He was drowning. Buffy was no where around. He couldn't see. Everything was black. He tried to claw his way out of wherever he was, but there was nothing for him to claw. He was trapped. Buffy! I have to get to Buffy! He thought in his panic. Buffy!
Angelus woke with a start. Something was wrong. No, not wrong… just different. He was different. There was a thudding feeling in his chest. Was it his heartbeat? No…wait, yes it was. He realized he was gasping for air. He needed air. Who was he? Where was he? Why was he calling after a girl named Buffy in his dreams? No respectable Irish mother would name her daughter "Buffy."
He looked at his clothes. What was he wearing? Why weren't there any mirrors in this mansion? He stood. What the hell was going on? He must have had too much to drink last night. He paused.
Flash- Darla
Flash- He was evil.
Flash- A gypsy curse
Flash- A vampire slayer named Buffy
Multiple other memories assaulted his consciousness. All the horrible things that he had done in the past 250 years came back and flooded over him in the space of mere minutes. He dropped to the floor. His grief was overwhelming. But he was human, why? Did it matter? He had been evil. Was he being given a second chance? He needed to find Buffy. He needed to take her in his arms. He needed to love her.
He ventured a look outside. It was still late afternoon. He'd fallen asleep at noon. Now it was nearing 4:00pm. He needed to get to Buffy. Where was she? Her house had been sold. It dawned on him. She would be in his old apartment. That's where he would go. He would leave now. He would find Buffy before she went out on patrol. He would apologize. He would beg for her to forgive him.
Buffy stirred at the sound of someone knocking on her door. "What the hell?" She muttered as she got out of bed. For some strange reason she felt safe. Everything was going to get better. She walked over to the door and opened it. She wasn't prepared for what she saw. "Angelus?"
He shook his head and fell down on his knees. "Buffy, I don't know what happened, but… I'm not a vampire anymore. I'm sorry." He began to sob. Buffy knelt next to him. He wrapped her in his arms. "I love you, Buffy."
"I love you too." She whispered. She kissed him. She wanted him to hold her forever. But more than that, she wanted to be his and his alone. She stood and pulled him to his feet. "Come in."
He nodded and pulled the door closed behind him. "I love you, Buffy." He whispered.
"Shh… don't say another word." She replied, pressing her lips to his.
He pulled her close to him. He let his hands roam along her back. She tugged him towards the bed, without even breaking the kiss. He kissed her neck, and then her lips again. He wanted to devour her. He helped her slip out of her pajamas. She helped him out of his shirt and pants. They let their passion for each run wild. They spent hours enjoying perfect happiness. Neither of them would be alone again.
Hours later, they lay in each other's arms. He looked at the calendar. It was a special day. It was her day. "Happy Birthday, Buffy." He said smiling down at her.
She grinned at him. "Happy Birthday to you too." In a way, it was both of their birthdays.
FIN