Title: No More Goodbyes
By: Sk8erGurl24
Summary: What we didn't see in BtVS S6 and Angel S3. The meeting. What went on. B/A Angsty. R&R If you're nice. :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything's Joss's stuff.
Note: I edited this, because I thought the previous version sucked. Hopefully you guys'll think this one is better, because I added some very important parts, like Buffy telling Angel she was in Heaven.
LA
Angel sat on a bench talking with Fred when Cordelia came bursting out of the Hyperion.
"Angel!" Fred and Angel both turned to Cordelia. "Willow's on the phone...she's alive! Buffy's alive!"
With that, the brunette rushed back into the hotel. Angel looked to Fred for a moment before running to follow Cordelia.
SUNNYDALE
The gang was gathered at the Summers' residence, trying to repair broken furniture and help Buffy with her finances, when the phone rang. Buffy rushed to get it.
When she came back, the happy smile that was there, had vanished.
"What is it?" Giles asked.
"Angel," was her reply.
"Is he in trouble?"
"He knows that I'm...he needs to see me. I have to see him."
"Yes, of course," said Giles understandingly. "You'll leave for LA tomorrow."
Buffy shook her head. "Not LA. Not here. Somewhere in the middle. There's a, a place."
"I see. Well, we should get all these...bills and things out of the way before--"
"I gotta go now." She grabbed her jacket and some money. She had to take a bus to get there.
It took an hour and a half to get to the closest stop to where she was going. She had to walk from there. They were meeting in the middle of nowhere, but it was between Sunnydale and LA. When she got there, the sun had set.
Angel left his car near the main road and now stood by the edge of the cliff, looking out into the river and the city across from it. He heard a rustle in the trees behind him and turned. A part of him didn't expect to her there. A part of him expected their conversation to just be a figment of his imagination.
But there she was, looking the same as always, as if nothing had happened. Okay, he took that back. She didn't look happy. And she was too skinny, like she hadn't been eating much. Or at all. That scared him. It took every ounce of control not to run to her. To take her in his arms and never let go.
"Buffy."
"Angel."
"You're..."
"Alive? Yeah."
"How've you been?"
"Dead." Same old Buffy.
"I mean since you've...come back."
"Pretty good, I guess. Money's a little tight and my house is trashed from a demon, but other than that, pretty good."
Angel lowered his head. He didn't know what to say. He could tell by her voice that she was lying, but he wasn't going to press it. Not now, anyway.
"How have you been?"
"Good," he said, which was only half truthful. Sure, he'd been 'good' most of the time, unless he thought about her. Then he was worse, but only on the inside.
"Good," she said.
She walked closer to him.
"How's your, uh, business?" Buffy asked.
"It's doing okay."
"Nice."
Angel stared at the ground. He found it harder to keep his control if he was looking at her. Harder not to pull her into his arms and kiss her. But that wouldn't be right. She had clearly stated that they should stay away from each other and forget. Of course, she didn't remember the original events that took place that day, preventing him to forget her or move on. He tried not to think about that day too much, because whenever he did, he had the tendancy to lock himself in his room and brood there for hours.
"It's great to see you again," he said quietly.
"You, too."
They stood silently.
"Is that all you needed? To confirm I was alive?" Buffy asked him.
His eyes dropped back to the ground, a hurt look on his face. Really what had he been expecting? Every time they'd meet after he left she'd been short with him. He guessed that she was still remotely hurt from the way he left, or just the fact that he left.
"I just...needed to see you," Angel murmured softly, eyes still glued to the ground.
"Oh. Well, you know, here I am." She held her hands out to the side, palms up, in a 'ta-da' motion.
"Yeah."
He glanced up at Buffy, her green eyes wide, looking like the innocent eight teen year-old he turned his back on so long ago. For a moment he mentally kicked himself. I left this why? He thought. Because someone had to do it. Staying away from her was painful and everyday he fought against coming back. As she once told him, strong is fighting, it's hard and it's painful and it's everyday. And didn't he know it.
He sighed a sad sigh.
"Angel? I-I need to talk to you."
"You can tell me anything," he assured her.
"I'm-I'm scared. I try to pretend everything's okay, and I try to go on and take care of my family and friends, but it's just so hard. Everything was perfect. And-and I saw my mom." To anyone who wasn't Angel, it would have sounded like she was babbling. But he knew better.
"You weren't in hell were you?" he asked quietly, though he knew the answer.
"No." She looked up at him, unshed tears in her eyes.
He wanted to tell her he was sorry. He wanted to tell her everything would get better, but he couldn't. He couldn't say anything. He couldn't do anything except take her into his arms and hold her tight. But somehow, that made her feel better. They didn't need words. They never needed words.
They eventually sat down, but Angel never let go of her.
"I missed you, you know," he told her.
"I missed you, too. Alot." She gently squeezed his hand and stood, pulling him with her. "The sun'll be up soon."
"I know."
"That's it, then? I go back to Sunnydale and you go back to LA?"
"I guess."
Their eyes locked.
"Then I-I guess I should...go," Buffy murmured, her legs involuntarily carring her forward.
"Yes. You should..."
"Go," she said. By this time, they were an inch apart.
Angel ducked his head, lips hovering above hers. He waited, and she didn't back away. They both felt a thrill flow through them as they touched. She was warm against his cool body, like a ball of fire. He mused over her steady, rythmic heartbeat. He could feel it, and it made him feel almost alive, almost human. Oh, how he missed this. He missed how she always smelled like vanilla, how her tiny body fit perfectly against his as he pulled her flush against him.
Buffy let her hand rest against his cheek as she gently pulled away. Angel reached up and layed his hand over hers.
"Angel," she began.
"Shhh." He dropped his hands to her waist and pulled her impossibly closer to him. She rested her head against his chest. "I know this can't be anything. Not now. Not with...everything. It's too complicated, and you know that. But tonight, just tonight, don't think about that. Because, maybe someday..." he let the sentance hang.
"Buffy," Angel started. There was only about an hour before sunrise, and he knew any minute now she'd walk back out of his life, so he had to get this out.
He bent his neck, burying his face in her hair, his mouth beside her ear.
"Buffy, I just want you to know I love you. I never stopped, and I never will," he whispered.
Her eyes glistened and tears were streaming down her face as she rested her forehead in the crook of his neck.
"I love you. Angel, oh gosh, I--" and she broke down.
She sobbed silently against him. Angel rubbed her back and arms, smoothing her hair. Everything in the past month crashed down on her. Digging herself from the grave, pretending she was okay, even Angel telling her he loved her. That was what did it, for some odd reason. It was probably because him confirming what she always knew, made her feel safe. And her feeling safe allowed her to let out everthing she had kept bottled up inside. After she composed herself, the two backed away slightly. Buffy kissed him one last time, and they savoured the feeling of each other.
"So I'll see you around?" she asked, doing her best to be light-hearted.
"Yeah," he said. "Around."
She smiled, a bittersweet smile, and turned and walked off.
They never said goodbye. Goodbye just seemed so final. So permanent, and they knew that would never happen. That someday, he would hold her again and everything would be right.
And as Angel watched Buffy's retreating form, a lone tear slid down his cheek.
Finish.
A/N: So what did you think? Please review and let me know.