Buffy took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as she looked up at the night sky. It was strange seeing so many stars in the LA sky but random black outs had been flickering all evening, plunging the city into enough darkness to see the glowing orbs.
"I've been looking for you." Angel said quietly as he moved into the Hyperion's courtyard and took a seat next to Buffy. Surprisingly he handed her a glass of wine as he sipped from one of his own.
He gazed at her as she gazed at the sky. In the dark, bathed in the light of candles, curled up on the chaise lounge, her eyes twinkled with a light he hadn't seen since the first time Whistler had shown him his path as her protector. The haunted, weary veil was gone and replaced by childlike innocents he had never seen on her. But as he looked harder he could see the flecks of pain and sadness just below the surface.
Buffy glanced at Angel and caught him; saw the look in his eyes. Love, lust, concern, sadness, all for her. With a half smile and a sigh she lightly shook her head in answer to his unasked question. She didn't know if she was ok, there were too many conflicting thoughts swirling in her brain.
He responded with a deep sigh of his own. It was eating away at his heart to know she had loved Spike. That she had had things with Spike he had never gotten to have with her. And now Spike was gone and Buffy was heartbroken.
Even if it wasn't right, Angel couldn't help but hate him. He knew he was just being a glutton for punishment but he couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. "You really loved him, didn't you?" Buffy clenched her eyes at the tears that suddenly burned them. She didn't want to talk about this, about him, about their complicated, messy and painful relationship. But on some level she felt she owed Angel, so she responded with a whispered "Yes" as the tears caressed her cheeks.
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as anger began to burn in his chest. "He was evil and soulless Buffy and now he's gone. You have to move on. What about cookie dough? What about me? I'm here." He said in a voice that was almost pleading.
She finally turned to face him, "I know Angel and I want to thank you for everything you're doing for us, for me." She leaned forward to kiss his cheek when suddenly the temperature around them dropped by 15 degrees.
She couldn't hear or see anything, but suddenly she could smell cigarette smoke, leather, whiskey and the musky scent that signified Spike. Angel looked at her perplexed as she stopped short and looked around the garden. "Do you smell that?" She whispered as her eyes scanned the shadows. "Smell what?" He asked confused. Her eyes looked glassy as she breathed the one word that could shatter his heart. "Spike!"
With one breathy whisper he felt the anger start to bubble again, meanwhile her spidey senses alerted her that Spike was there. She always felt a fluttering sensation on her neck when he was near. From out of the shadows a slightly hazy Spike appeared. "Well this is cozy, innit'?" Came a snarky remark from the blonde vampire as he exhaled smoke from the cigarette between his fingers. Buffy was breathless at the sight of him, shock stopping any words from forming on her tongue. "Hello cutie" he said looking straight into Buffy's eyes.