Title: Warm Summer Days

Author: Settiai

Disclaimer: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," and other related characters are all properties of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and other related corporations. No infringement is intended. This story, such as it is, was written as a sign of respect and love for the characters, the show, and their creator. I claim no ownership of the aforementioned show and characters.

Rating: PG

Explanation: This is my story for the Jossverse Femslash Minificathon (Round I) on LiveJournal, and it was written for doylesb4.

Summary: They enjoy the warm summer days to the fullest.

Feedback: Comments and helpful criticisms are always appreciated.

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Nina giggled as Buffy's tongue moved across her stomach, licking away a few drops of melted ice cream. "You did that on purpose," she said teasingly.

"Of course," Buffy shot back, not missing a beat. "Making the sun come out has always been one of my favorite ways to kill vampires. All I have to do is think about it, and…"

"You saw that the ice cream was melting, so you held it over me!"

Buffy blinked. "Oh… that," she said. "Well, duh."

Nina grabbed one of the sandals that was laying on the sand beside her beach towel and quickly threw it at Buffy. The Slayer merely dodged out of the way and stuck out her tongue, though, a cheeky grin on her face. "Missed me," she said mischievously.

"You're horrible," Nina muttered, her mouth twitching as she struggled to hide a smile.

Buffy nodded. "That's why you love me."

At those words, Nina froze for a moment. A surprised look appeared on her face, as if she hadn't been expecting Buffy to say what she had said. "Yeah," Nina finally agreed, her voice softer than usual. "That's why I love you."

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Buffy pulled off her sunglasses and turned them over in her hand a few times. "Do you ever miss him?" she asked suddenly.

Nina started, and she quickly glanced over at Buffy. "What?" she asked, confused.

"Angel," Buffy said softly. "Do you miss him?"

Nina stared at the other woman for a moment, a startled look on her face. "What brought that on?" she asked, a confused tone in her voice.

Buffy shrugged uncomfortably. "Nothing. I just… never mind." A sheepish grin made its way onto her face. "I'm just crazy. Nothing new."

"You're not crazy," Nina said immediately.

Buffy merely laughed. "You haven't been talking to Dawn lately, have you?"

Nina pulled herself to her feet and slowly made her way over to where Buffy had set up a beach chair. "You're not crazy," she repeated firmly as she knelt beside the chair.

"Fine," Buffy said. "If I'm not crazy… do you ever miss him?"

Nina seemed to be deep in thought for a few seconds, and a slight smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she nodded. Without warning, she leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Buffy's lips.

"Sometimes," Nina admitted, pulling away from Buffy with a light laugh. "But I like to live in the present."

She cocked her head a bit and studied Buffy's face. "And if I spent all my time missing Angel," she added lightly, "I'd never get to enjoy the gift he gave me."

"And what gift would that be?" Buffy asked, an impish glint in her eyes. Or, at least, that's what she attempted to ask. Before she could even get the third word out, though, Nina's tongue had somehow found its way into her mouth.

It turned out that she didn't even have to ask the question in order to get an answer.