Description- She was
finally cookies…ready to be enjoyed…until a surprise makes her
reconsider everything…will she choose her true love?...or her new
one?... Timeline- Set in season 5 of Angel. Disclaimer-
Well, I would own them all but I don't........oh and Vince Gill
owns the song ------------------------------------
True Love
"I've got two loves in my life now. A true love and one that's brand new. And I'm not really sure that I know how to love one and tell one we're through."
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Buffy Summers stared out the window of the bus, watching the trees pass by. Only a few hours and she would be in L.A. And then what? She would go to Angel's and they would talk. About what? She didn't know. That was as far as her brain would let her go on the subject. No need to think of anything else, like the fact she was cookies. Or, at least she thought she was. It had been close to a year since the last time she had seen him. And in this time she had had relationships with two other men. Both normal…and human….and boring. But that was what she had been looking for. Normal. She had had this whole extravagant plan.
The plan had been to move as far away from California as she could get, meet a handsome breathing male, fall madly in love, and never have to worry about the end of the world again. So far she hadn't successfully done any of these things. Yes, she had moved to Rome for a time, but she was now headed back to the dreadful state in which she had spent her entire adolescent life, and with the intention of finding her ex-vampire boyfriend and telling him she had realized they were indeed meant to be. Not to mention the fact that another reason she had decided to come now was that Giles had called and told her there was something apocalypsey brewing in LA.
So here she was; riding on a bus with her sister on her way to Wolfram and Hart. Buffy hadn't been happy when she had discovered that he was running the place. It was an evil law firm after all. But she convinced herself that he was doing it for a good reason. Andrew had returned from his little venture to retrieve the crazy slayer the week before and had reported that everything was fine. She had been reluctant to believe him and suspected that he was keeping something from her, but hadn't had much time to talk to him.
She had decided to venture back to California two days ago when her relationship with Jacque had ended. She had realized in that moment that there would only ever be one person whom she would feel right with. And so, with Dawn in tow, she had hopped the next plane she could get, which happened to land them in San Diego, determined to reunite herself with her soul mate. She had been filled with excitement that she was finally cookies. Ready to be eat….enjoyed. And now, as they neared the city of angels she began to have another feeling. A strange feeling of uneasiness. She wondered briefly what it could mean, but was pulled out her thoughts by the driver.
"We're making a pit stop for those of you who have to use the restroom."
Buffy nudged her sister who was currently sleeping on her shoulder. "Dawn. Dawn."
The younger girl opened her eyes and rubbed them sleepily. "Huh?"
"We're stopping."
"Are we there?"
"No, we're uhh…" she looked out her window. "Well, I'm not sure exactly. Still an hour or so outside of LA, I'd say. We're just making a bathroom stop."
She nodded, thankful for that. She had been quite perturbed to discover the toilet on the bus was currently under repair, especially since they would be on it for a while.
"I'm gonna go," Dawn told her sister.
"K."
Dawn followed a few of the other passengers off of the bus. The line for the bathroom was long, but only took a few minutes. After she was finished, Dawn looked around the convenience store. If they still had an hour before reaching their destination, snakes would be a good plan. She decided on a pack of Skittles and a Coke and then headed back to the bus.
After every passenger had returned, the driver called out that they were rolling out and they would be in LA in approximately 90 minutes. The Summers women sat back in their seats and prepared for the ride, which would land them in LA right around sundown.
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Buffy was surprised that the driver had been so accurate about the time. It had been around 7 when they had left the gas station and it was now 8:27.
"And with only three minutes to spare, we're here!" Dawn exclaimed as the bus pulled over to its stop. The passengers gathered up their things and proceeded to the exit. Once Buffy and Dawn had gotten all of their bags they had headed straight for the curb with the intention of catching a cab. And they were rewarded when one pulled over.
"Where to ladies?"
"Any vacant motel please," Buffy said as she closed the door. In her rush to leave she had completely forgotten about where they would stay while they were here.
The man laughed. "You got it sweetheart."
Dawn pulled out the map she had grabbed from a stand beside the bus stop. "Oo look, Buffy, they have malls," she said with excitement. "After you take care of all your crazy vampire drama, we should totally go."
That earned her an elbow in the side.
"Oww." She rubbed her side. "I'm just saying. You fly half way across the world, and then take a 6 hour bus ride, to see a guy, who may or may not be evil. You tell me if that doesn't sound crazy."
Buffy had to admit, that did sound a little crazy. And she had done it all in a moments notice.
"And I'm missing school for this. My education is being put in jeopardy."
"Yes, I'm sure that missing school is just so tough on you."
"Oh well," she smiled, "I guess I'll just have to get that cutie Ramon to catch me up when we get back."
Buffy gave her a more motherly than sisterly look.
"Maybe he could even teach me how to say 'yes please' in Italian."
"There will be no speaking Italian," Buffy said quickly, which made Dawn laugh.
"Oh, just because you don't know the language doesn't mean I shouldn't."
"I know the language."
"How do you say 'Yes, I speak Italian'?"
"Okay shut up."
Dawn giggled again and Buffy stared out the window, that uneasy feeling resurfacing. She was about to say something when the cab driver spoke.
"Sorry to interrupt, ladies, but how's this?" he asked referring to the small motel up ahead.
"Looks good to me," Dawn replied. "What do you think, Buffy?"
The slayer glanced at the building that looked to be about two centuries old. "Well, I guess you can't judge a book by its cover."
"It's a really nice place," the driver said. "May not look like much, but I've had many a customer tell me they enjoyed their stay. I've been in there myself, it's…comfy."
A brief memory flashed in Buffy's head, but was quickly dismissed.
"Well, then, let's check it out."
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The driver had been right, it was a nice place. And not too expensive either. There had been an old woman working behind the front desk. The kind of woman that one knew worked hard and yet still made time for the important things in life. She had given them the nicest room, she had said.
They carried their bags around the side of the building, Dawn leading and calling out the room numbers as they approached them. "26…25…24…23…22…21…20…19…18…" She stopped then. "Here we are. Room 17." She inserted the key into the lock and pushed the door open.
The room was small, but still had a cozy look to it. The curtains and bedspreads were decorated with floral patterns and the carpet was a grayish/blue color. In one corner there was a floor lamp, and in between the beds there was a smaller one placed on a wooden table. There was a room off to one side that Buffy assumed was the bathroom. A TV sat on a set of drawers about 2 feet from the end of the beds.
Buffy threw her bags down and plopped down on the nearest bed.
"And what makes you think that I don't want the bed next to the window?"
Buffy simply gave her sister a look that said 'your shit out of luck'. She smiled and walked over to the other bed and laid down on it.
"So when are we going to the law firm of evilness?"
Buffy closed her eyes. "I don't know. Tomorrow maybe. Or Tuesday. Or possibly next week." She put her hands to her forehead and sighed.
Dawn looked over at her sister. "Oh no. We did not come all the way out here to wait a week or two for you to decide this was a mistake."
Buffy's hands dropped from her face and fell to her side. "This was not a mistake. I know this is where I should be. I just…I need some time to decide what to say."
"Didn't have enough time on the 30 hour trip here?"
That earned her a look.
"I think we should go first thing tomorrow morning."
Buffy looked at the ceiling.
"I don't know. What if he's busy?"
Dawn sat up on the bed. "What if he's the head of a law firm?"
Buffy gave her a strange look.
"Of course he's probably busy but, Buffy, it's you. He'll probably shut down the whole damn building." She stood up and grabbed her small bag.
"Dawn!"
She laughed as she walked into the bathroom. "It's not like it's that big a deal. I mean it's not like he's gonna be that thrilled to see me. Especially after Andrew told him we didn't trust him."
"Which we don't."
"It's not him that I don't trust, it's that place. I know he has good intentions." She sat up on the bed.
"Better not be too good. Wouldn't want him to lose his soul or anything."
Even though she was in another room Dawn could feel the evil eyes her sister was giving her. She smiled to herself.
"Funny. But lest you forget my dear sister," Buffy stepped into the bathroom door, "I am the only one who has ever caused that to happen." She had a satisfied smile on her face.
Dawn looked back at her with her toothbrush in hand. "Yeah. That's kinda the problem isn't it?"
Buffy's look of satisfaction turned to one of disappointment.
"Look, I'm not saying this won't work out. If it's meant to be, it will. All I'm saying is you need to be careful and don't do something your going to regret. Like go and confess your undying love. I'm not saying he doesn't have the same feelings for you but…he is still dead Buffy."
She slumped against the door. "I know. I just keep thinking that if I pretend he's not then everything will be alright. And…you know I don't get him anyway. I mean he leaves because he can't give me what I need and then suddenly he's all like, 'I'm not getting any older' so be with me. I mean, nothings changed since then. Except I've gotten a little older…and slightly more experienced. What, did he just wanna wait till I grew up?"
"Do you wish he'd never left? I mean I know you've been through some tough shi…" Dawn caught herself, "stuff…but, would you take it back?"
Buffy looked away for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe. I mean, I can't help but think that things would have been a lot easier if he hadn't of left."
"Do you really believe that?"
Buffy looked at her serious expression but couldn't respond. In the back of her mind she knew it wasn't true. She knew it would have been just as hard if he had of stayed. Maybe harder.
"Well…just…be sure this is what you want."
"Coming from the girl who insists we go first thing tomorrow," Buffy said giving her sister a look.
"The more you think about it, the less sure you're going to become about it. So just…trust your instincts."
"How do you think we got here? By me thinking about it?"
"Okay. Point." She turned back to the sink and turned on the water.
Buffy nodded and pushed herself off the wall and turned to leave her sister to her teeth.
"What is your heart telling you to do?"
Buffy stopped and looked back at Dawn. She was silent for a brief moment before answering.
"To go to Wolfram and Hart tomorrow."
Dawn nodded. "Then you better get some sleep. You're going to need it.
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A/N- Review!