I'm just going to claim that this is OOC and in an AU, since it's been years since I watched Buffy/Angel. I have not even read the comic books, but I remember that A/B didn't get together in the end and I want to put some closure to that, so this is my take. It takes place well into the future, say almost fifteen years following Buffy's graduation. No, this isn't a reunion story for the class of '99. So, enjoy.

I clutched the bag close to my chest as I walked the three blocks from the corner market to her home in Pasadena, California. I'd recently relocated here following a stint of living with my younger sister Dawn and her boyfriend, Vincent.

I needed to be close to where he lived, I may not be able to see him, speak to him; I hadn't spoken to him in almost five years, I'd asked the Watcher Council to take me off active slayer duty, to take a new slayer under their wing. I had trained Piper, she was doing well on her own and it allowed me to free up most of my time, of course, I still helped slay from time to time. I felt drawn to this city, it was close enough to him, yet far enough away that I could observe from afar, love him from afar yet never see him unless he wanted to see me.

My phone started to ring; I shifted my bag to my hip and grabbed the phone out of my purse.

"Hi, Will," I said. I always loved hearing from my best friend; we'd been through so much for so long that it was nice to have somebody who keep me grounded.

"I'm sorry," Willow said.

"Will? What happened?"

"I didn't mean to do it, Buff, I really didn't. It's a spell gone wrong. I'm so sorry."

"What spell? How did it go wrong, Will?"

"You're still hurting. I wanted to stop the pain, the pain that's been around you since you watched him walk away, no goodbye, nothing. You watched him leave after graduation, I watched you hurt for days and years after. I'm sorry; I couldn't see you suffer anymore."

I wondered what Willow was talking about, she wasn't normally this cryptic. My heart sunk as I figured who the guy was that she was talking about.

Angel.

The man I loved, she'd done something to him, something that would ease my hurting, something that would ease the pain.

"I contacted the powers that be, I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting to find them; I was just trying a spell to dull your pain from the loss."

"What happened?" I asked, I was entering uncomfortable territory with the witch and I was certainly thinking that maybe I could stake her at this moment. "Tell me now, before I come and stake you."

"They sent you a message. 'All is well'. That's all they said. Well, besides the part that my spell will work and that your pain will subside shortly."

"Willow, I'm going in my house, I need some time to cool off. I'll call you once I'm calm again."

"I really am sorry."

"I know," I said, hanging up the phone.

She was sorry; she wouldn't do something like this to me to hurt me worse. She was trying to help.

I'd had my quota of getting help for the day. For some reason, the man at the corner market had wanted to help me with my bags, he was sixteen, hitting on a woman almost fifteen years his senior. I knew for a fact that I had gray hair coming in. God only knew that I had enough stress in my life to cause the gray hair to arrive early.

As I was walking home, another young boy asked if he could carry my bag, the boy was maybe eighteen this time. What was I tonight, did I really look that old that I needed help with one small bag. Had the time come that I needed help crossing the street as well.

"Spike," I yelled as I came into the house that I shared with my vampire friend and my human best friend Xander Harris. I always yelled Spike's name as I came in, that way if he was enjoying female company, he'd know I was home. I knew Xander was away for the weekend, he was spending time at a retreat, and he wasn't over the loss of Anya yet.

Xander had a hard love life, first Cordy, who he loved and lost during high school, she was his first love and the fact that she'd died in LA alone, with nobody around had upset him, he'd still been reeling from the loss of Anya when we'd found out about Cordy. We'd all been shocked and upset. After learning his first love had died, Xander took to having a weekend retreat once a month to clear his head.

"Hey, love," Spike smiled from the couch as I walked pass the living room door. "Do you need-"

"Say help and I swear you'll be nothing but a pile of ashes before you can finish that statement."

"No, I think you're fine in the not needing help department. You look amazing by the way."

"Yea, don't start, the earlier threat remains."

"Okay? What crawled up your ass?"

"Him."

"Him? What did he do? Did you run into him tonight?"

"No. It's Will, she did a spell to help take some of the pain I'm feeling away, but instead of taking it away, it's only intensified. Plus, all the young boys are asking if I need help."

"Well, you only look like you're in your early twenties."

"That's not right; I found grey hairs the other day."

Spike took the bag and I ran to my bathroom to check my mirror. My jaw dropped as I looked at my reflection.

My hand ran over my hair, gone were the grays that I'd been getting ready to cover up with the dye I'd bought. I really did look only in my twenties, maybe twenty-five at best.

"What was in that spell?"

I jumped as I turned around to see Spike, whose reflection wasn't in the mirror.

"The powers that be, told Will that all was well. Any idea what that might mean?"

"Nope, maybe you should go to Angel and ask if he knows."

I shook my head, seeing him after all this time would destroy me. I'd tried so hard to steer clear of him, LA was a big enough place that a person could live in the same town as her vampire ex-boyfriend/soul mate and never see him again.

"Look," Spike said, grabbing my arm and spinning me around. "Angel loves you; he always has and always will. Given the fact that you look like your twenty five again and I have to say the look is amazing on you, I think the powers that be are trying to inform you of something, something that Angel, the love of your life knows and I bet would be willing to share the secret with you. You are no longer the slayer, he's still a vamp, but I bet if the powers that be are saying all is well, than something big has happened and they wouldn't leave both of you in the confusion. Go talk to him!"

I've never heard Spike give such a powerful speech, but I shook my head and yanked my arm out of Spikes grasp and went to my room, locking the door behind me and flopping down on my bed.

"You really know how to ruin the night," Spike muttered. I became childish and threw a pillow against the door.

I often wonder how my life came to be this way. I wonder how I, out of all the girls on this planet was chosen as the slayer, the one person who was in charge of saving the world time and again.

Bet nobody thought I'd end up falling in love with a vampire, having sex with said vampire, having my heart ripped out by him, befriending another vampire, falling for that vampire, having sex with him, before realizing that I'm still in love with the first vampire. Let's throw in a few demon friends, a rouge slayer who was like my sister before turning evil, then turning good again after trying to kill the first vampire, a witch who's my dearest friend, the only normal one of the group, a human named Xander, is grieving for his ex-demon love that died in the final battle of Sunnydale.

Bet nobody saw that coming.

Of course, people love to blind side me as well. I no longer felt like I was almost thirty three, I really felt like I was twenty five, give or take a few years. I was up early in the morning and working out, a habit I'd gotten out of after I stopped being the slayer. I ran, forcing Xander to run with me, a mile and a half a day.

I think Xander realized something was up before I did. One morning as we where walking the last block to our house, he came right and asked me.

"Buffy, why are we working so hard again, I'm getting old and you seem to be getting younger."

"I'm not sure, Xander. Spike told you that a week ago Willow called and said that she'd been in contact with the powers that be, right?"

"Sure, all is well. Sounds cryptic to me."

"Right, well, Spike suggested that I go talk to Angel, find out what's going on since he has liaison's with them."

"Maybe you should. I'll hold your hand as you go."

"I can't. Angel and I decided that things would be better if we stayed apart."

"You and Angel, or did you just come to that conclusion. You have to see him, Buffy; you both deserve a chance at happiness."

"How can a person be happy if they can't really be together?"

"It's been over ten years, maybe things have changed?"

"Do you know something?" I asked, looking into his eyes, searching to see if he really knew something and I felt confident that he did.

"Will called right after you two talked. Told me everything. I just didn't want to push you into telling me."

"You were away on a retreat."

"Yea, but I still get signal. I think seeing Angel would help. It's been five years since you've seen him, I'm not the biggest fan since he broke your heart, but we're friends and last time I saw him, he was still heart sickened over you."

"You and Angel have been hanging out together?" I asked, finally stopping my walking and turned my best guy friend to face me.

"Remember, Buff, Spike is still a member of AI."

"Yea, and you're part of the Scooby Gang, the two shouldn't mesh."

"Actually, the two should and frequently do mesh. We mesh quite well, actually."

"So, everybody thinks I should talk to Angel?"

Xander nodded and took off at a brisk walk. Weather I like it or not, something had happened, the powers that be had done something to Angel and I that I couldn't figure out without my former lovers help, because really the vampire with a soul, one of two in the world, the other lived with me, probably knew more than he'd let on originally.

"You're really taking a stake," Spike asked as I headed towards the door, twirling the stake in my hand.

"Yep, I feel like patrolling tonight."

"And here I thought you where going to confront Angel, wrong on so many levels."

"Maybe," I hinted, I was going to find a vampire tonight, be it Angel or some other vampire that needed to be staked. "Maybe you should just contact him and inform him that I'm going on a patrol for the first time in a year. He'll come running."

"How do you know?"

"Trust me, I know," I said and walked out my front door, putting the stake in the back of my jeans and covering it with my jacket. "Oh, Spike, I'm glad we had this little chat."

"You are one weird ex-slayer," Spike laughed as the door closed. I heard the deadbolt slid into place.

Funny how even Spike used the locks on the doors, not like anybody who broke in stood a chance of surviving once they got inside, not with an ex-slayer and a vampire and Xander who had a black belt in karate, something he'd recently obtained.

I walked around for a little bit, wondering if Spike would call Angel and he'd show, but after an hour of nothing, I knew that Spike had called and Angel was still waiting for me to make the first move. I was the one that had to make the first move this time around. I was the heroin of this story; he was just a bit player.

I grabbed a taxi and gave them the address to Angel Investigations, driving the half hour there, wondering if I'd be returning to Pasadena before sunrise.

I handed my money over to the cab driver as I slid out; looking at the building that I knew belonged to Angel.

His apartment was below, while his office was on the first floor. He was in his office, the light was on and I could tell he was glancing out his window. Spike had most defiantly called Angel to fill him in.

I took the stairs slowly, worried over what I might find.

I didn't even knock, the door opened before I could get to it, I still moved at a snail's pace, internally worrying over every little thing.

"Buffy," Angel said, not surprised to see me.

I glanced at him, watching him and wondering if he'd understand why I was here, even though I didn't want to say anything. He was in his signature black, his face still as ghostly white as always, his hair still disheveled, and he looked dangerously sexy.

"Angel, you look good," I muttered, not sure if I trusted my voice, dropping my head, and eyes to the ground.

"And you look ten years younger," Angel said.

"You know what happened, don't you."

"Yes, the powers that be informed me of what has happened. I'm still, unfortunately a vampire with a soul."

"Yea, figured that since we're doing this in the dark of night."

"But the rules have changed. I'm no longer under the gypsies curse."

My head, which had been bent towards the floor, snapped up. Angel's eyes shined with a knowledge that let me know that more stunning information was coming my way.

Since the curse had been lifted, did that mean that he could encounter true happiness and be with the one he truly loved? What did this mean for us? Anything, everything?

"I'm still human," I whispered. "We are still to different."

"No, Buffy, we're not. You might still like to walk in the sun, while I can't without help from the gem of Amarra," Angel said, holding the ring up; letting it roll around his open palm. "I swear I destroyed this, but I guess, like that snow storm, the powers aren't ready for me to give up the good fight. I'll only use it in case of emergencies."

"It would be weird for you to be out in the sun," I muttered.

"Do you know how weird it is for me to even say I can walk in the sun after how many years of being a night dweller?"

I sighed, Angel was stalling this time around and I knew there was more, a lot more that he had to tell me.

"So, why do I look ten years younger?"

"To get you back to my physical looking age. I can't walk around with somebody old enough to be my mom on my arm."

"I'm having some trouble comprehending that, care to explain in detail as to why I'm ten years younger."

"The powers that be decided that you've done enough good and Cordy bargained that you deserve some happiness. They've decided that we've done enough good in the world that we deserve some happiness. The ring showed up almost two weeks ago, sitting on my dresser like it had always been there. I knew what it was immediately, then as I went to sleep, I was involved in a dream where the powers informed me that the curse was broken, I was still a vampire with a soul and that I was allowed happiness as long as I continued to fight the good fight."

"So we still have to fight."

"All good things come with a down side, but to have you, to be truly happy, well, I'd continue to fight for good everyday as long as I had you warming my bed when we sleep."

"You act like this is a done deal, Angel. I may love you, but don't I get a say? And why are you dancing around the subject of my sudden youthfulness?"

"I'm not dancing, I'd be closer to you if we were dancing."

"Not literally, Angel, you're trying to avoid the subject of my youth."

"You," Angel started, looking every where but into my eyes, the one place I needed him in that second. "You're. I'm not sure how to say this. You've done so much good over the last almost twenty years that the powers feel that keeping you around would be a good thing."

"So what, they are going to turn me back to a twenty five year old every ten years?"

"No, you won't age, at all. You've become immortal, like me. As a reward for your years of service to the world."

"I don't want it," I whispered, shaking my head.

"You don't want me?" Angel asked, I looked into his hurt filled eyes.

"Angel, of course I want you, but I wasn't asked about this, this was just given to me. How would you feel if they made you human without your permission?"

"I'd shout it from the rooftops. I'd shout how much I love you and how much I can't wait to have a future with you. Then I'd be upset because it means we'd only have a certain amount of time together before death took us. I'd be upset because I knew there was a deadline on us, but I'd never be upset because we were given a gift that allows us to be together in all ways. I wasn't asked either, Buffy, it just happened. The powers are giving us a great chance. Buffy, you just have to trust that this will work out. We will work this out together. Do you trust me?"

I took a deep steady breath, another one then another and I reached under the collar of my shirt and revealed the silver cross Angel had given me long ago. I wore it often, it reminded me of him, of the good times and the not so good times that had made our relationship.

"Always," I breathed.

I could feel tears forming in my eyes, I watched Angel studying me, making sure I wouldn't bolt as we stood there. I swiped the back of my hand across my eyes as we watched each other, sizing each other up, deciding what to do, wondering who would make the first move.

I'm the heroin, he's the bit player. It was up to me to make the first move towards my new life as an immortal.

I was willing my body to move closer, but the confusion that swirled in my body keep me frozen in place. I worried over all the life time's Angel and I would have, could we survive together, or was it a fling, my past had shown that we always had obstacles; I feared that we'd never be able to be together.

The first move was mine, that much I knew, Angel was too much of a gentleman to make the first move, but I hated leaving him in suspense. I trusted Angel; he was my soul mate, the man I'd loved since I was sixteen.

"Angel," I whispered, wiping at the tears again. "I'm scared, for the first time in my life, I'm really scared. I don't know what's going to happen and that scares me."

"There will be times when you're going to be scared, but we will get through it together."

I nodded and I knew that it was my moment to make the decision. I walked towards him, laying my hand on his cheek.

"I love you," I whispered. I leaned up and kissed him, making my choice final.

"So you choose," Cordy said. "Hi, Buffy. Good to see you again."

"Cordy, how's it going up here? You look good."

"Thanks, but can we cut the chit-chat? I have some things to tell you."

I raised my eyebrow, this wouldn't be a long chat, and she looked like it was an inconvenience to her to even be talking to me.

"Look, I'm basically here to tell you that you get ten years to have a real fulfilled love, and then it's gone."

"Real fulfilled love? Are you telling me that Angel and I get only ten years, I thought we got forever?"

"I didn't say anything about Angel, you two are together until one of you kills the other, personally, I think you'll stake him, which would be a really hot role-play."

I ignored her, "what do you mean by fulfilled love?"

"Can't say. I'll see you around Buffy. Enjoy everything, Buffy."

I nodded and she was gone and I was back in Angel's bed, he was sleeping soundly, I curled up closer to him and fell into a deep sleep.

I keep my breathing regular as I lay on Angel's bare chest. His hand lazily rubbed my own bare back. The curse was gone because we'd experienced a moment of true happiness, a few times over, and Angel was still himself; a vampire with a soul. Angelus was really gone; Angel and I could really be together.

Angel placed a soft kiss in my hair, chuckling as he knew I was awake.

"Good morning, I figured you'd sleep most of the day," I said, my eyes shining up at him. "You're a night walker."

"I only sleep for a few hours, vampire powers; constant insomniac."

"I bet I wore you out last night. How are we going to do this?"

"You are going to kick Spike out and we'll move into your house," he laughed.

"He's part of your gang, how can you say that?"

"I don't want my girlfriend living with her ex-lover."

"You have no problem with Xander; he lives with me as well."

"No, he's mourning Cordy and Anya. He's safe, Spike's not."

"I can't kick my friends out; you'll just have to get use to them living with me."

"Or you move in with me here."

I sighed, he wanted things to move fast, we'd waited close to fifteen years to be together, I understand he wants to move fast, but we had, well forever, literally. With the exception of the ten years that Cordy mentioned something about.

"How about," I said. "We be normal. Clearly we can't keep our hands off and I'm completely fine with that, but we need a life outside the bedroom. Maybe we can be a little crazy and use that ring for day dates. Since we normally operate at night."

"Buffy, I understand that we have the ring that makes me invincible to sunlight, but I really don't want to use it, unless we have to, it would make me lazy, people have help in the sunlight, those in the dark don't, that's why I'm here."

"I'm sorry, I just know you love the sun but never get to see it."

"You don't see it, you're my sun, not in a sense that you could hurt me because you can't, but my world revolves around you, it has for fifteen years. Don't think for a second that I haven't thought what that ring could do for us, we could have day dates, but what if I get lazy, enjoy the sun too much."

"Then I won't let you," Buffy promised. "Maybe we can do something in the sun once a month, then I'll take the ring and we'll let Willow put it in a protective spell or something. We'll work through this."

Angel smiled and kissed me, long and hard, effectively ending our talk.

My life changed rapidly after that, I called Willow and apologized for snapping, she apologized for the spell, but I wanted, needed to her to know that she'd done the right thing. We agreed to meet up, with Angel, for lunch one day. Angel's first daylight outing in some time.

I invited Xander and Spike, who grudgingly denied since he didn't have a special ring, mumbling how Angel had stolen it, I called Giles, who was in England and invited him, he turned it down, though, since England was a long commute just for lunch but promised to have a vacation over here shortly.

Xander, Willow, Angel and I set at an outdoor café, Angel squinted against the harsh light but held my hand through it all, after a nice lunch with my two best friends, the ring was handed over to Willow who would keep ahold of it until we needed it again.

Once a month, Angel would venture into the sunlight, protected because of the ring, and we'd do something fun outside that we both enjoyed, one time, we enjoyed the beach, sometimes we'd hit a outdoor café. Things were perfect, but in the back of my mind, Cordy's parting words haunted me.

I didn't let them bother me visibly, but anybody with eyes could tell that something was wrong. Spike and Xander commented often about clouds in my eyes and wondered, out loud, if Angel and I were having problems.

"No," I'd say, not saying anymore because bringing up Cordy still upset Xander. The mourning of the one's that loved and had to leave us never truly goes away, for some it just gets easier, for others, well, it's best to pretend it doesn't happen.

I was still adjusting to being immortal, apparently, I could still get sick and have problems because just a month and a half after Angel and I got back together, I got sick, vomiting and not eating became my way of life, a week after I started feeling ill, I went to Willow, who smiled, and handed me a note.

Ten years, it was in Cordy's hand writing.

"What does this mean," I asked.

"She also wanted you to have this," Willow said, handing me a brown bag.

I glanced inside then back at Willow, "no."

Willow just ushered me into another room.

Now that I knew what was wrong, the doctor had confirmed it, I had to tell Angel, unsure of how to do that, I waited another month before finally summoning up the courage to tell my beloved vampire.

I never thought this could happen, I'd finally realized what Cordy's warning was all about, I only had ten good years, ten years that I had to make the most off, at least they had given me that much time.

"Hey," I said as I walked into the apartment below Angel's work.

"Hi," my mister tall, dark, brooding handsome man said from his chair where he'd been hunched over his computer. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," I said. "For now."

"That's good," Angel said, scooting his chair back and motioning for me to sit on his lap, which I did, facing him.

For the last month, I'd managed to make Angel think I was sick with various bugs, to keep him from the truth until I could tell him; it had been three months since we'd gotten back together.

"I have something I need to tell you," I whispered, leaning my forehead against his. "I received a visit from Cordy, right after I choose to be with you," I said, then telling him everything she'd said.

"Ten years? We only get ten years?"

"I don't think she was talking about us, well just us two, I think she was saying that we could conceive, a child."

"That's not possible," Angel said.

"Conner?" I reminded my boyfriend about his adult son.

"Okay, so what are you saying," he looked me deep in the eyes.

"I'm saying that I'm pregnant," I whispered, my hand on his cheek in a comforting gesture. "The first night we were together, Angel, we got pregnant."

"The Powers like to screw with our heads, huh," Angel laughed. "I'm going to be a dad?"

"I might be pregnant and hormonal, but I can still drive a stake through your heart," I said. "You are laughing at the fact that we are having a child together in less than six months."

"I'm laughing because I'm happy," Angel whispered, smiling down at me. "Six months, maybe we should keep practicing so that after your six weeks, we can try for another and then another. I want a houseful of little Buffy's."

"Can you handle a house full of Buffy's? I want little Angels," I said, and then snorted because of how weird that sounded. "How about little Liam's."

"Just not little Angelus's."

"If they are evil," I smiled before capturing his lips. "I blame you."

"I'll gladly take the blame for our kids. Have I mentioned that I love you?"

"Yes," I whispered. "It only took us how many years to finally get things right?"

"Too many," Angel whispered and lifted me from his lap, cradling me as we headed towards the bedroom and the future. "Buffy, one last thing, marry me? I'll even wear the ring and we can have an outdoor mid-day wedding, maybe I'll sparkle like those new vampires."