This is my first attempt at fanfiction, so please be gentle, although all types of criticism (positive/negative) are welcome.

Disclaimer: I don't own Angel, but if I did, I'd tie him up and do naughty, naughty things to him. ;)

Fire and Ice

She could taste the salt in the air. It made her remember the summer cottage by the shore, waves gently lapping against the weathered dock, the mournful cry of a gull off in the distance. As she closed her eyes, she could feel his hands against her skin, warm and tender, loving her with only his touch. She shivered at the memory, goose bumps erupting over her flesh. She hugged herself closer, crinkling the rumbled slip of paper wedged tightly in her clenched fist. She approached the edge of the balcony and lightly rested her palms on the cool, metal banister. She looked down at the rapidly swirling waters, the black icy depths given false light as the moonlight ducked in and out of thick clouds. As the cruise ship chugged along, she thought of home, an overwhelming sadness enveloping her. Home. The only place in the world she felt most vulnerable, and most unwanted.

She angrily swept a tear off her face as she gently unrolled the slip of paper, her eyes scanning the words as daggers pierced her heart. I can't do this anymore. We're too different. I'm sorry. Different. Choking back a bitter laugh, she crumbled up the piece of paper and heaved it into the ocean. She was a Harbinger of Death. It wasn't her fault she was a mutant. She didn't ask for this curse. And he loved her. He truly loved her… Until she told him. And then the look of utter revulsion that washed over his face tore a hole through her heart. She thought she would die right there. Prayed for it, actually. Prayed for the pain to end. Prayed that the curse she bore would take her own life, just as it could take the life of anyone she chose. Only she wasn't so lucky. She couldn't will her own death. She could have willed his. Should have willed his, only her heart wouldn't let her.

She glanced around her, the upper desk blessedly empty and silent as the witching hour approached. She looked up at the moon, partially shadowed by the dense cloud cover. Please forgive me. Hastily wiping the tears from her eyes, she carefully climbed over the railing.

He loved the feel of the wind between his wings, each breeze caressing his feathers, like a lover exploring their partner's body for the first time. With each flap of his feathers, he rose higher and higher, until he could reach out and touch the wispy cloudy around him. A smile reached the corners of his mouth, but proceeded no farther. He'd accepted what he was. Learned to live with the fact that he was different. Other. But he couldn't celebrate in it. Couldn't rejoice in the fact that he was given something that no other person on this very Earth was capable of. Well, most people, anyway.

As the wind whipped past him, he knew he should have been cold. But he wasn't. Instead, he felt ignited from a burning fire within. A fire that drove him higher into the sky, speared him onward to whatever quest lay ahead. His eye caught movement in the far distance, thousands of feet below him. His eyes narrowed, heightened vision closing in on the rapid movement. A cruise ship. He grinned, veering his course towards the approaching vessel. I should rest up for the long journey back. An hour shouldn't delay me too much.

She glanced up just as a large sea gull passed by high overhead. Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of it. Awfully large for a bird, she thought, but instantly dismissed it. This was her choice, and there was nothing that would sway her from it. Sighing heavily, she spread her arms wide, clenched her eyes shut, and leaned back… and hit a wall.

One eye popped open, confusion spreading over her face. As she felt behind her back, her fingertips brushed warm flesh, washboard abs, and something else she wasn't expecting. Feathers. She gasped, nearly losing her balance, and catapulted herself back over the railing. She hit the deck with a loud thud, all the wind knocked out of her lungs. Gasping for air, she rocketed to her feet and scurried across the deck, hunkering down behind an overturned chaise lounge. As she peered out from underneath, her eyes met…. Nothing.

"Huh?"

She gingerly tiptoed to the balcony and peered over the edge. Nothing. Only the waters beneath.

"I must be losing my mind," she thought.

"If you meant because you were trying to kill yourself, then yeah, I'd say so."

She screamed as she dropped to the ground, her body instinctively curling up in the fetal position. That's when she saw him. The pale moonlight shimmered against his skin as he walked towards her. He knelt down above her, the tips of his feathered wings brushing against the varnished wood. She wanted to reach out and touch them, wrap her fingers around them, feel them rub against her cheeks. Stop it, she scolded herself. What the hell was she thinking! As he stared down at her quizzically, she became lost in the gaze of his warm, cobalt eyes. Before she could stop herself, she reached out and gently grazed his chest with her fingertips. He was warm. Oh, so warm. As she spread her palm against his skin, she felt a fire radiating beneath. She closed her eyes, breathing in his scent, vanilla and sun-kissed. As her eyes slowly peeled back open, she looked up at him as a smile slowly slid across his face.

She flushed, quickly snatching her hand back. "S-Sorry," she mumbled. "No problem," he pushed to his feet and offered her his hand. She took it as she stood, her eyes raking over his body as she did. He wore a pair of black army boots and loose fitting denim jeans. From the torso up, he was naked, boasting well sculpted abs and biceps. Curly blonde locks were cropped close to his scalp, and his eyes reflected a wary confidence she's never seen in anyone before. He looked both defiant and abashed at the same time. An odd combination.

But it was the feathered wings that drew her attention the most. They were glorious, each easily six feet in length, full of thick, plumed white feathers. They glistened snow white in the moonlight, a bright halo of light surrounding his entire body.

"It's not polite to stare," he clipped tersely, an edge to his voice that wasn't there before.

"I'm sorry. It's just… they're beautiful," she echoed, her eyes drifting towards them once again.

His brow furrowed slightly at her comment. He looked confused, as if he hadn't heard anyone call them such a thing before. What a pity. "Can I…..?" as she reached towards them, he quickly stepped back as if she'd slapped him, his wings instantly snapping closed against his back. She stiffened, her arms quickly falling still at her sides.

"I'm sorry…. Suddenly I don't feel like myself"
He eyeballed her warily for a moment before he softened, the grin spreading across his lips once again.
"Got you thinking about something else though"
Off her confused look, he inclined his head towards the ocean. She'd almost forgotten.
"I'm Angel," he smiled softly, extending his hand in a proper gesture of introduction. She looked down at it as if it were a foreign object, something completely out of the ordinary.

"I'm…. not supposed to be here," she whispered, backing up against the banister. "I have business to finish," she spun around quickly, but his hand seized her wrist before she could climb over. God, he was so warm. As if the very sun was hidden beneath his skin.

"I thought we were over that," his voice danced across her skin, sending bolts of electricity up and down her spine, tightening parts low in her body. She clenched her teeth together in a vain attempt to focus. "No one should feel the need to take their own life."

"You don't even know me. So don't begin to assume what we're over," she tried to pull herself over, but he pinned her against the railing, warm flesh against her cool skin. A gasp escaped her lips as she absorbed his warmth, his heat pouring into her like a frenzied waterfall. "Please," she begged. "Stop doing this"
He laughed, a deep throated masculine laugh that stole her breath away. She looked down at her hands, pressed defensively against his chest, and wanted nothing more than to run her fingers across his skin, feel the scrape of her nails against his tender flesh.

She pushed him backwards a few steps, trying desperately to regain her composure. Breathing ragged and strained, she pointed a shaking finger towards him, her hazel eyes dilating until the onyx pupils completely consumed them.

"You have no idea what I'm capable of," she spat icily, although the usual conviction in her voice has lost its luster.

"You'd be wise to leave me alone," she whispered, turning her back on him before he saw the defeat in her eyes. He'd done something to her. Weakened her somehow. "You need to leave," her voice was barely a whisper. She shot her hand out as she heard him approach.

"Don't touch me!" she cowered, shielding her face as if from a fatal blow.

"Why?" his voice was sincere.
"Because I can't think when you touch me," she curled her fist at him before pulling it into her chest. She heard him move, felt the wind breathe against her skin as he took to the air. She breathed a sigh of relief at the thought that he had left. Yet a strange sadness enveloped her. It wasn't the same as the sadness she felt earlier. As she wrapped her arms around her shivering chest, she realized that it was his warmth she missed. She wanted to feel that heat around her again, feel him wrap his sun-kissed skin around her and make her forget the anguish in her heart.
She approached the balcony again, pressing her palms against the cold steel banister. As the sorrow threatened to overtake her again, a gust of wind blew against her back. She quickly turned around as he pinned her against the banister, her head pressed firmly against his chest. She inhaled sharply as his hands circled her hips, pulling her tightly against his body. He lowered his head towards her neck.

"So don't think," he cooed, gently nipping at her ear.

Her knees buckled as his teeth grazed the tender flesh, but his strong grip held her firmly against him. He glanced up at the sky, dark gaze searching the cloudy heavens. As he glanced down at her again, a sly grin spread across his lips.

"Hold on," he whispered, his powerful arms snaking around her waist. Before she had a chance to comprehend his meaning, he pushed off the floor, his large wings sucking in the air around them as they took flight.

She gasped, her arms flailing around his body, searching for somewhere to grasp. They found purchase at the base of his wings, the tender segment where they joined together with his body. He looked down at her as his entire body shivered, his eyes a reflection of pure, masculine need. He chuckled, sparks of excitement coursing through her body.

"Be careful," he breathed. "That's a tender spot"
She grinned, reveling in his reaction as she gently dug her fingers into the soft flesh again. "Now who can't think?" she smirked, her fingers releasing their grip as they settled against the small of his back. "Where are you taking me?" He glanced down at her as they soared higher. "Where do you want to go"
She bit her lip. Where would she go? She couldn't go home. Couldn't face the anguish and torment of having to live a life where she was looked at with scorn, shunned for being what she was. Different. Other.

She closed her eyes, inhaling the scent of the sharp salty air again. She remembered the summer cottage, and the way his warm hands felt against her body as he touched her… But it wasn't like this warmth. His heat was like smoldering embers compared to this thought-quenching fire. She nuzzled her face against Angel's chest, felt his heart thumping inside, as if willing itself to be free. Beating in tune with hers. His Fire. Hers Ice.

She grinned, her eyes meeting his. "Anywhere with you"
He nodded, cupping her face in his hand.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Angela," she mumbled against his chest as his beating heart lulled her into a dreamless sleep.

His deep throated laugh momentarily roused her, but she quickly settled and became lost in the rhythm of his beating heart once again. She nuzzled closely against his chest as they rose higher and higher. Away from thought. Away from death. In that moment, all she knew was him, his sun-kissed scent and his warm skin. In that moment, she forgot who she was. A Harbinger of Death. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she felt life. And she loved it.