It was a good thing Angel didn't need to breathe, because at that moment, he knew he wouldn't have been able to. "You don't know what you want." He managed to choke out.
"I do." Buffy protested, then got off of her bed. "I feel…good and whole when I'm with you." She stated.
"Buffy…" Angel shook his head lightly and took a step back as she moved closer. It wasn't that he didn't want to be with her, he just didn't trust himself, and she obviously wasn't capable of restraining herself, so it would be up to him. "You're obviously not all here. You know what'll happen when I lose my soul. People will die. Possibly even you."
Buffy stood still and lowered her shoulders. "Better than being trapped here anymore. Anything is better than this."
Angel felt his features soften and his jaw fell slightly. "Don't say that." He gently shook his head.
"Like you haven't thought it before. It's easier, there's no pain…" she listed.
The vampire shook his head. "People need you. Your friends need you."
"They don't need me." Buffy turned and moved her arms around herself. "They need the Slayer. They need the fighter to keep them safe from the bad guys. They don't need me."
"They do need you. What about Dawn? Your mother died, and then you jumped so Dawn wouldn't. She needs you. You're her sister."
"She needs someone to protect her." Buffy shook her head. "They wanted the Slayer, the fighter and protector. What's Buffy anyway? Just…a cover. A secret identity. I don't exist. I'm a Slayer, that's all. It's all I ever was, since I was 15. Show me someone who really cares and wants Buffy. So far everyone just wants the Slayer."
"Me." Angel moved his eyes up from the ground to her emerald ones. "I'm not ready for you to be gone yet. I didn't fall in love with the Slayer. I fell for you, before you got pulled in to this world. If you can't believe that your friends want you here, then believe that I do."
Buffy looked back to Angel again and held herself tighter.
"I know it's hard, and I know it seems easier just to give up because nobody really cares, but that's not true." Angel assured her. "I care about you, Buffy. I always have, and I always will."
The Slayer slowly loosened her grip on herself and her shoulders dropped down. "You do?"
Angel nodded and moved towards Buffy again. "I do." He confirmed. "You're the reason I keep fighting." He told her. "Every demon I kill is one less I have to worry about going after you. Every time I stop the world from ending, it means you get to keep on living. I love you, Buffy Summers, and I'm not ready for you to die."
A small smile crept over Buffy's lips and her eyes seemed to lighten up. "Thank you. It means a lot to me that you said that."
"I didn't just say it." Angel noticed Buffy's smile and wanted to show one as well, though he didn't. "I meant it. Every word."
Buffy moved close to Angel and slid her arms around him. "Is this pushing my boundaries?"
Angel moved his arms around the Slayer and gently rubbed her back. "Not at all." He kissed the side of her head, then set his chin on top of her head. "You're perfect."
