Chapter 9:

I turned around to face him, my Angel. He looked into my eyes and knew something was wrong. "What's wrong," he questioned, "you look worried or confused?" I looked at him and into those dark brown eyes, the ones I had just been thinking about.

"Nothing, I just hadn't had a moment alone-" I start. He cuts me off, "I can leave if you wan-" I cut him off.

"No, I had a chance to think about things and my mind has had thoughts running around in it like crazy. I say.

"Oh… What were you thinking about?" he asks carefully not sure if he really wants to know.

"About us, children, a wedding and other stuff," I start and see that he is about to say something but before he can I start, "Angel, I think we need to talk." He laughs, "What?" I inquire.

"Nothing, its just I am usually the one who wants to do the talking." I laugh hesitantly as he says that.

"Angel, I just want to make sure, I know we've talked about this like three times already, but I need to know is this really happening, because we do this all the time, we get a relationship and then they take it away, or we take ourselves out of the picture, you know? And I just want to really make sure that there are no catches and no complications. I want to be with you and it's not fair if those Power that Be people to take it away. I am not losing you again without a fight." I rant

"Buffy, there is something…" he starts

"OH…NO YOU DON'T," I yell and turn away from him and put my hands over my ears, "this not happening, no this is not okay, I said no complications and I mean it!"

"Buffy," he tenderly says as he takes my hands down from my ears and turns me around, "that wasn't the kind of something I was talking about." As he finishes he starts to get down on one knee. Once he is down on one knee, I feel my heart start to flutter with joy and panic. He reaches into his pocket to get something and when he opens his hand a tiny ring is there. This ring is the same one he gave me on my 17th birthday. There's a burning sensation of tears is in my eyes, then my vision starts to get blurry with the tears of joy that now are rolling down my checks and landing in his palm.

"Is…this the Claddagh ring?" I asked between sobs, already knowing the answer.

"Yes," he says, sounding like he is almost crying, this day for both of us is a miracle. "Buffy, will you marry me?" he asks.

"Yes," I blubber.

As he puts the ring on my finger, with the heart pointing towards me and I cry harder. He stands up and laughs, as he wipes the tears from my eyes and then kisses me. We were completely different and exactly the same as we were when he gave me this ring for the first time. We were completely in love with one another, and the difference this time was that we could truly belong to one another.

"Angel?" I ask after our kiss.

"Yeah?" he answers.

"What's your last name, because I don't know it?" I ask.

He laughs, "I don't remember it. That's why I never told you."

"Well, I don't think that's very funny. Maybe, you should make one up." I state.

"What do you suggest?" he asks.

"I don't know, you should pick it." I coax, hoping that he will pick a good one.

"How about, Williams?" he suggests

"Why Williams," I ask, "not that I don't like, I just want to know?"

"Liam, was my human name and it is the Irish version of William and so I thought, maybe something to reflect my past but not really."

"Hmm… Angel Williams, and Buffy Williams, I guess they don't sound too bad." I say "Hey, you made me pick." He replies with a laugh. I laugh harder because I realized something, "You know what?" I ask laughing really hard.

"What," he says a little confused.

"Technically, your like 280 something years older than me."

"Why is that funny?"

"Because, physically, your two years younger that me." I say and he laughs very loudly.

"You're right that is funny." He chuckles.

"Before we get married we need to get you a passport and a birth certificate and other stuff." I say trying to get back the practical talk.

"Yeah, I guess." He says, obviously not wanting to talk about practically stuff, which was a little unlike him.

Then he looked in pain, like he had a really bad head ache. I watch him intently, wondering why he looks so in pain. Was it something I said? I got increasingly worried as watched my soon to be husband, crumple to the floor. I screamed his name, countless times. I was surprised that nobody had came running to see why I was screaming bloody murder.

This had to be the catch. There is alway a catch, they couldn't just give us the one thing we wanted. How hard is it to let two people love each other and be together? I was mad, no, I was furious. This time, I was not going give up without a fight. Just as I was about to march up to the Powers that Be and demand they give me Angel back, he opened his eyes.

"Angel?" I asked concerned as his eyes focused on me.

His eyes were filled with sadness and concerned.