2002
Sunnydale, California
UC Sunnydale: Stevenson Hall
Squeezing the last duffle bag into the back of the compactly filled trunk, Angelus O'Connor inhaled a deep breath as realisation dawned on him. Closing his eyes, he mentally counted to ten before closing the trunk and facing his fiancée, who was standing near the driver's side of the car.
Opening his eyes and exhaled a breath, Angelus closed the trunk and stepped around to stand in full view of his longtime sweetheart, Buffy Summers.
Angelus was officially done with college, graduated with a law degree and passed the California bar exam. He was now on his way to Los Angeles where he had been recruited by a senior partner at the prestigious law firm Wolfram & Hart, Holland Manners. Holland was also a golfing friend of his grandfather. Although this job opportunity was a favour to Angelus' grandfather it was a dream come true for Angelus, he would be a fool to pass up.
Stepping closer to his love, Angelus reached out his hand for her to take. Buffy immediately took his extended hand and let him pull her into his chest. Angelus buried his nose into her shoulder-length golden hair. He closed his eyes and breathed in the citrusy scent of her shampoo.
He looked forward to this new endeavor in Los Angeles, but the thought of being away from Buffy sickened him.
This distance would be a test on their relationship. They had met three years ago in the school bookstore on Freshman Orientation Day. Buffy was a terrified freshman and Angelus, an 'experienced' sophomore was in search of his law textbooks for the new semester.
In the quest of her textbooks, Buffy struggled to reach the top shelf, toppling a stack of rather heavy textbooks on top of Angelus' head. For a minute, Angelus felt dazed and confused but the moment he lifted his eyes to look at his attacker, Angelus was spellbound.
He was never one to believe in the idea of 'soulmates' or 'love at first sight', but that day, Angelus believed he had met his soulmate, whom he had fallen in love with at first sight.
For the next three years, they were inseparable; crazy and passionately in love.
Two weeks ago, after receiving an invite to work at Wolfram & Hart, Angelus took his love out to celebrate. He ended the night of celebration by dropping to one knee and proposing.
Buffy, of course, tearfully said 'yes'.
Neither believed that anything could possibly come between them. They were meant to be and that's all there was to it. This time next year they were to be married after Buffy's graduation, she'll move to Los Angeles with him, and they'll officially begin their life together.
Pulling back her head from laying it against the centre of his chest, Buffy lifted her moist eyes to his face. "This isn't gonna be so bad, is it?" She asked, trying hard to remain stoic and not wallow in the fear and heartbreak that was inwardly consuming her.
"No." He said, tenderly brushing away her fallen tear from cheek. "L.A. is only an hour away. We'll see each other all the time."
"Not all the time." She sniffled, taking a keen interest in his shirt buttons. "They're gonna be working you to the bone." Panic was evident in Buffy's voice as her inner fears began to trickle out. "And my classes are a little funtastic this semester… I'm hardly going to see you. What if we…"
Angelus cut off her frantic spew of words by covering her mouth with his own. Buffy immediately fell into his kiss, sinking deeper. Her arms circled around him, holding him tightly.
Slowly, Angelus broke the kiss, pressing his forehead to hers. "Never gonna happen." He whispered, running his fingers through her soft short hair. "I love you, Buffy." Angelus brought her hand to his mouth, kissing the diamond engagement ring that sat on her left ring finger. "This time next year, you'll graduate, I'll be more comfortable at the firm, and we'll be married."
The curves of Buffy's mouth tugged upwards, she craned her neck, wanting his kiss, which Angelus happily obliged.
Buffy continued toying with the buttons of his shirt, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on her fingers, otherwise she'd burst out into a sob. "You should go. L.A. traffic is nobody's friend."
"It'll be like I never left." He took a step back towards the driver's side door.
Buffy wore a pinched smile on her face somehow knowing different. There was a knot in her chest and an incessant voice in her head that told her he was never coming back.
Reading the look on her face, Angelus took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "What? What is it?"
"I just…" Buffy hesitated. "I just have a bad feeling. Don't go, Angel. Stay."
Angelus closed the space between them, wrapping his arms around her petite and slender frame. He hugged her tightly and rested his chin over the top of her head. "Quit the job before I even start it? Buffy, this is a great opportunity for us."
"Yeah, yeah…" Buffy pulled back her head, burying her face in her hands, feeling foolish; knowing that he was right. "You're right. I'm just being…" She pushed him back towards the car. "Go. Go to L.A. and become a big shot lawyer-man and then come back to me."
Angelus smirked, opening the door when he looked back at Buffy, giving her one last look. He exhaled a breath, taken aback by her beauty. He closed the car door and walked over to her, holding her face between his hands, he laid a passionate kiss upon her lips, taking her breath away.
The kiss slowly parted. Neither of them wanted to make a move but it was time.
Angelus swallowed his sadness and pushed back all of his doubts and took a step back. He opened the car door and slid into the driver's seat.
Turning on the ignition, Angelus rolled down the window, looking at Buffy, holding her arms tightly across her body in a self soothing gesture. "Buffy?"
Buffy wiped the tears staining her cheeks and looked at her fiancé.
"You still my girl?" He asked, the boyish smile on his face widened.
Unable to stop the smile from forming across her mouth, Buffy shook her head and answered, "Always."
Present Day-2011
Los Angeles, California
Wolfram & Hart: 5th Floor
Ding!
The elevator doors slide open. Angelus stepped out on the floor where he was immediately greeted by lawyers, secretaries, and the law firm partners applauding his astounding courtroom victory.
"Great job today, O'Connor." A lawyer Angelus didn't know the name of congratulated him and shook his hand
"Thanks a lot." Angelus turned to the next set of people wanting to congratulate him and shake his hand. Looking over their heads, Angelus spotted his rival Lindsey McDonald standing in the background with an attractive and slender dark haired woman named Eve.
Angelus and Lindsey had started at the law firm at the same time and the competition between the pair was fierce, but there was always an edge Angelus had that Lindsey could never amount to.
Holland Manners, the senior partner that had recruited Angelus stepped forward, holding out his hand. "You son of a bitch. You actually pulled it off." The older man in his sixties chuckled, thoroughly impressed by his protégé.
"It's the small details, sir." Angelus replied, smiling widely. The partnership he had been working towards for nearly a decade was at fingertips.
Holding his arms across his chest, Holland surveyed Angelus as his right-hand woman and a partner at the firm, Lilah Morgan approached the conversation. "Well, what do you think, Ms Morgan? You think he's earned it?"
Lilah dropped her gaze over the high-powered lawyer and lifted the arch of her brow. "I think so."
Holland laughed, holding out his hand towards Angelus. "The partnership is yours if you want it."
Angelus lifted his chin, coming off confident and empowered as he took Manners hand. "Thank you, sir."
"Good job, Mr O'Connor." Holland smacked Angelus' arm with his free hand and walked away.
Raising his brows, Angelus looked at Lilah, waiting for her to say something.
Early on in his career at the firm, Angelus had tried and failed at asking the beautiful attorney out. She promptly rejected him and stated that she never dates attorney's. Finding them too in love with their own spotlight.
"Partner. How does it feel?" Lilah asked, folding her arms across her chest.
"Words cannot express my emotions." Angelus cheekily replied.
Lilah looked across the room to Lindsey and flashed a hint of a smile as she watched Lindsey angrily walk out. "Looks like not all are happy for your success."
Without looking, Angelus knew exactly who she was talking about. "Some can't accept defeat."
Lilah looked at Angelus, shaking her head, wearing a smile on her face. Over the years, she grew rather fond of Angelus. He was brilliant in the courtroom and he knew it, which gave him an air of arrogant assurance that she found rather attractive. He was an overconfident, snake that was far too well-aware of his own clout.
"Let's celebrate!" Angelus announced to the room of people. "The Host for cocktails!" He turned away, heading towards his corner office which had the perfect Los Angeles skyline view.
Downtown: The Host
Inside the moody dim lit bar, the chatter of the patrons talked loudly and over the contemporary music playing.
Angelus sat back in the open booth as his co-workers talked amongst themselves. Swirling the whiskey drink in his hand and took a sip of the spicy golden liquor with a hint of almond.
"Congratulations."
Angelus lifted his head to see Eve stepping around the booth with a pink cocktail in hand. His dark eyes dropped over slender figure. An attractive woman by any means, Eve and Angelus had been dancing around each other in a flirtatious game for nearly five years now.
The daughter of a Senior Partner and a liaison for the firm, Eve knew exactly where she stood at the renowned law firm.
Eve sat down beside him. Her knee brushing against his. "You're the talk of the town. Everyone has your name on their lips. You made partner. What an accomplishment."
Smirking, Angelus laid his arm behind her over the back of the booth seat. "I just hope Lindsey wasn't too wounded."
"Oh, don't worry about him." Eve said, shifting closer to Angelus. The tips of her fingers touching his thigh. "He's a big boy." Her dark eyes lifted to his face, suggestively eyeing him. "How do you plan on celebrating your victory?"
A slow wolfish smile crossed Angelus' handsome face.
Bathroom Stall
Immediately, Eve was pushed against the wall of the locked bathroom when Angelus crushed his lips against hers. Eve moaned desperately into his mouth, her hands wildly moving over his back and he pressed his growing erection against her.
Angelus' hands squeezed her backside tightly then ran down to the backs of her thighs before pulling her legs up so that she could wrap them around his waist. Eve bucked against him, eager for any contact she could get. He groaned as they rubbed against each other, mimicking the actions that would soon follow.
Angelus' lips moved over Eve's jaw and down the side of her neck, as she panted. His hands slid up her knee-length skirt, finding her panties damp. Eve gasped as Angelus stroked her through the thin silk. Impatiently, Angelus ripped the lacy scrap of material off of her and stuffed them into his pocket of his trousers.
Eve reached between their bodies to unfasten the front of his pants, while keeping her legs firmly around him. With a bit of creative maneuvering, they managed to get his trousers open enough for his erection to spring free.
Angelus groaned, wrapping a hand around his length and directed his hardness to her centre, taking a moment to tease her by sliding the head over her dripping slit before driving it home. She moaned loudly when he filled her. Her head fell back against the wall.
Angelus gritted his teeth, wanting to draw out his pleasure.
Eager to prove she was more than a match for him, Eve moved her hips, thrusting back against him.
Amidst the sounds of the music from the bar and the chattering was the sound of two bodies slapping against the other as they reached electrifying orgasms.
Unlocking the bathroom door, Eve was the first to exit. She stepped around the crowd of people impatiently waiting outside the door as she adjusted her skirt. Angelus followed behind her, fastening the button of his suit jacket and glancing at a beautiful young woman standing in line.
Angelus appeared back at the booth while the others still sat, hardly noticing Angelus and Eve's disappearance.
Mumbling through a few goodbye's, Angelus tossed Eve a wink and headed towards the exit.
Outside: Parking Lot
Reaching into the front pocket of his trousers, Angelus headed towards his beloved sleek black and fully restored, 1967 Plymouth GTX.
Whistling a jaunty tune, Angelus felt rather great about himself. Everything he had worked so hard for finally amounted to something. Partnership at the most respected law firm in the country.
He had everything he could possibly ever want and what he did not have, Angelus had no problems buying.
But there were times, every now and again, he wondered what it would have been like if he had made different decisions. Would he still be at the prestigious law firm? Would he have ever made partnership?
None of those rather trivial thoughts mattered much to Angelus. This was his life. He had made his decisions. In his opinion, it all worked out for the better.
Angelus unlocked the driver's side door when the barrel of a gun pressed against the centre of his back.
"Whoa… whoa…" Angelus cautiously raised his hands up, showing the mugger that he was weaponless.
"Make no sudden moves, mate," said a man with an English accent.
Angelus turned his chin slightly to look back at the mugger but a hand grabbed Angelus' shoulder, forcing him to face forward.
"I said, no sudden moves… mate."
"I know. I know." Angelus said, remaining calm but defensive. "I don't carry cash."
The mugger shrugged, not at all bothered by the lack of cash on hand. "Don't matter to me none. I'll take whatever you got, Peaches." He grinned.
Angelus gritted his teeth. "I'm putting my hand into the front pocket of my coat." He slowly moved his right hand towards the left side of his coat. "My wallet is in there."
"Do it slowly." The mugger said, cocking the hammer back.
Angelus swallowed and twisted around suddenly, punching the mugger across the face. He looked at his attacker. The mugger was of average height, athletic build, high cheekbones, and slicked back platinum blonde hair. Judging by the way the mugger was dressed, he was heavily into the L.A. punk rock scene.
"Bad idea, mate." The mugger said, grappling with Angelus against the car. His fists landed hard into Angelus' sides, slowly breaking him down.
Angelus furiously fought back, but the mugger seemed much too ready for the counter attack. The mugger's fists pounded across Angelus' face. A heavy black combat boot kicked Angelus in the stomach, causing him to double over.
Lifting his eyes, Angelus saw the butt of the mugger's gun coming straight down. The butt of the gun hit the side of the lawyer's head. Angelus collapsed to the ground, knocking him out cold.
[Alternate] Present Day-2011
Sunnydale, California
1630 Revello Drive: Master Bedroom
Bathed in the morning light peeking through the small gaps between the curtains covering a cute bay window, Angelus stirred in his sleep.
He rolled onto his back from his stomach and exhaled a heavy breath. The light from the rising sun became more prominent in Angelus' dreamless state.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The alarm buzzed, jolting Angelus awake. Without opening his eyes, he extended his hand and slapped the alarm clock button to turn off the irritating beeping. He then turned onto his side and felt another body beside him.
Confused, Angelus peeked one eye open, trying to remember if he had brought someone home the night before. His vision became more clear as it became more certain that he did not bring home anyone the night before because he never made it home.
His memories of the previous night were fuzzy at best. He remembered a blurry image of a man with peroxide hair, holding a gun to his back, trying to rob him. Angelus tried to fight off the mugger, but he was hit in the head with the butt of the gun.
Somehow he had made it home and into his bed and there was a woman in this bed with him, which didn't make sense at all.
Craning his neck to look at the golden haired woman sleeping beside him, Angelus looked over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of her face.
Buffy? He stared at his ex-fiancée in awe, shocked to see her. Stunned beyond belief, Angelus couldn't tear his eyes off of her. The look on her face was of utter contentment. Angelus swore he could see her softly smile in her sleep. The familiar pounding in his chest reminded him that he was alive. It had been years since he had felt such a way.
"Mmm… five more minutes, Angel…" Buffy mumbled, her voice groggy with sleep.
Angelus gasped and threw off the bed covers, jumping out. Buffy let out a whine and covered herself tighter with the blankets, blocking the morning chill.
Looking down at himself, Angelus was completely naked. Frantically, he looked around on the floor for a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt.
He threw the clothing on and looked down at himself once more. The frown on his face deepened as he looked at the ridiculous t-shirt of the L.A. Kings mascot Bailey.
His dark eyes darted around the master bedroom. The room was a bit cramped compared to his massively large penthouse bedroom, which was more of a small house. Clothing, possibly from the day before, had been carelessly thrown to the ground. There were a series of framed photographs aligned on top of the dresser.
Angelus ran a hand through his dark spiky hair utterly stupefied.
The bedroom door burst open. A small six-year-old girl with long dark brown hair and dressed in pajamas ran into the bedroom with a small one-year-old boy with short dirty blonde hair.
Angelus watched wide-eyed as the girl helped the toddler onto the bed and then climbed up herself. The children jumped around Buffy, waking her up.
The little girl screamed-sang a Christmas carol as she jumped up and down on the bed.
"'Tis the season to be jolly
Fa la la la la, la la la la (fa la la la la, la la la la)"
Buffy tiredly moaned, rolling onto her back. She draped an arm across her face, not quite ready to face the day.
"Mom! Mom! Mommy!" The girl clapped her hands and twirled around with childish excitement.
"What? What? What?" Buffy sat up, wrapping her arms around the children and pulled them close to lay down with her.
Wiggling in her mother's arms, the girl grinned wildly. "It's December! It's December!
"December!" The boy shouted, mimicking his older sister's actions.
Dumbfounded, Angelus stared at the mother and children on the bed. Feeling as if he had fallen through the looking glass, Angelus pinched his arm.
Oh, God. I'm awake. He realised. This is real. This is real.
"Okay, kiddoes," Buffy said, rubbing their backs and slowly calming them down. "I know one of you guys needs to go to school today." She sat up in the bed and lifted the boy to her other side so she could get out of bed.
"Mom! I don't want to!" The girl whined, her entire enjoyment popped like a balloon.
Buffy shook her hair out and reached for a knit cardigan. "Katie, you're going. Go get ready, please."
Katie exhaled a heavy and dramatic breath. Defeated, she climbed off the bed and batted her round brown eyes at Buffy, who did not cave.
"Go." Buffy said, firmly standing her ground, immuned to her daughter's pout.
"C'mon, Liam," the girl helped the toddler off of the bed. "We gotta go to school."
Buffy smirked at the children dragging their feet. "Guys."
The children slowly turned to Buffy.
"It's December." She said, the corners of her mouth tugging upwards into a smile.
Like a drop of a dime, the children's spirits lifted and they jumped up and down shouting, "It's December! It's December!" Katie hopped out of the bedroom with the boy following in tow.
Shaking her head at the children's ridiculousness, Buffy softly smiled and faced Angelus, who had been gawking at the entire interaction with severe confusion.
Not noticing her husband's comical bafflement, Buffy walked over to him. She circled her arms around his neck and kissed his mouth.
Still in a state of shock, Angelus did not respond to the kiss, which only added to his mystification.
Untangling her arms around his neck, Buffy sat down on the edge of the bed. She picked up comfy fuzzy slipper socks from the floor and put them on her feet. "It's December," she said. "Did you remember to put Hans out last night?"
Angelus stared at her as if she had grown ten heads. "Excuse me?"
"Hans? The kids' Elf on the Shelf thing." She stood from the bed and closed the cardigan sweater around her front. "Oh, c'mon, Angel. I asked you to do one thing last night before you came to bed." Frustrated, Buffy scoffed. "Ugh, fine. I'll handle it. You keep the kids from coming downstairs for ten minutes." She headed out of the bedroom room, leaving Angelus still frozen where he stood.
Kids? The knot in Angelus' chest tightened, not yet coming to the realisation that those kids were perhaps his.
Kids? Buffy? The Suburbs? What happened to my life? Angelus rubbed a hand over his face. His heart raced in his chest, convinced it was going to explode and he'll wake up and realise this was all a very, very strange and unnerving dream.
Poking his head out into the hallway, Angelus glanced to the right and then the left, finding the coast clear.
He tiptoed out of the bedroom and saw the girl named Katie sitting on the floor and putting on her shoes.
Swallowing, Angelus headed for the stairs when he looked to his right. He flinched, startled to see the boy. Angelus had not caught the name of the toddler standing in the doorway, staring up at him.
Angelus held a finger over his lips, silently signally to the child to stay quiet. The boy smiled a toothy grin then turned back into the bedroom giving Angelus the opportunity to make a run for it.
Sprinting down the stairs in a panic, Angelus headed straight for the front door. He grabbed the boots by the door and hopped into them then grabbed a set of car keys hanging on a hook. He threw the front door open and ran outside, down the steps of the porch to the drive where he paused.
Hearing the commotion in the foyer, Buffy stepped out of the kitchen, into the dining room before reaching the foyer to see Angelus running out the door.
With a frown, Buffy cocked her head to one side. "Angel?" She followed Angelus outside and stood on the porch.
Angelus' hands were in his hair, he stared at the driveway in horror.
"What the… Where's my car?" He asked, his voice shrill with panic. Angelus stared slack jawed at a dark green 2007 Jeep Cherokee parked in the driveway instead of his beloved 1967 Plymouth GTX.
"Angel? What the hell are you doing out here? It's freezing." Buffy folded her arms across her chest.
"My car!" Angelus shouted. "Where's my 1967 Plymouth GTX?" He pointed at the Jeep then walked towards the rear in total disbelief.
Raising the arch of her brow, Buffy calmly walked down the steps of the porch and stood behind him as he paced back and forth. "Your 'precious' car is in the garage."
Angelus whirled around to see Buffy walking to the garage. On a keypad, she pressed a passcode and soon the garage door lifted up.
Cautiously, Angelus approached the garage, not at all certain what he would find looming in the darkness.
"What the hell is that?" Angelus exclaimed, pointing at a beaten up and rusted 1967 Chevrolet Impala that appeared to have run since the seventies.
"That's what I keep asking." She muttered, not at all a fan of the junk that had been living their the garage since they got married.
"That's not my 1967 Plymouth GTX."
"Your what? Honey, we've never owned a 1967 Plymouth GT—whatever." Buffy watched Angelus slowly circle around the broken down vehicle in a state of disgust and puzzlement. "For years you've been insisting on fixing this hunk of rust. It's just been living in here for almost a decade."
"A decade." Angelus slowly starts backing away with the keys to the Jeep in hand. "I gotta…" He panicked, opening the driver's side door. "... I gotta go." He climbed into the car and quickly turned the key into the ignition.
"Angel!" Buffy said his name with concern. She walked to the driver's side of the Jeep, wanting to reason with him because he was not at all acting like himself. "Angel, wait! Where're you going?"
Angelus ignores her and peels out of the driveway.
"Angel!" Buffy called out to him and watched helplessly as he sped off down the quiet neighbourhood street.