Part Nine
Buffy awoke and looked over at her alarm clock. It was almost noon,
she was glad she had the day off today or Jake would have skinned her
alive. She and Angel had stayed up late into the night talking...and
kissing. Buffy smiled at the memory. Then, like the perfect gentleman
she'd known him to be, he'd said goodnight and slept on the couch
again. Not that she minded taking it slowly; after Johnny, she wasn't
sure what she wanted anyway.
She showered and dressed in a blue long-sleeved denim shirt and blue
jeans. When she walked out, she wasn't surprised to see Angel up
already, wearing a red silk shirt and black pants. She was
surprised to see Michael in his lap, happily being read to.
Angel looked up, and smiled apologetically. "I hope you don't mind.
Carly had errands to run, and her babysitter got sick on her. Carly
should be back really soon though."
"Don't worry about it," Buffy replied with a smile, sitting in a
chair across from the two. "I think he's adorable." *And you're
adorable with him, but that's for me to know and you never to find
out.* She was also glad that Michael was there, because he was likely
to deflect the awkwardness she figured would be present after their
romantic evening together.
"So are you hungry?" Angel asked. "I ordered Chinese take-out. If you
don't want that, I'll get you something else."
"Sounds fine," Buffy said. She rose to answer the knock on the
door.
"Don't," Angel stopped her. At her frown, he added, "Don't give me
that 'We're on the top floor' look, Buffy. Johnny Rivera isn't above
sacrificing a man or two to get a job done." Buffy paled, and he
sighed, adding, "Oh, that was incredibly blunt, wasn't it? I'm
sorry, Buffy. I'm sure it'll be fine, really."
He walked over to answer the door, but Buffy noticed he didn't move before
he grabbed his pistol off the table by the door. He looked back at her with
a reassuring smile after he checked the peephole. Buffy sighed in relief and he let
Carly in. "Oh good, you're finally up," Carly said to Buffy. "So all I got out of
Angel was your evening was 'nice.' You're going to give more details
than that, aren't you?" she asked eagerly, sitting next to Buffy and
gathering Michael in her lap.
"I'll let you two girl-talk," Angel said with a roll of his eyes. "I
won't be long, I do want that Chinese food." Then he walked out.
"So?" Carly prodded after he'd left.
Buffy shrugged. "It _was_ nice." At Carly's aggravated expression she
giggled, and said, "Fine, Carly, it was wonderful. Perfect. Dinner was
perfect, dancing was perfect, it was a perfect night."
"And???" Carly asked.
"And...what?" Buffy played it dumb, enjoying Carly's look of
exasperation.
"Did he _finally_ kiss you or not?" Carly asked.
"Oh, um, yeah," Buffy replied, and cursed softly as she felt herself
blushing. "It was unbelievable," she admitted. She jumped up then,
offering, "Coffee?"
"You think you're getting away that easily?" Carly followed her into
the kitchen. "And what happened then?"
"We said goodnight. I went to my bedroom and he went to the couch,"
Buffy replied.
"What?" Carly looked at her like she'd sprouted horns. "Are you
crazy?"
"No, just cautious," Buffy said. "I just got burned in a major way,
Carly. Don't tell me you don't understand that, because I have a
feeling that you do."
"Good guess," Carly replied with a shrug. "Just don't spend too much
time running, Buffy. I did that for a long time, and almost missed out
on what Sonny and I have now."
"I'm not running," Buffy said. "I'm just trying to keep some sanity
intact." She heard the doorbell, and went to the door. She checked
the peephole and saw Ritchie. She opened the door, and saw that he
was holding their Chinese take-out. "Hi Ritchie, thanks Ritchie,"
Buffy said. Ritchie nodded and returned to his post by Sonny's door.
"So, I should go," Carly said. "Michael here needs lunch and a nap.
We should all get together for dinner some time this week though."
"Definitely," Buffy agreed, taking the take-out boxes to the kitchen
table. "I'd like that, and I think Angel would too."
"Well, you know where I am if you need anything," Carly said as she
herded Michael out of the apartment.
Buffy looked over at the door as it opened and Angel walked back in.
He was hiding something behind his back, but she resolved not to
ask. She went to the kitchen to pour her coffee, pretending not to
care what he was up to. She couldn't keep a squeal of delight from
escaping her though, as a bouquet of a dozen red roses appeared in
front of her. She composed herself, and turned. She smiled up at Angel,
"Thanks. They're beautiful."
"Yeah well... I just wanted to do something to let you know that I
want to spend more evenings together like last night. I know you've
been hurt, and we can take this as slow as you want. I just hope that
you'll give me a chance."
Buffy took some time to stop her need to grin like an idiot, and
put the flowers in a vase of water. She said under her breath,
"If I regret this..."
Angel heard her. "You won't," he said. "So...?"
Buffy turned to look at him with a smile. "Yeah," she said.
Angel let out the breath he'd been holding, and smiled, "Good. Let's
eat."
"I'm starved," Buffy replied and followed him out to the dining room.
End Nine
Buffy awoke and looked over at her alarm clock. It was almost noon,
she was glad she had the day off today or Jake would have skinned her
alive. She and Angel had stayed up late into the night talking...and
kissing. Buffy smiled at the memory. Then, like the perfect gentleman
she'd known him to be, he'd said goodnight and slept on the couch
again. Not that she minded taking it slowly; after Johnny, she wasn't
sure what she wanted anyway.
She showered and dressed in a blue long-sleeved denim shirt and blue
jeans. When she walked out, she wasn't surprised to see Angel up
already, wearing a red silk shirt and black pants. She was
surprised to see Michael in his lap, happily being read to.
Angel looked up, and smiled apologetically. "I hope you don't mind.
Carly had errands to run, and her babysitter got sick on her. Carly
should be back really soon though."
"Don't worry about it," Buffy replied with a smile, sitting in a
chair across from the two. "I think he's adorable." *And you're
adorable with him, but that's for me to know and you never to find
out.* She was also glad that Michael was there, because he was likely
to deflect the awkwardness she figured would be present after their
romantic evening together.
"So are you hungry?" Angel asked. "I ordered Chinese take-out. If you
don't want that, I'll get you something else."
"Sounds fine," Buffy said. She rose to answer the knock on the
door.
"Don't," Angel stopped her. At her frown, he added, "Don't give me
that 'We're on the top floor' look, Buffy. Johnny Rivera isn't above
sacrificing a man or two to get a job done." Buffy paled, and he
sighed, adding, "Oh, that was incredibly blunt, wasn't it? I'm
sorry, Buffy. I'm sure it'll be fine, really."
He walked over to answer the door, but Buffy noticed he didn't move before
he grabbed his pistol off the table by the door. He looked back at her with
a reassuring smile after he checked the peephole. Buffy sighed in relief and he let
Carly in. "Oh good, you're finally up," Carly said to Buffy. "So all I got out of
Angel was your evening was 'nice.' You're going to give more details
than that, aren't you?" she asked eagerly, sitting next to Buffy and
gathering Michael in her lap.
"I'll let you two girl-talk," Angel said with a roll of his eyes. "I
won't be long, I do want that Chinese food." Then he walked out.
"So?" Carly prodded after he'd left.
Buffy shrugged. "It _was_ nice." At Carly's aggravated expression she
giggled, and said, "Fine, Carly, it was wonderful. Perfect. Dinner was
perfect, dancing was perfect, it was a perfect night."
"And???" Carly asked.
"And...what?" Buffy played it dumb, enjoying Carly's look of
exasperation.
"Did he _finally_ kiss you or not?" Carly asked.
"Oh, um, yeah," Buffy replied, and cursed softly as she felt herself
blushing. "It was unbelievable," she admitted. She jumped up then,
offering, "Coffee?"
"You think you're getting away that easily?" Carly followed her into
the kitchen. "And what happened then?"
"We said goodnight. I went to my bedroom and he went to the couch,"
Buffy replied.
"What?" Carly looked at her like she'd sprouted horns. "Are you
crazy?"
"No, just cautious," Buffy said. "I just got burned in a major way,
Carly. Don't tell me you don't understand that, because I have a
feeling that you do."
"Good guess," Carly replied with a shrug. "Just don't spend too much
time running, Buffy. I did that for a long time, and almost missed out
on what Sonny and I have now."
"I'm not running," Buffy said. "I'm just trying to keep some sanity
intact." She heard the doorbell, and went to the door. She checked
the peephole and saw Ritchie. She opened the door, and saw that he
was holding their Chinese take-out. "Hi Ritchie, thanks Ritchie,"
Buffy said. Ritchie nodded and returned to his post by Sonny's door.
"So, I should go," Carly said. "Michael here needs lunch and a nap.
We should all get together for dinner some time this week though."
"Definitely," Buffy agreed, taking the take-out boxes to the kitchen
table. "I'd like that, and I think Angel would too."
"Well, you know where I am if you need anything," Carly said as she
herded Michael out of the apartment.
Buffy looked over at the door as it opened and Angel walked back in.
He was hiding something behind his back, but she resolved not to
ask. She went to the kitchen to pour her coffee, pretending not to
care what he was up to. She couldn't keep a squeal of delight from
escaping her though, as a bouquet of a dozen red roses appeared in
front of her. She composed herself, and turned. She smiled up at Angel,
"Thanks. They're beautiful."
"Yeah well... I just wanted to do something to let you know that I
want to spend more evenings together like last night. I know you've
been hurt, and we can take this as slow as you want. I just hope that
you'll give me a chance."
Buffy took some time to stop her need to grin like an idiot, and
put the flowers in a vase of water. She said under her breath,
"If I regret this..."
Angel heard her. "You won't," he said. "So...?"
Buffy turned to look at him with a smile. "Yeah," she said.
Angel let out the breath he'd been holding, and smiled, "Good. Let's
eat."
"I'm starved," Buffy replied and followed him out to the dining room.
End Nine