Note from Rain: My cousin Sunny wrote this fanfic, I'm just posting it for her because she cannot. Also, I really am not a retard who can't name chapters right, really :) The prologue took the place of chapter one so everything afterwards is shifted. ie: chapter 3 is called chapter4 when posted. Confused yet? I think I am.
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon is the god of the Buffiverse. I just borrowed his children for some fun. All the characters in this story belong to him, except the evil ones who belong to Rain. Thanks Rain for letting me play with them.
I Do
by Sunny
CHAPTER THREE
After Buffy left the shop, Angel strolled over to the weapons closet and pulled out a small battle-ax. Then he picked up some stakes and put them into the pocket of the leather duster, the so-called sexy one that Cordelia had advised him to keep. He certainly hoped Buffy thought he looked sexy in it.
"Where are you going?" Cordy asked. She had been following his movements and now asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
"Patrolling," he said shortly and headed for the door. He didn't want to waste any time in catching up with Buffy.
"You're going to follow her aren't you?" Riley asked between clenched teeth.
"But you promised," Willow reminded him. She was looking at him with reproach. She didn't approve of broken promises.
Neither did Angel. "No I didn't," Angel replied. "I only said I wouldn't insist on going with her and I didn't." There was no way he was going to let her go alone. He was perfectly content to let her think she was alone, though. He sensed that it was important to her. She needed to go out there and face this threat to her safety alone. He also understood her need to eliminate any distractions. She was right when she had said that a distraction could get her killed. But he wouldn't be a distraction. In fact she wouldn't even know he was there unless she needed him.
Willow gave him a sunny smile and said, "My aren't you the sneaky one. I see that humanity hasn't taken away your whole cryptic, sneak around in the dark side."
"Yep, that's our Angel," Cordelia said. "He can sneak around with the best of them." Then she turned her attention back to the book she had been looking at. She knew Angel could handle himself.
Angel shook his head and headed for the door to the magic shop only to be stopped by Riley. "I am going with you," he said. He still had the sword in his hand and had stuffed a few stakes into the pockets of his jeans.
"No you are not," Angel said glaring at his nemesis. "I can't be stealthy with you bumbling along beside me."
Riley drew himself up to his full height. He was a little taller than Angel, and that gave him some much-needed confidence. He didn't have that whole broody, flowing black coat thing going for him and that seemed to attract Buffy. "I can sneak around with the best of them, too. In fact I did it professionally when I first came to Sunnydale, as you might recall."
"I remember, but this isn't playing at being a soldier. This is serious. Buffy's life is at stake, and she would be furious if she found out we had followed her."
"I am not letting you go after her by yourself," Riley said. His hand clenched on the handle of the sword. There was no way he was going to let Buffy be alone in the dark with her former lover. "The only way you can keep me from going would be to knock me out again." Riley let the challenge hang in the air. He knew that he had won from the look on Angel's face. He had been hoping that the ex-vamp's promise to Buffy would get him what he wanted.
"Fine," Angel said. He couldn't understand what Buffy saw in this guy. Riley was jealous. Sure he had reason to be, but Angel wasn't going after Buffy to score points, in fact if she found out he would probably lose points. No, he was going after her to protect her. "But just to let you know, that saving Buffy's life is the most important thing to me right now. I don't have any other agenda. Yet," Angel added under his breath.
Riley was a little ashamed. He was concerned about Buffy as well, but if pressed he would have to admit that it was jealousy that had made him insist on going with Angel. But, he was only a little ashamed. He had caught that mumbled 'yet' and knew that soon he was going to lose Buffy. I'm not going to let her go without a fight, he promised himself as he followed his rival out of the magic shop.
******
Ten minutes later, Angel slowed his walk to a stroll and held up his hand in warning. They had finally caught up with Buffy in Weatherby Park. She was sitting on a bench listening intently to the sounds of the night. Angel knew her Slayer senses would be on alert. He quietly walked over to a clump of bushes that was about 150 yards from where the Slayer was sitting and hid behind them.
Riley followed wishing he still had his army fatigues. He felt conspicuous in his blue jeans and light blue shirt. He looked in disgust at the black coat that enveloped Angel. Not only was the damn thing sexy, but it was useful too. He squatted down next to the ex vampire and turned his attention back to Buffy. He didn't understand why she was just sitting there.
Angel, however, understood completely, and he swore under his breath. She was using herself as bait. Not a bad plan really, but these demons, or whatever they were, seemed to be a little too smart for that. He didn't think they would attack her while she was waiting for them. That didn't mean that other, more stupid creatures of the night might not take advantage of the young flesh just sitting there. And while she was distracted with fighting them off, he was afraid the real threat would close in for the kill. Even if Buffy never forgave him, he was glad he had come.
Oblivious, to her tag alongs, Buffy sat on the park bench waiting. Listening for any sounds that might indicate that there was something out there in the dark. She sat illuminated in a patch of light given off by a decorative street lamp. After ten minutes of just sitting there her mind began to wander. She thought about Angel and she thought about Riley. If she was reading Angel correctly she was going to have to make a decision. She was going to have to choose between the two of them.
Her heart, she knew was shouting at her to choose Angel. He was her soulmate, the love of her life. The one man in all the world that could be the partner of the one girl in all the world blah, blah, blah. He understood her better than anyone else ever had. He got the whole Slayer thing. He got how important it was, how it was such a part of her. And of course he was the sexiest man she had ever seen. Even now just thinking about him sent a spiral of heat racing through her. She remembered the one night they had made love. It had ended badly, very badly, but making love with Angel had been the most wonderful experience of her life. She had felt like she was truly one with him. She had never felt that way with Riley and knew she never would. She would never have that all-consuming passion with Riley. The passion that left her quaking with need even now, when she knew she should be concentrating on her surroundings. Suddenly she was very glad Angel was not with her.
Her head however was screaming at her to choose Riley. Her rational brain dredged up all the memories of Angel leaving her. Could she really trust that he would stick around? She had been devastated when she had woken up in his bed to find him gone. She had been afraid that he had left because she had been inadequate in some way. She now knew the real reason behind his leaving, but that didn't stop the pain she still felt. She was always relieved when she woke up to find Riley still lying next to her in bed. And of course there was the memory of Angel leaving her to go to LA. He had told her it was for her own good. That he was leaving so she could have a normal life. She bowed her head and tried to will away the tears that threatened to fall. The last thing she needed right now was to start bawling. She took in a few deep breaths and tried not to think about him turning away from her and walking out of her life. That ranked right up there with sending him to Hell as the worst day of her life. Both of those times she had felt so alone. Standing there in the aftermath of battle knowing that he wouldn't be coming up to her and asking if she was all right, was the worst she had ever felt in her life. Her gut twisted with remembered pain. After she had sent him to Hell, she had run away, and she had wanted to run again when he had left her for a new life somewhere else. Being with Angel brought her ecstatic joy, and devastating despair. If she let him back into her life, which one would he bring her? She didn't think she could go through the pain again. She didn't think she was strong enough to get through the black pit of despair she would be in if he left her.
Riley, on the other hand, was steady and reliable. He would never leave her. He would stay with her until her Slaying duties took her life. He would never cause her any pain, of course he would never give her the utter happiness she had experienced with Angel either. She truly cared about Riley, but she didn't have any illusions about her feelings. She loved the idea of being in love with him more than anything else. It was safe for her to love him. The question now, was did she want to stay safe or could she place her trust in Angel? She honestly didn't know. She had been prepared to settle on a life with Riley. She had been prepared to marry for affection, caring and physical attraction. She had been prepared to live the rest of her life without the blinding passion she had known with Angel. With Angel suddenly back in her life, was she still willing to settle?
Buffy reached up a hand to smooth the creases from her forehead. All of this thinking was giving her one hell of a headache. She rolled her head trying to work the kinks out of her neck. Then she yawned. Suddenly she was really tired. Buffy yawned again and jumped up from the park bench. She needed action to keep her awake and apparently she wasn't going to find it in the park. It was time to check the cemeteries.
As she moved away from the circle of light and into the darkness Buffy heard a slight rustling of leaves behind her. She slowed her walk but kept striding towards the park entrance. Her Slayer senses alert. Something was out there. Maybe she would find some action out here after all. As she reached the sidewalk outside the park she heard a soft footfall. Any normal human would not have been able to hear it, but then she was anything but normal. Buffy grinned and tightened her grip on the crossbow. Then she stopped to listen to her surroundings again. She closed her eyes and waited for the feeling she got whenever a vampire was around. She had honed her skills in the last five years and now she could pick out a vamp even in a crowd by just using her senses. Buffy opened her eyes and frowned. Something was definitely out there, but it wasn't a vampire. It was human.
"Riley, I know you're out there," Buffy said with a sigh. She reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Her headache was getting worse and she didn't really want to deal with this right now.
Silently, Angel cursed. He should have known better than to take Rambo along. He looked at Riley and shook his head. He willed him to stay absolutely still and quiet.
Buffy sighed again. "Come on out. I know you are there." She was starting to get very angry now. He had broken his promise to her. And here I was thinking I could trust him.
Riley looked at Angel again, waiting for his silent advice. He knew he had blown it. He should have been more careful. Angel shrugged his shoulders and made little shooing motions with his hands. He had heard the anger in Buffy's voice and knew she wouldn't rest until Riley had shown himself. Angel still had hopes of remaining hidden and to do that he knew he would have to sacrifice Riley to Buffy's anger. Of course he didn't actually mind doing that. The great big buffoon would lose whatever points he had gained by being at the receiving end of his fist.
Buffy had turned to look back into the darkness and stood with one hand on her hip and one foot tapping in impatience. The arm holding her crossbow hung casually at her side. She was no longer worried about nighttime predators.
Riley came out of the darkness and walked up to her a wary expression on his face. "How did you know I was there?" he asked. He couldn't believe she had heard him. It was humiliating after all of his army training.
"I heard you," Buffy said. "Riley, I thought I told you that I didn't want you coming along on this little mission." She glared at him and the hand on her waist balled into a fist. She was very tempted to hit him. "You promised me that you would stay behind," she added her voice throbbing with anger.
"I couldn't let you go alone," Riley replied softly. "I had to be here to protect you."
Something in his tone alerted Buffy. His words had a double meaning. She was sure of it. "But you promised me, Riley. I need you to do what I ask. This isn't some whim I have, this is important stuff. This is Slayer stuff, Riley. You've known the score for a long time and I can't have you putting your life at risk just because you're jealous of my responsibilities. I thought you understood that having to save you would be a distraction that I don't need right now." Buffy reached up and rubbed at her forehead again. The headache was now so bad that she could hardly keep her eyes open.
"I can handle myself," Riley said almost defiantly. He hated that she thought he was weak like Xander. And he was getting tired of being the only one in trouble here. He looked back into the darkness. "Probably as well as Angel can."
"What?" Buffy asked. Why had he mentioned Angel and then suddenly she knew. She couldn't believe she hadn't felt him before, but she could feel him now. It was a wonderful feeling. It was wonderful to know that the connection was still there. It was wonderful to know that he still cared enough about her to stalk her. Of course she was angry too. "Angel come out. I know you're there. Skulking."
"I never skulk," Angel replied as he materialized beside her. He glared at Riley. He couldn't believe the creep had given him away. She would never have known he was there if good old Riley hadn't said anything. Actually, Riley hadn't said all that much. Angel looked at Buffy with intense eyes and gave her his sexy little half smile. She had felt him. The connection was still there. He had been a bit worried that it had been lost over the five years he had been away. He felt like shouting with joy. She had felt him. "At least I almost never skulk."
Buffy just looked at him, the pain in her head and her fatigue washing over her. "I don't suppose I could convince you to return to the magic shop?" she asked Angel. And she knew that if Angel stayed Riley would as well. He was protecting her from Angel.
"No," Angel said. "Either I come with you openly or I trail behind you. It's your decision, but I am not leaving." Angel stood his ground and crossed his arms waiting for her decision. He didn't like the look in her eyes. She desperately needed backup because she was practically asleep on her feet. If she ran into anything dangerous, even a newbie vamp, she would be in a lot of trouble.
Buffy yawned and waved her crossbow hand around in the air. "Fine," she said and started to walk away from the park. When her two shadows didn't immediately fall into to step behind her she turned and looked at them. "Well, are you coming or not?"
Buffy started off again actually glad when Riley and Angel moved to walk beside her. She was so very, very tired. She knew she would need their help if she ran into anything even slightly dangerous. But that knowledge did not lessen the anger she felt towards the two macho men. The trio moved off towards the cemetery not saying anything, but just looking for any monsters that might be lurking, laying in wait to attack the Slayer.
"Just because I let you come along doesn't mean I'm happy about it," Buffy said after awhile. They had checked six of the twelve cemeteries in Sunnydale without running into anything. She was a little frustrated. If someone was out to kill her, she would rather that they did it now than later.
"You didn't really let me come along," Angel replied. They had reached cemetery number seven and he was trying to concentrate on the rows of gravestones and tombs.
Buffy shrugged her shoulders. She didn't really care about the details. She just wanted to be angry with him so that he couldn't sense her relief at his presence. "Will I have to be the one protecting you instead of you protecting me?"
Angel stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at her. He hadn't realized that she didn't know all the details about his humanity. He should have explained it to her. "I guess I should have told you this before, but the PTB that Cordy is always complaining about were actually very good to me."
"Meaning?" Buffy had stopped walking as well and they were now facing each other. She was dimly aware of Riley standing behind her. Well, at least my back will be protected.
"I retained most of my speed and strength after the transformation," Angel said. "I am not quite up to par with the demon strength I had, but I can hold my own quite well. In fact you might say I am the male version of the Slayer. I even heal quickly." Angel stepped closer to the girl that he loved and reached out a hand to touch her cheek. He ignored Riley's cough and stroked her soft skin. "I can still be your guardian Angel."
"Great just what the world needs, another Slayer," Buffy quipped. Then her gaze focused on something she saw over Angel's shoulder. "Well, I hope you are telling me the truth about your Slayer-like abilities because I think you are going to need them." Buffy raised her crossbow and took aim. "Duck," she yelled at Angel as she pulled the trigger. The bolt caught a vampire in the chest and he exploded with a look of surprise on his face.
At Buffy's words Angel had turned to look at whatever she saw over his shoulder. He ducked when she yelled at him and then used the momentum of straightening from his position to launch himself at another vampire. The two rolled on the ground and he managed to place a stake against the vamp's chest. He used the roll to press the sharp wooden stick into the heart. Another vampire exploded into a pile of dust. He got off the ground and dusted off his hands. Angel looked around to make sure that Buffy was okay. She was just righting herself from a lunging position. She pulled her stake arm back towards her as the third and final vamp also turned to dust.
"Well, that was bracing," Buffy said as she tucked the stake back into her waistband. She had learned not to waste her stakes. Then she scanned the area for more vampires. When she didn't sense any more she stooped down and retrieved her crossbow.
"It certainly was," Riley agreed although he was a little put out because he hadn't seen any action.
"Lets check the other cemeteries," Buffy replied with a yawn. "And quickly too, okay guys. I am really tired." Buffy rubbed her forehead again. Her headache hadn't gone away.
"Are you okay?" Angel asked with concern. He reached out to steady Buffy as she tripped over the edge of the sidewalk.
"Yeah, just tired I guess. Come on lets get this done so I can go home and get some sleep."
Buffy moved off in the direction of cemetery number eight with her bodyguards following closely behind. They made a quick tour of the four remaining burial grounds without incident and headed back to Buffy's house. Both Riley and Angel had decided that they were going to make sure she got home safely. When they reached Buffy's house Angel told her he was going to go report to Giles leaving Riley to accompany Buffy into the house. What they didn't know was that Angel called Giles on his cell phone and then climbed up onto the roof to sit outside Buffy's window. There was no way he was going to leave her tonight. Something funky was going on, to borrow an expression of Buffy's. He was concerned about how tired Buffy was and thought that it might have something to do with the demons that were trying to kill her. He just didn't know how, so he was going to stay as close to her as possible. He could have muscled his way into the house, but he knew she didn't need an argument right now. Right now she needed sleep, and he was going to keep her safe. It was the only way he could express the love he felt for her.
*****
Inside the house Riley was thanking his lucky stars that Angel had willingly left Buffy in his care. He hadn't been alone with her all day, and this after all was supposed to have been his wedding day. Actually, he was having a hard time believing it was the same day. It felt like a whole week had gone by.
Now he just had to convince Buffy to let him stay the night with her. He turned from locking the door and found her sitting on the stairs frowning at him. Great, she's still mad at me.
"I couldn't let you go alone," he said in his defense.
"I told you I could handle it," Buffy returned. She swayed slightly as she stood up from her seat and had to grab onto the railing for support.
"Buffy, is that you?" Joyce called from the top of the stairs. She hadn't seen her daughter all day and had been extremely concerned about her. She had been grateful when Willow had finally remembered to call her and let her know that Slayer business had kept Buffy from contacting her. Joyce had known about her daughter being the Slayer for seven years now, but she still hated it. Why couldn't fate have chosen someone else's daughter? Someone moved next to Buffy and she realized that Riley was with her. "Well, now that I know you are home safely I guess I'll go to bed."
Buffy sighed and turned to go up to her room. She was slightly annoyed when Riley followed. "I don't need your protection now, Angel isn't even here," she snapped.
"Buffy, could you please tell me what I did that was so wrong? I love you and I just wanted to keep you safe," Riley said. He dogged her steps all the way to her room and then had to put his hand out to keep her from slamming the door in his face. He pushed the door open and followed her into her room.
"You broke your promise to me," Buffy replied. She longed to take him by the neck and throw him out of her room, but she just didn't have the strength for that. She closed her eyes and willed him to leave her alone. She was too tired to be having this discussion right now, couldn't he see that.
"So did Angel," Riley pointed out.
"What?" Buffy asked as her eyes popped open. "No he didn't. He never actually promised me that he would stay at the magic shop. He only said he wouldn't insist on coming with me, and he didn't." Buffy smiled slightly. It seemed he hadn't lost his cryptic guy act.
Riley sighed as he watched her sit on her bed to pull off her boots. "I still don't understand why you are so mad at me. You aren't mad at Angel and yet we committed the same crime for the exact same reason, your safety."
Unsteadily Buffy got to her feet and walked over to stand in front of Riley. She tipped her head back so that she could look into his eyes. "Of course I am mad at Angel." Do we really need to be discussing this now? Buffy brought her hand up to cover another yawn.
"No, Buffy you aren't. When you caught me following you, you gave me a lecture. When Angel appeared everything was all fine and dandy. Please tell me why it was so different with Angel. Is it because you are still in love with him?"
"Riley, I am too tired to be having this discussion right now. Can't we talk about this tomorrow?" Buffy asked. She didn't want to have answer his questions, because in her heart she knew he was right. She hadn't been angry with Angel. She had been relieved that he still cared enough about her to make sure she was safe.
"No, we have to talk about it right now. Look, Buffy this is the only time we've been alone all day. Tomorrow is going to be the same and I think I deserve to have my questions answered. I am your fiancée after all," Riley explained. In his anger he failed to see just how tired she was. He tried to reach out and stroke her hair, but she ducked away from him.
"Fine, you want to talk lets talk," Buffy said anger pouring off of her in waves. She couldn't believe he was being so selfish, again. She really was about to drop from exhaustion, which was kind of weird. "If Angel hadn't followed me would you have?" It was a question calculated to make her point.
Riley looked away from her uncomfortable with the question. He looked back at her and saw her staring at him with anger in her eyes. Suddenly he realized that he was on dangerous ground. Buffy raised her eyebrows prompting him to speak. "No," he finally admitted.
"So, you followed me out of pure jealousy. You didn't want me to be alone in the dark with Angel. What did you think was going to happen, that he would appear out of the darkness with his coat flowing behind him and I would fall on top of him like a teenager with overactive hormones? Did you picture us having sex among the tombstones?" Her voice throbbed with her anger and the pain that continued to pound in her head.
Riley hung his head in shame. When she put it like that it did sound ridiculous. "He broke up our wedding," he pointed out. Although he was a little ashamed of himself, he still felt like his concerns were justified.
"No, Cordy's vision interrupted our wedding. How many times do I have to tell you that my duty as the Slayer has to come before anything else? You seem to forget that being the Slayer is not my job, it is my destiny."
"Fine, I concede the point for now, but that doesn't explain why you aren't angry with your ex-lover," Riley said. He still didn't get it, and he desperately wanted her to have some other reason besides the fact that she was still in love with HIM.
Buffy rubbed her forehead and stifled another yawn. Without saying a word she opened her door and went into the bathroom across the hall. She took some aspirin hoping that it would help with the headache. Unfortunately, Riley was waiting for her when she got back to the room.
"Angel, followed me not out of jealousy, but because he was truly concerned with my safety," Buffy said.
"I was concerned for your safety," Riley insisted.
Buffy just shook her head. He had already admitted that if Angel had stayed put he would have as well. "I know you were concerned for my safety, but you were more concerned about me being alone with Angel. He didn't have any other motive for following me. He just wanted to keep me safe, not from a rival lover, but from the things that are trying to kill me. I guess that is why I am not mad at him. His motive was to keep me alive pure and simple. Besides I would never have known he was there. He has tracked me many times before and I never knew he was there unless he wanted me to. He understands that the distraction of having to look after anyone else could very well get me killed. Now would you please leave me alone? I am tired and I would like to go to sleep," Buffy said the anger still evident in her voice.
Riley started to object but he didn't get a chance to get the words out because Buffy's eyes rolled back in her head and she started to faint. Riley caught her just before she hit the floor and picked her up in his arms. He gently placed her on her bed and began rubbing her hands. Her eyes flickered open and she looked around in confusion.
"What happened?" she asked groggily.
"You fainted," Riley explained. He walked over to the closet and pulled some silk pajamas out of her suitcase.
"I never faint," Buffy said indignation plainly evident in her voice. She allowed Riley to help her into her pajamas and then she got back into bed.
Riley pulled the covers up to her chin and kissed her on the forehead. He turned off the lamp next to the bed and then turned back to her to ask if he could stay the night, but she was already asleep. He sighed as he pulled a chair up close to the bed. He wanted to crawl into bed and hold her sleeping form close to him, but he wasn't sure she would like that right now. She was still very angry with him and he didn't want to press his luck. He intended to stay up all night keeping watch over her but after about an hour his eyes closed and his head fell back against the chair. He was deeply asleep and didn't notice that Buffy was becoming agitated. She started mumbling in her sleep and her arms began to flail about, like she was fighting someone or something.
Outside, from his uncomfortable perch on the roof, Angel did notice Buffy's thrashing about. He had assumed his position towards the end of the lover's quarrel and had wanted to charge in and defend Buffy. Couldn't the idiot see how tired she is? Angel wondered in disbelief. That was one of the reasons he hadn't insisted on coming into the house with her. He had had to grit his teeth and sit on his hands to keep himself from launching through the window and into the room when Buffy fainted. He had managed to restrain himself, but just barely. She didn't look like she needed any more problems and his presence would have been a problem. He was glad when she fell immediately asleep and seemed to be sleeping peacefully. He was even happier when Riley chose to sit in the chair instead of getting into bed with Buffy.
Watching that would have too painful for him. The thought of the two of them in bed together led his mind back to happier times. Times when he had been able to hold her as she slept. Times when her warm, soft body had been pressed against his trustingly. Her trust had meant everything to him. She had even given it back to him when he had returned from Hell. He hadn't expected her to ever forgive him, but she had. And then, they had been able to spend more nights together with her cuddled up close to him. His arms ached to hold her again and his heart thumped louder with the memories of other nights. He shook his head to banish those memories and that is when he noticed her agitation. She was obviously having a nightmare.
Angel let his eyes drift over towards Riley wondering if Rambo was going to wake her from her nightmare. Then he noticed that Riley had fallen asleep. He shook his head. It seemed that Soldier Boy had no staying power. Angel's eyes came back to Buffy as his hands reached out to pull the window open. Not wanting to rush to the rescue unless she really needed him, he sat back and continued to watch her.
Buffy continued to thrash around kicking the covers off of her. After a few minutes she settled down and Angel let out a sigh of relief, until he heard her start to cry. He looked over at Riley, who was still asleep. Buffy started to thrash around again as she continued to cry. Angel made his decision to wake her and climbed into the room through the window. He slowly walked around to Buffy and then stood and watched her carefully as tears streamed down her face. She was mumbling something in her sleep, but he couldn't tell what she was saying. Her dream seemed to be upsetting her.
"No!" Buffy shouted punching an invisible assailant.
This got Riley's attention and he jerked awake. He saw Angel standing over Buffy and was about to attack him when Buffy cried out again.
"No!"
Angel, who hadn't noticed Riley standing behind him sat down on the bed next to Buffy and pulled her still sleeping form into his arms. "Shh, shh, shh," he crooned. "Its all right Buffy. Everything is going to be okay."
"No!" she shouted again, but her violent movements had stilled.
"Buffy, wake up. It's only a dream," Angel said as he rocked her like she was a tiny baby in need of comfort. "Buffy, please wake up. Its time to join us here in the real world."
By this time Buffy was curled up against him and seemed to be drawing comfort from his voice. Then she struggled one last time and yelled, "Angel!" before waking up. Her blue eyes were confused and filled with tears. Realizing that Angel hadn't actually been killed she threw her arms around him and began to sob loudly.
"You're alive," she whispered brokenly through her tears. Buffy hugged his firm body even closer and inhaled the scent that belonged only to Angel. "You're alive."
"Of course I am," Angel answered and he bent down to place a kiss on the top of her head. He was whispering also. He didn't want Riley to hear them. This seemed to be something that should be kept between Buffy and himself.
"What happened, Buffy?" Riley asked. He wasn't about to let Angel keep him out of the conversation.
Buffy pulled away from Angel slightly so she could look at Riley. She gave him a perplexed look, like she was trying to figure out who he was. She shrugged her shoulders as if giving up and turned her gaze back to Angel. She opened her mouth and said the one thing that Angel had never expected to hear her say, "I remember."
*****
Angel's arms fell away from Buffy and he stood up in shock. She couldn't actually be talking about what he thought she was talking about. She wasn't supposed to remember, he said to himself.
Buffy looked at him, hurt and confusion evident in her expression. She didn't understand why he had pulled away from her. "Angel, I remember," she repeated.
Angel continued to stand staring at her. No, no, she couldn't be talking about that. She must mean something else. He was trying so hard to convince himself. He had always dreamed that she would remember that magical night they had spent together five years ago, when he had been human. But he never thought she would actually remember. He didn't want to get his hopes up.
Riley was very confused. He kept shifting his gaze between the two. There was something going on between them that he didn't know about. He didn't like it at all. He had sensed their connection earlier, but this was something different. "Buffy?" he questioned softly. He needed to have this explained to him.
Buffy turned her gaze away from Angel's still form and looked at Riley. She frowned at him still confused by his presence. "Riley, what are you doing here?"
Angel jerked at Buffy's question turning towards Riley. He had to get him out of here. He needed to talk to Buffy about her dream.
"I….I," Riley began. He didn't know what to say. How could she have forgotten he was there?
Buffy shook her head trying to clear the cobwebs from her brain. She desperately wanted to believe that the scenes she had seen in her dream had been true. "Riley, I need to speak with Angel. Alone. Could you please leave?" She didn't want to hurt him, but she needed to know if her dream had been true. She thought it might be from Angel's reaction.
"I am not going to leave you alone with him," Riley declared in outrage. He glared at Angel and stood his ground.
"Fine then we'll leave," Buffy said and swung her legs off of the bed. As she stood up her knees collapsed out from under her and she sat down heavily on the bed. What is wrong with me, she cried silently and turned to look at Angel a heartfelt appeal in her eyes.
Angel walked up to Riley grabbing his arm. He swiftly spun the ex-soldier around so that his arm was pinned behind his back. Angel frog marched Riley to the door and shoved him out into the hallway. "Don't even think about coming back in here," Angel told him with a soft growl. He still had a bit of the predator in him and he let his rival see that. Then he slammed the door shut in Riley's face.
Angel pushed Buffy down on to the bed and pulled the chair closer so that he could sit and hold her hand. He gently traced the lines on her hand then placed a soft kiss on her palm.
"Its true, isn't it?" Buffy asked when she could speak again. The feelings that were raging through her body had momentarily left her speechless when he had kissed her hand. "I can tell by your face that it is."
Not sure if he could handle that particular discussion right now he decided to distract her. "Why don't you tell me about your dream?" he asked.
Buffy shook her head in impatience, but she decided to answer him. She closed her eyes and tried to dredge up the images she had seen. "I was in the cemetery fighting something. I couldn't see what it was. They would attack me from behind and then when I turned towards them they disappeared. They managed to knock me to the ground and when I got up I was in an alley facing you. It was the first time I had ever seen you. You gave me the cross. You told me you didn't bite."
"I remember," Angel said. He squeezed her hand as the memory washed over him. He had been so proud of the way she had handled herself. He had even been proud of the way she had caught him off guard knocking him to the ground. "What happened next?" he prompted.
"Everything," Buffy said. "All of it in graphic detail. I saw flashes of everything that had happened between the two of us. I saw the night of my seventeenth birthday."
Angel smiled and kissed her palm again. He remembered that night too. It had been one of two of the best nights of his very long life.
"I saw you after you had turned. You said the same horrible things to me. There was the fight in the factory after you had killed Jenny." Buffy let out a sob and said, "Then we were fighting in the mansion. I had to kill you. Angel, I am so sorry. I never told you that before. I am so sorry. I didn't want to kill you, but I had to." She continued to cry and Angel moved onto the bed and pulled her back into his arms. The pain of that night swept through her and she clung to him while she sobbed her heart out. She hadn't cried over that night in a very long time, but it was obviously a wound that had never healed completely.
"Buffy, there is nothing to forgive," Angel assured her. He hated seeing her so unhappy about an incident that had happened so long ago. She wasn't supposed to brood about the past. That was his job. "The fault was all mine. I put you in that position. I was never angry with you."
"It wasn't really you," Buffy objected. "It was HIM." The last was said with such loathing, that Angel knew the scars went deep. He had never wanted to hurt her. He had only wanted to love her.
"Then what?" he asked. He didn't want her to dwell on that night. He had never realized the hell she had been in after she had sent him into the netherworld with Acathla.
"Then you were back in my life. At first I thought you were a monster. I thought you had killed someone. You saved my life." Buffy was sobbing so loudly that Riley, who was waiting in the hallway, could hear her. He wanted to burst into the room, but Angel's threat kept him out.
"I had kind of gotten into the habit," Angel joked. He too had painful memories of that time. He had been so confused when he had returned from Hell. It wasn't until he had seen someone trying to hurt Buffy that he seemed to come to his senses.
"We tried to stay away from each other. But it was too hard." Buffy smiled at him through her tears and touched his cheek. She had some good memories of that time. "You taught me Tai Chi." The look in her eyes made him want to kiss her, but she chose that moment to continue telling him about her dream. "You broke up with me in a sewer. A sewer, Angel. Couldn't you have picked a better place?"
Angel didn't have anything to say to that. It was just another item on the long list of memories that were painful for them both.
"Faith tried to kill you. I couldn't have lived without you, even if you left me I needed you to be alive. I tried to get Faith's blood to cure you, but I failed. I know you didn't want to drink from me. I know you would rather have died, but I couldn't let you go."
Angel hugged her closer, remembering the taste of her blood in his mouth. He had never tasted anything so good in his entire life. Never before had blood been so sweet. He knew it was because it had been her blood. He also felt guilty. He had taken too much from her and she had ended up in the hospital. He had never been so scared in his life. He would never have recovered from the guilt if he had killed her.
"Then you were leaving me again. I know you felt it was for the best, but you still broke my heart. I never thought it would be whole again," Buffy said a hint of anger back in her voice. She pushed Angel away from her and glared at him. "Then you showed up again, although I never actually saw you. I was so confused. I couldn't figure out why I was feeling so alone. I was feeling your presence, but I didn't know you were there. I thought I was losing my mind."
"And once you found out I had really been there you came to LA to confront me," Angel said continuing the story. He knew what was coming next but was still unprepared for it.
"I remember Angel. I remember everything that happened when I saw you in LA. We fought Mohra and you became human. Oh, Angel that night that we spent together was the happiest night of my life." She gave the man sitting on the bed next to her a glorious smile. "It has to be true. I don't know why I remember it now. I wasn't supposed to was I?"
Angel shook his head. "No, the Oracles said that no one would remember but me. It nearly killed me to go back and confess to you what I had done. I held you sobbing in my arms and then suddenly we were back in my office. You were so cold. You walked away from my office and I never thought I would see you again. I never thought you would remember." Angel closed his eyes as the pain washed through him. Tears seeped from under his eyelids and rolled down his cheeks. He couldn't believe that she had remembered. This has to be a dream. He felt her wrap her arms around him, intending to comfort him and the tears came even faster. They clung to each other, both sobbing, the pain of that day five years ago so fresh it seemed like it had just happened.
"I am so sorry," Angel sobbed out. Now it was his turn to apologize. She was never supposed to have been hurt by his decision to give up his humanity. She shouldn't have remembered.
"I understand, Angel," Buffy said. She pulled back from him so he could see her eyes. She wanted him to see that she really did understand and that she forgave him. He nodded once and she reached up to kiss him briefly on the lips. The soft touch of her lips on his seemed to heal some of the ache that was tearing up his soul.
Angel wanted to deepen the kiss, but sensed that her gesture had been done only to comfort him. She may have understood his reasons, but it still hung between them. More pain to be added to the long list. He was starting to think that coming to Sunnydale had been a mistake. No, I still would have come. Her life is in danger.
"There is more to my dream," Buffy told him. She had sensed that he was pulling away from her. "When I walked out of your office I was back in the cemetery only this time I could see my attackers. They were the things that Cordelia saw in her vision. The same demons I fought the other night. You were with me. I don't know why. They came after me and you tried to protect me, but you couldn't. You weren't strong enough. One of them drew a sword and cut your head off, but you didn't burst into a cloud of dust. You just fell to the ground," Buffy's voice was shaking. That had been the worst part of her dream. Seeing his lifeless, headless body falling to the ground. "Then I woke up."
She began crying again and collapsed against Angel's chest. Her dream had taken a lot out of her. She had remembered every painful detail of her life with Angel. There had been brief moments of happiness, but mostly she had been assaulted by the feelings of loss and pain that she always associated with Angel. Buffy continued to sob as Angel held her rocking her back and forth. After a few minutes her sobbing ceased and Angel gently laid her back onto the pillow. She had fallen back to sleep.
Angel stood up on shaking legs and stood looking down at her. "I love you, Buffy," he said to her quietly. After all of the pain and sorrow that they had just been through he needed to say that to her. He was glad, however, that she wasn't awake to hear it. He was having second thoughts about his reasons for coming to Sunnydale. He was going to stay and make sure that she was safe, but he wasn't sure if he would stay and fight for her. Maybe she really would be better off with Riley.
Riley chose that moment to re-enter the room. He had decided that he wasn't going to let Angel frighten him. Buffy wouldn't really let Angel hurt him. Besides, it sounded as if she needed him. The sounds emanating from the room were not tears of joy, but of pain. He had to make sure Angel wasn't hurting her.
Angel was startled to see Riley. He had forgotten all about him. "She's asleep again," he managed to say.
Riley looked over at Buffy's sleeping form noticing the tears still glittering on her cheek. He had also seen the tears in Angel's eyes. "There is a lot between you," he said.
"Yes," Angel replied warily. He didn't know where this was going.
"Most of it painful."
"Yes." Although some of it was joyful too.
"She is happy with me."
"Is she?" Angel asked a hint of doubt in his voice.
"Yes, she is," Riley stated with more conviction than he actually felt.
Angel stared at Riley for a few seconds before asking rather abruptly, "Would you die for her?" Riley started to answer but Angel held his hand up forestalling him. "No, I mean would you really die for her. I would. Without hesitation. I have lived a very long time and in that time I have never found anything that makes me feel like she does. I feel whole, complete. My life would never be the same without her. If it was the only way I could keep her alive, I would gladly lay down and die for her, with no second thoughts, because without her this world would cease to exist for me. She is my whole world, and even if we are apart I can find some measure of happiness just knowing that she is out there somewhere. So, if she is truly happy with you, when this is all over, I will gladly leave. The only thing I have ever wanted for her is to be alive and happy." Angel turned and looked at Buffy a soft smile on his lips. "And if we can't be together now, our souls will find each other again in the next life."
Riley didn't know what to say. He loved Buffy, adored her, but he couldn't honestly say he would give his life for her. He thought he would, but if he was faced with having to make that decision he wasn't sure he would be able to do it. After all he was a young man still, not even thirty. He was shaken by the love this 250-something man had for Buffy. He had never seen love like it before. He wondered if Buffy felt the same way. If she did he was going to lose her for sure.
Angel having effectively shut Riley up moved to the other side of the bed. He removed his leather coat and boots. Then uncaring of Soldier Boy's reaction he lay down on the bed next to Buffy. He didn't know if she would have any more nightmares, but he was going to be very close by just in case. Tomorrow they would have to tell Giles about the dream. It seemed to hold the key to figuring this whole mess out. He ignored Riley, who had sat down in the chair on Buffy's other side, and closed his eyes. He inhaled and smiled when Buffy's scent rose up from the sheets and overwhelmed his senses. Even if it was just for tonight he was going to enjoy being in her bed. He opened his eyes and fastened his gaze on her face, which had softened in sleep. Angel reached out his hand and stroked her cheek praying she would be able to sleep through the night. He didn't think she would be able to handle another nightmare like the last one. It had taken too much out of her. He gently took her hand and then settled down for a long night of watching over this girl who was more important to him than his own life was.
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon is the god of the Buffiverse. I just borrowed his children for some fun. All the characters in this story belong to him, except the evil ones who belong to Rain. Thanks Rain for letting me play with them.
I Do
by Sunny
CHAPTER THREE
After Buffy left the shop, Angel strolled over to the weapons closet and pulled out a small battle-ax. Then he picked up some stakes and put them into the pocket of the leather duster, the so-called sexy one that Cordelia had advised him to keep. He certainly hoped Buffy thought he looked sexy in it.
"Where are you going?" Cordy asked. She had been following his movements and now asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
"Patrolling," he said shortly and headed for the door. He didn't want to waste any time in catching up with Buffy.
"You're going to follow her aren't you?" Riley asked between clenched teeth.
"But you promised," Willow reminded him. She was looking at him with reproach. She didn't approve of broken promises.
Neither did Angel. "No I didn't," Angel replied. "I only said I wouldn't insist on going with her and I didn't." There was no way he was going to let her go alone. He was perfectly content to let her think she was alone, though. He sensed that it was important to her. She needed to go out there and face this threat to her safety alone. He also understood her need to eliminate any distractions. She was right when she had said that a distraction could get her killed. But he wouldn't be a distraction. In fact she wouldn't even know he was there unless she needed him.
Willow gave him a sunny smile and said, "My aren't you the sneaky one. I see that humanity hasn't taken away your whole cryptic, sneak around in the dark side."
"Yep, that's our Angel," Cordelia said. "He can sneak around with the best of them." Then she turned her attention back to the book she had been looking at. She knew Angel could handle himself.
Angel shook his head and headed for the door to the magic shop only to be stopped by Riley. "I am going with you," he said. He still had the sword in his hand and had stuffed a few stakes into the pockets of his jeans.
"No you are not," Angel said glaring at his nemesis. "I can't be stealthy with you bumbling along beside me."
Riley drew himself up to his full height. He was a little taller than Angel, and that gave him some much-needed confidence. He didn't have that whole broody, flowing black coat thing going for him and that seemed to attract Buffy. "I can sneak around with the best of them, too. In fact I did it professionally when I first came to Sunnydale, as you might recall."
"I remember, but this isn't playing at being a soldier. This is serious. Buffy's life is at stake, and she would be furious if she found out we had followed her."
"I am not letting you go after her by yourself," Riley said. His hand clenched on the handle of the sword. There was no way he was going to let Buffy be alone in the dark with her former lover. "The only way you can keep me from going would be to knock me out again." Riley let the challenge hang in the air. He knew that he had won from the look on Angel's face. He had been hoping that the ex-vamp's promise to Buffy would get him what he wanted.
"Fine," Angel said. He couldn't understand what Buffy saw in this guy. Riley was jealous. Sure he had reason to be, but Angel wasn't going after Buffy to score points, in fact if she found out he would probably lose points. No, he was going after her to protect her. "But just to let you know, that saving Buffy's life is the most important thing to me right now. I don't have any other agenda. Yet," Angel added under his breath.
Riley was a little ashamed. He was concerned about Buffy as well, but if pressed he would have to admit that it was jealousy that had made him insist on going with Angel. But, he was only a little ashamed. He had caught that mumbled 'yet' and knew that soon he was going to lose Buffy. I'm not going to let her go without a fight, he promised himself as he followed his rival out of the magic shop.
******
Ten minutes later, Angel slowed his walk to a stroll and held up his hand in warning. They had finally caught up with Buffy in Weatherby Park. She was sitting on a bench listening intently to the sounds of the night. Angel knew her Slayer senses would be on alert. He quietly walked over to a clump of bushes that was about 150 yards from where the Slayer was sitting and hid behind them.
Riley followed wishing he still had his army fatigues. He felt conspicuous in his blue jeans and light blue shirt. He looked in disgust at the black coat that enveloped Angel. Not only was the damn thing sexy, but it was useful too. He squatted down next to the ex vampire and turned his attention back to Buffy. He didn't understand why she was just sitting there.
Angel, however, understood completely, and he swore under his breath. She was using herself as bait. Not a bad plan really, but these demons, or whatever they were, seemed to be a little too smart for that. He didn't think they would attack her while she was waiting for them. That didn't mean that other, more stupid creatures of the night might not take advantage of the young flesh just sitting there. And while she was distracted with fighting them off, he was afraid the real threat would close in for the kill. Even if Buffy never forgave him, he was glad he had come.
Oblivious, to her tag alongs, Buffy sat on the park bench waiting. Listening for any sounds that might indicate that there was something out there in the dark. She sat illuminated in a patch of light given off by a decorative street lamp. After ten minutes of just sitting there her mind began to wander. She thought about Angel and she thought about Riley. If she was reading Angel correctly she was going to have to make a decision. She was going to have to choose between the two of them.
Her heart, she knew was shouting at her to choose Angel. He was her soulmate, the love of her life. The one man in all the world that could be the partner of the one girl in all the world blah, blah, blah. He understood her better than anyone else ever had. He got the whole Slayer thing. He got how important it was, how it was such a part of her. And of course he was the sexiest man she had ever seen. Even now just thinking about him sent a spiral of heat racing through her. She remembered the one night they had made love. It had ended badly, very badly, but making love with Angel had been the most wonderful experience of her life. She had felt like she was truly one with him. She had never felt that way with Riley and knew she never would. She would never have that all-consuming passion with Riley. The passion that left her quaking with need even now, when she knew she should be concentrating on her surroundings. Suddenly she was very glad Angel was not with her.
Her head however was screaming at her to choose Riley. Her rational brain dredged up all the memories of Angel leaving her. Could she really trust that he would stick around? She had been devastated when she had woken up in his bed to find him gone. She had been afraid that he had left because she had been inadequate in some way. She now knew the real reason behind his leaving, but that didn't stop the pain she still felt. She was always relieved when she woke up to find Riley still lying next to her in bed. And of course there was the memory of Angel leaving her to go to LA. He had told her it was for her own good. That he was leaving so she could have a normal life. She bowed her head and tried to will away the tears that threatened to fall. The last thing she needed right now was to start bawling. She took in a few deep breaths and tried not to think about him turning away from her and walking out of her life. That ranked right up there with sending him to Hell as the worst day of her life. Both of those times she had felt so alone. Standing there in the aftermath of battle knowing that he wouldn't be coming up to her and asking if she was all right, was the worst she had ever felt in her life. Her gut twisted with remembered pain. After she had sent him to Hell, she had run away, and she had wanted to run again when he had left her for a new life somewhere else. Being with Angel brought her ecstatic joy, and devastating despair. If she let him back into her life, which one would he bring her? She didn't think she could go through the pain again. She didn't think she was strong enough to get through the black pit of despair she would be in if he left her.
Riley, on the other hand, was steady and reliable. He would never leave her. He would stay with her until her Slaying duties took her life. He would never cause her any pain, of course he would never give her the utter happiness she had experienced with Angel either. She truly cared about Riley, but she didn't have any illusions about her feelings. She loved the idea of being in love with him more than anything else. It was safe for her to love him. The question now, was did she want to stay safe or could she place her trust in Angel? She honestly didn't know. She had been prepared to settle on a life with Riley. She had been prepared to marry for affection, caring and physical attraction. She had been prepared to live the rest of her life without the blinding passion she had known with Angel. With Angel suddenly back in her life, was she still willing to settle?
Buffy reached up a hand to smooth the creases from her forehead. All of this thinking was giving her one hell of a headache. She rolled her head trying to work the kinks out of her neck. Then she yawned. Suddenly she was really tired. Buffy yawned again and jumped up from the park bench. She needed action to keep her awake and apparently she wasn't going to find it in the park. It was time to check the cemeteries.
As she moved away from the circle of light and into the darkness Buffy heard a slight rustling of leaves behind her. She slowed her walk but kept striding towards the park entrance. Her Slayer senses alert. Something was out there. Maybe she would find some action out here after all. As she reached the sidewalk outside the park she heard a soft footfall. Any normal human would not have been able to hear it, but then she was anything but normal. Buffy grinned and tightened her grip on the crossbow. Then she stopped to listen to her surroundings again. She closed her eyes and waited for the feeling she got whenever a vampire was around. She had honed her skills in the last five years and now she could pick out a vamp even in a crowd by just using her senses. Buffy opened her eyes and frowned. Something was definitely out there, but it wasn't a vampire. It was human.
"Riley, I know you're out there," Buffy said with a sigh. She reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Her headache was getting worse and she didn't really want to deal with this right now.
Silently, Angel cursed. He should have known better than to take Rambo along. He looked at Riley and shook his head. He willed him to stay absolutely still and quiet.
Buffy sighed again. "Come on out. I know you are there." She was starting to get very angry now. He had broken his promise to her. And here I was thinking I could trust him.
Riley looked at Angel again, waiting for his silent advice. He knew he had blown it. He should have been more careful. Angel shrugged his shoulders and made little shooing motions with his hands. He had heard the anger in Buffy's voice and knew she wouldn't rest until Riley had shown himself. Angel still had hopes of remaining hidden and to do that he knew he would have to sacrifice Riley to Buffy's anger. Of course he didn't actually mind doing that. The great big buffoon would lose whatever points he had gained by being at the receiving end of his fist.
Buffy had turned to look back into the darkness and stood with one hand on her hip and one foot tapping in impatience. The arm holding her crossbow hung casually at her side. She was no longer worried about nighttime predators.
Riley came out of the darkness and walked up to her a wary expression on his face. "How did you know I was there?" he asked. He couldn't believe she had heard him. It was humiliating after all of his army training.
"I heard you," Buffy said. "Riley, I thought I told you that I didn't want you coming along on this little mission." She glared at him and the hand on her waist balled into a fist. She was very tempted to hit him. "You promised me that you would stay behind," she added her voice throbbing with anger.
"I couldn't let you go alone," Riley replied softly. "I had to be here to protect you."
Something in his tone alerted Buffy. His words had a double meaning. She was sure of it. "But you promised me, Riley. I need you to do what I ask. This isn't some whim I have, this is important stuff. This is Slayer stuff, Riley. You've known the score for a long time and I can't have you putting your life at risk just because you're jealous of my responsibilities. I thought you understood that having to save you would be a distraction that I don't need right now." Buffy reached up and rubbed at her forehead again. The headache was now so bad that she could hardly keep her eyes open.
"I can handle myself," Riley said almost defiantly. He hated that she thought he was weak like Xander. And he was getting tired of being the only one in trouble here. He looked back into the darkness. "Probably as well as Angel can."
"What?" Buffy asked. Why had he mentioned Angel and then suddenly she knew. She couldn't believe she hadn't felt him before, but she could feel him now. It was a wonderful feeling. It was wonderful to know that the connection was still there. It was wonderful to know that he still cared enough about her to stalk her. Of course she was angry too. "Angel come out. I know you're there. Skulking."
"I never skulk," Angel replied as he materialized beside her. He glared at Riley. He couldn't believe the creep had given him away. She would never have known he was there if good old Riley hadn't said anything. Actually, Riley hadn't said all that much. Angel looked at Buffy with intense eyes and gave her his sexy little half smile. She had felt him. The connection was still there. He had been a bit worried that it had been lost over the five years he had been away. He felt like shouting with joy. She had felt him. "At least I almost never skulk."
Buffy just looked at him, the pain in her head and her fatigue washing over her. "I don't suppose I could convince you to return to the magic shop?" she asked Angel. And she knew that if Angel stayed Riley would as well. He was protecting her from Angel.
"No," Angel said. "Either I come with you openly or I trail behind you. It's your decision, but I am not leaving." Angel stood his ground and crossed his arms waiting for her decision. He didn't like the look in her eyes. She desperately needed backup because she was practically asleep on her feet. If she ran into anything dangerous, even a newbie vamp, she would be in a lot of trouble.
Buffy yawned and waved her crossbow hand around in the air. "Fine," she said and started to walk away from the park. When her two shadows didn't immediately fall into to step behind her she turned and looked at them. "Well, are you coming or not?"
Buffy started off again actually glad when Riley and Angel moved to walk beside her. She was so very, very tired. She knew she would need their help if she ran into anything even slightly dangerous. But that knowledge did not lessen the anger she felt towards the two macho men. The trio moved off towards the cemetery not saying anything, but just looking for any monsters that might be lurking, laying in wait to attack the Slayer.
"Just because I let you come along doesn't mean I'm happy about it," Buffy said after awhile. They had checked six of the twelve cemeteries in Sunnydale without running into anything. She was a little frustrated. If someone was out to kill her, she would rather that they did it now than later.
"You didn't really let me come along," Angel replied. They had reached cemetery number seven and he was trying to concentrate on the rows of gravestones and tombs.
Buffy shrugged her shoulders. She didn't really care about the details. She just wanted to be angry with him so that he couldn't sense her relief at his presence. "Will I have to be the one protecting you instead of you protecting me?"
Angel stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at her. He hadn't realized that she didn't know all the details about his humanity. He should have explained it to her. "I guess I should have told you this before, but the PTB that Cordy is always complaining about were actually very good to me."
"Meaning?" Buffy had stopped walking as well and they were now facing each other. She was dimly aware of Riley standing behind her. Well, at least my back will be protected.
"I retained most of my speed and strength after the transformation," Angel said. "I am not quite up to par with the demon strength I had, but I can hold my own quite well. In fact you might say I am the male version of the Slayer. I even heal quickly." Angel stepped closer to the girl that he loved and reached out a hand to touch her cheek. He ignored Riley's cough and stroked her soft skin. "I can still be your guardian Angel."
"Great just what the world needs, another Slayer," Buffy quipped. Then her gaze focused on something she saw over Angel's shoulder. "Well, I hope you are telling me the truth about your Slayer-like abilities because I think you are going to need them." Buffy raised her crossbow and took aim. "Duck," she yelled at Angel as she pulled the trigger. The bolt caught a vampire in the chest and he exploded with a look of surprise on his face.
At Buffy's words Angel had turned to look at whatever she saw over his shoulder. He ducked when she yelled at him and then used the momentum of straightening from his position to launch himself at another vampire. The two rolled on the ground and he managed to place a stake against the vamp's chest. He used the roll to press the sharp wooden stick into the heart. Another vampire exploded into a pile of dust. He got off the ground and dusted off his hands. Angel looked around to make sure that Buffy was okay. She was just righting herself from a lunging position. She pulled her stake arm back towards her as the third and final vamp also turned to dust.
"Well, that was bracing," Buffy said as she tucked the stake back into her waistband. She had learned not to waste her stakes. Then she scanned the area for more vampires. When she didn't sense any more she stooped down and retrieved her crossbow.
"It certainly was," Riley agreed although he was a little put out because he hadn't seen any action.
"Lets check the other cemeteries," Buffy replied with a yawn. "And quickly too, okay guys. I am really tired." Buffy rubbed her forehead again. Her headache hadn't gone away.
"Are you okay?" Angel asked with concern. He reached out to steady Buffy as she tripped over the edge of the sidewalk.
"Yeah, just tired I guess. Come on lets get this done so I can go home and get some sleep."
Buffy moved off in the direction of cemetery number eight with her bodyguards following closely behind. They made a quick tour of the four remaining burial grounds without incident and headed back to Buffy's house. Both Riley and Angel had decided that they were going to make sure she got home safely. When they reached Buffy's house Angel told her he was going to go report to Giles leaving Riley to accompany Buffy into the house. What they didn't know was that Angel called Giles on his cell phone and then climbed up onto the roof to sit outside Buffy's window. There was no way he was going to leave her tonight. Something funky was going on, to borrow an expression of Buffy's. He was concerned about how tired Buffy was and thought that it might have something to do with the demons that were trying to kill her. He just didn't know how, so he was going to stay as close to her as possible. He could have muscled his way into the house, but he knew she didn't need an argument right now. Right now she needed sleep, and he was going to keep her safe. It was the only way he could express the love he felt for her.
*****
Inside the house Riley was thanking his lucky stars that Angel had willingly left Buffy in his care. He hadn't been alone with her all day, and this after all was supposed to have been his wedding day. Actually, he was having a hard time believing it was the same day. It felt like a whole week had gone by.
Now he just had to convince Buffy to let him stay the night with her. He turned from locking the door and found her sitting on the stairs frowning at him. Great, she's still mad at me.
"I couldn't let you go alone," he said in his defense.
"I told you I could handle it," Buffy returned. She swayed slightly as she stood up from her seat and had to grab onto the railing for support.
"Buffy, is that you?" Joyce called from the top of the stairs. She hadn't seen her daughter all day and had been extremely concerned about her. She had been grateful when Willow had finally remembered to call her and let her know that Slayer business had kept Buffy from contacting her. Joyce had known about her daughter being the Slayer for seven years now, but she still hated it. Why couldn't fate have chosen someone else's daughter? Someone moved next to Buffy and she realized that Riley was with her. "Well, now that I know you are home safely I guess I'll go to bed."
Buffy sighed and turned to go up to her room. She was slightly annoyed when Riley followed. "I don't need your protection now, Angel isn't even here," she snapped.
"Buffy, could you please tell me what I did that was so wrong? I love you and I just wanted to keep you safe," Riley said. He dogged her steps all the way to her room and then had to put his hand out to keep her from slamming the door in his face. He pushed the door open and followed her into her room.
"You broke your promise to me," Buffy replied. She longed to take him by the neck and throw him out of her room, but she just didn't have the strength for that. She closed her eyes and willed him to leave her alone. She was too tired to be having this discussion right now, couldn't he see that.
"So did Angel," Riley pointed out.
"What?" Buffy asked as her eyes popped open. "No he didn't. He never actually promised me that he would stay at the magic shop. He only said he wouldn't insist on coming with me, and he didn't." Buffy smiled slightly. It seemed he hadn't lost his cryptic guy act.
Riley sighed as he watched her sit on her bed to pull off her boots. "I still don't understand why you are so mad at me. You aren't mad at Angel and yet we committed the same crime for the exact same reason, your safety."
Unsteadily Buffy got to her feet and walked over to stand in front of Riley. She tipped her head back so that she could look into his eyes. "Of course I am mad at Angel." Do we really need to be discussing this now? Buffy brought her hand up to cover another yawn.
"No, Buffy you aren't. When you caught me following you, you gave me a lecture. When Angel appeared everything was all fine and dandy. Please tell me why it was so different with Angel. Is it because you are still in love with him?"
"Riley, I am too tired to be having this discussion right now. Can't we talk about this tomorrow?" Buffy asked. She didn't want to have answer his questions, because in her heart she knew he was right. She hadn't been angry with Angel. She had been relieved that he still cared enough about her to make sure she was safe.
"No, we have to talk about it right now. Look, Buffy this is the only time we've been alone all day. Tomorrow is going to be the same and I think I deserve to have my questions answered. I am your fiancée after all," Riley explained. In his anger he failed to see just how tired she was. He tried to reach out and stroke her hair, but she ducked away from him.
"Fine, you want to talk lets talk," Buffy said anger pouring off of her in waves. She couldn't believe he was being so selfish, again. She really was about to drop from exhaustion, which was kind of weird. "If Angel hadn't followed me would you have?" It was a question calculated to make her point.
Riley looked away from her uncomfortable with the question. He looked back at her and saw her staring at him with anger in her eyes. Suddenly he realized that he was on dangerous ground. Buffy raised her eyebrows prompting him to speak. "No," he finally admitted.
"So, you followed me out of pure jealousy. You didn't want me to be alone in the dark with Angel. What did you think was going to happen, that he would appear out of the darkness with his coat flowing behind him and I would fall on top of him like a teenager with overactive hormones? Did you picture us having sex among the tombstones?" Her voice throbbed with her anger and the pain that continued to pound in her head.
Riley hung his head in shame. When she put it like that it did sound ridiculous. "He broke up our wedding," he pointed out. Although he was a little ashamed of himself, he still felt like his concerns were justified.
"No, Cordy's vision interrupted our wedding. How many times do I have to tell you that my duty as the Slayer has to come before anything else? You seem to forget that being the Slayer is not my job, it is my destiny."
"Fine, I concede the point for now, but that doesn't explain why you aren't angry with your ex-lover," Riley said. He still didn't get it, and he desperately wanted her to have some other reason besides the fact that she was still in love with HIM.
Buffy rubbed her forehead and stifled another yawn. Without saying a word she opened her door and went into the bathroom across the hall. She took some aspirin hoping that it would help with the headache. Unfortunately, Riley was waiting for her when she got back to the room.
"Angel, followed me not out of jealousy, but because he was truly concerned with my safety," Buffy said.
"I was concerned for your safety," Riley insisted.
Buffy just shook her head. He had already admitted that if Angel had stayed put he would have as well. "I know you were concerned for my safety, but you were more concerned about me being alone with Angel. He didn't have any other motive for following me. He just wanted to keep me safe, not from a rival lover, but from the things that are trying to kill me. I guess that is why I am not mad at him. His motive was to keep me alive pure and simple. Besides I would never have known he was there. He has tracked me many times before and I never knew he was there unless he wanted me to. He understands that the distraction of having to look after anyone else could very well get me killed. Now would you please leave me alone? I am tired and I would like to go to sleep," Buffy said the anger still evident in her voice.
Riley started to object but he didn't get a chance to get the words out because Buffy's eyes rolled back in her head and she started to faint. Riley caught her just before she hit the floor and picked her up in his arms. He gently placed her on her bed and began rubbing her hands. Her eyes flickered open and she looked around in confusion.
"What happened?" she asked groggily.
"You fainted," Riley explained. He walked over to the closet and pulled some silk pajamas out of her suitcase.
"I never faint," Buffy said indignation plainly evident in her voice. She allowed Riley to help her into her pajamas and then she got back into bed.
Riley pulled the covers up to her chin and kissed her on the forehead. He turned off the lamp next to the bed and then turned back to her to ask if he could stay the night, but she was already asleep. He sighed as he pulled a chair up close to the bed. He wanted to crawl into bed and hold her sleeping form close to him, but he wasn't sure she would like that right now. She was still very angry with him and he didn't want to press his luck. He intended to stay up all night keeping watch over her but after about an hour his eyes closed and his head fell back against the chair. He was deeply asleep and didn't notice that Buffy was becoming agitated. She started mumbling in her sleep and her arms began to flail about, like she was fighting someone or something.
Outside, from his uncomfortable perch on the roof, Angel did notice Buffy's thrashing about. He had assumed his position towards the end of the lover's quarrel and had wanted to charge in and defend Buffy. Couldn't the idiot see how tired she is? Angel wondered in disbelief. That was one of the reasons he hadn't insisted on coming into the house with her. He had had to grit his teeth and sit on his hands to keep himself from launching through the window and into the room when Buffy fainted. He had managed to restrain himself, but just barely. She didn't look like she needed any more problems and his presence would have been a problem. He was glad when she fell immediately asleep and seemed to be sleeping peacefully. He was even happier when Riley chose to sit in the chair instead of getting into bed with Buffy.
Watching that would have too painful for him. The thought of the two of them in bed together led his mind back to happier times. Times when he had been able to hold her as she slept. Times when her warm, soft body had been pressed against his trustingly. Her trust had meant everything to him. She had even given it back to him when he had returned from Hell. He hadn't expected her to ever forgive him, but she had. And then, they had been able to spend more nights together with her cuddled up close to him. His arms ached to hold her again and his heart thumped louder with the memories of other nights. He shook his head to banish those memories and that is when he noticed her agitation. She was obviously having a nightmare.
Angel let his eyes drift over towards Riley wondering if Rambo was going to wake her from her nightmare. Then he noticed that Riley had fallen asleep. He shook his head. It seemed that Soldier Boy had no staying power. Angel's eyes came back to Buffy as his hands reached out to pull the window open. Not wanting to rush to the rescue unless she really needed him, he sat back and continued to watch her.
Buffy continued to thrash around kicking the covers off of her. After a few minutes she settled down and Angel let out a sigh of relief, until he heard her start to cry. He looked over at Riley, who was still asleep. Buffy started to thrash around again as she continued to cry. Angel made his decision to wake her and climbed into the room through the window. He slowly walked around to Buffy and then stood and watched her carefully as tears streamed down her face. She was mumbling something in her sleep, but he couldn't tell what she was saying. Her dream seemed to be upsetting her.
"No!" Buffy shouted punching an invisible assailant.
This got Riley's attention and he jerked awake. He saw Angel standing over Buffy and was about to attack him when Buffy cried out again.
"No!"
Angel, who hadn't noticed Riley standing behind him sat down on the bed next to Buffy and pulled her still sleeping form into his arms. "Shh, shh, shh," he crooned. "Its all right Buffy. Everything is going to be okay."
"No!" she shouted again, but her violent movements had stilled.
"Buffy, wake up. It's only a dream," Angel said as he rocked her like she was a tiny baby in need of comfort. "Buffy, please wake up. Its time to join us here in the real world."
By this time Buffy was curled up against him and seemed to be drawing comfort from his voice. Then she struggled one last time and yelled, "Angel!" before waking up. Her blue eyes were confused and filled with tears. Realizing that Angel hadn't actually been killed she threw her arms around him and began to sob loudly.
"You're alive," she whispered brokenly through her tears. Buffy hugged his firm body even closer and inhaled the scent that belonged only to Angel. "You're alive."
"Of course I am," Angel answered and he bent down to place a kiss on the top of her head. He was whispering also. He didn't want Riley to hear them. This seemed to be something that should be kept between Buffy and himself.
"What happened, Buffy?" Riley asked. He wasn't about to let Angel keep him out of the conversation.
Buffy pulled away from Angel slightly so she could look at Riley. She gave him a perplexed look, like she was trying to figure out who he was. She shrugged her shoulders as if giving up and turned her gaze back to Angel. She opened her mouth and said the one thing that Angel had never expected to hear her say, "I remember."
*****
Angel's arms fell away from Buffy and he stood up in shock. She couldn't actually be talking about what he thought she was talking about. She wasn't supposed to remember, he said to himself.
Buffy looked at him, hurt and confusion evident in her expression. She didn't understand why he had pulled away from her. "Angel, I remember," she repeated.
Angel continued to stand staring at her. No, no, she couldn't be talking about that. She must mean something else. He was trying so hard to convince himself. He had always dreamed that she would remember that magical night they had spent together five years ago, when he had been human. But he never thought she would actually remember. He didn't want to get his hopes up.
Riley was very confused. He kept shifting his gaze between the two. There was something going on between them that he didn't know about. He didn't like it at all. He had sensed their connection earlier, but this was something different. "Buffy?" he questioned softly. He needed to have this explained to him.
Buffy turned her gaze away from Angel's still form and looked at Riley. She frowned at him still confused by his presence. "Riley, what are you doing here?"
Angel jerked at Buffy's question turning towards Riley. He had to get him out of here. He needed to talk to Buffy about her dream.
"I….I," Riley began. He didn't know what to say. How could she have forgotten he was there?
Buffy shook her head trying to clear the cobwebs from her brain. She desperately wanted to believe that the scenes she had seen in her dream had been true. "Riley, I need to speak with Angel. Alone. Could you please leave?" She didn't want to hurt him, but she needed to know if her dream had been true. She thought it might be from Angel's reaction.
"I am not going to leave you alone with him," Riley declared in outrage. He glared at Angel and stood his ground.
"Fine then we'll leave," Buffy said and swung her legs off of the bed. As she stood up her knees collapsed out from under her and she sat down heavily on the bed. What is wrong with me, she cried silently and turned to look at Angel a heartfelt appeal in her eyes.
Angel walked up to Riley grabbing his arm. He swiftly spun the ex-soldier around so that his arm was pinned behind his back. Angel frog marched Riley to the door and shoved him out into the hallway. "Don't even think about coming back in here," Angel told him with a soft growl. He still had a bit of the predator in him and he let his rival see that. Then he slammed the door shut in Riley's face.
Angel pushed Buffy down on to the bed and pulled the chair closer so that he could sit and hold her hand. He gently traced the lines on her hand then placed a soft kiss on her palm.
"Its true, isn't it?" Buffy asked when she could speak again. The feelings that were raging through her body had momentarily left her speechless when he had kissed her hand. "I can tell by your face that it is."
Not sure if he could handle that particular discussion right now he decided to distract her. "Why don't you tell me about your dream?" he asked.
Buffy shook her head in impatience, but she decided to answer him. She closed her eyes and tried to dredge up the images she had seen. "I was in the cemetery fighting something. I couldn't see what it was. They would attack me from behind and then when I turned towards them they disappeared. They managed to knock me to the ground and when I got up I was in an alley facing you. It was the first time I had ever seen you. You gave me the cross. You told me you didn't bite."
"I remember," Angel said. He squeezed her hand as the memory washed over him. He had been so proud of the way she had handled herself. He had even been proud of the way she had caught him off guard knocking him to the ground. "What happened next?" he prompted.
"Everything," Buffy said. "All of it in graphic detail. I saw flashes of everything that had happened between the two of us. I saw the night of my seventeenth birthday."
Angel smiled and kissed her palm again. He remembered that night too. It had been one of two of the best nights of his very long life.
"I saw you after you had turned. You said the same horrible things to me. There was the fight in the factory after you had killed Jenny." Buffy let out a sob and said, "Then we were fighting in the mansion. I had to kill you. Angel, I am so sorry. I never told you that before. I am so sorry. I didn't want to kill you, but I had to." She continued to cry and Angel moved onto the bed and pulled her back into his arms. The pain of that night swept through her and she clung to him while she sobbed her heart out. She hadn't cried over that night in a very long time, but it was obviously a wound that had never healed completely.
"Buffy, there is nothing to forgive," Angel assured her. He hated seeing her so unhappy about an incident that had happened so long ago. She wasn't supposed to brood about the past. That was his job. "The fault was all mine. I put you in that position. I was never angry with you."
"It wasn't really you," Buffy objected. "It was HIM." The last was said with such loathing, that Angel knew the scars went deep. He had never wanted to hurt her. He had only wanted to love her.
"Then what?" he asked. He didn't want her to dwell on that night. He had never realized the hell she had been in after she had sent him into the netherworld with Acathla.
"Then you were back in my life. At first I thought you were a monster. I thought you had killed someone. You saved my life." Buffy was sobbing so loudly that Riley, who was waiting in the hallway, could hear her. He wanted to burst into the room, but Angel's threat kept him out.
"I had kind of gotten into the habit," Angel joked. He too had painful memories of that time. He had been so confused when he had returned from Hell. It wasn't until he had seen someone trying to hurt Buffy that he seemed to come to his senses.
"We tried to stay away from each other. But it was too hard." Buffy smiled at him through her tears and touched his cheek. She had some good memories of that time. "You taught me Tai Chi." The look in her eyes made him want to kiss her, but she chose that moment to continue telling him about her dream. "You broke up with me in a sewer. A sewer, Angel. Couldn't you have picked a better place?"
Angel didn't have anything to say to that. It was just another item on the long list of memories that were painful for them both.
"Faith tried to kill you. I couldn't have lived without you, even if you left me I needed you to be alive. I tried to get Faith's blood to cure you, but I failed. I know you didn't want to drink from me. I know you would rather have died, but I couldn't let you go."
Angel hugged her closer, remembering the taste of her blood in his mouth. He had never tasted anything so good in his entire life. Never before had blood been so sweet. He knew it was because it had been her blood. He also felt guilty. He had taken too much from her and she had ended up in the hospital. He had never been so scared in his life. He would never have recovered from the guilt if he had killed her.
"Then you were leaving me again. I know you felt it was for the best, but you still broke my heart. I never thought it would be whole again," Buffy said a hint of anger back in her voice. She pushed Angel away from her and glared at him. "Then you showed up again, although I never actually saw you. I was so confused. I couldn't figure out why I was feeling so alone. I was feeling your presence, but I didn't know you were there. I thought I was losing my mind."
"And once you found out I had really been there you came to LA to confront me," Angel said continuing the story. He knew what was coming next but was still unprepared for it.
"I remember Angel. I remember everything that happened when I saw you in LA. We fought Mohra and you became human. Oh, Angel that night that we spent together was the happiest night of my life." She gave the man sitting on the bed next to her a glorious smile. "It has to be true. I don't know why I remember it now. I wasn't supposed to was I?"
Angel shook his head. "No, the Oracles said that no one would remember but me. It nearly killed me to go back and confess to you what I had done. I held you sobbing in my arms and then suddenly we were back in my office. You were so cold. You walked away from my office and I never thought I would see you again. I never thought you would remember." Angel closed his eyes as the pain washed through him. Tears seeped from under his eyelids and rolled down his cheeks. He couldn't believe that she had remembered. This has to be a dream. He felt her wrap her arms around him, intending to comfort him and the tears came even faster. They clung to each other, both sobbing, the pain of that day five years ago so fresh it seemed like it had just happened.
"I am so sorry," Angel sobbed out. Now it was his turn to apologize. She was never supposed to have been hurt by his decision to give up his humanity. She shouldn't have remembered.
"I understand, Angel," Buffy said. She pulled back from him so he could see her eyes. She wanted him to see that she really did understand and that she forgave him. He nodded once and she reached up to kiss him briefly on the lips. The soft touch of her lips on his seemed to heal some of the ache that was tearing up his soul.
Angel wanted to deepen the kiss, but sensed that her gesture had been done only to comfort him. She may have understood his reasons, but it still hung between them. More pain to be added to the long list. He was starting to think that coming to Sunnydale had been a mistake. No, I still would have come. Her life is in danger.
"There is more to my dream," Buffy told him. She had sensed that he was pulling away from her. "When I walked out of your office I was back in the cemetery only this time I could see my attackers. They were the things that Cordelia saw in her vision. The same demons I fought the other night. You were with me. I don't know why. They came after me and you tried to protect me, but you couldn't. You weren't strong enough. One of them drew a sword and cut your head off, but you didn't burst into a cloud of dust. You just fell to the ground," Buffy's voice was shaking. That had been the worst part of her dream. Seeing his lifeless, headless body falling to the ground. "Then I woke up."
She began crying again and collapsed against Angel's chest. Her dream had taken a lot out of her. She had remembered every painful detail of her life with Angel. There had been brief moments of happiness, but mostly she had been assaulted by the feelings of loss and pain that she always associated with Angel. Buffy continued to sob as Angel held her rocking her back and forth. After a few minutes her sobbing ceased and Angel gently laid her back onto the pillow. She had fallen back to sleep.
Angel stood up on shaking legs and stood looking down at her. "I love you, Buffy," he said to her quietly. After all of the pain and sorrow that they had just been through he needed to say that to her. He was glad, however, that she wasn't awake to hear it. He was having second thoughts about his reasons for coming to Sunnydale. He was going to stay and make sure that she was safe, but he wasn't sure if he would stay and fight for her. Maybe she really would be better off with Riley.
Riley chose that moment to re-enter the room. He had decided that he wasn't going to let Angel frighten him. Buffy wouldn't really let Angel hurt him. Besides, it sounded as if she needed him. The sounds emanating from the room were not tears of joy, but of pain. He had to make sure Angel wasn't hurting her.
Angel was startled to see Riley. He had forgotten all about him. "She's asleep again," he managed to say.
Riley looked over at Buffy's sleeping form noticing the tears still glittering on her cheek. He had also seen the tears in Angel's eyes. "There is a lot between you," he said.
"Yes," Angel replied warily. He didn't know where this was going.
"Most of it painful."
"Yes." Although some of it was joyful too.
"She is happy with me."
"Is she?" Angel asked a hint of doubt in his voice.
"Yes, she is," Riley stated with more conviction than he actually felt.
Angel stared at Riley for a few seconds before asking rather abruptly, "Would you die for her?" Riley started to answer but Angel held his hand up forestalling him. "No, I mean would you really die for her. I would. Without hesitation. I have lived a very long time and in that time I have never found anything that makes me feel like she does. I feel whole, complete. My life would never be the same without her. If it was the only way I could keep her alive, I would gladly lay down and die for her, with no second thoughts, because without her this world would cease to exist for me. She is my whole world, and even if we are apart I can find some measure of happiness just knowing that she is out there somewhere. So, if she is truly happy with you, when this is all over, I will gladly leave. The only thing I have ever wanted for her is to be alive and happy." Angel turned and looked at Buffy a soft smile on his lips. "And if we can't be together now, our souls will find each other again in the next life."
Riley didn't know what to say. He loved Buffy, adored her, but he couldn't honestly say he would give his life for her. He thought he would, but if he was faced with having to make that decision he wasn't sure he would be able to do it. After all he was a young man still, not even thirty. He was shaken by the love this 250-something man had for Buffy. He had never seen love like it before. He wondered if Buffy felt the same way. If she did he was going to lose her for sure.
Angel having effectively shut Riley up moved to the other side of the bed. He removed his leather coat and boots. Then uncaring of Soldier Boy's reaction he lay down on the bed next to Buffy. He didn't know if she would have any more nightmares, but he was going to be very close by just in case. Tomorrow they would have to tell Giles about the dream. It seemed to hold the key to figuring this whole mess out. He ignored Riley, who had sat down in the chair on Buffy's other side, and closed his eyes. He inhaled and smiled when Buffy's scent rose up from the sheets and overwhelmed his senses. Even if it was just for tonight he was going to enjoy being in her bed. He opened his eyes and fastened his gaze on her face, which had softened in sleep. Angel reached out his hand and stroked her cheek praying she would be able to sleep through the night. He didn't think she would be able to handle another nightmare like the last one. It had taken too much out of her. He gently took her hand and then settled down for a long night of watching over this girl who was more important to him than his own life was.
