Thank to you EVERYONE who has sent me feedback over the course of this story. Special thanks to Taylor, Ryan, Sara-lee, niway, Crystal, Kshma, Barb, Anna, Michelle, Hannah, and MANY more! It's been great putting this out and getting such a great response.
Mistakes are purely my fault...I'm not the world's greatest typist.
Disclaimer in part 1!
Feedback is much appreciated @ LuVnAnGeLNBuFfY@aol.com
Finding Herself (9/9)
By *~Rachel*~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was two days before Angel had the chance to call Buffy. With everything that had been going on up in his town, he just hadn't had much free time. Now that Wesley was the boss, Angel couldn't just do whatever he wanted now. However, finally, after a long day of the usual saving the world and fighting the demons on the streets of LA, he managed to sit down and call up his beloved. He knew that they had many things to talk about.
The phone rang a couple times before someone picked up. "Hello?" A light, feminine voice asked.
"Hello, my love." Angel replied.
"Angel!" Buffy said excitedly. Inside her own home, she walked over to a chair with the cordless phone and sat down, crossing her legs. "Hey."
"How are you?" He asked her.
"Good. What have you been up to lately?" Buffy asked. Honestly, she had expected for him to call her yesterday. However, one day later wasn't the end of the world.
"Oh, nothing big. Just helped Lindsey McDonald, this top-notch lawyer get out of Wolfram and Hart, that's all." Angel replied, thinking back as he was watching Lindsey drive off with a "cops suck" sign on the back of his truck. He let out a chuckle just thinking about it.
"What?" Buffy asked, having heard him laughing.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking back to Lindsey leaving town."
"Oh, okay." Buffy replied. Fine, I'll just make him tell me that story sometime soon. "You'll have to talk to me about Wolfram and Hart soon."
"Okay, how does this weekend sound? You *are* coming up here this weekend, right?"
"Yes, of course!" Buffy replied. "God, I can't believe you own a hotel!"
"I thought we already covered that."
Buffy laughed into the phone. Angel loved that sound- that light and crispy tinsel-sound of her laughter. "I know, I know. It's just...the last time we talked...okay, the last time I *bitched* at you, you were...different than you are now."
"So...you're trying to tell me that I've changed?" Angel asked her. He swiveled around in his chair and put his feet up on the desk he sat at.
"Yeah...but good." Buffy assured him. Good thing Angel couldn't see her, because Buffy was blushing furiously. "Always good."
The line fell silent for a couple seconds, both of the two lovers taking in everything that had been said in a matter of seconds. The two couldn't believe that after everything they had been though, now they were having a normal phone conversation. It was...a first.
"Y'know, Buffy..." Angel started, getting serious. "There's something that I forgot to tell you the other day."
"Oh?" Buffy asked, "what is it?"
"Buffy, I don't know how to say this..." Angel stopped, now becoming unsure if he should tell her everything or now. This could change so much for both of them. "But...there is this interesting prophecy thing I found out about almost a year ago..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Three hours had passed and Buffy was still talking to Angel. She had nearly fallen out of her chair when he had told her about the "human" prophecy. God, imagine us... she had thought. 6 years from now, finally able to be together. It sounded like a dream- a perfect dream.
Buffy and Angel had caught up with each other's lives. Buffy told him about her summer spent in Sunnydale, Dracula visiting her, and most importantly, her on-going battle against Glory that had started when school did. She told him about how she kept loosing against Glory. How she could beat her with a swipe of her hand. She spoke of everything else she had been through, including her Mom. Although Angel had heard some of this when he last talked to her, he listened intently, listening to the soothing sound of her voice.
When it was Angel's turn, he talked about Wolfram and Hart. How they had brought back Darla as a human in order to torment him and drive him crazy. He spoke of how close he was to saving her, how she had accepted her eventual death, and then how she had been ripped of everything when she was sired. He blamed himself...just another soul he failed to save. Later, as a vampire...Darla had continued Wolfram and Hart's plan. He even told her that it had almost worked, but now he was back on track. Angel told her of Dru coming to town, ruining everything, firing the Angel Investigations gang and eventually finding a way back into their hearts.
Buffy glanced at the clock. 10:30- time for her patrol and a check-in with Giles. "Angel, honey...I've got to go." She said, interrupting Angel's talk.
"Oh, wow...guess I lost track of time." Angel replied. "I should get going also. Cordy, here, is making faces at me and motioning for me to hang up."
"Angel! I am not." Buffy heard Cordelia say in the background.
Buffy laughed. Inwardly, she was thanking Wesley, Gunn, and Cordelia for being there for him and keeping him tied to the world. There was no doubt that he would still be brooding today if it weren't for his friends working with him. Angel was about to say something before going back to talk to his crew.
"Wes...no, I'm talking to Buffy. Wesley! C'mon!" Angel complained. Buffy laughed again when she heard him complain and whine like a baby. "Okay, I'll say goodbye. Give me 5 more minutes."
Buffy heard Wesley say "Fine," in the background.
"Sorry about that, Beloved. My *boss* wants me to say good bye." Angel apologized.
"All right," Buffy replied regrettably, knowing she would miss him terribly until she got to visit him in 3 days. "Take care of yourself, okay? I don't want you to get dusted before that prophecy kicks in."
Angel laughed- not a small chuckle, but a full, happy laugh. Buffy wanted to melt into a pool of Buffy-goo right then and there. She made him laugh; that sexy, smooth, laughter that was entirely Angel. And suddenly, she felt an entire 4 years younger. Never in her whole life, had she ever felt more...alive and full of life. "All right, Buffy. You do the same."
"You know me."
"I sure do, that's why I am telling you." Angel replied. "I'll see you Saturday."
"All right." Buffy paused. OK, do I tell him? "Oh...and Angel?"
"Yeah?"
"I...I love you." It felt almost perfect rolling off the tip of her tongue. It was so easy to say those three words to him- it felt so right.
"I love you too, Buffy." Angel replied, smiling as he heard those words. "I'll see you soon."
"Bye..." she whispered before hanging up the phone.
Buffy sat in the chair by herself for a few seconds, still as a statue. Everything was perfect. Once again, Buffy's knight in shining armor had saved her. He'd calmed her after her mother's death, she'd risked his own life to save her's and Dawn's. Now they were back together- the way they should be.
The way they should *always* be.
The past week had been a hurricane- from her mother's death, Angel's possible death, and now reunited with Angel. However, during that week, bits and pieces of the old Buffy had broken through that shield she had placed around herself more than a year ago when college started. And Buffy knew that in the entire process, she had managed to finally find herself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Did you like the ending? PLEASE let me know! Who knows? You may get a fluffy sequel out of sending me some FB! (Hint, hint)
Mistakes are purely my fault...I'm not the world's greatest typist.
Disclaimer in part 1!
Feedback is much appreciated @ LuVnAnGeLNBuFfY@aol.com
Finding Herself (9/9)
By *~Rachel*~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was two days before Angel had the chance to call Buffy. With everything that had been going on up in his town, he just hadn't had much free time. Now that Wesley was the boss, Angel couldn't just do whatever he wanted now. However, finally, after a long day of the usual saving the world and fighting the demons on the streets of LA, he managed to sit down and call up his beloved. He knew that they had many things to talk about.
The phone rang a couple times before someone picked up. "Hello?" A light, feminine voice asked.
"Hello, my love." Angel replied.
"Angel!" Buffy said excitedly. Inside her own home, she walked over to a chair with the cordless phone and sat down, crossing her legs. "Hey."
"How are you?" He asked her.
"Good. What have you been up to lately?" Buffy asked. Honestly, she had expected for him to call her yesterday. However, one day later wasn't the end of the world.
"Oh, nothing big. Just helped Lindsey McDonald, this top-notch lawyer get out of Wolfram and Hart, that's all." Angel replied, thinking back as he was watching Lindsey drive off with a "cops suck" sign on the back of his truck. He let out a chuckle just thinking about it.
"What?" Buffy asked, having heard him laughing.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking back to Lindsey leaving town."
"Oh, okay." Buffy replied. Fine, I'll just make him tell me that story sometime soon. "You'll have to talk to me about Wolfram and Hart soon."
"Okay, how does this weekend sound? You *are* coming up here this weekend, right?"
"Yes, of course!" Buffy replied. "God, I can't believe you own a hotel!"
"I thought we already covered that."
Buffy laughed into the phone. Angel loved that sound- that light and crispy tinsel-sound of her laughter. "I know, I know. It's just...the last time we talked...okay, the last time I *bitched* at you, you were...different than you are now."
"So...you're trying to tell me that I've changed?" Angel asked her. He swiveled around in his chair and put his feet up on the desk he sat at.
"Yeah...but good." Buffy assured him. Good thing Angel couldn't see her, because Buffy was blushing furiously. "Always good."
The line fell silent for a couple seconds, both of the two lovers taking in everything that had been said in a matter of seconds. The two couldn't believe that after everything they had been though, now they were having a normal phone conversation. It was...a first.
"Y'know, Buffy..." Angel started, getting serious. "There's something that I forgot to tell you the other day."
"Oh?" Buffy asked, "what is it?"
"Buffy, I don't know how to say this..." Angel stopped, now becoming unsure if he should tell her everything or now. This could change so much for both of them. "But...there is this interesting prophecy thing I found out about almost a year ago..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Three hours had passed and Buffy was still talking to Angel. She had nearly fallen out of her chair when he had told her about the "human" prophecy. God, imagine us... she had thought. 6 years from now, finally able to be together. It sounded like a dream- a perfect dream.
Buffy and Angel had caught up with each other's lives. Buffy told him about her summer spent in Sunnydale, Dracula visiting her, and most importantly, her on-going battle against Glory that had started when school did. She told him about how she kept loosing against Glory. How she could beat her with a swipe of her hand. She spoke of everything else she had been through, including her Mom. Although Angel had heard some of this when he last talked to her, he listened intently, listening to the soothing sound of her voice.
When it was Angel's turn, he talked about Wolfram and Hart. How they had brought back Darla as a human in order to torment him and drive him crazy. He spoke of how close he was to saving her, how she had accepted her eventual death, and then how she had been ripped of everything when she was sired. He blamed himself...just another soul he failed to save. Later, as a vampire...Darla had continued Wolfram and Hart's plan. He even told her that it had almost worked, but now he was back on track. Angel told her of Dru coming to town, ruining everything, firing the Angel Investigations gang and eventually finding a way back into their hearts.
Buffy glanced at the clock. 10:30- time for her patrol and a check-in with Giles. "Angel, honey...I've got to go." She said, interrupting Angel's talk.
"Oh, wow...guess I lost track of time." Angel replied. "I should get going also. Cordy, here, is making faces at me and motioning for me to hang up."
"Angel! I am not." Buffy heard Cordelia say in the background.
Buffy laughed. Inwardly, she was thanking Wesley, Gunn, and Cordelia for being there for him and keeping him tied to the world. There was no doubt that he would still be brooding today if it weren't for his friends working with him. Angel was about to say something before going back to talk to his crew.
"Wes...no, I'm talking to Buffy. Wesley! C'mon!" Angel complained. Buffy laughed again when she heard him complain and whine like a baby. "Okay, I'll say goodbye. Give me 5 more minutes."
Buffy heard Wesley say "Fine," in the background.
"Sorry about that, Beloved. My *boss* wants me to say good bye." Angel apologized.
"All right," Buffy replied regrettably, knowing she would miss him terribly until she got to visit him in 3 days. "Take care of yourself, okay? I don't want you to get dusted before that prophecy kicks in."
Angel laughed- not a small chuckle, but a full, happy laugh. Buffy wanted to melt into a pool of Buffy-goo right then and there. She made him laugh; that sexy, smooth, laughter that was entirely Angel. And suddenly, she felt an entire 4 years younger. Never in her whole life, had she ever felt more...alive and full of life. "All right, Buffy. You do the same."
"You know me."
"I sure do, that's why I am telling you." Angel replied. "I'll see you Saturday."
"All right." Buffy paused. OK, do I tell him? "Oh...and Angel?"
"Yeah?"
"I...I love you." It felt almost perfect rolling off the tip of her tongue. It was so easy to say those three words to him- it felt so right.
"I love you too, Buffy." Angel replied, smiling as he heard those words. "I'll see you soon."
"Bye..." she whispered before hanging up the phone.
Buffy sat in the chair by herself for a few seconds, still as a statue. Everything was perfect. Once again, Buffy's knight in shining armor had saved her. He'd calmed her after her mother's death, she'd risked his own life to save her's and Dawn's. Now they were back together- the way they should be.
The way they should *always* be.
The past week had been a hurricane- from her mother's death, Angel's possible death, and now reunited with Angel. However, during that week, bits and pieces of the old Buffy had broken through that shield she had placed around herself more than a year ago when college started. And Buffy knew that in the entire process, she had managed to finally find herself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Did you like the ending? PLEASE let me know! Who knows? You may get a fluffy sequel out of sending me some FB! (Hint, hint)