Part 17
Angel looked up and saw Buffy and Xander approaching. *I should have
known from the smug smile on Cordy's face this was a setup.* He
glared at Cordelia who simply smiled back at him. *That was look
#52: 'You Won't Dare Do Anything To Me NOW; we're in Public!'* Yes,
he'd categorized almost all of them, a side-product of spending the
last 20 years working together.
Buffy and Xander walked up, and Angel said, "Buffy, I didn't--"
Buffy cut him off with a raised hand. "Didn't think you did," she
shrugged.
"Wesley I've GOT to talk to you, now!" Cordelia said as she dragged
Wesley away.
"Wait," Angel trailed off with a sigh and shake of his head as he
discovered he was talking to thin air. "I'll go, they can find their
own way back to L.A."
"No you won't," Willow said, moving to block his way to the exit and
facing him with arms crossed. "Sit."
"I--"
"SIT!" she yelled, pointing at a chair.
Angel shrugged sheepishly and obeyed. Xander chuckled, "Smart move."
"You too," Willow said, turning to Buffy.
"Will--"
"SIT!"
Buffy frowned, but followed orders too.
"Good," Willow said with a sigh of relief. "Buffy, if you two don't
at least smooth things over to the point where you can be civil to
each other, you'll be miserable for days. And I'm tired of seeing you
miserable. And Angel, I'm shocked at you, that you're even
contemplating leaving things this way. You two could TRY being
friends. Strange concept, but take it from me, it works. Xander,
let's dance." And with that, Willow and Xander left Buffy and Angel
at the table alone.
Buffy glared after her, but it didn't phase Willow. So she turned
back to Angel with a sigh, saying, "I was harsh, and childish. I said
what I did, the way that I did, because I wanted to hurt you. And I
apologize."
"You don't have to apologize," Angel said with a shrug. "I should be
the one apologizing. It wasn't fair of me to hit you with all this at
once."
"It's okay," Buffy replied, looking away. "I guess there wouldn't be
a right way to say, 'Oh, by the way, I'm alive now.' I just really
need _you_ to understand that I can't go back. I won't. There's too
much pain that way. It seems like all we ever did, and keep doing, is
hurt each other." She met his eyes but had to look away again at the
pain she saw in them. "Do you think we can be friends? Like Willow
said?"
"I'm willing to give it a shot if you are," Angel replied. She looked
back at him again, and he saw the uncertainty in her expression. "I
won't pressure you, Buffy. If you want us to be nothing more than
friends, I can respect that."
Buffy nodded, and smiled finally. "Okay. Friends. I can live with
that."
"Good," Angel smiled back.
"So? No yelling. Did we declare a truce?" Willow asked hopefully as
she and Xander returned to the table a few minutes later.
"Yeah, Wills. We decided friends wasn't such a bad thing to try,"
Buffy replied.
"I need to find Cordelia, and get back to L.A.," Angel said. "But
I'll talk to you...."
"Soon," Buffy assured him with a smile. She felt much more
comfortable around him, already. She hoped they could make a
friendship work, because Willow was right, the alternative wasn't
something she could deal with.
"Good," Angel said. He said his goodbyes to Willow and Xander, then
was off in search of his wayward employees.
"So?" Willow asked again when he'd left.
"Don't 'so' me," Buffy said with a roll of her eyes. "Friends,
Willow. I'm not interested in anything else."
"Sure you aren't," Willow said agreeably, while managing to look
completely unconvinced.
************************
Angel looked up and saw Buffy and Xander approaching. *I should have
known from the smug smile on Cordy's face this was a setup.* He
glared at Cordelia who simply smiled back at him. *That was look
#52: 'You Won't Dare Do Anything To Me NOW; we're in Public!'* Yes,
he'd categorized almost all of them, a side-product of spending the
last 20 years working together.
Buffy and Xander walked up, and Angel said, "Buffy, I didn't--"
Buffy cut him off with a raised hand. "Didn't think you did," she
shrugged.
"Wesley I've GOT to talk to you, now!" Cordelia said as she dragged
Wesley away.
"Wait," Angel trailed off with a sigh and shake of his head as he
discovered he was talking to thin air. "I'll go, they can find their
own way back to L.A."
"No you won't," Willow said, moving to block his way to the exit and
facing him with arms crossed. "Sit."
"I--"
"SIT!" she yelled, pointing at a chair.
Angel shrugged sheepishly and obeyed. Xander chuckled, "Smart move."
"You too," Willow said, turning to Buffy.
"Will--"
"SIT!"
Buffy frowned, but followed orders too.
"Good," Willow said with a sigh of relief. "Buffy, if you two don't
at least smooth things over to the point where you can be civil to
each other, you'll be miserable for days. And I'm tired of seeing you
miserable. And Angel, I'm shocked at you, that you're even
contemplating leaving things this way. You two could TRY being
friends. Strange concept, but take it from me, it works. Xander,
let's dance." And with that, Willow and Xander left Buffy and Angel
at the table alone.
Buffy glared after her, but it didn't phase Willow. So she turned
back to Angel with a sigh, saying, "I was harsh, and childish. I said
what I did, the way that I did, because I wanted to hurt you. And I
apologize."
"You don't have to apologize," Angel said with a shrug. "I should be
the one apologizing. It wasn't fair of me to hit you with all this at
once."
"It's okay," Buffy replied, looking away. "I guess there wouldn't be
a right way to say, 'Oh, by the way, I'm alive now.' I just really
need _you_ to understand that I can't go back. I won't. There's too
much pain that way. It seems like all we ever did, and keep doing, is
hurt each other." She met his eyes but had to look away again at the
pain she saw in them. "Do you think we can be friends? Like Willow
said?"
"I'm willing to give it a shot if you are," Angel replied. She looked
back at him again, and he saw the uncertainty in her expression. "I
won't pressure you, Buffy. If you want us to be nothing more than
friends, I can respect that."
Buffy nodded, and smiled finally. "Okay. Friends. I can live with
that."
"Good," Angel smiled back.
"So? No yelling. Did we declare a truce?" Willow asked hopefully as
she and Xander returned to the table a few minutes later.
"Yeah, Wills. We decided friends wasn't such a bad thing to try,"
Buffy replied.
"I need to find Cordelia, and get back to L.A.," Angel said. "But
I'll talk to you...."
"Soon," Buffy assured him with a smile. She felt much more
comfortable around him, already. She hoped they could make a
friendship work, because Willow was right, the alternative wasn't
something she could deal with.
"Good," Angel said. He said his goodbyes to Willow and Xander, then
was off in search of his wayward employees.
"So?" Willow asked again when he'd left.
"Don't 'so' me," Buffy said with a roll of her eyes. "Friends,
Willow. I'm not interested in anything else."
"Sure you aren't," Willow said agreeably, while managing to look
completely unconvinced.
************************