12 pm
Buffy walked inside, looking around. She'd showered and changed into
blue jeans and a light blue short-sleeved top. "Angel?" she called.
"In here!"
She followed the voice into the kitchen. He'd also showered and
changed. He was wearing blue jeans and a dark green short-sleeved
button down shirt. She had to smile when she saw what he was doing.
He was assembling some deli meat sandwiches, and there was a picnic
basket nearby. "A picnic lunch?"
"Is that all right?" he asked, looking at her worriedly.
She laughed, "Of course it is!" she said and shook her head at him.
She walked over and jumped up to sit on the counter a few feet away
and watch him finish up. "I'm starving, Angel, where are we going?"
"There's a park a couple blocks away," he replied. He looked up at
her with a smile. He was amazed she seemed perfectly at ease with
him. Almost like they hadn't just made one of the most important
decisions of their lives. *Maybe she's so calm about it because she
knows it was the right decision? I hope so, anyway.*
"How's your injury?" she asked.
"You did a good job taping it up; it'll be fine," he assured
her. "How about your arm?"
"Just a cut," she shrugged. "Slayer healing is already working
overtime. So there won't be anything but a scar in a few hours."
"Good," he said with a nod. He threw the sandwiches into the picnic
basket and Buffy wondered what else he'd packed. She leaned over to
try to sneak a peek but he shut the lid quickly, then grinned at her.
"You'll just have to wait to find out what's for lunch," he
said. "Ready?"
She sighed at him in mock irritation. "Definitely," she replied and
hopped off the counter.
"After you then," Angel said, motioning toward the door as he grabbed
the picnic basket.
*********
ten minutes later
They arrived at the park and discovered that they weren't the only
ones taking advantage of the nice autumn weather. There were several
couples and families around. Buffy grabbed the picnic basket out of
the back seat while Angel got a blanket out of his trunk.
"No peeking!" he frowned over at her.
She sighed. She'd been about to do just that. "Over-reacting much?"
Angel laughed. "You do realize Cordelia still talks like that, don't
you?"
She shrugged with a smile. "Well I guess the gang did pick up that
quirk from her. But don't change the subject. I'm going to see the
food as soon as we find a place to sit, so I don't know what the big
deal is!"
"It's not a big deal, you're right. So there's no reason you can't be
patient," Angel teased. He laughed again as Buffy growled at
him. "Okay, let's find a nice place to sit." They walked down the
sidewalk to a small pond and Buffy suggested, "How about here? We can
feed the ducks the leftovers."
"Fine," Angel shrugged. He spread out the blanket on the grass and
they sat. "Okay, now you can open the basket," he added with a grin.
"Finally!" Buffy said. "In case you have forgotten I'm _not_ a
patient person." She opened the picnic basket and began reaching in
and pulling out the food, "Sandwiches....apples...cans of Coke...."
She got a confused look on her face and looked at him as her hand
closed around something else, but she couldn't figure out what it
was. He just watched her expressionlessly.
She pulled it out and gasped in surprise. She was holding a bouquet
of a dozen red roses. She looked at him in shock for about a second
before she broke into a smile. "Angel! You didn't have to do that!"
"I know," Angel shrugged and smiled. "I just wanted to do something
to let you know how much it means to me that you're willing to give
me another chance."
"I already know that," she replied. "Because it means a lot to me to
know that you still want me after all these years. I mean, here you
are, with the body of a twenty-seven year old. And here I am, almost
forty--"
"More beautiful than you were twenty years ago," Angel said
sincerely.
Buffy just rolled her eyes at him.
"Buffy, I mean it," Angel said, and reached out to take her chin in
his hand. Looking into her eyes he said, "In nearly three hundred
years, you are the only woman I've ever loved. You're beautiful,
sexy, intelligent, strong, witty, compassionate and so many other
things. All those reasons combined give me no choice but to love
you." He smiled as she just looked at him skeptically. "You don't
believe me yet, but that's okay," he said and moved his hand
away. "I'll convince you eventually. I'm as stubborn as you are."
"More," she said with a grin. She turned away to the food
then. "Right now, though, I'm hungry." Angel chuckled, but let her
change the subject. Like he'd said earlier, they had all the time in
the world for him to convince her he wasn't going anywhere. For now,
though, he was perfectly content to just enjoy spending time with the
woman he loved.
************
Buffy walked inside, looking around. She'd showered and changed into
blue jeans and a light blue short-sleeved top. "Angel?" she called.
"In here!"
She followed the voice into the kitchen. He'd also showered and
changed. He was wearing blue jeans and a dark green short-sleeved
button down shirt. She had to smile when she saw what he was doing.
He was assembling some deli meat sandwiches, and there was a picnic
basket nearby. "A picnic lunch?"
"Is that all right?" he asked, looking at her worriedly.
She laughed, "Of course it is!" she said and shook her head at him.
She walked over and jumped up to sit on the counter a few feet away
and watch him finish up. "I'm starving, Angel, where are we going?"
"There's a park a couple blocks away," he replied. He looked up at
her with a smile. He was amazed she seemed perfectly at ease with
him. Almost like they hadn't just made one of the most important
decisions of their lives. *Maybe she's so calm about it because she
knows it was the right decision? I hope so, anyway.*
"How's your injury?" she asked.
"You did a good job taping it up; it'll be fine," he assured
her. "How about your arm?"
"Just a cut," she shrugged. "Slayer healing is already working
overtime. So there won't be anything but a scar in a few hours."
"Good," he said with a nod. He threw the sandwiches into the picnic
basket and Buffy wondered what else he'd packed. She leaned over to
try to sneak a peek but he shut the lid quickly, then grinned at her.
"You'll just have to wait to find out what's for lunch," he
said. "Ready?"
She sighed at him in mock irritation. "Definitely," she replied and
hopped off the counter.
"After you then," Angel said, motioning toward the door as he grabbed
the picnic basket.
*********
ten minutes later
They arrived at the park and discovered that they weren't the only
ones taking advantage of the nice autumn weather. There were several
couples and families around. Buffy grabbed the picnic basket out of
the back seat while Angel got a blanket out of his trunk.
"No peeking!" he frowned over at her.
She sighed. She'd been about to do just that. "Over-reacting much?"
Angel laughed. "You do realize Cordelia still talks like that, don't
you?"
She shrugged with a smile. "Well I guess the gang did pick up that
quirk from her. But don't change the subject. I'm going to see the
food as soon as we find a place to sit, so I don't know what the big
deal is!"
"It's not a big deal, you're right. So there's no reason you can't be
patient," Angel teased. He laughed again as Buffy growled at
him. "Okay, let's find a nice place to sit." They walked down the
sidewalk to a small pond and Buffy suggested, "How about here? We can
feed the ducks the leftovers."
"Fine," Angel shrugged. He spread out the blanket on the grass and
they sat. "Okay, now you can open the basket," he added with a grin.
"Finally!" Buffy said. "In case you have forgotten I'm _not_ a
patient person." She opened the picnic basket and began reaching in
and pulling out the food, "Sandwiches....apples...cans of Coke...."
She got a confused look on her face and looked at him as her hand
closed around something else, but she couldn't figure out what it
was. He just watched her expressionlessly.
She pulled it out and gasped in surprise. She was holding a bouquet
of a dozen red roses. She looked at him in shock for about a second
before she broke into a smile. "Angel! You didn't have to do that!"
"I know," Angel shrugged and smiled. "I just wanted to do something
to let you know how much it means to me that you're willing to give
me another chance."
"I already know that," she replied. "Because it means a lot to me to
know that you still want me after all these years. I mean, here you
are, with the body of a twenty-seven year old. And here I am, almost
forty--"
"More beautiful than you were twenty years ago," Angel said
sincerely.
Buffy just rolled her eyes at him.
"Buffy, I mean it," Angel said, and reached out to take her chin in
his hand. Looking into her eyes he said, "In nearly three hundred
years, you are the only woman I've ever loved. You're beautiful,
sexy, intelligent, strong, witty, compassionate and so many other
things. All those reasons combined give me no choice but to love
you." He smiled as she just looked at him skeptically. "You don't
believe me yet, but that's okay," he said and moved his hand
away. "I'll convince you eventually. I'm as stubborn as you are."
"More," she said with a grin. She turned away to the food
then. "Right now, though, I'm hungry." Angel chuckled, but let her
change the subject. Like he'd said earlier, they had all the time in
the world for him to convince her he wasn't going anywhere. For now,
though, he was perfectly content to just enjoy spending time with the
woman he loved.
************