Buffy paced her hotel room, waiting for the knock on her door that would let her know that Angel had arrived. Her stomach growled,
reminding her that she'd slept through breakfast. After what felt
like hours, she heard a knock on the door, just before her cellphone rang.
"Damn it," Buffy muttered. She didn't want to answer the cellphone, but she couldn't ignore it. She'd made Giles, Willow and Xander promise
only to call her on it in the event of an emergency. "Just figures,"
she sighed. She grabbed the phone and walked to the door to let Angel in.
"Yeah," she said into the phone. She looked up as she opened the door and motioned Angel in with a wave.
"Buffy, I am so sorry--" Willow's voice was on the other end.
*Damn it.*
"Don't apologize," Buffy said with a sigh. "Hellmouth evil stops for no man. Or woman. Whatever. What's up and how soon do you need me?"
Angel went to sit in a chair by the bed and tried to hide his disappointment as he realized that Buffy was going back to
Sunnydale immediately. He had been looking forward to spending at
least a few more hours together. He wasn't just disappointed, he
also didn't like being reminded of her dangerous life. He'd just
found her after twenty years apart, he didn't like facing the reality that
he could lose her again.
"I'll be there as soon as I can pack and get on the road. Promise me that you all will be careful until I'm there?" Buffy requested. Willow
had told her that there was a new Master Vampire in town. This was nothing
new, but what was new was that he seemed intent on turning every human he
came into contact with. Willow, Xander and Giles had been up for forty-eight
hours straight, trying to find him at night and trying to locate his lair
during the day. They hadn't wanted to bother Buffy, but they'd seen twenty
fledglings rise from one cemetery the previous night. They'd killed all
of them, but it became obvious that they needed The Slayer to deal with this.
Buffy ended the call and looked at Angel apologetically. "Well, I guess you figured that I have to go. It's not fair," she added with a sigh.
Angel smiled and stood, walking up to her. "I agree, but we knew that
already, didn't we?"
Buffy shrugged. "Yeah, well, it doesn't mean I have to like it. Stupid
vampires."
"Hey!" Angel replied with an amused grin. "I don't know if I should be
offended by that or not."
"You were always the exception to the rule," Buffy assured him with a smile. "So, give me a few minutes to pack and then you can drive me to my car?"
"No problem," Angel replied. "One thing first?"
"What?" She looked at him curiously.
"This," he replied as he pulled her into his arms for a hug. Buffy smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist with a sigh of contentment.
"Much better," Angel added.
"I agree," Buffy replied. One of the many things she'd missed about Angel was how safe he made her feel when she was in his arms. Being the slayer, she usually felt like she had to protect everyone else. It was one of her deepest sources of guilt, that she hadn't been able to protect her mother or Riley, as she was supposed to.
But with Angel, she didn't feel like she had to protect him. Even now when he was human, she still felt like he was the one who could protect her, for once. She'd never minded letting him be the strong one, she'd needed it. It was a nice change. With Angel, she felt less the superhero and more the normal woman who needed to lean on the man she loved occasionally.
After several minutes just standing holding each other, Buffy sighed and moved away. "Okay. I do need to pack," she said reluctantly.
"Yeah," Angel agreed. He sat and waited for her to get ready.
*********
Fifteen Minutes later
Angel pulled his car up behind Buffy's. He helped her get her bags out of the trunk and into her car.
"Okay, so I guess I'll see you next weekend?" Buffy asked.
"Of course you will. You think I wouldn't be around for your birthday?" Angel wondered with a smile.
"Ugh. Don't remind me," Buffy muttered. Her birthday was Friday and forty was not something she was looking forward to.
Angel chuckled. "You get no sympathy from me on your age, Buffy, considering I'm a good two centuries older than you."
Buffy grinned. "Hey, yeah. Forgot about that. Thanks, I feel young again."
Angel smiled, "Glad I could help out."
"Okay, I should go now. Sacred duty calls," Buffy said.
"I know. Please be careful," Angel requested, brushing her cheek
with the back of his hand.
Buffy smiled. "Don't worry about me." He gave her a raised eyebrow in
response. She asked, "You want me maybe to call you tonight once the demon's dead? Let you know everything went okay?"
"Please," Angel replied gratefully.
"I think I can manage that," Buffy said. She laughed, realizing she was still not in her car as she should have been. "And really, this is me leaving."
"Okay," Angel nodded. He leaned in for a quick kiss. He pulled away and said, "I love you."
"I love you too," Buffy said with a smile. "I'll call you later tonight." She got in her car and drove away.
Angel watched until she was out of sight. Then he walked back into the
Hyperion. "Well, I guess I can finish that basement cleaning," he said with a chuckle.
********
10 pm
"Angel!" Cordelia pulled him out of his distracted mood for the tenth time in ten minutes. "It's only ten o'clock. You know she probably hasn't even found the vampire, so there's no sense in expecting that phone call yet. Can we please finish this paperwork so we can close this case and send Mrs. Andrews the bill tomorrow?"
"I'm sorry, Cordy. I'm just worried," Angel said.
"She's fine, Angel," Cordelia tried to reassure him. "Now, where's the info we got on Mrs. Andrews' stalker so we can send it to Kate?"
"In the filing cabinet, I suppose," Angel replied with a shrug. At Cordelia's glare, he took the hint and got out of his chair to get
the papers for her.
"Good, I'll fax these when I get in tomorrow," Cordelia replied. "Are you incredibly bored with our cases now?" she asked. Her visions had been of the more human evil variety, ever since Angel had become human himself
again. She didn't mind the change, but she often wondered if he missed the
excitement of the other cases.
"I don't mind it, really," he replied. "I understand why The Powers stopped sending us the paranormal cases. I'm not as invincible as I once was. I'm sure it makes Buffy feel better knowing that I'm in less danger, too. Besides, we still do some good."
"I agree, just checking," Cordelia said. "Okay, well, I'm gonna go now. Please
try not to worry too much, okay?"
She hugged him and he was grateful for the comfort. "Thanks, Cordy. I'll try," he said with a smile.
"Good," she replied. "See you tomorrow, Angel."
"Bye, Cordy," he called after her. He sank into his chair and tried to
distract himself with the research they'd compiled on their newest case. It wasn't much use, though. When the phone rang, he dove for it. "Hello?"
"Hey, Angel."
Angel could have cried with relief at the sound of Buffy's voice. "Are you okay?"
He could swear he heard her roll her eyes. "I'm fine, Angel, I promise.
Just a few scratches but nothing serious. The vampire was found, the vampire
met the slayer. The vampire discovered the dangers of a stake."
"Glad to hear it," Angel said with a smile. "So you're sure you're okay?"
"I'm positive," Buffy replied. "Like I said, what scratches and bruises
I got are minor; they'll all be healed by the time I see you Friday."
"Good," Angel breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed in his chair.
"I hate to cut this short, but I'm really exhausted..."
"I understand completely, Buffy," Angel replied. "Sleep well, Sweetheart." He bit his lip when he realized what he'd said.
"G'nite, Angel," Buffy replied and he could hear the smile in her voice before she ended the call.
Angel smiled as he hung up the phone. All in all, it had been a perfect weekend. And he intended it to be just one of many to come.
reminding her that she'd slept through breakfast. After what felt
like hours, she heard a knock on the door, just before her cellphone rang.
"Damn it," Buffy muttered. She didn't want to answer the cellphone, but she couldn't ignore it. She'd made Giles, Willow and Xander promise
only to call her on it in the event of an emergency. "Just figures,"
she sighed. She grabbed the phone and walked to the door to let Angel in.
"Yeah," she said into the phone. She looked up as she opened the door and motioned Angel in with a wave.
"Buffy, I am so sorry--" Willow's voice was on the other end.
*Damn it.*
"Don't apologize," Buffy said with a sigh. "Hellmouth evil stops for no man. Or woman. Whatever. What's up and how soon do you need me?"
Angel went to sit in a chair by the bed and tried to hide his disappointment as he realized that Buffy was going back to
Sunnydale immediately. He had been looking forward to spending at
least a few more hours together. He wasn't just disappointed, he
also didn't like being reminded of her dangerous life. He'd just
found her after twenty years apart, he didn't like facing the reality that
he could lose her again.
"I'll be there as soon as I can pack and get on the road. Promise me that you all will be careful until I'm there?" Buffy requested. Willow
had told her that there was a new Master Vampire in town. This was nothing
new, but what was new was that he seemed intent on turning every human he
came into contact with. Willow, Xander and Giles had been up for forty-eight
hours straight, trying to find him at night and trying to locate his lair
during the day. They hadn't wanted to bother Buffy, but they'd seen twenty
fledglings rise from one cemetery the previous night. They'd killed all
of them, but it became obvious that they needed The Slayer to deal with this.
Buffy ended the call and looked at Angel apologetically. "Well, I guess you figured that I have to go. It's not fair," she added with a sigh.
Angel smiled and stood, walking up to her. "I agree, but we knew that
already, didn't we?"
Buffy shrugged. "Yeah, well, it doesn't mean I have to like it. Stupid
vampires."
"Hey!" Angel replied with an amused grin. "I don't know if I should be
offended by that or not."
"You were always the exception to the rule," Buffy assured him with a smile. "So, give me a few minutes to pack and then you can drive me to my car?"
"No problem," Angel replied. "One thing first?"
"What?" She looked at him curiously.
"This," he replied as he pulled her into his arms for a hug. Buffy smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist with a sigh of contentment.
"Much better," Angel added.
"I agree," Buffy replied. One of the many things she'd missed about Angel was how safe he made her feel when she was in his arms. Being the slayer, she usually felt like she had to protect everyone else. It was one of her deepest sources of guilt, that she hadn't been able to protect her mother or Riley, as she was supposed to.
But with Angel, she didn't feel like she had to protect him. Even now when he was human, she still felt like he was the one who could protect her, for once. She'd never minded letting him be the strong one, she'd needed it. It was a nice change. With Angel, she felt less the superhero and more the normal woman who needed to lean on the man she loved occasionally.
After several minutes just standing holding each other, Buffy sighed and moved away. "Okay. I do need to pack," she said reluctantly.
"Yeah," Angel agreed. He sat and waited for her to get ready.
*********
Fifteen Minutes later
Angel pulled his car up behind Buffy's. He helped her get her bags out of the trunk and into her car.
"Okay, so I guess I'll see you next weekend?" Buffy asked.
"Of course you will. You think I wouldn't be around for your birthday?" Angel wondered with a smile.
"Ugh. Don't remind me," Buffy muttered. Her birthday was Friday and forty was not something she was looking forward to.
Angel chuckled. "You get no sympathy from me on your age, Buffy, considering I'm a good two centuries older than you."
Buffy grinned. "Hey, yeah. Forgot about that. Thanks, I feel young again."
Angel smiled, "Glad I could help out."
"Okay, I should go now. Sacred duty calls," Buffy said.
"I know. Please be careful," Angel requested, brushing her cheek
with the back of his hand.
Buffy smiled. "Don't worry about me." He gave her a raised eyebrow in
response. She asked, "You want me maybe to call you tonight once the demon's dead? Let you know everything went okay?"
"Please," Angel replied gratefully.
"I think I can manage that," Buffy said. She laughed, realizing she was still not in her car as she should have been. "And really, this is me leaving."
"Okay," Angel nodded. He leaned in for a quick kiss. He pulled away and said, "I love you."
"I love you too," Buffy said with a smile. "I'll call you later tonight." She got in her car and drove away.
Angel watched until she was out of sight. Then he walked back into the
Hyperion. "Well, I guess I can finish that basement cleaning," he said with a chuckle.
********
10 pm
"Angel!" Cordelia pulled him out of his distracted mood for the tenth time in ten minutes. "It's only ten o'clock. You know she probably hasn't even found the vampire, so there's no sense in expecting that phone call yet. Can we please finish this paperwork so we can close this case and send Mrs. Andrews the bill tomorrow?"
"I'm sorry, Cordy. I'm just worried," Angel said.
"She's fine, Angel," Cordelia tried to reassure him. "Now, where's the info we got on Mrs. Andrews' stalker so we can send it to Kate?"
"In the filing cabinet, I suppose," Angel replied with a shrug. At Cordelia's glare, he took the hint and got out of his chair to get
the papers for her.
"Good, I'll fax these when I get in tomorrow," Cordelia replied. "Are you incredibly bored with our cases now?" she asked. Her visions had been of the more human evil variety, ever since Angel had become human himself
again. She didn't mind the change, but she often wondered if he missed the
excitement of the other cases.
"I don't mind it, really," he replied. "I understand why The Powers stopped sending us the paranormal cases. I'm not as invincible as I once was. I'm sure it makes Buffy feel better knowing that I'm in less danger, too. Besides, we still do some good."
"I agree, just checking," Cordelia said. "Okay, well, I'm gonna go now. Please
try not to worry too much, okay?"
She hugged him and he was grateful for the comfort. "Thanks, Cordy. I'll try," he said with a smile.
"Good," she replied. "See you tomorrow, Angel."
"Bye, Cordy," he called after her. He sank into his chair and tried to
distract himself with the research they'd compiled on their newest case. It wasn't much use, though. When the phone rang, he dove for it. "Hello?"
"Hey, Angel."
Angel could have cried with relief at the sound of Buffy's voice. "Are you okay?"
He could swear he heard her roll her eyes. "I'm fine, Angel, I promise.
Just a few scratches but nothing serious. The vampire was found, the vampire
met the slayer. The vampire discovered the dangers of a stake."
"Glad to hear it," Angel said with a smile. "So you're sure you're okay?"
"I'm positive," Buffy replied. "Like I said, what scratches and bruises
I got are minor; they'll all be healed by the time I see you Friday."
"Good," Angel breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed in his chair.
"I hate to cut this short, but I'm really exhausted..."
"I understand completely, Buffy," Angel replied. "Sleep well, Sweetheart." He bit his lip when he realized what he'd said.
"G'nite, Angel," Buffy replied and he could hear the smile in her voice before she ended the call.
Angel smiled as he hung up the phone. All in all, it had been a perfect weekend. And he intended it to be just one of many to come.