****************
Part 36
Angel was washing the dishes when Jack walked in. They regarded each other for a moment and then Jack left again, seemingly satisfied that Angel didn't present a danger.
Buffy walked in and said, "You don't have to wash the dishes, Angel. Let me take care of it."
"Definitely not!" Angel replied with a frown. "You will not do any more work today, on your birthday."
She rolled her eyes, "Well, what am I *supposed* to do, then?"
"Go back in the living room and relax," he replied. "I'll be out in a minute."
She opened her mouth to argue but recognized the 'I won't take no for an answer' expression on his face. "Fine," she sighed and walked back into the living room.
Ten minutes later, Angel finished and went into the living room. He smiled when he saw Buffy with her dog laying across her lap, protectively.
She smiled up at him, "I'm surrounded by over-protective men," she teased. "Off," she pushed at the German Shepard. He whined, but obeyed. "So, should we go to Giles'?" she asked.
"After I give you your presents," Angel replied, sitting next to her.
Buffy shook her head in amazement, "You've already cooked me dinner, gotten rid of my headache and done the dishes. Now you tell me there's more? You're going to spoil me, Angel."
"And that's a bad thing?" he asked with a grin. "I've been debating whether to give this to you for your birthday." he added.
"Let me make the decision easier on you," Buffy replied, "Gimme!" she demanded, holding out her hand.
Angel chuckled and nodded. "All right." He pulled a box out from the cushions of the couch. It was about three inches square, tied with a red ribon. He started to hand it to her, but before she could take it he changed his mind.
Buffy could see that he was nervous, from the look in his eyes. "Angel, what's wrong?"
"I don't want to upset you..."
"Okay, now you have me very curious," Buffy said. "You can't not give me the gift after that, it wouldn't be fair," she added. "Angel, I'd never think you were intentionally trying to hurt me. Whatever it is, I know you love me and I know it comes from the heart."
Angel hesitated a minute longer. He knew he was probably driving her crazy. He most likely *was* overthinking most things about their relationship. He was getting tired of second-guessing himself all the time, where Buffy was concerned, too. *I need to just learn to trust my instincts and believe that Buffy knows me and won't misunderstand my actions.* he decided as he relented and handed her the box.
He still couldn't keep himself from holding his breath when she untied the ribbon and opened the box. She didn't react for a second and then he was alarmed to see her start crying.
Buffy opened the box. It was a Claddagh ring, *the* Claddagh ring. She couldn't help it, she started crying. She couldn't believe he'd kept it all these years. She also wasn't immune to the meaning behind his giving it back to her. She knew what the ring meant to him, she remembered how happy she'd been when he'd given it to her, to prove he was serious about their relationship. But thinking about how happy they'd been only served to remind her of how terribly it had ended for them.
*Shit,* Angel thought, feeling helpless as Buffy started crying. "Buffy?" he wanted to pull her into his arms, but he was afraid she wouldn't want that. Maybe this was one of those times he *should have* second-guessed himself.
"Buffy, I'm so sorry," he said. "I just thought... we both know how much pain I've caused you, especially after your seventeenth birthday. But we really haven't talked all that much about our past. And if we're ever going to have a future, we've got to deal with the past."
"Angel," Buffy wiped the tears from her face and looked up at him. "I'm not upset with you," she said. She smiled, taking one of her hands in his, "And by the way, you can touch me, I won't break." She was relieved when he cracked a smile at that.
"The Claddagh ring just caught me off guard," she continued. "It brings up so many memories... good and bad. Even though I'd rather avoid the bad ones, but you're right. We need to deal with it."
"I'm relieved to hear you say that," Angel replied. "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life making up for all the pain I caused you. And this ring, I know it's a reminder of all the bad things we've been through, but I also want it to be a reminder that I've always and will always love you."
"The ring isn't just a reminder of the bad memories," Buffy said. "There were good ones, too," she added with a small smile. "It just brings up so many feelings and memories that I've pushed deep inside me, for the last twenty years." She looked down at it and said, "I remember how much it meant to you, to give me the ring the first time, when you told me what it meant. I remember how happy you were when I wore it with the heart facing in, because you knew it meant I didn't *mind* belonging to you. I remember how happy we were at first, how in love. We didn't think anything would get in our way, at least nothing as devastating as the happiness clause."
Angel released her hand and put his left arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer and Buffy was glad for the comfort. She rested her head on his chest, over his heart. "Do you know how many times I've wished that we'd just known about the stupid clause?" she asked. "If Jenny had just told us about it, how much pain and death could have been avoided, I wonder?"
"I don't know," Angel replied. "Would we have been able to stay away from each other, though? Even if we knew the dangers? It's why I had to leave, finally, because it was too much. Too be that close to you and not be allowed to make love to you... And I didn't know if maybe, someday it would be just something innocent that would give me perfect happiness. I couldn't risk that, hurting you again like that."
"So you broke my heart to keep from hurting me," Buffy said with a sigh.
"A part of me died that day I walked away from you," Angel said. "I wasn't sure if I would survive. And after that, I can't tell you how many times I wished that I'd never gone to Sunnydale," Angel said.
"I never wished that," Buffy said, looking up at him. "Maybe it's selfish of me, but I never could wish I'd never met you. I loved you, so much. And you did so much good while you were here."
"Did I?" Angel wondered. "I killed someone close to you, tormented you with threats of killing your friends, tortured your watcher--"
"Not you," Buffy argued.
"He was always inside me, Buffy," Angel replied.
"I know that, Angel. But you never let him hurt me while you had your soul," Buffy said. "I know there was darkness in you, but isn't there darkness in everyone, even humans? The difference is, while you had your soul, you fought the darkness."
"But I lost," Angel said. "And I gave you the most impossible choice, Buffy."
"No you didn't," Buffy replied. "Fate, destiny, life gave me that choice," she said. "And I couldn't, still can't believe that you could still love me after I sent you to hell." She looked away as memories of that painful night sufaced.
He pulled her close and she lay her head against his chest again. "I have never, for one second, stopped loving you, Buffy Summers," he said as he ran his hand through her hair. "And I never doubted your love for me, either. Even when I was in hell--" He paused as a shiver ran through her body. He knew she was disturbed by the thought of him in hell. "Want me to shut up?" he asked. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, needing to reassure her in any way he could manage.
"No, it's okay," she said. "Like you said, we need to talk about these things. But I want you to be honest with me, Angel," she looked up at him. "Wasn't there even a little bit of you that resented me for doing that to you?"
"No," Angel said, without hesitation. He saw the skepticism in her eyes and said, "Even when I was in hell, Buffy, I knew, somehow, that you hadn't had a choice in your actions. I *never* doubted that you'd loved me. And I never doubted that it devastated you to have to send me to hell."
"I wanted to die," she said tearfully. "I don't know why I didn't. I didn't want to live without you. I was so afraid that you'd hate me, for what I had to do. I dreamed, sometimes, that you had come back. You were so hateful to me... Not that I would have blamed you, if that had been the way it had turned out. I felt like I'd betrayed our love, Angel. But as much as I hated myself, I couldn't stop being the slayer, either. God, I tried. But everywhere I went... even when I ran away, my calling followed me. So I kept living, kept slaying, even though a part of me felt dead."
"Buffy," he put a hand under her chin raising it so he could look into her eyes. "Even when I was in hell, there was never, *ever* a moment when my love for you lessened, even the slightest. I never blamed you, not for one second."
She couldn't hold back her emotions anymore. When she looked into his eyes, she knew that he was speaking the truth and it felt like a giant weight had been lifted off her. But at the same time, all the pain of those months came rushing back to her and she started to cry, sobbing uncontrollably. Angel pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. Buffy clutched her arms around his waist as she cried, needing to just let go and knowing that she was safe doing that with Angel.
Angel held Buffy as she cried, feeling her pain as if it were his own. He realized that she had probably been afraid, all these years, that he resented her for sending him to hell. And he realized that he'd never tried to set her mind at ease about it, either. He'd always thought that the better thing to do was move on and avoid painful discussions of the past. He knew now that he'd been wrong. "God, Buffy, how stupid am I? I didn't know, all you've gone through, all these years, suspecting that I stopped loving you a little, or that I blamed you," he whispered as he held her tightly. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I should have known."
After several minutes, Buffy quieted. "Got your shirt all wet," she sniffed, looking up at him.
Angel smiled, "It'll dry," he said, brushing the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.
"I guess *I* should have known," Buffy said, laying her head back against his chest. "You were never petty or hateful. I guess I was just projecting all my fears on you."
"But I didn't help you any," Angel replied, "I was just trying to let you move on. I thought rehashing the past would've been too painful. Now I understand that not dealing with those things just makes them get worse."
"Yeah," Buffy nodded. "I guess so. So you kept the ring all these years? I always kind of wondered, you know, what you ended up doing with it after I left it at the mansion. I knew it couldn't have been easy on you to come back from hell and find me dating."
"I won't deny it hurt to find that out," Angel admitted. "But I also knew that you'd done the reasonable thing, getting on with your life."
"I understood, the first time you left me," Buffy said, looking up at him. "It took me a long time to accept it, but I knew you were trying to do what you thought was best. The second time you left me though, that was a little harder to deal with."
"I'm sure it didn't help that you remembered it once you and Riley were together," Angel said. "The oracles *promised* me that you would never remember. I wouldn't have agreed to their offer of repeating the day, if I'd known you'd have to feel that pain."
Buffy nodded, "I believe you. You've always tried to protect me, the best you knew how. But, after I got over being angry with you, I realized I wouldn't have wished *not* to remember that day, Angel. It's the same thing with not wishing I'd never met you. Knowing you, loving you, has brought me unbelievable happiness. And if the pain is part of the package, then I'd rather deal with the pain than never have had all the good stuff."
Angel smiled, "I can't argue with you, when you get all deep on me."
"I'll have to keep that in mind the next time you feel like arguing with me," Buffy teased. She turned serious again and said, "Thank you, Angel. I didn't realize how badly we needed to clear the air and just talk all these things through. So thank you for pushing the issue by giving me the ring. And thank you for the ring, too."
"So... you'll wear it?" Angel wondered. "I mean, if you're not ready, that's okay..."
"I'm ready," Buffy said. She slipped it on the ring finger of her left hand and smiled up at him. She was surprised to see tears in his eyes. "Oh, don't you start, you're gonna make me start crying again," she warned. She kissed him gently and he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her back.
He pulled away slightly and rested his forehead against hers. "I'll never quite understand what I did to deserve you back in my life, Buffy. And you agreeing to wear the ring ... it means--"
"I know," she said, caressing his cheek with one of her hands. "It means a lot to me, too." She laughed and said, "Wow, well, I'm sure that's not the way you intended this birthday to go, with me bawling on your shirt and I'm sure I look absolutely horrible, all red nose and puffy eyes--"
"You're beautiful," Angel interrupted, cradling her face in his hands. "That never changes." He kissed her softly and said, "But I'm not done yet," he got up and retrieved two more boxes from the kitchen. Buffy frowned when he walked up to her with them. "The ring is a symbol of our past, the strength of our love that's gotten us through, even when other couples would have fallen apart. This," he handed her a thin box, that was 8" by 11". She took it and he continued, "Well, this is something to remember this, our ... fourth?" he shrugged, "attempt at making it work. And a reminder that I believe we won't fail, this time. If this gift even brings across half of what I feel for you, I'll consider it a success."
Buffy was intrigued, as she opened the box. She gasped when she pulled the tissue paper away. "Oh my god, it's beautiful!" she whispered. It was a painting, obviously done by him. It was her, standing on the roof of his building, with the sun setting behind her. She recognized the scene, it was the first sunset they'd watched together, the previous week. He'd framed it and she intended to put it up immediately.
"Thank you," she said, setting it on the table so she could hug him. "It's perfect."
"One more," Angel said when she pulled away. He handed her a slightly smaller box and said, "Open it and then I'll explain."
"Ooookay," she said. She opened this box and found a red rose petal and a vanilla-scented candle. She looked at him, puzzled.
He took the box out of her hands and put it on the table, then took her hands in his. "I love you, so much, Buffy," he said. "Like I said, I've never stopped. And making love with you, on your seventeenth birthday and on the day that we lost, those times were more amazing than I can put into words. I want to have that closeness again. I know you're not ready yet and that's okay. I'm not trying to pressure you. I can and will wait as long as you need; because I want there to be no doubts in your mind that you're ready, when you and I make love again. So, when, if, you ever feel like you *are* ready, just bring me back the rose petal and the candle. And on that night, I'll cover you in a thousand more rose petals as I worship you by candlelight."
Buffy hugged him again to hide her blush. "I *do* love you, Angel," she said.
"I know you do, Baby," he replied with a smile, holding her close.
"Thank you for the incredibly sweet, romantic gifts, not to mention dinner and everything else," she said as she pulled away.
"You're welcome," he said, leaning in for another soft kiss. "Well, should we get to Giles'?" he asked.
"Yeah," Buffy replied as she stood. He rose too and took her by the hand and they walked outside together.
**********
Part 36
Angel was washing the dishes when Jack walked in. They regarded each other for a moment and then Jack left again, seemingly satisfied that Angel didn't present a danger.
Buffy walked in and said, "You don't have to wash the dishes, Angel. Let me take care of it."
"Definitely not!" Angel replied with a frown. "You will not do any more work today, on your birthday."
She rolled her eyes, "Well, what am I *supposed* to do, then?"
"Go back in the living room and relax," he replied. "I'll be out in a minute."
She opened her mouth to argue but recognized the 'I won't take no for an answer' expression on his face. "Fine," she sighed and walked back into the living room.
Ten minutes later, Angel finished and went into the living room. He smiled when he saw Buffy with her dog laying across her lap, protectively.
She smiled up at him, "I'm surrounded by over-protective men," she teased. "Off," she pushed at the German Shepard. He whined, but obeyed. "So, should we go to Giles'?" she asked.
"After I give you your presents," Angel replied, sitting next to her.
Buffy shook her head in amazement, "You've already cooked me dinner, gotten rid of my headache and done the dishes. Now you tell me there's more? You're going to spoil me, Angel."
"And that's a bad thing?" he asked with a grin. "I've been debating whether to give this to you for your birthday." he added.
"Let me make the decision easier on you," Buffy replied, "Gimme!" she demanded, holding out her hand.
Angel chuckled and nodded. "All right." He pulled a box out from the cushions of the couch. It was about three inches square, tied with a red ribon. He started to hand it to her, but before she could take it he changed his mind.
Buffy could see that he was nervous, from the look in his eyes. "Angel, what's wrong?"
"I don't want to upset you..."
"Okay, now you have me very curious," Buffy said. "You can't not give me the gift after that, it wouldn't be fair," she added. "Angel, I'd never think you were intentionally trying to hurt me. Whatever it is, I know you love me and I know it comes from the heart."
Angel hesitated a minute longer. He knew he was probably driving her crazy. He most likely *was* overthinking most things about their relationship. He was getting tired of second-guessing himself all the time, where Buffy was concerned, too. *I need to just learn to trust my instincts and believe that Buffy knows me and won't misunderstand my actions.* he decided as he relented and handed her the box.
He still couldn't keep himself from holding his breath when she untied the ribbon and opened the box. She didn't react for a second and then he was alarmed to see her start crying.
Buffy opened the box. It was a Claddagh ring, *the* Claddagh ring. She couldn't help it, she started crying. She couldn't believe he'd kept it all these years. She also wasn't immune to the meaning behind his giving it back to her. She knew what the ring meant to him, she remembered how happy she'd been when he'd given it to her, to prove he was serious about their relationship. But thinking about how happy they'd been only served to remind her of how terribly it had ended for them.
*Shit,* Angel thought, feeling helpless as Buffy started crying. "Buffy?" he wanted to pull her into his arms, but he was afraid she wouldn't want that. Maybe this was one of those times he *should have* second-guessed himself.
"Buffy, I'm so sorry," he said. "I just thought... we both know how much pain I've caused you, especially after your seventeenth birthday. But we really haven't talked all that much about our past. And if we're ever going to have a future, we've got to deal with the past."
"Angel," Buffy wiped the tears from her face and looked up at him. "I'm not upset with you," she said. She smiled, taking one of her hands in his, "And by the way, you can touch me, I won't break." She was relieved when he cracked a smile at that.
"The Claddagh ring just caught me off guard," she continued. "It brings up so many memories... good and bad. Even though I'd rather avoid the bad ones, but you're right. We need to deal with it."
"I'm relieved to hear you say that," Angel replied. "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life making up for all the pain I caused you. And this ring, I know it's a reminder of all the bad things we've been through, but I also want it to be a reminder that I've always and will always love you."
"The ring isn't just a reminder of the bad memories," Buffy said. "There were good ones, too," she added with a small smile. "It just brings up so many feelings and memories that I've pushed deep inside me, for the last twenty years." She looked down at it and said, "I remember how much it meant to you, to give me the ring the first time, when you told me what it meant. I remember how happy you were when I wore it with the heart facing in, because you knew it meant I didn't *mind* belonging to you. I remember how happy we were at first, how in love. We didn't think anything would get in our way, at least nothing as devastating as the happiness clause."
Angel released her hand and put his left arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer and Buffy was glad for the comfort. She rested her head on his chest, over his heart. "Do you know how many times I've wished that we'd just known about the stupid clause?" she asked. "If Jenny had just told us about it, how much pain and death could have been avoided, I wonder?"
"I don't know," Angel replied. "Would we have been able to stay away from each other, though? Even if we knew the dangers? It's why I had to leave, finally, because it was too much. Too be that close to you and not be allowed to make love to you... And I didn't know if maybe, someday it would be just something innocent that would give me perfect happiness. I couldn't risk that, hurting you again like that."
"So you broke my heart to keep from hurting me," Buffy said with a sigh.
"A part of me died that day I walked away from you," Angel said. "I wasn't sure if I would survive. And after that, I can't tell you how many times I wished that I'd never gone to Sunnydale," Angel said.
"I never wished that," Buffy said, looking up at him. "Maybe it's selfish of me, but I never could wish I'd never met you. I loved you, so much. And you did so much good while you were here."
"Did I?" Angel wondered. "I killed someone close to you, tormented you with threats of killing your friends, tortured your watcher--"
"Not you," Buffy argued.
"He was always inside me, Buffy," Angel replied.
"I know that, Angel. But you never let him hurt me while you had your soul," Buffy said. "I know there was darkness in you, but isn't there darkness in everyone, even humans? The difference is, while you had your soul, you fought the darkness."
"But I lost," Angel said. "And I gave you the most impossible choice, Buffy."
"No you didn't," Buffy replied. "Fate, destiny, life gave me that choice," she said. "And I couldn't, still can't believe that you could still love me after I sent you to hell." She looked away as memories of that painful night sufaced.
He pulled her close and she lay her head against his chest again. "I have never, for one second, stopped loving you, Buffy Summers," he said as he ran his hand through her hair. "And I never doubted your love for me, either. Even when I was in hell--" He paused as a shiver ran through her body. He knew she was disturbed by the thought of him in hell. "Want me to shut up?" he asked. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, needing to reassure her in any way he could manage.
"No, it's okay," she said. "Like you said, we need to talk about these things. But I want you to be honest with me, Angel," she looked up at him. "Wasn't there even a little bit of you that resented me for doing that to you?"
"No," Angel said, without hesitation. He saw the skepticism in her eyes and said, "Even when I was in hell, Buffy, I knew, somehow, that you hadn't had a choice in your actions. I *never* doubted that you'd loved me. And I never doubted that it devastated you to have to send me to hell."
"I wanted to die," she said tearfully. "I don't know why I didn't. I didn't want to live without you. I was so afraid that you'd hate me, for what I had to do. I dreamed, sometimes, that you had come back. You were so hateful to me... Not that I would have blamed you, if that had been the way it had turned out. I felt like I'd betrayed our love, Angel. But as much as I hated myself, I couldn't stop being the slayer, either. God, I tried. But everywhere I went... even when I ran away, my calling followed me. So I kept living, kept slaying, even though a part of me felt dead."
"Buffy," he put a hand under her chin raising it so he could look into her eyes. "Even when I was in hell, there was never, *ever* a moment when my love for you lessened, even the slightest. I never blamed you, not for one second."
She couldn't hold back her emotions anymore. When she looked into his eyes, she knew that he was speaking the truth and it felt like a giant weight had been lifted off her. But at the same time, all the pain of those months came rushing back to her and she started to cry, sobbing uncontrollably. Angel pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. Buffy clutched her arms around his waist as she cried, needing to just let go and knowing that she was safe doing that with Angel.
Angel held Buffy as she cried, feeling her pain as if it were his own. He realized that she had probably been afraid, all these years, that he resented her for sending him to hell. And he realized that he'd never tried to set her mind at ease about it, either. He'd always thought that the better thing to do was move on and avoid painful discussions of the past. He knew now that he'd been wrong. "God, Buffy, how stupid am I? I didn't know, all you've gone through, all these years, suspecting that I stopped loving you a little, or that I blamed you," he whispered as he held her tightly. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I should have known."
After several minutes, Buffy quieted. "Got your shirt all wet," she sniffed, looking up at him.
Angel smiled, "It'll dry," he said, brushing the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.
"I guess *I* should have known," Buffy said, laying her head back against his chest. "You were never petty or hateful. I guess I was just projecting all my fears on you."
"But I didn't help you any," Angel replied, "I was just trying to let you move on. I thought rehashing the past would've been too painful. Now I understand that not dealing with those things just makes them get worse."
"Yeah," Buffy nodded. "I guess so. So you kept the ring all these years? I always kind of wondered, you know, what you ended up doing with it after I left it at the mansion. I knew it couldn't have been easy on you to come back from hell and find me dating."
"I won't deny it hurt to find that out," Angel admitted. "But I also knew that you'd done the reasonable thing, getting on with your life."
"I understood, the first time you left me," Buffy said, looking up at him. "It took me a long time to accept it, but I knew you were trying to do what you thought was best. The second time you left me though, that was a little harder to deal with."
"I'm sure it didn't help that you remembered it once you and Riley were together," Angel said. "The oracles *promised* me that you would never remember. I wouldn't have agreed to their offer of repeating the day, if I'd known you'd have to feel that pain."
Buffy nodded, "I believe you. You've always tried to protect me, the best you knew how. But, after I got over being angry with you, I realized I wouldn't have wished *not* to remember that day, Angel. It's the same thing with not wishing I'd never met you. Knowing you, loving you, has brought me unbelievable happiness. And if the pain is part of the package, then I'd rather deal with the pain than never have had all the good stuff."
Angel smiled, "I can't argue with you, when you get all deep on me."
"I'll have to keep that in mind the next time you feel like arguing with me," Buffy teased. She turned serious again and said, "Thank you, Angel. I didn't realize how badly we needed to clear the air and just talk all these things through. So thank you for pushing the issue by giving me the ring. And thank you for the ring, too."
"So... you'll wear it?" Angel wondered. "I mean, if you're not ready, that's okay..."
"I'm ready," Buffy said. She slipped it on the ring finger of her left hand and smiled up at him. She was surprised to see tears in his eyes. "Oh, don't you start, you're gonna make me start crying again," she warned. She kissed him gently and he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her back.
He pulled away slightly and rested his forehead against hers. "I'll never quite understand what I did to deserve you back in my life, Buffy. And you agreeing to wear the ring ... it means--"
"I know," she said, caressing his cheek with one of her hands. "It means a lot to me, too." She laughed and said, "Wow, well, I'm sure that's not the way you intended this birthday to go, with me bawling on your shirt and I'm sure I look absolutely horrible, all red nose and puffy eyes--"
"You're beautiful," Angel interrupted, cradling her face in his hands. "That never changes." He kissed her softly and said, "But I'm not done yet," he got up and retrieved two more boxes from the kitchen. Buffy frowned when he walked up to her with them. "The ring is a symbol of our past, the strength of our love that's gotten us through, even when other couples would have fallen apart. This," he handed her a thin box, that was 8" by 11". She took it and he continued, "Well, this is something to remember this, our ... fourth?" he shrugged, "attempt at making it work. And a reminder that I believe we won't fail, this time. If this gift even brings across half of what I feel for you, I'll consider it a success."
Buffy was intrigued, as she opened the box. She gasped when she pulled the tissue paper away. "Oh my god, it's beautiful!" she whispered. It was a painting, obviously done by him. It was her, standing on the roof of his building, with the sun setting behind her. She recognized the scene, it was the first sunset they'd watched together, the previous week. He'd framed it and she intended to put it up immediately.
"Thank you," she said, setting it on the table so she could hug him. "It's perfect."
"One more," Angel said when she pulled away. He handed her a slightly smaller box and said, "Open it and then I'll explain."
"Ooookay," she said. She opened this box and found a red rose petal and a vanilla-scented candle. She looked at him, puzzled.
He took the box out of her hands and put it on the table, then took her hands in his. "I love you, so much, Buffy," he said. "Like I said, I've never stopped. And making love with you, on your seventeenth birthday and on the day that we lost, those times were more amazing than I can put into words. I want to have that closeness again. I know you're not ready yet and that's okay. I'm not trying to pressure you. I can and will wait as long as you need; because I want there to be no doubts in your mind that you're ready, when you and I make love again. So, when, if, you ever feel like you *are* ready, just bring me back the rose petal and the candle. And on that night, I'll cover you in a thousand more rose petals as I worship you by candlelight."
Buffy hugged him again to hide her blush. "I *do* love you, Angel," she said.
"I know you do, Baby," he replied with a smile, holding her close.
"Thank you for the incredibly sweet, romantic gifts, not to mention dinner and everything else," she said as she pulled away.
"You're welcome," he said, leaning in for another soft kiss. "Well, should we get to Giles'?" he asked.
"Yeah," Buffy replied as she stood. He rose too and took her by the hand and they walked outside together.
**********