DISCLAIMERS ETC IN PART 1.
TIMELINE: AFTER "ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN" AND BEFORE "FIRST IMPRESSIONS"
ONCE UPON A TIME... NOT SO LONG AGO - PART 6
Angel ran out to the hallway, and just when he was about to go down the stairs, the familiar overwhelming feeling of her essence washed through him. He turned around and followed his feeling.
He entered a room close to his. He was standing at the doorway and saw Buffy's small figure crouched next to the shabby mattress that was leaning on the wall. Her eyes were closed, her hand touched the mattress slightly. The sunshine kissed her hair, giving it a special golden shade which he remembered accurately from the glimpses of her in the sun before and mostly from the one day he spent with her as human.
Whenever he had a glimpse of her in the sunlight he drank down every small detail, engraving it in his memory.
"Angel…" Buffy whispered, turning her head in his direction. Although he didn't make a sound, she could feel his presence.
He walked over to her, but she was surrounded with too much sunlight he stopped half way through.
He knew something was awfully wrong. It was the way she was looking at him, but her eyes were void, looking through him as though his body was transparent.
"Buffy…" His voice was so full of pain he didn't recognize it.
"I couldn't find the way…" Her voice trembled.
"We'll fix it, Giles is taking care of that. We found a book.." He told her.
"It's permanent now… it's gone…" Buffy cried covering her face in the old dusty mattress, folding her legs tighter to her chest.
"Buffy, come here. I… I can't reach you there…" He said softly, pleading.
She covered her face with her gloved hands. "I don't want you to see me like that… just let me die…" She cried and buried her face in her knees.
"Buffy…" Angel made a step towards her, but hissed when he felt the pain of the sun exposure.
He clasped his hand. "You leave me no choice. If you don't come to me I'll come to you…" He said firmly. "…And get myself into ashes…" He added quietly.
Buffy didn't respond.
"All right…" Angel stepped into the direct light and his skin started to sizzle.
"No… geez! Are you crazy?!" Buffy quickly jumped from her sitting position and pushed Angel away to safety in full power.
He rubbed his head, getting up from the floor. "Buffy…" He called for her.
She knew where he was, but scouted for him. He took her hand and brought her over to him.
She started crying into his chest and he just wrapped his arms around her, tears starting to well in his eyes. "I'll get you out of this mess. If I have to give away my soul, I'll get you out of this…" He whispered.
Angel glanced at Buffy while he was on the phone with Wesley. He didn't want her to be out of his sight, but he didn't want her to know how worried he was.
"Did you get the book yet?" He asked quietly into the phone, keeping his tone calm.
"Not yet… It's still early. I think it will only arrive tomorrow morning." Wesley told him.
"That's not soon enough…" Angel hissed.
"How's Buffy?" Wesley asked.
Angel looked again at Buffy, stepping out of her earshot.
"She's… she can't see. She told me she was having blackouts all day… and now her sight is gone." Angel whispered.
"She doesn't have much time left… I think she has a week or two tops."
"Angel?" Buffy got up of the couch, trying to guide herself to Angel.
"I gotta close now Wesley. Don't come here without this book." Angel said, hanging up.
"I'm here…" He walked over to her. She stumbled against the table and he grabbed her before she hit the floor.
"I'm feeling so helpless… I hate it!" She moaned, clinging to him.
He wrapped his arms around her.
"I can't do anything… It's so lonely and dark here…" She whispered.
"You're not alone in this, you hear me?" Angel gripped her arms, shaking her a little bit, she didn't raise her face, but released her hand from his hold. She touched his face.
"I can't even feel… not even Braille could help me…." She took away her hand.
"I'll help you, can you feel this?" He asked and wiped her tears gently, holding his thumb on her cheek.
"Yes…" She smiled slightly.
"And this?" He leaned down and kissed her gently on her lips. She responded to his kiss- softly at first, then with all her hunger and yearning for him. The kiss grew more and more passionate, and Angel brought her body closer to him, holding her tight.
"What are you doing?" They broke the kiss hearing Cordelia's voice. Angel looked at Cordy, a guilt-ridden expression on his face.
"You're not allowed to suck face. You had your time, we saw the outcome. We don't want that again." She said strictly.
"Cordelia, calm down." Angel said quietly in a menacing tone.
"Whatever. Just remember what I told you."
Buffy was quiet, keeping herself close to Angel's protective body.
"Anyway, Buffy, I brought you breakfast," Cordelia motioned on the paper bag she was holding.
"Thank you." Angel thanked her. She walked over to the table and put the bag there.
"You should go help Wesley with the book." Angel told her, hoping she would get the hint.
"I thought we didn't have it-" Cordelia was hushed with Angel's stern face. "Here… because it's at Wesley's place. Right. And I'm supposed to be there helping him…" She flashed a wide smile.
"You kids behave." She said before walking out.
"I'm sorry…" Buffy said quietly.
"No I'm sorry. I was out of line." He took her hand and led her to the sofa.
"Angel…" She started saying then changed her mind and remained silent.
He leaned and took the paper bag Cordy brought. "Cheese sandwich…" He said cheerfully.
"Mmm gotta love cheese." Buffy smiled hearing the liveliness in his voice.
"And chocolate. I love chocolate!"
"How would you know what's chocolate tastes like?" Buffy questioned him, surprised.
"Oh…" Angel licked his lips, remembering the only time he tasted chocolate was the one day that never existed. For the rest of the world, anyway.
"We uh.. had chocolate.. in the… you know, 18th century. It was a delicacy..." He said clumsily.
"Really? Nice. I didn't know that."
"Yeah… Just don't write that in your History exam." He put the sandwich in her hand.
"Too bad they didn't have peanut butter back in your days. Now *that's* a delicacy!"
"Yeah…" Angel sighed, nostalgic. "I mean I suppose."
Buffy took a bite from the cheese sandwich. "Hmmm that's…" Her amused expression disappeared. "Yummy."
"What's wrong?" Angel asked.
"Nothing. I'm just… not hungry." Buffy put down the sandwich.
"You sure?"
"Yeah… I'm tired… can you take me to your room?" She got up.
TBC...
TIMELINE: AFTER "ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN" AND BEFORE "FIRST IMPRESSIONS"
ONCE UPON A TIME... NOT SO LONG AGO - PART 6
Angel ran out to the hallway, and just when he was about to go down the stairs, the familiar overwhelming feeling of her essence washed through him. He turned around and followed his feeling.
He entered a room close to his. He was standing at the doorway and saw Buffy's small figure crouched next to the shabby mattress that was leaning on the wall. Her eyes were closed, her hand touched the mattress slightly. The sunshine kissed her hair, giving it a special golden shade which he remembered accurately from the glimpses of her in the sun before and mostly from the one day he spent with her as human.
Whenever he had a glimpse of her in the sunlight he drank down every small detail, engraving it in his memory.
"Angel…" Buffy whispered, turning her head in his direction. Although he didn't make a sound, she could feel his presence.
He walked over to her, but she was surrounded with too much sunlight he stopped half way through.
He knew something was awfully wrong. It was the way she was looking at him, but her eyes were void, looking through him as though his body was transparent.
"Buffy…" His voice was so full of pain he didn't recognize it.
"I couldn't find the way…" Her voice trembled.
"We'll fix it, Giles is taking care of that. We found a book.." He told her.
"It's permanent now… it's gone…" Buffy cried covering her face in the old dusty mattress, folding her legs tighter to her chest.
"Buffy, come here. I… I can't reach you there…" He said softly, pleading.
She covered her face with her gloved hands. "I don't want you to see me like that… just let me die…" She cried and buried her face in her knees.
"Buffy…" Angel made a step towards her, but hissed when he felt the pain of the sun exposure.
He clasped his hand. "You leave me no choice. If you don't come to me I'll come to you…" He said firmly. "…And get myself into ashes…" He added quietly.
Buffy didn't respond.
"All right…" Angel stepped into the direct light and his skin started to sizzle.
"No… geez! Are you crazy?!" Buffy quickly jumped from her sitting position and pushed Angel away to safety in full power.
He rubbed his head, getting up from the floor. "Buffy…" He called for her.
She knew where he was, but scouted for him. He took her hand and brought her over to him.
She started crying into his chest and he just wrapped his arms around her, tears starting to well in his eyes. "I'll get you out of this mess. If I have to give away my soul, I'll get you out of this…" He whispered.
Angel glanced at Buffy while he was on the phone with Wesley. He didn't want her to be out of his sight, but he didn't want her to know how worried he was.
"Did you get the book yet?" He asked quietly into the phone, keeping his tone calm.
"Not yet… It's still early. I think it will only arrive tomorrow morning." Wesley told him.
"That's not soon enough…" Angel hissed.
"How's Buffy?" Wesley asked.
Angel looked again at Buffy, stepping out of her earshot.
"She's… she can't see. She told me she was having blackouts all day… and now her sight is gone." Angel whispered.
"She doesn't have much time left… I think she has a week or two tops."
"Angel?" Buffy got up of the couch, trying to guide herself to Angel.
"I gotta close now Wesley. Don't come here without this book." Angel said, hanging up.
"I'm here…" He walked over to her. She stumbled against the table and he grabbed her before she hit the floor.
"I'm feeling so helpless… I hate it!" She moaned, clinging to him.
He wrapped his arms around her.
"I can't do anything… It's so lonely and dark here…" She whispered.
"You're not alone in this, you hear me?" Angel gripped her arms, shaking her a little bit, she didn't raise her face, but released her hand from his hold. She touched his face.
"I can't even feel… not even Braille could help me…." She took away her hand.
"I'll help you, can you feel this?" He asked and wiped her tears gently, holding his thumb on her cheek.
"Yes…" She smiled slightly.
"And this?" He leaned down and kissed her gently on her lips. She responded to his kiss- softly at first, then with all her hunger and yearning for him. The kiss grew more and more passionate, and Angel brought her body closer to him, holding her tight.
"What are you doing?" They broke the kiss hearing Cordelia's voice. Angel looked at Cordy, a guilt-ridden expression on his face.
"You're not allowed to suck face. You had your time, we saw the outcome. We don't want that again." She said strictly.
"Cordelia, calm down." Angel said quietly in a menacing tone.
"Whatever. Just remember what I told you."
Buffy was quiet, keeping herself close to Angel's protective body.
"Anyway, Buffy, I brought you breakfast," Cordelia motioned on the paper bag she was holding.
"Thank you." Angel thanked her. She walked over to the table and put the bag there.
"You should go help Wesley with the book." Angel told her, hoping she would get the hint.
"I thought we didn't have it-" Cordelia was hushed with Angel's stern face. "Here… because it's at Wesley's place. Right. And I'm supposed to be there helping him…" She flashed a wide smile.
"You kids behave." She said before walking out.
"I'm sorry…" Buffy said quietly.
"No I'm sorry. I was out of line." He took her hand and led her to the sofa.
"Angel…" She started saying then changed her mind and remained silent.
He leaned and took the paper bag Cordy brought. "Cheese sandwich…" He said cheerfully.
"Mmm gotta love cheese." Buffy smiled hearing the liveliness in his voice.
"And chocolate. I love chocolate!"
"How would you know what's chocolate tastes like?" Buffy questioned him, surprised.
"Oh…" Angel licked his lips, remembering the only time he tasted chocolate was the one day that never existed. For the rest of the world, anyway.
"We uh.. had chocolate.. in the… you know, 18th century. It was a delicacy..." He said clumsily.
"Really? Nice. I didn't know that."
"Yeah… Just don't write that in your History exam." He put the sandwich in her hand.
"Too bad they didn't have peanut butter back in your days. Now *that's* a delicacy!"
"Yeah…" Angel sighed, nostalgic. "I mean I suppose."
Buffy took a bite from the cheese sandwich. "Hmmm that's…" Her amused expression disappeared. "Yummy."
"What's wrong?" Angel asked.
"Nothing. I'm just… not hungry." Buffy put down the sandwich.
"You sure?"
"Yeah… I'm tired… can you take me to your room?" She got up.
TBC...