Forgotten Memory, Forgotten Love (Chapter 2)
Buffy/Angel Crossover
Timeframe: preferably at the end of Season 5 of both Buffy/Angel - when all of Buffy's memory is restored along with a forgotten memory of the day she met Angel, about his secret visit to her on Thanksgiving...
Angel closed the cabinet door after he pulled out another case file to be checked over. It wasn't that he didn't trust Cordelia's filing system. He trusted her - it was just - when it came to being a secretary and him, trying to act as a private investigator, they both sucked at what they did. He nodded, settling down on the couch. If the vampire was going to work, he wanted to be comfortable and free of any type of stress.
"Angel?" a voice asked.
He nodded again. And here I was worried about stress. Another case, another problem. He turned, dropping the file on the desk. It was the same blue eyes and blonde hair he had fallen in love with 5 years ago. He knew it couldn't have been a social visit, since every visit he had from the Slayer was never really social, except for the fighting part.
Angel smiled. "Buffy, hey. How are you doing?"
She nodded, grasping her purse a little tighter. She's uptight about something. Buffy smiled at him, walking closer a bit, but not too close. "I was uh - how are you?"
Avoiding the question. Must be bad. Angel placed his hands in his pockets, trying to act as casual, almost too casual, but it didn't matter. They'd start yelling at each other in a minute of two. "I'm good." He grabbed the folder again, smirking. "I'm sorting through Cordelia's filing system." Then dropped the folder on the table again and turned back to her. "It can be Hell."
Buffy laughed. "I know what you mean." Once again, she hesitated. "Um, I came here - I need to talk to you. It's about a vision/dream I had and I was hoping maybe you can offer some sort of perspective on it."
Angel shrugged. "Sure." Gesturing that she sit down. Buffy smiled at him, letting down her purse. She rubbed her hands together.
"It looked like I was at Angel Investigations, the old place, before it was burned - and we were talking."
His eyebrows' perked up. "Talking? Do you know what of?"
"I don't know - except I think you were - um, human."
Angel's face became stoic. Buffy rolled her eyes, feeling her inside teeth. "So, I take it my dream sounds familiar. Can you clue me in?"
"It was - there was demon. Amora, I think it was. His blood mixed with mine - he made me human and..."
"We were together? How come I didn't remember it before?" Buffy inquired.
"The PtB. They erased your memory."
She huffed, crossing her arms. "Why?"
"Because, it was the only way..."
"To what? Keep me from remembering probably one of the most wonderful, blissful moments of my life?" she cried, bolting up. "Angel, you had no right. That was my memory and you took it away from me without consent."
"Except I did. I told you about it at the last minute..."
"But I didn't remember it. How convenient." She paused, pacing around. "How could you? I had dreams, fantasies that maybe one day, somehow we would be together and we were - only I don't remember because my memory was swiped by a bunch of representatives for the Oracles?"
"Buffy..."
She nodded her head. "NO! You stole my life, my memory and you had NO right to. I waited and waited for something like that and you took it away from ME. ME! I mean, I thought I meant something to you. If I did, you wouldn't have agreed to something like this." Buffy paused, lowering her voice. "Obviously, I didn't mean anything to you. I was nothing."
He shook his head. "No, Buffy. You were. You were everything to me - I just, you're life was at risk. If you had stayed, if we had stayed together, your life - you'd die."
"So. At least I would have died with a sweet memory of us together without any consequences or guilt. I at least, I'd know we were able to make it to that one point and not have to worry about the 'after effect.'"
"Yeah and the after effect would be that you were dead!" Angel scratched his eyebrow. "I couldn't do that to you. I couldn't let you waste your life like that."
"Waste my life? Waste my life? Angel, I loved you once and you're saying if I had stayed, it would have been a total waste?"
He frowned, leaning slightly. "I'm not going to win this argument, am I?"
She smirked a bit. "I never let you, anyway." Adding, "I like to be right."
Angel sighed. "Buffy, I don't want to fight with you. You may not like what I did, but I did it for you. I did it to save your life." he paused, reaching up to stroke her cheek. "You have always meant something to me, Buffy. That has never changed and neither has my love for you."
"Your love? Are you saying you still love me?"
"I never stopped loving you in the first place - I just, I didn't want to keep you from the life you deserved. I mean, Riley, he...." he began.
"He's gone." Buffy completed, causing Angel's frown to deepen. "He left me. As far as I know, he's somewhere in the Amazon hunting a plague of demons and vampires. No contact with the outside world or me."
The vampire gasped, hugging her. "Buffy, I'm sorry."
She laughed, "Well, you warned me. You told me you didn't like him and I ----." Buffy stared up at him, "Did you put a hex on him or something?"
Angel laughed. "Now there's that Buffy humor, I love." He paused again, taking her hands. She straightened up, sensing he was going to say something serious. "Buffy, our lives --- they're not..."
TBC
Angel closed the cabinet door after he pulled out another case file to be checked over. It wasn't that he didn't trust Cordelia's filing system. He trusted her - it was just - when it came to being a secretary and him, trying to act as a private investigator, they both sucked at what they did. He nodded, settling down on the couch. If the vampire was going to work, he wanted to be comfortable and free of any type of stress.
"Angel?" a voice asked.
He nodded again. And here I was worried about stress. Another case, another problem. He turned, dropping the file on the desk. It was the same blue eyes and blonde hair he had fallen in love with 5 years ago. He knew it couldn't have been a social visit, since every visit he had from the Slayer was never really social, except for the fighting part.
Angel smiled. "Buffy, hey. How are you doing?"
She nodded, grasping her purse a little tighter. She's uptight about something. Buffy smiled at him, walking closer a bit, but not too close. "I was uh - how are you?"
Avoiding the question. Must be bad. Angel placed his hands in his pockets, trying to act as casual, almost too casual, but it didn't matter. They'd start yelling at each other in a minute of two. "I'm good." He grabbed the folder again, smirking. "I'm sorting through Cordelia's filing system." Then dropped the folder on the table again and turned back to her. "It can be Hell."
Buffy laughed. "I know what you mean." Once again, she hesitated. "Um, I came here - I need to talk to you. It's about a vision/dream I had and I was hoping maybe you can offer some sort of perspective on it."
Angel shrugged. "Sure." Gesturing that she sit down. Buffy smiled at him, letting down her purse. She rubbed her hands together.
"It looked like I was at Angel Investigations, the old place, before it was burned - and we were talking."
His eyebrows' perked up. "Talking? Do you know what of?"
"I don't know - except I think you were - um, human."
Angel's face became stoic. Buffy rolled her eyes, feeling her inside teeth. "So, I take it my dream sounds familiar. Can you clue me in?"
"It was - there was demon. Amora, I think it was. His blood mixed with mine - he made me human and..."
"We were together? How come I didn't remember it before?" Buffy inquired.
"The PtB. They erased your memory."
She huffed, crossing her arms. "Why?"
"Because, it was the only way..."
"To what? Keep me from remembering probably one of the most wonderful, blissful moments of my life?" she cried, bolting up. "Angel, you had no right. That was my memory and you took it away from me without consent."
"Except I did. I told you about it at the last minute..."
"But I didn't remember it. How convenient." She paused, pacing around. "How could you? I had dreams, fantasies that maybe one day, somehow we would be together and we were - only I don't remember because my memory was swiped by a bunch of representatives for the Oracles?"
"Buffy..."
She nodded her head. "NO! You stole my life, my memory and you had NO right to. I waited and waited for something like that and you took it away from ME. ME! I mean, I thought I meant something to you. If I did, you wouldn't have agreed to something like this." Buffy paused, lowering her voice. "Obviously, I didn't mean anything to you. I was nothing."
He shook his head. "No, Buffy. You were. You were everything to me - I just, you're life was at risk. If you had stayed, if we had stayed together, your life - you'd die."
"So. At least I would have died with a sweet memory of us together without any consequences or guilt. I at least, I'd know we were able to make it to that one point and not have to worry about the 'after effect.'"
"Yeah and the after effect would be that you were dead!" Angel scratched his eyebrow. "I couldn't do that to you. I couldn't let you waste your life like that."
"Waste my life? Waste my life? Angel, I loved you once and you're saying if I had stayed, it would have been a total waste?"
He frowned, leaning slightly. "I'm not going to win this argument, am I?"
She smirked a bit. "I never let you, anyway." Adding, "I like to be right."
Angel sighed. "Buffy, I don't want to fight with you. You may not like what I did, but I did it for you. I did it to save your life." he paused, reaching up to stroke her cheek. "You have always meant something to me, Buffy. That has never changed and neither has my love for you."
"Your love? Are you saying you still love me?"
"I never stopped loving you in the first place - I just, I didn't want to keep you from the life you deserved. I mean, Riley, he...." he began.
"He's gone." Buffy completed, causing Angel's frown to deepen. "He left me. As far as I know, he's somewhere in the Amazon hunting a plague of demons and vampires. No contact with the outside world or me."
The vampire gasped, hugging her. "Buffy, I'm sorry."
She laughed, "Well, you warned me. You told me you didn't like him and I ----." Buffy stared up at him, "Did you put a hex on him or something?"
Angel laughed. "Now there's that Buffy humor, I love." He paused again, taking her hands. She straightened up, sensing he was going to say something serious. "Buffy, our lives --- they're not..."
TBC