The Night Remembers - Part 47
By Jill
Riley turned off the ignition and blew out a breath he hadn't even known he
was holding and leaned back in the driver's seat, his hands braced on the
wheel. The whole drive from his quarters to Angel's mansion he'd been asking
himself why he was doing this.
He had reported to General Markham, who after General Brookridge's demise,
was again in charge of the troupes and who had taken the news with a barely
hidden grin. It was no secret that the two Generals had never liked each
other and that in General Markham's eyes his colleague was a case for a
mental hospital.
After that, Riley had gone back to his quarters, still too much in shock
about Buffy's death to do anything but stare at the wall. Then Giles had
called and told him about the good news. The two slayers and vampires were
alive and well. That had been in the morning and on an impulse he had called
Angel and Buffy and talked to one grumpy vampire. Riley almost had to laugh
remembering the vampire's sleepy voice. Then Buffy had taken the phone and
with a stab of pain, Riley had realized that she was obviously in the same
bed. Well, whom was he kidding? Of course, they were sleeping in the same
bed. They were lovers, had always loved each other, with Riley being just a
part-time distraction while they hadn't been allowed to be together.
No, he scolded himself firmly he wouldn't drift into self-pity. Taking a
deep breath, he opened the door and slipped out of the car, closing the door
again. He could do it. He could go there, talk to them, in a nice and friendly
way.
Oh God, why was he doing this?
Kicking him into gear he walked to the door and was about to knock when it
opened and Buffy stood there, smiling, her eyes shining with happiness and
Riley felt himself drowning. God, but she was beautiful. The woman of his dreams
- and there she would have to stay. She was radiant and happy, no doubt due
to Angel's presence in her life, and he was immortal after all.
"Hi Riley," she greeted him, and stepped back so he could enter.
"Hi," he replied, again calling himself an idiot for doing this at all. He
could have called them again, told them how good it was they were alive, but
no, he had to come. Well, now he had to get through it.
Entering the hall, he noticed for the first time how big the building was.
It hadn't seemed that way before, with all the people preparing for the
upcoming battle, but now that they were gone, it was different. Buffy had
obviously seen his expression, because she said, "Gunn and his friends left
this morning. There's a lot of work waiting in L.A." She gestured
towards the sofas standing in the middle. "Do you want some coffee?"
"No, thanks," he shook his head in the negative, "but go ahead if you want
some."
"Okay," she smiled and walked towards the kitchen. Over her shoulder, she
flashed him a grin. "It's more for Angel's sake you know. He needs caffeine
to get through the day. Sunshine and vampires don't really mix."
Don't I know it, Riley thought, but quickly suppressed the negative emotions
towards the vampire. Buffy was a grown woman, and she had chosen to be with
Angel. It wasn't the commando's place to interfere - not that it would do
any good anyway. Riley knew first hand how stubborn the slayer was. If she
had made up her mind, nobody would change it.
"Cordelia left to see her parents," Buffy explained the brunette's absence
when she returned to the hall. "They still live in Sunnydale. And Wesley is
already researching with Giles," she grinned again. "Total watcher mode.
It's because Angel and Spike said that there wasn't any energy coming from
the hellmouth anymore. It might be closed for good."
"So Spike made it too, huh?" Riley said with a lopsided grin, then it hit
him, "What do you mean, closed for good?"
"What I said. Closed, or if you rather want a more figurative word, it's
dead," she grimaced, "Not really a good word, but you get the point."
"You mean it can't be opened again?" he asked.
"It seems so," she confirmed, "Which means I'm out of my job. No slayer
needed anymore around here. And I really hope it's true."
He studied her face for a moment, and then asked, "What happens next?"
"Oh, I'm going to leave Sunnydale, move to L.A. - I've still got my slayer
strength and Angel can use a hand. Hellmouth or not, L.A. seems to be
attractive for vampires on its own."
Angel was living there already; so of course it would be her destinaion as well,
Riley thought with an inward sigh. "What about Dawn?"
"She'll come with me of course. I think Daddy won't mind. Hemery wasn't a
bad school and she thinks going to L.A. is exciting. So that won't be a
problem." She smiled over her shoulder when she heard a noise from behind
the curtain. "Coffee's ready," she yelled.
The curtain was pulled away and Angel appeared, dressed in black sweatpants
and a burgundy red silken shirt. "You don't have to shout," he said with a
grin, nodding at Riley for a greeting, crossed the hall and disappeared in
the kitchen.
Buffy grinned as well, and was prompted to explain because of Riley's puzzled
look, "Vampire hearing. He can even hear a mouse whispering, I suppose. It
can be quite annoying sometimes."
Carrying a steaming cup of coffee, Angel returned and took a seat beside
Buffy. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he leaned over and planted a
kiss on her cheek, "Good morning," he whispered, then cleared his throat and
looked at Riley. "Hello, Riley."
"Angel," the commando replied. "I'm glad to see you're well."
A wry smile played around the vampire's lips at the words, but he didn't
comment on it. Maybe the blond really meant it.
"It's almost three o'clock," Buffy mentioned dryly, giving Angel a look. "So
it's hardly morning."
"It feels for me," he replied, sipping from his cup. "So you wanted to see
us," he directed his eyes back at Riley.
"Yeah, I wanted..." the commando ran a hand through his short hair, and
released a breath, "actually I forgot what I wanted. Maybe I just wanted to
see you. Last time you were, both supposed to be dead. I'm going to leave
Sunnydale tomorrow."
"I see," Angel nodded thoughtfully, "Where will you go?"
"Europe."
"Europe!" Buffy exclaimed. "Oh my..."
"Yeah," Riley gave her a smile, "It seems there is a sudden increase of
hostiles in the Carpathian Mountains."
"The Carpathians, huh?" Angel echoed, frowning into his cup. Looking up
again he found Buffy eyeing him quizzically. "The Carpathians are in
Romania," he explained his girlfriend.
"Romania?" she stared at him for a moment, before she understood, "Oh,
Romania. Like in Romani-gypsies? No, definitely not a place I want to go
to." Then a sudden thought entered her mind, and she gazed at Riley, "Uh...
maybe you should try to find out if any of the vampires there might have a
soul."
"There are more like Angel?" Riley looked back and forth between vampire and
slayer.
"No, I don't think so," Angel chuckled slightly, "I don't think they're
still familiar with the old curses." Gazing back at Riley he explained,
"When I was cursed the first time it was by Romani gypsies, you see. They
had spells to summon back a demon's soul and they did it with mine."
"So Romania, huh?" Buffy settled her hands in her lap, "So I guess you're
staying with the Initiative for a while then."
"Yeah, General Markham is in charge now and he's really okay. Not like Pro
Walsh or Brookridge, and I like what I'm doing."
"Figures," Angel muttered under his breath, but said, "Helping people you
mean?"
"Yeah," Riley nodded, "Fighting the good fight, Buffy called it once," he
said looking at his ex-girlfriend, "It suits me. And maybe I can even make
some sort of career, who knows." He suddenly frowned at stared at his hands
for a moment, then looked up again, "Buffy I wanted to say sorry. For giving
you an ultimatum when I left all those months ago. It was wrong."
"Oh no," the slayer replied quickly. "I mean, it probably was, but also
wasn't." She grinned wryly, "And that didn't make much sense. But what I
wanted to say is that I can understand why you did it. You were much wiser
than I," she admitted, taking a deep breath, "You realized much earlier that
our relationship was nothing but a fake."
He winced slightly at her brutal choice of words, but because they were
true, he nodded, "I loved you," he said after a moment. "I loved you so
much, but I felt you slipping away or rather you were never close, not the
way I wanted." His eyes flickered to Angel, "You were always there. I didn't
understand it first, not even when Xander told me about you. But I should
have known the moment the three of us were in Buffy's room. There was a tension
between the two of you," he shook his head and chuckled slightly, "I was so
blinded by love that I didn't realize it or preferred to lie to myself. An idiot
could see you were still in love with each other. She never looked at me
that way, she never tried to hide her feelings, simply because there was
nothing to hide."
"That's not true," Buffy protested, but then sighed, "I liked you, Riley. I
really did. I still do, it just wasn't..." she lifted her shoulders in a
helpless gesture.
"No it wasn't," he agreed. "I wasn't him. But you never lied to me, you
never pretended you loved me, you never said it, I just didn't want to see
the truth," he ran his hand through his hair again, "Even after I left, I
made myself believe that there might still be a chance, but boy was I wrong.
Seeing you two together..." he trailed off and shook his head. "I think I do
need some coffee now."
With a smile, Buffy stood and went to the kitchen. The moment she was gone,
Riley leaned forward, "If you ever hurt her," he said in a low, dangerous
voice, "if you ever behave stupid again and leave her for her own good, I'm
going to forget about your soul. Is that clear?"
Angel looked at the commando for a moment, then his lips quirked into a
half-grin, "I will hand you the stake," he replied, leaving the human
stunned, "I know how it feels to see her with another man," he said in a way
of explanation, "I never stopped loving her."
"Yeah, I know," Riley found himself smiling despite the circumstances, "She
looks radiant. Happier than I have ever seen her. Keep it that way."
"I'll do my best."
"There you go," Buffy returned with a cup and placed it in front of Riley,
but the commando ignored it and stood instead.
"I just remembered I need to leave," he said, looking at her. "An important
meeting at my barracks," he explained, then leaned over and planted a kiss
on her cheek. "Take care," he whispered, turned and left the mansion.
"You too," she told his back and a bit stunned, she shook her head, then
with a frown turned at her boyfriend, "What was that all about?" she asked.
"A little male bonding," he replied with a grin.
"Bonding, huh? With you and Riley. Should I worry now?"
He reached out, took her hand and pulled her in his lap, then kissed her
long and deeply, "No need. He just told me that he would stake me if I'd
ever leave you for you own good again."
Her face brightened instantly, "Did he? Good for him. I'd stand at his side
and cheer," she said with a mischievous glimpse in her eyes.
"Would you now?" he tightened his hold on her, "You would really watch while
he is reducing me to ashes?"
She tilted her head and grinned, "Well, maybe for a while, you know while
the stake pierces the skin and blood is dripping and then I would interfere
before it meets the heart."
Angel quirked a brow, "You are bloodthirsty, Miss Summers."
"Yeah," she replied with a bright smile, "I'm a slayer, don't forget. Blood
is my business."
"Oh, and I thought, ashes are."
"Well those too. But blood comes from time to time as well. And even in
pretty colors."
"And don't forget all about the demon glue," he joked kissing the tip of her
nose, then his lips traveled over her cheek to her throat, making her moan.
"Yes, let's not forget... uh, Angel," she said a bit breathlessly. "Maybe I
wouldn't watch you being tortured," she amended finally, "maybe I would just
torture you myself."
His head came up, "Oh, and how would you do that."
She grinned devilishly and pushed him back so that he came to lie on the
sofa, wiggled her brows, "Just stay there and watch. I'm giving you a taste
right now." Then she began to unbutton her blouse.
... to be continued
By Jill
Riley turned off the ignition and blew out a breath he hadn't even known he
was holding and leaned back in the driver's seat, his hands braced on the
wheel. The whole drive from his quarters to Angel's mansion he'd been asking
himself why he was doing this.
He had reported to General Markham, who after General Brookridge's demise,
was again in charge of the troupes and who had taken the news with a barely
hidden grin. It was no secret that the two Generals had never liked each
other and that in General Markham's eyes his colleague was a case for a
mental hospital.
After that, Riley had gone back to his quarters, still too much in shock
about Buffy's death to do anything but stare at the wall. Then Giles had
called and told him about the good news. The two slayers and vampires were
alive and well. That had been in the morning and on an impulse he had called
Angel and Buffy and talked to one grumpy vampire. Riley almost had to laugh
remembering the vampire's sleepy voice. Then Buffy had taken the phone and
with a stab of pain, Riley had realized that she was obviously in the same
bed. Well, whom was he kidding? Of course, they were sleeping in the same
bed. They were lovers, had always loved each other, with Riley being just a
part-time distraction while they hadn't been allowed to be together.
No, he scolded himself firmly he wouldn't drift into self-pity. Taking a
deep breath, he opened the door and slipped out of the car, closing the door
again. He could do it. He could go there, talk to them, in a nice and friendly
way.
Oh God, why was he doing this?
Kicking him into gear he walked to the door and was about to knock when it
opened and Buffy stood there, smiling, her eyes shining with happiness and
Riley felt himself drowning. God, but she was beautiful. The woman of his dreams
- and there she would have to stay. She was radiant and happy, no doubt due
to Angel's presence in her life, and he was immortal after all.
"Hi Riley," she greeted him, and stepped back so he could enter.
"Hi," he replied, again calling himself an idiot for doing this at all. He
could have called them again, told them how good it was they were alive, but
no, he had to come. Well, now he had to get through it.
Entering the hall, he noticed for the first time how big the building was.
It hadn't seemed that way before, with all the people preparing for the
upcoming battle, but now that they were gone, it was different. Buffy had
obviously seen his expression, because she said, "Gunn and his friends left
this morning. There's a lot of work waiting in L.A." She gestured
towards the sofas standing in the middle. "Do you want some coffee?"
"No, thanks," he shook his head in the negative, "but go ahead if you want
some."
"Okay," she smiled and walked towards the kitchen. Over her shoulder, she
flashed him a grin. "It's more for Angel's sake you know. He needs caffeine
to get through the day. Sunshine and vampires don't really mix."
Don't I know it, Riley thought, but quickly suppressed the negative emotions
towards the vampire. Buffy was a grown woman, and she had chosen to be with
Angel. It wasn't the commando's place to interfere - not that it would do
any good anyway. Riley knew first hand how stubborn the slayer was. If she
had made up her mind, nobody would change it.
"Cordelia left to see her parents," Buffy explained the brunette's absence
when she returned to the hall. "They still live in Sunnydale. And Wesley is
already researching with Giles," she grinned again. "Total watcher mode.
It's because Angel and Spike said that there wasn't any energy coming from
the hellmouth anymore. It might be closed for good."
"So Spike made it too, huh?" Riley said with a lopsided grin, then it hit
him, "What do you mean, closed for good?"
"What I said. Closed, or if you rather want a more figurative word, it's
dead," she grimaced, "Not really a good word, but you get the point."
"You mean it can't be opened again?" he asked.
"It seems so," she confirmed, "Which means I'm out of my job. No slayer
needed anymore around here. And I really hope it's true."
He studied her face for a moment, and then asked, "What happens next?"
"Oh, I'm going to leave Sunnydale, move to L.A. - I've still got my slayer
strength and Angel can use a hand. Hellmouth or not, L.A. seems to be
attractive for vampires on its own."
Angel was living there already; so of course it would be her destinaion as well,
Riley thought with an inward sigh. "What about Dawn?"
"She'll come with me of course. I think Daddy won't mind. Hemery wasn't a
bad school and she thinks going to L.A. is exciting. So that won't be a
problem." She smiled over her shoulder when she heard a noise from behind
the curtain. "Coffee's ready," she yelled.
The curtain was pulled away and Angel appeared, dressed in black sweatpants
and a burgundy red silken shirt. "You don't have to shout," he said with a
grin, nodding at Riley for a greeting, crossed the hall and disappeared in
the kitchen.
Buffy grinned as well, and was prompted to explain because of Riley's puzzled
look, "Vampire hearing. He can even hear a mouse whispering, I suppose. It
can be quite annoying sometimes."
Carrying a steaming cup of coffee, Angel returned and took a seat beside
Buffy. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he leaned over and planted a
kiss on her cheek, "Good morning," he whispered, then cleared his throat and
looked at Riley. "Hello, Riley."
"Angel," the commando replied. "I'm glad to see you're well."
A wry smile played around the vampire's lips at the words, but he didn't
comment on it. Maybe the blond really meant it.
"It's almost three o'clock," Buffy mentioned dryly, giving Angel a look. "So
it's hardly morning."
"It feels for me," he replied, sipping from his cup. "So you wanted to see
us," he directed his eyes back at Riley.
"Yeah, I wanted..." the commando ran a hand through his short hair, and
released a breath, "actually I forgot what I wanted. Maybe I just wanted to
see you. Last time you were, both supposed to be dead. I'm going to leave
Sunnydale tomorrow."
"I see," Angel nodded thoughtfully, "Where will you go?"
"Europe."
"Europe!" Buffy exclaimed. "Oh my..."
"Yeah," Riley gave her a smile, "It seems there is a sudden increase of
hostiles in the Carpathian Mountains."
"The Carpathians, huh?" Angel echoed, frowning into his cup. Looking up
again he found Buffy eyeing him quizzically. "The Carpathians are in
Romania," he explained his girlfriend.
"Romania?" she stared at him for a moment, before she understood, "Oh,
Romania. Like in Romani-gypsies? No, definitely not a place I want to go
to." Then a sudden thought entered her mind, and she gazed at Riley, "Uh...
maybe you should try to find out if any of the vampires there might have a
soul."
"There are more like Angel?" Riley looked back and forth between vampire and
slayer.
"No, I don't think so," Angel chuckled slightly, "I don't think they're
still familiar with the old curses." Gazing back at Riley he explained,
"When I was cursed the first time it was by Romani gypsies, you see. They
had spells to summon back a demon's soul and they did it with mine."
"So Romania, huh?" Buffy settled her hands in her lap, "So I guess you're
staying with the Initiative for a while then."
"Yeah, General Markham is in charge now and he's really okay. Not like Pro
Walsh or Brookridge, and I like what I'm doing."
"Figures," Angel muttered under his breath, but said, "Helping people you
mean?"
"Yeah," Riley nodded, "Fighting the good fight, Buffy called it once," he
said looking at his ex-girlfriend, "It suits me. And maybe I can even make
some sort of career, who knows." He suddenly frowned at stared at his hands
for a moment, then looked up again, "Buffy I wanted to say sorry. For giving
you an ultimatum when I left all those months ago. It was wrong."
"Oh no," the slayer replied quickly. "I mean, it probably was, but also
wasn't." She grinned wryly, "And that didn't make much sense. But what I
wanted to say is that I can understand why you did it. You were much wiser
than I," she admitted, taking a deep breath, "You realized much earlier that
our relationship was nothing but a fake."
He winced slightly at her brutal choice of words, but because they were
true, he nodded, "I loved you," he said after a moment. "I loved you so
much, but I felt you slipping away or rather you were never close, not the
way I wanted." His eyes flickered to Angel, "You were always there. I didn't
understand it first, not even when Xander told me about you. But I should
have known the moment the three of us were in Buffy's room. There was a tension
between the two of you," he shook his head and chuckled slightly, "I was so
blinded by love that I didn't realize it or preferred to lie to myself. An idiot
could see you were still in love with each other. She never looked at me
that way, she never tried to hide her feelings, simply because there was
nothing to hide."
"That's not true," Buffy protested, but then sighed, "I liked you, Riley. I
really did. I still do, it just wasn't..." she lifted her shoulders in a
helpless gesture.
"No it wasn't," he agreed. "I wasn't him. But you never lied to me, you
never pretended you loved me, you never said it, I just didn't want to see
the truth," he ran his hand through his hair again, "Even after I left, I
made myself believe that there might still be a chance, but boy was I wrong.
Seeing you two together..." he trailed off and shook his head. "I think I do
need some coffee now."
With a smile, Buffy stood and went to the kitchen. The moment she was gone,
Riley leaned forward, "If you ever hurt her," he said in a low, dangerous
voice, "if you ever behave stupid again and leave her for her own good, I'm
going to forget about your soul. Is that clear?"
Angel looked at the commando for a moment, then his lips quirked into a
half-grin, "I will hand you the stake," he replied, leaving the human
stunned, "I know how it feels to see her with another man," he said in a way
of explanation, "I never stopped loving her."
"Yeah, I know," Riley found himself smiling despite the circumstances, "She
looks radiant. Happier than I have ever seen her. Keep it that way."
"I'll do my best."
"There you go," Buffy returned with a cup and placed it in front of Riley,
but the commando ignored it and stood instead.
"I just remembered I need to leave," he said, looking at her. "An important
meeting at my barracks," he explained, then leaned over and planted a kiss
on her cheek. "Take care," he whispered, turned and left the mansion.
"You too," she told his back and a bit stunned, she shook her head, then
with a frown turned at her boyfriend, "What was that all about?" she asked.
"A little male bonding," he replied with a grin.
"Bonding, huh? With you and Riley. Should I worry now?"
He reached out, took her hand and pulled her in his lap, then kissed her
long and deeply, "No need. He just told me that he would stake me if I'd
ever leave you for you own good again."
Her face brightened instantly, "Did he? Good for him. I'd stand at his side
and cheer," she said with a mischievous glimpse in her eyes.
"Would you now?" he tightened his hold on her, "You would really watch while
he is reducing me to ashes?"
She tilted her head and grinned, "Well, maybe for a while, you know while
the stake pierces the skin and blood is dripping and then I would interfere
before it meets the heart."
Angel quirked a brow, "You are bloodthirsty, Miss Summers."
"Yeah," she replied with a bright smile, "I'm a slayer, don't forget. Blood
is my business."
"Oh, and I thought, ashes are."
"Well those too. But blood comes from time to time as well. And even in
pretty colors."
"And don't forget all about the demon glue," he joked kissing the tip of her
nose, then his lips traveled over her cheek to her throat, making her moan.
"Yes, let's not forget... uh, Angel," she said a bit breathlessly. "Maybe I
wouldn't watch you being tortured," she amended finally, "maybe I would just
torture you myself."
His head came up, "Oh, and how would you do that."
She grinned devilishly and pushed him back so that he came to lie on the
sofa, wiggled her brows, "Just stay there and watch. I'm giving you a taste
right now." Then she began to unbutton her blouse.
... to be continued