CHOICES – A Buffy/ Angel Saga
Chapter 8 – Learning Can Be Fun
Buffy and Angel sat on the floor across from each other.
Both were sitting cross-legged with their hands on their knees, palms facing
up. They had their eyes closed and their faces bore the look of deep
concentration.
The room was darkened, only a handful of candles giving
the off the rooms only light. Willow walked around talking to the couple in
soft even tones.
"Buffy I want you to reach deep inside yourself and find
that place in your heart, in your soul that you keep Angel."
Buffy was quiet for a moment before she smiled.
"Are you there?" Willow asked although from the look on
Buffy's face she knew that she was.
"Yes."
"Alright I want you to pretend like the space in your
heart you keep Angel is a room. Picture a room with a door."
"Got it."
"Okay now I want you to open the door and step inside."
The room was quiet a moment and then Buffy gasped.
"What is it Buffy?"
Buffy had done liked Willow had asked and imagined in her
mind a room with a door and at her urging she opened it and stepped into the
room. At first nothing had changed and she was waiting for Willow's next
instruction but then she was hit with this all consuming sensation of love.
Buffy opened her eyes and found both Willow and Angel
staring at her intently.
"Buffy?" Angel prompted.
"What is it Buffy?" Willow asked again.
"Love." Buffy replied.
Willow and Angel looked at Buffy a little confused.
"What do you mean love?" Willow asked.
"When I opened the door and walked into the room I got
this overwhelming sensation of love. It was pure unadulterated love."
"So you felt Angel's love for you?"
"Yes and no. It was so much more than a feeling. It's
like I could see it, like it had become a living thing and I could not only
feel it but also see it and smell it and hear it."
Buffy looked Angel in the eye needing him to see her, to
see the truth of her words.
"It was beautiful. Your love is so beautiful. It is so
pure and it is bright like a rainbow full of vibrant yellows and blues, and fiery
reds and gold's. It was warm and comforting and it smelled like rain and
sandalwood. It was so intense and it surrounded me almost drowning me but I
have never felt something so right in my whole life. Angel you feel like home."
"What did it sound like?" Willow asked.
"What?"
"You said you could hear it. What did it sound like?"
Buffy looked at Willow for a long minute trying to find
the best way to describe the sound she heard and then she looked at her hearts
one true love.
"It sounded like a heartbeat and it pulsed with life."
Angel's eyes welled up with tears as he listened to Buffy
describe how he manifested himself inside of her. He knew that if he looked
inside of himself that Buffy's presence would be like sunshine and flowers,
vanilla and honeysuckle. He had feared that he might infect Buffy with his
darkness and she had no idea what he felt to know that his demon hadn't tainted
her.
Angel was pulled from his reverie by the sound of the
door closing behind Willow as she left the room and by the sensation of Buffy
pulling him into her warm embrace.
Angel looked at the goddess in his arms who had a grin
stretching from ear to ear.
"And what exactly has you grining like a Cheshire cat?"
"You."
"Me?"
"Yeah you. I feel you so strongly inside of me. It feels
pretty amazing to know that I hold a piece of you inside of me physically and
mentally. You'll never be completely free of me again Angel. No matter what
happens down the road I'm yours for always."
"For always." Angel whispered in agreement as he kissed
the top of Buffy's head.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
While Buffy and Angel were learning about the Bond the
rest of the gang had fallen right back into research mode. They were trying to
determine how Ha Nachash could be defeated.
The gang had all found a place to sit and was diligently
thumbing through centuries old texts, everyone that is except Riley. Even
though Riley understood on some level that Buffy had given her heart and soul
to Angel and that part of her would always belong to him, Riley still couldn't
step back and let go of her. He just couldn't shake the need to fight for what
he believed was his.
So bearing that in mind it was easy to understand why
Riley was pacing like a caged tiger outside of the room where Willow was instructing
Buffy and Angel. When Willow slipped out of the room Riley immediately headed
towards the room, not wanting to leave Buffy alone for any longer than
necessary in the company of that vampire.
Riley just about had his hand on the door when surprisingly
Giles stopped him. Riley would have thought that of all the people in this room
that Giles would understand his point of view. After all shouldn't it bother
the Watcher that his charge was consorting with the enemy. Riley couldn't stop
the ever-growing feeling of rage building inside of him. He didn't understand
it all he knew was that more than anything he believed that if he was going to
hang onto Buffy then Angel was going to have to die.
"Riley leave them be."
"You can't be serious? You are going to let them be
alone. Does no one see a problem with her being the Slayer hanging out with a
vampire? This isn't normal." Riley near raged.
"Yes well take a good look around you Riley."
Giles gestured to the group of faces that were now
intently watching the exchange between the Watcher and the commando.
"Nothing about this group of warriors is normal. In our
ranks we have two vampires, two witches, two Watchers, an ex-demon, two humans
who believe in our cause and fight by our side, a seer, a mystical energy
source, a Slayer…"
"And a werewolf." Oz commented as he walked into the
room. "That is of course if you'll have me."
"Oz!" Willow shrieked and ran into his embrace. "What are
you doing here?"
"Big bad is in town and I thought you could use the strength
found in the power of three."
There was no question that Oz meant that Willow, Tara and
himself made a powerful trio. Oz would serve as the witches power anchor and
protector for the spell needed to help vanquish Ha Nachash.
Giles turned his attentions back to Riley.
"So setting normal aside a moment Buffy is the Slayer and
has saved this world from destruction enough times that I think she is entitled
to decide who she wishes to spend her time with."
"You trust that vampire with her safety? You all trust
that fiend with her safety?"
Willow stepped forward and regarded Riley.
"I would trust him with my life." She stated
matter-of-factly.
Riley looked around the room in disbelief as each person
in the room nodded in agreement that they did in fact trust Angel with not only
their Buffy's well being but their own.
Frustrated beyond words Riley stormed out of the mansion
and into the oncoming darkness of nightfall.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Willow knocked on the door and when she heard Angel her to
come in she slipped inside. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room
once again she saw Buffy and Angel doing Tai Chi together. Willow watched as
they moved as one in perfect synchronicity. They finished their routine and
then turned their attentions to Willow.
"What's up?"
"Well Riley's pissed off. I mean really pissed off. He
stormed off a few minutes ago. Ooh and Oz is here."
There was no mistaking the way Willow lit up when she
said Oz's name. Buffy was glad to see Willow so happy. She certainly deserved
it.
After getting the brief story about Oz's return Willow
suggested they do a little more with the bond.
"I want to show you how to use the bond to call on each
other when you need to."
Willow had the two of them sitting on the floor again.
"Okay concentrate."
"Find your center."
"Now go to that place you hold each other and attune
yourselves to the other's presence in you."
"Now Buffy I want you to send a message to Angel."
Buffy looked perplexed.
"How do I do that?"
"Picture a phone in your mind. Picture yourself picking
up that phone and calling Angel. Now send him a message."
Buffy concentrated on sending her message. Of course
being as the room was dark and Angel had his eyes closed they didn't see the evil
smirk cross Buffy's features.
'Angel? Angel I need you to hear me? I just wanted to tell you…to tell you that…that I've fallen in love with another and I'm going to have his love child.'
Suddenly Angel's eyes
snapped open and a feral growl reverberated throughout the room and before
Willow knew it Angel had lunged at Buffy. Buffy however had anticipated his
move and had darted to her feet with a little shriek. Angel regarded Buffy with
undisguised fury and jealousy. Both Willow and Angel were shocked when Buffy
burst into a fit of giggles.
"What The HELL is so
funny?" Angel barked.
"You…you…" Buffy could
barely speak through her laughter. She was struggling to stay on her feet and
pointing at Angel.
Angel advanced on Buffy
his anger and annoyance reaching a fevered pitch. He had effectively pinned
Buffy up against the wall, barely able to restrain the urge to pin her with his
teeth in a show of dominance and possessiveness and was waiting less than
patiently for her to explain herself. Willow on the other hand was beside
herself. She didn't understand what had happened and now it looked like Angel
was about to kill Buffy. Although to her credit Buffy didn't seem concerned at
all.
Angel's face was inches
away from hers.
"WHAT. IS. SO. FUNNY?" He
demanded in a deadly tone.
"You look…so cute…when
you're all jealous…and vampy." Buffy managed to get out between giggles. Of
course when Angel's face changed from a look of pure menace to extreme
confusion Buffy lost it all over again. When she was finally able to look him
in the eye again she didn't speak. Well at least not with words.
'Oh my sweet Angel. I wanted to say something I was sure would get your attention. Looks like it worked.'
"So you're telling me that
what you said wasn't true." He rasped out through his fang filled mouth, the
demon still very much to the fore.
Buffy ran her fingertips
over the ridges of Angel's brow and trailed them down to his jaw and finally
along his fangs. The smile slipped from her countenance, as she very seriously
looked deep into his golden eyes.
"No Angel. There is nobody
else. There is always and only you."
Her voice dropped to a
whisper.
"All my life I have loved
only you."
Buffy then captured Angel's
mouth in a searing kiss, fangs and all. Angel pulled Buffy close and was making
a noise that could only be described as purring as his demon features melted
away bringing his human countenance back to the fore. And although Buffy never
had cared one way or the other she once again caressed the now smooth plains of
his face, silently acknowledging the return of the man simply because she knew
it mattered to Angel. Angel loved her all the more for doing it.
~*~*~*~*~*~
You set my soul at ease. Chased the darkness out of view. Left your desperate spell on me. Say you feel it too I know you do. I've got so much more to give. This can't die I yearn to live. Pour yourself all over me and I'll cherish every drop here on my knees.
I wanna love you forever and this is all I'm asking of you. 10,000 lifetimes together, is that so much for you to do? Cause the moment I saw your face and I felt the fire in your sweet embrace. I swear I knew. I'm gonna love you forever.
My mind fails to understand what my heart tells me to do. And I'd give up all I have just to be with you and that would do. I've always been taught to win and I never thought I'd fall. Be at the mercy of a man I've never been. Now I only want to be right where you are.
I wanna love you forever and this is all I'm asking of you. 10,000 lifetimes together, is that too much for you to do?
Cause the moment I saw your face and felt the fire in your sweet embrace. I swear I knew. I'm gonna love you forever.
In my life I've learned that heaven never waits. Let's take this now before it's gone like yesterday. Cause when I'm with you there's nowhere else that I would ever wanna be, no. I'm breathing for the next second I can feel you loving me…I'm gonna love, I wanna love you forever and this is all I'm asking of you. 10,000 lifetimes together, is that too much for you to do? Cause the moment I saw your face and felt the fire in your sweet embrace. I swear I knew. I'm gonna love you forever.
*Thank you to Tinkerbelle for telling me this is I Wanna Love You Forever by Jessica Simpson