BGLM

Chapter Title: Behind Glass Lays Mystery

Author: Ellie Lildat, personality extrodinaire with horrid spelling abilities.

Disclaimer: As you can tell, I'm openly a B/A shipper... If Joss still is one, he hides it well these days. I'm trying to set the world right once again, not send it spiraling into a pit of relationship despair for all lead characters.

Summery: Buffy steps out of her car

Rating: PG-13 to R

AN: I'm so sorry it took so long to get this out! I've been having scheduling problems along with becoming suddenly very ill lately. I'm writing this late at night with only hours before a doctor's appointment in the morning that I actually have to take a cab (I have judgmental issues from past experience) to get home from.

Dedication: First- to Tabby, who will never read a Buffy fic and never will see my little hidden message to her, pity. SECONDLY- To all B/A shippers that are voicing their disgust with the rumors of 6/3 season relationships to come. I'm sure that you're all asking why the head dudes are planning to ruin BOTH vampires that are on the good side... Angel/Cordy??? WHAT HAPPENED TO GROO?? Buffy/Spike??? Why CAN'T HE LOVE DRU? Are these rumors true? CAN WE SAY EWW??? Hey, rhyming here!




Chapter 3: Behind Glass Lays Mystery


Okay, Buffy. We can do this, as long as we realize were speaking to ourselves inside our head and speaking in the third person. I know I'm going crazy right now, it's kinda a common trait whenever I'm within a hundred feet of Angel. Temporary insanity, if you will. Just one foot into that proximity and my mental stability has left the building... but I have other things to focus on at this moment besides the residual effects of my love for my vampire ex-boyfriend and forever soul-mate.

Right now I have to focus on the most important thing at this moment: one foot in front of the other. One step right, good, now one step left, all right, now repeat. I might actually make it to the front door of the hotel by the time I turn thirty. So let's go a bit faster... not to cocky! AHH! Come on, Buffy! Your the Just casually walk up to the door and talk to the guy, why is that so hard?... Oh, right. Forgot about the reason there, sorry. I think you're- I mean, I'm better off with the inner monologue than the third person speak, I'm going crazier than Drusilla, talking to myself.

I can see him still, actually I can see him even better from than from the car. He still has that great spiky hair that I love, same dark but great clothes, same guilty soul, and the same wonderful lips from before... but he's changed. He's talking to Cordelia, who has thankfully gotten rid of those horrible blonde streaks that she had before and is now back to completely brunette. She's actually listening to what he has to say, instead of the other way around... they're really deep in conversation though, I wonder what about. I can see Wesley's walking around in the lobby, characteristically holding an old opened tome in his arms and reading silently from it. I bet their handling a case, maybe I should come back in a couple hours... though that would defeat my entire purpose for coming here tonight, so I'll gather my courage and continue towards the glass doors in front of me... Hard to believe I'm a slayer, isn't it?

This is why I need him, I'm so lost and he always manages to find me... something that only he can ever do. I'm pretty sure it's the same way for him, like how it was when he came back to me during my senior year... it'll be like returning the favor, right? But then again, he's already done that... several times.

Every time I see him, I get reminded of what used to exist in my world and how things used to be... and get reminded of old Third Eye Blind songs. I never even listened to the band until I ran away, their songs were always blaring in that damn old diner... and then there was that one in my dream when I came home... I danced with him to those familiar lyrics, in the dream... But that's so off topic at the moment, I'm just trying not to focus too much on how much I need Angel at the moment.

Oh, god. I'm at the door and he still hasn't noticed that I'm here yet, has he forgotten the feeling? But then again, his eyes do have that faraway look in their chocolate-ly depths, maybe he's just hiding it like he hides all his feelings. Wouldn't surprise me, but there is always the chance that it's been so long since we were together that he just simply doesn't feel our connection anymore, maybe those kisses were just for my comfort... I hope not.

Okay, let's open the door and step into the lobby... and what a lobby it is! God, for being a eighteenth-century man that always seemed to be a little on the cheap side (I loved him for it, still do), Angel really out did himself with this homy-but-kinda-creepy hotel. It's seems to even be in good condition, really good condition considering that it has to be at least sixty years old. The business must be doing well if they're paying for this with just the income from the business... but there I go again, trying to forget my mission as I stop before the small set off stairs and just silently wait for my presence to be acknowledged.

My heart must have skipped about four beats just now, as I watched him quickly turn his head in my direction just seconds after I stopped in front of the steps... the lovable jerk was just waiting for my to come in! He stopped right in mid-sentence and flashed me one of his truly loving and sexy looks of concern that happened to have a hint of gladness in it as he stood up from his chair and walked towards me. Only seconds past before I'm once again crushed into a hug with him and a sense of relief sweeps over my body like an icy tidal wave, as I embrace him even tighter... practically having him lift me as I tighten my arms around his thick neck.

The hug is long, and though I'm more that ecstatic that I'm still in his arms as the time passes into minutes, there's something else here. He's TOO relieved to see me, it seems. Almost as if he wasn't sure that he'd ever see me again, which is completely ins- well actually it IS understandable considering how many times we've seen each other in the past few years, completely understandable.

Standing on my tip-toes so I can see over his shoulder, I glance at an on-looking Cordy with a concerned look on my own face, but she doesn't help at all. Leave it to me to turn the best place in the world into a problematic embrace.

Placing a delicate kiss on his wonderfully cool skin at the collar of his blue silk shirt, I manage to draw Angel back to the present as we loosen our holds on each other. He etches a path with his index finger along the line of my jaw with a too-familar lusty and loving look in his eyes, even though I'm positive that he sees and recognizes the sincerity and concern in my own.

Something's off here, more than I thought when I was looking in from the car. I know that he sees the frown in my brow and lips as he kisses me sweetly on the forehead... again he's the lovable jerk, but a lovable jerk that's seriously up to no good.

He completely loosens his arms from around me and take me by the hand, and smiles as we head towards the stairs of the hotel. That it, My Angel is insane and out of his fricken' mind, I just know it... But then he speaks.

Come on, we really need to talk. He tells me in a murmur that only I could hear, and that was only thanks to my slayer powers.

And with that Angel's old seriousness is back in full bloom and scowl. So I just give him a shadow of a nod before stealing one last glance at Cordelia, who just continues to watch with a tiny smile of mischief on her glossed lips.

So I continue up the grand flight of stairs just steps behind my beloved vampire with a soul, praying desperately to any deity that will here me that something good will come out of this visit. It could happen, right? Okay, everybody look at me like I've grown a tail... I know I'm definitely insane now.

TBC...