EPILOGUE Angel couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as he moved around his kitchen.  Sometimes he still had trouble believing all of the changes that he had been through in the last year.  He had never been this happy before, not since the curse anyway, and had never believed that it would happen, but that was exactly what had occurred.  He had never counted on having the things that now seemed normal, but then again, he had never counted on Buffy.   Their lives had been going fairly well since the night of the dance.  Buffy had, of course, been reported to the authorities for participating in the 'riots.' She had been worried when the police started asking her question.  She didn't know how to explain and she wasn't sure how to respond.  Luckily, Angel had a friend on the police force that knew about demons and the undead, so after an explanation, the matter had been dropped fairly quickly. The other members of their group had also accepted his 'little difference' with relative ease.  Angel couldn't help but laugh as he remembered their reaction.  Pike and Alonna had reacting much the same way as Gunn, had simply asked for an explanation.  Once all of their questions were answered, the subject had been dropped and since then it had hardly been mentioned.--except for the occasion joke at his expense. His relationship with Buffy was also going well.  They were taking things slowly for many reasons, the foremost being her young age and the fact that he hadn't been in a real relationship in over 200 years.  Even so, he felt like he had never been without her and he didn't know how he had made it all those years without her in his life.  She had quickly become someone he couldn't live without.  Their relationship wasn't always easy, but so far, they had managed. The sound of his front door opening broke Angel from his revere.  Knowing immediately who it was, Angel quickly moved into the main room, purposely blocking the view into the kitchen.  He didn't want his surprise to be ruined. "Hey," Buffy said, flashing him a huge smile as soon as he entered the room "Hey Baby," he replied.  They quickly met in the middle of the room, for a hello kiss.  It was a short interlude, but still managed to convey the joy that each felt at being together again. "I missed you," Angel said, once they had broken apart. "Me too," she replied happily. Buffy had managed to adjust fairly well to the idea that her parents were getting divorced.  The idea still made her sad, but she knew that it was the best solution for everyone involved.  She, of course, missed having her mother around, but she went to Sunnydale one weekend out of every month so that they could spend time together. "How was the weekend with your mom?" "We didn't do anything exciting, but it was still fun.  The only thing that we did was go shopping and then we rented movies, it was a total mother/daughter bonding experience."  After a pause, she continued, "You know, I think we know each other better now that we don't live together than we did before." "I'm glad that the two of you had fun, you don't get to see each other often enough." "I know," Buffy sighed, "I miss her.  Why did she have to move to the stupid old Hellmouth anyway?" "I don't know," Angel said.  "Since you brought it up, how were things there?" Buffy made a face at his question, "It seemed to be picking up and I think something is happening.  I saw way more vamps than I normally do when I'm there." Angel nodded, "I'll ask around and see if anyone's heard anything.  If it's anything major, someone should know something about it." "Someone knows something?  That sounds definite," Buffy laughed.  "How about you?  Did you guys have any big badness while I was gone?" "No, it was all clear," he replied.  "We ran across a few random fledglings, but nothing serious". "Good," Buffy said.  "On that happy note, should we head out for patrol?" "I thought we would skip it tonight," he replied as he grasped her hand and started pulling her towards the kitchen. "Skip?  Wh....," Buffy started, but cut her sentence short as she took in the scene before her. Kitchen was dark, lit only by two candles standing in the center of the table.  There were two place settings and several steaming dishes placed on the table.  Surveying them, Buffy realized that she didn't recognize the cuisine, yet she knew from experience that she would like it.  Angel was a great cook. "What's all this?" she asked innocently, yet she was smiling because she already knew the reason behind his surprise feast. Handing her a single long stemmed rose, he said, "I'm celebrating" "You are? Celebrating what?" "The night that changed my life forever," he answered quietly Buffy smiled, "I wasn't sure that you remembered." "Of course I remember," Angel said, "A man does not forget the night her meets his destiny." Unable to stand being apart from him for one more second, Buffy moved closer and caught his lips in a gentle kiss.  Things didn't remain that way for long however and quickly began to heat up.  Before things got too far out of hand, Angel pulled back. Their foreheads still touching, Angel said, "The food's going to get cold." His words brought back the memory of the wonderful dishes he had created.  As she noticed the wonderful smell that was permeating the kitchen, her hunger made itself known as her stomach growled loudly. Laughing, Buffy said, "That would be a waste." She started moving towards the table, but was stopped by Angel as he made a great show of pulling out her seat.  As she laughed at his antics, Angel moved to the table and began to fill her plate.  Upon taking the first bite, Buffy realized that her prediction was correct; it was delicious. As their meal progress, they settled into the comfortable chatter that all couples share.  There was none of their usual 'shop talk', no talk of demon or vampires.  The conversation was relaxed and filled with the laughter and light-heartedness that was so often absent because of the lifestyle that they led.  As their meal drew to a close, Buffy caught Angel's eye across the table. "Thank you, Angel, this has been the best night that I've ever had," she said sincerely. Smiling, Angel said, "It's not over yet." Standing, Angel walked out of her view.  After a moment, Buffy heard soft music coming from the other room.  He returned quickly and stopped directly in front of her chair. "Will you dance with me," he asked, holding out his hand. Accepting the offered hand, Buffy replied, "I would love to." Slowly they came together and began to sway to the gentle sounds.  Placing her head upon his chest, Buffy relaxed into her love's embrace.  After a few moments, she felt Angel's arms tighten around her waist.  When she lifted her head she found that Angel was her intently.  When she looked into his eyes, Angel knew that he could wait any longer to share his feelings.  This was the right time. "Buffy…," he said, but then found he could say no more.  The words seemed to be stuck in throat. "Angel," she asked giving him a quizzical look. "I…I love you." Buffy looked stunned for a moment and the quickly lowered her eyes.  Her reaction made Angel think that maybe he had moved to fast.  He was about apologize and tell her that he hadn't meant to push, when she but then she raised her head to look at him once more.  All of his apologies died on his lips when he saw her eyes.  They were glistening with unshed tears, but the smile that was spread across her face told that they were tears of joy. "I love you, too," she whispered. Angel couldn't contain his response to her whispered words and quickly covered her trembling lips with his own.  Their kiss was simple, sweet, a physical expression of the words they had exchanged.  After a moment that seemed to last forever, they pulled apart.  However, when they saw the love shining in one another's eyes, the space between them closed once more. This kiss was different, more powerful and more passionate.  Soon, though the music still played, the couple had stopped moving to it and were instead dancing to a different song. Never breaking apart, their hands started to explore each other in a way that they had never done before.  Every touch brought a new sensation.  As the kiss continued, gaining more intensity, the two of them became bolder, enjoying the reactions that each was causing the in other. Finally regaining some of his control momentarily, Angel pulled away and was surprised to find that they had moved from the kitchen and were now standing in the doorway to his bedroom.  Trying to overcome the confusion brought on by his sudden desertion caused, Buffy gazed up at him through passion filled eyes and tried to discover what made him stop.  When she saw that he was simply look down into her face, she gently tried to get him to continue on into the room. Certain that once he stepped into his bedroom, all of his hard won control would desert him, Angel resisted.  He had to make sure that this was what Buffy truly wanted. "Buffy, are you sure," he asked quietly. "Angel…" "If you want to stop…" He was cut off by the finger that she placed across his lips.  Once she was certain that she had his attention, she tightened her arms around his neck and pulled him to her once more. When they were a breath apart, she whispered, "I'm very sure." As soon as she saw the acceptance in his eyes, she pushed him using her slayer strength, causing him to stumble into the room.  Not willing to let go of his love, Angel brought her with him and they ended up one giant, laughing mass of tangled limbs that landed on the end of the bed. However, their merriment was short lived and quickly replace, once more, by passion.  After Angel had gently moved Buffy farther onto the bed, they slowly began to undressed one other.  When she found herself nude and open to his perusal, Buffy found herself becoming shy.  She had never been in this position before and wasn't exactly sure how she was supposed to act.  Not sure how to proceed, Buffy lowered her eyes, she didn't want Angel to be disappointed. Sensing the she was feeling insecure, he gently pulled the arms that she was trying to cover herself with away.  Then, placing his hand under her chin, she raised her head until she was once more looking into his eyes. The look she found there as he perused her body, gave her some encouragement and the appreciation and love that she could see, made her forget all of her insecurities.  The only thing that she could focus on was Angel and how very much she loved him. They took their time, Angel introducing her to all of the aspects of this new experience.  With every touch and gentle whisper he made her feel more and more loved.  When at last they came together, both had the sense of coming home. Lying together in the aftermath of their lovemaking, Angel simply gazed at the love of his life.  As she snuggled closer into his embrace, he knew that this was right.  This was how he was meant to spend his life.  This was perfect happiness. His thoughts were interrupted by a small laugh from the girl in his arms. "What's so funny," he asked. "Nothing, I just can't believe that I've only know you for one year.  It seems like you've always been a part of my life," she replied. With a laugh of his own, he asked, "Are you happy about this?" Rising up onto her elbow, Buffy lightly slapped his chest with her other hand, "Of course I'm happy." "Me too," he said. Buffy was overjoyed to see that he was telling the truth.  So often in the year that she had known him, she had seen the guilt that he tried to cover.  She knew that those things weren't his fault, but she also knew that that fact didn't always make a difference.  Tonight, however, there was no sign of it in his eyes.  All she could see was his love, his love for her. Leaning forward, Buffy placed a quick kiss on his lips, "Happy anniversary, Angel." "I love you," he replied. "I love you, too, My Angel," she said before being pulled into her love's tight embrace once more. The End