TITLE: "Now I Know."

AUTHOR: Salem

EMAIL: Salem_Angelus@hotmail.com

FEEDBACK: Would be lovely.

ARCHIVE/DISTRIBUTION: This site or ask

SUMMARY: When Angel never leaves to go to L.A and stays with Buffy, his L.A life follows him to Sunnydale. Angel must confront the oracles and make the hardest decision of his un-life.

CONTENT/WARNINGS: Buffy/Angel, Some Violence

SPOILERS: Graduation P1 & 2, Angel Season 1 "IWRU"

RATING: 15 (PG-14 for the American readers) It's what you would see on the show.

Disclaimer: Evil Joss Whedon owns them.grrrr

**************************************************************************** *** Buffy opened her eyes. She let out a short sigh as she turned over in what she thought was her bed. The back of a semi naked man lay faced away from her as she turned over. The bird like tattoo visible on the right shoulder of the figure, immediately told her who this man was. As she snuggled up to him and put her arm around his waist, he stirred. She lay with her head close to his.. so close he could feel her breath when she breathed. Buffy thought he was asleep but as she loosened her comforting grip around his waist, he grabbed her hand in an attempt to keep her warm hands close to his cooler body. She obeyed his command and gently replaced her hand, this time connecting hers with his. Buffy smiled to herself and fell back to sleep.

Again, as if it had been a dream, Buffy awoke in a strange bed. She smiled to herself and turned over again, as like before. Again she was greeted by the half naked figure but this time it was his face. She lifted her hand a run it down the sleeping face. The closed eyes of the figure flickered, as though they were about to open, but never. Buffy leaned forward to the figure.

"Angel?", she called softly from the almost total darkness. If he didn't stir she wouldn't wake him, after all it was his bedtime.

"Angel?", she repeated, this time a positive response came.

"Huh...wuh.Buffy?" a worried call came from the awoken Vampire as he lay.

"Buffy, what's up.are you o.." Her finger placed on his lips hushed his worried question.

Buffy leant forward and tenderly kissed Angel on the lips with a reluctance to break it off. As she did, he smiled.

"Your fine", he joked and lay back down beside her.

"What time is it?" Buffy asked

"Erm.I don't know.are you going?" he asked.

Buffy looked outside and realised it was sunrise. She knew it was the summer break and that she didn't have to go to school anymore, not til college. She just wanted to stay here forever.forever in Angel's arms. As Buffy lay on the chest of her lover, his still heart seemed to beat for Buffy. Hers always stopped when she saw him.it always skipped a beat. Being in love had never crossed Buffy's mind when she moved to Sunnydale 3 years before but now here she was, lying with her one and only love in his mansion, the most romantic place ever in her eyes.

Buffy woke again.didn't know if she had fallen asleep again or not but this time when she turned over, Angel was gone. She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, clearing it from her face. She looked to the doors. sun was still up, couldn't have gone out that way. Suddenly, in an unexpected flash back, she remembered Angel standing on the hill above Sunnydale.(she shuddered).wanting to be strong. She swung her legs off the bed and grabbed the nearest thing she could find.Angel's shirt. As she slid both arms in she realised. "If I have his shirt, where is he? And what is he wearing?" she smiled as she thought that! She walked around the mansion, not calling but listening.nothing. She went outside, saw no one and went round the mansions edging. As Buffy hurried around the west side and back into the mansion she saw Angel. There he was sitting by the fireplace, not lit of course, but it was so poetic. He was reading and as he heard Buffy enter hurriedly, he stood up, dropping his book and loosing his page.

"Buffy.what's wrong?" He ran at Buffy and held her softly by arms and crouched to look into her eyes.

Buffy couldn't say a thing and just shook her head in a fit of tears and hugged Angel. He gladly hugged Buffy against his naked torso stroking her hair and catching her tears on his chest. Pulling her from his chest and gently using the back of his hand to wipe her tears, he repeated his question.

"So.are you gonna tell me why your crying?" His smile reassured her that he was not going to run in the sun and never see or kiss her again. He dragged her towards the marble bench in front of the fire and sat her down. His arm securely locked around her told her he was not leaving.

"I.I was afraid you left me.or was gonna"

He chuckled to himself "I told you.you and me are forever. No one can ever get in our way"

Meanwhile, under the post office in L.A.

"Look at them. Young and old, evil and good, and she wish he was human!"

"What are you implying?"

" Well, they say it can work"

"Could it?"

"Lets see shall we?"

Back to the Mansion.

Now dressed, in their own clothes, Buffy and Angel were lying on Angel's bed. Buffy lifted Angel's hand and gently fiddled with his fingers, interlocking his with hers and then she thought.

"Oh, Angel, I forgot. I have something for you" She sat up off the bed and walked to her rucksack. Unzipping the top zip and taking out a black box, no bigger than a business card and sat back on the bed tucking her leg under her. Angel watched her hands as she spoke.

"Angel.I have no real reason for giving you this apart from the fact I love you so much, I want to share what is mine with you" Buffy looked at the box and back at Angel who by this time had sat up and shifted forward towards her. She looked at him and placed her hands over his eyes and glided down, signalling for him to close his eyes.

"And you may not like it, but I think you will and just let me know" Her hands started to shake as she lifted the object out of the box and put it to one side. She lifted his hand and hoping it would fit, slid it onto his middle finger. Angel, still obeying and keeping his eyes closed, brought his hand to meet Buffy's. He could feel her shaking and opened his eyes to see Buffy.

"It a Claddagh ring Angel...What do you think?"

A Speechless Angel touched the silver ring and admired it will an elegance. He looked at Buffy with a tear in his eye.

"Buffy...i...i...love you" The words he'd wanted to say all morning. He couldn't control his feelings and a tear rolled down his cheek. Buffy Learnt forwrd and her forehead leant on his. She cupped her hands around his face and kissed him.

A spark of orange in Angel's eyes indicated something was not right. Buffy cried hesterically as Angel lay helpless on the bed, shaking and shouting her name in agony. A bright yellow light shone on Angel from the cieling and Buffy, not knowing what was wrong, stood from the bed and cried. She placed her hands over her eyes and shouted,

"STOP! STOP! STOP IT!" and fell to the floor

Just then the light stopped, and it fell silent in the mansion. Buffy lifted her head and saw Angel lying on the bed breathing heavily. She cawled to her feet and onto the bed where she saw Angel.

"Buffy.what happened"

"Shhh.don't talk, rest" Buffy put her hand over Angel's forehead and felt he was hot. This was wrong, Angel had no warmth in his body, and he was a vampire. She held his hand, again warm. Buffy could feel Angel was hotting up so she lifted him into a sitting position. She unbuttoned his shirt, took it off and then let him lay back on the bed.

"Buffy.i."Again Buffy stopped his words with her finger.

"Rest" She said and held his hand till he fell asleep.

"He's Resting now.. no I'm fine. Will.I'm fine" Buffy grew annoyed with her best friends caring ness.

"My mom...what does she want? Where was I last night.um.tell her I stayed over yours will ya willow.Thanks. You're my best friend" Buffy broke a smile.

A noise came from the bedroom. Buffy hung up the phone and cautiously approached the red velvet curtains concealing Angel from the sun. As she put out her hand to pull back the curtain.the curtain was pushed open from the other side. The suns rays shone brightly onto the half naked body of the figure before her. Angel looked up and squinted as the rays hit his eyes.

"Angel.?" Buffy look up as Angel looked down. A tear began to run down her cheek. Angel picked up Buffy's hand and placing it on his chest, breathed deep. Buffy broke down in a fit of tears on the concrete floor. Angel knelt down beside her.

"I'm alive"