Buffy felt herself begin to panic, and rolled down the window for some much
needed fresh air. She breathed deeply and fell back against the seat, eyes
closed. 'What do I do? If I keep this up I'm going to be a wreck in
August. At this rate there's no way I'm going to be able to watch him get
on a plane bound for England, possibly never to be heard from again.'
She knew how 'camp relationships' worked. Everything was fine and dandy until the camp shut down at the end of the summer. Then people resumed their normal lives, completely forgetting about the 7-weeks at Sunny-D.
Over the last 24-hours Buffy felt herself falling for the gentle soul, and hotness, that was Spike. How would she be able to just walk away after seven-weeks of intimate conversations, flirtatious banter, snuggling, kisses, and probably, mind-blowing sex? 'I've had too many men leave me already. I can't go through it again. It will be easier if I end it now before things go any further.'
Spike's clear blue eyes entered her mind and she relaxed. 'Maybe this time it will be different?' a quiet voiced asked from deep inside her. 'Maybe this time . . . No-' She tried shaking the picture away, and failed miserably. 'It's best for all involved if I end it when I get back. Before I . . . errrr. . . WE get really hurt here,' she amended quickly.
'But what if he's worth the heartache?' the nagging voice spoke more loudly this time. 'What if these 7-weeks go really well and you two try to make a go of it at the end of the summer.'
Buffy groaned internally. 'Where the hell was Willow when she needed her? Probably off with Oz in some secret makeout spot; Definitely not freaking out about the implications and turning into a complete basket case like some people.'
She took her right hand and gave it a loud slap, startling the other three passengers. "Sorry," she said weakly. "Damn mosquitoes." Xander gave her a concerned look and went back to arguing with Cordy. Angel looked at Buffy out of the corner of his eye, grin spreading across his face.
--------------------------------
Five hours later, Buffy awoke to the sounds of the still screaming brunette pair in the back seat. Buffy had nodded off shortly after they left Sunny- D, passing out when the two began arguing about the importance of the 'spork' to the existence of the fast-food industry. She yawned and turned around to see that Xander had Cordelia's foot in his hand, pulling at her shoe. "And what is the purpose of these things. Is it a sandal or a sneaker? I don't get it."
The brunette wrestled her leg away from his grip. "These just happen to be the latest fashion-craze. Something that you obviously know NOTHING about."
"Will you two cut it out already!" boomed an annoyed voice from the driver's seat. "I've had to listen to this shit for the last five hours." He turned his attention to his now awake, blonde passenger. "How the hell did you sleep through all their yapping?"
Buffy shrugged at Angel. "Lots of practice."
The man smiled and focused on the road again. Soon he turned onto a small side street and proceeded into a large parking lot. "We're here," he said as he put the gearshift in park. The quartet hopped out of the car and followed Angel to the trunk. "Everybody have everything?" Buffy nodded, as she struggled to hold onto her three large suitcases. "Ok, follow me."
How Joyce had convinced him to let this group stay at his place for the night was beyond him. He led the way to the entrance of the high-rise apartment building. Buffy lagged behind, trying not to drop any of her belongings. One suitcase slipped from her grasp and tumbled to the ground. She leaned over to pick it up, only to have a large hand stop her. Angel lifted the bag, and gave her a brilliant smile, before continuing to the door.
Once inside, Angel showed them to the elevators, which went directly to the top floor. The doors opened, revealing a large penthouse apartment - decorated in all black, white, and grey. Antiques were proudly displayed in cases throughout the main room. Paintings hung on every wall. It wasn't really Buffy's taste, but she couldn't help but be impressed at all Angel had accumulated at such a young age.
"Wow," Cordelia breathed. "How can you afford a place like this?"
"My parents are helping me out until I get my MBA," he said, dropping the bags to the ground. He walked into the kitchen that was visible from the living room, and opened the refrigerator. "Anyone want a beer?" The three of them answered in the affirmative, before placing their suitcases next to Angel's.
He brought them each a bottle of Heinekin, took them further into the apartment, and sat down on one of the couches. Buffy chose to sit on the black loveseat, trying carefully not to spill a drop on the expensive leather.
"There is one guest bedroom down the hall on the left. My master bedroom is on the right. And the couches here." He said pointing out the different areas where they could crash. "I don't care who sleeps where, as long as nothing gets damaged. The security deposit on this place is enormous and I don't want to piss off my dad." The three guests nodded, assuring him not to worry.
"So what's the plan?" Xander asked, breaking the ice. "I'm hungry. I can't believe you wouldn't let us stop on the way."
Angel looked at the younger man, full of contempt, "And risk you making a mess of my new interior? I don't think so."
Buffy sat quietly as the rest of the group argued about whether to order Pizza or Chinese for their late dinner. Her mind wandered to Spike, thinking of where he was and what he was doing. The staff had a rehearsal for the Welcome Song at 8 p.m., so they were probably just getting out of the theater. 'Bad Buffy,' she thought to herself. 'Stop worrying about what he's up to. You can't let this thing control you.'
"Hey Buffster," she heard Xander say from across the room. "What do you want on your pizza?"
"Huh? Oh, um, whatever you guys want is fine."
The group decided on three large pizzas - one supreme for Xander, one sausage and mushroom for Angel, and a plain cheese for Buffy and Cordelia to share.
"Man. That is one kick-ass DVD collection you got goin' on." Xander walked over to the entertainment center and started looking through the movies. "How do you have "Austin Powers in Goldmember" already? It doesn't even hit theaters until next month."
"Well my dad is a bigwig over at Sony, so he talked a friend from New Line into getting me a screening copy." Angel said, taking another gulp from his beer.
"You so have to let us watch this." Xander said, pleading to Angel, who just shrugged.
"Buffy. . .?" He asked, shaking the box in her face.
"Fine by me," she said smiling at her giddy friend.
"Cordelia. . .?" He said eyeing the brunette, giving her a look that said: 'If you say NO I'll give your favorite pair of Manolo Blahnik's to the homeless.
The girl let out a groan. "Fine. But this one better not have Heather Graham in it . . . she RUINED "The Spy Who Shagged Me."
Angel popped the DVD into the player and everyone watched as the words: 'Not for sales purposes,' flew across the screen. The doorbell rang, and Xander ran to get the pizza, money in hand. He came running back into the living room with the three pizza boxes, and four cans of coke balancing precariously on top.
"We can put that down here." Angel said pressing pause, and clearing off a glass coffee table. "I find any red sauce on the upholstery tomorrow, and it's coming out of your measly salary." He pointed at Xander.
After everyone had eaten their fill, they were ready to try the movie again. Xander joined Cordelia on the couch, and pulled her feet into his lap. "Hey!" she said, trying to pull them away; but he held on and shushed her, "Simmer down woman." She relaxed and let Xander take off her shoes, not letting him see the huge smile that was forming on her pretty face.
Buffy curled up on the black love seat. She felt someone nudge her shoulder and looked up to see Angel. "Scootch over," he whispered, patting her legs.
She moved over to allow him room to squeeze on the small piece of furniture, getting as close to the corner as possible.
He laughed as he looked at her trying to get comfortable. "It's ok, I won't bite," he said, pulling her over to him, wrapping an arm around her. Buffy let her head fall to Angel's shoulder. 'This isn't so bad,' she thought to herself. 'Three days ago I would have killed to be in this position.' She turned her attention to the movie playing on the large flat- screen tv, ignoring the guilt building within her.
At the end of the movie Buffy was the first to speak, "Xander, don't you think the actor who plays Scott Evil looks kinda like Oz?"
Xander and Cordelia had been so wrapped up in the movie, and each other, they didn't notice Buffy and Angel sitting all cozy-like on the loveseat until that instant. "Nah-" he said eyeing his friend's position, "-the hair's all wrong." He watched Angel move a hand to Buffy's knee. When she didn't push him away, a frown crossed his face. 'What are you doin' Buffster?' he thought. No one had told him outright that Buffy and Spike had something goin' on, but he wasn't a complete idiot. He saw the little looks and stolen kisses, not to mention the way they kept mysteriously disappearing at the exact same time all afternoon.
"I am exhausted," Cordelia said, yawning loudly into her hand. "I think I'm going to hit the sack, so I can be all cheery for the kids tomorrow."
"Cordy, do you need me to show you to the guest room?" Angel asked, annoyed at the possibility of leaving Buffy's side.
"It's ok," she pulled Xander to his feet. "You remember the way, right Xander?" At that, she dragged him from the living room and the couple disappeared down the hallway.
'Alone at last,' Angel thought. Last night when he was sneaking out of Darla's room in Hemory Hills, he saw Buffy and Spike going at it by the front door. He never would have expected that the girl on his left had that much energy. He was dying to give her a test drive. Pissing off Spike in the process was an added bonus. The new guy had taken his room and his boys - he wasn't going to let him steal his girl too. Angel knew that Buffy had wanted him ever since she was a junior counselor - and there was no way he was going to let some British guy with bad hair snag her away.
"So what do you think of the apartment Buff?" he asked as Buffy sat up and stretched her arms.
"It's nice. . ." she didn't know what to say. She had never been alone with Angel before, and her gift of speech was suffering greatly. "It's really . . . um . . .big?"
Angel chuckled and stood up next to the blonde girl. She had never noticed just how tall he was. She felt like a dwarf in comparison. "You know, my mom's house is only a couple miles away if you would rather we all stay there," she said, apologizing for the intrusion into his home.
His eyes stayed on her lips as he spoke. "I can't believe that after all the years we've known each other, I've never seen your place, and you're finally seeing mine for the first time."
"Yah, weird," she said, nervously. In truth, her mom had invited him over a number of times for dinner, but he always seemed to be busy.
"Maybe after camp is over, we can start making a habit of it - considering we are practically neighbors."
Buffy eyed Angel curiously. He had never shown any interest in her before last night. Sure she caught him staring at her once in a while, but this was new territory. 'Would it be so bad?' she thought as she watched him take a step towards her. 'He lives so close. It would be easy to maintain contact after the seven-weeks are up.'
Angel lowered his head to kiss her. Buffy had to strain her neck to reach his lips. Without warning, he forced his tongue into her mouth. The kiss was all over the place. Buffy tried to keep up, but every time she thought she figured out where it was going, he went off licking her in another direction.
She broke away and sat down on the loveseat. Angel took this as a cue to move their making out to a new venue. He dove in again, only to have Buffy raise her hand, halting his descent. She took a few deep breaths. Her mind was racing. 'Where were the tinglies?' 'Where was the passion?'
She looked at Angel again, who was getting ready to pounce again. "Can we try this again? A little slower this time. Follow my lead?" Buffy asked.
"Whatever," Angel said with a shrug.
'The tinglies and passion are leaving for England in seven-weeks,' she reminded herself. She leaned towards him and pressed her lips to his. Slowly she opened her mouth, allowing him to slip his tongue in, and kept trying to control the pace of the kiss. She didn't feel the excitement and electricity she had with . . . that other guy leaving for England in seven- weeks. . . but it was a definite improvement from their first botched attempt.
'This isn't so bad.' she thought. 'I've wanted this for years and it's finally happening.' Buffy continued to kiss Angel, and felt overwhelmed when he took her in his arms, his large body threatening to crush her small frame. 'I want Angel . . . I do . . .I always have.' Spike's handsome face entered her mind, his eyes filled with anguish. 'It's the best for everyone involved.' She felt a lump form in her throat, and her eyes begin to tear. 'This is what I want.'
---------------------------
I'm so sorry about this guys. It was really painful to write it but I had no choice. The story has to evolve. This chapter was originally going to be longer, but I just couldn't do it to myself or you.
I promise there is more Spuffy-goodness ahead. Humor, angst, smut, all rolled into one little fanficy package. Please just keep reading and don't bash me.
She knew how 'camp relationships' worked. Everything was fine and dandy until the camp shut down at the end of the summer. Then people resumed their normal lives, completely forgetting about the 7-weeks at Sunny-D.
Over the last 24-hours Buffy felt herself falling for the gentle soul, and hotness, that was Spike. How would she be able to just walk away after seven-weeks of intimate conversations, flirtatious banter, snuggling, kisses, and probably, mind-blowing sex? 'I've had too many men leave me already. I can't go through it again. It will be easier if I end it now before things go any further.'
Spike's clear blue eyes entered her mind and she relaxed. 'Maybe this time it will be different?' a quiet voiced asked from deep inside her. 'Maybe this time . . . No-' She tried shaking the picture away, and failed miserably. 'It's best for all involved if I end it when I get back. Before I . . . errrr. . . WE get really hurt here,' she amended quickly.
'But what if he's worth the heartache?' the nagging voice spoke more loudly this time. 'What if these 7-weeks go really well and you two try to make a go of it at the end of the summer.'
Buffy groaned internally. 'Where the hell was Willow when she needed her? Probably off with Oz in some secret makeout spot; Definitely not freaking out about the implications and turning into a complete basket case like some people.'
She took her right hand and gave it a loud slap, startling the other three passengers. "Sorry," she said weakly. "Damn mosquitoes." Xander gave her a concerned look and went back to arguing with Cordy. Angel looked at Buffy out of the corner of his eye, grin spreading across his face.
--------------------------------
Five hours later, Buffy awoke to the sounds of the still screaming brunette pair in the back seat. Buffy had nodded off shortly after they left Sunny- D, passing out when the two began arguing about the importance of the 'spork' to the existence of the fast-food industry. She yawned and turned around to see that Xander had Cordelia's foot in his hand, pulling at her shoe. "And what is the purpose of these things. Is it a sandal or a sneaker? I don't get it."
The brunette wrestled her leg away from his grip. "These just happen to be the latest fashion-craze. Something that you obviously know NOTHING about."
"Will you two cut it out already!" boomed an annoyed voice from the driver's seat. "I've had to listen to this shit for the last five hours." He turned his attention to his now awake, blonde passenger. "How the hell did you sleep through all their yapping?"
Buffy shrugged at Angel. "Lots of practice."
The man smiled and focused on the road again. Soon he turned onto a small side street and proceeded into a large parking lot. "We're here," he said as he put the gearshift in park. The quartet hopped out of the car and followed Angel to the trunk. "Everybody have everything?" Buffy nodded, as she struggled to hold onto her three large suitcases. "Ok, follow me."
How Joyce had convinced him to let this group stay at his place for the night was beyond him. He led the way to the entrance of the high-rise apartment building. Buffy lagged behind, trying not to drop any of her belongings. One suitcase slipped from her grasp and tumbled to the ground. She leaned over to pick it up, only to have a large hand stop her. Angel lifted the bag, and gave her a brilliant smile, before continuing to the door.
Once inside, Angel showed them to the elevators, which went directly to the top floor. The doors opened, revealing a large penthouse apartment - decorated in all black, white, and grey. Antiques were proudly displayed in cases throughout the main room. Paintings hung on every wall. It wasn't really Buffy's taste, but she couldn't help but be impressed at all Angel had accumulated at such a young age.
"Wow," Cordelia breathed. "How can you afford a place like this?"
"My parents are helping me out until I get my MBA," he said, dropping the bags to the ground. He walked into the kitchen that was visible from the living room, and opened the refrigerator. "Anyone want a beer?" The three of them answered in the affirmative, before placing their suitcases next to Angel's.
He brought them each a bottle of Heinekin, took them further into the apartment, and sat down on one of the couches. Buffy chose to sit on the black loveseat, trying carefully not to spill a drop on the expensive leather.
"There is one guest bedroom down the hall on the left. My master bedroom is on the right. And the couches here." He said pointing out the different areas where they could crash. "I don't care who sleeps where, as long as nothing gets damaged. The security deposit on this place is enormous and I don't want to piss off my dad." The three guests nodded, assuring him not to worry.
"So what's the plan?" Xander asked, breaking the ice. "I'm hungry. I can't believe you wouldn't let us stop on the way."
Angel looked at the younger man, full of contempt, "And risk you making a mess of my new interior? I don't think so."
Buffy sat quietly as the rest of the group argued about whether to order Pizza or Chinese for their late dinner. Her mind wandered to Spike, thinking of where he was and what he was doing. The staff had a rehearsal for the Welcome Song at 8 p.m., so they were probably just getting out of the theater. 'Bad Buffy,' she thought to herself. 'Stop worrying about what he's up to. You can't let this thing control you.'
"Hey Buffster," she heard Xander say from across the room. "What do you want on your pizza?"
"Huh? Oh, um, whatever you guys want is fine."
The group decided on three large pizzas - one supreme for Xander, one sausage and mushroom for Angel, and a plain cheese for Buffy and Cordelia to share.
"Man. That is one kick-ass DVD collection you got goin' on." Xander walked over to the entertainment center and started looking through the movies. "How do you have "Austin Powers in Goldmember" already? It doesn't even hit theaters until next month."
"Well my dad is a bigwig over at Sony, so he talked a friend from New Line into getting me a screening copy." Angel said, taking another gulp from his beer.
"You so have to let us watch this." Xander said, pleading to Angel, who just shrugged.
"Buffy. . .?" He asked, shaking the box in her face.
"Fine by me," she said smiling at her giddy friend.
"Cordelia. . .?" He said eyeing the brunette, giving her a look that said: 'If you say NO I'll give your favorite pair of Manolo Blahnik's to the homeless.
The girl let out a groan. "Fine. But this one better not have Heather Graham in it . . . she RUINED "The Spy Who Shagged Me."
Angel popped the DVD into the player and everyone watched as the words: 'Not for sales purposes,' flew across the screen. The doorbell rang, and Xander ran to get the pizza, money in hand. He came running back into the living room with the three pizza boxes, and four cans of coke balancing precariously on top.
"We can put that down here." Angel said pressing pause, and clearing off a glass coffee table. "I find any red sauce on the upholstery tomorrow, and it's coming out of your measly salary." He pointed at Xander.
After everyone had eaten their fill, they were ready to try the movie again. Xander joined Cordelia on the couch, and pulled her feet into his lap. "Hey!" she said, trying to pull them away; but he held on and shushed her, "Simmer down woman." She relaxed and let Xander take off her shoes, not letting him see the huge smile that was forming on her pretty face.
Buffy curled up on the black love seat. She felt someone nudge her shoulder and looked up to see Angel. "Scootch over," he whispered, patting her legs.
She moved over to allow him room to squeeze on the small piece of furniture, getting as close to the corner as possible.
He laughed as he looked at her trying to get comfortable. "It's ok, I won't bite," he said, pulling her over to him, wrapping an arm around her. Buffy let her head fall to Angel's shoulder. 'This isn't so bad,' she thought to herself. 'Three days ago I would have killed to be in this position.' She turned her attention to the movie playing on the large flat- screen tv, ignoring the guilt building within her.
At the end of the movie Buffy was the first to speak, "Xander, don't you think the actor who plays Scott Evil looks kinda like Oz?"
Xander and Cordelia had been so wrapped up in the movie, and each other, they didn't notice Buffy and Angel sitting all cozy-like on the loveseat until that instant. "Nah-" he said eyeing his friend's position, "-the hair's all wrong." He watched Angel move a hand to Buffy's knee. When she didn't push him away, a frown crossed his face. 'What are you doin' Buffster?' he thought. No one had told him outright that Buffy and Spike had something goin' on, but he wasn't a complete idiot. He saw the little looks and stolen kisses, not to mention the way they kept mysteriously disappearing at the exact same time all afternoon.
"I am exhausted," Cordelia said, yawning loudly into her hand. "I think I'm going to hit the sack, so I can be all cheery for the kids tomorrow."
"Cordy, do you need me to show you to the guest room?" Angel asked, annoyed at the possibility of leaving Buffy's side.
"It's ok," she pulled Xander to his feet. "You remember the way, right Xander?" At that, she dragged him from the living room and the couple disappeared down the hallway.
'Alone at last,' Angel thought. Last night when he was sneaking out of Darla's room in Hemory Hills, he saw Buffy and Spike going at it by the front door. He never would have expected that the girl on his left had that much energy. He was dying to give her a test drive. Pissing off Spike in the process was an added bonus. The new guy had taken his room and his boys - he wasn't going to let him steal his girl too. Angel knew that Buffy had wanted him ever since she was a junior counselor - and there was no way he was going to let some British guy with bad hair snag her away.
"So what do you think of the apartment Buff?" he asked as Buffy sat up and stretched her arms.
"It's nice. . ." she didn't know what to say. She had never been alone with Angel before, and her gift of speech was suffering greatly. "It's really . . . um . . .big?"
Angel chuckled and stood up next to the blonde girl. She had never noticed just how tall he was. She felt like a dwarf in comparison. "You know, my mom's house is only a couple miles away if you would rather we all stay there," she said, apologizing for the intrusion into his home.
His eyes stayed on her lips as he spoke. "I can't believe that after all the years we've known each other, I've never seen your place, and you're finally seeing mine for the first time."
"Yah, weird," she said, nervously. In truth, her mom had invited him over a number of times for dinner, but he always seemed to be busy.
"Maybe after camp is over, we can start making a habit of it - considering we are practically neighbors."
Buffy eyed Angel curiously. He had never shown any interest in her before last night. Sure she caught him staring at her once in a while, but this was new territory. 'Would it be so bad?' she thought as she watched him take a step towards her. 'He lives so close. It would be easy to maintain contact after the seven-weeks are up.'
Angel lowered his head to kiss her. Buffy had to strain her neck to reach his lips. Without warning, he forced his tongue into her mouth. The kiss was all over the place. Buffy tried to keep up, but every time she thought she figured out where it was going, he went off licking her in another direction.
She broke away and sat down on the loveseat. Angel took this as a cue to move their making out to a new venue. He dove in again, only to have Buffy raise her hand, halting his descent. She took a few deep breaths. Her mind was racing. 'Where were the tinglies?' 'Where was the passion?'
She looked at Angel again, who was getting ready to pounce again. "Can we try this again? A little slower this time. Follow my lead?" Buffy asked.
"Whatever," Angel said with a shrug.
'The tinglies and passion are leaving for England in seven-weeks,' she reminded herself. She leaned towards him and pressed her lips to his. Slowly she opened her mouth, allowing him to slip his tongue in, and kept trying to control the pace of the kiss. She didn't feel the excitement and electricity she had with . . . that other guy leaving for England in seven- weeks. . . but it was a definite improvement from their first botched attempt.
'This isn't so bad.' she thought. 'I've wanted this for years and it's finally happening.' Buffy continued to kiss Angel, and felt overwhelmed when he took her in his arms, his large body threatening to crush her small frame. 'I want Angel . . . I do . . .I always have.' Spike's handsome face entered her mind, his eyes filled with anguish. 'It's the best for everyone involved.' She felt a lump form in her throat, and her eyes begin to tear. 'This is what I want.'
---------------------------
I'm so sorry about this guys. It was really painful to write it but I had no choice. The story has to evolve. This chapter was originally going to be longer, but I just couldn't do it to myself or you.
I promise there is more Spuffy-goodness ahead. Humor, angst, smut, all rolled into one little fanficy package. Please just keep reading and don't bash me.
