PART V
Prends moi. / Take me.


They ended up in a room with a double bed instead of two single beds because of a clerical error. Angel offered to search for another place, but Buffy was tired of walking in the rain. She was soaked and she just wanted to be warm and dry. She still had to work so the sooner they were settled, the happier she would be.

"Just get the room already, Angel. You can sleep on the floor if it makes you feel happy. Miserable. Whatever," Buffy grumbled.

The new room resembled the others they had stayed in. A kitchenette, cable TV, air conditioning, small bathroom, a love seat, a dresser, and the bed. Angel stocked the refrigerator and emptied his suitcase into one of the dresser's drawers. They had been living out of suitcases for nearly three weeks. Sooner or later, he decided, they would need to find somewhere bigger and more permanent. This constant living on top of each other was nerve-wracking. Angel's body was in an incessant state of tension that was beginning to exhaust him. He could imagine the effect on Buffy.

She emerged from the bathroom with an empty bag. "Tell me again why someone who can't see his reflection has more hair products than me." She tossed the bag into the corner and threw herself on the bed. "What time is it?"

Angel glanced at a clock. "You've got about ninety minutes before you need to go to work. Why don't you take a nap?"

She groaned loudly. "I've still got to unpack my stuff. Unless you do it for me," she wheedled coyly as she rolled onto her side and curled up into a ball.

"What do I get?"

"What do you want?" Buffy bargained as she pulled the blanket over her.

"What are you offering?"

She batted a pillow into shape before shoving it under her head. "How about less-bitchy Buffy?" She squirmed as she settled into the mattress. "Or a Buffy-free day?"

"I'm usually sleeping in the day."

"Okay then. A Buffy-free night. Does that work?" She closed her eyes.

"Can I have Buffy for a night?" Angel's voice innocuously travelled out of a suitcase.

Buffy's eyes flew open. Did he really say that? "Uh, sure." She closed her eyes again. "Just remember, though, you could end up with more-bitchy Buffy for a night."

******

Shirley was ogling Angel again when Buffy emerged from the employee locker room.

"He really doesn't dance?" she asked Buffy. "He looks like he could dance."

Buffy laughed at Angel's discomfort. "He really doesn't. I'll see you Saturday, Shirl." She'd had a good night with friendly customers and lots of tips. Tomorrow was her day off. She was planning to do nothing but laze around. She opened her flowery umbrella and handed it to Angel.

"Buffy, I'm not walking anywhere with that thing." He thrust it back at her.

"Fine. Get pneumonia. See if I care." She stepped into the driving rain but turned back when she realized he wasn't with her. "What? Aren't we going?" She tapped her foot impatiently, but Angel still didn't move. "Geez, Angel, it's just an umbrella not the Second Coming."

"It's not the umbrella, Buffy."

"Then what is it, Angel? I'm getting wet out here." And then she knew exactly what it was. It was the rain and being wet and going somewhere together in the night. It was her birthday all over again. "It's just rain, Angel," she said quietly. "Just rain."

*****

Except it wasn't just the rain. When they reached the room, she was soaking wet and shivering. Her translucent dress clung to her body like skin.

Angel could not bear to look at her. He went to the kitchenette and made some tea while she showered. When she walked out of the bathroom, she was wearing one of his shirts. He removed the tea bag from her cup. "I know you have clothes. I put them away today."

"And?" Buffy took the cup from him and poured a lot of sugar into it.

"So why are you wearing my clothes?" He leaned against a counter and waited.

She stirred the sugar into her tea. They're comfy. They smell like you. It's like having you touch me all night. It's the closest I can get to you. Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "Dunno. Thanks for the tea."

She wandered into the main room and turned on the TV. She flipped through the channels until she found a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Thunder rumbled overhead and the lights flickered. Buffy looked at the ceiling. "You have got to be kidding me. I just got here. All I want to do is watch something mindless. Please." The lights flickered again but stayed on. "Thank you." She sipped her tea and stretched her toes. Her feet hurt.

More thunder. More light flickering. "HEY!" she yelled at the ceiling. Lightning flared in the distance followed by a loud explosion. Darkness descended. "I'm NOT laughing!" Buffy shouted.

*****

Angel opted to sleep on the floor. He had expected an argument from Buffy. Instead, she silently handed him a pillow and blanket.

He lay awake watching the flashes of lightning and waiting. Her nightmares started just after 2 A.M. When Buffy sat up and screamed his name, he was immediately at her side.

"Hey, shhh. I'm right here." Angel gently pushed the hair away from her eyes. For a long moment they stared at each other. Then she lay down and pulled him with her. Buffy squirmed until she was comfortable. "Comfortable" was Angel spooned against her back with his arm draped over her waist. She sighed and drifted into sleep.

*****

Buffy woke because she couldn't move; she was trapped in Angel's embrace. She wriggled until she could roll over and face him. Her fingers lightly traced his features. As her forefinger passed over his lips, his eyes opened sleepily.

"Time to get up?" he mumbled.

She giggled. "You are such a grouch. Did they teach you that at vampire school?"

"Yeah. Lemme sleep." Angel closed his eyes and buried his face in her hair.

Her hands rubbed his chest. She could feel the outlines of his muscles beneath his t-shirt. She slipped her hands beneath the shirt. Her fingers danced across his taut abdomen and swept up his chest. She dragged her nails across his nipples.

Angel moaned deep in his body. "Buffy, don't," he whispered as he nuzzled her neck.

"Why not? I miss you so much," she whispered back. She kissed the soft skin at the base of his throat.

"I don't think I could stop this time."

Buffy removed her hands and smoothed his shirt before aimlessly rubbing his chest. She could see lightning over his shoulder. She wondered (again) if Angel would lose his soul if they made love. She sighed in frustration. Maybe he was right: one of them should leave. She could survive without him; it wouldn't be pretty. Neither one of them would have to deal with this dysfunctional relationship.

Angel kissed her forehead. "Go back to sleep. We'll make it work."

"Promise?" Because I don't see how we can.

*****

Angel awoke when he heard something crunch beneath his shoulder. The object was jagged and powdery and smelled faintly like… crackers? He glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It blinked at him. He closed his eyes and listened. He heard passing cars, rain, the whirr of a vacuum cleaner, the drone of a television soap opera. Angel guessed the time was around 1 P.M. He stretched his arms out. His hand brushed something sticky. He sniffed his fingers. It was peanut butter.

He sat up. Buffy wasn't in the room. He could a voice humming in the bathroom followed by the soft splash of water.

Angel knocked on the door. "There's peanut butter in our bed," he complained.

Buffy giggled. "Good morning to you, too," she called through the closed door. Angel heard more splashing.

"And crackers," he added grumpily. "I don't like sleeping on crackers."

More giggling. "Then brush them off the sheets and go back to sleep. I'm busy in here."

Angel rubbed his eyes and stared at the bed. He wasn't really tired. For the first time since he was resouled, he had not woken to memories of Angelus. He ran his fingers through his hair. What he really wanted was a shower. "How much longer are you gonna be?"

"Awhile."

Angel heard something clink against the sink. He could imagine all kinds of objects but nothing that made clinking sounds. "Buffy, what are you doing in there?"

"Girly things, Angel. You really want the details?" Her sarcasm drifted through the closed door. He almost answered "Yes" but caught himself. "I won't be much longer, I promise," she added.

Angel sat on the bed and thought about the previous night. Sleeping together might have been the best thing for both of them. Buffy's nightmares had not returned once he was in bed with her. She had slept soundly, and so had he. In fact, he hadn't felt this rested since he left Sunnydale.

The bathroom door opened. Buffy was wearing another of his shirts and had a towel wrapped around her hair. "It's all yours, Mr. I-don't-like-crackers-in-my-bed."

"Our bed," he corrected. "It's our bed. Yours and mine."

"Our bed," agreed Buffy softly.

*****

The room had a small balcony with an overhang so the rain didn't blow in. Buffy sat in front of the open door with the phone on her lap. She had dialed Willow's number several times but as soon as she heard the phone ring, she hung up. Buffy debated about whom to call. She had called her mother once (from a payphone) about a week after she left Sunnydale. The phone had rung until the answering machine picked up. She hadn't left a message. What would she say? She had also called Giles' number several times. Xander always answered, but she wasn't ready to talk to him yet. That really only left Willow.

This time she let the phone ring a couple of times. "Hello?" said Willow. Buffy felt a lump in her throat. "Hello? Is anyone there?" asked Willow. In the motel room, Buffy tried to form words. "Buffy? Is that you?"

She was ready to say "Yes, Willow, it's me" when she heard a different voice on the phone. "Buffy? Where are you? Do you have any idea how worried everyone is? Why'd you take off like that? Your mother's really freaking." Xander's anger snaked through the phone line. In the background she heard Willow say "Xander! Don't talk to her like that. You're gonna scare her off. Buffy, don't listen to him."

Buffy slammed the phone down and stared into the street. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes and slowly trickle down her face.

From the kitchenette Angel watched as Buffy bowed her head and finally cried.

*****

Since Angel had not specified how he wanted to spend his "Buffy for a night" night, he let Buffy talk him into going to the dance club. She had squealed in pleasure and locked herself in the bathroom with some clothes and lots of makeup, or so he guessed.

He knocked on the bathroom door at 9:00 P.M. "You know, for someone who had the day off, you sure spent a lot of time in this bathroom. You planning on sleeping there tonight?" He nearly fell in as Buffy quickly opened the door.

She was wearing the wine-coloured dress she had worn to The Bronze the night she danced with Xander to the seductive rhythms of Cibo Matto. Angel felt a flicker of possession cross his features. He forcefully kept his hands by his side.

"No," she said wantonly, "I plan on sleeping in our bed." She glided past him and gathered her coat and purse from the bed. "Coming?"

*****

As Buffy had informed Shirley, Angel did not dance. Well, he didn't do any of the faster dances. Instead he sat at a table and watched her. A couple of boys tried to dance with Buffy but she pushed them away. Angel might not have been dancing with her, but she was here with him. When the music slowed, she glanced over to the table but he wasn't there.

Her Slayer senses were still tingling so she knew he was nearby. She felt him standing behind her. She turned to face him. Angel cupped her face and slowly lowered his lips to hers. Buffy closed her eyes and parted her lips for him. As the kiss deepened, Angel tangled one hand in her hair and used the other to pull her flush against him. Her arms slid under his jacket and around his waist; she was liquid in his embrace. Eventually they began to sway to the music. They danced like this for several minutes. When the music returned to a faster tempo, Buffy pulled Angel's ear to her mouth. "Take me home, Angel," she whispered.

*****

They stopped many times on the way back to the motel. Either Angel or Buffy would pull the other into a doorway and passionate kissing would ensue. By the time they opened the door to their room, Buffy already had a hickey on her neck and another at the base of her throat. She pushed Angel's jacket off his shoulders and tore the buttons of his shirt as she ripped it open. Angel unzipped her dress. All of this occurred while they continued to kiss. Buffy stepped out of her dress and kicked off her shoes. She stood before Angel in her bra and panties. He shuddered as he looked at her.

"Buffy," he whispered. "You know we're not going to—"

She stopped his words with a finger against his lips. "I know. And I don't… I mean I can't…" She sighed. "It's alright, Angel. I'm okay with whatever we do. Even if all we do is kiss."

Angel leered at her. "Honest, all I was gonna do was kiss you." He nibbled her ear lobe. "Now, as to where I was gonna kiss you…" His left hand traced her spine from the nape of her neck to her tailbone, "…that's a whole other story."

He drew her towards the bed and sat down, pulling her into his lap. He unhooked her bra and let her breasts fall freely. "You're beautiful. Do you know that?" He gazed into her eyes. "Tell me what you want," he commanded softly.

Buffy let her eyes drink in Angel. His hair was sticking straight up where her hands had twisted and tangled in it. He had a smear of lipstick on his ear and another on his throat. She knew there were scratches on his back from her nails. She wanted Angel to make love to her, but that was never going to happen again. What else did she want? She returned her gaze to the dark mahogany eyes that reflected love and lust equally. "You," she answered. "All I want is you." She took one of his hands and placed it in the valley between her breasts. And grimaced as a wave of menstrual cramps suddenly hit her. "Well, you and maybe some more Midol."

Angel laughed as he lifted her off his lap and placed her in the bed. He rummaged through his drawer for a shirt for her. Then he headed into the bathroom for the Midol and the hot water bottle. He took both to the kitchenette, filled the kettle with water, and set it to boil. When he got back to the bed, Buffy was flipping through the TV channels in search of a cartoon or a good movie. Angel handed her a cup of tea and two Midol tablets. He pulled the covers back and placed the filled hot water bottle on her abdomen. Then he covered her up and sat on the floor by the bed.

She put the empty cup on the night stand and leaned down to kiss Angel's neck. "Thank you. Sorry you got still-having-a-period Buffy."

Angel leaned his head back against the bed as she kissed his throat. "I'll take whatever I can get."