There were over 250 steps to the top of this tower, and this vampire was going to make her climb every damn one of them.
Buffy almost felt dizzy as she made her way to the top. She was used to the stairs at her apartment, but this was ridiculous. Since the tower was leaning, the climb was disorienting.
And she still had about a hundred more steps to go.
Buffy stopped and caught her breath. Maybe she needed to lay off the cannolis and gelato. Was she out of shape? He was doing this on purpose, of course. He wanted to make her work for the kill. He wanted her to be tired when she got to the top so he would have the upper hand. But Buffy had faced far worse than him.
"Out of breath, Slayer?" said the vampire from several flights above. She wondered how he sensed she had stopped for a break, then remembered vampires had really good hearing.
She tightened the grip on her stake and continued on her way. This vampire had to go. And this vampire, especially. He had killed one of her slayers, a girl she had personally trained herself. Buffy was out for revenge.
No one hurt her girls.
Buffy finally reached the bell floor and scanned the area. She knew he was here somewhere. Had he gone to the very top of the tower? This asshole was making her search for him.
She stepped out onto the observatory deck and made her way around the circular tower. Moments later, she found him. He stood admiring the view as the moonlight reflected off his pock-marked face. Definitely ugly. But he was old, like older than Angel old. And that meant he was experienced.
"Nice of you to finally join me, Slayer," the vampire said, though he kept his eyes on the view. "It's an exhausting climb, isn't it? Oh, wait, not for me. I don't have to breathe. I'll give you a moment to rest up."
"I'm ready to fight, but are you? I'm beginning to wonder if you're scared with this game of hide-and-seek you've been playing. Hiding in the leaning tower. Really?"
The vampire looked at her now. "I like the view. It really is quite…breathtaking." He laughed.
"You killed Elena, and that was a mistake."
"Elena? Hmm…Elena. Oh yes, the dark-haired Italian beauty with the lovely accent. She was naive. Inexperienced. And she wasn't the first slayer I've killed. Won't be the last, either."
He lunged at her, but Buffy was quick to react and punched him in the jaw, knocking him back.
Unfortunately, the blow didn't faze him, and when he lunged for her again, Buffy was the one getting hit. She stumbled back and shook the pain off, but was quick to recover.
The space was too tight, and she needed room to move. She went back inside and let him follow her.
"Had enough, Slayer?"
"I'm just getting started," Buffy said, feeling the adrenaline pumping.
The fight continued for another few minutes. At one point, she kicked him back and nearly sent him into one of the bells. That only managed to piss him off.
When he came at her again, Buffy attempted to punch him, but failed. He grabbed her arm, twisted her wrist, and Buffy's stake fell out of her hand.
Well, shit.
"Seems you lost hold of your weapon," the vampire teased. His fist slammed into her face, and Buffy tasted blood in her mouth. He hit her again, and Buffy fell down.
This vampire was strong, and he seemed to anticipate every move she made. For a brief moment, she wondered if she would die.
No, she couldn't think that. Instead, she thought of her daughter and Angel, and there was no way in hell this ugly-ass vampire was taking her away from them. She'd have to outsmart him somehow.
She kicked him when he bared his fangs at her, then attempted to reach her stake. Her wrist was killing her, and the stake was too far away.
The vampire laughed. "Oh my, just out of reach."
Buffy looked at the vampire looming over her. She was thinking of her next move when suddenly, he crumpled to the floor. Angel appeared over his shoulder wielding an ax, giving Buffy the reprieve she needed. She seized the stake she'd lost and quickly buried it into the vampire's chest before he had a chance to recover. Seconds later, he was dust.
Buffy exhaled, finally able to rest.
Angel offered his hand and pulled her up. "Are you okay?"
Buffy nodded and fell into his arms. "My wrist is sore and my face hurts, but I'll live." Buffy pulled back and smiled at him. "Your timing was perfect."
"I didn't find him in the cathedral, but I saw the door to the tower open. I figured this was the next logical place."
She looked down at the floor where nothing but ashes remained. "He was trying to wear me out by making me climb all those stairs."
"Speaking of which, mind if we sit down for a moment?"
His breathing was labored, as was hers, and Buffy nodded. "Those steps are a bitch, aren't they?"
They sat on the stone floor, and a cool breeze floated in. The wind hit her cheek, and Buffy sighed. This hellish nightmare was over.
"The only thing I miss about being a vampire is not feeling winded like this."
Buffy touched his chest and felt his racing heart underneath his shirt. It was still hard to believe sometimes that Angel was human now. "I'll never get tired of feeling that."
He kissed her on the forehead, then Buffy rested her head against him. Angel wrapped his arm around her.
They were quiet for a moment as their breathing returned to normal, and Buffy replayed the fight in her head.
"We finally got him. The vampire who killed Elena is gone."
Angel reached for her hand and squeezed it. "I knew you would."
Buffy looked at him. "He was really strong. There was a brief moment when I thought I was going to die."
Angel touched her face. "I wouldn't have let that happen."
"Sometimes, I worry I'll die and Liliana will be without a mother. I bet when she gets older, she'll wonder why her mother can't have a nice, normal job, like all of her friends."
"Not a chance. She'll think her mother is a superhero."
Buffy smiled. "You know, I used to resent being a slayer, but now, I guess I do enjoy saving the world. Except for the almost dying part, of course."
Feeling rested, Buffy rose to her feet and walked out to the overlook. The light of the full moon cast a glow over Pisa. In their beds, the residents slept, unaware of the dangers of the night.
Angel came to stand beside her. "It's beautiful."
Buffy leaned into his arms. "Guess I can cross the leaning tower of Pisa off my bucket list now."
"This is my first time, too."
Buffy looked at him, surprised. "Really?"
"I've climbed the Eiffel Tower a few times, but never this one."
"Yeah, but you don't have to worry about the Eiffel Tower collapsing. Come on, let's go before this tower falls."
Angel laughed. "It's been standing for hundreds of years. I think we'll be fine."
"Well, there could be an earthquake."
Angel smiled. "At least going down will be easier."
"Definitely," Buffy said.
Back at the hotel, Buffy couldn't sleep. Even though her body was exhausted, her mind was wide awake. The vampire who killed Elena was gone, but it didn't bring Elena back. When they got home, they would have a funeral for her.
On top of that, she missed her little girl. She hadn't seen her in days, except for the pictures Willow had texted.
She reached for her phone on the nightstand and pulled up the last message received. In the picture, Liliana slept clutching her favorite stuffed bear while sucking on her thumb. Down for the night and sleeping soundly, Willow had texted. Buffy had thought when Liliana was born that her hair would turn blond, but instead, it turned darker. She was looking more like her father every day. And she was definitely a daddy's girl through and through.
"Can't sleep?" Angel said next to her.
"No. I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Buffy put her phone to sleep and placed it back on the nightstand.
"No, you didn't wake me. I'm having a restless night too. We'll be home tomorrow."
Buffy moved closer to him, and Angel wrapped his arm around her. "We took a trip to Pisa, and we couldn't even enjoy it," she said.
"We're still in Pisa," Angel said. "We could still have some fun. If you want some help getting to sleep, I have an idea."
He kissed her forehead, and Buffy shivered. "Well, I guess we do have this hotel room and all."
"Might as well take full advantage of it," Angel said as he kissed her on the lips.
These days, Angel slept naked, and Buffy felt him grow hard against her. His hands slipped underneath her shirt, touching her breasts, then ran the length of her body to explore other places. She wasn't wearing panties.
Angel touched her, and she felt a jolt of pleasure straight to her core. At the same time, his breath was hot against her neck, and his teeth grazed the mark he'd left on her years ago. Sometimes when they made love, he'd bite her there. Never hard enough to hurt or break the skin—just a nip. Angel was definitely a neck man, and Buffy figured it was a leftover habit from his vampire days. Weirdly, it turned her on more than anything.
"Bite me," Buffy begged.
Angel sank his teeth into her neck, just enough to pinch for a moment, and Buffy felt a wave of pleasure roll over her body.
"Again," Buffy said, her breath coming out in pants. "Please."
He bit her harder the second time, then softened the blow with a kiss. "You're mine," he whispered in her ear.
"Forever," she said.
He moved on top of her and entered her slowly. They moved at a steady pace for a while, then Angel began to thrust harder.
The bed was terribly squeaky, maybe even loud enough to disturb their neighbors, but Buffy didn't care. She moaned loudly.
"You feel so good," Angel said with a groan.
"Oh…" Buffy moaned. The sound of his pleasure nearly sent her over the edge. She opened her eyes to watch Angel moving over her. In the moonlight, his eyes locked on hers. He continued to thrust deep inside her, and Buffy wrapped her legs around him. She wanted him deeper.
As Angel quickened his pace, Buffy felt her release and cried out, unable to stop herself. Angel collapsed on top of her, having come himself, and slowly rolled off. He brought Buffy with him, and she rested her head on his chest.
She felt blissfully sated and completely spent. She closed her eyes and slept.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this short story! If you'd like to read more of my "When in Rome'' Series featuring fun and sexy little oneshots like this, check out my profile for more!
Also, if you enjoy my writing and love to read romance, (shameless self-plug here) you might consider checking out my new novel, Thrill of the Chase, on sale now at Amazon. Just search "Thrill of the Chase" by Melody Loomis, and you'll find it! Thank you for supporting me! :-)
