Author's Notes: Thank you to: Tariq, Buffster44, KrazyKara, Danielle R, Christine, GoodCharlottesGurl, colicakes58, Wendy, Spoiler Babe, for the wonderful feedback on Part 24!!!

AN2: Lyrics are from the song 'Take My Breath Away' written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock, performed by Berlin for the Top Gun soundtrack.

Warning: slight sexual content...nothing descriptive.

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Part 24 - Forever

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A sad smiled graced Angel's face as he sat at his desk staring at his computer monitor. He'd just finished reading Buffy's latest email from the resort in England and although he was happy to hear from her, he couldn't help but be saddened by the fact that she was halfway around the world and not in Sunnydale with him. It wasn't that he didn't understand why she left, but it also didn't mean that he didn't miss her.

Buffy had been in England for almost three months. Three agonizing lonely months. To Angel, it felt more like a year. He hoped that each day would be closer to the day that she would return, but so far, Buffy had not once mentioned when she would be back.

They talked by email almost every day, a fact with Angel was eternally grateful for. Her emails were the light in his dull days and he looked forward to reading each and every one. Sometimes her emails would be rather generic, but other times she would talk about the things she was learning through her therapy or on her own. Even though they were thousands of miles apart the daily emails, and the occasional phone calls were helping them rebuild the closeness that they had had long ago.

Above all else, though, Angel could tell that Buffy was doing better emotionally and was learning to deal with her past. Right after she'd left, the tone of her emails had been full of sadness, but each day they seemed to become more positive and happy. Her therapist, Lorne, was helping her deal with the things she had done, and why she had done them. So even though Angel missed her each second she was gone, he was pleased that she was getting the help and support she needed to move on with her life.

Still, there was that nagging voice in the back of his head that wondered if he would have a place in her life when she returned. Would she still want him? Or would she realize that he was part of her past? He tried to tell himself that he was being ridiculous. Buffy's emails should have been enough to assure him of his place in her life, but he couldn't help but worry that he would lose her.

Whatever the future of their relationship was, he wouldn't know until she returned...whenever that would be. For now, he would just have to be content with exchanging emails.

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^

Buffy sighed and stared out the small window next to her. Her fingers idly reached up to touch the cool glass for a moment before returning to her lap. She picked up the magazine in front of her and flipped through the pages for a few minutes before closing it and putting it away. Finding nothing else to do, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would take her.

Instead of falling asleep, her thoughts turned to Angel. She missed him in ways she couldn't even describe which, in a way, she found slightly odd. They had been apart for five years before he returned to Sunnydale, and then they had only been back together for a few weeks. Yet she missed him like they had never been separated.

Even though she missed him terribly, she knew that she'd made the right choice by going away for a while. The resort...or whatever the hell it was...was just was she had needed. She knew she could have probably stayed in Sunnydale and worked through her issues, but there she would have had her family and friends hovering and pushing. They would have meant well, but she just needed some time by herself.

So, no, she didn't regret going to England. The past three months had been a true learning experience for her. Lorne, her therapist was amazing, even if he was a little odd. He didn't do things like most shrinks. Only on rare occasions had she sat in his office for one of their sessions. Often they would take long walks or sit in the gardens and talk. It was much more relaxing and easier for her to talk that way.

And talk they had. About everything: her childhood, her parents' divorce, her father's apparent lack of interest in her, Angel leaving, the miscarriage, and everything with Ford. Lorne had listened to everything without passing judgment. He'd helped her sort through her feelings on the different events in her life and to understand why she'd reacted the way she had to those events.

Above all, he'd taught her not to blame herself for the past. Sure, she'd made some bad choices and done things she regretted, but life is about making mistakes and learning from them. And, really, the mistakes she'd made weren't all that hard to understand. After the pregnancy and miscarriage she'd been emotionally broken and Lorne had helped her see that the choices she had made, even if they were bad choices, were a natural reaction

With time and Lorne's help, Buffy was learning to forgive herself for her past. She wasn't quite there yet, and honestly, she wasn't sure if she would ever get there. But as Lorne had told her, healing was a process, not something that would happen over night, or over three months. She still had a long ways to go, but she was determined try her hardest to leave the past in the past. It was what she had to do if she had any hope of moving on with her life. A life she hoped would be with her Angel.

She smiled as she thought of him, but underneath the happy grin she was worried about where things stood with him. Would he still want her when she got back? Sure, he told her he loved her in each of his emails, but what if he was just saying that so she wouldn't go crazy again? What if he had met someone else while she was away?

Buffy opened her eyes and shook her head, trying to push those thoughts away. It wasn't good for her to think so negatively. Angel had told her he loved her. She had to believe in that.

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^

"Willow, do you have to put relish on the popcorn?" Xander questioned with a grimace as he, Cordelia, Oz and Willow sat in the Summers' den watching movies. "Even I wouldn't eat that."

Willow just glared at him while Oz defended girlfriend. "Cravings."

"Still, it's gross," Xander stated while opening a package of Twinkies.

"Oh, like those are any better?" Cordelia smirked at his choice of food.

"So...did anyone talk to Angel today?" Willow asked, hoping to take the subject away from food and wanting to prevent Cordy and Xander from bickering.

"Not today, but I stopped by his apartment last night for a little while," Xander relayed while shifted to get more comfortable on the floor in front of the couch.

"How was he?" Oz asked as he massaged his pregnant girlfriend's feet.

"Same as usual. Mopey and brooding." Xander shook his head as he thought about his friend's mood.

"I hope Buffy comes back soon. I don't know how much more I can take of him acting like that," groaned Cordy in exasperation.

"He just misses her, Cordelia," Willow frowned at the brunette. Sometimes that girl had no compassion.

"I know, but jeez, I can only take looking at him like that for so long," Cordy replied, taking a sip of her diet cola.

"I gotta agree with Cordy. Buffy better come back soon or Angel is going to go nuts or something," Xander said with a shrug.

Willow sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "I know, but we can't force her to come back before she's ready."

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^

The cooling water of the Pacific Ocean lapped at Angel's bare feet as he walked along the beach. He hadn't been able to stand sitting around doing nothing in his silent, lonely apartment so he had decided to take a walk on the beach. The serenity of the place was soothing to his weary soul.

Angel didn't know what it was about the beach that appealed so much to him, especially at night when the noisy bathers of the daytime where gone. There was just something about walking barefoot in the soft damp sand, watching the moonlight reflect off the rippling water that brought peace to his soul. Ever since he was a teenager he would find himself taking long walks along the waterline when he needed to de-stress or just some quiet.

So instead of sitting in his apartment, he'd wandered down to the beach in hopes that it would take his mind of Buffy. Unfortunately, he was finding that the quiet solitude of his surroundings were only causing him to think more about her. It probably didn't help that Buffy had often taken these walks with him after they had met.

At least being out of his apartment kept him away from phones and computers. With those two items around he was too tempted to contact Buffy and beg her to come home. As much as he wanted to do that, he couldn't. He had to let her return when she was ready. It wouldn't help her if he made her feel bad about being gone.

Sighing, Angel plopped himself unceremoniously down onto the sand. He momentarily thought about the fact that he should have put on track pants because he was now getting sand on his black slacks, but he really didn't care. The pants could be dry cleaned. He was just glad he'd put a jacket on since there was a slight chill in the air from the breeze drifting in off the ocean.

Tilting his head upwards, Angel stared up at the half-full moon in the nearly cloudless night sky. He wondered if Buffy was looking at the moon at that moment, but then realized that was impossible since England was more than a couple time zones away. Maybe she had looked at the moon when it had been night there, though.

Unconsciously, his hands shifted down to touch the still warm sand beneath him. For long minutes, his fingers traced indiscernible patterns in the soft yet coarse material as he stared up at the moon. Lost in the thrall of the nighttime sky, Angel didn't notice his visitor until monotonous lull of the sound of the waves was broken by a voice speaking to him.

"I thought I'd find you here," the unexpected guest spoke softly.

Angel's head snapped around at the sound. His eyes widened at the sight and he briefly wondered if he was hallucinating. "Buffy?"

"You were expecting Julia Roberts?" she smiled teasingly, walking over to where he was sitting.

A grin formed on Angel's face at the typical Buffy response. "Yes, but she doesn't want anyone to know about our relationship."

At the statement, Buffy released a light-hearted chuckle that warmed Angel's heart. He couldn't believe that Buffy was really there, standing only a foot away. And from the simple act of her laughing, Angel could already tell there was a difference in her. There was a tenderness to her laugh that hadn't been present before she left.

"Cheating on me already?" Buffy joked although there was an underlying seriousness to her question.

Sensing the meaning behind her words, Angel smiled lovingly at her as he stared into her eyes. "Never. No one could ever hold a candle to you."

Moisture formed in her eyes at the proclamation. She'd known in her heart that Angel still wanted her, but it was nice to hear it spoken out loud.

Angel reached up a hand toward Buffy which she accepted and then lowered herself down onto the sand next to him. The hold his hand had on hers lingered even after she'd found a comfortable position. He just couldn't seem to make himself release the appendage, internally fearing that if he did she might disappear.

"You're back," he whispered as his thumb stroked the soft skin on the back of her hand. It seemed to have just dawned on him that Buffy, his Buffy, was really sitting there next to him.

"Yeah, I'm back," she spoke softly, gazing into his dark brown eyes.

"I missed you!" Angel choked out, his voice faltering slightly. A few tears fell from his eyes as he swiftly pulled Buffy onto his lap and hugged her tightly.

"I missed you, too," came Buffy's reply, muffled somewhat because she was squashed against Angel's chest.

Reluctantly, Angel released his fierce grip on Buffy's body, but kept her seated on his lap. He stared adoringly at her beautiful face when she lifted her head to look at him. Not able to hold himself back any longer, Angel lowered his head until his lips met hers

The tension that had been in his body since Buffy had left instantly melted away as his mouth touched hers. When her lips parted Angel slipped his tongue between them, reveling in the warm sweetness inside.

Buffy moaned as she felt Angel's tongue twine with her own. Her hands reached up to grip the back of Angel's neck, her fingernails scraping lightly against his skin. In the back of her mind, she wondered how she could have possibly gone three months without being this close to her Angel.

Gasping slightly for breath, the pair finally pulled apart. Happy smiles played on the faces of each as they gazed into each other's eyes for long minutes. Angel's hand reached up to brush a piece of hair off Buffy's face before trailing delicately across her cheek.

"I'm so glad you back," Angel whispered, his hand still touching her cheek.

"Me too," Buffy agreed, laying a hand over Angel's.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming home?" he questioned, finally taking his hand away from her face and wrapping his arm around her waist.

"I wanted to surprise you," she smiled at him placing a light kiss on his lips. "And actually, it was kind of spur of the moment."

"Spur of the moment?" Angel repeated, a little confused.

"Yeah. I'd been thinking about it for the past week. And yesterday I woke up and I realized that I wanted to come home," she explained, shifting her body to sit more comfortably on Angel's lap.

"Are you sure it was okay to leave?" Angel questioned, concerned for her well-being.

"You don't want me here?" Buffy asked, slightly hurt by his question.

"No. No! Of course I want you here. I missed you every second you were gone. I just want to make sure that you were ready to leave," clarified Angel, pulling Buffy against him so that her back was against his chest and his arms around her waist.

"Yes, I was ready to leave," she assured him. "I didn't want to be away any longer."

"So you're feeling better?" he hesitantly asked her.

"Yeah, I'm...okay. Better than I was at least," she told him honestly. "Things are less confusing than they were. I understand myself and things that I've done more than I did."

"That's good. I'm happy for you," he spoke, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Thanks," sighed Buffy. "I don't know if I'll ever be completely over everything. I'll never forget about the miscarriage or what happened with Ford, and Riley, but I'm learning to deal with it all."

"One day at a time, right?" he replied, happy to have Buffy back in his arms.

"Right. That's what Lorne said at least," Buffy relayed. "I'm going to be seeing Wesley again now that I'm back here since I'm still kinda a work in progress, but I don't mind. It helps to have someone like that to talk to. I'll miss Lorne. He was really cool, but I wanted to come home."

"I'm glad you did," smiled Angel. He knew Buffy still had a long road ahead of her in her healing process, and he would be there for each step, but he was just glad she was home. "How did you find me here anyway?"

"I went to your apartment from the airport, but you weren't there. I remembered how much you liked to walk on the beach so I thought it was worth it to come check. And here you were," answered Buffy, turning slightly to look at Angel.

Angel chuckled at the statement. Buffy knew him so well. Not that that was a bad thing. It only made them closer. "What did you do with your bags?"

"I didn't want to carry them with me so I used the key you gave me and put them in your apartment. I'll take them over to the house later," responded Buffy, snuggling against Angel.

"Or you could leave them th-...never mind," Angel quickly corrected himself, realizing what he'd unintentionally said out loud.

"What?" Buffy asked softly, not sure if she'd really heard what he'd just said.

"Nothing," Angel replied hastily, chastising himself for even considering asking Buffy to move in with him.

"No, tell me what you meant to say," Buffy demanded, looking directly at Angel.

"You, uh, could stay, uh, with me," he mumbled almost inaudibly.

"You want me to live with you?" Buffy questioned in total shock.

"Umm, yeah," Angel looked down nervously. "But you don't have to...I mean, if you don't want to you don't have to."

"Angel," started Buffy, gently raising his head. "I'd love to live with you."

"You would?" he asked, not believing what Buffy had just said.

"Yeah, I would," she repeated, taking one of his hands into hers. "One thing I realized while I was in England was that I didn't want to be apart from you anymore."

"Me either," agreed Angel, leaning in to kiss Buffy gently.

The kiss was more tender and less passionate than their previous one, but still filled with love. Angel felt like his soul was flying. Buffy was back, and she wanted to move in with him. He couldn't think of anything that would make him happier...well, almost, but he tucked that thought into the back of his mind. He could plan out that little idea later.

"I love you," he proclaimed when the kiss ended.

"I love you, too," smiled Buffy, a small yawn escaping her lips.

"Tired?" Angel asked with a frown.

"A little...the whole time difference thing, ya know," shrugged Buffy, not wanting the moment to end.

"Do you want to go home?" He couldn't help but grin at the word home. His home was now Buffy's home.

"Yeah, but I want to stop by and see the gang and Mom and Giles for a few minutes," Buffy answered, yawning again.

"Ok, but only for a few minutes. You need to get some sleep."

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^

"Xander! Be quiet! How am I supposed to hear the movie if you ke- ...BUFFY!?!?" shrieked Willow, pushing her growing body off of the couch.

"Willow!" Buffy greeted her friend happily, giving her a hug. "Oh! Look at you!" she stated, placing a hand on the red head's distended stomach. Deep inside, she couldn't help but feel a small pang of sadness at seeing Willow's condition. It reminded her of the baby she had lost years before, but still she was happy for her friend.

"I know...I'm starting to feel like a cow," laughed Willow, patting the ever-growing bulge.

"Hey Buff!" stated Xander, now standing next to Willow.

"Hey Xand." Buffy gave him and then Cordy hugs.

"I'm glad you're back. Now we won't have watch Angel mope anymore," Cordy spoke with a pointed look to Angel, and receiving an elbow in the side from Willow because of the statement.

"Moping huh?" chuckled Buffy, looking at Angel with a raised eyebrow. Angel only shrugged in response.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you because I am, but what are you doing here?" Willow questioned, sitting back down on the couch.

"I decided it was time to come home. I missed everyone," Buffy answered, smiling at her friends. Yes, she was definitely happy to be home.

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming?" the red head asked from her spot next to Oz who was being his usual stoic self.

"It was sort of a last minute decision," explained Buffy, wrapping an arm around Angel's waist.

For the next twenty minutes the friends chatted a little, catching up on things that had been going on. They would have talked longer, but it was apparent that Buffy was exhausted. So after hugging all of her friends again, Buffy went to leave with Angel.

"You're going with Angel?" Cordy asked matter-of-factly.

"Uh, yeah. I'm, uh, going to be staying with Angel," Buffy replied sheepishly.

"Oh Buffy! That's great," sighed Willow giddily.

"Yeah," grinned Buffy. "I think so too."

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^

~two weeks later~

"Angel! Please tell me where we are going!!" Buffy pleaded as she sat in Angel's car.

"Nope," grinned Angel, casting an eye in Buffy's direction. He laughed when he saw Buffy slump down in the seat with her arms crossed and lower lip jutting out. "Pouting won't make me tell you."

"Fine," she grumbled, really only a little annoyed that he wouldn't tell her.

All she knew was that wherever they were going they were going to have a casual dinner. That was all Angel had told her. She couldn't help but wonder what the big secret was, but Angel was steadfast in his decision to not tell her anything else.

Contenting herself with staring out the window of the car, Buffy thought about the two weeks since she'd returned from England. In the simplest terms, they had been absolutely wonderful. After years of stagnating and engaging in self-destructive behavior, her life was finally coming together. She was beginning to reach that comfort zone that had eluded her for so long.

And then there was Angel. In just two weeks, Buffy realized that she felt closer to him than she ever had before. On the nights they didn't hang out with the gang, they would stay in and talk. Sometimes their conversations would be about their friends, or things they wanted to do, other times they would talk about the past. They each shared aspects of their lives from the five years they were apart. And with each conversation, the demons of their pasts seemed to haunt them a little less.

Recently they had been talking about what she wanted to do next in her life. The debate was over whether she wanted to go back to college and get a degree or not. So far, Buffy was leaning towards returning, only part- time, but she was still undecided. She had, though, decided to apply for a part-time job at the local women's shelter. After having gone through the things she had, she wanted to help women who were in similar situations. It was a way she could make something good come out of her own experiences.

"We're here," spoke Angel, startling her out of her internal thoughts.

"Huh? Oh we're..." she looked out the window at the scenery. "At the old mansion on Crawford Street?"

"Yup," Angel answered, revealing nothing else.

"Why?" questioned Buffy, her brow scrunching in confusion.

"Because." Angel had to force himself not to laugh at the frustrated glare on Buffy's face. "Come on."

He held out his hand, which Buffy reluctantly took, and walked in the direction of the house. Instead of entering, though, Angel led her to a path along the side of the house that went up a hill. The almost pitch black path made Buffy a little nervous, and she stumbled once over a large tree root. But when they reached they reached the end of the path, Buffy found herself in awe of what she saw.

"Oh my God!" Her eyes darted around catching every detail of what was in front of her.

The path had led to an open space on the top of the hill the behind the mansion. Moonlight cast a soft glow all around and below, she could see the lights of all the buildings in Sunnydale. The aesthetic beauty of the place wasn't what caught her attention, though. That was held by the elaborate setup in the middle of the clearing.

There was a large navy blue blanket spread out on the ground with tall white lit candles placed at each corner. A few small gray pillows, and another blanket, this one gray and white plaid, were neatly placed on the navy blue blanket. At one end, there was a large basket and a bucket holding a bottle of wine and at another end a CD player and a few CD's sat. It was truly one of the most romantic things she had ever seen.

"You did all this?" she inquired as she walked closer to the scene.

"Do you like it?" he whispered into her ear, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"It's beautiful. How did you do all this? I was with you all day long," she questioned, turning her head to look at him.

"I had a little help from Xander and Cordy," he revealed, taking her hand to lead her to sit on the blanket. "Hungry?"

"Mmm, starved," responded Buffy, checking out the delicious food Angel was pulling out the basket.

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^

"I am stuffed," groaned Buffy, rubbing her full stomach.

"I wonder why," laughed Angel, sipping at his red wine.

"Hey! I was hungry!" defended Buffy, knowing she'd been a bit of a pig.

She watched curiously as Angel stood and walked over to the CD player. He put a CD in and then made his way back to Buffy. "Dance with me?"

"I'd love to," Buffy smiled at his request, and took the hand he offered to help her up as a song began to play from the nearby radio.

Watching every motion

In my foolish lover's game

On this endless ocean

Finally lovers know no shame

"I love this song," she spoke softly, wrapping her arms around Angel's neck and resting her head on his chest.

"I remember," murmured Angel, his hand lightly caressing Buffy's back as they began to sway to the music.

Turning and returning
To some secret place inside

Watching in slow motion

As you turn around and say

Their bodies melted together as one as they danced to the quiet beat of the music. Buffy's head lay comfortably on Angel's chest, while Angel's cheek rested lightly against her forehead. One of Angel's hands reached for Buffy's left hand, grasping it gently before pulling it up to his lips to place a kiss on the back.

Take my breath away

Take my breath away

Buffy raised her head to look up at Angel. Using her right hand, she guided his head lower until his lips touched hers. Their bodies continued to sway as their mouths met in a sweet, loving kiss.

Watching I keep waiting

Still anticipating love

Never hesitating

To become the fated ones

Once the kiss ended, their eyes held each other's stares as they leaned against each other, still moving to the beat of the music. Both inwardly thanked whatever higher power that existed for allowing them to find each other again. Neither had expected to be where they were at that moment.

Turning and returning

To some secret place to hide

Watching in slow motion

As you turn to me and say, my Love

As the song reached its halfway point, Angel pulled away slightly from Buffy. His left hand reached into his pocket, taking hold of the item within. He knew he should be nervous for what he was about to do, but instead there was only a serene calmness deep within his soul. Maybe it was because he had no doubts about his upcoming actions, or maybe it was just because he was insane. Whichever it was, he didn't really care.

Take my breath away

Take my breath away

Taking a deep breath, Angel kneeled down on one knee in front of Buffy. His hand slowly pulled a small black velvet box out of his coat pocket. Momentarily, he stared at the little box before lifting his head to meet his beloved's eyes.

Buffy felt like everything before her was moving in slow motion. Her mind hadn't yet caught up to what exactly she was seeing. As Angel pulled the object out of his pocket, her jaw dropped in shock. The importance of the moment had finally crept into her mind.

Through the hourglass I saw you

In time you slipped away

When the mirror crashed I called you

And turned to hear you say

"Buffy, I have loved you from the moment I first met you. You were my best friend, my lover, my everything. When I left five years ago, I never thought I would have the chance to love you again. But now I do, and I'm grateful that you've allowed me back into your life. I never want to be without you again," he spoke lovingly to her, tears forming in his eyes.

Opening the box, Angel revealed the medium sized diamond ring set in white gold to Buffy. "Will you marry me?"

If only for today

I am unafraid

Take my breath away

Take my breath away

Tears of happiness fell down Buffy's cheeks as she listened to Angel proclaim his love for her. Part of her mind still couldn't believe what was happening. Her eyes drifted from Angel down to the beautiful ring he held in his hand. Shaking her head she knocked herself out of her shocked daze, realizing that Angel was waiting for an answer.

"Yes, of course I'll marry you," she cried, throwing herself into his waiting arms.

Watching every motion

In this foolish lover's game

Haunted by the notion

Somewhere there's a love in flames

Pulling the ring out of the box, Angel slipped it onto Buffy's slender finger. "I love you."

"I love you," Buffy repeated tenderly. Her cheeks wet with tears as their lips met in a passionate kiss.

Angel ran his fingers through Buffy's long blonde hair as their tongues dueled with each other. His hands continued downwards, trailing across the bare skin of her shoulders, down her sides, and coming to a stop on the small swell of her rear. He grasped the fleshy area, pushing her body further against his.

Turning and returning

To some secret place inside

Watching in slow motion

As you turn my way and say

Buffy moaned as she felt Angel's body pressed tightly against hers. Arousal coursed through her as their hands groped at each other. She nipped roughly at Angel's lower lip while her hands quickly made their way between their bodies.

When Angel felt her begin to unbutton his shirt reality crept back into his mind. Even though they had been living together for two weeks, they had yet to once again reach the level of intimacy that their current actions were leading to.

"Wait, Buffy. Are you sure?" he asked, his voice hoarse with need.

"Yes, I'm sure," she spoke softly before pulling his lips back to hers.

Take my breath away, my Love

Take my breath away

Carefully, Angel lifted Buffy into his arms and carried her over to the blanket. He gently laid her down and stared amorously into her eyes for a moment, marveling at her beauty. Soon, the couple lost themselves in each other for the first time in over five years, but as their hearts, bodies, and souls melded into one, it felt to them like they had never been apart.

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^

A long while later, the pair lay nestled in each other's arms, gazing up at the stars high above them. Sated smiles adorned both of their faces while Buffy's fingers traced random patterns over Angel's heart. Neither spoke, content in the simple action of holding each other.

It was Buffy who finally broke the silence nearly a half hour later. "We're going to get married," she said, awestruck by the idea as she looked down at her ring.

"I know," answered Angel, having the same unbelieving feeling as Buffy.

Propping herself up on one elbow, Buffy smiled at her fiancé. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked, wondering what he had done.

"For all of this. For the dinner, for tonight, for everything," she explained, wiping at a tear forming in her eyes.

"I'd do anything for you, baby," he smiled softly at her, kissing her tenderly.

"I don't think I've ever been this happy," she stated, laying her head back down on Angel's shoulder.

"Me either," agreed Angel, pulling the blanket tighter around them and wrapping his arms around Buffy.

"I love you," Buffy murmured, knowing she'd already told him multiple times that night, but never tiring of saying it.

"I love you, too, beloved. Forever," whispered Angel, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

Buffy smiled at the sentiment. Forever...with her Angel. That was what she had wanted all those years ago and for a while it was something she'd never thought get. But fate worked in mysterious ways. Maybe they had to go through all the pain and the sorrow to get to this point, but, really, it didn't matter. The only thing that did matter was that they had the chance to begin their forever again.

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Epilogue coming soon!!!