Buffy was surprised when she discovered that the address Angel gave her was
the address to a children's day camp. She checked it twice to make sure it
was the right one.
"May I help you?" a plump lady sitting behind a secretary's desk asked her.
"I'm looking for Angel O'Conner."
"I think he's outside."
"Okay, thank you."
Buffy found Angel throwing a football with a group of boys. He was wearing a green camp shirt that said, "Staff" on the back in big letters. "Hey," she said as she approached him.
"You're early."
"Am I too early? I can come back later, if you want."
"No, its okay. I get off in ten minutes." Angel caught the football and threw it to a boy wearing a baseball cap that was turned sideways.
"So, where are you taking me?"
"I'm not telling."
"Could you give me a hint?"
Angel started to say something, but he was interrupted when a girl, with a worried expression on her face, started pulling on the leg of his pants.
"Jamie peed in her pants," she said.
Angel caught the football and handed it to Buffy. "Make yourself useful."
"What?!? I throw like a girl."
"Good. They do too," he said as he walked off.
*** "Just a little farther," Angel said.
"It smells like fish." Buffy made a face.
Angel laughed. "I'll remember that the next time I want to take you somewhere special. We're here," he said as he removed the blindfold that covered her eyes.
They were standing on a small cliff that overlooked the ocean. The sun was setting and it reflected on the water.
"It's beautiful," she whispered.
"Give me your shoes," he said.
"What?"
"We're going in the water."
"We'll freeze."
"No we won't."
Buffy bent down, and carefully unbuckled her sandals and handed them to Angel. He took her hand and led her down the not so steep side of the cliff.
"There's no way I'm going in that water," she said when they reached the tide.
She squealed as he picked her up and carried her into the water. When it reached his ankles he put her down.
"I brought you to the beach and you're going into the water."
"Why did you bring me here?" she asked, her expression turning serious.
"I know I just met you a few days ago, but it feels like I've known you all my life. You're graduating in a month and you'll go off to some big fancy college-"
"UC Sunnydale," Buffy interrupted.
"What?"
"I'm going to UC Sunnydale."
"Colleges all over the country would beg for someone like you to go the their school-"
"But I don't want to go to any of those. I want to go to UC Sunnydale."
"I go there."
"I know"
Angel brought his head down to hers and their lips locked in a soft, short kiss. It was nothing like the game of tonsil hockey they played when Buffy was drunk.
"You're shivering," he said when their lips parted.
"I'm cold."
"Let's go then." He wrapped his arm around her waist and they walked back to his car.
*** Angel was driving Buffy home from the beach. They were both enjoying the silence and each others company. It had started to rain and Buffy was watching the droplets fall onto the windshield of Angel's jeep.
"What was your mom like? You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."
Buffy was surprised by the question. No one had mentioned her mother around her since the funeral.
"She was the world's best mom. I would always look forward to Fridays. Every Friday right when I got home from school, we would climb in her beat- up truck and dive for two hours just to go horseback riding. We both shared the same obsession with horses. When I was little she would make up stories about how someday we would live on a ranch with lots of horses and cows. She loved cows."
Angel studied Buffy's features out of the corner of his eye. He could see a small smile forming on her lips at the memories of her mother. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.
"But, I guess nothing can stay perfect. About six months ago the horseback riding Fridays stopped. Instead she would be gone all day and wouldn't come home till early the next morning. She would sit in the kitchen with a bottle Vodka for hours and she'd just stare into space. She started to bring home all these guys with motorcycles and earrings. One of them was a drug dealer. I became ashamed of her. I wouldn't even look at her. I'd lock myself in my room until she left with one of her boyfriends. She lost her job, our house, everything. We had to move into a crappy apartment. I tried to tell her that she needed help, but whenever I brought it up she would tell me how it was all my fault and how I ruined her life." Buffy felt a warm tear roll down her cheek.
"Then one day I came home from school and I found her laying on the couch. Her eyes were closed and she looked so peaceful. At first I thought she was asleep. But when I saw the empty bottle of aspirin on the floor, I knew what she had done. My mind went blank and I just froze. I keep wondering to myself what would had happed if I called sooner or if I got her help before it was too late. I thought we were so happy and it hurts that I can't figure out what I did to change that."
Angel pulled over to the side of the road and turned to face her. He lightly grabbed her trembling wrists. She looked down.
"Look at me," he said, "Buffy, look at me. What happened to your mother was not your fault."
"How do you know? What if." She collapsed on to his chest, soaking his shirt with her tears. "I miss her so much and I hate her for leaving me." His chest muffled her voice.
Angel held her, gently rocking her. "I shouldn't have brought it up"
She looked up at him. Her cheeks were tear stained. "No," she shook her head, "it's feels good to talk about it."
Angel maneuvered the car back to the road and silently drove her home.
TBC.
"May I help you?" a plump lady sitting behind a secretary's desk asked her.
"I'm looking for Angel O'Conner."
"I think he's outside."
"Okay, thank you."
Buffy found Angel throwing a football with a group of boys. He was wearing a green camp shirt that said, "Staff" on the back in big letters. "Hey," she said as she approached him.
"You're early."
"Am I too early? I can come back later, if you want."
"No, its okay. I get off in ten minutes." Angel caught the football and threw it to a boy wearing a baseball cap that was turned sideways.
"So, where are you taking me?"
"I'm not telling."
"Could you give me a hint?"
Angel started to say something, but he was interrupted when a girl, with a worried expression on her face, started pulling on the leg of his pants.
"Jamie peed in her pants," she said.
Angel caught the football and handed it to Buffy. "Make yourself useful."
"What?!? I throw like a girl."
"Good. They do too," he said as he walked off.
*** "Just a little farther," Angel said.
"It smells like fish." Buffy made a face.
Angel laughed. "I'll remember that the next time I want to take you somewhere special. We're here," he said as he removed the blindfold that covered her eyes.
They were standing on a small cliff that overlooked the ocean. The sun was setting and it reflected on the water.
"It's beautiful," she whispered.
"Give me your shoes," he said.
"What?"
"We're going in the water."
"We'll freeze."
"No we won't."
Buffy bent down, and carefully unbuckled her sandals and handed them to Angel. He took her hand and led her down the not so steep side of the cliff.
"There's no way I'm going in that water," she said when they reached the tide.
She squealed as he picked her up and carried her into the water. When it reached his ankles he put her down.
"I brought you to the beach and you're going into the water."
"Why did you bring me here?" she asked, her expression turning serious.
"I know I just met you a few days ago, but it feels like I've known you all my life. You're graduating in a month and you'll go off to some big fancy college-"
"UC Sunnydale," Buffy interrupted.
"What?"
"I'm going to UC Sunnydale."
"Colleges all over the country would beg for someone like you to go the their school-"
"But I don't want to go to any of those. I want to go to UC Sunnydale."
"I go there."
"I know"
Angel brought his head down to hers and their lips locked in a soft, short kiss. It was nothing like the game of tonsil hockey they played when Buffy was drunk.
"You're shivering," he said when their lips parted.
"I'm cold."
"Let's go then." He wrapped his arm around her waist and they walked back to his car.
*** Angel was driving Buffy home from the beach. They were both enjoying the silence and each others company. It had started to rain and Buffy was watching the droplets fall onto the windshield of Angel's jeep.
"What was your mom like? You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."
Buffy was surprised by the question. No one had mentioned her mother around her since the funeral.
"She was the world's best mom. I would always look forward to Fridays. Every Friday right when I got home from school, we would climb in her beat- up truck and dive for two hours just to go horseback riding. We both shared the same obsession with horses. When I was little she would make up stories about how someday we would live on a ranch with lots of horses and cows. She loved cows."
Angel studied Buffy's features out of the corner of his eye. He could see a small smile forming on her lips at the memories of her mother. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.
"But, I guess nothing can stay perfect. About six months ago the horseback riding Fridays stopped. Instead she would be gone all day and wouldn't come home till early the next morning. She would sit in the kitchen with a bottle Vodka for hours and she'd just stare into space. She started to bring home all these guys with motorcycles and earrings. One of them was a drug dealer. I became ashamed of her. I wouldn't even look at her. I'd lock myself in my room until she left with one of her boyfriends. She lost her job, our house, everything. We had to move into a crappy apartment. I tried to tell her that she needed help, but whenever I brought it up she would tell me how it was all my fault and how I ruined her life." Buffy felt a warm tear roll down her cheek.
"Then one day I came home from school and I found her laying on the couch. Her eyes were closed and she looked so peaceful. At first I thought she was asleep. But when I saw the empty bottle of aspirin on the floor, I knew what she had done. My mind went blank and I just froze. I keep wondering to myself what would had happed if I called sooner or if I got her help before it was too late. I thought we were so happy and it hurts that I can't figure out what I did to change that."
Angel pulled over to the side of the road and turned to face her. He lightly grabbed her trembling wrists. She looked down.
"Look at me," he said, "Buffy, look at me. What happened to your mother was not your fault."
"How do you know? What if." She collapsed on to his chest, soaking his shirt with her tears. "I miss her so much and I hate her for leaving me." His chest muffled her voice.
Angel held her, gently rocking her. "I shouldn't have brought it up"
She looked up at him. Her cheeks were tear stained. "No," she shook her head, "it's feels good to talk about it."
Angel maneuvered the car back to the road and silently drove her home.
TBC.