Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, just the story. This is my first Buffy Fanfic and haven't read all the others. If it sounds like yours I apologize.
Angel woke with a start, shaking and feeling like someone, somewhere needed him. "Connor" he called getting to his feet and pulling on a robe. He walked across the hall to the room where his often, rebellious son slept, looking far more angelic than he actually was, in fact, "Hell on Wheels" described him better.
"Couldn't sleep, boss" he head someone say. Turning around, he saw Faith come in from the darkened streets of L.A. "No" he admitted, "I had the craziest feeling that someone was hurt and need me."
Faith cocked her head "connor ok?" she asked. Angel nodded "yeah, he is fine and the hotel seems to be safe. "But this feeling that someone needs you, it woke you up right?" Faith pryed out of him. "Yeah" Angel admitted, "but who?"
Faith thought for a minute, the only person to have that close of a relationship with the vamp was far away from L.A., wasn't she? "Buffy, maybe?" Faith asked. Angel shrugged his shoulders "I wish I knew" he answered softly.
Nobody had heard from Giles, Xander, Buffy or Dawn since the fall of Sunnydale. Willow, Faith and even Spike ended up in L.A., working at Angel Investigations, though many times Angel wondered why he put up with Spike. Because of Buffy...a quiet voice reminded him.
"I don't know" Angel paced restlessly "I'm going to try to get some sleep. How was the hunt?" he asked casually. Faith seemed to thrive on the hunt, it was like therapy for her, only cheaper.
"It was fun, we'll have to do it together sometime" she smiled up at him. "No thanks" Angel replied quietly "well I'm going to try to get some sleep" he said as he walked back to his room. Slaying was a completely unvampire thing he did out of necessity, but he had the most fun when Buffy was around.
Faith watched him go, he looked sad and lonely. She knew about the gypsy curse, had for sometime. She also knew the curse was the only thing keeping Angel and Buffy apart. "Where are you B?" she asked aloud "I hope you're okay."
Faith yawned, a full night of de-vamping the city of Angels had wore her out. She trudged up the stairs to her bedroom and lay down on the soft bed. Eventually the sounds of the night lulled her to sleep, but not before she too felt the odd sensation of somebody needing her.
Elsewhere in Los Angelos, a group of counselors for a youth home, tried to care for a young blonde girl. Even in her feverish, restless state, it took three of them to get her into bed.
The young girl stirred, delirious with fever "Angel" she called out loud, almost in a whimper. "What do we do with her things?" one the young men asked, holding her bags. "Just stow them under the bed, is there an identification in there?" The other man searched the bag again "only this" he produced a card that read "Angel Investigations".
"Call them, ask for this 'Angel' character, bring him here" she instructed "and bring me some cool water and towels, plus aspirin. If we don't get this fever down, we'll lose her tonight."
"When do you want me to call?" the young man asked. "Now" the burly women instructed "maybe this angel person can help us identify this little lady."
The phone beside Angel's bed rang, waking him for the second time that night "what" he barked into the phone. "Is this Angel Investigations" a young voice asked. "Yeah, but we're closed until in the morning" Angel responded grumpily.
"I'm calling because we found a young girl on Hollywood Boulevard, she's very sick and not carrying any kind of I.D." the youngster sounded nervous. "Buffy" Angel said without thinking.
"Ex..Excuse me sir, is there an Angel there?" the young man asked. "Yeah, this is Angel and you are?" He heard a nervous laugh on the other end "Oh, sorry my name is Eric, I work at the home for runaway teenagers, we were making a sweep of the streets when we found your friend."
"okay, give me your address, I'll be right there" Angel spoke into the phone. Something about the urgency in Eric's voice propelled him to move quickly. "Better grab the ring" he heard from the doorway as he placed the phone in its cradle. "What are you doing up?" he asked "Couldn't sleep" the other undead being in the house responded "is that about Buffy?"
Angel hated that Spike felt Buffy as powerful as he did, she loved them both in her time, now all they wanted to know was that she was okay. "I don't know, a young girl was found with my card in her bags" Angel admitted "I'm going to find out."
"Don't forget the ring" Spike reminded him. Angel turned and grabbed the Ring of Amarras, it was more than a piece of jewelry, it protected Vampires from the sun and anything else that might try to kill them.
"Call and let us know, okay?" Spike called to Angel's fleeting back. "I will" Angel promised, much as he hated it, he knew that Spike loved Buffy almost as much as he did himself.
Though LA was a big place, Angel had no trouble finding the building that housed the teen shelter. When he arrived he saw teens of all ages, sleeping on couches and beds. Some were awake and watching television, but all of them had a look of hunger on their faces. A look that gave away more than it kept secret.
"Are you Angel?" a young guy in dark glasses greeted him. Angel nodded "your friend is this way" he said implying for Angel to follow him down a long corridor. He led them to a small room that looked much like a school nurses office. There was a burly women tending to a small figure. "Angel" he heard the girl whisper softly.
"I'm right here" he said breathily, taking her hand in his. "What is wrong with her?" he turned to the nurse. "We can't get her fever to come down, she has been feverish and restless since we found her."
"Can I take her to the hospital?" he asked. The nurse nodded, "if you want, Eric will drive you." Angel scooped a very hot Buffy into his arms. 'hang on Buffy, were gonna get you all fixed up" he whispered softly.
"What do I owe you?" he asked the woman. The woman smiled broadly at him , "Many of these kids don't have anyone to love them, the fact that you have shown her great love is enough."
Angel smiled "Yes, I do love her" though he wasn't about to explain how much older he really was than the love of his life, "but my love for her doesn't feed the rest of your kids" he quipped handing the lady the cash in his pocket.
The lady looked startled "...But there must be $200 here" she protested. "She's worth that and every penny more" he said pressing the money into her hand "Without her, all the money in the world wouldn't mean anything."
"Oh, thank you..thank you" the women gushed "I hope your friend is okay." she said as they pulled away in the teen center van.
At the hospital, Angel held Buffy's hand as the hours ticked by. The medicine in the IV had brought her fever down and she slept restfully, finally. Every now and then she would cough and shudder as if she were cold. Angel longed to hold her, but he had to settle for holding her hand and being there.
******************Two Days Later**************************************
Buffy was first aware of the smell of bleach, the kind that hospitals used "where am I" she asked groggily, not yet opening her eyes. The last thing she remembered was getting off the bus in LA, and feeling overcome by a coughing spell.
Slowly, Buffy opened her eyes and got them used to the dull lighting, meant to induce sleepiness, but Buffy felt as though she has slept for years. She looked around the room. "yep this is definitiely a hospital" she quipped "Stinky and entirely too clean"
"Well I guess that means you're going to be okay" a familiar voice shattered her peace and quiet "after all you're complaining already." Buffy looked around the room again "Angel" she called out. "Right here", he said as he stepped into the room looking like a breath of fresh air, whatever that looks like she thought to herself.
"How did you know I was here" she asked. Angel told her the story of being woke up in the middle of the night and about the call from the teen center. "I missed you" she spoke quietly, holding his hand, her fingers making soft, sensous, circles on his hand. "And I missed you" he responded "where have you been?" he scolded "Nobody has heard anything from your, or Dawn or Xander.."
Buffy grinned "Are you chastising a sick woman?" she asked innocently. "I'd rather kiss you" Angel spoke quietly. "then do it" Buffy breathed "because I'd rather you kiss me."
"And I'd rather you not young man" a voice at the door broke in "she may still be contagious."
Buffy flashed a dirty look at the nurse "I dare say you're feeling better" the nurse spoke cheerfully. "yep..all better" buffy chirped "can I go home now, please?"
"you're definitely in better shape than when you came in two days ago, but the doctor will have to make that decision."
"Can you persuade him? Buffy pleaded. All that time in the hospital with her mom had turned Buffy's stomache sour for hospitals. "'ll try young lady, but in the meantime, no lip locking" she said giving Angel a look that would melt ice.
"I'm scared of that" Angel laughed, then turned his attention back to the one person he loved most in this world "So what's with the disappearing Buffy act?" he asked trying to sound casual.
She shrugged, "I just wanted a vacation, a vampire free vacation" she clarified. Angel nodded "So, where did you go?"
"Well, Dawn, Xander and I went with Giles to England. He decided to stay there, so we stayed with him for awhile, then the three of us struck out on our own. We toured Europe and Paris and even went to Figi. Finally we ended up in Switzerland and then New York."
"Where are Xander and Dawn then?" Angel asked. Buffy looked down, a sudden lump forming in her throat "Dawn wanted to stay in New York, go to school, so she did and Xander offered to stay with her."
"Why did you leave?" he asked "I had to see you" Buffy admitted "I missed you so much".
"I told them I'd come back in a little while." Buffy said. Angel reached for her hand "and when are you going back?" he asked huskily. Buffy shrugged "I don't know, maybe never. I mean I miss Dawn and Xander terribly, but the two of them have so much more in common than me..." she trailed off.
"They both love you, too ya know" Angel stated the obvious "Why wouldn't you go back?"
"Because LA is so far away from NY" she said "I'd never see you."
"What about Will and Faith, the girls" Buffy changed the subject, she didnt like to think abut never seeing Angel again. "Willow and Faith are here in LA with us, Andrew got bitten by the acting bug and has yet to be heard of, and the girls all went back to their respective homes." Angel filled her in on the changes at Angel Investigations.
"I'm told I have an impatient patient" a doctor walked into the room. "you heal very fast Ms. Summers" the acknowledged "I suppose if you promise to take care of yourself you can go home, but if I see you in here again for the same thing, I won't be so nice."
Buffy grinned "Oh thank you Doc, I really want to get out of here." The doctor smiled "I hear that a lot. It is a good thing I don't take it personally." He signed her release papers while she dressed. After some final instructions, he allowed Angel to escort her out of the hospital.
"Where to my lady" Angel asked reaching for her hand. "I want to see willow" Buffy answered. "Then home it is" Angel said and set off for the hotel.
I would like to write at least two more chapters, but have to think about what goes into them. Please leave feedback for me. Thanks
Angel woke with a start, shaking and feeling like someone, somewhere needed him. "Connor" he called getting to his feet and pulling on a robe. He walked across the hall to the room where his often, rebellious son slept, looking far more angelic than he actually was, in fact, "Hell on Wheels" described him better.
"Couldn't sleep, boss" he head someone say. Turning around, he saw Faith come in from the darkened streets of L.A. "No" he admitted, "I had the craziest feeling that someone was hurt and need me."
Faith cocked her head "connor ok?" she asked. Angel nodded "yeah, he is fine and the hotel seems to be safe. "But this feeling that someone needs you, it woke you up right?" Faith pryed out of him. "Yeah" Angel admitted, "but who?"
Faith thought for a minute, the only person to have that close of a relationship with the vamp was far away from L.A., wasn't she? "Buffy, maybe?" Faith asked. Angel shrugged his shoulders "I wish I knew" he answered softly.
Nobody had heard from Giles, Xander, Buffy or Dawn since the fall of Sunnydale. Willow, Faith and even Spike ended up in L.A., working at Angel Investigations, though many times Angel wondered why he put up with Spike. Because of Buffy...a quiet voice reminded him.
"I don't know" Angel paced restlessly "I'm going to try to get some sleep. How was the hunt?" he asked casually. Faith seemed to thrive on the hunt, it was like therapy for her, only cheaper.
"It was fun, we'll have to do it together sometime" she smiled up at him. "No thanks" Angel replied quietly "well I'm going to try to get some sleep" he said as he walked back to his room. Slaying was a completely unvampire thing he did out of necessity, but he had the most fun when Buffy was around.
Faith watched him go, he looked sad and lonely. She knew about the gypsy curse, had for sometime. She also knew the curse was the only thing keeping Angel and Buffy apart. "Where are you B?" she asked aloud "I hope you're okay."
Faith yawned, a full night of de-vamping the city of Angels had wore her out. She trudged up the stairs to her bedroom and lay down on the soft bed. Eventually the sounds of the night lulled her to sleep, but not before she too felt the odd sensation of somebody needing her.
Elsewhere in Los Angelos, a group of counselors for a youth home, tried to care for a young blonde girl. Even in her feverish, restless state, it took three of them to get her into bed.
The young girl stirred, delirious with fever "Angel" she called out loud, almost in a whimper. "What do we do with her things?" one the young men asked, holding her bags. "Just stow them under the bed, is there an identification in there?" The other man searched the bag again "only this" he produced a card that read "Angel Investigations".
"Call them, ask for this 'Angel' character, bring him here" she instructed "and bring me some cool water and towels, plus aspirin. If we don't get this fever down, we'll lose her tonight."
"When do you want me to call?" the young man asked. "Now" the burly women instructed "maybe this angel person can help us identify this little lady."
The phone beside Angel's bed rang, waking him for the second time that night "what" he barked into the phone. "Is this Angel Investigations" a young voice asked. "Yeah, but we're closed until in the morning" Angel responded grumpily.
"I'm calling because we found a young girl on Hollywood Boulevard, she's very sick and not carrying any kind of I.D." the youngster sounded nervous. "Buffy" Angel said without thinking.
"Ex..Excuse me sir, is there an Angel there?" the young man asked. "Yeah, this is Angel and you are?" He heard a nervous laugh on the other end "Oh, sorry my name is Eric, I work at the home for runaway teenagers, we were making a sweep of the streets when we found your friend."
"okay, give me your address, I'll be right there" Angel spoke into the phone. Something about the urgency in Eric's voice propelled him to move quickly. "Better grab the ring" he heard from the doorway as he placed the phone in its cradle. "What are you doing up?" he asked "Couldn't sleep" the other undead being in the house responded "is that about Buffy?"
Angel hated that Spike felt Buffy as powerful as he did, she loved them both in her time, now all they wanted to know was that she was okay. "I don't know, a young girl was found with my card in her bags" Angel admitted "I'm going to find out."
"Don't forget the ring" Spike reminded him. Angel turned and grabbed the Ring of Amarras, it was more than a piece of jewelry, it protected Vampires from the sun and anything else that might try to kill them.
"Call and let us know, okay?" Spike called to Angel's fleeting back. "I will" Angel promised, much as he hated it, he knew that Spike loved Buffy almost as much as he did himself.
Though LA was a big place, Angel had no trouble finding the building that housed the teen shelter. When he arrived he saw teens of all ages, sleeping on couches and beds. Some were awake and watching television, but all of them had a look of hunger on their faces. A look that gave away more than it kept secret.
"Are you Angel?" a young guy in dark glasses greeted him. Angel nodded "your friend is this way" he said implying for Angel to follow him down a long corridor. He led them to a small room that looked much like a school nurses office. There was a burly women tending to a small figure. "Angel" he heard the girl whisper softly.
"I'm right here" he said breathily, taking her hand in his. "What is wrong with her?" he turned to the nurse. "We can't get her fever to come down, she has been feverish and restless since we found her."
"Can I take her to the hospital?" he asked. The nurse nodded, "if you want, Eric will drive you." Angel scooped a very hot Buffy into his arms. 'hang on Buffy, were gonna get you all fixed up" he whispered softly.
"What do I owe you?" he asked the woman. The woman smiled broadly at him , "Many of these kids don't have anyone to love them, the fact that you have shown her great love is enough."
Angel smiled "Yes, I do love her" though he wasn't about to explain how much older he really was than the love of his life, "but my love for her doesn't feed the rest of your kids" he quipped handing the lady the cash in his pocket.
The lady looked startled "...But there must be $200 here" she protested. "She's worth that and every penny more" he said pressing the money into her hand "Without her, all the money in the world wouldn't mean anything."
"Oh, thank you..thank you" the women gushed "I hope your friend is okay." she said as they pulled away in the teen center van.
At the hospital, Angel held Buffy's hand as the hours ticked by. The medicine in the IV had brought her fever down and she slept restfully, finally. Every now and then she would cough and shudder as if she were cold. Angel longed to hold her, but he had to settle for holding her hand and being there.
******************Two Days Later**************************************
Buffy was first aware of the smell of bleach, the kind that hospitals used "where am I" she asked groggily, not yet opening her eyes. The last thing she remembered was getting off the bus in LA, and feeling overcome by a coughing spell.
Slowly, Buffy opened her eyes and got them used to the dull lighting, meant to induce sleepiness, but Buffy felt as though she has slept for years. She looked around the room. "yep this is definitiely a hospital" she quipped "Stinky and entirely too clean"
"Well I guess that means you're going to be okay" a familiar voice shattered her peace and quiet "after all you're complaining already." Buffy looked around the room again "Angel" she called out. "Right here", he said as he stepped into the room looking like a breath of fresh air, whatever that looks like she thought to herself.
"How did you know I was here" she asked. Angel told her the story of being woke up in the middle of the night and about the call from the teen center. "I missed you" she spoke quietly, holding his hand, her fingers making soft, sensous, circles on his hand. "And I missed you" he responded "where have you been?" he scolded "Nobody has heard anything from your, or Dawn or Xander.."
Buffy grinned "Are you chastising a sick woman?" she asked innocently. "I'd rather kiss you" Angel spoke quietly. "then do it" Buffy breathed "because I'd rather you kiss me."
"And I'd rather you not young man" a voice at the door broke in "she may still be contagious."
Buffy flashed a dirty look at the nurse "I dare say you're feeling better" the nurse spoke cheerfully. "yep..all better" buffy chirped "can I go home now, please?"
"you're definitely in better shape than when you came in two days ago, but the doctor will have to make that decision."
"Can you persuade him? Buffy pleaded. All that time in the hospital with her mom had turned Buffy's stomache sour for hospitals. "'ll try young lady, but in the meantime, no lip locking" she said giving Angel a look that would melt ice.
"I'm scared of that" Angel laughed, then turned his attention back to the one person he loved most in this world "So what's with the disappearing Buffy act?" he asked trying to sound casual.
She shrugged, "I just wanted a vacation, a vampire free vacation" she clarified. Angel nodded "So, where did you go?"
"Well, Dawn, Xander and I went with Giles to England. He decided to stay there, so we stayed with him for awhile, then the three of us struck out on our own. We toured Europe and Paris and even went to Figi. Finally we ended up in Switzerland and then New York."
"Where are Xander and Dawn then?" Angel asked. Buffy looked down, a sudden lump forming in her throat "Dawn wanted to stay in New York, go to school, so she did and Xander offered to stay with her."
"Why did you leave?" he asked "I had to see you" Buffy admitted "I missed you so much".
"I told them I'd come back in a little while." Buffy said. Angel reached for her hand "and when are you going back?" he asked huskily. Buffy shrugged "I don't know, maybe never. I mean I miss Dawn and Xander terribly, but the two of them have so much more in common than me..." she trailed off.
"They both love you, too ya know" Angel stated the obvious "Why wouldn't you go back?"
"Because LA is so far away from NY" she said "I'd never see you."
"What about Will and Faith, the girls" Buffy changed the subject, she didnt like to think abut never seeing Angel again. "Willow and Faith are here in LA with us, Andrew got bitten by the acting bug and has yet to be heard of, and the girls all went back to their respective homes." Angel filled her in on the changes at Angel Investigations.
"I'm told I have an impatient patient" a doctor walked into the room. "you heal very fast Ms. Summers" the acknowledged "I suppose if you promise to take care of yourself you can go home, but if I see you in here again for the same thing, I won't be so nice."
Buffy grinned "Oh thank you Doc, I really want to get out of here." The doctor smiled "I hear that a lot. It is a good thing I don't take it personally." He signed her release papers while she dressed. After some final instructions, he allowed Angel to escort her out of the hospital.
"Where to my lady" Angel asked reaching for her hand. "I want to see willow" Buffy answered. "Then home it is" Angel said and set off for the hotel.
I would like to write at least two more chapters, but have to think about what goes into them. Please leave feedback for me. Thanks