The entire time I was telling Buffy about my life these past forty years, I sensed that she was very much in pain. She couldn't sit still, and her coughing was telling me something wasn't right. My heart was breaking thinking about Buffy being in pain. I understood that it wasn't my place to ask. When she was ready she'd tell me.
I decided that the best topic to discuss was one that would make her happy. It would be agonizing for me, but it would make her smile. "Tell me Buffy, how did Riley come back into your life? I thought the two of you sort of left on bad terms. Didn't he have a wife?"
Buffy began smiling, as the memories of her husband stormed to the forefront. "Well two years after the whole Sunnydale demise, Willow and I graduated from NYU, and we decided to take a vacation. Xander was going to go with us but he couldn't leave, for he was too busy at his construction company. And…"
"Wait one second Buffy," I interrupted, for I wanted her to explain her graduation. "You graduated from NYU? That's terrific! What did you study?"
"Business administration," Buffy answered as she adjusted her position on the couch yet again. "Yeah, Willow majored in education, and now has a classroom at NYU. She also teaches a hush-hush class there in witchcraft. You remember the hole in the ozone layer? Well, one of Will's witchcraft students found a spell to fill it in. At the awards ceremony, she gave a special 'thank you' to Willow."
"That's terrific," I interjected. "But what about you? What have you been doing these past forty years?"
"Well, I opened a new house for children," Buffy answered.
"A day care," I replied, as pure elation came over me from the thought that she and her loving heart took care of children for a living."
"Sort of," Buffy started explain. "You see, when Giles rebuilt the Watchers Council in England, he recruited many potential slayers, but many of them were too young to start slaying. So he and I started the housing center for potentials. They stayed with me and went to school. When they got to be a certain age, Giles wood send for them. It was so not stressful Angel. I loved looking after the girls, and doing whatever I wanted. As you probably knew, Faith continued slaying and loving every minute of it. She'd come to New York every so often, and I'd go out with her and slay. It became the greatest life. Well until I met Riley again. Then it became better."
"You see, Will and I took a vacation to New Zealand. We always wanted to see it for it looked so beautiful in the 'Lord of the Rings' movies. Anyway, we stayed for a week, and enjoyed every minute of it. On our last day, we went to the airport and were ready to start boarding when he saw us. He quickly caught us and we talked. That conversation led us to missing our fight. We connected in a way that I was never able to do with him before. Him and I ended up staying for a few more days, but Will couldn't because she had to get back to her classroom."
This entire topic was emotionally hard for me to deal with, but it was alleviating Buffy's pain, whatever that is anyway. She was speaking with a smile on her face, and that made my pain worthwhile. "What was Riley doing in New Zealand anyway," I asked?
Buffy was about to respond when more memories of her late husband started to encompass her thoughts. "He was there because he was training a new group of Navy Seals. When he saw us at the airport, they were going back to Washington DC. I don't know what it was, but as soon as we saw each other we knew something was going to happen; Even if we never discussed it."
"He flew back to New York with me, and told me that he'd stop by the housing center whenever he'd be in town. He kept his word because the next day he stopped by with flowers in his hands, and ready to make a deal with me."
"What type of deal," I eagerly asked?
"The deal was that he'd quit his job if I gave us another shot," she answered without hesitation as if that memory was the one she'd always remember first.
"And by the looks of things you did give him another shot," I replied while thinking about Anne.
"Yes, and we had a wonderful life," she said as she began getting choked up, as tears began rolling down her cheeks again. I sensed that she hadn't talked about Riley's death for while. So I just let her tell me at her own speed. "We never decided to have children at such a late age, it just happened that way. We were so busy with our love for one another and our careers that it just happened later. We had a wonderful 30 years together Angel. He died at 52, from a massive heart attack. He was working in the yard like he always did on Sundays. He had Sundays off from work after he resigned as the Navy Seals Officer of training. His new job was at a high school in New York near home; he was a student counselor. I still remember the days when he came home and talked about the students. He adored them Angel, but just like he adored his daughter Anne. He was only able to spend one year with her, but his love is always with her."
"And yours Buffy," I said as her eyes locked with mine.
"Yes, his love is always with me too," she uttered without relinquishing her gaze. "There has been only two men that I have ever loved with all of my being. One of them has been dead for 15 years, and the other one, ironically has been dead for a lot longer, but, has now come back to me. But why now? Why have you chosen to find me now, when you know I've gotten older? You can't possibly still love me, or want to be with me."
"Oh, how I've missed the self-pity," I sarcastically responded after hearing her self hate talk. "You've always been like that with me. Our love was unlike any other; even unlike yours and Riley's. We never had a chance to be together that's why our love never died. Our love is what has kept me going all these years. A shot at redemption, so I could be with you. For god's sake! I'm almost 300 years old; take it from me age doesn't matter. All that matters is that I'm here now, and I love you. Everything else is a distant second."
"You were always straight with me Angel," Buffy said as her discomfort caused her to stand for her so-called 'vitamins' weren't kicking in. "I'm glad your back. But, as its always been for us, we can't be together!"