Part 9.
The drive back to Revello Drive was more animated than the drive to the Mansion. This time Buffy found a top 40 radio station, which seemed to please Xander, and in spite of herself she bopped along with the music, trying to ignore Xander's attempts at his kind of Xander-dance, which was basically him trying to do aerobics in the back of the car.
As Buffy pulled into her driveway she began to laugh.
She was still laughing as they entered the front door.
Xander raced inside after her, trying to catch her so that he could tickle her.
She threw herself into a chair and half-heartedly tried to fend him off.
As Dawn and everyone else entered the room, Buffy shrieked with laughter, and cried out for help, tears running down her cheeks.
Willow darted forward to tickle Xander in just the right spot to make him cry out for mercy.
"Oh, Will, stop it. That's not fair, that's..." he trailed off as the girls gained the upper hand. In seconds he was on the floor and wriggling frantically to escape Buffy and Willow.
In the end he begged for mercy.
Buffy and Willow stood up, both grinning. They slapped each other 'high 5' and laughed a little more.
Xander stayed on the floor, all tickled out.
"That's what you get for messing with one of us." Willow waggled her finger at him.
"I need that pizza." he groaned.
Buffy nodded. "Pizza party at the Mansion tonight. In celebration of. everything good that has happened recently."
The announcement was greeted with whoops and cheers.
***********
It was late by the time everyone have finished eating, and six large pizza boxes lay on various tables, paper plates and cups littered the room and several half empty bottles of soda stood on the coffee table.
Buffy leaned back into the couch, Angel sat beside her cradling his son, who was half asleep.
This was the first time Buffy had felt truly at ease for a long time. She suspected she hadn't felt like this since she was first called.
She dozed lightly, lulled by Angel's familiar presence.
By the time Angel moved to put Conner to bed, Buffy was in a deep, dreamless sleep.
She didn't even feel it when he covered her in a blanket to ward off the chill in the night air.
A smiled played at the corners of his mouth as he sat back down. He just sat and watched her for a long time. He barely registered when Lorne spoke to him.
"Peaceful isn't she?"
Angel looked up at him. "Always."
"You don't have to pretend you know. That little lullaby you two sang for Conner said it all." Lorne sat down across from him. "I guess you'll be spending more time in Sunnydale."
Angel nodded, "It's time I gave her a choice. We going to try again, see if we can make it work."
"Where does Conner sit on this, or do I even need to ask?"
"She loves him, you know that." Angel answered him.
"She's still in a lot of pain."
Angel nodded. "We'll make it work this time. It's ironic you know, the last time I left her I told her that she should have a normal life, with a normal guy. I told her she should have someone who can take her into the sunlight, someone who can make love to her. I never knew that I'd be able to give that to her."
"That's not irony Angel, it's fate. The pair of you... let's just say that the world hasn't seen anything like you two since Romeo and Juliet."
"Romeo and Juliet were characters of Shakespeare's imagination."
"But they were based on real people." Lorne replied.
"For real?" Angel asked him, "I never knew that." he chuckled.
"I guess we learn something new everyday." Lorne smiled at him.
********
Willow and Xander stood up and stretched.
"I win again." Willow teased him.
"That's because in Scategories you, with your superior intellect will always win. You wait until Twister night. I'll kick you butt." he answered with conviction.
Dawn got up, "Are we going home soon? I'm getting kind of tired." To punctuate her question she yawned and rubbed at her eyes sleepily.
Tara nodded. "We'll just get Buffy..."
All eyes turned to where Buffy still slept.
"So," Xander began, "Who wants to wake her?"
Angel and Lorne stopped talking.
"You might as well just leave her." Lorne said to them. "If you move her she'll probably wake up."
Dawn brushed several strands of hair off Buffy's face. "She'll be okay if we leave her here. She's tired."
Tara nodded. "If you're sure, then."
Angel stood up. "I'll drive her home in the morning."
Dawn reached up to hug him. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Dawn." he answered quietly.
He faced Willow and the others again. "Drive carefully."
Willow nodded and handed him a set of keys. "If she wakes up later, and wants to come home that's fine. These are her house keys."
He nodded. "Have a good night."
With that he followed them out the door to be polite, and to make sure everyone got to their cars okay.
Dawn waved as Willow drove off, and casually he returned the gesture.
*********
As he re-entered the lounge room Buffy sighed in her sleep. He smiled as he watched her.
Snapping himself out of his daze, he went and turned down a bed for her, before going back out to the lounge room.
Carefully he picked her up, and laid her gently in the bed, covering her over with blankets.
He paused in the doorway as she turned over in her sleep, before walking down the hall into his own room, so that he could get some sleep before Conner woke up.
The drive back to Revello Drive was more animated than the drive to the Mansion. This time Buffy found a top 40 radio station, which seemed to please Xander, and in spite of herself she bopped along with the music, trying to ignore Xander's attempts at his kind of Xander-dance, which was basically him trying to do aerobics in the back of the car.
As Buffy pulled into her driveway she began to laugh.
She was still laughing as they entered the front door.
Xander raced inside after her, trying to catch her so that he could tickle her.
She threw herself into a chair and half-heartedly tried to fend him off.
As Dawn and everyone else entered the room, Buffy shrieked with laughter, and cried out for help, tears running down her cheeks.
Willow darted forward to tickle Xander in just the right spot to make him cry out for mercy.
"Oh, Will, stop it. That's not fair, that's..." he trailed off as the girls gained the upper hand. In seconds he was on the floor and wriggling frantically to escape Buffy and Willow.
In the end he begged for mercy.
Buffy and Willow stood up, both grinning. They slapped each other 'high 5' and laughed a little more.
Xander stayed on the floor, all tickled out.
"That's what you get for messing with one of us." Willow waggled her finger at him.
"I need that pizza." he groaned.
Buffy nodded. "Pizza party at the Mansion tonight. In celebration of. everything good that has happened recently."
The announcement was greeted with whoops and cheers.
***********
It was late by the time everyone have finished eating, and six large pizza boxes lay on various tables, paper plates and cups littered the room and several half empty bottles of soda stood on the coffee table.
Buffy leaned back into the couch, Angel sat beside her cradling his son, who was half asleep.
This was the first time Buffy had felt truly at ease for a long time. She suspected she hadn't felt like this since she was first called.
She dozed lightly, lulled by Angel's familiar presence.
By the time Angel moved to put Conner to bed, Buffy was in a deep, dreamless sleep.
She didn't even feel it when he covered her in a blanket to ward off the chill in the night air.
A smiled played at the corners of his mouth as he sat back down. He just sat and watched her for a long time. He barely registered when Lorne spoke to him.
"Peaceful isn't she?"
Angel looked up at him. "Always."
"You don't have to pretend you know. That little lullaby you two sang for Conner said it all." Lorne sat down across from him. "I guess you'll be spending more time in Sunnydale."
Angel nodded, "It's time I gave her a choice. We going to try again, see if we can make it work."
"Where does Conner sit on this, or do I even need to ask?"
"She loves him, you know that." Angel answered him.
"She's still in a lot of pain."
Angel nodded. "We'll make it work this time. It's ironic you know, the last time I left her I told her that she should have a normal life, with a normal guy. I told her she should have someone who can take her into the sunlight, someone who can make love to her. I never knew that I'd be able to give that to her."
"That's not irony Angel, it's fate. The pair of you... let's just say that the world hasn't seen anything like you two since Romeo and Juliet."
"Romeo and Juliet were characters of Shakespeare's imagination."
"But they were based on real people." Lorne replied.
"For real?" Angel asked him, "I never knew that." he chuckled.
"I guess we learn something new everyday." Lorne smiled at him.
********
Willow and Xander stood up and stretched.
"I win again." Willow teased him.
"That's because in Scategories you, with your superior intellect will always win. You wait until Twister night. I'll kick you butt." he answered with conviction.
Dawn got up, "Are we going home soon? I'm getting kind of tired." To punctuate her question she yawned and rubbed at her eyes sleepily.
Tara nodded. "We'll just get Buffy..."
All eyes turned to where Buffy still slept.
"So," Xander began, "Who wants to wake her?"
Angel and Lorne stopped talking.
"You might as well just leave her." Lorne said to them. "If you move her she'll probably wake up."
Dawn brushed several strands of hair off Buffy's face. "She'll be okay if we leave her here. She's tired."
Tara nodded. "If you're sure, then."
Angel stood up. "I'll drive her home in the morning."
Dawn reached up to hug him. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Dawn." he answered quietly.
He faced Willow and the others again. "Drive carefully."
Willow nodded and handed him a set of keys. "If she wakes up later, and wants to come home that's fine. These are her house keys."
He nodded. "Have a good night."
With that he followed them out the door to be polite, and to make sure everyone got to their cars okay.
Dawn waved as Willow drove off, and casually he returned the gesture.
*********
As he re-entered the lounge room Buffy sighed in her sleep. He smiled as he watched her.
Snapping himself out of his daze, he went and turned down a bed for her, before going back out to the lounge room.
Carefully he picked her up, and laid her gently in the bed, covering her over with blankets.
He paused in the doorway as she turned over in her sleep, before walking down the hall into his own room, so that he could get some sleep before Conner woke up.