Uh oh, I'm getting really slack with all this updating stuff - or lack
thereof. I'm sorry but my heart isn't in it a lot of the time right now
because my 9 - 5 life sucks sooo badly. Thank you to all the nice people
who are still reading and reviewing me; it is greatly appreciated.
*
*
Angel swivelled his head around and faced the direction Buffy's voice had come from. He blinked into the gloom thinking that he must have drunk more champagne than he had thought if he was hearing Buffy talking to him in the garden when she was indoors with his brother having a marvellous time.
Then a slender feminine figure drifted out of the shadows to approach the table. A slender feminine figure dressed in richly rustling crimson silk with long loops of dark hair sweeping her shoulders and falling neatly around a dramatic mask. His heart sank and he turned an accusing eye on the bottle, damn stuff - making him hear Buffy when it was only Faith.
There was something indefinable in her tone when she said "What are you doing hiding away up here?"
Angel squeezed his eyes shut for a brief moment; great, he was still hearing Buffy. Perhaps his head or ears needed examining.
Then a hand wafted in front of his face, "Hey, you okay?"
Angel automatically forced a nod even as his mind raced as his eyes caught a glimmer of silver on her thumbnail and without thinking he grabbed her hand and took a closer look. Tiny silver stars joined the rich red polish on her thumbnails, it was something he had noticed on Buffy the previous evening and commented on. She had admitted that she was a sucker for nice/interesting nails and almost always wore the tiny silver stars. So unless Faith was in on Buffy's manicure fetish and had taken to sounding more Californian than Bostonian then this was Buffy.
As his brain slowly processed this welcome and confusing information the woman gently retrieved her hand from his unresisting one, yanked off her mask and planted it on the table beside him. A lush dark wig followed and moments later Buffy had joined him on the bench with flushed cheeks and mussed blonde hair half escaping from the pins that held it in a once neat coil. Angel stared. He had never seen anyone look more beautiful and better still there was nothing fishy about her at all!
Buffy smiled shyly at Angel's dazed expression; clearly he had been one of those fooled by the wigs she and Faith had worn.
If she didn't mess it up she had not only found food but she had also gained the very unexpected chance to explain properly why Spike wasn't an issue. She just had to hope he was in a mood to listen and that he actually liked her even half as much as she liked him.
Putting up a slightly shaky hand to push some loose hair out of her face she smiled nervously at him, before making a grab for a chocolate-coated strawberry. Some kind of reinforcement was necessary after all. She bit into the juicy fruit and slurped at the sticky chocolate considering quickly how to explain. Had he seen Faith and Spike 'together' tonight? Things would be much easier if he had. Gods, where to begin unravelling the whole utterly disastrous mess they had somehow created without coming across as a psychopath? Really, she admitted to herself, it would've been easier to explain much earlier, but try as she might she couldn't really think of a time that would have been suitable.
Having seen Buffy glide out of the shadows without a single shell or scale to be seen had been enough to put Angel's pulse in the danger zone but to have her sit down next to him and help herself to his 'dinner' was enough to make his mouth water.
She probably wasn't aware that she had daintily selected a fruit and bitten into it with a moan that made his body jump to attention. She hadn't seemed aware that her eyes had almost closed as she smiled to herself, sucking juice and melting candy. Angel stared at her, hardly able to believe his perfect good luck. Spike had certainly looked perfectly happy with someone earlier on and that someone hadn't been Buffy - so he didn't seem to need to worry about upsetting Spike. Instead Buffy was alone with him, which meant he still had a shot. A good shot too, judging by their incendiary kiss of earlier. Now if she could just be persuaded into a repeat performance of that. Or he could just kiss her and see once and for all how matters stood. Angel swallowed hard, not quite sure if he dared to risk it.
Hoping fervently that his sense of humor was in good working order tonight Buffy decided to begin honestly from the top with the snivelling 5:26 wake up call that had started all the damage and she would just tell him the whole story and pray he still liked her enough to at least go on a date. She just wouldn't mention her fantasies centering around Venetian honeymoons! Taking a deep breath she opened her mouth to begin.
She never had the chance to speak because Angel's lips were covering her own.
"Glmph." Buffy managed before her brain shut down and she eagerly twined her fingers into Angel's hair and returned his kiss.
Now this makes things much easier, she thought dimly as Angel shifted her closer in his arms pulling her from the bench into his lap. Then she didn't think much at all for the next ten minutes as she lost herself in the most passionate and perfect kiss she had ever experienced.
Explanations could wait just a little longer.
*
*
Angel swivelled his head around and faced the direction Buffy's voice had come from. He blinked into the gloom thinking that he must have drunk more champagne than he had thought if he was hearing Buffy talking to him in the garden when she was indoors with his brother having a marvellous time.
Then a slender feminine figure drifted out of the shadows to approach the table. A slender feminine figure dressed in richly rustling crimson silk with long loops of dark hair sweeping her shoulders and falling neatly around a dramatic mask. His heart sank and he turned an accusing eye on the bottle, damn stuff - making him hear Buffy when it was only Faith.
There was something indefinable in her tone when she said "What are you doing hiding away up here?"
Angel squeezed his eyes shut for a brief moment; great, he was still hearing Buffy. Perhaps his head or ears needed examining.
Then a hand wafted in front of his face, "Hey, you okay?"
Angel automatically forced a nod even as his mind raced as his eyes caught a glimmer of silver on her thumbnail and without thinking he grabbed her hand and took a closer look. Tiny silver stars joined the rich red polish on her thumbnails, it was something he had noticed on Buffy the previous evening and commented on. She had admitted that she was a sucker for nice/interesting nails and almost always wore the tiny silver stars. So unless Faith was in on Buffy's manicure fetish and had taken to sounding more Californian than Bostonian then this was Buffy.
As his brain slowly processed this welcome and confusing information the woman gently retrieved her hand from his unresisting one, yanked off her mask and planted it on the table beside him. A lush dark wig followed and moments later Buffy had joined him on the bench with flushed cheeks and mussed blonde hair half escaping from the pins that held it in a once neat coil. Angel stared. He had never seen anyone look more beautiful and better still there was nothing fishy about her at all!
Buffy smiled shyly at Angel's dazed expression; clearly he had been one of those fooled by the wigs she and Faith had worn.
If she didn't mess it up she had not only found food but she had also gained the very unexpected chance to explain properly why Spike wasn't an issue. She just had to hope he was in a mood to listen and that he actually liked her even half as much as she liked him.
Putting up a slightly shaky hand to push some loose hair out of her face she smiled nervously at him, before making a grab for a chocolate-coated strawberry. Some kind of reinforcement was necessary after all. She bit into the juicy fruit and slurped at the sticky chocolate considering quickly how to explain. Had he seen Faith and Spike 'together' tonight? Things would be much easier if he had. Gods, where to begin unravelling the whole utterly disastrous mess they had somehow created without coming across as a psychopath? Really, she admitted to herself, it would've been easier to explain much earlier, but try as she might she couldn't really think of a time that would have been suitable.
Having seen Buffy glide out of the shadows without a single shell or scale to be seen had been enough to put Angel's pulse in the danger zone but to have her sit down next to him and help herself to his 'dinner' was enough to make his mouth water.
She probably wasn't aware that she had daintily selected a fruit and bitten into it with a moan that made his body jump to attention. She hadn't seemed aware that her eyes had almost closed as she smiled to herself, sucking juice and melting candy. Angel stared at her, hardly able to believe his perfect good luck. Spike had certainly looked perfectly happy with someone earlier on and that someone hadn't been Buffy - so he didn't seem to need to worry about upsetting Spike. Instead Buffy was alone with him, which meant he still had a shot. A good shot too, judging by their incendiary kiss of earlier. Now if she could just be persuaded into a repeat performance of that. Or he could just kiss her and see once and for all how matters stood. Angel swallowed hard, not quite sure if he dared to risk it.
Hoping fervently that his sense of humor was in good working order tonight Buffy decided to begin honestly from the top with the snivelling 5:26 wake up call that had started all the damage and she would just tell him the whole story and pray he still liked her enough to at least go on a date. She just wouldn't mention her fantasies centering around Venetian honeymoons! Taking a deep breath she opened her mouth to begin.
She never had the chance to speak because Angel's lips were covering her own.
"Glmph." Buffy managed before her brain shut down and she eagerly twined her fingers into Angel's hair and returned his kiss.
Now this makes things much easier, she thought dimly as Angel shifted her closer in his arms pulling her from the bench into his lap. Then she didn't think much at all for the next ten minutes as she lost herself in the most passionate and perfect kiss she had ever experienced.
Explanations could wait just a little longer.
