CHAPTER TEN - 'The Phone Call'

~~~ FLASHBACK ~~~

Buffy was curled up on the sofa watching trashy morning TV after meeting up with Angel and Lindsey the previous night she hadn't gotten to bed until quite late and she couldn't be bothered changing out of her PJ's just yet.

The sound of the blaring TV was interrupted by the shrill ring of the telephone Buffy reached over to the coffee table and checked caller ID and grabbed the handset.

"Hey Anya." Buffy greeted.

"Hey how did you know it was me? Are we like psychic friends now or something?"

"No we just got caller ID." Buffy giggled.

Anya sounded disappointed by the fact that she hadn't just developed a new talent that could prove very handy when trying to cheat at cards, "Oh well. Guess who I've just been talking to?"

"I don't know." Buffy replied.

"At least try and guess!" Anya insisted.

"Faith?" she questioned.

"No as if my elder sister would ever think of calling me and lets not even begin to start discussing my younger sister." Anya moaned.

"What's Harmony done now?"

Anya paused she really didn't think it was a good idea to tell Buffy that whilst away in LA Harmony had run into Spike and got mixed up with him again, "She called asking for more money. Anyway that's not the point of this call!"

"Then what is?"

"I just got of the phone to Lindsey and have I got some interesting news for you." Anya said excitedly.

"Lindsey wants to take me out?!" Buffy questioned hoping that she was right.

"No but he is a hottie so I can see why you'd wish it was that. Lindsey told me a little secrete that Angel has been keeping from you for quite a while."

"What?" Buffy sounded scared in her book secretes within that group of friends never ended well.

"Angel likes you." Anya answered feeling proud of herself for knowing.

"What? Angel likes me? Very funny you're kidding me right?" Buffy was convinced it was a joke there had never been anything like that between the two, "Bulky, broody Angel likes me?"

"Yep and has done for quite a while by the sound of it. So what do you think Buffy?" Anya asked.

"Well I," Buffy paused trying to compose her thoughts, "I don't know this is a real shock."

"Best get it together Buff we've been invited to a party at Angel's house next weekend." Anya concluded.

~~~ END FLASHBACK ~~~

Buffy brought a can of diet coke to her lips and considered how to continue she noticed that Willow was just sat starring at her waiting for her to continue.

"I was kinda messed up back then and all I really wanted was some stability but I was so unsure of what was the right thing to do with Angel. I wasn't really all that attracted to him." Buffy explained hating to have to make that confession.

"Oh?" Willow puzzled.

"It wasn't like I didn't feel anything for him it was just that what I did feel wasn't romantic."

"But that all changed right?" Willow asked.

"It took a while but it did change."

~~~ FLASHBACK ~~~

Buffy wasn't paying any attention the television now she was still shocked by what Anya had told her.

"Angel and me." Buffy reasoned to herself.

Her head was spinning. There had been plenty of guys in her life since she and Spike had split but not one of them had said they liked her or ever wanted more than a cheap fumble. And even though to all around it looked like she enjoyed it being that way Buffy knew that deep down all she wanted was a cuddle.

"Angel and me." Buffy repeated trying out the new coupling for size, "Yeah Angel and Buffy."

It was at that moment that Buffy decided that if Angel wanted her then he could have her. She had seen for herself how much love that guy had he had treated Cordy as if she was the most precious thing on the planet and it would be good for her to feel like that too.

"Roll on party time!"

~~~ END FLASHBACK ~~~

"If it had been a love at first sight thing then I wouldn't have had to think about, to try and convince myself that it was him I wanted. But it didn't matter I knew he was good guy and he wouldn't treat me like shit like some of the others had, that was what was important to me then." Buffy said as her and Willow finished their meal.

"But then you feel in love?" Willow said wistfully prying for a fairy tale ending forgetting that the couple were no longer together.

"Love, I guess I did."

TCB.