Chapter 30-Vacations

-Angel-

I wake up slowly. I dip my head and inhale the scent of all things Buffy, vanilla, sunshine and her. I feel her stir against my chest. She makes a little mumble about not wanting to wake up yet. I thread my fingers through her hair and make a mental note to have Willow perform the Chinese soul spell on me when we return to Sunnydale. Obviously it worked for Buffy. As for me, well, I kept firmly in mind that at one time the silky skin I touched would have been warm and sun kissed instead of cold and moonlight pale. It was enough to assure that I didn't quite reach that pinnacle of happiness. Guilt will do that to you.

"Headache and please make the room stop spinning." Buffy says as she buries her head back in my chest.

I chuckle. "Let's get some blood in you that isn't laced with whiskey. It will help on both accounts." I slip out of bed and pull on my discarded black pants. I jog up the stairs to the main part of the house. Someone left the blinds in the kitchen open and I have to tread carefully around the beams of fading sunlight.

"I didn't really think you'd walk straight into the sun, but I had hoped of course."

I whirl quickly, my gaze sweeping anything in the kitchen I can use for a weapon. A man steps from the shadows of the dining room. I recognize him as one of the ones we left alive at the mansion back in Sunnydale.

"I'm not here to kill you, Angelus. Even I realize it would take more then just me to bring you down, and that's if your slayer doesn't surprise us." The man says.

"The name's Angel." I remain tense, ready to defend.

"Yes, I got the memo. I also got the memo that Smythe called off the termination of the slayer. I wonder why he'd do that?" the man leans against the counter. Sunlight falls on his frame.

"Maybe he had a change of heart. Maybe he found the Lord and became a believer in redemption." I smirk.

"Redemption, that's your bag isn't it? I've heard there was some prophecy about the vampire with a soul and a reward after there's been enough good done. Having 2 vamps with a soul kind of muddies your prophecy doesn't it?"

"If you think I'd betray Buffy for a chance at being human, you don't know much about us." There's a butcher block full of knives to my right. It's swathed with sunlight at the moment.

"So the watcher's council is right? You are in love with her?" The man chuckles.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand. Is there a point to this visit or did you just want coffee and a chat?"

"There are a lot of special ops team members that don't agree with Smyth's decision. We don't believe the fairytale and myth of vampires with souls or vampires in love. Vampires are demons and demons need to be eradicated." The man's eyes have turned hard.

"So you've created your own fanatical group." I make the obvious conclusion.

"It's not over, Angelus."

I grit my teeth. I'm not wearing a shirt, this is going to hurt, but I can do it for Buffy. With my preternatural speed I dart through the square of fading sun. I grab the man by the throat and lift him off his feet, pinning him against the kitchen cabinets. I can feel the sun sizzling my back. "Touch her and your ancestors will have plenty of myths to tell about vampires with souls and the lengths they'll go to for the ones they love. Now get out of my house before I forget that I don't drink humans anymore." I toss him across the room just as flame dances across my back. The man scurries out of the house like a scared mouse. I douse the flames on my back against some heavy drapes in the parlor. I imagine he thought I'd go up like a torch, like the newly turned vamps he's used to fighting. Being 250 years old has its advantages.

I take two warm glasses of blood to the bomb shelter and sit them down on the table there. I slip on my shirt, keeping my back out of Buffy's sight. She doesn't need to know that we might still have men hunting us.

"Everything okay? You took a while up there." Buffy says stretching her arms to the ceiling.

"Yeah, the microwave is different from the one at home. Took a minute for me to figure it out." I offer as a very lame excuse.

"You must be hung over too." Buffy says.

I shrug. "I'm Irish I don't get hang overs." I tease her.

*

We spent two more days in England. We saw Stonehenge and the British museum. Like a typical American tourist, Buffy tried to ruffle the guards standing outside Buckingham palace. She even vamped faced. The guard stood steadfast. I stood back and chuckled at her. We took advantage of the Chinese soul spell. I never forget those little things that prevent my curse from activating, like warm skin and the necessity of breath. It was as close to a little slice of Heaven as I can get. Playing normal couple with Buffy is fun. It's something we don't get very often.

We have to go back though and I find myself somewhat regretful as we settle down in David Nabbit's plane, especially prepared for us. Buffy sleeps with her head in my lap. I thread my fingers through her golden hair while I read and am thankful she's not watching something that leads to tears and wailing. Of course it's a long flight, I'm not in the clear yet.

I mourn our return to LA and Sunnydale. In London it was easy for Buffy to take a vacation of sorts from the things she's done. It was easy for me too. I know they will hit her full force again when we return. She has yet to deal with any of friends. If they were uncomfortable around her before, they will be doubly so now. It makes me want to tell the pilots to turn around, take us to Ireland or France or anywhere but home.

The hotel was silent and dark when we arrived. Cordy had scribbled a note and left it on the front desk.

Vision thing. We can handle it. Welcome home

I feel a twinge of guilt. I've been neglecting the visions since that night in Sunnydale. At some point I'm going to have to make plans about the future of Angel Investigations. Its needed here in LA much more then in Sunnydale, but Sunnydale has its own special Hellmouth that needs a slayer. I also can't forget that I have a seer the powers deemed necessary to give me visions of cases they want me to take an up close and personal interest in. Life just never does get easy for Buffy and I.

Buffy slips her arms around my waist from behind and lays her cheek on my back. "You've been quiet since you found that note. Are you worried about them?"

"No, not really, I know they can handle most anything. They've been handling it for the past couple of months." I say.

"Then what is it?" She pushes.

I'm silent for a minute. There's just so much and it hovers above me, ready to come crashing down at any moment. I turn around and pull her into my arms. "Can we just go back to England?"