Chapter 32-Bliss
R rating for sexual situations
-Angel-
I feel awkward and stumbling. I'm nervous. Buffy is so still in my arms. She's nervous too. I can smell it. Everyone cleared out of here like there was a plague. It's just me and her standing in the lobby of this hotel.
"Does it hurt?" She asks indicating my arm.
"Nothing hurts when I'm this close to you." It sounds cheesy, I know. It's a line that Liam would have used to get a girl into bed. In fact I'm pretty sure I did use it at some point. The difference is now it's true. Sometimes I wonder if Liam would have been as swept away with Buffy as I am, as Angelus is. It would make sense. There isn't a part of me that isn't in love with her.
Her lips find mine. It starts out a soft kiss, tender, thankful that I'm okay. I catch her bottom lip and gently suck on it. That's all it takes, those embers that always simmer just below the surface spark to life and become a raging inferno. I crush her to me, claiming her lips, her body, her heart and her soul as my own. I dig my fingertips into her hips and lift her up. Her arms wind around my neck and her legs wrap around my waist. She's sucking at my neck now and her fingers are wound tightly in my hair. We start up the stairs. I want the first time I make love to her without any thoughts of my soul to be in a bed. We can christen the lobby, the stairs, the couches and everything else later.
We fall in a tangled heap of limbs on the bed. I grab a handful her silky skirt and rip. It shreds easily. She giggles. I nuzzle her throat. Her blouse lands in a shredded heap next to her skirt. I let the palm of my hand just graze her breast. She draws in a sharp breathe. I love that I make her do that. She tears the button on my pants and pushes them over my hips. She uses her feet and legs to push them further down, not wanting to break contact between us. I take a deep breathe.
"Slow down. We've got the rest of forever. I want to look at you." I whisper.
I sit back on my haunches and look at her lying beautiful, pale and naked in our bed. Tears come unbidden to my eyes. I don't care if I spend the rest of my life in Hell. I've got Heaven right here in front of me and I'm afraid to touch it. I'm afraid that simple contact will wake me up and this will be just another dream, like so many dreams I've had before.
She can't stand it. She's come to the end of her patience and I love it. She sits up on her knees in front of me and takes my face in her hands. There's a moment, I couldn't tell you how long it lasted, that we look into each other. Tears threaten to spill over and I'm not sure if they are hers or mine.
"No more tears in our bed, ever." She whispers.
*
Cordy and the others had the good sense to leave us alone for three days straight. Obviously, Tara's spell worked. Blissfully happy doesn't even begin to describe life with Buffy. I still brood, I still feel remorse and I still feel guilt over all the things I did as Angelus. Sometimes I'll catch Buffy sitting under the arbor staring out into the bright sun of the courtyard with such longing on her face that I want to go sit and brood in my rooms for weeks. I don't remember ever having that longing, but Angelus never cared much about the sun, and by the time my soul was restored, I was long accustomed to not being out in the daylight.
We go up to Sunnydale at least once a week. It's a drive I've become accustomed to making. Buffy patrols, makes sure the bad guys know she's still around in some capacity, for the most part our life is in LA. All her friends have accepted Buffy is still Buffy. Her slip isn't even talked about anymore. Dawn lives with Giles, but Buffy is still officially her guardian. Dawn is talking about coming to stay with us at the hotel in the summer. The gang here gets along with Buffy. Cordy and her still snipe at each other from time to time, but that's normal. Gunn seems to trust her more then he trusts me. There's something about her no one can keep from loving.
I never realized I could have such a good life. I should be suffering an eternity of torment in hell. I'm not because of her. She saved me, her love for me brought me back from Hell. The reason for my good life, the reason for everything is snuggling up next to me, fighting waking up the way she always does.
Our peaceful bliss is broken. Something shatters downstairs and Buffy and I both are instantly awake. We take the time to throw on clothes and run down the stairs. Cordy is lying on her back in the middle of the lobby. There is a broken vase, a Ming dynasty priceless vase, and an arrangement of flowers beside her. Wes, Fred and Gunn are both gathered around her.
"Vision?" I ask, even though there is little else that would cause this.
"Yeah, it must have been a bad one. " Gunn says.
I crouch down near her. Someone should have caught her. She's going to have a lump from hitting her head. "Cordy, are you okay?"
She twitches. I pick her up and carry her to the couch. "Get me a damp cloth." I don't know who did it, but a wet washcloth is shoved in my hand. I drape it across her forehead. "Cordy, come on, wake up."
She groans and whispers "Water, pills."
Wes gets a bottle of pain medication that been prescribed by a doctor and a glass of water. He brings them to her. She sits up to take them and then lies back down. She keeps her eyes closed for a minute, taking deep breaths before she finally speaks.
"Okay, I don't understand this one. It's a vampire. She's really old, maybe Greek. She's wearing a toga, I think. She's sitting on a throne and she has this scepter thing in her hand. That's all they gave me." She looks apologetically to me.
"It's okay. Wes will get started doing some research. Buffy can call Giles and have him do the same thing. We'll find out who she is and what's going on." I say.
At my suggestion Buffy picks up the phone and fills Giles in on all the information we have, which isn't much. Wes retreats to the office to dig through books. Fred turns on the computer at Cordy's desk. Gunn is cleaning up the flowers, shattered vase and water.
"Angel, we have to take care of this one. The vision hangover is massive and I don't think it's going away." Cordy says.
"We'll take care of it." I promise.
R rating for sexual situations
-Angel-
I feel awkward and stumbling. I'm nervous. Buffy is so still in my arms. She's nervous too. I can smell it. Everyone cleared out of here like there was a plague. It's just me and her standing in the lobby of this hotel.
"Does it hurt?" She asks indicating my arm.
"Nothing hurts when I'm this close to you." It sounds cheesy, I know. It's a line that Liam would have used to get a girl into bed. In fact I'm pretty sure I did use it at some point. The difference is now it's true. Sometimes I wonder if Liam would have been as swept away with Buffy as I am, as Angelus is. It would make sense. There isn't a part of me that isn't in love with her.
Her lips find mine. It starts out a soft kiss, tender, thankful that I'm okay. I catch her bottom lip and gently suck on it. That's all it takes, those embers that always simmer just below the surface spark to life and become a raging inferno. I crush her to me, claiming her lips, her body, her heart and her soul as my own. I dig my fingertips into her hips and lift her up. Her arms wind around my neck and her legs wrap around my waist. She's sucking at my neck now and her fingers are wound tightly in my hair. We start up the stairs. I want the first time I make love to her without any thoughts of my soul to be in a bed. We can christen the lobby, the stairs, the couches and everything else later.
We fall in a tangled heap of limbs on the bed. I grab a handful her silky skirt and rip. It shreds easily. She giggles. I nuzzle her throat. Her blouse lands in a shredded heap next to her skirt. I let the palm of my hand just graze her breast. She draws in a sharp breathe. I love that I make her do that. She tears the button on my pants and pushes them over my hips. She uses her feet and legs to push them further down, not wanting to break contact between us. I take a deep breathe.
"Slow down. We've got the rest of forever. I want to look at you." I whisper.
I sit back on my haunches and look at her lying beautiful, pale and naked in our bed. Tears come unbidden to my eyes. I don't care if I spend the rest of my life in Hell. I've got Heaven right here in front of me and I'm afraid to touch it. I'm afraid that simple contact will wake me up and this will be just another dream, like so many dreams I've had before.
She can't stand it. She's come to the end of her patience and I love it. She sits up on her knees in front of me and takes my face in her hands. There's a moment, I couldn't tell you how long it lasted, that we look into each other. Tears threaten to spill over and I'm not sure if they are hers or mine.
"No more tears in our bed, ever." She whispers.
*
Cordy and the others had the good sense to leave us alone for three days straight. Obviously, Tara's spell worked. Blissfully happy doesn't even begin to describe life with Buffy. I still brood, I still feel remorse and I still feel guilt over all the things I did as Angelus. Sometimes I'll catch Buffy sitting under the arbor staring out into the bright sun of the courtyard with such longing on her face that I want to go sit and brood in my rooms for weeks. I don't remember ever having that longing, but Angelus never cared much about the sun, and by the time my soul was restored, I was long accustomed to not being out in the daylight.
We go up to Sunnydale at least once a week. It's a drive I've become accustomed to making. Buffy patrols, makes sure the bad guys know she's still around in some capacity, for the most part our life is in LA. All her friends have accepted Buffy is still Buffy. Her slip isn't even talked about anymore. Dawn lives with Giles, but Buffy is still officially her guardian. Dawn is talking about coming to stay with us at the hotel in the summer. The gang here gets along with Buffy. Cordy and her still snipe at each other from time to time, but that's normal. Gunn seems to trust her more then he trusts me. There's something about her no one can keep from loving.
I never realized I could have such a good life. I should be suffering an eternity of torment in hell. I'm not because of her. She saved me, her love for me brought me back from Hell. The reason for my good life, the reason for everything is snuggling up next to me, fighting waking up the way she always does.
Our peaceful bliss is broken. Something shatters downstairs and Buffy and I both are instantly awake. We take the time to throw on clothes and run down the stairs. Cordy is lying on her back in the middle of the lobby. There is a broken vase, a Ming dynasty priceless vase, and an arrangement of flowers beside her. Wes, Fred and Gunn are both gathered around her.
"Vision?" I ask, even though there is little else that would cause this.
"Yeah, it must have been a bad one. " Gunn says.
I crouch down near her. Someone should have caught her. She's going to have a lump from hitting her head. "Cordy, are you okay?"
She twitches. I pick her up and carry her to the couch. "Get me a damp cloth." I don't know who did it, but a wet washcloth is shoved in my hand. I drape it across her forehead. "Cordy, come on, wake up."
She groans and whispers "Water, pills."
Wes gets a bottle of pain medication that been prescribed by a doctor and a glass of water. He brings them to her. She sits up to take them and then lies back down. She keeps her eyes closed for a minute, taking deep breaths before she finally speaks.
"Okay, I don't understand this one. It's a vampire. She's really old, maybe Greek. She's wearing a toga, I think. She's sitting on a throne and she has this scepter thing in her hand. That's all they gave me." She looks apologetically to me.
"It's okay. Wes will get started doing some research. Buffy can call Giles and have him do the same thing. We'll find out who she is and what's going on." I say.
At my suggestion Buffy picks up the phone and fills Giles in on all the information we have, which isn't much. Wes retreats to the office to dig through books. Fred turns on the computer at Cordy's desk. Gunn is cleaning up the flowers, shattered vase and water.
"Angel, we have to take care of this one. The vision hangover is massive and I don't think it's going away." Cordy says.
"We'll take care of it." I promise.
