Dedication: To everyone who has reviewed and enjoys my fanfic. I appreciate it so much. Thank you.

Author's Notes: The song is "The Nearness of You" by Norah Jones. Also, just another reminder that most of the events of Angel season 4 are not happening. It would only complicate things. So Cordelia is normal, and her and Connor never slept together. Also, I ran with my artistic licsense and decided that Xander and Anya would have gotten married if Buffy hadn't been there. After seeing the "future" in Hells Bells, I really believe this would have happened. If you don't agree, I'm sorry. Also, many people have asked about various characters. As for Spike, I love him too, but he just doesn't have a place in this story. Sorry. And she does know of Faith and Wes. All the events of season 3 happened as we saw on TV. I am also very pleased that people are becoming interested in "the choice," which most of this fanfic will revolve around from this point on. Enjoy!!





Part 7


Saturday February 21, 2003

Los Angeles California


Cordelia and Fred sat around the lobby of the Hyperion Hotel in silence. Gunn and Wesley were off fighting a demon for their latest client, Lorne was off....somewhere, and Connor was...well they didn't know where Connor was. No one at Angel Investigations had seen him since Tuesday, and they were starting to worry.

"I wonder why Angel didn't call last night," Fred said. When they talked to him on Monday, he said he would call Friday night. But he never did.

"I'll tell you why. Him and Buffy were probably too busy getting it on," Cordelia said, trying to hide the jealousy in her voice.

Fred blushed slightly. "Cordy, he just went to New York a week ago. You can't assume that they're already...doing that."

Cordelia gave her a look. "Hon, you luckily didn't have a front row seat for Act I of the Buffy and Angel relationship. I'm sure they didn't waste any time."

There was a silence. A moment later, Wesley and Gunn walked in, both covered with slime.

"Oh my God, what happened to you guys?" Fred asked, running toward them.

Wesley looked at her. "Bolnark demon. Very slimy. We tried, but it escaped."

"Is that the demon that those people called about, the one that lives under their house?" Cordelia attempted to brush off Gunn's face.

"Yes. We found it in the sewers, directly under their home. I understand why they were so upset. It smelled awful, and we think it was going up to the surface."

Gunn carefully removed his slimy coat. "What a lovely start to a weekend. Wes and I get all slimy, and then the demon escapes."

There was silence. They were all thinking the same thing. Only, as usual, it was Cordelia who said it.

"We need Angel."

The others nodded slowly.

The door to the hotel opened. "Oh what a beautiful moooooooorning!" Lorne sang as he walked through the door. Then he stopped dead when he saw the state of Gunn and Wesley. "Bless my horns, what happened to you?"

"Bolnark demon," Wesley said, as he headed slowly removed his coat.

Lorne shook his head. "If Angel-cakes could see this, he would know how much he's needed around here."

Fred spoke hesitantly. "Yeah, we probably could use somebody with superpowers to help us take care of the Bolnark demon."

At that moment Connor walked through the doors of the Hyperion Hotel. Everyone looked at each other.

"Is Da-er, Angelus back yet?" the teen asked, not bothering with formalities. A lot of progress had been made during the past few months between father and son, but Connor didn't want the others to know that he was beginning to think of him as his father.

Cordelia shook her head sadly. "No, he's still in New York. He should be calling sometime today though!" She glanced at the others nervously.

"Huh. It figures. Guess he's just trying to show how much he cares," Connor muttered as he headed for the door.

"Wait! Connor, don't go," Fred called out. She paused nervously. "We haven't seen you in a while, what have you been up to?"

She instantly realized it was a mistake. "Why do you care? You just talk to me because Angelus tells you to." He continued to walk towards the doors.

Gunn and Wesley looked at each other and smiled. "Yo, Connor, hold up!" Gunn called. "You feel like helping us fight a demon?"

Connor stopped and turned around. "A demon?" Suddenly his day was looking up.




New York City

the same morning


The first strains of morning touched Angel's face, and he slowly woke up. It took him a moment to realize where he was, but the events of the previous night quickly came back to him, and he smiled. He turned over to see Buffy lying there, still asleep.

She was so beautiful. The sun touched her face, which was smiling slightly. Her blonde hair was spread around her on her pillow, and the blankets just barely covered her naked form. Silently he stroked her hair.

A moment later she began to stir. Her eyes drifted open, and she looked at him. "Good morning, sleepyhead," Angel said with a smile.

Grinning, Buffy pulled him into a kiss. When they broke apart, she settled in his arms and they lied there together.

"Last night was perfect," Buffy said.

Angel smiled. "We will have many more just like it."

She hesitated. "The only thing that I regret is that we wasted almost a year of your humanity being apart."

He kissed her head. "We will make up for it."

She smiled and looked over her shoulder at him. "Well that is a lot of time to make up for." She turned around to face him. "I think we better start now."

They kissed, and Angel gently moved on top of her. Then Buffy looked to the side and groaned.

"What is it?"

She pouted. "My alarm is going to go off in two minutes. I have to go to work."

Angel groaned and moved slowly and reluctantly off of her. "Can't you take the day off?"

"I wish I could, but at a small newspaper, where you are lucky to have the job you have without a college degree, every minute counts. And I was already late last week because of you."

He smiled. "It was one week ago today that I found you." He paused. "The happiest day of my life. Until now." They kissed again.

The alarm went off. They looked at each other and groaned.

"As much as I hate this, I have to go shower," she said sadly, turning it off. Then she smiled slightly. "I would invite you, but I don't think my dorm mates would appreciate a man in their shower room." She smirked. "Even if he is a very handsome man."

He smiled back. "That's ok. Listen, how about tonight, when you get off, you can come to my hotel room and we can start making up for some of that lost time."

She smiled. "That sounds perfect." After a final kiss, she got up, wrapped in the sheet, and began to gather her things. He watched as she slipped on a pair of sweats and a tank top and headed out towards the showers.

When she was gone, he sighed. Boy did he love this girl.

He began to fetch his clothes from around the room and dressed. When he was done, there was a knock at the door.

"Lynn, I am so so sorry, I hate to interrupt, but I forgot my resume, and you know I have that important audition this morning, and if I could just sneak in for one minute, I will keep my eyes closed-"

Angel opened the door and interrupted Tracey's babbling. "Hi Tracey. Buffy's off showering, it's perfectly fine."

"Oh! Okay then." The short brunette walked quickly into the room and began rummaging around on her desk. At one point she looked sideways at Angel. "So I take it from the fact that you're still here and wearing the same clothes that Operation Red Dress was a success?"

Angel chuckled. "I suppose you could say that."

Triumphantly she pulled a sheet of paper from the desk. "Well, I found it. I just need to grab one more thing and then I'll be on my way." She opened a drawer.

"So, you want to be an actress?"

She nodded. "Since I was little." She blushed and looked down. "But it's not going so well. I've been auditioning since sophomore year and I still haven't landed even a commercial." She stood and closed the drawer. "But you can't give up, right?"

Angel nodded. But it was obvious that the whole thing upset Tracey. As she walked toward the door, he thought up one way to make her feel better.

"Tracey?" She paused and looked at him. "I just wanted to thank you. For...you know, being here for her when I...wasn't."

She smiled. "It's been my pleasure." She opened the door. "I really wish you two the best. But be warned: if you break her heart again...you have to deal with me. And most of the Columbia University cheer squad."

Angel laughed. "I'll remember that." Then she was gone.

A moment later Buffy reentered the room, wearing only a towel. "I missed you," she said, giving him a kiss.

"I missed you more."

Buffy began rummaging in the closet for something to wear. "Tracey was just here. She needed to pick up some stuff before her audition."

"Oh yeah, the toothpaste commercial! I forgot that was today." She held up a shirt. "I really feel bad for her. She is having some, er, problems getting her acting career off the ground."

Angel nodded. "I'm sure her day will come."

Buffy dropped the towel and began to get dressed, much to Angel's amusement. "So, what time will you stop by tonight?"

"Probably around 7. Work usually goes pretty late today. Sunday issue and all."

He nodded. She was now dressed in jeans and a black shirt. She began brushing her hair. "So what are you up to today?" she said.

"Well I have to call L.A. I was actually supposed to last night...but I was otherwise engaged." He smirked.

She laughed. "That you were." After putting on some quick makeup, she began putting papers into her messenger bag. Soon she was ready to go.

The recently reunited couple walked downstairs and onto the sidewalk to call a cab. One pulled to a stop near the curb. "Well, I'll see you tonight then," said the petite former slayer. They kissed. "Love you."

"Love you too." Then she climbed into the cab, and with a final wave, she was gone.





A half hour later, Buffy walked happily into the Manhatten Tribune office. "Hey everyone," she said cheerfully. A chorus of "Hey, Lynn"s sounded throughout the still half empty office. She sat down at her cubicle and began to sort through her mail.

"Hello Lynn, nice to see you here on time," Donna said as she walked by.

"Good morning to you too!" Buffy called after her.

Then one of the business editors, Nathan, walked by. "Hey, Lynn. You look happy today," he commented. Nathan was 24 and a NYU graduate.

She smiled. "As a matter of fact I am."

"A guy?"

She grinned. "Oh yeah."

They both laughed. "See ya later," he said.

Then she smiled and prepared for another day at work.



Four hours later she groaned and leaned back in her chair. Her good mood was on the verge of disappearing. Since she arrived, she had answered multiple phone calls and emails, written 3 articles, visited a crime scene, and done an interview. Things were truly crazy, and she was thankful it was time for her lunch break. She rose to leave, and then hesitated. She had a better idea.

She sat down and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed the number, and waited for the long distance call to go through. "Hello?" answered the familiar British voice on the other end.

"Hi Giles. It's Ly-Buffy," she said, quickly correcting herself.

"Buffy! Hello! It's great to hear from you. How are you?"

She chatted with Giles a minute. "I trust that you and Angel have been.....talking?"

And a whole lot more. "Yes we have. Giles, we're actually....we're back together."

There was a brief pause, and she could almost hear him wiping his glasses. "Oh! Well, that's wonderful, I'm happy for you."

"Thank you."

"The others are also here. Would you like to speak to them?"

Buffy sat up straight. "Yes! I'd love that."

"Okay. I'll put Willow on."

She waited a moment. "Hey Buffy!" sounded the energetic voice of the red-haired witch.

She grinned. "Hey Willow." They chatted for a few minutes, about the demon activity in Sunnydale, and about Buffy's classes.

"I still can't believe you're going to Columbia! I mean...it's Columbia!"

Buffy laughed.

"So...how are things with you and Angel?"

"We're actually back together."

There was a brief pause. "That's great Buffy! I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks." Buffy was temporarily sad when she realized that a few years ago she would have told Willow everything about her night with Angel. But things had changed. A lot. Now Tracey was her best friend. But hearing Willow's voice still made part of her ache to see her and the rest of the gang.

"Oh, and I'm sorry about what happened with Oz. Angel told me."

"Thanks. But that was a long time ago, and I've gotten past it now." She smiled at Tara, who was sitting on Giles's couch.

"So, are you going out with someone else now?"

"Actually I've been wanting to talk to you about that."

Buffy's eyes widened slightly as she listened. "Well, that's great! I'm glad you're happy."

"You would really like Tara. I can't wait for you to meet her."

Her words jolted Buffy in a way. "Yeah, me too."

She realized then that was something she hadn't even thought about. When would she see her Sunnydale friends again?

Was she ever going back to Sunnydale?

"Buffy? Are you there?"

Willow's voice jolted her back to reality. "Yeah, sorry."

"So, Xander wants to talk to you. Talk to you soon!"

"Bye Will."

A moment later, Xander's familiar voice spoke to her. "Buffster! What's up?"

She smiled at the use of the old nickname. "Not much. Just wanted to call and say hello." She sighed. "So Angel tells me that you're married! I can't believe it!"

He laughed. "Neither can I sometimes." Buffy noticed a change in his voice. He sounded older, more mature.

"So, I never really knew Anya that well. Are you guys happy together?"

"Yes we are. We have a nice apartment, I have a good construction job...I guess I could say that this is the good life."

Buffy smiled. She was happy for Xander, but a little amazed at how much he'd changed. She wondered if she would believe what she saw if she did return to Sunnydale.

Was there even a place for her in the changed lives of her friends?

"That's great Xander. I'm really happy for you." Just then Donna walked by her cubicle, tapping her watch pointedly. Buffy knew that her lunch break was over.

"Look, I've got to get back to work now. I'll talk to you guys soon," she said.

"Bye, Buff. Nice hearing from you."

"Bye."

She hung up, trying not to think about how huge the bill would be for that call. She thought about some of the things her friends had said. They had made her realize, that she had some hard choices ahead. She was graduating this May. But what would she do then? She knew that everyone assumed she would come to work full-time. But what about Angel? He couldn't stay in New York forever. He had a son and a business in California.

Well, I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, she just wanted to focus on her relationship with the love of her life.




Hours later, Buffy climbed out of the cab in front of the hotel. She entered and took the elevator up to the third floor, where his room was. She knocked on the door.

She had been looking forward to this all day. She had even made a special stop on the way to get something extra special.

A second later, Angel opened the door, smiling. "Hello beautiful," he said, kissing her.

"Mmmmm. I missed you today," she whispered.

"I missed you too."

Still smiling, he took her hand. Silently he lead her inside. She gasped.

Candles were lit throughout the room. Rose petals were sprinkled on the bed, and a bottle of champagne with two empty glasses sat on a table. Low music played.

"Oh my God, Angel! What did you do all of this for?"

He kissed her again. "Well, because last night was kind of impromptu, at least for me, I wanted to make tonight the romantic one that you deserve."

She felt tears in her eyes. "I love it." They kissed again.

"Would you like some champagne?" he walked over to the table and picked up the bottle.

"That would be lovely." Then a thought struck her mind. "Actually, I'll be right back. I have a little surprise of my own." She winked, went into the bathroom, and closed the door.

Wondering what it was, he popped the cork and poured two glasses. A moment later, the door to the bathroom opened. He stood speechless.

She was wearing an almost see-through, silky, spaghetti-strap white nightgown that came down very low in the front and was very short. She had let her hair down, and she stood there in the doorway, looking at him seductively.

"Wow. You look..." he shook his head. "I think that champagne will have to wait." He walked towards her as the song on the radio changed.

why do I just wither and forget all resistance
when you and your magic pass by
my heart's in a dither dear
when you're at a distance
but when you are near, oh my...

He kissed her slowly, as they slowly traveled closer to the bed. She slipped off his shirt and undid his belt.

Its not the pale moon that excites me
That thrills and delights me,
oh no
Its just the nearness of you


He sat down on the bed, her standing in front of him. He removed the nightgown from her and pulled her onto the bed with him.

It isn't your sweet conversation
That brings this sensation,
oh no
Its just the nearness of you


"I love you Buffy," he whispered as he lie on top of her.

"I love you Angel," she whispered back.

Then they continued to lose themselves in each other.

When you're in my arms
and I feel you so close to me
All my wildest dreams
came true


A little while later, they lie in bed on top of the rose petals, limbs still entwined. "That was amazing," she whispered. She really didn't know why she felt she had to whisper. She just didn't want to lose the peace of the perfect moment.

The moment of perfect bliss that would have destroyed everything a mere year earlier.

He kissed her head. "No. You were amazing." They kissed softly.


I need no soft lights to enchant me
If you'll only grant me
the right
To hold you ever so tight
And to feel in the night
the nearness of you.

Angel smiled down at her. "I don't want to ruin the moment, but I have something for you."

He sat up and reached into one of the bedside drawers. He pulled out a little box wrapped in silver paper.

Buffy sat up. "For me?"

"Yes. Here," he said, handing her the box. She quickly tore the paper open. She opened he box and gasped.

"Oh my God, Angel, they're beautiful!" She held the sparkling pink diamond earrings up to the light.

"I figured I had to find something at least half as beautiful as you are," he said, pleased that she liked them so much.

She was beaming. "Thank you so much. I love them." She gave him a hug and a kiss. Then they pulled away. "I would put them on, but you know...I wouldn't want anything to happen to them," she said with a wink.

"Oh, so you have more in mind?"

She smiled. "Oh, yeah." She kissed his chest.

He chuckled. "Well, can we at least take a break to have the champagne that I poured," he looked at the clock. "Twenty minutes ago?"

She pouted. "Okay."

He climbed out of bed, not bothering to cover up, and grabbed the two glasses of champagne. Then he climbed back into bed and handed one to his love. For a minute or so they just sat there together sipping champagne and enjoying each other's company.

"I called Sunnydale today," Buffy said, breaking the silence.

"Really? Who did you talk to?" Angel was slightly surprised that she was so eager to talk to...well, her old life.

"The whole gang. Willow, Xander, and Giles. It was great." She paused, not sure if she should continue. "Angel, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

She looked down slightly. "Talking to them made me think. About...you know....my future." She took a deep breath. "About whether or not I'll go back to Sunnydale when I graduate."

Angel nodded. He had wondered when she would mention this. He hadn't expected it to be this soon though. She really had changed.

"And I just need to know. We both know that I graduate in May. And I was wondering....what did you expect to happen then?"

He looked at her with sympathy. "Buffy, I would never expect anything from you. I know that you've built a new life here, and I know that you're happy here. I never expected that you would go back to California, if that's what you're asking."

"Really?"

"Yes! I mean, yes it's true, I do have a business there, and of course there's Connor, but that could all be arranged. I will stay with you and support you no matter what your decision is."

Tears in her eyes, Buffy looked at him. "You really mean that don't you?"

He smiled. "Yes I do." He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.

She groaned and fell back onto the pillows. "I just have no idea what I'm going to do come May. I mean, I know that I have a place in New York. I have people here that care about me. I have a job...I mean, I don't even know what I have in Sunnydale. They've all moved on. I don't know if I would fit in the way I used to."

He stroked her hair. "Well, just know that you will always have me." He shook his head. "I already left you once. I would never do that to you again."

She smiled and kissed him again. She stretched. "I don't know about you, but a nice, hot shower sounds really good right now." She smirked. "Want to join me?"

With a giggle or two they ran towards the bathroom. But Buffy was still thinking. She believed Angel, she really did. But she wondered if he was really thinking things through. He probably didn't realize what it would mean if Buffy did decide to stay in New York. She knew he loved Connor. Would he really sacrifice his whole relationship with his own son for Buffy?

Angel started the water and they climbed into the shower. As he splashed water onto her back, she felt the negative thoughts slowly disappearing. Right now, just enjoy your romantic evening with Angel.