Chapter Eleven
"So how does this work?" Buffy asked.
"I'll open the mansion back up and we'll spend a few days in Sunnydale, just to insure that the local vamp population realizes the Slayer is back in full swing. We'll move some of your things into a room here. We'll see how things go, where the visions take us. I can't give you a set ratio of how much time we'll spend there or here." Angel said.
Buffy chewed on her bottom lip. "I sorta of have a job, a suck job but a job, at the Doublemeat Palace. I'm on vacation but it ends in a couple of days."
"You now have a job with Angel Investigations." Angel said.
Buffy shook her head. "I can't take money from you, Angel."
'Why not? Gunn and Wes get paid. Doyle got paid. You're my seer now. If you were anyone else I'd pay you. There's no reason not to take the money. If it makes you feel better you can work on the filing system and answer phones when we're here." Angel said.
Buffy sighed. "It's too much like you're supporting me."
"And if I were, what's wrong with that?" Angel asked.
Buffy shrugged. "It's not-I mean-I'm not your wife. "
Angel smiled a little. "Do you still have your claddagh ring?"
She nodded. "I keep it locked in my jewelry box at home. It was-it hurt too much to wear it."
Angel nodded. "I know. According to tradition, you became my wife on your seventeenth birthday, when you took the ring and we consummated the relationship."
Buffy stared at him, mouth agape. "And you're just mentioning this now why?"
Angel shrugged. "It-after everything that happened I thought maybe it was better if I didn't. I was going to tell you the next morning. I never got the chance."
Buffy sat on the couch in stunned silence.
"Buffy, it doesn't mean anything. It's not even close to legal. It wouldn't stand up in the court of law." Angel said.
Buffy looked in his eyes. "If I were to go put my ring back on, what would it mean to you?"
"The same thing it's always meant to me, you're my wife." Angel said. His voice was soft in the silence of the lobby.
Buffy placed her hand at the nape of his neck. She pulled him close and just brushed his lips with her own. The fire that was ever present between them flared and another five minutes would have found them in an embarrassing situation. Giles cleared his throat, interrupting them before any clothing was removed or unbuttoned. Buffy blushed, properly chastened.
"So what's the deal, Watcher Mine? When is the council coming to poke and prod at me?" Buffy asked, more to cover the awkward silence then anything.
"They aren't, actually. They merely wish Wesley and me to keep a sharp eye and detailed reports on you. They confirmed that there has never been a slayer in history to receive visions from the powers that be." Giles said.
"Oh, goody, I love being a trend setter. In a couple of months it will be what all the slayers are doing." Buffy quipped.
Angel grinned. "Buffy and I have been discussing the situation. She doesn't need to patrol alone. She had a close call last night because a vamp caught her in the middle of a vision. Neither of us is willing to risk her friends in Sunnydale. We've agreed that I'm the best backup she can have in this situation. We'll be shuttling back and forth between LA and Sunnydale as the visions and the Hellmouth require."
Wes nodded. "It sounds like a solid plan to me. Gunn and I can handle the more mundane things here and even most of the vision situations should you be needed in Sunnydale."
"Thanks, Wes." Angel said.
Buffy yawned. "Ok, vision stuff still draining. Please tell me it gets easier."
Angel smiled at her. "You get used to it. You should sleep."
"Just point me to a bed." Buffy said.
*
The next day Buffy and Giles left for Sunnydale after lunch. Angel was going to follow them when dark fell. Buffy quit the Doublemeat Palace with no regrets. She wouldn't be sad to bid goodbye to the smell of grease that seemed to work its way under her very skin.
Her next order of business was to talk to Willow and Dawn. Willow still lived at the house on Revello with Buffy and Dawn. Buffy explained to both of them about the visions and the plan she and Angel had devised.
"So, Will, do you mind being the grown up in the house when I'm in LA?" Buffy asked.
"Nope, Dawnie and I will be fine." Willow said.
Buffy looked at Dawn for her answer.
"I don't need a baby sitter." Dawn said.
"I know you don't, Dawn, but your not old enough to live by yourself here and if something happened two hours is a long way. I'll feel better knowing Willow is here looking out for you when I'm gone." Buffy said.
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Can I go now? I'm expecting a call from Janice."
Buffy sighed. "Sure, I just wanted to make sure you were okay with this."
Dawn looked almost apologetic. She smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay with it. Is Angel going to be staying here when you're in Sunnydale?"
Buffy shook her head. "It's best all around if we have minimal contact, curse still an issue. He'll stay at the mansion."
"But he'll be around?" Dawn said.
"Yes, he'll be around." Buffy said. Dawn had always liked Angel. When she had been younger she'd been fascinated by Angel not having a reflection.
"Good," Dawn said as she ran up the stairs.
Buffy leaned back against the couch.
"Hey, are you okay?" Willow asked.
Buffy nodded after a moment. "Yeah, this is just all new ground for me, for everyone."
"What are they like?" Willow asked.
"The visions? They're scary. It's like I'm there, Will. It's almost like I'm both observer and victim at the same time. I can feel what they feel, even smell and taste what they smell. The other night in the cemetery, that girl was so scared and I could feel it. I was terrified, only it was me. It was her. It made me throw up, which fun fact to know, vamps aren't bothered by vomit, at least that one the other night wasn't." Buffy said.
"And I would have thought it'd be a great defense mechanism." Willow grinned.
"I've got to go pack. Angel wants me to move some of my things into the hotel so that I won't have to pack a bag every time we head to LA." Buffy said.
*
Buffy and Angel spent four days in Sunnydale. A vision, complete with blinding pain, sent them back to LA. Buffy, Angel, Wes and Gunn took care of the Ulkrash demons attempting to raise a demon lord in short order. The dull nagging ache the vision left in Buffy's head went away almost the instant the demons were dead.
Buffy unpacked her bag. She hung clothes in the closet and folded them into drawers. Her room was right next to Angel's. As if by mutual agreement, both she and Angel had resumed wearing their claddagh rings. They had very fleetingly considered her moving into Angel's suite. It only took one over-heated make out session on his bed that resulted in too much clothing being removed to convince them both that Angel's soul was safer if Buffy slept in another room.
That didn't make being around each other twenty four hours a day any easier. Sometimes Buffy thought it made it harder. They kept their touches chaste and limited. Angel rarely kissed her on the mouth. Kisses on the mouth led to kisses on the neck, which lead to moaning and clothing being removed. Instead he'd place a gentle kiss on her forehead or the crown of her head. At one time he was fond of kissing the knuckles of her hand; they even got carried away with that, so kisses were regulated to safer areas, like her forehead.
The only exception to the touching rule was when Buffy had a vision. They nearly always sent her to her knees. Angel was always there to catch her. It was almost worth the blinding pain to come too in his embrace, pulled firmly against his chest. He never held her for long. It was too tempting.
Buffy took a deep breath. The hotel was silent. Wes and Gunn had gone to bed for the night. She knocked softly on the door. Angel answered after a moment. He wore black sweats and was in the process of tugging a shirt over his head when he opened the door. Buffy's breath caught in her throat at the glimpse of pale skin she saw. She admonished herself in her mind. It was a glimpse of his stomach, nothing worth getting this excited about. Her body disagreed.
"Uhm, I-could we go back to Sunnydale? I want to see Dawn and Will. The visions have been quiet the last couple of days and I want to make sure the demons know I'm still around." Buffy tried to control the blush that threatened to creep up her face. The real reason she wanted to go back to Sunnydale was because at least there her body had a reprieve from the want-so-much-can't-have war that raged inside of it when she was in LA and they were both cloistered in the hotel.
"Okay. Did you want to leave tonight?" Angel asked.
Buffy nodded. "If you don't mind."
"Is something wrong?" Angel asked.
Buffy sighed. She'd never been able to effectively hold things from him. "I just need a break."
Sadness filled Angel's eyes, rushing in like water. He nodded. "I could use one too."
"I'm sorry," Buffy said.
He shook his head. "It's hard, for both of us. I feel it too, every second. Sometimes a little bit of time apart makes it easier."
Buffy nodded. "Let me just run go get my jacket."
"I'll leave a note for Wes and Gunn." Angel said.
When Buffy went down the stairs, having retrieved her jacket and her bag of favorite weapons, Angel was just finishing up a note for Wes and Gunn. He was dressed in his traditional black slacks, long sleeved tee shirt and a black wool overcoat. He smiled at her and heat crept up her skin like flames. Buffy took a deep breath and it ended up shaky.
"Sorry," Angel whispered.
"God, we can't even smile at each other anymore. This-we've got to do something, Angel. This isn't working. I'm wearing turtleneck sweaters and sweatpants in summer weather and you're apologizing for smiling at me." Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
"I know." Angel said. It was a quiet, resigned sound.
The drive to Sunnydale was utterly silent. Buffy kept her window down, letting the cool ocean breeze chill her perpetually over- heated skin. Angel dropped her off at the house on Revello and went to spend the night in the mansion. His hand brushed hers as they said good night but it was as much contact as they dared. They were both all too aware that the mansion was empty. There would be no Gunn or Wes or Willow or Dawn to stop them.
Buffy locked the door behind her. She leaned back against it and bowed her head until her chin almost touched her chest. Tears fell from her eyes hot and silent. She didn't hear Willow come down the stairs until she was in front of her. Willow took her hands and guided her to the couch without a word. Her arms went around Buffy and that brought fresh tears to the surface. Buffy sobbed in her best friends arms for a long time before the tears abated.
"What happened, Buffy?" Willow asked.
Buffy curled up in the corner of the couch. She grabbed a tissue from the side table and blew her nose. Her eyes felt swollen and sore. "We're coming apart at the seams, Will."
"You and Angel had a fight?" Willow asked.
Buffy shook her head. "It might be easier if we did fight. We just tiptoe around each other, scared to touch each other. He apologized for smiling tonight."
Willow looked at her confused. Buffy tried to explain. "It's too much. We can't even touch, hell I can't even look at him without wanting him so much it hurts."
"Oh," Willow said, still confused. She blushed bright red when she finally got it. "Oh! His soul and the not-well you know."
Buffy nodded. "The whole reason we came back tonight was because if I spent one more moment that close to him I was going to completely lose it. We both needed the time apart."
"I've been trying to research curses and soul magic, there are just not many instances of a soul being put back in a body that's not a zombie. In fact the only one I can find is Angel." Willow said.
"I know you've been trying, Will. It's just-we've got to find something soon." Buffy said.
Willow nodded. "I'll put a query out on the web, see if there's anyone out there that knows anything."
Buffy nodded. She stood up and started for the stairs. "Thanks Will. I'm going to turn in for the night and I'm sorry I woke you."
Willow smiled and shook her head. "Hey, what are friends for?"
At the mansion, Angel paced. There had to be someone that knew something about curses and ways around them. With a sudden inspiration he picked up the phone and dialed a number in New York. It was answered by a man that sounded like he was still half drunk.
"I still don't want to dress like you, but I need help." Angel said.
"I knew when I helped you the first time you were going to be annoying, but waking a man up. That's beyond annoying." The man said.
"Whistler, I need you to get a message to the powers that be and I won't take no for an answer." Angel said.
"I can't just go crawling to the powers that be every time you ask, Angel." Whistler said.
"They are dangerously close to losing me and gaining Angelus if they don't step in here." Angel said.
That woke Whistler up. He sat straight up in bed and flicked on the lamp. "What's going on?"
Angel explained the situation to him.
Whistler laughed. "So you're calling me to go talk to the powers because you're horny?"
Angel growled into the phone. "It's more then that and you know it. They gave her the visions. They've forced us to work together. The curse shouldn't be a problem for them, especially if they want to keep Angelus locked in his cage."
Whistler grumbled. No one wanted Angelus loose again. The last time he'd been out he'd almost succeeded in sucking the world into hell. "I'll talk to them. I'm not promising anything. They're going to see this as a matter of love, not worth their time."
"Then make it worth their time." Angel said as he hung up the phone.
"So how does this work?" Buffy asked.
"I'll open the mansion back up and we'll spend a few days in Sunnydale, just to insure that the local vamp population realizes the Slayer is back in full swing. We'll move some of your things into a room here. We'll see how things go, where the visions take us. I can't give you a set ratio of how much time we'll spend there or here." Angel said.
Buffy chewed on her bottom lip. "I sorta of have a job, a suck job but a job, at the Doublemeat Palace. I'm on vacation but it ends in a couple of days."
"You now have a job with Angel Investigations." Angel said.
Buffy shook her head. "I can't take money from you, Angel."
'Why not? Gunn and Wes get paid. Doyle got paid. You're my seer now. If you were anyone else I'd pay you. There's no reason not to take the money. If it makes you feel better you can work on the filing system and answer phones when we're here." Angel said.
Buffy sighed. "It's too much like you're supporting me."
"And if I were, what's wrong with that?" Angel asked.
Buffy shrugged. "It's not-I mean-I'm not your wife. "
Angel smiled a little. "Do you still have your claddagh ring?"
She nodded. "I keep it locked in my jewelry box at home. It was-it hurt too much to wear it."
Angel nodded. "I know. According to tradition, you became my wife on your seventeenth birthday, when you took the ring and we consummated the relationship."
Buffy stared at him, mouth agape. "And you're just mentioning this now why?"
Angel shrugged. "It-after everything that happened I thought maybe it was better if I didn't. I was going to tell you the next morning. I never got the chance."
Buffy sat on the couch in stunned silence.
"Buffy, it doesn't mean anything. It's not even close to legal. It wouldn't stand up in the court of law." Angel said.
Buffy looked in his eyes. "If I were to go put my ring back on, what would it mean to you?"
"The same thing it's always meant to me, you're my wife." Angel said. His voice was soft in the silence of the lobby.
Buffy placed her hand at the nape of his neck. She pulled him close and just brushed his lips with her own. The fire that was ever present between them flared and another five minutes would have found them in an embarrassing situation. Giles cleared his throat, interrupting them before any clothing was removed or unbuttoned. Buffy blushed, properly chastened.
"So what's the deal, Watcher Mine? When is the council coming to poke and prod at me?" Buffy asked, more to cover the awkward silence then anything.
"They aren't, actually. They merely wish Wesley and me to keep a sharp eye and detailed reports on you. They confirmed that there has never been a slayer in history to receive visions from the powers that be." Giles said.
"Oh, goody, I love being a trend setter. In a couple of months it will be what all the slayers are doing." Buffy quipped.
Angel grinned. "Buffy and I have been discussing the situation. She doesn't need to patrol alone. She had a close call last night because a vamp caught her in the middle of a vision. Neither of us is willing to risk her friends in Sunnydale. We've agreed that I'm the best backup she can have in this situation. We'll be shuttling back and forth between LA and Sunnydale as the visions and the Hellmouth require."
Wes nodded. "It sounds like a solid plan to me. Gunn and I can handle the more mundane things here and even most of the vision situations should you be needed in Sunnydale."
"Thanks, Wes." Angel said.
Buffy yawned. "Ok, vision stuff still draining. Please tell me it gets easier."
Angel smiled at her. "You get used to it. You should sleep."
"Just point me to a bed." Buffy said.
*
The next day Buffy and Giles left for Sunnydale after lunch. Angel was going to follow them when dark fell. Buffy quit the Doublemeat Palace with no regrets. She wouldn't be sad to bid goodbye to the smell of grease that seemed to work its way under her very skin.
Her next order of business was to talk to Willow and Dawn. Willow still lived at the house on Revello with Buffy and Dawn. Buffy explained to both of them about the visions and the plan she and Angel had devised.
"So, Will, do you mind being the grown up in the house when I'm in LA?" Buffy asked.
"Nope, Dawnie and I will be fine." Willow said.
Buffy looked at Dawn for her answer.
"I don't need a baby sitter." Dawn said.
"I know you don't, Dawn, but your not old enough to live by yourself here and if something happened two hours is a long way. I'll feel better knowing Willow is here looking out for you when I'm gone." Buffy said.
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Can I go now? I'm expecting a call from Janice."
Buffy sighed. "Sure, I just wanted to make sure you were okay with this."
Dawn looked almost apologetic. She smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay with it. Is Angel going to be staying here when you're in Sunnydale?"
Buffy shook her head. "It's best all around if we have minimal contact, curse still an issue. He'll stay at the mansion."
"But he'll be around?" Dawn said.
"Yes, he'll be around." Buffy said. Dawn had always liked Angel. When she had been younger she'd been fascinated by Angel not having a reflection.
"Good," Dawn said as she ran up the stairs.
Buffy leaned back against the couch.
"Hey, are you okay?" Willow asked.
Buffy nodded after a moment. "Yeah, this is just all new ground for me, for everyone."
"What are they like?" Willow asked.
"The visions? They're scary. It's like I'm there, Will. It's almost like I'm both observer and victim at the same time. I can feel what they feel, even smell and taste what they smell. The other night in the cemetery, that girl was so scared and I could feel it. I was terrified, only it was me. It was her. It made me throw up, which fun fact to know, vamps aren't bothered by vomit, at least that one the other night wasn't." Buffy said.
"And I would have thought it'd be a great defense mechanism." Willow grinned.
"I've got to go pack. Angel wants me to move some of my things into the hotel so that I won't have to pack a bag every time we head to LA." Buffy said.
*
Buffy and Angel spent four days in Sunnydale. A vision, complete with blinding pain, sent them back to LA. Buffy, Angel, Wes and Gunn took care of the Ulkrash demons attempting to raise a demon lord in short order. The dull nagging ache the vision left in Buffy's head went away almost the instant the demons were dead.
Buffy unpacked her bag. She hung clothes in the closet and folded them into drawers. Her room was right next to Angel's. As if by mutual agreement, both she and Angel had resumed wearing their claddagh rings. They had very fleetingly considered her moving into Angel's suite. It only took one over-heated make out session on his bed that resulted in too much clothing being removed to convince them both that Angel's soul was safer if Buffy slept in another room.
That didn't make being around each other twenty four hours a day any easier. Sometimes Buffy thought it made it harder. They kept their touches chaste and limited. Angel rarely kissed her on the mouth. Kisses on the mouth led to kisses on the neck, which lead to moaning and clothing being removed. Instead he'd place a gentle kiss on her forehead or the crown of her head. At one time he was fond of kissing the knuckles of her hand; they even got carried away with that, so kisses were regulated to safer areas, like her forehead.
The only exception to the touching rule was when Buffy had a vision. They nearly always sent her to her knees. Angel was always there to catch her. It was almost worth the blinding pain to come too in his embrace, pulled firmly against his chest. He never held her for long. It was too tempting.
Buffy took a deep breath. The hotel was silent. Wes and Gunn had gone to bed for the night. She knocked softly on the door. Angel answered after a moment. He wore black sweats and was in the process of tugging a shirt over his head when he opened the door. Buffy's breath caught in her throat at the glimpse of pale skin she saw. She admonished herself in her mind. It was a glimpse of his stomach, nothing worth getting this excited about. Her body disagreed.
"Uhm, I-could we go back to Sunnydale? I want to see Dawn and Will. The visions have been quiet the last couple of days and I want to make sure the demons know I'm still around." Buffy tried to control the blush that threatened to creep up her face. The real reason she wanted to go back to Sunnydale was because at least there her body had a reprieve from the want-so-much-can't-have war that raged inside of it when she was in LA and they were both cloistered in the hotel.
"Okay. Did you want to leave tonight?" Angel asked.
Buffy nodded. "If you don't mind."
"Is something wrong?" Angel asked.
Buffy sighed. She'd never been able to effectively hold things from him. "I just need a break."
Sadness filled Angel's eyes, rushing in like water. He nodded. "I could use one too."
"I'm sorry," Buffy said.
He shook his head. "It's hard, for both of us. I feel it too, every second. Sometimes a little bit of time apart makes it easier."
Buffy nodded. "Let me just run go get my jacket."
"I'll leave a note for Wes and Gunn." Angel said.
When Buffy went down the stairs, having retrieved her jacket and her bag of favorite weapons, Angel was just finishing up a note for Wes and Gunn. He was dressed in his traditional black slacks, long sleeved tee shirt and a black wool overcoat. He smiled at her and heat crept up her skin like flames. Buffy took a deep breath and it ended up shaky.
"Sorry," Angel whispered.
"God, we can't even smile at each other anymore. This-we've got to do something, Angel. This isn't working. I'm wearing turtleneck sweaters and sweatpants in summer weather and you're apologizing for smiling at me." Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
"I know." Angel said. It was a quiet, resigned sound.
The drive to Sunnydale was utterly silent. Buffy kept her window down, letting the cool ocean breeze chill her perpetually over- heated skin. Angel dropped her off at the house on Revello and went to spend the night in the mansion. His hand brushed hers as they said good night but it was as much contact as they dared. They were both all too aware that the mansion was empty. There would be no Gunn or Wes or Willow or Dawn to stop them.
Buffy locked the door behind her. She leaned back against it and bowed her head until her chin almost touched her chest. Tears fell from her eyes hot and silent. She didn't hear Willow come down the stairs until she was in front of her. Willow took her hands and guided her to the couch without a word. Her arms went around Buffy and that brought fresh tears to the surface. Buffy sobbed in her best friends arms for a long time before the tears abated.
"What happened, Buffy?" Willow asked.
Buffy curled up in the corner of the couch. She grabbed a tissue from the side table and blew her nose. Her eyes felt swollen and sore. "We're coming apart at the seams, Will."
"You and Angel had a fight?" Willow asked.
Buffy shook her head. "It might be easier if we did fight. We just tiptoe around each other, scared to touch each other. He apologized for smiling tonight."
Willow looked at her confused. Buffy tried to explain. "It's too much. We can't even touch, hell I can't even look at him without wanting him so much it hurts."
"Oh," Willow said, still confused. She blushed bright red when she finally got it. "Oh! His soul and the not-well you know."
Buffy nodded. "The whole reason we came back tonight was because if I spent one more moment that close to him I was going to completely lose it. We both needed the time apart."
"I've been trying to research curses and soul magic, there are just not many instances of a soul being put back in a body that's not a zombie. In fact the only one I can find is Angel." Willow said.
"I know you've been trying, Will. It's just-we've got to find something soon." Buffy said.
Willow nodded. "I'll put a query out on the web, see if there's anyone out there that knows anything."
Buffy nodded. She stood up and started for the stairs. "Thanks Will. I'm going to turn in for the night and I'm sorry I woke you."
Willow smiled and shook her head. "Hey, what are friends for?"
At the mansion, Angel paced. There had to be someone that knew something about curses and ways around them. With a sudden inspiration he picked up the phone and dialed a number in New York. It was answered by a man that sounded like he was still half drunk.
"I still don't want to dress like you, but I need help." Angel said.
"I knew when I helped you the first time you were going to be annoying, but waking a man up. That's beyond annoying." The man said.
"Whistler, I need you to get a message to the powers that be and I won't take no for an answer." Angel said.
"I can't just go crawling to the powers that be every time you ask, Angel." Whistler said.
"They are dangerously close to losing me and gaining Angelus if they don't step in here." Angel said.
That woke Whistler up. He sat straight up in bed and flicked on the lamp. "What's going on?"
Angel explained the situation to him.
Whistler laughed. "So you're calling me to go talk to the powers because you're horny?"
Angel growled into the phone. "It's more then that and you know it. They gave her the visions. They've forced us to work together. The curse shouldn't be a problem for them, especially if they want to keep Angelus locked in his cage."
Whistler grumbled. No one wanted Angelus loose again. The last time he'd been out he'd almost succeeded in sucking the world into hell. "I'll talk to them. I'm not promising anything. They're going to see this as a matter of love, not worth their time."
"Then make it worth their time." Angel said as he hung up the phone.