Part 2
Angel awoke and screamed, yet no sound came from his throat. As always the nightmares plagued him, as they had done for the better part of two years. His Childe slept beside him, a silent slumber Angel didn't wish to disturb. He rose from the huge master bed and silently moved out of the bedroom and down to his favorite place in the mansion – the fireplace in the open area downstairs. The sun had recently set, but he no longer slept past sunset, as he did before. But not anymore. Never again.
It was the nightmares that made him stay awake long after the sun rose and woke well before sunset. Sleep didn't offer rest anymore, at best he could hope for a few hours of dreamless sleep, blessed moments without torment. He knew he deserved every last bit of guilt his body could hold. Still, those precious moments were his sanctuary, as she once had been.
He lit a fire and sat down trying to sort out his thoughts. The light from the flames danced over his large muscular body as the man with the angelic face was lost in deep thought. He closed his eyes and brought forth the last memory he had of her. Her warm body beneath him. Her lips on his, the taste of summer and passion. The faint smell of vanilla that was simply her. The long strands of golden hair that had fallen in her face. Those blue eyes seeing right through him into the tormented depths of his soul. They had been one.
It had been her 17th birthday and the happiest time of his un-life. Too happy, as it turned out. His soul was lost shortly after that turning him into Angelus once again. His memories from that time was blurry and unclear. He wasn't even sure he wanted to remember what he'd done anyway.
The memories were bittersweet. Obviously he'd hurt Buffy so badly she'd run away and... He barely had the strength to think the thought through. She was dead. His true soul mate and eternal love was dead. All because he had toyed with her those weeks he was Angelus. Toyed... The word didn't even begin to describe the things he'd put her through. He sighed. Un-life was hard.
A hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality. His Childe sat down beside him, but didn't say anything. He mourned her too, although in a different way. At least they had each other. Together they sat, Sire and Childe, gazing into the fire and mourning a time that was past.
Angel awoke and screamed, yet no sound came from his throat. As always the nightmares plagued him, as they had done for the better part of two years. His Childe slept beside him, a silent slumber Angel didn't wish to disturb. He rose from the huge master bed and silently moved out of the bedroom and down to his favorite place in the mansion – the fireplace in the open area downstairs. The sun had recently set, but he no longer slept past sunset, as he did before. But not anymore. Never again.
It was the nightmares that made him stay awake long after the sun rose and woke well before sunset. Sleep didn't offer rest anymore, at best he could hope for a few hours of dreamless sleep, blessed moments without torment. He knew he deserved every last bit of guilt his body could hold. Still, those precious moments were his sanctuary, as she once had been.
He lit a fire and sat down trying to sort out his thoughts. The light from the flames danced over his large muscular body as the man with the angelic face was lost in deep thought. He closed his eyes and brought forth the last memory he had of her. Her warm body beneath him. Her lips on his, the taste of summer and passion. The faint smell of vanilla that was simply her. The long strands of golden hair that had fallen in her face. Those blue eyes seeing right through him into the tormented depths of his soul. They had been one.
It had been her 17th birthday and the happiest time of his un-life. Too happy, as it turned out. His soul was lost shortly after that turning him into Angelus once again. His memories from that time was blurry and unclear. He wasn't even sure he wanted to remember what he'd done anyway.
The memories were bittersweet. Obviously he'd hurt Buffy so badly she'd run away and... He barely had the strength to think the thought through. She was dead. His true soul mate and eternal love was dead. All because he had toyed with her those weeks he was Angelus. Toyed... The word didn't even begin to describe the things he'd put her through. He sighed. Un-life was hard.
A hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality. His Childe sat down beside him, but didn't say anything. He mourned her too, although in a different way. At least they had each other. Together they sat, Sire and Childe, gazing into the fire and mourning a time that was past.