The story's mine. The rest belong to Joss and ME.
A ringing phone brought Buffy and Spike from their deep slumber. Spike leaned over Buffy and reached for the phone.
"Ello?" Glancing at the clock to see that it was 4 am
Buffy sleepily stretched her arms out and around his neck and began to pepper kisses up and down his throat as he spoke into the phone. . "Peaches? What in hell are you callin' about this early? Somebody better be dead!" at the mention of the vampire Buffy halted her kissing and leaned back to see Spike's face.
"Yeah, well, can't you tell time, it's bloody early." Looking down at Buffy he covered the phone and whispered, "Peaches has some news, the cheerleader's awake and they're wantin' to have a word with us today. 'sat okay with you?" Buffy nodded and yawned.
"Yeah, we'll be there. Oh, and Peaches, we're glad she's awake and doing fine." With that, he hung the phone up and settled back down in the bed and Buffy snuggled back into his side.
"The Poof's takin' us to Lunch. He and the cheerleader are on their way back to LA."
"Their way back? Where did they go? When did they go? The last I heard she was still in a coma." Buffy was now propped up on one elbow.
"Said she woke up last week, right after we saw him. They're on their way back from New York. Ya know, the poof talks pretty fast when he's happy."
"And Cordy makes him happy? Who would've thought. Well, as long as he doesn't get too happy."
"Ready to go back to sleep luv?" he leaned forward and began kissing the underside of her jaw and working his way down her neck.
"I don't know, I'm pretty sleepy." As he looked up at her with disbelief she giggled and he made his move. Under the covers he went and with a shriek she disappeared under them as well.
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The restaurant was nice. The strange part was all the windows facing the bright sunshine.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Buffy couldn't believe Angel would pick this place to have lunch. Had he lost his mind?
"This is the place. Maybe he's decided to embrace his inner masochist and share it with us for a treat." The grin he was wearing and the wiggle of his eyebrows said it all. He was pushing her buttons.
At that point, Cordelia made her appearance.
"Buffy! You look great!" she hugged Buffy and turned to Spike. "Wow! This human thing works for you too." She hugged him as well and motioned for the door. "Angel's inside. He's already at our table."
Following Cordelia through the restaurant Buffy couldn't help but feel that there was more to all of this than lunch. She tightened her grasp of Spikes hand and glanced his way. She was greeted with a smile and a gentle squeeze from his hand.
When they reached the table and were seated Cordelia sat next to Angel and then it became overwhelmingly obvious. Angel had color to him. Buffy turned to Spike, who had noticed the difference almost immediately and then back to Angel and Cordy. After what seemed an eternity of silence Angel spoke up.
"We, well, I have some news." He was down right giddy. Cordy rescued the conversation.
"We were on the way to New York and we got a phone call from Wes. He said he found a note on Angel's desk. It had an address in Cleveland. We stopped there and, well"
"I shanshued!" He was practically bubbling.
"Shanshued?" Buffy was totally confused now. What did shoes have to do with Angel being what looked to be human again?
"Luv, that's the prophecy I told you about. The vampire with a soul becomes human." He couldn't blame her about the confusion. The name still sounded silly to him, but it had obviously been true.
"Peach, er, Angel, what happened in Cleveland?" he had promised to behave today. Course that was before the poof showed up with a pulse. That should call for some sort of change in the rules.
"He killed a big demon and then this light picked him up and swirled him around way up in the air and when it dropped him he was human. At least, after he came to." Cordelia had no desire to go over the details of that nasty looking thing and what it was going with all those other demon parts. Whoever came up with the way to open portals to hell anyway? Did they all have to involve gross things?
The shock wearing off, Buffy realized what had happened. Angel had finally become someone who could give a girl a normal life. Children. Grow old with. Then she looked to her right. There he sat. The love of her life.
Spike looked at Buffy as the realization hit her. The poof was human. She could be with him now. She didn't have to settle for him. He wouldn't stand in her way. If that's what she wanted, he wanted her to be happy.
He looked so worried all of a sudden. Reaching atop the table to take his hand in hers, she tried to reassure him of her choice. He still looked worried.
"You're an idiot." Angel and Cordelia both confused by the big smile on her face as she spoke. Spike looked just as confused as they were. "You really think I'd leave you now?"
Angel found the wine menu very interesting at this point. Cordelia began searching through her tiny purse for nothing in particular.
"Didn't say that luv."
"No, you didn't have to. I love you. Only you." She turned to face him in her chair and cupped his face in her hands. "Angel is my past. Yes, I loved him. Yes I still love him, but that can't compare to what I feel for you. You are my now and forever." With that she kissed him hard and his arms came up to pull her to him.
"I'm sorry luv." She pressed a finger to his lips to shush him. Tears in her eyes.
"Nothing to be sorry for. I've given you plenty of reason to worry the past couple of years, but never again. Okay?" his answer was to pull her into another kiss. Their foreheads resting on one another's I love you's having been said, Angel cleared his throat.
"Sorry bout that mate. Where were we?" Spike blinked back unshed tears as the conversation went on about the battle that ensued, much to Cordy's chagrin.
Lunch dragged on into the afternoon and plans were made for later that night. As the two couples left they stopped at the front windows. The two former vamps basking in the sunlight they had feared for so long.
"She loves you Spike. Take care of her."
"I love her. And I will. Gonna marry her Peaches."
"It's great isn't it?" knowing he didn't have to say what.
"Better than anything I've ever known."
"Thanks Spike. I know the note came from you. How did you know all that?" Wes had described a doodle on the page with the note and there was not mistaking who had drawn that. No one else would draw the pope doing those kinds of things.
"Told you. Got all kinds of info stuck in m'cranium. Just don't know what all of it means yet. Rupert's on it. I'm glad it's all workin out for you and the cheerleader."
Then it occurred to Spike that he had more news.
"Oh yeah, Buffy's got a new watcher."
"I thought she retired."
"Well, this one's kind of a special deal. Just so that she has an official one on the books and all."
"Have you met him yet?"
"Of course. You have too. You might say you're related." The smirk growing on Spikes face told it all.
"How did you get that position? The council does know you were a vampire don't they?" How was it Spike always seemed to come out on top?
A ringing phone brought Buffy and Spike from their deep slumber. Spike leaned over Buffy and reached for the phone.
"Ello?" Glancing at the clock to see that it was 4 am
Buffy sleepily stretched her arms out and around his neck and began to pepper kisses up and down his throat as he spoke into the phone. . "Peaches? What in hell are you callin' about this early? Somebody better be dead!" at the mention of the vampire Buffy halted her kissing and leaned back to see Spike's face.
"Yeah, well, can't you tell time, it's bloody early." Looking down at Buffy he covered the phone and whispered, "Peaches has some news, the cheerleader's awake and they're wantin' to have a word with us today. 'sat okay with you?" Buffy nodded and yawned.
"Yeah, we'll be there. Oh, and Peaches, we're glad she's awake and doing fine." With that, he hung the phone up and settled back down in the bed and Buffy snuggled back into his side.
"The Poof's takin' us to Lunch. He and the cheerleader are on their way back to LA."
"Their way back? Where did they go? When did they go? The last I heard she was still in a coma." Buffy was now propped up on one elbow.
"Said she woke up last week, right after we saw him. They're on their way back from New York. Ya know, the poof talks pretty fast when he's happy."
"And Cordy makes him happy? Who would've thought. Well, as long as he doesn't get too happy."
"Ready to go back to sleep luv?" he leaned forward and began kissing the underside of her jaw and working his way down her neck.
"I don't know, I'm pretty sleepy." As he looked up at her with disbelief she giggled and he made his move. Under the covers he went and with a shriek she disappeared under them as well.
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The restaurant was nice. The strange part was all the windows facing the bright sunshine.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Buffy couldn't believe Angel would pick this place to have lunch. Had he lost his mind?
"This is the place. Maybe he's decided to embrace his inner masochist and share it with us for a treat." The grin he was wearing and the wiggle of his eyebrows said it all. He was pushing her buttons.
At that point, Cordelia made her appearance.
"Buffy! You look great!" she hugged Buffy and turned to Spike. "Wow! This human thing works for you too." She hugged him as well and motioned for the door. "Angel's inside. He's already at our table."
Following Cordelia through the restaurant Buffy couldn't help but feel that there was more to all of this than lunch. She tightened her grasp of Spikes hand and glanced his way. She was greeted with a smile and a gentle squeeze from his hand.
When they reached the table and were seated Cordelia sat next to Angel and then it became overwhelmingly obvious. Angel had color to him. Buffy turned to Spike, who had noticed the difference almost immediately and then back to Angel and Cordy. After what seemed an eternity of silence Angel spoke up.
"We, well, I have some news." He was down right giddy. Cordy rescued the conversation.
"We were on the way to New York and we got a phone call from Wes. He said he found a note on Angel's desk. It had an address in Cleveland. We stopped there and, well"
"I shanshued!" He was practically bubbling.
"Shanshued?" Buffy was totally confused now. What did shoes have to do with Angel being what looked to be human again?
"Luv, that's the prophecy I told you about. The vampire with a soul becomes human." He couldn't blame her about the confusion. The name still sounded silly to him, but it had obviously been true.
"Peach, er, Angel, what happened in Cleveland?" he had promised to behave today. Course that was before the poof showed up with a pulse. That should call for some sort of change in the rules.
"He killed a big demon and then this light picked him up and swirled him around way up in the air and when it dropped him he was human. At least, after he came to." Cordelia had no desire to go over the details of that nasty looking thing and what it was going with all those other demon parts. Whoever came up with the way to open portals to hell anyway? Did they all have to involve gross things?
The shock wearing off, Buffy realized what had happened. Angel had finally become someone who could give a girl a normal life. Children. Grow old with. Then she looked to her right. There he sat. The love of her life.
Spike looked at Buffy as the realization hit her. The poof was human. She could be with him now. She didn't have to settle for him. He wouldn't stand in her way. If that's what she wanted, he wanted her to be happy.
He looked so worried all of a sudden. Reaching atop the table to take his hand in hers, she tried to reassure him of her choice. He still looked worried.
"You're an idiot." Angel and Cordelia both confused by the big smile on her face as she spoke. Spike looked just as confused as they were. "You really think I'd leave you now?"
Angel found the wine menu very interesting at this point. Cordelia began searching through her tiny purse for nothing in particular.
"Didn't say that luv."
"No, you didn't have to. I love you. Only you." She turned to face him in her chair and cupped his face in her hands. "Angel is my past. Yes, I loved him. Yes I still love him, but that can't compare to what I feel for you. You are my now and forever." With that she kissed him hard and his arms came up to pull her to him.
"I'm sorry luv." She pressed a finger to his lips to shush him. Tears in her eyes.
"Nothing to be sorry for. I've given you plenty of reason to worry the past couple of years, but never again. Okay?" his answer was to pull her into another kiss. Their foreheads resting on one another's I love you's having been said, Angel cleared his throat.
"Sorry bout that mate. Where were we?" Spike blinked back unshed tears as the conversation went on about the battle that ensued, much to Cordy's chagrin.
Lunch dragged on into the afternoon and plans were made for later that night. As the two couples left they stopped at the front windows. The two former vamps basking in the sunlight they had feared for so long.
"She loves you Spike. Take care of her."
"I love her. And I will. Gonna marry her Peaches."
"It's great isn't it?" knowing he didn't have to say what.
"Better than anything I've ever known."
"Thanks Spike. I know the note came from you. How did you know all that?" Wes had described a doodle on the page with the note and there was not mistaking who had drawn that. No one else would draw the pope doing those kinds of things.
"Told you. Got all kinds of info stuck in m'cranium. Just don't know what all of it means yet. Rupert's on it. I'm glad it's all workin out for you and the cheerleader."
Then it occurred to Spike that he had more news.
"Oh yeah, Buffy's got a new watcher."
"I thought she retired."
"Well, this one's kind of a special deal. Just so that she has an official one on the books and all."
"Have you met him yet?"
"Of course. You have too. You might say you're related." The smirk growing on Spikes face told it all.
"How did you get that position? The council does know you were a vampire don't they?" How was it Spike always seemed to come out on top?