Disclaimer: I am not Joss, if I were Angel and Buffy would be together and
the sucky season would never had happened, the song is Martina McBride's
"Safe in the Arms of Love."
Chapter 6
Buffy, Willow, and Tara walked Wesley, Fred, and Gunn to the mansion on Crawford Street, there they said their goodbyes and then went to the store. They hadn't wanted to deal with Cordy again so they didn't accept the invitation to go into the mansion. They made their way to the only grocery store in Sunnydale and went inside.
"So," Willow asked, "What do we need?"
"Milk, cereal, sugar, meat, veggies, and fruits." Buffy replied. They split up into three sections; divide and conquer. They met back at the cash register, where the put all the stuff together and waited in line.
"And what is this?" Willow asked holding up ice cream.
"A dairy product?" Buffy replied and everyone laughed, Buffy was slowly going back to being herself.
"Fine, fine, we can get the ice cream."
"I wasn't asking you anyways, mom." She retorted. When they reached the register and Buffy paid for everything they had collected. She grabbed most of the bags leaving only a few for Willow and Tara. After a quick stop at the butcher's they returned to the Summer's residence. Back at the house Spike and Angel quickly took the bags and put the items into the fridge and the cabinets.
"Wow, that didn't take you nearly as long as we thought." Angel said. The girls looked at him.
"We know how to shop thank you."
"We know that's why we were afraid." Spike replied and the three girls mocked hit him.
"As well as you should be." Buffy told him and the girls laughed, turning around and walking out, leaving Spike and Angel alone, again.
"Well," Angel said looking around and then getting up, "I'm going to follow the blonde."
"Whipped." Spike coughed into his hand smirking at Angel.
"So are you." Angel told him; then smirked when Spike started to pout.
"I'm the big bad."
"That's why we love you." Buffy told him as she walked into the conversation. "Sorry, big bad, but I'm stealing Angel here." She grabbed Angel and led him up to her room; they could hear Giles on the couch, Willow and Tara talking to Lorne, and Spike moving things in the basement. "We need to talk." She sat down on the bed and folded her hands onto her lap.
"Yes, we do." Angel agreed, taking a seat on the bed next to Buffy. "You go first." Buffy took a calming breath and began.
"I already know that you know I was in Hell." She began, finding everything but him interesting at that moment. "I'm not sure how much the Powers let you see, but they tortured me with images of you and Cordelia together and she always killed you. They showed me Angelus before he was cursed with a soul and they would take his shape and they would get in a line and.." Buffy started to cry as she remembered everything that had happened to her, Angel's heart broke as he listened to her, he gathered her in his arms and rocked her back and forth.
"It's okay love," he told her, hugging her gently, "It's okay."
"No, it really isn't." Buffy cried onto his shoulder. "They would line up and take turns raping me! I really don't find that okay."
"Neither do I, but they are gone now." he tried to comfort her, but his heart was breaking over and over again, as he silently cried with her, he shuddered in barely restrained rage. "I won't let them hurt you anymore."
"I used to dream about you." She said, "After you left and in my dreams you promised me forever, but you always left me." She took a deep breath and continued, "When I was there, they would taunt me with images of you promising to stay and then leaving. You would always save me, but then you would always give me back to them. Because you were disgusted with me."
"I am not disgusted with you." He told her ferociously, making her turn around and face him.
"Yes, you are." She told him, "I could feel you shudder when I was telling you what had happened." She tried to burrow back into his embrace, but he was unwilling to let her, "Not that I can blame you though."
"I shuddered in rage." Angel told her, forcing her to look at him. "I love you and I am not disgusted in you. If anyone should be disgusted, it should be you at me." Buffy looked at him curiously, so he continued on, "I should have been here for the Glory fight, but when I came back and held you that night at your mother's funeral, I felt happy and I wanted nothing more than to run away in fear, but on the other hand I wanted to glorify in the feeling."
"Angel, it wasn't your fault."
"I should have been here."
"It wouldn't have mattered, the portal was open and I wasn't going to let my sister jump when I could have saved her."
"But I should have been here." Angel yelled, "The Mohara demon told us that we were stronger-" he trailed off as he realized what he was about to say.
"Together, then apart." she finished for him and Angel looked at her sharply.
"Where did you hear that?"
"It's okay, Angel." she told him, trying to calm him down, "I remember. The memories where flashes and fleeting at first and I thought I was just going nuts, but then they continued until I could remember all of it and I could hear someone telling me that they were memories. I was angry at you," she caressed his face and he got up to pace, wanting to be agitated, "so angry, because of what you had done, but I could understand."
"But why didn't you confront me?"
"Because it was my turn to act mature." she told him, Angel looked at her in confusion, "you had changed so much and it was so good for you and I wanted you to continue on and if I had told you, you wouldn't have been able to do it. Besides, you would have gone to the Oracles to have them erase the day again and it was what kept me going in the following months."
"I wanted to tell you." He confessed. "I wanted to rush to Sunnydale and beat up Riley and take you far away from here and make love to you."
"Well," Buffy said winking at him, "What is stopping you? You can even go beat up Riley if you want." Angel stopped moving altogether and stared at her in shock registering what she had said to him, before he swept her up in his arms and kissed her.
"Buffy!" Dawn yelled as she walked through the door. "I'm home."
"Never would have known." She muttered and she could feel Angel smile, "Hold that thought." She kissed him again, before stepping out of his embrace and going down stairs, leaving Angel staring after her with a huge smile on his face.
"How was school?" she asked, when she reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Good." She replied, "And how was your day?" she asked grinning like the Cheshire cat.
"Good, we went shopping." Buffy told her and Dawn immediately went into the kitchen to get something to eat, Buffy laughed and Dawn glared at her.
"Hey, Dawn." Angel said, coming into the room and wrapping his arms around Buffy.
"Hey." She replied and looked at them, she smiled at the picture they made. "Well, I have to go do homework." She took off for her room, smiling the entire way there.
"And I am going to shower." Buffy said, pulling Angel down for a kiss.
"Want help?" he asked and Buffy laughed.
"We would never leave." She told him and he pouted. "The next time I shower you can help all you want." She promised and turned and went upstairs, grabbing fresh clothes and heading into the shower.
"Heart's not ready for the rockin' chair/ I need somebody who really cares/ So tired of living solitaire/ Some day I'm gonna be safe in the arms of love/ Strip your heart and it starts to snow/ Love is a high wire act I know/ Someday I'll find a net below/ Someday I'm going to be safe in the arms of love." Buffy sang as she washed her hair, Lorne walked by the door and stopped to listen, she had a beautiful voice. He was assaulted by a myriad of emotions and images; her love for Angel, the pain of Hell, and the confusion of being there, but there was something else.
"Safe in the arms of love/ I want arms that know how to rock me/ Safe in the arms of love/ I wanna fall and know that love has caught me/ Safe in the arms of love/ Safe in the arms of love/ I wanna heart to be forever mine/ I want eyes to see me satisfied/ I'm gonna hang my heartaches out to dry/ Someday I'm gonna be safe in the arms of love/ Safe in the arms of love/ I want arms that know how to rock me/ Safe in the arms of love/ I wanna fall and know that love has caught me/ Safe in the arms of love/ Safe in the arms of love/ Safe in the arms of love."
Lorne stood in shock, as she finished singing and turned off the shower. She wasn't human and she wasn't alone!
Chapter 6
Buffy, Willow, and Tara walked Wesley, Fred, and Gunn to the mansion on Crawford Street, there they said their goodbyes and then went to the store. They hadn't wanted to deal with Cordy again so they didn't accept the invitation to go into the mansion. They made their way to the only grocery store in Sunnydale and went inside.
"So," Willow asked, "What do we need?"
"Milk, cereal, sugar, meat, veggies, and fruits." Buffy replied. They split up into three sections; divide and conquer. They met back at the cash register, where the put all the stuff together and waited in line.
"And what is this?" Willow asked holding up ice cream.
"A dairy product?" Buffy replied and everyone laughed, Buffy was slowly going back to being herself.
"Fine, fine, we can get the ice cream."
"I wasn't asking you anyways, mom." She retorted. When they reached the register and Buffy paid for everything they had collected. She grabbed most of the bags leaving only a few for Willow and Tara. After a quick stop at the butcher's they returned to the Summer's residence. Back at the house Spike and Angel quickly took the bags and put the items into the fridge and the cabinets.
"Wow, that didn't take you nearly as long as we thought." Angel said. The girls looked at him.
"We know how to shop thank you."
"We know that's why we were afraid." Spike replied and the three girls mocked hit him.
"As well as you should be." Buffy told him and the girls laughed, turning around and walking out, leaving Spike and Angel alone, again.
"Well," Angel said looking around and then getting up, "I'm going to follow the blonde."
"Whipped." Spike coughed into his hand smirking at Angel.
"So are you." Angel told him; then smirked when Spike started to pout.
"I'm the big bad."
"That's why we love you." Buffy told him as she walked into the conversation. "Sorry, big bad, but I'm stealing Angel here." She grabbed Angel and led him up to her room; they could hear Giles on the couch, Willow and Tara talking to Lorne, and Spike moving things in the basement. "We need to talk." She sat down on the bed and folded her hands onto her lap.
"Yes, we do." Angel agreed, taking a seat on the bed next to Buffy. "You go first." Buffy took a calming breath and began.
"I already know that you know I was in Hell." She began, finding everything but him interesting at that moment. "I'm not sure how much the Powers let you see, but they tortured me with images of you and Cordelia together and she always killed you. They showed me Angelus before he was cursed with a soul and they would take his shape and they would get in a line and.." Buffy started to cry as she remembered everything that had happened to her, Angel's heart broke as he listened to her, he gathered her in his arms and rocked her back and forth.
"It's okay love," he told her, hugging her gently, "It's okay."
"No, it really isn't." Buffy cried onto his shoulder. "They would line up and take turns raping me! I really don't find that okay."
"Neither do I, but they are gone now." he tried to comfort her, but his heart was breaking over and over again, as he silently cried with her, he shuddered in barely restrained rage. "I won't let them hurt you anymore."
"I used to dream about you." She said, "After you left and in my dreams you promised me forever, but you always left me." She took a deep breath and continued, "When I was there, they would taunt me with images of you promising to stay and then leaving. You would always save me, but then you would always give me back to them. Because you were disgusted with me."
"I am not disgusted with you." He told her ferociously, making her turn around and face him.
"Yes, you are." She told him, "I could feel you shudder when I was telling you what had happened." She tried to burrow back into his embrace, but he was unwilling to let her, "Not that I can blame you though."
"I shuddered in rage." Angel told her, forcing her to look at him. "I love you and I am not disgusted in you. If anyone should be disgusted, it should be you at me." Buffy looked at him curiously, so he continued on, "I should have been here for the Glory fight, but when I came back and held you that night at your mother's funeral, I felt happy and I wanted nothing more than to run away in fear, but on the other hand I wanted to glorify in the feeling."
"Angel, it wasn't your fault."
"I should have been here."
"It wouldn't have mattered, the portal was open and I wasn't going to let my sister jump when I could have saved her."
"But I should have been here." Angel yelled, "The Mohara demon told us that we were stronger-" he trailed off as he realized what he was about to say.
"Together, then apart." she finished for him and Angel looked at her sharply.
"Where did you hear that?"
"It's okay, Angel." she told him, trying to calm him down, "I remember. The memories where flashes and fleeting at first and I thought I was just going nuts, but then they continued until I could remember all of it and I could hear someone telling me that they were memories. I was angry at you," she caressed his face and he got up to pace, wanting to be agitated, "so angry, because of what you had done, but I could understand."
"But why didn't you confront me?"
"Because it was my turn to act mature." she told him, Angel looked at her in confusion, "you had changed so much and it was so good for you and I wanted you to continue on and if I had told you, you wouldn't have been able to do it. Besides, you would have gone to the Oracles to have them erase the day again and it was what kept me going in the following months."
"I wanted to tell you." He confessed. "I wanted to rush to Sunnydale and beat up Riley and take you far away from here and make love to you."
"Well," Buffy said winking at him, "What is stopping you? You can even go beat up Riley if you want." Angel stopped moving altogether and stared at her in shock registering what she had said to him, before he swept her up in his arms and kissed her.
"Buffy!" Dawn yelled as she walked through the door. "I'm home."
"Never would have known." She muttered and she could feel Angel smile, "Hold that thought." She kissed him again, before stepping out of his embrace and going down stairs, leaving Angel staring after her with a huge smile on his face.
"How was school?" she asked, when she reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Good." She replied, "And how was your day?" she asked grinning like the Cheshire cat.
"Good, we went shopping." Buffy told her and Dawn immediately went into the kitchen to get something to eat, Buffy laughed and Dawn glared at her.
"Hey, Dawn." Angel said, coming into the room and wrapping his arms around Buffy.
"Hey." She replied and looked at them, she smiled at the picture they made. "Well, I have to go do homework." She took off for her room, smiling the entire way there.
"And I am going to shower." Buffy said, pulling Angel down for a kiss.
"Want help?" he asked and Buffy laughed.
"We would never leave." She told him and he pouted. "The next time I shower you can help all you want." She promised and turned and went upstairs, grabbing fresh clothes and heading into the shower.
"Heart's not ready for the rockin' chair/ I need somebody who really cares/ So tired of living solitaire/ Some day I'm gonna be safe in the arms of love/ Strip your heart and it starts to snow/ Love is a high wire act I know/ Someday I'll find a net below/ Someday I'm going to be safe in the arms of love." Buffy sang as she washed her hair, Lorne walked by the door and stopped to listen, she had a beautiful voice. He was assaulted by a myriad of emotions and images; her love for Angel, the pain of Hell, and the confusion of being there, but there was something else.
"Safe in the arms of love/ I want arms that know how to rock me/ Safe in the arms of love/ I wanna fall and know that love has caught me/ Safe in the arms of love/ Safe in the arms of love/ I wanna heart to be forever mine/ I want eyes to see me satisfied/ I'm gonna hang my heartaches out to dry/ Someday I'm gonna be safe in the arms of love/ Safe in the arms of love/ I want arms that know how to rock me/ Safe in the arms of love/ I wanna fall and know that love has caught me/ Safe in the arms of love/ Safe in the arms of love/ Safe in the arms of love."
Lorne stood in shock, as she finished singing and turned off the shower. She wasn't human and she wasn't alone!