Summary: Riley's wrong to Buffy, and even she knows that.
Disclaimer: The song is 'Brown Eyes' from Destiny's Child's album 'Survivor'. The show belongs to Mr. Whedon.
To: This goes to Kya and Blondiegirl. The first told me I was evil because I ended 'Comforting' where I did. And the latter asked me to do more. So here I am.
Timeline: Like 'Comforting', this is fourth season-ish. Buffy and Riley are going in the dating territory but they do not get couple-y.
Spoilers: To 'I Will Remember You' and the whole BA canon.
His Dark Eyes
It was clear to everyone else why Buffy chose Riley to be his first boyfriend-wannabe after Angel. Include in 'everyone else' the Slayer herself. After all, who was more different to the quiet, dark-haired, dark-eyed vampire than the living, breathing blond boy with a pulse, blue eyes and a little tendency to go very talkative at the wrong times?
But no one knew, not even Willow – first cheerleader for Buffy and Riley's relationship –, that, deep down her soul, every time Buffy looked at the blue pools that looked back at her with affection, the Chosen One wanted them to be chocolate brown, deep and dripping with love and devotion. She wanted Angel's eyes to look back at her and talk of forever and always.
Remember the first day when I say your face?
Remember the first day when you smiled at me?
You stepped to me, and then you said to me
I was the woman you dreamed about
Buffy's first kiss with Angel hadblown her mind, had had sparks flying and she knew that, if she had died right then, she would have gone straight to heaven. When Riley's lips touched her for the first time, Buffy felt… weird. Like betraying herself. Like she was not supposed to be kissing any other man. Okay, so it felt nice. But, when Riley kissed her, she didn't want to die.
Their first date was a picnic on a sunny Sunday. Joyce suggested it, of course. Buffy hated it. Ants bit her legs and her eyes hurt and she had a headache. She could not eat anything. Not even the bowl of mint chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. It actually brought tears to her eyes. The way Angel and she ate it, during one of their most intimate days…
Remember the first day when you called my house?
Remember the first day you took me out?
We had butterflies, although we tried to hide
And we both had a beautiful night
Oh, she remembered the day all right. She just couldn't have the heart to tell Angel that. The way he hopelessly stared at her while she said they agreed to the plan of staying away from each other. He had given up he had ever wanted because of her – because of her life. And, in payback, she didn't let Riley go patrol with her. Patrol was when she cried herself out because of Angel's absence.
She wanted him there with her. Backing her up, holding her while she cried, telling her she would be okay in the end. Of course, Riley could do that, but when he held her, she felt dirty. She wanted strong arms that could wrap themselves around her waist and fit perfectly; to fake surprise because a vampire stealthily approached her, but she had felt him first.
She didn't want a man who called vampires 'hostiles' and believed her life was a game. It was not. It was who she was. Being chosen to be a slayer molded Buffy's whole life. Slaying made Buffy a better person. And it had given her the best thing in her whole life, the whole freaky thing in her freaky world that still made sense to her. Being the Slayer allowed her to know love. To know Angel.
The way we held each other's hand
The way we talked
The way we laughed
It felt so good to find true love
And I knew right then and there you were the one
One day she had it enough. Riley told her stuff about a necklace traditional in Iowa given by boyfriends to their girlfriends. The necklace had the same meaning of her Claddagh – and Riley wanted to give one of those to her. Buffy suddenly knew she couldn't accept it. Having another's man's jewel when she belonged to someone else was wrong. She still wore her Claddagh – facing in.
She knew Angel wore his too, the same way she did, because in his long life – 244 years and counting – he had loved only one person. When Angel fell in love with her, he fell hard, with no chance of falling out of it. The same thing happened to her. When she first laid eyes on him, she thought he was annoyingly cute – and then her heart was given away.
I know that he loves me cause he told me so
I know that he loves me cause his feelings show
When he stares at me, you see he cares for me
You see how he is so deeply in love
I know that he loves me cause it's obvious
I know that he loves me cause it's me he trusts
And he's missing me, if he's not kissing me
And when he looks at me, his brown eyes tell his soul
So, after breaking up her barely-one-month relationship with Riley, she got into uncle Rory's car and drove all the way to Los Angeles. She didn't tell anyone – but Xander, that is – where she was going. If Joyce knew she was running to her ex's arms, she'd freak. Willow would rationalize this. Buffy didn't need to be rational. She needed to love, to look at Angel's brown eyes and know for sure that he was still hers.
She arrived at Angel's apartment a little over dawn. Cordelia opened the door for her and started to babble something about thanking God she was there, because Angel was driving her crazy with brooding, and she needed to snap him out of it. Buffy smiled at her, and then went to the room Cordelia said it was where he was sleeping until they got a new office. The old one had been exploded, hadn't she heard?
He was brooding over a picture of them on her prom. Buffy had no idea he had a yearbook. Probably he got someone to give him one – Cordelia maybe. There were tear-tracks on his cheeks and he was saying something in Gaelic. Buffy loved when he spoke to her in his born-language. It made her feel special. She had planned on taking Gaelic as a class in college – but it was before Angel broke up with her.
He called her softly, his voice holding hints of love and surprise and a little of disappointment. She smiled at him and then said his name as softly as he did hers. She loved the way he spoke her name. It sounded like a soft caress, like she was a goddess, someone to be worshipped every day and every night more. Well, she knew she spoke his name with the same awe he did hers.
Then reality kicked in. He asked why she was around. She closed the door behind her and commandingly told him to sit back and shut up cause she was doing the talking role now. Angel opened his mouth to speak but she pressed a kiss to his lips and he kissed her back. His kisses were always soft and sweet and always, every time, they made her want to die.
Just the way she wanted.
Remember the first day, the first we kissed?
Remember the first day we had an argument?
We apologized, and then we compromised
And we haven't argued since
They discussed themselves over, then yelled themselves over, then cried themselves over and then – finally – reconciled. Angel agreed he could not go on with his eternity without her, and told her she was welcome to stay as long as she wanted. He kissed her when she asked if he was okay with her staying there forever. Buffy smiled while kissing him. She knew the answer for that one but wanted to ask it anyway.
They made out for like a eternity, until Cordelia and an unknown man – Buffy later learnt his name was Doyle – busted in Angel's room and found Buffy comfortably placed on Angel's lap. After threatening to stake him if they got groin-y and he ended up soulless, Cordelia left pulling Doyle behind her. Buffy and Angel cracked up and laugh until they had tears running down their cheeks. Then Angel stopped laughing and said the three words.
Remember the first day we stopped playing games?
Remember the first day you fell in love with me?
It felt so good for you to say those words
Cause I felt the same way too
Buffy smiled softly and said them back at him. They kissed and then Angel said something that was worth the six months they were away from each other, worth all the pain his departure caused to both of them. He looked at her with those beautiful gem-like chocolate eyes, which were shining with happiness, and whispered the question. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she whispered back her positive answer.
She was going to be Mrs. Liam O'Connell. Oh, God, that was her wildest-teenage-dream coming true. She and Angel were going to get married, husband and wife, and then they would live happily the time they had together. They were not having any babies, but Buffy knew that seeing her die would be pain enough for her fiancé. He would not go though it if he had to see their descendents dying.
I'm so happy, so happy that you're in my life
And, baby, now that you're part of me, showed me
Showed me the true meaning of love
And I know he loves me.
They had a little marriage on a quiet chapel. Cordelia was maid of honor, and Doyle best man. Getting married that same day was Buffy's suggestion, not wanting the people they knew in Sunnydale to tell them into staying away. Angel, of course, never could say 'no' to her, and agreed. Cordelia took her to shop, while Angel and Doyle went to buy a wedding ring.
Cordelia broke down in tears while watching the wedding. Buffy noticed the way Doyle comforted her, and smiled to herself. Maybe in a few months she was not going to be the only wife around the 'Angel Investigations'. She took a deep breath to keep her emotions in check, but tears fell when she saw Angel's mahogany eyes shining with unshed tears.
Their 'I do's were spoken with thick voice and some sniffling, and the priest smiled at them. The man had never seen such a beautiful and deeply in love couple. Yes, there were another young couples in love, but this one was different. The priest could tell they were perfect for each other. Like dark and light, tall and petite, strong and fragile. Oh, yes, perfection indeed.
THE END
Author's Note: I can do a sequel. Please suggest a song that will fit the story. It can be probably about Buffy and Angel going back to Sunnydale to tell Giles, Joyce and the Scoobies that they're married. I hope you like it.