Buffy had been in town for a month now, Rod had set up in a nice place before he had to go back home for a few weeks but with the promise to return again soon. She was on a getting to know the gang again routine and a family getting together. It was kind of unreal how easily she was fitting back into place. The weirdest thing of the lot was finding out that Angel was alive and in LA. Giles was due back in a week with Faith who had been to some sort of training regime in England. Buffy was more than a little worried about this but she was going to stick around and not run away after all she was a slayer even if every night since she had been back she would wake up ether screaming or crying.
She sensed him before she saw him and a part of her rejoiced but the part that had been in the presence of only vampires for three months was urging to kill it before it hurt her. These conflicting motions made her hesitate as he stepped in front her with a very small smile on his face. He said in a quiet voice "Buffy", she took a step back and said "Angel". He looked at her with a hurt expression but if he got any closer her emotions might take over and make her do something she just may regret. He looked at her carefully and said "Are you alright?" Buffy hugged herself and said "Why do you care?" He looked even more hurt if possible and said in a soft voice "Because I love you." Buffy looked down and said so softly that only a vampire hearing could hear her "Then why didn't you look for me?"
His eyes widened and he said "what? I did look for you, every minute of every day I was looking for you. Whenever I thought I found you it wasn't you. Why do you think I was in LA.? I even found your friend Anne. I would never just forget you Buffy, I thought you knew that." The tear that escaped her eyes couldn't be stopped as she smiled slightly and she said "I thought you gave up on me." He closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her and she let herself give in to the comfort his arms brought even as a part of still felt the need to want to recoil. She let the sobs overtake her as he tried to soothe the pain that had built up over a period of time.
In what seemed like hours she finally pulled back and said "How are you back?" He kissed her forehead and said "I don't know, I just am". She nodded and accepted the nothing of an explanation, it didn't really matter, and just that he was back.
She leant her head on the chest and said "It is so hard, Angel". He stroked her hair and said "What?" She whispered "Living." Angel face if she could have seen it was the picture of shock but he kept stroking her hair and tried to keep his voice from sounding panicked and said "Why?" She closed her eyes and said "every time I close my eyes I see them."
Angel fell silent for a few minutes before noticing that in that time Buffy had fallen asleep in his arms. He looked around them briefly at the cemetery before scooping her up and walking back to her house in deep thought.
When Buffy woke there was no doubt that there was a vampire in the room, she stayed still, very still keeping her eyes closed. She very carefully rolled to the direction of a weapon and felt around before her hand closed onto the stake. She opened her eyes carefully and saw the window right in front of her covered in a blanket. She took a deep breath and slid out of the bed and was about to go to the window when she heard a cough and she spun around to see Angel sitting in a chair staring at her.
She let the stake drop and looked a little embarrassed and said "Uh hey". He looked confused and said "what are you doing?" She looked down and said "Nothing, just forgot you were here." He nodded and watched as she grabbed some clothes and left the room, her behaviour very confusing and strangely reminding him of something he couldn't put his foot on.
Author note: Ok my dilemma I can actually easily turn this into a spuffy fic in the next chapter but I don't know. Do we want spuffiness or B/A cause I can go ether way. So the choice on your heads.