Author: Sith Lord Darth Omar
Summary: This is chapter II, (previously part of chapter I). Uhh… Buffy and Angel continue their non-relationship together, lol.
Contact Me: /lnk>
Buffy was so shocked she could barely move.
"Angel… alive… here?" Her mind reeled. "But what was he going on about? 'If you've got someone…' What an idiot! Does he not… does he not love me anymore?"
This thought got Buffy worried. Angel had asked for her help, her guidance. He hadn't mentioned anything about a relationship.
"I'm not even sure what I want right now."
Did he think she was still 'baking', as she put it?
"What if he only wants my help getting sorted out?" she asked the empty hotel room walls. It was really too much to think about at this time. She hadn't even had lunch yet. A human Angel was far too mind-blowing an event to think about without any food. And she hadn't slept very well the night before either. Considering that she didn't have anything better to do until that night, Buffy decided to take a short nap.
Buffy was walking slowly through the park. She often did this when she wanted to think and the city had many beautiful and historic monuments littering the green landscapes. She also enjoyed the warm sunlight. It was in refreshing contrast to the harsh desert-like sunlight found in California. Buffy breathed the chilly air in deeply but lost half her breath when she saw a figure kneeling near some roses off to her left.
A long black trench coat pooled around the man's feet, brushing the well-kept grass. His spiky brown hair glowed in the sun, his face looking warm and tanned in the light. His large, pale hands gently brushed the petals of a big rose. A lazy grin was spread across his face. He looked up and away, smiling into the sunlight as he breathed in the fresh, crisp air.
Suddenly, he stood, his figure prominent among the low benches and flower bushes of the park. His features looked so similar to the statue in the distance behind him; Apollo, Greek god of male beauty. He winced, squeezing his fingers to find small drops of blood there.
"Angel," Buffy said, hoping he had heard her. She walked over to him quickly. Just as he started to turn away, her hands landed on his arm.
He turned around, startled. "Wha… oh, Buffy. What are you doing here?" he asked, smiling, the pain momentarily forgotten.
"Saving you from rose thorns, it seems." Buffy replied. She looked down at his hands; they were suddenly covered in blood. "Ange…"
A gnarled hand reached up through the ground, clawing wildly between the two. The soft earth so desirable for growing flowers gave way easily and a great vampire rose from the ground. Buffy stared in awe. It was very tall and built about three school buses wide. Her entire body was enveloped in its shadow. Why wasn't it lighting on fire?
The huge vampire moved to attack Buffy but stopped suddenly, nostrils flared wide. He sniffed in deeply, his eyes looking pleasured as he caught the scent of human blood. The vampire turned around, snarling, and tackled Angel, sending both to the dirt. Angel vainly tried punching the beast in the stomach with his free hand. The vamp growled angrily as Angel's fist found its solar plexus, but it didn't let up.
Buffy finally snapped out of it. She didn't have any weapons. No stakes or holy water, she wasn't even wearing a cross. But she needed to do something. She jumped onto the wide back of the angry vampire, trying to get ahold of his telephone pole-thick neck. It's windpipe being crushed, the vamp turned around swiftly, hitting Buffy with a massive fist and sending her flying back a dozen feet. She landed in a heap, the air knocked out of her. She got up wearily; fists poised to fight and had to struggle to not scream.
Angel was held in the grip of the ferocious creature, while it fed. Angel's deep eyes held fear. "Angel!" Buffy ran forward but the beast was done. His head lulled back, the blood loss taking him close to unconsciousness. The vampire turned him around in his arms and pushed Angel's against its neck, where a deep gash appeared out of the blue. Buffy watched helplessly as he was forced to drink.
But the demon didn't look so good. It seemed to be slouching now. Loud sucking noises could be heard from the vicious act taking place. Angel's arms, renewed with strength, came up and pushed the demon away, sending it flying backwards. Buffy couldn't breathe.
Angel turned around, his features again distorted by a vampiric visage. He grinned wide, showing off a wicked set of sharp teeth. "Hello, lover."
"ANGEL!" Buffy woke with a start. Her breathing was ragged. Her entire back sang with white-hot pain. Within moments, though, it subsided. Her breathing became even again. Her mind was in a panic over the events of her nightmare.
"Oh God, what is happening to me?" Her thoughts automatically turned to Angel, but she had a great sense of calm and peace coming from her mind. And she wouldn't be able to contact him if she tried. He hadn't told her what hotel he was staying in, assuming he didn't own a mansion or a castle or something here. She laid back down, trying to calm her frayed nerves.
The phone's ringing was a loud disturbance against Buffy's quiet. Her hand fumbled in the semi-dark to find the room's nightstand. Finally, her hand skimmed the vibrating phone.
"Ang… uh, hello?" she asked groggily. "Buffy?" came an excited voice on the other end.
Buffy sat up in bed. "W… Willow? Oh my God, is that you? What… is something wrong?" Buffy's cautious instincts instantly took over, the nightmare still in her mind.
"No, no, no. Not at all. But we heard from Angel. Has he… I mean, you do know about him, right?" Willow asked, worrying for a second about having dropped the ball.
"Yeah, no, I… I saw him today. It was weird." Buffy replied, freshening up. She hadn't talked to Willow in a few weeks. She missed the redhead.
"Weird how? Weird good? Weird bad?"
"Well, you know Angel… it was just weird. He kinda has me confused. He said he needs my help but he didn't mention any… 'us'. And I'm not even sure if he wants an 'us' right now."
"Yeah, but you do, right? I mean, you still love him, right?"
"Well, yeah I guess, Wills, but… after seeing Spike turn to dust to save the world and then hearing about Angel die in the apocalypse, I just… I've sort of given up on vamp-human relationships."
"Aha. But Angel is human now. And what about the cooking thing you said to him? Aren't you done yet?"
"Baking, Willow, baking, as in cookies? And besides… no, I'm not… at least I don't think so. I just don't know."
"Well if you ask me, you need your heat turned up."
"Willow!! How can you say that!?"
"What? It's true… and c'mon. Of all the people you'd want doing, uh, that… shouldn't it be Angel? The whole forbidden love/Romeo and Juliet/star crossed lovers thing you have going? And he was your first."
"Okay, Will, sorry but really not comfortable with you discussing my sex life here, thanks. But… I do understand your point."
"Good. Uh… I've gotta go and help Giles with a lecture to the Slayers but I'll call you soon, okay? And at least have coffee with the poor guy. Besides, he's only human."
"Okay, Will. I'll see you soon. And I will… think about it." Buffy put down the phone and flopped back on the bed, sighing deeply.
"What am I getting myself into?"
Buffy and Angel sat in the small café, near where they had bumped into each other that morning. Their warm mochas sat in front of them, barely sipped at.
"So how are you adjusting to humanity? Eating well?" Buffy asked, trying to break the odd silence they had while non-committedly sipping their mochas.
"Yeah, it's tough. I didn't expect to come back. There are still a few nightmares sometimes." He sighed, a far-away look in his brown orbs. "I'm so confused. It's like… do you remember when I came back from Hell… I was so lost. It was so hard."
"God, yeah. I was the one who killed you, remember? All you had to do was die. And I found you when you came back, too. I took care of you, the way I want to now." Buffy didn't say the last, fearing Angel wasn't ready to hear something so blunt yet.
"Yeah, but when I came back, I was so afraid." "Afraid of what?" "That you would hate me. All the things I did…"
"Are you crazy? Angel, I could never hate you. I only wished I could've hated you when you were evil. Putting that sword through your body was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I lost Mom and I died myself… twice. But… God, when you came back, I though you would hate me."
"I could never hate you either, Buffy. I never have. And I never will."
Angel gave a small smile, not quite sad and not quite happy, just a smile. But his eyes did hold warmth and Buffy was sucked back to so many years ago when her younger self fell asleep dreaming of those eyes.
Buffy stretched her arms, pretending to have tired muscles, but actually moving closer to touching Angels' hands. After a moment, he tentatively reached out to grasp her hand. Buffy couldn't help it, she smiled, and tenderly held his now warm hand. Angel grinned, the true grin that had always made Buffy melt. Some things never changed.
Three hours later, Buffy and Angel walked back to her hotel, hands loosely held. She turned to face him as they neared the front steps.
"I, um, have to say goodnight here, Angel. They don't allow visitors in here. They're… I dunno, kinda strict or something."
Angel looked up at the building, almost checking it for any sign of danger. "Okay." He stood there holding her hands together in front of him for a few moments before leaning forward.
"Oh God, oh God, oh God. Is he going to kiss me?"
Suddenly, he stopped. He looked down at his feet. Buffy's heart rate jumped, but when she looked down, nothing was there.
"So, um… can I ask you what you're doing tomorrow night?"
"Umm, yeah, actually… I uh, have a date." She tried baiting him. "With you, I hope" She added mentally. She didn't remember ever using something like that on him before. Maybe a change of pace would actually save them some heartache this time.
"Oh." There was silence for what seemed like forever. "Okay." He looked Buffy once more in the eye, almost no expression there. Then he turned and walked away into the night.
Buffy was too speechless to do anything. So, apparently being human hadn't made him any less dense. You'd think having been around for two hundred years would have taught him something about dating by now. She sighed and went into the hotel, trying to shake off her odd evening with Angel.
And I forgot to tell you,
I love you.
And the night's too long,
And cold here, without you.