Title: A New Beginning
Email: buffsummers@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters
Thank you for all of your reviews. I love reading them.
Song lyrics in ** "My Immortal" by Evanescence
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter Four: I'll Never Forget (part one)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"So...here we are. In sunny LA and about to go into our ten year high school reunion," Xander stated as the three of them walked onto the hotel lobby. They had all decided unanimously that Dawn should stay in their room at the hotel. After all...this wasn't HER reunion. Besides, they didn't want Dawn to see them make fools of themselves. She couldn't get into much trouble, since she was only upstairs. Plus the fact that she was now 22 years old.
The three of them looked amazing. Willow was wearing a black strappy dress with a high neck that reached her ankles. Her flame-red hair was tied back in a sophisticated bun on the top of her head. Xander was wearing a simple black tuxedo, a white shirt, a black bow-tie, with a crimson boutonniere in the lapel of his jacket. Buffy looked beautiful. She wore a pure white halter-neck dress that hung to the floor. It really complimented her build and complexion. The dress was tied at the back of her neck and it left her back completely bare. Her long golden blonde hair was piled and twisted up on her head, leaving a few strands curled, framing her face.
Buffy was REALLY nervous, even though they had just arrived. She knew Angel was there. Or somewhere nearby. She could feel him. It was strange. The two of them had always had a special bond. Neither of them could explain it, but they could just sense when the other was nearby. Buffy looked around the crowded lobby and she thought she recognised someone, 'Wait a minute...Is that..?'
"Come on Buff. Let's go," Willow urged, interrupting her thoughts, and she grabbed Buffy's arm. Xander clung on to her other arm and the three of them slowly sauntered in together, Buffy forgetting about the familiar figure...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The AI crew stood in the corner of the crowded lobby, looking around in awe at the lavish décor.
"Looks like these guys don't spare any expense," Gunn surmised.
"Apparently not," Wesley agreed.
Angel wasn't as impressed as the others. Because he WAS over 200 years old. He had seen a lot of royalty and how well they decorated their homes. This wasn't much in comparison. Still...it WAS quite impressive. Angel joined the others as they surveyed the crowd of people. Suddenly Angel sensed something. Not just something...It was her. He could feel it. He felt partly relieved that she had come. But he was also really nervous. He hadn't seen her in years, and here she was now, in LA. He took a deep breath suddenly very aware of the many people in the room. Gunn looked at him strangely,
"You feeling okay?" he asked. Angel tried to look innocent at him,
"Yeah. I'm fine. Why?" Angel answered. Gunn shrugged at him,
"Oh I don't know...you just look a little...forget it. It's probably nothing." Angel just nodded in reply. At some point Cordelia had run off into the crowd, leaving the rest of the group alone in the far corner, feeling very uncomfortable. Suddenly she ran over, as fast as she could in her high heels,
"Okay guys, let's go inside now. I want to see who I can recognise," She said. She took that as her cue and grabbed Angel's arm and started towing him into the ballroom, where the reunion was officially being held. Everyone else followed behind. On the way in, Angel thought he caught sight of a familiar person. Cordelia was still dragging him in so he didn't get a good look.
'Was that who I think it was?' he thought...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After a lot of pushing and shoving, Buffy, Willow, and Xander finally made it over to a table. There were two other people sitting at it, an older man and a woman. When Buffy tried to move around them she accidentally bumped into the man.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" she apologised. The man turned around to look at her, "I wasn't looking where I was...GILES!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed. The older man she had bumped into had been none other than Giles who was with his old friend Olivia. She jumped up and hugged Giles tightly, but not so tight that he would suffocate. On hearing Buffy scream, Willow and Xander ran forward. Willow in turn also gave Giles a hug, while Xander shook his hand.
"Giles, what are you doing here?" Buffy asked. Giles smiled at her,
"I decided to come to this reunion also. After all I was the librarian," he reminded her.
"I'm so glad you did," Buffy gushed. Willow and Xander yelled out their agreement. Giles looked touched,
"Thank you. It has been a while since I last saw you, hasn't it?"
"Definitely," Willow agreed. Buffy and Xander nodded enthusiastically. Giles gestured to the empty seats at the table,
"Please, sit down," he said. The four of them sat down.
"How have things been going for you since you settled down?" Giles asked them. The three looked at each other,
"Pretty good," Buffy answered, "but boring. Giles, Is it really that boring training slayers?" Giles laughed,
"Not really, no. But then again...I had YOU for a slayer," he answered, laughing again.
"I'm not sure what to say to that..." Buffy said, uncertainly. Giles was about to answer when who else but Scott Hope walked over to the table,
"Hey Buffy. You look great," he said. Buffy looked very surprised to see him,
"Uh...hey...um...Scott?" she mumbled. 'Is that his name?' "Yes, hey Scott." She said more certainly. "What's up?" Scott moved closer over to her,
"I thought you might like to dance with me," he replied. Buffy didn't look sure. She glanced over to Willow, Xander, and Giles, who all shrugged at her.
"Sure. I guess so," she answered, then taking his outstretched hand. He led her over to the dance floor where a slow song was playing.
**
my immortal
i'm so tired of being here
suppressed by all of my childish fears
and if you have to leave
i wish that you would just leave
because your presence still lingers here
and it won't leave me alone
these wounds won't seem to heal
this pain is just too real
there's just too much that time cannot erase
when you cried i'd wipe away all of your tears
when you'd scream i'd fight away all of your fears
and i've held your hand through all of these years
but you still have all of me
**
As Buffy danced with Scott she listened carefully to the lyrics of the song. They felt so true. Like they were written just for her. She couldn't help but think of Angel, and that the man whose arms she was in wasn't him. She often did that. Found comfort in other men and tried to pretend it was Angel. But it usually didn't work. And it definitely was NOT working now! Buffy pulled away from Scott's grasp and started backing away,
"I'm sorry Scott. I just can't," she said. Then she turned and started to run when she bumped into a muscular chest. She looked up and she was surprised to see...
"Angel?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Everyone else was dancing. Except for Angel and Cordelia, that is. Cordelia was busy socialising with people from high school, and Angel was just sitting down alone at a table. Quite a few women had approached him, asking him to dance and other similar requests. But Angel was busy scanning the crowd for maybe a glimpse of Buffy. No such luck.
The previous song, which had been the kind of song the Bronze would play, finished and a slow one came on. Suddenly Cordelia rushed over out of nowhere,
"Angel! Let's dance! I love this song!"
Angel wasn't so sure. He thought people might think they were TOGETHER or something. If it was seven years earlier he wouldn't have minded. But now he realised that whatever he felt for Cordelia was strictly platonic. He only thought of her as a friend, and that was it. He wasn't sure of what Cordelia felt for him now; sometimes he thought she felt something else for him other than friendship. Oh well. He didn't see much harm in a short dance with his friend, who happened to be a girl. So he got up and walked over to the dance floor, following Cordelia's lead.
When they got on to the dance floor he took Cordelia into his arms, not holding her too close in case she got the wrong idea. Evidently, Cordelia wasn't happy about this and she moved closer until she was pressed up against Angel. During the dance Cordelia would occasionally move her hands into non-neutral areas. Angel began to feel uncomfortable there, so he tried to pretend that it was Buffy he was dancing with. He occasionally did that, but it rarely worked. And it was the same for this case too. Angel pulled away from Cordelia's embrace,
"Cordy, I can't do this right now, okay? Goodbye," he said walking away from Cordelia's indignant glare. Suddenly he accidentally bumped into somebody. He looked down to see who it was, and it was none other than...
"Buffy..."
To be Continued...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Read the next chapter "I'll Never Forget (part 2)" to see what happens next...
Thank you to the following people for their reviews:
Jax
Fanficer Lore
alyssa
Nicole
Slyslayer13
RaNdi
Jesse MacLean
gel-gel
Tariq FairySue
Shahid
maybelline
Thanks you guys! Please keep reading and reviewing. I love reading feedback. It makes it worthwhile. And it's okay FairySue. I don't mind a bit of constructive criticism. More will be answered in the next few chapters. No maybelline, you don't need to say anymore. Lol.
Email: buffsummers@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters
Thank you for all of your reviews. I love reading them.
Song lyrics in ** "My Immortal" by Evanescence
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter Four: I'll Never Forget (part one)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"So...here we are. In sunny LA and about to go into our ten year high school reunion," Xander stated as the three of them walked onto the hotel lobby. They had all decided unanimously that Dawn should stay in their room at the hotel. After all...this wasn't HER reunion. Besides, they didn't want Dawn to see them make fools of themselves. She couldn't get into much trouble, since she was only upstairs. Plus the fact that she was now 22 years old.
The three of them looked amazing. Willow was wearing a black strappy dress with a high neck that reached her ankles. Her flame-red hair was tied back in a sophisticated bun on the top of her head. Xander was wearing a simple black tuxedo, a white shirt, a black bow-tie, with a crimson boutonniere in the lapel of his jacket. Buffy looked beautiful. She wore a pure white halter-neck dress that hung to the floor. It really complimented her build and complexion. The dress was tied at the back of her neck and it left her back completely bare. Her long golden blonde hair was piled and twisted up on her head, leaving a few strands curled, framing her face.
Buffy was REALLY nervous, even though they had just arrived. She knew Angel was there. Or somewhere nearby. She could feel him. It was strange. The two of them had always had a special bond. Neither of them could explain it, but they could just sense when the other was nearby. Buffy looked around the crowded lobby and she thought she recognised someone, 'Wait a minute...Is that..?'
"Come on Buff. Let's go," Willow urged, interrupting her thoughts, and she grabbed Buffy's arm. Xander clung on to her other arm and the three of them slowly sauntered in together, Buffy forgetting about the familiar figure...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The AI crew stood in the corner of the crowded lobby, looking around in awe at the lavish décor.
"Looks like these guys don't spare any expense," Gunn surmised.
"Apparently not," Wesley agreed.
Angel wasn't as impressed as the others. Because he WAS over 200 years old. He had seen a lot of royalty and how well they decorated their homes. This wasn't much in comparison. Still...it WAS quite impressive. Angel joined the others as they surveyed the crowd of people. Suddenly Angel sensed something. Not just something...It was her. He could feel it. He felt partly relieved that she had come. But he was also really nervous. He hadn't seen her in years, and here she was now, in LA. He took a deep breath suddenly very aware of the many people in the room. Gunn looked at him strangely,
"You feeling okay?" he asked. Angel tried to look innocent at him,
"Yeah. I'm fine. Why?" Angel answered. Gunn shrugged at him,
"Oh I don't know...you just look a little...forget it. It's probably nothing." Angel just nodded in reply. At some point Cordelia had run off into the crowd, leaving the rest of the group alone in the far corner, feeling very uncomfortable. Suddenly she ran over, as fast as she could in her high heels,
"Okay guys, let's go inside now. I want to see who I can recognise," She said. She took that as her cue and grabbed Angel's arm and started towing him into the ballroom, where the reunion was officially being held. Everyone else followed behind. On the way in, Angel thought he caught sight of a familiar person. Cordelia was still dragging him in so he didn't get a good look.
'Was that who I think it was?' he thought...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After a lot of pushing and shoving, Buffy, Willow, and Xander finally made it over to a table. There were two other people sitting at it, an older man and a woman. When Buffy tried to move around them she accidentally bumped into the man.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" she apologised. The man turned around to look at her, "I wasn't looking where I was...GILES!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed. The older man she had bumped into had been none other than Giles who was with his old friend Olivia. She jumped up and hugged Giles tightly, but not so tight that he would suffocate. On hearing Buffy scream, Willow and Xander ran forward. Willow in turn also gave Giles a hug, while Xander shook his hand.
"Giles, what are you doing here?" Buffy asked. Giles smiled at her,
"I decided to come to this reunion also. After all I was the librarian," he reminded her.
"I'm so glad you did," Buffy gushed. Willow and Xander yelled out their agreement. Giles looked touched,
"Thank you. It has been a while since I last saw you, hasn't it?"
"Definitely," Willow agreed. Buffy and Xander nodded enthusiastically. Giles gestured to the empty seats at the table,
"Please, sit down," he said. The four of them sat down.
"How have things been going for you since you settled down?" Giles asked them. The three looked at each other,
"Pretty good," Buffy answered, "but boring. Giles, Is it really that boring training slayers?" Giles laughed,
"Not really, no. But then again...I had YOU for a slayer," he answered, laughing again.
"I'm not sure what to say to that..." Buffy said, uncertainly. Giles was about to answer when who else but Scott Hope walked over to the table,
"Hey Buffy. You look great," he said. Buffy looked very surprised to see him,
"Uh...hey...um...Scott?" she mumbled. 'Is that his name?' "Yes, hey Scott." She said more certainly. "What's up?" Scott moved closer over to her,
"I thought you might like to dance with me," he replied. Buffy didn't look sure. She glanced over to Willow, Xander, and Giles, who all shrugged at her.
"Sure. I guess so," she answered, then taking his outstretched hand. He led her over to the dance floor where a slow song was playing.
**
my immortal
i'm so tired of being here
suppressed by all of my childish fears
and if you have to leave
i wish that you would just leave
because your presence still lingers here
and it won't leave me alone
these wounds won't seem to heal
this pain is just too real
there's just too much that time cannot erase
when you cried i'd wipe away all of your tears
when you'd scream i'd fight away all of your fears
and i've held your hand through all of these years
but you still have all of me
**
As Buffy danced with Scott she listened carefully to the lyrics of the song. They felt so true. Like they were written just for her. She couldn't help but think of Angel, and that the man whose arms she was in wasn't him. She often did that. Found comfort in other men and tried to pretend it was Angel. But it usually didn't work. And it definitely was NOT working now! Buffy pulled away from Scott's grasp and started backing away,
"I'm sorry Scott. I just can't," she said. Then she turned and started to run when she bumped into a muscular chest. She looked up and she was surprised to see...
"Angel?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Everyone else was dancing. Except for Angel and Cordelia, that is. Cordelia was busy socialising with people from high school, and Angel was just sitting down alone at a table. Quite a few women had approached him, asking him to dance and other similar requests. But Angel was busy scanning the crowd for maybe a glimpse of Buffy. No such luck.
The previous song, which had been the kind of song the Bronze would play, finished and a slow one came on. Suddenly Cordelia rushed over out of nowhere,
"Angel! Let's dance! I love this song!"
Angel wasn't so sure. He thought people might think they were TOGETHER or something. If it was seven years earlier he wouldn't have minded. But now he realised that whatever he felt for Cordelia was strictly platonic. He only thought of her as a friend, and that was it. He wasn't sure of what Cordelia felt for him now; sometimes he thought she felt something else for him other than friendship. Oh well. He didn't see much harm in a short dance with his friend, who happened to be a girl. So he got up and walked over to the dance floor, following Cordelia's lead.
When they got on to the dance floor he took Cordelia into his arms, not holding her too close in case she got the wrong idea. Evidently, Cordelia wasn't happy about this and she moved closer until she was pressed up against Angel. During the dance Cordelia would occasionally move her hands into non-neutral areas. Angel began to feel uncomfortable there, so he tried to pretend that it was Buffy he was dancing with. He occasionally did that, but it rarely worked. And it was the same for this case too. Angel pulled away from Cordelia's embrace,
"Cordy, I can't do this right now, okay? Goodbye," he said walking away from Cordelia's indignant glare. Suddenly he accidentally bumped into somebody. He looked down to see who it was, and it was none other than...
"Buffy..."
To be Continued...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Read the next chapter "I'll Never Forget (part 2)" to see what happens next...
Thank you to the following people for their reviews:
Jax
Fanficer Lore
alyssa
Nicole
Slyslayer13
RaNdi
Jesse MacLean
gel-gel
Tariq FairySue
Shahid
maybelline
Thanks you guys! Please keep reading and reviewing. I love reading feedback. It makes it worthwhile. And it's okay FairySue. I don't mind a bit of constructive criticism. More will be answered in the next few chapters. No maybelline, you don't need to say anymore. Lol.