Closing Time
AngelSummersForever
Chapter Eight: Saints and Sailors

Author's Note: Just a warning, I should have done this last chapter too, sorry, but this contains some B/R relationship parts so you are forewarned. Honestly, they aren't that bad so I hope you enjoy, just close you eyes and pretend really hard that Riley's Angel (never mind too hard to picture).

Riley sat glaring at the window in his upper class apartment waiting for his wife to arrive, a glass of scotch cradled in his right hand. She was late again. She'd been late a lot lately, claiming she had work she had to finish or making some excuse that Willow and her had a dinner date. He had to give her credit she was a good liar. But Riley didn't believe her. He couldn't, he wouldn't let himself.

Not too long ago his wife used to seem so open to him; it seemed like he could read her soul if he just looked into her hazel eyes.

There was a time years ago when their relationship was still new and fresh that Riley had no doubts as to what his wife told him. He looked at her and saw that she loved him. Now all he saw was lies. Maybe he was just looking way too much into this. Maybe his wife wasn't unfaithful at all. Maybe he was just being insecure.

/Sunnydale, CA 1998 UCLA Campus Six years ago

Riley stood outside the train station waiting for Buffy to arrive. She was scheduled to have been there 20 minutes ago.

As the seconds ticked by, Riley began to loose hope that her train was coming. Her scheduled train had long since passed with no Buffy in sight as the train continued on its journey. So Riley was forced to wait and question just where his girlfriend was and what had kept her from getting onto her train.

Finally an hour after her original train had arrived; Buffy strode out the train station, sunglasses shading her hazel eyes from the glaring California sun.

Riley moved towards the blonde, desperately wanting to hold her after a week of not being able to. Pulling her into a hug and letting go, Riley's lips found her's. After the heated kiss had ended, Riley pulled Buffy back into his arms.

"I missed you." Riley whispered next her ear, his arms strung tightly around her body.

"I missed you, too. We should get going though, I think we're drawing attention." Buffy replied pulling away to look up at the much taller man.

Riley gave her a wide grin and replied, "When haven't we?"

Buffy smiled back at him and let him take her bag of her shoulder and guide her forward; his hand entwined with hers.

"So how was your trip?"

"It was good. I caught up with some old friends and saw my mom and step-dad. You know typical college spring break."

"Sounds like you had a good time." Riley stated getting into his car after opening the door for her.

"I did." Buffy replied quietly, turning her head to look out the passenger window. It had been good, really good, up until the end.

Riley sighed and cuddled closer to Buffy. It was at that moment, hours after they had been reunited again, that he realized just how much he had missed her over the last week that she had been gone. He knew at that moment that he couldn't live without her. She was the one. But something was wrong; she seemed distracted, like she wasn't all there.

"Is something wrong?" Riley questioned, wondering why the blonde had been so silent ever since her return from Sunnydale.

"No," Buffy replied absently.

"Buffy." Riley reprimanded gently.

Buffy glanced over her shoulder at her boyfriend, "I had a fight with a friend just before I left. I guess it kind of shook me up."

"About what?"

"Lots of things. Being so far away from each other, insecurity, and some abandonment issues on my part, I mean he just left me. Don't get me wrong I'm so happy for him, getting into NYU but he just left, he said he'd stay with me forever and he left." Buffy ranted quietly not really talking to Riley anymore.

"Wait, he? Your best friend is a guy?"

Buffy looked back at her boyfriend and gave him a curious look, "Yeah, I've told you this before."

"No you said his name was Angel, I just figured it was a girl." Riley replied, getting up from his bed and throwing some sweats on.

"I don't understand what the big deal is."

"He's a guy!"

"So what?"

"He's a GUY!"

"There's nothing between us if that's what your thinking. We've been friends forever it would be to weird."

"I don't know that."

"Don't you trust me? Us?" Buffy asked quietly, her back facing away from him as he paced his small dorm.

"Sometimes I'm not sure I can."

"I see." Buffy sniffled out.

Deciding that she should go, Buffy slid her clothes on and started towards the door, not listening to Riley's apologies. As she opened the door, Riley grabbed her arm and spun her around, "I…I love you. Please, don't go."

Shock covered Buffy's face, before she replied sadly, "Riley, I'm sorry, I just can't deal with this right now." And with that she opened the door and slammed it behind her.

Angel hurriedly pulled open the heavy doors to the train station and ran inside, stopping halfway into the enormous building and looking frantically around for the small blonde. Figuring the she was long gone; Angel ran back out the doors and hailed a cab.

Buffy fell back onto her bed, exhaustion finally setting in. She was tired and sad and hurt over her fight with Angel, the fight that was currently playing on repeat in her mind, much like it had been all day. It was such a stupid fight, a ridiculous four-year-old kind of fight. But they were both incredibly stubborn and were unwilling to relent on what they accused the other one of doing and when their emotions got tied into that it was a mess and all they could see was the fight.

She felt terrible about it now. Some of the things she had said to him were beyond mean they were just plain horrible but he gave out just as much as she had dealt and when it was all said and done, she felt awful about the things she had said and was positive he felt the same way. She shouldn't have left like she had, not after that kind of fight. She should have stayed, apologized, not just taken off the first chance she got.

Riley's earlier declaration came flashing into her already muddled mind. What was she suppose to say to that? She cared for him, a lot, but did she love him? How could he spring something like this on her, just out of the blue, when she was already confused enough.

She shouldn't have left him like she had though, no matter how confused her feelings were and no matter what he said. She should have tried to explain that her feelings were really confused and that she really cared for him but there hadn't been enough time to tell if it was love she held for him, all she did was leave. Like she always does when things get crazy.

As Buffy's thoughts exploded into full out babbling, a knock interrupted her musings. She swung the door open and wasn't all that surprised to see Riley standing there wet from the outside rain.

Buffy opened the door a little farther and stepped to the side. They needed to talk.

As Riley stopped halfway into the room and turned back to her, Buffy began to speak softly, "I'm sorry I left like I did. I didn't mean anything by it…I just panicked and I didn't know how to handle everything so I ran. I didn't mean to hurt you." Buffy looked away from his blue green eyes and stared to the window beside his towering figure.

Riley moved a little closer and brought her eyes back to his, "It's not your fault, I shouldn't have said it that way, not like that. I do trust you. I'm just not always sure of where we stand and how much this relationships means to you but I love you Buffy, that I'm sure of. There's something about you that brings out the best and worst in me. You make me a better man and I would do anything to protect you. I just want you to know that I love you with all my heart. My being. I'm not asking you to return those feelings I just want you to know."

Buffy's heart lurched forward at his words. She didn't love Riley, she knew that but his speech had done something to her, it made her feel loved and wanted and appreciated. It felt good to be loved like that.

Buffy came closer to the much taller man and rested her hand around his neck, standing on the tips of her toes she gently brushed her lips against his. The light kiss turned quickly into a heated one and before either knew it they were laying in Buffy's bed the sheets surrounding them.

Angel had practiced what to say the whole way to Buffy's dorm. He had repeated the small lines like a mantra in his head even though he knew as soon as he saw her he wouldn't remember a word of it, she had a way of doing that to him.

Finally coming to the right dorm number, Angel raised his hand to knock but before he could he heard the faint whispers of a conversation coming through the door. Stepping closer Angel leaned into the door and listened carefully as a male's voice floated to his ears.

"I love you Buffy, that I'm sure of. There's something about you that brings out the best and worst in me. You make me a better man and I would do anything to protect you. I just want you to know that I love you with all my heart—"

Angel abruptly pulled away from the door and stumbled quickly down the hallway; his heart trailing behind, breaking into tiny pieces. The mantra that had been in Angel's head just moments before was now replaced by that haunting voice of the man in Buffy's dorm.

"I love you Buffy."

Finally making it to the doors leading outside Angel shoved through them and ran into the pouring rain. And as the brown haired man soaked in the rain he finally let it sink in what he had just heard. He let the rain wash over him cooling his suddenly over heated body. He breathed in deeply and savored the feeling of the air rushing into his lungs, slightly calming his racing heart. She wasn't suppose to be someone else's. This was suppose to be their chance; their happy ending. He was suppose to be the one admitting his love to her.

Tears started to well up in his beautiful brown eyes but he quickly tamped them down. If she was happy, then his broken heart and soul were worth it.

As he neared the parking lot of the gigantic campus, Angel turned and looked into Buffy's dorm room one last time. She stood with her arms wrapped around his neck and her lips attached to his. Angel stood and watched morbidly for a second as she kissed his hopes and dreams for their future goodbye and as he watched they moved away from the window and out of his sight.

She was happy and that was all that mattered.

So that was it, the flashback that took me so long to get anywhere near decent. I sincerely hope you guys liked it. I really took pride in this chapter. I know it was kind of depressing but it was kind of fun and inspirational to do. Anyway, please tell me what you think of this chapter, if there was any chapter I would most want you to review on it would be this one. Thanks for reading everyone and especially thanks to all who reviewed and told me to get my lazy carcass done with this part I owe you guys a million. :

AngelSummers