While Buffy's house was warm and inviting with his bold but inviting decor, Angel's apartment was the complete opposite. And it wasn't just the black and white space, it was everything that went along with it.

After Buffy had kicked him out, he'd taken up in a hotel room with Wolfram and Hart where he'd stayed at all through their breakup, short separation and on through their divorce. Once it was finalized, he began to look for a more permanent place to hang his hat on and wound up in one of LA's newer high rises. He had a lot of open, empty space here. And it spoke volumes about the man who lived here.

His walls were all the same shade of white, floors were mostly covered in a matching white carpet but otherwise they were a light tan color. His furniture consisted of a ton of black leather and glass pieces. Everything was in order and exceptionally clean. He had a large living room, open kitchen and connecting dining room, full bathroom, laundry area, plenty of storage closets, an office area and the bedroom. Not to mention a large balcony with one hell of a view of the city.

It didn't feel like home though, it never had. He was certain that anywhere without Buffy never would.

With an annoyed sigh, Angel went to the kitchen and poured himself a drink before putting some of his stuff away. He left the rest of his things laid up against the corner by the door and went to go take a long shower and change before heading to bed.

He was practically dead on his feet and hoped his stupid head would have enough sense to let him get to sleep soon. He didn't need to show up looking like a zombie again to work in the morning. He didn't need to be worrying, thinking about, and obsessing over a certain blonde back in Sunnydale.

Not that he wasn't going to do just that...

OoOoO

Buffy was miserable.

She missed Angel something fierce and he'd not even been gone a day yet.

Last night she'd barely been able to get any sleep in between flashbacks hitting her, being weirded out about being in the house alone with everything that'd happened, and simply just missing him being there with her. Then the day began and her mood didn't get much better. She tried to make the most of it, though. Willow had called and the two girls spent hours talking then similar happened when Giles called. He hadn't been able to fly out to see her yet due to his own health issues but had high hopes that it wouldn't be too long before he could but it was nice talking to him when they got a chance. Willow was also supposed to come out this coming weekend so she was looking forward to that.

After that, Buffy went around the house, trying to put some of her things away and try to get some more memories to shake loose. For the most part it didn't work but a few small ones would come out of the blue when she wasn't paying as much attention.

Getting out of the house, she took a walk around the neighborhood and texted Angel a few times when she stopped at one of the parks on her way back. It wasn't enough, or even close to being enough to what she really needed, but it was something. Talking to him in any form or fashion was at least something.

Other than that her day was rather uninteresting but she made a list for everything she wanted to accomplish in the rest of the week.

OoOoO

It would be a couple more days before Buffy would actually see Angel again but the seemed to drag on and on like nothing else before. Several more memories had come back to her since he'd left... ranging from getting drunk one night with Willow and Amy when she was still in the dorms to starting a temporary job as a waitress in one of the few Mom and Pop restaurants around town on to even getting a glimpse at the memory of the first time she and Angel had met.

That one she wished she could get more of but her mind didn't respond to commands about such things… as she'd long since learned.

There were other memories, too. Random things from school, teachers, faces, names…. driving to the beach. She remembered parts of a movie or two that she later looked up and could recall most of it. A meal over at Robin's house. Most were short flashes, others were feelings and a few were a total recall to a few minutes in time past.

Angel memories usually were the hardest to deal with. It made her miss him more, want him more. And that was something that could be taken a few different ways at this point given some of the more intimate things she'd had come back to her.

There was one in particular that broke her heart any time she thought of it now. She could play it back and feel every emotion she had at that time, but also feel a completely new set of feelings as a near outsider to it all. He'd looked so broken as he stood there, making sure to stand a few feet away from her as she'd yelled at him.

His head remained down, his fingers picking at one another. When he did look up, his eyes were filled with pain and pleading as he begged her just to listen to him.

But she wouldn't.

Red hot fury ran through those stubborn veins of hers and she wouldn't have any of it. He tried several times to get a word in but she always cut right in and tore into him.

She'd also remembered Darla's face just a few minutes ago as she sat waiting for Angel to show up. She didn't know why, but suddenly her mind conjured up the blonde. Nothing else, just her in a light blue dress. The background and everything else was in a near blur and she couldn't think up of anything else at the time. But something inside of her obviously had a "click" as it sent a shockwave through her entire body. There was anger and absolute despair that shook her to the core.

She had been jumping up at every sound to go look out the window to see if it was Angel but after that she found herself stuck to the couch trying to sort through those emotions so when the knock at the door did come she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Shit," she swore under her breath and stole a quick glance at the clock. Hurrying over to the door, she peeked out then felt relief and happiness take over as she saw him. "Angel," she breathed as she opened the door.

Somehow he looked better today than he had just a few ago. It made her heart skipped a beat as she took in him, feeling a longing she didn't fully understand like she did every time he was near.

Angel sucked in a breath of his own self as his eyes met hers but slowly made their way down to appraise the rest of her. "Buffy," he greeted, trying to keep that annoying unemotional and detached tone in his voice she'd become used to. "You're looking better."

She smiled, thankful he'd noticed. It was all still small steps but that's really all she had on anything. "Thank you." Buffy stepped out of the door frame to let him in and felt her knees weaken as he passed her by. "How have you been?" she asked, closing the door behind her.

They had talked in text messages all through the day and would spent at least an hour and a half on the phone with one another at night but it hadn't been anything like compared to actually having him in front of her.

"Good," he answered, looking around the front area of the house. "Busy but nothing too terrible. Are you still settling in alright? Had any trouble?"

Buffy shook her head. "Things have been alright... maybe a little lonely and frustrating at times but that's to be expected I guess. Not much else has happened other than what I've already told you. I did finally call to set up my follow up this morning and got some more flowers from some shops around town which were nice."

Angel asked if a little more about the appointment and offered to take her. "Any new memories?"

'Yeah. There's been quite a few of you and me naked and doing naughty things which I wouldn't mind recreating,' her thoughts said. Instead, out loud she told him about the few she'd had since they'd last really talked on the subject.

She kept the Darla bit from just a minute ago to herself, not wanting to start their reunion off on a bad note. He had to return to LA the day after tomorrow so avoiding unpleasantness right now would be a plus as far as she was concerned.

OoOoO

Not wanting to stay cooped up in the house and knowing Buffy hadn't ventured too far from the house, Angel started throwing out different ideas for things they could go do. Sunnydale didn't always have the best entertainment but there were a few close towns that he didn't mind driving her to either.

The two wound up going just out of town to an arcade the two of them had visited a number of times. Inside they had a large food buffet, endless games you could play, laser tag, bumper cars and more. It didn't escape him that it started to feel like a date while they were there... playing around, holding hands as they walked through somehow happened, winning her prizes on the games. Buffy hadn't been too interested in the laser tag, cars or racing but she had enjoyed the games, large bowling and basketball area and movie theater.

After a few hours passed, they decided they'd had their fill of the arcade and started heading back. He stopped to get gas and then to pick up a few things at the grocery store. He was happy when she agreed to come inside at the store with him as a number of people came up to her while they were there to ask how she was which made her seem to brighten up a little. When he found her looking at some small photo albums at the end of one of the aisles he asked her if she'd gone through any more of the ones at home.

Buffy shook her head. "I mean, I browsed through some but haven't really taken the time to sit down and go through them. Though I guess I should," she answered. "Maybe we could look through them together?" she asked after a moment. "Maybe you could tell me more about what was going on at the time or something?"

Angel gave her a small smile. "Sure, we can do that when we get back to the house if you'd like," he offered.

OoOoO

Angel had a genuine smile on his face and she was laughing so hard that her stomach hurt and tears were forming in her eyes. Going through some of her old photos had helped, she was sure more memories from the times in those books would be hitting her in days to come but a few little things were already fuzzy to her from just looking at the photos. When they'd gotten to one of her and Angel covered in mud it struck her real fast though, a memory from one of their first dates together which had gone "tragically wrong" but in all the right ways and had wound up a fun filled and very crazy day for them.

Buffy liked the look on his face as they talked about that day, and night. She liked it even more when suddenly he leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers.

"What was that for?" Buffy asked softly when he pulled back away from her. She sure as hell wasn't complaining... her heart was ready to beat its way out of her chest, the rest of her body still feeling like it was humming from the contact.

He smiled again. "Nothing. Just... good memories."

She returned his smile with one of her own. Before he could come to his senses, as he saw it anyway, or crawl back into the indifferent shell, she kissed him again, this time with a little more urgency.

Finding herself surprised again, Angel's hands found their way to her, getting tangled up in her hair. Buffy moaned low in her throat.

Angel helped to guide her leg over his until she was straddling him after the photo albums were quickly pushed out of the way. Angel's hands came down to her hips. "Do you remember the rest of that night?" he asked her. His voice was husky and it made her shiver.

"Y-yes," she told him after he pulled away again.

And she did. The two of them driving out to a secluded beach after the mud war, jumping in the water to try and get some of it off of them, ending up in a position much like this in the back of Xander's old pickup.

She remembered stealing Xander's truck when Angel's car ran into issues, the two of them getting lost along the way to the movie theater, winding up joining in on some crazy games being held in a nearby town.

She remembered how it felt to be wrapped up in his arms just like this, their bodies entangled with one another. She remembered how much she had wanted him right then.

Angel let out a low chuckle. "I was aware of that," he said. "And of how much I thought I was going to pass out if I didn't get us both naked right there under the stars, but there wasn't any way I was going to let our first time be in that damn truck bed."

"I don't think I would have minded," she told him. "We made the most of it that night, though."

He nodded against her, his fingertips sliding under the bottom of her shirt to touch her warm skin. Buffy closed her eyes, holding him closer to her as he began kissing up the side of her neck. "I missed you," he murmured.

Buffy wasn't sure if he meant just the past few days or in the past year and a half with that statement but she didn't speak. Her hands just toyed in his hair and ran down his shoulders and upper back as his lips returned to her. Her body moved against his restlessly, seeking more of him. Buffy could feel his hardened length under her and it both thrilled and scared her. She knew they'd had sex before... many, many times... and very amazing sex at that from the little she could recall, but for the most part she was still the pre-Angel girl who had been with one guy sexually and dated only a handful of guys at all before that.

Angel suckled on her neck, making the throbbing in her core nearly painful. His hands roamed her body and obviously knew exactly how to work it under his large hands. She arched into his as his hands traveled down her spine, bucked her hips when he grabbed her breasts, and was begging him for more as his hands began to rub up and down her inner thighs, always close but never touching exactly where she wanted him to.

"We shouldn't be doing this," he said, his voice soft. It almost sounded like he was talking to himself more than her.

"We're not in Xander's truck bed," she told him.

Angel sighed, pulling away from her a little. "No. Worse." That made her sighed as well. "I'm your ex-husband who you don't really remember, Buffy."

"I'm an adult, as are you," she countered. "A consenting adult."

"Which you wouldn't be if you could remember everything. Which makes this very, very wrong."

Buffy let out a frustrated growl, placing both of her hands at the sides of his face. She could hardly even remember what she said, the words just spilling out of her mouth. But whatever they were, it obviously seemed to work as the next thing she knew, he was carrying her upstairs and laying her down on the edge of the bed.

Buffy's heart raced as she assisted him with removing her clothing, letting them fall to the ground one by one.

"Lean back," he told her, and she did as instructed, propping herself up on her elbows. Her eyes never left him as he sunk down to his knees in front of her. Buffy swallowed as his hands reached for her, sliding up her leg. Angel hooked her legs over his shoulders and leaned his head down in between them until he reached her sex. Buffy sucked in her breath as his mouth for her, one foot twitching at the contact.

"Holy shit!" flew out of her mouth as her hands grabbed handfuls of his dark locks again. Her hips tried to come right off of the bed but he held her in place which only turned her on more.

Buffy wasn't sure if it was he was just skilled, it was chance, or if it was him knowing her body as well as she knew he had to but whatever the case... he had her tuned and humming. He seemed to know exactly where to touch her and how at any given time, giving her exactly what she wanted. It was a beautiful torture.

Slowly, Angel lifted her legs off from where they were about to squeeze his head off and folded them against her so her breasts were nearly touching. His hands held her just under her knees but his mouth never seemed to leave her. "A-Angel!" she moaned, her body trying to buck against him again, to get loose. But he held her firmly in place, though it was a bit more of a challenge in this position. She felt his fingers dig into her a little and then his mouth clamp around her pink pulsating pearl in one hell of a no-nonsense way and began to tease.

She screamed his name and some curse words as he sucked on her, bringing her over the edge in a blaze of glory. Her entire body jerked and shook as she came, a burning sensation flooding her throat and black and red spots taking over for her vision.

OoOoO

Angel took a deep breath, wondering how the hell that had happened.

All of his damn sense seemed to have flown right out the damn window and now he was trying to get his head on straight and hope to hell and back the cold shower he was about to jump into would fix at least some of it.

Angel's mind was a little less muddled as he exited the restroom, and more importantly the most painful erection he'd ever had in his entire life had been taken care of. He found Buffy ready for bed back in her room, changed into some pink plaid pajamas, looking both comfortable and a little nervous laid up under the covers.

He'd tried preparing something to say to her when he was still in the shower but words were going to fail him right now.

Buffy's eyes did her talking and with his mind yelling at him and a bit of a sigh falling from his lips he stepped deeper into her bedroom and joined her. She scooted closer, pillowing her head on his bare chest.

OoOoO

Cursing Xander, and not for the first time today, Buffy searched until she found the right room and quickly got inside. It didn't take long for her to spot Anya after she remembered the girl had brunette hair again at the moment and switched from scouting out all the curly-haired blondes. Buffy ignored the buzz her phone made and started down the few steps to where Anya was and slipped into a seat beside her.

"Buffy," Anya greeted, her voice a bit surprised, her eyes narrowed.

Buffy looked over at the clock near the front of the class then began to follow the orders Xander had passed on to her. The brunette's birthday was coming up and he was stuck on what to get her. So now, here she was. Buffy tried "feeling her out" but Anya Jenkins was one strange broad and somehow when talking to her Buffy always found herself utterly confused by the end of it.

She could see how Xander and her got along so well sometimes.

With a sigh, she plopped the pen down on the small notepad she had out, ignored Anya and her ranting she'd started in on, and began looking around the class. And that was when she saw him. Buffy felt her heart skip a beat as she did a double-take. "Who is that?" she asked, cutting into Anya's rambling, nudging her in the process.

"Who is who?"

"Tall, dark and far too gorgeous to exist," she answered and tried to casually point him out.

Anya rolled her eyes, commenting on how sexy Xander was and how good he was in bed-which made Buffy's face flush, then told her he was a guest speaker today from Wolfram and Hart.

Another glance at the clock. Buffy knew if she was going to make it to her own class she needed to get moving... but she didn't. Instead, she tried to sink low into the chair she'd taken to and try not to stand out while she kept her eyes glued to the sexy stranger in the navy blue suit that looked like it had cost more than her tuition.

Anya had a mind of her own, though. She would raise her hand or usually just blurt one thing or another out to each of the guys who had taken the floor. It didn't bother the brunette one bit, she had no shame after all, but Buffy on the other hand began to wish she'd just taken off.

Dark brown eyes had caught on to her and would stare at her on and off throughout the first two's lectures. When the suit in question was up to bat, she found herself losing her breath as he wasted no time jumping up and taking the steps until he was in the aisle and a step below her.

He used his introduction to the class by way of her, flirting without hesitation, using her as an example about how to present yourself publicly... or something or another.

She knew she must have turned beat red at first but something came over her and she joined in on the game just a minute or two later. She sat up right in the seat, propped her elbow on the desk tray, and went for it. And she got so caught up she let everything and everyone else fall away.

She forgot where they were, why and what was going on. Forgot that anyone else was in the room as they bantered back and forth, giving sex eyes to one another.

When the bell rang, it came back to her though. Her face flushed and she hurried to gather her things. "Goodbye I guess then, Pretty Blonde."

Buffy looked up to see him staring at her as everyone started to stand around her. She swallowed, suddenly feeling shy. "Handsome Suit," she said with a nod then was out the door within seconds, trying to put distance between herself and that room.

OoOoO

Buffy had a smile on her face as her dreams took her back to the very day he and Angel had met, but soon she was grimacing as the sounds of an argument started flooding to her. Not wanting to wake up, Buffy tried to fight it, tried shutting the noise out but then a door slammed shut and she nearly jumped to a sitting position in the bed.

It took but a second to realize she was alone in the room and another to realize she could hear Angel cursing up a storm from what sounded like outside.

Getting out of bed, Buffy rushed downstairs and opened the door. Her eyes went wide as Riley Finn turned to face her there on the porch. "Buffy," he greeted her with a charming smile.

Angel sneered from several feet away. She looked over at him with her giant-sized eyes but seemed to be stuck watching as he started back toward his car. "Angel?" she shouted out at him as he climbed inside but he paid no mind, driving off a few seconds later.

He'd looked pissed. And now she felt terrified.