It took him at least five minutes to calm her down, once she was breathing easy her sobs had stopped; her face was stained with tears and that lost and lonely look took over her expression again "I should call your mom, she'll want to see you"
Buffy kept her head resting against his damp shirt "I can't face anyone tonight" her voice was barely above a whisper, with the house being heavy with silence he heard it clear as day "Can I, please?" she finally looked up at him with those big expressive eyes, he couldn't deny her.
"Okay, I'll call your mom to let her know you're here but of course, you can stay" he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled "I'll call in some food and you can take a bath, I've got some bath salts and candles… y'know"
She managed to giggle feebly, she knew that he was the get in get out type of guy and hated baths; her on the other hand could spend hours soaking away. Back when they were dating she had to do some convincing; which she won – he even admitted that he had enjoyed being with her in the tub.
"Thank you" she patted her hand over the damp spot on his shirt, it would need a good wash, it was marked with mascara too, she grimaced then looked back at him apologetically to which he only shrugged, she cupped his cheek with her hand "Thank you"
If she had to she would thank him repeatedly until she could speak no more, he had done so much for her already and had been just what she needed for today. The day had yet to end however she was still standing, she was still pulling through.
With unsteady legs she stood up then stumbled, Angel wrapped his arm around her waist and linked his fingers through hers "Steady" a blush crept up her neck at the blunder; she closed her eyes as he rubbed the small of her back "Go, go take a bath and I'll handle things"
Buffy nodded once then reluctantly pulled out of his embrace, she looked at him for a long moment then went upstairs and into the bathroom. Once she was out of sight he pulled off his shirt and threw it on the coffee table "Hey Joyce?"
He walked around the room aimlessly as he explained that he had found Buffy today and she'd spent the past hour or so with him; although he hated to deny her access to her daughter he told her how upset she was and needed some time to heal.
Joyce said she understood but wasn't happy and that he was under explicit orders to bring her over first thing in the morning – she remembered when she'd had the breakdown, how much it took out of her, she'd slept for days.
Angel ended the call and sat down heavily on the sofa, rubbing his face harshly. The stress of the past few days was catching up with him, taking a moment to compose himself he called a takeaway to get some food; not having the energy to cook for them.
"Angel?" he paced up to the bathroom thinking that something was wrong, Buffy poked her head out from behind the door and smiled sheepishly "I forgot to get a towel" he smiled back at her, relieved that nothing was wrong.
He retrieved a fluffy bath sheet from the closet and handed it to her, she disappeared for a moment then came out, wrapped neatly with her hair piled on top of her head "I don't think I'll have anything that fits but I can get a shirt for you?"
Buffy followed him into his room and watched as he raided his drawer for spare clothing; he pulled out a black silk shirt and handed it to her. She looked around his room in interest, the few times that she had been over – this room was never ventured into.
Angel watched as she took in every little detail, her eyes lingered on the bed and he cleared his throat "Uh, I can have the spare room set up, I've not had a chance to do it yet" he saw her nod lightly then head back to the bathroom to get changed.
When she came downstairs their food had arrived, he set out their plates and drink; both of them inhaling their meal. He looked across the table to see Buffy nod off, her eyes fought to stay open and she yawned loudly.
Without saying anything he scooped her up from the seat and took her upstairs, her arms looped his neck which she tightened her grip as she whispered "I… I don't want to be alone" the look she gave him was heartbreaking.
He wasn't sure it was a good idea; he wanted to say it was best that she sleep in the room down the hall but his mind had other plans. He kicked the bedroom door shut then placed her gently in the centre of the bed.
Slowly she crawled under the covers, leaving the corner peeled back. Angel kicked off his boots and pulled the jeans down his legs; usually he would sleep naked unless it was the dead of winter even then that was iffy – being rational he left his boxers on and slipped into bed.
Both of them lay rigidly still unsure of what would be considered as appropriate, Buffy shuffled onto her side to look at him "Angel?" he rolled onto his side to face her, her mind went blank; she wanted to say so much to him and nothing came.
"Yeah?" he reached out to run his knuckles over her cheek "Goodnight" he could tell by her face that goodnight wasn't what she wanted to say, he returned the sentiment before she rolled back over to face the wall – he closed his eyes and hoped that the sandman would find him without hesitation.
Oooooooooooooo
Before she had even had a chance to think, she knew that she'd had the best sleep in a long time and that she was incredibly comfortable. As she peeked open one eye she saw the dark sheets on the bed and an arm draped across her waist.
Her body tensed until her mind caught up with her, remembering that she had came back to Sunnydale, then spent the night crying all over Angel. Buffy closed her eyes and relaxed, being in his arms made her feel completely safe.
Not daring to move a muscle and disturb him she lay still just listening to his steady breathing. What she said yesterday to Giles, she meant it, the time she spent with him made her want to forget everything and to move on with her life.
The problem being that it had been eight years since they had last been together, had too much time passed? Had there been too many life events that had changed the both of them? Would it hurt the friendship they had built so far? She didn't know.
She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't feel his arm tighten around her and pull her flush against his bare chest and her ass pressed against his groin. Angel mumbled something under his breath and gave her a shallow thrust.
She blushed when she felt his hardness through the thin material of his boxers then let out a soft moan when he nuzzled the back of her neck and thrust against her for the second time. It had been so long since she felt her body automatically respond.
In the last few months with Riley it was out of routine, not love that she would give herself to him; it was always for him and never for her. Feeling her body react to his closeness was something that she wasn't scared of; in fact she wouldn't mind at all.
His hand caressed her stomach before slipping up to cup her breast, she bit her lip in anticipation then frowned when his body stiffened "Buffy?" he pulled away from her, the sudden waft of cold air making her shiver.
She rolled over to face him, his face was heavy with sleep and he looked confused, he blinked his eyes to get rid of the sleep then focused on her flushed face "Buff… s-sorry" he tilted backwards to put some distance in between them "Sorry"
Having her body so close to his was electrifying, even in the depths of sleep it responded to her. When they were teenagers they had seldom spent a full night together, on the odd occasions that they did she had told him that he would wake her up with his hands wandering.
At first he was embarrassed that he'd felt her up when they were both fast asleep, she said she didn't mind; the embarrassment swiftly left the day he woke up to her with her mouth wrapped around his hardness, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
Although it had crossed his mind that this was a possibility he had shrugged it off, thinking that he was now older and able to control his eager body. Apparently not.
Buffy closed her eyes letting the hurt wash over her by his rejection "It's okay" she felt the mattress shift under his weight as he climbed off the bed. When she finally looked over at him he was rubbing the back of his neck in agitation.
"I'm going to take a shower, uh… your mom wants to you over first thing… that's if you're ready too" he looked down at her, her bottom lip threatened to jut out, she looked almost sad. She took a breath then nodded as she sunk back into the bed.
Seeing her look every bit as beautiful as the day he met her, swamped in the duvet in his bed, made him want to crawl back in and show her how beautiful she was. Although she had admitted that she was leaving Riley, that didn't give him the right to claim her as his.
He gave her one last smile and left her alone, Buffy felt her lip wobble; she scrunched her eyes shut to regain composure, telling herself that she shouldn't cry that she should be strong and accept that he was her friend and that was it.
Once she heard the shower switch off, she grabbed a towel and scooted past him when he left the bathroom. Angel gave her a look as she locked the door, he sighed and grabbed his clothes to get dressed; he would have a strong coffee then take her back to her moms house.
He'd sunk his third mug of the tar like liquid by the time she had come downstairs, despite being freshly showered her face showed signs of crying; her eyes were puffy although it looked liked she'd done her best to hide it "Everything okay?"
Buffy nodded eagerly "Yeah, just been a long couple of days" her smile was verging on being artificial but he wasn't going to call her on it – if he pushed to far then she would more than likely flee. She poured a half mug of coffee then took a small sip.
Angel tapped his thumb on the table "Uh do you want breakfast… we'll have to go out, I've not been for groceries yet" he mentally berated himself for his poor planning skills, if he had food then they could spend some more time together – it looked like this morning's humiliation didn't extend to her.
"Thanks, but I should go see Mom…" she saw his face fall then swiftly recover, she wanted to spend more time with him but by the way he acted this morning made it clear that he wasn't interested in her like that, feeling slightly embarrassed that she thought he still would.
He only nodded as he grabbed his keys; she followed him in silence then looked out the window as the streets passed by then came face to face with her childhood home. The curtains twitched before her mom appeared on the porch.
Joyce pulled Buffy into a hug before letting her go so Dawn could hug her too, Angel rested upon his car watching the scene with a lump in his throat. Joyce came over to him and smiled "Thank you Angel"
The look he gave her read that she needn't apologise, it wasn't a hardship for him to look after; he would continue to look after her for as long as she let him. It tore him up on the inside that she was buried deep in his heart and that he would never have her that way again.
She turned back to face him shyly, her fingers extended into a wave as she mouthed 'thank you' to him, he smiled back at her lightly and waved too. They held a look for a long minute before Joyce called out to her, reluctantly she went inside.