As lunchtime rolled around, Buffy was pretty sure she had never been more thankful for a bout of fresh air in her life, hoping it would help snap her senses back into place. She even went as far as suggesting they eat out on the patio of the place they'd chosen to go for the meal since it was looking more decent out than it had in far too long lately, it was still colder than she would have signed up for but at least the sun was bright and shining.

"As much as I thoroughly love and adore all things Christmas related and ringing in a new year and all of those fun things... I sure can't wait for much, much, much warmer days to return."

Thanking the waitresses after she refilled the drinks at their table, Angel smiled a little, asking just what kind of trouble he should be expecting to be brought into once spring and summer days started to fall in to place and she couldn't help but imagine them taking in little food stands on the boardwalks, splashing around in the ocean and running around on the beach with their respective group of friends, dragging him off to one event or concert or whatever she might come across that week to the next, taking in local attractions and sights, museums, anything that wound up sounding even remotely interesting at the time.

Angel continued to look amused with her as she rambled on, then his head tilted a bit to the side. "What about today? I mean if you and I had no responsibilities, weren't worried about work, or how much something might cost... just plain ol' if you could do anything you wanted to do today... what would it be?"

Taking a bite of her salad, she thought on that for a moment. Ignoring the flashes of images her mind kept conjuring of the two of them doing things she had no business imagining, she quickly started ticking off a silent list. It was definitely too cold for the beach, the boardwalk in Santa Monica was pretty overrated, in all honesty a day at the spa sounded pretty freaking amazing right about then, but she wasn't sure that was the best idea either. For some reason parading around in swimsuits and getting massages with Angel just seemed a bit too intimate. "Hmm," she pondered, then the perfect idea struck her and she couldn't help but grin. "Disneyland."

Of all the things he'd been expecting her to say, as usual that hadn't even crossed his mind. "The amusement park place?" his brow creased, "Isn't that for kids?"

Her eyes grew comically wide, "Tell me you're not serious," she scooted over to the chair closer to him, "Angel you have not lived in Southern California for however many years and never, not even once ventured down to the happiest place on earth?"

The corner of his mouth kicked up in one of those little grins she was becoming entirely too fond of, "Guilty I'm afraid."

He was pretty sure this was one of his most favorite things about her, how animated she got whenever she was talking about something she truly loved. Just like the venue they'd reserved for the Christmas party, and that television show she was so obsessed with, and now wouldn't you know of all things he could add freaking Disneyland to the list. Heavens knew had he asked Darla the same, she would be trying to drag him on some extravagant shopping trip to Paris no doubt.

Shaking her head she stole one of the fries from his plate, "Well mister that is something we're going to have to rectify, and soon. I'd say we could go this weekend but Disney is notoriously busy the weekend after Thanksgiving because they switch from the fall decorations to Christmas overnight so it's like the best of both worlds. One day they're serving the best pumpkin spice cupcakes imaginable, and the next you're getting hot chocolate that I'm sure could rival the north poles. Oh," she exclaimed, "And dole whips, oh my God to die for."

"You know you're kind of adorable when you ramble."

"Sorry," she blushed, and he shook his head.

"Don't be," glancing at his watch, he mentally tried to think of all the things he had to do at the office today and what all could be pushed off until tomorrow. Taking his phone out he pulled up his calendar and was relieved to see that he didn't have any major meeting or phone conferences scheduled for the afternoon. There were a few things he would have to play catch up on, but it wouldn't be too hard for Harmony to get everything moved over.

"Angel," she warned after a couple of minutes, already having an idea what he was up to clicking away over there, "What are you doing?"

He just smirked and flipped his phone around to show her the tickets he had just purchased. Her eyes widened again, and she nearly choked on the sip of raspberry tea she'd just taken. "But those are for today," she gasped. "We can't go today, not only will Lindsey kill me but we are in no way dressed to go to Disney."

"Let me worry about Lindsey, I promise no matter what he thinks, he does in fact work for me. And as for clothes," he waved in the direction of the little strip mall across the street, "I'm sure we can find something over there."

She made some strangled noise in the back of her throat, "You know for such a big and scary boss you sure make it hard for a girl to be responsible sometimes."

He chuckled, "Big and scary huh, so is that a yes?"

Without even thinking about it her arms went around his neck at nearly the same time her lips pressed against his cheek, "Please, ditching work for Disney, and getting to spend the day with you, it's like my two most favorite things."

OoOoO

She really couldn't picture Angel in something from Old Navy but it was pretty much their best option out of the line of stores. Some of the anxiety she had been feeling earlier had begun to fade, but she still felt that weird swirling inside her, especially since when they made it back to the car after finishing up eating, Angel had casually linked his fingers with hers for the short drive across the street.

Everything with that man was becoming a blurred mess, but she was determined to stop dwelling on it. To stop worrying about what this or that may mean. She cared about him, and whether that ended up staying in a friendship capacity or whatever it didn't matter, she had stressed herself out over it the last few days and she was done with that. No matter what it was going on between them she just wanted to enjoy it, and for once she was going to try and take Willow's advice and let fate take her for a ride.

She had quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater, and took them up to the cashier while she waited for Angel to finish up in the dressing room. She knew if she didn't get her stuff purchased that he would insist on paying for it as well, and like usual he had already done too much with the tickets which she knew for a fact were not cheap. Except when she got up to the cashier, after all of her items were scanned she was simply handed a receipt, confused she looked up to the young cashier who just shrugged cheerfully. "Your boyfriend gave his card while you were grabbing your things," she handed her the black amex from across the counter and winked, "Seems like a keeper to me."

Having finally settled on something, Angel made his way over to the checkout area all the while looking for Buffy. When he got up to the young girl he had given his card too earlier, he asked if she had happened to see which way she went, and was told that Buffy had headed to the restroom to get changed since she hadn't needed to use the fitting rooms. Handing her the tags to the items he'd chosen, he took a bag and placed his slacks and the rest of the clothes he'd worn to work inside. Not paying attention, he hadn't even noticed that Buffy had appeared back beside him just in time to swipe her card, "Ha," she poked his side, "We're even."

OoOoO

The closer they got to the park, the more excited Buffy seemed to get. Turning down the radio to tell him all about her favorite rides, all the shops they could visit, and the history of the small apartment above the fire station and why the lamp always stayed lit.

Somehow she had even managed to get him to agree to wear a pair of the ridiculous mouse shaped ears on top of his head to match the ones she'd picked out all within mere minutes of their arrival which took him quite some time to adjust to and not feel like he had to be walking around looking utterly ridiculous, or, rather to not care that he was walking around looking ridiculous more than anything. The face she kept making the way she looked at him in the damn thing hadn't helped matters much either.

"Awww, you just look so cute," she would gush and he could only shake his head and try and playfully hide away or put his hand up to hide his face or something along those lines as she started trying to snap a million photos of him or the two of them together as they took everything in. Eventually, he wound up giving up on that too, and just went the hell along with it.

Since he was endlessly unfamiliar with the place, Buffy was in the lead on their little trip. She started out by trying to get him to look at a map of the park and ask him what he might want to go see first or set a goal to try and make it to before the end of their time here but he told her he was just along for the ride and would simply follow her wherever she wanted to head off to. Thankfully he didn't have to do much convincing for once, she eyed him for a moment then started telling him bits and pieces of a game plan and he had no idea what any of it meant anyway.

There was no question that somewhere like this was so far outside of his comfort zone that it couldn't even be seen anymore but as a little bit of time passed he supposed it wasn't as bad as he was expecting or had always imagined this place would be like.

This was absolutely on the list of last possible things he would have expected to do today.

OoOoO

Waiting in their first line for a ride, Buffy took a couple steps closer to him. "You have gone on a rollercoaster though, right? You know, just not here?"

He chuckled a little, his head nodding. "I have. I do have to admit that it's been quite awhile since though," he answered, mentally counting the years back to the last time he could remember doing anything remotely like this. He had done a number of wild and crazy things with Lindsey in his younger days without question, way more daring than this place had to offer, with various members of his family who were no longer with him anymore as well, and hell, a number of strangers at opportune times... but all of that seemed like a lifetime ago. He was pretty sure until today he would have doubted he'd be in a position like this again in fact.

Tilting her head to the side, she prodded him for more information about such, her mind still seemed to be blown over the fact he'd never been here before, but it didn't take long before she was laughing along with him as he shared some of those old memories with her. And in turn he got to hear about some of her past adventures of growing up and coming here through the years and some better insight into why this little slice of the world meant as much to her as it obviously did.

OoOoO

"Oh my God, would you stop that!?" Buffy whispered as she watched Angel put the last three items she'd simply even looked at into what right about now seemed like an impossibly large pile. "Angel! I do not need all of these things!"

"Well, if I told you to find something you wanted you would be standing over there arguing all the same so..." he trailed off.

"Because I don't need anything! Let alone like twenty things from every little shop we happen to go into!"

Angel rolled his eyes. "Do you complain this much at everybody or am I just special?" he drawled.

OoOoO

At some point during the day, Buffy began to feel as though she was starting to enjoy their wait times as much as, if not more than, actually making it onto any of the rides or seeing any of the other attractions laid out for them. Her mind would blank now on exactly when it had started but anytime they would be standing in line somewhere she found Angel's arms wrapped around her in one form or another, his fingers always seemed to be linked back up with hers as they walked around to wherever she wanted to go next, or just always find some way or another to pretty much always be touching her, being close to her.

Try as she might to stick with the rejection to overthink his actions and what all was happening between them, or to keep her breathing even as he held onto her, it was becoming more and more impossible as the hours started ticking by.

Anytime she would feel him pull her closer like it was the most natural thing in the world, feel his breath against the back of her neck or feel his nose bury in the crook of her shoulder or something along those lines, she couldn't help but close her eyes and imagine his lips pressed against that same skin, or earlier when they were grabbing some snacks she stood facing him and her heart about thundered its way out of her body when she for a passing moment thought he was going to lean just a little more into her and kiss her. She was pretty sure she about choked and made some strangled noise lightly in the back of her throat but that might have been what scared him off or brought him back to his senses for all she knew.

At this point she wasn't sure what was even more nerve wracking, the idea of if he actually made some move, or the endless what ifs that hadn't come to pass and being unsure if they ever would. After today she had to admit she was a lot less convinced everything was simply in her head when it came to this man... though she still was far from sure of what to do with that information all the same.

OoOoO

"Okay, seriously, no matter what I do or say... no matter how much I gush about how delicious something might be, or we pass by something and it looks amazing... do not let me eat a single bite more or literally anything the rest of this day," Buffy grumbled. "That's your new job because there's a good chance someone is going to have to roll me into the office tomorrow at this point."

"Sorry woman, I can't make any such promises to you on that," Angel chuckled.

"Useless," she teased, pushing on his shoulder. "Remind me to not come back here with the likes of you."

Smiling wickedly, he pointed to a food cart across the way. "Hmm, now I wonder what's over there."

"No way," she shook her head, and laughed while she playfully grabbed at his arm, only getting him to concede and turn the other way after linking her fingers with his.

OoOoO

The sun had long since set when the two of them finally made their way to the line for what would be their final ride. Each of them having somehow managed to completely lose track of time, they decided to try and get one last ride in before the park closed. Buffy had kept mentioning how this pirate ride was something he just had to experience, so even though it was in the complete opposite direction of the park exit, Angel had made a point to stop and ask someone dressed as some sort of fairy or another for directions.

"I still can't believe you sent that picture to Lindsey," Angel grumbled, pulling her back against him, his arms slipping back around her waist to hold her close as they slowly made their way towards the attraction.

Apparently Angel hadn't been too forthcoming when he texted Lindsey to let him know that neither of them would be coming back to the office. So naturally, Lindsey hacked Angel's google maps account and when he pinpointed just where they were both of their phones started blowing up. It had just been Angel's at first, but she guessed when it became obvious that he wasn't going to get a response there, he started in on hers. Eventually she'd sent him a cute shot she'd gotten of the two of them earlier in the day right after she'd gotten Angel in a pair of Mickey ears, luckily for her, her phone had died not too much later though and Angel had strangely turned his off, so she could only imagine the onslaught they were in for come tomorrow morning.

Spinning around in his arms, she wrapped her hands around his neck and used him as leverage to hop up so she could sit on the railing. All she had been focused on was how badly her feet were starting to ache, and finding a place to sit, but suddenly her thighs were all but locked around him and his lips were so close she would almost swear she could taste his breath.

Everything seemed to slow down and speed up all at the same time, hypersensitivity was pretty much the understatement of the year, all the people in line, all the noise, everything faded away until all that was left was the two of them, and the only thing she could feel was him against her. His fingers dug into her hips while his dark orbs seemed to pin her place, she wasn't even sure if she was pulling him closer or if he was leaning in all on his own, but his name escaped her lips in little more than a hushed whisper at just the same moment his nose brushed along side hers.

He had been so lost in the moment, in the way her small frame felt locked all around him that he had nearly been knocked over by a couple of kids racing through the line. In all honesty it had probably been the first time in her presence that he'd really had to control himself, and not snap at the two of them for interrupting what he was almost sure was about to be one of the best moments of his life. The moment broken, he cleared his throat, pulling back a little but making sure to keep his arms firmly in place.

OoOoO

She was pretty sure she hadn't stopped blushing since their little incident in the line, and she was fairly certain that her stomach had never been in such knots but she tried to enjoy the ride and point out all the big characters as the boat went along.

"Okay," she grinned, leaning her head against his shoulder as they slowly made their way towards his car. "This weekend we're watching Pirates of the Caribbean, no ifs, ands, or buts. There's just entirely too many movies to get you caught up on mister. I haven't been to the cinema since the pictures could speak."

Angel chuckled, then held up his little finger to promise her, "Deal".

A huge part of him wanted to suggest they try it out tonight, but at the same time he didn't want to do or say anything to backtrack on any of these boundaries they seemed to have pushed past throughout the day and evening. He may not have gotten that kiss but she sure seemed a lot more comfortable than she had just a few hours earlier, although he had to admit he was too. Sure they had spent a number of nights on her couch, at the office, or different lunch venues, but none of those times had ever felt like this. He wasn't quite sure how she felt about the day, but as far as he was concerned this had been his first date in years.

She tried not to obsess about it, she really had. Not when he threaded their fingers together, or when his palm found its way to her thigh after he adjusted the air she kept trying to figure out. But no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept drifting to how he had felt against her, to how close his lips had been to hers, to how much she truly hated that freaking buzz lightyear dressed snot nosed kid right now, but mostly, she just kept wondering if he was going to try it again.

Since it was so late Angel had insisted on simply driving her back to her apartment instead of going all the way back to the office. Quickly shutting down any objections she had, and when she started to question how she might get to work tomorrow he just shot her a look and told her he would be there by seven. In all honesty he was doing it all for selfish reasons, just wanting the few extra minutes with her. More than anything he wished he had a way to fast forward time, all he wanted was for it to be Thursday, to have her in his house and far away from the damn office and everything relating to that damn place for a few days. We'll, everything except for Lindsey and Wes anyway, he didn't even want to think about what havoc the two of them planned on causing.

Pulling into her apartments he crept up to the gate and quickly entered the code he already knew by heart.

OoOoO

It had taken both of them to carry all the bags of crap Angel insisted on buying. Looking at all the bags piled on top of her kitchen table she momentarily thought about opening her own Disney franchise, before his arms were back around her pulling her right back out of her thoughts.

"You know I was pretty hesitant when you mentioned Disneyland earlier, but I have to admit today was probably the best day I've had in a very long time."

Her arms draped right back around him almost like it was the most natural thing in the world, "Pretty sure you were long overdue for a day of just... existing... relaxing, getting out of the office and out of that head of yours," she answered him softly. "You know, all the things in the world that you seem to loathe with your entire being."

"Yeah, yeah," Angel grumbled back at her. "Maybe so."

Unable to stop herself from rolling her eyes at his endless stubborn streak, she then tried yet again to express gratitude for the entire day and wasn't surprised any when he hurried to shut any of that down and act like it wasn't a big deal, trying to quickly change the subject. He didn't seem to have any issue with talking about the day with her, sharing favorite parts of the park and things they'd seen and done together, didn't mind hearing her express how much fun she had with him but he sure didn't enjoy her trying to thank him for the randomness the day had held one bit. "You are impossible, you know that?"

OoOoO

Even from a simple but lingering hug goodnight and Angel pressing her lips to her forehead before finally heading off had left Buffy feeling breathless, biting her tongue with everything she had to not ask him to stay as the endless loop of fantasy moments seemed to keep playing in her mind every time he looked at her or she felt his fingers hold onto her just a little tighter.

Truthfully, she was well past starting to feel the day catching up to her, pretty sure she wasn't even going to make it to the tub for that soak she kept promising herself to take before bed, but she dreaded him leaving when he brought it up all the same.

Leaning her head back against the door after closing it behind his retreating form, her eyes closed and she did her best to hold onto the memory of how he'd felt against her before sighing and forcing herself to clean up a little and head for the hallway, sure she would just decide on the bathtub or falling off into bed by the time she got there.

OoOoO

Having hit snooze one time too many, Buffy rushed around as quickly as she could finishing getting ready, sure that she was forgetting one thing as another that she would need for today. Angel was unmoved by any of it of course, hollering back everything was fine as he sat patiently waiting for her in the other room.

After throwing her shoes on, she reached for one of the overnight bags she'd gotten out of the closet the day and tossed it on the bed, telling herself she would get the ball rolling on packing when she got home to avoid any last minute hiccups on that end. Excitement gripped her as she even thought about what the end of the week might hold in store for her, she just hoped getting through today and tomorrow wouldn't be as bad as she was imagining at this point.

Angel had told her there would be absolutely no working while everyone was under his roof so that was giving her a little extra push to get as much done in the next few days as she could with the party especially. She was sure after Thanksgiving had come and went the days would all start sneaking up on her and she wanted everything all ready to go with plenty of time and room for any needed adjustments that might spring up on them.

With a sigh she gave the room one last look over and went to go join Angel.

"Want to stop for coffee along the way?"

"Yes, please, I feel like I barely even slept last night," she groaned. "I wouldn't be opposed to one of those giant muffins under the counter either... just sayin'," she added, making him laugh.

OoOoO

"You seriously up and ditched coming back to work after your lunch break to go to Disneyland of all fucking places yesterday?" Lindsey was pretty sure the look of shock hadn't left his face since that bit of information made its way to him. "And I don't even know where in the hell to start in on that whole thing," he continued, shaking his head some. "I mean, you taking a break is already its own huge deal, then add in taking my best employee without any damn notice, wonder all the hows and whys, and this list just goes and on. And still ends with me being further offended at the fact no one went and invited me along!"

That made Angel smirk and he shrugged his shoulders. "Well, at least one of the adults had to be here running this madhouse, right?"

Lindsey placed a hand over his heart. "Aww, you think I'm an adult?"

"Ehh, compared to my other options... I'll go with it in this case I guess."

"Mmhmm, and what exactly prompted the sudden burst of carefreeness? You two finally made up at least I'm assuming?"

He really hadn't expecting to get much out of Angel so it was a little surprising to hear him talk briefly about clearing up some miscommunication that was obviously going on between them and how the whole idea got prompted, even getting a few stories about the day and a warning they were apparently being roped into watching pirate movies over the weekend before he had to cut the conversation short to go deal with his next round of meetings.

ButImBroken:

This story is cowritten with Scribes1015!