DISCLAIMER: Begins with J ends with oss.
SUMMARY: Carte Blanche: Unconditional terms; unlimited authority. They have the future in their hands and they don't even know it. Apparently this is the first vignette of my Morning After & Other Fairytales 'verse. For those not in the know, that means Angel didn't lose the soul. This one? It is the morning after. pets
WORDCOUNT: 1227
DEDICATION: to Rachel. Thank you, sweetie, for everything. HUGS
FEEDBACK: puppy eyes

CARTE BLANCHE
by Leni

"I should go."

"Mhmmm…."

Angel didn't loosen his arms from around her, though. Neither did she push herself away from him.

"I have school."

"Not for two hours," he reminded her. "I'm keeping you here until then. Deal."

Buffy accepted that in silence, and he knew when she'd closed her eyes again because her body relaxed even further against him. She did it easily, already comfortable in his bed. Angel couldn't believe she'd have left earlier if her movements hadn't woken him up.

She had even been half dressed when he caught her, claiming all the duties he knew could wait until morning. It had taken some sweet talking to get her back into bed, and after that it'd taken a lot of patience to get her to relax. Buffy had been a jumpy bundle of nerves, talking non-stop about berserk rainfalls, ruined shirts and birthday parties and the decoration in the apartment. It would have been amusing if he hadn't been so worried that they'd gone too fast, that the dangers of the night had taken them too far away.

Angel had diligently answered each of her quirky questions, bringing her a little closer with each one. Too fast or not, too far away or not, he hadn't been about to let her drift apart. Until eventually Buffy had brought her babble to a halt and fallen asleep.

Now, even though she'd been talking about leaving, she still hadn't moved an inch. She still lay fully on top of him, one arm acting like a pillow between his chest and her cheek while the other moved from resting against his skin to arranging a lock behind her earlobe and back again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, turning her head so she was looking at him.

Angel frowned questioningly.

"For going Freak Buffy on you. I just…. I woke up and…." She searched into his eyes; whatever she found encouraged her to continue. "I like this. I really do. I just didn't know if you would." The last words were a rush, and the following came even faster. "Which you apparently do. Enjoy, I mean. Like me. And please shut me up before I embaras--"

He shut her up.

A long kiss that made her grasp at his shoulders while he contemplated never letting her go at all. School be damned.

"I… go…" she rasped out between their lips, effectively ending the kiss.

Angel released her, and seconds later he cocked an eyebrow up at her. She was still in the same position. Well, he wasn't sending her away. Sunnydale high school really wouldn't start for a couple hours.

"Guess I should move, huh?" Buffy blushed a little, lowered her eyes to his chest but almost immediately raised them back to his, real alarm in them. "The Judge!"

As he felt her scramble away, Angel added another debt to the ones Spike owed him. He barely reached his girlfriend before she jumped out of the bed. "We have time," he told her, tightening his hold at her elbow just enough to make her pay attention.

She turned and tilted her head, obviously unsure. "He is evil. He is hungry. He could be out… somewhere."

"And Spike would miss the fun?" He chuckled. "That'd be the day."

Buffy seemed dubious, looking between him and her shoes for several seconds. She finally nodded. "He really is a show off, huh?"

Not more than what he'd learned from decades with Angelus, but as she was already leaning back at his side, Angel didn't think it necessary to be mentioned aloud. This time she was resting her head against his outstretched arm, and her body felt warm against his. He found that he also liked this position; it reminded him of when they'd first fallen asleep last night. Besides his knowledge that it had already dawned in the outside world, within his dark apartment the differences were minimal.

He watched her, amazed at how her features, which had started to harden as Buffy remembered her duties as the Slayer, now were smoothed back to the ones of a contented girl. 'Are you happy?' he'd have asked her, maybe, but that was the exact instant when he felt her drift back into sleep.

Angel considered for a second to rush into the kitchen and retrieving a bag of blood from the fridge. He hadn't fed since the last evening, before the party. But he pushed the hunger away. Any noise could wake up Buffy, and he didn't want her to think that he was paying her back. Waking up and finding himself alone after the last night? Not his favourite moment. In fact, it'd been topped by very few in his past; the second before he found her full of insecurity and doubt. No, he wasn't leaving until she woke up.

One hour ran swiftly by, and the next was reaching its end when Angel realised that now it was late. He gently nudged Buffy's shoulder.

"Wha?"

He had to smile. For a girl who'd been ready to run up and out before dawn, now she looked as if she'd grown fond of his sheets. "School will be starting soon, Buffy."

Her nose furrowed, showing her distaste at that notion. "So? You didn't want me to leave earlier." As this was said, she curled against him, some words losing themselves against his side. "Now you deal," she mumbled as she turned around sleepily, as if she could ignore time running if she ignored him.

Angel rolled his eyes. In all his visions of a morning after with Buffy, none of them had included telling her to leave his bed. In fact, those visions were what had made him bring her back earlier despite her protests. He wanted to wake up at her side, properly. And he wanted her to wake up at his side. He may not know Buffy for long, but he loved her, and he did know women. Angel was aware that she'd have never really forgiven him if he'd let her go after their first night together.

This, though, was different. Having her sneak out at three in the morning was one thing. School was another. Especially when there was a worried Watcher waiting for her.

Angel already wasn't looking forward to facing Giles when he found out about this new step in his and Buffy's relationship – and he'd find out soon. Buffy was an open book when her feelings were involved. Considering that the man's opinion was already shaky enough given his raising and education, Angel wouldn't be the one at fault for Buffy being late for school.

He reached for her arms and pulled her to a sitting position. The jostling movement was enough to wake her up, slightly.

"I'm not liking you right now," she said, glaring at him through half-drowsy eyes.

He should have answered: 'But I love you anyway.' In fact, those very words crossed his mind. But they had trouble reaching his lips, and he finally let them be. Maybe later; they had time later. "Up now, Buffy," he said instead.

But she'd stubbornly moved forward and back into him. "Mmmhmmmm…." He heard as her head furrowed against him. Her breath was hot against his shoulder and Angel sighed, couldn't help but put his arm around her, holding her.

This could take some time.

The End
14/08/06

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